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The common trait amongMLB managers most likely fired: Their teams are in last The pink-slip candidates (raweakest job security):

Clint Hurdle, Rockdiscover why his tenure mignearing its end, Hurdle can aMelvin what happens whenprogress of a clubs highly toyoungsters stalls. Arizona mMelvin the seasons first macasualty earlier this month.

Manny Acta, NatioCardinals manager Tony La says his spring workouts focfar more on defense than hitActa should learn that lessonmain reason Washington is Nlosses is because it is No. 1 iplay.

Cecil Cooper, Astrdisconnect between the manoffice and the clubhouse hasgrowing since spring traininAnd it might have reached tpoint of no repair earlier thiswhen Cooper questioned acOswalts effort.

Rockies hear rumors

On Miles mindLSU coach Les Miles talked

with Sporting News Today atSEC meetings:

On facing Florida this year:I cant imagine that wont be anexciting day in Baton Rouge.

On freshman QB RussellShepard: Hell be a WildHog,WildTiger, whatever you want to call him.

OnBig12vs.SEC:I never felt like the Big 12 season was as lo

NBA PLAYOFFS

LeBron, Cavsforce a Game 6

TONYDEJAK/AP

LeBron James had a hand in 29 of Clevelands 34 points in the final 12minutes.

Cleveland 112, Orlando 102

The entire Miles interview , Page 11

Les Miles

LeBron James had his fourth

career playoff triple-double asCleveland rallied after blowing a22-point lead to beat Orlando.Page 13

L.A. LAKERS AT DENVER9 tonight, ETLakers lead series 3-2

FRIDAYMAY 29, 2009SEE A DIFFERENT GAMEVOLUME 1 ISSUE 311

Scoreboard

BaseballAmerican LeagueCleveland 2, Tampa Bay 1Boston 3, Minnesota 1Baltimore 5, Detroit 1

National LeagueL.A. Dodgers 2, Chicago Cubs 1Arizona 5, Atlanta 2

MLB>19 NFL >25 NBA >13 NHL>16 NASCAR>28 COLLEGE FOOTBALL>11 COLLEGE BASKETBALL>8 NBA DRAFT>6QUICK LINKS:

BY ALBERT BREER

[email protected]

Miles Austin cant pinpoint it, but theCowboys receiver can feel it.

Maybe its the way Tony Romo is command-ing the huddle. Or the determined look in hiseye. Whatever. Its most certainly there.

Hes taking more of a leadership role,Austin told Sporting News Today . You can tell. Itgoes without words. Its a feeling you get.

Romo has been unquestionably productiveas the Cowboys QBmore than 10,000passing yards and 78 touchdowns in 39

career startsbut three years running,Cowboys collapses have been tied to Romoslate-season swoons.

So if Romo has changed, maybe thats not so bad. Its always, You gotta win the Super Bowlthis year, Romo said. Our approach is a littledifferent in that we are going to be better today.All we can do is control today.

But how about tomorrow? Three reasons Romowill succeed and three reasons he will fall shortagain in 2009:

Big test in Big DRomo rising

No T.O.An Owens-less offensewill allow Romo to go through hisreads and could make coordinatorJason Garrett better with renewedplay-calling freedom. Renewed Roy.Roy Williamsnow has seven months with Romoin Garretts offense, with threemore to go before the seasonstarts. That a big plus. Mike Martz,Williams coordinator for twoyears in Detroit, blames Williamsstruggles in Dallas on his midsea-

son entrance.The timing is so different, theanticipation is so different, youreally need an offseason of work,Martz said. This is a perfect match;hell have a big year. Adjusted approach.BothMarion Barber and Felix Jones arehealthy now, and with TashardChoice also in the mix, the Cowboysshould a versatile, explosive runninggame to take pressure off Romo.

Romo falling No T.O.For all hiswarts, Owens got adefenses attention.And Williams onlyhas one 1,000-yard seasonon his resume,meaning that hesno T.O. As Romosays, Its alwaysdifficult to replacesomeone whos beenthe dominant player. Lining up. The offensiveline, a strength in 2007, reallymissed Tony Sparanos firm hand in2008. All five starters are over 30. Depth depletion.Last year,losing starting left guard KyleKosier to injury was devastating.Similar problems could surface thisyear at receiver. Staying healthy isimperative for an offense that wasoutstanding at full strength twoyears ago.

Why changed Romo could fizzle or sizzle in 09

R O B E R T S E A L E F O R S N

NBA PlayoffsEastern Conference finalsCleveland 112, Orlando 102(Orlando leads series 3-2)

Rockies Hurdon the hot sea
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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009 2See a Different Game

The countrysrst anddaily digital sports ne

Delivered via email every mornweek, Sporting News Today is destination for breaking sports

news about every team, everyevery score from coast-to-

Experience Americas hottest nSign up at sportingnewstoday.c

If you deliveit daily, they

will come.

F R E E ! S i g n u p T o d a y !

Tune In TodayA quick look at the best sports on TV

all times Eastern

OFF THE FIELD

NBA

Lakers at Nuggets9 p.m., ESPNKobe Bryant willingly played more of a decoy

role as his Lakers won Game 5 to go up 3-2 inthis series, but his persona figures to changewith the Lakers having a chance to wrap upa return trip to the NBA Finals. Coaches PhilJackson and George Karl have taken turnscriticizing the officiating the past two games,and with Karl firing the latest shell, well see if hiswords help his Nuggets any. Should be anotherhard-fought game.

GOLF

Crowne PlazaInvitational

3 p.m., Golf ChannelKenny Perry, Sean OHair and Paul Casey allhave wins on this years PGA Tour, and all threeare among those lurking near the top of the lea-derboard after the first day of competition. Butthat threesome is chasing a trio of first-roundco-leaders in Woody Austin, Tim Clark and SteveStricker. Also in the mix is Vijay Singh, who is justone shot off the lead and is coming off a 66 inthe final round of the Byron Nelson a week ago.

NASCAR

Autism Speaks 400qualifying3 p.m., SpeedHow fitting: After last weeks rain-delayed,

rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, rain is a possibilityfor todays qualifying. But if the rockets line upto take their turn around this speedy 1-mile oval,Mark Martin will be one to watch. Driving a DEI carin last years fall race, Martin qualified second andfinished fourth. As long as he doesnt make anymistakes, theres no reason Martin couldnt do onespot better in a Hendrick car.

Compiled by Roger Kuznia

GUIDE

AUTO RACING

10 a.m.SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series, pole qualifying for AAAInsurance 200, at Dover, Del.

11:30 a.m.SPEED NASCAR, Sprint Cup,practice for Autism Speaks 400,at Dover, Del.

1 p.m.SPEED NASCAR, NationwideSeries, practice for HeluvaGood! 200, at Dover, Del.

3 p.m.SPEED NASCAR, Sprint Cup,pole qualifying for AutismSpeaks 400, at Dover, Del.

8:30 p.m.SPEED NASCAR, Truck Series,AAA Insurance 200, at Dover,Del. (same-day tape)

COLLEGE SOFTBALL

7 p.m.ESPN2 NCAA Division I,

World Series, Games 5 & 6 atOklahoma City

GOLF

10 a.m.TGC European PGA Tour,European Open, second round,at Kent, England

3 p.m.TGC PGA Tour, Crowne PlazaInvitational, second round, atFort Worth, Texas

6:30 p.m.TGC Champions Tour,Principal Charity Classic, firstround, at West Des Moines,Iowa (same-day tape)

NBA BASKETBALL

9 p.m.ESPN Playoffs, WesternConference finals, game 6, L.A.Lakers at Denver

TENNIS

NoonESPN2 French Open, earlyround, at Paris

Andrews angles for DWTS spotAs her fame has boomed, ESPNs Erin

Andrews has declined certain requests because they would detract from her stand-ing as a working journalist. Dancing Withthe Stars , though, would not be one of thoserequests, she told The Sporting Blog s DanSteinberg on SportingNews.com .

I want to do it, because I think Id begood at it, Andrews said.

She has the background to compete.I love the show, and Ive grown up around

dancing, said Andrews, who, of course, was

on the Dazzlers dance team when at Florida.People say, Oh, youre a dancer, how couldyou do it? But Ive never taken ballroom, Ivenever partnered dance with anyone. I thinkId be in the top, unless I fall. Im a big faller. If you fall, thats a hard fall, which Im surewould make the Internet very happy.

Brady: Wife not pregnantNew England Patriots quarterback Tom

Brady says theres no baby on the way for

him and his wife, supermodel wife GiseleBundchen. RadarOnline.com reported lastweek that Bundchen is pregnant.

After practice on Thursday, the quarterback talked about the importance of a wifeand children. But when reporters askedBrady, who has a son with actress Bridget Moy-nahan, whether another child was on the way,Brady shook his head and said, No.

Quick hitMark Cubansued the Securities and Exchange

Commission for access to documents detailingthe insider trading case against the DallasMavericks owner. The SEC is accused Cubanof selling shares of Internet search engine com-pany Mamma.com after receiving confidentialinformation about a private offering. Cubanslawsuit claims the SEC improperly rejectedsome requests, didnt respond quickly enoughto appeals of rejections and failed to conductadequate searches for some records.

Compiled by Ken Bradley, with wire reports

PETERKRAMER/AP

Patriots QB Tom Brady and wife Gisele Bundchen are not expecting, he said.
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SPORTS BUSINESS AWARDS

The winners and other nomineesfrom the second annual SportsBusiness Awards, presented Thursdaynight at the Marriott Marquis in NewYork by SportsBusinessJournal andSportsBusinessDaily , honoring excel-

lence and outstanding achievementsin the business of sports in 2008 .

Lifetime Achievement AwardPeter Ueberroth

Sports Executive of the YearDick Ebersol, Chairman, NBCUniversal Sports & OlympicsOther nominees:George Bodenheimer, President,ESPN/ABC SportsDavid Stern, Commissioner, NBARocky Wirtz, Chairman, ChicagoBlackhawks

Athletic Director of the YearJoe Castiglione, University of OklahomaOther nominees:Sandy Barbour, University of CaliforniaJeremy Foley, University of FloridaJoel Maturi, University of Minnesota

League of the YearNBAOther nominees:Indy Racing League

NFLNHL

Professional Sports Team of the YearBoston CelticsOther nominees:Cleveland CavaliersChicago BlackhawksMilwaukee Brewers Tampa Bay Rays

Sports Event of the YearAmp Energy NHL Winter ClassicOther nominees:Daytona 500MLB All-Star GameNBA All-Star Game

U.S. Open

Sports Facility of the YearLucas Oil StadiumOther nominees:Fenway Park Nationals Park TD Banknorth GardenWachovia Center

Sports Sponsor of the YearCoca-ColaOther nominees:AT&TBridgestone

Sharp ElectronicsState Farm

Sports TelevisionNBC SportsOther nominees:Big Ten Network CBS SportsESPNFox Sports

Sports MediaESPNOther nominees:CBS Sports

NBC Sports Turner Sports

Digital Sports MediaESPN Digital MediaOther nominees:Fantasy Sports VenturesSporting News Today Turner SportsYahoo! Sports

Property Consulting, Sales andClient ServicesIMGOther nominees:ISP SportsPremier Partnerships

Sports TechnologyMLB Advanced MediaOther nominees:Cisco SystemsEA Sports/ESPNNeuLion

Sports Event Marketing Firm of the YearGMR MarketingOther nominees:Momentum WorldwideSportsMark Vivid Marketing

Talent Representation andManagementCAA SportsOther nominees:BESTIMGOctagonWasserman Media Group

Corporate Consulting, Marketingand Client ServicesIMGOther nominees:Genesco Sports Enterprises

OctagonVelocity Sports & EntertainmentWasserman Media Group

Note: SportsBusiness Journal andSportsBusiness Daily are owned byAmerican City Business Journals,the parent company of SportingNews Today .

Sports Business Awards 09

BY ROSS NETHERY AND TRIPP MICKLESportsBusiness Journal

The Beijing Olympics ended ninemonths ago, but its impact on the industry

punctuated the 2009 Sports BusinessAwards, held in New York Thursday bySportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily.

Many of the 15 winners had strong tiesto last summers Games, including DickEbersol, chairman of NBC UniversalSports & Olympics, whose network car-ried the Games and who received theaward for Sports Executive of the Year.

In addition, Peter Ueberroth, whoreceived the inaugural Lifetime Achieve-ment Award, has been heavily involved inthe Olympic movement through his career.Ueberroth, who was the organizer of the

1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles,received a standing ovation and waslauded by almost every subsequent awardrecipient for his influence on the businessand on their careers.

Ueberroths concept of selling exclusivesponsorships for the 1984 Los AngelesOlympics revolutionized sports businessand has been credited with saving theOlympic movement. He went on to becomecommissioner of Major League Baseballand later became chairman of the U.S.Olympic Committee, reviving it after aperiod of congressional scrutiny.

People always ask me what is the most

important thing Ive done, he said. Theanswer is: I dont think Ive done it yet.As for Ebersol, it was his foresight and

influence within the Olympic movementthat led the International Olympic Com-mittee to move the swimming finals to themorning in Beijing so that they could beseen during prime time in the UnitedStates. The move played a major role in theratings success of the Games, a successthat Ebersol never doubted.

I so deeply believed in Michael(Phelps), he said. Everyone overlookedthe fact that the American people werewildly curious about China.

NBC Sports also capitalized on the

Games by taking the award for Best inSports Television.The recognition capped off a historic

year for NBC in which it won 10 SportsEmmy Awards and a Peabody Award forits broadcast of the Beijing openingceremonies.

This would be a very good night and avery good year for me to get out of this business, Ebersol said, speaking of NBCsaccomplishments.

Coca-Cola, which was named SSponsor of the Year, marketed itself hily during the Games. It set up off-sitevation areas in Beijing parks that alloit to reach Chinese consumers

couldnt access the Olympic sponsor pion. The move helped it leap from thisecond place in market share in C behind Pepsi.

People still love sports and havabandoned the passion they hold as fasaid Bea Perez, Coca-Colas seniopresident of integrated marketing. Wprivileged to be part of it, and our coning goal is to provide additional oppnities for fans to tap into that passiongiving them extra value.

IMG, which took awards in two cariesBest in Property Consulting, and Client Services and Best in Corp

Consulting, Marketing and Client vicesworked with eight clients oground during the Beijing Games.

If you look at what the Beijing pics meant, with the focus and builand the business and cultural impawas a tremendous opportunity to wwith the clients we had, said David Atyn, IMGs senior vice president, heglobal consulting.

GMR Marketing, named Sports EMarketing Firm of the Year, managmobile marketing program for BanAmerica called Americas Cheervisited 19 U.S. cities and offered

USA fans the chance to film a cheer toport American Olympians.Even the NBA, which was named

fessional Sports League of the Year, strong tie to China, including a recentwith AEG to develop new sports facthere.

[email protected]@sportsbusinessjournal.com

SportsBusiness Journal writers John Daniel Kaplan contr

NBCs Olympic effort nets praise, prizes

JACKDEMPSEY/AP

Dick Ebersol and NBC were big winners at the SportsBusiness Awards.

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009See A Different Game
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THE WORLD S FIRST DIGDAILY SPORTS NEWSPAP

CHAIRMAN & CEO . . . . . . . .PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PUBLISHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EDITOR-IN-CHIEF . . . . . . . . .MANAGING EDITOR . . . . . . CREATIVE DIRECTOR . . . . .VP, GENERAL MANAGER, OVP, INTEGRATED MARKETIDIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIAVP, MARKETING & SALES D

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jglowacki@sportingneGary Strauss, 212-500

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ON NEWSSTANDS NOW

From Hank Aaron to Ernie BanRobinson to Al Kaline, all the stsomething to say about Sportrankings of the 50 best players in btoday.

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009My Profile

Nick BuonicontiPro Football Hall of Famer and Dolphins legend

(What you wont find on Facebook even if you are approved as a friend)

Born:Dec. 15, 1940, in Springfield,

Mass.Status:MarriedAlma mater:Notre DameWhats on TV:Not muchno reality

shows, no crime shows, golf if a major,football if U of Miami or Notre Dameplays, Dolphins.

Whats in my iPod:My favoriteTheDoors Light My Fireand Viv-

aldis The Four SeasonsWhat I drive:1992 Porsche

Cabbought it newand a2002 Jeep. Just sold my 1971Mercedes 280 SE 4-seatconvertible.

Favorite flicks:One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest , Citizen Kane,On the Waterfront , Slumdog Millionaire

What Im reading: Justfinished Ken Folletts The

Pillars of the Earth andWorld Without End

Superstition:Like mostathletes, if you wear somethingand you do well, then you wearit until you dont.

Worst habits:Not looking atmy e-mail until a response is

meaningless; keeping an up-to-

date calendarOn my office walls:2001 Hall of Famephoto. Very little football memora- bilia; most of its on walls in our

staff quarters.Love to trade places for a day with

The President. Im a type A

personality so I would like to be

president for a day and implementsome executive orders.First job:Working on a tobacco farm

in Southwick, Mass., when I was 11. Isuckered, strung and picked leaves.Woke up at 5:30 every morning, the bus picked us up at 6:15 and weworked in the fields till 3 p.m. When Icame home, I was so dirty my momhad to hose it off. Made about 40 bucks a week.

Talent Id most like to have:Play thepiano. My wife Lynn excels at it.

Favorite meal:Eggplant ParmigianaFavorite athlete to watch in another sport:

Tiger WoodsFavorite city to visit:Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in the south of France

Favorite team as a kid:YankeesFavorite value in others:Being unselfishFavorite physical attribute about myself:

My Italian profileAnd least My handstoo many

operationsMy greatest love:My mom92 years

old and never complains or asks foranything for herself

My hero:My son Marc, who wasinjured playing football at The Citadeland is now a quadriplegic. He never

said, Why me?My bucket list:1. Fly into space andorbit the Earth, 2. Find a cure forparalysis, 3. Break 70 in golf

My motto:Perseverance winssuccess. G.K. Chesterton

Jeff DAlessio
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttps://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYhttp://www.sportingnews.com/https://www.neodata.com/pub/snew/new_print.shtml?key=SNTYmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.sportingnews.com/http://sportingnews.com/mlb/draft/sweeps

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com Overnight Report

This opportunity is brought to you by Gillette Clinical Strength Anti-Perspirant Deodorant. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. For complete rules and regulations, visit sportingnews.com/mlb/ draft/sweeps. Starts 12:01 AM ET 05/01/2009 and ends 11:59 PM ET 06/30/2009 when all entries must be received. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States/DC, 18

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HIGHEST PERFORMERS SWEEPSTAKESOwn a piece of baseball history! Enter for a chance to win one oftwenty 22x28 prints of the games legendary heroes taken by the greatestbaseball photographer of all time, Charles M. Conlon.

From 1904 to 1942, Sporting News photographer, Charles M. Conlon,immortalized the sports greatest players and created some of baseballsmost famous photographs. Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio,Ted Williamsthese visually stunning, black and white photographs ofbaseballs golden age are instantly recognized around the world.

Diamondbacks 5, Braves 2Atlanta AB R H BI BB SO Avg.K.Johnson2b 4 2 2 0 0 1 .250Kotchman1b 4 0 2 1 0 0 .278C.Jones3b 4 0 1 1 0 1 .305McCannc 4 0 1 0 0 0 .317G.Anderson lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .266Francoeurrf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .247D.Hernandezss 3 0 0 0 0 2 .174Schafercf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .205D.Lowep 2 0 0 0 0 0 .211a-Nortonph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .103Campillop 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---Totals 33 2 7 2 0 9

Arizona AB R H BI BB SO Avg.R.Roberts3b 4 0 2 1 0 0 .367Ojeda2b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .260J.Upton rf 4 1 3 0 0 0 .346S.Drewss 4 1 1 0 0 0 .211Reynolds1b 4 1 2 2 0 1 .263Byrnes lf 4 2 2 1 0 0 .211C.Youngcf 3 0 0 1 0 0 .169Snyderc 3 0 1 0 0 0 .234Harenp 3 0 0 0 0 1 .182Quallsp 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000Totals 33 5 11 5 0 2

Atlanta 001 000 010 2 7 1Arizona 010 400 00x 5 11 0

a-groundedoutforD.Loweinthe8th.E:K.Johnson(3).LOB:Atlanta4, Arizona5.2B:K.Johnson2 (8),C.Jones(8), Reynolds 2 (8).3B:Byrnes(1).RBIs:Kotchman(24),C.Jones(17),R.Roberts(4),Reynolds2(29),Byrnes(17),C.Young(10).SB:J.Upton(6).CS:Reynolds(3).SF:C.Young.Runnersleftinscoringposition:Atlanta2(Schafer,McCann);Arizona4(S.Drew2,Ojeda,Byrnes).DP:Atlanta 1 (D.Hernandez, K.Johnson, Kotchman);Arizona1 (Ojeda,S.Drew, Reynolds).

Atlanta IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAD.Lowe L, 6-3 7 10 5 3 0 2 100 3.49Campillo 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 4.15Arizona IP H R ER BB SO NP ERAHarenW,4-4 8 7 2 2 0 8 113 2.54Qualls S, 12-14 1 0 0 0 0 1 16 3.43

Balk:D.Lowe.Umpires:Home,Phil Cuzzi; First,TomHallion;Second, JerryCrawford; Third,Angel Campos.T:2:20.A:19,452(48,652).

PHOENIXDan Haren slipped and fellafter delivering a pitch in the eighthinning. It was one of very few stumblesfor the righthander all night.

Haren outpitched Derek Lowe andthe Arizona Diamondbacks took advan-tage of second baseman Kelly Johnsonserror to score four times in the fourthinning on their way to a 5-2 victory overAtlanta on Thursday.

He can control a game, Diamond- backs manager A.J. Hinch said of Haren. Its a sight to see when he com-petes. He executes pitches, hes got agame plan. He doesnt back down. Hethinks along with the hitters.

Haren (4-4) retired 15 in a row beforea two-out double by Johnson and RBIsingle by Casey Kotchman in the eighthinning. The last batter Haren faced wasChipper Jones, who had doubled in arun earlier in the game. Jones struck outlooking.

That was one of the best balls I threwall night, Haren said. Hes a tough guyto strike out. Hes given me some troubleover the years. I knew I had to make aperfect pitch and I knew it was probablymy last batter, too, so I dug in deep andmade the pitch.

He allowed two runs and seven hitsin eight innings, striking out eight toearn his first victory in four starts.

We hit the ball really good early inthe game, Atlanta manager Bobby Coxsaid, and later on Haren got reallytough. ... You can say Well, we didnthit the ball tonight, but he was hard tohit at. A lot of teams wouldnt have hithim tonight at all.

Haren has not walked a batter in hislast three outings. Hes walked nine allseason, with 71 strikeouts.

Lowe (6-3) gave up five runs, three

earned, and a season-high 10 hits forthe Braves, who were swept in threegames in San Francisco before openinga four-game set in Arizona.

I pitched poorly pretty much thewhole game, Lowe said. That waspretty much a grind from the f irst pitchall the way through. I was just fortunateto not give up any more runs.

Chad Qualls pitched a perfect ninth,with some defensive help from second baseman Augie Ojeda and shortstopStephen Drew, for his 12th save in 14opportunities.

Justin Upton singled three times forthe Diamondbacks to raise his averageto .346. The 21-year-old outfielder hashit safely in seven straight games and30 of the last 33.

The Associated Press

Arizona 5, Atlanta 2

No slip-ups on mound for Haren

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Arizona P Dan Haren struck out eight and gaveup two earned runs for his fourth victory.

ROSSD.FRANKLIN/AP
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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009Next Gen: Recruiting / NBA Draft

Former Duke swingman Gerald Henderson came to Chicagothis week as part of the NBA draft combine. He chatted withreporters, including the Sporting News Today s Dave Curtis, andtouched on three key men in his life: a high school teammate, anNBA coach and his father.

Q: What are you feeling as the dr aftnears?A: There is pressure put on you to do well inthese workouts. Its fun, though. I love thegame. I love competing.

Q: How would you describe yourrelationship with Wayne Ellington?A: Wayne is my best friend. I played with himin high school (in Philadelphia). He had agreat career at North Carolina. We came out of highschool in the same year, and now were going to thenext level at the same time. Its cool to have him inthis process by my side.

Q: Did you going to Duke and him toCarolina, did that test your friendshipat all?

A: No. If anything, it just made it better becauseit was the best situation in terms of distancefor keeping a friendship. Wed play each other inthe Duke-Carolina game a couple times every year.Thats a pretty important game, more than just interms of winning championships. Thats braggingrights. But were still really good friends.

Q: Do you see yourself as a shooting guardin the NBA?A:

Definitely. A lot of that depends on what

position you can guard. And I think I canguard the two position really well. Offensively, I cando a lot of things that theyre looking for in the NBA.

Q: Have you met with the Bobcats yet?A: I have. Coach (Larry) Brown is a great guy. Iveknown him since I was in middle school. Oneof my best friends, Ryan Ayers, his dad, Randy Ayers,was one of the assistants with him in Philadelphia. SoIve been going to their practices since I was in school.

His kids actually go to my high school. That woulda great place for me.

Q: Who else have you met with?A: (Charlotte), Chicago and the Clippers.

Q: What would it mean to you to follow inthe footsteps of your father (formerNBA player Gerald Sr.)?

A: Its a great thing to know what kind of carehe had and how much time he had to take oto get me to this point. To finally be here, where I cstart my career and hopefully have a good one, isreally rewarding.

Q: How much has he prepared you for theNBA?A: Hes given me some great advice. But itreally just about the work I have to put in be a good pro and to make it a career instead of a couple-year thing.

Q: Whats he doing now?A: Golfing. A lot of golfing. Just sitting bacand enjoying himself.

Florida State is clearly in the lead for one of the mosttalented skill-position players in central Florida KennyShaw, a receiver out of Dr. Phillips (Orlando, Fla.).

FSU, theyre No. 1 right now, the 6-foot, 160-poundShaw told Sporting News Today . Im up to 22 (scholar-ship) offers right now, and Ill be deciding after mysenior season. Ill be waiting until then.

Florida and Miami (Fla.) have offered Shaw scholar-ships, as have Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio Stateand Tennessee.

Shaw put on a show during his teams lightning-shortened spring game this week, catching a 35-yardtouchdown pass, while having another long scoringreception called back by penalty.

I would describe myself as electric, Shaw told SN .

Im just a playmaker. (Colleges coaches) say they likemy ability to run after I catch the ball, my elusivenessand my route-running ability. Those are some of thethings they look at; and I have pretty good hands too.

Shaw caught 64 passes for 914 yards and 10 touchdownsas a junior last fall. He shared the ball with Michigan com-mitment, WR Ricardo Millerwho is one of SNs Top 100players for the class of 2010. Miller has since told SN thathell be transferring to Huron (Ann Arbor, Mich.) for hissenior year. Shaw may see even more passes come his waythis fall without Miller (34 receptions, 615 yards, 8 TDs).

Silsbee (Texas) athlete Jeremy Johnsonis planning tohead to West Virginia in 2010, Rivals.com reported.The 6-2, 175-pound player is a dual-threat quarterback

at the high school level, but is talented enough to playseveral positions. He also reported scholarship offersfrom Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Purdue, Vander- bilt and nearby TCU.

Im proud to be a Mountaineer and I cannot wait toplay for them, Johnson told Rivals.com . I gave Coach(Bill) Stewart my word. Im not going to any camps.

As a junior he threw for 1,675 yards and 17 touchdowns,while rushing for 621 yards and nine touchdowns.

Hampton (Allison Park, Pa.) DE Jordan Paskorzhas

committed to Michigan, Rivals.com reported. The 6-3,225-pound weakside defensive end also reported schol-arship offers from Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Virginia,among others.

The overall atmosphere of Ann Arbor is great andits the tradition at Michigan, Paskorz told Rivals.com .Its kind of like a rebirth therethere are new coaches,new facilities and I feel like I want to be a part of that.

Apollo (Owensboro, Ky.) DT Harris Bivinhas commit-ted to Louisville, Rivals.com reported. The 6-3, 290-pound defensive tackle also reported interest fromMissouri, Syracuse, Indiana and Kentucky, but the Car-dinals were the only team to offer a scholarship so far.

Brian McLaughlin

Q&A with ... G Gerald Henderson

Henderson ready to follow fathers footstepsOrlando wide receiverfond of Florida State

RECRUITING DISH

GE

Gerald Henderson says he has met with representatBobcats, Clippers and Bulls.

BRIANMCLAUGHLIN/ SN

WR prospect Kenny Shaw says he has 22 scholarship offers.
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Plenty of talkbut little sweatat NBA draft combineSporting News Today s Sean Deveney

provides news and notes from the NBAspredraft combine in Chicago:

Look out for PF DeJuan Blair. If anyone made an impact on the firstday of the NBAs combine, it wasBlair. Thats because, when hestepped on the scale Thursdaymorning for his official weigh-in,he registered at 275, an astounding40 pounds less than the 315 he sayshe was at just four weeks ago, whenhe began working out at IMGAcademy in Bradenton, Fla. Infact, Blair sa id that when he workedout for Phoenix just three earlier,he was 289.

Forty pounds in a month? Four-

teen pounds in three days? I calledmy mom after the weigh-in, Blairsaid. She said, Did you cut yourleg off?

Said Bucks general manager JohnHammond: He did lookimpressive.

This draft is thin on power for-wards once you get past surefireNo. 1 pick Blake Griffinand Jordan Hill,who is likely to go in the top seven.Blair is one of the drafts wildcards, a player who could go in theTop 10 or slip all the way to the20s.

The two knocks on Blairwhoaveraged 15.7 points and 12.3rebounds this year at Pittsburghhave been his height and hisweight. But, thanks to some intense badgering from his nutritionistand a high-protein, low-carb diet,weight no longer seems to be aproblem.

I havent been this slim sincethe 10th grade, Blair said. I blew

up, but now I am back down. I likewhere I am. Trust me, I am notgoing to blow up again.

The issue that remains for Blair,

though, is height. He was mea-sured, he said, at 6-6 1/2. But hiswingspan was measured at 7-2,and he compares himself to, amongothers, Utahs Paul Millsap. Whenasked which player was the bestrebounder in the draft, Blair didnot hesitate: Me, he said. I really believe I am.

This is the first year that theNBA has taken a combine-styleapproach to the predraft period,and its unclear whether the setupwill be a success. Players are not

competing in a 5-on-5 situation and,really, arent in competitive situa-tions at all. Theyre simply beingmeasured, running drills and meet-ing teams for interviews. Itsfunny, said G Jeff Teague, becauseyou barely work up a sweat.

Phoenix general manager SteveKerr said that, at least, the inter-views are worthwhile. You dontalways get the opportunity to sitdown and talk with that manyguys in person, Kerr said. Butthe drills, I dont think theresmuch there of value. I can watch

these guys do pregame warmupsany time.

Teague is one of the manynames that can be found scatteredall over the draft board, and because of that, he doesnt want todo anything to damage his chances.But he admits that, in the NBAsEastern Conference finals, hes been pulling for the Magic. I went

to high school with (Magic guard)Courtney Lee, we were teammates, hewas a year older than me, Teaguesaid. So, Ive been for Orlando.

But dont tell the Cavaliers that. Iam not a Magic fan, I am a Court-ney Lee fan.

Perhaps the key to the draftlies with Memphis, picking No. 2,and the Grizzlies have a couple of options. PG Ricky Rubiois firstamong them, but the word in Chi-cago is that C Hasheem Thabeetismore likely to go to Memphis.Thats because one thing that coachLionel Hollinsdid after taking thereins of the team was to give the ball to PG Mike Conleyand let him

run the team. Conley respondedwell, averaging 14.5 points and 5.6assists after the All-Star break.Hollins wants to keep Conley on ashis point guard and address theteams defensewhich is where a7-3 shot-blocker like Thabeet canmake a difference.

I know, coming in, that myoffense is something that I need towork on, my shooting and my postgame, Thabeet said. But, mydefense, I think because of that Iam ready to play right now.

Barring a trade, PF Jordan Hill wont be around when Milwaukeedrafts at No. 10. But the Bucks wereone of the teams he met with in thefirst round of interviews. The oth-ers were the Clippers, the Grizzliesand the Warriors. Its believed thatif Hill is still on the board whenGolden State picks at No. 7, theWarriors will take him. Honestly,I have no idea where Im going to

wind up, Hill said. So, it canthurt to go and meet with as manypeople as I can.

One guy who did pretty wellin the measurements category was

18-year-old PG Jrue Holiday, who islisted at 6-3 but is growing. In fact,when he was measured on Thurs-day, he came in at 6-4 with shoes.I feel that my size is an advantage,he said.

DeJuan Blair, left, has impressed NBA teams by dropping 40 pounds in four weeks.SKIPPETERSON/AP

2009 draft order

1. L.A. Clippers2. Memphis3. Oklahoma City4. Sacramento5. Washington6. Minnesota7. Golden State8. New York 9. Toronto10. Milwaukee11. New Je rsey12. Charlotte13. Indiana14. Phoenix15. Detroit16. Chicago17. Philadelphia18. Minnesota (from Miami)19. Atlanta20. Utah21. New Orleans22. Dallas23. Sacramento (from Houston)24. Portland25. Oklahoma City (from San Anton26. Chicago (from Denver thrOklahoma City)27. Memphis (from Orlando)28. Minnesota (from Boston)29. L.A. Lakers30. Cleveland

Second Round

31. Sacramento32. Washington33. Portland (from L.A. Clippers)34. Denver (from Oklahoma City)35. Detroit (from Minnesota)36. Memphis37. San Antonio (from Golden through Phoenix)38. Portland (from New York thrChicago)39. Detroit (from Toronto)40. Charlotte (from New Jersey thrOklahoma City)41. Milwaukee42. L.A. Lakers (from Charlotte)43. Miami (from Indiana)44. Detroit45. Minnesota (from Philadthrough Miami)46. Cleveland (from Chicago)47. Minnesota (from Miami)48. Phoenix

49. Atlanta50. Utah51. San Antonio (from New Othrough Toronto)52. Indiana (from Dallas)53. San Antonio (from Houston)54. Charlotte (from San Antonio)55. Portland (from Denver)56. Portland57. Phoenix (from Orlando thrOklahoma City)58. Boston59. L.A. Lakers60. Miami (from Cleveland)

DRAFT DISH

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009Next Gen: NBA Draft
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The letter that arrived back in January to University of Memphispresident Shirley Raines officestated up front she had some seriousissues in her athletic department.The words major violations are

right there, like a Category 5 hurri-cane warning to aperson leaving in a beachfront home.

And then, for sixand a half pages,the notice of alle-gations goes onabout womensgolf.

A show of hands: How many

knew Memphis even had a womensgolf team? Who figured there could be anything major about it?

There are some substantial chargesagainst the womens golf program,which is how new Kentucky coach John Calipari came to find himself inthe headlines. His name appearsnowhere in the report, but two allega-tions regarding the Tigers basketballprogram he once coached have beenextrapolated to major because theywere stuffed under the same umbrellaas the golf case.

Under ordinary circumstances,the issues involving the basketballteam would be disposed of fairlysimply. The accusation that a player,

reportedly star point guard DerrickRose, did not take his own SAT is ahuge deal. Theres not much worsethan academic fraud. But this cus-tomarily would not constitute amajor violation against the program because no Memphis staff memberis alleged to have facilitated it orknown about it.

A charge that a family member of aplayer received free travel, reportedly

Roses brother Reggie, would be dis-posed of with a check to reimburse theuniversity for its expense.

Its not so neat and quiet now. Thecharges are a big deal in Memphis,Kentucky and in places where people

have some interest in Kentucky bas-ketball, which is more or less every-where. The semantics andtechnicalities of why the basketballcharges are considered to be majorwont really matter.

No one will want to hear Memphisis not in the habit of letting people flyfree on its team charters. Some of itsmost generous boosterspeople whohave given upward of a half-milliondollars to the athletic departmenthave hopped on board when conve-nient. They always were charged atthe end. The person who allegedly

received free trips paid for some, also.The gentleman who handles the teamstravel is one of the most thorough,meticulous people you will encounter.If Memphis wasnt fully reimbursed,its not because the traveler did notreceive a bill.

The university apparently feelsgood about its response to thecharges. There has been speculationthat if a player cheated on his SATand rendered himself ineligible thatthe Tigers NCAA-record 38 victo-ries and 2008 Final Four appear-ance could be vacated. However, if

its not proven Memphis had reasonto know the player was ineligibleindeed, the NCAA clearinghousehad certified the eligibility of thatseasons freshmenit would be hardto justify that action. The coacheswere told the kid could play, so theyplayed him.

This is not to say that in trying tomake this all go away, the Universityof Memphis might not offer the

surrender of the Final Four as asolution.

That would hurt the players whocompeted and the fans who followedthe team, but they know what theyaccomplished. Its Calipari who hasthe most to lose if 2008 were to bestricken from the record because theaccomplishments of his 1996 Massa-

chusetts team already have an aster-isk attached.

That came as the result of star cen-ter Marcus Cambys admission hereceived payment from a prospectiveagent. If Calipari were to have twoFinal Fours wiped away, his reputa-tion would absorb the most punish-ing blow to date.

The only good news for Calipari inall this is the NCAA pretty muchturned over the tables in the Tigers basketball program once it enteredthe door to check on womens golf. If this is all there was to find, the bas-ketball program was being run rea-sonably well.

It wont play like that publicly,

though. Memphis has some sallegations to defend in wgolf, but no one really noticeissues existed. The NCAA system is a complicated appthat sometimes defies easy extion. Its not so tough to figuwho is a star and who is not.

[email protected]

Mike DeCourcyCOLLEGE BASKETBALL

Of all things, womens golf team ignites Calipari firestorm

Its possible that the Tigers 2008 Final Four appearance could be vacated because of alleged academic fraud, and that would hurt coach John Caliparis name in the record bo

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009College Basketball
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Memphis athletic director defends program against allegationsMemphis athletic director R.C. Johnson

defended the mens basketball programThursday, saying the school checks out allpotential players.

He would not confirm that Derrick Rose,who led Memphis to the 2008 national title

game, is at the center of an NCAA investiga-tion of major violations during that season.In a letter to the school, the NCAA says an

unknown person took the SAT for a player,with his knowledge, and then the player usedthat test to get into Memphis. The NCAA saidthe athlete in question played for the Tigers inthe 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAATournament. The only person who played just that season was Rose, who now plays forthe NBAs Chicago Bulls.

We wouldnt play anybody if we hadntchecked it out pretty thoroughly, Johnsontold The Associated Press.

Johnson would not identify the player

involved for privacy reasons. But he said theplayer is cooperating with Memphis investi-gation into the allegations.

Nobody has thrown up any road blocks, Johnson said. Were trying to get it resolvedand do it the right way.

The NCAA has asked Memphis to providecopies of the SAT and a Sept. 2, 2008, report by a forensic document examiner who stud-ied the handwriting in the SAT.

Roses attorney, Daneil E. Reidy, said in astatement Thursday that the No. 1 pick in the2008 NBA draft and this seasons rookie of the year was aware of the allegations.

Mr. Rose cooperated fully with the Uni-

versity of Memphis athletic and legal depart-ments investigation of this issue when hewas a student, and that investigation uncov-ered no wrongdoing on his part, Reidy said.

At this time, Mr. Rose sees no reason toengage in further discussion regarding thismatter and will instead focus on his career asa professional basketball player.

Neither Mr. Rose nor I will have furthercomment.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursdaythat someone with access to Roses academicrecords at Simeon High School changed a Dto a C on his transcript. The newspaperreported that Rose was one of four athletes atthe school whose grades were boosted for aone-month period after their June 2007graduation and then changed back after the bogus transcripts were sent to colleges.

Memphis was notified Jan. 16 of the poten-tially major violations in the mens basketballprogram and will appear June 6 in Indianap-olis before the NCAA committee on infrac-tions for a hearing. Johnson declined toprovide any details on what Memphis has

found in its investigation prior to thehearing.Weve been working on this for some time

and continue to get our final presentationfinalized and make sure we dotted all the Isand crossed all the Ts, Johnson said.

The alleged violations occurred under JohnCalipari, who left March 31 to take over atKentucky. Calipari, who is cooperating withthe investigation, was told by the NCAA in aletter that he was not at risk of being chargedwith any violations in the case.

Kentucky president Lee Todd reiterated ina statement Thursday that his university wasaware of the inquiry while interviewing

Calipari.We are confident that Coach Calipari wasnot involved in any way, Todd said.

The Associated Press

Listen on Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 127, online at SportingNews.com or check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.WEEKDAYS 14PM ET

S

Former Tiger Derrick Rose is thought to be the player who had another person take his SAT and then used that score to get into the university.

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NEW YORKKevin Laue knows what would happen if a college basketball team took a chance on him and hedidnt pan out. Fans would wonder what the coachwas thinking in using a scholarship on a center miss-

ing his left hand.Its a business, the 6-10 Laue said. Their jobsare all on the line. Its much safer to take a two-handed guy my size that got beat by me.

But Manhattan Colleges Barry Rohrssen figurescoaches take chances all the time. Hed rather takeone on Laue, whose left arm ends just past the elbow.So last week, the Division I school signed the center,and Rohrssen is confident his work ethic will ruboff on other players.

We take chances on kids who have poor aca-demic histories, who have disciplinary problems both on the court and off the court, Rohrssen said.We give opportunities to players who dont appre-ciate them, who take them for granted. For all the

right reasons, Kevin deserves this chance, and heshould make the most of this opportunity.A native of Northern California, Laue played a post-

graduate season for Fork Union Military Academy inVirginia this year, hoping to impress college recruit-ers. Coach Fletcher Arritt said Laue averaged about 10points and five rebounds, competing against manyDivision I prospects.

When Laue was born, the circulation in his leftarm was cut off by the umbilical cord. He uses hisupper arm to help receive passes, and his large righthand allows him to easily palm the ba ll.

He can run as well as anybody, Arritt said. Hecan jump as well as anybody. You dont need twohands to block shots around the basket.

As the weeks went by, Laue was starting to wonderwhether he would ever realize his dream of playingDivision I basketball. He said Wofford and Colgateexpressed interest but neither had an available scholar-ship. Rohrssen had been aware of Laue before heenrolled at Fork Union. The coach needed to recruitsize with the graduation of the Jaspers starting center, but what really worried him after wrapping up offsea-son workouts this month was his returning players.

Some coaches may say, We need a shooter, hesaid. My feeling was our team needed a stronger

work ethic.Manhattan contacted Laue just over a week

He signed with the team Wednesday.He possess certain skills as a basketball p

that are very good, Rohrssen said, and he demstrates qualities that will make him successfuthe court in terms of in the locker room, on camand in the classroom.

Baseballs Jim Abbott, born without a r ight hforged a successful major league pitching cBasketball, though, demands far more acrequiring both hands than pitching.

Im a risk. Coach Rohrssen was willing tit, Laue said. He has no reason to worry.

The Ass

Kentucky has sued Billy Gillispiethe day after the Wild-cats former basketball coach filed suit against the schoolclaiming breach of contract.

The universitys suit was filed Thursday in FranklinCircuit Court in Kentucky, which the school contends is

the proper venue for any litigation involving the coachsformer employment. Gillispie filed his claim on Wednes-day in Dallas, asking for at least $6 million in pay, punitivedamages, attorneys fees and court costs.

Gillispie never signed a formal contract but wasworking under a memorandum of understanding whenhe was fired after last season.

The two sides are clashing over whether a buyoutclause in that memorandum is binding. It would requirethe school to pay him $1.5 million for four of five yearsleft on his contract.

USC coach Tim Floydcontinues his silence regardingthe NCAA investigation into allegations that thousandsof dollars in cash and gifts were given to former player O.J.

Mayo, including claims that Floyd delivered cash to one of Mayos handlers.Floyd and USC football coach Pete Carrollwere asked

at a booster function this week whether USC will everget out of this cloud of the NCAA, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Carroll said it was the price for being on top. Floyddid not answer.

He later refused to answer questions from the Los Angeles Times on the topic. He did, however, talk abouthow the NBA draft again robbed his roster of its stars.

One morning in March, one of our graduate assistantspulled up three articles that had us ranked fourth, fifthand sixth in early polls for next season, Floyd said. By 1p.m., DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibsonand Daniel Hackettall declared

for the NBA. Louisiana-Monroe has named Jimmy Voightas asso-

ciate head coach. Coach Orlando Earlysays Voights hir-ing still needs approval from the schools Board of Supervisors. If approved, Voight would replace GusHauser, who joined the staff at Coastal Carolina.

Early says Voight brings with him 28 years of headcoaching experience and more than 400 career victo-ries, including a 260-139 record at the junior collegelevel.

Creighton coach Dana Altmansaid Cavel Wittermightreturn to the Bluejays next season, the Omaha World- Herald reported.

Witter planned to leave Creighton after two seasons,missing offseason conditioning workouts in April andearly May, according to the newspaper.

Nothing is etched in stone, Altman told the World- Herald . Situations do change for individuals, and Ivehad some conversations with Cavel about his possiblereturn. Well just have to see where it goes from here.

Witter played in 68 games the past two seasons, aver-aging 9.1 points as a sophomore and 7.7 points as a junior.

Wake Forest officially added Tulsa assistant DaveWojcikto its coaching staff, the school announced Thurs-day. Tulsa coach Doug Wojcik, Daves brother, previouslysaid his brother intended to leave for the ACC school.

The Demon Deacons staff also added former playerRusty LaRueearlier this offseason.

Louisiana Tech coach Kerry Rupphas added formerUAB assistant coach Dusty Mayto his staff. May, 32,served the past two years at UAB.

INSIDE DISH One-handed player gets chance,scholarship from Manhattan

COURTESYOFFORK UNIO

Kevin Laue averaged about 10 points for Fork Union M

Blame game continues as Kentucky sues Gillispie

RICKBOWMER/AP

USC coach Tim Floyd is mum about an NCAA probe of the university.

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Q&A with ... LSU coach Les Miles

I cant imagine that wont be an exciting day in Baton RougeLes Miles has won 42 games, an SEC title and

national championship in four seasons at LSU. Hequickly has become one of the leagues high-profilecoaches with his daring game acumen and strong

opinions. Sporting News Today s Matt Hayes caughtup with Miles at the SEC spring meetings:

Q: The American FootballCoaches Association hasannounced the coaches poll ballotswill be secret again starting in 2010.Good or bad for the game?

A: I dont think its going to affect howpeople vote. There was enoughprotest by guys not accepting the responsibility, based on the fear that it might makeit bulletin board material. I understand it.Its important that the membership takeresponsibility to do that job, and to the

best of their ability. I understand thereasons were doing it, and theyre valid.But it does kind of seem a little sneaky

peek; like, Well get this done sideways. Oneyear I saw (Ohio State coach) Jim Tressel notvote. Its a responsibility to do that job atwhatever risk or cost there might be to theirview and their schools view. You have to doit. The idea that it has become a secret ballotyet again, I dont think it changes much. Youwill eventually be on the other end of the voteone day, so you best do the r ight thing.

Q: You have a new defensivecoordinator in formerTennessee assistant John Chavis.How was the transition this spring?

A: I like our defense. Occasionally, acoaching change can be good. Attimes, theres a new straw that stirs thedrink and its a good thing.

Q: How different could last yearhave been if you hadnt kickedstarter Ryan Perrilloux off the team before the season?

A: I cant afford to think about that. I just cant. So I have to answer thattwo ways. No. 1, (dismissing Perrilloux) was

the only way we couldve gone; there was noother way. No. 2, if we had a veteran quarterback that was ready to perform at a higherlevel, do we win, what, three more games? Idont know. Its really interesting to say.

I still think we were this close to winning atleast two moreat least two more. We were(trailing) 21-27 at one point with Florida inthe second half, and we had a couple of badplays and it got out of hand. The third play of the game, its third-and-12, they get a tipped

ball for a long touchdown. Youre thinking,Hmm, this may not be your day. If he picksthat off and goes the other way, were setting

fire to their hair, you know?

Q: Jordan Jefferson is yourstarting quarterback, but couldfreshman Russell Shepard earn someplaying time this fall?

A: Jordan played very well this spring,and preparing away from the fieldwill be very big for him t his summer. Asfor Russell, the first thing this spring, Iwanted to see if he was capable of playing

quarterback. He can. He has a lot of talent,and I want to see him play quarterbackhowever we use him.

Q: Could he be used in a Wild Hogformation?A: Hell be a Wild Hog, Wild Tiger,whatever you want to call him. Ihave to play him somewhere. Hes awfullygood. It will be interesting to see how itplays out. I wouldnt want to commit to acertain number of series every game. Atleast not yet. Hell have to buy into it, theteam will have to buy into it. It will be an

interesting transition.

Q: Does it seem l ike everyone isalmost giving in to Florida thifall, that its the Gators and 11 othersin the SEC?

A: I dont think anyone in this leais giving in. I guarantee we looforward to playing them. But its recogtionthey all return except for Percy(Harvin), and anytime you have a quar back (Tim Tebow) that has the experienhe has, youre in every game. I dont ththeres any question theyre talented ancapable, but I cant imagine that wont an exciting day in Baton Rouge.

Q: What was your transition likefour years ago, coming fromthe Big 12 to the SEC? Were yousurprised by anything in the SEC?

A: You line up against great teamevery week. Theres no portionthe conference thats so far away from being good enough that they couldnt byou if you dont play well enough. Its scompetitive. I did instinctively feel thacoming from Oklahoma State because played Ole Miss when I was there. So Ikind of knew what I was getting into. Iguess I never felt like the Big 12 seasoas long. But maybe when I was in the B12, I wouldnt have said that! Im sure are probably guys in the Big Ten right

also saying, Are you kidding me?

Q: Back to Oklahoma State, areyou proud of what hashappened there since you left?

A: Its terrific. T. Boone Pickens calongside a great school and hadonated a lifetime of opportunity. Georgias going to have a helluva time thereWeek 1), you know what I mean? Man,have a nice day. Whew!

DAVIDQUINN/AP

LSU coach Les Miles, center, and the Tigers host the defending national champion Gators in Baton Rouge on Oct. 10, and Miles knows Tiger Stadium should be rocking.

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SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com College Football

www.sportingnews.com or www.streetandsmiths.comSHIPPING: + $3.50 for the first magazine + 50 each additional magazine

ON SALE 6/2/09 ON SALE 6/9/09 ON SALE 6/23/09

INSIDE DISHTop 100 countdownSporting News Today is counting down its Top 100 college football teams for 2009,featuring one team each day leading intothe season opener Thursday, Sept. 3.

LOUISIANA-

MONROE

2008 record:4-8 overall, 3-4 SunBelt

Coach:Charlie Weatherbie Outlook:Junior Trey Revell likely

will fill in for the departed Kins-mon Lancaster at QB, and he better be stockpiling ice packs and heat-ing pads now. The WarhawksO-line allowed 31 sacks last year.Defensively, Louisiana-Monroeshould be solid with seven startersreturning, including defensive endAaron Morgan (six sacks, 13 tack-les for loss in 2008).

Derek Samson

98

COURTESYOFULM ATHLETICS

Aaron Morgan made the Sun Beltall-conference second team last season.

Its not like Houston Nuttwas giv-

ing away secrets. He was askedthe question and he answered.How do you beat Florida?Nutts Ole Miss team was the

only one to beat the Gators lastseasonby a point in Gainesville.

It starts on the defensive line,Nutt said. Youve got to get pres-sure on not only the quarterback, but their run game. You have to takethem out of their comfort zone.

Nutt said Ole Miss had sometangible goals against the Gators,such as limiting them to eight ornine big plays instead of their

usual 15-plus. And he wanted torun the ball to slow the tempo,among other things.

All that came down to one play inthe waning seconds, when the Reb-els stopped QB Tim Tebowon a fourth-and-short run to win the game.

I was scared to death of the jumppass, Nutt said. We were talkingon the sidelines before the fourth-down play, and I told (defensive

tackle) Peria( Jerry) that he had to stop

the run. Then I said, Dont forgetabout the jump pass, too.He looked at me and said, Coach,

I cant stop both. So we went afterthe run, and we chose right.

Matt Hayes

Normally, coaches try todownplay their talent by pointingout a lack of seniors on the roster.

Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, whohas both ample talent and a lackof seniors at key positions, doesntfall into that category.

Everybody worries about expe-

rience, Sumlin told the Houston

Chronicle . You play the best playersyou have. Experience is one thing.But a 4.7 (in the 40-yard dash) expe-rienced guy is not necessarily betterthan a 4.4 inexperienced guy.

Norman McNabb, a decoratedMarine who helped establish Okla-homa as a football power, died atage 85, The Oklahoman reported.

Nutt knows pressureskey to beating Gators

JOHNRAOUX/ AP

Taking Tim Tebow, above, out of his comfort zone is one way to stop Florida, HoustonNutt says.
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EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

James, Cavs not ready to pack it inCLEVELANDThe message was quickly scrib-

bled on the dry-erase board in Clevelandslocker room. It said little and said it all: 1:00

AM FLY.The Cavaliers are heading back to Florida,their wondrous season still alive.

LeBron James wouldnt let it end. James, showing off every dimension of his

unstoppable game, had 37 points, 14 reboundsand 12 assists, and Mo Wil liams, who boldlypredicted the Cavs would come back and winthis tight-as-can-be series, added 24 points ina 112-102 victory over the Orlando Magic inGame 5 on Thursday night.

It was win or go home, James said.Instead, its back to amped-up Amway

Arena for Game 6 on Saturday night.You expected anything else?

The Magic overcame a 22-point deficit butmissed their first opportunity to close out theCavaliers, who are trying to become just theninth team since 1947 to rally and win aseries after being down 3-1. Orlando willhave two more tries to reach the NBA finalsfor the first time since 1995.

They deserved to get this one, Magiccoach Stan Van Gundy said of the Cavs. Aspoorly as I thought we played, we still werethere with chances to win and didnt get itdone. We have to get ready to go onSaturday.

For Cleveland, a city banking on James todeliver a championship after a 45-year

drought, the MVP was again in a league of his own.His intensity and his passion are out of

this world, Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said.We will follow him. When he gets it going,there is nothing you can do.

James scored 21 points in the second half17 in the fourth quarterand had a hand inClevelands first 29 points in the f inal 12 min-utes. The last player to post at least 37-14-12 ina playoff game was Oscar Robertson in 1963.

Hedo Turkoglu scored 29 for Orlando, andDwight Howard had 24 points and 10rebounds before fouling out with 2:22

remaining while trying to stop James on adrive.Not even Superman was denying James.I was attacking anyone in the way, no

matter who it was, James said. Theresalways a sense of urgency when you are onthe brink of elimination.

And this time James got plenty of help.Williams, his trusty sidekick all season but anear no-show in this series, made six 3-point-ers. Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points,Delonte West 13 and Gibson made two huge3-pointers in the fourth quarterboth onassists from James.

He got his teammates involved and then

took over, Orlandos Mickael Pietrus said.Thats what great players do.The Magic have twice ended series on the

road this postseason, winning a Game 6 inPhiladelphia and a Game 7 in Boston.

For a while it looked like Orlando might doit again, taking a 79-78 lead into the fourthquarter.

James, though, had other plans.He picked up his first assist of the period

on 3-pointer by Williams and his second on a3 by Gibson. Cleveland then turned to itssuperstar every time on offense, spreadingthe floor and forcing the Magic to defendhim. If he wasnt backing down the lane, he

was getting to the line or setting his team-mates up from the perimeter. James also had four rebounds and four

assists in the final quarter.The game is basically all LeBron, all the

time, Van Gundy said. If he gets in thepaint, its automatically a foul. One of thethings we have to do, we cant keep puttinghim on the li ne 20 times a ga me. We have tofind a way to stop that.

The Associated PressLeBron James made sure the Cavaliers would make a return trip to Orlando after his fourth career playoff triple-double.AMYSANCETTA/AP

Series glance(Orlando leads series 3-2)May 20: Orlando 107, Cleveland 106May 22: Cleveland 96, Orlando 95May 24: Orlando 99, Cleveland 89May 26: Orlando 116,Cleveland 114, OTThursday: Cleveland 112, Orlando 102Saturday: Cleveland at Orlando,8:30 p.m.Monday: Orlando at Cleveland, 8:30 p.mnecessary

Orlando 18 37 24 23Cleveland 35 21 22 34

ORLANDO Min FG FT RebTurkoglu 42:41 10-18 7-9 1-6Lewis 40:44 4-13 6-9 0-8 1Howard 37:02 8-10 8-13 3-10 2Alston 28:17 1-10 0-0 1-2 4Lee 35:03 3-5 2-3 0-1 1Pietrus 23:06 4-6 2-3 0-2 0Johnson 18:30 2-6 2-2 0-2 2Gortat 10:58 0-1 1-2 1-4 0Battie 3:39 1-3 0-0 2-3 0Totals 240:00 33-72 28-41 8-38 1

Percentages:FG.458,FT .683.3-Point Goals:8-25,.320 (P2-5,Lee 1-2,Lewis1-5, Alston 1-7,Johnson0-1).TeamRebTurnovers:12(18 PTS).BlockedShots:4(Gortat2,Howard11(Alston3,Howard3,Lee2,Turkoglu2,Lewis).Steals:11(Leglu2,Alston,Howard).TechnicalFouls:CoachVanGundy,

CLEVELAND Min FG FT RebJames 45:30 11-24 15-19 3-14Varejao 28:47 3-6 1-2 3-8Ilgauskas 26:41 6-8 4-5 0-6MWilliams 41:38 7-14 4-5 0-1

West 41:28 6-13 1-1 0-2Gibson 21:38 3-5 2-2 0-1Wallace 16:18 0-2 0-0 2-5Szczerbiak 13:34 1-3 0-0 0-2Pavlovic 0:58 0-0 0-0 0-0Smith 3:25 1-1 0-0 0-0 0Kinsey 0:02 0-0 0-0 0-0Totals 239:59 38-76 27-34 8-39

Percentages: FG .500, FT.794.3-PointGoals:9-18,.500Gibson 3-4,Szczerbiak 0-1,James 0-2,West 0-2).TeamRebTurnovers: 12(21 PTS).Blocked Shots:6 (Varejao2, GibsWest).Turnovers:12(James4,West4,Varejao2, Gibson(M.Williams2, James,West).TechnicalFouls:Szczerbiak,11

A:20,562(20,562).T:2:55.Officials:DanCrawford,BillSp

Cleveland 112, Orlando 102

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009NBA

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WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

DENVERTo make the NBA Finalsfor the first timeand bring theirtattoos, athleticism and exuberanceto the biggest stage of alltheupstart Denver Nuggets must wintwo games in a 48-hour spanagainst a savvy Los Angeles Lakersteam that is shooting for its 30thFinals appearance.

Oh, and L.A. hasnt lost back-to- back games since March.

The Nuggets might very well bethe better team in the Western Con-ference finals, with a deeper bench,more muscle and better health thanthe tired, injured and often dis- jointed Lakers. But they also tend toimplode at the worst times.

Theres the taunting after bigshots, the complaining after callsand the botched inbounds passesthat cost them Games 1 and 3 and achance at brooming the Lakersright out of the playoffs.

Now, theyre one loss away fromsummer vacation.

For most of the series, we out-played them for most stretches of the game, Chauncey Billups said.We just couldnt get over the humpin the fourth quarter in a few differ-ent situations.

Nor can they get out of their ownway at times.

Denver has committed 11 techni-cal fouls in this series and defensivestud Dahntay Jones is one more fla-grant-1 foul away from asuspension.

Coach George Karl said he wontrein in his players for Game 6tonight in Denver, however.

You guys are almost sayingyouve got to have savvy and poiseto be a championship team, Karl

told reporters Thursday. I mean,you think the Detroit Pistons havethe poise that the San AntonioSpurs have? No, I mean theres a

different way of handling emo-tional, passionate, intense players.We have some guys who are emo-tional. Maybe a little too emotional.But for me, Im not going to tell themto stop that because I think thatstops them from becoming acompetitor.

Right now, were competing onthe best stage on a pretty good level.I think the Lakers know were

there.The Lakers have plenty of their

own problems, inconsistencyamong them, but in Game 5, they

showed theyre not always so soft inthe middle and they dont have to bea one-man band, either.

The Lakers finally discoveredways to get more balanced play,especially from their bigs.

Thats what the conversationhas been about this entire postsea-son, our team, our potential and ourcapabilities, Derek Fisher said.But how do we, as a group, open

that space to be what we can be? ...Its possible something clicked forus as a group last night against thisteam.

We may have found some thingswe can do that allows us to attackthem from everywhere. We feel wecant be beat when everybodys get-ting a chance to play.

Kobe Bryant lured double cover-age then passed to his teammateswith Lamar Odom and Pau Gasoldoing the damage inside in thefourth quarter as the Lakers cappeda 23-5 run and cruised to a 103-94

win Wednesday night.Weve had stretches where weve

played excellent defense, Bryantsaid, but the competition werefacing with this Denver Nuggetsteam is unlike anything weve everseen. They have so many scorers,they have an inside presence. So ...Im very proud of how we per-formed in that stretch.

Odoms 19 points and 14 reboundswere certainly the biggest reasonsthe Lakers reversed their disparityin points in the paint and grabs off the glass from Game 4.

Karl thinks Lakers coach Phil Jacksons rant helped, too.

Although it drew $50,000 infines, Jacksons complaints aboutthe officiating in Denver paid off inthe Lakers 16-7 advantage at theline in the fourth quarter, Karlsuggested.

So, Karl took his own crack at thecrew, suggesting Nene fouled outthanks to three or four phantomfouls and questioning how Gasol(one foul) could have played such aclean but active game.

On Thursday Karl insisted hewasnt blaming the officials forDenvers demise, but he tookanother shot at them when sayingsome of his younger players were

letting the officiating get undertheir collective skin.Were hoping and we believe

that the officiating wont be a prob-lem, Karl said. When youre get-ting hit in the back of the head,knocked on your (backside), yourehuman beings; you react to peopleof authority. The referees are theones that have the authority andcontrol the game the way they want

to control it.Bryant has been blunt abo

Lakers fatigue factor in this and he and Gasol each plaminutes in Game 5. But Bryahes fine, suggesting hell getof rest when Im on a beCabo.

The Ass

With so much on line, Karl wont rein in his Nuggets nowCareer playoff points

Player P

1. Michael Jordan 5

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 53. x-Shaquille ONeal

4. Karl Malone

5. Jerry West

6. x-Kobe Bryant

7. Larry Bird

8. John Havlicek

9. Hakeem Olajuwon 3

10. x-Tim Duncan

11. Magic Johnson 3

12. Scottie Pippen 3

13. Elgin Baylor

14. Wilt Chamberlain 3

Todays game(Best-of-7)

L.A. Lakers at Denver, 9 ET, ESPN(Lakers lead series 3-2)

Betting lineToday

FAVORITE..........LINE........O/U......atDenver..................... 5........(209)..........L.A

CHRISCARLSON/AP

Nene and the Nuggets have done plenty of complaining and taunting while drawing 11 technical fouls in the series with the Lakers.


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INSIDE DISH Playoff glanceCONFERENCE FINALS(Best-of-7), all times ET

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Cleveland vs. Orlando(Orlando leads series 3-2)May 20: Orlando 107, ClevelanMay 22: Cleveland 96, OrlandoMay 24: Orlando 99, ClevelanMay 26: Orlando 116,Cleveland 114, OTThursday: Cleveland 112, OrlaSaturday: Cleveland at Orland8:30 p.m.Monday: Orlando at Clevelandp.m., if necessary

WESTERN CONFERENCE

L.A. Lakers vs. Denver(L.A. Lakers lead series 3-2)May 19: L.A. Lakers 105, DenvMay 21: Denver 106, L.A. LakMay 23: L.A. Lakers 103, DenMay 25: Denver 120, L.A. LakMay 27: L.A. Lakers 103,Denver 94Today: L.A. Lakers at Denver, Sunday: Denver at L.A. Lakerp.m., if necessary

NBA calendar

June 4 NBA finals start d(possible move-up to June 2).

June 15 NBA draft early

entrant withdrawal deadline (5 pET).

June 18 NBA finals latesend date.

June 25 NBA draft.

Lakers coach Phil Jacksonwas fined $25,000for criticizing the referees after Game 4 onMondaybut was it worth the price? Whenasked by reporters whether his tirade wasdone to plant a seed in the minds of refereesfor Wednesdays Game 5a game in whichthe Lakers won, and had a small advantage infree throws attempted (35-30)Jacksonreplied, Im a gardener.

The Nuggets, as youd expect, werentpleased. The Lakers paid $50,000 to winthat game. They got their moneys worth, aDenver player, not wanting to be identified,told The Denver Post . The $50,000 was in ref-erence to the fine Jackson and the Lakersorganization received.

Heading into todays game, Nuggets coachGeorge Karl planted his own seed. AfterWednesdays loss he told reporters he thoughtthe Lakers got the benefit of the whistle andthat SF Carmelo Anthonygot beat up.

In addition to meeting with playersheading into the NBA draft, league generalmanagers have plenty of other items on theiragendas at this weeks combine in Chicago.For example, Raptors president and generalmanager Bryan Colangelois scheduled to meetwith a half-dozen agents, including HenryThomas, who represents PF Chris Boshand SGAnthony Parker. Although Bosh is eligible for acontract extension this summer and Parkeris a free agent, Colangelo told The Globe and Mail that the talks were preliminary.

Its very routine, Colangelo said. Its notlike Im going to be coming out of the week-end with plans to trade (Bosh) or start draw-ing up an agreement for a contract extension.Its early in the process.

The agent for former Hornets G JanneroPargo, a free agent, continues to speak withthe team about a possible return, The Times- Picayune of New Orleans reported. I thinkyou could say theres mutual interest. Thats

fair to say, agent Mark Bartelsteinsaid. Pargosigned a one-year deal worth $3.8 millionwith Dynamo Moscow in the Russian SuperLeague last summer.

Dwane Caseyisnt the only person the 76ershad a second interview with in regards totheir head coaching position. The Philadelphia Daily News reported that the team also hasalready interviewed former Wizards coach

Eddie Jordana second time. Both the Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the76ers hope to talk to former coaches and cur-rent TV commentators Jeff Van Gundyand DougCollins.

Mavericks G J.J. Bareahad successful sur-gery to repair cartilage damage in his leftshoulder. The team said a timetable for hisreturn has not been set.

Trail Blazers PG Steve Blake will havearthroscopic shoulder surgery today. Blakeseparated his shoulder during a Blazers gameat Philadelphia on Jan. 14. At first he missedthe next five games, but then he reaggravatedthe injury against the Clippers on Jan. 26 andmissed eight additional games.

Violet Palmer will become coordinator of womens basketball off icials for the West CoastConference and continue to officiate in theNBA, where she has worked for 12 seasons.

The NBAs TV success continues dur-ing the playoffs. TNT drew 10.1 millionviewers for Tuesdays Cavaliers-MagicGame 4, marking the most-viewed NBApostseason game in cable TV history, as wellas the most-viewed telecast on all of cable in2009 to date, SportsBusiness Daily reported.

A judge has found former NBA playerKirk Snydernot competent to stand trial andordered that he be force-fed. Warren County(Ohio) Common Pleas Judge Neal Bronson says Snyder has rejected all medicationsand food and has been hospitalized twice.

The 25-year-old Snyder, who played forthe Jazz, Hornets, Rockets and Timber-wolves, was charged with aggravated bur-glary and felonious assault following aMarch break-in at a neighbors home. Sny-ders attorney filed documents saying Sny-der isnt competent to stand trial and is notguilty by reason of insanity.

A lawsuit accusing Knicks center EddyCurry of sexual harassment was effectivelydismissed Thursday, leaving the dispute to be settled by an arbitrator, rather than a jury. Curry was sued in January by his for-mer driver David Kuchinsky, who accusedCurry of making lewd and suggestiveremarks, brandishing a gun and failing topay $91,000 in wages and expenses.

Jacksons mind games bothering Nuggets, who respond

JACKDEMPSEY/AP

The Nuggets feel Lakers coach Phil Jackson got his moneys worth in Wednesdays Game 5 victory.

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PITTSBURGHThe Pittsburgh Pen-guins will travel today to the citycalled Hockeytown for their secondStanley Cup finals in as many sea-sons against Detroit, yet forgivethem if theyre convinced theyalready live there.

Their games are drawing NFLplayoff-like ratings in the Pitts- burgh marketa 27.1 on little-watched cable channel Versus forGame 4 of the Eastern Conferencefinals against Carolina, or 5 timesthe ratings in Raleigh.

While there were empty seats inrecession-ravaged Detroit for RedWings home games, the last 115Penguins home games in the NHLsoldest arena were sellouts. Giant banners bearing the pictures of stars Sidney Crosby and EvgeniMalkin hang from the girders of thenew arena being built across thestreet from Mellon Arena.

Yes, the Penguins appear to haveeverything going for themmomen-tum from a conference finals sweep,two of the leagues best players inhigh gear and the kind of fervent sup-port that franchises in some higher-profile sports wish they had.

Theres only one thing missing: aStanley Cup, at least one of morerecent vintage than those won bythe Mario Lemieux-led Penguins of 1991 and 1992.

The Red Wings have raised theCup four times since then, and theNHLs most polished and reliablegroup of winners gave the Penguinsan instructional lesson in what ittakes to be a champion last spring.The Penguins had lost only two

games in three playoff rounds before being dominated during 4-0 and 3-0losses that opened the finals inDetroit, and they never recovered before losing in six games.

It was kind of a shell shock,defenseman Rob Scuderi saidThursday.

We were watching too much.We were waiting to see what it wasgoing to be like and, by that time, it

was too late, Crosby said.The Penguins remember how frus-

trating it felt to realize they werentquite good enough, and theyre con-vinced the experience of losing in thefinals was the best possible prepara-tion for winning it this time.

We have that confidence in thedressing room that weve beenthrough it, and its a great feeling,forward Max Talbot said. I think

well be ready for them.Pittsburgh appears to own several

important advantages over the beaten-up Red Wings. The Penguinsare relatively healthy, Malkin andCrosby are rolling with a league-leading 28 points apiece and goalieMarc-Andre Fleury said the emo-tion and the stress, all the stuff wedidnt know last year are missing.

The Red Wings were missingstars Nicklas Lidstrom (2 games)and Pavel Datsyuk (3 games) forpart of the Western Conferencefinals against Chicago, thoughtheyre hoping both will return forGame 1 on Saturday.

Even if they dont, the Red Wingsare the Red Wings, and the Pen-guins knew from the moment theylost to them a year ago theyd prob-ably have to beat Detroit to provethey indeed are the best.

Watching their Game 4 againstChicago where they won 6-1, I dontknow if we want to say we werelaughing at the situation, but it wassomething we went through lastyear, defenseman Brooks Orpiksaid. You can try to run them outof the building, be physical on them, but theyre skilled guys ... andtough. They just play the game.

The question is whether the RedWings are playing it at the samelevel they were last year. Theyveadded Marian Hossa, who defectedfrom Pittsburgh after last season, but injuries are cutting into theirskill and depth (Kris Draper,Andreas Lilja).

And in Detroit, the Red Wings arewondering if controlling Rick Nash

of Columbus and Chicagos PatrickKane and Jonathan Toews was ade-quate preparation for trying to slowMalkin and Crosby. Malkin had sixgoals and three assists in four gamesagainst Carolina; Crosby has aleague-high 14 playoff goals.

Crosby and Malkin are runningaway with the scoring lead in theplayoffs, and if we let them continueto run wild, it will be hard for us towin the series, Detroit generalmanager Ken Holland said. Youcant stop players that good, but wecant let them do what they didagainst Carolina.

The Penguins believe theyvealready benefited from losing toDetroit last year, saying it helpedthem rally from a 2-0 deficit against

Alex Ovechkin-led Washiduring the conference semifin

I thought no one panickpart because of the experienhad last year, Scuderi said.

Now, after a full offseason anular season, six weeks of playofNHL is right back where it wyear: Pittsburgh vs. Detroit foStanley Cup, with Sid the Kidgoing for his first championshipthe oh-so-successful Red Winging for yet another one.

Certainly two of the mafranchises going toe to toe agthe finals, its something we aappreciate even when were midst of it, Penguins coachBylsma said.

The Ass

GAME 1: PITTSBURGH VS. DETROIT Saturday, 8 p.m., NBC

SPORTING NEWS TODAY www.sportingnews.com FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009NHL

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Playoff stats (ThroughMay26)Pittsburgh Penguins

POS.NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GW OTC 87 Sidney Crosby 17 14 14 28 12 12 5 0 1 0 6C 71 EvgeniMalkin 17 12 16 28 3 22 5 0 3 1 8R 13 BillGuerin 17 7 7 14 11 11 2 0 2 1 50D 55 SergeiGonchar 15 2 10 12 3 10 1 0 1 0 3L 14 ChrisKunitz 17 1 11 12 6 15 0 0 0 0 3L 26 RuslanFedotenko 17 6 5 11 6 4 0 0 0 0 4D 58 KrisLetang 16 3 6 9 3 26 1 0 1 1 43L 24 MattCooke 17 1 6 7 -2 12 0 0 0 0 24C 25 MaxTalbot 17 4 3 7 4 5 0 0 1 0 23D 7 Mark Eaton 17 4 2 6 10 6 1 0 0 0 12C 48 TylerKennedy 17 3 3 6 -3 4 0 0 2 0 5R 81 MiroslavSatan 11 1 5 6 5 9 0 0 0 0 16C 11 Jordan Staal 17 2 4 6 -5 6 0 0 0 0 41R 27 Craig Adams 17 3 2 5 2 4 0 0 0 0 22D 43 PhilippeBoucher 8 1 3 4 -1 4 1 0 1 0 9D 44 BrooksOrpik 17 0 4 4 -1 16 0 0 0 0 7D 4 RobScuderi 17 1 2 3 4 6 0 0 0 0 7D 2 HalGill 17 0 2 2 6 4 0 0 0 0 15D 3 Alex Goligoski 2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 0 1R 17 PetrSykora 6 0 1 1 -3 0 0 0 0 0 7L 9 PascalDupuis 10 0 0 0 -3 6 0 0 0 0 14TEAMTOTALS 17 65 107 172 12 188 16 0 12 3OPPONENTTOTALS 17 47 81 128 -12 252 10 2 5 0

NO.GOALTENDER GP MINS AVG W L OT EN SO GA SA S29Marc-AndreFleury 17 1055 2.62 12 5 0 1 0 46 491 .906 0TEAMTOTALS 17 1060 2.66 12 5 0 1 0 47 492 .904 0OPPONENTTOTALS 17 1060 3.68 5 9 3 5 1 65 594 .891 0

Pens say theyre ready for Red Wings

GENEJ.PUSKAR/AP

Evgeni Malkin, left, and Sidney Crosby think theyre better prepared to face Detroit this year.

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Playoff stats (ThroughMay27)Detroit Red Wings

POS.NO. PLAYER GP G A PTS +/- PIM PP SH GWR 93 JohanFranzen 16 10 9 19 9 10 3 0 2 0C 40 HenrikZetterberg 16 9 9 18 10 6 3 0 0 0R 11 DanielCleary 16 8 6 14 16 8 0 0 2 0C 51 ValtteriFilppula 16 1 13 14 9 6 1 0 0 0D 5 NicklasLidstrom 14 4 9 13 7 6 3 0 1 0R 81 MarianHossa 16 6 6 12 5 8 2 1 1 0R 26 JiriHudler 16 4 5 9 2 6 2 0 1 0R 37 MikaelSamuelsson 16 5 4 9 6 4 0 0 2 1D 28 BrianRafalski 11 2 6 8 8 11 2 0 1 0C 13 PavelDatsyuk 13 1 6 7 4 9 1 0 0 0D 55 NiklasKronwall 16 1 6 7 4 25 1 0 0 0D 23 BradStuart 16 1 6 7 8 10 1 0 0 0D 22 BrettLebda 16 0 6 6 7 10 0 0 0 0D 52 JonathanEricsson 15 2 3 5 8 21 0 0 1 0R 96 TomasHolmstrom 16 2 3 5 1 20 0 0 0 0C 43 DarrenHelm 16 3 0 3 2 4 0 0 1 1L 8 JustinAbdelkader 7 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0R 82 TomasKopecky 8 0 1 1 0 7 0 0 0 0L 18 KirkMaltby 13 0 1 1 -2 2 0 0 0 0D 24 ChrisChelios 6 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0C 33 KrisDraper 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0L 21 VilleLeino 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0D 14 DerekMeech 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0TEAMTOTALS 16 59 101 160 21 179 19 1 12OPPONENTTOTALS 16 34 59 93 -21 295 15 0 4

NO.GOALTENDER GP MINS AVG W L OT EN SO GA SA29TyConklin 1 20 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 1.00030ChrisOsgood 16 989 2.06 12 2 2 0 1 34 451 .92

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