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(08/04/07 4:00am)
The way to any man's heart is through his stomach -- at least that's how the old saying goes. "No Reservations" takes that proverb seriously by combining romance with the art of cooking and pleasing movie-goers who enjoy sappy love stories. Luckily for those fans, this film will cause tears both of pain and happiness as only a good romance film can.\nKate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the best chef in Manhattan, and her kitchen is a straight business environment where mistakes are not tolerated and her orders are followed to a T. But when she is given charge of the life of her niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), her organized life gets turned upside down. With the help of Nick (Aaron Eckhart), the quirky and fun-loving fill-in-chef, Kate learns about life, love and her own obsession with cooking.\n"No Reservations" could have been just another chick flick that went through the box office unnoticed by anyone but couples until it was released on video. However, the film will not suffer that fate, thanks mostly to a fantastic musical score. While the plot is predictable and the actors' performances ordinary, the use of music in the film at the right moments with just the right chords makes for a compelling movie.\nJones and Eckhart each do their job well enough, but it is clear that Breslin has a long career ahead of her. The child actress stole the show as far as the cast goes, as she did in "Little Miss Sunshine." Her performance alone takes a mediocre cast and puts it above the standard.\nWhile romance fans will be pleased, like most love stories "No Reservations" can be just as good from the couch as on the big screen. But if you're in the mood for love or need a good date movie, the film is a sure winner.
(07/15/07 11:29pm)
SAN JOSE, Calif. – There was only one champagne bottle in the San Jose SaberCats’ locker room, and that fit the spirit of the celebration.\nThe Arena Football League’s most consistent winners were thrilled to reach another ArenaBowl, but they won’t get really excited unless they can raise another championship trophy in two weeks.\nMark Grieb threw for 291 yards and six touchdowns, and the SaberCats advanced to their third title game in six seasons with a 61-49 victory over the defending champion Chicago Rush on Saturday. \nBen Nelson caught four TD passes, and James Roe had 10 catches for 108 yards for the top-seeded SaberCats (15-3), who won their 12th straight game and completed an unbeaten home season. But San Jose depended largely on its defense, which forced turnovers and a quarterback change for the beleaguered Rush (13-5).\n“Everybody talks about offense in this sport, but the defense won the game for us,” said Grieb, the SaberCats’ dependable starting quarterback since 2000. “We played OK on offense, but our defense really got it done.”\nRodney Wright had nine catches for 106 yards for the SaberCats, who will go for their third league title against the surprising Columbus Destroyers in the ArenaBowl in New Orleans on July 29. The sixth-seeded Destroyers (10-9) advanced from the National Conference with a 66-56 upset win over the Georgia Force earlier Saturday.\nConsistency is the SaberCats’ hallmark under coach Darren Arbet. San Jose has made eight straight postseason appearances, playing among the league’s final four teams in six of seven campaigns.\nSan Jose won ArenaBowl titles in 2002 and 2004, but Chicago beat the SaberCats 59-56 in last season’s conference title game before going on to win its first championship. Chicago had won four straight in the Western Conference’s most consistent rivalry – and that didn’t sit well with \nthe SaberCats.\n“Our guys wanted to play Chicago,” Arbet said. “They were focused and played hard. And any time you can play in our building, as loud as it was today, I like our chances.”\nThe SaberCats tied a team playoff record with four interceptions, limiting star Chicago receiver Bobby Sippio’s effectiveness and forcing the Rush to bench starting quarterback Matt D’Orazio, who threw a career-worst three interceptions while nursing a sore back.\n“He knew he was hurt, and we said all week that we’ve got to just get after him, get after him,” said defensive back Marquis Floyd, who had two interceptions. “He couldn’t really get it going.”\nBackup quarterback Russ Michna threw the first five touchdown passes of his career for the Rush, who made the AFL’s fewest turnovers during the regular season. Sippio had 15 catches for 194 yards and five TDs, but Chicago fell irretrievably behind when San Jose scored 28 straight points in the first half.\nGrieb played his usual solid game in the town where he went to high school. He came up smiling and waving after Chicago’s Joe Peters pushed him over the boards on a scramble with 1:40 to play, shaking it off and hitting Nelson for one last score moments later.\nLed by linebacker Phil Glover and a standout secondary, San Jose forced five turnovers – a fumble, three interceptions and a turnover on downs – and blocked a field goal attempt during Chicago’s first six possessions. Rush coach Mike Hohensee then benched D’Orazio, who threw six TD passes in last season’s conference final against San Jose.\n“Once we got the pressure on him, that was it,” said defensive back Clevan Thomas, who had San Jose’s other two interceptions.\nThe SaberCats led 34-14 after scoring on their first possession of the second half, but fumbled at the goal line on their next possession. Chicago scored twice to pull within six points, but Grieb hit Wright with a 33-yard TD pass to open the fourth quarter.\nSan Jose’s Julius Gant, a 314-pound lineman, then returned an onside kick for a touchdown with 5:50 to play.
(02/28/07 5:00am)
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks acquired forward Bill Guerin from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, adding another veteran to their young club hours before the NHL trading deadline.\nThe Sharks, who entered the day tied for fifth place in the Western Conference after a recent slump, gave up left wing Ville Nieminen, college forward Jay Barriball and New Jersey’s first-round pick, which they acquired last year.\nGuerin, a four-time All-Star and one of the NHL’s top American-born players, revitalized his career in his first season with St. Louis, scoring 28 goals and 47 points in his 14th pro campaign.\nThe bruising power forward waived his no-trade clause to leave the rebuilding Blues for the Sharks, who plan to contend for a Stanley Cup championship after two big moves in three days by general manager Doug Wilson.\n“I’m very excited about the trade, and I just have to come in and play my game, play the way that they expect me to,” Guerin said in a phone interview from the St. Louis airport, where he was waiting for a flight to Chicago and on to San Francisco.\n“(I’ll) just be a good addition to the locker room and help this team make some strides. I know Doug had mentioned (getting) an experienced player, and I’m going to have to bring some experience. I’ve been around a long time.”\nExperience is exactly what San Jose needs. Two days earlier, the Sharks acquired veteran defenseman Craig Rivet from the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Josh Gorges and their own first-round pick.\nThe moves are an aggressive new tactic by the Sharks, who gave every opportunity to their stable of young talent to grow into everyday roles. But San Jose’s youth has been evident in an inconsistent season despite the club’s impressive overall record.\n“Competition is really important to us, but it’s also about the depth,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to compete for a Stanley Cup, and I think we have as much depth as anybody in this league. We’re trying to put everything in place that allows us to go on the long run that’s needed.”\nThe Sharks, who lost 3-2 to Anaheim on Monday night, have dropped four of six to slip into a second-place tie with Dallas in the Pacific Division. Guerin got an up-close look at the Sharks’ strengths and weaknesses last month when he had a hat trick in San Jose’s 6-5 win at St. Louis.
(01/18/07 1:38am)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Indiana Pacers traded Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday for forwards Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy as part of an eight-player deal designed to shake up two struggling teams.\nThe Pacers also sent guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Josh Powell to the Warriors, who gave up forward Ike Diogu and guard Keith McLeod.\n"We feel we made a pretty significant trade for the franchise that will be good for both teams," Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement. "We feel the players we got will make a significant difference in the franchise."\nMurphy, Dunleavy and Diogu had been reduced to high-priced backups for failing to measure up to new coach Don Nelson's expectations this season, while Jackson was dogged by legal troubles and attitude problems in Indiana.\n"We have acquired players who will fit in very well with our particular style of basketball," said Chris Mullin, the Warriors' executive vice president of basketball operations. "As with any trade, we also had to surrender players that we like both on and off the court. I think this transaction will be good for both teams and all of the players involved."\nHarrington -- one of the Warriors' top targets in free agency last season -- averaged 15.9 points and 6.3 rebounds this season, second on the team in both categories to Jermaine O'Neal. Jackson has scored 14.1 points per game but embarrassed the club with an early-season fight at a strip club and a spat with coach Rick Carlisle last month.\nMurphy, a former Notre Dame star who has been bothered by injuries this season, is averaging 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds -- both his lowest totals since his rookie year. Dunleavy has scored 11.4 points in another disappointing season, so the deal rids the Warriors of three players who didn't fit with Nelson's ideas -- including two prominent targets of his criticism this season.\nJackson, the sharp-shooting guard, has been almost nothing but trouble for the Pacers this season, beginning with a fight outside an Indianapolis strip club Oct. 6. He is scheduled to go to trial Feb. 12 for firing a gun during the fracas.\nLast month, the Pacers briefly suspended Jackson for a heated exchange with Carlisle, who kicked him off the bench during a loss to Cleveland. The Warriors' last look at Jackson was impressive, however: Earlier this season, Jackson hit a 3-pointer with 1 second left in a 108-106 victory for Indiana at Golden State.
(06/21/06 10:56pm)
DALLAS -- The Miami Heat stretched their arms across each other's shoulders in a jubilant group hug. Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O'Neal and their frenzied teammates joined to form one jumping organism, 15 strong, as their motivational slogan goes.\nThe Heat won their first championship with teamwork that went beyond the floor. While the Dallas Mavericks struggled to stay together during tough times in the NBA finals, the Heat stuck to each other through the trophy presentation, when 15 hands went up together to touch a piece of history.\nWade led Miami's sizzling comeback from a two-game deficit in the finals, and he had 36 points and 10 rebounds in the Heat's clinching 95-92 victory on Tuesday night. But the unanimous finals MVP said Miami's fourth straight win was a wonder of tenacity and teamwork for a roster that seized one big opportunity to make history.\n"This team was built for the playoffs, and we understood that," Wade said. "That's what makes it sweet, because not at one moment did one of us not believe in each other. No matter what, in the locker room, it was always 15 strong."\nWade's brilliance and just enough help from his teammates allowed O'Neal and coach Pat Riley to make good on their promises of a championship for South Florida. The parade should go down Biscayne Boulevard, just as Riley promised 11 years ago.\nWade cemented his superstardom with a dominant four-game performance capped by four pressure-packed, final-minute free throws in the same building where Miami went down two games to none.\nYet he missed a pair of foul shots in the waning seconds with Miami up by three points, giving Dallas a final shot to tie. Jason Terry missed an open 3-pointer, and Wade grabbed the rebound and flung it joyously into the stands as time expired.\nWhere there's a Wade, there's a will. His grace added a fifth ring to Riley's finger, third-most among NBA coaches, and the first jewelry in Shaq's collection with no connection to Kobe Bryant.\n"I know to be on a championship-caliber team, you've got to have a great one-two punch," said O'Neal, who had nine points and 12 rebounds while finishing a 14-for-48 performance on free throws in the finals.\n"D-Wade is a fabulous player. I felt we could have got it done last year ... but we had to suffer a little bit. People doubted us all year, but we're a tight-knit group."\nAnd the Heat's roster is studded with stars who never won a title. Point guard Gary Payton reached the finals with three teams over 16 seasons before finally grabbing the ring, while Alonzo Mourning played through 13 seasons, two retirements and a serious kidney ailment for a championship.\nAntoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey, Udonis Haslem, all endured serious career troubles, and now they're all champions, too.\nThe Heat became the first team to rally from an 0-2 deficit to win the finals since the NBA went to its 2-3-2 format. Only two other teams ever did it: The Boston Celtics in 1969, and the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977.\nMiami nursed a narrow lead, taking an 89-85 advantage with 2:36 left on two jumpers by Posey. Jerry Stackhouse cut it to a point with a 3-pointer in his first game back from suspension, but after Haslem and Josh Howard traded jumpers, Wade hit two free throws with 26 seconds left.\nErick Dampier then fumbled a pass on Dallas' next possession, and Wade fought to get the loose ball. He hit two more free throws with 17.7 seconds to play, but after Howard hit a pair, Wade missed two with 10.3 seconds left.\nBut Terry missed that open 3-pointer, the last of 11 straight misses, and the final disappointment in the Mavs' otherwise remarkable season.\n"We made a lot of progress this year," said Dallas' Avery Johnson, the NBA's coach of the year who endured his first four-game losing streak at a terrible time.\n"We aimed high this year, and I told them that a lot of teams have to go through this. This will really hurt this summer. I hope they work out hard, make me a better coach. I'm ready to try it again."\nRiley, who won his first ring since 1988, claimed he never considered the possibility Miami wouldn't finish with four straight wins.\n"I packed one suit, one shirt and one tie," he said before the game. "That's it"
(10/07/05 5:09am)
SAN FRANCISCO - Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison are poised to make history, and the San Francisco 49ers know there's not much they can do to protect one of their franchise's most hallowed records in their own stadium.\nThe 49ers are just hoping Dwight Freeney doesn't set some sort of sacks record of his own while chasing Alex Smith, San Francisco's own star quarterback of the future.\nWith one touchdown pass against the Niners' patchwork secondary Sunday, Manning and Harrison will become the most prolific passing combination in NFL history. Their 85th touchdown hookup last week tied the league record set by San Francisco's Steve Young and Jerry Rice from 1987-99.\nManning and Harrison already hold the records for most completions (726) and yards (9,677) by a tandem, but the scoring mark is the most prized. Young and Rice led the 49ers to dozens of victories and a Super Bowl title from their home at wind-swept Candlestick Park.\n"I have an appreciation for what Young and Rice did as a tandem," Manning said. "They threw a lot of touchdowns, but those touchdowns were helping the team win football games. That's what Marvin and I are about. He and I have definitely done some things together, but it's all come along with helping our team win games."\nIn fact, the Colts' first trip to the Bay Area since Manning's rookie season seems to be the NFL's biggest mismatch of the week. Indianapolis (4-0) has looked unbeatable this season, while San Francisco (1-3) has lost three straight and fallen into turmoil under rookie coach Mike Nolan, who benched veteran Tim Rattay and promoted Smith Tuesday, just in time to face one of the NFL's top defenses.\nManning made all the appropriate comments of concern and interest leading up to the game, but the Colts have much bigger games coming up in the next few weeks and months. This contest might only be memorable for a bit of history.\n"I think it would be fitting," Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy said. "If they don't break it at home, that would be the place to break it. With so many milestones that were set there by the 49ers, it would be a fitting, ironic touch for them to do it there."\nManning and Harrison have clicked since their first season together in 1998, when Manning started the first of 116 straight games. When he lines up Sunday, Manning will break a tie with Ron Jaworski for the second-longest starting streak by a QB in NFL history.\nAnd he couldn't have reached these superlatives without Harrison, whose cool consistency has been built through thousands of practices and constant communication.\n"Everything is not always 100 percent smooth," Manning said. "I guess the best thing about Marvin and I is that it's nobody else's business. We've had disagreements, but we've aired them out. We do it in the huddle amongst ourselves. We don't call a press conference and tell the rest of the world about it. I think that's the way you're supposed to do things like that."\nA smaller milestone will be reached by Smith, who could struggle behind a patchwork offensive line trying to slow Freeney and the Colts' fearsome defense.\nManning and younger brother Eli, both former No. 1 picks, gave plenty of advice to Smith during the offseason on the best way to survive as a member of their small fraternity. Both brothers spoke to Smith extensively by phone, and Smith learned he'll take plenty of lumps along the way to success.\n"We talked about ... the things that you're going to go through," Smith said. "We talked about the tough times. Both of their teams struggled their rookie years, and when you look at them now, it looks like it helped."\nNolan changed quarterbacks after San Francisco managed just 168 total yards and no offensive points in a 31-14 loss to Arizona in Mexico City last weekend. Smith won't have an easy transition against Freeney, who already has four sacks this season.
(09/07/05 5:14am)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion had heart disease and showed evidence of previous heart trouble when he collapsed and died after a preseason game last month, an official in the Denver County coroner's office said Tuesday.\nThe coroner's findings confirmed the beliefs of Herrion's family and friends, who were certain drugs played no role in Herrion's death Aug. 20. Herrion's heart condition was caused by factors that are often nearly undetectable, though fairly rare in a 23-year-old athlete in good physical condition.\n"It really squashes all the speculation regarding his death," said Frederick Lyles, Herrion's agent. "They appear to be very thorough in their analysis. Hopefully, now people really get off the idea that these guys are overweight, or that drugs or steroids were involved in any way."\nHerrion had ischemic heart disease, with significant blockage in his right coronary artery that caused the death of heart muscle, according to Amy Martin, a forensic pathologist and deputy coroner in Denver. Herrion's heart was slightly enlarged, a condition that could be related to anything from heart disease and high blood pressure to heredity.\nMartin also said the autopsy revealed scar tissue from a recent episode in which blood was restricted to his heart -- but Herrion probably didn't even realize it.\n"From the time that he died, something happened a week or so earlier," said Martin, who found microscopic evidence of organizing heart necrosis.\n"Whether he was aware of that was not clear. There are a lot of instances where people have heart attacks and are not aware of them, especially when your jobs requires you to do things that require you to get hurt. He may not have thought much about it."\nHerrion weighed about 335 pounds at the time of his death, Martin said. The 6-foot-3 athlete was roughly comparable in size to dozens of NFL linemen -- and the 49ers believe Herrion's cardiovascular fitness was outstanding.\nDrug screens on Herrion's blood and urine found only atrophine, a drug administered when medical personnel tried to revive him. There's no indication Herrion's enlarged heart was caused by high blood pressure, Martin said.\nLyles spoke to Herrion's mother after the report was released.\n"She's having some roller-coaster days," Lyles said. "She was really happy with the outcome. She's just trying to get some closure, and this will help."\nThe ebullient lineman, a favorite among his teammates, was on the field for San Francisco's final touchdown drive in a 26-21 loss to Denver, playing exceptionally well and joking with team staff members after the game was over.\nPlayers had just finished reciting the Lord's Prayer in the locker room after the game when Herrion collapsed. Though team doctors and medics immediately reached the lineman and took him to the hospital, he couldn't be saved.\n"I'm definitely shocked and surprised that someone so young and also in such good shape as Thomas Herrion could have a heart attack," said 49ers offensive lineman Eric Heitmann, one of Herrion's friends. "Thomas passed all the tests at the beginning of the year, and that's what makes this a shock to everybody."\nAll NFL players receive complete medical exams from their club, including evaluation of their cardiovascular systems, EKG tests, blood tests and chest X-rays, according to the league's collective bargaining agreement. Stress tests are given at the discretion of the clubs' physicians, though the 49ers' medical staff wasn't available to reporters Tuesday.\nHerrion repeatedly passed all tests with the 49ers, the club said earlier.\n"Our medical experts have not had an opportunity to review the report," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "But based on what we know so far, this may be a case of an unfortunate hereditary condition that is not easily detected, even by the regular and thorough cardiac screening used by NFL clubs. Unfortunately, even young people can be struck without warning by a heart attack."\nHerrion, a second-year pro who grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, played two successful college seasons at Utah. He spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads and also played this spring with the Hamburg Sea Dogs of NFL Europe.\nThe 49ers held a memorial service in Herrion's honor three days after his death. At his Aug. 27 funeral in Fort Worth, he was remembered as a player who brought joy to everyone and who was dedicated to his family, his religion and to football.\nHerrion's helmet, pads and gear still hang in his locker near the entrance to the 49ers' locker room at their training complex, along with photos of the lineman in action and at play.\n"He was always a real healthy kid out there," Heitmann said. "He never missed a snap, never missed a play. I don't remember him ever complaining about fatigue"
(06/09/05 1:41am)
SAN ANTONIO -- Your old high school basketball coach was right all along. Shooting, slamming and scoring are fine, but this game is about fundamentals and defense -- even in the NBA.\nFew teams in the last two decades have been more fundamentally sound or defensively superb than the San Antonio Spurs and the Detroit Pistons, who have won the league's last two titles between them. They're back in the NBA Finals again, starting with Game 1 on Thursday night, both looking to establish a burgeoning dynasty while their flashier rivals watch from their couches.\nThe matchup might not exactly be riveting to the average fan, but downtown San Antonio is abuzz with excitement, and the players are anticipating a fitting end to two successful seasons built on hard work, resilience and experience.\n"It's going to take a ... concentrated defensive effort to compete against them," San Antonio's Bruce Bowen said Tuesday. "You have to respect them. They've just come through a tremendous series, they're defending champions and they deserve all the credit they're receiving right now."\nThe Pistons were to practice in San Antonio on Wednesday, less than 48 hours after outlasting the Miami Heat in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals. The Spurs, who steamrolled the Phoenix Suns and their up-tempo approach in the West finals, spent the weekend waiting for an opponent.\nThe star-powered Heat and the high-flying Suns represented two alternatives to the approach taken by Pistons coach Larry Brown and San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, two close friends who worked together with the Spurs. Both coaches based their teams on the mix of defense and teamwork that continually trumps offense-first strategies in this league.\nThey were the league's two best defensive clubs during the regular season, both holding opponents under 90 points per game. Bowen and Detroit's Ben Wallace are widely considered the two best defensive stoppers in the league, and five players from the two clubs made the NBA's top two All-Defensive teams.\n"It's going to be very tough to score, we all know that," said San Antonio's Manu Ginobili, who's enjoying a breakout postseason. "It's not going to be 110- (or) 115-point games."\nAnd the clubs' veteran playoff experience is just as important. More than in other sports, teams usually need several years of seasoning and togetherness before they're ready to win an NBA title, and both of the finalists have credentials in the form of bejeweled championship rings.\nPhoenix and Seattle dazzled fans during the regular season with frenetic offense and matador defense, but the Spurs sent them both home from the playoffs with barely a fight. The Pistons faced a series of dynamic big-game scorers: Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. Nobody could counter Detroit's championship savvy.\nBoth clubs got here with defense, but that doesn't mean the finals will be short on entertainment value. Both teams have players who could steal the spotlight, and with two teams so determined to stop the other from scoring, close games are almost certain.\nTim Duncan, going for his first championship without David Robinson by his side, might do something incredible enough to add popular acclaim to his otherwise flawless resume. Ginobili's inventive game will draw attention, and playoff superhero Robert Horry will be lurking, always keeping Detroit fans wondering if "Big Shot Rob" will strike again.\nThe Pistons have Rasheed Wallace's tempestuous talent and Richard Hamilton's tireless athleticism. There's also the drama of Brown's possible departure or retirement after the season, which could inspire or distract Detroit.\nBut if both coaches are successful, the series will be a fascinating battle of small things -- rebounding, defensive rotations, mid-range jumpers and the occasional spectacular shot -- and not the superstar showcases of past NBA Finals.\n"It'll be a tremendous challenge for us," Popovich said. "They're the champs, and they're the champs for a reason, so we've got our work cut out for us, that's for sure"
(06/17/04 1:27am)
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Lakers left the court in pieces. Karl Malone kept his head down, Shaquille O'Neal absently slapped a few high-fives and Kobe Bryant jogged in late, encased in his own thoughts.\nThe Pistons celebrated in concert, pulling their wives and children and entourages onto an increasingly shaky stage at the center of The Palace. They crowded around coach Larry Brown, who stood next to the Larry O'Brien Trophy -- a small, golden monument to the glories of teamwork.\n"We did it the right way: working hard, working together," said President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars, who built the first championship team in Detroit since his playing days. "This isn't a star system we've got here. I just think this is the ultimate team."\nDetroit's 100-87 victory in Game 5 Tuesday night ended one of the most surprising NBA Finals in the last half-century -- the triumph of togetherness over talent, collaboration over celebrity.\nRichard Hamilton scored 21 points, Ben Wallace had 18 points and 22 rebounds and Chauncey Billups got six assists in the runaway clincher. The Pistons surged ahead together, maintained the lead together and held a long, sweet celebration together.\n"Nobody gave us a chance, but we felt we had a great chance," said Billups, the finals MVP with 21 points and 5.2 assists per game. "They had Shaq and Kobe, but we just felt we were a better team."\nThe Pistons won three straight home games to finish off the franchise's first title in 14 seasons, the third in franchise history. These Pistons are more Good Guys than Bad Boys, much less iconic than the star-studded Lakers, but much better friends and teammates.\nDetroit is the first champion from the Eastern Conference since Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in 1998, ending the West's five-year reign over the league with a demonstration of the biggest difference between the conferences: consistent, hard-nosed defense.\n"This team is built on defense, everybody knows that," said Wallace, who finished five incredible games of defense on O'Neal, held 10 points below his career NBA Finals average. "They've got a lot of offensive weapons, but we got up in them pretty good."\nThe clincher was the most one-sided game of a lopsided series, essentially ending when the Pistons made a 17-4 run in the third quarter. Each player got a curtain call of sorts, with Hamilton removing his distinctive clear face mask and pointing at it triumphantly, no longer concerned for his oft-broken nose.\nThe team announced its Thursday parade schedule with 2:56 to play, drawing more cheers. Owner Bill Davidson was one of the first people on the floor as the confetti fell, celebrating the third championship in eight months for his sports empire -- and nearly getting broken in half by Ben Wallace's hug.\n"I always have to be a little careful that I say I like them both equally, but this is a tremendous night," said the 81-year-old billionaire, the Pistons' majority owner since 1974 and owner of the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and the WNBA champion Detroit Shock.\nWhile his players and their fans celebrated, Brown shook a few hands and slipped away through a side tunnel. Moments after clinching the first championship of his 21-year NBA career, his only reaction was to wipe his face with a handkerchief.\nBrown either had tears or sweat in his eyes -- probably a bit of both.\n"I haven't, in my life, had disappointments too many times coaching this game," said Brown, the first coach to win titles in the NBA and the NCAA. "I told them before the game, it would be a great statement if we had an opportunity to win, because we do play the right way, and we are truly a team."\nThe locker room was bedlam, with Lindsey Hunter spraying champagne and Hamilton lighting the room with his smile. Kid Rock's black felt fedora was drenched with bubbly, and so was his stringy blond hair.\nThere were no stars hanging out with the Lakers, who failed to win a title for carpetbagging veterans Malone and Gary Payton. Malone couldn't even dress for Game 5, sidelined by a painful right knee injury for the first time in 194 career postseason games. It's probably a torn ligament, the Mailman said.\nThe fallout from this shocking loss won't be felt in Los Angeles for several months, because the Lakers are almost certain to make major changes to a team that was a title favorite both 10 months and two weeks ago.\nCoach Phil Jackson said there's only a slim chance he'll return for a sixth season with the Lakers. Bryant, 29-for-86 in the Lakers' four losses, reiterated his plan to opt out of his contract this summer.\n"It's going to be a funny summer," O'Neal said. "Everyone's going to take care of their own business, and everyone's going to do what's best for them. I don't know what that entails."\nWhen the Lakers retool, they might want to look at the latest model from Detroit.\n"We've probably set a blueprint for how teams are going to start putting their pieces together now," Hunter said. "We're so deep and so good, up and down the roster. Nobody could compete"
(06/26/03 1:07am)
SAN FRANCISCO -- A long moment passed before Barry Bonds recognized his latest achievement. It will be a whole lot longer before anyone matches it.\nBy stealing second base in the 11th inning of the San Francisco Giants' game Monday night, Bonds founded the 500-500 club. Bonds was focused on a tied game, but the steadily rising cheers from the crowd at Pacific Bell Park alerted him: he had just become the first player to hit 500 homers and steal 500 bases in his career.\nA day later, another possibility was occurring to many baseball players, coaches and fans: these particular numbers might never be reached by another person.\n"I don't think in any of our lifetimes we're going to see the second member inducted," said Los Angeles manager Jim Tracy, whose team lost when Bonds scored the winning run moments later. "There's going to be a few generations come through before there's even a whiff of another 500-500 guy. That's the kind of player he is. There's nobody like him out there."\nWith the stolen base mired in irrelevance during this homer-happy era, most experts believe Bonds' 500-500 could stand for decades as an unmatchable feat. Even Bonds, who thinks his single-season record of 73 homers will someday be toppled, couldn't deny the unique nature of this achievement.\n"I think it's great, something I hope is going to be around a long time," Bonds said. "You never know."\nStatistically speaking, Bonds has more versatility than any player of his generation, perhaps anyone in history. There's no other player with even 400 homers and 400 steals; Bonds' godfather, Willie Mays, had just 338 steals along with his 660 homers, while Bonds' father, Bobby, hit 332 homers and stole 461 bases.\n"It's something that will be very difficult to accomplish, especially since people don't run very much any more," Giants manager Felipe Alou said. "There might be another time, another era of baseball where that will come back, but you've also got to play for a long, long time."\nSuch an achievement might require the next candidate to transform his game and his body the same way Bonds did. These days, Bonds bears only a facial resemblance to the slim contact hitter who once stole 52 bases in a season for the Pittsburgh Pirates.\nThe next potential 500-500 man also will need the freedom to run, a rare quality in today's game. Bonds' formidable talent makes him pretty much above direction from his managers.\n"I believe Barry has had the green light 500 times," Alou said with a grin. "He was on his own (on the 500th steal). He's always on his own."\nLongevity will be another determining factor. Bobby Bonds had 30 homers and 30 steals during five different seasons, but he only played 14 years in the majors.\nBarry had five 30-30 seasons between 1990 and 1997, but base-stealing has become a novelty for the 18-year veteran. With a chronically sore back, he detests running anywhere these days, let alone to second base ahead of a throw.\nSo who are the candidates for 500-500? Not counting Rickey Henderson, who's still soldiering on in Newark, baseball's active steals leader is Kenny Lofton, Bonds' friend and teammate last season.\nLofton has 522 stolen bases, but he's also 522 homers behind Bonds, who has 633.\nThe next seven active players on the career steals list are Roberto Alomar, Delino DeShields, Eric Young, Marquis Grissom, Chuck Knoblauch, Craig Biggio and Barry Larkin, and none has even an outside shot at 400 homers, let alone 500.\nAnother measure of just how hard it is: Jose Canseco, once lauded for the majors' first 40-40 season in 1988, finished his career with 462 homers and just 200 steals.\nThe best candidates are years away from contention. Montreal's Vladimir Guerrero, usually considered the most likely to achieve Bonds' blend of power and speed, has 217 homers and 119 stolen bases midway through his seventh full major league season.\n"When I managed Vladimir, I knew he would have a chance," Alou said of the 27-year-old. "We won't know if he has a shot for a long time, though."\nAlex Rodriguez probably has the best shot of all. With 316 homers and 167 steals in his eighth full season, the Texas shortstop, who will turn 28 next month, is primed to make a run with continued good health, but he'll need a long, successful career to pick up 333 more steals.\nUntil then, Bonds, who turns 39 on July 24, will stand just as he did at second base Monday night: all alone.\n"I think it's a huge accomplishment," Bonds said earlier in the season. "Most of the time, it's usually one or the other, home runs or stolen bases. To be able to do both of them is pretty special"
(10/03/02 5:22am)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Behind Mark Mulder's steady pitching and a whole lot of timely hitting, everything was back to normal for the Oakland Athletics.\nDavid Justice's bases-loaded triple highlighted Oakland's 14-hit barrage, and Mulder pitched six strong innings as the A's beat the Minnesota Twins 9-1 Wednesday to even their AL division series at one game apiece.\nEric Chavez had a three-run homer, and rookie Mark Ellis got three hits as Oakland replied to Game 1 with a tremendous offensive game against Joe Mays (0-1) and the Twins' bullpen.\nEach of the first seven hitters in Oakland's lineup got an extra-base hit as the A's jumped to an 8-0 lead after four innings. Justice, the most prolific run-producer in playoff history, added three more RBIs to his record total during Oakland's five-run fourth.\nMiguel Tejada had an RBI double. Five players drove in a run, and leadoff hitter Ray Durham scored three times.\nJustice's triple broke the game open, with three runners scampering home.\nMays allowed nine hits and six runs in 3 2-3 innings.
(10/02/02 4:44am)
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Minnesota Twins shook off a serious case of the playoff jitters in plenty of time.\nA.J. Pierzynski had four hits, and Corey Koskie homered and drove in three runs as the Twins overcame an early deficit and a series of fielding blunders to beat the Oakland Athletics 7-5 Tuesday in the first game of the AL division series.\nIn their first postseason appearance since winning the World Series in 1991, the Twins made three errors in the first two innings and fell behind 5-1 to A's ace Tim Hudson.\nBut the Twins, many of whom first met in the low minors and progressed together to the big leagues, finally got themselves together and steadily rallied for the win -- but not without a few screaming matches and gut checks in the dugout.\n"Torii (Hunter) came in screaming," said Doug Mientkiewicz, who homered. "He was saying, 'We've waited our whole lives for this! Let's get our heads out and get it done! We've still got seven innings!'"\nThe Twins were the best defensive team in the majors this season, making just 74 errors. They made three in the first two innings against Oakland -- and that doesn't count a pop fly that dropped in the infield while four Twins stood watching.\nBut the Twins, who defied baseball's conventional wisdom about small-market teams to win the AL Central, steadily rallied back with offense from nearly every player -- eight Twins got a hit -- and more of the steady bullpen work that's been one of their strongest assets.\nEddie Guardado capped four innings of scoreless relief with the save, getting pinch-hitter Adam Piatt on a fly to right with two runners on to end it.\n"We embarrassed ourselves for the first three innings there, not catching the ball and sort of looking like follies," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "We always talk about playing nine innings, though. Today, we played six, and it was good enough."\nEric Chavez drove in two runs for the A's, who tied the Yankees for the major league lead with 103 victories in the regular season. But Oakland didn't get the standout pitching that's been its trademark in three straight playoff campaigns.\nHudson, the longest-tenured member of Oakland's Big Three starters, never got comfortable in 5 1-3 shaky innings.\n"The bottom line is we just didn't pitch today," Hudson said. "They gave us some breaks early in the game, (but) they settled down. Obviously we would've liked to have won, but there's a lot of baseball left to be played."\nThe Twins took the lead with a three-run sixth inning. Koskie put Minnesota up 6-5 with a bases-loaded groundout against Ted Lilly (0-1), who relieved Hudson moments earlier.\nBoth starters had trouble on a gorgeous day at the Coliseum. Brad Radke (1-0), who stopped Oakland's AL-record 20-game winning streak last month with a six-hit shutout in Minneapolis, allowed eight hits and five runs -- although just one was earned -- in five innings.\nOnce Radke left, however, Minnesota's outstanding bullpen came through again as Johan Santana, J.C. Romero and Guardado shut out the A's.\nMiguel Tejada, Oakland's top run-producer and RBI candidate, struck out twice in the late innings, stranding three runners.\nThe Coliseum crowd of 34,853 was enthusiastic, but thousands of empty seats remained in the upper deck.\nGame 2 in the best-of-five series is Wednesday, with Mark Mulder pitching for Oakland against Joe Mays.\n"Last year, we won the first game and ended up losing," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "The year before, we won the first game and ended up losing. What we've been through the last couple of years should show us this isn't the end of the road."\nThe A's didn't show the same nerves as Minnesota. Instead, they couldn't overcome a weak outing from Hudson, who allowed eight hits and four runs in his shortest outing since July 17 and his first career loss to Minnesota.
(09/05/02 6:27am)
As Steve Schott surveyed the steady stream of people crowding into the Coliseum before Wednesday night's game, he finally discovered the solution to the Oakland Athletics' perpetual lack of fan support.\n"I guess if we win 19 in a row every time, everybody will come out to support us," the A's owner said with a grin.\nIt took the fifth-longest winning streak in major league history, but the San Francisco Bay area's full attention was focused on the A's as they went for their 20th straight victory against the Kansas City Royals.\nOakland's young, talented lineup seemed to thrive on the excitement in the gorgeous night air. The A's erupted for six runs in the first inning, chasing Kansas City ace Paul Byrd with six hits that brought ever-increasing roars from the sellout crowd.\nWhen John Mabry led off the A's second with a homer off reliever Darrell May, the sign-waving, screaming fans got just that much crazier.\nFans wearing green and gold arrived at the Coliseum several hours before Oakland wrapped up a five-game homestand. Although only 26,325 attended win No. 19 on Labor Day, a crowd in excess of 40,000 -- specific numbers weren't calculated until later -- seized the last chance to cheer on the Amazing A's before a seven-game road trip to Minnesota and Anaheim.\nEven with one of the most dynamic young rosters in baseball, the A's have become resigned to playing in front of smallish crowds through the first five months of the season. Crowds typically pick up in September -- but the feeling of fall was palpable on Wednesday night, even with four weeks remaining in the season.\n"It's been like a playoff atmosphere in here for the last few days," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "It's good for the guys to get into that frame of mind soon. That's a good part of (the streak)."\nPeople from every walk of life turned out, from children staying out late on a school night to third-generation season-ticket holders. Even Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown -- the former '60s activist known for a decided lack of enthusiasm toward Oakland's sports teams -- was expected to be in attendance.\nOutside the park, fans held far more than the usual number of tailgate parties. Inside, dozens of national media members arrived, eager to tell the story of Oakland's young, carefree team.\nEven those who couldn't make it were thinking about the A's.\n"We talk about it. We're all fans of baseball," said Rich Gannon, the Oakland Raiders' Pro Bowl quarterback. "A lot of the guys know some of the players, and it's exciting to see them win -- not only that, but the way they've won, just kind of battled and hung in there. They're just playing with such confidence right now."\nFor once, the fans backed up Gannon's assessment. Actually, the A's often do well at the gate on Wednesdays because they sell many tickets and hot dogs and $1 apiece.\nThe dreary but serviceable Coliseum can't be the only reason for the A's struggles at the gate -- after all, their ticket prices probably make them the best major league sports value in California. And it's certainly not the quality of play, as the entire nation has learned during the last three weeks.\n"We get out to every game we can, but the A's don't have the same kinds of fans as the Giants do," said Paul Ketter, an Alameda resident who allowed his 9-year-old son Steven to get his face painted. "There are a lot of loyal A's fans, but they follow the team in the paper or on TV."\nA's general manager Billy Beane, uncharacteristically clad in a dress shirt and tie, canceled a trip to Modesto to watch a minor league playoff game. Instead, he gave interviews and chatted with Schott on the field before the game.\n"I'm as surprised and excited as everybody else here," said Schott, a longtime target of criticism from fans for his unwillingness to expand the A's payroll, as well as the near-constant rumors that he's looking to sell the team. "You'd think this was the playoffs, the way everybody is out here early."\nShortly before game time, there were far more fans in the Coliseum than there would be for a normal weeknight game. There were even hundreds of fans on Mount Davis, the vast section of green seats and luxury boxes looming over center field that was constructed to lure the Raiders back to town.\n"We would have been here anyway," said Ray Andrews, who occupied his boss's season seats in the lower bowl. "But anything that gets people out to support the team is good. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see something like this"
(09/03/02 5:21am)
Miguel Tejada and the Oakland Athletics simply refuse to lose -- even when the degree of difficulty gets higher and higher.\nTejada got his second straight game-ending hit as the A's matched the longest winning streak in AL history with their 19th straight victory Monday, beating the Kansas City Royals 7-6.\n"I wouldn't know how to explain it or put it in perspective," starting pitcher Barry Zito said. "We're the Oakland A's. We're young. We have fun. Some other teams might be talking about how incredible this is, and it is -- but we do a lot of incredible things."\nDavid Justice homered and drove in four runs as Oakland overcame a 5-0 deficit and a terrible start by Zito to equal the 19 straight wins recorded by the 1906 White Sox and matched by the 1947 Yankees.\nWith their second straight victory in their final at-bat, the A's recorded the fifth-longest streak in major league history and the third longest since 1900.\nWith the bases loaded and the score tied at 6 in the ninth, Tejada drove a sharp one-out single through five drawn-in infielders. The hit sparked a replay of the raucous Coliseum celebration on Sunday, when Tejada's dramatic three-run homer beat Minnesota.\nFor the third straight day, the A's streak seemed to be in serious jeopardy. In the fifth inning, Oakland trailed 5-0 and hadn't managed a hit against Kansas City starter Runelvys Hernandez, while Zito had been battered by the Royals' light-hitting lineup.\nBut Oakland rallied with Justice's two-run homer in the fifth and four more runs in the sixth, capped by Justice's two-run single that put Oakland up 6-5.\nKansas City tied it in the eighth and loaded the bases in the ninth, but Tejada turned Neifi Perez's grounder into an inning-ending double play.\nWith the pulsating Coliseum sensing another victory, Terrence Long led off the ninth with a triple to left against Jason Grimsley (3-5). The Royals intentionally walked Greg Myers and Ray Durham to load the bases.\nWith five infielders stacked behind Grimsley, Kansas City got Long at home plate on Scott Hatteberg's grounder -- but Tejada, whose dramatic three-run homer won Sunday's game, singled up the middle on Grimsley's first pitch.\nA's closer Billy Koch (8-2), appearing for the fourth straight day, got his second straight victory despite pitching into big trouble in the ninth.\n"I don't think anybody is going to be satisfied with tying something," Koch said. "I think we'd rather break something."\nZito wasted a chance to become the AL's first 20-game winner with one of the worst starts of his outstanding career. He yielded 10 hits and five runs, leaving the mound in the sixth with his head hung low.\nPerez had four hits for the Royals, who had 14 hits and plenty of chances to put away the A's.\nZito's troubles began with a bizarre play. Perez led off the third with a line drive into the left-field corner. Justice sprinted after the ball and leaped at the wall to catch it -- but the ball hit the bottom of Justice's glove and ricocheted over the fence, turning a probable double into a homer.\nZito gave up a long homer to A.J. Hinch on his very next pitch.\nCarlos Beltran had a two-run single in a three-run fourth, keyed by an error by Tejada, as Kansas City took a 5-0 lead.\nHernandez retired 12 of Oakland's first 13 hitters and cruised into the fifth, when he appeared to throw a pitch at Jermaine Dye's head. Dye glared at Hernandez, and on the next pitch, he beat out an infield single for the first hit. Justice followed with his 11th homer of the season.