Mark Mulville/Buffalo NewsVirginia Commonwealth’s Eric Maynor breaks into a strut after his 17-foot jump shot sent Duke to defeat.

Eagles stop for film sessionNU taking on Kansas • Page B4

Bowie Kuhn dies at 80Ruled baseball for 15 years • Page B6

Sabres beat PanthersConklin steps up. Page B7

NU, KU have mirror guardsJerry Sullivan’s column • Page B4

F R I DAY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 0 7 • S E C T I O N B

One and stunned

Virginia Commonwealth’s victory over Duke gave the NCAA Tournament a jolt in HSBC Arena

on Thursday night. Another ACC powerhouse, Maryland, struggled for a half before

putting the clamps on sharpshooter Stephen Curry and defeating Davidson in Thursday’s opening game.

Reserve Pete Campbell heated up for Butler, which won ugly over Old Dominion

in a contest dominated by defense. COVERAGE ON PAGES B2-5See Duke on Page B3

BUFFALO, NEW YORK2007 SUBREGIONAL

By Rodney McKissicNEWS SPORTS REPORTER

This will be tucked safely awayinto the NCAA Tournamentarchives, another moment tocommit to memory when the

discussion turns to upsets, great gamesand mid-major programs. VirginiaCommonwealth’s mind-blowing, 79-77victory Thursday will be recalled as thenight when almighty Duke came tum-bling down on the first day of theNCAA Tournament.

VCU sophomore guard Eric Maynorsent Duke back to Durham, N.C., bydrilling a 17-foot jumper with 1.8 sec-onds remaining, in front of 18,844 wit-nesses in HSBC Arena.

“These guys believed all year longthat if we came out and played the waywe are capable of playing, we couldwin,” said VCU coach Anthony Grant,the former Florida assistant who won anational title with the Gators a year ago.

“We could win theconference champi-onship, we could winthe tournament, andwe could go deepinto the NCAA Tournament.”

Maynor – fearless,confident and reluctant to play asecondary role to his opponent’s sup-posed magnitude – sent shock wavesthroughout the West

region and the tournament’s firstround, which lacked drama and upsetsuntil Maynor buried the game-winnerand Duke. It was the Rams’ first NCAAwin in 22 years and placed them onestep away from the Sweet 16.

“Duke’s one of the better teams in America with their tradition andeverything,” said VCU’s Jesse Pellot-Rosa. “So it feels good not just to beat Duke but to win a game in theNCAA Tournament.”

So much for heritage. So much forseedings. So much for Duke (22-11). On this night, none of that mattered toVCU, which will play Pittsburgh inHSBC Arena in the second round Sat-urday. Nothing bothered the Rams (28-6). Not the Duke brand name, nor itstalent, nor its Hall of Fame coach.

Nothing rattled Maynor, whobrought the Blue Devils to their kneeswith 22 points. He took the game overin the final 3:56, scoring eight of theRams’ last 10 points, including thewinner with Duke’s Jon Scheyer wav-ing a hand in his face.

VCU gave the Blue Devils a sliver ofhope when Pellot-Rosa missed a freethrow with 16 seconds left and theRams leading, 77-75.

Duke’s DeMarcus Nelson took theball the length of the court, twistingand turning to get into the lane beforescoring on a layup with 10.3 secondsleft. That tied the game for the sixth

VCU’sMaynor

sends Dukepacking

RReellaatteedd::BobDiCesare’scolumn onPage B2.

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Nash turned 33 years old on Wednes-day – young for almost every walk oflife but his chosen profession. Andsince he returned for battle in September with a shaved head, asupremely toned physique and a one-track mind, Nash has made it clear to

anyone listening that anything short of an NBA title – orexhausting every reserve in the pursuit – is unacceptable.

As the Suns reeled off winning streaks of 15 and 17games and one of the best 35-game runs in league history (33-2), a less kind, less gentle Nash muted hispraise and took every opportunity to point out slippageand sloppiness around the edges.

Some understood the message. Others saw him as“Steve the Buzz-Kill,” nitpicking home wins over losingteams that rarely produce supreme efforts.

But his message stayed on point: Winning isn’teverything – at least not yet.

“There is only one successful conclusion to this sea-son,” he said. “If we play the best we can possibly playand still get beat – OK, it happens – but I think our bestwill get us where we want to go. The time is now, andthe opportunity to win a championship is in front ofus if we accept the challenge to make it happen.

“I don’t know if I’m less gentle or whatever, but Idefinitely feel an evolved focus.

“Winning division titles and MVPs and all thatstuff is great, but it’s part of a journey, not the end.What wins games in December won’t win them in May.The focus has to be on the ultimate goal, and everyonehas to commit to it.”

Suns coach Mike D’Antoni understands the sense ofurgency coming from his coach on the floor.

“When you are a supreme talent, you are also realis-tic. You know when you think you have a chance to go allthe way,” D’Antoni said. “Steve looks around, and he seeswhat we have around him, he sees the competition andhe sees we’re a team that can win it. So now his job is toleave no stone unturned to make sure we get there.”

The byproduct might be a third straight MVP. Whilestill leading the league and setting a personal best for as-sists (almost 12 a night), Nash leads the team in scoringand, at the behest of D’Antoni, is shooting more often –while actually improving his percentage at the same time.

Nash not only has a handful of game-winning orgame-tying shots but at least as many “dagger jumpers”that thwart comeback attempts or put away opponents.

“We had to push him toward that because it’s hisnature to always make the best choice, whoever winds

up with the points,” D’Antoni said. “But once we saidthat we thought it would make us better if he shotmore, he was OK with it. He couldn’t argue with making the team better.”

Nash disagrees that he’s “taking over” more games,saying that he’s still taking what the defense offers up.But he also has no problem with taking the big shots.

“I don’t mind at all taking responsibility for a loss,but I do mind not giving myself and my team a chanceto win,” he said. “Sometimes you have to put yourself onthe line. I feel much better at night if people are point-ing a finger at me for not getting the job done than ifI’m pointing the finger at myself because I didn’t try tostep up. That’s the stuff that eats at you.”

Nash has made no secret of his pride for AmareStoudemire’s explosive return to the team, not only as anoffensive force but for his attention to detail. Last year, asStoudemire toyed with attempts at a quick return frommicrofracture knee surgery, Nash all but blocked out thecomeback talks, viewing it as an unnecessary distractionto a team that needed to learn to win without him.

“That was such a devastating injury for Amare, sohard to overcome,” he said. “I really felt he was outsideof our problems. He had such a long road ahead of him,I felt like we had bigger things to worry about.

“This year, I’ve been extremely impressed and proudof Amare. At his age, to really change his attitude and be-come a better teammate, a more willing defender, moreaccountable to the little things, that’s so impressive.”

And while Shawn Marion’s All-Star talents and Leandro Barbosa’s improvement are keys, Nash seesStoudemire as the X-factor, the key to unlock the pathto the NBA Finals – where he has never been – and achampionship the Suns have never achieved.

“We scored as much or more without him last year,and with the players around him he’s going to have achance to dominate most nights,” Nash said. “But hiswillingness to buy into the team concept, to be that in-side defensive presence and fit into what was here, hasbeen inspiring to me.”

Nash feels he is playing the best basketball of his career, and that he’s still improving.

He can see himself playing another five years at thislevel. But the financial realities and no clear-cut dynastyruling the league all combine to step up the urgency.

“The time is now, the opportunity is in front of us,”he said. “I don’t sense there is a window closing, and Idon’t sense that I’m running out of time. But I sense achance to win a championship. The question is, what dowe do with it?”

Photos by Getty Images

ONE-TRACKMINDPHOENIX – He’s in the midst of his sixth straight season engineering the NBA’s most prolific offense.

He’s going to his fifth All-Star Game and putting up the kind of numbers that make a third straight NBA Most Valuable Player award

a realistic possibility. He has the Suns pointed toward a franchise record for wins and battling for the league’s best record.

Steve Nash thinks all of that is very nice. § And he couldn’t care less.

BByy JJeerrrryy BBrroowwnn // M c C L A T C H Y N E W S S E R V I C E S

O N E - T R A C K M I N D

Determined and in great shape, Steve Nash

is singularly focused on winning the NBA title

“The time is now, and the opportunity to win a championship

is in front of us if we accept the challenge to make it happen.”

M O N D A Y E X T R A

D6 The Buffalo News / Monday, February 12, 2007

’ E07High School Football Preview

Jackedup!After countless hours in the weight room, perfecting plays at passing camps and two weeks’

worth of sweat at summer practices, they are all ready to go. Thousands of Western New York student-athleteshit the football field this weekend with the hopes that their hard work will pay off with a season-opening win,

St. Joe’s Phil Scaffidi, Canisius’ Justin Volk and McKinley’s Willie Burnett.

and maybe even a season-ending championship. § Among the best in Buffalo are, left to right,

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, 2007SPECIAL SECTION

KICKING OFF IN STYLEThe season gets off to a great start with some must-see matchups on opening weekend.

P A G E E 3

O’HARA FLYING HIGHCardinal O’Hara hasgone from not having a team to being one of the area’s very best.

P A G E E 2

TEAM CAPSULESAll the names to know, all the games to see for all 87 schools in Western New York.

P A G E S E 4 - 7

Brandon Murie ofdefending large school poll

champion Iroquois.

T H U R S D A Y, S E P T E M B E R 6 , 2 0 0 7 • S E C T I O N B

NFL PREVIEW

Hitting statistical benchmarkspushes winning teams into the playoffs – and we’ve got their numbers

Cracking the code

THROWBACK STILLHAUNTS THE BILLS:Music City Miracle ended last appearance in playoffs. Page B13

BILLS PREVIEW:Despite glaring weaknesses,team should be a fun bunch to watch. Page B4

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS:Patriots reload, but Jets may keep up with Jones. Page B9

B U F F A L O S A B R E S N E W Y O R K R A N G E R S

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25 , 2007 • SEC TION E

THE PRESIDENTS’ TROPHY-WINNING BUFFALO SABRES,

AFTER DISPOSING OF THE ISLANDERS IN FIVE GAMES,

TAKE ON THE SIZZLING NEW YORK RANGERS, WHO SWEPT

THE ATLANTA THRASHERS AFTER ROLLING THROUGH THE END

OF THE REGULAR SEASON. NOW IT’S JAROMIR JAGR AND COMPANY

AGAINST THE SABRES AND THEIR CAPTAIN CLUTCH, CHRIS DRURY,

IN A BATTLE OF TWO OF THE HOTTEST TEAMS IN HOCKEY.

Bucky Gleason’s column:The buck stops with Lindy Ruff. His team has the talent but can he get the Sabresto crank up the volume?

Jerry Sullivan’s column:There’s bad blood between these two teams, which could be just what the Sabres need.

Verbal volleying begins:Sabres and Rangers trade barbs, giving an emotional edge to their on-icecollision course.

23

7

FIRE ON ICE

RYAN MILLER WILL MAN. THE PIPES FOR THE SABRES.

PAGE NAME: b1/4 (#3232) OUTPUT DEVICE: PSDX OUTPUT LOCATION:NEWS DATE Last Justified:11/3/2007 AUTHOR: LWILSON<<-11/4/197 /=/ PAGE=B xyzz 1/EDITION=NOFO->>

( CYAN )( YELLOW ) ( MAGENTA ) ( BLACK )FILMED BY: LWILSON ON 11/3/107 AT 21:6:41

BILLS VS. BENGALS: Ralph Wilson Stadium • Kickoff: 1 p.m.TV: Ch. 4 • Radio: 96.9 FM • Latest line: Bills (+1) • Weather: Showers, 49 degrees

NFLSUNDAYS U N D A Y, N O V E M B E R 4 , 2 0 0 7 • S E C T I O N B

Bill Polian’s teams have won 210 gamesin his career as an NFL general manager.But after waiting 20 years to win his firstSuper Bowl championship, Polian knowsbetter than anyone that the final game ofthe season is all that really matters.

So you’d think Polian would be steam-ing over the hype for today’s showdown between the unbeaten Patriots and Colts(4:15 p.m., Ch. 4), which is being billed

as Super Bowl XLIø.Polian’s Colts are defending Super Bowlchampions, yet peopleare acting as if their title is on the line today. In his Buffalodays, Battlin’ Billwould be poundinghis fist on the table atthe perceived insult.

“I don’t view it asan insult,” Polian said Thursday from Indianapolis. “But it is laughable. As far as I know, they’re not going to give a trophyfor it. There’s little or no long-term signifi-cance to it. I’m not even sure, given theschedules for both teams, that it’ll affecthome-field advantage that much.

“As Tony [Dungy] said, it’s just one game out of 16. There’s a lot of football leftto play, no matter who wins or loses.”

Whoa, Bill. It’s hardly just another regular-season game. It’s the first time two unbeatens have played this late in theseason. It’s a matchup of the league’s bestteams and most successful franchises. The

Jerry SullivanC O M M E N TA RY

Polian’s focusstays between

the lines

It’s a rewardfor footballfans who havebeen subjectedto some deathly boring gamesthis season.

Photos by Getty Images

See Sullivan on Page B15

Self-made Chad

Cincinnati Bengals receiv-er Chad Johnson plead-ed guilty this week to acharge of selfishness inthe first degree.“You’ve got to be selfish,”Johnson told Buffalo

media as he prepared for today’s gameagainst the Bills. “You know what I don’tlike and I don’t understand? Who madethat word a bad word? It don’t matterwhat position you play, you’ve got to beselfish at what you do. You have to wantit! You have to. You already know at thereceiver position unselfishness is a lothigher than everybody else’s because wedon’t get to touch the ball very often. Wehave to rely on a lot of people for it to goright for us. So our selfishness is higherthan everybody else’s.”

“You know how I play the game andthe way I am,” Johnson said. “I’m aneasy target for that word selfish becauseof my flash, my flamboyance, my mouth,all the stuff that I do.”

Johnson’s talking ability is exceededonly by his playing ability.

He has been voted NFL All-Pro threestraight years. He is one of a handful ofNFL players who fans specifically pay towatch. There will be a lot of eyes atRalph Wilson Stadium today focused on— and worried about — the gracefulform wearing No.85 in white.

But Johnson’s ability to talk, pranceand show off have become the subject ofdebate in Cincinnati. Is his selfishnessgetting in the way of a Bengals teamthat’s off to a disappointing 2-5 start?

Hogwash, says the man who callshimself Ocho Cinco as he launched into

BByy MMaarrkk GGaauugghhaannN E W S S P O R T S R E P O R T E R

See Johnson on Page B15

Super Bowl comesa few months earlyMark Gaughan analyzes Super Bowl XLIø, today’s show-

down between the undefeated New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

(Inside the NFL on Page B15).

Bills’ offense haschance to break outThe Bills’ offense should pose some matchup problems for a Bengals defenseranked 31st in the league.(Scouting report on Page B2).

Check out our new, four-page wrap-aroundsection that includes pages B2, B15, B16.

THE NFL WRAP

SPORTS: UB rallies but comes up short against Miami (Ohio) / Page B3

Bengals wideout Chad Johnson has led the AFC in receiving yards the past four seasons. He is averaging an NFL-best 104 yards per game this year.

Johnson talks a good game and backs it up on the field,but he can’t really ‘be Chad’ until the Bengals are winning again

‘‘’’

You’ve got to be selfish.You know what I don’t like

and I don’t understand? Who made that word

a bad word?

C

INSIDE: Faulty finishes leave Sabres baffled / Page D5 • Purple Eagles rise to occasion / Page D5

XLIS U P E R B O W L

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning earned the MVP award but what he really craved was the Vince Lombardi Trophy.Associated Press

Manning and Colts get their crowning momentby slip-sliding past Bears in soggy title game

M O N D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 5 , 2 0 0 7 • S E C T I O N D

Deliverance

MIAMI — Sometimes good guys finish first.Peyton Manning officially, for once and for all, shed the “Can’t Win the Big One”

label Sunday night.While it’s naive to think sport is about righteousness or morality, this is a case

where justice was served.Manning, who stands for everything that’s right about the NFL, has been better over the

first nine years of his pro career than any quarterback who ever lived. Except in the playoffs.But on a rainy night against the best defense in football, Manning took his rightful

place among the great NFL champions by leading the Indianapolis Colts to a 29-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“Peyton Manning is a tremendous player,” said Colts coach Tony Dungy. “He’s a great

See Super Bowl on Page D2

Manning caps his great careerAt Super Bowl XLI / Mark GaughanInside the game

Quarterly Reportdissects the gameNews NFL reporter MarkGaughan analyzes eachquarter, from the openingkick to the final gun, com-plete with key statistics.(Story on Page D3)

Bears couldn’tprotect the ballDespite a fast start, fiveturnovers deny the Bears,who were bidding fortheir second Super Bowlchampionship.(Story on Page D2)

Dungy rides offinto Super historyTony Dungy and LovieSmith made history as thefirst African-Americancoaches in the Super Bowl.But Dungy got the Lom-bardi trophy. (Page D10)

I N D I A N A P O L I S C O LT S C H I C A G O B E A R S