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Scoreboard
NFL
Atlanta 28, Carolina 20
Minnesota 27, Detroit 13
Cincinnati 31, Green Bay 24
Arizona 31, Jacksonville 17
Oakland 13, Kansas City 10
N.Y. Jets 16, New England 9
New Orleans 48, Philadelphia 22
Houston 34, Tennessee 31
Washington 9, St. Louis 7
Buffalo 33, Tampa Bay 20
San Francisco 23, Seattle 10
Chicago 17, Pittsburgh 14
Denver 27, Cleveland 6
Baltimore 31, San Diego 26
N.Y. Giants 33, Dallas 31
Baseball
American League
L.A. Angels 10, Texas 5
Boston 9, Baltimore 3
Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 1
Kansas City 2, Chicago White Sox 1
Detroit 6, Minnesota 2
Oakland 11, Cleveland 4
Seattle 7, N.Y. Yankees 1
National League
Cincinnati 8, Florida 1
N.Y. Mets 6, Washington 2
Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 2
San Diego 4, Pittsburgh 0
Milwaukee 6, Houston 0
Colorado 5, Arizona 1
L.A. Dodgers 6, San Francisco 2
Chicago Cubs 6, St. Louis 3, 11 innings
NHL
Preseason
Schedule, results, Page 41
WNBA
Playoffs
Schedule, results, Page 42
Follow Sporting News Today at
twitter.com/sninsider
MLB > 31 NHL > 39 NBA > 42 COLLEGE BASKETBALL > 43 NASCAR > 44
More for Mark
Martin expands Chase
lead with win at Loudon
Page 44
MONDAY
SEPTEMBER 21, 2009
NFL: WEEK 2
Home wreckers ‘Just business’ Giants spoil
Cowboys’ house party
BY ALBERT BREER
abreer@sportingnews.com
ARLINGTON, TEXAS—This NFC East show-
down might have been held in a brand-
spanking-new $1.15 billion palace, but
the end result revealed that little has
changed in the division.
The Cowboys remain loaded with tal-
ent, flash and tantalizing potential.
The Giants, while not always pretty,
still grind down opponents and win
games the fourth quarter. And they did
it again in front of a record 105,121 fans
at Cowboys Stadium, with Lawrence
Tynes collecting the winning points on a
37-yard field goal as time expired to
punctuate a 33-31 win.
Perhaps the greatest testament was
the atmosphere in the huddle as the
Giants embarked on an 11-play, 66-yard
drive to set up that kick.
“Just business,” is how Eli Manning
described it. “We don’t say a whole lot.
It’s not rah-rah. We call the play, we go
and we try to make some plays.”
The Cowboys made the wrong kinds
DONNA MCWILLIAM / AP of plays. The party hosts rushed for 251
Giants K Lawrence Tynes silenced a record crowd with his game-winning kick as time expired. yards and held the Giants’ vaunted
Tigers dodge sweep
Detroit earns 3-game
margin with win over
Minnesota, Page 33
SEE A DIFFERENT GAME
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 61
running game in check. But the defense
couldn’t get the big stops, and Romo was
intercepted three times. “I really cost us
this one,” Romo said.
More highlights from Week 2:
Rex in effect. Rex Ryan and the Jets
backed up a week of bluster, holding the
high-flying Patriots to three field goals
and Tom Brady’s completion percentage
under 50 in a 16-9 win. “We’re a good
football team,” Ryan said. “That’s the
statement we made last week. That’s the
statement we made this week.”
Falcons flying. Atlanta goes to New
England next week at 2-0, and Matt
Ryan’s continued ascension is the pri-
mary reason. He was 21 of 27 for 220
yards and three touchdowns in a win
over Carolina. Tony Gonzalez was asked
if he’d ever had a QB as poised: “I
might’ve seen one on TV, but not any-
body I’ve ever been around.”
Kurt response. The Cardinals
bounced back from a loss to the 49ers by
winning at Jacksonville, and Kurt War-
ner set a record in completing 92.3 per-
cent of his passes.
Again, Romo takes blame, Page 6
JAY METZ / SEC
Florida WR Deonte Thompson
SEC’s strength
provides sanity
In just three weeks, we’ve
seen enough craziness in college
football to bring back memories of
the lunacy that ruled 2007.
Fortunately, we have some sanity:
four of the top seven teams in The
Associated Press poll are from the
SEC, winners of the past three BCS
national championships. Until fur-
ther notice, we’ll all follow the big,
bad league and hope for the best.
OVERRATED
No. 1 Florida. The Gators need
injured WR Deonte Thompson
(hamstring) to get healthy and
provide a deep threat.
No. 5 Penn State. After three
uninspiring tuneups, the Lions
better find another gear this week
against Iowa.
UNDERRATED
No. 14 Cincinnati. Convincing
road wins over Rutgers and Oregon
State have the Bearcats primed for
another Big East championship.
No. 25 Nebraska. Lose by
one on the road to No. 11 Virginia
Tech—and fall six spots.
— Matt Hayes
Legends Poll
17 coaching greats cast votes
for Sporting News Today.
1. Florida (17)
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. Penn State
5. Cal
More, Page 26
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Tune In Today
A quick look at the best sports on TV
— all times Eastern
NFL
Colts at Dolphins
8:30 p.m., ESPN
The Dolphins were last year’s super-surprise team,
but they’ve stumbled out of the gate this season in
the face of a very tough schedule. The Colts, who also
play next Sunday night, won’t give them any breaks,
because Peyton Manning is keeping them together
despite a coaching change and several injuries.
— Vinnie Iyer
CINEMA
A League of Their Own
5:30 p.m., Oxygen
For all you guys fearing to watch this channel, here’s
your permission slip, courtesy of Tom Hanks, Geena
Davis, Madonna, Jon Lovitz and Rosie O’Donnell.
Jimmy Dugan (Hanks), an ex-major leaguer who likes
the booze, manages the Rockford Peaches, who are
part of a newly-formed All-American Girls Professional
Baseball League. Crying in baseball ensues, but the
big conflict of this movie involves the relationship
between sisters Kit (Lori Petty) and Dottie (Davis).
— Roger Kuznia
NASCAR
This Week in NASCAR
8 p.m., Speed
It’s not often that NASCAR president Mike Helton
speaks to the media, but when he does, you listen.
Helton is tonight’s special guest, and he’ll field a num-
ber of questions from the panel, including whether the
Chase needs tweaking, whether the car needs its own
changes, and other relevant topics. Steve Byrnes will
be joined by Chase driver Greg Biffle, Michael Waltrip
and Jimmy Spencer as they also recap New Hampshire
and look ahead to Dover.
— Roger Kuznia
GUIDE
NFL
8:30 p.m.
ESPN—Indianapolis at Miami
WNBA
10 p.m.
ESPN2—Playoffs, Western Conference semifinals,
game 3, San Antonio at Phoenix
See a Different Game
Record crowd turns out at ‘The House Jerry Built’
OFF THE FIELD
By the time attendance was counted, an NFL regular-season record 105,121 packed the stands at Cowboys Stadium.
After all the years of dreaming and scheming
to build Cowboys Stadium, Jerry Jones is ready to YOUR TURN
see his $1.15 billion masterpiece in all its glory.
About 75,000 folks went to their seats and
Are you convinced Florida is
the best team in college football
another 30,000 scrambled for the best spots to after Saturday’s performance
against Tennessee? Or is there
stand and watch, either on the humongous another team you think can
video boards hanging over the field or directly claim the title of the nation’s top
team? Tell us your thoughts in
down on the turf. By game time, 105,121 were in 150 words or less and we’ll run
place to watch Dalla’; 33-30 loss to the Giants— some of the best responses in
a future issue of Sporting News
an NFL regular-season record. Today. Send your email, along
with your name and hometown,
The largest crowd for an NFL regular-season to yourturn@sportingnews.com.
game was 103,467 for Arizona-San Francisco
in Mexico City in 2005. The record for a game What’s it like playing
in the United States is 103,985 for the Super alongside Ray Lewis or rushing
Peyton Manning in practice?
Bowl between Steelers and Rams at the Rose If you have a question for
Bowl in January 1980. The record for any NFL Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs,
Indianapolis’ Dwight Freeney,
game is 112,376 for a preseason game between Tampa Bay’s Byron Leftwich
the Cowboys and Houston Oilers in Mexico or Minnesota’s Jared Allen,
we want to hear it. Send your
City in 1994; that’ll probably hold until the question, along with your name
Super Bowl comes to this building in February and hometown, to yourturn@
sportingnews.com and we’ll
2011. have them answer the best ones
in a future issue of Sporting News
Magazine.
A new piece of artwork in the lobby of the
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 2
THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL
DAILY SPORTS NEWSPAPER
CHAIRMAN & CEO . . . . . . . Ray Shaw (1989 to 2009)
PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whitney Shaw
PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ed Baker
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jeff D’Alessio
MANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Paul Kasko
CREATIVE DIRECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keith Wood
DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA. . . . . . . . . . . . Geoff Shaw
VP, MARKETING & SALES DEVELOPMENT . .Eric Karp
EDITORIAL OFFICES
120 West Morehead Street, Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28202
704-973-1550
1-800-443-1886
Letters to the editor:
yourturn@sportingnews.com
SHARON ELLMAN / AP General feedback:
editors@sportingnews.com
National Digital Sales Managers
Nebraska athletic department office building
will commemorate the Cornhuskers’ 300 con-
Joey Glowacki, 704-973-1546
jglowacki@sportingnews.com
secutive football sellouts and serve as a conver-
sation piece for visitors and prospective
Gary Strauss, 212-500-0672
gstrauss@sportingnews.com
recruits. The mural, to be unveiled Thursday,
measures 22-by-28 feet and is made up of 616
mosaic tiles depicting a full stadium with play- ON NEWSSTANDS NOW
ers celebrating and red balloons taking flight to
signal the Huskers’ first touchdown of a game.
A proposed casino at the Kansas Speed-
way received a new brand when the company
operating the Kansas City-area NASCAR track
took on a new partner for its project, changing
from Hard Rock to Hollywood. For the Lottery
Gaming Facility Review Board, more than a
name or theme is at stake. Chairman Matt All
said the issue is whether one brand name is bet-
ter at drawing customers than another—and
whether the state stands to get more revenues
In need of a college basketball fix amid all
either way—from what already will be a nota-
the baseball and football? The new issue
bly different project. of SN Magazine ranks the nation’s top 10
— Compiled by staff with wire reports players at all five positions.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com My Profile

Todd Reesing
Kansas quarterback
(What you won’t find on Facebook …
even if you are approved as a friend)
Born: Sept. 20, 1987, in Austin, Texas
Status: Single
Alma mater: Lake Travis High (Austin)
What’s on TV: Entourage, Dexter, The
Tudors, Nip/Tuck
What’s in my iPod: Tiesto, Armin Van
Buuren, Benny Benassi, Above and
Beyond
What I drive: 2003 GMC Yukon
Favorite flick: Green Street Hooligans
What I’m reading: Shantaram, by Gregory
David Roberts
Magazine subscription: The Economist
Bookmarks: southwest.com, tiesto.com
Superstition: Keeping the same routine
Love to trade places for a day with … My
roommate. He gets to sleep in and doesn’t
have to go to practice every day.
First job: Lifeguard. 15 years old. Saving
lives.
Talent I’d most like to have: Sing/dance/
play an instrument
Favorite meal: Anything Mexican
Favorite athlete to watch in another sport:
Roger Federer
Favorite team as a kid: Texas Longhorns
Favorite city to visit: Copenhagen
Favorite value in others: Humor
Dream date: Too hard to pick just one
My greatest love: Music
My heroes: My parents
My bucket list: Step foot on every continent
My motto: Life is good.
— Jeff D’Alessio

STEVE POPE / AP
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Next Gen: Recruiting MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 4
RECRUITING DISH CLASS OF 2010

Missouri adds recruit, but TOP 25 RECRUITS

another backs off pledge
Missouri found out over the
weekend that one of its early 2010
1. Marcus Lattimore, RB
6-0/207,
Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
8. Jackson Jeffcoat, DL
6-4/233,
Plano West Senior
14. Xavier Grimble, TE
6-5/245,
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
commitments needs more time to Considering: North Committed to: USC
(Plano, Texas)
think, while another big prospect Carolina, Oregon, South Considering: USC, Texas,
told the staff he plans to sign on the Carolina, Penn State,
dotted line in February.
Angleton (Texas) athlete Henry
Auburn
Oklahoma, Arizona State,
Houston 15. Jake Heaps, QB
6-2/195,
Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) COURTESY OF ERIK KOHLER
Josey (5-10, 200) committed to Mis-
souri after also seriously consider- 2. Lache Seastrunk, RB
5-10/183,
Temple (Texas)
9. Demarco Cobbs, WR
6-2/200
Committed to: BYU Erik Kohler

ing TCU and UTEP.

“I’m real tight with the coaches,”
Josey told Rivals.com. “I know a lot
Considering: Auburn,
Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas,
Tulsa Central (Tulsa, Okla.)
Committed to: Tennessee 16. Christian Jones, LB
6-4/215,
Lake Howell (Winter Park, Fla.)
21. Eduardo Clements, RB
5-11/185,
Booker T. Washington (Miami)
USC
about the school from talking to
people and doing research. I real- 10. Trey Hopkins, OL
6-4/260,
Considering: Florida State,
Alabama, Florida, USC
Considering: Miami,
Georgia, Michigan
ized that if I get injured this season, 3. Seantrel Henderson, OL
6-8/301,
North Shore
I knew they’d be a school to stand
by me. This is a lot of pressure off
Cretin-Derham Hall
(St. Paul, Minn.)
(Galena Park, Texas)
Committed to: Texas 17. Chris Martin, DL
6-4/222,
The Hun School
22. Lamarcus Joyner, DB
5-9/162,
St. Thomas Aquinas
me.” Considering: Florida, Ohio
Trinity Catholic (St. Louis) ath-
lete Marquise Hill no longer is commit-
JEFF ROBERSON / AP
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel has taken a commitment from Angelton (Texas) athlete Henry Josey.
State, USC, Oklahoma, Notre
Dame, Minnesota 11. Malcolm Jones, RB/LB
6-0/210,
Oaks Christian
(Princeton, N.J.)
Committed to: Notre
Dame
(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Considering: Florida State,
Ohio State, Florida
ted to the Tigers, though he’s still
(Westlake Village, Calif.)
considering them. He also will be
checking out Arkansas, Minnesota
and Iowa in the next several
he was even more impressive as a
receiver with 28 receptions for 545
yards and two touchdowns.
to make sure I was 100 percent
sure. He said it was like putting a
ring on a girl’s finger. He didn’t
4. Matt Elam, DB
6-1/205,
Dwyer (Palm Beach
Considering: Stanford,
UCLA 18. Brennan Clay, RB
6-0/190, 23. Devin Gardner, QB
6-4/196,
Scripps Ranch (San Diego) Inkster (Mich.)
months. He also excelled on defense as a want to pressure me into anything Gardens, Fla.)
Hill (6-0, 175) is rated a three-star cornerback and had more than 40 if I still wanted to go out and date Committed to: Florida
12. Michael Dyer, RB
5-10/195,
Committed to: Oklahoma Committed to: Michigan

prospect by two recruiting

services.
tackles last season.

Christian County (Hopkins-

other girls.
“... I told him I didn’t want to visit
any other schools. I want to be at 5. Justin McCay, WR
6-4/200,
Little Rock Christian
Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)
Considering: Arkansas,
19. Phillip Sims, QB
6-2/215,
Oscar Smith
24. Jamel Turner, DE
6-2/205,
Ursuline (Youngstown, Ohio)
Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) ville, Ky.) OLB Malcolm McDuffen has Kentucky.” Bishop Miege Auburn, Oklahoma, Notre (Chesapeake, Va.) Committed to: Ohio State
athlete Brendon Felder has committed committed to Kentucky, Rivals.com (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) Dame Committed to: Alabama
Committed to: Oklahoma
to North Carolina, Scout.com reported. He also reported scholar- Lake Dallas (Corinth, Texas)
reported. He said recently the Tar
Heels, Illinois, Pitt, Boston College,
Maryland and Syracuse made up
ship offers from Ball State, Purdue
and Western Kentucky, among
others.
DT Josh Tauaefa has pledged to Min-
nesota, becoming the Golden
Gophers’ 13th commitment for the
6. Corey Nelson, LB
6-1/200,
13. Zack McCray, DL
6-4/235,
Brookville (Lynchburg, Va.)
20. Erik Kohler, OL
6-5/265,
Oaks Christian
25. Blake Bell, QB
6-6/215,
Bishop Carroll
Skyline (Dallas) Committed to: Virginia
his top six. McDuffen (6-3, 205) is rated a class of 2010. Committed to: Texas A&M (Westlake Village, Calif.) (Wichita, Kan.)
Tech Committed to: Committed to: Oklahoma
Felder (5-10, 165) might play wide three-star prospect by two recruit- Tauaefa (6-2, 265) was coming off
Washington
receiver at the next level but is ing services. a weekend visit to the campus. He
multi-dimensional. He is rated a
three-star prospect by two recruit-
“Me and coach (Joker) Phillips had a
real good talk, and he told me he
had taken another visit to UTEP
last week, and also reported schol-
7. Gabe King, DL/LB
6-5/260,
Northern Guilford
— Brian McLaughlin

ing services. really wanted me to join their pro- arship offers from Houston, Louisi- (Greensboro, N.C.)
As a junior, Felder rushed for gram if I was ready,” McDuffen told ana Tech and UNLV. Considering: Alabama, MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com
500 yards and 14 touchdowns, but Rivals.com. “But he said he wanted — Brian McLaughlin California, Oregon, Tennessee Top 100 recruits: sportingnews.com/blog/TheRecruitnik/tag/160168/sn100
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 5
WEEK 2 CHECKDOWN

WHAT WE LEARNED AND WHAT IT ALL MEANS

OPENING DRIVE
The best two units in the
league so far unquestionably are
the Saints’ offense and the Jets’
defense.
“If you look
at our skill
group, each
game no guy
ever knows
whose day it’s
going to be,”
Vinnie Iyer Brees said
PRO FOOTBALL after his team
has combined
to score 93 points in two wins.
“Each guy knows it’s their job to
open things up for everyone
else.”
We knew about Brees, but
now the running game and
defense also are proving capable
of big plays.
In New York, the Rex Ryan
effect has been immediate, with
the Jets allowing no offensive
touchdowns to either the Texans
or Patriots. It’s like the Ravens
Redux, with aggressive pres-
sure packages creating take-
aways and Mark Sanchez
simply playing the role of Joe
Flacco ’08.
We’ll see who gets the better
of the best when the Saints play
host to the Jets in Week 4.
Bengals DE Antwan Odom turned in a season’s worth of sacks against Green Bay.
Le’Ron McClain. For most of
two games, Cameron have
called plays to produce good
gains on first and second down,
giving Flacco manageable third
downs and making the passing
situations less predictable.
THE HOT SEAT
Winless Tennessee must
forget about duplicating its 13-3
season. “We’ve got some work to
MIKE ROEMER / AP
TREND SPOTTING
Both the Bengals (17 sacks)
and the Broncos (26) had anemic
pass rushes last season. In the
early going, they’ve both been
great pressure defenses.
Cincinnati’s Antwan Odom
sacked Aaron Rodgers five
times in the upset at Green Bay,
increasing his total to seven and
the team’s to nine. For Denver,
Elvis Dumervil dropped
7-ON-7: SUNDAY’S BIG PLAYMAKERS
aggressive 3-4 play-calling.
INJURY REPORT
Seahawks QB Matt Hassel-
beck. He hopes to be fine after
hurting his ribs in a Donovan
McNabb-like scare at San
Francisco. If he’s not, it will be
on Seneca Wallace to beat the
Bears’ defense next week.
THE HANGOVER
Pittsburgh, Green Bay, New
England and San Diego all had
intense, thrilling, last-minute
nighttime victories in Week 1. All
four were favored Sunday, but all
were on the losing end of one-
possession games in Week 2.
WADE PAYNE / AP
DOWN-AND-DISTANT Tennessee enjoyed three lengthy touchdowns from Chris Johnson, but the rest of the offense sputtered.
Cleveland has started with
two Brownouts. The notable Frank Gore, 49ers. Mike Singletary’s plan is to run the ball and play sound defense. It’s
numbers: Only 143 yards 1. easy to execute with a healthy Gore, who proved as explosive as ever with TD runs of 79
and 80 yards in tallying 246 total yards from scrimmage vs. Seattle.
rushing and a combined 6-for-
26 on third down. Chris Johnson, Titans. He dashed through open field for touchdowns of 57, 69 and 91
Although the Chiefs out- 2. yards vs. Houston, but his 284 yards accounted for 63 percent of Tennessee’s offense in a
34-31 loss. The team can’t rely on him to fly solo in future shootouts.
gained Oakland 409 yards to
166 and limited JaMarcus Darren Sproles, Chargers. With LaDainian Tomlinson banged up, the Chargers have
become a pass-heavy offense with Sproles as the ideal sparkplug. He burned the Ravens
Russell to a dismal 7-for-24
passing day, the Chiefs contin-
3. for an 81-yard catch-and-run and a 53-yard kickoff return. If L.T. is out for extended time,
coach Norv Turner should be wary of overworking Sproles.
ued to have costly turnover and
coverage lapses in letting the Andre Johnson, Texans. The key is the offensive line giving Matt Schaub time to get
Raiders steal a 13-10 win. 4. Johnson the ball, and that’s what happened against Tennessee. His 19- and 72-yard TD
grabs allowed Houston to keep up with the other Johnson early.
MONDAY NIGHT LIGHTS DeSean Jackson, Eagles. Donovan McNabb missed the Saints’ loss, and Brian Westbrook
hasn’t been at 100 percent. That has forced the Eagles to be more creative, but Jackson

COACHES’ CORNER
Ravens offensive coordinator
Cam Cameron has balanced this
once defense-heavy team,
rolling up 38 and 31 points in
starting 2-0. The Ravens’ staple
is still their ground game with
Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and
do,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher
said after the tough Texans loss
at home.
The tough road in the ultra-
competitive AFC just got
tougher. The Titans face the
Jets, Colts and Patriots in the
next four weeks before a Week
7 bye.
Cleveland’s Brady Quinn four
times Sunday.
With solid linebackers, now
featuring promising rookie Rey
Maualuga, Marvin Lewis has
the best 4-3 talent during his
tenure in Cincinnati. The
Broncos, meanwhile, are
benefiting from Mike Nolan’s
Arizona, Houston and
Chicago all responded in near
must-win situations, and Miami
has a great opportunity in front
of its home crowd. The Dolphins
should be able to stuff the Colts’
run and turn around and rush
well with Ronnie Brown.
viyer@sportingnews.com
5. needs every touch he can get after following up last week’s 85-yard punt return TD with
a 71-yard scoring reception.
Terrell Owens, Bills. The threat of Owens stretched the field and opened up underneath
throws for QB Trent Edwards. And Buffalo’s strong running game has allowed both Lee
6. Evans and Owens to become factors downfield, including T.O.’s 43-yard TD to put away
Tampa Bay.
Felix Jones, Cowboys. His runs of 24 and 56 yards kept the Giants’ defense off-balance.
7. The Cowboys definitely missed his special burst as a change of pace to Marion Barber in
the second half last season.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
N.Y. Giants 33, Dallas 31
Same ol’ Romo: Big plays and big errors
ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Too often the
scene unfolds the same way for the
Dallas Cowboys.
Crushing loss. Depressed locker
room. And there’s Tony Romo, the
quarterback to which this fran-
chise’s hopes are pinned, at his
stall, slowly get-
ting dressed and
trying to take in
where it all came
undone.
This time, it so
happened
occur during the
to
Albert Breer grand opening of
PRO FOOTBALL
the new $1.15 bil-
lion
against the team that took NFC
home,
East title from the Cowboys last
year. On a night Jerry Jones and his
franchise tried to make extraordi-
nary possible, the manner of losing
was strikingly ordinary for
Dallas.
Romo made big mistakes, and
the team paid for them. His three
interceptions were the biggest rea-
son why the Giants hung in to
finally throw the knockout blow in
a 33-31 win. Just like his big mis-
takes cost the team dearly in losses
last December to Pittsburgh and
Baltimore that knocked Dallas out
of the playoff picture.
“Our team played some really
good football, and I think that my
mistakes put us in a hole and
allowed them to capitalize on some
things,” Romo said. “I thought the
defense played great for us. I think
offensive line played wonderful.
We had some guys who made some
plays tonight.
“I really cost us this one.”
And here’s how:
Romo’s first interception,
which he threw behind and over
the head of Patrick Crayton, was
intercepted by undrafted rookie
Bruce Johnson and retuned for a
touchdown, giving the Giants a
10-7 lead.
His second interception was a
throw behind Jason Witten that he
barely got a hand on and then
bounced off Witten’s foot and into
the hands of Kenny Phillips inside
the Dallas 30. If the referee hadn’t
had a quick whistle, Phillips
would’ve had a touchdown, too.
Three plays later, the Giants scored
anyway, to take a 20-14 lead.
Phillips—whom Romo said he
didn’t see—fielded the third inter-
ception as if it was a punt, as the
quarterback floated the ball deep to
Sam Hurd. The line of scrimmage
on the play was the Giants’ 46. It
was first-and-10, and the Cowboys
led 24-20. And the Giants took the
ball and went 73 yards in four plays
to score and regain the lead.
So, to summarize, the Cowboys
held a lead as Romo threw each
of his three interceptions, and
the end result of all three was
Dallas losing that lead. And, as
the quarterback said, it’s not as if
the Cowboys weren’t battling
through the problems. It’s just
that, eventually, those catch up
with a team.
“It doesn’t feel like a wasted
effort, man,” Cowboys wide
receiver Patrick Crayton said. “Just
have to eliminate turnovers. That
told the tale of the ballgame.”
At the end of the game, the two
NFL
It took two tries, but Lawrence Tynes (9) kicked the game-winning field goal to beat Dallas.
sides traded blows. The Giants
pushed the lead to 30-24 with a
field goal, the Cowboys responded
by going 71 yards in seven plays for
a touchdown, and the Giants
finally finished Dallas off with an
11-play, 56-yard drive to set up the
game-winning field goal.
But both sides knew how they
got there. The Cowboys controlled
the line of scrimmage with sur-
prising ease, rushing for 251 yards
and holding the Giants’ running
game in check.
The difference was plain and
simple.
LM OTERO / AP
“We knew coming in they were
an explosive offense, and we had to
get turnovers,” Giants quarterback
Eli Manning said. “(The defense)
did a great job scoring and getting
those interceptions.”
If there’s an upside for Dallas,
it’s that Romo took the problem
head on, saying, “I’m really not OK
with it, and I’ll try to rectify it
tomorrow and get better and
improve.”
Simple enough to say that.
As history shows, it’s much
harder to actually do it.
abreer@sportingnews.com
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 6
Q&A with … Giants RB Brandon Jacobs
‘We’ll never get the respect we deserve’
Brandon Jacobs didn’t have his best effort
Sunday night—going for 58 yards on 16 car-
ries—but he and his teammates did enough
to squeeze out a 33-31 win over Dallas, and
then he spoke with Sporting News Today’s
Albert Breer.
Q: What do you take from
this, ugly as it was?
A: A “W”, in a new stadium.
Cowboys Stadium debut, that’s
all we really wanted, to come in and LM OTERO / AP
Giants RB Brandon Jacobs can feel good
win. And that we did. We didn’t play as
about Sunday’s victory, at least.
good as we could. But we got the “W”.
Q: Was it a motivator that
they picked you to play
there first?
teams—Washington last week,
Dallas this week in a hostile environ-
ment in a new stadium—it’s very big
A: Oh, definitely. It’s like you’re
picking your homecoming
to get these wins early like this.
team, coming and picking a team you
can beat. That got a lot of guys up, Q: Does winning with guys
injured help?
that’s like saying they don’t respect
us. That’s really something bad to tell
somebody. You can’t tell another
A: No question. Knowing that
our team can stick together
and deal with the adversity. We’ve
grown man, or 53, that you don’t got depth. We’ve got a lot of guys that
respect them. You don’t do that. can play. Tuck’s a great, great player,
tough on that edge, but Kiwanuka
Q: What encouraged you
about tonight?
played very well. We got a bunch of
guys.
A: Fighting back and winning as
ugly as we did, not playing as
well as we could and still pulling Q: Do you think Mario and
Steve answered the
away with the “W”. That’s impres- questions at receiver?
sive. We have a lot of getting better to
do and play better football on the
offensive side of the ball.
A: No, because we’re the New
York Giants. We’ll never get
the respect we deserve. They
definitely played well and did enough
Q: What’s in Eli’s eyes on that
last drive?
to earn that respect. But I’m gonna
say no, because that’s just how people
A: He has that fire in his eyes, he
wasn’t worried, not one bit. He
are.
knew he could get us down there. He
did a really good job of doing that. Q: Were you surprised by
Mario’s production?
Q: What does having two
division wins mean?
A: I knew Mario had a lot of
talent. But he did a damn good
job for us today. He had 150 yards
A: It’s very, very, very special, to
play two tough
receiving and he had a touchdown.
He came through big for us.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
N.Y. Giants 33, Dallas 31
‘This is a good thing to build from’ Eagles offense can’t keep up with Saints
ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Antonio Pierce
laughed off all the hype for this Sep-
tember Super Bowl, or whatever the
Dallas Cowboys considered the
opener of their $1.15 billion stadium.
To the New York Giants, this was
just another division game, one they
had to win. And they
did—dramatically.
Lawrence Tynes kicked a 37-yard
field goal as time expired, giving the
Giants a 33-31 victory over turnover-
prone Tony Romo and the Dallas
Cowboys on Sunday night, sending
home the largest regular-season
crowd in NFL history muttering
about what might’ve been.
Former President George W. Bush,
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
and LeBron James were among a
packed house of 105,121 that saw
eight lead changes, with neither team
ever ahead by more than six. The
lead switched three times in the final
quarter and had a doubly exciting
finish because after Tynes made the
kick, he had to do it again; Dallas had
called a timeout just before the snap.
His second try was even better
than the first and all those fans got
awfully quiet.
“People were talking about this
like it was the Super Bowl in the sec-
ond week of the season,” said Pierce,
a Giants linebacker. “We just came
here to win a football game.”
Eli Manning was 25 of 38 for 330
yards with 22-yard touchdowns to
Mario Manningham and Steve
Smith. Each caught 10 passes, with
Manningham’s covering 150 yards
and Smith’s going for 134. It was
quite a way for the Giants to end a
13-game stretch without a single
100-yard receiver.
“The whole team did a good job of
LM OTERO / AP
Giants CB Bruce Johnson, right, runs back
one of three interceptions by Dallas QB Tony
Romo for a touchdown.
gutting it out,” Manning said. “This
is a good thing to build from.”
New York relied on Manning’s
arm because Dallas limited Brandon
Jacobs to 58 yards and Ahmad Brad-
shaw to 37. However the Giants did
it, the reigning NFC East champions
are now 2-0 with both wins against
division foes.
“Everybody makes a big deal
because we spoiled their little party,”
said defensive end Justin Tuck, who
hurt a shoulder and missed the sec-
ond half. “Every other game we play
in the NFC East will be just as big.”
The Cowboys (1-1) went ahead for
the final time 31-30 on a 7-yard
touchdown run by Felix Jones with
3:40 left.
It turned out to be plenty of time
for Manning. He got out of a first-
and-20 at his own 15 and kept it
going with two third-down
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 7
New Orleans 48, Philadelphia 22
conversions, the second coming on a PHILADELPHIA—Without Donovan later, Brees tossed an 11-yard TD
tipped pass caught by McNabb, the Eagles tried every- pass to fullback Heath Evans, who
Manningham. thing they could on offense. Drew broke a couple tackles, tiptoed
“Well, we just knew we had to go Brees and the Saints stuck to what along the sideline and dove over the
and get in field goal range,” Manning they do best. orange pylon.
said. “We had enough time, we had Brees tossed three more touch- On Philadelphia’s next posses-
timeouts.” down passes Sunday, helping the sion, Scott Shanle stepped in front
In one of the biggest settings of his Saints beat Philadelphia 48-22. of Kolb’s ill-advised pass to a well-
career, Romo turned in one of his Brees had six TD passes last covered Jackson for an easy inter-
worst outings: 13 of 29 for 127 yards week as the Saints (2-0) routed ception. Mike Bell ran in from the 7
with a touchdown and three inter- Detroit. He picked up where he left to make it 31-13.
ceptions, all of which resulted in off, picking apart Philadelphia’s — The Associated Press
New York touchdowns. secondary and completing 25-of-34
— The Associated Press passes for 311 yards and one New Orleans 10 7 17 14 — 48
interception. Philadelphia 7 6 7 2 — 22
N.Y. Giants 10 10 0 13 — 33
Dallas 7 10 7 7 — 31 “If you look at our skill group, First Quarter
each game no guy ever knows who’s NO: Colston 15 pass from Brees (Carney kick), 10:54.
First Quarter Phi: D.Jackson 71 pass from Kolb (Akers kick), 9:03.
NYG: FG Tynes 30, 8:59. day it’s going to be,” Brees said. NO: FG Carney 23, 1:54.
Dal: Barber 2 run (Folk kick), 4:11. “Each guy knows it’s their job to Second Quarter
NYG: B.Johnson 34 interception return (Tynes kick), 2:46. Phi: FG Akers 23, 2:38.
Second Quarter open things up for everyone else.” NO: Colston 25 pass from Brees (Carney kick), :43.
NYG: FG Tynes 28, 13:31. Making his first NFL start for an Phi: FG Akers 32, :00.
Dal: Witten 1 pass from Romo (Folk kick), 9:04. Third Quarter
injured McNabb, Kevin Kolb threw MEL EVANS / AP NO: H.Evans 11 pass from Brees (Carney kick), 13:39.
NYG: Manningham 22 pass from Manning (Tynes kick), :46.
Dal: FG Folk 47, :01. for 391 yards and two touchdowns, NO: Bell 7 run (Carney kick), 11:39.
Mike Bell had a TD run and 86 yards rushing NO: FG Carney 25, 4:10.
Third Quarter
Dal: Romo 3 run (Folk kick), 3:32. including a 71-yard scoring pass to on top of his solid Week 1 performance. Phi: Avant 3 pass from Kolb (Akers kick), :29.
Fourth Quarter DeSean Jackson. Kolb also threw Fourth Quarter
NYG: Smith 22 pass from Manning (Tynes kick), 13:24. NO: Bush 19 run (Carney kick), 9:36.
NYG: FG Tynes 36, 7:37. three interceptions, though, includ- Brian Westbrook had an Phi: Team safety, 3:35.
Dal: Jones 7 run (Folk kick), 3:40. ing one returned 97 yards for a TD incompletion. NO: Sharper 97 interception return (Carney kick), :55.
NYG: FG Tynes 37, :00. A: 69,144.
A: 105,121. by Darren Sharper in the final It could get even wackier next
minute. week vs. Kansas City when Michael NO Phi
NYG Dal First downs ...............................................23.............................. 23
First downs ...............................................19....................................23 “I’ve got to cut those turnovers Vick is expected to play his first Total Net Yards ........................................421............................463
Total Net Yards ........................................427................................. 378 Rushes-yards ....................................29-133.........................21-85
Rushes-yards ......................................26-97............................29-251 out,” Kolb said. “I know better than regular-season game since Dec. 31, Passing ....................................................288............................378
Passing ....................................................330................................. 127 that. I will do it.” 2006. Punt Returns....................................... 2-(-3).............................2-5
Punt Returns......................................... 3-21..................................1-4 Kickoff Returns...................................... 3-72.........................8-186
Kickoff Returns...................................... 5-90..............................7-163 McNabb sat out with a cracked “It looked like they were clicking Interceptions Ret. ...............................3-100.............................1-3
Interceptions Ret. ................................. 3-56..................................0-0 rib. With the five-time Pro Bowl on all cylinders at times, but Dono- Comp-Att-Int ...................................25-34-1.....................31-52-3
Comp-Att-Int ...................................25-38-0..........................13-29-3 Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 2-23...........................2-13
Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................0-0..................................0-0 QB in street clothes, the Eagles (1-1) van is one of the top quarterbacks Punts ..................................................3-52.0........................5-45.0
Punts ..................................................5-37.2.............................4-48.8 showed off their creativity on in the league,” Sharper said. “He Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-0.............................1-1
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................0-0..................................1-1 Penalties-Yards ..................................... 3-13...........................7-45
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 4-40................................4-50 offense. would’ve made the game look a lit- Time of Possession...............................30:26.........................29:34
Time of Possession...............................34:49.............................. 25:11 Coach Andy Reid and offensive tle different.”
coordinator Marty Mornhinweg The Saints took advantage of a INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING: New Orleans, Bell 17-86, Bush 10-33, Meachem 1-15,
RUSHING: N.Y. Giants, Jacobs 16-58, Bradshaw 9-37, Manning 1-2. used several variations of the Wild- fumble recovery and interception Brees 1-(minus 1). Philadelphia, Westbrook 13-52, McCoy 5-18,
Dallas, Barber 18-124, Jones 7-96, Crayton 1-20, Choice 2-8, Romo D.Jackson 3-15.
1-3. cat formation with three different to turn a four-point halftime lead PASSING: New Orleans, Brees 25-34-1-311. Philadelphia, Kolb
PASSING: N.Y. Giants, Manning 25-38-0-330. Dallas, Romo 13-29- players taking snaps. Both tackles into a 31-13 advantage in the first 3 31-51-3-391, Westbrook 0-1-0-0.
3-127. RECEIVING: New Orleans, Colston 8-98, Shockey 4-49, Hender-
RECEIVING: N.Y. Giants, Manningham 10-150, Smith 10-134, Brad- were split wide one time with only 1/2 minutes of the third quarter. son 3-71, Bush 3-42, D.Thomas 2-19, H.Evans 2-16, Meachem
shaw 2-8, Boss 1-13, Hixon 1-13, Hagan 1-12. Dallas, Witten 5-33, three linemen blocking. Kolb threw Ellis Hobbs fumbled the second- 1-11, Bell 1-9, P.Thomas 1-(minus 4). Philadelphia, Celek 8-104,
Barber 2-31, Austin 1-20, R.Williams 1-18, Bennett 1-11, Hurd 1-7, Avant 7-79, D.Jackson 4-101, McCoy 4-37, Curtis 3-44, Westbrook
Crayton 1-4, Choice 1-3. an incomplete pass on a reverse half kickoff, and Chris Reis recov- 3-14, Maclin 2-12.
MISSED FIELD GOAL: N.Y. Giants, Tynes 29 (WL). flea-flicker, and running back ered at the Eagles 22. Two plays MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
New Orleans 48, Philadelphia 22
Brees proving to be the unstoppable force of ’09
PHILADELPHIA—Drew Brees is on a
pace to throw 72 touchdown passes
this season.
That tells you how potent the
Saints’ offense is. They steamrolled
the Eagles, 48-22, as Brees (25 for
34, 311 yards, three touchdowns,
one interception)
made the Eagles
look like they
were playing with
only 10
defenders.
an
“Drew Brees is
animal,”
Clifton Brown Eagles corner-
PRO FOOTBALL back Joselio Han-
son said. “We
couldn’t stop them once they got
down in our end.”
The 2009 season still is in its
infancy, but the Saints’ offense is
fully grown. When Brees shredded
the Lions for six touchdown passes
in Week 1, you could blame it on
Detroit’s defensive deficiencies. But
by torching the Eagles on their
home turf, the Saints (2-0) sent a
signal that they intend to be in the
NFC playoff picture.
Questions remain about the
Saints’ defense, but offensively they
have all the pieces. They have a
great quarterback, he has a ton of
playmakers, the running game is
improved and coach Sean Payton is
an innovative play-caller. Brees
sensed during preseason that this
could be a special year for the Saints,
similar to 2006, when they reached
the NFC championship game.
“Obviously, we have very high
expectations for ourselves,” Brees
said. “We see this window of oppor-
tunity that we have. I would say the
confidence level right now is way
Saints QB Drew Brees carved up the Eagles with 311 yards and three touchdowns through
the air. Brees is on pace to throw 72 touchdown passes after two games.
higher than it was in 2006.
“Believe it or not, I still think we
can get better. That’s a lot of points
against a pretty good defense, on
the road, in a hostile environment.
Then again, we believe every time
we touch the ball, we’re going to go
and get points.”
Brees completed passes to nine
receivers Sunday, and Marques
Colston caught two touchdown
MICHAEL PEREZ / AP
passes. In the Saints’ locker room
after the game, both Colston and
tight end Jeremy Shockey (four
catches, 49 yards) said they felt
healthier than they had in years.
Eagles fans greeted Shockey with
boos, still holding hostility toward
him from his days with the Giants.
Shockey rather enjoyed it, and he
enjoyed the victory even more.
“I think some people in this locker
NFL
room don’t realize how hard it is to
win in this place,” Shockey said.
“We did a great job.”
The Saints’ offense is playing
with swagger. The Eagles are still
searching for it.
Without Donovan McNabb (frac-
tured rib), the Eagles went wild
with the Wildcat formation. They
started Kevin Kolb at quarterback
but gave the Saints more looks than
Beyonce gets walking down Fifth
Avenue. In the first half, Brian
Westbrook, DeSean Jackson, Jer-
emy Maclin and Kolb all took direct
snaps from center. Was it entertain-
ing? Yes. Was it effective? Not
always.
When it was over, Eagles coach
Andy Reid said Kolb (31-for-51, 391
yards, two touchdowns, three inter-
ceptions) would start next week vs.
Kansas City if McNabb is not ready.
But it is clear that Wildcat or no
Wildcat, McNabb or no McNabb,
the Eagles (1-1) are still a work in
progress.
“There were too many mistakes,
and that’s my responsibility,” Reid
said. “It wasn’t right today, any
phase of it. It was an absolutely hor-
rendous performance.”
Things will get even more inter-
esting this week when Michael Vick
is activated. Imagine some of the
plays Reid might draw up with Vick
in the lineup.
Vick and the Eagles will be dis-
cussed plenty during the week, but
Sunday was the Saints’ day.
Through two weeks, they have the
most potent offense in the NFL.
“I take my hat off to (Brees),”
Eagles safety Quintin Mikell said.
“We got our butts kicked today.”
cliftonbrown@sportingnews.com
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 8
Q&A with ... Saints WR Marques Colston
Ultimate trust has evolved between
quarterback and his favorite target
Asked about his relationship with wide
receiver Marques Colston, Saints quarter-
back Drew Brees said, “I trust him more
than I’ve ever trusted anybody out on that
field.” Sporting News Today’s Clifton Brown
talked with Colston after his two-TD game
in Sunday’s 48-22 victory over the Eagles.
Q: After being plagued by
injuries last season, how
enjoyable is it to be healthy?
A: I was playing beat up last
year. I was about 80 or 90
percent all year. The knee is 100
percent better. Just having confi-
dence in it makes a world of
difference.
Q:
Brees?
What is it like playing
with a quarterback like
A: He knows where everybody
is on every play. He prides
himself on being the hardest-work-
ing guy on the team. It shows on
Sunday. MEL EVANS / AP
Marques Colston caught two touchdown
passes during Sunday’s victory.
Q: Is there a healthy
competition among the
Saints’ receivers?
A: We all pride ourselves on
making the plays when
A: It was a point of emphasis,
after the tough season we
had last year. Being 2-0 is great,
they’re there. Today was my day. but we know we still have 14 games
Next week, who knows? We feel left. The next opponent is Buffalo,
confident as a unit. That comes on the road. We’ve got to put in a
from the work we put in. Our great week of preparation.
practice tempo is up all week, and
that makes Sundays fun for us.
We’ve got weapons all over the
field and a guy who’s going to pull
Q: The T-shirt you are
wearing says “SB 44”. I
assume that means Super Bowl
the trigger at the right time. 44?
Q: How much did this team
talk about getting off to
A: Absolutely. If you play in
this league and it’s not your
goal, there’s something wrong with
a fast start this season? you.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
N.Y. Jets 16, New England 9
Jets control Brady with relentless pressure ‘I don’t know what a rookie
BY BILL EICHENBERGER
beichenberger@sportingnews.com
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—The Jets’
defense was so disruptive in
their 16-9 victory Sunday that
rookie quarterback Mark San-
chez said he actually felt sorry
for Tom Brady as Brady tried to
combat multiple looks and
relentless pressure.
“I felt for Tom,” Sanchez said of
his counterpart, who completed
only 23-of-47 passes for 216 yards
and failed to produce a touch-
down despite three trips to the
red zone. “You could see his tim-
ing was disrupted a little bit. And
you could tell it was because of
our pressure, because of all the
looks that we gave him.”
Asked if the Jets succeeded in
making Brady uncomfortable in
the pocket, linebacker Bart Scott
said with a straight face: “I don’t
know. You’d have to ask him.
Maybe he likes people around
his feet or people hitting him in
the chest, or throwing people in
front of him to the ground. Some
people might not be uncomfort-
able in that situation.”
Defensive end Shaun Ellis,
who returned from a one-game
suspension, was not as coy. He
said he saw confusion in Brady’s
eyes. “He was trying to figure
out where everyone was coming
from. We had him throwing off
his back foot a lot.’’
Even though the Jets did not
sack Brady, they hurried him 15
times and knocked him down
another five while using six or
seven men to rush the passer.
“This guy is the best in the
business,’’ Jets coach Rex Ryan
said of Brady. “And you can’t just
line up and play traditional
against him. You have to be mul-
tiple and give him different
looks.’’
Clearly, Brady missed posses-
sion receiver Wes Welker, who
was inactive because of a knee
injury. But because of the pres-
sure Brady faced, Sanchez said
the Patriots’ timing appeared to
be off on all their routes.
Also critical to the Jets’ success
was the play of cornerback Dar-
relle Revis, who limited Randy
Moss to four catches for 24 yards
after holding the Texans’ Andre
Johnson to four catches for 35
yards in the Jets’ season-opening
win.
Revis’ task was made easier by
the Jets’ decision to go after
Brady. “In the past, in the second
half, we would have been more
laid-back,” Ellis said. “But with
Rex, we were not going to sit
back one bit. In the Patriots’ Buf-
falo game last week, they made
plays down the stretch. We were
not going to let that happen to
us.”
Safety Kerry Rhodes, who said
during the week that he wanted
to not only beat the Patriots but
embarrass them, said the fact
the Jets have yet to allow a touch-
down should not be a surprise,
given the resume of their new
head coach.
“That’s his reputation,’’ said
Rhodes, who led the Jets with six
tackles and two assists. “We
know he’s going to give us the
stuff we need to get to the
quarterback.’’
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 9
Q&A with ... Jets QB Mark Sanchez
is supposed to feel like’
After a slow start, rookie Mark Sanchez
played smart and efficient football
Sunday, completing 14-of-22 passes for
163 yards and the game’s only touchdown
in the Jets’ 16-9 victory over the Patriots.
Afterward he talked with Sporting News
Today’s Bill Eichenberger about the vic-
tory that improved the Jets’ record to 2-0
and snapped an eight-game losing streak
against the Patriots at Giants Stadium.
Q: What was going through
your mind when you
were hit and fumbled on the
first play of the game?
A: More than anything, I just
knew I needed to relax and
that we would find our game.
Q: What was different in
the second half for you
personally?
A: We opened things up. We
threw the ball a little more.
It balanced up our attack, rushes
KATHY WILLENS / AP
In his first meeting with the powerhouse
Patriots, Jets rookie QB Mark Sanchez
and passes. emerged victorious.
Q: How important was it to
not turn the ball over?
finally I ended up throwing it.
That’s unbelievable against a great
A: In a game like this, that is
crucial. Whether that
defense.
means checking it down, throwing
it away or just giving guys a chance
like on the (touchdown pass) to
Q: With the success you’ve
had already, do you still
feel like a rookie?
Dustin Keller, that’s what it needed
to be. A: I don’t know what a rookie
is supposed to feel like. I feel
like these guys have confidence in
Q:
line?
How would you assess
the play of the offensive
me, and I feel like I am getting
more and more comfortable with
the game plan each passing week.
KATHY WILLENS / AP
A: Up front offensively, are you
kidding me? On that touch-
down pass, I held the ball. I reset it.
But the most important thing is to
understand that we haven’t arrived
yet. We have a long season still to
Jets DBs Kerry Rhodes (25) and Jim Leonhard (36) combined to keep Randy Moss from making this catch. I reset it again. I patted it twice and go.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
N.Y. Jets 16, New England 9
Jets back up words with actions Ryan relishes new target in 3-TD outing
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Rex Ryan
sent a message to the fans. His Jets
delivered one of their own.
Rookie Mark Sanchez outplayed
a Super Bowl champion quarter-
back and the Jets backed up their
big talk, shutting down Tom Brady
and the Patriots 16-9 on Sunday.
“We believe that we are the better
team today,” Ryan said. “We went
out and showed it. I think our fans
are huge in this victory.”
So huge, in fact, that Ryan said he
was giving the fans a game ball that
would be placed in the team’s tro-
phy case. “I thought they were the
difference,” Ryan said.
The victory was the first for the
Jets (2-0) over Brady at home, and
the first over the Patriots (1-1) at the
Meadowlands since 2000. And, it
came after a week during which
Ryan reiterated his offseason com-
ments that he didn’t come to “kiss
Bill Belichick’s rings” and sent a
voicemail to season ticket holders,
urging them to be loud.
The fans clearly answered the
call, causing a tough time for the
Patriots’ offense all game. Brady
was forced into consecutive delay-
of-game penalties in the third
quarter.
“I’ve got to do a better job,” Brady
said. “They don’t come up very
often, but when they do, they hurt.
And they hurt us today.”
Ryan also said the Patriots had
the better coach and quarterback
coming in.
Hold on, Rex. Don’t sell yourself
short. “The big deal is, we’re a foot-
ball team that should be respected,”
Ryan said. “Sometimes we talk a
little bit, but only because we have
confidence in our football team.”
BILL KOSTROUN / AP
Jets TE Dustin Keller pulled down the game’s
only touchdown on a nine yard pass from
Mark Sanchez in the third quarter.
Earlier in the week, Jets safety
Kerry Rhodes said New York
wanted to “embarrass” New Eng-
land. “Kerry made a statement, we
stood behind him, and we had his
back,” defensive end Shaun Ellis
said.
Sanchez came out throwing in
the second half after a quiet first
two quarters and connected with
tight end Dustin Keller on a go-
ahead touchdown, and the Jets’
defense clamped down on the
Patriots.
Brady had a chance to tie it for the
Patriots, getting the ball at the
Patriots’ 10 with 1:48 left, but the
Jets’ defense stopped him as corner-
back Dwight Lowery knocked away
a pass to Joey Galloway on fourth
down.
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 10
Atlanta 28, Carolina 20
Brady had beaten the Jets in 12 of ATLANTA—Matt Ryan has a new
the previous 14 games he had faced favorite receiver. No surprise who
them overall. “It’s frustrating,” he it is.
said. “I think we had really high Ryan threw three touchdown
expectations for this game. We just passes, hooking up with Tony
didn’t put it together very well.” Gonzalez for the second week in a
The Patriots managed only three row, and the Falcons held off the
field goals a week after the Jets’ Panthers 28-20 on Sunday.
defense held the high-scoring Tex- Through his first two games
ans without an offensive touch- with the Falcons, Gonzalez has 12
down in a 24-7 win. catches for 144 yards and two
“That’s a statement not just to us,” touchdowns. Just what Atlanta
cornerback Darrelle Revis said, had in mind when it dealt for a
“but to the league that every week tight end who will end up in Can-
we’re going to come out here and ton—and starting 2-0 is what Gon-
try to get a shutout.” zalez had in mind when he asked
—The Associated Press to be traded by lowly Kansas City. DAVE MARTIN / AP
The Falcons already have WR Dwayne Jarrett and the Panthers had a shot until the game’s final play.
New England 3 6 0 0 — 9 matched the Chiefs’ win total for
N.Y. Jets 0 3 10 3 — 16
all of last season. “Not a bad start at zone—and the defending NFC Carolina 3 10 0 7 — 20
First Quarter all,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just great South champions are off to an 0-2 Atlanta 7 14 0 7 — 28
NE: FG Gostkowski 45, 6:50.
Second Quarter to be part of a team like this.” start. First Quarter
Car: FG Kasay 38, 9:52.
NE: FG Gostkowski 25, 11:30. Ryan had a big first half, which “It couldn’t be any worse than Atl: Gonzalez 24 pass from Ryan (Elam kick), :37.
NYJ: FG Feely 33, 5:59.
NE: FG Gostkowski 29, :17. included a brilliant fingertip grab last week,” said Delhomme, refer- Second Quarter
Third Quarter by Gonzalez on a 24-yard score. ring to his four-interception, one- Car: D.Williams 3 run (Kasay kick), 12:25.
NYJ: Keller 9 pass from Sanchez (Feely kick), 13:57. Atl: Snelling 10 pass from Ryan (Elam kick), 5:10.
NYJ: FG Feely 24, 8:22. Jason Snelling and Roddy White fumble fiasco in a 38-10 loss to Car: FG Kasay 50, 1:49.
Fourth Quarter also hauled in TD passes, giving Philadelphia. “I felt good out there Atl: White 7 pass from Ryan (Elam kick), :50.
NYJ: FG Feely 39, 9:48. Fourth Quarter
A: 78,312. Atlanta a 21-13 lead at the break. today. Last week, I put too much Atl: Turner 1 run (Elam kick), 12:23.
Ryan completed 13 straight pressure on myself. This week, I Car: Rosario 11 pass from Delhomme (Kasay kick), 6:45.
NE NYJ A: 67,313.
First downs ...............................................18.............................. 14 passes at one point and finished 21 got back to being just plain Jake.” Car Atl
Total Net Yards ........................................299............................254 of 27 for 220 yards, though he did The Falcons appeared to be in First downs ...............................................24.............................. 23
Rushes-yards ......................................20-83.......................31-117 Total Net Yards ........................................440............................371
Passing ....................................................216............................137 have his first interception of the good shape after Michael Turner Rushes-yards ....................................25-144.......................37-151
Punt Returns............................................2-3...........................2-25 season. Gonzalez led the Falcons powered over from the 1 with 12:27 Passing ....................................................296............................220
Kickoff Returns...................................... 5-99.........................4-127 Punt Returns......................................... 2-17.............................0-0
Interceptions Ret. ....................................0-0.............................1-0 again with seven receptions for 71 remaining, stretching the lead to Kickoff Returns.........................................0-0.........................3-102
Comp-Att-Int ...................................23-47-1.....................14-22-0 yards. 28-13 lead. Interceptions Ret. ................................. 1-13.............................1-4
Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................0-0...........................2-26 Comp-Att-Int ...................................25-41-1.....................21-27-1
Punts ..................................................6-36.8........................5-41.8 “He’s one of the greatest tight Back came Delhomme and the Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 1-12.............................0-0
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................0-0.............................2-1 ends of all time,” Ryan said. Panthers. A 10-play, 80-yard Punts ..................................................2-25.5........................3-49.7
Penalties-Yards ...................................11-89...........................8-55 Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-1.............................1-1
Time of Possession...............................30:50.........................29:10 Jake Delhomme played much drive made it 28-20, and Carolina Penalties-Yards ..................................... 6-35...........................6-40
better for the Panthers, looking was in position to force overtime Time of Possession...............................28:28.........................31:32
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: New England, F.Taylor 8-46, Maroney 6-23, Faulk 3-8, nothing like the quarterback who with a touchdown and a two-point INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Morris 2-4, Brady 1-2. N.Y. Jets, Washington 14-58, Jones 14-54, had 11 turnovers in his last two conversion after driving to the RUSHING: Carolina, D.Williams 16-79, Stewart 9-65. Atlanta,
B.Smith 1-7, Sanchez 2-(minus 2). Turner 28-105, Snelling 6-37, Norwood 1-6, Ryan 2-3.
PASSING: New England, Brady 23-47-1-216. N.Y. Jets, Sanchez games. But his 25-of-41, 308-yard Falcons’ 17. But three straight PASSING: Carolina, Delhomme 25-41-1-308. Atlanta, Ryan
14-22-0-163. passing performance was marred incompletions were followed by an 21-27-1-220.
RECEIVING: New England, Edelman 8-98, Galloway 5-53, Moss RECEIVING: Carolina, Smith 8-131, Muhammad 4-47, D.Williams
4-24, Watson 3-23, Morris 1-14, Faulk 1-3, Baker 1-1. N.Y. Jets, by that familiar problem—an interception by cornerback Chris 3-32, Rosario 3-31, Stewart 3-14, King 2-38, Jarrett 1-9, K.Moore
Cotchery 4-87, Stuckey 4-37, Keller 3-22, Washington 2-18, Jones interception with 2 1/2 minutes Houston. 1-6. Atlanta, Gonzalez 7-71, White 6-53, Jenkins 3-33, Booker
1-(minus 1). 2-42, Snelling 1-10, Finneran 1-6, Turner 1-5.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None. remaining near the Atlanta end —The Associated Press MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Atlanta 28, Carolina 20
Gonzalez in Hall-of-Fame form for Falcons
BY RYAN FAGAN
rfagan@sportingnews.com
ATLANTA—The thought that he
hadn’t cleanly plucked the
football off the turf at the Geor-
gia Dome never even occurred
to Tony Gonzalez.
The perennial Pro Bowler
was in the end zone, ball in
hand, ready to celebrate his
second touchdown midway
through the second quarter of
the Falcons’ eventual 28-20
victory against the Panthers.
The referees, though, were
back near the 10-yard line,
waving their arms to signal an
incomplete pass.
“I didn’t know they’d called
it incomplete,” Gonzalez said.
“In fact, I thought (the defender)
hadn’t even touched me. To tell
you the truth, I thought it was
a touchdown. I thought it was a
catch.”
It was hard to blame the refs
for initially missing that one.
There didn’t seem any way that
Gonzalez—who dove for the
ball, rolled over and then raced
into the end zone—could have
kept that low pass from Matt
Ryan from at least grazing the
artificial turf. It seemed to be a
reasonable, believable decision
by the refs.
Until Gonzalez saw their call
and protested.
And, let’s be honest, if Tony
Gonzalez—the all-time leader
in receptions by a tight end—
says he caught the ball, chances
are he caught the ball. If Tony
Gonzalez—the future Hall of
Famer who joined the Falcons
A 10-time Pro Bowler, Falcons TE Tony Gonzalez had a TD among his seven catches.
this offseason via a trade from
the Chiefs—points to the giant
video board and implores his
coach to watch the replay and
then throw the challenge flag,
chances are the coach shouldn’t
even bother to look up at the
screen. Just throw the flag and
find something more produc-
tive to do with those extra 10
seconds of your life.
The red flag from Falcons
coach Mike Smith didn’t take
long to hit the ground. Replays
showed that Gonzalez, as he
has many, many times in his
career, slipped his hand into
the tiny sliver of air between
DAVE MARTIN / AP
the football and the ground,
cradled the pass and had
indeed made a legal 9-yard
reception.
“I saw it coming down low
and just went down there and
tried to do what I’ve done in
the past, just scoop it up,” he
said. The call was reversed,
and Gonzalez had yet another
no-he-didn’t moment to add to
his collection.
That was on third and 7 and
kept the hope for better things
alive. Instead of settling for a
field goal, the chance for a
touchdown became a real pos-
sibility. And two plays later,
NFL
Ryan connected with third-
string running back Jason Snel-
ling for a touchdown that put
the Falcons ahead 14-10, a lead
they would not relinquish.
“He was a huge pickup for
us,” Ryan said. “He’s done a
great job, and he’s going to
make plays for us throughout
the year in different situations
when we need him to.”
Gonzalez led the Falcons
with seven catches and 71
yards. The only pass Ryan
threw his way that wasn’t com-
pleted was a third and goal
from the 5; on that play, Gon-
zalez drew a pass interference
call that gave the Falcons a first
down and led directly to a
1-yard run by Michael Turner
that put the Falcons ahead
28-13.
Turner finished with 105
yard rushing as part of a very
balanced offensive effort by the
Falcons. Ryan completed 21-of-
27 passes for 220 yards and
three touchdowns, and seven
different receivers caught
passes. “We have a lot of weap-
ons on this team,” Turner said.
“And we understand that. We
try to get everybody the
football.”
The Falcons were a pretty
good team before Gonzalez
arrived, carving out an unex-
pected 11-5 campaign in Ryan’s
rookie season. Gonzalez’s
arrival is perhaps the best hope
for even better things. Instead
of settling for making the play-
offs, the Falcons have a chance
to do some real damage in the
postseason this year.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 11
Q&A with … Panthers QB Jake Delhomme
‘This league is not about moral victories’
Although the Panthers fell to 0-2 with a 28-20
loss at Atlanta, Jake Delhomme played a whole lot
better, throwing for 308 yards, one touchdown and
one interception. He had come under fire after hav-
ing five turnovers in a blowout loss to the Eagles in
the opener. After Sunday’s defeat, he spoke with
Sporting News Today’s Ryan Fagan about his confi-
dence-boosting performance, his team’s slow start
and the Falcons’ offense.
Q:
week?
Do you feel you had a better
offensive performance this
A: It couldn’t get any worse than last
week. I had a strong idea that we
would play better offensively than last
week, but it wasn’t enough. They are a
really good football team. They are
extremely talented offensively. They did a
good job of controlling the ball in the
second half. In the end, we didn’t do JOHN BAZEMORE / AP
enough. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme bounced back after his
five turnovers in the opener, throwing for 308 yards.
Q: How important was it for you to
boost your confidence early? incomplete passes and an interception
A: I don’t think there is any doubt. I’m
not going to sit here and lie to you.
by cornerback Chris Houston on
fourth down).
Last week, I couldn’t throw it in the ocean,
but this week I felt really good out there on
the field. I look to build on it and get ready
A: The defense did a good job of
getting the ball back for us, and we
went down the field and we just stayed in
for next week. tens: first and 10, second and 10, third and
10 and on fourth down we were anticipat-
Q: How worried are you guys
about your 0-2 start?
ing a little pressure so we went with the
play-action. There was nothing there (on
A: It’s not something you want, but
that’s where we are. We can’t do
anything about that but go back and work
fourth down). I tried Jeff King and then
(Muhsin) Muhammad and then came back
to Steve (Smith). It’s fourth down and you
and see what we can do. It’s still a long have to try and make a play. They made
season, and certainly we will get questions more plays than us.
about the 0-2 start but that is what it is. We
just have to go back to work and find a way
to get one win. Q: Do you feel better after today’s
game?
Q: Talk about the next-to-last
series of the game. (The
A: Somewhat, but this league is not
about moral victories. If you are
looking for a moral victory, you have to do
Panthers advanced to the Falcons’ 17, something else. We will go watch film
where the drive stalled with the three tomorrow and move on.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Arizona 31, Jacksonville 17
Cards ‘blessed’ to have Warner on the rebound
BY BRIAN MCLAUGHLIN
bmlaughlin@sportingnews.com
JACKSONVILLE—Kurt Warner said the Car-
dinals weren’t “meshing” after last week’s
loss to San Francisco. Something seemed
to be missing, he said—the magic that
guided the Cardinals to Super Bowl 43 was
noticeably absent.
Of course, it was only one disappointing
game—hardly a reason to dismantle the
franchise for spare parts.
It’s a good thing they didn’t change any-
thing, because if they had, Warner
wouldn’t have broken a 16-year old NFL
record for single-game pass completion
percentage Sunday—and more important,
the Cardinals wouldn’t have rebounded
with a 31-17 road win at Jacksonville.
Warner, whose well-chronicled career
has seen him go from Division I-AA to gro-
cery store stocker to the Arena League to
leading one of the NFL’s most prolific
offenses ever with the St. Louis Rams, sim-
ply seems to bounce back and redeem him-
self as well as anybody. He helped send an
already sparse Jacksonville crowd home
early Sunday.
In Week 1, Warner threw two intercep-
tions in a four-point loss. Then this week,
he sets the NFL record for pass completion
percentage at 92.3 percent—breaking
Vinny Testaverde’s 1993 one-game record
of 91.3 percent when he was with Cleve-
land. Warner also tied Jake Plummer’s
1998 franchise-record mark of 15 consecu-
tive pass completions. Go figure.
Warner rebounds better than an NBA
power forward.
“I guess this probably means people will
think I’m a little bit younger than I was last
year,” said Warner, 38. “It was nice the way
I played last week to come back and have
this kind of game.”
Warner was so efficient, backup QB Matt
Leinart got some quality playing time.
Kurt Warner’s near-perfect day (24 of 26, 243 yards) set a single-game record for completion percentage.
Frankly, the game was over by the third
quarter and Warner was able to relax and
check out the vast number of empty seats
all around him. Keep in mind, this isn’t
junior varsity or college football where a
team is trying to get a redshirt freshman a
couple snaps—this is the NFL, where start-
ers rarely leave the field when playing well.
Still, Warner sat for an entire quarter.
For the game, he completed 24-of-26
passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
With good health, there’s a good chance
he’ll surpass 30,000 passing yards and
200 passing touchdowns marks this year.
“Kurt’s found the fountain of youth
somewhere,” Arizona wide receiver Larry
Fitzgerald said. “I don’t know where it is,
NFL
PHIL COALE / AP
but we’re just blessed to have his services
and he played error-free football to put our
offense in a great position. When he’s back
there in that kind of rhythm, it’s hard to
deal with him.”
No one knows what to expect when it
comes to Warner and his career. He didn’t
go to a big college, but it hardly mattered
less than a decade later when he was
throwing for what seemed like a zillion
yards with St. Louis. After St. Louis, his
career appeared to be winding down, until
last season.
One can be sure, he won’t be stocking
cans of Campbell’s Soup and boxes of pow-
dered sugar again. Instead, he’ll be rewrit-
ing record books.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 12
Q&A with … Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin
‘If you give him time, he’ll
pick apart any defense’
Anquan Boldin caught eight passes for 69 yards
against Jacksonville in the Cardinals’ first win
since the NFC championship game early this year.
Q: So what was the difference
between last week’s loss to San
Francisco and this week’s win? What
Afterward, Sporting News Today’s Brian McLaughlin changed in the last week?
talked to Boldin about Kurt Warner’s big day, the
Cardinals’ offensive improvement from Week 1 and
playing in his home state.
A: Oh, it’s just attention to detail. Last
week we came out a bit sluggish
and everybody wasn’t on the same page,
especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Q: Seven of the last eight Super
Bowl runners-up haven’t made
it back to the postseason. How do you
We focused on that in practice this week,
making sure that didn’t happen and we
didn’t kill ourselves with self-inflicted
think you guys can buck that trend? penalties.
A: With us, we still have a bad taste in
our mouth from last year. Getting to
the Super Bowl and not being successful in Q: So what’s it like to get your
first official win since the NFC
it and not winning it left that bad taste in championship game?
our mouth. So for us, our goal is to get back
to it and win it. You want to play well in the
regular season, of course, but the main
A: We weren’t really worried about that
at all—weren’t even thinking about it.
thing for us is to get in there and get it done.
Q: So it doesn’t mean anything to
you at all?
Q: Kurt Warner set an NFL
record for completion
percentage (92.3 percent) against the
A: Well, it’s just good to get a win—
period. Any time. It doesn’t matter
when. It’s tough to get a win in this league,
Jaguars. Why did that happen today so we’ll take it.
of all days?
A: Guys were open, and he was just
finding open receivers. That’s not out
of his character, really, so I’m not surprised
Q: How often does an NFL team
trot out its backup quarterback
(Matt Leinart) in the third quarter
with it. If you give him time and let him like you guys did today, without there
stand up, he’ll pick apart any defense. being an injury or something?
Q: Well, you were a pretty
successful quarterback down at
A: That is pretty weird. But it shows
just how good we played in the first
half. Even though we were up big, we felt
Pahokee (Fla.) High School. How tough like we still left some plays out there on
would it have been to get 92.3 percent? the field. We left some good opportunities
A: Oh man, that would be tough. It
must be tough, you know, because
out there.
as you can see, he’s the only person who
has ever done it. But he’s a guy who takes Q: It’s always nice to play in your
home state, right?
pride in knowing where his receivers are
and reading defenses and getting the ball
out to the open man.
A: Definitely. I had a bunch of guys up
here (from Pahokee). I had to get
like 110 tickets.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Arizona 31, Jacksonville 17
Warner’s record day lifts Cards ‘Silver Fox’ rallies Vikings on road
JACKSONVILLE—With a huge lead, an
NFL record and a sore right shoul-
der, Kurt Warner headed to the
bench late in the third quarter
against Jacksonville.
He never expected he might have
to re-enter the game. Warner com-
pleted his first 15 passes and broke
the NFL’s single-game record for
completion percentage, and the
Cardinals dominated the Jaguars in
a 31-17 victory Sunday.
“Kurt’s found the fountain of
youth somewhere,” teammate
Larry Fitzgerald said. “I don’t know
where it is, but we’re blessed to have
his services. He played error-free
football to put our offense in a great
position. When he’s back there in
that kind of rhythm, it’s hard to deal
with him.”
Jacksonville trailed 24-3 after
two quarters and was down 28
points before mounting a mild
comeback. The only good news for
the Jaguars (0-2)? Hardly anyone in
Jacksonville saw it. The game was
blacked out on local television, and
the stands were half full.
They missed Warner put on quite
a show for Arizona (1-1). He was 24
of 26 passing for 243 yards, with
two touchdowns, no turnovers and
no sacks. He was much sharper
than he was in the opener, when he
threw two interceptions and was
sacked three times.
“It was nice the way I played last
week to come back and have this
kind of game,” Warner said.
Warner tied Jake Plummer’s
franchise record by opening the
game with 15 consecutive comple-
tions. By completing 92.3 percent of
his passes, he broke the previous
NFL record set by Vinny Testaverde
PHIL COALE / AP
Cardinals S Antrel Rolle (21) returned a
blocked field goal 83 yards for a touchdown
in the second quarter.
in 1993. Testaverde, playing for
Cleveland, completed 21-of-23
passes against the Rams.
“We didn’t let nothing go over the
top,” Jaguars cornerback Rashean
Mathis said. “If he would hit 20
balls deep, then that’s something
we don’t want to be a part of. But we
wanted him to check the ball down.
We just have to tackle better.”
Warner hooked up with Jason
Wright for a 5-yard score late in
first half, then found Larry Fitzger-
ald for a 22-yarder to make it 31-3
late in the third.
Not wanting to risk injury, coach
Ken Whisenhunt replaced Warner
with former first-round draft pick
Matt Leinart. But Leinart strug-
gled, and Jacksonville rallied with
two David Garrard TD passes to
make 31-17.
With the Jaguars driving again,
Warner started getting ready. But
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 13
Minnesota 27, Detroit 13
Garrard’s fourth-down pass into DETROIT—Brett Favre is thankful 270 games in a row for Minnesota
the end zone bounced off wideout to still be playing and winning in from 1961-1979.
Nate Hughes’ shoulder pads. the NFL. Adding a league record Minnesota shut down Stafford
The Cardinals were finally able to his overflowing collection is after he and the Lions had some
to celebrate after Dominique Rod- merely a bonus. success early, taking control in the
gers-Cromartie intercepted Gar- Favre set another mark with his second half on Peterson’s TD,
rard’s pass with 2:25 to play. 271st straight start in the regular Favre’s second pass for a score and
“Obviously, we weren’t making season, then threw two touchdown Ryan Longwell’s field goals.
the plays necessary to continue passes to help the Vikings (2-0) beat Stafford, the No. 1 pick in the
drives,” said Garrard, who was the Lions 27-13 on Sunday. draft, was 18 of 30 for 152 yards
sacked four times and fumbled three “Every game I play in at this with a TD and two interceptions.
times. “We can’t keep shooting our- point, I’m pretty grateful,” he said. “Matt Stafford is our starting quar-
selves in the foot. We were the ones “I know how difficult it is.” terback,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz
pretty much stopping ourselves.” The Lions, meanwhile, know said, when asked about a possible
— The Associated Press how tough it is to simply win a quarterback change.
game. They haven’t done it in almost — The Associated Press
Arizona 10 14 7 0 — 31 21 months.
Jacksonville 3 0 7 7 — 17
Detroit looked like it might finally Minnesota 0 7 10 10 — 27
First Quarter Detroit 3 7 0 3 — 13
Ari: Hightower 1 run (Rackers kick), 8:07.
earn a victory with a 10-0 lead mid-
Jac: FG Scobee 30, 4:41. way through the second quarter, DUANE BURLESON / AP First Quarter
Ari: FG Rackers 45, :03. but mental and physical miscues Det: FG Hanson 30, 5:05.
Second Quarter Vikings RB Adrian Peterson rushed 15 times Second Quarter
Ari: Rolle 83 blocked field goal return (Rackers kick), 11:30. led to their 19th straight loss to for 92 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown Det: C.Johnson 8 pass from Stafford (Hanson kick), 5:40.
Ari: Wright 5 pass from Warner (Rackers kick), :55. match the second-longest skid in Min: Shiancoe 1 pass from Favre (Longwell kick), 1:04.
Third Quarter in the third quarter. Third Quarter
Ari: Fitzgerald 22 pass from Warner (Rackers kick), 5:28. league history. Min: FG Longwell 26, 8:38.
Jac: Lewis 25 pass from Garrard (Scobee kick), 1:31. “We can’t keep making mistakes, Matthew Stafford connected with Min: Peterson 27 run (Longwell kick), 7:45.
Fourth Quarter Fourth Quarter
Jac: Sims-Walker 19 pass from Garrard (Scobee kick), 7:11. and we can’t keep taking penalties,” Calvin Johnson to put Detroit ahead Min: FG Longwell 46, 9:56.
A: 46,520. center Dominic Raiola said. “We 10-0, the Vikings responded with Min: Harvin 3 pass from Favre (Longwell kick), 5:58.
Det: FG Hanson 48, 2:37.
Ari Jac were fine in the first half, and then Favre’s toss to Visanthe Shiancoe in A: 56,269.
First downs ...............................................22.............................. 18 we stunk in the second half. I’m not the end zone.
Total Net Yards ........................................383............................372 Min Det
Rushes-yards ....................................28-118.........................20-92 pointing fingers at any one guy. Favre continues to play a young First downs ...............................................18.............................. 17
Passing ....................................................265............................280 This is on all of us.” man’s game less than a month away Total Net Yards ........................................265............................265
Punt Returns............................................2-0...........................1-11 Rushes-yards ....................................25-112.......................34-129
Kickoff Returns...................................... 2-51...........................4-85 Detroit, which became the NFL’s from his 40th birthday. “Can you Passing ....................................................153............................136
Interceptions Ret. ....................................1-7.............................0-0 first 0-16 team last season, desper- please stop calling him Brett Favre? Punt Returns......................................... 2-22.............................1-7
Comp-Att-Int ...................................27-32-0.....................23-43-1 Kickoff Returns...................................... 3-79...........................6-96
Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................0-0.............................4-2 ately hopes it doesn’t approach It’s the Silver Fox,” teammate Jared Interceptions Ret. ................................. 2-49.............................0-0
Punts ..................................................3-46.3........................4-45.3 Tampa Bay’s record of 26 losses in a Allen joked. Comp-Att-Int ...................................24-28-0.....................18-30-2
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................5-2.............................4-2 Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 3-16...........................2-16
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 7-58...........................8-50 row set during the 1976-77 seasons. Favre was 23 of 27 for 155 yards Punts ..................................................4-42.0........................4-37.5
Time of Possession...............................31:21.........................28:39 Kevin Smith blamed himself for with TD passes to rookie Percy Har- Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-1.............................2-1
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 5-43...........................6-45
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS letting the latest game slip away, vin and Shiancoe. He appeared to Time of Possession...............................29:35.........................30:25
RUSHING: Arizona, Hightower 15-72, B.Wells 7-44, Boldin 1-4, setting up Adrian Peterson’s go- hurt his right hand when he got hit
Stephens-Howling 1-2, Warner 1-(minus 1), Leinart 3-(minus 3). INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Jacksonville, Jones-Drew 13-66, Garrard 4-27, Jennings 2-1, Owens ahead, 27-yard TD midway through just before connecting with Harvin RUSHING: Minnesota, Peterson 15-92, Harvin 2-14, Taylor 4-8,
1-(minus 2). he third quarter. midway through the fourth quarter. Tahi 1-1, Jackson 3-(minus 3). Detroit, K.Smith 24-83, C.Johnson
PASSING: Arizona, Warner 24-26-0-243, Leinart 3-6-0-22. Jackson- 2-16, Morris 2-15, Brown 4-10, Stafford 1-7, Figurs 1-(minus 2).
ville, Garrard 23-43-1-282. “It starts with my fumble,” Smith “It’s all right,” Favre insisted. PASSING: Minnesota, Favre 23-27-0-155, Jackson 1-1-0-14.
RECEIVING: Arizona, Boldin 8-69, Breaston 5-83, Fitzgerald 4-34, said. “It was 10-10, and I can’t fum- On his first snap, the three-time Detroit, Stafford 18-30-2-152.
Hightower 3-12, Urban 2-25, Stephens-Howling 2-14, Becht 1-16, RECEIVING: Minnesota, Berrian 6-46, Harvin 5-41, Peterson
Spach 1-7, Wright 1-5. Jacksonville, Sims-Walker 6-106, Holt 6-65, ble the ball. I give it up and A.P. MVP set another NFL mark. Defen- 4-24, Rice 3-29, Taylor 3-20, Kleinsasser 2-8, Shiancoe 1-1. Detroit,
Jones-Drew 4-17, Lewis 3-62, Williamson 2-24, Hughes 2-8. comes back and scores.” sive end Jim Marshall had the pre- C.Johnson 5-51, Pettigrew 4-40, Northcutt 2-15, Heller 2-10,
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Arizona, Rackers 48 (WR). Jacksonville, K.Smith 2-10, Felton 1-21, Brown 1-3, FitzSimmons 1-2.
Scobee 46 (BK). After rookie quarterback vious mark for consecutive starts, MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Minnesota 27, Detroit 13
Nearing 40, Favre embracing role as game-manager
BY CRAIG CUSTANCE
ccustance@sportingnews.com
DETROIT—To give the record some
perspective, Vikings coach Brad
Childress personalized it. Follow-
ing Minnesota’s 27-13 win Sunday
over Detroit, Childress told every-
one in the visitor’s media room to
think back to where they were in
1992.
He paused briefly to let it sink
in.
“A long time,” he concluded.
That year, 1992, was when Brett
Favre’s steak started. On Sunday,
Favre started his 271st consecutive
NFL game, breaking the record
held by defensive end Jim Mar-
shall. The record itself didn’t seem
to impress the quarterback too
much. He said he was grateful, and
when asked if he felt like Cal Rip-
ken he basically shrugged.
“Yeah, I guess,” Favre said.
He seemed more impressed
when he was told it was the 30th
time he’d beaten the Lions, count-
ing regular-season games and the
playoffs.
“How many times?” Favre
asked, surprised by the number.
“Don’t blame me. I’m just doing
what I should be doing. I’m more
amazed that it’s been that many
games.”
And ultimately that’s how the
Favre experiment will be judged
in Minnesota. Not games played.
Wins. And not just against the
Lions.
The Favre era is off to a good
start, with the 2-0 Vikings alone
in first place in the NFC North. He
was efficient Sunday, completing
23-of-27 attempts with 155 yards.
Vikings QB Brett Favre, who turns 40 on Oct. 10, set a record Sunday with his 271st straight start.
He threw two touchdowns and
wasn’t intercepted despite constant
pressure from the Lions’ aggres-
sive blitzing defense.
Favre the game-manager, not
Favre the gunslinger, is what’s
winning for the Vikings.
“I just think he’s playing within
the system. I see him doing the
things he needs to do,” Childress
said. “It’s not like we put a new
chip in his head or anything like
CARLOS OSORIO / AP
that.”
But the win was more than Favre
handing off to Adrian Peterson
and checking down to Percy Har-
vin. When the Lions jumped out to
a 10-0 lead in the second quarter, it
was Favre’s sense of urgency and
experience that led them on their
biggest scoring drive of the game.
Play in 271 consecutive games,
and you get a feel for how a game is
going. When the Lions seized
NFL
momentum on Matthew Stafford’s
first career touchdown pass, Favre
got a sick feeling. He’d been there
before.
“I don’t want to be a part of one
of these,” Favre said he thought
early in the game. “For whatever
reason, it was not our type of
game.”
Favre made it their game.
Before halftime, he led the
Vikings on a 10-play, 76-yard drive
that lasted 4:36. He capped it with
a touchdown pass to tight end
Visanthe Shiancoe. From then on,
they rolled. The Vikings’ offense
put up 27 consecutive points and
that growing feeling that an upset
was brewing, shrunk with every
correct read Favre made.
With Stafford, starting his sec-
ond career game, forcing throws
that resulted in back-breaking
turnovers, Favre’s decision-mak-
ing and experience was amplified.
Two-hundred and seventy-one
consecutive starts, each one build-
ing Favre into a quarterback who
looks capable of leading these
Vikings a long way.
“It’s a special day for him. I’m
glad to be able to get him a win,”
Minnesota defensive end Jared
Allen said. “As a fan and a fan of
his, it’s cool to be a part of. I can tell
my kids that one day—unless he
keeps on playing.
“He’s old man. That dude—can
we please stop calling him Brett
Favre? It’s the Silver Fox. That’s
his name: ‘The Silver Fox.’ That’s a
feat that I’ll never see, I’ll tell you
that right now. The guy has been
doing it at such a high level for so
many years. He takes a big hit
sometimes and keeps on going.”
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 14
Q&A with ... Vikings WR Percy Harvin
‘It was almost like a
repeat of last week’
Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin now
has two touchdowns in his first two NFL
games. That’s not a bad pace for the Vikings’
first-round pick. Harvin chatted with Sporting
News Today’s Craig Custance following the
Vikings’ 27-13 win over the Lions.
Q: The offense showed
good patience in the
comeback win. Does that come
from Brett Favre?
A: It’s a little bit of everybody.
We know Favre is not all
the way acclimated with us yet; we
still know it’s a work in progress.
They blitzed us a lot, got to us in
the first half. We were able to come
in the second half as we did last DUANE BURLESON / AP
week and got it corrected. Vikings rookie Percy Harvin has scored a TD
in each of his first two NFL games.
Q: How close were you to
breaking a couple of those
kickoff returns? It looked like Q: How big for the
confidence of the
you were close to popping one. offense was the touchdown
A: Yeah, I actually ran into my
own man and he was going
to get the kicker, and as he came
drive before halftime?
A: It was huge. It was almost
like a repeat of last week—
across he hit my thigh. That’s one was able to get it going, come into
thing we’re going to keep working halftime readjust and get back out
every week, that’s going to be a there and stay right in rhythm.
good part of our game. Hopefully, That drive was huge for us.
it’ll be a big part of my game to help
get the team started on the short
side of the field. Q: Was it motivation not to
be the first team to lose
to the Lions?
Q: What was it like to get
the wildcat formation
some live action?
A: For us, I don’t think that’s
the fact. We want to win
every game we play—definitely the
A: It’s just another weapon we
have, just to throw the team
off track a little bit. It still needs a
road games, which is tough playing
in someone else’s stadium. Us
losing to the Lions, being the first
little work; we’re just putting it on team wasn’t on our mind. We want
tape and seeing what it looks like. to win every game.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Chicago 17, Pittsburgh 14
Kick caps Cutler-fueled comeback
CHICAGO—Hounded in the opener
and harassed in the early going
again Sunday, Jay Cutler simply
wanted a shot at redemption. He got
it and finally lived up to his lofty
billing.
Cutler made a big pass to Devin
Hester, and Robbie Gould booted a
44-yard field goal with 15 seconds
left to lift the Chicago Bears to a
17-14 victory over the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
Cutler hit rookie Johnny Knox
with the tying touchdown midway
through the fourth quarter. After
Jeff Reed missed his second field
goal of the period, a 43-yarder, Cut-
ler helped set up Gould’s winning
kick with a 5-yard pass to Hester on
third-and-4 at the Steelers 39 that
kept the winning drive going.
“I always hope to get a chance,”
Cutler said. “I always think we’re
going to get a chance if it’s 3 minutes
or if it’s 30 seconds. All we want is a
shot.”
Both teams were missing their
defensive stars, with Chicago’s
Brian Urlacher out for the rest of the
season with a dislocated right wrist
and the Steelers’ Troy Polamalu out
three to six weeks with a torn medial
collateral ligament in his left knee.
The Bears also saw defensive end
Alex Brown get helped off the field
with a sprained left ankle with just
over four minutes remaining after
collecting two sacks.
Cutler, however, came through
like a star on a rainy afternoon in
which he was pressured and had
several passes dropped. Despite all
that, his first home game with the
Bears (1-1) was a big improvement
over his debut with them.
He finished with 236 yards and two
NAM Y. HUH / AP
Bears K Robbie Gould, right, did what his
counterpart could not—make a clutch FG.
touchdowns, with no interceptions,
after being picked off a career-high
four times in a season-opening loss at
Green Bay. Knox, a rookie, was impres-
sive, too, with six catches for 70 yards.
That was enough to beat the
defending champions and offset
solid performances by Ben Roeth-
lisberger and Santonio Holmes.
“In the face of pressure he made
great decisions, put the ball in some
good locations and guys converted
third downs,” Steelers coach Mike
Tomlin said. “They did enough to
win, we didn’t. We accept responsi-
bility for that.”
Roethlisberger threw for 221
yards and Holmes caught five
passes for 83, yet Reed’s problems
in the fourth quarter gave the Bears
the opening they needed.
“I’m just embarrassed, you know,
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 15
Baltimore 31, San Diego 26
Lewis still
because these guys fight their tails off
to win the game,” Reed said. “If there
Ravens’ man
is one player that can single-handedly
lose the game, I’ll take credit for it.”
on the spot
The Steelers weren’t about to do SAN DIEGO—Ray Lewis took a
that. chance, and what a chance it was.
“Not even a blink in our eyes that The star linebacker shot the gap
we’re concerned about what Jeff and met Darren Sproles head-on
did,” Holmes said. on fourth-and-2 in the closing sec-
There were large seams on the onds, with brute strength winning
field after it was re-sodded follow- out over speed and shiftiness.
ing back-to-back U2 concerts the A game that seemingly was
previous weekend, a short turn- going to be decided by Philip Riv- CHRIS PARK / AP
around that left Bears players sing- ers instead was sealed by Lewis, Ravens LB Ray Lewis, right, showed off his 10-time Pro Bowl pedigree on the game’s key play.
ing a familiar tune about the surface whose big play saved a 31-26 win
at the stadium owned by the Chi- for the Baltimore Ravens over the said. “He made the greatest foot- Baltimore 7 14 7 3 — 31
cago Parks District. San Diego Chargers on Sunday. ball play I’ve ever seen.” San Diego 10 6 7 3 — 26
— The Associated Press “That was probably one of the Rivers almost single-handedly First Quarter
greatest plays of my career because kept the short-handed Chargers SD: Sproles 81 pass from Rivers (Kaeding kick), 9:18.
Bal: McGahee 5 run (Hauschka kick), 4:49.
Pittsburgh 7 0 7 0 — 14 of my team, because of what we (1-1) in the game, throwing for a SD: FG Kaeding 29, :44.
Chicago 0 7 0 10 — 17 Second Quarter
did as a team,” said Lewis, a for- career-high 436 yards and two Bal: McGahee 3 run (Hauschka kick), 10:50.
First Quarter mer Super Bowl MVP, 10-time Pro touchdowns. But he also had two SD: FG Kaeding 22, 3:00.
Pit: Spaeth 1 pass from Roethlisberger (Reed kick), 4:58. Bal: K.Washington 27 pass from Flacco (Hauschka kick), 1:38.
Second Quarter Bowler and two-time NFL Defen- interceptions, and San Diego had SD: FG Kaeding 23, :08.
Chi: K.Davis 6 pass from Cutler (Gould kick), :19. sive Player of the Year. to settle for field goals four times Third Quarter
Third Quarter Bal: Heap 9 pass from Flacco (Hauschka kick), 8:24.
Pit: Roethlisberger 2 run (Reed kick), 5:26. The Chargers needed a touch- when it had the ball at the Ravens SD: Jackson 35 pass from Rivers (Kaeding kick), 2:26.
Fourth Quarter down to win and had the ball on 10 or closer. Fourth Quarter
Chi: Knox 7 pass from Cutler (Gould kick), 6:21. SD: FG Kaeding 25, 7:11.
Chi: FG Gould 44, :15. Baltimore’s 15 with 33 seconds left. Rivers said the Chargers ran the Bal: FG Hauschka 33, 2:54.
A: 62,231. Lewis came in unblocked and play they felt gave them the best A: 66,882.
Pit Chi slammed the little running back to chance for a first down. Bal SD
First downs ...............................................21....................................17 the ground for a 5-yard loss, and “You can’t keep throwing it, First downs ...............................................22.............................. 20
Total Net Yards ........................................308................................. 275 Total Net Yards ........................................311............................474
Rushes-yards ....................................22-105..............................18-43 the Ravens (2-0) ran out the clock. throwing it and throwing it—well, Rushes-yards ....................................32-130.........................21-53
Passing ....................................................203................................. 232 The Chargers ran the play ear- you can,” Rivers said. “It was a Passing ....................................................181............................421
Punt Returns......................................... 6-36................................2-14 Punt Returns............................................0-0.............................0-0
Kickoff Returns...................................... 3-60................................3-53 lier but Lewis missed making the play that we didn’t execute. It’s Kickoff Returns....................................6-152.........................5-150
Interceptions Ret. ....................................0-0................................1-14 tackle. Knowing the consequences tough to end that way.” Interceptions Ret. ................................. 2-12...........................1-22
Comp-Att-Int ...................................23-35-1..........................27-38-0 Comp-Att-Int ...................................18-27-1.....................25-45-2
Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 2-18..................................1-4 of letting the Chargers convert, Rivers tied Hall of Famer Dan Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................1-9...........................2-15
Punts ..................................................3-54.3.............................6-45.8 Lewis said he needed to shoot the Fouts for third-most passing yards Punts ..................................................4-41.5........................2-37.5
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................1-1..................................1-0 Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-0.............................1-0
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 6-52..............................10-80 gap—and find the ball carrier. in a game. Penalties-Yards ..................................... 4-32.........................12-85
Time of Possession...............................30:26.............................. 29:34 “When the game was on the line, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco threw Time of Possession...............................28:41.........................31:19
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS as soon as Philip dropped down, I two touchdown passes and Willis INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Pittsburgh, Parker 14-47, Mendenhall 3-39, Moore 2-13, shot and he was there. He was McGahee ran for two more. RUSHING: Baltimore, McGahee 15-79, Rice 8-36, L.McClain 4-12,
Roethlisberger 3-6. Chicago, Forte 13-29, Peterson 3-16, Cutler Flacco 5-3. San Diego, Sproles 10-26, Bennett 4-19, Rivers 4-10,
2-(minus 2). there, man,” Lewis said. One killer for the Chargers was Hester 2-3, Naanee 1-(minus 5).
PASSING: Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger 23-35-1-221. Chicago, Cutler Ravens coach John Harbaugh their inability to score touchdowns. PASSING: Baltimore, Flacco 17-26-1-190, Clayton 1-1-0-0. San
27-38-0-236. Diego, Rivers 25-45-2-436.
RECEIVING: Pittsburgh, Ward 6-57, Holmes 5-83, Miller 3-27, Moore said the Chargers know how to The Chargers got to the Ravens RECEIVING: Baltimore, Rice 5-46, K.Washington 4-58, Mason
3-15, Wallace 2-13, Spaeth 2-10, Mendenhall 1-13, Parker 1-3. Chi- win games at the end. “I guess Ray 5, 2 and 1 in the first half, and had 3-31, L.McClain 2-16, McGahee 2-10, Clayton 1-20, Heap 1-9. San
cago, Knox 6-70, K.Davis 5-38, Forte 5-33, Hester 4-21, Olsen 3-41, Diego, Sproles 7-124, Jackson 6-141, Gates 5-78, Chambers 2-30,
Bennett 2-22, Peterson 2-11. Lewis knows a little more, he to settle for field goals each time. Bennett 2-3, Floyd 1-45, Naanee 1-8, Manumaleuna 1-7.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Pittsburgh, Reed 38 (WL), 43 (WL). knows a little better,” Harbaugh — The Associated Press MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Cincinnati 31, Green Bay 24
Blitzing Bengals hold off Packers Texans torch Titans with passing game
GREEN BAY—Watching the clock
about to tick down to 0:02, Aaron
Rodgers took the snap, faked a
spike and looked to the end zone.
For a split second, it looked like
the Bengals were about to blow
their second last-minute lead in as
many weeks—and Rodgers was
about to pull off his second late
comeback of the season.
But the Bengals (1-1) were bailed
out by a false-start penalty and
barely salvaged a 31-24 victory over
the Packers at Lambeau Field on
Sunday.
“We didn’t do enough to win the
game last week, and you get what
you deserve,” Bengals coach Marvin
Lewis said. “Today, we were able to
make one or two more plays and win
the football game and that’s what
counts. I think our football team
understands that.”
One week after a gut-wrenching
last-minute loss to Denver on a
deflected pass that went for a touch-
down in their opener, the Bengals
nearly outdid themselves by blow-
ing a 10-point lead in the final min-
ute Sunday.
The Packers (1-1) kicked a late field
goal to cut the lead to a touchdown
and then recovered an onside kick.
“The crowd cheered and I was
like, ‘Come on, now,’ “ Bengals
rookie linebacker Rey Maualuga
said. “It was kind of deja vu all over
again. But with the defense out
there, everyone holding their
ground, we did a great job.”
Rodgers then marched the Pack-
ers to the Cincinnati 10-yard line
with the clock running down, but
Green Bay was called for the false
start to end the game. Packers coach
Mike McCarthy said officials told
ANDY MANIS / AP
Bengals RB Cedric Benson (32) pounded
on the Packers’ defense, carrying 29 times
for 141 yards.
him the call was on wide receiver
Greg Jennings.
“I was surprised by that, to say
the least,” McCarthy said.
The Bengals were cruising to a
win until then, breaking a 21-all tie
when Chad Ochocinco caught a
13-yard TD pass from Carson
Palmer in the third quarter and
delivered on his promise to perform
a “Lambeau leap.”
Ochocinco ran toward the stands
and spotted a small group of fans in
Bengals orange in the front row
near the end zone, then leaped into
them.
“It was fun,” Ochocinco said. “I
had a little indecision on where to
jump at first. I didn’t want to disre-
spect their tradition, so I was ask-
ing as I went along the line. I saw
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 16
Houston 34, Tennessee 31
some Bengals fans that said it was NASHVILLE—Don’t call the Hous- and intercepted him once.
OK.” ton Texans a finesse team. Not Tennessee kept Steve Slaton
Defensive end Antwan Odom after standing toe to toe with the from reaching 100 yards on its
tied a single-game team mark with Tennessee Titans and pulling a defense for a third consecutive
five sacks, three of which came victory out of a slugfest. game, holding him to 34 yards on
after Packers left tackle Chad Clif- Matt Schaub overshadowed 17 carries. But the Titans couldn’t
ton injured his ankle and was Chris Johnson’s career day by get to Schaub enough, and he
carted off early in the third quarter. throwing for four touchdowns to repeatedly found open receivers
Pass protection also was an issue go with 357 yards. downfield.
in the Packers’ Week 1 victory over Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard Schaub threw two touchdowns
Chicago. field goal in the closing minutes, to Andre Johnson and completed
“He’s a good player,” Packers and Houston ruined Tennessee’s 25-of-39 passes as Houston looked
quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. home opener with a 34-31 victory like the offense that was the NFL’s
“But we’ve got to protect better, Sunday. third-best in 2008.
myself included.” Johnson scored three touch- — The Associated Press
— The Associated Press downs and ran for 197 yards.
The Texans spent the past week Houston 7 17 7 3 — 34
Tennessee 14 10 7 0 — 31
Cincinnati 7 14 7 3 — 31 answering questions about their
Green Bay 14 7 0 3 — 24 toughness after being embar- First Quarter
Ten: Johnson 57 run (Bironas kick), 8:31.
First Quarter rassed by the Jets 24-7. Coach Gary WADE PAYNE / AP
Hou: A.Johnson 19 pass from Schaub (K.Brown kick), 2:13.
Cin: Coles 5 pass from C.Palmer (Graham kick), 8:31. Kubiak said the win didn’t answer Ten: Johnson 69 pass from Collins (Bironas kick), 1:19.
GB: Driver 3 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick), 3:23. Texans WR Andre Johnson (80), being tackled Second Quarter
GB: Grant 4 run (Crosby kick), 2:22. any questions about Houston’s by CB Nick Harper, riddled the Titans’ defense Ten: Washington 8 pass from Collins (Bironas kick), 12:00.
Second Quarter Hou: A.Johnson 72 pass from Schaub (K.Brown kick), 11:44.
Cin: C.Palmer 1 run (Graham kick), 10:21.
toughness, though what he liked with 149 receiving yards and two TDs. Hou: Jones 29 pass from Schaub (K.Brown kick), 10:35.
GB: Woodson 37 interception return (Crosby kick), 7:46. best Sunday was how Houston Hou: FG K.Brown 38, 2:13.
Cin: Henry 5 pass from C.Palmer (Graham kick), 1:24. battled back after trailing 21-7 one last chance—until Kerry Col- Ten: FG Bironas 40, :02.
Third Quarter Third Quarter
Cin: Ochocinco 13 pass from C.Palmer (Graham kick), 1:09. early in the second quarter. lins dropped the ball with 1:32 left Ten: Johnson 91 run (Bironas kick), 9:53.
Fourth Quarter “It says a lot about what your and Jeff Zgonina recovered for Hou: Daniels 1 pass from Schaub (K.Brown kick), 1:15.
Cin: FG Graham 40, 1:56. Fourth Quarter
GB: FG Crosby 45, :45. guys stand for,” Kubiak said. Houston. Hou: FG K.Brown 23, 2:55.
A: 70,678. The celebration inside the Tex- That ruined Chris Johnson’s A: 69,143.
Cin GB ans’ locker room easily could be career day. He also had 87 yards Hou Ten
First downs ...............................................19.............................. 22 heard outside before the doors receiving. First downs ...............................................19.............................. 19
Total Net Yards ........................................319............................311 Total Net Yards ........................................420............................449
Rushes-yards ....................................34-151.........................18-89 opened. The game was a shootout with Rushes-yards ......................................29-63.......................26-240
Passing ....................................................168............................222 “It started off ugly, but we talked the score tied four different times— Passing ....................................................357............................209
Punt Returns.......................................5-114.............................0-0 Punt Returns......................................... 3-14...........................4-25
Kickoff Returns...................................... 3-67.........................5-113 last night as a team and we said all and a slugfest with Titans defen- Kickoff Returns...................................... 3-50.........................7-136
Interceptions Ret. ....................................0-0...........................2-59 we have was each other,” Pro Bowl sive tackle Jason Jones ejected for Interceptions Ret. ................................. 1-13.............................0-0
Comp-Att-Int ...................................15-23-2.....................21-39-0 Comp-Att-Int ...................................25-39-0.....................21-33-1
Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 2-17...........................6-39 receiver Andre Johnson said. “No throwing a punch in a sideline Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................0-0.............................1-7
Punts ..................................................4-46.3........................6-43.2 one was giving us a chance to win scrum in the fourth quarter. He Punts ..................................................6-51.8........................5-47.8
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-0.............................2-1 Fumbles-Lost ...........................................3-0.............................3-1
Penalties-Yards .................................13-100.........................11-76 this game.” left to cheers from fans upset with Penalties-Yards ..................................... 6-40...........................8-64
Time of Possession...............................33:48.........................26:12 They also sent the Titans (0-2) the officiating. Time of Possession...............................34:03.........................25:57
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS skidding a different direction after “I was told he went into the INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Cincinnati, Benson 29-141, Scott 2-7, Coles 1-2, C.Palmer starting 10-0 last season. bench swinging, and if he does he RUSHING: Houston, Slaton 17-34, C.Brown 8-25, Schaub 4-4.
2-1. Green Bay, Grant 14-46, Rodgers 4-43. Tennessee, Johnson 16-197, White 6-25, Washington 1-14, Col-
PASSING: Cincinnati, C.Palmer 15-23-2-185. Green Bay, Rodgers “We’ve got some work to do,” should be kicked out and should lins 3-4.
21-39-0-261. Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. be fined substantially if he did it,” PASSING: Houston, Schaub 25-39-0-357. Tennessee, Collins
RECEIVING: Cincinnati, Ochocinco 4-91, Coats 2-26, Leonard 2-17, 21-33-1-216.
Caldwell 2-16, Coles 2-9, Foschi 1-12, J.Johnson 1-9, Henry 1-5. After Brown kicked the go- Fisher said. “I have to find out. I RECEIVING: Houston, A.Johnson 10-149, Daniels 6-72, Dreessen
Green Bay, Driver 6-99, Finley 4-56, D.Lee 4-28, Grant 3-22, J.Jones ahead field goal with 2:55 left, the didn’t see it.” 3-31, Slaton 3-25, Jones 2-73, Anderson 1-7. Tennessee, Johnson
2-24, Havner 1-21, Nelson 1-11. 9-87, Crumpler 4-44, Washington 4-36, Gage 2-27, Britt 2-22.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Green Bay, Crosby 55. defending AFC South champs had Houston sacked Collins once MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Buffalo 33, Tampa Bay 20
T.O.’s show arrives just in time
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.— One moment it
appeared as if Terrell Owens would
be a non-factor in his second game
with the Bills. The next, fans were
celebrating by spilling popcorn all
over Ralph Wilson Stadium.
With the Bills offense needing a
spark, Owens provided it by scor-
ing on a 43-yard touchdown catch
five minutes into the fourth quarter,
helping cap a 33-20 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
With the help of an opportunistic
defensive effort led by safety Donte
Whitner, the Bills put aside the lin-
gering frustrations that followed
last week’s season-opening 25-24
loss to New England in which Buf-
falo squandered an 11-point lead in
the final 2:06. Running back Fred
Jackson added a career-best 163
yards rushing on 28 carries.
Owens didn’t stick around after
the game to talk about it. He’s appar-
ently unhappy with how he was
questioned by some members of the
media when he refused to talk fol-
lowing the loss to the Patriots.
T.O.’s teammates were excited
after seeing Owens’ deep-threat
presence finally pay off—the touch-
down coming after he’d been lim-
ited to two catches for 9 yards and
after the Bills had nearly blown a
17-0 lead of their own.
“I was excited and he was excited,”
quarterback Trent Edwards said. “I
don’t really recall what was said,
but I’m honestly hoping that that
continues to happen. I think that’s
why we have him.”
Edwards showed faith in Owens
by hitting him in stride at the goal
line, a step ahead of cornerback
Aqib Talib.
For Edwards, it was a sign that he
MIKE GROLL / AP
After spending nearly two full games as a
nonfactor, Bills WR Terrell Owens came up big.
is beginning to shed the label of
“Captain Checkdown” he earned
this preseason. Showing he wasn’t
afraid to go deep, Edwards also hit
Lee Evans on a 32-yard touchdown
to open the scoring and finished 21
of 31 for 230 yards with two touch-
downs and an interception.
“It comes down to opportunities.
I think Trent wasn’t afraid to take
any chances,” Evans said. “You
always have to have that threat of
the deep play. I think we put it on
the table today that we would.”
The win ended Buffalo’s five-
game home losing streak, and came
in Owens’ first game at home since
signing a one-year deal in March.
NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 17
San Francisco 23, Seattle 10
‘I ran all day:’
It helped that the Bills capitalized
against a once-respected Bucca-
16 carries, 207
neers defense that continues to give
up deep passes following a 34-21
yards for Gore
loss to Dallas in Week 1.
In two games under rookie head SAN FRANCISCO—Frank Gore kept an
coach Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay eye on the scoreboard as he ran like
has allowed 900 yards of offense, mad, making sure nobody caught
including 438 against Buffalo. him on the way to the end zone.
“They dialed up some things on And it wasn’t even close.
us that we should have stopped but “Yeah, I was looking up there,”
we didn’t,” veteran cornerback Gore said with a grin of his regu-
Ronde Barber said. “Ask the coaches lar practice. “I ran all day.”
that. I’m not willing to make a state- Gore’s spectacular afternoon
ment on that.” single-handedly re-established the
— The Associated Press run game for San Francisco. MARCIO SANCHEZ / AP
Gore had touchdown runs of 79 49ers RB Frank Gore (21) turned in touchdown runs of 79 and 80 yards.
Tampa Bay 0 14 0 6 — 20
Buffalo 17 3 0 13 — 33 and a career-best 80 yards and fin-
ished with 207 yards on 16 carries, before halftime following a hard Seattle 0 10 0 0 — 10
First Quarter San Francisco 10 3 7 3 — 23
Buf: Evans 32 pass from Edwards (Lindell kick), 11:31. and the 49ers beat the Seattle Sea- hit near the goal line by Patrick
Buf: Whitner 76 interception return (Lindell kick), 6:16. hawks 23-10 to take an early hold Willis. Hasselbeck didn’t return First Quarter
Buf: FG Lindell 31, :09. SF: FG Nedney 37, 5:38.
Second Quarter atop the NFC West standings. after completing 10-of-18 passes SF: Gore 79 run (Nedney kick), 2:36.
TB: Winslow 42 pass from Leftwich (Nugent kick), 12:55. “I told myself, ‘I’m not looking for 97 yards and no touchdowns. Second Quarter
Buf: FG Lindell 43, 9:50. Sea: FG Mare 36, 10:04.
TB: Williams 8 pass from Leftwich (Nugent kick), :27. back,’” Gore said. “I told myself: He was taken to a hospital for SF: FG Nedney 42, 2:57.
Fourth Quarter ‘Hey, if they’re going to catch me, X-rays and a CT scan. X-rays were Sea: J.Jones 1 pass from S.Wallace (Mare kick), :22.
Buf: FG Lindell 27, 11:23. Third Quarter
Buf: Owens 43 pass from Edwards (Lindell kick), 9:16. they’re going to catch me. I’m just negative while the CT scan was SF: Gore 80 run (Nedney kick), 14:49.
TB: Stevens 6 pass from Leftwich (pass failed), 5:27. going to look straight ahead.’” inconclusive and Hasselbeck Fourth Quarter
Buf: FG Lindell 20, 1:57. SF: FG Nedney 39, 6:53.
A: 70,318. Gore nearly reached his franchise rejoined his teammates for the A: 69,732.
mark of 212 yards set in 2006 before 2-hour flight home.
TB Buf Sea SF
First downs ...............................................19....................................25 leaving the game in the fourth quar- “It is a rib bruise at this point,” First downs ...............................................19.............................. 16
Total Net Yards ........................................353................................. 438 ter with a sprained right ankle that coach Jim Mora said. “He’s doing Total Net Yards ........................................283............................379
Rushes-yards ......................................19-57............................35-218 Rushes-yards ......................................23-66.......................29-256
Passing ....................................................296................................. 220 wasn’t considered serious. He much better ... he’s feeling much Passing ....................................................217............................123
Punt Returns............................................1-5................................3-31 became only the second player in more comfortable. We believe at Punt Returns......................................... 4-40...........................5-35
Kickoff Returns....................................5-132................................4-71 Kickoff Returns....................................6-112...........................1-20
Interceptions Ret. ................................. 1-25..............................2-103 NFL history to have two TD runs of this point, and it’s very prelimi- Interceptions Ret. ....................................0-0.............................1-0
Comp-Att-Int ...................................26-50-2..........................21-31-1 79 or more yards in the same game, nary, that he’s going to be OK.” Comp-Att-Int ...................................25-41-1.....................19-27-0
Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................2-0................................2-10 Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................1-7...........................4-21
Punts ..................................................6-43.0.............................3-47.3 joining Barry Sanders. Sanders had Gore also posted just the third Punts ..................................................7-52.1........................6-46.8
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................1-0..................................1-1 runs of 80 and 82 yards at Tampa 200-yard rushing game in team Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-0.............................2-0
Penalties-Yards .................................13-112................................7-55 Penalties-Yards ..................................... 6-45...........................6-54
Time of Possession...............................30:27.............................. 29:33 Bay on Oct. 12, 1997. history. His 246 total yards from Time of Possession...............................25:29.........................34:31
“Hey, I’m happy. I didn’t know scrimmage Sunday were a career
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Tampa Bay, Ward 9-32, Graham 2-16, Williams 7-9, that,” Gore said. “We’re 2-0 in our high, topping the 238 he had in RUSHING: Seattle, Forsett 5-35, Hasselbeck 3-12, J.Jones 8-11,
Leftwich 1-0. Buffalo, Jackson 28-163, Edwards 3-24, Owens 1-13, division. We proved to a lot of peo- that ’06 game with the Seahawks. James 2-6, S.Wallace 4-1, Griffith 1-1. San Francisco, Gore 16-207,
Omon 2-9, Parrish 1-9. S.Hill 1-17, Norris 2-16, Coffee 9-13, Spurlock 1-3.
PASSING: Tampa Bay, Leftwich 26-50-2-296. Buffalo, Edwards ple we’re getting better and better.” “I don’t think I’ve ever seen any- PASSING: Seattle, S.Wallace 15-23-1-127, Hasselbeck 10-18-0-
21-31-1-230. Seattle (1-1), coming off a 28-0 thing like that,” quarterback 97. San Francisco, S.Hill 19-26-0-144, Spurlock 0-1-0-0.
RECEIVING: Tampa Bay, Winslow 7-90, Williams 7-56, Stovall 3-80, RECEIVING: Seattle, Forsett 6-57, Carlson 6-46, Houshmandza-
Stevens 3-24, Clayton 2-27, Stroughter 1-10, Ward 1-5, Graham 1-3, season-opening win at St. Louis, Shaun Hill said. “He was deh 4-62, Burleson 4-46, J.Jones 3-(minus 2), Butler 1-15, Griffith
Smith 1-1. Buffalo, Schouman 6-62, Jackson 6-25, Reed 4-46, Owens took a big blow losing quarterback moving.” 1-0. San Francisco, Gore 5-39, Bruce 4-35, Norris 3-17, V.Davis
3-52, Evans 1-32, Nelson 1-13. 2-32, Coffee 2-16, Robinson 2-4, Battle 1-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None. Matt Hasselbeck to a rib injury just — The Associated Press MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Washington 9, St. Louis 7
Sputtering Redskins ‘a little down’ Raiders overcome Russell’s struggles
LANDOVER, MD.—After the final
whistle, after an afternoon with
as many boos as cheers from the
home fans, the Redskins retreated
to a quiet locker room.
Anyone walking in would think
they had lost.
As tight end Chris Cooley put it:
“Everyone was a little down in
here.”
Then special teams coach Danny
Smith spoke up.
“In the middle of Danny Smith’s
speech, he said: ‘Well, we kicked
three damn field goals,’ ” Cooley
said. “And everyone laughed.”
The Redskins narrowly avoided
an unthinkable meltdown Sun-
day, beating the rebuilding Rams
9-7 in a result that leaves serious
doubt whether Washington can
be competitive in the tough NFC
East.
Failing to score a touchdown
against a team with only two vic-
tories since the beginning of last
season was no reason to
celebrate.
“We did what we had to do to
win this game,” center Casey
Rabach said. “You can’t keep on
doing this, that’s for sure.”
Shaun Suisham kicked field
goals of 21, 28 and 23 yards as the
Redskins (1-1) had four drives of
more than 60 yards that faltered
inside the 10. They put the game
away—more or less—with a
78-yard drive that ended on fourth
down at the 2 with less than two
minutes to play, leaving the Rams
(0-2) with too far to go and not
enough time to get there.
But that wasn’t enough to sat-
isfy the fans, who booed even as
the Redskins kicked the field goal
Redskins TE Chris Cooley (47) had seven catches, but couldn’t get to this one in the end zone.
that gave them the lead for good in
the third quarter.
“I understand that they want us
to beat the Rams by 40,” said
Cooley, who led the Redskins with
seven catches for 83 yards. “But
we still won, and if we continue to
win games, that’s great. The boo-
ing was unnecessary.”
The Redskins also took a hit to
their thin offensive line. Right
guard Randy Thomas strained his
right triceps in the first half, an
injury that appears serious.
He will be re-evaluated today,
but his teammates spoke as if he
won’t be playing again anytime
soon.
The Rams, who got one of their
two wins last season in a stunning
victory at Washington, were the
only team in the NFL not to score
last week.
— The Associated Press
NFL
Oakland 13, Kansas City 10
KANSAS CITY—On one of the most
miserable days of his career, JaMa-
rcus Russell got more than a win.
He also put his name in the Raid-
ers’ history book.
Missing high, low and every-
where in-between, the No. 1-overall
pick of the ’07 draft completed only
7-of-24 passes for 109 yards. But
Russell came into focus when he
had to, engineering a 69-yard scor-
ing march in the final two minutes
for a wildly improbable 13-10 vic-
tory over mistake-prone Kansas
City.
The Chiefs outgained the Raiders
409-166 as Russell became just the
second quarterback since the start
of the ’97 season to attempt 20-plus
PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP passes and complete less than 30
percent of them and still win.
And it’s the first time in the Raid-
St. Louis 0 7 0 0 — 7 ers’ 50-year history they’ve
Washington 3 3 3 0 — 9
emerged with a victory after giving
First Quarter up more than 400 yards and gain-
Was: FG Suisham 21, 4:57.
Second Quarter ing fewer than 200.
Was: FG Suisham 28, 7:58. “I felt really good. The ball was
StL: Robinson 2 pass from Bulger (Jo.Brown kick), 3:56.
Third Quarter just coming out different for me,”
Was: FG Suisham 23, 6:27. Russell said. “Other than that, I felt
A: 87,780.
StL Was good.”
First downs ...............................................14....................................21 Russell’s teammates knew it was
Total Net Yards ........................................245................................. 362
Rushes-yards ....................................21-126............................33-125 a fight from start to finish.
Passing ....................................................119................................. 237 “From the first quarter all the
Punt Returns......................................... 2-13................................1-15
Kickoff Returns...................................... 4-55................................2-44 way to the fourth quarter it was a
Interceptions Ret. ....................................0-0..................................0-0 struggle for us, until the last two or
Comp-Att-Int ...................................15-28-0..........................23-36-0
Sacked-Yards Lost ....................................1-6..................................1-5 three minutes left in the game,” said
Punts ..................................................4-43.3.............................2-48.0 Darren McFadden, whose 5-yard
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................2-1..................................2-1
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 6-45................................5-35 touchdown run around left end
Time of Possession...............................25:07.............................. 34:53 with 1:07 left made the difference.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS “It’s probably one of the strangest
RUSHING: St. Louis, Jackson 17-104, Darby 2-13, Bulger 2-9. Wash- wins. But a win is a win.”
ington, Portis 19-79, Campbell 7-28, Betts 4-13, Mason 3-5.
PASSING: St. Louis, Bulger 15-28-0-125. Washington, Campbell Matt Cassel, making his long-
23-35-0-242, Portis 0-1-0-0. awaited Kansas City debut after
RECEIVING: St. Louis, Robinson 6-54, Jackson 4-15, Burton 2-38,
McMichael 2-14, Avery 1-4. Washington, Cooley 7-83, Kelly 4-41, being out a month with a knee
Randle El 4-39, Moss 3-35, Portis 2-9, Betts 1-25, Sellers 1-12, Davis injury, had given the Chiefs (0-2)
1-(minus 2).
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None. the lead with a 29-yard touchdown
Raiders RB Darren McFadden (20) scored the winning touchdown with 1:07 to play.
strike to Dwayne Bowe with 2:38 to
go. Cassel wound up throwing for
241 yards.
Oakland’s victory might not have
seemed so improbable to coach
Todd Haley.
“When you have nine penalties,
two turnovers and a couple other
lapses, you’re not going to win most
of the time,” Haley said. “We didn’t
get the result we wanted. We’re
going to have a smart team here.
Nine penalties and a couple of those
things don’t reflect a smart team.”
While Cassel clearly outplayed
Russell, he did make one mistake
Russell did not. Russell avoided
interceptions while two of Cassel’s
passes wound up in the arms of
Oakland safety Michael Huff.
Russell hit Louis Murphy for 19
yards and connected with Todd
Watkins for 28 on the nine-play
touchdown drive. McFadden took a
pitch and sped untouched around
the right side of the Chiefs defense.
— The Associated Press
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 18
ED ZURGA / AP
Oakland 0 3 3 7 — 13
Kansas City 3 0 0 7 — 10
First Quarter
KC: FG Succop 23, 2:01.
Second Quarter
Oak: FG Janikowski 48, 4:45.
Third Quarter
Oak: FG Janikowski 54, 8:33.
Fourth Quarter
KC: Bowe 29 pass from Cassel (Succop kick), 2:38.
Oak: McFadden 5 run (Janikowski kick), 1:07.
A: 69,169.
Oak KC
First downs ...............................................11.............................. 25
Total Net Yards ........................................166............................409
Rushes-yards ......................................25-67.......................38-173
Passing ......................................................99............................236
Punt Returns............................................2-0...........................6-57
Kickoff Returns...................................... 2-41.............................0-0
Interceptions Ret. ....................................2-8.............................0-0
Comp-Att-Int .....................................7-24-0.....................24-39-2
Sacked-Yards Lost ................................. 2-10.............................2-5
Punts ..................................................7-56.9........................5-43.6
Fumbles-Lost ...........................................1-0.............................1-0
Penalties-Yards ..................................... 7-45...........................9-70
Time of Possession...............................21:21.........................38:39
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Oakland, McFadden 12-35, Bush 9-35, O’Neal 1-0,
Russell 3-(minus 3). Kansas City, L.Johnson 24-78, Cassel 5-34,
Savage 3-26, Battle 5-19, Lawrence 1-16.
PASSING: Oakland, Russell 7-24-0-109. Kansas City, Cassel
24-39-2-241.
RECEIVING: Oakland, Murphy 2-26, McFadden 2-20, Watkins
1-28, Heyward-Bey 1-18, Bush 1-17. Kansas City, Wade 6-72,
Savage 6-43, Bowe 5-56, L.Johnson 3-41, Cox 1-16, Engram 1-12,
Ryan 1-7, Battle 1-(minus 6).
MISSED FIELD GOALS: None.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NFL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 19
Denver 27, Cleveland 6 Standings
AFC
Dumervil’s four sacks highlights defensive effort East
N.Y. Jets
W
2
L
0
T
0
Pct
1.000
PF
40
PA Home Away
16 1-0-0 1-0-0
AFC
2-0-0
NFC
0-0-0
Div
1-0-0
New England 1 1 0 .500 34 40 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-1-0
DENVER—The Denver Broncos didn’t yards and a touchdown, was having Buffalo 1 1 0 .500 57 45 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0
need a miracle finish to beat the Cleve- another ordinary day until he hit Miami 0 1 0 .000 7 19 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
land Browns—just a defense that’s Jabar Gaffney with a 49-yard pass
gone from deplorable to dominant. that led to Peyton Hillis’ 2-yard TD South W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
Pass-rusher Elvis Dumervil tied a run early in the fourth quarter. Indianapolis 1 0 0 1.000 14 12 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
franchise record with four sacks—all That broke open a 13-6 game and Houston 1 1 0 .500 41 55 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
Jacksonville 0 2 0 .000 29 45 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0
in the second half—and linebacker atoned for Hillis’ lost fumble on the Tennessee 0 2 0 .000 41 47 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
Andra Davis had 10 tackles against opening kickoff.
his old team in leading Denver to a Running back Correll Buckhalter North W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
27-6 win Sunday. then broke free for a 45-yard touch- Baltimore 2 0 0 1.000 69 50 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Dumervil also forced a fumble as down rumble that made it 27-6. Pittsburgh 1 1 0 .500 27 27 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
Cincinnati 1 1 0 .500 38 36 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-0-0
the Broncos (2-0) caused three turn- Asked if he was tempted to bench Cleveland 0 2 0 .000 26 61 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
overs and bottled up Brady Quinn. Quinn, who’s been sacked nine times
“Man, that was amazing. You don’t already, in favor of Derek Anderson, West W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div
see a guy get four sacks in one half,” Mangini said: “What I’m looking to Denver 2 0 0 1.000 39 13 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
Davis marveled. “He really turned it do is play better across the board.” San Diego 1 1 0 .500 50 51 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-0-0
Oakland 1 1 0 .500 33 34 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-1-0
on.” — The Associated Press Kansas City 0 2 0 .000 34 51 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
The entire defense did, limiting the
Cleveland 6 0 0 0 — 6
Browns, who have scored just one Denver 7 3 3 14 — 27 NFC
touchdown in their last 33 quarters, East W L T Pct PF PA Home Away NFC AFC Div
First Quarter
to 200 yards of offense, just 56 of that Cle: FG Dawson 22, 12:22. N.Y. Giants 2 0 0 1.000 56 48 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-0 2-0-0
on the ground. Den: Scheffler 2 pass from Orton (Prater kick), 8:03. Dallas 1 1 0 .500 65 54 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
Cle: FG Dawson 47, 1:49. Philadelphia 1 1 0 .500 60 58 0-1-0 1-0-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
The Broncos, who beat Cincinnati Second Quarter
last week on Brandon Stokley’s Den: FG Prater 23, 11:42.
Washington 1 1 0 .500 26 30 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
Third Quarter
87-yard touchdown catch with 11 sec- Den: FG Prater 38, 10:39. South W L T Pct PF PA Home Away NFC AFC Div
onds left, are unbeaten under new Fourth Quarter
Atlanta 2 0 0 1.000 47 27 2-0-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
Den: Hillis 2 run (Prater kick), 12:18.
coach Josh McDaniels, who worked Den: Buckhalter 45 run (Prater kick), 8:24. New Orleans 2 0 0 1.000 93 49 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-0 0-0-0
with Browns coach Eric Mangini in A: 73,931. Carolina 0 2 0 .000 30 66 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
New England. Mangini’s new team is Tampa Bay 0 2 0 .000 41 67 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-0-0
Cle Den
0-2. First downs ..................................................11................................. 25 North W L T Pct PF PA Home Away NFC AFC Div
Total Net Yards ...........................................200...............................449
Despite appearances, Dumervil Rushes-yards .........................................21-54......................... 37-186 Minnesota 2 0 0 1.000 61 33 0-0-0 2-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0 1-0-0
said he’s still a work in progress in the Passing .......................................................146...............................263 Green Bay 1 1 0 .500 45 46 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-0-0
Punt Returns............................................ 2-24..............................3-10
Broncos’ new 3-4 scheme. JACK DEMPSEY / AP
Kickoff Returns......................................... 3-60..............................2-46
Chicago 1 1 0 .500 32 35 1-0-0 0-1-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0
“Yeah, I guess I’m a linebacker Denver’s Elvis Dumervil reached Cleveland QB Brady Quinn in the backfield four times. Interceptions Ret. .......................................0-0................................1-3 Detroit 0 2 0 .000 40 72 0-1-0 0-1-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
Comp-Att-Int ......................................18-31-1........................19-37-0
now,” he said. “It’s fun, though. I get Sacked-Yards Lost .................................... 4-15................................0-0 West W L T Pct PF PA Home Away NFC AFC Div
to play linebacker and I still get to do “You are reaching for him but he “I’ve been going through it all my Punts .....................................................6-45.3...........................2-54.5
Fumbles-Lost ..............................................2-2................................1-1 San Francisco 2 0 0 1.000 43 26 1-0-0 1-0-0 2-0-0 0-0-0 2-0-0
what I love—rush the passer. I’ve can get his hands on you first and he’s life,” Dumervil said. “It’s easy for me. Penalties-Yards ........................................ 4-43..............................5-50 Seattle 1 1 0 .500 38 23 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 0-0-0 1-1-0
found my niche. ... It makes me a com- got leverage and he can get under- I have instant leverage, I guess.” Time of Possession..................................27:16............................32:44 Arizona 1 1 0 .500 47 37 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0 1-0-0 0-1-0
plete player.” neath you and just push you back to Quinn finished 18 of 31 for 161 yards St. Louis 0 2 0 .000 7 37 0-0-0 0-2-0 0-2-0 0-0-0 0-1-0
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Dumervil said he has a long way to the quarterback,” McDaniels said. and an interception on his final toss. RUSHING: Cleveland, Lewis 14-38, Harrison 3-8, Quinn 3-4, Cribbs
go to feel comfortable in the 3-4, but “His skills set is pretty much alone in “They’re tough,” Quinn said. 1-4. Denver, Buckhalter 9-76, Moreno 17-75, Jordan 7-19, Marshall Schedule
1-14, Hillis 1-2, Orton 2-0.
it’s proving the perfect fit for this this league.” “Across the board they have a lot of PASSING: Cleveland, Quinn 18-31-1-161. Denver, Orton 19-37-0- Today’s game San Francisco at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Miami at San Diego, 4:15 p.m.
263. Indianapolis at Miami, 8:30 p.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 1 p.m. Denver at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.
unorthodox player who has long arms So, Dumervil often finds himself talent. Schematically, they do a good RECEIVING: Cleveland, Edwards 6-92, Cribbs 5-22, Harrison 4-24, Sunday, Sept. 27 Atlanta at New England, 1 p.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 4:15 p.m.
for a man who stands just 5-11, as Pro standing over a crumpled quarter- job game-planning.” Royal 1-13, Lewis 1-8, Furrey 1-2. Denver, Stokley 5-70, Gaffney 3-82, Washington at Detroit, 1 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Indianapolis at Arizona, 8:20 p.m.
Bowl tackle Joe Thomas saw over and back with a big lineman sprawled out Denver quarterback Kyle Orton, Marshall 3-34, Royal 3-20, Moreno 2-22, Buckhalter 1-30, Graham Tennessee at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. Kansas City at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28
1-3, Scheffler 1-2. Green Bay at St. Louis, 1 p.m. Chicago at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. Carolina at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
over Sunday. behind him. who completed 19-of-37 passes for 263 MISSED FIELD GOALS: Denver, Prater 39 (WL), 37 (WL). Cleveland at Baltimore, 1 p.m. New Orleans at Buffalo, 4:05 p.m.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
INDIANAPOLIS AT MIAMI Tonight, 8:30 ET (ESPN)
White, Dolphins hope to untame Wildcat
MIAMI—Pat White never pinch-hit in
high school because he was always in the
starting lineup.
Drafted by the Angels, Reds and Yan-
kees, White eventually decided to focus on
football instead of baseball, and now he
has a pinch-hitting role with the Miami
Dolphins.
The rookie quarterback came off the bench
three times in the season opener, taking one
snap each time with the Dolphins looking for
a home run. The latest wrinkle in the Dol-
phins’ innovative offense failed to generate
points, and Miami will need to be more pro-
ductive tonight to keep up with Indianapolis
and Peyton Manning.
“With our offense, there’s a lot of big-
play potential,” White said.
It went unrealized in the first game, a
19-7 loss at Atlanta. The offense was a flop
even though the Dolphins dipped into
their expanding bag of tricks, which
includes the Wildcat package that revital-
ized the franchise last year as Miami made
an improbable run to the playoffs.
The formation takes advantage of the Dol-
phins’ depth at running back by getting Ron-
nie Brown, Ricky Williams and Patrick
Cobbs on the field at the same time.
“They like getting their athletes out
there to make guys miss,” Colts defensive
end Dwight Freeney said. “You’ve got to
account for everybody.”
The Wildcat’s popularity rapidly spread
in the NFL last season, but the Indy defense
never faced a significant test from the for-
mation. And now Miami has a new wrin-
kle with the addition of White, the former
West Virginia star who set an NCAA
record for rushing yardage by a
quarterback.
At Atlanta, White served as a triggerman
in the Spread offense, a cousin of the Wildcat.
While his three plays netted 1 yard—an aver-
age of 12 inches per snap—his potential in the
role was evident when the Falcons’ defense,
In three attempts, Miami QB Pat White (6) had just one yard in the Wildcat offense last week.
worried about White’s running, allowed
receiver Ted Ginn Jr. to slip two steps behind
the secondary.
White overthrew Ginn by 5 yards.
“We had a chance,” Sparano said.
“I missed a wide open receiver,” White
said. “You can’t get it back. You’ve got to
work on making it better.”
Sparano said White’s role is challenging
because he’s coming off the bench cold—
like a pinch hitter. Throwing on the side-
line might tip the defense about what’s
coming, but White said he found other
ways to prepare.
“You stay moving and try to keep a sweat
going,” he said. “I’m staying loose, staying
warm and ready any time they call on
me.”
White will hardly be the best-known
Dolphins newcomer at the team’s home
opener. Expected to attend are Serena and
Venus Williams, Marc Anthony, Jennifer
Lopez, Jimmy Buffett, and Emilio and Glo-
ria Estefan, who have all forged partner-
ships with owner Stephen Ross since he
NFL
J PAT CARTER / AP
completed his purchase of the franchise in
January.
Some of the VIPs will make their pregame
arrival on a new celebrity orange carpet with
Hollywood trappings, and Buffett is expected
to perform for tailgaters.
Once the game begins, it’s not certain
White will be active—he’s actually No. 3
on the depth chart behind starter Chad
Pennington and heir apparent Chad
Henne. But the Dolphins are eager to give
White more opportunities after his limited
trial at Atlanta.
“There were some things we were try-
ing to get to, but the bottom line is we
didn’t for some reason or another,”
Sparano said.
The Dolphins are desperate for more offen-
sive fireworks, which is why they embraced
the Wildcat last year. While the base offense
often found itself forced to grind out long
drives, the Wildcat—with direct snaps to
running back Brown—produced scores of
62, 53, 51 and 44 yards.
“When we introduced it,” Sparano said,
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 20
The line: Indianapolis by 3 (O/U 42)
INJURY REPORT
Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins—
COLTS: DNP: WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee), CB Tim Jennings
(not injury related), G Jamey Richard (shoulder), S Bob Sanders
(knee), TE Tom Santi (ankle). FULL: T Charlie Johnson (back),
CB Jamie Silva (abdomen). DOLPHINS: FULL: LB Akin Ayodele
(back).
“there were a lot of people mocking it. Now I
think there are a lot of people trying to run it.
I find that kind of interesting.”
By the end of last season, more than a
dozen teams had tried the Wildcat, but
with three-time NFL MVP Manning at
quarterback, the Colts have yet to use it.
And their defense wasn’t tested by it last
year, in part because opponents had so
much success running against Indy, they
didn’t need trickery.
The Colts did face the Wildcat last week,
stuffing running back Maurice Jones-
Drew after he took the snap on a two-point
conversion try in a 14-12 victory over
Jacksonville.
“There’s not too much difference from
defending regular running plays, because
there are only so many things they can do out
of it,” defensive tackle Ed Johnson said.
Some doubt the Wildcat’s staying power,
but the Dolphins’ decision to take White in
the second round of the draft suggests
they’re committed to keeping the spread
offense in their playbook. White wasn’t
widely projected as a top NFL prospect in
a traditional quarterback role, and his
throws were often erratic during training
camp.
But he passes better than Brown, creating
pressure on the defense in new ways.
“Pat’s a dynamic threat that we’re very
fortunate to have,” receiver Davone Bess
said. “He can hurt you running the ball or
throwing it.”
The NFL’s an ongoing chess match, and
the Dolphins enjoyed a clear advantage
when they first unveiled the Wildcat last
year, scoring four touchdowns from the for-
mation to upset New England 38-13.
— The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
AFC
INSIDE DISH
Baltimore Ravens — Mike Preston
Starting CB Fabian Washington
left the game with a concussion
in the second half, and the
Ravens don’t know how serious the injury
might be. They replaced Washington with
Frank Walker, who knocked down a potential
winning touchdown pass by Chargers QB
Philip Rivers late in the fourth quarter. Losing
Washington would be a serious blow. The
secondary hasn’t played well, and the
Ravens gave up 436 passing yards in the
win at San Diego. The bigger Chargers
receivers outmuscled the Ravens’ smaller
cornerbacks. With Walker in the lineup as
the starter opposite Domonique Foxworth, the
nickel job would fall to rookie Lardarius Webb
because nickel CB Samari Rolle will be out
four more weeks with a neck injury. The
Ravens will spend a lot of time this week
looking over the Chargers game film and
might have to play more two-deep coverage
in the secondary. The Ravens gave up
receptions of 81, 38, 37 and 45 yards against
San Diego.
Buffalo Bills — Allen Wilson
RT Brad Butler suffered what
looks like a significant right knee
injury during the Bills’ win over
Tampa Bay. Butler went down in pass pro-
tection when a Bucs defensive lineman
rolled into the back of his legs. Butler, who
started the last two years at right guard,
was moved to right tackle, his natural posi-
tion, during the offseason. It is a setback for
a young line that has played just two games
together. Butler was replaced by Jonathan
Scott, a journeyman who signed with the
team late last year. He has good size and
long arms but is limited athletically and
will have trouble against fast pass rushers.
It is possible the Bills could go with veteran
Kirk Chambers, who was the team’s No. 3
tackle the previous two years. He’s not a
great athlete and is vulnerable in pass pro-
tection but is smart and uses good tech-
nique. … Starting TE Derek Schouman suffered
a right knee injury, but it doesn’t appear to
be as serious as Butler’s. Initial exams did
not reveal a torn ligament, but Schouman
could still miss some time. Behind Schou-
man are talented but inexperienced Derek
Fine and Shawn Nelson.
Cincinnati Bengals — Chick Ludwig
Despite the offensive fireworks
from QB Carson Palmer, RB Cedric
Benson and WR Chad Ochocinco, a
mistake-filled road victory over the Pack-
ers wouldn’t have been accomplished with-
out RE Antwan Odom and PR Quan Cosby.
Odom’s five-sack performance, which tied
Eddie Edwards’ club record set in 1980, can be
credited to his offseason workout regimen
and good health. Odom bulked up 15
pounds to 280, and his increased strength
helped him overpower Packers LTs Chad Clif-
ton and Daryn Colledge. Odom is difficult to
block one-on-one because he gets good sep-
aration with his long arms and quick hands
and has great closing speed. His seven sacks
lead the NFL. Cosby had five punt returns
for a 22-yard average, and his 60 yarder set
up a 1-yard TD run by Palmer. Cosby is far
from the swiftest player on the team, but his
quickness, vision and change-of-direction
ability lead to productive returns.
Cleveland Browns — Steve Doerschuk
Brady Quinn had a miserable sec-
ond start in Sunday’s embar-
rassing loss at Denver, raising
doubt as to whether coach Eric Mangini picked
the right quarterback as his starter. Quinn
seemed skittish against a Denver pass rush
that gained steam as the day wore on. He
still seemed determined after the game, but
that counts for only so much with a fran-
chise whose offense has produced one
touchdown in the last eight games. Quinn’s
opportunities were limited, but he didn’t
take advantage when a few arose, such as
hurrying a third-and-goal pass on the first
NFL
Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker (11) scored from 18 yards out on this play; Sims-Walker’s role could be expanding.
series and throwing high to WR Mike Furrey
on a play that would have put the Browns in
the red zone on a key series in the fourth
quarter. Quinn dropped back 35 times, pro-
ducing just 161 yards and taking four sacks.
There are no signs Mangini is on the verge
of switching to Derek Anderson, but Mangini
never shows his hand on such matters.
Denver Broncos — Lee Rasizer
The Broncos have exceeded
early expectations, particularly
on defense. After finishing 29th
last season in yards allowed and 30th in
points allowed, the Broncos have yielded
one touchdown and 13 points during the
2-0 start. A key reason has been the experi-
enced players who were added in the off-
season, especially in the secondary. FS Brian
Dawkins, SS Renaldo Hill, CB Andre Goodman,
OLB Mario Haggan and ILB Andra Davis have 46
years of experience combined. So even
though the team is using a new 3-4 scheme,
it hasn’t been hurt by the mental errors
characteristic of teams with such big
JOHN RAOUX / AP
changes. The group has played with a
swarming mentality and done a good job of
tackling, a significant problem during the
2008 meltdown.
Houston Texans — John McClain
The Texans beat the Titans but
lost LG Chester Pitts, who has
started every game in franchise
history, a streak of 114 games. Pitts suffered
a sprained right MCL in the second quarter
and said he could be out 3-4 weeks and
maybe more depending on the results of an
MRI. Kasey Studdard, a three-year veteran,
replaced Pitts and performed admirably.
Because Pitts missed camp and the first two
preseason games because of a knee injury,
Studdard got a lot of playing time. He
doesn’t have Pitts’ athleticism, but Stud-
dard has the kind of nastiness that assistant
head coach/offense Alex Gibbs likes up front.
The Texans were able pull off the second-
largest come-from-behind victory in team
history, and Studdard played a key role. He
didn’t allow a sack in a game in which Matt
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 21
Schaub was 25 of 39 for 357 yards and four
touchdowns, with no interceptions.
Indianapolis Colts — Mike Chappell
It will be interesting to see how
quickly WR Hank Baskett can con-
tribute to the passing game. The
former Eagle was signed to help fill the void
created by the loss of WR Anthony Gonzalez,
who is expected to miss at least a month
after spraining a ligament in his right knee.
The team considered signing Taj Smith off the
practice squad but opted for experience.
Baskett has three years of experience and
outstanding size (6-4, 220). What he lacks,
of course, is experience in the Colts’ system.
Manning stayed after practice the last few
days of the week to get Baskett up to speed
so he might contribute tonight at Miami. It
will be critical for Baskett to know his
responsibilities because the Colts’ passing
game is all about timing and receivers being
where they’re supposed to be. Until Baskett
has a full grasp of the offense, Pierre Garcon
and rookie Austin Collie will be the main com-
plements to star Reggie Wayne.
Jacksonville Jaguars — Michael C. Wright
No. 2 WR Troy Williamson sus-
tained a sprained right shoulder
in the loss to the Cardinals, but
it’s unknown whether he will be out a sig-
nificant stretch of time. Williamson is the
team’s fastest receiver and most dynamic
deep threat. If he’s forced to miss time, the
Jags will replace him with WR Mike Sims-
Walker. Sims-Walker was originally the No.
2 receiver before an ankle injury forced him
out of the first three weeks of the preseason.
Though Williamson is faster, Sims-Walker
is a more polished route runner and has
more consistent hands. Williamson will
undergo and MRI today. Depending on the
significance of the sprain, the club will
likely activate rookie WR Mike Thomas next
week at Houston. Thomas is a slot receiver
whose strength is running after the catch.
… Rookie CB Derek Cox suffered a concussion
in the first half but was able to return in the
second half. Cox should be fine to play
Sunday.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
AFC
INSIDE DISH
Kansas City Chiefs — Adam Teicher
Dantrell Savage is a curious choice
to be the featured back in crunch
time. Savage inherited the
role from Jamaal Charles, who was inactive
Sunday. Savage (5-8, 182) is more reliable
than Charles, who is prone to mental
mistakes, but Savage’s size is a problem.
He is a willing pass blocker but can be
overwhelmed by bigger defenders. He also
is a hard runner but can be taken down
in the open field. Savage lacks Charles’
breakaway speed. His inexperience
showed late in the first half of Sunday’s loss
to Oakland. The Chiefs had the ball at the
Oakland 9 with 14 seconds but were out of
timeouts, meaning a receiver had to either
catch the ball in the end zone or be certain
he could get out of bounds. Savage caught a
pass in the flat but was tackled in-bounds,
and the Chiefs were unable to get a field
goal. The Chiefs take Larry Johnson out of the
game in most obvious passing situations
because he’s a liability as a pass blocker.
Miami Dolphins — Jeff Darlington
Outside of a back injury that
caused starting ILB Akin Ayodele
to sit out of Saturday’s practice
(he’s questionable for today’s game against
Indianapolis), the Dolphins are healthy.
Still, Ayodele’s absence could put some
strain on a position with little depth. It could
be especially critical since ILB Channing
Crowder will be tied down with difficult
coverage responsibilities, considering Colts
QB Peyton Manning is likely to target TE Dallas
Clark quite often over the middle. Regardless
of whether Ayodele plays, Crowder will
need a lot of help from SS Yeremiah Bell, who
will have to deal with another elite tight end
after facing Tony Gonzalez in Atlanta. Next
week, it doesn’t get any easier, since Miami
Chiefs RB Dantrell Savage (29) was counted on in crunch time, but failed to get out of bounds in the final seconds and cost his team a chance at a game-tying field goal.
will travel to San Diego, where Antonio Gates
awaits.
New England Patriots — Ian R. Rapoport
QB Tom Brady finished the game
by misfiring high and wide to
WR Joey Galloway on fourth down.
It was New England’s final chance to mount
a comeback in the 16-9 loss to the Jets. In
his second game back from knee surgery,
it was like that all game. For all you heard
about the Jets tenacious ‘D’, Brady wasn’t
sacked one time. He was just uneven and
inconsistent. The ’07 league MVP completed
only 23-of-47 passes for 216 yards with one
interception. There were times when Brady
stepped into throws, but just as often he
appeared unsettled and rattled. Sure, he’s
still getting used to playing again. And he
didn’t have Wes Welker (knee). But he must
find Randy Moss for more than four receptions
for 24 yards. And Galloway must contribute
more than 53 receiving yards. Perhaps a
renewed commitment to the run would
help loosen up defenses. But mostly, Brady
must accelerate his acclimation process.
NFL
New York Jets — J.P. Pelzman
Yes, the Jets have benefited in
each game by an injury to the
opponent’s complementary
receiver. In the opener, it was Houston’s Kevin
Walter. On Sunday, it was New England’s
Wes Welker. Their absences allowed the Jets
to pay even more attention to elite receivers
Andre Johnson and Randy Moss. Moss had only
four receptions for 24 yards as the Jets
forced aging Joey Galloway and untested Julian
Edelman, Welker’s replacement. CB Darrelle
Revis had Moss man-to-man much of the
time, although the Jets obviously rolled
coverages toward Moss. Still, Revis’ ability
as a lockdown corner enables the Jets to
take more blitz chances, confident in his
ability to prevent big plays. New England
had only one completion of more than 29
yards against the Jets.
Oakland Raiders — Steve Corkran
LG Robert Gallery is expected
to miss at least a month with
a broken left fibula sustained
Sunday. Gallery hurt his leg earlier in
CHARLIE RIEDEL / AP
the game but felt it break on a crack-back
block with a little more than two minutes
left. C Chris Morris replaced Gallery at
guard, with backup C Samson Satele taking
over for Morris. Gallery’s injury is a huge
blow on several fronts. He is their best
offensive lineman, and Morris had played
well at center. Morris earned the job, in
part, because Satele struggled during
camp and exhibition games. So, now the
Raiders are forced to play Satele. The
Raiders likely will run more to the right
side in Gallery’s absence and possibly
rely upon their passing game more than
desired. Gallery likely will miss at least
four or five games.
Pittsburgh Steelers — Gerry Dulac
The Steelers could have more
problems in their secondary if
SS Tyrone Carter doesn’t respond
from a left thigh injury sustained in the
second quarter Sunday. Carter finished
the game but was unable to run well and
blamed himself for not calling a timeout
before the play on which he was beat for the
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 22
tying touchdown in man-to-man coverage.
Carter is the replacement for Pro Bowl
SS Troy Polamalu, who is expected to miss
at least two more games with a sprained
knee. The Bears appeared to attack Carter,
too, completing eight passes to tight ends
in the middle of the field, several for long
gains. If Carter is unable to play, backup
FS Ryan Mundy, an ’08 seventh-round pick,
would move over. Mundy is faster and
more athletic than Carter but doesn’t play
as well near the line of scrimmage in run
support.
San Diego Chargers — Kevin Acee
The Chargers will bring in
free-agent DT Alfonso Boone
today and could sign him to
shore up a thin and young defensive
line. As for Boone, he never has played
in a 3-4 defense but played in Chicago
for defensive coordinator Ron Rivera and
line coach Don Johnson . ... The Chargers’
biggest concern is on the offensive line,
where injuries have created a void that
left QB Philip Rivers battered and bruised
Sunday. The Chargers likely will be
without C Nick Hardwick another week,
though RG Louis Vasquez probably will
return this week vs. Miami. ... OLB
Shawne Merriman did not play in the
final series with a groin strain, but it is
not considered serious. His groin has
bothered him off and on all summer.
Tennessee Titans — Jim Wyatt
Members the defense had their
egos battered and bruised
Sunday by allowing 420 yards
to Houston. ... Titans P Craig Hentrich’s
availability for upcoming games is in doubt
after sustaining a calf injury in the second
half. Hentrich had to leave the game and
afterward was barely able to walk in the
locker room. K Rob Bironas punted in the
fourth quarter with his lone attempt going
40 yards. Hentrich is not expected to play
any time soon, but it’s unclear if his injury
will end his season. The Titans could turn
to A.J. Trapasso, who punted for the Titans
during the preseason.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
NFC
INSIDE DISH
Arizona Cardinals — Kent Somers
QB Kurt Warner aggravated a
shoulder stinger injury, but he’s
expected to be ready to play
Sunday night against the Colts. Warner
suffered the injury in the opener, and it
caused his right hand to go numb for a
short time. He took a hit early in the win at
Jacksonville but continued to play. The
injury didn’t seem to affect him as Warner
completed 24-of-26 passes, setting an NFL
record for completion percentage (92.3).
RT Levi Brown suffered an ankle injury in
the first half, but X-rays were negative and
Brown returned to the game. The Cardi-
nals have activated just seven linemen in
the first two games, so a couple of injuries
there could be devastating. FS Antrel Rolle
suffered a left knee injury but never left
the game. He said afterward the knee was
sore and stiff.
Atlanta Falcons — D. Orlando Ledbetter
Rookie DT Peria Jerry left the
game in the fourth quarter
with what appeared to be a left
knee injury. He was assisted from the
field by trainers and left the field in a cart,
but the team did not announce the extent
of the injury. It was his third injury since
being taken with the 24th overall pick.
He suffered a right knee injury in mini-
camp and a rib/chest injury in Week 1. If
he is out for an extended period of time,
Thomas Johnson and Trey Lewis will get shots
at nose tackle. Reserve DE Chauncey Davis
also got some snaps at tackle against Car-
olina. Johnson and Davis have been
sturdy inside but have not shown Jerry’s
explosiveness. Lewis appeared to be a
real comer in 2007 but was inactive for
the first two games. Practice squad player
Vance Walker, a seventh-round pick, is
NFL
DAVE MARTIN / AP
Louis Leonard’s departure from Carolina’s loss to Atlanta means more problems for the Panthers’ defensive line.
another option to provide depth. in FB Tony Fiammetta and LB James Anderson. …
The defense sprung leaks against the Fal-
Carolina Panthers — Darin Gantt cons. QB Matt Ryan, who was not sacked and
Not only did the Panthers drop barely pressured, completed 21-of-27 passes
to 0-2 with a loss at Atlanta, but for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Fran-
they also were hit with some chise RE Julius Peppers produced two tackles
injuries they couldn’t really afford. The and no pressures.
worst was sustained by DT Louis Leonard,
who left on crutches with a left ankle prob- Chicago Bears — Gene Chamberlain
lem. He was forced into the lineup at the The Bears badly needed
team’s thinnest position because starter Nick another wideout to step up and
Hayden (toe) didn’t dress for the game. That become a threat for Jay Cutler, and
left the Panthers threadbare at defensive they seem to have found him in rookie Johnny
tackle, with just veteran Damione Lewis and Knox. In the win over Pittsburgh, Knox
recent wavier pickuk Ra’Shon Harris to finish caught six passes for 70 yards, including a
the game. FB Brad Hoover had to leave the 7-yard scorig pass that tied the game at 14.
game after his back “locked up” on him In Week 1, he had a 68-yard catch. With
while SLB Na’il Diggs left with sore ribs. They defenses focusing on the Bears’ tight ends,
have decent if inexperienced replacements Cutler has had to find other targets and
Knox has stepped up. The addition of
another threat to complement Devin Hester
and Earl Bennett could free up TE Greg Olsen.
Knox has 4.3 speed, so the Bears have the
ability to go deep on both sides of the field—
with Hester and the rookie. … The Bears
lost RE Alex Brown to a left ankle sprain in
the fourth quarter. He was hobbled after
the game but said he thought he would be
fine. The Bears are deep at end, and if they
lose Brown for a few games, Mark Anderson
can step in as a starter.
Dallas Cowboys — Jean-Jacques Taylor
QB Tony Romo had one of his
worst days as a pro, completing
just 13-of-29 passes for 129 yards
and three interceptions. It would be different
if the Giants’ defensive line dominated the
game, but the Cowboys rushed for 251 yards
and Romo wasn’t sacked. He just played
poorly, which kept the Giants in the game.
New York scored 20 points off turnovers in
the Cowboys 33-31 loss to New York. Romo
sprained his foot in the win over Tampa Bay
last week, but it didn’t appear to affect his
mobility. This season is supposed to be all
about Romo after the Cowboys released WR
Terrell Owens and vowed to make the offense
more Romo-friendly. Last week, he struggled
in the first half but put together a strong sec-
ond half on his way to a career-high 353
yards. But he was erratic all game, and
blamed himself for the loss afterward.
Detroit Lions — Tom Kowalski
LB Ernie Sims, who was second
on the team in tackles with nine
and recovered a fumble in Sun-
day’s loss to Minnesota, suffered a shoulder
injury in the second half that appeared to be
fairly serious. Sims, who will have an MRI,
had to be helped off the field. Undersized at
6-0, 230 pounds, Sims has a history of
shoulder problems but has played through
most of them. If Sims is gone for several
weeks, second-year player Jordon Dizon would
likely step into his starting spot. Dizon
already plays in the nickel defense, so the
Lions would probably use ILB Larry Foote
more in those packages. Dizon is a solid
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 23
tackler but is also undersized at 6-0, 232
pounds and isn’t a big-time hitter like Sims.
Detroit’s front seven, which played
extremely well against Adrian Peterson, would
lose some muscle without Sims, but Dizon
is good in sideline-to-sideline pursuit.
Green Bay Packers — Tom Silverstein
LT Chad Clifton left the game in
the third quarter with an ankle
sprain and did not return. The
already shaky line got worse almost immedi-
ately in the loss to Cincinnati. LG Daryn
Colledge, who had missed time in practice with
a foot sprain, had to take over and gave up
four sacks to Odom. Though X-rays were
negative on Clifton’s ankle, the fact he was
carted off suggest the injury is serious and he
will miss some time. The loss of Clifton
exposes a void G.M. Ted Thompson left at left
tackle. Clifton had surgeries on both knees
and both shoulders during the offseason, and
it’s not surprising he was inured. Colledge is
an average left tackle at best and needs to stay
at left guard. The only other option on the
roster is rookie Jamon Meredith, but he’s not
ready to play. Colledge will have to continue
to prepare to play left tackle and may have to
hold down the spot as the club plays on the
road in domes the next two weeks.
Minnesota Vikings — Rick Alonzo
In the win at Detroit, there was
a dearth of deep balls in the pass-
ing attack. QB Brett Favre didn’t
take any deep shots downfield until a cou-
ple of throws in the third quarter. Favre
said the Lions’ pass defense was set up to
guard against big plays, which forced more
underneath throws. Favre was sacked three
times and was under pressure through
much of the game. The Lions blitzed a lot,
which was expected, and Favre’s longest
completion was a 13-yard pass to WR Sidney
Rice after Favre changed the play at the line.
Favre was efficient, completing 23-of-27
passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns,
with a passer rating of 115.3. But there
hasn’t been much pizzazz in the passing
game so far, and part of the problem has
been inconsistency in pass protection.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
NFC
INSIDE DISH
New Orleans Saints — Mike Triplett
RB Mike Bell could miss the next
few weeks with a right knee
injury he suffered in the fourth
quarter of the victory at Philadelphia. The
Saints said they’re waiting for an MRI
today, but early indications were that Bell
suffered a sprained MCL—the same injury
that had sidelined RB Pierre Thomas until
Sunday. Typically, MCL sprains sideline
players 3-4 weeks. Thomas, meanwhile,
said he’s ready to take on a feature role if
needed next week at Buffalo. He missed
nearly four weeks with his MCL sprain, but
he got back on the field briefly Sunday,
serving as the up-back on kickoff returns
and playing tailback for one series. He
caught one swing pass for a 4-yard loss but
didn’t carry the ball. He said he felt good,
but his bulky knee brace will take some
getting used to. He might not be quite full
speed until after the Saints’ Week 5 bye.
New York Giants — Paul Schwartz
The Giants played the second
half of their victory at Dallas
without DE Justin Tuck (shoulder).
Tuck was injured after being tripped by
Dallas LT Flozell Adams in the second quarter
and spent the second half on the sideline
with a sling on his left arm. The Giants
expected to have a deep defensive line, but
they’ve already lost DT Jay Alford for the sea-
son and DT Chris Canty missed Sunday’s
game with a strained calf muscle. … It didn’t
take long for the Giants to sustain another
injury to their receiving unit. Already with-
out rookie Hakeem Nicks (foot), they lost
starter Domenik Hixon to a sprained right knee
in the first quarter. As a result, they used
second-year player Mario Manningham in a
feature role, and he delivered a career game,
with 10 catches for 150 yards and a TD. The
While Philadelphia may have lost to New Orleans, the Eagles got a good look at the future in QB Kevin Kolb.
severity of Hixon’s injury was not known
immediately after the game, but losing any
time will hurt because Nicks will miss at
least one more game.
Philadelphia Eagles — Geoff Mosher
In the loss to New Orleans, the
Eagles discovered they have a
legitimate young backup quar-
terback in Kevin Kolb and probably won’t
need to retain Jeff Garcia now that Michael Vick
has completed his two-game suspension.
Kolb, replacing Donovan McNabb (rib), passed
for 391 yards and two touchdowns in his
debut. He also threw three interceptions—
two of which led to Saints TDs—but only
one came before the game was out of reach.
Kolb showed poise, command and leader-
ship and generally handled New Orleans’
pressure well. … Coach Andy Reid said there’s
no need to panic, but RB Brian Westbrook
sprained his right ankle during the game,
NFL
MEL EVANS / AP
the same ankle that underwent surgery in
the offseason. It’s not a high ankle sprain,
which would be much more severe, but
Westbrook’s track record of injuries makes
it somewhat worrisome.
St. Louis Rams — Jim Thomas
Pending the results of MRIs
today, the Rams could lose both
of their big offseason line pick-
ups the next couple of weeks because of
knee injuries. In the loss at Washington,
rookie RT Jason Smith, the second overall
pick in the draft, missed the second half
with a cartilage injury in his knee. The
extent of the injury was uncertain, but if
Smith needs surgery, he could miss a
month. Meanwhile, C Jason Brown missed
part of the first half with a knee injury; the
team thinks is an MCL problem. Although
Brown finished the game, he was in pain
afterwards and could miss a couple of
weeks pending the results of his MRI. Adam
Goldberg, a smart, solid player, would replace
Smith at right tackle. Mark Setterstrom, a
guard by trade, would take over at center.
Setterstrom is an aggressive, effective
blocker but has been slowed by injuries the
past two years.
San Francisco 49ers — Matt Barrows
RB Frank Gore had a career-long
79-yard run in the first half of
the win over Seattle, then topped
that with an 80-yarder on the first play of
the second half. Gore, however, gained only
one yard after that play and left the game in
the fourth quarter with a right ankle sprain.
Ankle injuries have slowed Gore in each of
the past two seasons, but he insisted that
this one is nothing to worry about. He even
jogged in place behind the postgame lectern
to convince reporters. Gore said he dedi-
cated his offseason to recapturing his form
of ’06, when he set a franchise record in
rushing. Gore said the countergap play the
49ers used on the first long run was virtu-
ally the same play that was so successful in
’06 when Norv Turner was offensive coordi-
nator. Turner and current coordinator
Jimmy Raye have worked together in the past,
and their offenses are similar.
Seattle Seahawks — Danny O’Neil
Starting QB Matt Hasselbeck suf-
fered what was described as a rib
bruise in the final minute of the
first half when he was hit in the back by
49ers LB Patrick Willis. Seneca Wallace replaced
Hasselbeck, and though he was more accu-
rate than usual—completing 15-of-23
passes—Wallace was not able to sustain
drives. The Seahawks were shut out in the
second half. Preliminary tests indicated
Hasselbeck did not have any fractures. …
MLB Lofa Tatupu left the game after the first
series with the hamstring injury that con-
tinues to bother him and probably will miss
a couple of weeks. That would be a serious
blow to the defense, which allowed two long
TD runs by Frank Gore after Tatupu left the
game. Second-year pro David Hawthorne, pri-
marily a special teams player, replaced
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 24
Tatupu. LT Sean Locklear and CB Josh Wilson
left the game with ankle injuries. Perennial
Pro Bowler Walter Jones (knee) is expected
back at left tackle next week. Kelly Jennings is
Wilson’s replacement at left corner.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Roy Cummings
The transition to Jim Bates’
defense is moving along a lot
slower than anyone on the team
expected. The team was victimized by sev-
eral big plays in the passing game in Week
1, and the run defense was blown up during
Sunday’s loss to the Bills. After giving up
218 yards rushing against Buffalo, the
defense has allowed 339 yards on 59 carries
(5.7 yards per carry). The Bucs blame the
problems against the run on poor tackling,
but you have to wonder if the personnel is a
good fit in Bates’ scheme. The problem
seems to be up front. Generally, the Bucs
are devoting only seven player to stopping
the run, but that’s not working. At times,
the team has moved an eighth defender into
the box, but opponents have exploited that
tactic by throwing deep. The problems have
to be corrected quickly because this is
already beginning to look like a lost season.
Washington Redskins — John Keim
RG Randy Thomas will undergo
an MRI today to determine
whether his right triceps injury
is a tear or a bad strain. Thomas missed
most of the ’07 season with a torn left tri-
ceps. When players left the locker room,
they anticipated the worst and feared
Thomas was lost for the season. If that’s the
case, it will be a crippling blow to a line that
has little depth; none of the backups played
in a game last season. Will Montgomery
replaced Thomas Sunday and was ade-
quate, but he worked more at center this
summer. G Chad Rinehart has been inactive
for 15 of the first 18 games of his career since
being drafted in the third round in ’08.
Rinehart is not an athletic guard and strug-
gles blocking in space, something Thomas
does well. Thomas’ experience is viewed as
crucial, especially paired next to inexperi-
enced RT Stephon Heyer.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football

WHAT WE LEARNED Sporting News Today’s Dave Curtis analyzes

what Sunday’s buzz means to college football.

ND’s missing D
Receiver Michael Floyd is done
for the season, and something’s
wrong with Jimmy Clausen’s right
foot. But the real problems Notre
Dame must confront in the coming
days all involve defense. The Irish
rank in the bottom half of the coun-
try in every major defensive statis-
tic. Their 63rd-best scoring defense
is especially alarming, given that
ND started the season by shutting
out Nevada.
The struggles aren’t a huge sur-
prise; any team where a true fresh-
man is anointed a likely starting
linebacker before he hits campus,
as ND’s Manti Te’o was, needs help
stopping people. And coach Char-
lie Weis said Sunday he hopes that
help comes from a return to the
basics.
“Sometimes, we miss the obvi-
ous,” Weis said Sunday. “And the MICHAEL CONROY / AP
obvious in this case is just a heavy After an impressive start, Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd’s season is over.
stressing of fundamentals.”
So expect a rough week of prac- Five different players, including Thanksgiving. Vanderbilt, ranked
tice for the ND defense. And look receivers Tavarres King and and bowl-bound last fall, has scored
for a sounder, better tackling group Michael Moore, have caught at 12 points in its two SEC games.
when the Irish take the field Satur- least one of Joe Cox’s eight touch- Northwestern almost lost to Eastern
day night at Purdue. down passes. And don’t lose sight Michigan, then did lose at Syracuse.
of Cox, who has overcome the ill- Rice, a nine-win team in 2008,
Georgia’s surprising O ness that hampered him in the ranks last in the nation in scoring
Georgia scored 10 points in the opener and learned to manage a defense through three games.
opener at Oklahoma State, and the cranky shoulder. Duke eventually might beat Vir-
Bulldogs looked like a team that Ten offensive scores in two SEC ginia again this year, but coach
would rely on defense to win in games is good stuff, especially for a David Cutcliffe isn’t pleased. As he
2009. So what’s with the combined team that lost last year’s top quarter- began a teleconference Sunday
93 points the last two Saturdays back and running back to the NFL evening, he joked about a message
against South Carolina and and its starting left tackle to injury. he received before going on the call.
Arkansas? “They said if I had any quality
“Not so much in league play, I Back to class problems, I should press star-zero,”
didn’t think that would happen,” Around this time a year ago, col- he said, alluding to his team’s play.
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. lege football buzzed about the suc- “I need to press star-zero.”
And then Richt pointed to the cess of Division I-A’s top academic Each team looks a little short on
emergence of several young skill institutions. The optimism is absent talent for this season, meaning
players as reasons for the offensive this fall, and there’s not much rea- 2009 likely won’t mark a second
bump. son to think it will return before straight Year of the Eggheads.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football: Legends Poll MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 26
Legends Poll
Presented by Sporting News
School Points Record
Gators a unanimous No. 1, for now
1. Florida (17) 425 3-0
2. Texas 403 3-0 BY JEFF D’ALESSIO “It’s very, very cloudy,” former Cincinnati, 3-0 after snapping
3. Alabama 393 3-0 jdalessio@sportingnews.com Auburn coach Pat Dye added. Oregon State’s 26-game noncon-
4. Penn State 368 3-0 Here’s what else the Legends ference home winning streak. “I
5. Cal 337 3-0 Florida is No. 1 in the first were talking about Sunday: like their quarterback,” Dye said
6. Mississippi 327 2-0
Legends Poll of 2009. Whether USC vs. Cal. A unanimous of Tony Pike (332 yards, 2 TDs).
7. LSU 317 3-0
8. USC 287 2-1
Tim Tebow & Co. are tops in top-five preseason pick, the Slocum went with No. 12
9. Boise State 273 3-0 their own conference, the Trojans debut in the Legends Miami, which kicked off the
10. Ohio State 270 2-1 coaching greats aren’t so sure. Poll at No. 8 after Saturday’s season with ACC wins over
11. Oklahoma 267 2-1 “If I’m Florida,” former Ohio 16-13 stunner at Washington. Florida State and Georgia Tech.
12. Miami 221 2-0 State coach John Cooper said, Washington—a team that went “I think they’ll be pretty good
13. Virginia Tech 212 2-1 “I’m looking over my shoulder at 0-12 a year ago. “They beat Ohio before the year is over,” he said.
14. TCU 209 2-0
Alabama.” State, then lost to a mediocre The ’Canes. Don’t get too
15. Cincinnati 159 3-0
16. Kansas 133 3-0
Despite a so-so effort in Washington team,” a stumped excited, UM fans. The Legends
17. North Carolina 124 3-0 Saturday’s 23-13 win over R.C. Slocum said. are high on QB Jacory Harris
18. Oklahoma State 123 2-1 Tennessee, the Gators picked up Slocum still thinks the (656 yards, 5 TDs) but most
19. Florida State 118 2-1 all 17 first-place votes from the Trojans are the team to beat in don’t buy ESPN analyst Kirk
20. Georgia 115 2-1 Legends panel, which includes 11 the Pac-10. John Ralston, who Herbstreit’s claim that Miami is
21. Michigan 99 3-0 College Football Hall of Famers. coached nine years in the league a top-five team. Not yet, anyway.
22. Houston 98 2-0
The debate came at No. 2, at Stanford, thinks that distinc- Cooper: “They are one year
23. BYU 53 2-1
24. Nebraska 37 2-1
where 3-0 Texas edged the 3-0 tion might now belong to Cal away yet. But they’re getting
25. Utah 34 2-1 Crimson Tide. All but three after a weekend win at Minne- their swagger back.”
Also receiving votes: Georgia Tech 21, Notre Dame 21,
voters had a 1-2-3 that included sota pushed their record to 3-0. Slocum: “I’m not sure they’re
Pitt 15, Texas Tech 15, Iowa 14, Oregon 11, Missouri 10, the Gators, Longhorns and Tide; Surprise, surprise. Cooper’s quite there yet, but they’re
Washington 9, Clemson 3, West Virginia 2, Arkansas 1, LaVell Edwards, Dick MacPher- biggest Saturday surprise: No. certainly on the right track to
South Florida 1.
son and George Welsh put Penn 19 Florida State, which thumped getting back to the Miami of old.”
State No. 3 on their ballots. BYU, 54-28, in Provo. “Speed Dye: “They could be a top-10
JOHN RAOUX / AP
The Nittany Lions were fourth. kills,” he said. team if the quarterback stays
More polls, Page 27 Tim Tebow and Florida will take their show on the road the next two weeks—to Kentucky, then LSU. Cal rounded out the top five. Dye cast his vote for No. 15 healthy.”

Coaches’ corner The Legends

Every weekend, 17 former coaching
Robinson’s ballot Robinson on ... Cooper’s ballot Cooper on ... greats watch games, break down
1. Florida Whether Michigan can 1. Florida Cal RB Jahvid Best: tape, then cast their votes in college
football’s most unique Top 25. The
2. Texas run the table: “There is a 2. Alabama “He’s a smaller version of panel includes 11 members of the
3. Alabama chance. Michigan is starting 3. Texas LaDainian Tomlinson. He College Football Hall of Fame and
4. Mississippi to get that wheeling and 4. Cal has that burst of speed.” six national champs. On Mondays,
5. Penn State dealing look West Virginia 5. Miami The Big East’s team to only in Sporting News Today, we’ll
share with you their insights and the
John Robinson John Cooper 6. Cal had with Rich Rodriguez.” 6. Mississippi beat: “Cincinnati. Tony Pike results of the Legends Poll.
7. LSU Georgia Tech’s slumping 7. Penn State is an impressive quarterback. MORE LEGENDS
Every Monday, we’ll feature two Legends 8. Boise State offense : “They need better 8. LSU Going to Oregon State and They blog. They take your questions. Log
Poll voters’ ballots and quick takes. on to the Legends Channel for more.
9. Miami passing. They’re too one- 9. Boise State winning shows they’ve got a
legendschannel.com
Featured today: John Robinson (USC) and 10. USC dimensional now.” 10. Oklahoma good team.”
John Cooper (Ohio State).
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 27
POLLS Week 4 schedule
Thursday
Washington enters poll for first time since 2003 SOUTH
Mississippi at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

Friday
Top 25
Thursday
EAST No. 5 Mississippi at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
NEW YORK—USC dropped nine The Seminoles moved back into the Brown at Harvard, 7 p.m.
Saturday
spots and out of the top 10 in The rankings at No. 18. FAR WEST No. 1 Florida at Kentucky, 6 p.m.
Associated Press college football The rest of the top 10 was Califor- Missouri at Nevada, 9 p.m. No. 2 Texas vs. Texas El-Paso, 3:30 p.m.
poll Sunday, and Washington nia at No. 6, followed by LSU, Boise No. 3 Alabama vs. Arkansas, 3:30 p.m.
Saturday No. 5 Penn State vs. Iowa, 8 p.m.
moved into the rankings for the first State, Miami and Oklahoma. Rhode Island at Connecticut, Noon
Dartmouth at New Hampshire, Noon No. 6 California at Oregon, 3:30 p.m.
time in six years. The Hurricanes made the biggest Bryant at Robert Morris, Noon No. 7 LSU at Mississippi State, 12:20 p.m.
A day after the Huskies upset the jump of the ranked teams from last Buffalo at Temple, Noon No. 8 Boise State at Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
Cornell at Yale, Noon
Trojans 16-13 on a late field goal, week, moving up 11 spots after a Cent. Connecticut St. at Columbia, 12:30 No. 9 Miami at No. 11 Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.
USC fell from No. 3 to No. 12 in the 33-17 victory against Georgia Tech. p.m. No. 12 USC vs. Washington State, 10:15 p.m.
Princeton at Lehigh, 12:30 p.m. No. 13 Ohio State vs. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.
media poll. The Trojans became the The loss knocked the Yellow Jackets Marist at Bucknell, 1 p.m. No. 14 Cincinnati vs. Fresno State, noon
second preseason top five team to out of the rankings. Utah also St. Francis, Pa. at Wagner, 1 p.m.
No. 15 TCU at Clemson, 3:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Boston College, 2 p.m.
lose in the first three weeks of the dropped out after a loss. Howard at Georgetown, D.C., 2 p.m. No. 16 Oklahoma State vs.Grambling State, 7 p.m.
season. Preseason No. 3 Oklahoma Miami is in the top 10 for first W. Kentucky at Navy, 3:30 p.m. No. 17 Houston vs. Texas Tech, 9:15 p.m.
Northeastern at Villanova, 3:30 p.m. No. 18 Florida State vs. South Florida, noon
lost its opener to BYU. time since the final regular-season Sacred Heart at Albany, N.Y., 4 p.m.
Washington, ranked for the first poll of the 2005 season. The Hurri- Fordham at Colgate, 6 p.m. No. 19 BYU vs. Colorado State, 6 p.m.
Penn at Lafayette, 6 p.m. No. 20 Kansas vs. Southern Miss, noon
time since Sept. 28, 2003, is No. 24. canes play at No. 11 Virginia Tech Stony Brook at Massachusetts, 6 p.m. No. 21 Georgia vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m.
“We said early on that it wasn’t on Saturday in a huge ACC game. DREW PERINE / AP Maine at Syracuse, 7 p.m. No. 22 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, noon
Iowa at Penn St., 8 p.m.
going to take us very long,” first- — The Associated Press Steve Sarkisian has Washington ranked for the first time in six seasons. No. 23 Michigan vs. Indiana, noon
year Washington coach Steve Sarki- SOUTH No. 24 Washington at Stanford, 9 p.m.
South Florida at Florida St., Noon No. 25 Nebraska vs. Louisiana Lafayette, 7 p.m.
sian told reporters on Saturday. “I North Carolina at Georgia Tech, Noon
think maybe some people outside The Associated Press USA Today / Coaches Sporting News LSU at Mississippi St., 12:20 p.m.
Record Pts Pvs Record Pts Rk Record Pvs TCU at Clemson, 1 p.m.
our own little domain thought that 1. Florida (55) 3-0 1,488 1 1. Florida (59) 3-0 1,475 1 1. Florida 3-0 1 Marshall at Memphis, 1 p.m.
2. Texas (2) 3-0 1,428 2 2. Texas 3-0 1,412 2 James Madison at Liberty, 7 p.m. Northwestern St. at Baylor, 7 p.m.
that was just press conference- 2. Alabama 3-0 4 Butler at Morehead St., 1 p.m. Alcorn St. at Southern U., 7 p.m. Glenville St. at Cent. Arkansas, 7 p.m.
3. Alabama (3) 3-0 1,390 4 3. Alabama 3-0 1,355 4 3. Texas 3-0 3 North Greenville at Charleston Southern,
speak.” 4. Mississippi 2-0 1,213 5 4. Penn State 3-0 1,274 5 1:30 p.m.
SE Missouri at Tenn.-Martin, 7 p.m. Middle Tennessee at North Texas, 7 p.m.
4. California 3-0 5 Ohio at Tennessee, 7 p.m. Grambling St. at Oklahoma St., 7 p.m.
It was only a week ago that USC, 5. Penn State 3-0 1,212 5 5. Mississippi 2-0 1,182 6 5. LSU 3-0 7 Georgia Southern at Elon, 1:30 p.m. Presbyterian at The Citadel, 7 p.m. North Dakota at Stephen F.Austin, 7 p.m.
6. California 3-0 1,169 8 6. California 3-0 1,149 t7 Arkansas at Alabama, 3:30 p.m.
behind freshman quarterback Matt 6. Mississippi 2-0 6 Samford at Appalachian St., 3:30 p.m.
Delaware at William & Mary, 7 p.m. UAB at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
7. LSU 3-0 1,120 9 7. LSU 3-0 1,122 t7 7. Virginia Tech 2-1 11 E. Kentucky at Murray St., 8 p.m. Texas Southern at Texas St., 7 p.m.
Barkley, was coming off a dramatic 8. Boise State 3-0 1,038 10 8. Boise State 3-0 976 10
UCF at East Carolina, 3:30 p.m. Sam Houston St. at Tulsa, 7 p.m.
8. Penn State 3-0 10 Rutgers at Maryland, 3:30 p.m.
comeback victory against Ohio 9. Miami 2-0 920 20 9. Oklahoma 2-1 917 12 9. Boise State 3-0 13 Pittsburgh at N.C. State, 3:30 p.m.
MIDWEST Vanderbilt at Rice, 8 p.m.
10. Oklahoma 2-1 862 12 10. USC 2-1 905 3 Fresno St. at Cincinnati, Noon Texas Tech at Houston, 9:15 p.m.
State. Barkley did not play against 10. Cincinnati 3-0 15 VMI at Richmond, 3:30 p.m. Southern Miss. at Kansas, Noon
11. Virginia Tech 2-1 852 13 11. Ohio State 2-1 900 11 11. USC 2-1 2 Florida A&M vs. Tennessee St. at Atlanta,
Washington because of a sore 12. USC 2-1 825 3 12. Virginia Tech 2-1 853 14 3:30 p.m.
Indiana at Michigan, Noon FAR WEST
12. Ohio State 2-1 12 Minnesota at Northwestern, Noon San Diego St. at Air Force, 2 p.m.
shoulder. 13. Ohio State 2-1 810 11 13. Miami 2-0 724 22 13. Miami 2-0 17 McNeese St. at Tulane, 3:30 p.m. Michigan St. at Wisconsin, Noon UNLV at Wyoming, 3 p.m.
14. Cincinnati 3-0 739 17 14. TCU 2-0 701 15 Miami at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.
No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Texas have 14. BYU 2-1 9 Ark.-Pine Bluff at Alabama A&M, 4 p.m.
Youngstown St. at Indiana St., 12:05 p.m. California at Oregon, 3:30 p.m.
15. TCU 2-0 674 15 15. Cincinnati 3-0 580 21 15. Oklahoma 2-1 14 Duquesne at Dayton, 1 p.m. Montana St. at N. Colorado, 3:35 p.m.
held firm to their spots all season. 16. Oklahoma St. 2-1 478 16 16. Oklahoma State 2-1 576 17
Savannah St. at Concordia-Selma, 4 p.m. N. Iowa at Missouri St., 2 p.m. Weber St. at Portland St., 4:05 p.m.
16. Nebraska 2-1 — Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic, 4
No. 3 Alabama and No. 4 Missis- 17. Houston 2-0 455 21 17. Georgia 2-1 457 20 17. Georgia 2-1 16 p.m.
Carthage at Valparaiso, 2 p.m. Cent. Washington at Idaho St., 5:35 p.m.
18. Florida State 2-1 363 — 18. North Carolina 3-0 445 19 Tennessee Tech at Kansas St., 2:10 p.m. Colorado St. at BYU, 6 p.m.
sippi moved up one spot in the latest 18. TCU 2-0 20 Towson at Morgan St., 4 p.m. Akron at Cent. Michigan, 3:30 p.m. Montana at N. Arizona, 6:05 p.m.
19. BYU 2-1 349 7 19. Kansas 3-0 381 23 19. Kansas 3-0 22 Jacksonville St. at Nicholls St., 4 p.m.
poll, giving the Southeastern Con- 20. Kansas 3-0 347 22 20. BYU 2-1 279 9 Bethune-Cookman at Norfolk St., 4 p.m.
Idaho at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m. Arizona at Oregon St., 7:30 p.m.
20. Houston 2-0 18 Illinois at Ohio St., 3:30 p.m. Louisville at Utah, 7:30 p.m.
ference three of the top four teams 21. Georgia 2-1 318 23 21. Missouri 3-0 214 25 21. North Carolina 3-0 21 Alabama St. vs. MVSU at Chicago, 5 p.m. SE Louisiana at South Dakota, 5:05 p.m. Cal Poly at San Jose St., 8 p.m.
22. North Carolina 3-0 271 24 22. Michigan 3-0 205 — Wofford at Chattanooga, 6 p.m.
in the nation. Penn State remained 22. Michigan 3-0 24 Delaware St. at Hampton, 6 p.m.
Boise St. at Bowling Green, 7 p.m. S. Utah at Utah St., 8 p.m.
23. Michigan 3-0 247 25 23. Houston 2-0 160 — 23. Georgia Tech 2-1 8 Army at Iowa St., 7 p.m. Washington at Stanford, 9 p.m.
No. 5. 24. Washington 2-1 194 — 24. Nebraska 2-1 158 18
Florida at Kentucky, 6 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Kent St., 7 p.m. W. Oregon at UC Davis, 9 p.m.
24. Oklahoma State 2-1 19 Monmouth, N.J. at Old Dominion, 6 p.m.
Florida received 55 of 60 first- 25. Nebraska 2-1 132 19 25. Florida State 2-1 154 — 25. Oregon 2-1 — Winston-Salem at S. Carolina St., 6 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette at Nebraska, 7 p.m. E. Washington at Sacramento St., 9:05 p.m.
N. Dakota St. at S. Illinois, 7 p.m. New Mexico St. at New Mexico, 10 p.m.
place votes. Texas had two and Ala- Furman at W. Carolina, 6 p.m. Hofstra at W. Michigan, 7 p.m. Washington St. at Southern Cal, 10:15 p.m.
Dropped out: Georgia Tech (14), Utah (18). Ball St. at Auburn, 7 p.m.
bama received three. Dropped out: Georgia Tech (13), Utah (16), Oregon State (24). Dropped out: Utah (23), Oregon State (25) S. Dakota St. at Illinois St., 8 p.m.
Others receiving votes: Missouri 115, Georgia Tech 102, E. Illinois at Austin Peay, 7 p.m.
Auburn 100, Pitt 91, UCLA 62, Iowa 39, Oregon 30, Texas Tech 19, Others receiving votes: Georgia Tech 148, Pitt 68, Utah 63, Notre Dame at Purdue, 8 p.m.
BYU dropped the farthest this Auburn 6, Iowa 58, Washington 42, Notre Dame 38, UCLA 38,
N. Carolina A&T at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.
Notre Dame 16, Utah 12, Clemson 11, Colorado State 4, Oregon N.C. Central at Duke, 7 p.m.
week, from seventh to 19th after a St. 4, South Florida 1. Oregon 34, Texas Tech 22, Kentucky 16, South Florida 12, South Toledo at Fla. International, 7 p.m.
SOUTHWEST
Carolina 7, Oregon State 6, Colorado State 4, Wisconsin 2, Min- UTEP at Texas, 3:30 p.m.
54-28 home loss to Florida State. nesota 1. Conference standings, Page 30 Arizona St. at Georgia, 7 p.m. Troy at Arkansas St., 4:30 p.m.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 28
PLAY OF THE DAY NCAA statistical leaders
‘I just knew he was going to throw it to me’ INDIVIDUAL
Rushing Yards Per Game
Car Yds Avg Yds Pg
TEAM
Total Offense
Plays Yds Yds Pg
Washington fans will recall Erik Mathews,Fres 49 447 9.1 149.0 Texas A&M 175 1179 589.5
Bolden,Purdue 62 421 6.8 140.3 Arkansas 134 1076 538.0
Folk’s game-winning field goal as the Best,Cal 53 412 7.8 137.3 Kansas 226 1613 537.7
memorable play in Saturday’s 16-13 Turbin,UtahSt 26 269 10.3 134.5 Florida 205 1610 536.7
Grigsby,Ariz 49 400 8.2 133.3 Houston 153 1050 525.0
upset of USC. But the ball got into in Lewis,Pitt 67 398 5.9 132.7 Cincinnati 219 1550 516.7
kicking range only after QB Jake Locker Helu,Neb 58 381 6.6 127.0 Hawaii 186 1546 515.3
Webb,UAB 57 367 6.4 122.3 Auburn 236 1545 515.0
hit WR Jermaine Kearse for the biggest Tate,Aub 59 349 5.9 116.3 Alabama 218 1537 512.3 Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews
19-yard completion of the season. Two Hardesty,Tenn 64 345 5.4 115.0 Fresno St. 211 1486 495.3
Rushing Defense
Huskies shared details of that pass play Passer Rating Rushing Offense Car Yds Yds Pg
with Sporting News Today’s Dave Curtis. Att Cp Yds Tds Pts Car Yds Yd Pg Oklahoma 101 122 40.7
Mallett,Ark 61 38 717 6 193.5 Air Force 206 1033 344.3 Alabama 83 126 42.0
Clausen,NDame 91 62 951 9 188.6 Florida 123 868 289.3 TCU 57 87 43.5
THE HUDDLE Harris,MiaFla 59 41 656 5 184.1 Michigan 127 812 270.7 Penn St. 88 139 46.3
Keenum,Hou 76 55 725 7 180.3 Fresno St. 130 809 269.7 Southern California 94 153 51.0
UW attacked the entire final drive, even Alexander,Hawai 116 78 1234 9 178.8 Alabama 136 803 267.7 Southern Miss. 97 155 51.7
after it began with a 12-yard loss on a sack. Riley,Cal 71 46 698 5 170.6 Auburn 152 791 263.7 North Carolina 85 157 52.3
So with 41 seconds remaining and the ball Tebow,Fla 58 39 540 5 170.4 Army 163 773 257.7 Kansas 78 173 57.7
Moore,Boise 80 53 685 8 168.7 Arizona 118 759 253.0 Texas 87 180 60.0
at the USC’ 35-yard-line—the brink of Wilson,N.C.St 80 53 647 8 167.2 Arkansas St. 91 501 250.5 California 93 190 63.3
Folk’s range—the Huskies weren’t sur- Grothe,SoFla 59 43 512 5 167.0 California 126 751 250.3
prised to hear another pass call. Passing Defense
Receiving Yards Per Game Passing Offense Att Cp Yds Tds Pts
The mood was confident —Locker and Gms Ct Yds YdsPg Att Cp Yds Yds Pg Arizona St. 43 19 168 2 64.45
Kearse hooked up for 21 yards on a third- Salas,Hawaii 3 20 479 159.67 Texas Tech 173 120 1333 444.3 Clemson 80 30 349 3 66.52
and-15 earlier in the drive—and light, with Brown,SDSt 3 24 424 141.33 Arkansas 80 51 855 427.5 South Fla. 67 32 253 0 73.51
Decker,Minn 3 27 415 138.33 Hawaii 117 79 1270 423.3 Boston College 79 43 270 1 77.19
Kearse teasing other receivers about their Sanders,SMU 3 35 392 130.67 Houston 90 64 813 406.5 Florida 92 47 387 0 77.73
drops earlier in the game. Null,Hawaii 3 18 381 127.00 Cincinnati 120 84 1079 359.7 Eastern Mich. 46 23 234 0 79.69
“Coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian) talked Wright,Ark 2 10 247 123.50 Texas A&M 84 53 683 341.5 UCLA 106 52 530 2 82.19
ELAINE THOMPSON / AP Floyd,NDame 3 13 358 119.33 BYU 106 75 1015 338.3 Boise St. 96 51 464 1 82.58
about staying relaxed all week,” Kearse Williams,Syr 3 23 357 119.00 Miami (FL) 59 41 656 328.0 Ohio 70 33 325 3 83.14
said. “So we tried to do that. Treat it like Washington QB Jake Locker (10) celebrated with WR Jermaine Kearse after the pivotal 19-yard pass. White,MichSt 3 22 342 114.00 SMU 149 91 979 326.3 Mississippi 70 38 350 0 84.86
any other game.” Barnes,BGreen 3 42 336 112.00 Notre Dame 96 66 972 324.0
Scoring Defense
THE PLAY “Jermaine made the adjustment,” Scoring Scoring Offense G Pts Avg
THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE Locker took a seven-step drop and saw Nussmeier said, “and just a great job by TD XP FG Pts PtPg G Pts Avg Oklahoma 3 14 4.7
The Huskies lined up with three receiv- USC linebacker Michael Morgan, one of Jake to create something.” Best,Cal 9 0 0 54 18.00 Houston 2 100 50.0 Penn St. 3 20 6.7
Spann,NIll 7 0 0 42 14.00 California 3 146 48.7 South Fla. 3 20 6.7
ers, including Kearse in the right slot, and five Trojans to rush on the play, collapse Broyles,Okla 7 0 0 42 14.00 Mississippi 2 97 48.5 Florida 3 22 7.3
Locker under center. Washington needed 6 the pocket from the middle. As Locker THE AFTERMATH Jackson,Clem 0 8 11 41 13.67 Cincinnati 3 145 48.3 Arizona St. 2 17 8.5
yards for a first down, but offensive rolled right to escape, Kearse, expected to Kearse went out of bounds at the USC 16, Gilyard,Cin 6 0 0 36 12.00 Florida 3 141 47.0 Kansas 3 26 8.7
Williams,VaTech 6 0 0 36 12.00 South Fla. 3 134 44.7 Nebraska 3 28 9.3
coordinator Doug Nussmeier said the play, run a seam route between the hash marks, and a roughing the passer call on Spicer Lewis,Pitt 6 0 0 36 12.00 Texas 3 134 44.7 North Carolina St. 3 28 9.3
like many on the winning drives, featured peeled off his route and mimicked Locker’s pushed the ball to the 8. Polk ran for 4 yards, Sharp,Kansas 6 0 0 36 12.00 Arkansas 2 89 44.5 Mississippi 2 20 10.0
vertical routes. He anticipated and got a move toward the Huskies’ sideline. and UW called its final timeout with seven Tiffin,Ala 0 11 8 35 11.67 Arizona St. 2 88 44.0 Boston College 3 32 10.7
Forbath,UCLA 0 6 9 33 11.00 TCU 2 86 43.0
one-high safety look from USC—and the “Then it was like we made eye contact ticks left. Folk booted the 22-yarder, jump- Turnover Margin
safety wasn’t All-American Taylor Mays, through our facemasks,” Kearse said. “It starting a Seattle celebration. Kearse, who All-Purpose Runners Total Defense Gained Lost
who sat out with a knee injury. was amazing. I just knew he was going to called the catch “top two” for his career (his Rush Rec PR KOR Yds YdsPg Plays Yds Yd Pg Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Mar
Smith,Md 51 273 0 423 747 249.00 Arizona St. 103 299 149.5 Arizona St. 2 6 8 0 0 0 4.00
The play call, Nussmeier said, was throw to me.” first TD grab, last year vs. BYU, is Saturday’s Spiller,Clem 176 71 182 201 630 210.00 North Carolina St. 167 505 168.3 Auburn 2 8 10 2 1 3 2.33
Sluggo Special. With USC’s Averell Spicer bearing competition), said he had 40 text messages Cooper,MiaFla 124 56 0 238 418 209.00 Alabama 164 556 185.3 Colorado St. 5 5 10 0 3 3 2.33
“We liked the protection,” said Nuss- down, a sprinting Locker launched a line waiting when he retrieved his cell phone. Johnson,Tulsa 82 181 120 237 620 206.67 Boston College 198 563 187.6 Air Force 6 3 9 2 0 2 2.33
Michael,TexA&M 187 35 0 170 392 196.00 Tennessee 168 592 197.3 Cincinnati 1 7 8 0 2 2 2.00
meier, whose call featured a tight end on drive that covered 33 yards in the air. “It was a great moment,” said Kearse, who Guy,Louv 4 81 35 270 390 195.00 North Carolina 181 596 198.6 Houston 6 1 7 2 1 3 2.00
the left and back Chris Polk to help block if Kearse snagged it and tapped both feet finished with three catches for 70 yards. “It’s a Brown,SDSt 0 424 28 123 575 191.67 Penn St. 171 637 212.3 California 4 3 7 1 0 1 2.00
necessary. “And we thought we could inbounds in front of safety Drew big win; it should tell people we’re getting West,WMich 168 39 17 340 564 188.00 TCU 114 426 213.0 Texas A&M 4 0 4 0 0 0 2.00
Locke,Ky 133 47 0 191 371 185.50 Oklahoma 202 670 223.3 Louisville 3 4 7 1 3 4 1.50
make a play down the field.” McAllister. Washington football back where it should be.” Bolden,Purdue 421 127 0 0 548 182.67 Louisville 113 447 223.5 Mississippi 4 4 8 3 2 5 1.50
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
South Florida takes big hit with QB Grothe done for season
South Florida senior QB Matt
Grothe will miss the rest of the sea-
son with a torn ACL in his left
knee.
Grothe was injured in the second
quarter of Saturday’s 59-0 win over
Charleston Southern. He had
started 41 consecutive games for
the Bulls and is the Big East confer-
ence career leader in total offense
with 10,875 yards.
“Obviously, I am disappointed
because you never think this could
happen to you,” Grothe said in a
statement released by the school on
Sunday. “It’s a team game and I am
still going to be very involved with
my teammates and the coaches.”
Redshirt freshmen B.J. Daniels will
replace Grothe for Saturday’s game
at No. 18 Florida State.
“That’s a shame,” Florida State
coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday
during his teleconference. “I’ve
been watching him for the past two
years. He’s one of the best I’ve
seen.”
Notre Dame likely will be with-
out WR Michael Floyd for the rest of
the regular season, and QB Jimmy
Clausen might not be 100 percent for
Saturday’s game at Purdue.
Floyd, who currently leads the
team with 358 receiving yards and
five touchdown catches, had sur-
gery Sunday for a broken left collar-
bone. Coach Charlie Weis told
reporters he hasn’t been told how
long Floyd will be out, but he
expects to be without him the rest
of the way.
Weis said Floyd, injured in Sat-
urday’s win over Michigan State,
might be available for a bowl game
Matt Grothe tore the ACL in his left knee in Saturday’s win over Charleston Southern.
“if we chose to go in that direction.”
Clausen injured his right foot Sat-
urday when he was sacked in the
College Football
INSIDE DISH
and an arch injury. Clausen will
undergo an MRI “so we know
exactly what we have there,” Weis
said.
“Might he be hobbled some? We’ll
have to wait and see,” Weis said.
“But Jimmy’s a tough guy, and
unless there’s a serious injury, he’s
going to do all he can to play.”
Clausen is second in the nation in
pass efficiency with a rating of
188.55. He has completed 62-of-91
passes for 951 yards and nine touch-
downs with no interceptions.
The Irish struggled last season
after Floyd injured his left knee on
the third play against Navy and
then missed the next two games
against Syracuse and USC.
Florida LB Brandon Spikes, who
missed much of the Tennessee
game with Achilles’ tendonitis, is
probable for Saturday’s game
against Kentucky.
Coach Urban Meyer said Sunday in
a report by the Orlando Sentinel that
Spikes’ injury will be less about
structural damage and more about
managing pain from week to week.
Spikes missed Sunday’s practice
and likely wear a protective boot.
Meyer also said Sunday that he
was concerned about a flu bug that
has affected his team, noting that
RB Jeff Demps, TE Aaron Hernandez and
DE Jermaine Cunningham were all
fighting the flu symptoms and were
isolated in the days leading up to
CHRIS O’MEARA / AP the game.
“It is a panic level of proportion
I’ve never seen before,” Meyer said
second quarter. Sunday. “My wife, with her great
Weis said it appeared Clausen insight, said, ‘Do you realize the
has something between a turf toe swine flu and everything is hitting
the Florida campus last week.’ My
gosh.”
Demps, Cunningham and Her-
nandez all played against Tennes-
see, but none was particularly
effective.
Alabama WR Julio Jones is likely
to play this weekend against Arkan-
sas after sitting out Saturday’s game
against North Texas because of a
badly bruised kneecap.
“Julio can probably play in this
next game,” Tide coach Nick Saban
said in a report by the Mobile Press-
Register.
While Jones dressed and stood
on the sideline, RB Roy Upchurch was
not in uniform Saturday with a
high ankle sprain.
Saban said Upchurch is “proba-
bly about 80 to 85 percent” after a
week of rest. “If he continues to
respond,” Saban said, “maybe he
can (play against Arkansas), too.”
Clemson RB C.J. Spiller, who left
Saturday’s win over Boston College
in the third quarter to protect his
bruised right big toe, said he plans
to play this weekend when the
Tigers host No. 15 TCU.
Spiller said he has been only
about 85 percent since injuring his
toe in the opener against Middle
Tennessee.
“I’m not going to sit out any
games,” Spiller said in a report by
The State of Columbia, S.C. “I’m
going to go as long as I can go and
then let our other two guys go in
there.”
“It’s something I can’t control. All
I can do is try to get healthy.”
Perhaps more troubling was an
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 29
injury Saturday to LT Chris Hairston. An
MRI determined Hairston did not
tear any ligaments, and teammates
told the newspaper the injury initially
was thought to be a sprained MCL.
Hairston’s questionable status
comes as the Tigers prepare for
TCU DE Jerry Hughes, who led the
nation in sacks last season.
Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant
and CB/KR Perrish Cox both left Sat-
urday’s game against Rice with
injuries, but coach Mike Gundy said
he didn’t have any updates on their
status.
The Cowboys were without RB
Kendall Hunter (ankle) and DE Jermiah
Price (hand) in the 41-24 win over
the Owls.
“We’ve had a number of injuries
and so we’re working in young
players and players that don’t have
as much experience,” Gundy said.
“Because of that, it takes more time
for them to progress. That’s just the
way it is.
Gundy also said backup safeties
Victor Johnson and Johnny Thomas were
held out of Saturday’s game for
breaking team rules.
The Walter Camp Football
Foundation named Georgia QB Joe
Cox offensive player of the week and
Washington LB Donald Butler defen-
sive player of the week.
Cox completed 18-of-26 passes for
375 yards and tied a school record
with five touchdown passes as the
Bulldogs beat Arkansas, 52-41.
Butler recorded a game-high 12
tackles, forced a fumble and made
one interception as the Huskies
upset USC, 16-13.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 30
Conference standings
ACC BIG EAST BIG TEN BIG 12 CONFERENCE USA MAC
Atlantic Conference All Games Conference All Games North East East
Conference All Games W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA Conference All Games Conference All Games Conference All Games
W L PF PA W L PF PA Cincinnati 1 0 47 15 3 0 145 36 Indiana 0 0 0 0 3 0 80 53 W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA
Clemson 1 1 52 37 2 1 89 51 Pittsburgh 0 0 0 0 3 0 119 44 Iowa 0 0 0 0 3 0 79 36 Kansas 0 0 0 0 3 0 127 26 Southern Miss. 1 0 26 19 3 0 115 53 Ohio 0 0 0 0 2 1 75 63
N.C. State 0 0 0 0 2 1 113 28 South Florida 0 0 0 0 3 0 134 20 Michigan 0 0 0 0 3 0 114 58 Missouri 0 0 0 0 3 0 116 41 UAB 1 1 77 59 1 2 91 86 Akron 0 0 0 0 1 2 69 69
Wake Forest 0 0 0 0 2 1 80 48 Connecticut 0 0 0 0 2 1 63 50 Penn St. 0 0 0 0 3 0 90 20 Iowa St. 0 0 0 0 2 1 71 66 Marshall 0 0 0 0 2 1 58 90 Bowling Green 0 0 0 0 1 2 61 58
Maryland 0 0 0 0 1 2 82 119 West Virginia 0 0 0 0 2 1 98 81 Wisconsin 0 0 0 0 3 0 106 65 Nebraska 0 0 0 0 2 1 102 28 East Carolina 0 0 0 0 1 2 66 90 Buffalo 0 0 0 0 1 2 67 94
Boston College 0 1 7 25 2 1 95 32 Louisville 0 0 0 0 1 1 57 41 Minnesota 0 0 0 0 2 1 64 68 Colorado 0 0 0 0 1 2 79 77 Memphis 0 0 0 0 1 2 69 90 Kent St. 0 0 0 0 1 2 39 68
Florida St. 0 1 34 38 2 1 107 75 Syracuse 0 0 0 0 1 2 64 85 Northwestern 0 0 0 0 2 1 108 75 Kansas St. 0 0 0 0 1 2 45 57 UCF 0 1 19 26 2 1 70 67 Temple 0 0 0 0 0 2 30 58
Rutgers 0 1 15 47 2 1 83 69 Ohio St. 0 0 0 0 2 1 84 45 Miami (Ohio) 0 1 26 48 0 3 26 138
Coastal Illinois 0 0 0 0 1 1 54 54 South West
Conference All Games Saturday’s games Michigan St. 0 0 0 0 1 2 101 65 Conference All Games Conference All Games West
W L PF PA W L PF PA Fresno St. at Cincinnati, Noon Purdue 0 0 0 0 1 2 109 97 W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA Conference All Games
Miami 2 0 71 51 2 0 71 51 Rhode Island at Connecticut, Noon Texas 1 0 34 24 3 0 134 54 SMU 1 0 35 33 2 1 93 86 W L PF PA W L PF PA
Georgia Tech 1 1 47 60 2 1 84 77 South Florida at Florida St., Noon Saturday’s games Texas A&M 0 0 0 0 2 0 79 36 Tulsa 1 0 37 13 2 1 81 68 W. Michigan 1 0 48 26 1 2 74 80
North Carolina 0 0 0 0 3 0 83 33 Rutgers at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. Indiana at Michigan, Noon Oklahoma St. 0 0 0 0 2 1 100 79 Houston 0 0 0 0 2 0 100 42 Cent. Michigan 0 0 0 0 2 1 83 46
Virginia Tech 0 0 0 0 2 1 92 59 Pittsburgh at N.C. State, 3:30 p.m. Minnesota at Northwestern, Noon Oklahoma 0 0 0 0 2 1 122 14 UTEP 0 0 0 0 1 2 62 69 N. Illinois 0 0 0 0 2 1 89 56
Duke 0 0 0 0 1 2 67 87 Maine at Syracuse, 7 p.m. Michigan St. at Wisconsin, Noon Baylor 0 0 0 0 1 1 46 51 Tulane 0 1 13 37 0 2 16 91 Toledo 0 0 0 0 1 2 85 128
Virginia 0 0 0 0 0 3 62 93 Louisville at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Illinois at Ohio St., 3:30 p.m. Texas Tech 0 1 24 34 2 1 117 57 Rice 0 1 24 44 0 3 58 140 Ball St. 0 0 0 0 0 3 43 67
Iowa at Penn St., 8 p.m. E. Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 3 55 99
Saturday’s games Notre Dame at Purdue, 8 p.m. Friday’s game Army at Iowa St., 7 p.m. Saturday’s games
South Florida at Florida St., Noon Missouri at Nevada, 9 p.m. Northwestern St. at Baylor, Southern Miss. at Kansas, Noon Saturday’s games Hofstra at W. Michigan, 7 p.m.
North Carolina at Georgia Tech, Noon 7 p.m. Marshall at Memphis, 1 p.m. Buffalo at Temple, Noon Miami (Ohio) at Kent St., 7 p.m.
Wake Forest at Boston College, 2 p.m. Saturday’s games Louisiana-Lafayette at McNeese St. at Tulane, 3:30 p.m. Idaho at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m. Boise St. at Bowling Green,
TCU at Clemson, 3:30 p.m. Southern Miss. at Kansas, Noon Nebraska, 7 p.m. UCF at East Carolina, 3:30 p.m. Akron at Cent. Michigan, 7 p.m.
Rutgers at Maryland, 3:30 p.m. Tennessee Tech at Kansas St., Grambling St. at Oklahoma UTEP at Texas, 3:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at N.C. State, 3:30 p.m. 2:10 p.m. St., 7 p.m. UAB at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. Ohio at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Miami at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m. UTEP at Texas, 3:30 p.m. Texas Tech at Houston, 9:15 Sam Houston St. at Tulsa, 7 p.m. Toledo at Fla. International,
N.C. Central at Duke, 7 p.m. UAB at Texas A&M, 7 p.m. p.m. Vanderbilt at Rice, 8 p.m. 7 p.m.
Texas Tech at Houston, 9:15 p.m. Ball St. at Auburn, 7 p.m.

MOUNTAIN WEST PAC-10 SEC SUN BELT WAC INDEPENDENTS

Conference All Games Conference All Games East Conference All Games Conference All Games W L PF PA
W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA Conference All Games W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA W L PF PA Army 2 1 70 66
Air Force 1 0 37 13 2 1 122 33 Stanford 1 0 39 13 2 1 98 54 W L PF PA W L PF PA La.-Lafayette 0 0 0 0 2 1 62 65 Boise St. 1 0 51 34 3 0 118 42 Notre Dame 2 1 102 68
Colorado St. 0 0 0 0 3 0 82 60 Washington 1 0 16 13 2 1 81 67 Georgia 2 0 93 78 2 1 103 102 Middle Tenn. 0 0 0 0 2 1 77 82 Idaho 1 0 21 6 2 1 78 68 Navy 1 2 73 72
TCU 0 0 0 0 2 0 86 35 California 0 0 0 0 3 0 146 41 Florida 1 0 23 13 3 0 141 22 Arkansas St. 0 0 0 0 1 1 70 38 Hawaii 0 0 0 0 2 1 96 74
BYU 0 0 0 0 2 1 96 70 UCLA 0 0 0 0 3 0 75 38 Kentucky 0 0 0 0 2 0 73 27 La.-Monroe 0 0 0 0 1 2 92 97 Louisiana Tech 0 0 0 0 1 2 75 82 Saturday’s games
UNLV 0 0 0 0 2 1 93 59 Ariz. St. 0 0 0 0 2 0 88 17 South Carolina 0 1 37 41 2 1 82 60 North Texas 0 0 0 0 1 2 57 94 Nevada 0 0 0 0 0 2 20 70 W. Kentucky at Navy, 3:30 p.m.
Utah 0 0 0 0 2 1 83 62 Arizona 0 0 0 0 2 1 70 50 Tennessee 0 1 13 23 1 2 91 49 Troy 0 0 0 0 1 2 47 101 Utah St. 0 0 0 0 0 2 47 73 Army at Iowa St., 7 p.m.
San Diego St. 0 0 0 0 1 2 69 86 Oregon St. 0 0 0 0 2 1 75 56 Vanderbilt 0 2 12 38 1 2 57 38 Fla. International 0 0 0 0 0 2 29 63 San Jose St. 0 0 0 0 0 3 34 122 Notre Dame at Purdue, 8 p.m.
Wyoming 0 0 0 0 1 2 39 87 Oregon 0 0 0 0 2 1 77 79 Fla. Atlantic 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 87 Fresno St. 0 1 34 51 1 2 116 85
New Mexico 0 1 13 37 0 3 29 122 Southern Cal 0 1 13 16 2 1 87 34 West W. Kentucky 0 0 0 0 0 3 27 126 New Mexico St. 0 1 6 21 1 2 39 77
Washington St. 0 1 13 39 1 2 63 104 Conference All Games
Saturday’s games W L PF PA W L PF PA Saturday’s games Friday’s game
San Diego St. at Air Force, 2 p.m. Saturday’s games Auburn 1 0 49 24 3 0 127 67 W. Kentucky at Navy, 3:30 p.m. Missouri at Nevada, 9 p.m.
UNLV at Wyoming, 3 p.m. California at Oregon, 3:30 p.m. LSU 1 0 23 9 3 0 85 35 Louisiana-Monroe at Florida Atlantic, 4 p.m.
TCU at Clemson, 3:30 p.m. Arizona St. at Georgia, 7 p.m. Mississippi St 1 1 39 52 2 1 84 59 Troy at Arkansas St., 4:30 p.m. Saturday’s games
Colorado St. at BYU, 6 p.m. Arizona at Oregon St., 7:30 p.m. Alabama 0 0 0 0 3 0 127 45 Toledo at Fla. International, 7 p.m. Fresno St. at Cincinnati, Noon
Louisville at Utah, 7:30 p.m. Washington at Stanford, 9 p.m. Mississippi 0 0 0 0 2 0 97 20 Middle Tennessee at North Texas, 7 p.m. Idaho at N. Illinois, 3:30 p.m.
New Mexico St. at New Mexico, 10 p.m. Washington St. at Southern Cal, 10:15 p.m. Arkansas 0 1 41 52 1 1 89 62 Louisiana-Lafayette at Nebraska, 7 p.m. Boise St. at Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
S. Utah at Utah St., 8 p.m.
Thursday’s game p.m. Cal Poly at San Jose St., 8 p.m.
Mississippi at South Carolina, Florida at Kentucky, 6 p.m. New Mexico St. at New Mexico, 10 p.m.
7:30 p.m. Ohio at Tennessee, 7 p.m.
Arizona St. at Georgia, 7 p.m.
Saturday’s games Ball St. at Auburn, 7 p.m.
LSU at Mississippi St., 12:20 Vanderbilt at Rice, 8 p.m.
p.m.
Arkansas at Alabama, 3:30

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Cubs end Bradley’s season after remarks
Milton Bradley’s season is finished. Perhaps his
days with the Chicago Cubs are, too.
The Cubs suspended their volatile outfielder
for the rest of the season Sunday, one day after he
criticized the team in a newspaper interview.
Bradley was disciplined for conduct detrimental
to the team. G.M. Jim Hendry said he decided to send
Bradley home after learning of the player’s remarks
in the (Arlington Heights, Ill.) Daily Herald. Brad-
ley, scratched from Saturday’s lineup with a sore
left knee, was quoted as saying “you understand
why they haven’t won in 100 years here.”
Bradley has two years remaining on a three-
year, $30 million contract that he signed as a free
agent last offseason. Hendry said he doesn’t
know if the relationship can be salvaged.
“The last few days became too much for me to
tolerate,” Hendry said. “I just decided late last
night that’s what I was going to do, and I didn’t
give it a lot of thought what’s going to transpire
moving forward.”
Manager Lou Piniella agreed with the move.
“Jim made the decision and I support it,” the
manager said. “I really do.”
Chicago signed the switch-hitting Bradley to
provide balance in the lineup, but he struggled
throughout his first season with Chicago, bat-
ting .257 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs. He was
booed vigorously by home fans at Wrigley Field.
Rangers 3B Michael Young, out of the lineup
again because of a strained left hamstring, told
MLB.com Sunday that he’s frustrated because
he made the mistake of trying to come back too
soon. “What it comes down to is I came back too
early and re-aggravated it,” Young said. “It’s
frustrating. I knew it was risky but I rolled the
dice. We had just been shut out twice and I
wanted to play. I’m not back to Square 1, but it’s
Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 31
INSIDE DISH THE LAUNCHING PAD
What to expect in the major leagues today
Twins hit the road
Tw
my regular throwing (session),” Greinke told The After wrapping up their
Kansas City Star, “and it wasn’t too bad.” The critical
cri weekend series
against
ag the A.L. Central-
throwing session was monitored closely by man-
leading
lea Tigers, the Twins will
ager Trey Hillman and pitching coach Bob McClure. begin
be a 10-game road trip
tonight
to in Chicago. Not long
Brewers G.M. Doug Melvin says closer Trevor ago,
a this three-game series
Hoffman, who has expressed a desire to return to looked
lo as if it also would
be
b vital for the White Sox.
Milwaukee next season, will be welcomed back
However,
H Chicago’s post-
with open arms. “That always means something season
s chances have taken
when you hear a player say that,” Melvin told the a hit in recent weeks—in
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We like having him part because of the Twins.
here, too.” Hoffman, 41, can be a free agent after Minnesota has won six of
the past seven meetings
the season. The all-time saves leader has been as
between the teams and
effective as ever in his first Milwaukee season, leads the season series 9-6.
converting 34 of 37 save opportunities entering However, the Twins are just
Sunday’s play. 2-5 at U.S. Cellular Field
AP this season. The Twins’
Michael Cuddyer, filling
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told the Chi- Michael Cuddyer has knocked around White Sox in
i for the injured Justin
cago Sun-Times the inflammation in SP Gavin Floyd’s pitchers this season. Morneau at first base, will
left hip is bad enough to cost him at least one start— need to continue his recent
and it’s possible he could be shut down for the rest hot hitting (and mastery of White Sox pitching). Cuddyer has five homers
of the season. And Guillen didn’t stop there. If the and 11 RBIs against Chicago this season.
team continues its losing ways, he added, SP Mark
DAVID ZALUBOWSKI / AP Buehrle could be shut down, too. Giants’ chase continues
Milton Bradley criticized the Cubs in a weekend interview. As the N.L. wild card-leading Rockies will be quick to point out, overlook-
ing the Diamondbacks is a mistake. After trying to thwart Colorado’s playoff
Angels manager Mike Scioscia told The Orange
chances over the weekend, Arizona will welcome San Francisco to Chase
not as good as it was when I tried to go back in.” County Register that ninth-inning save situations Field for the start of a three-game series tonight. The Giants have had their
Young, who was told he would be out two to four no longer belong exclusively to closer Brian Fuentes. way with the D-backs this season, winning eight of the 12 games between
weeks, returned to the lineup as a DH Tuesday He said it will be “a matchup thing” with his pri- them and going 4-2 at Chase Field. First baseman Pablo Sandoval and
against the A’s—the two-week mark—and aggra- mary setup man, righthander Kevin Jepsen, pitch- catcher Bengie Molina have led the way offensively, combining for a .368
batting average, five doubles, five homers and 16 RBIs against Arizona this
vated the injury when he checked his swing. ing the ninth at times rather than the lefthanded
season.
Fuentes.
Royals ace Zack Greinke says he will make his
start Tuesday against the Red Sox after testing The Chicago Sun-Times reports that former star ALCS preview?
Yankees fans don’t often root for the Red Sox, but that might change if
his bruised right arm Saturday in Chicago. P Nolan Ryan will walk away from the Rangers if the Boston and Los Angeles meet in the ALDS. That is because the Angels have
Greinke, who left his last start after being hit by new owner doesn’t want to keep him, acknowledg- had the Yankees’ number recently. Since 2004, L.A. is 34-21 against New York
a line drive off the bat of Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera, ing that he only had a handshake deal with current in the regular season, and the Angels beat the Yankees in the 2005 ALDS. The
played catch in the outfield with teammate Luke owner Tom Hicks rather than the four-year contract two teams will meet again tonight at Angel Stadium.
Hochevar and said he should be ready. “I just did everybody thought he had. — Chris Bahr
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 32
Fantasy Focus LEAGUE LEADERS
American League Standings
Batting Average Home Runs East W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Waiver-wire pickups New York 95 55 .633 — — 5-5 L-1 52-23 43-32
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Boston 89 59 .601 5 — 9-1 W-3 52-22 37-37
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Tampa Bay 77 73 .513 18 13 5-5 W-4 46-26 31-47
Mauer Minnesota .374 HaRamirez Florida .352 CPena Tampa Bay 39 Pujols St. Louis 47 Toronto 66 83 .443 28½ 23½ 4-6 L-4 38-36 28-47
Baltimore 60 89 .403 34½ 29½ 4-6 L-4 36-42 24-47
ISuzuki Seattle .355 Pujols St. Louis .328 Teixeira New York 37 Reynolds Arizona 42
MiCabrera Detroit .332 Sandoval San Francisco .323 Bay Boston 35 Howard Philadelphia 41 Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Jeter New York .329 Helton Colorado .315 NCruz Texas 32 Fielder Milwaukee 40 Detroit 79 70 .530 — — 4-6 W-1 48-26 31-44
Minnesota 76 73 .510 3 13½ 6-4 L-1 45-33 31-40
Bartlett Tampa Bay .323 DWright New York .313 AHill Toronto 32 AdGonzalez San Diego 38 Chicago 73 77 .487 6½ 17 4-6 L-1 41-34 32-43
Cano New York .322 Braun Milwaukee .312 Branyan Seattle 31 ADunn Washington 37 Cleveland 61 88 .409 18 28½ 1-9 L-8 31-41 30-47
MYoung Texas .322 FLopez Milwaukee .311 Longoria Tampa Bay 31 Werth Philadelphia 34 Kansas City 61 88 .409 18 28½ 7-3 W-1 30-44 31-44
West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Runs Stolen Bases Los Angeles 89 60 .597 — — 5-5 W-1 44-27 45-33
Texas 81 67 .547 7½ 8 3-7 L-1 46-32 35-35
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Seattle 78 72 .520 11½ 12 6-4 W-1 43-32 35-40
Oakland 71 78 .477 18 18½ 9-1 W-7 38-36 33-42
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team
Figgins
Damon
Los Angeles
New York
108
105
Pujols
Utley
St. Louis
Philadelphia
119
105
Ellsbury
Crawford
Boston
Tampa Bay
63
59
Bourn
Morgan
Houston
Washington
58
42
National League Standings
East W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
Jeter New York 104 Braun Milwaukee 104 Figgins Los Angeles 42 Kemp Los Angeles 34 Philadelphia 87 61 .588 — — 8-2 W-1 42-32 45-29
Pedroia Boston 104 Zimmerman Washington 101 RDavis Oakland 40 Rollins Philadelphia 29 Florida 80 70 .533 8 5 5-5 L-1 40-35 40-35
BRoberts Baltimore 103 HaRamirez Florida 95 BUpton Tampa Bay 38 Fowler Colorado 27 Atlanta 79 70 .530 8½ 5½ 8-2 L-1 39-35 40-35
New York 65 85 .433 23 20 3-7 W-2 38-37 27-48
Scutaro Toronto 100 Three tied 94 Three tied 29 Pierre Los Angeles 27 Washington 51 98 .342 36½ 33½ 4-6 L-2 29-43 22-55
Two tied 97 Two tied 26
MORRY GASH / AP Central W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
St. Louis 87 63 .580 — — 4-6 L-1 46-32 41-31
San Francisco SP Barry Zito RBIs Pitching Chicago 76 72 .514 10 8 5-5 W-1 44-30 32-42
Milwaukee 74 75 .497 12½ 10½ 8-2 W-5 37-37 37-38
A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Houston 70 79 .470 16½ 14½ 2-8 L-7 42-33 28-46
Barry Zito, SP, Giants. Zito starts Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Cincinnati 69 81 .460 18 16 6-4 W-1 36-39 33-42
this week against the Diamond- Teixeira New York 118 Fielder Milwaukee 128 Sabathia New York 18-7 Wainwright St. Louis 18-8 Pittsburgh 56 91 .381 29½ 27½ 2-8 L-2 37-36 19-55
backs and Cubs. He has 16 strike- Bay Boston 110 Pujols St. Louis 128 Feldman Texas 17-5 CCarpenter St. Louis 16-4 West W L Pct GB WCGB L10 Str Home Away
outs in 16 innings in September, Longoria Tampa Bay 108 Howard Philadelphia 123 FHernandez Seattle 16-5 JoJohnson Florida 15-4 Los Angeles 90 60 .600 — — 7-3 W-2 48-30 42-30
Lind Toronto 104 DLee Chicago 103 Verlander Detroit 16-9 De La Rosa Colorado 15-9 Colorado 85 65 .567 5 — 5-5 W-2 45-27 40-38
and his ERA since the All-Star San Francisco 80 69 .537 9½ 4½ 4-6 L-2 48-26 32-43
Morneau Minnesota 100 Braun Milwaukee 102 Beckett Boston 15-6 Marquis Colorado 15-11 San Diego 68 82 .453 22 17 6-4 W-2 39-37 29-45
break is 2.36. CPena Tampa Bay 100 ADunn Washington 101 JerWeaver Los Angeles 15-7 Lincecum San Francisco 14-6 Arizona 65 85 .433 25 20 4-6 L-2 33-42 32-43
Two tied 98 Ethier Los Angeles 101 Halladay Toronto 15-10 DLowe Atlanta 14-9 z-first game was a win
Cliff Pennington, SS, A’s. Penning-
ton is making a nice audition for HIts Strikeouts
Pitching Matchups Today’s Games (All times Eastern)
the A’s shortstop job next season. A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. American League The Line
He’s hitting .345 this month, and Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team Baltimore (Tillman 2-3) at Toronto (Purcey 0-2), 7:07 p.m. at Tor -140 Bal +130
the A’s have a full slate of games ISuzuki Seattle 210 HaRamirez Florida 190 Verlander Detroit 245 Lincecum San Francisco 247 Boston (Wakefield 11-4) at Kansas City (DiNardo 0-1), 8:10 p.m. Bos -170 at KC +160
this week. Jeter New York 197 Braun Milwaukee 180 Greinke Kansas City 224 JVazquez Atlanta 222
Minnesota (Blackburn 10-11) at Chicago White Sox (D.Hudson 0-0), 8:11 p.m. Min -125 at Chi +115
Cano New York 193 Tejada Houston 175 Lester Boston 215 Haren Arizona 208
N.Y. Yankees (Pettitte 13-6) at L.A. Angels (J.Saunders 13-7), 10:05 p.m. at LA -125 NY +115
Miguel Olivo, C, Royals. Olivo is on MiCabrera Detroit 184 FLopez Milwaukee 173 FHernandez Seattle 196 Gallardo Milwaukee 204
AHill Toronto 179 Kemp Los Angeles 172 Halladay Toronto 193 Wainwright St. Louis 193 Texas (Millwood 10-10) at Oakland (Ed.Gonzalez 0-2), 10:05 p.m. Tex -120 at Oak+110
fire with six home runs in 10 Sep- Crawford Tampa Bay 177 CaLee Houston 171 Beckett Boston 187 Jimenez Colorado 181
tember games. Kansas City plays Two tied 176 Pujols St. Louis 171 Sabathia New York 186 De La Rosa Colorado 179 National League The Line
seven games this week against the San Diego (LeBlanc 2-1) at Pittsburgh (D.McCutchen 0-2), 7:05 p.m. SD -120 at Pit +110
Red Sox and Twins. Doubles Saves Atlanta (D.Lowe 14-9) at N.Y. Mets (Misch 1-3), 7:10 p.m. Atl -165 at NY +155
— George Winkler A.L. N.L. A.L. N.L. Chicago Cubs (Gorzelanny 5-2) at Milwaukee (Looper 13-6), 8:05 p.m. at Mil -140 Chi +130
Player Team Player Team Player Team Player Team St. Louis (Lohse 5-8) at Houston (W.Rodriguez 13-10), 8:05 p.m. at Hou -145 STL +135
BRoberts Baltimore 54 Sandoval San Francisco 42 Fuentes Los Angeles 43 HBell San Diego 39 San Francisco (Zito 10-12) at Arizona (D.Davis 7-13), 9:40 p.m. at Ari -115 SF +105
Butler Kansas City 47 Ethier Los Angeles 41 Nathan Minnesota 42 Cordero Cincinnati 38
MORE COVERAGE Lind Toronto 46 Tejada Houston 41 MaRivera New York 40 Franklin St. Louis 37
Cano New York 45 Pujols St. Louis 40 Papelbon Boston 37 Broxton Los Angeles 35
Get everything you need to Longoria Tampa Bay 44 Hawpe Colorado 39 Aardsma Seattle 35 BrWilson San Francisco 34
dominate your fantasy league at Pedroia Boston 44 HaRamirez Florida 39 Rodney Detroit 33 Hoffman Milwaukee 34
sportingnews.com/fantasy/baseball Two tied 42 Rollins Philadelphia 39 Jenks Chicago 29. Two tied 33
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 33
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit 6, Minnesota 2 L.A. Angels 10, Texas 5

Tigers avoid sweep, cool off Twins Kendrick, Matthews carry Angels
ARLINGTON, TEXAS—Maybe John Angels 10, Rangers 5
MINNEAPOLIS—The Detroit before going home. Tigers 6, Twins 2 Lackey was already thinking Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Detroit AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Figgins 3b 5 1 1 1 0 1 .295
Tigers gave themselves a little “From the beginning, every Granderson cf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .248 about his plans for the evening. E.Aybar ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 .308
breathing room in the A.L. game was important and now Polanco 2b 4 1 2 3 0 1 .283 Despite struggling through Tor.Hunter cf 4 1 0 0 1 2 .308
Thames dh 4 0 1 0 0 2 .254 Guerrero dh 4 2 2 0 1 0 .299
Central. it’s even more,” Polanco said. b-A.Huff ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 .245 six innings, Lackey was good 1-Pettit pr-dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Placido Polanco drove in three “Every time you beat those guys Mi.Cabrera 1b 5 0 1 0 0 1 .332 enough to pitch the A.L. West- J.Rivera lf 3 3 1 1 2 0 .291
Ordonez rf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .290 H.Kendrick 2b 5 1 3 5 0 1 .302
runs, Detroit’s bullpen pitched you don’t have to look at the Thomas rf 1 0 1 0 0 0 .244 leading Los Angeles Angels K.Morales 1b 5 1 1 0 0 4 .298
four shutout innings and the scoreboard.” C.Guillen lf 2 0 1 1 0 1 .238 closer to the postseason with a Matthews Jr. rf 3 1 2 3 0 0 .242
a-Raburn ph-lf 3 1 1 1 0 1 .276 J.Mathis c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .206
Tigers avoided a three-game In his fourth start after miss- Inge 3b 3 1 0 0 1 1 .234 10-5 victory Sunday over sec- Totals 37 10 12 10 4 9
sweep with a 6-2 win over the ing two months following elbow Laird c 4 1 2 0 1 0 .227 ond-place Texas that stretched
Santiago ss 3 1 2 0 0 0 .263 Texas AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Minnesota Twins on Sunday to surgery, Robertson (2-2) went Totals 38 6 13 6 3 9 their division lead to 7½ games Borbon lf 5 1 1 0 0 0 .308
increase their division lead to deep in the count against many with 13 to play. Andrus ss 4 1 1 0 0 1 .272
Minnesota AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Dav.Murphy dh 3 2 1 0 1 0 .268
three games. hitters but allowed just five hits Span cf 4 0 0 0 0 4 .306 “I was a little off. I stunk even M.Byrd cf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .281
Ryan Raburn homered for and two earned runs in five O.Cabrera ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 .269 in the bullpen. It was one of Blalock 1b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .237
Mauer c 4 0 2 0 0 0 .374 Kinsler 2b 2 0 1 1 1 0 .253
slumping Detroit, which won innings. Kubel rf 3 0 0 1 1 1 .301 those days,” said Lackey, the N.Cruz rf 4 0 1 2 0 1 .262
for the second time in six games Zach Miner, Bobby Seay and Cuddyer 1b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .272 native Texan who was headed C.Davis 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .214
Delm.Young lf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .268 I.Rodriguez c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .250
and fourth in 13. Fernando Rodney combined to B.Harris dh 3 0 0 0 0 1 .261
across the street for the Dallas Totals 34 5 7 5 2 4
“We needed this one,” pitcher allow two singles in four score- c-J.Morales ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .367 Cowboys’ home opener in their
Nate Robertson said. “You play Tolbert 3b 4 0 2 0 0 0 .215 Los Angeles 020 103 310 — 10 12 2
less innings of relief for Detroit. Punto 2b 3 0 1 1 1 0 .227
new stadium Sunday night. Texas 301 010 000 — 5 7 0
here and the Twins get the first “Miner did a hell of a job, and Totals 32 2 7 2 4 7 “But the boys took care of me
two, they sniff sweep. I’ve seen 1-ran for Guerrero in the 9th. E: E.Aybar (11), K.Morales
then Bobby got a big double- Detroit 000 130 020 — 6 13 0
for sure and I appreciate it.” (8). LOB: Los Angeles 6, Texas 6. 2B: K.Morales (41), Dav.
it a few times.” play ball,” Tigers manager Jim Minnesota 100 100 000 — 2 7 1 Gary Matthews Jr. snapped Murphy (20). 3B: H.Kendrick (3). HR: J.Rivera (23), off
Minnesota, which had won Holland; H.Kendrick (10), off Holland; Matthews Jr. (4),
Leyland said. a-struck out for C.Guillen in the 5th. E: Delm.Young
out of his September slump with off Holland; Figgins (4), off D.Mathis. RBIs: Figgins (50),
six straight, got two hits from Those key outs came after (4). LOB: Detroit 11, Minnesota 7. 2B: Mi.Cabrera a tiebreaking homer and a two- J.Rivera (82), H.Kendrick 5 (60), Matthews Jr. 3 (44),
Joe Mauer, who increased his (32), Delm.Young (14). 3B: C.Guillen (3). HR: Raburn M.Byrd (78), Blalock (60), Kinsler (80), N.Cruz 2 (73).
Mauer led off the eighth inning (13), off Liriano. RBIs: Polanco 3 (68), Ordonez (41),
run single, and Howie Kendrick SB: Borbon (15), Andrus (28). S: Andrus. SF: Kinsler.
batting average to a major with a single, and ended the C.Guillen (34), Raburn (40), Kubel (87), Punto (33). SB: drove in five runs with a two- Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 2 (Tor.
league-best .374. The race Tolbert (6), Punto (12). CS: Punto (3). S: Santiago. SF: Hunter, K.Morales); Texas 2 (C.Davis, N.Cruz). DP: Texas 2
hopes of 36,335 in attendance for Polanco. Runners left in scoring position: Detroit
run homer and a bases-loaded (M.Byrd, Blalock), (Andrus, Kinsler, Blalock).
between the Tigers and Twins a second consecutive rally. Min- 7 (Mi.Cabrera, Inge, Raburn, Granderson, Ordonez, triple. Juan Rivera and Chone
is the tightest in any division. A.Huff, Laird); Minnesota 3 (Cuddyer, Span, O.Cabrera). Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
nesota scored five runs in the DP: Detroit 1 (Santiago, Polanco, Mi.Cabrera).
Figgins also homered for the Lackey W, 11-8 6 7 5 4 2 4 102 3.56
“I guess we’ll have to take two eighth Saturday for a 6-2 win. Angels (89-60), who won two of Bulger 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 3.30
Detroit IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Palmer 1 0 0 0 0 0 20 4.02
out of three and now go on a Scott Baker (13-9), who was N.Robertson W, 2-2 5 5 2 2 3 6 97 5.13 three in the series. Jepsen 1 0 0 0 0 0 16 4.26
long road trip,” Minnesota man- 4-1 in his previous seven starts, Miner H, 7 2 1 0 0 0 1 36 4.41 “It’s important to reach our Texas IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Seay 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 3.54 Holland L, 7-12 5 2⁄3 8 6 6 1 5 93 6.17
ager Ron Gardenhire said. allowed eight hits and four Rodney 1 0 0 0 1 0 16 3.82 first goal and today got us closer N.Feliz 1 1 2 2 1 1 23 1.95
“We’ll see if we can hang in earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. In Minnesota IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA to that,” manager Mike Scioscia Grilli 1⁄3 1 1 1 1 1 14 4.24
S.Baker L, 13-9 4 2⁄3 8 4 4 1 5 86 4.43 D.Mathis 1 1 1 1 0 1 25 2.85
there until we get back to Detroit three starts against the Tigers Mahay 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 4.53 said. “To beat the team chasing W.Eyre 1 1 0 0 1 1 16 2.35
and go from there.” this year, Baker has given up 15 Crain 2⁄3 1 0 0 0 1 9 5.04 you is a positive.”
Liriano 1 1⁄3 2 2 2 1 1 27 5.79 Inherited runners-scored: Grilli 2-2. HBP: by
The teams meet again for four earned runs in 15 innings. Rauch 1 1 0 0 1 1 20 2.70 L.A. is closing in on its third D.Mathis (E.Aybar), by Holland (Matthews Jr.). PB:
games at Comerica Park begin- “Whatever their numbers are, Keppel 1 1 0 0 0 0 16 4.96 straight division title. J.Mathis. Umpires: Home, Mike DiMuro; First, Ron
Kulpa; Second, Dale Scott; Third, Rob Drake. T: 3:06. A:
ning Sept. 28. That will wrap up if you make good pitches you Liriano pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited Kendrick’s two-run homer 33,688 (49,170).
a 10-game road trip for Minne- can get those guys out,” he said. runners-scored: Mahay 2-0, Liriano 1-0, Rauch 1-1. tied the game earlier in the
IBB: off Rauch (Granderson). HBP: by Keppel (Inge).
sota, and begin a seven-game, “Even though I felt like I threw Umpires: Home, Chris Guccione; First, Mike Winters; sixth. He finished with three
final-week homestand for the OK, I just gave up too many Second, Jerry Layne; Third, Tony Randazzo. T: 3:12. A: hits and is batting .420 (34-of-
36,335 (46,632).
Tigers, who have three games hits.” PAUL BATTAGLIA / AP 81) in his last 20 games.
each in Cleveland and Chicago — The Associated Press Twins RF Jason Kubel couldn’t catch Miguel Cabrera’s double in the seventh. — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 34
AMERICAN LEAGUE Q&A with ... former MLB great
Darryl Strawberry
Seattle 7, N.Y. Yankees 1 Boston 9, Baltimore 3

Junior puts Yanks’ plans on hold Starters making it easier for Sox Red Sox 9, Orioles 3
Boston
Ellsbury cf
AB R
4 2
H
3
BI
3
BB
1
SO
1
Avg.
.304
Pedroia 2b 5 1 2 0 0 0 .296
V.Martinez 1b 4 1 2 1 1 0 .298
SEATTLE—When he was younger, Mariners 7, Yankees 1 Youkilis 3b 4 1 1 0 1 0 .309
New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Lowrie 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .158
Ken Griffey Jr. put a higher pre- Bay lf 4 1 2 3 0 2 .268
Jeter ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .329
mium on beating the New York R.Pena ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 .284 Bri.Anderson lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237
Damon lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .288 J.Drew rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .266
Yankees. Even now at 39, Griffey a-Reddick ph-rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 .233
Hinske rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .222
still has a little something left for Teixeira 1b 4 1 3 0 0 0 .292 Lowell dh 5 0 1 2 0 1 .295
Hairston Jr. 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 .242 Varitek c 5 1 1 0 0 1 .211
them. Ale.Gonzalez ss 4 2 2 0 0 0 .297
A.Rodriguez 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .282
Griffey homered and drove in Miranda 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 Totals 40 9 14 9 3 6
a season-high four runs Sunday, H.Matsui dh 3 0 0 0 1 1 .278
Posada c 4 0 1 1 0 0 .281 Baltimore AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
putting the Yankees’ playoff Cano 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .322 B.Roberts 2b 5 0 1 0 0 2 .285 MARC LEVINE / AP
a-S.Duncan ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .143 Pie cf 4 0 0 0 1 3 .258
party on hold by leading the Wieters c 4 2 3 0 0 0 .282
Me.Cabrera rf-lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .273
Seattle Mariners to a 7-1 victory. Gardner cf 2 0 0 0 2 1 .281 G.Rodriguez c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 During his 17-season major league career, Strawberry
Totals 31 1 5 1 5 5 Markakis rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .293
The loss prevented New York Scott lf 3 1 1 2 1 0 .257 swatted 335 homers and drove in 1,000 runs. His first
from clinching a spot in the post- Seattle AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Wigginton dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .268 eight seasons were with the Mets, and his final five were
I.Suzuki rf 3 1 0 0 1 0 .355 Aubrey 1b 3 0 1 1 1 1 .308
season. The Yankees can secure Turner 3b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .200 with the Yankees. And he still keeps tabs on the New York
F.Gutierrez cf 3 1 1 1 1 0 .279
their 14th playoff berth in 15 Jo.Lopez 2b 3 1 1 1 0 1 .268 C.Izturis ss 4 0 2 0 0 1 .256 teams. Strawberry recently spoke with Buffalo Business
Griffey Jr. dh 3 2 2 4 1 0 .219 Totals 34 3 9 3 4 8
years with a victory at the Los First’s Tim O’Shei about the upcoming postseason and
Beltre 3b 4 0 1 1 0 2 .260
Angeles Angels tonight or a Hall lf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .221 Boston 312 101 100 — 9 14 0 today’s game.
Carp 1b 3 1 1 0 1 1 .275 Baltimore 000 201 000 — 3 9 0
Texas loss at Oakland.
Moore c 4 1 1 0 0 1 .111
“I didn’t really pay attention. I
think you all paid more attention
Jo.Wilson ss
Totals
2
29
0
7
0
7
0
7
0
4
0
7
.225 GAIL BURTON / AP
Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched well enough in his second start since returning from the D.L.
a-flied out for J.Drew in the 9th. LOB: Boston 8,
Baltimore 8. 2B: Ellsbury (26), Ale.Gonzalez (8),
B.Roberts (54). HR: Bay (35), off Waters; Ellsbury (8), Q: Who’s your pick to win it all?

to it than I did. Maybe younger I

might have,” said Griffey, who
later admitted he knew the Yan-
New York
Seattle
000 001 000 —
250 000 00x —
1 5 0
7 7 0 BALTIMORE—As long as Boston’s
starters keep throwing effectively,
month stay on the disabled list
with a strained right shoulder,
off Bass; Scott (24), off Matsuzaka. RBIs: Ellsbury 3
(55), V.Martinez (98), Bay 3 (110), Lowell 2 (74), Scott
2 (73), Aubrey (4). SB: Ellsbury (63). Runners left in
scoring position: Boston 5 (Varitek, Bay, V.Martinez,
A: Yankees.

a-flied out for Cano in the 9th. LOB: New York 8, Seattle
Lowell 2); Baltimore 4 (Pie 2, Turner 2). GIDP: Lowell,
kees could have wrapped up a
playoff berth Sunday. “Right
4. 2B: Teixeira 2 (42), Posada (24), Jo.Lopez (38), Griffey
Jr. (19). HR: Griffey Jr. (16), off Chamberlain. RBIs: Pos-
ada (77), F.Gutierrez (61), Jo.Lopez (91), Griffey Jr. 4 (50),
the Red Sox will have an excellent
chance to win—even if their oppo-
Matsuzaka (3-5) allowed three
runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings.
B.Roberts, Turner. DP: Boston 2 (Pedroia, Ale.Gonzalez,
V.Martinez), (Youkilis, Pedroia, V.Martinez); Baltimore 1
(Turner, B.Roberts, Aubrey).
Q: Who’s the dark horse to get to the
World Series?
now, I’m not. (We’re) just trying
to get the wins and whoever is
out there just happens to be out
Beltre (40). S: Jo.Wilson. SF: Jo.Lopez. Runners left in
scoring position: New York 5 (H.Matsui, A.Rodriguez,
Me.Cabrera 2, Posada); Seattle 2 (Jo.Wilson, Beltre).
GIDP: Jeter. DP: Seattle 1 (Jo.Wilson, Jo.Lopez, Carp).
nent isn’t the Baltimore Orioles.
Daisuke Matsuzaka extended
an outstanding stretch by Boston’s
The righthander struck out five
and walked one, a suitable follow-
up to the six shutout innings he
Boston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Matsuzaka W, 3-5 5 1⁄3 8 3 3 1 5 110 6.80
A: Probably the Dodgers, because they’re
young.
R.Ramirez 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 2 1 27 2.67
there.”
This time it was Joba Cham-
New York
Chamberlain L, 8-6
Mitre
IP
3
5
H
6
1
R ER BB SO NP ERA
7 7 3 2 69 4.73
0 0 1 5 65 6.88
rotation, and the Red Sox cruised
past the Orioles 9-3 Sunday for a
threw against L.A. on Tuesday.
Boston starters have allowed
Okajima
Saito
Baltimore
1 0 0 0 0 0 12 3.36
1 1 0 0 1 2 19 2.44
IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Q: Your thoughts on the Mets’ season?

berlain who was added to

Griffey’s ledger. Griffey lined an
RBI double in the first inning,
Seattle
Snell W, 5-2
Olson
IP
5 1⁄3
1 2⁄3
H
4
0
R ER BB SO NP ERA
1 1 4 2 105 4.53
0 0 1 1 25 5.65
three-game sweep.
Jason Bay and Jacoby Ellsbury
both homered and drove in three
three runs or fewer in 13 straight
games, going 8-1 with a 2.18 ERA.
That’s one reason why the Red
Berken L, 5-12
Waters
Bass
Sarfate
3 10 6 6 2 3 68 6.41
2 3 2 2 1 1 44 10.13
2 1 1 1 0 0 13 4.96
1 0 0 0 0 1 7 6.00
A: Aw (sighs). Heartbreaking. Very
heartbreaking.
M.Lowe 1 1 0 0 0 1 11 2.85
Ji.Johnson 1 0 0 0 0 1 11 3.97
then cracked a three-run shot in
the second off Chamberlain,
Aardsma 1 0 0 0 0 1 13 2.03

Inherited runners-scored: Olson 2-0. IBB: off Cham-

runs for the Red Sox, who cap-
tured the season series 16-2 by
Sox have won 10 of 11, including a
3-1 win Friday night. Waters pitched to 3 batters in the 6th. Inherited
runners-scored: R.Ramirez 3-1, Bass 3-1. HBP: by
Q: What player today most reminds
you of yourself?
making him the 405th pitcher to
give up a homer to Griffey.
Seattle took two of three from
berlain (I.Suzuki). WP: Chamberlain. Umpires: Home,
Chuck Meriwether; First, Laz Diaz; Second, Eric Cooper;
Third, Mike Reilly. T: 2:50. A: 35,885 (47,878).
winning the final eight games.
The victory, combined with the
Texas Rangers’ loss to Los Ange-
“It’s amazing how, when pitch-
ing is consistent, everything else
seems to have a way of working,
Bass (Bay). Umpires: Home, Doug Eddings; First,
Brian Knight; Second, Hunter Wendelstedt; Third, Dana
DeMuth. T: 2:54. A: 27,546 (48,290).
A: (They don’t) really remind me of me, but
I admire two players that play the game
the right way. That’s Albert Pujols and that’s
the Yankees, who lead the A.L. les, reduced Boston’s magic num- even when the bats aren’t maybe Derek Jeter.
East by five games over Boston ber to win the A.L. wild card to alive,” manager Terry Francona
with 12 to play. One more win—
or a Rangers loss—assures New
seven. The Red Sox have an eight-
game lead over the Rangers.
said. “It certainly gives you a
chance every night to be a good Q: Which pitcher today would you
least like to face?
York of at least the wild card.
— The Associated Press
Pitching for the second time
since returning from a three-
team.”
— The Associated Press A: Today? None. None of them are tougher
than Nolan Ryan.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 35
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 1 Kansas City 2, Chicago White Sox 1 Oakland 11, Cleveland 4

Mistake costs Halladay again Tejeda wins third straight game Eveland makes most of start
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.—Roy Halla- Rays 3, Blue Jays 1 Royals 2, White Sox 1 OAKLAND—Dana Eveland Athletics 11, Indians 4
Toronto AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cleveland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
day made one bad pitch and Bloomquist rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 .271 doesn’t mind waiting in the
Scutaro ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 .282 Brantley cf 4 0 3 0 1 0 .338
that’s all it took for another loss Jo.McDonald ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 .235 Maier lf 3 0 1 1 1 0 .247 wings but would like the chance J.Carroll 2b 3 1 0 0 1 0 .284
A.Hill 2b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .285 Butler 1b 3 0 0 0 1 0 .299 b-A.Marte ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .225
to Tampa Bay. Jacobs dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 .229 to start. Eveland provided a
Lind lf 3 0 1 0 1 1 .298 A.Cabrera ss 5 0 2 1 0 0 .306
David Price allowed one run V.Wells cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .263 a-Olivo ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 1 .251 good opening act Sunday. Choo rf 3 1 0 1 1 0 .300
Encarnacion 3b 4 1 1 1 0 0 .217 Callaspo 3b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .297 Jh.Peralta 3b 3 1 0 0 1 1 .264
over 6 2/3 innings, Carl Craw- J.Buck c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .235 Eveland pitched five strong
Barajas c 4 0 0 0 0 1 .235 Hafner dh 4 0 1 1 0 1 .268
ford hit a two-run homer and the Millar 1b 2 0 0 0 1 0 .211 Lu.Hernandez 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .175 innings in his first start since LaPorta 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .261
b-Overbay ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .268 Y.Betancourt ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 .238 Crowe lf 4 0 1 1 0 1 .230
Rays beat Halladay and the J.Anderson cf 3 1 1 0 0 0 .239 July 7 as the Oakland A’s
R.Ruiz dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 .272 Toregas c 3 1 0 0 1 1 .190
Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday. J.Bautista rf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .225 Totals 30 2 5 1 2 5 matched their season high Totals 34 4 8 4 5 5
“The only way to beat a real Totals 32 1 5 1 3 4 seven-game win streak by
Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Oakland AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
good pitcher with any kind of Tampa Bay AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Podsednik dh 4 1 2 0 0 0 .304 defeating the Cleveland Indians Kennedy 3b 5 1 3 3 0 0 .291
Bartlett ss 3 1 0 0 1 0 .323 Beckham 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 .266 R.Davis cf 5 2 2 1 0 0 .316
consistency is to pitch well,” Pierzynski c 4 0 2 1 0 1 .309 11-4.
Crawford lf 4 1 2 2 0 1 .307 R.Sweeney rf 5 0 2 2 0 0 .288
Tampa Bay manager Joe Mad- Longoria 3b 3 0 0 0 1 2 .282 Konerko 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 .283 The A’s lefthander earned his K.Suzuki c 4 1 0 0 0 2 .269
Zobrist rf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .288 Al.Ramirez ss 3 0 0 0 1 2 .279 Cust dh 4 1 2 0 0 1 .237
don said. “You have to pitch well Dye rf 2 0 0 0 1 0 .250 first win since April 26 to
Burrell dh 3 0 3 0 1 0 .232 1-E.Patterson pr-dh 0 1 0 0 0 0 .204
to beat him and David was very W.Aybar 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 .249 Quentin lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .232 improve to 2-3 for the season. a-Carson ph-dh 1 0 1 1 0 0 .375
Zaun c 3 0 0 0 0 0 .260 Getz 2b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .269 M.Ellis 2b 5 1 1 0 0 0 .272
good.” Rios cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 .242 Eveland began the season as
a-Navarro ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 .223 D.Barton 1b 2 0 1 1 1 0 .248
The Rays are 4-1 against Hal- Iwamura 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 .294 b-Kotsay ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .280 one of the A’s starters but lost Hairston lf 3 2 2 1 0 0 .237
laday this year, and became the B.Upton cf 4 0 2 0 0 0 .233 1-Wise pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 .206 his job after five starts. He Pennington ss 4 2 1 1 0 2 .288
Totals 33 3 11 3 3 4 Totals 31 1 6 1 4 7 Totals 38 11 15 10 1 5
first team to beat the Toronto ace moved to the bullpen but was
four times during the same Toronto 000 100 000 — 1 5 0 Kansas City 101 000 000 — 2 5 0 then shipped to Class AAA Sac- Cleveland 000 101 101 — 4 8 2
Tampa Bay 200 000 01x — 3 11 0 Chicago 000 100 000 — 1 6 0 Oakland 050 004 11x — 11 15 1
season. ramento on May 5.
“They’re aggressive,” Halla- a-flied out for Zaun in the 8th. b-singled for Millar in b-singled for Rios in the 9th. 1-ran for Kotsay in the “Sinker, cutter combo,” said b-struck out for J.Carroll in the 9th. 1-ran for Cust in
the 9th. LOB: Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 9. 2B: R.Ruiz (2). JOHN SMIERCIAK / AP 9th. LOB: Kansas City 3, Chicago 8. 2B: Bloomquist the 7th. E: Gosling (1), Crowe (3), K.Suzuki (4). LOB:
day said. “They were swinging HR: Encarnacion (4), off Price; Crawford (14), off Hal- (11). RBIs: Maier (27), Pierzynski (48). SB: Bloomquist Eveland describing what he Cleveland 9, Oakland 7. 2B: Brantley (3), A.Cabrera (39),
early today.” laday; W.Aybar (11), off Carlson. RBIs: Encarnacion (12), Kansas City CF Josh Anderson, above, robbed Chicago’s Carlos Quentin of (21), J.Buck (1), J.Anderson (20), Podsednik (28). CS: used to beat the Indians. “I LaPorta (11), Kennedy (26), R.Sweeney (29), Hairston
Crawford 2 (66), W.Aybar (35). SB: A.Hill (5), B.Upton Bloomquist (6), Wise (4). Runners left in scoring (13), Pennington (9). 3B: Crowe (3). HR: Kennedy
Halladay (15-10) allowed two a homer in the third inning, which would have tied the game. position: Kansas City 1 (Lu.Hernandez); Chicago 5 think I threw about eight off (11), off Carmona. RBIs: A.Cabrera (64), Choo (79),
(38). CS: Crawford (15). Runners left in scoring
runs and 10 hits over seven position: Toronto 4 (Encarnacion 2, J.Bautista, V.Wells); (Quentin 2, Rios, Dye 2). GIDP: Jacobs, Beckham. DP: speed pitches. I just threw sink- Hafner (43), Crowe (15), Kennedy 3 (59), R.Davis (43),
Tampa Bay 5 (Zaun, W.Aybar, Bartlett 3). Kansas City 1 (Tejeda, Y.Betancourt, Butler); Chicago 1 R.Sweeney 2 (51), Carson (1), D.Barton (13), Hairston
innings. The right-hander has CHICAGO—Even with a blis- rotation on Sept. 4, Tejeda (Konerko, Al.Ramirez, Konerko). ers and cutters pretty much the (35), Pennington (16). SB: J.Carroll (4). SF: Choo,
lost five of his last seven starts. Toronto IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA ter on his right throwing (4-1) is 3-0. He has allowed entire game.” D.Barton, Hairston. Runners left in scoring posi-
Halladay L, 15-10 7 10 2 2 3 4 115 3.01 Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA tion: Cleveland 7 (Choo 3, Crowe, A.Cabrera, Toregas,
“He’s probably the best in the Carlson 1 1 1 1 0 0 15 4.50 finger and the lack of his just two runs over 22 1/3 Tejeda W, 4-1 6 3 1 1 2 5 104 2.94 Eveland learned how to throw Jh.Peralta); Oakland 5 (K.Suzuki 3, R.Davis, M.Ellis).
Tampa Bay IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA R.Colon H, 5 1 1⁄3 2 0 0 1 1 30 4.73
business, so it feels good to come usual overpowering fast- innings as a starter. Soria S, 26-29 1 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 23 2.40 the cutter while in Sacramento.
Price W, 9-7 6 2⁄3 3 1 1 2 2 107 4.41 Cleveland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
away with four wins against Balfour H, 17 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 1 16 4.66 ball, Robinson Tejeda still “He (Tejeda) didn’t really Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA “It’s been a savior,” said Eve- Carmona L, 3-12 5 2⁄3 10 9 8 1 2 98 6.89
Shouse H, 10 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 4 5.11 Garcia L, 2-3 8 5 2 2 1 3 94 4.01 Sipp 1 1⁄3 3 1 1 0 2 26 3.25
him,” said Crawford, who has continued his dominance have his overpowering fast- Thornton 1 0 0 0 1 2 20 2.69 land. “It’s the missing link in a
Wheeler H, 16 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 10 3.33 Gosling 1 2 1 0 0 1 23 4.58
homered twice off Halladay this Springer H, 13 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 6 4.28 since joining the rotation. ball. It was one of those days great career that’s what I’m hop- Oakland IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Howell S, 17-25 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 9 2.88 Inherited runners-scored: Soria 2-0. HBP: by Eveland W, 2-3 5 5 1 1 2 2 90 6.50
season. Tejeda won his third like all pitchers have. When R.Colon (Dye). WP: Tejeda, Garcia. Umpires: Home, ing for. It’s been great so far. Blevins 2 2 2 2 2 0 39 5.65
The Blue Jays have scored just Inherited runners-scored: Shouse 1-0, Wheeler 1-0. straight start, pitching six you reach back it just doesn’t Gary Cederstrom; First, Fieldin Culbreth; Second, Jim Throwing it in Triple-A this Meloan 2 1 1 0 1 3 43 0.00
Umpires: Home, Mike Estabrook; First, Dan Iassogna; Wolf; Third, Dan Bellino. T: 2:40. A: 22,798 (40,615).
18 runs in the six games Halla- solid innings and the Kan- come out like it (usually) year and in my last three starts Inherited runners-scored: Sipp 1-1. HBP: by Car-
Second, Larry Vanover; Third, Damien Beal. T: 2:44. A:
day started this year against 20,937 (36,973). sas City Royals beat the Chi- does,” Royals C John Buck and it’s been wonderful. It’s a mona (K.Suzuki). Umpires: Home, Angel Campos; First,
Tampa Bay. cago White Sox 2-1 on said. “But he reached down lot of outs and soft action which Gerry Davis; Second, C.B. Bucknor; Third, Mike Everitt. T:
2:57. A: 15,430 (35,067).
Price (9-7) gave up three hits Sunday. and really let it go every once is what you want.”
and has beaten Halladay twice Mitch Maier had an RBI in a while when we needed “Same thing today, I got
this season. Crawford put the single for the Royals, who do and really did a good job swings and misses on it and I
Rays up 2-0 with his 14th homer have won 10 of their last 13. locating with his fastball got soft ground balls and soft fly
of the season in the first. Since moving from the both sides of the plate.” balls.”
— The Associated Press bullpen to the starting — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 36
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado 5, Arizona 1 L.A. Dodgers 6, San Francisco 2

Giambi earns his keep, helps Rockies pad lead Dodgers hit road, look to clinch
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Dodgers 6, Giants 2
PHOENIX—Jason Giambi has had a big Rockies 5, Diamondbacks 1 Dodgers may get a chance over San Francisco AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
A.Torres lf 4 2 2 2 0 0 .257
hand in Colorado regaining a firm grip Colorado AB R H BI BB SO Avg. the next 1 1/2 weeks to find out F.Sanchez 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .292
C.Gonzalez cf-lf 4 0 0 0 1 1 .277
on the N.L. wild card with a dozen S.Smith lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .299 if champagne stains come out Winn rf 3 0 0 0 1 0 .263
Sandoval 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .323
games to go. Daley p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- of gray uniforms easier than B.Molina c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .262
F.Morales p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .400
Giambi homered for the second con- Tulowitzki ss 4 2 2 0 0 1 .289 from white ones. Uribe ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 .289
Garko 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .220
secutive game and Ubaldo Jimenez out- Giambi 1b 4 1 2 2 0 2 .400 Andre Ethier hit a go-ahead Rowand cf 3 0 0 0 0 1 .265
Fowler cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .269
pitched Dan Haren to help the Rockies Spilborghs rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .249 two-run homer off Tim Lince- Lincecum p 2 0 0 0 0 0 .148
Medders p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Torrealba c 4 1 2 1 0 1 .290 cum, Ronnie Belliard added a Howry p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Stewart 3b 3 0 1 1 1 1 .230
Sunday. Barmes 2b 3 0 2 1 0 0 .241 two-run single against the a-Aurilia ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .226
Joaquin p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
“To be frank, I think they showed us Jimenez p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .236 reigning N.L. Cy Young Award Totals 30 2 5 2 2 7
Helton 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .315
why they’re a better team,” Arizona Totals 33 5 10 5 2 9 winner, and the N.L. West lead-
Los Angeles AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
manager A.J. Hinch said. “They beat ers beat the San Francisco Furcal ss 3 2 1 0 1 0 .257
Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
our best, and they did it methodically.” C.Young cf 3 0 0 0 1 2 .205 Giants 6-2 on Sunday to go 30 Ethier rf 3 1 1 2 1 2 .283
M.Ramirez lf 2 0 0 0 2 0 .301
Colorado expanded its wild-card S.Drew ss 3 0 1 0 1 0 .260 games over .500 for the first Pierre lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 .314
J.Upton rf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .306
cushion over its three nearest pursuers Montero c 3 0 0 0 1 2 .295 time in almost 24 years. Kemp cf 4 1 1 0 0 1 .307
Loney 1b 2 1 1 0 2 0 .283
because San Francisco, Florida and Reynolds 3b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .266 The Dodgers, who clinched Blake 3b 3 0 0 0 0 1 .278
Atlanta all lost. The Rockies lead the G.Parra lf 4 1 1 0 0 0 .294 the division title at home last Belliard 2b 4 0 1 2 0 2 .259
R.Roberts 2b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .277 R.Martin c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .255
Giants by 4½ games, the Marlins by five Allen 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .218 season with three games to Wolf p 2 1 0 0 1 1 .169
and the Braves by 5½. Haren p 3 0 1 1 0 1 .246 spare, now embark on a nine- Kuo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
D.Cabrera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Sherrill p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
After winning a franchise-record Totals 32 1 5 1 3 11 game road trip through Wash- b-Thome ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .125
40th road game, Colorado opens a nine- Colorado 000 000 320 — 5 10 0
ington, Pittsburgh and San Broxton p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 28 6 5 4 7 8
game homestand on Tuesday. Arizona 010 000 000 — 1 5 1 Diego. They are five games
The Rockies lost five of six during E: S.Drew (11). LOB: Colorado 5, Arizona 7. HR: Giambi
ahead of second-place Colorado San Francisco 100 001 000 — 2 5 0
Los Angeles 002 210 10x — 6 5 0
their road trip but finished 4-5 after con- (2), off Haren. RBIs: Giambi 2 (11), Torrealba (26), with 12 to play, and will finish
secutive wins over Arizona. They are in Stewart (69), Barmes (73), Haren (10). CS: C.Gonzalez the regular season at Chavez a-struck out for Howry in the 8th. b-struck out for Sher-
(4). S: Barmes, Jimenez. Runners left in scoring rill in the 8th. LOB: San Francisco 3, Los Angeles 6. 3B:
the same place they were when the trip position: Colorado 4 (S.Smith 2, Jimenez, C.Gonzalez); Ravine with a three-game series Furcal (5). HR: A.Torres 2 (5), off Wolf 2; Ethier (31), off
began, manager Jim Tracy noted, 4½ Arizona 5 (Reynolds 2, J.Upton 2, S.Drew). DP: Arizona 1 against the Rockies—who are Lincecum. RBIs: A.Torres 2 (19), Ethier 2 (101), Belliard
(Reynolds, R.Roberts, Allen). 2 (36). SB: Furcal (9). S: Blake. Runners left in scoring
games up in the wild-card race. 3-12 against them this year. position: San Francisco 2 (B.Molina 2); Los Angeles 2
“We go back home with nine of our Colorado IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Jimenez W, 14-11 7 5 1 1 3 8 121 3.47 “We’re going to try to clinch as (Blake 2). DP: Los Angeles 2 (Belliard, Furcal, Loney),
(Blake, Belliard, Loney).
final 12 games left at home,” he said. Daley 1 0 0 0 0 1 17 3.77 early as we can. I just want to get
F.Morales 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 2.84
“You’ve got to feel pretty doggone good PAUL CONNORS / AP
Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA this thing over with, and win- San Francisco IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Lincecum L, 14-6 4 4 5 5 4 3 86 2.47
about that.” Yorvit Torrealba, left, scored one of Colorado’s three seventh-inning runs. Haren L, 14-9 8 8 5 5 2 7 102 2.90 ning games is the only way we’re Medders 2 0 0 0 1 3 33 3.13
D.Cabrera 1 2 0 0 0 2 21 6.34
In the N.L. West race, Colorado going to do it,” manager Joe Torre Howry 1 1 1 1 2 1 23 3.49
Joaquin 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 3.12
remained five games behind the first- guy that lives for this time of the season, guys, but the way they played the game, WP: Jimenez, Haren. Umpires: Home, Angel Hernan- said. “If we don’t do it, we don’t Los Angeles IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
dez; First, Randy Marsh; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third,
place Los Angeles Dodgers. and I really think right now he’s in a and Jim Tracy was a huge reason.” Marvin Hudson. T: 2:36. A: 29,397 (48,652). deserve it. That’s what it comes Wolf W, 11-6 6 5 2 2 2 3 85 3.24
Kuo H, 13 1 0 0 0 0 0 9 2.36
Giambi, who had a three-run, pinch-hit really good place.” — The Associated Press down to. I mean, you’re certainly Sherrill 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 0.40
homer in the ninth inning of Colorado’s After being released by Oakland, where not fearful of anything—but you Broxton 1 0 0 0 0 2 12 2.39
10-4 victory Saturday night, added a two- he was hitting .193, Giambi was lured to National League get what you earn in this game. Wolf pitched to 1 batter in the 7th. Lincecum pitched to
run shot off Haren in the eighth. That Colorado by the chance to play for Tracy wild card standings There are a lot of clubs at this 2 batters in the 5th. Inherited runners-scored: Med-
ders 2-1, Kuo 1-0. IBB: off Howry (M.Ramirez, Loney),
gives him 11 RBIs in his 12 games since on a team that could contend. His role off time of year that wish they could off Medders (Loney). WP: Medders, Howry. Umpires:
W L Pct. GB
joining the Rockies earlier this month. the bench suited him perfectly. Colorado 85 65 .567 — control their own destiny, and Home, James Hoye; First, Tim Tschida; Second, Jeff Nel-
son; Third, Bob Davidson. T: 2:38. A: 53,233 (56,000).
“This is a great teammate, this is a “It’s a great team, that’s why I chose to San Francisco 80 69 .537 4½ we’re one of them.”
Florida 80 70 .533 5
unique player,” Tracy said. “This is a come here,” Giambi said, “Not only the Atlanta 79 70 .530 5½ — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 37
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Philadelphia 4, Atlanta 2 Phillies 4, Braves 2
Cincinnati 8, Florida 1 Milwaukee 6, Houston 0 Brewers 6, Astros 0
Houston AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Rollins ss 4 2 1 0 1 1 .247 Bourn cf 4 0 0 0 0 4 .291
Phillies get Victorino cf
B.Francisco cf
Utley 2b
1
3
5
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
.297
.270
.294
Homers help Reds salvage split Gallardo, ’pen K.Matsui 2b
Berkman 1b
Ca.Lee lf
4 0
3 0
3 0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
0
.252
.270
.305

to Hanson Howard 1b
Werth rf
Ibanez lf
4
1
4
0
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
3
0
3
1
0
.271
.274
.277 Reds 8, Marlins 1 blank Astros
Pence rf
Tejada ss
Blum 3b
2 0
4 0
4 0
1
1
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
.289
.300
.254
P.Feliz 3b 4 0 2 1 0 1 .264 Florida AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Quintero c 3 0 1 0 0 1 .232
ATLANTA—The Philadelphia Bako c 4 0 1 0 0 0 .190 Coghlan lf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .310 F.Paulino p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .045
Phillies have one last trip to Cl.Lee p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .241 N.Johnson 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .293 MILWAUKEE—Yovani Gallardo c-Erstad ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .200
T.Walker p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Ha.Ramirez ss 4 0 1 0 0 2 .352 Brocail p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
prove they are the best road Escalona p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- wanted to end his season on a
Cantu 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .280 W.Lopez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
team in baseball. Condrey p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- positive note. Thanks to Corey Byrdak p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
c-Mayberry ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .200 Uggla 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 .240
They’re off to a good start. Jo.Baker c 3 1 1 0 0 0 .271 Hart, Prince Fielder and Jody Gervacio p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Totals 30 0 5 0 4 12
Lidge p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- C.Ross cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 .273
The Phillies ended rookie Totals 33 4 10 4 5 9 B.Carroll rf 3 0 1 1 0 0 .275 Gerut, that’s what he did.
Tommy Hanson’s streak of 19 West p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .069 Fielder hit his 40th homer Milwaukee AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg. Cr.Martinez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Counsell 2b 4 1 1 1 1 2 .282
consecutive scoreless innings, McLouth cf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .269 a-G.Sanchez ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .188 and Gallardo pitched five C.Hart rf 4 1 1 2 1 1 .256
beating Atlanta 4-2 Sunday Prado 1b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .298 T.Wood p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 strong innings to help Milwau- Braun lf 3 0 2 0 1 0 .312
C.Jones 3b 4 0 2 0 0 1 .271 b-Gload ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .271 Fielder 1b 2 2 1 1 2 0 .299
and damaging the Braves’ faint M.Diaz rf 4 0 1 1 0 2 .321 A.Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .083 kee complete a sweep of the McGehee 3b 4 1 1 0 0 1 .304
N.L. wild-card hopes. G.Anderson lf 4 0 0 0 0 1 .272 Totals 30 1 5 1 0 3 Houston Astros with a 6-0 win Gerut cf 4 1 3 2 0 0 .233
Infante ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 .293 Mi.Rivera c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .223
The Phillies won two of three D.Ross c 3 0 2 0 0 1 .268 Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg. on Sunday. Gallardo will be A.Escobar ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .286
against the Braves to improve d-K.Johnson ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .220 Stubbs cf 5 1 2 1 0 1 .265 shut down the rest of the sea- Gallardo p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .172
Conrad 2b 3 1 0 0 1 2 .234 Janish ss 4 1 2 0 1 0 .220 a-C.Patterson ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 .120
to 45-29 away from Philadel- Hanson p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .061 Votto 1b 4 1 1 2 0 2 .304 son to keep his innings down. Villanueva p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .111
phia for the best road record in a-Church ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .272 B.Phillips 2b 4 1 2 1 0 0 .279 “To end on a good note is b-Gamel ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .227
Medlen p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Rolen 3b 3 1 1 1 1 0 .250 C.Smith p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
the major leagues. Logan p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Gomes rf 2 1 0 0 2 0 .264 always good and got a win and d-Catalanotto ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .284
b-Norton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .141 D.McDonald lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 .255 e-Bourgeois ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .188
There are seven games remain- O’Flaherty p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 finished the year off strong,”
C.Miller c 4 1 2 3 0 0 .159 Burns p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .077
ing in the Phillies’ final 10-game e-McCann ph 1 0 1 1 0 0 .288 TONY TRIBBLE / AP K.Wells p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .091 said Gallardo, who was on a Totals 32 6 10 6 6 8
Totals 34 2 7 2 2 11 Herrera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
road trip. They need only three Reds 1B Joey Votto blasted a two-run homer in the seventh inning. pitch count and would not have
c-A.Rosales ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .202 Houston 000 000 000 — 0 5 0
more wins to match their team- Philadelphia 001 210 000 — 4 10 1 Owings p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .245 gone beyond the fifth inning. “I Milwaukee 300 100 02x — 6 10 0
Atlanta 100 000 001 — 2 7 0
record 48 road wins in 1976. CINCINNATI—After a string five consecutive one-run Totals 33 8 11 8 4 7 knew it was the last start.”
a-singled for Gallardo in the 5th. b-struck out for Vil-
There was a rain delay of 1 a-struck out for Hanson in the 5th. b-grounded out of close games, the Cincin- games and eight in a row Fielder, who came in tied with lanueva in the 6th. c-grounded out for F.Paulino in the
for Logan in the 7th. c-doubled for Condrey in the 8th. Florida 000 000 010 — 1 5 0
hour, 51 minutes in the middle of d-grounded out for D.Ross in the 9th. e-singled for nati Reds were glad to get a decided by no more than Cincinnati 001 310 30x — 8 11 0 Albert Pujols with a majors-best 7th. d-was announced for C.Smith in the 8th. e-walked
O’Flaherty in the 9th. E: Rollins (6). LOB: Philadelphia 9, for Catalanotto in the 8th. LOB: Houston 7, Milwaukee
the fifth inning, ending Cliff Lee’s Atlanta 8. 2B: Rollins (39), B.Francisco (6), Howard (34),
breather. three runs. The Reds had a-lined out for Cr.Martinez in the 6th. b-grounded into 127 RBIs, hit a solo shot in the 8. 2B: Ca.Lee (31), Tejada (41), Quintero (8), Gerut (12).
start for the Phillies. Lee said he Ibanez (32), Mayberry (3), Prado (30), C.Jones (21). 3B: Corky Miller hit a rare played 17 straight games a fielder’s choice for T.Wood in the 8th. c-struck out for first and then set a club record HR: C.Hart (12), off F.Paulino; Fielder (40), off F.Paulino;
Utley (3). RBIs: B.Francisco (12), Utley (91), Ibanez (87), Herrera in the 8th. LOB: Florida 4, Cincinnati 6. 2B: Gerut (8), off F.Paulino. RBIs: Counsell (35), C.Hart 2 (48),
wanted to remain in the game. P.Feliz (70), M.Diaz (52), McCann (88). SB: Werth (14). home run to back Kip Wells’ that were decided by four Coghlan (25), Stubbs (3), Janish (19). 3B: B.Phillips in the fifth when he walked for Fielder (128), Gerut 2 (33). CS: Braun (6), C.Patterson
“I’m never going to be happy CS: Victorino (8), P.Feliz (1). S: T.Walker. Runners left strong pitching and Cincin- runs or less since beating (4). HR: C.Miller (1), off West; Votto (22), off T.Wood. the 100th time this season. (1). Runners left in scoring position: Houston 5
in scoring position: Philadelphia 5 (Utley, Ibanez 2, RBIs: B.Carroll (16), Stubbs (15), Votto 2 (72), B.Phillips (Blum 2, Tejada 2, Bourn); Milwaukee 5 (McGehee 2,
coming out after four innings Rollins 2); Atlanta 3 (G.Anderson, M.Diaz, D.Ross). DP: nati gained a split of its four- Pittsburgh 11-5 on Sept. 1. (90), Rolen (15), C.Miller 3 (6). SB: Ha.Ramirez (26). S: He set a franchise record Gamel, C.Hart 2). DP: Milwaukee 2 (A.Escobar, Fielder),
regardless of what the circum- Atlanta 2 (D.Ross, D.Ross, Infante), (Infante, Conrad, game series against the “That was great,” Baker K.Wells. Runners left in scoring position: Florida 4 when he recorded his 127th RBI (A.Escobar, Counsell, Fielder).
Prado). (Cantu, N.Johnson 3); Cincinnati 2 (Votto, Gomes). DP:
stances are,” Lee said. “I want to Florida Marlins by rolling said. “A lot of crooked Cincinnati 2 (Janish, B.Phillips, Votto), (B.Phillips, Janish, with a sacrifice fly in the Brew- Houston IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
go out there and get deep in Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA to an 8-1 victory Sunday. numbers. Corky Miller Votto). ers’ win Saturday. F.Paulino L, 2-10 6 8 4 4 2 7 110 6.06
Cl.Lee 4 5 1 1 0 2 52 2.65 Brocail 1 0 0 0 1 1 20 3.29
games.” T.Walker W, 2-0 2 1 0 0 1 3 24 2.35 Miller’s three-run shot had a big day. Kip Wells Florida IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Hart and Gerut also homered W.Lopez 2⁄3 2 2 2 1 0 1711.74
Lee threw briefly in front of Escalona H, 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 10 2.16 and Joey Votto’s two-run threw the ball well. He West L, 7-6 4 1⁄3 5 5 5 3 4 77 4.85 Milwaukee as built a 4-0 cush- Byrdak 0 0 0 0 2 0 14 3.19
Condrey H, 7 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 3.29 Cr.Martinez 2⁄3 2 0 0 0 0 6 5.64 Gervacio 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2.35
the Phillies dugout during the Madson H, 25 1 0 0 0 0 3 15 3.25 homer created a cushion minimized his pitches. Not T.Wood 2 4 3 3 1 2 37 3.00 ion for Gallardo, hoping it was Milwaukee IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Lidge S, 31-41 1 1 1 1 1 2 18 7.24 A.Miller 1 0 0 0 0 1 10 4.74 Gallardo W, 13-12 5 3 0 0 3 7 77 3.73
delay, but manager Charlie Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA for Wells, who put together walking anybody was the enough to get him through five
Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Villanueva 1 1 0 0 1 1 25 5.44
Manuel said he doesn’t like to Hanson L, 10-4 5 7 4 4 4 7 97 2.85 his longest outing since key. He didn’t have a lot of K.Wells W, 2-4 7 5 1 1 0 2 92 4.84 innings in his 30th and last C.Smith 2 0 0 0 0 3 19 3.23
Medlen 1 1⁄3 1 0 0 0 0 18 4.70 Herrera 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 2.87 Burns 1 1 0 0 0 1 18 5.98
send a starter back after delays Logan 2⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 14 4.96 being acquired by the Reds strikeouts, but he got a lot start of the season.
O’Flaherty 2 1 0 0 0 2 23 3.08 Owings 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 5.21
longer than about 40 minutes. as a free agent on July 7 and of ground balls and balls Gallardo (13-12) became the Byrdak pitched to 2 batters in the 8th. Inherited
The N.L. East-leading Phillies joining the team July 31. not hit very hard.” K.Wells pitched to 3 batters in the 8th. Inherited fourth Milwaukee pitcher with runners-scored: Byrdak 2-1, Gervacio 3-0. Umpires:
Inherited runners-scored: Condrey 1-0. IBB: off Home, Ed Rapuano; First, Paul Schrieber; Second, Joe
Logan (Werth), off Hanson (Howard). HBP: by Escalona runners-scored: Cr.Martinez 2-1, Herrera 2-0. HBP: by
took two of three in the series. (McLouth), by O’Flaherty (B.Francisco). Umpires:
Cincinnati manager Wells faced the mini- K.Wells (Cantu), by Herrera (Coghlan). Umpires: Home, 200 strikeouts in a season and West; Third, Paul Nauert. T: 2:50. A: 30,024 (41,900).
The Braves fell 5½ games behind Home, Tim Welke; First, Jim Reynolds; Second, Chad Dusty Baker was thankful mum 11 batters through Jim Joyce; First, Bill Miller; Second, Adrian Johnson; first since Ben Sheets’ 264 in
Fairchild; Third, Bill Welke. T: 2:46 (Rain delay: 1:51). A: Third, Derryl Cousins. T: 2:34. A: 16,186 (42,319).
wild-card leader Colorado. 29,452 (49,743). for a blowout win after the first 3 2/3 innings. 2004.
— The Associated Press watching his team play — The Associated Press — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Baseball MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 38
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Padres 4, Pirates 0
N.Y. Mets 6, Mets 6, Nationals 2
Washington AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Chicago Cubs 6, St. Louis 3, 11 innings Cubs 6, Cardinals 3, 11 innings
Chicago AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
San Diego 4, Pittsburgh 0 San Diego AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Fukudome cf-rf-cf 3 0 0 0 3 1 .253
Washington 2 W.Harris cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .224 Scales lf 3 1 0 0 1 2 .243
E.Cabrera ss 3 1 1 1 1 1 .269
Desmond ss
Zimmerman 3b 4 1
A.Dunn 1b
4 1

4 0
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
.375
.290
.278 Fox’s blast does it Fuld cf
g-Miles ph
S.Marshall p
0 0 0 0 0 0 .260
1 0 0 0 0 1 .179
0 0 0 0 0 0 .231
Native turning Eckstein 2b
Ad.Gonzalez 1b 4
Headley 3b
5

3
0
0
2
1
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
.263
.273
.260
Maine glad to Willingham lf
Dukes rf
4 0
3 0
Alb.Gonzalez 2b 3 0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
.274
.259
.255
Heilman p
Caridad p
h-K.Hill ph-c
0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1 1 0 0 0 0 .236
into staff ace O.Salazar lf
Ed.Gonzalez rf
Gwynn cf
4
3
1
0
0
0
3
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
.288
.211
.261
pick up win e-C.Guzman ph 1 0
J.Burke c
b-Orr ph
1 0
1 0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
.287
.000
.306
D.Lee 1b
Ar.Ramirez 3b
M.Hoffpauir rf
4 0 1 0 2 1 .303
5 1 1 0 1 1 .319
3 0 1 1 0 0 .244
c-Taguchi ph-lf-rf 3 0 2 0 0 1 .500
PITTSBURGH—Kevin Correia
didn’t expect to become the ace of
Venable cf-rf
H.Blanco c
Correia p
4
3
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
.272
.236
.122
Segovia p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Soto c 5 0 0 0 0 3 .221 Gregerson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
NEW YORK—John Maine man- Garate p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Marmol p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- his hometown team’s pitching c-Durango ph 0 1 0 0 1 0 .600
aged to get his first win since Fontenot 2b 3 1 2 0 0 1 .240 staff when he signed with the Gallagher p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
Kensing p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 e-Theriot ph-ss 2 0 0 0 0 1 .289
Mock p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .095 A.Blanco ss-2b 5 1 2 1 0 1 .270 H.Bell p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
May, even with a pitch count c-J.Bard ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 .234 Zambrano p 3 0 0 0 0 2 .203
San Diego Padres as a free agent Totals 33 4 9 3 4 3
limiting his work. He got a big Totals 31 2 5 2 2 3 Grabow p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 last winter.
Gregg p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Pittsburgh AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
assist from the free-swinging New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg. f-J.Fox ph-lf 1 1 1 2 1 0 .286 Yet that is what the native of A.McCutchen cf 4 0 1 0 0 2 .274
Totals 42 6 10 4 8 15
Washington Nationals. Pagan lf 5 1 3 0 0 1 .304 St. Louis AB R H BI BB SO Avg. San Diego has become, turning Cedeno ss 4 0 0 0 0 1 .266
L.Castillo 2b 3 0 2 0 0 0 .308 Schumaker 2b-rf 6 1 2 0 0 1 .303 Milledge lf 4 0 3 0 0 0 .288
Maine pitched five shutout D.Wright 3b 4 1 0 0 0 2 .313 DeRosa 3b 5 1 1 1 0 1 .229 in another outstanding Septem- Doumit c 4 0 0 0 0 0 .233
innings and Daniel Murphy Beltran cf 4 1 2 1 0 0 .337 Pujols 1b 3 0 1 1 2 0 .328 ber start Sunday with seven Moss rf 3 0 2 0 1 0 .246
Dan.Murphy 1b 4 1 2 2 0 0 .264 Holliday lf 2 1 1 0 2 1 .355 Pearce 1b 4 0 1 0 0 2 .211
had two RBIs to lead the New Francoeur rf 3 1 0 0 1 1 .279
Ludwick rf 5 0 0 0 0 2 .269 strong innings as the Padres beat N.Walker 3b 4 0 1 0 0 1 .160
M.Boggs p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .071
York Mets to a 6-2 win Sunday. Thole c 2 1 1 1 2 0 .333 B.Thompson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .083 the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0. L.Cruz 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 .179
Schneider c 0 0 0 0 0 0 .201 Ankiel cf 4 0 1 0 1 2 .234 Maholm p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .071
Maine (6-5) got deep enough W.Valdez ss 3 0 1 2 1 0 .250 Y.Molina c 5 0 1 1 0 1 .289 Correia (11-10) allowed six hits, a-R.Diaz ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .284
to get the decision despite being Maine p 2 0 0 0 0 1 .174 Br.Ryan ss 3 0 0 0 1 1 .291 did not walk a batter and struck Karstens p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .056
Dessens p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Wainwright p 2 0 0 0 0 2 .145 b-Delw.Young ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .267
held to 75 pitches in his second a-Sullivan ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .252
a-Thurston ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 .229 out five. He is 2-0 with a 1.67 S.Jackson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-K.Greene ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .206
start after a three-month stint S.Green p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 TOM GANNAM / AP Hawksworth p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- ERA in four starts this month. Veal p 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---
d-Tatis ph 0 0 0 0 1 0 .271 T.Miller p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Totals 33 0 8 0 1 7
on the disabled list with a sore Stokes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Jake Fox’s two-run homer helped the Cubs snatch a win from the Cardinals. Motte p 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 It is a strong finish to a season
right shoulder. He allowed two Fr.Rodriguez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- d-Rasmus ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 .254 in which he has set career highs San Diego 002 010 001 — 4 9 0
D.Reyes p 0 0 0 0 0 0 --- Pittsburgh 000 000 000 — 0 8 2
singles and a walk, throwing Totals 31 6 11 6 5 6 ST. LOUIS—After delivering With the bases loaded and Lugo 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0 .294 for wins, innings (183) and
Totals 38 3 7 3 6 12
50 strikes in his crisp Washington 000 000 002 — 2 5 0 a pair of knockout blows, one out, Ryan Ludwick hit a Chicago 000 012 000 03 —6 10 1 strikeouts (131) after spending a-grounded out for Maholm in the 6th. b-grounded
New York 013 000 02x — 6 11 0 St. Louis 000 020 010 00 —3 7 1 out for Karstens in the 8th. c-walked for Gregerson in
performance. the St. Louis Cardinals were potential double-play a-was announced forWainwright in the 7th. b-grounded the previous six years bouncing the 9th. E: Doumit 2 (5). LOB: San Diego 8, Pittsburgh
“They were up there swing- on the receiving end. grounder. Shortstop Ryan out for Thurston in the 7th. c-singled for M.Hoffpauir in between the starting rotation 7. 2B: Eckstein (27), Ad.Gonzalez (26), Headley (28),
a-struck out for Dessens in the 7th. b-grounded out for the 8th. d-struck out for Motte in the 8th. e-grounded
J.Burke in the 8th. c-grounded out for Mock in the 8th. out for Fontenot in the 9th. f-walked for Gregg in the O.Salazar 2 (7), Milledge (9). RBIs: E.Cabrera (30),
ing, not many foul balls today,” d-walked for S.Green in the 8th. e-struck out for Alb.
Jake Fox hit a two-run Theriot’s relay was wide 9th. g-struck out for Fuld in the 9th. h-grounded into a
and various relief roles with San Ad.Gonzalez (90), O.Salazar (10). SB: Durango (2). CS:
Maine said. “They did put it in Gonzalez in the 9th. LOB: Washington 5, New York 7. homer in the 11th inning and and Ludwick eluded the tag, fielder’s choice for Caridad in the 11th. E: A.Blanco (3), Francisco and winning a total of Moss (4). SF: E.Cabrera, Ad.Gonzalez. Runners left
2B: Zimmerman (32), Pagan (16), Dan.Murphy (35). Br.Ryan (8). LOB: Chicago 11, St. Louis 11. 2B: A.Blanco in scoring position: San Diego 5 (Headley, Correia,
play and they did help me out. 3B: Dan.Murphy (4), W.Valdez (2). RBIs: Zimmer-
the Chicago Cubs benefited letting the apparent win- (8), DeRosa (9), Pujols (40). HR: J.Fox (11), off M.Boggs. 14 games. Venable, Ed.Gonzalez, Eckstein); Pittsburgh 3 (Moss,
RBIs: M.Hoffpauir (32), A.Blanco (12), J.Fox 2 (41),
They helped me get five innings man (97), A.Dunn (101), Beltran (45), Dan.Murphy from a wide slide by Matt ning run score and setting DeRosa (22), Pujols (128), Y.Molina (49). SB: Fontenot With Jake Peavy having been N.Walker 2). DP: San Diego 1 (Eckstein, Ad.Gonzalez).
out of my pitch count.” 2 (60), Thole (5), W.Valdez 2 (7). SB: L.Castillo (17). Holliday in a 6-3 victory off fireworks over Busch (4), Y.Molina (9). S: DeRosa. Runners left in scoring traded to the Chicago White Sox
CS: W.Valdez (1). S: Mock, L.Castillo. Runners left position: Chicago 6 (Scales, Fukudome, Soto, Miles, San Diego IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Nationals manager Jim Rig- in scoring position: Washington 3 (W.Harris, Mock, Sunday night, keeping the Stadium. Taguchi 2); St. Louis 6 (Ludwick 4, Br.Ryan, Rasmus). on July 31 and the Padres in a Correia W, 11-10 7 6 0 0 0 5 95 4.08
C.Guzman); New York 4 (Beltran 2, Francoeur, Pagan). GIDP: Ludwick, Y.Molina. DP: Chicago 2 (A.Blanco, Gregerson H, 26 1 1 0 0 0 0 16 2.73
gleman saw the same thing, DP: Washington 2 (Desmond, A.Dunn), (Alb.Gonzalez,
Cardinals’ magic number at But while several St. Louis Fontenot, D.Lee), (A.Blanco, Theriot, D.Lee); St. Louis 1 youth movement, Correia is their Gallagher 1⁄3 1 0 0 1 0 9 0.00
(Br.Ryan, Pujols).
and chided his team for its A.Dunn). four for clinching the N.L. players ran onto the field to Chicago IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA top starter. H.Bell S, 39-44 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 12 2.78
Zambrano 6 5 2 2 3 6 102 3.91 Pittsburgh IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
effort in a brief postgame talk. Washington IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Central. St. Louis won the celebrate, second base Grabow H, 23 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 7 3.06 “It’s just that I’m the guy with Maholm L, 8-9 6 9 3 2 3 3 101 4.46
“It was just a lackluster per- Mock L, 3-9 7 9 4 4 2 5 115 5.83 first two games with ninth- umpire Marty Foster said Gregg BS, 7-30 1 1⁄3 1 1 1 2 3 31 4.72 the most experience in the rota- Karstens 2 0 0 0 0 0 15 5.09
Segovia 2⁄3 1 2 2 2 0 26 18.00 S.Marshall 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 4.46 S.Jackson 2⁄3 0 1 0 1 0 12 3.44
formance,” Riggleman said. Garate 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 18.00
inning hits. Holliday slid out of the base- Heilman 1⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 6 4.21 tion and I’m the only guy that’s Veal 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4.38
Caridad W, 1-0 1 2⁄3 0 0 0 0 2 16 2.03
“We can’t have that. That’s not Kensing 1⁄3 0 0 0 1 1 12 10.43 “All three games in the path and ruled an inning- Marmol S, 14-18 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 3.47 been in there all year,” Correia
New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA St. Louis IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA Inherited runners-scored: H.Bell 2-0. IBB: off
acceptable. You just can’t play Maine W, 6-5 5 2 0 0 1 1 75 4.13
series were nip and tuck,” ending double play. Wainwright 7 5 3 2 2 10 104 2.59 said. “I don’t think it’s the posi- Maholm (H.Blanco). Umpires: Home, Bruce Dreck-
with a lack of intensity at this Dessens 2 0 0 0 0 0 20 2.90 Cubs manager Lou Piniella Cardinals manager Tony La Hawksworth 2⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 14 2.31 tion the Padres wanted to be in man; First, Paul Emmel; Second, Scott Barry; Third, Gary
T.Miller 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1.77 Darling. T: 2:32. A: 24,028 (38,362).
point because it’ll show up.” S.Green 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 4.85 said. “Finally, we pulled one Russa came out to argue, Motte 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 4.92 but I’m happy to be in the posi-
Stokes 2⁄3 3 2 2 1 1 26 4.31 D.Reyes 1 0 0 0 2 1 20 3.05
Angel Pagan finished with Fr.Rodriguez S, 33-39 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 5 3.06 out.” and Foster showed him the M.Boggs L, 2-3 1 2⁄3 4 3 3 3 2 44 4.37 tion to get us some wins.”
B.Thompson 1⁄3 0 0 0 0 1 4 4.98
three hits for New York, which Garate pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. Inherited
An interference call on dirt path where Holliday T.Miller pitched to 1 batter in the 8th. S.Marshall pitched Heath Bell struck out the last
won two of three in the week- Holliday in the ninth cost slid going after Theriot—it to 1 batter in the 9th. Inherited runners-scored: two batters for his National
runners-scored: Garate 2-2, Kensing 1-0, Fr.Rodriguez Gregg 1-0, Heilman 1-0, Caridad 2-0, T.Miller 1-0, Motte
end series between the bottom 2-0. Umpires: Home, Rick Reed; First, Jeff Kellogg; the Cardinals a chance for a was clearly too wide of the 2-0, B.Thompson 3-1. IBB: off Heilman (Pujols). HBP: League-leading 39th save in 44
Second, Tim Timmons; Third, Mark Wegner. T: 2:57. A: by Zambrano (Br.Ryan), by Caridad (Holliday). WP:
two teams in the N.L. East. 38,347 (41,800). three-game sweep and bag. Gregg, B.Thompson. Umpires: Home, Todd Tichenor; opportunities.
First, Kerwin Danley; Second, Marty Foster; Third, Mark
— The Associated Press another dramatic finish. — The Associated Press Carlson. T: 3:53. A: 44,937 (43,975). — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Parise embraces trap; Kessel: I didn’t ask for deal
New Jersey F Zach Parise had heard
all those rumors about new coach
Jacques Lemaire’s trap-first, shoot-
later style. But he told Rich Chere of
The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger he
arrived at training camp without
any pre-formed expectations.
“I wasn’t nervous or scared,”
Parise said. “I was more looking
forward to it. I talked a little bit with
(former Lemaire players) Brian Rol-
ston and Jimmy Dowd and they said
how much they loved playing for
him.”
Still, the idea of playing in a
reined-back offense, especially for a
player who is coming off a career-
best 45-goal breakout season, could
be disconcerting.
“Just by the way we’ve been prac-
ticing, it seems like it’s going to be a
lot of fun, up-tempo with a lot of
skating, really aggressive,” Parise
said, smiling when asked if the sys-
tem will be conducive to a 50-goal
season. “I sure hope so. But if I get
50 goals and we don’t make the
playoffs, that doesn’t mean
anything.”
Jamie Langenbrunner, who enjoyed
a career offensive season last year
under coach Brent Sutter, also
weighed in on the Lemaire debate.
“From what I’ve seen in his coach-
ing, he takes what he has in front of
him, takes the game and puts the
best system in place with the play-
ers he has,” Langenbrunner told the
newspaper. “If that’s to sit back, it’s
to sit back. If that’s to attack, it’s to
attack. I think we’re you’re going to
see a combination of both from us,
like every team in this league.”
While Bruins G.M. Peter Chiarelli
was saying young F Phil Kessel didn’t
want to play in Boston, triggering
Friday night’s trade of his 36-goal
scorer to the Maple Leafs, Kessel
told the Toronto media that he never
asked Chiarelli to deal him.
“I never one time asked to be
traded,” Kessel said. “I think it just
became a mutual thing that it was
best for both parties to move on.
That’s basically what happened
with that.”
Not that Kessel regrets the oppor-
tunity to play in a hockey-crazed
Canadian hub.
“It’s the best hockey city in the
world,” Kessel said. “The fans here
are great. It’s a first-class organiza-
tion. They just love hockey here in
Toronto. It’s one of the reasons I
chose Minnesota in college. In Min-
nesota, they love hockey. It’s the No.
1 sport. Here in Toronto, hockey’s it.
I want to be part of that. I’m so
excited to be here and be part of the
organization.”
While Kessel and his former team
disagreed on semantics, Toronto
G.M. Brian Burke exulted about his
newest addition and what he brings
to the Maple Leafs..
“The way we play, the way we
want to attack and utilize his speed,
it’s like someone wrote a script and
handed it to Phil,” Burke said. “This
is the right team to be on.”
The concussion watch got off
to a quick start when New York
Islanders F Kyle Okposo and Colum-
bus F Jason Chimera were hustled to
hospitals after taking tough hits in
NHL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 39
INSIDE DISH
games Thursday and Friday
night.
Okposo, it turned out, suffered a
mild concussion and was a specta-
tor Saturday night when the Island-
ers played the Calgary Flames.
Okposo says he is essentially symp-
tom-free but plans to take several
more days before resuming light
activity.
When asked whether he thinks
the hit delivered by Calgary D Dion
Phaneuf was clean or dirty, Okposo
played diplomat.
“I don’t want to get into whether it
was dirty or not,’’ he told Newsday.
“It’s part of the game and it’s an
unfortunate situation.’’
Chimera’s CT scan was negative
and he returned from Minnesota to
Columbus, complaining only of a
stiff neck.
“I feel pretty good, considering,”
he told the Columbus Dispatch via
text message. “Rough night at the
office.”
“It could have been a lot worse,”
G.M. Scott Howson told the newspa-
per. “Having said that, we don’t
know when he’s going to be able to
play.”
The Blues have been cautious
in the early going with veteran F
Paul Kariya, who is returning from
double hip surgery that cost him
most of last season. He’s getting BILL KOSTROUN / AP
his body used to a lengthier skat- Devils F Zach Parise, bottom, is coming off a 45-goal season, but he’s unconcerned with new coach Jacques Lemaire’s defense-first reputation.
ing stride and showed early jump
with goals in consecutive pre- “When I started, my groin and “The practices are so demand- games. To get a couple games
season games. hip-flexor was a little tight. But ing, it’s tough to get an indication under my belt and have no reper-
“I feel better every day,” Kariya they’ve loosened up and the hips of where your legs are. But I’ve cussions … the body’s feeling
told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. themselves, the joints feel great. felt like I had good jump in the good.”
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NHL MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 40
Numbers
NHL countdown Every day in September leading into
NEW YORK RANGERS CATEGORY TEAM STATS RANKS

10
BY CHUCK GORMLEY
Sporting News Yearbooks
When John Tortorella took over for Tom
Renney as coach of the offensively chal-
lenged Rangers late last season, he ques-
tioned his players’ fitness level and ability
to play nasty hockey at breakneck speed.
General manager Glen Sather must have
been listening.
In one dizzying midsummer week, Sather
replaced underperforming center Scott
Gomez with speed demon Marian Gaborik;
exchanged agitating forward Colton Orr for
heavyweight enforcer Donald Brashear;
replaced Nik Antropov and Markus
Naslund with shootout specialist Ales
Kotalik and hard-hitting winger Christo-
pher Higgins; and stocked his blue line
with prospect Ryan McDonagh.
Now the onus falls on Tortorella to make
it work. The fiery coach pushed enough of
the right buttons to get the Rangers in the
playoffs last season, but fell one win short
of a first-round upset of Washington.
Tortorella plans to install an aggressive,
hunt-the-puck offensive scheme that should
accentuate Gaborik’s talents.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see
how he does with Tortorella’s system,”
Sather said. “As Torts has described, we’re
going to have a very uptempo, speed game.
This guy fits the bill to a T.”
In eight seasons with Minnesota,
Gaborik was an offensive dynamo capable
of undressing defensemen and goaltenders
with his speed and dazzling moves. He has
averaged more than a point a game in each
of his last four campaigns, but injuries also
have forced Gaborik to miss 138 games,
including 65 last year for recurring groin,
back and hip problems. Gaborik finally
the Oct. 1 season openers, Sporting
News Today will preview each of the
NHL teams, counting backward from
its July 24 Power Poll.
Rangers fans can reasonably expect no worse than 30 wins and a 2.50 GAA from G Henrik Lundqvist.
had season-ending hip surgery last Janu-
ary and the Rangers believe they will see
the 27-year-old Slovakian in his prime.
Sather believed in Gaborik enough to
give him a five-year, $37.5 million deal. He
freed up that money by shipping Gomez to
Montreal in a trade that netted Higgins,
McDonagh and Pavel Valentenko, and he
later chose to walk away from an arbitra-
tion award to underachieving forward
Nikolai Zherdev, making him an unre-
stricted free agent.
Without Gomez and Zherdev, the Rang-
ers will audition gritty center Brandon
2008-09 record: 43-30-9, 95 points
Last playoff: 2009 (lost in conference quarterfinal)
Coach: John Tortorella
PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS / AP
Dubinsky and offseason signee Vinny
Prospal for first-line work alongside
Gaborik. Prospal played for Tortorella in
Tampa and can play either center or wing.
Chris Drury, whose play dipped last sea-
son, would draw the role of second-line
center next to ornery Sean Avery and Kota-
lik, while Tyler Arnason and young Artem
Anisimov will battle for third-line center
duties, perhaps between Brashear and
Ryan Callahan.
The relationship between Avery and Tor-
torella was put to the test last spring when the
coach benched the league’s most publicized
Goals Per Game 2.44 28
Penalty Kill Percentage 87.84 1
Power Play Goals 48 29
Power Play Percentage 13.87 29
Saves 2221 14
Save Percentage .913 6
pest, and the two will likely butt heads again. Shorthanded Goals For 9 9t
But when emotions are kept on a slow boil, Shots Against Per Game 29.67 15
Avery is an effective second-line winger. Shots Per Game 32.41 7
Higgins, 26, is a north-south winger who Shutouts 4 16t
should be a good fit in Tortorella’s system. Total Points 554 27
After netting 20 or more goals in three Faceoff Percentage .508 15
straight campaigns, his production dipped Goals Against Per Game 2.59 6
to 12 goals and 11 assists in 57 games for the
Power Play
Canadiens. 346 15
Opportunities
Brashear, who enters the season with 2,561 Shorthanded Goals
career penalty minutes, is more than just a 14 2
Against
thug. He plays a smart, positional game and Times Shut Out 8 4
is well-respected in the locker room.
Kotalik was another nice pickup. The Offseason moves
30-year-old Czech winger has eclipsed the
20-goal mark four times, including last Additions
season when he netted 20 for the Sabres Tyler Arnason, C (Avalanche); Brian Boyle, C
and Oilers. Kotalik also holds the NHL (Kings); Donald Brashear, LW (Capitals); Marian
Gaborik, RW (Wild); Christopher Higgins, RW
record with 11 game-deciding shootout (trade, Canadiens); Ales Kotalik, RW (Oilers);
goals, converting 20 of 38 career attempts. Enver Lisin, RW (trade, Coyotes); Vinny Prospal, C
Callahan should provide third-line grit (Lightning); Nigel Williams, D (trade, Avalanche).
and, after scoring 22 goals last season, will
be counted on to provide offensive punch as Subtractions
well. Aaron Voros, Lauri Korpikoski and Nik Antropov, RW (Thrashers); Scott Gomez, C
(trade, Canadiens), Doug Janik, D (Red Wings);
free-agent newcomer Brian Boyle will bat- Lauri Korpikoski, LW (trade, Coyotes); Paul Mara,
tle for time on the fourth line. D (Canadiens); Greg Moore, RW (Islanders); Derek
While Sather strengthened an offense Morris, D (trade, Bruins); Markus Naslund, LW
that finished 14th in the Eastern Confer- (retired); Colton Orr, LW (Maple Leafs); Fredrik
ence in scoring and last on the power play, Sjostrom, RW (Flames); Nikolai Zherdev, RW
(released).
he has holes to fill in his defense.
Veteran Michal Rozsival is coming off a
career-worst minus-7 performance, while
Wade Redden has become a target for fan the best goaltenders in the East in Henrik
derision, leaving much of the defensive Lundqvist, who has recorded 30 or more
burden to developing defensemen Dan wins and compiled a goals-against average
Girardi and Marc Staal. under 2.50 in each of his last four seasons.
The Rangers could break in as many as Lundqvist has played 70 or more games the
two rookies on the blue line and are expect- past three seasons, which resigns backup
ing big things from Matt Gilroy. Bobby Steve Valiquette to door-opening duty.
Sanguinetti, Michael Del Zotto or Ilkka — For much more on the Rangers, purchase a copy of Sporting News
Heikkinen also offer first-year promise. Hockey ’09-10 yearbook by calling 1-800-380-7404. Or order it online
The Rangers have one of at sportingnews.com or streetandsmiths.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
PRESEASON
SPOTLIGHT
Minnesota 3, Chicago 0
Wild enjoy early returns on big additions
MINNEAPOLIS—Martin Havlat’s
first two goals in a Minnesota
uniform helped the Wild blank
the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 on
Sunday.
Havlat, who came to Minne-
sota over the summer as a free
agent after spending the previ-
ous three seasons in Chicago,
needed just 84 seconds to score
on a tap-in after a pass from
Benoit Pouliot. Havlat and newly
acquired Petr Sykora also scored
in the third period.
Minnesota goalies Nicklas
Backstrom and Anton Khu-
dobin combined to stop all 18
Chicago shots. Backstrom
played the first two periods and
stopped 11 shots.
Blackhawks stars Patrick
Kane and Jonathan Toews were
scratched and forward Adam
Burish limped off the ice in the
first period and didn’t return.
Goalie Antti Niemi started
and made 12 saves in the first
two periods. Corey Crawford
made 2 in the third.
Calgary 5, Florida 2
CALGARY—Theo Fleury scored
one goal and set up another for
Calgary.
Fleury, who helped the Flames
win the 1989 Stanley Cup,
played his second game on a
free-agent tryout. The crowd of
19,289 chanted his name in
appreciation.
Curtis Glencross had a goal
and three assists for Calgary.
Olli Jokinen added a goal and
NHL
Josh Gorges scored on a power
play early in the third period for
Montreal.
N.Y. Islanders 3, Edmonton 1
SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN—John
Tavares assisted on a second-
period goal for his first pre-
season point.
The first pick in the 2009 draft
had been held without a point in
the Islanders’ 3-2 win in Edmon-
ton four days earlier.
He had an excellent chance
late in the second period, but
Oilers goaltender Devan Dub-
nyk turned aside the breakaway
attempt.
Radek Martinek and Josh
Bailey scored first period goals
for the Islanders. Emdonton’s
Patrick O’Sullivan beat Martin
Biron in the second period after
an Islanders’ defensive miscue
ANN HEISENFELT / AP
left him alone in front of the net.
Petr Sykora, who recently agreed to terms with Minnesota after two seasons and
a Stanley Cup victory with the Penguins, scored his first preseason goal. Biron stopped 23 shots, mak-
ing his claim to start in the
two assists against his former Boston rookie goaltender Islanders’ goaltending carousel
team, giving him six points in Tuukka Rask stopped 25-of-26 which also includes Dwayne
two exhibition games. shots. Roloson and Rick DiPietro.
Jarome Iginla and Daymond The Bruins were officially the
Langkow also scored for the home team for the game at the Colorado 2, St. Louis 1
Flames. Quebec Colisee, even though DENVER—Milan Hejduk scored
David Booth and Stephen most fans appeared to support 48 seconds into overtime to lift
Weiss scored for the Panthers, the Canadiens, the once-bitter the Avalanche.
who played their fifth game in rivals of the defunct Quebec T. J. Galiardi added a his first goal
six nights on the road against a Nordiques. of the preseason. Darcy Tucker,
Canadian opponent. Ryder was on a rush when his Chris Durno and Kyle Quincey had
wrist shot deflected past goal- assists for Colorado.
Boston 1, Montreal 1 tender Jaroslav Halak 4:12 into Peter Budaj, Colorado’s start-
QUEBEC CITY—Michael Ryder the game. Kobasew scored over ing goalie for much of the 2008-
and Chuck Kobasew scored for the sprawled Halak at 13:58 of 09 season, had 24 saves.
the Bruins. the second period. —The Associated Press
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 41
St. Louis 1 0 0 0 — 1
SUMMARIES
Chicago 0 0 0 — 0
Colorado 0 0 1 1 —
First Period: 1, St. Louis, Johnson 1 (Oshie,
2 Preseason Glance
All Times ET
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Minnesota 1 0 2 — 3
Berglund), 13:32 (pp). Penalties: Reaves, StL Atlantic Division
(interference), 4:41; Colorado bench, served
First Period: 1, Minnesota, Havlat 1 (Pouliot,
Johnsson), 1:26. Penalties: Dowell, Chi, major by Duchene (too many men), 6:41; Wilson, Col
W L OT Pts GF GA
N.Y. Islanders 2 2 1 5 14 13
(fighting), 2:28; Smith, Min, major (fighting), 2:28; (hooking), 13:03; Tucker, Col (tripping), 13:26; N.Y. Rangers 1 2 1 3 11 11
Bois, Chi, major (fighting), 3:01; Scott, Min, served Galiardi, Col (delay of game), 15:29; Reaves, StL,
major (fighting), 17:34; McLeod, Col, major (fight- New Jersey 1 0 0 2 3 2
by Milroy, minor-major (interference, fighting), Pittsburgh 1 1 0 2 8 8
3:01; Sifers, Min (high-sticking), 6:26; Johnsson, ing), 17:34.
Second Period: None. Penalties: Berglund, Philadelphia 0 2 1 1 5 12
Min (interference), 7:57; Bickell, Chi (interference), Northeast Division
StL (holding stick), 2:21; P.Stastny, Col (holding),
13:01; Brouwer, Chi (roughing), 13:49; Pouliot,
15:30. W L OT Pts GF GA
Min (roughing), 13:49; Ladd, Chi (hooking), 17:09;
Clutterbuck, Min (charging), 17:09. Third Period: 2, Colorado, Galiardi 1 (Tucker, Toronto 3 1 0 6 15 10
Durno), 3:09. Penalties: Bell, StL (interference), Boston 3 1 0 6 9 9
Second Period: None. Penalties: Lalonde, Chi,
7:23; Hejduk, Col (hooking), 14:43.
major (fighting), 11:37; Cuma, Min, major (fight- Montreal 2 2 0 4 7 11
ing), 11:37; Bois, Chi (boarding), 11:51; C.Fraser, Overtime: 3, Colorado, Hejduk 1 (Wilson, Buffalo 1 0 1 3 6 5
Quincey), :48. Penalties: None.
Chi, major (fighting), 19:11; Sifers, Min, major
Shots on Goal: St. Louis 13-7-5-0: 25. Colo-
Ottawa 1 3 0 2 9 8
(fighting), 19:11. Southeast Division
Third Period: 2, Minnesota, Havlat 2 (Clut- rado 9-12-13-1: 35.
W L OT Pts GF GA
Power-play opportunities: St. Louis 1 of 6;
terbuck, Johnsson), 13:31 (pp). 3, Minnesota,
Colorado 0 of 3. Washington 2 0 0 4 7 5
Sykora 1 (Nolan, Brodziak), 17:03. Penalties: Florida 2 3 0 4 9 14
Johnson, Chi, major (fighting), 5:06; Kassian, Min, Goalies: St. Louis, Conklin 1-0-1 (35 shots-33
saves). Colorado, Budaj 1-0-0 (25-24). Tampa Bay 1 0 1 3 5 5
major (fighting), 5:06; Cullen, Chi (high-sticking),
A: 11,288 (18,007). T: 2:20. Atlanta 0 1 1 1 1 7
13:06; Johnson, Chi (holding), 13:15; Sykora, Min
(hooking), 14:49; Beach, Chi, minor-misconduct Referees: Dennis LaRue, Rob Martell. Lines- Carolina 0 1 0 0 2 4
men: Mike Cvik, Vaughan Rody. WESTERN CONFERENCE
(roughing), 19:31.
Shots on Goal: Chicago 7-4-7: 18. Minnesota Central Division
4-9-4: 17. Montreal 0 0 1 — 1 W L OT Pts GF GA
Power-play opportunities: Chicago 0 of 4; Boston 1 1 0 — 2 Nashville 3 0 0 6 12 4
Minnesota 1 of 5. Detroit 2 1 0 4 8 7
Goalies: Chicago, Niemi 0-1-0 (17 shots-14 First Period: 1, Boston, Ryder 1 (Wheeler, Wide-
St. Louis 2 1 1 5 12 9
saves). Minnesota, Backstrom 2-0-0 (11-11), man), 4:12. Penalties: Gionta, Mon (hooking),
5:05; Sobotka, Bos (tripping), 8:09. Chicago 0 1 1 1 2 6
Khudobin (0:00 third, 7-7). Columbus 0 2 1 1 6 10
A: 18,064 (18,064). T: 2:20. Second Period: 2, Boston, Kobasew 1 (Recchi,
Suave), 13:50. Penalties: A.Kostitsyn, Mon, Northwest Division
Referees: Chris Ciamaga, Dan Marouelli. Lines-
major (fighting), 5:02; LoVecchio, Bos, major W L OT Pts GF GA
men: Scott Cherrey, Brad Lazarowich.
(fighting), 5:02; Lehtonen, Bos (holding), 19:11. Vancouver 4 0 0 8 14 4
Third Period: 3, Montreal, Gorges 1 (Latendresse, Edmonton 3 2 0 6 13 9
Florida 1 0 1 — 2 Plekanec), 1:05 (pp). Penalties: Wheeler, Bos Minnesota 2 1 0 4 6 3
Calgary 0 3 2 — 5 (high-sticking), 14:54. Colorado 2 1 0 4 7 8
Shots on Goal: Montreal 7-7-12: 26. Boston Calgary 2 2 0 4 13 14
First Period: 1, Florida, Booth 3 (Timmins, 10-6-2: 18.
Horton), 5:19. Penalties: Dadonov, Fla (tripping), Power-play opportunities: Montreal 1 of 1;
Pacific Division
6:07; Pardy, Cal (tripping), 9:22; Dawes, Cal (slash- Boston 0 of 0. W L OT Pts GF GA
ing), 11:43; Jokinen, Cal (hooking), 14:44. Goalies: Montreal, Halak 0-1-0 (18 shots-16 Los Angeles 2 1 1 5 11 10
Second Period: 2, Calgary, Glencross 1 (Iginla, saves). Boston, Rask 2-0-0 (26-25). Phoenix 1 1 3 5 16 18
Jokinen), 4:15 (pp). 3, Calgary, Iginla 1 (Jokinen, Dallas 2 1 0 4 9 8
A: 0 (15,250). T: 2:30.
Dawes), 8:32. 4, Calgary, Langkow 1 (Fleury, Glen- Referees: Stephane Auger, David Banfield. San Jose 2 1 0 4 9 11
cross), 15:04. Penalties: Koistinen, Fla (tripping), Linesmen: Derek Amell, Steve Barton. Anaheim 2 2 0 4 8 12
4:06; Jokinen, Cal (hooking), 18:29. Two points for a win, one point for over-
Third Period: 5, Florida, Weiss 1 (Koistinen, Edmonton 0 1 0 — 1 time loss or shootout loss.
Seidenberg), :48. 6, Calgary, Jokinen 3 (Bouw- N.Y. Islanders 2 1 0 — 3
meester, Glencross), 7:28 (pp). 7, Calgary, Fleury 1
(Glencross, Langkow), 7:53. Penalties: Pardy, Cal First Period: 1, N.Y. Islanders, Martinek 1 Sunday’s games
(tripping), 4:56; McArdle, Fla (interference), 7:03. (Tambellini, Comeau), 5:51. 2, N.Y. Islanders, Minnesota 3, Chicago 0
Shots on Goal: Florida 7-5-14: 26. Calgary Bailey 1 (Tambellini, Comeau), 13:03. Penalties: Boston 2, Montreal 1
10-12-14: 36. MacIntyre, Edm, major (fighting), 2:38; Rechlicz, N.Y. Islanders 3, Edmonton 1
Power-play opportunities: Florida 0 of 5; NYI, major (fighting), 2:38; DiBenedetto, NYI Calgary 5, Florida 2
Calgary 2 of 3. (unsportsmanlike conduct), 15:15. Colorado 2, St. Louis 1, OT
Goalies: Florida, Vokoun 1-2-0 (36 shots-31 Second Period: 3, N.Y. Islanders, Moulson 3 (Tav-
saves). Calgary, Kiprusoff 1-0-0 (12-11), Irving ares, Streit), 6:56 (pp). 4, Edmonton, O’Sullivan 4 Today’s games
(0:00 third, 14-13). (Visnovsky, Comrie), 13:38. Penalties: Edmonton Carolina at Atlanta, 7 p.m.
A: 19,289 (19,289). T: 2:09. bench (too many men), 2:45; Visnovsky, Edm Buffalo at Washington, 7 p.m.
Referees: Kyle Rehman, Steve Kozari. Lines- (tripping), 5:32; O’Sullivan, Edm (tripping), 6:41.
Detroit at N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
men: Lonnie Cameron, Thor Nelson. Third Period: None. Penalties: Comeau, NYI
(cross-checking), 12:59. Minnesota at Columbus, 7 p.m.
Shots on Goal: Edmonton 7-5-10: 22. N.Y. Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Islanders 5-13-6: 24. Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay at Regina, Saskatch-
Power-play opportunities: Edmonton 0 of 0; ewan, 9 p.m.
N.Y. Islanders 1 of 1. Calgary at Vancouver, 10 p.m.
Goalies: Edmonton, Dubnyk 0-1-0 (24 shots-21 San Jose at Anaheim, 10 p.m.
saves). N.Y. Islanders, Biron 1-0-0 (22-21).
A: 0 (11,310). T: 2:30.
Referees: Chris Ciamaga, Paul Devorski. Lines-
men: David Brisebois, Lonnie Cameron.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NBA / WNBA MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 42
NBA WNBA
INSIDE DISH Los Angeles 75, Seattle 64

Iguodala open to playing some point Leslie, Sparks

Sixers G/F Andre Iguodala, who’s always had a wide
eliminate
array of offensive skills, could see some time at point
guard this year, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Storm again
In new coach Eddie Jordan’s offense, both guards han- SEATTLE—Retirement will have to
dle the ball. Lou Williams is set to start at point guard this wait for another day for Lisa Les-
year, but Iguodala said he’d be open to some lead-guard lie—or at least for another two
roles. F Thaddeus Young also said he’s worked on his ball- games.
handling and 3-point shooting for the new offense. “It’s Leslie had 13 points and eight ELAINE THOMPSON / AP
definitely going to be rough, learning a new offense,” rebounds, and Candace Parker Candace Parker, right, joking with teammate DeLisha Milton-Jones, scored 22 for L.A.
Young said. “There will definitely be growing pains.” scored 22 points and keyed a sec-
ond-quarter run that led the Los think just knowing personnel and
SF LeBron James has said he wants to keep his Angeles Sparks over the Seattle having to play a team three times,
options open for next summer, but did he drop a clue Storm 75-64 Sunday in the decid- you kind of figure out what every- Playoff glance
that he’ll be staying in Cleveland? ing third game of the WNBA West- one’s tendencies are, more than FIRST ROUND
James was signing autographs of his new book Shoot- ern Conference semifinals. anything else.” (Best-of-3)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ing Stars in Westlake, Ohio, on Friday when one fan It was the second straight year Added Sparks coach Michael Indiana 2, Washington 0
said, “Don’t leave us, man,” as James scrawled his the Sparks eliminated the Storm in Cooper, “In the first quarter, I Sept. 17: Indiana 88,
name. “I ain’t leaving,” James said, smiling. The Cava- the opening round by winning thought we came out real focused Washington 79
liers offered James a contract extension earlier this Game 3 at Seattle. L.A. bounced on defense and what we wanted to Sept. 19: Indiana 81,
Washington 74, OT
summer, but he hasn’t signed it yet. back from Friday’s 75-74 loss in accomplish. We forced them to DETROIT 2, ATLANTA 0
James said he was genuinely touched by the outpour- Game 2, in which the Storm scored take some tough shots and kept Sept. 16: Detroit 94, Atlanta 89
ing of support at his autograph signing. “It’s humbling five points in the final 14 seconds. them on the perimeter, took away Sept. 18: Detroit 94, Atlanta 79
WESTERN CONFERENCE
for me,” James said. “I can’t ask for more than this.” “I woke up this morning and I the inside game.” SAN ANTONIO 1, PHOENIX 1
just knew I didn’t want to end my Seattle coach Brian Agler agreed. Sept. 17: San Antonio 92,
Hawks G Jamal Crawford, acquired in a trade with the career here,” said Leslie, the three- The Storm missed their first seven Phoenix 91
Warriors, will be counted on to score, and at the age of 29, time MVP and four-time Olympic shots of the game, shot just 6 of 30 Sept. 19: Phoenix 106, San
Antonio 78
lead as well. “He could do for us what Jason Terry does for gold medalist who said prior to the (20 percent) during the first half Today: San Antonio at Phoenix,
Dallas,” said Hawks GM Rick Sund told hoopshype.com on season that this would her last and were bounced in the first 10 p.m.
Sunday. “It’ll be nice to have a guy who can come off the BILL KOSTROUN / AP year. “I just said, ‘This can’t be my round for the fifth straight time LOS ANGELES 2, SEATTLE 1
bench and get you some big scoring nights or make some Sixers wing Andre Iguodala, left, can expect to handle the ball more. last game.’ ” since winning the league champi- Sept. 16: Los Angeles 70, Seattle
63
big plays. Jamal is one of the better fourth-quarter scorers It won’t be. The Sparks advanced onship in 2004. Sept. 18: Seattle 75, Los Angeles
in the league. He is a very good one-on-one player and can While many sports teams are feeling the impact of to face the Phoenix-San Antonio Swin Cash led Seattle with 21 74
shoot the three, and we needed those things.” the economic downturn—the Heat, for example, recently winner for the conference champi- points and 10 rebounds. Sue Bird Sept. 20: Los Angeles 75, Seattle
announced that their basketball operations staff would onship. The Mercury and Silver had 15 points for the Storm, who 64
SEMIFINALS
Although there will be lots of free agents next take large pay cuts—the Cavaliers are doing relatively Stars play Game 3 tonight. trimmed a 20-point deficit at the (Best-of-3)
summer, Mavs owner Mark Cuban says that won’t be the well financially, with record-level ticket sales. Last sea- Parker scored six points during start of the fourth quarter down to EASTERN CONFERENCE
only way to make an acquisition. When asked during a son, the team just about broke even operationally, even an early 13-0 burst that gave the nine inside the final minute. Wednesday: Indiana at Detroit,
Web chat on The Dallas Morning News’ site whether he’d with a payroll that exceeded $100 million including lux- Sparks a big cushion. Tina Thomp- The loss ended the career of Seat- TBD
go after a big-name free agent in 2010, Cuban ury taxes, according to The Plain Dealer. son had 12 points for the Sparks, tle guard Shannon Johnson, who Friday: Detroit at Indiana, 7 p.m.
x-Saturday: Detroit at Indiana,
responded, “We are going to be opportunistic as always. who were just as effective at the announced her retirement last Fri- 7 p.m.
I think we can push to get cap space, or put ourselves in F/C Pau Gasol had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead defensive end. L.A. limited Seattle to day after 10 WNBA seasons and a x—If necessary
a position to do a sign and trade. I actually think there Spain to a 85-63 win over Serbia in the final of the Euro- 32.8 percent shooting (21 of 64). spot on the 2004 U.S. gold medal
will be more opportunities via sign and trade than pean championship Sunday in Katowice, Poland. It gave “Our help defense was much bet- Olympic team.
using straight cap space.” Spain its first European title after six runner-up finishes. ter tonight,” Leslie said. “Overall, I — The Associated Press
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
Izzo will get $1 million for each year he stays
Tom Izzo’s new contract will pay him a $1
million bonus for each year he remains at
Michigan State.
The $1-million “contingent annual bonus”
is a new clause in his contract, and Izzo
received the first payment July 31, accord-
ing to a report by the Detroit Free Press.
The contract, which was signed Sept. 4,
also increased Izzo’s base salary to
$375,000 per year from $320,000. His
income for television and radio appear-
ances, apparel/footwear contracts and
other commitments to the university
jumped to $1,215,000 from $1,010,000.
The new deal calls for Izzo to receive a
performance bonus of $50,000 if Michi-
gan State wins a Big Ten regular-season
championship, $25,000 for a first-round
NCAA Tournament appearance, $25,000
for an NCAA regional berth, $100,000 for
a trip to the Final Four and $150,000 for a
national championship, the Free Press
reported. The bonuses would be
cumulative.
The contract also states that the school
will offer Izzo a five-year deal within the
athletics department with an annual sal-
ary of $200,000 upon his retirement as
coach.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim told Fan-
House.com that the school plans to retire
Carmelo Anthony’s No. 15 jersey during the
2009-10 season, according to a report by
The Post-Standard of Syracuse.
Boeheim said the school is trying to find
a date that works for Anthony’s schedule
with the Denver Nuggets. “We retire jer-
seys, not numbers,” Boeheim told Fan-
House.com, but he said it’s unlikely another
Orange player will ever wear No. 15.
Anthony’s jersey will join those of Dave
Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Han-
son, Billy Gabor, Billy Owens, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh,
Rony Seikaly and Dwayne “Pearl” Washington,
INSIDE DISH
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo got a significant pay raise when he signed a new contract earlier this month.
which were previously raised to the rafters
of the Carrier Dome.
Anthony, who led the Orange to the 2003
national championship in his only season
at the school, is expected to be in Syracuse
on Thursday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony
at the new $19 million Carmelo K. Anthony
Basketball Center.
He donated $3 million to the facility,
which will serve as headquarters for Syra-
cuse’s men’s and women’s teams and
includes two practice courts, a training
room, locker rooms and office space.
UMBC sophomore G Chauncey Gilliam
has been declared academically ineligible
to compete in games during the fall 2009
College Basketball
PAUL SANCYA / AP
semester, according to a report by The Balti-
more Sun.
Gilliam, who averaged 10.9 points as a
freshman, will be allowed to practice with
the team. His eligibility status will be
reviewed after UMBC’s final exam period
concludes Dec. 22.
Jack Graf, an Ohio State star athlete and
later an assistant basketball coach, has
died. He was 90.
Graf played football and basketball for
Ohio State in the late 1930s and early 1940s
and lettered in both sports. He was the Big
Ten football MVP in 1941 and excelled on
both offense and defense, playing quarter-
back and fullback.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 43
RANKING THE POSITIONS
POINT GUARDS
Sporting News Today’s Mike DeCourcy ranks the best players at each
position heading into the 2009-2010 season.
1. Sherron Collins, Kansas.
Collins is the Tyler
Hansbrough of short, squat guys.
He has been a team-changing
player for three seasons and is
about to make it four. He could
end up winning NCAA titles with
two completely different lineups
around him.
Collins says: “There are some ques-
tions out there. All I’m going to do
is be myself. Can I run a team? Make
better decisions? Can I be a leader?
That’s pretty much what I hear.”
2. John Wall, Kentucky.
Frequently compared to
Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose,
Wall is not as physically powerful—
but he enters college with more
confidence in his ability to lead.
And Wall’s impact will be more
immediate.
3. Kalin Lucas, Michigan State.
Lucas needs to take greater
control of games, the way Mateen JACK DEMPSEY / AP
Cleaves did while he ran the Kansas PG Sherron Collins (4) could win a second title with a different cast.
Spartans.
4. Devan Downey, South Carolina. He’s on pace to surpass 2,000 points and 500 assists for his career,
but this is his last chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
5. Kemba Walker, Connecticut. He runs his team beautifully. He gets the ball deep into defenses.
Walker understands, though, that he must shoot it better.
6. Nic Wise, Arizona. He shot 41.5 percent on 3-pointers as a complement to two NBA picks.
7. Abdul Gaddy, Washington. He was a 2009 McDonald’s All American.
8. Jon Scheyer, Duke. He made 43.2 percent of his 3s after the switch to point guard last season.
9. Corey Fisher, Villanova. He should increase his 24.3-minute average.
10. Shelvin Mack, Butler. A power point, he averaged 4.4 rebounds as a freshman last season.
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com NASCAR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 44

Martin expands Chase lead with win at Loudon Sylvania 300 results
FINISH START CAR DRIVER MAKE POINTS LAPS
BY REID SPENCER the standings, said he was unprepared for a move 1 14 5 Mark Martin Chevrolet 190 300
rspencer@sportingnews.com that Martin made in the first set of corners on the 2 4 11 Denny Hamlin Toyota 175 300
next-to-last lap. The maneuver probably cost 3 1 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Chevrolet 175 300
LOUDON, N.H.—Top seeding in the Chase for the Montoya second place. 4 16 48 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet 165 300
NASCAR Sprint Cup must agree with Mark Mar- “Martin just screwed me—he just stopped the 5 9 18 Kyle Busch Toyota 155 300
tin, and on Sunday, he took the first step toward car on the apex, right on the bottom, and I had 6 3 2 Kurt Busch Dodge 155 300
the championship that has eluded him for more nowhere to go,” Montoya said. “I could have 7 18 39 Ryan Newman Chevrolet 151 300
than 20 years. pushed him out of the way … but I respect him a
8 35 19 Elliott Sadler Dodge 142 300
The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet held off a fero- lot. (Next time) I won’t wreck him, but I will bump
9 22 16 Greg Biffle Ford 138 300
cious charge by Juan Pablo Montoya on a restart him. …
with three laps left in the Sylvania 300 and won Tony Stewart, the points leader through the 10 17 33 Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 134 300
the race under caution when NASCAR threw the first 26 races, dropped four positions to sixth in
yellow flag as the lead pack streaked through the standings after a rare glitch dropped him to NASCAR Sprint Cup standings (through Sunday’s race)
Turn 4 on the final lap. 14th at the finish.
With the victory, his first in 26 starts at New Stewart lost track position during a 45-second RK. +/- DRIVER POINTS BEHIND STARTS POLES WINS T-5 T-10
Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin increased pit stop under caution on Lap 194, as his crew 1 -- Mark Martin 5230 Leader 27 6 5 10 15
his lead in the Cup standings to 35 points over repaired a loose left rear-axle cap. The driver of 2 1 Jimmie Johnson 5195 -35 27 1 3 10 16
three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, the No. 14 Chevy restarted 26th on Lap 198, and 3 1 Denny Hamlin 5195 -35 27 0 2 10 15
who ran fourth at the Magic Mile in the first race though he quickly drove up to 20th in the run- 4 7 Juan Pablo Montoya 5175 -55 27 2 0 3 13
of the Chase, and Denny Hamlin, who finished ning order, a tight handling condition prevented 5 2 Kurt Busch 5165 -65 27 0 1 7 15
second. him from making further headway. 6 -4 Tony Stewart 5156 -74 27 0 3 13 18
Hamlin got past Montoya before the final cau- Notes: The victory was Martin’s fifth of the
7 3 Ryan Newman 5151 -79 27 1 0 5 13
tion to grab the second spot, and Montoya got season, a series-best, and the 40th of his career,
8 -- Brian Vickers 5140 -90 27 6 1 4 13
credit for third. Kyle Busch ran fifth, followed by good for 16th on the career win list. … NASCAR
Chase drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman. waited to throw the caution on the final lap until 9 3 Greg Biffle 5138 -92 27 0 0 8 13
Elliott Sadler, Chaser Greg Biffle and Clint Bow- it became apparent that AJ Allmendinger -- 10 -4 Jeff Gordon 5128 -102 27 0 1 12 18
yer completed the top 10. involved in a multicar incident as the field 11 -2 Carl Edwards 5117 -113 27 0 0 7 11
Martin, 50, gave crew chief Alan Gustafson approached the white flag -- would not be able to 12 -7 Kasey Kahne 5069 -161 27 0 2 5 10
credit for the victory. Under caution on Lap 194 of clear the accident scene before the leaders arrived. 13 -- Kyle Busch 3350 -1880 27 1 4 8 10
300, Gustafson kept Martin on the track with a … Late handling problems dropped Jeff Gordon to 14 -- Matt Kenseth 3259 -1971 27 1 2 4 9
small group of cars that did not pit. On Lap 204, 15th at the finish. He dropped to 10th in the stand- SANDY MACYS / AP 15 -- Clint Bowyer 3193 -2037 27 0 0 4 12
Martin passed Kurt Busch for the lead and held ings, 102 points behind Martin entering next Mark Martin, bottom, picked up his fifth victory of the season 16 -- David Reutimann 3175 -2055 27 2 1 5 8
the top spot until he pitted on Lap 243, earlier Sunday’s race at Dover. and moved a step closer to his first Sprint Cup title.
17 -- Marcos Ambrose 2938 -2292 27 0 0 4 7
than any other top car.
18 -- Jeff Burton 2853 -2377 27 0 0 2 6
After a cycle of stops that ended when Bobby
19 -- Joey Logano 2805 -2425 27 0 1 1 5
Labonte pitted from the lead on Lap 272, Martin
regained the lead and held it for the remainder of
3 things to know from New Hampshire 20 -- Casey Mears 2763 -2467 27 0 0 0 3
the race, despite a spate of late cautions that neces- The Chase couldn’t have started better for Mark Martin, who won the Sylvania 300 21 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2686 -2544 27 0 0 2 5
22 -- Kevin Harvick 2680 -2550 27 0 0 3 5
sitated three double-file restarts in the final 20 and opened a 35-point lead in the standings over Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin.
laps. 23 -- Jamie McMurray 2673 -2557 27 0 0 0 3
Restarts were the bane of Jeff Gordon, who repeatedly lost positions, finished 15th
“Alan won the race,” Martin said, after climb- 24 1 Martin Truex Jr. 2561 -2669 27 2 0 0 3
ing from his car in victory lane. “Alan’s the man. Sunday and fell 102 points behind Martin. It w ill be a tall order for the four-time 25 2 Elliott Sadler 2558 -2672 27 0 0 1 4
This is a dream come true. … We still have the champ to climb back into contention. —Bold line indicates Chase cutoff
lotto at Talladega (Nov. 1), and (I) think we’ll run Kasey Kahne took the most devastating hit on Sunday. His engine expired on Lap 67,
OK at Martinsville. We finished (seventh) in the a calamity that relegated him to 38th. Now 12th in the standings, Kahne trails Martin MORE COVERAGE from sportingnews.com
spring, but I don’t run good there—but this is my
by 161 points. Results:sportingnews.com/nascar/article/2009-09-20/sylvania-300-results
hardest place. It’s a tough place.” — Reid Spencer
Montoya, who climbed seven spots to fourth in Standings: sportingnews.com/nascar/standings
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com
INSIDE DISH
Hamlin happy
to end up in
second place
Clearly, Mark Martin did what he
wanted to do in Sunday’s Sylvania
300.
But so did Denny Hamlin, who ran
second at New Hampshire in the
first race of the Chase for the
NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Despite being pinned to the
inside on a succession of late
restarts, Hamlin powered his way
past Juan Pablo Montoya during a
three-lap run to the finish to claim
the runner-up position. The result
left him tied for second in the
standings with Jimmie Johnson,
35 points behind Martin.
Hamlin took advantage of Mar-
tin’s conservative run into Turn 1
on the next-to-last lap, a circum-
stance that kept Montoya on the
inside lane.
“I was the same way,” Hamlin
said. “I was stuck in third on
every single restart and the 48
(Johnson) was on the outside, and
I kept running into him because I
was trying to gain positions, but
the air is so bad down there that
you can’t go anywhere.”
Brian Vickers fought back for an
11th-place finish, good for eighth
in the standings, after having
trouble in the pits Sunday. Vick-
ers’ crew had to push his car back-
wards to fasten a dropped lug nut
under caution on Lap 142. Vick-
ers, who raced his way into the
Chase on Sept. 12 at Richmond,
restarted 30th on Lap 147 and
raced his way up from there.
“I didn’t have reverse,” a
HAROLD HINSON FOR SN
Denny Hamlin is now tied for second in the
Chase standings.
frustrated Vickers radioed to
crew chief Ryan Pemberton after the
stop. “I blew it out the first time I
tried to back it up. When you’re
asking me to back it up, and you
don’t see the car moving, that’s
your sign to push it.”
Kasey Kahne was the first casu-
alty among the Chase drivers. On
Lap 67, one circuit short of a
green-flag pit stop, Kahne’s engine
exploded as he rolled through
Turn 4.
“I’m having a problem—I’m
blowing up,” Kahne radioed to
crew chief Kenny Francis, who asked
if it might be that the No. 9 Dodge
was out of fuel.
“No, it was shaking inside. I
could feel it the last lap,” Kahne
responded, before taking the car
to the garage, doomed to a 38th-
place finish. Kahne is 12th in the
standings, 161 points behind
Martin.
In post-race inspection,
NASCAR discovered a ride height
violation on the No. 18 Toyota of
Kyle Busch, who finished fifth in
Sunday’s race. The car measured
below tolerances on the left front,
according to NASCAR spokes-
person Ramsey Poston. If penalties
are warranted, they will be
announced later in the week.
— Compiled by Reid Spencer
NASCAR
Kurt Busch, left, hasn’t been seeing as much of Pat Tryson lately.
Tryson’s shop time is limited
because of imminent departure
BY BOB POCKRASS
SceneDaily.com
LOUDON, N.H.—Pat Tryson days at
Penske Racing are numbered.
That number is nine—as in he will
only go to the team’s shop the next
nine Tuesdays.
Tryson, who is leaving Penske
and driver Kurt Busch at the end
of the season to crew chief for
Martin Truex Jr. at Michael Wal-
trip Racing, confirmed Sunday
that he will go to the shop only for
the competition debriefing on
Tuesdays and stay at home the
rest of the week.
“I was in the shop all this week, but
they want me to focus on this year’s
stuff and they’ve got stuff going on at
the shop for next year, so they’re
going to work on that,” Tryson said
prior to Sunday’s Sylvania 300. “And
I’ll be communicating by e-mail and
phones and I’ll be in there for driver
debrief on Tuesdays. … Tuesday is
the only day I’m welcome.”
Penske Racing vice president of
operations Mike Nelson said the
team was trying to find a balance
in involving Tryson for the rest of
this season but not having him
involved in any future plans.
“Going forward, he’s coming to
the shop on Tuesday when we do
DAVID BOE / AP
our postrace debrief,” Nelson said.
“It’s not a, ‘You can’t come to the
shop type thing.’
“It really breaks down to 2009 vs.
2010. He’s not there for the discus-
sions that we have about 2010.
That’s a lot of what we’re doing at the
shop right now. The 2009 stuff …
that’s something that he needs to be
involved with and there’s no change
in his involvement with Kurt. That’s
the meeting that Kurt comes in for
on Tuesdays. We’re trying to leave
that part of it seamless.”
Tryson wouldn’t comment on
how he felt about the decision.
“It’s their decision and I’m going
to live with it,” he said.
Can he and Busch win the title
with him only being in the shop
for a Tuesday meeting that looks
back at the previous week and
looks ahead to the upcoming race?
“We’ll find out,” Tryson said. “I
don’t know for sure, but we’re going
to find out. We’re going to try hard to
win a championship. It is what it is.
“I don’t see why we can’t as long
as me and Kurt and Dave (Winston)
our engineer, everybody is working
together. … I want to win the cham-
pionship, so I’m going to work hard
to do that. Whatever we’ve got to do
to do it is what we’ll do.”
bpockrass@streetandsmiths.com
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 45
NASCAR defends its decision
on waiting to wave final caution
BY BOB POCKRASS
SceneDaily.com
LOUDON, N.H.—NASCAR waited
until the leaders were between
Turns 3 and 4 on the final lap of the
Sylvania 300 to throw the caution
flag as Richard Petty Motorsports’
AJ Allmendinger sat stalled on the
frontstretch of the New Hampshire
Motor Speedway track.
NASCAR vice president of com-
petition Robin Pemberton indicated
that NASCAR did everything it
could to finish Sunday’s Sprint Cup
race under green-flag conditions.
“We were waiting to see if (All-
mendinger) could get going and get
out of the way, and we realized there
was a potential blocking of part of JON PIERRE LASSEIGNE / AP
the racetrack,” Pemberton said. “You Jeff Gordon and other drivers weren’t
know when the cars are going to get pleased with NASCAR’s late move.
there, and you wait as long as you
can to try to not affect the outcome of International Speedway, if a car is
a race. We felt like we had adequate flipping, they wouldn’t need to wait.
time when we threw the caution.” “I knew it was supposed to be over.
Pemberton said NASCAR often AJ was getting going and I felt pretty
waits as long as possible through- confident and comfortable about
out a race. where he was going to stay, so I
“We don’t like the race to end picked up the speed, which is not the
under caution,” Pemberton said. thing that we’re supposed to do.”
“We felt like we gave enough time Martin’s Hendrick Motorsports
for safety’s sake, and it is what it is. teammate Jeff Gordon said he never
I believe we wait as long as we can. was told about the caution.
There are times during the middle “All I know is my spotter was
of the race when a car will turn saying there was a car down low on
around and we bide some time to the front straightaway stopped, and
see if it gets going. It happens quite I never heard them say, ‘Caution,’ ”
a bit. It just gets more noticed when Gordon said. “So everybody was
it’s the last lap of the race.” still going, and I saw the caution out
Race winner Mark Martin got hit of the corner of my eye. I said, ‘I
from behind as he slowed but others never heard the caution’ and (my
didn’t. Martin said the call was a spotter) said, ‘That’s because it
good one because Allmendinger pos- didn’t come out until just now’ and
sibly could have gotten restarted, and I was surprised by that.”
he said at a place such as Daytona bpockrass@streetandsmiths.com
SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Back Page MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2009 46
IN BRIEF
TRANSACTIONS
McClenathan, Hight pick up key wins BASEBALL
National League
CHICAGO CUBS: Suspended OF Milton Bradley for
CONCORD, N.C.—Cory McClenathan Regular season champ Tony The IAAF has refused to confirm the rest of the season for conduct detrimental
and Robert Hight shot up the play- Pedregon remained in first place or deny Australian media reports to the team.
off rankings by winning their first and Ashley Force Hood moved up earlier this month that Semenya HOCKEY
races of 2009 Sunday at the NHRA a spot to second place. has both male and female charac- National Hockey League
Carolinas Nationals at zMax Mike Edwards won Pro Stock in teristics, saying it is reviewing test ANAHEIM DUCKS: Assigned LW Matthew
Beleskey, G Timo Pielmeier and RW Dan Sexton
Dragway. 6.618 seconds at 209.39 mph to take results and will issue a decision in to San Antonio (AHL).
McClenathan won Top Fuel with over the top spot for the first time November on whether the athlete COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Re-assigned F Trevor
a pass of 3.857 seconds at 312.64 all season. Hector Arana won Pro will be allowed to continue to com- Frischmon, F Pascal Pelletier, D Brent Regner and
mph to beat rookie Shawn Langdon Stock Motorcyle when Karen Stof- pete in women’s events. D Andrey Plekhanov to Syracuse (AHL) and F Dar-
ren Archibald to Barrie (OHL) and F Scott Tanski
and take over first place in the fer red-lighted in the final. to Brampton (OHL). Released F Jon Mirasty, F
Countdown to 1. The Countdown to 1 continues Golf TERESA LONG / AP Kevin Harvey, F Daniel Steiner, F Jared Aulin, F
With his 31st career win, this weekend in Dallas. SAN DIEGO—Na Yeon Choi of South Robert Hight picked up his first win of the season and moved to third in the Funny Car standings. Ian Duval, D Dylan Reese.
McClenathan has pulled even with Korea lost her seven-stroke lead, EDMONTON OILERS: Assigned D Johan Motin,
LW Viacheslav Trukhno, LW Geoff Paukovich,
Doug Kalitta as the second win- Track then rallied to shoot 1-under 71 to Tennis to clinch the best-of-five playoff series. RW Colin McDonald and LW Charles Linglet to
ningest driver in NHRA history to JOHANNESBURG—South Africa’s win the Samsung World Champion- GENOA, ITALY—Roger Federer gave In another Sunday match, Israel’s Springfield (AHL).
have never won an NHRA champi- government received support on ship, her first LPGA Tour victory. Switzerland a spot in next year’s Harel Levy beat Spain’s Feliciano LOS ANGELES KINGS: Assigned C Justin Azevedo,
onship (Kurt Johnson, 39). Sunday for its demand that the Choi finished at 16-under 272 and Davis Cup world group by beating Lopez in the final reverse singles, C Corey Elkins, LW Bud Holloway, LW Dwight
King, C Andrei Loktionov, LW David Meckler, C
Hight flew from 10th to third by country’s top athletics official be held off runner-up Ai Miyazato of Potito Starace for an insurmountable Israel’s only win in a 4-1 decision by Juraj Mikus, C Oscar Moller, D Patrick Mullen, C
beating another rookie, outpacing axed after he admitted lying about Japan, who shot a 69, the low round 3-1 lead against Italy. Spain, the defending champion. Jordan Nolan, RW Scott Parse, F Michael Pelech,
Matt Hagan in 4.097 seconds at gender tests conducted on 800- of the day at Torrey Pines. The top-ranked Federer kept his Spain gained its seventh final and D Viatcheslav Voynov, RW Geoff Walker, G Jeff
307.02 mph in his Funny Car. meter world champion Caster focus through a two-hour rain delay will host the Czech Republic. Zatkoff to Manchester (AHL). Returned D Colten
Teubert to his junior team. Released F Dennis
Semenya. CONOVER, N.C.—Jay Haas over- before completing a 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 win — The Associated Press McCauley.
Athletics South Africa president came a slow start to shoot a 7-under NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Assigned F Hugh
Major League Soccer All Times ET Leonard Chuene apologized Satur- 65, winning his second Greater NHRA Carolinas Krawiec. 4, Shawn Gann. 5, Michael Phil- 9.905, 157.06, def. John Stover, Chevy Jessiman, F Ryan Maki, F Ian McKenzie, F Mark
lips. 6, Douglas Horne. 7, Steve Johnson. 8, Corvette, 9.897, 153.44. Santorelli, D Robert Dietrich, G Chet Pickard and
EASTERN CONFERENCE day, saying he had lied to protect Hickory Classic by two shots over
W L T Pts GF GA Nationals results Junior Pippin. 9, Andrew Hines. 10, Craig
Treble. 11, Matt Smith. 12, LE Tonglet. 13, POINT STANDINGS G Jeremy Smith to Milwaukee (AHL). Released
Columbus 11 4 10 43 38 28 the 18-year-old’s privacy. Russ Cochran and Andy Bean. Sunday D Scott Ford, D Mark Matheson and D Russ
Chicago 10 6 10 40 36 31 At zMax Dragway, Concord, N.C. Angie McBride. 14, Jim Underdahl. 15, Joe Top Fuel
D.C. 8 6 12 36 39 38
The sports ministry called on the Haas, who also won the Champions DeSantis. 16, Bailey Whitaker. 1, Cory McClenathan, 2,162. 2, (tie) Antron Sinkewich from professional tryout agreements
New England 9 8 7 34 29 33 ASA to fire Chuene. Tour event in 2005, set a tourna- Finish FINAL RESULTS Brown, 2,152. Tony Schumacher, 2,152. and assigned them to Milwaukee.
Toronto FC 9 10 7 34 33 38 TOP FUEL Top Fuel: Cory McClenathan, 3.857 sec- 4, Larry Dixon, 2,141. 5, Shawn Langdon, NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Assigned G Dave Caruso, G
Kansas City 8 11 6 30 28 34 “If they fail to do so, they run the ment-record of 18-under 198 at Rock 1, Cory McClenathan. 2, Shawn Langdon. onds, 312.64 mph, def. Shawn Langdon, 2,113. 6, Brandon Bernstein, 2,098. 7,
Spencer Massey, 2,076. 8, Morgan Lucas, Mike McKenna, D Matt Cohen, D Matt Taormina,
New York 4 17 5 17 21 43 risk of being led by a liar,” Gert Barn Golf and Spa’s Robert Trent 3, Tony Schumacher. 4, Doug Foley. 5, 3.980 seconds, 280.49 mph. F Eric Castonguay, F Kevin Cormier, F Stephen
Larry Dixon. 6, Rod Fuller. 7, Doug Herbert. Funny Car: Robert Hight, Ford Mustang, 2,065. 9, Doug Kalitta, 2,042. 10, Clay Mil-
WESTERN CONFERENCE Oosthuizen, the deputy sports Jones course. His three-day total 8, Terry McMillen. 9, Doug Kalitta. 10, Clay 4.097, 307.02, def. Matt Hagan, Dodge lican, 2,031. Gionta, F Brad Mills, F Kory Nagy, F Nathan
W L T Pts GF GA Funny Car
Houston 12 8 7 43 35 26 minister, said in a statement. broke the mark set by R.W. Eaks in Millican. 11, Pat Dakin. 12, Spencer Massey. Charger, 4.103, 308.07. Perkovich, F Louis Robitaille, F Brad Snetsinger
13, Brandon Bernstein. 14, Antron Brown. Pro Stock: Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP, 1, Tony Pedregon, 2,148. 2, Ashley Force and F Myles Stoesz to Lowell (AHL). Returned D
Los Angeles 10 5 11 41 33 29 Semenya won the 800 at the 2007 by one shot. 15, Morgan Lucas. 16, Terry Haddock. 6.618, 209.39, def. Greg Stanfield, GXP, Hood, 2,147. 3, Robert Hight, 2,120. 4, Ron
Seattle 9 6 11 38 31 24 Capps, 2,115. 5, Bob Tasca III, 2,112. 6, Jack Matt Delahey to Regina (WHL), D Harry Young
Colorado 10 8 7 37 39 31 world championships in Berlin in 1 FUNNY CAR 6.650, 207.75. and F Adam Henrique to Windsor (OHL), F Ashton
1 Robert Hight, Ford Mustang. 2, Matt Pro Stock Motorcycle: Hector Arana, Beckman, 2,103. 7, Tim Wilkerson, 2,076. 8,
Chivas USA 11 9 4 37 25 24 minute, 55.45 seconds on Aug. 19, LUSS, SCOTLAND—Scott Hebert John Force, 2,070. 9, Del Worsham, 2,053. Bernard to Cape Breton (QMJHL) and F Jean-
Real Salt Lake 9 10 7 34 38 31 Hagan. 3, Ashley Force Hood. 4, Cruz Buell, 7.004, 189.31, def. Karen Stoffer,
FC Dallas 7 12 6 27 41 43 finishing 2.45 seconds ahead of her won all five of his matches, and the Pedregon. 5, Bob Tasca III. 6, Jack Beckman. Suzuki, foul. 10, Mike Neff, 2,045. Sebastien Berube to Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL).
San Jose 5 12 6 21 28 41 7, Jim Head. 8, Jeff Arend. 9, Mike Neff. 10, Top Alcohol Dragster: Bill Reichert, 5.270, Pro Stock PHOENIX COYOTES: Assigned G Joel Gistedt, G
closest competitor in the fastest U.S. club pros dominated Great Jerry Toliver. 11, Bob Gilbertson. 12, Tony 268.97, def. Ken Perry, 5.397, 260.46. 1, Mike Edwards, 2,198. 2, Jeg Coughlin,
NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. 2,142. 3, (tie) Jason Line, 2,136. Greg Stan- Josh Tordjman, D Jonas Ahnelov, D Chris Frank, D
time at the distance this year. Britain & Ireland in singles for a Pedregon. 13, John Force. 14, Ron Capps. Top Alcohol Funny Car: Frank Manzo, Nick Ross, D Sean Sullivan, D Sean Zimmerman,
15, Tim Wilkerson. 16, Del Worsham. Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.541, 261.22, def. Mick field, 2,136. 5, Allen Johnson, 2,128. 6, Greg
Sept. 18 Saturday’s games Hours before the final, the Inter- 17½-8½ victory in the PGA Cup. PRO STOCK Snyder, Ford Mustang, 5.597, 255.29. Anderson, 2,092. 7, Kurt Johnson, 2,079. 8, F Justin Bernhardt, F Mitch Fritz, F Colin Long, F
New York 1, New England 1, tie Seattle FC at New England, 7:30 national Association of Athletics The Americans won 8½ points Competition Eliminator: Rick Brown, Johnny Gray, 2,053. 9, Ron Krisher, 2,040. Stefan Meyer, F Andrew Orpik, F Matt Watkins to
San Jose 1, Colorado 1, tie p.m. 1, Mike Edwards, Pontiac GXP. 2, Greg Stan-
field. 3, Allen Johnson. 4, Steve Spiess. 5, Chevy S-10, 8.563, 126.28, def. Kyle Kore- 10, Rickie Jones, 2,020. San Antonio (AHL). Released D Ross Lupaschuk
Sept. 19 Los Angeles at Columbus, 7:30 p.m. Federations announced it had from the 10 singles matches, beating Tom Hammonds. 6, Kurt Johnson. 7, Johnny tsky, Chevy Cavalier, foul. Pro Stock Motorcycle
Seattle FC 0, Chivas USA 0, tie Toronto FC at Chicago, 8:30 p.m. 1, Hector Arana, 2,194. 2, Eddie Krawiec, and F Aaron Downey.
Kansas City 3, FC Dallas 2 Real Salt Lake at FC Dallas, 8:30 ordered tests done on the runner. It by one point their largest margin of Gray. 8, Jason Line. 9, Ronnie Humphrey. 10, Stock Eliminator: Todd Hoven, Pontiac SAN JOSE SHARKS: Assigned G Tyson Sexsmith,
Jeg Coughlin. 11, Rodger Brogdon. 12, Greg GTO, 11.425, 110.02, def. Jeff Strickland, 2,185. 3, Andrew Hines, 2,125. 4, Douglas
Houston 3, Real Salt Lake 2 p.m. said questions had been raised victory on foreign soil set in 1983 at Horne, 2,101. 5, Karen Stoffer, 2,094. 6, C Andrew Desjardins, D Joe Loprieno, C Stephen
Los Angeles 2, Toronto FC 0 Colorado at Kansas City, 8:30 p.m. Anderson. 13, Warren Johnson. 14, Larry Chevy Camaro, 10.947, 114.63.
Sunday’s game New York at Chivas USA, 10:30 about her muscular physique, run- Muirfield. The United States has Morgan. 15, Ryan Ondrejko. 16, Vinnie Super Comp: Joe Flynn, Dragster, 8.904, Matt Smith, 2,093. 7, Shawn Gann, 2,092. Zalewski, LW Kevin Henderson and LW John
Chicago 2, Columbus 2, tie p.m. Deceglie. 173.16, def. Brian Forrester, Dragster, 8.940, 8, Michael Phillips, 2,085. 9, Craig Treble, McCarthy to Worcester (AHL).
Wednesday’s game Sept. 27 ning style and recent stunning twice won by 12 points playing at PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE 159.38. 2,072. 10, Matt Guidera, 2,020.
San Jose at Colorado, 9:30 p.m. San Jose at D.C. United, 3 p.m. improvement in times. home. 1, Hector Arana. 2, Karen Stoffer. 3, Eddie Super Gas: Steve Furr, Chevy Camaro, — The Associated Press