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2B
♦ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2005
Outside
the
‘Home*
Packers hire Bates
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) - Jim
Bates was hired as defensive
coordinator of the Green Bay
Packers, marking the second
time in two years the team has
changed coordinators after losing
in the playoffs.
Bates spent 4 1/2 years as
Miami's defensive coordinator
before taking over as interim coach
last year when Dave Wannstedt
resigned at midseason. Bates led
the Dolphins to a 3-4 record. The
team was 1-8 when Wannstedt
quit.
Eases' Lewis to miss S 8
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The
Philadelphia Eagles' thin receiving
corps has lost another key mem
ber, and whether its star makes
it back for the Super Bowl is still
uncertain.
Tight end Chad Lewis, who
caught two touchdown passes in
Philadelphia's 27-10 victory over
Atlanta in the NFC championship
game Sunday, will miss the Super
Bowl with a foot injury.
Meanwhile, All-Pro wide receiv
er Terrell Owens' status is uncer
tain. Owens has been sidelined
with an ankle injury since Dec.
19. Eagles coach Andy Reid said
that Owens has made "great prog
ress," and will try to run on the
ankle this week.
Ordonez meets with Tigers
MIAMI (AP) - Free-agent out
fielder Magglio Ordonez met with
Detroit Tigers owner Mike Hitch
and his top staff.
Tigers president Dave
Dombrowski and manager Alan
Trammell also attended the meet
ing, as did agent Scott Boras and
associate Mike Fiore.
Ordonez, a four-time All-Star
who turns 31 on Friday, hit .292
last season with nine homers and
37 RBIs in 202 at-bats. A career
.307 hitter with 187 homers, he
missed 36 games after injuring his
left knee May 19, then went on the
disabled list for good on July 22
with bone marrow edema.
Inmans reward Westbrook
CLEVELAND (AP) - Jake
Westbrook quickly went from
emergency starter to Cleveland s
ace.
Westbrook, who became an
All-Star and won a team-high 14
games last season after switch
ing from the bullpen, agreed to a
$7.5 million, two-year contract with
the Indians and avoided salary
arbitration.
The 27-year-old Westbrook
began 2004 as the Indians' long
reliever before an injury to Jason
Stanford thrust the right-hand
er into the starting rotation. He
responded by going 14-9 with a
3.38 ERA in 30 starts, surprising
the club and himself.
Grieve agrees to contract
PITTSBURGH (AP) - Outfielder
Ben Grieve agreed to a minor
league contract with the Pittsburgh
Pirates, who will give the one-time
former top Oakland prospect a
shot at making their increasingly
crowded outfield.
Utilityman Rob Mackowiak also
reached agreement on a $1.5 mil
lion contract that avoided arbitra
tion and more than quadrupled his
$335,000 salary of last season.
Penny avoids arbitration
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Right
hander Brad Penny avoided arbi
tration by agreeing to a $5.1 mil
lion, one-year contract with the
Los Angeles Dodgers.
Penny was 1 -2 with a 3.09 ERA
in 11 2-3 innings before he was
sidelined Aug. 9 due to a nerve
problem in his pitching arm.
Ghostzapper whs best horsß
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP)
- Ghostzapper, who capped an
unbeaten season with a dazzling
Breeders’ Cup Classic victory,
easily won Horse of the Year hon
ors at the Eclipse Awards dinner
despite not making his first start of
2004 until July 4.
Smarty Jones captivated the
nation by winning the Kentucky
Derby and Preakness before his
bid to win the Triple Crown ended
with a narrow loss to Birdstone in
the Belmont Stakes.
But the popular 3-year-old colt
was a distant second in the vot
ing.
While Ghostzapper didn't run
in a race for the first six months of
last year, Smarty Jones competed
in what turned out to be the final
race of his career nearly a month
earlier, when he lost June 5 by a
length to fast-finishing Birdstone in
the Belmont Stakes.
NcMgan's Horton arraignod
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP)
- Michigan point guard Daniel
Horton was arraigned on a charge
of domestic violence for allegedly
choking his girlfriend last month.
Horton was released on $5,000
bond, court administrator Keith
Zeisloft said, and will be allowed to
leave the state to play basketball.
If convicted of the misdemeanor
charge, Horton could face up to
three months in jail and a SSOO
fine.
Falcons proud,
but not content
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA -
Now comes the hard
part of the Atlanta
Falcons.
Sure, they’ve had a few
breakout seasons - the first
division title in 1980, that
Super Bowl appearance in
1999, a spot in the NFC
championship game this
year - but sustained success
has always been elusive.
As the Falcons head into
their 40th season, having
come up just one win short
of the Super Bowl, they
face an enormous histori
cal burden: Amazingly, this
franchise has never man
aged back-to-back winning
seasons.
If form holds, Atlanta will
go into the 2005 season with
huge expectations, oply to
wind up as a major disap
pointment.
But first-year coach Jim
Mora - actually, it’s time
to declare that he’s not a
rookie anymore - refuses to
look back. He believes this
team, with only three 30-
something starters, is poised
for long-term success.
“It’s a bad thing for the
rest of the league because
we’re coming,” Mora said
Monday, less than 24 hours
after the season ended
with a 27-10 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles.
Indeed, the Falcons made
huge strides this season.
They won the NFC South
with an 11-5 record. They
earned a first-round bye in
the playoffs. They routed
the St. Louis Rams in the
divisional round.
The ride stalled in Philly.
The Eagles made Michael
Vick look downright medio
cre and moved on to face
defending champion New
England in the Super Bowl.
There is a significant dif
ference between the ‘9B team
- which lost to Denver in
the Super Bowl but slumped
to 5-11 the following year
- and this group.
The “Dirty Birds” relied
NHL talks to resume
By IRA PODELL
AP Sports Writer
NEW YORK - The NHL
and the players’ association
are taking another shot at
saving the hockey season,
which has seemingly been
on the brink of cancelation
for weeks.
After a two-day meet
ing last week - initiated by
Vancouver Canucks center
Trevor Linden - that pro
duced no tangible progress
toward a labor agreement,
the league invited the union
back to the negotiating
table Monday.
The sides agreed as late
as last Thursday that philo
sophical differences remain,
yet the same small group
of negotiators that met
last week in Chicago and
Toronto will get togeth
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'lt's a bad thins
tor the rest of the
league because
we're coming.'
- Falcons head coach Jim Mora
heavily on older players such
as Chris Chandler, Jessie
Tuggle, Eugene Robinson,
Cornelius Bennett, Tony
Martin and Terance Mathis.
In fact, the leading tackier
(Bennett) and top receiver
(Martin) were cut soon after
the season.
This team, led by the 24-
year-old Vick at quarter
back, is better positioned
for growth. Running back
WarrickDunn (30), defensive
end Brady Smith (31) and
defensive tackle Ed Jasper
(32) are the only regulars
who’ve left their 20s behind.
The list of unrestricted free
agents is a short one: offen
sive guard Roberto Garza,
kicker Jay Feely, linebacker
Matt Stewart, cornerback
Kevin Mathis and return
specialist Allen Rossum.
The Falcons have locked
up most of their core players,
doling out nearly SBO mil
lion in guaranteed bonuses
over the past 13 months to
Vick, Pro Bowl tight end
Alge Grumpier, dominat
ing defensive tackle Rod
Coleman, emerging comer
back DeAngelo Hall, offen
sive guard Kynan Forney and
cornerback Jason Webster.
Of course, it all starts with
Vick. He finished the sea
son with a thud - 11-of-24
passing, four sacks and a
key interception against the
Eagles - but was voted to
the Pro Bowl for the second
time and signed the richest
contract in NFL history.
Vick is an unparalleled
runner, gaining 902 yards
and leading the NFL with
a 7.5-yard average. On the
other hand, there’s plenty of
work to be done in the West
Coast-style passing game
that was installed by Mora
er again Wednesday in
Toronto.
“The league contacted
our office to arrange for
continued small-group dis
cussions. We agreed to this
request,” players’ associa
tion senior director Ted
Saskin said Monday.
Just like last week, these
talks will go on without
NHL commissioner Gary
Bettman or union chief Bob
Goodenow.
Linden, the NHLPA pres
ident, Saskin and outside
counsel John McCambridge
will represent the players
again in Toronto. NHL
chief legal officer Bill Daly,
Calgary Flames part-owner
Harley Hotchkiss, and out
side counsel Bob Batterman
will take part for the
league.
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SPORTS
and offensive coordinator
Greg Knapp.
“The system was new for
everybody,” Vick said. “We
didn’t gel together as a team
until about the fifth or sixth
game. There is a lot we can
take away from this sea
son.”
While Vick has one of
the strongest arms in the
league, he seems more com
fortable throwing on the run
than out of the pocket. And
his receivers, Peerless Price
and Dez White, were vir
tually nonexistent this sea
son. Crumpler led the team
with 48 receptions, while
Price (45 catches, three
touchdowns) and White (30
catches, two TDs) muttered
quietly about their lack of
involvement.
Mora expects the receiv
ers to play a bigger role next
season.
“It’s something that will
happen,” he said. “For us
to become the explosive,
consistent type of offense ...
that we want to be, then we
will have to make strides in
terms of getting the ball to
the wideouts.”
After leading the league in
rushing, the Falcons would
like to keep their unherald
ed offensive line together, so
look for a big push to re-sign
Garza.
Stewart will probably head
elsewhere since Atlanta can
plug in Demorrio Williams,
coming off a strong rookie
season.
Jasper, part of a front four
that helped the Falcons lead
the league in sacks, said
after Sunday’s game that he
will probably retire.
The Falcons believe they
finally have the glue to keep
things together after a suc
cessful season. Mora doesn’t
even want to talk about the
lack of staying power for
past Atlanta teams.
“I think the culture has
changed. I think the environ
ment has changed. I think
the character of this team is
very strong,” he said. “I think
we’re over that hump.”
this week
The sides had hoped to sit
down in secrecy, but word of
where and when the meet
ing would take place got
out quickly - just like last
week.
“We both believe that the
process now will be bet
ter served by a less-public
approach to the negotia
tion,” Daly said in an e-mail
statement.
The lockout reached its
131st day on Monday and
has already forced the can
celation of 699 of 1,230 reg
ular-season games, plus the
All-Star game.
No proposals have been
made since early December,
when the players offered a
24 percent rollback on all
existing contracts as part of
a luxury-tax and revenue
sharing system.
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Corner room
R ASKETBALL
i
National Basketball Association
W L Pet GB
Philadelphia 19 21 .475 -
Boston 18 22 450 1
Toronto 18 24 .429 2
New York 17 23 .425 2
New Jersey 15 25 .375 4
Southeast Division
W L Pet GB
Miami 30 13 .698 -
Washington 25 15 .625 3 1/2
Orlando 22 18 .550 6 1/2
Charlotte 8 29 .216 19
Atlanta 8 31 .205 20
Central Division
W L Pet GB
Cleveland 24 16 600
Detroit 23 18 .561 1 1/2
Chicago 20 19 .513 3 1/2
Indiana 20 19 .513 3 1/2
Milwaukee 15 24 .385 8 1/2
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Southwest Division
W L Pet GB
San Antonio 34 10 .773 -
Dallas 27 13 .675 5
Houston 23 19 .548 10
Memphis 23 19 .548 1 0
New Orleans 7 33 .175 25
Northwest Division
W L Pet GB
Seattle 28 11 .718
Minnesota 22 19 .537 7
Denver 17 23 425 11 1/2
Portland 16 24 .400 12 1/2
Utah 14 28 .333 15 1/2
Pacific Division
W L Pet GB
Phoenix 32 10 .762
Sacramento 27 12 .692 3 1/2
LA. Lakers 22 16 .579 8
LA. Clippers 19 22 .463 12 1/2
Golden State 12 29 .293 19 1/2
Monday's Games
Philadelphia 106, Miami 98
Washington 106. Cleveland 97
Chicago 107. Atlanta 82
Minnesota 86, Detroit 83
Houston 89, Orlando 78
Portland 107, San Antonio 99
L.A. Clippers 97, Dallas 87
Wednesday's Games
Indiana at Boston, 7 p.m.
Miami at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Memphis at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia at Washington. 7 p.m.
Denver at Detroit, 7:30 p.m.
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The Sparks from Robins Air Force Base and the Liberty
from Perry met Monday in the Warner Robins and Perry
Recreation departments' youth basketball league Monday
at Perry Middle School.
TOP: The Sparks' Tazia Banks makes two during
warmups.
ABOVE: The two teams battle for a loose ball.
I 0200) by Ring Featare* Syndicate Inc World rights reserved |
THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Phoenix at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
Atlanta at Minnesota. 8 p.m.
Houston at New Orleans. 8 p.m.
Seattle at Utah, 9 p.m.
Dallas at Portland. 10 p.m.
New Jersey at Golden State. 10:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers. 10:30 p.m *
Men’s College Scores
Fairleigh Dickinson 88. Sacred Heart 79
Holy Cross 80, American U. 56
lona 80. Loyola. Md 71
Long Island U. 58. Mount St. Mary's, Md
57
Monmouth. N.J. 70. Cent Connecticut St.
53
Pnnceton 60, Haverford 33
Robert Morris 65. Wagner 57
St. Francis, Pa. 80, Quinnipiac 70
St. Peter's 62. Siena 59
Syracuse 86, Rutgers 84
Alabama A&M 66, Southern U. 59
Alabama St. 69. Alcorn St. 58
Bethune-Cookman 83. N. Carolina A&T
78, 20T
Chattanooga 60, Appalachian St. 52
Coastal Carolina 69. Birmingham-Southern
68
Coll, of Charleston 79, UNC-Greensboro
67
Delaware St. 50, Norfolk St. 47
Florida A&M 67, S. Carolina St. 60
Furman 71, Elon 51
Georgia Southern 79, Wofford 76
Hampton 86. Howard 47
Liberty 91. VMI7I
MVSU 76. Texas Southern 50
Morgan St. 80, Md.-Eastern Shore 60
New Mexico St. 71, Fla. International 66
The Citadel 80, ETSU 76
Troy 87, Campbell 61
UMKC 82, Centenary 70
Valparaiso 82, Oakland, Mich. 71
Wichita St. 65, N. lowa 57
Oklahoma 67, Oklahoma St. 57
Utah 63, Air Force 51
Women's College Scores
Boston College 92, Providence 47
Cent. Connecticut St. 68, Fairleigh
Dickinson 59
Marist 59, Manhattan 57
Massachusetts 62, Saint Joseph's 61
Monmouth, N.J. 66, St. Francis, NY 53
St. Francis, Pa. 89, Sacred Heart 69
Alabama A&M 61, Southern U. 53
Alabama St. 71, Alcorn St. 67
Chattanooga 67, Wofford 39
Delaware St. 56, Norfolk St. 37
Florida A&M 54, S. Carolina St. 53
Florida St. 81. Virginia Tech 78. 20T
Furman 52. ETSU 49
Georgia Southern 70, Coll, of Charleston
52
Hampton 81, Howard 72
Sparks fly