Well, actually, the Twins lost again. (Sigh), so I can't give you their postgame. But you can read it yourself at www.mntwins.com. But really folks, why would you want to? I mean they lost. But hey, we are still 3.5 games ahead of the Royals. It doesn't matter if you suck. The only thing that matters is that the team below you sucks more. Have a good night,
Okay, okay, nothing special happened. I'm just so bored that I decided to write something original. Besides, I am bored of copying and pasting. Well anyway, enjoy yourselves. Bye Bye
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins knew there would be few stretches on the 2003 schedule harder than this -- 12 games with the A's and Mariners stuffed into back-to-back weeks.
Three-quarters of the way through, they're passing this test with flying colors.
Minnesota swept its brief two-game series from Oakland with a 6-5 victory Wednesday before 23,080 fans at the Metrodome. Twins hitters had just six hits on the afternoon and got all of the runs on home runs by Doug Mientkiewicz, Jacque Jones and Dustan Mohr.
Of their five meetings with the A's, the Twins have won the last four -- all by a one-run difference. They also took two of three from Seattle last weekend at Safeco Field and now enter a four-game series at home with the Mariners.
"It's tough," said Mohr, whose two-run homer in the fourth inning off A's starter John Halama broke a 4-4 tie and proved to be the game winner. "We're facing the same pitching for the last two weeks. They can figure you out. I guess we've had a chance to figure them out, too."
"I can't believe we've been getting these guys," said Torii Hunter, who had a single Wednesday and scored on Mientkiewicz's three-run homer in the second inning.
The Twins' offensive fireworks buoyed their starter, Joe Mays (6-3), who struggled to get through a three-run top of the first inning by Oakland. Mays tossed 36 pitches in the inning and was often hit hard. One-out singles by Scott Hatteberg and Eric Chavez preceded Miguel Tejada's RBI ground-rule double that gave the A's a 1-0 lead. Two other runs scored on Ramon Hernandez's sacrifice fly and an infield hit by Terrence Long.
After Mays gave up a leadoff double in the second inning, manager Ron Gardenhire was close to lifting his starter if another run crossed. But the right-hander retired the rest of the side in order and settled in to give the Twins six innings, with four runs on eight hits allowed with two walks and two strikeouts.
"I thought he really battled his tail off," Gardenhire said. "That was pretty impressive after struggling like he did in the first inning."
Leading off the third, Jones lifted Halama's 2-0 pitch the other way into left-center field. Center fielder Chris Singleton made a long run in an attempt to make the play, but the ball bounced off of his glove and into the first row of seats for a home run and a 4-3 Twins lead.
Singleton gained immediate redemption at the plate in the fourth inning. He was the leadoff batter when Mays dealt him a 1-2 pitch out over the plate. The ball was hit over the fence in right-center field for what was the game-tying homer.
Mohr put the Twins up for good when he took a high fastball from Halama and put it into the left-field seats to make it a 6-4 game. The pitch appeared to be at nearly eye level for Mohr, but the hitter was prepared for it.
"It was up there. I just reacted I guess," Mohr said. "He got a pitch where I was looking."
Halama (2-4) was done after four innings and gave up five earned runs, including all three Twins homers. He allowed five hits without a walk and struck out five.
Erubiel Durazo brought Oakland back to within one run in the seventh with an RBI single off reliever Johan Santana. In the eighth, LaTroy Hawkins gave up a single and a walk before getting the first out. J.C. Romero entered and hit Hatteberg with a pitch to load the bases for the heart of the A's lineup.
Minnesota survived the scare when Romero got Chavez to pop out to the pitcher in foul territory. Tejada ended the inning by grounding out to shortstop. Closer Eddie Guardado allowed a leadoff single by Durazo in the ninth. Hernandez hit a screamer on the AstroTurf to shortstop Chris Gomez, who forced the runner at second with the fielder's choice.
Long lined out to Mientkiewicz, who caught moving pinch-runner Adam Melhuse off the bag for a game-ending double play that gave Guardado his 15th save of the season.
"Is there always supposed to be that much intensity for managers?" Gardenhire wondered after the game.
When playing against the top two teams of the AL Western Division, the answer is usually yes, especially against the A's, who Minnesota defeated in five hard-fought games in the 2002 ALDS.
"Oakland and the Twins, that's pretty good baseball," Hunter said. "Since last year, we've had some clutch hits and tight games. Last year, they got us in the late innings and this year, we're getting those guys. It's always close."
Before going through this part of the schedule, Gardenhire expressed little trepidation about playing Oakland and Seattle over four straight series.
"You know you're going to be in for some tough baseball games," Gardenhire said. "You're playing division leaders. That's the part of the schedule that gets a little ugly and a little mean. You have to get mean yourself. So far, we've handled ourselves OK."
MINNEAPOLIS -- Watching Twins pitchers take batting practice is less of a hitting clinic than it is a hitting comedy.
With Interleague play approaching next week, pitchers took their cuts in the cage for the first time this season before Tuesday's game. The designated hitter will not be in use when the Twins play at San Francisco, San Diego and Milwaukee.
"The worst part is throwing it over and not laughing at them when they're swinging," said manager Ron Gardenhire, who threw the majority of BP to his pitchers. He occasionally mixed in a knuckleball or some inside stuff to make it more interesting for the novice hitters.
Among the highlights were several deep shots by Eddie Guardado and J.C. Romero. Guardado, batting right-handed, put a few balls into the left-field seats. Romero had one impressive homer that almost reached the right-field upper deck.
"Me and Eddie, we had a competition out there," Romero said. "I think I got the short end. He hit more homers than me."
Eddie Guardado / P
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 193
Bats/Throws: R/L
More info:
Player page
Stats
Splits
Twins site
When not clearing the fences, Guardado's other hacks were a good impression of "Willie Mays Hayes" from the movie, "Major League." Several hits were fouled into the top of the cage.
Also drawing chuckles was LaTroy Hawkins, who fouled a ball off his left foot and did a dance of pain. All the pitchers practiced bunting and hit-and-run hitting with mixed results.
"It was just beautiful," said a sarcastic Gardenhire, who isn't a fan of pitchers hitting during Interleague action. "We look forward to that, pitchers hitting. Can't wait. You work all this time for (nine) games. It's a beautiful country."
Johan Santana enjoyed his cage time and said he would be ready if called on to hit in National League ballparks.
"I'm a pitcher but hey, I can stand out there and swing at the ball," Santana said. "Whatever happens, happens."
"I was a little rusty," Romero said. "I had a good time. If the opportunity arises, we'll know what to do. I have a lot of fun doing it. We try to have fun every time we get those chances."
Romero hit a double in an Interleague game against the Cubs in 2001, but later fell down rounding third base while trying to score.
Seeing his pitchers increasing their risk for injury while hitting is not fun for Gardenhire. In 2002, Eric Milton injured his heel trying running to first base on a groundball.
"I'm always concerned about it. I don't like it," Gardenhire said. "I played in the National League and liked playing in the National League. When you're managing in the American League and your pitchers don't hit all year and then you have to go into all that stuff for nine games, that's a little bit of a fear put in you watching them on the base paths or at the plate. "You just don't want to see anybody get hurt in a situation like that."
The Minnesota baseball team (39-20) will head to Long Beach, Calif. for the NCAA Regionals, where it will take on Washington (40-16) in the first game on Friday, May 30 at 5 p.m. (CT). Host Long Beach State (38-18) and Pepperdine (36-23) will be the other teams in the four-team regional.
Minnesota claimed the No. 2 seed, and will take on the third-seeded Washington Huskies in its first game. The second game of the session between first-seeded Long Beach State and fourth-seeded Pepperdine will take place on Friday, May 30 at 9 p.m. (CT).
The losers of the first two games will play on Saturday, June 1 at 1 p.m. (CT), while the winners play at 5 p.m. (CT). The final game of the second day would take place at 9 p.m. (CT). The championship game(s) would be Sunday, June 2.
“We feel like we got a seed a representative of the type of year we had,” said Minnesota Head Coach John Anderson. “We played an aggressive schedule at the beginning of the year with an experienced group and won the Big Ten regular season title. I think that the our schedule at the beginning of the season will help us be prepared for what is a quality group of baseball programs in our NCAA Regional.”
The winner of the Long Beach Regional (No. 1 Long Beach State, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Pepperdine) will take on the winner of the Stanford Regional (No. 2 Richmond, No.3 UC Riverside and No. 4 Illinois-Chicago) in the Super Regionals, June 6-8.
All of Minnesota’s games will be webcast on gophersports.com. Stay tuned to gophersports.com for information regarding the games being on KCCO (950 AM) on gophersports.com.
SEATTLE -- Right-hander Kyle Lohse continued the best month of his Major League career and the Minnesota offense backed him with a 14-hit attack as the Twins topped the Mariners, 7-2, in front of 45,306 at Safeco Field in Seattle to even the three-game series at one apiece.
Lohse (4-3) went the distance for his second complete game of the month and year, and third complete game of his career. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven for the win and improved his May record to 2-0 with a sparkling 1.67 ERA. He's allowed just seven runs on 30 hits this month in 37 2/3 innings of work.
"Except for two outings I think the whole season I've been pretty strong," Lohse said of his success. "It's just one of those things where you get on a streak and everything feels good. You're not missing too many spots and working ahead of the hitters."
The 24-year-old got off to a strong start, retiring the first nine batters he faced before a leadoff single in the fourth by Ichiro Suzuki. He then sat down nine in a row until a two-out single in the eighth.
"That was a pretty good one right there," Lohse added of his performance. "It felt good to go out against a good team like that and get through the way I did tonight."
"He was lights-out tonight. He was outstanding," catcher A.J. Pierzynski said of his battery-mate's performance. "He had a good fastball, a very good slider, one of the better sliders he's had the whole year. He threw the ball great. It was fun to be back there and be part of that."
Last year, Lohse didn't allow an earned run in six innings in his only appearance against the Mariners. He struck out a career-high nine batters in that outing.
"It all starts with your starting pitcher," manager Ron Gardenhire said following the win. "Kyle Lohse was outstanding. He's been throwing the ball well for us and he was really good again tonight against a very good offensive team."
Pierzynski got the Twins offense started in the bottom of the second inning with a three-run blast into the seats in right field, his fourth home run on the season, scoring Todd Sears and Dustan Mohr.
Minnesota upped its lead to 4-0 with a run in the top of the fourth inning. Chris Gomez, who finished a home run short of the cycle, led off with a triple and scored on a two-out single by Matt LeCroy that got past a diving Mark McLemore at third base.
After Seattle touched Lohse for a run in the bottom of the fourth inning on John Olerud's RBI single, the Twins came back with a pair of runs in their half of the fifth inning. The rally started with two outs and nobody on base as Pierzynski and Luis Rivas reached on a pair of base hits. Jacque Jones followed with a drive off the wall in left-center field for a double, plating both runners and putting the Twins up, 6-1.
"A.J. came up with a big one for us early in the game," Gardenhire added. "After that, we just picked up some runs here and there."
Seattle starter Joel Pineiro (4-4) took the loss for the Mariners, allowing six runs on 12 hits in five innings as he dropped his career record to 0-2 versus the Twins.
"I think we had good at-bats off him," Pierzynski said of the Twins' approach against Pineiro. "We tried to get deep in the count, make him throw some pitches and he threw a hundred pitches after five innings and that means we did a good job of getting to him and battling."
The Mariners got another run back in the fifth on a two-out infield single off the bat of Ichiro that scored Randy Winn. But once again, the Twins had an immediate answer as Corey Koskie greeted Mariner reliever Julio Mateo in the sixth inning by hitting his third pitch out of the park for a solo home run, number six on the year for the Twins third basemen.
Another bright note for the Twins came in the bottom of the ninth inning when first basemen Doug Mientkiewicz made his first appearance since spraining his ankle Sunday in the Metrodome. He entered the game as a defensive replacement at first base.
"The offense did a great job tonight of getting me a big lead and letting me relax a little bit out there on the mound," Lohse said of his teammates support.
The Minnesota baseball team (39-18) defeated Ohio State (38-19) 5-4 in Game Eight of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday, May 24 at Siebert Field. With the win Minnesota moved to the winners bracket at 2-0 in the tournament and will play the winner of tonight's Ohio State/Penn State game in the Big Ten Championship game on Sunday, May 25.
Senior righthander C.J. Woodrow (Plymouth, Minn.) pitched seven and two third innings, gave up eight hits, four runs and struck out six. Woodrow picked up the win to move to 8-3 on the season. With the win he is now 3-0 against Ohio State in his last three outings against the Buckeyes.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 1-0 lead over Ohio State in the first inning. Sam Steidl (Alexandria, Minn.) and Ben Pattee (Ukiah, Calif.) started the game with back-to-back singles. Stiedl stole third and came around to score on a sacrifice fly bye Jake Elder (Delta, British Columbia).
Ohio State tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second on an RBI groundout by Derek Kinnear. The Golden Gophers came right back with a big inning in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs to go up 4-1. David Hrncirik (Madison, Wis.) led off the inning with a double down the leftfield line. Jon Becker (Plato, Minn.) followed with a walk, and both runners moved to second and third on a David Roach (Clearwater, Fla.) sacrifice bunt. Tony Leseman (St. Paul, Minn.) doubled to leftfield to put Minnesota up 3-1. Two batters later Leseman came home to score on a Pattee double to make the score 4-1.
Elder tacked on, what would prove to be an important run, on a solo home run to make it 5-1. Ohio State trimmed the lead to 5-2 on a Mike Rabin RBI single.
The Buckeyes continue to close in when Brett Garrard hit a solo home run to make it 5-3. Woodrow continued to pitch into the eighth inning. The first two outs were made on great defensive plays by senior second baseman Luke Appert (Cottage Grove, Minn.) and Hrncirik, the sophomore third baseman. However, Paul Farinacci homered to right field to cut the Buckeye deficit one run at 5-4.
Brian Bull (Omaha, Neb.) came in to get the final out of the inning. In the ninth inning Kinnear singled to lead off the inning against Bull. Bull retired the next two batters. Jeff Moen (Glenwood, Minn.) came in to pitch with two outs in the ninth and hit Kinnear to make it first and second. However, he retired Mike Rabin to record the save.
The save was Moen's ninth of the season setting a new single season school record for Minnesota. Doug Kampsen (1984) held the previous record at eight. Ohio State starter Chris Hanners gave up five runs in two innings to take the loss and fall to 4-4 on the season.
Offensively Minnesota was led by Elder who was two-for-three with a home run and two RBI. The homer was Elder's first since opening day against Arizona on Feb. 21. Leseman was one-for-three with two RBI, while Pattee was two-for-four with one RBI.
The Golden Gophers are 12-3 this season in one run games. Minnesota's victory today also put them one win away from 40 for the season. One more win would give the Golden Gophers their first 40-win since 1999. it would also give Minnesota head coach John Anderson his 800th career victory.
Minnesota will play the winner of the Penn State/Ohio State game on Sunday, May 25 at 12:05 p.m. There would also be another game scheduled for 3:35 p.m. if necessary.
OAKLAND -- Walking into a bad big-league clubhouse is like walking into a toga party wearing a Hawaiian shirt, only without the half-empty keg. There's a palpable tension in the air, and chances are that the whispering among the assorted cliques scattered about has little to do with the brutal pop quiz in Organizational Psych.
Walk into a good clubhouse, though, and it's, "Hey, what took you so long? Grab a cup. There's dancing upstairs in Zeke's room, but grab some chicken wings on the way. They're awesome." There are no cliques because everyone likes each other.
Which group of guys do you suppose might handle adversity better? The Twins and A's, who are collegial as clubs come, provided the answer last season. And although some of the faces have changed, the series that wrapped up Thursday with both teams sitting at 27-19 proved that little else has.
Minnesota lost the opener in a contentious little game that featured a couple of bench-clearings, but as soon as it was over, the Twins were over it. The same upbeat music that thumped before the game thumped afterward, albeit at a slightly lower volume.
The unspoken but clearly heard message: Tomorrow will be better, and tomorrow starts today.
In a bad clubhouse, losses are allowed to fester. Players sit glumly at card tables, silently picking at their pasta salad before rushing out the door. Someone could replace the CD player with a block of cheese and nobody would notice. Music is a definite no-no after a loss.
"Man, I can't imagine that kind of environment," says Minnesota's Torii Hunter. "There's enough negativity in this game as it is."
So true. Make seven outs every 10 trips to the plate and you're a rock star. Allow a run every three innings and you might win an award. Even the great teams endure 70 or so losses a year.
"And that," says Hunter, "is what makes the success so sweet."
It's even sweeter when you can share it with buddies, and the Twins and A's might be the tightest teams in the bigs. Neither club has the kind of coin to shop in the organic section of the free-agent market, so they rely on player development. That means a whole pack of guys have been teammates for some time before they reach The Show.
Among the Twins, for instance, Hunter, Jacque Jones, A.J. Pierzynski, Doug Mientkiewicz, Eddie Guardado, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt LeCroy, J.C. Romero and Corey Koskie were all minor-league teammates at one time.
There's a similar sense of familiarity in the Oakland clubhouse, but because the A's have had a few more fast-trackers, there are smaller, staggered groups. Nonetheless, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Miguel Tejada, Eric Chavez, Ramon Hernandez, Terrence Long, Eric Byrnes, Mark Ellis and Adam Piatt have all pretty much beaten the same bushes.
"It's big," says Long. "When you've been through the same situations, it makes you closer."
And when you're closer, you're far less likely to point fingers. In a bad clubhouse, a poor performance might get you privately stabbed in the back. In a good clubhouse, you get a public pat. So after Zito watched Oakland's struggling relief corps blow his seventh win of the season Wednesday afternoon, he did what any good teammate would do.
"You're not going to get the win every time you leave a game with a lead," he said. "Bullpen guys are human, too."
It's that kind of one-for-all attitude that allows teams such as the Twins and A's to weather just about any kind of storm.
How many excuses did the Twins have built in for failure last season? They were poor, their fan base was dwindling, and, if you believe everything you read, the guillotine of contraction was razor-sharp and poised inches from their necks. But rather than succumb to the obstacles, they played with a merry sense of obliviousness on the way to one of the more surprising seasons in recent history.
"You have to play the game or the game plays you," Hunter says. "We just kept playing the game and figured good things would happen."
Ditto the 2002 A's. They lost Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Jason Isringhausen in the offseason, and they stunk it up so bad early in the regular season that management made sweeping changes in May. A bad clubhouse might pack it in at that point. The A's rallied from 10 games out of first place to win their second AL West title in three years.
"When you're playing with friends -- and in here, we are --you play for each other," says Byrnes, who extended his hitting streak to 13 games Thursday with a solo homer. "And when you play for each other, things are usually going to work out."
This isn't to say hot cocoa and hugs win ball games. Talent still matters most and always will. You can share hair-care tips and video games all you want, but if you can't take a 3-1 fastball on the outside black the other way you're going to lose more often than not.
The Twins and A's can do that and then some. But when they don't, they don't dwell on it. Tomorrow will be better, and tomorrow starts today.
David Roach (Clearwater, Fla.) doubled home Luke Appert in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Minnesota baseball team (38-18) a 4-3 victory over Penn State (27-27) on Friday, May 22 in the Big Ten Tournament at Siebert Field. The win moved Minnesota to 1-0 in the tournament and put them in the winners bracket with Ohio State, while Penn State dropped to 1-1 in tournament play.
The two teams entered the bottom of the ninth inning tied 3-3. Appert got the Golden Gophers started with a leadoff single. Scott Welch (Missoula, Mon.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move over Appert to second. After the Nittany Lions intentionally walked Andy Hunter (West St. Paul, Minn.), Roach came through with double to right centerfield to give Minnesota the 4-3 win.
Redshirt freshman Glen Perkins (Stillwater, Minn.) shook off a quick start by the Penn State Nittany Lions to pitch a complete game, and earn his 10th straight win to move to 10-1 on the season. Perkins gave up eight hits and three runs, while striking out 11 batters. With the 11 strikeouts he moved his season strikeout total to 112 to break the Minnesota single-season record of 110 previously set by Mike Diebolt in 1997.
Penn State got on the board in the first inning on a two-run homer by Matt Harter to go up 2-0. Harter continued his power display in the top of the third with his second homer to make it 3-0.
Minnesota got on the board in the bottom of the third when Hunter singled home Appert to make it 3-1. Appert was hit by a pitch, and moved to second a Welch walk. Hunter then delivered and RBI single to right field.
The Golden Gophers tied it up at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. David Hrncirik (Madison, Wis.) led off the inning with a single and Jake Elder (Delta, British Columbia) made it first and second when he reached on an error. After Tony Leseman (St. Paul, Minn.) sacrificed the runners to second and third, Steidl hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 3-2. Ben Pattee (Ukiah, Calif.) then singled home Elder to tie the game.
Penn State pitcher Aaron Tressler took the loss in relief to fall to 2-5 on the season. Nittany Lion starter Sean Stidfole matched Perkins leaving the game with score tied at 3-3 in the eight, after going seven and two thirds, giving up one earned run and striking out five.
Minnesota was led offensively by Roach and Hunter who were both two for four with an RBI. Hrncirik was two for three with a run, while Appert was one for three with two runs.
The Golden Gophers will play Ohio State in the winners bracket game on Saturday, May 23 at either 12:05 or 3:35 p.m. If Indiana defeats Penn State in Game six Minnesota and Ohio State would play at 12:05 p.m. If Penn State wins, Minnesota and Ohio State would play at 3:35 p.m. Stay tuned to morningspin.com for details.
OAKLAND -- Bobby Kielty won't be throwing a baseball any time soon but he'll stay in the Twins lineup as he continues his offensive production.
Kielty, who has a rib cage injury that only affects his throwing ability, homered and drove in three runs as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Oakland Athletics, 6-5, on Thursday to win their third-straight road series.
"All I can do is soft toss with nothing on the ball," said Kielty. "It's pretty weak in there and I have to be patient and let it heal properly."
There's nothing wrong with his hitting, though, as he helped the Twins win for the 17th time in their last 22 games. The home run was his seventh, which ties Torii Hunter for the team lead. Kielty has also driven in 24 runs, third on the team.
"I'm just trying to take pitches and give myself an opportunity," he said.
Hunter and A.J. Pierzynski each had three hits and also drove in runs as the Twins overcame both John Halama and the Athletics' success at home to win for the seventh time in nine games.
"We're playing pretty good right now," said Hunter. "We came here and beat a pretty good team. I hope we meet each other in the playoffs again. That would mean we're both playing good."
Halama (2-3) brought a 6-0 lifetime record against Minnesota into the contest but the Twins scored five runs on eight hits against him in six innings. He walked four and struck out three. It was also his first home loss of the season.
The A's had not lost a home series previously and still have the best home record in the Major Leagues.
"Halama has dominated us in the past," said winning pitcher Joe Mays. "This time the guys went out and swung the bats. That was huge what they did."
Mays (5-3) won his second straight start despite allowing four runs on five hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out two. Mays has not lost in four career starts in Oakland.
"It's been a battle all year just trying to throw the ball over the plate and keep it in the park," said Mays. "I made a lot of pitches. I was trying to get ahead of those guys and they try to go deep in the count."
As though the Twins needed any more injuries at first base, Matthew LeCroy left the game after the first inning with inflammation of the patella tendon in his left knee. LeCroy, who has suffered from tendinitis in the kneecap before, missed several games last week because of a broken nose. Doug Mientkiewicz is unavailable to start because of a sprained ankle and Todd Sears sustained a sore back while catching a pop foul on Tuesday.
"I've had it before but nothing like this," said LeCroy. "It seems like it's hitting the whole team.
"It's a weird deal," said Kielty.
The Twins moved 1 ˝ games ahead of the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central as they head to Seattle for a three-game series with the AL West-leading Mariners.
Kielty gave Minnesota the early lead with his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot into the left field bleachers with one out in the third. Jacque Jones doubled to lead off the inning.
The A's came back to take a 3-2 lead in their half of the third. Mark Ellis walked and Chris Singleton doubled ahead of Eric Byrnes' sacrifice fly. After Scott Hatteberg singled, Eric Chavez hit a two-run triple.
Chavez's drive just eluded Hunter, who lost the ball in a sea of white shirts, allowing it to roll to the fence. He said he never saw it off the bat.
"I don't misjudge balls," said Hunter. "With all those white shirts in the background it made it tough. Yesterday I didn't see some balls either. It's scary. Every time we come to Oakland it's tough to see in day games."
Minnesota took the lead for good in the fourth. Chris Gomez doubled and Pierzynski followed with an RBI single. Kielty later walked with the bases loaded and Hunter singled in a run.
Byrnes cut the lead to 5-4 with a solo home run in the fifth.
The Twins had another scoring opportunity against A's relief pitcher Mike Neu in the seventh. Hunter doubled and Dustan Mohr singled to put runners on the corner. Gomez's fly ball was too shallow to score Hunter but Mohr advanced to second. Pierzynski was walked intentionally but Luis Rivas grounded sharply to Chavez, who turned it into a double play.
Rivas did add an important insurance run when he singled off Micah Bowie to score Gomez, who had tripled, with two outs in the ninth to make it 6-4.
Ellis made it 6-5 with his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot with two outs in the ninth.
The Twins' bullpen, which combined to retire the first 11 batters they faced, and 12 of 13 overall, continued their impressive streak. Juan Rincon, J.C. Romero, LaTroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado, who earned his 12th save in as many opportunities, combined to toss four shutout innings to preserve the win for Mays.
"It's been like that all year," said Mays. "When you go to any one of those four guys, it's pretty much lights out. That's one of our strong points." Minnesota's bullpen ERA of 2.58 is second in the AL only to Anaheim (2.51) and third lowest in the majors.
Too easy. Way too easy. "Shooting fish in a barrel with a fish-seeking barrel gun" easy. Man, sometimes the challenge in producing this show isn't adapting reality into something a little more dramatic; sometimes it's trying to come up with something to say beyond the obvious cheap shots which Microsoft is so famously adept at setting itself up for. (Yes, we're so excited that we just ended a sentence with not one, but two prepositions. We believe we just heard the collective pop of every single one of our junior high and high school English teachers' heads exploding.)
So here's the set-up: faithful viewer Paul McGill notes an article in The Salt Lake Tribune which reports that a whopping 937 boxes of internal Microsoft memos and email messages-- that's 3 million pages, or 37,480 pounds-- subpoenaed in various antitrust lawsuits are now headed for the shredder. And just what will become of the recorded thoughts and ideas of Redmond's Best and Brightest after they've been "vertically reordered"? Well, according to Cathy Keetch of the Recall Secure Destruction Service, "ninety-nine percent of our shreddings are made into toilet paper."
See what we mean? How perfect is that?
Gee, maybe Microsoft can buy it all back to stock the iLoo. (Oh, wait, that was a hoax. Oh, wait, no it wasn't.) In any case, the next you're in the can, you might derive great satisfaction from the knowledge that you may well be doing unspeakable things to a repurposed Bill Gates memo on the importance of Trustworthy Computing. As for us, though, we can't help but wonder whether our toilet paper might contain documents formerly handled by Steve Ballmer-- which means we can never, ever go to the bathroom again.
The NFL appears to have settled on South Florida as the site for the 2007 Super Bowl.
Other Super Bowl locations are under consideration, as are two potential stadium proposals in the Los Angeles area, as league owners addressed a variety of issues during meetings here.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said owners are close to agreeing that the Super Bowl scheduled for February 2007 be held in Pro Player Stadium. He said they likely would likely give final approval during a special meeting Sept. 17.
New Orleans also had been considered for the 2007 game, but with the 2006 Super Bowl scheduled for Detroit's Ford Field, owners were reluctant to have back-to-back domed venues. Instead, they preferred an open-air stadium in a warm climate.
Meanwhile, a pair of northern sites -- New York/New Jersey and Washington, D.C. -- are among four candidates that have emerged to play host to the 2008 Super Bowl. Arizona and Tampa are also being considered.
Tagliabue said that game probably would be awarded in late October. In the unlikely event South Florida is not picked to host the 2007 Super Bowl, Tampa would be the leading choice as a replacement, according to the commissioner.
"I think there is pretty strong sentiment among the ownership that New York is unique for entertainment and Washington is unique as the center of politics," Tagliabue said of the '08 decision. "I have no personal preference. I think these give us four areas which could be excellent for a Super Bowl, provided the stadium is right."
With new facilities in Landover, Md., and Tampa, which hosted the 2001 Super Bowl, and construction under way for a new stadium in the Phoenix area, the only stadium question among the four candidates is in New York/New Jersey. Tagliabue pointed out Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., would need "major improvement" before it could host a Super Bowl.
Tagliabue said there is a long list of potential candidates for the 2009 Super Bowl, which he said owners would address either at their meetings in the fall of 2004 or in March 2005.
Owners also authorized Tagliabue to continue to work with representatives of Pasadena, Calif., and the Rose Bowl, and of Carson City, Calif., and a development group there regarding a stadium that would finally result in an NFL team returning to the Los Angeles area.
"Both of these projects are symmetrical," Tagliabue said. "That means they both have the potential to be state-of-the-art stadiums, and neither one involves any ownership (of a team)."
Although Carson City is the only one for which the NFL could put up "a sum of money intended to cover some of the costs of the initial development period," the commissioner said the league was not leaning more heavily toward one city or the other.
"It's a dead heat right now," Tagliabue said. "We've been in discussions with both of these cities for quite some time. We met with both groups in early March and we are continuing to go forward on a parallel basis."
Tagliabue said the earliest a team could be expected to play in either location was 2006. With no plans for expanding the 32-team league on the immediate horizon, it seems the most likely means of Los Angeles getting an NFL team is through relocation.
"Both of these cities have been very forthcoming in their dealings with us -- both the mayors and the city councils," Tagliabue said. "We look forward to working in the months ahead with both of them to see what can be developed that would make sense to their communities and possibly for the National Football League."
In other meeting developments:
* After meeting at the Philadelphia Marriott in the morning, owners moved their afternoon session to the headquarters of NFL Films, in nearby Mt. Laurel, N.J. For many, it marked the first look at the newly constructed state-of-the-art center for all of the league's digital video production. While there, owners received a comprehensive update on plans for the new NFL Network, which is expected to launch in early November. Part of the Network's programming will emanate from NFL Films.
* Owners, club executives and about 130 coaches attending the NFL's annual coaches' seminar will gather for a working breakfast May 21. There will be business presentations, including one on the league's diversity initiative that will feature Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome, Carolina Panthers coach John Fox, Steelers coach Bill Cowher and Jets coach Herman Edwards.
OAKLAND -- Kenny Rogers said the ball couldn't be caught. He forgot to tell Torii Hunter.
"I don't know of any other player who could have caught that ball," Rogers said of a second-inning catch Hunter made that robbed Mark Ellis of extra bases. "That ball was going away from him and he ran it down. When the ball was on its way down I thought there's no way he'd catch it. How he closed the gap I don't know."
The catch became the rallying point of the Minnesota Twins' come-from-behind victory over the Athletics on Wednesday, and it was just one of several contributions Hunter made in the Twins' 4-3 win in front of 27,189 fans.
Hunter also threw a runner out at the plate in the first inning, and hit a two-run homer in the fourth that got the Twins back into the game.
"That's how you lift things up," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire. "He's a big performer and he throws his body around."
Dustan Mohr singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning against submarine pitcher Chad Bradford.
"I was just trying to hit the ball to the right side," said Mohr. "I don't like facing guys who throw like that. If anything I wanted to inside-out it, and it worked out."
Rogers avoided losing his first game in Oakland in nearly nine years when Matthew LeCroy singled home Cristian Guzman with the tying run in the eighth against Bradford (2-3).
LaTroy Hawkins (4-0) pitched one scoreless inning to earn the victory. J.C. Romero pitched the eighth and Eddie Guardado earned his 11th save with a scoreless ninth.
The victory insures the Twins remain in first place in the AL Central for at least another day.
"It was going away from me," Hunter said of his catch. "I figured it was going to be a double anyway so I might as well go for it. I went for it and caught it. When you make a play like that it can really help pump you up."
Mohr went 3-for-4 on the day, and is hitting .310 this season. He has 30 hits in his last 73 at bats.
"I'm not going to say I knew he would catch it, but I knew he had a chance," said Mohr. "I've learned to stay out of his way. He's going after it and I'm going to let him do his thing."
Mohr was involved in his own strange defensive play in the ninth when a fan reached over the railing near the Twins bullpen to snatch a ball hit by Ellis away from Mohr. Ellis was called out on fan interference.
"That was a crazy play," Mohr said. "I've never had anything like that happen. I was watching the ball go into my glove and the next thing I get smashed in the head. I looked up and saw he was wearing a Raiders shirt. I thought he found out I was a Broncos' fan and tried to tackle me."
Guzman led off the eighth with a single and was able to gain second when A's first baseman Scott Hatteberg had trouble keeping his feet on Corey Koskie's sharp grounder. Instead of a possible double play, Hatteberg took the out at first. LeCroy followed with his single.
Hunter's groundout sent pinch runner Luis Rivas to second, setting up Mohr's game-winning hit.
Rogers has won 17 consecutive decisions in Oakland dating to Aug. 7, 1994 when he was a member of the Texas Rangers. He pitched for the A's from 1998-99, compiling a 15-0 home record in 26 starts. He's 19-3 lifetime in Oakland.
"Some of it is a little luck," said Rogers. "I wasn't nearly as comfortable as I wanted to be. These guys came back to get the runs we needed."
Rogers, who has three consecutive no-decisions and hasn't lost since April 22, allowed just three runs on nine hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out three.
A's starter Barry Zito has also experienced some success in Oakland. He's 2-2 in five home starts this season after going 11-1 in 17 starts at home last year.
After the A's scored their go-ahead run, Rogers retired seven of the final eight batters he faced to keep the game within reach.
Zito allowed two runs on five hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out one.
Hunter continued to put his early-season slump behind him and hit safely in his third straight game, and 19 of his last 26.
Hunter hit his seventh home run of the season, a two-run shot on a 2-1 pitch from Zito, to tie the game at 2-2. His previous two homers also came in the fourth inning. LeCroy singled ahead of Hunter.
The A's scored single runs in the first and third to take a 2-0 advantage. Erubiel Durazo singled home Hatteberg in the first and Eric Chavez singled home Eric Byrnes in the third.
Oakland took the lead when Ellis singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.
From ATAT
Okay, we're sure most of you probably consider Apple's choice in online content delivery partners about as interesting as white bread on toast, but if you want to get your U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of drama every day, sometimes you have to dig a little. What, exactly, is up with Apple hooking up with Speedera on occasion instead of Akamai? Something's rotten in the state of Denmark, and it ain't the baloney sandwich you dropped behind the fridge last week. (Although, you know, you really should clean that up.)
For the uninitiated, Akamai was one of the first services that allowed businesses to speed up downloads for their customers by replicating data onto redundant servers located all over the world, so that requests for data automatically get routed to a server close by. Some of you may remember that Apple partnered with Akamai back in '99 to improve the delivery of QuickTime TV, and Apple must have been impressed with the results, because a month later Steve and company invested $12.5 million in Akamai for a five percent stake. Thanks to Akamai's subsequent IPO prior to the dotcom collapse, that $12.5 million grew by an order of magnitude in a year, and Apple continued to use Akamai to speed its downloads.
But now Think Secret is reporting that at least some downloads from Apple are actually originating from Speedera, Akamai's bitter competitor. How bitter? Well, apparently Akamai sued Speedera for trade secret infringement, and Speedera sued right back, alleging "unfair competition, false advertising, and trade libel." Yeeks. So how, exactly, should Akamai interpret Apple's apparent deal with Speedera to provide its services to a company that used to be strictly Akamai territory? We can't help but wonder whether things aren't a little tense.
Speedera is reportedly slightly cheaper than Akamai in certain scenarios; suppose Apple enlisting Speedera was simply a cost-savings move during trying economic times? Maybe. But we just can't shake the feeling that there's more to it than that; after all, wouldn't Akamai cut Apple a good deal? No, we're wondering if there isn't a little spite behind Apple's decision, seeing as its investment in Akamai has long since plunged into the toilet-- Apple even took a $6 million charge at the end of last year to write down its pummeled Akamai shares.
Of course, only Steve knows for sure. MMMMWWAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! Oh, and probably Fred Anderson. And maybe some of Fred's people, too. Actually, come to think of it, it's probably not that big a secret after all. But hey, it's still pretty juicy, huh? Huh?
Okay, you're right, it really isn't. How about this, then-- the whole Speedera thing started when Steve caught Akamai's CEO giving his wife a foot rub. There. All fixed.
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/19/2003
Monday evening, Packers GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman expanded upon his previous statement regarding the death of wide receivers coach Ray Sherman's 14-year-old son, Ray Sherman, Jr.
"It is important to me at this time, as a friend of the Sherman family, to assist them in dealing with this tragedy and also to help them come to an understanding, if at all possible, of what actually happened, and why," Mike Sherman said.
"I know the Medical Examiner concluded in his autopsy report that Ray Sherman Jr.'s death was the result of a deliberate, self-inflicted act. I assume he came to this conclusion based on his interpretation of certain physical evidence.
"It is important, however, to realize that there are many emotional and behavioral indications that strongly suggest this was not a deliberate act, but purely an accidental one.
"This was a 14-year old boy who loved life, and life loved him.
"He was a student, athlete and leader of his eighth-grade class. He always had a smile on his face. The day of his passing, he played in a soccer game and practiced his drum lessons in the morning, and worked with his mother in a garage sale that afternoon. He even emailed a friend about the movie Matrix Reloaded he was going to see with his father that night.
"There was no note left behind or anything in his life to suggest that this young man had any plans other than living his life to the fullest. The Sherman family has been dealt a devastating blow. I ask for everyone to try and comprehend the purely accidental nature of this tragedy as the family is coming to understand it as well. I also ask for people to respect the privacy and interests of this family and to pray for them as they deal with their devastating loss and begin the process of healing."
Earlier Monday, the Packers' GM/head coach had issued the following statement:
"This obviously is a very grievous time for all of us," he said, "but most certainly for Ray and Yvette Sherman, their two beautiful daughters, Erica and Alana, their entire family and many, many friends.
"Ray Jr. was an engaging young man who affected those he met in a very positive way.
"I ask that everyone respect the privacy of the Shermans as they attend to their needs as a family. I appeal to everyone to offer prayers as this family begins the process of dealing with their loss."
Ray Sherman, Jr., died of a gunshot wound to the head Sunday, after finding the weapon in the family garage, according to the Green Bay Police Department.
Funeral services for Ray Sherman, Jr., son of Packers receivers coach Ray Sherman, will be held at Bayside Christian Fellowship Church in Green Bay at 11 a.m. Friday.
There will be visitation at the Lyndahl Funeral home, which is in charge of arrangements, from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday and from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday prior to the funeral.
Proving that Italians rule,
Beats Out Raikkonen at Austrian GP
By SALVATORE ZANCAM.
.c The Associated Press
SPIELBERG, Austria (May 18) -- Michael Schumacher watched the orange flames rise near his head during a fiery pit stop, yet remained focused on racing.
The Ferrari crew doused the fuel-loading fire and the driver, and not long after, Schumacher was spraying champagne in Victory Lane, celebrating his win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
Schumacher beat Formula One leader Kimi Raikkonen for his third straight win and the 65th of his career, closing within two points of first place in the standings.
"Seeing the fire was not nice, but I think the guys reacted very well with the extinguishers,'' Schumacher said. "I guess the mechanics thought I was a little too cool and wanted to warm me up.''
The five-time Formula One champion, who failed to finish in the top three in the first three races of the season, has 38 points, compared to Raikkonen's 40 after six races.
Schumacher, who started from the pole, finished 3.3 seconds ahead of Raikkonen's McLaren-Mercedes in the 69-lap race on the 2.69-mile A1-Ring. Ferrari's Rubens Barrichello, was third, 3.9 seconds behind. Jenson Button was fourth in a BAR-Honda, and David Coulthard of McLaren finished fifth.
"It was an interesting and entertaining race,'' Schumacher said. "It started to run our way and then the pit stop came.''
Schumacher's crew had to battle flames during a pit stop after the 23rd lap when a fuel hose would not come off, sparking the blaze and forcing crew members to use fire extinguishers.
"A small amount of fuel was still in the nozzle from the previous refueling, which dripped onto the car and caught fire,'' Ferrari team boss Jean Todt said.
Throughout it all, Schumacher remained calm, staying in his car and nonchalantly wiping fire extinguishing foam from his visor.
"I was watching around and seeing what was going on,'' Schumacher said. "You know you have protection. You have the overalls. You know you can survive for a good while.''
Schumacher's stop took more than 20 seconds, well over the usual 10 seconds. He left the pits and moved into third place behind Juan Pablo Montoya and Raikkonen.
The order changed quickly on the 32nd lap. As Montoya's engine failed in a trail of smoke, Schumacher passed Raikkonen and moved into the lead, stretching his advantage to 2.6 seconds after 33 laps.
"I started losing water pressure and I knew the race was over,'' Montoya said.
Schumacher pitted after the 42nd lap and slipped to third behind Raikkonen and Barrichello. He regained the lead when Raikkonen and Barrichello pitted after the 51st lap and was not challenged the rest of the way as he maintained a lead of nearly 10 seconds over Raikkonen.
MINNEAPOLIS -- When discussing this weekend's meeting with their archrival Chicago White Sox this week, the Twins spoke softly. In the series opener Friday, they carried a very big stick.
Although there is enough dislike between the two clubs to start a small war, Minnesota's players avoided lobbing any pointed remarks toward the White Sox. But they had no trouble beating Chicago's pitchers around with an 18-3 pounding before 22,233 fans at the Metrodome.
"It was one of those nights where everything good happened for us," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.
Bobby Kielty led the Twins’ offensive juggernaut with a three-run home run and a five-RBI night. Torii Hunter emerged from a 4-for-27 slump to crush a three-run homer of his own and had four RBIs.
"I've been left out for a couple of games," Hunter said. "Just to be apart of that felt good."
Twins starter Brad Radke (5-3) won his fourth straight start and had his first quality outing at home this season. Radke gave up three runs on nine hits with three strikeouts over seven innings.
In the last four wins, the Twins offense has averaged 10.5 runs of support for Radke.
"It makes my job a lot easier when we score some runs," Radke said.
White Sox starter Mark Buehrle (2-7) was on the hook for 10 runs, nine earned, over 3 1/3 innings. The southpaw has been the loser of his last six games.
After losing a sloppy game against the division-leading Royals in a 14-inning marathon Thursday, the Twins returned with vim and vigor Friday. It was important for the club to have renewed energy against another AL Central rival.
"To come back here and have a game like this was a lot of fun," Kielty said. "Everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone was getting hits, and the pitching staff did well. It was a fun game for everybody."
"Coming back like that against a very good baseball team says a lot," Gardenhire said. "We could have laid down here and struggled again after a long ballgame and a tough loss. But we came back out with a lot of motivation."
Facing the team that took two of three from Minnesota in a heated series last month could have played a part too. Those games were filled with beanballs and a bench-clearing incident, but there were no such issues Friday.
"We have a good history with those guys," Gardenhire said. "There have been a lot of good battles and good baseball games. We know it's very competitive between the two teams and maybe that does help a little bit."
Minnesota was down 2-0 after the top half of the second inning, but answered back with 15 straight runs before Chicago got its third run on Jose Valentin's seventh-inning homer.
Chicago was leading 2-1 in the third inning when Kielty boosted Minnesota with a three-run homer to left-center field off Buehrle.
The Twins set up their knockout fourth inning with a flurry of small jabs against Buehrle. A.J. Pierzynski was on first base with a single when Denny Hocking laid a bunt that scooted all the way up the third-base line for a hit. Luis Rivas followed with a bunt and reached safely on an error by third baseman Joe Crede. The bases were loaded for Cristian Guzman, who tapped a broken-bat grounder between first and second that squeaked past the running Rivas for two-run infield single.
Doug Mientkiewicz was the sixth straight batter to reach base in the inning when he drew a walk. After Koskie flew out, Kielty ripped a two-run single to left field that gave him five RBIs, a career high.
Reliever Rick White took over for Buehrle, but it only got worse for Chicago. Hunter took White's 3-1 pitch the other way for a three-run homer to right field, extending the lead to 11-2. The seven-run inning tied a season high.
The score was 15-3 when late defensive replacement Tom Prince hit a solo homer to the left-field corner. Mientkiewicz then capped Minnesota's biggest offensive output of the season with a two-run homer to right field.
The Twins cranked out a season-high 20 hits and batted around twice in a game for the second time in 2003. Every starter had at least one hit, with Pierzynski tying a career best with a 4-for-4 game.
"It's nice to have a night where you can sit back and relax a little bit," Gardenhire said. "Tonight, we finally had that."
Hunter felt the blowout over Chicago was nice, but it still counted as just one win. It also means the fun and relaxation afforded by Friday's big early lead and win is over.
"Tomorrow, you have to try to turn it over and carry it over to the next day," Hunter said. "That's the hard part, trying to carry it over to the next day.
"Easy to say, tough to do."
And in the "Who Were The Ad Wizards Who Came Up With THIS One?" department, faithful viewer Michael McKinney informs us that Microsoft has just unleashed MSN for Mac OS X. Yes, folks, if you prefer the Mac to Windows but you've still got a hankerin' to tether yourself to Redmond's warmed-over clone of AOL, life just doesn't get any better than this. Because, you see, MSN is miles ahead of any other online service out there because it's "built on advanced Microsoft technology." Shiver me timbers!
Just how incredibly stupendous is this "advanced Microsoft technology," you ask? Well, MSN for Mac OS X lets you "communicate better"! How, you ask? By boasting an incredible email component that includes advanced features like the ability to send rich-text email (oooooh), a preview pane (aaaaah), multiple folders in which to store mail (just pretend you keep hearing gasps of awe, okay?), a spell-checker, junk mail filtering, and an address book that "can contain multiple email addresses, phone numbers, street addresses, personal data, and even pictures." Even pictures? Heavens to Murgatroyd, sign us up! Unless, of course, someone can think of any way we can do all that incredible stuff with software already on our Macs and any freakin' ISP on the planet...
Ahhh... good times. Actually, though, we may kid, but it really is nice to have MSN available for our operating system of choice, because it might represent one fewer obstacle preventing certain Windows users from switching to the Mac. We imagine there might be some potential switchers out there who really want to make the jump to our platform, but don't want to give up their existing stellar MSN service. There's probably at least a couple of people like that out there, right? Somewhere?...
By DAMON HACK
MELIA ISLAND, Fla., May 14 - On a day when officials from the Atlantic Coast Conference left here with an agreement to expand to 12 members from 9, the Big East Conference commissioner, Mike Tranghese, questioned the tactics of the A.C.C. commissioner, John Swofford, and vowed to hold his conference together despite attempts to alter it.
In a telephone interview today, Tranghese spelled out his frustrations with Swofford, whose conference has been courting the Big East football powerhouse Miami and, most likely, would attract two other Big East members from among Boston College, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
"I feel if you go after somebody, you have to pick up the phone and call the conference,'' said Tranghese, who said that he and Swofford had been friends for years. "Our schools have that right. John and I have talked about it, and we have a strong difference of opinion on the matter."
The dispute has left the two conferences in a tug of war over Miami, which holds so much sway that it could change the power structure of college athletics by switching conferences.
But Tranghese said today that preserving the Big East was his primary goal, a job that will begin in earnest on Friday when Big East officials, including Miami's athletic director, Paul Dee, arrive in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., for the start of the Big East meetings.
"They have taken action," Tranghese said of the A.C.C. "We will have an opportunity to spend time with Miami at our meeting to talk about a variety of issues, and we're going to do the best we can and try to preserve what has been a 13-year relationship with Miami and the 24-year history of this conference. We are anxious to sit down and explore these options."
There has been speculation that Tranghese might try to appease Miami by redefining the 15-member Big East, which has five members that do not play Division I-A football - St. John's, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Providence and Villanova. But Tranghese said that no such plans were under way and that the conference stood proudly on its own merit.
"There is nothing that we're talking about tearing the league apart," Tranghese said. "We're talking about keeping the league together and we're talking to Miami about the advantages of staying here, the things that have helped our conference historically. We have been a great partner for them, as they have been for us.
"We have schools that have won national championships in men's and women's basketball. Miami was one play away from winning the national championship this year. It's ironic that in the greatest year we have ever had, we're faced with all of this talk."
It is more than talk. Behind the closed doors of the A.C.C.'s final meeting today, applause could be heard as officials adjourned. The only items left behind were water glasses and a drawing board, complete with an array of colored-ink pens. Clearly, a strategy had been plotted - a strategy to act quickly.
"Something has to be done in the next week," Dave Braine, the Georgia Tech director of athletics, said of the A.C.C.'s next move. "The Big East is holding their meetings and you know they are going to do something. We can't just wait. No doubt they are going to move forward."
The A.C.C., which approved expansion by a 7-to-2 vote on Tuesday, has a number of steps it must take before expanding.
The new universities must be proposed by at least three A.C.C. members' presidents. The prospective universities, which must be visited by a site committee, must also apply for admission. And, as with the vote on expansion itself, seven of nine votes would be needed to approve the universities' entrance into the A.C.C.
A.C.C. officials would also have to decide how to split the conference into two divisions and plan for the conference's next television contract for football, which expires after the 2005 season.
"We have to begin that renegotiation from a football perspective within the next 12 to 16 months, so that's a factor," Dave Hart, the Florida State athletic director, said.
Swofford countered attempts to paint A.C.C. expansion as a move that would change the landscape of college athletics. Other universities and conferences would be forced to remain viable in the eyes of the Bowl Championship Series, which could have a football playoff starting in the 2006 season. The B.C.S. currently consists of four games.
The A.C.C., with the addition of Miami, would position itself for multiple berths in B.C.S. games, something it has never done but other conferences have. An extra team in the B.C.S. series could be worth more than $10 million a year to the A.C.C.
"I think we are looking at our own conference," Swofford said. "You keep an eye on the landscape, but that isn't something that drives us particularly. What drives us is our own league and the aspects of our league that we can control."
Luring Miami is the most important remaining step. As of today, the A.C.C. had not officially invited Miami to join the conference, and Dee has said he will listen to Tranghese's proposals to keep Miami in the Big East during its meetings.
"I think Paul will continue to talk to the A.C.C. and continue to talk to us," Tranghese said. "Paul has been on record as saying that, after meeting with us, he will bring the reports back to Donna Shalala and at some point, a decision will be made." Shalala is Miami's president.
Tranghese will have to do more than persuade Miami to stay, one Big East conference official said. Tranghese will need to present a vision for the future, "something long term, or is this just going to happen again?" an official from one of the Big East's members said.
If Miami leaves, several Big East schools are ready to follow. Tranghese may have only days to lay out his offensive.
"I have to do everything that I can to protect our turf," he said.
Not much happened today, but the weather was nice. Here is something that is pretty boring which you should like.
Oh, I closed it. too bad.
By EDDIE PELLS
.c The Associated Press
AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. (May 13) -- Atlantic Coast Conference presidents voted to expand Tuesday, setting the stage to invite Miami (Fla.) and two other schools to join their nine-team league, two sources familiar with the discussions told the Associated Press.
Miami will get an invitation soon. If the Hurricanes and two other teams from the Big East accept, it could drastically alter the landscape of college sports. Any expansion plan would likely go into effect in 2004.
ACC commissioner John Swofford, meeting with coaches and athletic directors in Amelia Island this week, was hesitant to call expansion of the 50-year-old league a done deal. He knows Miami and two other schools -- Syracuse, Boston College and Virginia Tech are candidates -- still must accept.
The sources, who spoke on condition they not be identified, said league presidents voted 7-2 during a conference call to approve expansion. Any expansion needed seven votes for approval.
"The conference call among the league's chancellors and presidents this morning was another step toward completion of an ongoing process that is not yet finalized,'' Swofford said. "It is not appropriate at this time for me to share the particulars of this morning's conference call out of respect to our own schools and to potential candidates. At this time, no final decisions have been reached.''
Miami athletic director Paul Dee said Tuesday his school was interested, but would have to look at the specifics.
"Even if they called us and said, 'OK, you're it,' we still have all this discussion to do with them to assure ourselves,'' he said. "All they can really do is say, 'Let's talk.'''
By adding three teams, the ACC would become a 12-team superconference, a la the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12. It's a status that all but assures the conference's long-term future, mainly because it would give the ACC a definite role in the next football Bowl Championship Series, due to be revamped in 2006.
Becoming a 12-team conference would allow the ACC to split into divisions and play a football title game -- an event that brings in about $12 million each year for the SEC. It could also make the ACC's next TV deal more lucrative, and could give the conference a chance at placing a second team in the BCS and earning the $13 million payoff that goes with the bid. The ACC has never had two teams in the BCS.
Should this expansion go through, the Big East essentially would lose its best football teams and its future as a football conference would be in limbo.
In most senses, it's a move done to make the country's most storied basketball conference a bigger power in football -- something coaches of both sports recognized as they met with Swofford and athletic directors this week.
"We're open-minded enough that we want to know about the process,'' North Carolina State basketball coach Herb Sendek said. "That doesn't mean certain coaches don't have their minds made up. But to represent this as football coaches on one side and basketball coaches on the other isn't necessarily the case.''
Coming into the week, traditional basketball powerhouses Duke and North Carolina were thought to be against the move. Neither source would say how the votes were cast.
The ACC, which last expanded in 1991 when it added Florida State, now waits for Miami and the rest to make their decisions.
"We'll be deliberate,'' Dee said. "There's nothing that's rushing the decision by anybody. We'll do it in the right way and the right time.''
Among Dee's concerns will be the divisional alignment; Miami would like to be in a division with Florida State to guarantee that longstanding annual football rivalry is kept alive. This is important to the Hurricanes because it would prevent them from having to play Florida State again in the conference title game. Also, if the teams play early enough in the season, the loser could still climb into the championship race.
Meanwhile, basketball powers -- especially Duke and North Carolina -- will be wary of any alignment that takes away their home-and-home series with natural rivals like Maryland and North Carolina State. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, earlier a critic of expansion, said he felt basketball concerns were being given fair consideration.
Speaking on Monday, Swofford said all that could be negotiated at a later time.
"All we need to know is that that's all workable, if you understand what I'm saying,'' Swofford said.
Dee said in order for Miami to move by 2004 without a major financial penalty, a decision would have to be reached by June 30.
Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese was critical of the ACC's plan in an interview last month.
Big East coaches and athletic directors meet this weekend in Ponte Vedra Beach in what should be an unusually interesting few days.
"You would have to imagine it would be the topic,'' Dee said of expansion.
05/13/2003 8:45 PM ET Notes: Outfielder Mientkiewicz?
(AP) MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins are usually stocked with an ample number of outfielders like some people filled their cupboards with extra food and water for Y2K.
The Y2K bug never brought its wrath on the world, but the injury bug has bitten Minnesota's outfield of late. The club that once boasted three right fielders and not enough playing time for all of them is down to just two regular outfielders.
Left fielder Jacque Jones was out of Tuesday's lineup against the Royals after arriving at the Metrodome with a sore quadriceps muscle from hustling to first base while running out a grounder in Monday's game. Jones' status is day-to-day. Bobby Kielty is still unable to throw a baseball and is limited to DH duty because of a pulled rib cage muscle.
Right fielder Michael Cuddyer was sent to Triple-A Friday to make room for Denny Hocking when he came off the disabled list.
"We're short an outfielder now, of all the things to be short of on the baseball field," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We'll just have to do the best we can."
Dustan Mohr started in Jones' place Tuesday and utility man Hocking was stationed as the starting right fielder. Gardenhire was asked what he would do if he needed an extra outfielder during a game for the next couple of days.
"Good luck," Hocking said as he walked by.
If the manager is caught shorthanded, you could be seeing regular first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz playing right field. Mientkiewicz, a Gold Glove winner in 2001, was on the field early to take fly balls and was enthusiastic about helping out the team.
"Until these guys get healthy, it's a good thing to do," Mientkiewicz said.
Mientkiewicz has about 100 games of outfield experience in Double-A and occasionally played there in Triple-A. He's well aware that playing the position under the white roof of the Metrodome is a whole different animal.
"In the infield during BP, I try to take my eye off the ball and try to pick it back up again," he said. "I tried it out (in right field) and it's a little more difficult. The lights are little lower and right in your face."
If Mientkiewicz does see action in right field during a game, he already has a plan.
"I'm not going to try and be Torii Hunter out there," Mientkiewicz said. "If a ball is hit to me, I'll try and catch it. If I have to take two steps towards center, I'll let Torii take it."
If a roster move is forced, the Twins have outfield depth at Triple-A Rochester. Michael Restovich or Lew Ford could be candidates for a callup.
"It's not an area we're too concerned with if we have to go down and get somebody," Gardenhire said. "We've definitely got them."
Under Major League rules, Cuddyer would normally have to wait a minimum of 10 days before he could come back, but can get an emergency recall before the waiting period if another outfielder is disabled.
(Me) In fact, Doug did play in right field for the latter part of the game, and didn't commit any errors, which is always fun. Bobby Kielty singled in the tying run in the ninth with one outs. AJ Peirzynski kicked a thrown ball into the right field corner and reached third on that error. In fact, he gained three bases on it. Todd Sears then stepped up to the plate. His only previous home-run had been versus Pedro Martinez, one of the top 3 pitchers in the league. He homered to left-center, and the Twins had won.
News Hardware
Intel reveals Itanium 2 glitch
By Stephen Shankland
CNET News.com
May 12, 2003, 12:36 PM PT
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Intel disclosed an electrical problem Monday that can cause computers using its flagship Itanium 2 processor to behave erratically or crash.
Customers can sidestep the problem by setting the processor to run at a lower speed, said company spokeswoman Barbara Grimes, and Intel will replace the processor if customers want. The glitch affects only some chips, and then only in the case of "a specific set of operations in a specific sequence with specific data," Grimes said.
"If the customer feels it's the right solution, we'll exchange processors with ones that aren't affected," she said. Intel has developed a simple software test that can determine whether a chip is affected.
The problem likely is uncommon, Insight 64 analyst Nathan Brookwood said. "These machines have been out there for a year, and it only now is showing up, so it's got to be pretty rare. If it's something that was more commonplace, we would have seen it a lot sooner, or they would have found it in their alpha or beta testing."
Still, the problem is a black eye for Intel, which has been positioning its Itanium line to take on high-end chips from Sun Microsystems and IBM for use in powerful servers with dozens of processors. Intel isn't the only one to suffer processor hiccups. Early versions of Sun's top-end UltraSparc III also had a problem that could cause crashes.
"Virtually everybody has these kinds of problems," Brookwood said. "When you consider the hundreds of millions of transistors that go into these complex designs, it's amazing we don't see these more often."
The Itanium 2 has data protection features and a 64-bit design that can handle vast amounts of memory, making it better suited to high-end servers than 32-bit processors such as Intel's Xeon and Pentium. Its performance has been good enough to boost Windows servers to the upper echelons of the server market, but the processor family's arrival has been clouded by initial delays and by the difficulties of running software written for Pentium chips.
A computer maker found the electrical problem in stress testing earlier this year, and Intel confirmed it was a problem with the chips, not the software nor other parts of system design, Grimes said. The problem affects both 900MHz and 1GHz versions of the Itanium 2, code-named McKinley. However, it doesn't affect a faster 1.5GHz successor--called Itanium 2 6M and formerly code-named Madison--that is set for release in mid-2003, she said.
The ripple effect
The problem has begun rippling through the computer industry. IBM said Monday that it has put shipments of its just-released x450 Itanium 2 server on hold until the glitch is fixed and is notifying customers that have the systems.
"Until we're sure the issues are 100 percent resolved, we're going to keep holding back shipments with the 450," IBM spokeswoman Lisa Lanspery said. "We have a policy of zero tolerance for undetected data corruption" at a customer site, she said.
The move doesn't affect IBM's overall Itanium plans, which include a server based on the Itanium 2 6M and planned for later in 2003, she said.
Hewlett-Packard, which co-developed the Itanium design and is building the processor family into its entire server line, said computer shipment plans aren't affected because it's screening affected systems before they ship. The company is working to help customers that already bought the systems.
"We'll do whatever meets the customer's total satisfaction," said HP spokeswoman Kathy Sowards. "We're working very closely with Intel to come to a resolution for any customers that may be affected."
But the glitch can't be good for server salespeople already trying to sell Itanium 2 servers with the more powerful Itanium 2 6M processors just around the corner, Brookwood said.
"Imagine if you're trying to convince a customer to buy a McKinley-based system. Customers will say, 'Maybe I'll wait until Madison becomes available,'" Brookwood said. One possible response is to offer McKinley systems with a free upgrade to Madison, he said.
Dell Computer's plans aren't affected, company spokesman Eric Anderson said. Dell plans to ship a dual-processor Itanium 2 6M system later this year.
Unisys, SGI and NEC all are shipping powerful multiprocessor servers using Itanium 2. NEC didn't respond to requests for comment, but Unisys and SGI said the glitch doesn't affect their short- or long-term Itanium plans.
"Unisys is not changing Itanium 2 plans because Intel is making appropriate accommodations and has already defined a number of alternative workarounds," Unisys said in a statement. "We have examined these changes and discussed them fully within Unisys and with Intel, and we are confident that there will be no impact on our customers."
To work around the problem, customers can turn the chip frequency down to 800MHz. "In our testing, the problem has not manifested itself when the frequency is lower," Grimes said.
Intel has begun discussing plans with computer makers on how to deal with the problem, Grimes said.
"Some may decide the problem isn't manifesting itself" and therefore no action is needed, she said. "Others may decide to turn the frequency down as a temporary solution until they can switch out the processors. Others may already have plans to do a free upgrade to Madison."
Intel has distributed to computer makers the software that can check for the problem. But the software test doesn't yield results as firm as Intel's own manufacturing test, Grimes said.
Intel deserves credit for its up-front dealings with the issue, Brookwood said. "When they discover this kind of stuff, they now understand how to deal with it from an organizational standpoint in terms of getting the word out and working with (computer makers) to get the situation corrected in a timely fashion," he said. "Nobody can accuse them of trying to sweep this under the rug."
From The New York Times
A.C.C. May Send Dominoes Falling
By DAMON HACK
MELIA ISLAND, Fla., May 11 - In years past, John Swofford could steal away to this sun-dappled stretch of coastline largely unnoticed. Swofford, the commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference, would pass the time discussing legislative issues and the conference budget with the nine conference athletic directors who meet here every spring. Some would mix in a little golf before returning to their campuses.
But as the A.C.C. began its annual spring meeting today, Swofford and his colleagues had become the key players in a discussion that could lead to the expansion of the A.C.C. to as many as 12 universities, a move that would alter the power structure of college athletics and set other universities on a course for change.
Swofford insisted today that expansion would not necessarily be a focus of the four-day meetings. In fact, the nine university presidents who will ultimately decide the issue will not attend the meetings. But if the momentum for expansion is to grow, it will grow here, during informal discussions at breakfast, on the driving range and behind closed doors.
"This could potentially, if it were to occur, be a sea change," Swofford said as he discussed the expansion question during a telephone interview today. "Not only for our conference, but it could certainly have a domino effect as well."
The first domino might already be tilting - away from the Big East Conference.
Ever since Miami's athletic director, Paul Dee, told The News-Press of Fort Myers, Fla., on May 4 that he had spoken with Swofford and A.C.C. athletic directors about expansion in the A.C.C., other Big East universities, like Syracuse and Virginia Tech, have said they would have to consider following Miami if it left the conference.
Change has not always come easily to the A.C.C. The conference has accepted just three new colleges in its 50-year history - Virginia, in 1953, Georgia Tech, in 1978, and Florida State, in 1991. One original member, the University of South Carolina, left the conference within a few months of its inception.
"In this day and age, any conference would be remiss not to revisit that issue periodically," Swofford said of his discussions on expansion. "The evaluation that our league has done on expansion has been thorough and, hopefully, very in-depth in terms of its analysis."
Swofford acknowledged that Miami's status as a football powerhouse had added to the interest in expansion. The A.C.C., already a power in basketball, would be able to create its own lucrative football championship game if it expanded and split into two divisions.
Miami, a participant in the last two national championship games in football, would be an instant attraction, with rival Florida State serving as a natural foil.
One A.C.C. athletic director estimated last week that a playoff format in football could generate $6 million to $10 million for the league.
The game would also lead to a high-level berth in the Bowl Championship Series, an important factor for Swofford. He was the coordinator of the B.C.S. in 2000 and 2001, spurring the growth of the system that determines each year's national champion.
He helped add two bowl games - the Continental Tire and Seattle bowls - giving the A.C.C. six bowl opportunities for the first time. But Swofford now faces the challenge of helping the conference grow further.
"The landscape has certainly changed over the last decade," he said. "The A.C.C. is a very tradition-oriented league, but we've also shown an ability, though not frequently, to add when the opportunity has been there and when the league felt it was a good thing to do. With Georgia Tech and Florida State, those decisions have served us well."
Reaching a conclusion on expansion will be a process, Swofford said. It will take seven of nine university presidents to approve expansion, and a vote may not be imminent.
The N.C.A.A. president, Myles Brand, is expected to attend the A.C.C. meetings, as are most of the conference's football and basketball coaches, who are regular participants.
Several television executives who have worked with the A.C.C. on its football and basketball contracts will also be present.
Lee Fowler, the North Carolina State athletic director, said last week that it would take many minds to help muddle through the pros and cons of expansion.
"We're looking into the future," Fowler said. "There is a lot to be discussed and a lot to be considered. It's like going to a dance without a date. You get there and you hope you can find a dance."
I was at the game. It was good and exciting, except that Eddie Guardado almost blew the save. With two outs and no-body on, he gave up two hits, and then walked a batter to load the bases. Then some Boston moron hit a double to left to bring the tying run into scoring position. When Eddie finally got a groundball to end the inning, Christian Guzman made a terrible throw that pulled Doug Mientkiewicz off the bag, but the gold-glover kept his foot on to save the game. Eddie had previously questioned the Twins intensity, and here it is from the horses mouth:
MINNEAPOLIS -- Talking about intensity isn't just lip service to Twins closer Eddie Guardado. It's the backbone of his approach to the game.
During a lackluster 11-14 start in the first month of the season, Guardado openly questioned his team's lack of intensity. He and reliever LaTroy Hawkins also led a players only meeting last month in New York to address concerns.
Minnesota entered Sunday off to a 7-2 May. Just as important, the missing spark appears to be back. Guardado is the first to offer praise -- only he isn't exactly sure where it came from.
"I don't know what clicked," Guardado said. "You can't really put your finger on it."
Offensively, the Twins have raised their team batting average from .247 to .265 and are hitting .311 for the month. That's second in baseball to only Seattle with .313.
"Before it was early, but you still didn't feel the intensity there. Now you do," said Guardado, a Twin since 1993. "Look at the game yesterday. Even though we lost (6-5 to Boston), it was a great ballgame. If we continue on doing that, we're going to win a lot more ballgames. You feel the intensity there, but you feel guys are more relaxed and having fun."
The University of Minnesota men’s golf team earned their first back-to-back Big Ten Championships in school history, winning the 2003 tournament on Sunday with a final round of 7-under-par 277 for a 72-hole total of 1122 (-14). The Golden Gophers overcame a six-stroke deficit heading into the final day to win the event by six with Illinois finishing at 8-under 1128. Ohio State took third with a score of 1153 (+17). This is the sixth conference title for Minnesota, with other victories in 2002, 1972, ’63, ’38 and ‘29. The Championships were held at the par 71, 6,942-yard Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind.
“One of our goals heading into this season was to defend our Big Ten title. Our second and main goal is to defend our national title,” Head Coach Brad James said. “The team, being in that same situation last year, knew what it would feel like to perform down the stretch. They had to overcome a hump on the 12th hole, and they did that making a couple of key birdies. The team’s performance today was amazing.”
Senior Matt Anderson (Edina, Minn./Edina) won the individual Big Ten title, marking the first Golden Gopher to earn medalist honors since John Harris in 1974. Anderson fired his second round of 4-under 67 for the tournament to place first with a total of 276 (-8). His four-round score ties the second lowest 72-hole total in Minnesota history. The Golden Gophers have not taken both the team and individual crowns since 1972.
“The individual win was not exactly what I was aiming for today. All I wanted to do was play solid to give us a chance,” Anderson said. “I putted well today and hung in there. I scored really well and I’m happy with winning both titles.”
Overall, Minnesota had three golfers finish in the top-five. Senior Simon Nash (Pullanvale, Australia/St. Joseph’s) fired his third round in the 60s for the event with a 67 to tie for second place with a score of 7-under 277. The placement marked Nash’s third top-10 finish is Big Ten Championship play. Junior Justin Smith (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) shot a final round of 70 (-1) to place fifth with a total of 5-under 279. Anderson, Smith and Nash were honored with both All-Big Ten and All-Tournament team selections.
Junior David Morgan (Rochester, Minn./Robert L. Stevenson) carded a 76 (+5) to tie for 21st place with a score of 293 (+9). Senior Wilhelm Schauman (Djursholm, Sweden/Victor Rydberg) shot a 73 (+2) during the fourth round to total 297 (+13) and tie for 32nd place.
Head Coach Brad James was named Big Ten Coach of the Year. James was unable to be in Bloomington for the tournament because his wife, Tanya, gave birth to the couple’s first child early Sunday morning. James, an Australia-native, named their healthy 8 lb. 4 oz. daughter Sydney.
The Golden Gophers will next compete May 15-17 at the NCAA Central Regional in Manhattan, Kan.
The Wild came back from 2-0 deficit to beat the Canucks, which gave them the win in the series. No other team had ever come back twice from 3-1 deficits in one playoff series. The Wild have also won 6 elimination games in the playoffs, second only to the Ny Islanders of 1985. (I think) Next up is Anaheim. No one has notices, but the Wild are in almost the exact same scenario as the Twins were last year. Both teams overcame series deficits against higher ranked opponents to reach the finals; both lost at home before winning a crucial elimination game; Both are hosting the series; both are playing against Disney owned teams; both has low pay-rolls and unknown players. Hopefully though, the Wild will pull out a win. Have a good one, and I will leave you with a quote from Ron Gardenhire:
"Jack Morris made that statement famous around here -- shower with the boys -- and that's what Lohse did tonight. He went right at them, pitched his butt off, and we scored a few runs. That's how it happens." -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on Kyle Lohse's five-hit shutout Thursday night at Tampa Bay
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/08/2003
For more than two decades, none of them were seen inside Lambeau Field. Not in representation of the Green Bay Packers, at least.
But that changed Thursday when a construction crew began the process of mounting the Packers' retired numbers of 3, 14, 15 and 66 at the north end of Lambeau Field, to be displayed within the stadium bowl for the first time ever.
"I like to put parts of our tradition every place we can within this new building," said Packers President/CEO Bob Harlan. "In the past we had the numbers hanging in our hallway in the old administration building, but I felt like we needed to get them out in public."
Respectively, the retired numbers honor halfback Tony Canadeo (3), receiver Don Hutson (14), quarterback Bart Starr (15) and linebacker Ray Nitschke (66).
The first to be officially retired was Hutson's in 1951, and his 14 hasn't graced a Packers uniform since his career ended in 1945.
Canadeo's 3 was retired in 1952 in conjunction with his retirement. Starr's 15 came next in 1973, two years after he ended his 15-year career.
The last to be retired was Nitschke's 66 in 1983, more than a decade after the linebacker retired in 1972.
Of the foursome, Nitschke is the only honoree that had his number worn by two other players between the end of his career and his number's retirement (Paul Rudzinkski in 1978 and Mike Lewis in 1980).
However, Canadeo's 3 is the only number to be worn in a game by a Packers player after it was retired.
That happened in 1961, when kicker Ben Agajanian was assigned the number by mistake, nine years after it was retired. A midseason pickup to handle kicking duties while halfback/kicker Paul Hornung addressed military service requirements, Agajanian first wore the number in the Packers' 35-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams (Nov. 19).
These days professional sports teams are hesitant to retire numbers because of the burden it places on equipment staffs to assign usable ones. This is especially true in football, where during last week's mini-camp the Packers had 90 players listed on their roster, including those in NFL Europe, plus five tryout players.
But in regard to retired numbers the Packers have always been selective.
There are 128 members of the Packers Hall of Fame and there are 20 individuals recognized by name within Lambeau Field for membership in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but there are only four retired numbers.
Among the oldest professional sports franchises, the Packers have made number retirement an especially rare privilege. Consider that the New York Yankees have 16 retired numbers, the Boston Celtics 21 and the Chicago Bears 13.
But if infrequent, the Packers' days of retiring numbers aren't over.
"I think you're going to have to look at No. 4 someday and say that it's going to be put up there," Harlan said. "I don't see how you turn your back on that.
"I think it's pretty obvious that we've been very picky about whose number was retired, and I do think you save it for that very special person. But I was here when Ray's number was retired and it was a very dramatic moment for that family.
"He was deeply affected by it, and I think we're going to have the same thing with Brett (Favre) someday."
But until it comes time for No. 4 to be added to the list, the Packers' four distinguished numbers will likely remain alone at the north end of Lambeau Field.
Still retired, but back in view.
Number Notes...
Although not officially retired, Earl "Curly" Lambeau is the only player in Packers history credited with wearing number 1 ... Reggie White's jersey was retired by the Packers in 1999. There are no plans to reissue his number 92 ... Paul Hornung's 5 hasn't been issued since 1988 ... Only five players have worn Brett Favre's No. 4 (1992-present). The others are: Verne Lewellen (1925-26), Herm Schneidman (1935-37), Chuck Fusina (1986) and Dale Dawson (1988) ... For official record purposes, a player is credited with wearing a number only when he wears it in a regular season or playoff game.
At 6-foot-7, 340 pounds, defensive tackle Terdell Sands is an imposing figure in any environment, even the Green Bay Packers' locker room.
After spending the last six weeks of the 2002 season on the practice squad, this summer Sands hopes to win a spot on the 53-man roster.
Recently, Packers.com sat down with the soft-spoken big man to see how he handled our Random Questions.
Packers.com: Terdell, what have you been doing in the offseason?
Sands: "A lot of training, trying to get myself in shape so I can get on the field this year."
What have you been doing for fun?
"I like to play the PlayStation. Right now I'm playing that James Bond NightFire."
You grew up in Chattanooga, Tenn., what's the best thing about your hometown?
"The quiet. It's very peaceful there. And it's in a good location. It's pretty close to everything. You can drive to New York, or you could drive to Florida. It's right in the middle of everything."
When did you realize football was your sport?
"When I got to be 300 pounds in high school. Then I said, this basketball is over with, I'm going to focus on football now."
Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
"Probably my mama, because I see her working every day, struggling. I don't want to see her do that anymore, so that gives me more motivation to make it and do something for her."
Who were your sports heroes growing up?
"Reggie White, because he's from Chattanooga. I always loved Randall Cunningham, Lawrence Taylor, Mike Singletary. I liked a lot of the hard-hitters, I guess."
Do you have a favorite ride at Disneyland?
"Nah, I'm too big. The rides aren't made for big guys. Shaq (O'Neil) talks about going to Disneyland, well, he must be taking his kids because those rides are not for us."
What's in your CD player right now?
"Jay-Z."
What's the best movie you've seen lately?
"Head of State with Chris Rock. It's funny. I'd recommend everyone go out and see that one."
What's the biggest misconception about you?
"That I'm lazy. I don't think I'm lazy at all."
Do you get that because you're such a big guy?
"Yeah, and because I walk around kind of quiet and nonchalant sometimes, so people think I must not care about what I'm doing. I care a lot, so that's probably the biggest misconception."
What are your goals for the offseason?
"To get as strong as I can, to get my footwork together and my hands so I can fight for better position this year."
What's your biggest strength as a player?
"The bull-rush. You can't stop that."
Before you came to the Packers, you played in NFL Europe. How was that experience?
"I got what I wanted out of it. I got to experience the feel of hitting, but it wasn't that good for me. I didn't like being over there because the food wasn't very good. They aren't used to seeing big guys like me over there, so they didn't have the kind of food I needed."
What's your favorite meal?
"My grandmamma cooks it: macaroni and cheese and cornbread."
What's the best thing about being a Packer?
"The fans, man, and the tradition. I love it. It makes you want to do something for these people. It makes me want to work hard during the summer to get on the field and play for these fans, to be able to say that I was a Packer."
5/7/2003
8:00 p.m.
Xcel Energy Center
Game Six- Third Period 1 2 3 TOTAL
Minnesota Wild 0 2 3 5
Vancouver Canucks 0 0 1 1
Game Summary| Event Summary | Faceoff Comparison
TV - KMSP Fox 9
Radio - KCCO 950AM/Mix 104.1FM
Game Six Video Highlights (300k)
Game Six Video Highlights (56k)
Tuesday Jacques Lemaire Part I
Tuesday Jacques Lemaire Part II
Tuesday Jacques Lemaire Part III
Jason Marshall Previews Game Six
Andrew Brunette Pregame Interview
Sergei Zholtok Pregame Interview
Andrei Zyuzin Pregame Interview
Todd Bertuzzi Pregame Interview
Trent Klatt Pregame Interview
Jacques Lemaire Pregame Interview Part I
Jacques Lemaire Pregame Interview Part II
Marc Crawford Pregame Interview
Gov. Pawlenty Interview
Zholtok Intermission Interview
Post Game Interview
Post Game Interview
Post Game Interview
Audio Recap
Game Notes
Saint Paul, MN- The Minnesota Wild ripped the Vancouver Canucks 5-1 Wednesday night in Saint Paul to force a deciding Game Seven Thursday night in Vancouver. Credit Wild netminder Dwayne Roloson for the victory, he single-handedly kept Minnesota in the game stopping all 12 Canucks shots in the first period. Minnesota regrouped in the lockerroom and dominated the second period notching powerplay goals Andrew Brunette and Lubomir Sekeras to take a 2-0 through forty minutes. The Wild poured it on in the third period with Darby Hendrickson, Antti Laaksonen and Brunette tallying goals. Vancouver defenseman Ed Jovanovski tallied the lone Canucks in the third period. Vancouver netminder Dan Cloutier allowed five goals on 23 shots and took the loss. Roloson got the victory with 30 saves on 31 shots. With a victory on Thursday, the Wild look to become the first team in NHL history to come back from two 3-1 deficits in the same playoff year.
The Minnesota Wild started Dwayne Roloson (3-4, 2.77 GAA, .895 SV%) in net for the second consecutive game. The Vancouver Canucks started Dan Cloutier (7-5, 3.02 GAA, .881 SV%) in net for the 13 consecutive game. Wild Head Coach Jacques Lemaire sent almost the same lineup he used in Game Five out tonight, with the exception of Antti Laaksonen replacing an injured Pascal Dupuis. Vancouver Head Coach Marc Crawford replaced defenseman Sami Salo (flu) with Nolan Baumgartner, his first action of the series.
Only 32 seconds into the game Canucks winger Todd Bertuzzi and Wild defenseman Willie Mitchell traded punches after the whistle. A Lubomir Sekeras turnover created the first scoring chance of the game, as Markus Naslund intercepted Sekeras' pass and skated in on Roloson and backhanding a shot off the Wild netminder's right arm. Roloson had to be sharp early stopping wide open shots from the high slot by Matt Cooke and Marek Malik. After a Jeremy Stevenson shot went wide on one end the Canucks quickly rushed up ice and found Bertuzzi for a one-timer in the high slot. The Canucks winger got off a great shot on net through Willie Mitchell and Roloson made the save.
Shortly thereafter, Wild defenseman Filip Kuba and Canucks centerman Brendan Morrison went for roughing at 3:34. Minnesota earned its first powerplay when Mattias Ohlund was called for high-sticking Wes Walz as he drove to the net. The Wild powerplay was flat out horrible as the Canucks managed more shots shorthanded. Shots on goal through ten minutes were eight to one in favor of Vancouver.
Minnesota's first scoring chance came 12:39 into the period, Jeremy Stevenson fed Wes Walz skating hard to the net from the left circle. Walz took a quick wrist shot that Cloutier caught between his pads.
The Canucks got their first powerplay of the game at 14:30 as Walz was called for holding Ohlund. Vancouver managed only one shot on the powerplay.
The Wild seemed to get better offensively as the period went on and got a break in the last minute as Trent Klatt's backhanded shot on a rebound went just wide with a half empty net. Shots on goal through a scoreless twenty minutes were 12-4 in favor of the Canucks.
Two minutes into the second period Roloson made a clean glove save on an Ed Jovanovski slap shot from the right point through a Klatt screen.
On successive possessions in the Vancouver end the Wild surrounded the Canucks crease, eventually drawing a roughing penalty on Jarkko Ruutu at 3:31 for a hit on Matt Johnson. The Wild powerplay was anemic for 105 seconds until Wes Walz carried the puck over the blueline and dished to Marian Gaborik on the left slot. Gaborik took a slap shot and Walz redirected the shot off Cloutier's left pad. The rebound came to Andrew Brunette charging down the right slot and he fired a quick wrister into the net before Cloutier could go post to post for his fifth goal of the playoffs at 5:22.
Brunette's goal energized both clubs as the next four minutes of action were end to end full of bigs hit, mostly by Vancouver and good scoring chances, mostly by Minnesota. Canucks agitator Matt Cooke leveled Antti Laaksonen at center ice and then tried to take down Wild defenseman Brad Brown only to be sent on his backside. Minnesota had a 2-on-1 with Marian Gaborik and Wes Walz, but Cloutier was able to make two saves on Walz shots from the left slot.
The Wild continued to pick up the offensive pace as Gaborik got free down the right side and skated to the net only to have his stick lifted at the last second by Mattias Ohlund before he could get a shot on goal. On the same shift, Gaborik had a wrist shot through a Wes Walz screen gloved by Cloutier.
Veteran Vancouver forward Trevor Linden was called for high sticking Filip Kuba at 13:34. Once again though, it was the Canucks that generated the first scoring chance shorthanded and Roloson bailed out the Wild powerplay with a save on Artem Chubarov. Cloutier, obviously recovered fromm his shell-shocking in Game Five, made a brilliant save on a Filip Kuba sneaking down low in the right slot. The Wild still had time left and they made it count as Lubomir Sekeras blasted a slap shot through a Jeremy Stevenson screen at 15:31 to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead. Marian Gaborik and Sergei Zholtok earned assists on the powerplay goal.
Seconds after Willie Mitchell sent Todd Bertuzzi into a heap behind the Wild goal, Richard Park carried the puck into the Vancouver zone and Murray Baron was called for interference running Jim Dowd into Cloutier at 16:25. This time the Wild were unable to score on the unable, nor did they give up a shorthanded opportunity.
At the end of two periods, the Wild led 2-0 and were being out shot 19-16 by the Canucks.
Six minutes into the third period neither team had established anything offensively with Minnesota content to ice the puck to thwart Vancouver pressure. The officials seemed content to let the two teams play early on with Mitchell getting away with a hook on Bertuzzi and Naslund throwing a two-handed slash on Mitchell with neither play warranting a whistle.
The Wild took a 3-0 lead on a blistering slap shot by Darby Hendrickson past a helpless Cloutier glove side at 6:57. Antti Laaksonen, scratched in the last two games, backhanded pass from the half boards on the right side to Hendrickson in hte left circle for the slap shot. The goal was Hendrickson's first of his playoff career on the single assist from Laaksonen.
Vancouver finally got on the scoreboard with a powerplay goal by Ed Jovanovski following a high-sticking penalty on Filio Kuba. The Canucks defenseman redirected a pass from Markus Naslund past Roloson stickside for the powerplay goal at 8:57. Naslund and Brendan Morrison earned assists on Jovanovski's record tieing fifth goal by a defenseman.
Minnesota answered back quickly 28 seconds later as Antti Laaksonen scored his first goal of the playoffs. Filip Kuba got the play started with a pass out of the defensive zone to Cliff Ronning along the left wing boards. He found Laaksonen cutting to the net and he deked Cloutier out of the net and flipped the puck into the empty net to give the Wild a 4-1 lead at 9:25.
Following an elbow by Jarkko Ruutu to the head of Andrei Zyuzin, the Wild tallied their third powerplay goal of the game. A bouncing puck somehow wound up on the stick of Cliff Ronning in the high slot all alone. The Canucks rushed to get on Ronning and the puck bounced off the skate of Vancouver defenseman Murray Barron directly to Andrew Brunette to the right of the net. With Cloutier out of the crease to play a potential shot by Ronning, Brunette easily flipped the puck into the net for the powerplay goal and a 5-1 lead at 10:37.
The rest of the way for the Wild was a formality filled with penalties and limited scoring chances for either side.
A Man walks into a bar and says "Do you want to hear a Polish joke?" The Bartender looks him over and says "The man next to you on the right is Polish, the man next to you on the left is Polish, the bouncer behind you is Polish, and I am also Polish." So the guy says "forget it then, I don't have the patience to tell it 4 times."
A guy walks into a London bar, and starts to drink. After his first Guinness, he says "London really stinks." After his second, he said "It never stops raining in London." After his third drink, "London really is the pits." After making some more of these. he finally came up with a gem. "London is the back-side of the earth." The bartender turns to him and says, "And you, sir, must just be passing through."
Funny, no?
Random Questions With Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
posted 05/06/2003
Over the past two seasons, defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila has been one of the NFL's leading playmakers on defense with a combined 25.5 sacks.
This offseason, Gbaja-Biamila was one of the biggest names on the restricted free agent market. And in April, the Packers signed the quarterback menace to a seven-year contract extension.
Recently, Packers.com sat down with the man they call 'KGB,' to see if he could tackle our Random Questions.
Packers.com: Kabeer, what have you been doing with your offseason?
Gbaja-Biamila: "Since signing the contract, I've just been working on the process of moving from my duplex to our new home. And I've been trying to get in shape for the season."
You became a dad last December, how is fatherhood treating you?
"Fatherhood is great! I really thank God for my son Rashid. Every time I wake up in the morning and see my wife and my son, I know it's truly a blessing. That just brings joy to me."
What's the best part of fatherhood?
"Just seeing Rashid growing, watching him as he learns how to eat and make noises, things like that. If I say his name he gets his head up and looks around. He responds to me. I know he won't remember any of this stuff later, but it's just so amazing to watch. And when I see him I think about how I used to be that age and all that my parents did for me."
What's the hardest part of fatherhood?
"The hardest part is when my wife leaves and I'm alone with him. When he gets hungry, sometimes I have to do a lot of entertaining. That's the hard part, but even that's really easy. I guess the hard part of parenting is when they start running around. That's when it gets tough. Or so I've heard."
When you were growing up, what athletes did you admire?
"Muhammad Ali. Hulk Hogan. Jim Everett. Kevin Greene."
If you could change an NFL rule, what would you change?
"The rules about getting to the quarterback. Right now there's a rule that if the quarterback gets out of the pocket he can throw the ball away. I would change that so they can't do that, so they can't just throw it away to no one just to dodge a sack. Actually, any rules that allow quarterbacks to dodge sacks, those are the ones I'd change.
"Oh, and there's another one. It's not really a rule, but training camp wouldn't be as long as it is. I would make it a week long or something like that."
When did you fall in love with football?
"The day I first played it. I just always enjoyed playing the game. I never looked at it as, 'I'm going to be in the pros.' It wasn't my life. It's not like I have to play football to be happy. I can always do something else, but I just love playing the game. It's been that way since I played Pop Warner football. I've always enjoyed chasing people, making angles, using my God-given ability and trying to make tackles."
You love football, but what position would you least like to play?
"Quarterback, because they get hit a lot. I know how hard I try to hit the quarterback, so I know I don't want to be on the receiving end of that all the time."
What are your hobbies?
"Well, I don't know that it's a hobby, but I try to read the Bible every day. I like playing with my dog, Nala, and then obviously being with my wife and my son. I mean, I'm a family man, so anything that has to do with them, that's what I like to do."
What's the biggest misconception about you, if any?
"That I'm naďve. I don't know why people think that, but it might be because I ask a lot of questions. I think when someone asks a lot of questions, people assume that person doesn't know anything. But I feel that if you ask a lot of questions, you collect a lot of data and a lot of knowledge. So I ask a lot of questions, even about the simplest things. And I want to know how people think, so I may ask 10 different people the same question, just because I'm curious to hear the different answers. I guess that makes some people think I'm naďve."
What's the funniest exchange you've ever had on a football field?
"I was going up against Chris Samuels (Washington Redskins) one time in my second year in the league and I went around the corner really fast and got the sack. Samuels stared at me and yelled, 'I hate you.' And I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, what did I do wrong?"
Your defensive line coach Jethro Franklin is pretty animated. He must have said some pretty funny things to you during games, right?
"Oh, yeah, Jethro says so many funny things it's hard for me to even consider them. There are too many. But there was one time I was going against James "Big Cat" Williams (Chicago Bears) and I was trying to bull-rush him. Jethro told me: 'You trying to bull-rush Big Cat is like a Tic Tac going up against Moby Dick.'"
If you could have dinner with three people, living or dead, who would they be?
"Jesus Christ, Joseph and King David. I'd have a lot of questions for those guys."
Finally, Kabeer, this spring you signed a multi-year contract to remain with the Packers. What's the best thing about being a member of the Green Bay Packers?
"The fans. They're awesome! Just to have that fan support no matter what happens, no matter how the weather is -- they're always there for us. And the people here in Green Bay are just nice people, in the community sense. They're good neighbors. People look at you for who you are, not for what you're wearing or what car you're driving. That's one big difference I picked up on coming from L.A. People here are just more real, more down to earth, and I like that."
Mini-Camp Roundup
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/04/2003
By GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman's standards, the Green Bay Packers' first mini-camp of 2003 was a success.
There were no major injuries suffered during the Packers' five days of practice and Sherman came away feeling positive about the team's chemistry and work ethic.
"I thought we instituted pretty good practice habits," he said Sunday. "I think everything starts with practice, and how we want to practice I felt was demonstrated (at mini-camp) ... So from that point it's a good indoctrination into the upcoming (June) mini-camp and the preseason."
Following are some closing notes from mini-camp ...
See You Later
Due to NFL regulations, Oregon State linebacker Nick Barnett and defensive tackle James Lee won't be able to attend the Packers' June mini-camp.
The rule, designed to keep athletes in school long enough to get their college degrees, prohibits rookies from taking part in more than one camp while the academic term is in session, unless the athlete has already graduated.
The spring term at OSU will not be completed until after mini-camp, so Barnett and Lee will have to receive their Packers education correspondence style.
"We're going to give them a video playbook, which they can study back there in Corvallis, (Ore.)," Sherman said. "Coaches will spend a lot of time with them this summer and meet with them as much as we can.
"The situation is what it is: they can't leave until their graduating class graduates. Those are the rules. I don't worry about rules that are made that we have to abide by. That's just the way it is."
Last season Marques Anderson missed June mini-camp due to the same restriction, as did linebacker Na'il Diggs in 2000.
Barnett expressed frustration over not being able to participate in June camp, but praised the NFL rule that's keeping him out.
"Personally, I'm a little upset, but it's a way for students to stay in school and graduate, so I can't hate on that," Barnett said. "I'm like a little kid, I'm kind of pouting about it. But I think it's for the better in the long run for the whole NFL."
So Far, So Good
With only three days in which to judge them, Sherman understandably refused to make grand predictions for the Packers' 2003 rookie class, but he did express his pleasure with the newcomers.
"For what we asked them to do, they did a very nice job," Sherman said.
"I think Barnett, his ability to make big plays time and time again showed up. But then again, we have to see that with the pads on and people coming at him with live bullets. But he has the innate ability to make plays. He was always around the ball, forcing fumbles, recovering fumbles, knocking balls down. So from that standpoint, that was encouraging.
"I thought (defensive tackle) Kenny Peterson showed some pass rush skills in the 1-on-1 (drills) and I thought that was encouraging as well.
"Everybody had their moment in the sun, so to speak, but we'll have to wait and see how exciting it is when we put pads on."
Reynolds Ready
Injuries haven't been kind to defensive end Jamal Reynolds since the Packers made him their first-round pick in 2001, but 2003 is off to a much better start.
Reynolds said his left knee, which experienced tenderness and swelling all of last season, is nearly 100 percent -- leaps and bounds ahead of where it was last year at this time, when he was coming off arthroscopic surgery.
"I can tell a big difference," Reynolds said. "I'm pretty pleased with how it feels right now, just glad to be out there back in action."
Able to play in only 13 games over his two NFL seasons, Reynolds expressed confidence that he can turn things around in 2003.
"I look at it as a big year for me and I'm ready to show people what I can do," he said. "I've gotten out there and made plays when I've had the opportunities, but I feel the more opportunities (I get), the more plays I can make."
Sherman had nothing but good things to say about Reynolds' mini-camp performance.
"He showed a good burst off the ball, had some pretty good pressures at times and great effort at times," Sherman said. "I'm encouraged by that."
Shepherd Steps Up
With Darren Sharper and Marques Anderson nursing injuries, third-year NFL veteran defensive back Jacoby Shepherd made good with his increased reps at mini-camp.
Assessed Sherman: "He has excellent ball skills. He has pretty good instincts and great body size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds). I want to see how he plays with pads on, but I was fairly impressed with what he did."
Sherman also offered kudos to fifth-year veteran Antuan Edwards.
Terrific For Tide
Only a day after the University of Alabama fired Mike Price as its head football coach, Sherman was asked how he would respond if the Crimson Tide contacted him in regard to Packers running backs coach Sylvester Croom, an Alabama alumnus.
"I'd tell them there probably isn't a better prospect in all of football, college or pros, for that job than Sylvester Croom," Sherman said. "I'd hate to lose him because he's such a quality person and coach ... but that's what I'd have to tell him, because that's what I believe.
"There's no better candidate in my mind. From my outside perspective, I just know what he is and what he's all about and what he would mean to that university."
Mini-Camp Roundup
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/04/2003
By GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman's standards, the Green Bay Packers' first mini-camp of 2003 was a success.
There were no major injuries suffered during the Packers' five days of practice and Sherman came away feeling positive about the team's chemistry and work ethic.
"I thought we instituted pretty good practice habits," he said Sunday. "I think everything starts with practice, and how we want to practice I felt was demonstrated (at mini-camp) ... So from that point it's a good indoctrination into the upcoming (June) mini-camp and the preseason."
Following are some closing notes from mini-camp ...
See You Later
Due to NFL regulations, Oregon State linebacker Nick Barnett and defensive tackle James Lee won't be able to attend the Packers' June mini-camp.
The rule, designed to keep athletes in school long enough to get their college degrees, prohibits rookies from taking part in more than one camp while the academic term is in session, unless the athlete has already graduated.
The spring term at OSU will not be completed until after mini-camp, so Barnett and Lee will have to receive their Packers education correspondence style.
"We're going to give them a video playbook, which they can study back there in Corvallis, (Ore.)," Sherman said. "Coaches will spend a lot of time with them this summer and meet with them as much as we can.
"The situation is what it is: they can't leave until their graduating class graduates. Those are the rules. I don't worry about rules that are made that we have to abide by. That's just the way it is."
Last season Marques Anderson missed June mini-camp due to the same restriction, as did linebacker Na'il Diggs in 2000.
Barnett expressed frustration over not being able to participate in June camp, but praised the NFL rule that's keeping him out.
"Personally, I'm a little upset, but it's a way for students to stay in school and graduate, so I can't hate on that," Barnett said. "I'm like a little kid, I'm kind of pouting about it. But I think it's for the better in the long run for the whole NFL."
So Far, So Good
With only three days in which to judge them, Sherman understandably refused to make grand predictions for the Packers' 2003 rookie class, but he did express his pleasure with the newcomers.
"For what we asked them to do, they did a very nice job," Sherman said.
"I think Barnett, his ability to make big plays time and time again showed up. But then again, we have to see that with the pads on and people coming at him with live bullets. But he has the innate ability to make plays. He was always around the ball, forcing fumbles, recovering fumbles, knocking balls down. So from that standpoint, that was encouraging.
"I thought (defensive tackle) Kenny Peterson showed some pass rush skills in the 1-on-1 (drills) and I thought that was encouraging as well.
"Everybody had their moment in the sun, so to speak, but we'll have to wait and see how exciting it is when we put pads on."
Reynolds Ready
Injuries haven't been kind to defensive end Jamal Reynolds since the Packers made him their first-round pick in 2001, but 2003 is off to a much better start.
Reynolds said his left knee, which experienced tenderness and swelling all of last season, is nearly 100 percent -- leaps and bounds ahead of where it was last year at this time, when he was coming off arthroscopic surgery.
"I can tell a big difference," Reynolds said. "I'm pretty pleased with how it feels right now, just glad to be out there back in action."
Able to play in only 13 games over his two NFL seasons, Reynolds expressed confidence that he can turn things around in 2003.
"I look at it as a big year for me and I'm ready to show people what I can do," he said. "I've gotten out there and made plays when I've had the opportunities, but I feel the more opportunities (I get), the more plays I can make."
Sherman had nothing but good things to say about Reynolds' mini-camp performance.
"He showed a good burst off the ball, had some pretty good pressures at times and great effort at times," Sherman said. "I'm encouraged by that."
Shepherd Steps Up
With Darren Sharper and Marques Anderson nursing injuries, third-year NFL veteran defensive back Jacoby Shepherd made good with his increased reps at mini-camp.
Assessed Sherman: "He has excellent ball skills. He has pretty good instincts and great body size (6-foot-2, 195 pounds). I want to see how he plays with pads on, but I was fairly impressed with what he did."
Sherman also offered kudos to fifth-year veteran Antuan Edwards.
Terrific For Tide
Only a day after the University of Alabama fired Mike Price as its head football coach, Sherman was asked how he would respond if the Crimson Tide contacted him in regard to Packers running backs coach Sylvester Croom, an Alabama alumnus.
"I'd tell them there probably isn't a better prospect in all of football, college or pros, for that job than Sylvester Croom," Sherman said. "I'd hate to lose him because he's such a quality person and coach ... but that's what I'd have to tell him, because that's what I believe.
"There's no better candidate in my mind. From my outside perspective, I just know what he is and what he's all about and what he would mean to that university."
Packers Notebook -- Body, Mind Ferguson's Grown
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/03/2003
Javon Walker isn't the only wide receiver to hit the weights this offseason. Robert Ferguson reported to mini-camp with more muscle, too.
Ten pounds worth since the end of last season, Ferguson said Saturday. And he's not just bigger, he's stronger and more flexible as well. Faster, even.
Whereas last year Ferguson battled muscle tweaks and pulls in training camp, through four days of mini-camp this year he was feeling nothing but healthy.
"Not tired, not fatigued, just raring to go from start to finish," said Ferguson, who reported running "consistent" 4.3-second 40-yard dashes this spring. "I actually got faster and gained more weight."
Conducting his workouts with a personal trainer at both Texas A&M University and Tyler Junior College near his offseason home, Ferguson said he's focused mostly on his core strength and flexibility.
He started doing yoga, and is so pleased by the results that he regrets not taking part in the Packers' yoga class a year ago.
"I used to think yoga was just for females, but it helps me," Ferguson admitted with a laugh. "If there's any young kids out there, take yoga. It works."
If not evidenced by that comment alone, Ferguson's growth hasn't only been physical. He's a more confident individual than he was in 2002.
He attributes that to a season in the trenches. After a rookie campaign in which he saw action in only one game, Ferguson was a regular contributor in 2002 with 22 catches for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns.
He learned the offense firsthand and knows what an entire NFL season looks like from inside the white lines.
"Once you know what you're doing, you're just oozing with confidence," Ferguson said. "I think it's showing right now. I have my little swagger like I had in college, feeling like I'm 'The Man.'"
With Terry Glenn having been traded to Dallas, Ferguson will now compete for a starting role. But the more-confident Ferguson doesn't see that as pressure, just as an opportunity.
"The door is open now," Ferguson said. "Whether I step into it or step out of it is up to me."
New Coach, New Technology
When the Packers hired a new special teams coordinator to replace the retired Frank Novak last January, Robert Ferguson knew there would be changes. But he didn't know they would look like this.
Saturday, former Jacksonville Jaguars special teams coach John Bonamego introduced to Packers practice a portable microphone system that had a few onlookers scratching their heads.
During special teams drills, Bonamego spoke his instructions into a headset that broadcast the sound by means of a speaker system that he wore as a backpack.
Ferguson said the cutting-edge contraption made Bonamego look like "Robocop."
"When I first saw it, I thought it was a flamethrower or something," Ferguson said. "I had to look at him to see what he was doing. It was a little unusual."
Although intended for the players, Bonamego's gadget is great for observing Packers fans, who can hear his instructions just as clearly.
Surf the net from the toilet
02 May 2003
- by Veronique De Freitas
From this summer, festivalgoers could be able to surf the internet and email their friends from the comfort of public toilets.
MSN is planning to create the world's first internet loo, iLoo, which it said will allow "instant logging on" anytime and any place.
The company is in the process of building a portable iLoo, which could make its first appearance at Glastonbury in June.You'll be able to sit down, undock a wireless keyboard and access the internet from a screen located directly in front of you.
MSN reveals it is also in talks with toilet paper manufacturers to produce special web paper for surfers "in need of URL inspiration". The iLoo will be broadband enabled and come equipped with speakers to play music from the internet.
Tracy Blacher, marketing manager at MSN, said: "The internet's so much a part of everyday life now that surfing on the loo was the next natural step. People used to reach for a book or magazine when they were on the loo but now they'll be logging on."
Favre On Retirement: 'Just Leave It Alone'
by Jason Bellamy, Packers.com
posted 05/01/2003
Brett FavreTwo days into the Green Bay Packers' first mini-camp of 2003, Brett Favre was back talking about a hot button issue from the 2002 season: retirement.
And while his outlook on the topic hasn't changed -- Favre said he still doesn't know when he'll call it quits in the NFL -- his patience dealing with the subject has expired.
Favre said he still expects to receive questions regarding his inevitable retirement, but he doesn't plan on answering them. Not anymore. Not after last season, when the subject became "an annoyance." Not when he still doesn't have an answer.
"Just leave it alone," Favre said. "I mean, I don't know. I really don't know.
"I hope that it's not injury that forces me out; I think every player hopes that. And if I can still play the way I'm capable of playing, able to compete the way I can compete, then we'll just see. We'll leave it at that, and at the end of the season I'm going to be fielding all those questions again."
Joked Favre: "I can't even remember how the whole retirement thing started, but whoever started it needs to be shot."
When it started is difficult to pinpoint, but no doubt speculation regarding Favre's future leapt to a new level last September when Sports Illustrated's Peter King detailed Favre's fondness for his offseason home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
King quoted Favre as saying, "I think about retirement a heck of a lot more than I used to ... I miss home. I know it's nuts but (GM/Head Coach) Mike Sherman told us today that he was giving us Saturday and Sunday off this week, and the guys were all excited. All I could think was, I wish I could be on my lawn mower back home."
From that point on Packers fans began fearing the worst, and the media began asking questions.
Favre said that he and Sherman tried to make the story go away, but "as much as we tried to put it to rest, it seemed like we were adding fuel to the fire."
The surprising thing is that speculation regarding Favre's future has remained persistent, even though the story hasn't changed since last summer.
Favre said he'll continue to play for as long as he's healthy, effective and excited about the game. For the moment, he is all those things.
Thursday, Favre did nothing to suggest that he doesn't love being in Hattiesburg. Nor did he pretend, approaching his 13th NFL season, that he's eager to be back at another mini-camp.
But Favre was equally passionate about his love for football. And he has absolutely no plans to leave it.
"We joke about the tractor and cutting grass and all that stuff, but it's stuff I enjoy doing and, yeah, it's tough to leave that," Favre said.
"I did look forward to going home to that (after the season). It was a nice way to get away from football. As bad as I felt after (the playoff loss to Atlanta), I needed that to get away and not think about it.
"And I know that when it comes time to come back to training camp, I'll dread coming back. I mean, how can you look forward to training camp, really? ... I can't wait to go right to the games.
"There are times in meetings you sit there and think about home, but there are times at home where I think: If I didn't have football to go back to, I'd miss it. I really would. I'm not naive enough to think that when I walk away from the game that that's it, I won't miss it."
Favre likened his 12 years in the league to the 12 years of school before college. Just like he once longed to be out of high school and in the "real world," now he longs for some of the benefits of retired life.
But that doesn't mean he's ready to graduate just yet.
"I want to enjoy it and play as long as I can, as long as my heart's in it and as long as injuries aren't a factor," Favre said. "I think as you get closer to the end of your career -- and I know I'm a lot closer than I was a few years ago -- you never know when it's going to be the last play or the last game, so you want to get the most out of it. And that's the way I feel."
And, until that changes, it's the only story Favre plans to tell.