The new Mindsay is so cool!  This is so easy and neat!

Oh crap, gotta go to class in half an hour.  Sucks.

Random picture of friends right here

When there's nowhere else to run
Is there room for one more son
One more son
If you can hold on
If you can hold on, hold on
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I want a meaning from the back of my broken hand

Got a psychology test today.  :(  Hopefully it won't be too bad.  Got up early to do some last-minute studying.  I usually do pretty well in psychology, so I'm not really worried. 

Changed my layout today...I'm really liking it.  I'm so proud of myself. ;)

Ok, time to study now.

Tim is a nut.  That's just all there is to it. ;)

Going over to Charlie's to watch Big Daddy.  That movie is so great.  Adam Sandler is a God.

Curt was thirsty last night :)

I feel like a quote out of context
Withholding the rest
So I can be free what you want to see
I got the gesture and sound
Got the timing down
It's uncanny, yeah, you think it was me
Do you think I should take a class
To lose my southern accent
Did I make me up, or make the face till it stuck
I do the best imitation of myself
~ Ben Folds Five

I am so exhausted.  Stayed up til 4 am writing a paper, and had to wake up at 9.  This sucks!  It's nap time for me.

I need a vacation.

This was in the Daily Illini today.  :)

Illinois won last night against Delaware State.  Final score = 86-67.  Illinois is ranked #5...nice!

Ron Turner was fired today. Guess the school wasn't thrilled with three consecutive losing seasons.

"I realize it's a bottom-line business and the last couple of years we didn't win enough football games," Turner said at a news conference. "I can leave this university knowing that I ran a program with great integrity."

Too bad you didn't run a program that won games.

Still, I feel bad for him.  He seemed like a good guy.

So evidently tomorrow is Brett Favre day in Wisconsin. 

Brett just heard the news...see how happy he is?

Awesome, perfect for the cold weather here!

Looks like we got ourselves a new football coach.  Welcome to Illinois, Ron Zook.  Honestly, why he'd want to come here, I don't know.  Our team sucks.  Sorry guys!  I guess after you've been fired, you don't care where you go, as long as you can get a job.

The Zookster

Illinois is 8-0 and ranked #1?  Whos' the best?  We're the best!

Beat Georgetown tonight 74-59.

Chalk up another win for Illinois!  :)

By Dean Yates and Achmad Sukarsono

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - The United Nations (news - web sites) warned on Wednesday Asia's tsunami death toll could double to about 300,000 unless survivors received clean water and other basic services by the end of the week to prevent disease.

Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites), in Indonesia for an emergency international aid summit on Thursday, flew over the worst scenes of devastation and said it was more horrifying than wars he had witnessed during decades as a soldier.

Australia and Germany pledged more than $1 billion in aid, raising the U.N.'s global tally to nearly $3.7 billion, and a debt relief initiative by rich nations gathered momentum. The World Health Organization (news - web sites) (WHO) said it had sent emergency treatment to the region for diarrheal diseases such as cholera and dysentery but while the aid was reaching many locations, access to safe drinking water remained inadequate.

"If basic needs ... are not urgently restored to all populations by the end of this week, WHO fears that outbreaks of infectious disease could result in a similar number of fatalities as occurred due to the direct impact of the tsunami," the U.N. agency said in a statement on the Internet.

After getting a bird's-eye view of the battered northwest coastline of Indonesia's Sumatra island, Powell promised Washington would send more helicopters, food and clean water to isolated survivors of the tsunami.

POWELL "HORROR"

"I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this," said America's former top soldier.

Powell, 67, served two combat tours in Vietnam during a 35-year military career that ended with his service as the country's military chief.

"I cannot begin to imagine the horror that went through families and all of the people who heard this noise coming and then had their lives snuffed out by this wave," he said.

About two-thirds of the U.N. estimated 150,000 dead from the tsunami were killed in Aceh province on Sumatra.

At an orphanage in southern India, 15-year-old Sitha, her sister Sitha Lakshmi, 10, and 8-year-old brother Amitha grappled with the loss of their parents.

"I'm the head of the family now," Sitha said, holding back tears. "I ha all those killed by the tsunami, died in Aceh province on Sumatra.

President Bush (news - web sites), criticized in some quarters for what was seen as a slow and stingy initial U.S. response to the disaster, has contributed $10,000 himself for aid efforts, the White House said.

U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland praised Washington for doubling the number of helicopters it was contributing to relief efforts to about 90, saying the craft were the best way of overcoming washed away roads and bridges.

Egeland called on governments and rebel groups in the region not to wreck aid efforts by resuming conflicts.

"We need that cease-fire, that peace, to hold because if new conflict breaks out, we cannot help the people," he said.

Egeland said peace prevailed in Aceh, there was a cease-fire in Sri Lankan areas where the Tamil Tigers had previously been active and warlords were not fighting in "the better part of Somalia." The African state was a distant tsunami victim.

After his helicopter tour, Powell left for Jakarta where U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) and other world leaders were arriving for the international relief summit for tsunami-hit Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and Malaysia.

ANNAN APPEAL

Annan called on world leaders to honor their pledges of aid, saying it should be "fresh and additional money, not robbing Peter to pay Paul, pulling it from other crises."

A draft joint summit declaration, seen by Reuters, welcomed debt relief for tsunami-hit countries and supported an early warning system.

The document, circulated among the 26 nations and groups attending the summit, called on the United Nations to mobilize the international community and called for stronger coordination and cooperation of relief efforts.

In Europe, people from Riga to Rome observed three minutes of silence to remember the dead, who included several thousand tourists, many of them Europeans.

Public buildings in Europe flew flags at half mast, stock exchanges fell silent, crowded railway stations came to a standstill and television and radio stations broadcast solemn music in memory of the victims.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he believed the Group of Seven industrialized nations would be able to agree on debt relief for Sri Lanka and Indonesia, both of which suffered most from the Dec. 26 disaster.

Japan joined other G7 members Britain, the United States, Canada and France in supporting a debt payment moratorium, which will be discussed in Jakarta and also at a meeting next Wednesday of the Paris Club of creditor nations.

Germany raised its aid to tsunami-hit countries to 500 million euros ($680.2 million) from 20 million euros previously, while Australian Prime Minister John Howard pledged A$1.0 billion (US$765 million) over five years to Indonesia.

Indonesia said half a million people were homeless in Aceh, where the hungry scavenged for food and water and injured people flooded hospitals.

U.N. officials said they were worried orphaned or lost children might fall prey to criminal gangs bent on selling them into slavery.

Children make up a third of the tsunami dead and tens of thousands more have been orphaned.

At an orphanage in southern India, 15-year-old Sitha, her sister Sitha Lakshmi, 10, and 8-year-old brother Amitha grappled with the loss of their parents.

"I'm the head of the family now," Sitha said, holding back tears. "I have to look after them. Mummy wanted them to get educated and I have to make that happen now."

In one rare good luck tale, a cargo ship rescued an Aceh man who spent eight days floating in the sea on an uprooted tree, living largely off coconuts and rain.

Now we're 17-0. That ties the school's record! Come on boys, lets break the record with a win at Northwestern on Saturday!

The Fighting Illini did it!  18-0!  Beat Northwestern yesterday 78-66.

People are starting to think that Illinois's basketball team peaked too soon.  What do they know!

Take the What High School Stereotype Are You? quiz.

This year's University of Illinois men's basketball squad keeps impressing me. On Tuesday, they became the first team to beat the University of Wisconsin at Wisconsin's arena since December 4, 2002. This was also the first time in the last five games at Wisconsin that Illinois was able to win. Now Illinois is 20-0 and ranked #1.

It was a pretty low-scoring game (especially for Indiana....47 points?) but Illinois won today, protecting their perfect record and moving to 23-0.  Nice, fellas, real nice.  :)

Continuing with sports, the Super Bowl is tonight.  I'm gonna go with the underdogs...Philadelphia Eagles.

The Fighting Illini beat Wisconsin yesterday, improving their record to 25-0.  It was a decisive victory 70-59.  :)

Gonna be glued to ESPN tonight to see who Illinois plays in the first round.  Good game yesterday against Minnesota, and they're beating Wisconsin right now.

I love only having class three days a week!  This is definitely the best schedule I've ever had.  It allows for lots of free time, although Tuesdays and Thursdays are psychotically busy.

I still haven't decided where I want to go to grad school next year.  I'm such a slacker.

Movie night tonight...watching Pulp Fiction with a bunch of the brothers.

Snapped a pic of TJ while we were going to the mall.  :)

Jon and I have big plans for tonight...going over to Jaks Tap to watch the basketball game.  It'll be a late night, but totally awesome.

Is this a cool picture or what?  Samuel Dalembert going up for the dunk.

My friend just posted a picture of his car so damnit, I'll do the same! :)

Sister Act 2 is on.  I haven't seen that movie in so long.  The first one was better, but the second is good too.  TBS.  Check it out.

Spent a couple hours with Ed last night, talking about basketball.  Professional and college, didn't matter.  We were talking about the best teams, best players, best coaches, you name it.  Lots of fun.

But no matter what we debated, we agreed on one thing...we both want basketball to start up again right now.

I am seriously going through some mad basketball withdrawal!  Damn!  Can't wait for the season to start up again!

Terrence, in case you see this, here's a pic of you from, um, probably April.

I need to get out of this fucking house.  I miss being able to come home whenever I want, throwing parties, going to parties, doing whatever I please.  My parents are annoying me.

I found an apartment, and I'm moving into it tomorrow.  I cannot wait.  It's a studio, but who cares...for $450 a month I'm not gonna complain.  Anything to get out of the house!

I can't wait for tomorrow.  I love my family, but I need to be on my own.

The University of Cincinnati finally got tough and fired men's basketball coach Bob Huggins, who is basically a bum. 

He was arrested for drunk driving, so if I was one of his players I would have no respect for him.  How can he be a positive role-model for his players?  He can't.

I'm glad he's gone.  This is a great thing for college basketball.

I'm still walking on clouds after Illinois's football game on Saturday.  A come-from-behind, 33-30 overtime win against Rutgers.  Boo  yeah!

Legendary Boston Celtics' coach Red Auerbach has been in and out of the hospital.  I wish him well.

1. Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat

2. Yao Ming, Houston Rockets

3. Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns

Ht./Wt.: 6-10, 250
Ht./Wt.: 26.0 pts., 8.9 reb., 1.63 blk.
His extraordinary playoff performance catapulted him into the land of superstardom. Can he stay there? That's what we don't know. He improved so much, and is so quick, what he lacks in bulk and overall strength, he makes up for in quickness and explosiveness.

4. Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons

Ht./Wt.: 6-9, 240
Numbers: 9.7 pts., 12.2 reb., 2.38 blk.
He is just as unique as Shaq or Yao or Amare, if only because he is so undersized and yet takes over games with sheer will and energy and a general focus of grabbing every rebound, attempting to block every shot or steal every pass. Even his shooting improved last season because he worked so hard on it.

5. Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings

Ht./Wt.: 7-0, 260
Numbers: 15.6 pts., 9.3 reb, 1.21 blk. As far as talent goes, he's right there with all of them. Sort of a latter day Bill Laimbeer without the fangs, he can shoot, pass and rebound extremely well. The liability — and it's a big one — is he can't seem to make it through any season without breaking down. It's always late in the year and it's why the Pacers let him go for the big bucks without a fight.

6. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers

Ht./Wt.: 7-3, 260
Numbers: 16.9 pts., 8.6 reb., 2.12 blk.
Z has amazing hands and touch, making him always dangerous offensively and a good alternative in the offense to LeBron James. But his lack of mobility causes him to be erratic on the boards and defensively in the interior, and that has an adverse effect on the entire defense. Nonetheless, his offensive skills make him an All-Star.

7. Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets

Ht./Wt. 6-11, 230
Numbers: 10.3 pts., 10.0 reb., 3.02 blk.
Perhaps the most underrated center in the game, what Camby lacks in strength and touch, he compensates for with energy. Carmelo Anthony is the future star, and others make contributions inside and outside. But Camby is the one who keeps the Nuggets whole with his defense, rebounding and ability to run on the break.

8. Jamaal Magloire, New Orleans Hornets

Ht./Wt.: 6-11, 260
Numbers: 11.7 pts., 8.9 reb., 1.0 blk.
He played in only 23 games last season due to a torn ligament in his hand, and then shortly after he returned in April, he missed eight more games with back spasms. It was a mess, as was the team. But he's a tough and improving interior player which is why there are always rumors about him being traded him

9. Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia 76ers

Ht./Wt.: 6-11, 250
Numbers: 8.2 pts., 7.5 reb., 1.68 blk.
The 11.6 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game he averaged against the Pistons in the five playoff games last season earned him a $64 million contract. Is he worth it or will he always be an unfinished project? It's a rather expensive question, but the good news is he has a great attitude and work ethic, which should translate to him consistently improving.

10. Tyson Chandler, Chicago Bulls

Ht./Wt.: 7-1, 240
Numbers: 8.0 pts., 9.7 reb., 1.76 blk.
The less-refined talent of the twin towers that included Eddy Curry, Chandler has brought energy and unfailing work habits to be a great impact player off the bench on the defensive end. Because of the way he attacks the game, most expect the offense to come as time goes on. The real concern is what happens to Curry, with his undetermined heart issue, free agency status and weight problem. What we do know is it will only translate into more time for Chandler.

Others receiver consideration: Eddy Curry, Chicago Bulls; Erick Dampier, Dallas Mavericks; Primoz Brezec, Charlotte Bobcats; Nenad Krstic, New Jersey Nets; Nazr Mohammed, San Antonio Spurs; Lorenzen Wright, Memphis Grizzlies; Chris Kamen, Los Angeles Clippers; Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers; Chris Mihm, Los Angeles Lakers.

I love the way Marcus Giles plays.  Balls out, baby.  Always giving 110%  That's respectable.

The injury turned out to be far worse than the Suns expected when they announced Monday that team doctor Thomas Carter would perform what was termed "diagnostic" surgery.

Stoudemire, who turns 23 next month, signed a five-year, $73 million contract extension last week, the maximum allowed under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement with the players union.

In a news release, the Suns said Carter repaired a joint surface defect roughly one centimeter in diameter on the inside of his left knee.

"The surgery went well and other than the defect that we treated today, Amare's knee is remarkably and structurally healthy," Carter said in the statement released by the team. "Given Amare's age and the nominal size of the location of the defect, I am confident the microfracture procedure performed will allow a healthy and normal return to action."

Considered the cornerstone of the franchise, Stoudemire has improved each year and was a main component of a team that won a league-best 62 games last season.

The 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward was fifth in the NBA in scoring at 26 points per game last season, his third in the league. He averaged 30 points in the playoffs, 37 in the Western Conference finals against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs.

Stoudemire's loss will leave the Suns with a vastly different team through most of the regular season. The only starters from last season's team will be the NBA's most valuable player, Steve Nash, and All-Star Shawn Marion.

Stoudemire had been bothered by soreness in the knee for several months. He had worked out last week in training camp, but sat out the team's scrimmage and final practice to have the knee examined by three doctors.

New York Knicks' guard Allan Houston retired today, due to various knee injuries which he was unable to recover from.

You'll be missed, Allan.

"We have a contractual agreement with [adidas], and it's not any different than any number of other contracts with other schools. There is not any stipulation or any research that shows any shoes are worse than any others," Arkansas State athletic director Dean Lee told The Jonesboro Sun newspaper.

Nichols, who last year shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range, practiced over the weekend while wearing Nike shoes, placing tape to cover the brand's insignia. Nichols met with Lee on Monday, and Nichols was told to wear adidas shoes or sit. Nichols sat.

Nichols said he was wearing adidas shoes when he suffered a knee injury in 2001 while playing for Walters State Community College.

"I tore my ACL in adidas in junior college back in 2001, and I'm not comfortable wearing adidas," Nichols said.

Nichols has had two surgeries on his right knee, including one in late March following last season. ASU's basketball team wore Nike shoes last year but that contract has expired.

"Adidas shoes are part of our uniform," Lee said.

Lee said there is no room for compromise and that the school is obligated to put adidas shoes on the feet of athletes football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and track teams, along with several other sports.

"This is not picking on any one student athlete. This goes for all student athletes that are under that contract," Lee said.

Nichols said he may seek relief in court if the university does not change policy.

"If I have to miss this whole senior season for some shoes, why wouldn't I [sue]?" Nichols said. "I have done too much this summer, working out, staying up here all summer to waste a year. So if it has to come to a legal issue then I will."

ASU coach Dickey Nutt said he wants Nichols on the court, considering the team has its first exhibition in less than three weeks.

"I need all my players to be at practice, but it's out of my hands. That matter is in the administration's hands, so I'm just referring all questions to them," Nutt said.

Vlade Divac ended his 16-year NBA playing career Tuesday, easing into a new job with the Los Angeles Lakers as a liaison and scout in Europe.

Those endorsement deals are so crazy.  Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall lost his endorsement deal with Reebok after wearing cleats with the Nike swoosh during a Monday night game.

A death row inmate has been escorted back to the same county jail he escaped from last week when he ditched his prison jumpsuit and handcuffs and fooled guards with a fake ID.

Charles Victor Thompson was returned to the Harris County Jail about 10:30 p.m. Monday after officers captured him outside a liquor store in Shreveport, La. on Sunday night. He had been on the run since Thursday.

How does a guy escape from DEATH ROW????  Scary stuff.

Wow, the New York Knicks lost again.  They've got some really good players, and a good coach, so what's the deal?  Chemistry?

Prosecutors said Mosley threatened to make public a video that he claimed showed her having sex with a professional musician before she married Sheffield. Jurors heard audio of Mosley claiming to Richards-Sheffield's agent that he had two such videotapes.

The couple's business manager, Rufus Williams, testified that Mosley told him Richards-Sheffield "needed to atone, she needed to repent." Williams said Mosley raised the idea of being a paid consultant.

His defense attorney told jurors that Mosley, who describes himself as a minister, sincerely wanted to provide moral counsel to the couple.

"It's just been an incredible journey," Frisby said Wednesday night following practice. "I always look forward to being a part of the Gamecock family. They can't take that away from me."

No. 19 South Carolina (7-3) is prepping for its annual showdown with state rival Clemson (6-4).

Frisby has two years of eligibility left. But he wants to concentrate on finishing his broadcast journalism degree. "That's going to take up all my time," he said.

Frisby gained attention last fall as the 20-year U.S. Army veteran with six children who came out for South Carolina's football team. He served in Desert Storm and the Kosovo conflict and, with plans to retire from the service, figured he was still a pretty fair college receiver.

Frisby outlasted about 60 walk-ons in 2004, earning a spot on then coach Lou Holtz's squad.

His tale went nationwide that season and soon Frisby popped up everywhere. He yucked it up with David Letterman and laughed with Jay Leno about his old-guy moniker.

Frisby was routinely contacted by producers and others hoping to market him as Hollywood's next "Rudy." But Frisby brushed them aside — despite the bills that come with six kids — so he could train and play at South Carolina.

Frisby continued under new coach Steve Spurrier. Although he played sparingly under Holtz, Frisby caught a hitch pass in South Carolina's 45-20 victory this past September.

Frisby said the decision to leave was his and his alone.

Spurrier will be sorry to see "Pops" go.

"He contributes a lot," Spurrier said. "He's been a wonderful guy, does everything, weightlifting, been a good teammate for all the guys."

Even though he won't get on the field next year, Frisby expects the movie and book deals will have to wait until he graduates next fall.

"I'm not headed to Hollywood," Frisby said. "Like I said when that started, all that other extracurricular stuff, that can wait. I'm enjoying myself as a Gamecock."

Not that he won't listen. After the bowl game, Frisby says he'll talk with representatives. "They've been checking up monthly seeing where I was at and what my plans were," he said. "We'll see what they have to offer."

Ok, think about this for a second. Lebron James is one of the best guys to ever play the game of basketball (he had a triple double last night).

And he can't even legally drink yet (his birthday is 12/30/84).

Denver coach George Karl was suspended for two games without pay by the NBA on Wednesday for publicly criticizing officials after the Nuggets' 101-92 loss to New Jersey.

Way to go, George.

I'm really impressed with this year's Colts team.  Still undefeated, with only four games left in the regular season.  They've got some tough games ahead (at Jacksonville, then hosting San Diego, then at Seattle, then hosting Arizona) but I definitely think they have what it takes to finish the season with a perfect record.  With yesterday's 35-3 win over the Titans, they clinched a playoff spot.  Way to go Colts!

With 3:10 left in the first half of Saturday's 101-99 home win over Miami, Anthony was called for charging. He threw the ball into the crowd, and it hit a preteen girl in the head.

The girl, sitting in the front row behind the basket, was not injured. Anthony briefly chatted with her as the Nuggets filed past on their way to the locker room at halftime.

The newspaper reported via an unnamed source that Barnett will not be retained, and that Mike Bohn, the school's athletic director, plans to talk to the veteran head coach soon.

It is not clear when an official announcement will be made.

But it is thought that Colorado's poor finish is the impetus for the decision. The Post explained that Barnett was on solid ground in his quest for a contract extension a month ago. But consecutive losses to Iowa State, Nebraska and Texas by a combined 130-22 margin to close out the season put a possible extension in doubt.

Colorado, which got off to a 7-2 start, lost three straight to finish with a 7-5 record. The Buffaloes will play Clemson in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 27.

Barnett has a 49-38 record in seven seasons at Colorado. The Post was unable to reach the 59-year-old coach or lawyer John Rodman for comment.

The newspaper says the university is investigating claims that Barnett tried to influence sworn testimony, claims of NCAA infractions and claims that money was not handled properly.

University president Hank Brown has reportedly asked attorneys to look into the claims, which were raised in an unsigned letter. Steven Snyder, a private investigator hired in 2004 to look into the recruiting practices at CU, apparently feels that the letter was written by "a former member of the athletic department."

Among the NCAA violations, according to The Rocky Mountain News, is an assertion that football players were tipped off well in advance of what were supposed to have been random drug tests.

The charges were also provided to the state auditor's office, which is wrapping up a review of the spending habits within the university's athletic department and of Barnett's summer football camps.

Barnett is also allegedly cited for his failure to discipline players, and said on another occasion that everything had been done to protect a player.

It is also thought that the Buffaloes sometimes had 10 coaches on the sideline, in violation of NCAA rules allowing only nine.

These allegations come amid mounting speculation that Barnett's seven-year run at the Buffs' helm was about to end. The team suffered three key losses (on the field), had been front and center in a major recruiting scandal that spawned numerous investigations, a grand jury probe and federal lawsuits.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Gary Barnett's tumultuous stay at Colorado ended Thursday when the coach reluctantly stepped down, accepting a $3 million payment to sever a tenure riddled by off-the-field problems and finally done in by bad results on the field.

In a news conference he wanted to be a part of, Barnett said he was forced to step down by athletic director Mike Bohn.

"I respect that decision," Barnett said. "I didn't like that decision - I didn't resign my position - but I wholeheartedly respect the responsibility and decisions leaders have to make. Mike felt like he had to make this decision.'

Barnett, who finished 49-38 in seven seasons at CU, pointed to a resume that includes a Big 12 Conference championship, four Big 12 North titles and two AP Big 12 Coach of the Year honors.

"I would deem that a success. Other people might not," he said.

Bohn, who took to the microphone after Barnett left the room, said the coaching search would begin immediately. Knowing how crucial this time of year is for recruiting, he looked toward the cameras and emphasized that CU is a great place to play.

"The University of Colorado is a gold mine ... and we're going to work our tail off to bring a great coach to this program to match the academic standing of this institution," Bohn said. "That will be my sole focus."

The new athletic director said he couldn't pin his decision to part ways with Barnett on a single reason. He insisted that to say he made it because of the team's current three-game losing streak, during which Colorado has been outscored 130-22, "would be erroneous."

Still, the AD conceded the program appeared to have lost some luster and confidence over the past month.

"A lot of things were revealed in the last month on many, many fronts," Bohn said. "And it became clear to me it was time to make a change."

As recently as last month, Barnett said he had felt secure about his future with the Buffs. He had been talking about a contract extension. A 70-3 loss to Texas in the Big 12 title game last Saturday ended all that talk and essentially sealed his fate.

"It's pretty simple. We lost," he said. "I think our team has been overly concerned about a contract extension ... We ran out of juice, the well went dry."

He said he was leaning toward not coaching CU against Clemson in the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 27, but didn't want to make an emotional decision. Bohn interpreted that as meaning Barnett wouldn't be on the sideline and said he'll soon choose an assistant to lead the team.

Thus marked a fairly rapid - though not all that stunning - reversal for Colorado, which indeed did appear ready to offer Barnett a contract extension as recently as a month ago.

The coach said he pretty much thought it was a done deal when the Buffs began the season 7-2. Many others figured it was only a matter of a state audit of Barnett's football camps, due out next Monday, that was holding things up.

That didn't turn out to be true and now, "I've got to go out and do something else. It's that time," Barnett said.

He said he wants to coach again and he certainly has the resume that will earn him another job. A former assistant at CU for Bill McCartney during the CU heyday of the 1990s, Barnett went onto Northwestern and turned that lagging program around.

He was brought to Colorado, ironically, to help spruce up the image of a program that had earned something of a renegade status under Rick Neuheisel.

At first, Barnett was successful. By the end, he found himself in the center of a sordid recruiting scandal, which resulted in an investigation that concluded drugs, alcohol and sex were used to entice recruits to the Boulder campus, though none of practices were sanctioned by university officials.

No charges were filed, but Barnett got into further trouble when he used derogatory terms in talking about kicker Katie Hnida, who came out with allegations that she was raped by a teammate in 2000. Barnett was suspended by the school in the spring of 2004 and had restrictions placed on his recruiting, which have since been eased.

When Barnett returned from his suspension, he still had his job, but the president, chancellor and athletic director were all soon gone.

Now, it's a clean sweep, though Barnett said he has nothing to be ashamed of.

"We withstood every piece of scrutiny," Barnett said. "We held our heads up high and came out of this thing clean."

He appeared to have a good relationship with Bohn, who commended the coach as a consummate professional.

But the inability to get the contract extension done - Barnett changed agents just a few weeks ago - left both parties in an awkward situation.

Barnett couldn't legitimately recruit with only a year left on his deal; no players want to play for a lame-duck coach. Cash-strapped CU, on the other hand, couldn't really afford to pay Barnett what it would cost to buy him out, then fork out more to hire a new coach.

But the school will have to.

Bohn said the $3 million Barnett will receive will come largely from extra revenue generated by the 12th game, which all Division I schools will start playing next season.

"It's important to respect and honor our contractual obligations," Bohn said.

Players, not surprisingly, were stunned and a little dismayed by the decision. Barnett addressed them in an emotional meeting before his news conference.

"I was part of his first recruiting class," tight end Quinn Sypniewski said. "I think it's a tragedy to see him go out the way he is."

Members of the school's governing Board of Regents hailed the change. One, Tom Lucero, said Barnett had become emblematic of the scandal surrounding the football program.

"It's not necessarily fair at times," he said. "But a change certainly can bring fresh air to the university."

Morris also must repay expenses related to tryouts for NBA teams, the NCAA said in a statement.

The conditions were imposed "based on the seriousness of multiple rules violations involving dealings with an agent and accepting expenses to tryout for NBA teams," the NCAA said.

Morris will have have two years of eligibility remaining after this year.

Kentucky spokeswoman Mandy Polley said the school plans an immediate appeal.

The NCAA student-athlete reinstatement staff said an agency marketed Morris' skills to NBA teams. The agency scheduled, arranged and confirmed workouts with NBA teams and sought feedback from teams on Morris' draft status.

The Division I Legislative Review and Interpretation Committee said those activities represented an implicit agreement with the agency, the NCAA said.

Morris also received more than $7,000 from nine NBA teams for expenses related to tryouts. NCAA legislation states that summer tryouts are permitted, but student-athletes may not receive expenses or other payment from NBA teams.

The reinstatement staff did not declare Morris permanently ineligible because there was no explicit written or oral agreement with an agent.

Morris started 33 of 34 games last season, averaging 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds as Kentucky finished 28-6.

After the season, Morris returned to his hometown of Atlanta and entered his name in the NBA draft, however he was not one of the 60 players taken in the June 28 draft.

Congratulations to Reggie Bush, this year's Heisman winner.

Riley, whom Van Gundy succeeded on the bench shortly before the 2003-04 season, will make his debut Tuesday night when Miami opens a four-game road trip in Chicago.

"I will get back into this quickly," said Riley, the 60-year-old team president. He said he hasn't even looked at a playbook for two years.

Riley coached the team from 1995-03 after winning four titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and a stint with the New York Knicks.

Players were not available for immediate comment. The team left for Chicago on Monday, shortly before the news conference announcing the shake-up and learning of Van Gundy's decision.

Van Gundy said he resigned voluntarily.

"I made this decision for one reason and one reason only: I love my family," Van Gundy said. He said that because of travel, games and practices, he would have seen his children at home only 49 days out of 170 this season.

"That's just not enough any more for me. It's just not enough," Van Gundy said. "I mean, it's been like that for my kids' entire lives. I've got a 14-year-old daughter and it started to hit me when I started thinking about her birthday, which was last month. I've got four more years left with her. Four. And then she'll be off to college and I'm just not willing to sacrifice any more of those four more years."

Riley's eyes welled with tears as Van Gundy announced the reasons for his decision. Van Gundy said Riley has tried for weeks to persuade him to stay.

"It came down to a choice, and for me, the choice was clear," Van Gundy said.

He said he will remain in the organization, and insisted he had no desire to coach elsewhere in the NBA.

Van Gundy's job status was the subject of speculation in South Florida for months, starting when Riley - his mentor - said shortly after the Heat's 2005 playoff run ended that he may take a larger role in the team's day-to-day operations.

That comment, which seemed innocuous at the time, set off speculation that Riley was planning to dismiss Van Gundy and take over a team with two of the NBA's biggest stars, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade, in his quest to bring the Heat their first title.

This year, the team was in first place but with only a 11-10 record, although without O'Neal for 18 of those games because the 12-time All-Star had a badly sprained right ankle. Rumors that Van Gundy's job may be in jeopardy continued to swirl. But Van Gundy insisted Monday his relationship with Riley has never been better.

The 46-year-old Van Gundy left with a regular-season record of 112-73. Riley has won 1,110 games in 21 seasons as a coach, plus led the "Showtime" Lakers of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to titles in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. He also coached the Knicks (1991-95).

Van Gundy was Riley's top assistant for eight seasons, getting the top job shortly before the 2003-04 campaign when Riley walked into his office unexpectedly and told him he was stepping aside.

And now, in a move perhaps not so unexpected but certainly just as sudden, Van Gundy is gone, hours after leading the Heat to an overtime win over Washington on Sunday night.

The move came nearly four years to the day after Jeff Van Gundy, Stan's younger brother, resigned as Knicks coach 19 games into the 2001-02 season. Jeff Van Gundy, now the Houston Rockets coach, said at the time he'd lost his focus and thought about quitting since that summer.

"The question I've always had for him is 'why did you go back,"' Stan Van Gundy said.

Through a Rockets' spokesman, Jeff Van Gundy declined comment Monday.

Before coming to the Heat, Van Gundy had college stints at Vermont, Castleton State, Canisius, Fordham, Massachusetts-Lowell and Wisconsin. When Riley joined the Heat, Van Gundy came with him - in large part because his brother, Jeff, was under contract to the New York Knicks and couldn't stay on Riley's staff.

His first season as head coach didn't get off to a good start, with the Heat losing Van Gundy's first seven games. But with Wade leading a talented nucleus of young players, Miami finished that season 42-40 and as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

That summer, Riley sent three players to Los Angeles for O'Neal - part of three championships with the Lakers. Van Gundy coached the Heat to a second consecutive season of a 17-win improvement, getting them to 59-23 and guiding them to the Southeast Division title and to the East finals.

Riley went to Los Angeles on a recent road trip for three reasons, two being to visit a hip replacement clinic and for a meeting with city commissioners in Malibu to gain approval for a home he plans to build.

The third reason, he said, was a final pitch designed to keep the coach. But he couldn't change Van Gundy's mind.

"I have an obligation to this franchise and to Micky," Riley said, referring to team owner Micky Arison. "I am going to definitely put off my hip replacement surgery, without a doubt."

"It's the university's belief that it is a clear (NCAA) violation," Andy Geiger said, referring to O'Brien's loan to recruit Aleksandar Radojevic, a 7-foot-3 prospect from Serbia. "The conduct that concerned us the most as we reviewed this case was the cover-up."

O'Brien is suing Ohio State in the Ohio Court of Claims for $3.5 million in back pay and benefits, contending the university was wrong when it fired him on June 8, 2004. The judgment could grow by millions if interest and other damages are awarded.

O'Brien testified Monday that the loan was not a NCAA violation because he knew Radojevic already lost his amateur status by playing professionally.

He gave his own money to Radojevic because his father was dying and the family had no money for medicine or the funeral, he said. He waited to reveal the loan because he said no one would believe he did it for humanitarian reasons.

But Geiger said, "We had such a strong relationship, I would have expected him to share with me that he had given money to a prospective student-athlete."

Princeton tied the record for fewest points in a Division I game since the 3-point line started in 1986-87. Georgia Southern also finished with 21 in a 40-point loss to Coastal Carolina on Jan. 2, 1997.

"Obviously, we just couldn't score," Princeton coach Joe Scott said. "The zone gave us tons of problems."

The previous record for fewest combined points since 1986-87 was 67, which happened twice. SMU beat Texas-Arlington 36-31 on Dec. 16, 1989, and Wisconsin-Green Bay defeated Northern Michigan 46-21 on Nov. 22, 1996.

Princeton's previous scoring low in the era of the 3-point line was 35 points. The Tigers, a perennial Ivy League power known for their deliberate offense predicated on backdoor cuts and long possessions, had that total twice, against Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1995 and UNLV in 1991.

The Tigers (2-5) had their lowest point total since a 44-21 loss to Penn in 1935-36. They averaged 49.3 points in their first six games this season.

"The ball wasn't going in the basket," Scott said, "and we weren't attacking the basket."

Princeton went scoreless for a 14:54 stretch in the second half after going 7:14 without a point in the first half. Monmouth (2-7) never trailed after taking a 4-3 lead less than three minutes into the game.

"It wasn't surprising after awhile because in the first half when we were up on their guys I started to see in their eyes that they were nervous and some of them didn't know what to do," Monmouth's Marques Alston said of Princeton's offensive struggles.

The Tigers went 9-for-41 from the field, including 2-for-20 on 3-pointers, and turned the ball over 19 times. Patrick Ekeruo was Princeton's leading scorer with nine points.

Dejan Delic scored 11 points and Chris Kenny had 10 for Monmouth, which snapped a six-game losing streak.

Has Steve McNair played his final game in The Coliseum in Nashville, or will he be with the Titans next season?

Artest told the newspaper that he has begun the process of making amends. He reportedly spoke with Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh and teammates Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal. Artest attempted to call other players, but he was unable to reach them. He planned to call coach Rick Carlisle on Sunday night.

Whether or not these actions will be enough to rebuild bridges remains to be seen. Artest told the Star he understood his teammates' critical response.

"Under the circumstances, I'd be pretty mad at me, too," he said. "I'm mad at myself anyway. Going about things like I did, it's not easy to recover.

"But I'd love to play for the Pacers' organization right now."

It may be a case of too little, too late, as O'Neal doesn't appear to be interested in a reconciliation with Artest.

"We talked as a team, and we feel like we need to move on," O'Neal said. "As I've been saying, the business relationship is over."

Walsh declined to comment about Artest's attempts to reach out to the team.

Ponson, 29, will give the Cardinals additional depth in their starting rotation, increasing the chances that the team will trade a starting pitcher for a second baseman or corner outfielder.

The Orioles terminated Ponson's contract after he was arrested for driving under the influence on Aug. 25. The players' union has filed a grievance on Ponson's behalf, contending that the team still must pay him the balance of his contract, which runs through 2006.

Despite his off-field troubles and 6.21 ERA in 23 starts last season, Ponson drewa surprising amount of interest as a free agent, receiving attention from the Rangers, Phillies and other clubs.

The Cardinals are gambling that Ponson finally will fulfill his promise after cleaning up his lifestyle and entering their winning environment. Ponson voluntarily spent 30 days in a rehabilitation center last September. He has stopped drinking and lost weight, friends say.

In his grievance, Ponson is seeking $1.1 million in salary from last season and the $10 million he was set to earn this season. The Orioles are expected to lose the grievance, which is scheduled to be heard in March.

Ponson's negotiated base salary with the Cardinals will off-set the Orioles' obligation. His deal also will include an incentive package that also could reduce the Orioles' payment.

In eight seasons with the Orioles, Ponson was 76-91 with a 4.81 ERA.

"Upon learning of the criminal charges, we pulled (the ad) immediately," FedEx spokesman Ryan Furby told the Star Tribune for a story on Friday. "That was the only deal we had with him. There is no ongoing relationship."

On Friday, a message left with Furby was not returned and FedEx referred questions about the matter to spokeswoman Carla Boyd, who refused to discuss Furby's comment or confirm that the ad was pulled.

"FedEx considers a variety of factors in determining which advertising spots will run at a given time," she told The Associated Press.

Culpepper's agent, Mason Ashe, said Friday he was surprised when he first heard the news, and that he received no official word from the company.

"I'm not sure that he's been dropped," Ashe said. "My understanding is that his commercial has been used on and off as a normal rotation."

Ashe said he thought Culpepper and FedEx had a good relationship, and said he thought Furby's reaction was "a premature conclusion because there is no evidence."

Culpepper is accused of touching a naked woman in public during a lap dance at an Oct. 6 boat party on Lake Minnetonka. Prosecutors charged him on Dec. 15 with three misdemeanors alleging disorderly and lewd behavior. Three other Vikings were also charged.

Culpepper's attorney, Earl Gray, did not return a phone message left Friday by The Associated Press. Gray has said his client is innocent and will fight the charges.

Culpepper is recovering from knee surgery after a season-ending injury Oct. 30 in a 38-13 loss at Carolina.

Police said Tuesday that the 50-year-old Reardon, retired since 1994 and sixth in career saves, walked into Hamilton Jewelers at the Gardens Mall on Monday and handed an employee a note saying he had a gun and the store was being robbed.

Reardon, who starred with the Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police found him at a nearby restaurant, recovered the stolen money and charged him with armed robbery.

Lt. David O'Neill said Reardon did not have a gun and offered no resistance when he was handcuffed.

"He said it was the medication that made him do it and that he was sorry," O'Neill said.

He said Reardon has lived in the city for more than 20 years and has never caused any problems.

Reardon made a brief appearance in court Tuesday and was to be released on $5,000 bail, said his attorney, Mitchell Beers.

He said Reardon had a 20-year-old son who died of a drug overdose in February 2004, which "has been very difficult for him and his family," and has been on medication for depression. Reardon, who is married and has two other children, also underwent a heart angioplasty last week and has been taking medication for that.

"He asked me to apologize to his fans and friends," Beers said. "This bizarre incident is completely uncharacteristic of Jeff Reardon."

He said Reardon, who made more than $11.5 million in his career, according to baseball-reference.com, was not having financial problems.

Reardon had a save in the Twins' 1987 World Series victory over St. Louis. But five years later, he gave up a decisive two-run homer to Toronto's Ed Sprague in the ninth inning, allowing the Blue Jays to tie Atlanta at one game apiece. Toronto eventually won the 1992 World Series in six games.

The four-time All-Star was 73-77 with 367 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 16 seasons with the New York Mets, Montreal, Minnesota, Boston, the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees.

Memphis beat Gonzaga last night to improve to10-1, its best start since 1985-86.  Memphis is the only ranked team in the revamped Conference USA, a distinction Gonzaga (9-3) holds in the West Coast Conference. Memphis will host No. 15 Texas on Monday.

HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A big day awaits Lynn Swann on Wednesday.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers star and veteran college football analyst for ABC Sports is expected to kick off his political career by declaring his candidacy for Pennsylvania's governorship.

Swann plans to open a three-day tour of the state at a rally Wednesday night in Pittsburgh before flying to similar events in six other cities -- Erie, Altoona and Scranton on Thursday and Philadelphia, Allentown and Lancaster on Friday.

Aides declined to confirm the purpose of the tour, but Swann's political committee has been raising money for 11 months and Swann has billed himself as a prospective candidate as he has courted Republican activists across the state. Aides have said he will not be announcing his withdrawal from the May 16 primary race.

As Swann's campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Walters, put it, "It might be easy to assume" the subject of Swann's announcement.

The 53-year-old Swann will be the last of the Republican hopefuls to make his candidacy official. Already declared are former Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton, state Senator Jeffrey Piccola and retired business advocate Jim Panyard.

They're nuts.

It was not one of the best performances in college football history.

It was two of the best performances in college football history.

What Young did should only be portrayed by poets and painters, but since none seem to be available on such short notice — I guess they are watching the game film — let me give it a shot.

He outdid the last two Heisman winners at their own game, in their own city, on the national championship field.

Matt Leinart was excellent: 29-for-40, 365 yards, one touchdown and one interception. But Young was right there with him: 30-for-40, 267 yards and no interceptions.

Reggie Bush, despite an awful lateral attempt (genius isn't always perfect), had 177 combined rushing and receiving yards. But Young ran for 200 — on just 19 carries.

Oh, and he ran for three touchdowns, too ... including the game-winner ... on fourth down.

Four hundred sixty-seven yards from scrimmage. Let's put this into perspective. The national leader in total offense, Colt Brennan of Hawaii, averaged 371 yards per game. Only 12 teams averaged more than 467. And Young went out and got that by himself — against a team with a 34-game winning streak.

Obviously, USC's defense is not on the same level as its offense. But it is still plenty good. And Young chewed it up like Juicy Fruit.

Look at what Young did in just the last seven minutes of the game. Down 12 points, he led Texas on a 69-yard touchdown drive — and he ran or threw for every yard.

Then, down five, he led the Longhorns on a 56-yard touchdown drive — and ran or threw for every yard again (except for one five-yard penalty against USC).

Then he ran for a two-point conversion.

This wasn't about one amazing play, either. Only three plays went for more than 10 yards and none went for more than 20. Young simply grabbed real estate in medium-sized chunks, however he felt like it.

His most amazing attribute is not his arm (which is excellent) or his feet (which are incredibly quick). It's his size. Young is a legit 6-foot-5, and you just don't see 6-foot-5 guys making these kinds of moves. And you sure don't see them follow it up by flipping a spiral 40 yards down the field.

By the fourth quarter, it was clear that Pete Carroll and USC had no clue how to stop Young. You would think that a defensive mastermind like Carroll could take something away — either Young's passing or his running. But when receivers were covered, Young took off. And when the Trojans tried to lock down Young, he passed to an open receiver.

USC blitzed a few times, but Young is big enough to A) flick pass rushers away like they are ladybugs and B) keep looking downfield for receivers.

I hate to mention the NFL at a time like this, because that league hasn't produced a game this compelling since, well, ever. But at some point — either next week or next year — Vince Young is going to jump into the NFL draft pool. And if some team can't design an offense to capitalize on all his skills, the league needs to hand its TV contract over to the CFL.

NFL types go on and on about new blitzes, new blocking schemes, new ways to play the cover-three in second-half third-down situations when the wind is favoring the offense and the cheerleaders are overbleached. Why can't they figure out a way to properly use a guy like Vince Young?

Again: this guy just put together two of the greatest performances in college football history, and he did it in one game. Who was better on a stage this big? Red Grange? O.J. Simpson? Johnny Rodgers?

You keep looking. Maybe you'll find somebody. But you better come up with a really, really good argument — because I know a hundred guys from L.A. who will be very hard to convince.

-- Michael Rosenberg

Bowling Green State University's quarterback is going to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft this year.  You may have heard of him...

But I doubt it.

The man of the hour is Omar Jacobs, and I think he's making a mistake.  I'm always a big fan of staying in school and getting your degree.

Plus I've never heard of Omar before.  How high can he be drafted?

Off to its best start in school history, unbeaten Florida rose three spots to second in the latest ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll released Monday.

After a pair of lopsided wins last week, Florida (14-0) garnered 739 points.

Duke (14-0), which posted an impressive 82-64 victory at Wake Forest on Sunday, remained the nation's top-ranked team. The poll's only No. 1 team this season, the Blue Devils picked up all 31 first-place votes and 775 points.

Despite suffering its first loss of the season Sunday against West Virginia, Villanova (10-1) remained third with 672 points.

Connecticut (12-1) also received its first blemish of the season with a 94-79 loss at Marquette, and dropped two spots to fourth. Memphis (13-2) rounded out the first five.

Illinois (15-1), which lost at Iowa on Saturday for its first defeat, remained sixth.

Gonzaga (11-3) is seventh, followed by Indiana (10-2), Texas (12-2) and Louisville (12-2). Texas jumped seven spots in the rankings after wins against Memphis and Colorado.

Pittsburgh (12-0), one of three unbeatens left, is 11th. UCLA (13-2) is 12th, followed by Washington (12-2), Boston College (11-3) and Michigan State (12-4).

Ohio State (11-1) suffered its first loss of the season with a defeat at Indiana but rose two spots to 16th. Wisconsin (12-2) is 17th, followed by North Carolina State (12-2), George Washington (10-1) and improving North Carolina (9-2).

The final five are Maryland (11-3), Oklahoma (9-3), West Virginia (10-3), Syracuse (13-2) and Arizona (10-4). West Virginia and Syracuse both entered the rankings.

Kentucky and Wake Forest dropped out of the rankings.

WENGEN, Switzerland -- U.S. ski coach Phil McNichol questions whether Bode Miller should remain with the team following his comments about racing and drinking.

The overall World Cup champion said during a "60 Minutes" profile on CBS that it's not easy "to ski when you're wasted."

The United States Ski and Snowboard Association has been swamped with angry phone calls from team donors and corporate sponsors since those remarks, and president and CEO Bill Marolt traveled to Wengen to meet with Miller.

McNichol said Tuesday that Miller has been testing the team's limits the last two years with his contentious statements, late-night habits and refusal to compromise with staff.

"I don't know what the answer is. First we have to call the question: Can we still do this together?" McNichol told The Associated Press. "I think the question Bode has to answer is: Do you still want to be a part of the United States ski team?"

"He's always tried to be a rebel, which was OK because it was fun sometimes and actually brought a lot of thinking outside the box and pushed the barriers," he added. "However, it's grown to a place where it's no longer about being opinionated and outspoken. It's about how much do I really want to be here."

Miller, who travels the tour independently in his own RV, could race separately from the U.S. team. Kristina Koznick left the women's team in 2000 to train and race autonomously with boyfriend and coach Dan Stripp.

Such a move could require Miller to handle his own logistic and administrative responsibilities and pay for his own coaches, service and travel.

Miller, who last season became the first U.S. skier to win the overall World Cup title in 22 years, told the CBS program in a broadcast aired Sunday that "there's been times when I've been in really tough shape at the top of the course."

"Talk about a hard challenge right there," Miller said. "It's like driving drunk only there's no rules about it in ski racing."

Asked if the risk meant he would never ski drunk again, the 28-year-old Miller replied, "No, I'm not saying that."

McNichol said this was only the latest in a string of problems Miller caused the team, which has long disapproved of his self-portrayal as a wild partyer who likes to drink.

In this month's online edition of Maxim magazine, Miller says he has arrived at races drunk "from the night before, where I'm just sobering up by the first round."

"We've been pretty busy cleaning up after our one outspoken cowboy," McNichol said. "When important people start to ask what kind of organization are you guys running, it's going to get the boss' attention.

"[Miller] definitely feels entitlement. His impression is that he's really not that much work for us because he's not around much, but he's bar-none twice the work of any other athlete in the program."

Earlier this season, Miller angered ski officials by calling for liberalized anti-doping rules. Teammates say they are now targeted for increased drug testing.

Last month, Miller refused to take an equipment test to ensure his ski boots conformed to regulations and was fined $762. The team ended up paying the fine for him, McNichol said.

Miller, who gripes about his sponsor and media obligations and often talks of a deep lack of motivation, last year threatened to skip the Olympics and launch a rebel ski tour.

"I think it's a little bit the image the people behind him want him to portray," International Ski Federation secretary general Sarah Lewis said. "It could be part of the problem."

Miller declined to speak to reporters at the World Cup races in Adelboden last weekend. His agent said Miller is preparing a statement.

"Bode is going to confer with U.S. ski team officials and it's my expectation that he will release some kind of sort of statement by the end of this week," Lowell Taub said.

Miller is entered in every race this weekend at the Lauberhornrennen, a super-combined Friday, the traditional Saturday downhill and a slalom Sunday.

Though he and teammate Daron Rahlves are tied for second place behind Benjamin Raich in the overall World Cup standings, Miller has not achieved the same level of results as last season. He has one victory and three other top-three finishes this season.

At this point last year, Miller had accumulated six victories and four other podium finishes.

No surprise here.  Reggie Bush announced today that he is skipping his senior season at the University of Southern California to enter the NFL draft.

The play allowed the Colts to have a renewed chance at winning the game.

O'Neill says Bettis is his hero, and he was upset with the idea the player might have ended his career with an error.

"I wasn't upset that the Steelers might lose," O'Neill told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I was upset because I didn't want to see him end his career like that. A guy like that deserves better. I guess it was a little too much for me to handle."

Doctors are planning to implant a pacemaker in O'Neill to help control an irregular heartbeat along with prescribing him medication to deal with hypertension.

When asked how he was feeling, O'Neill told the Tribune-Review: "The Steelers won the game and I'm still alive, so I guess I'm doing pretty good."

From now on, O'Neill says he will probably just take it easy and watch future games at home.

I like the Clippers' uniforms.  They have a retro feel without being too old.

Especially not after last season's ugly brawl between fans and players at an Indiana-Detroit game.

"At the end of the day, what we had to decide on was the issue of Antonio breaking the barrier from the court into the stands," NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said during a conference call. "At the end of the day, that was the most important aspect of making that decision."

The trouble for Davis and his wife, however, might not be over.

Michael Axelrod, the 22-year-old fan that Davis confronted, said he did nothing wrong - and he plans to sue the player and his wife. Axelrod said Kendra Davis tried to scratch him after he protested a call. He said he never laid a hand on her and he was not drunk, as the New York forward contended.

"It's a lie," Axelrod said.

Jackson added that a player entering the stands normally results in a suspension of "double-digit games."

Davis' suspension was to start with Thursday night's home game against Detroit, and the players' union will likely file a grievance. The Pistons were the home team the last time players went into the stands - when Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson fought with fans in November 2004.

An embarrassment for the NBA, the brawl led to criminal charges and lengthy suspensions for Artest, Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal.

"It's a totally different situation," said ex-Pacers star Reggie Miller, Davis' former teammate. "It was mayhem. He's coming to defense of a loved one. Ours was craziness."

The league was not nearly as harsh in this instance.

"Certainly the message was very clear after the Nov. 19 incident in that it was clear to our players that they were not to enter the stands under any circumstances," Jackson said. "Certainly this suspension is evident to the fact that we're very serious about that declaration. We realize there were some mitigating circumstances and we did in fact take that into account."

Still, Knicks coach Larry Brown thought the penalty was too severe.

"I could understand the league's point of view, but I'd like to put Stu Jackson or David Stern or one of those guys in that situation and see how they would have reacted," Brown said. "I'm amazed at the restraint he had."

Davis, president of the NBA players' association, jumped over the scorer's table to get in the stands at the United Center.

"I witnessed my wife being threatened by a man that I learned later to be intoxicated," he said in a statement after the game. "I saw him touch her, and I know I should not have acted the way I did, but I would have felt terrible if I didn't react. There was no time to call security. It happened too quickly."

But Axelrod said all he had to drink was a glass of wine at dinner.

"When I go to games, I cheer as hard as I can for the Bulls, and I boo as hard as I can for whoever they're playing," Axelrod said. "I don't feel comfortable if players are allowed to easily jump into the crowd whenever they feel like it's necessary."

Axelrod's father, David, is a prominent Democratic political consultant in Chicago who has worked with Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley.

Axelrod's attorney, Jay Paul Deratany, said he planned to sue Davis and his wife for more than $1 million. Deratany said he was writing the papers Thursday for a battery suit against Kendra Davis and a slander case against Antonio Davis, and planned to file them Friday.

Deratany also said, "A public apology from the Davises would go a long way toward resolving this."

Davis is allowed to practice during his suspension but can't attend games. The Knicks will be forced to play with 11 players on their active roster.

According to Axelrod, he was sitting in the seventh row and booed an official's call. Kendra Davis "came out of her seat. I didn't even pay attention to her. I thought she was just going to the bathroom or something," he said.

Axelrod, who was sitting a couple of rows behind her, said she yelled at him to be quiet. Axelrod said he did not know she was Davis' wife until the player ran into the stands.

Axelrod said Kendra Davis put both hands on his face, and that he motioned for security. He said she later went after another fan.

"I was glad she was done hitting me, but I didn't want her to hit anyone else," Axelrod said.

Antonio Davis appeared calm throughout - though Axelrod said Davis used obscenities - and walked away willingly when security arrived. He returned to the bench and took his seat before being ejected. The game resumed after about a five-minute delay.

Axelrod was escorted to the concourse by security, but said he was allowed back into the arena and saw Ben Gordon's winning shot at the buzzer.

"His wife and kids were up there," Knicks guard Jamal Crawford said. "If you see your family in harm's way, you're going to go protect them. You're the man of the house, and at that point you're thinking like a regular human instead of an athlete."

United Center security remained in the stands for a few more minutes, and other fans appeared to be explaining what they had seen. Guards in suits and yellow jackets then escorted a group of people from the area.

Brown said Davis went into the stands because he saw his wife "falling back."

Brown was coaching the Pistons in November 2004 when the fight broke out between fans and Pacers players during a Detroit home game. And he remains adamant that this situation should be viewed differently.

"I'm sure everything stems from that thing that went on," he said. "There was no correlation between those two events."

Well, the game is over and the Steelers beat the Broncos.  I kinda thought the final score would be a bit closer though.

Two days after Duke, Florida and Pittsburgh lost, the Huskies (16-1) moved from No. 3 to the top of the rankings for the sixth time in school history and the first since a one-week run in December 2004. The Blue Devils, Gators and Panthers were the last three undefeated Division I teams.

The Huskies are one of seven Big East teams in the Top 25, tying the record for most schools from one conference. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten have each done it twice, and the ACC did it most recently last season.

Duke (17-1), which had been No. 1 since the preseason poll, dropped one spot after losing 87-84 at Georgetown on Saturday. The win sent the Hoyas (12-4) into the Top 25 for the first time since Dec. 31, 2001.

Florida (17-1), second in the poll the last two weeks, dropped to No. 5 after losing 80-76 at Tennessee on Saturday. The win got the Volunteers (12-3) back in the rankings after being out for four weeks.

Pittsburgh (15-1) lost 55-50 at St. John's on Saturday and fell from ninth to No. 12.

Connecticut received 64 first-place votes and 1,790 points from the 72-member national media panel. The Huskies have spent a total of 21 weeks at No. 1. The longest run was 10 straight polls in 1998-99, when they won the first of their two national championships.

What's the deal with the black stripe on the Atlanta Hawks uniforms?

NFL MVP Shaun Alexander and several other Seattle Seahawks got a jolt Monday when their van was struck by an automated parking gate. The players were jostled from their seats, but said no one was injured.

Alexander, fellow Pro Bowlers Matt Hasselbeck, Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones and Michael Boulware were on their way to a downtown news conference when the accident occurred.

Alexander said the players were in the second of two vans transporting the Seahawks. He said the first van was full of team public relations personnel and cleared through the gate crossing without incident - "of course," he joked.

But the van carrying Alexander and the all-stars was struck from the side and below by automatic gates while trying to get through the entrance at the hotel complex.

"It was a big jerk. That was about it," Jones said. "It was a freak thing. But everyone laughed it off."

Hasselbeck said he had just removed his seat belt when the gate struck. He said the van was left inoperable.

Alexander said there was a loud bang that startled the players and especially shook the driver.

"It was crazy," Alexander said. "We all got tossed around a bit inside. But we're all OK."

Alexander said he saw Pittsburgh running back and Detroit native Jerome Bettis coming out of the hotel.

"I said to him, 'Do you have one of those automatic things to push the gates down?' He said, 'No, it wasn't me,"' Alexander said.

When the NFL unveiled its MVPs from the previous 39 Super Bowls, only three living members skipped the ceremony.

Former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw decided to stay home, while former Dolphins MVP Jake Scott was traveling in Australia.

Montana, the league's only three-time Super Bowl MVP, turned down the invitation over money, Newsday and the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Montana, however, told ESPN2's Cold Pizza last week that he wasn't going to be at the game because his son had an important basketball game he wanted to attend.

Bradshaw, who told league officials that he wanted to be with his family, also took issue with the fees, the Chronicle reported. Bradshaw, through a representative, denied the Chronicle's report that there was a dispute over money.

Former MVPs were given $1,000 for incidental expenses while in Detroit, along with other amenities such as plane tickets, car rental and game tickets.

Sources told each paper that Montana asked for a guarantee of at least $100,000 in appearance money.

When the league balked at Montana's demands, the quarterback declined to be in attendance.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA will give college football coaches at least one replay challenge per game next season and require conferences to use a universal review format if Thursday's recommended changes by the rules committee are approved in March.

The announcement was made Thursday at the conclusion of the committee's three-day meeting in Indianapolis.

The NCAA allowed conferences to experiment with instant replay the past two seasons, allowing it to be used to review game officials' calls on the field. Last season, nine of 11 Division I-A conferences used replay on an experimental basis for the first time. Only the Sun Belt and Western Athletic conferences did not.

But the rules varied. The Mountain West Conference, for instance, was the only league that permitted coaches challenges. Of the 35 plays challenged, only five calls were reversed.

"That may not sound like a lot, but if you have five plays that could change the game if not corrected, that is a pretty strong percentage," said Charles Broyles, chairman of the committee and coach at Pittsburg State University. "We thought that providing a coach's challenge would act as an additional safety net and give the coaches more involvement in the process."

Coaches would call timeout to make a challenge. If the call was overturned, the team would keep its timeout and retain its challenge until they lost one. If the call were upheld, the team would be charged a timeout and the coach couldn't challenge again.

"There could be as many challenges as they are right about," said Ty Halpin, associate director of the playing rules oversight panel. "The committee felt they should be rewarded as long as they got the challenge correct."

But the committee did not make the broadest possible change -- requiring replay to be used in games. Still, Halpin said he expected all Division I-A conferences to use replay next season, and television monitors will still not be allowed in coaching booths. The rules would apply to all three NCAA divisions.

The playing rules oversight panel must still approve the recommendations.

Another change would allowing the visiting team to determine if replay will be used in nonconference games. Last year, Southern California opted not to have replay when it played at Notre Dame. If approved, that option would not exist next season.

Halpin also said that the committee discussed contingency plans if there are technical difficulties, such as buzzers not going off or malfunctioning video feeds. He said faulty buzzers were one explanation replay was not used to look at some close calls during the Alamo Bowl between Michigan and Nebraska. Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr was forced to use timeouts in that game just to stop play and give officials a chance to review.

Although conferences are trying to devise backup plans, Halpin said the committee would not mandate those changes.

The use of instant replay has generally received positive reviews from coaches.

"I really didn't have any complaints with the way it was last year," Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said in a telephone interview.

He did concede the coach's challenge was "probably a good idea."

"If you're willing to risk a timeout for it, it's probably worth it," he said. "Having instant replay in any form is better than not having it. Let's make a good thing the best we can make it."

The committee also made several recommendations to shorten games, which are more frequently going beyond four hours.

If approved, halftime would be shortened from 15 to 20 minutes and the game clock would start when the ball is kicked -- not when it is touched by the receiving team. If both teams agree, the halftime break could be extended.

The committee also recommended starting the game clock on a change of possession when the ball is ready for play, something the NCAA said could shorten games by about five minutes.

Kicking tees also would be shortened to one inch in hopes of preventing fewer touchbacks and fewer stoppages.

But Halpin said replay had a minimal effect on the longer games. He cited statistics that showed replay extended games last season by an average of two minutes.

"In the Southeastern Conference, for instance, games were four minutes shorter," he said. "So we didn't see any direct effect on game times changing because of replay."

The Trail Blazers fined guard Sebastian Telfair on Wednesday after a loaded gun was found on the team's private jet at Boston's Logan Airport.

The handgun was found in a pillowcase belonging to Telfair as the team plane was being prepared for a flight from Boston to Toronto, the team said in a statement.

Telfair explained to local authorities that the gun belonged to his girlfriend and that he had inadvertently grabbed the wrong bag when leaving for the team's road trip.

"We did sweep the plane and we did find the handgun, and it was a loaded handgun," said Jennifer Peppin, a regional spokeswoman based in Seattle for the Transportation Security Administration. "Once we got that we turned it over to the state police in Boston."

The gun is registered in Oregon to Samantha Rodriguez, Telfair's girlfriend of five years.

The Trail Blazers left Portland on Feb. 7 for their five-game trip. The team was in Oklahoma City for a game against the Hornets Wednesday night.

The matter was turned over to the Massachusetts Port Authority, which said no charges would be filed.

The team fined Telfair an undisclosed amount for violating league and team policy. The NBA is reviewing the matter.

"While we had to allow the legal process to run its course, and were grateful it appears that the authorities have determined Sebastian initially made an innocent mistake, he clearly compounded the situation by making the wrong choice by not notifying the team's traveling security agent about his situation immediately," Blazers president Steve Patterson said Wednesday.

"He has apologized profusely, but he knows he must be held accountable for his actions."

All-Star weekend has come to Houston during one of the worst times of Tracy McGrady's life.

The 26-year-old Rockets star, who'll play in his sixth All-Star game Sunday, won't divulge what's bothering him, but said his personal crisis is as trying as anything he's ever faced.

"I'm human, I'm going through some things in my life, things I've got to deal with, and I'm just trying to handle it the best way I can," McGrady said. "It's wearing and tearing at me. This weight has gotten heavy for me and it's taking a toll."

Even Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy is concerned, making a recent unscheduled visit to McGrady's house to talk to him about his issues. McGrady told Van Gundy he was considering taking some games off and disappearing from public life.

"I told my coach that's how I felt -- that I really felt like leaving and not tell people where I was going, just getting away for a few days and just clearing my mind," McGrady said. "I need peace of mind right now. It's all just piled up on me and broken me down."

McGrady has missed 13 games this season with back spasms and left another game in late December to see his fiancee, Clerenda Harris, give birth to their second child, a son.

But McGrady wouldn't say whether the issues were health-related or who they involve.

"I've dealt with family members passing away, best friends getting killed," McGrady said. "This is a lot worse than that because it's a combination of things in different areas.

"I'm in a tough stage of my life right now."

Whatever is bothering him, it's affected his play.

In his last 12 games, McGrady has shot worse than 32 percent from the field six times, including a 4-for-15 night in Houston's 109-75 loss to Phoenix on Thursday. He went 3-for-20 against New York last Sunday and refused to speak to reporters afterward.

"At times, I don't even want to be in the arena or a uniform," McGrady said. "It's just been so frustrating. In the past, I've usually done a great job of keeping things to myself and really not letting things affect me.

"I am going through some things and it does affect my professional life. I try not to let it, but I can't really control it."

McGrady had planned to skip Friday's media availability. Friends convinced him to go and McGrady said he hopes the weekend festivities in his backyard will take his mind off the personal problems.

"It really took a lot for me to come down here with the things that are going on," McGrady said. "They told me it was the best thing for me and I realize this is in the city I perform in every night."

McGrady said friends are helping him work through the issues, and he feels better than he did a few days ago.

"There, for a while, I wasn't really myself in games, after games, and everybody noticed it," he said. "I just felt like sharing with people what I was going through -- things that wear and tear on me physically and emotionally."

Across the room, McGrady's All-Star teammate, Yao Ming, was answering less personal questions -- most of them in Chinese. A swarm of Asian media mobbed the 7-foot-6 Yao, the top vote-getter for the All-Star game, as soon as he ducked under a black curtain and appeared in a hotel ballroom.

Yao will play in his fourth All-Star game and compared his experiences since he was drafted in 2002 to earning a college education.

"The NBA life has made me grow up a lot," Yao said. "I have not just grown up in my basketball skills, it's made me stronger and tougher."

For one thing, he's become more confident in his English, doing interviews without a translator for the first time this season.

"It's getting a lot easier," Yao said. "I'm getting used to it."

He may be small, but Nate Robinson of the Knicks still managed to win the dunk contest last night.

H.J. Heinz Co. is offering limited-edition ketchup bottles to celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers' Super Bowl win.

The 14-ounce bottles are available with either black or white labels for $5 each and can be bought online.

Ketchup bottles will also be available at Pittsburgh-area grocery stores for $1.79 each.

Pittsburgh-based Heinz - which also lends its name to the Steelers' stadium, Heinz Field - will donate a portion of sales to the Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation, which helps troubled and underprivileged children.

Portland Trail Blazers' guard Sebastian Telfair was suspended for two games by the NBA for violating the league's firearms policy.

The suspension stems from the discovery of a loaded firearm during a preflight inspection on the team's private plane following a game in Boston earlier this month.

Telfair told authorities the gun was his girlfriend's, and he grabbed her bag accidentally when leaving Portland.

No charges were filed and Telfair was fined an undisclosed amount by the team.

The league said the incident violates the collective bargaining agreement, which prohibits players from possessing a firearm while traveling on team or league business.

My lovely alma mater has such a great basketball team.  I used to go to so many games when I was in college, and every single one of them was awesome.  It's about the atmosphere as much as anything else, and when you're in college, the atmosphere of the student section is very, very wild.

The Big Ten standings are pretty close right now, but Illinois is in good position.

TEAM	CON	GB	OVR
Ohio State #12	10-4	-	21-4
Illinois #8	9-5	1	23-5
Iowa #22	9-5	1	20-8
Wisconsin	8-5	1½	18-8
Michigan	8-7	2½	18-8
Michigan State #16	7-7	3	19-9
Indiana	7-7	3	15-10
Penn State	6-9	4½	14-12
Minnesota	5-8	4½	14-10
Northwestern	5-9	5	13-13
Purdue	3-11	7	9-16

The 22-member U.S. National team was unveiled yesterday by director of USA Basketball, Jerry Colangelo. The players, to be coached by Duke's Coack K (Mike Krzyzewski), will compete for 12 active (and three inactive) roster spots for the 2006 World Championships in Japan and the 2008 Olympics in China.

Chauncey Billups, Detroit
Carmelo Anthony, Denver
Gilbert Arenas, Washington
Shane Battier, Memphis
Chris Bosh, Toronto
Bruce Bowen, San Antonio
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Dwight Howard, Orlando
Josh Howard, Dallas
LeBron James, Cleveland
Antawn Jamison, Washington
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Rashard Lewis, Seattle
Shawn Marion, Phoenix
Brad Miller, Sacramento
Chris Paul, NO/Okla. City
Paul Pierce, Boston
Michael Redd, Milwaukee
Luke Ridnour, Seattle
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
Dwyane Wade, Miami

In addition to the above, three spots are being held for younger players, presumed to be Adam Morrison, J.J. Redick, and high-schooler Greg Oden, and Colangelo has issued a standing invitation to Shaq to join the team at a later date.

The Oakland Athletics are going to have a good season.  Barry Zito and Rich Harden are going to have great years.

And you can say that I said it first.  :)

Edgerrin James has agreed to terms with the Arizona Cardinals.  He will receive $30 million over four years. The deal will pay James $14.5 million in the first year through salary, signing bonus and roster bonus.

Major League Baseball plans to celebrate if Barry Bonds passes Hank Aaron as the all-time home run kind. MLB's sponsors, however, have a different idea.

According to Bloomberg News, one of baseball's 18 national sponsors, Bank of America Corp., said Tuesday that because of steroid allegations, it will not take part in any campaign celebrating Bonds.

"We are a company where confidence and trust is held high," Cathy Bessant, Bank of America's global marketing executive, told Bloomberg News. "A company like ours is always going to choose the untainted opportunity. There is no reason to stand up for controversy."

Echoing those sentiments, Home Depot said it will not be part of a celebration unless an investigation shows Bonds did not use performance-enhancing substances. However, PepsiCo Inc. would recognize Bonds in a "muted way," according to PepsioCo North America president Dawn Hudson.

Bank of America signed a five-year sponsorship deal with MLB in 2004 after previously sponsoring several individual teams.

"We are longtime partners of baseball, and with their perception on drugs, I could stand on the roof and scream that this issue has to get resolved," Bessant told Bloomberg News. "Baseball has got to get the perception of drugs out of the spot. It matters. Cheating matters. It isn't OK to cork a bat. Cheaters shouldn't prosper."

Former NBA stars Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars and Dominique Wilkins, University of Connecticut Women's Coach Geno Auriemma, former Big East Commissioner David Gavitt and Italian National Team Coach Sandro Gamba were elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.

In his 17-year NBA career, Wilkins scored 26,668 points, averaging 24.8 points per game, and played in nine All-Star games. Wilkins is the leading scorer in Hawks history and played in Atlanta from 1982 until February 1994, when he was traded to the Clippers. He ended his playing career in 1999.

Dumars was in his second year of eligibility and won two NBA championships as a shooting guard with the Pistons, and another title in 2004 as their president of basketball operations. He was MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals, and helped Detroit repeat the following season.

Dumars averaged 16.1 points and 4.5 assists and was an All-Star six times during an eight-year stretch in the 1990s. He was first-team all-defense four times. In 1996, he won the NBA's first sportsmanship award and its trophy was later named for him.

The 18th pick overall out of McNeese State came to the Pistons as a skinny, unknown shooting guard in 1985, and became a humble star known as "Joe D."

Dumars became Detroit's vice president of player personnel in 1999 and took over as president of basketball operations a year later.

He started to build a championship-caliber team by trading Grant Hill, who wanted to leave, to Orlando for >Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins. He later traded for Rasheed Wallace and Richard Hamilton, signed Chauncey Billups, drafted Tayshaun Prince and put them together with Wallace to create perhaps the league's best starting lineup.

Since arriving 21 years ago, Auriemma has turned Connecticut from a small regional program into a national powerhouse, leading the Huskies to five NCAA titles. Their five straight trips to the Final Four from 2000-04 is a record.

It's just one more big honor for Auriemma this year. He will be inducted into the women's Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., later this month.

Auriemma's September induction in Springfield marks the second consecutive honor for the school. Men's coach Jim Calhoun, winner of two NCAA titles, was enshrined in 2004.

Other finalists were: Adrian Dantley, whose 23,177 career points rank 18th in NBA history; three-time national college Player of the Year Ralph Sampson; former Purdue coach Gene Keady; ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale; seven-time NBA all-star Chet Walker; Dallas GM and coach Don Nelson, a former player who is under consideration as a coach; Van Chancellor, who coached the Houston Comets to four straight WNBA titles; former Spanish coach Pedro Ferrandiz; John Isaacs, who played for the first all-black National Basketball League team in 1949; and the late Ben Kerner, who owned the St. Louis Hawks.

Induction ceremonies for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will be Sept. 7-9 in Springfield, Mass.

Good news regarding former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden--sounds like he could be getting out of the hospital soon.

The 95-year old has been in the hospital since Sunday  for diverticulitis, an inflammation of the area around the colon.

But evidently he's doing better and ready to come home.  Good news!

Adidas signed an 11-year deal with the NBA on Tuesday, making the German athletic shoe company the official uniform and apparel provider for the league.

The company said the deal includes providing uniforms and other products for the WNBA and the NBA's development league starting with the 2006-07 season.

Adidas, a marketing partner with the NBA since 2002, said the deal came as a result of last year's acquisition of Reebok International Ltd., which had been the NBA's uniform and apparel provider since 2001.

The value of the deal wasn't immediately disclosed by adidas or the NBA, but shares of adidas were up more than 2.9 percent to over $208 in Frankfurt trading after it was announced.

Reebok will continue to be a global marketing partner of the NBA and will keep its ability to create NBA-branded footwear.

NBA commissioner David Stern said the agreement means adidas products will be "available to even more fans around the world, continuing our effort to expand the league's accessibility to anywhere fans can dribble a ball or watch a basketball game."

Kobe Bryant broke Elgin Baylor's single-season scoring record with a flourish, getting 50 points Friday night in a 110-99 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night.

Greg Ostertag probably heard as many boos as he did cheers in 10 seasons playing for the Utah Jazz.

On Wednesday, any boos were overwhelmed by the cheering.

Ostertag ended his 11-year NBA career Wednesday with a few tears and waves goodbye as Jazz fans warmly greeted the player they had booed so often for his inconsistent play.

"That was fun. It was good to hear them cheer and it was a good way to go out," Ostertag said.

Ostertag cheered much more than contributing in Utah's 105-102 win over the Golden State Warriors. The 33-year-old center sat through much of this spring on the bench and had decided to retire this summer.

Ostertag didn't start for the Jazz in his 700th career game with Utah, but he was introduced to a loud ovation after the starting lineup was announced. Coach Jerry Sloan put Ostertag in during the first quarter to another ovation, but Ostertag played just 3:36.

"I wanted to play him some. He deserves it," Sloan said. "Contrary to what a lot of people have said about Greg, he does care and he wants to do the right thing."

Ostertag played 10 of his 11 seasons in Utah. The only year away was last season when he played in 55 games for the Sacramento Kings. Unless he changes his mind, Ostertag's career totals were 3,512 points, 3,445 rebounds and 1,227 blocks.

The 7-foot-2 Ostertag was best known for his buzz haircut, Texas drawl and sporadic game. He could score 20 points some nights and get shut out others. He and Sloan had several public spats, although the two have always maintained they were friends.

"Whatever he decides to do, I hope he does well," Sloan said.

Sloan said the Jazz brought Ostertag back last summer in a trade because he wanted the veteran's experience in the locker room. But the return, which was not perceived as a good move in the papers or in call-in shows, turned out to be a quiet one. Ostertag hardly played at all during the last two months.

He announced Monday that he was finished.

"I've had my ups and downs, but I believe in my heart that I had more ups than downs," Ostertag said. "I can't complain. Eleven years is a long time."

Heat coach Pat Riley will be with his team for Game 1 of Miami's Eastern Conference quarterfinal on Saturday, despite the death of his 96-year-old mother, Mary.

Riley ran the team's practice Friday after learning of his mother's death. He was not available for comment following practice, but the team said he would remain in South Florida and coach the game.

Riley spent four days earlier this week in upstate New York with his mother. He did not divulge any details of her illness when speaking to reporters Thursday.

"It's difficult, but you deal with it. Family is part of your life," said Riley, who had assistant coach Ron Rothstein coach the season's final two games. "And so, I did what I had to do in New York. ... The last four days was about a family crisis. Now it's about Chicago, moving on and trying to get this job done here."

On Thursday night, Riley announced that he would return to coach Miami for the 2006-07 season regardless of its playoff outcome. He released a statement through the team "due to numerous media inquiries and unsubstantiated rumors about his future."

Miami has the No. 2 seed in the East playoffs after a drama-filled season that saw Shaquille O'Neal miss 18 of the team's first 21 games with a sprained ankle. The Heat went only 11-10 in that stretch, after which coach Stan Van Gundy resigned, saying he wanted to spend more time with his children and family.

Riley took over, and Miami won 37 of its next 50 games. But the Heat finished April with a 4-7 record, albeit with O'Neal and Dwyane Wade -- the team's superstars -- playing either sparingly or not at all in the final three games, all losses.

"I put no credence into how we finished at all," Riley said.

The Bulls enter the playoffs having won 10 of 11.

LeBron James's triple-double helped the Cavs beat the Wizards in the first game of the playoffs.  It was a strong performance, and if it's any indication of things to come, the Wizards should be worried.

The Navy quarterback accused of raping a female midshipman will face a court-martial, the academy announced Friday.

The U.S. Naval Academy superintendent made the decision after the military equivalent of a grand jury investigation was held for Lamar Owens, 22, last month.

He is accused of raping a 20-year-old midshipman in the academy's 4,000-student dorm. If convicted, he could get life in prison, though that punishment is considered unlikely.

The Savannah, Ga., native led Navy's football team to an 8-4 record this season and was the team's most valuable player.

The NBA suspended Phoenix guard Raja Bell for one game on Wednesday for throwing Kobe Bryant to the floor in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night's playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

That means the Suns will be without Bell, the principal defender against Bryant, for Game 6 Thursday night in Los Angeles.

Phoenix beat the Lakers 114-97 in Game 5 but Los Angeles still leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can eliminate the Suns with a victory. In a brief news release, the NBA said Bell was suspended for "excessive and unnecessary contact."

UCLA linebacker John Hale and defensive tackle Jess Ward pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony assault charges, stemming from a February altercation at Ward's parents' home.

The freshmen turned themselves in to court officials in San Bernardino County when they learned warrants for their arrest had been issued the previous day, UCLA sports information director Marc Dellins said.

Hale had 20 tackles while playing in 11 of the Bruins' 12 games last season, including seven starts. Ward redshirted.

A call to Michael Berger, the attorney for Hale and Ward, was not immediately returned.

A call to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office after business hours was not returned. Cindy Beavers, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County sheriff's department, said she was not aware of the case, adding that there were no records of Hale and Ward being booked at sheriff's facilities.

Ward's family lives in Running Springs, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. The altercation involved guests at the house, and, according to UCLA, two other men were arrested the day after it happened.

"We are aware of the circumstances that occurred in Jess' parents' home," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "John and Jess called me the day after the incident and told me what happened. It appears that John and Jess were not involved in the altercation other than trying to move it out of the house.

"Based on the information available to us, we have decided to wait until the outcome of the legal process to impose any disciplinary action," he said.

Matt Leinart's had his first workout as a member of the Arizona Cardinals.  I'm excited to see how he's going to do.  He'll be the back-up to Kurt Warner, but it'll be interesting to see when he moves into the starter's roll.

The 19-year-old pitcher was being touted as one of the greatest Little League stars ever to come from New York, but his phenomenal run ended in controversy when it was revealed he lied about his age, subtracting two years, to play in the Little League World Series.

Almonte confirmed yesterday that he tied the knot with Rosy Perdomo months ago.

"She's special," Almonte told the Daily News near the Bronx apartment he shares with Perdomo. "My family is happy for me."

Almonte, who has yet to graduate high school, wouldn't say much about his bride, a former baseball league official who now works as a hairstylist in Manhattan. "I don't want to talk about my personal life," he said.

But Perdomo told the Daily News she and Danny tied the knot at City Hall last October. She went on to say she's known Almonte since his infamous Little League days.

"He always used to tell me things and I was like, 'You're a minor ... we'd get in trouble,' " Perdomo said.

"I really waited for the right person to come along," she explained, "so I wasn't going to just fool around, especially not with someone younger than me."

Snia Rojas, Almonte's mom, told The News from her home in the Dominican Republic that the May-December union has her seal of approval.

"Love has no age," Rojas said.

Almonte is expected to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team in next month's amateur draft.

Almonte was not wearing a wedding ring yesterday, but his Perdomo said that might change now that their marriage has been made public.

Almonte also has a full scholarship waiting for him at New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs in the event he goes undrafted.

His coach, Mike Turo, said citizenship in the United States is a requirement for the scholarship and that Almonte was planning to get a Social Security card this week.

The fresh start Amare Stoudemire hopes to make next season doesn't stop at the knees.

Stoudemire, never shy about proclaiming his potential for greatness, will be wearing a new jersey in 2006-07 -- No. 1 -- after a '05-06 season in which he was limited to three games because of two knee surgeries.

ESPN.com has learned that Stoudemire formally applied to the league before the March 3 deadline to change his jersey number from 32 to 1 starting next season. For a player to change numbers without being traded, he must have worn the same number for at least four seasons and complete the application process.

Suns rookie Dijon Thompson wore No. 1 this season. Stoudemire has worn No. 32 since the Suns selected him ninth overall in the 2000 draft and sported No. 12 as a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.

Stoudemire this week confirmed the number change to ESPN.com but said he prefers to address the switch after the season.

The only other player in the league to apply for a number change for next season is the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who's moving from No. 8 to No. 24.

League rules dictate that Stoudemire and Bryant will have to keep their new numbers for a minimum of three seasons.

An Australian mountaineer who had been believed dead near the summit of Mount Everest has been revived and has come part way down the mountain, reports said Saturday.

Lincoln Hall, 50, is being cared for at a camp on Everest at about 20,997 feet, Australian Associated Press reported.

That is some 4,921 feet beneath the so-called "death zone," where oxygen levels are so low they cannot sustain life for long.

"He's in reasonably good condition, but he doesn't have much memory of things at this stage," climber Duncan Chessell told AAP.

Chessell, who also runs DCXP Mountain Journeys, told AAP he had been in contact with a guide on Everest, Jamie McGuinness, who had passed on the news of Hall's revival.

"Basically, he's been able to come down under his own steam, without assistance, is what Jamie reported," Chessell said from the southern Australian city of Adelaide.

Hall, an experienced climber who had been on a Russian-led expedition, made it to the summit of Everest but grew gravely ill from oxygen deprivation during his descent.

The area near the top of Everest is one of the most difficult environments on Earth, where even the strongest and most experienced climbers can become desperately ill from lack of oxygen.

Hall fell ill shortly below the summit, AAP reported. His two Sherpa guides tried to help him down, but were eventually forced to leave him in order to save themselves, and Hall was then declared dead, AAP reported.

The following morning, an American climber found him alive, prompting a rescue team to help bring Hall to safety.

Hall must now walk or be carried for more than 15 miles to reach the base of the mountain.

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas and forward Awvee Storey have been arrested on charges of disobeying police.

Storey, who played with the team last season but is not currently under contract, was blocking traffic in the middle of a busy street when an officer told him to get back to the sidewalk Saturday night, according to police reports. Storey didn't get out of the street, and the officer arrested him and charged him with failure to obey a command.

While police were arresting Storey, Arenas got out of a vehicle and walked toward the arresting officers.

According to reports, an officer told Arenas to get back in his vehicle, but he refused, saying he wanted to stand next to his teammate. The officer took Arenas into custody and charged him with resisting without violence.

As Arenas was being arrested, according to reports, he said, "You can't arrest me. I'm a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards, and I'm not going to leave my teammate."

Both players bonded out of jail Monday.

The Wizards released a statement saying, "We are aware of the situation and, until we have more information, we will have no comment."

The two were arrested as part of a crackdown on disorderly behavior among those who flocked to Miami Beach for Memorial Day weekend. According to The Washington Post, Arenas and Storey were in town for an annual celebration of hip-hop music and culture known as Urban Beach Week.

While baseball's latest focus in its fight against ridding the sport of performance-enhancing drugs is on human growth hormone, it's another banned drug that a former Yankee fan favorite has confessed to using.

"I can remember my first amphetamine," Jim Leyritz said during an interview Thursday on XM Satellite Radio. "I was out all night drinking with Andy Hawkins and some of the guys on the team. I was a young player."

Leyritz, who broke into the big leagues in 1990 with the Yankees, played 11 seasons in the majors with six different teams.

"I came in. I was hung over, sleeping by my locker. And all of a sudden, [Don] Mattingly came to me and said, 'Hey, you're in the lineup.' And I went, 'What?' He goes, 'Yeah, I just hurt my back.'

"Now I'm walking around, I'm going, 'I don't know how I'm going to do this. There's no way that I can go play this game today.' I ran into my teammate who I knew had some of the 'little helpers,' as they called them.

"He said, 'Take one of these. It should help. It'll take the edge off.'

"So sure enough, I took one. He goes, 'OK, you can take two, but no more than two.' So I popped one more, and I went out and went 3-for-4 with two homers."

Great article by ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski about Ben Roethlisberger and his recent motorcycle accident.  I think even non-football fans will enjoy it.

Read me, I'm good!

Dallas Mavericks forward Jerry Stackhouse was suspended Friday from Game 5 of the NBA Finals for his hard foul on Miami's Shaquille O'Neal in Game 4.

At the time, Stackhouse was called for a flagrant foul. But after reviewing the play and discussing the details with both players, league vice president Stu Jackson opted to upgrade the punishment to a suspension.

"The contact by Jerry Stackhouse was clearly excessive and warrants a suspension," Jackson said in a release.

The series is tied 2-2, with the Heat having won the last two games. Game 5 is Sunday night in Miami.

Stackhouse is Dallas' top reserve. He's averaging 13.8 points this postseason and 13.0 in the finals. He had 16 in Game 2, including 10 straight over the final 79 seconds of the first half that propelled the Mavericks to a victory.

Earlier Friday, Dallas coach Avery Johnson said he didn't think such a penalty was warranted, noting that O'Neal wasn't penalized for hitting Stackhouse hard enough in Game 1 that he opened a gash that required three stitches to close.

This marks the third time this postseason the Mavericks have had a player suspended.

Oregon unveiled new fall colors — the fourth uniform style since 1996 — that include four different jerseys, four different pants and three helmets. The innovations and ensemble possibilities — 48 in all — will once again make the Ducks the most unusually outfitted and fussed-over team in the nation. But that is what Oregon wants to be, believing the changes help catch the eye of recruits. "We're a happening place and young people like that," athletic director Bill Moos told the Oregonian. The uniforms are 28% lighter than last year, 34% lighter under wet conditions. The paint on the green helmets is made with glass and costs $2,400 per gallon.

David Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute, giving England an ugly 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Sunday and a berth against the Netherlands or Portugal.

The England captain, whose free kicks inspired the 2003 movie title "Bend it Like Beckham," hooked the ball ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in bright yellow shirts.

Struck with expert touch, the ball dipped toward the corner, where goalkeeper Cristian Mora dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips. But he couldn't stop it from shaving the post and squirting into the net.

Beckham ran wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole. Victoria Adams, his pop star wife formerly known as Posh Spice, jumped up in the stands.

Beckham, who had worn short sleeves in the first half, switched to long sleeves after the break. Shortly after the goal, he vomited on the field.

"We've got to overcome this (heat) because there will be other days like this," Beckham said. "We make things hard for ourselves. We don't keep the ball as well as we can do."

Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski called the past few months the most "trying time" he's seen at the school, and he withheld comment on the lacrosse scandal until now because he felt it was the right thing to do.

The Hall of Fame coach has won three national championships and reached 10 Final Fours. He has been at Duke 26 years and is considered by many the face of the university.

"If you're going to be in here for the long run, you're going to have trying times," Krzyzewski said Tuesday. "That's just what happens, whether it's a business, a family or a university if you're in it for the long haul."

Krzyzewski said during his annual summer meeting with reporters that he has been trying to "lend whatever guidance or insights I might have into the situation" to school officials, including president Richard Brodhead.

The case, in which three men's lacrosse players are charged with sexually assaulting an exotic dancer at an off-campus party in March, placed the school under intense scrutiny.

Earlier this month, Krzyzewski stood in the back of the room during a news conference to introduce former lacrosse assistant Kevin Cassese as the team's interim coach. Krzyzewski said Tuesday he waited to talk about the case because "I think it's important for me to remember my place."

"I am the basketball coach. I'm not the president, I'm not the athletic director and I'm not on the Board of Trustees and don't want to be," he said.

"What I've tried to do behind the scenes is say, 'We're with you. We'll see what happens, and whatever happened if you did it, you should be punished,'" he added. "Giving support does not mean you're choosing sides. Giving support is what a university should do ... because we're in the kid business."

In April, a grand jury indicted team members Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty on charges of rape, kidnapping and sexual offense. David Evans, a co-captain, was indicted on the same charges in May.

Mike Pressler, who spent 16 seasons as Duke's lacrosse coach, resigned in April. Krzyzewski said he and his wife, Mickie, welcomed the Pressler family to their home and took them to dinner as a show of support.

"I don't know what Mike Pressler did wrong in this case," he said. "Whether he's judged on a whole other thing, that's another matter. He's a good man."

Pressler, in his first comments since the investigation began, told Sports Illustrated he felt he could have fixed any problems within the lacrosse program. He went on to mention a university investigation that found he was one of two people at Duke who took misconduct by members of the lacrosse team seriously.

"It's on the record: Anytime I'd been aware of something, I took care of it," Pressler told the magazine in a story appearing on newsstands Wednesday. "But the administration felt that wasn't going to be the case. For me to buck that would not be in the best interest of those 47 kids and all the alumni. Take a bullet? I'd do it again."

Krzyzewski added: "A year ago he was playing for the national championship and almost won it. You have to have empathy for people in those situations."

Pressler said he hoped people would remember more than just the scandal when recalling his time at Duke.

"I'm certainly not proud of what happened on March 13," he said. "But in the end you're not judged by one game or one season. You're judged by the body of your work. And in the end I think our body of work has been very positive for a lot of people."

Under the rookie salary scale, Morrison will make $6.25 million in the first two years of the deal that runs through 2007-08. The Bobcats hold club options for the next two years of the contract.

"We are pleased to sign Adam and to get him on the basketball court with our team," Bobcats general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said. "He is a quality young man and a fine talent who we are excited to have as part of our organization. We have already seen how his skills will benefit our team and how competitive he is on the court."

The 6-8, 205-pound Morrison will play for the Bobcats in the Orlando Summer League next week. On July 19, he will begin training camp with Team USA, hoping to be among 23 players selected to the squad that will compete for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

"I am glad to sign my first contract and start my NBA career here in Charlotte. It has been a lifelong dream to play in the NBA," said Morrison, who led the nation in scoring at 28.1 points per game as a junior with Gonzaga. "I look forward to doing whatever I can to help the Bobcats take the next step as we build towards a championship."

Italy beat France in the World Cup finals.  A great game, though.  Came down to penatly kicks.  And Zinedine Zidane, who does great in penalty kicks for France, got a red card for a nasty head-butt, so he was done for the day.  Maybe if he had controlled himself more, France could have won?

Nonetheless, they did a great job.  I was pulling for France, but I gotta give Italy credit.

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich was added to the USA Basketball roster on Wednesday.

The addition of Hinrich comes one day after Orlando Magic rookie guard J.J. Redick announced he would not be able to participate in tryouts for Team USA due to a back injury.

Redick and forward Adam Morrison, the third overall pick in last month's draft, were the only college players selected to fight for a roster spot on Team USA.

Now Hinrich, who averaged 15.9 points and 6.3 assists in his third season with the Bulls in 2005-06, will get a chance to battle for a roster spot on the team that will participate in August's FIBA World Championships in Japan.

"It's an honor to be invited to represent the United States and play for USA Basketball," Hinrich said.

Ben Wallace is now officially a Chicago Bull.  :)

His reputation already dented, Zinedine Zidane faces possible sanctions for head-butting Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final.

Zidane, who retired after the July 9 final, will appear before a FIFA disciplinary panel Thursday in Zurich.

The former France captain could be fined, receive a symbolic ban and be stripped of his "Golden Ball" award as the best player in the tournament.

Zidane, who had a stellar 18-year career, said he attacked Materazzi because the Italian defender insulted his mother and sister.

Materazzi denied insulting Zidane's mother, and appeared last week before the FIFA committee. The Inter Milan player also faces a possible fine and match ban.

Shawn Kemp was arrested and charged Friday with possession of marijuana, the latest drug-related trouble for the former NBA All-Star.

Kemp, 36, was arrested following a traffic stop for driving without a license plate shortly after midnight Friday. An officer with the Harris County Sheriff's Department pulled Kemp over and said he noticed the smell of burning marijuana coming from Kemp's vehicle.

The officer later found less than 2 ounces of the illegal drug in Kemp's possession. The six-time All-Star was released from the Harris County Jail after posting a $500 cash bond and faces a July 28 court appearance.

Kemp checked into a rehabilitation clinic for cocaine use in 2001. In April 2005, he was arrested for possessing small amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his truck.

Former NBA star Charles Barkley is thinking about running for Governor of Alabama.  I honestly don't know what to think about this.  I know nothing of his political stance, but from what I've seen of him on the court, maybe he could be a good governor? 

What do you think?

Ever go to a professional sporting event only to have to listen to some drunk jerk yell at the players, coaches, and other fans?

Yeah, it sucks. 

So the Cincinnati Bengals are going to do something about it.

Starting this season, the organization will have a hotline (513-381-JERK) where people can call up and report their fellow fans' bad behavior.  Consequences for bad behavior range from a verbal warning to arrest.

Saint Vincent College has built a name in the football world for the last 40 years as the training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, the school will have a team of its own.

"I left the best assistant coaching position in Division III and bet the farm on this opportunity," said Bob Colbert, Saint Vincent's first head football coach in 44 years. "I left a well-paying job with good status to build a program from the bottom up. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

The 59-year-old Colbert, a Pittsburgh native, was hired in January after being an associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Bridgewater (Va.) College.

"We recruited 26 kids who will be incoming freshmen," Colbert said. "We then held tryouts for any student currently attending Saint Vincent and found 31 kids who want to play. Some have played in high school, while others have never played but want to try."

While practice starts this fall, the games won't begin until 2007. Colbert wants a year to put the program in place without sacrificing a year of eligibility for his players.

Saint Vincent is reinstating its football program as part of a plan to leave the NAIA and join the NCAA Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference. The Bearcats will begin a four-year provisional schedule in every sport with the PAC.

"Schools that do not have a football program are often perceived as not having a full commitment to sports," Colbert said. "Having a football program puts a cap on Saint Vincent's athletic program."

The Bearcats' first game is scheduled for Sept. 1, 2007, at home against Gallaudet, the school that gave Colbert his coaching start. He was the nation's youngest coach in 1970 at age 23, taking the job while he was still a student at Maryland, where he played defensive back for the Terps.

Colbert said there may be a side benefit to the school's association with the Steelers.

"I'm going to ask [Steelers] coach [Bill] Cowher if he wants to scrimmage with us next year to get ready for our opener," he said.

Seeking to liven up the atmosphere at the Toyota Center, Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has purchased 50 season tickets, the majority of which will be given to fans judged to be the rowdiest at tryouts this weekend.

The Rockets went 34-48 last season and won only 15 home games. Van Gundy has said he wants the arena to become a more intimidating place for opponents.

On Saturday, the Rockets will hold open tryouts at the Toyota Center in search of "the loudest and rowdiest Rockets fans in Houston," the team said. Candidates will have 30 seconds to audition in front of a judging panel -- which will not include Van Gundy.

The top 30 fans selected by the judges will receive season tickets near the court. The other 20 tickets will be distributed at each home game -- 10 at random outside the arena before the game and 10 during the game allowing fans to move from their seats into the "Red Rowdies" section.

Foxsports.com's John Czarnecki seems to think that the "quarterback controversy" in Chicago is a bad thing.  I, of course, think he's on crack.  How can having three guys who could all be starters be a bad thing?  They all know that they have to give 100% all the time and work their butts off if they want to be the starter, and they all know that if they aren't doing a good job, there's two other guy quite capable of taking over.  Talk about motivation.  I think it's great.

Anyone know if Rutgers' football team is supposed to be any good this year?  Because they killed Illinois and if they're not supposed to be a spectacular team I'm gonna be even more pissed off about the game than I already am.  Illinois' offense is non-existant.  They couldn't score at all.

Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons has been fired for making a racially insensitive comment directed at colleague Lou Piniella's Hispanic heritage on the air during Game 3 of the American League championship series.

The network confirmed Saturday that Lyons was dismissed after Friday's game. He has been replaced for the remainder of the series by Los Angeles Angels announcer Jose Mota.

Piniella had made an analogy involving the luck of finding a wallet, then briefly used a couple of Spanish phrases during Friday's broadcast.

Lyons said that Piniella was "hablaing Espanol" — butchering the conjugation for the word "to speak" — and added, "I still can't find my wallet."

"I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit too close to him now," Lyons continued.

Lyons claimed he was kidding.

"If I offended anybody, I'm truly sorry," Lyons said in a phone interview. "But my comment about Lou taking my wallet was a joke and in no way racially motivated."

Red Auerbach, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships in the 1950s and 1960s, died Saturday. He was 89.

Auerbach won 938 games with the Celtics and was the winningest coach in NBA history until Lenny Wilkens  overtook him in the 1994-95 season. As general manager, the straight-talking Auerbach, who celebrated victories with a postgame cigar, was also the architect of Celtics teams that won seven more titles in the 1970s and 1980s.

He died of a heart attack near his home in Washington, according to an NBA official, who didn't want to be identified. His last public appearance was on Wednesday, when he received the U.S. Navy's Lone Sailor Award in front of family and friends in ceremonies in Washington.

"Red was a guy who always introduced new things," Steve Pagliuca, a Celtics managing partner, told The Associated Press in an interview this month. "He had some of the first black players in the league and some people didn't like that, but you've got to do what's right for the fans. So I think we tried to do things thoughtfully. We didn't come in here and change everything overnight."

Auerbach's death was announced by the Celtics, for whom he still served as team president. The team said the upcoming season would be dedicated in his honor.

Of all the things in the NFL, I think I'm most surprised by Michael Vick.  He has been thoroughly unimpressive, and I have always thought that he was amazing.  I don't think he was overhyped, so I guess that just means that he's having a rough time this year.  Or the rest of the Falcons are weaker.  He hasn't been getting much protection.

Yesterday's #1 vs. #2 game definitely lived up to its hype!  I hope you all saw the Ohio State vs. Michigan game because it was awesome.  And the fact that former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died on the day before the big game just added to the grandness of it all.

Ohio State is still #1.  Too bad I was pulling for Michigan.

The Crimson Tide are once again in the market for a head coach, their fourth in six years, after athletic director Mal Moore announced Mike Shula's firing on Monday. Moore said he would look for a "proven winner" and that defensive coordinator Joe Kines would serve as interim coach for the bowl-eligible Tide.

Alabama thought for a time it had the right fit with Shula. While he had no previous head coaching experience, he was a former Crimson Tide quarterback and heir to a famous pro football name. And the Tide rewarded Shula with a lucrative new contract following last year's 10-2 season, clearly believing things were looking up heading into his fourth year.

But a 6-6 season, ending in three straight losses -- to SEC weakling Mississippi State along with LSU and Auburn, two Western Division rivals Shula never could beat -- signaled the end. Shula was a combined 0-for-8 against LSU and Auburn and is the only Tide coach to lose four straight to Auburn.

Moore and university president Robert Witt decided late Sunday afternoon to fire Shula and start over again.

Moore praised Shula on Monday for providing "stability for our program through four years of NCAA probation" that ends Feb. 1, 2007.

"However, we did not make progress on the field this season and have not been able to maintain the positive momentum necessary to return Alabama football to a place among college football's elite programs," Moore said.

Moore didn't name any potential candidates but said he was beginning a national search. The most high-profile names on Tide fans' wish list -- South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and the Miami Dolphins' Nick Saban -- both said Monday they were staying put.

I think Illinois will do just fine this year.

I hate that Illinois isn't even ranked this season. :(  But hey, don't count them out yet.

Saturday's loss to Arizona:

I'm watching the Miami Sacramento basketball game on TNT, and there have been a lot of missed shots resulting in that unmistakable "clunk" of ball hitting rim.  Maybe someone can actually get it IN the basket?

Phoenix beat New Jersey in double overtime.  I wish they had shown that game on tv!

I'm watching the Rose Bowl right now, and I hope you are as well.  I'm going to stay true to my Midwestern roots and root for Michigan, but it's not looking too good right now, especially since Jarrett just scored a big touchdown.

This is a video of a girl shitting in a hot tub.  I don't know if this was real or if it was staged, but it's funny nonetheless.  :)

Traylor's name was used to make it appear that he purchased two Detroit rental properties, but the properties were actually bought and owned by Quasand Lewis, a convicted drug trafficker and money launderer.

The 29-year-old Traylor admitted in his plea that the properties were listed in his name to conceal Lewis' ownership from police. Traylor also admitted claiming a false loss of more than $205,000 from the properties on his 2004 federal income tax return.

Traylor faces up to 14 months in prison. A sentencing hearing was not immediately scheduled.

Brian Carlwell, 19, was at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana Tuesday in serious condition with a severe concussion, Illinois sports information director Kent Brown said. Carlwell previously was listed in critical condition.

His teammate, Jamar Smith, was treated at the hospital for a concussion and released after the accident, Brown said.

Police cited Smith, a 19-year-old from Peoria, for improper lane usage, Brown said, and campus police say further action is possible pending the outcome of the investigation.

Smith, a 6-foot-3 sophomore guard, was driving the car sometime between 11:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. Monday on the fringe of the campus when it crossed the center line and struck a tree, according to Brown and University of Illinois police Sgt. Vanessa Horsman.

"We're trying to determine why he crossed the street and struck a tree," Horsman told The (Champaign) News Gazette.

According to the National Weather Service, it was snowing heavily in the Champaign area Monday night, but it wasn't known what, if any, role weather played in the accident.

URBANA, Ill. (AP) -- The University of Illinois will retire its 81-year-old American Indian mascot, Chief Illiniwek, following the last men's home basketball game of the season on Wednesday.

The NCAA in 2005 deemed the buckskin-clad Illiniwek an offensive use of American Indian imagery and barred the university from hosting postseason events.

American Indian groups and others complained for years that the mascot, used since 1926, is demeaning. Supporters of the mascot say it honors the contributions of American Indians to Illinois.

School officials said they received a letter from the NCAA on Thursday that said the school will no longer be banned from hosting postseason events if it drops the mascot and related American Indian imagery. The NCAA's sanctions thus far have prevented Illinois from hosting postseason events in two low-profile sports.

"The Chief Illiniwek tradition inspired and thrilled members of the University of Illinois community for 80 years," board of trustees chairman Lawrence Eppley said Friday. "It was created, carried on and enjoyed by people with great respect for tradition, and we appreciate their dedication and commitment. It will be important now to ensure the accurate recounting and safekeeping of the tradition as an integral part of the history of the university."

On Thursday, two students who portray Illiniwek filed suit seeking to bar the university from "capitulating to the NCAA by announcing the retirement of Chief Illiniwek." A hearing on the lawsuit was under way Friday morning.

Smith surrendered at the Champaign County sheriff's office Wednesday afternoon. He was processed and released after posting 10 percent of a $10,000 bond set on Tuesday by Judge Tom Difanis, authorities said.

Defense attorney Mark D. Lipton said earlier Wednesday that Smith, 19, planned to plead not guilty to the charges and would request a jury trial.

"Jamar and I are confident that this matter can be appropriately resolved in due course," Lipton said in a written statement.

Smith, a sophomore guard, was driving a Lexus in snowy conditions on Feb. 12 when the car struck a tree.
Authorities say Smith and his passenger, teammate Brian Carlwell, had been drinking tequila and beer before the crash.

Authorities say Smith, who allegedly believed Carlwell was dead, left the accident scene and drove back to his apartment. Bystanders saw the damaged car with an unconscious Carlwell inside and called police.

The accident left Carlwell, 19, hospitalized with a severe concussion. It also cost Smith the rest of the season; basketball Coach Bruce Weber said Smith agreed to sit out the remainder of the year.

Carlwell spent four days at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana being treated for a severe concussion. The freshman center was released from the hospital on Friday and could play again late this season.

Smith, who is too young to drink, had a blood-alcohol level of .176 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08, authorities said. He was treated at the same hospital as Carlwell for a minor concussion and released early the next morning.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Two Illinois football players were released on bond after being charged with obstructing justice and possessing stolen property.

Jody Ellis and Derrick McPhearson posted $2,500 bail and were released from the Champaign County Jail Saturday, Sgt. Rhonda Tarr said Sunday. The two are to appear in court Monday.

Coach Ron Zook said Saturday the two sophomore wide receivers were suspended from the team for "alleged criminal activity."

"Our players understand how to act appropriately. So in light of their behavior, both have been suspended indefinitely," Zook said.

It was not immediately clear if Ellis and McPhearson had lawyers.

On Thursday, Illinois basketball player Rich McBride pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. In another case, basketball player Jamar Smith was charged after a crash that left teammate Brian Carlwell hospitalized for four days with a severe concussion. Smith has pleaded not guilty to DUI and leaving the scene of the Feb. 12 accident.

Michael Jordan's son walked on at Illinois last year, but coach Bruce Weber said Thursday that the sophomore guard has earned a scholarship.

Jordan is averaging almost 10 minutes a game off the bench for Illinois (16-3), which is enjoying a remarkable turnaround after going 16-19 last season. Jordan is averaging just over a point a game, but has become a key contributor on defense.

Jordan turned down a scholarship offer from Valparaiso to walk on with the Illini (T-24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP). He played about 5 minutes per game as a freshman.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Mr. Quinn said the Admissions Review Commission would look into 800 applicants who, as first reported by The Chicago Tribune, won spots at the university’s Urbana-Champaign campus after intervention from state lawmakers and university trustees. The Tribune said these students, whose names appeared on an internal list, were admitted even though some did not meet the university’s admission standards.

“We want to make sure that the taxpayers, parents and students of Illinois know there is no kind of special process where individuals who have less qualifications are admitted because of their political influence or clout,” Mr. Quinn, a Democrat, said. The University of Illinois, which has three campuses, is considered the state’s most prestigious public university.

The commission, which is to complete its work in 60 days, will be led by Abner Mikva, a retired federal judge and former state legislator and congressman, who had been a professor at the University of Chicago Law School. Mr. Mikva said the panel should not be as concerned about meting out punishment as with ensuring that any patronage influence in the university’s admission practices would not be tolerated.

Just read this article on ESPN.  Can't say I'm surprised.  I thought he quit right when he was about to potentially get more playing time.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Four months after he hung up his Air Jordans at Illinois, guard Jeff Jordan is talking to coaches about coming back.

Michael Jordan's oldest son left the team in June after playing for two seasons. He said then that he wanted to focus on school.

Illinois spokesman Derrick Burson said Thursday that Jeff Jordan recently met with assistant coaches about a possible return. Jordan hasn't yet met with head coach Bruce Weber.

Jordan walked on at Illinois before winning a scholarship last year. Weber had said he could win serious playing time this season.

Jordan wrote last month on his Twitter feed that he wanted to work out with his former team "like old times."