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(02/07/07 10:29pm)
Though IU football coach Terry Hoeppner and the Hoosiers landed a 19-player recruiting class, the coach lost thier most valuable recruit, Warren Central safety Jerimy Finch. \nFinch signed a letter of intent to play at Florida. \nIn January, Finch gave the Hoosiers a verbal committment to play in Bloomington after spurning a previous verbal committment to play at Michigan.
(02/07/07 6:01pm)
IRVING, Texas -- Waiting two hours on a Chicago runway, Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera wondered if icy weather really was delaying his flight to a job interview in Dallas.\n"There was a vicious rumor going around Chicago didn't want me to leave so they weren't going to let the plane go," Rivera said.\nRivera finally arrived at Cowboys headquarters around 4 p.m. Tuesday. He spoke with reporters before meeting with team owner Jerry Jones to discuss the head-coaching vacancy created when Bill Parcells retired more than two weeks ago.\nRivera didn't officially become a candidate until speaking with Jones for a few minutes Monday night. However, he'd been expecting the call since Jones decided to hold the job open through Super Bowl week, when Rivera was off-limits because he was getting his team ready for the game.\n"Just the fact that Mr. Jones waited until now, that bodes well for me," Rivera said.\nRivera was the ninth person Jones interviewed. Indianapolis quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell was to become No. 10 on Wednesday.\nHaving lost to Caldwell and the Colts on Sunday, Rivera spent Monday stewing over it. He was glad to have had a day in between the game and the get-together with Jones.\n"It gave me a chance to go through some things in my mind and have a feel for them," he said. "I had a little chance to take a quick look at the Cowboys one last time."\nWhat did he see?\n"Some things that can be implemented to really help this defense," he said.\nDallas went 9-7 this past season, with a loss to Seattle in the first round of the playoffs. The Cowboys, who haven't won a playoff game since 1996, collapsed in December and January primarily because of breakdowns on defense.\nRivera, 45, played nine seasons in the NFL and has been a coach for 10, the last three as defensive coordinator for the Bears. Although he's never been a head coach, he's interviewed several times this postseason and last offseason.\nA big question surrounding this opening is how legitimate a candidate he is for the top job. There's speculation that San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Norv Turner has it locked up, and that Jones wants Rivera as defensive coordinator.\nAlthough that would be a lateral move, it's possible because Rivera's contract with Chicago is expiring. He might be willing to leave a great defense to run a mediocre one for more than just the challenge -- Jones likely would pay Rivera more than the Bears, who have a lot of other coaches in line for raises.\nWhen asked his chances of becoming defensive coordinator, Rivera said: "I am here to discuss being the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys."\nRivera likely has an idea of what it would be like to work for Turner because he's worked alongside Turner's brother, Ron, the Bears' offensive coordinator.\nRivera knows second-hand about working for Jones, having discussed it with Chicago quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, who had the same job in Dallas from 2000-02.\nThe biggest challenge Rivera might face with the Cowboys -- as the coach or as defensive coordinator -- is adapting a roster built for the 3-4 scheme into his 4-3 system.\nHe said it's not much of an issue because Dallas frequently used a four-man front. And part of his coaching philosophy is to mold plans around players.\n"I think a lot of times guys get caught up in 'this is the only thing I do' and not use the talent around them," he said. "The truth of the matter is, it's all about the players."\nRivera was a linebacker for the Bears from 1984-92, winning a championship with the '85 team that had Buddy Ryan as the defensive coordinator.\nAfter retiring, he spent four years talking football on television, then broke into coaching with the Bears in 1997. He was linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles under Jim Johnson from 1999-2003, then returned to Chicago as defensive coordinator when Lovie Smith took over.
(02/06/07 8:35pm)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome never felt so good to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.\nAfter a rain-soaked victory in Miami the night before and then a frigid, bone-numbing homecoming parade through the streets of downtown Indianapolis on Monday night, the Colts finally arrived back at their stadium for a raucous celebration with fans.\nMore than 40,000 of them, just as loud and boisterous as they were when the Colts left the Dome two weeks earlier with the AFC championship, welcomed them home, reveling in the city's first major profesional sports championship in more than 30 years.\n"It sure feels good to be back in this Dome after playing in that weather last night," shouted Peyton Manning, the MVP in the Colts' 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. "On behalf of the players, we want to thank the greatest fans in the world."\nMost of the fans had been there for hours, patiently waiting for the team to arrive. The parade was supposed to begin about 4 p.m. but got under way late because the Colts' plane from Miami was delayed. \n"It might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Robert Smith of Indianapolis said while watching a giant-screen TV replay of Sunday night's victory over the Bears.\nMany of the fans were wearing Colts blue. Many held signs such as "We love our Colts" or just a simple "Thank You."\nOnce the team arrived, still wearing their parkas or hooded sweatshirts from the below-zero wind chill outside, it was the Colts themselves who delivered all the thank yous.\n"You guys are awesome," coach Tony Dungy told the crowd. "For the last 16 or 18 hours, we've been enjoying this championship. We had a team party (in Miami) last night, but we were looking forward to coming home. This is more than we could have ever expected. Thank you for this turnout."\nTwo giant inflatable balloons resembling Colts players flanked a stage that was set up on the floor of the Dome. Amid a barrage of camera flashes from the stands, many of the Colts players -- and Dungy, too -- brought out their own cameras to record the moment.\n"Wow," Colts owner Jim Irsay said. "This is just unbelievable. I couldn't be more excited. ... You guys are what makes it go. I love you, and Go Colts!"\nColts president Bill Polian called the fans "the voice that propels us. ... Thank you for your support. Thank you for what you do for us. Be proud. You're the world champions."\nMost of the fans had waited inside the Dome, although hundreds went back out onto the streets as the parade approached. Many of them shared triumphant shouts and high-fives with the players who were riding atop the slow-moving trucks and floats.\nSome of them had braved the single-digit temperatures for hours.\nAP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Indianapolis contributed to this report..
(02/06/07 5:04am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The RCA Dome never felt so good to the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts.\nAfter a rain-soaked victory in Miami the night before and then a frigid, bone-numbing homecoming parade through the streets of downtown Indianapolis on Monday night, the Colts finally arrived back at their stadium for a raucous celebration with fans.\nMore than 40,000 of them, just as loud and boisterous as they were when the Colts left the Dome two weeks earlier with the AFC championship, welcomed them home, reveling in the city's first major profesional sports championship in more than 30 years.\n"It sure feels good to be back in this Dome after playing in that weather last night," shouted Peyton Manning, the MVP in the Colts' 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears. "On behalf of the players, we want to thank the greatest fans in the world."\nMost of the fans had been there for hours, patiently waiting for the team to arrive. The parade was supposed to begin about 4 p.m. but got under way late because the Colts' plane from Miami was delayed. \n"It might be a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Robert Smith of Indianapolis said while watching a giant-screen TV replay of Sunday night's victory over the Bears.\nMany of the fans were wearing Colts blue. Many held signs such as "We love our Colts" or just a simple "Thank You."\nOnce the team arrived, still wearing their parkas or hooded sweatshirts from the below-zero wind chill outside, it was the Colts themselves who delivered all the thank yous.\n"You guys are awesome," coach Tony Dungy told the crowd. "For the last 16 or 18 hours, we've been enjoying this championship. We had a team party (in Miami) last night, but we were looking forward to coming home. This is more than we could have ever expected. Thank you for this turnout."\nTwo giant inflatable balloons resembling Colts players flanked a stage that was set up on the floor of the Dome. Amid a barrage of camera flashes from the stands, many of the Colts players -- and Dungy, too -- brought out their own cameras to record the moment.\n"Wow," Colts owner Jim Irsay said. "This is just unbelievable. I couldn't be more excited. ... You guys are what makes it go. I love you, and Go Colts!"\nColts president Bill Polian called the fans "the voice that propels us. ... Thank you for your support. Thank you for what you do for us. Be proud. You're the world champions."\nMost of the fans had waited inside the Dome, although hundreds went back out onto the streets as the parade approached. Many of them shared triumphant shouts and high-fives with the players who were riding atop the slow-moving trucks and floats.\nSome of them had braved the single-digit temperatures for hours.\nAP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
(02/05/07 5:13am)
The IU men's tennis team swept through its weekend matches, posting a 6-1 record in wins against Marquette and Northern Illinois. \nThe No. 59 Hoosiers improved their spring record to 6-1 with Saturday's victories. The only loss of the season came last week against Notre Dame, where the Hoosiers fell 7-0.\n"(Saturday) was a good day, we had a well-rounded effort," coach Ken Hydinger said in a statement. "Both teams came at us hard. We came out ready to play and played with a higher energy than we did against Notre Dame earlier this week. It was good to see that improvement."\nAn injury forced No. 1 singles player Dave Bubenicek to play the No. 2 spot, and the senior swept his weekend's opponents. Junior Dara McLoughlin filled in for Bubenicek at No. 1 singles. McLoughlin beat Marquette's Trent Hagen in three sets but fell in straight sets to Brian Livingston of Northern Illinois. \n"Dara had good exposure against tough competition at No. 1 today," Hydinger said.\nThe Hoosiers lost the doubles point against Marquette, falling in No. 2 and No. 3 doubles action.\nThe doubles teams bounced back, claiming two of three matches against Northern Illinois to take the doubles point.
(02/05/07 5:07am)
MIAMI -- Purple rain at the Super Bowl. Golden memories for Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts.\nIn a sloppy, exciting, rain-soaked NFL title game Sunday, the Colts defeated the Bears 29-17 behind 247 yards passing from Manning, the star quarterback who finally won the big one after nine record-setting seasons.\n"We put a lot of hard work and a lot of effort into this," said Manning, who was named the game's Most Valuable Player. "It's all happening pretty fast right now. I'm excited. It's something we'll enjoy for quite some time."\nIn a good ol'-fashioned South Florida soaker, the football squirted loose and bounced all over the waterlogged field. It resulted in eight turnovers, including two late interceptions thrown by Chicago's Rex Grossman that sealed the game for Indianapolis.\nThe sight of Manning and Dungy, his soft-spoken coach, soaking up the rain -- along with the confetti and the hugs -- as they held the Vince Lombardi Trophy were moments to remember.\nThey came at the end of this historic meeting between Dungy and Bears coach Lovie Smith of the Bears, the first black head coaches to lead teams to the Super Bowl.\n"I'm proud to represent African-American coaches, to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said. "But more than anything, Lovie Smith and I aren't just the first African-American coaches, but Christian coaches showing you can win doing it the Lord's way. And we're more proud of that."\nFittingly, Dungy's postgame celebration included a long embrace with Smith at midfield and a few whispered words.\nComing in, the two coaches knew that one would have to lose and the other would be the first black to coach his team to a Super Bowl win. And they insisted their friendship would withstand the strains of the Super Bowl spotlight.\n"On this big stage, I wouldn't want anybody else to be there other than Lovie because I have so much respect for him and he's done such a great job," Dungy said before the game.\nOnce it started, very little about the game went by the book.\nIt began with a 92-yard kickoff return by Chicago's Devin Hester for a 7-0 lead 14 seconds into the game. As the evening went on and the rain picked up, the conditions made this look less like a meeting between the league's best teams and more like a survive-the-elements contest.\nThe Colts proved to be much better.\nManning threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne and finished 25-for-38 for a touchdown and an interception. He led the Colts on three drives that ended in Adam Vinatieri field goals. The Colts dominated the game statistically -- gaining 430 yards to only 265 for Chicago -- but didn't put it away until early in the fourth quarter, when second-year cornerback Kelvin Hayden intercepted Grossman's pass and returned it 56 yards for a touchdown and a 29-17 lead.\nManning certainly will have plenty of good memories from this one, a game in which he picked and poked through the rain and the Bears to win the title that eluded him and his famous father, Archie, for all those years.
(02/02/07 4:57am)
Identity\nThe Hoosiers are beginning to establish their own style of play, which has found success in the Big Ten this season. No more run-and-gun and pray-the-ball-goes-in. Under coach Kelvin Sampson, IU has packaged together a tough, opportunistic defense and an offense based around the inside-out game between junior forward D.J. White and the guards, who have shown their 3-point shooting touch throughout the season.
(01/31/07 3:42am)
The men's tennis team traveled to South Bend on Monday with hopes of a big win, but instead it returned to Bloomington with its first loss of the season. Facing No. 13 Notre Dame, the No. 58 Hoosiers were swept, 7-0, losing each of the nine matches. \n"I am really, really disappointed," IU coach Ken Hydinger said. "We're better than this, and we didn't go out and fight."\nAfter winning all three doubles matches and, thus, earning the doubles point, the Irish had a lot of momentum going into the singles matches. At No. 5 singles, IU senior Arnaud Roussel was taken down quickly, losing 6-1, 6-1. Next off the court was No. 3 singles, where junior Thomas Richter fell 6-3, 6-4. \nNo. 1 singles player senior David Bubenicek, as well as juniors Dara McLoughlin and Mike McCarthy, all suffered their first singles defeats of the spring, each coming in straight sets. Bubenicek, ranked No. 48 by the ITA, lost 6-3, 7-5 at the hands of the nation's No. 14 player, senior Stephen Bass. At No. 2, McLoughlin also lost to a nationally ranked player, upended 6-3, 6-4 by No. 30 junior Sheeva Parbhu. At No. 4, McCarthy lost to sophomore Brett Helgeson, 6-3, 7-5. \nIn the last match to finish, IU sophomore Peter Antons dropped to 3-2 on the season. At No. 6, he was defeated by junior Andrew Roth in a three-set battle, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5.\nSaid Hydinger of IU, now 4-1, "we can do better"
(01/30/07 4:03am)
KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. -- Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized Monday after complications from his breakdown at last year's Preakness, ending an eight-month ordeal that prompted an outpouring of support across the country.\nA series of ailments -- including laminitis in the left rear hoof, an abscess in the right rear hoof, as well as new laminitis in both front feet -- proved too much for the gallant colt. The horse was put down at 10:30 a.m.\n"Certainly, grief is the price we all pay for love," said co-owner Gretchen Jackson at a news conference.\nBarbaro battled in his Intensive Care Unit stall for eight months. The 4-year-old colt underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries.\n"Clearly, this was a difficult decision to make," chief surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson. "It hinged on what we said all along, whether or not we thought his quality of life was acceptable. The probable outcome was just so poor."\nRichardson, fighting back tears, added: "Barbaro had many, many good days."\nRoy and Gretchen Jackson were with Barbaro on Monday morning, with the owners making the decision in consultation with Richardson.\n"We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain," Roy Jackson said. "It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time."\nRichardson said he was comfortable the right decision was made and could tell Barbaro was not his usual self early Monday morning.\n"He was just a different horse," he said. "You could see he was upset. That was the difference. It was more than we wanted to put him through."\nOn May 20, Barbaro was rushed to the New Bolton Center, about 30 miles from Philadelphia in Kennett Square, hours after shattering his right hind leg just a few strides into the Preakness Stakes. The bay colt underwent a five-hour operation that fused two joints and recovered from an injury most horses never survive.\nBarbaro suffered a significant setback during the weekend, and surgery was required to insert two steel pins into a bone -- one of three shattered in the Preakness but now healthy -- to eliminate all weight bearing on the ailing right rear foot.\nThe leg was on the mend until an abscess began causing discomfort last week. Until then, the major concern was Barbaro's left rear leg, where 80 percent of the hoof had been removed in July when he developed laminitis.\nWell-wishers young and old showed up at the New Bolton Center with cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for the champ, and thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital's Web site just for him.\nThe biggest gift has been the $1.2 million raised since early June for the Barbaro Fund. The money is put toward needed equipment such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same recovery pool Barbaro used after his surgeries.\n"I would say thank you for everything, and all your thoughts and prayers over the last eight months or so," Roy Jackson said to Barbaro's fans.
(01/30/07 3:59am)
MIAMI -- After his brother died in an auto accident last September, Reggie Wayne returned to the Indianapolis Colts to find Tony Dungy waiting to console him -- as only a man who has been through his own personal tragedies can do.\n"I was at the lowest point," Wayne recalled last week. "Just to hear it from someone who has been through it helps you a lot. Coach Dungy is a strong man -- a strong soul. It was huge for me."\nDungy's tragedy came 13 months ago -- the suicide of his 18-year-old son James.\nA season later, he's coaching in the Super Bowl, using the strength that sustained him through his terrible loss to try to get the Colts their first NFL title in 36 years.\nThe television cameras never catch him shouting at an official or cursing under his breath. His priorities are his family and his faith. He's also worked hard to advance minority hiring in the NFL, a cause that is clearly in the spotlight this week and was last week, too.\nDungy is hardly the prototypical coach -- he's usually stoic on the sideline, as he had been in dealing with his son's death. After the Colts beat New England to win the AFC championship, he pointedly noted that coaches don't have to encourage profanity and trash-talking to succeed.\nDungy's teams have missed the playoffs only once since 1997. In Indianapolis, he went from a defensive powerhouse to a strong offense and succeeded with Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James.\nEarly in his career in Indianapolis, Dungy's teams lacked playoff success; the Colts were blown out in their first postseason game with Dungy at the helm. Where his predecessor, Jim Mora, might have blown-up after a horrible game like that one, Dungy put it aside. \nThat is Dungy, whose many interests beyond pro football can help reduce the sting of a crushing playoff defeat. A deeply religious man, but one who refrains from using his position to push his beliefs, he acknowledges: "I am certainly aware that there is life outside of football."\nThat was made abundantly clear on Dec. 22, 2005, when James Dungy was found dead in his Tampa apartment.\nTwo weeks later, Dungy was back coaching, graciously thanking the millions of well-wishers, getting himself involved in an effort to prevent teenage suicide and suggesting that it was harder on his wife, Lauren, because he had football as an outlet.\nEven his oldest friends were amazed at his calm.\n"He stood above his son's casket with so much control that I told him after the funeral, 'I don't know how you do it,'" recalled Peter May, who has known him since the seventh grade. "He was the best athlete, the smartest kid and the person with the most manners when we were growing up. But in my whole life, I've never been more impressed with him than I was on that sad day."\nDungy doesn't talk about how tragedy has changed him. Or at least not often.\n"I think God gives you tests to see if you're going to stay true to what you believe and stay faithful," he said last week. "For me, that's what it was, having to continue to believe. Sometimes when you have disappointments it makes that final destination that much sweeter"
(01/29/07 3:04am)
Despite an early run, nine 3-point shots, a game-high 19 points from senior center Sarah McKay and four players scoring in double-digits, the IU women's basketball team was unable to snap its losing streak.\nThe Hoosiers (13-9, 2-7 Big Ten) dropped a 65-63 contest against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday. The game was IU's fifth straight loss.\nMichigan struck first in the game, but its lead did not last long. The Hoosiers controlled the game for the next seven minutes, going on an 18-1 run to take an 18-3 lead just eight minutes into the game.\nIU was able to keep its offensive output going as they took a 34-23 lead into the first half behind 11 first-half points from senior guard Leah Enterline, who finished the game with 14 points. In addition to Enterline's 14 and McKay's 19, junior guard Nikki Smith scored 16 points and freshman guard Jamie Braun had 11 for the game.\nBut IU was unable to take advantage of its first-half play. Michigan kept even with the Hoosiers throughout most of the second half.\nWith seven minutes left in the game IU held a 56-45 lead, but with a trio of 3-point baskets, Michigan was able to cut the Hoosiers' lead to just 56-54. Following an IU timeout, the Hoosiers responded with an Enterline 3-point shot to push the lead back to five. The Wolverines were able to tie up the game with five straight points from LeQuisha Whitfield and followed it with two free throws from Stephany Skrba with 1:46 to play to give Michigan its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.\nMcKay was able to tie the game at 61, but Whitfield hit her third 3-pointer for what would end up being the deciding basket. A couple of missed IU shots later, the game was over and the Hoosiers had lost their seventh Big Ten contest of the season.
(01/29/07 3:02am)
In two "white outs" last season, the IU men's basketball team lost against two top-ranked teams -- the Duke Blue Devils and the Connecticut Huskies -- at Assembly Hall. That didn't stop IU sophomore Don Ueber from pushing Hoosier fans to turn Assembly Hall white when the No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers travel to Bloomington for Wednesday's game. \nShortly after IU's 76-61 victory against Michigan on Saturday, Ueber created an event on Facebook requesting all IU fans wear white shirts to the IU-Wisconsin game. The event received more than 500 confirmed guests Sunday evening. \n"It gives everybody something to do for the game," Ueber said in a phone interview. "It lets the team know it's a big game and we're behind them." \nThe white outs last year were events sponsored by the IU Department of Athletics and the Student Athletics Board. Ueber tried contacting the athletics department, but had not received a reply Sunday evening. \nThe sophomore did get a reply from an official with the IU Varsity Club, who said he would try to encourage alumni to participate in the white out.\nWhat Ueber really wants, though, is an IU win against the Badgers, and he remains undeterred that his Hoosiers are 0-2 in recent white out games.\n"It's something more to fight for, I guess. Kinda like Notre Dame and the green jerseys," he said.
(01/29/07 2:44am)
JACKSON, Mich. -- Tony Dungy was back in his hometown, attending a ceremony to name Frost School's library after his mother, a former teacher.\nA black plaque with silver lettering read: "Cleo May Dungy Library. In honor of her many years of dedicated service to Jackson Public Schools. Dedicated, May 2001."\nOne problem -- Dungy's mother's name is spelled "Cleomae."\nTony Dungy didn't point out the mistake, a decision befitting a man whose reputation as a gentleman rivals his acclaim as a coach.\n"He probably didn't say anything because he's so nice," gushed Frost School sixth-grade teacher Mary Anne Gough, who's known of Dungy since they were in middle school nearly four decades ago.\nIn Jackson, about 75 miles west of Detroit, the mere mention of the Indianapolis Colts coach makes people smile.\n"This is great for our city, because we're losing jobs and people every day," said Jackson High School Athletic Director Russell Davis, who played football against, with and for Dungy. "Tony's story is really giving us a shot in the arm that we desperately need."\nSunday night, the 51-year-old Dungy will lead his Colts onto the field at Dolphin Stadium in Miami to battle the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl, where he and Bears coach Lovie Smith will make history as the first black head coaches at the title game.\n"Tony Dungy is the talk of the town," Mayor Jerry Ludwig said. "He's all people are talking about -- no matter where you go. It doesn't matter if you're old or young, it's exciting for all of us."\nDungy's hometown needs a pick-me-up story. Jackson -- like the entire state of Michigan -- is hurting because of a sagging economy that keeps taking hits from the Big Three's automobile woes.\nDungy's story and the spotlight it has put on Jackson -- which touts itself as the birthplace of the Republican Party -- won't pay the bills, but it gives many of the more than 35,000 residents a reason to be proud of their town.\nThe city council even declared Jan. 29 through Feb. 4 "Tony Dungy Week."\nIn a quiet downtown, Dungy's image loomed on a billboard not far from Jackson Coney Island, where hot dogs smothered with dense chili, onions and mustard have been served for almost a century.\nIt's easy to imagine Dungy eating a coney dog after playing with friends at the Martin Luther King Community Center, where a room is now named after him, before returning to his modest home at Robinson and Merriman in a middle-class neighborhood on the east side of town.\n"He was friends with everybody," said Peter May, who has known Dungy since the seventh grade and will be one of his personal guests at the Super Bowl. "He didn't have an enemy. He's got that 'it' that special people have."\n"I don't think he has a skeleton in his closet," said Sherrilyn Sims, Dungy's older sister, who still lives in Jackson.\nThere's no dirt on Dungy?\n"Well, we had our brawls over toys, and he got spankings like the rest of the kids," Sims said. "He wasn't a complete angel when he was little"
(01/26/07 4:55am)
Three IU football players have left the team, an IU Athletics Department spokesman said Thursday night. \nStarting linebacker freshman Josh Bailey left the Hoosiers this week and plans to transfer to Western Kentucky.\nFellow freshman defensive end Neil Jones and sophomore linebacker Greg Weeks also left the team this week. \nBailey, a graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, made 40 tackles in the 2006 season -- the ninth most for the Hoosiers. He recovered one fumble and broke up three passes. He was recruited as a wide receiver and converted to linebacker once he arrived in Bloomington.\nBailey was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team by Sporting News. Scouting service Rivals.com named him a freshman All-American.\nJones and Weeks saw minimal action during the year.
(01/26/07 4:54am)
MELBOURNE -- Even top-ranked Roger Federer was stunned by his domination of Andy Roddick.\nAfter looking vulnerable in some of his earlier matches, Federer was virtually untouchable as he beat sixth-seeded Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 Thursday at the Australian Open to reach his seventh consecutive Grand Slam final, tying a record set by Jack Crawford in 1934.\n"This was definitely one of my best matches I ever played," said Federer, who is seeking his 10th major title. "I had one of these days when everything just worked, I was unbeatable. It's just unreal. I was playing out of my mind. I am shocked myself.\n"The tournament is not even over yet, so let's not get carried away. Let me do it one more time."\nSerena Williams earlier proved her doubters wrong.\nUnseeded after an injury-plagued 2006 that limited her to four tournaments, Williams reached her first Grand Slam final in two years by beating Nicole Vaidisova 7-6 (5), 6-4.\nStanding in the way of an eighth Grand Slam title -- she already has two here -- is top-seeded Maria Sharapova. The Russian turned her semifinal against No. 4 Kim Clijsters into an Australian farewell match for the 23-year-old Belgian, who is retiring at the end of the year, with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.\nFederer will play the winner of Friday's semifinal between 10th-seeded Fernando Gonzalez and No. 12 Tommy Haas.\nRoddick had hoped that his net-charging tactics, implemented by new coach Jimmy Connors after Wimbledon last year, would help him close the gap with Federer. He beat the Swiss star at an exhibition tournament less than two weeks ago.\nFederer made sure it didn't happen again when it counted.\n"He was playing so well," Federer said. "I thought I would see 50 aces going past me. That's why I didn't read the papers today, didn't switch on the TV and I just tried to focus on my game."\nFederer ran off 11 games in a row from serving at 3-4 in the first set. He blunted Roddick's powerful serve and whipped passing shots seemingly at will, leaving Roddick flat-footed and staring in disbelief.\nRoddick won only nine of his 31 net approaches and had only 11 winners. Federer had 10 aces, 45 winners and just 12 unforced errors.\nIt got so bad that Roddick got a huge ovation after whacking one of his few winners, then another when he held serve to end Federer's 11-game streak.\n"I caught an absolute beating tonight," said Roddick, who lost a set 6-0 for the first time in 25 Grand Slam events. "It was miserable. I'm going to try to take this like a man as much as I can"
(01/26/07 4:52am)
The good news for water polo coach Barry King and his team is that after finishing last season with a 24-11 record, they start this season ranked No. 20 in the country. \nThe better news for the Hoosiers is that their season finally gets under way this weekend at the Michigan Kick-Off tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.\n"I've been really pleased with our fitness level and our response to the training," King said. "Those things you worry about early in the season I've been pleased with and I expect good things this weekend."\nThe Hoosiers get their first taste of competition in the form of four teams in two days, including host Michigan on Saturday night after a match up against UC Santa Barbara early in the day.\nThis season's Hoosier squad has a blend of experience and talent. They are led by six seniors, including Kristin Zernicke, who returns after an outstanding junior year in which she recorded 25 goals and 38 assists.\nAlong with having senior leadership, the Hoosiers will boast a slew of talented underclassmen. Junior Brooke Zimmerman is one of them. She tallied an impressive 53 goals last season. Zimmerman was equally effective defensively, recording 66 steals and was the Collegiate Water Polo Association Western division first team. \nWhile Zernicke and Zimmerman will help pace the offense, junior goalie Jackie Pyrz will anchor the defense. Pyrz, the starter last season, recorded 259 saves, good for third best all-time in the Hoosier record books. In addition to making numerous saves, Pyrz also helped herself by accumulating 32 steals.\nAfter the Michigan Kick-Off, the Hoosiers travel to Palo Alto, Cali., for the Stanford Invitational Feb. 3-4. While they would love to start the season off hot, King believes how you finish a season is more important.\n "I think (the team) has a lot of potential and if the season goes right it will be a really good growing experience, and we'll be playing our best water polo at the end of the year," King said. "Now it's a matter of going out and finding our legs against new competition rather than playing against ourselves"
(01/23/07 3:43am)
IRVING, Texas -- Bill Parcells retired from coaching Monday, leaving the Dallas Cowboys after four years without a playoff win and just two weeks after a stinging wild-card loss to Seattle.\nDuring a 19-year career that also included coaching the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets, Parcells made it to three Super Bowls, winning twice with the Giants.\nIn his last try earlier this month, the Cowboys blew a chance to beat the Seahawks when Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo botched a hold on a short field goal with a little more than a minute left.\nParcells goes out having lost four of his final five games, including the last three. His announcement came 15 days after the loss to Seattle.\n"I am retiring from coaching football," Parcells said in a statement. "I want to thank (Cowboys owner) Jerry Jones and (Cowboys Vice President) Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years. Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here."\nThe announcement came in a morning e-mail. There was no statement from Jones, the team owner, although one was planned for later in the day. There were no immediate plans for a news conference.\n"I am in good health and feel lucky to have been able to coach in the NFL for an extended period of time," Parcells said. "I leave the game and the NFL with nothing but good feelings and gratitude to all the players, coaches and other people that have assisted me in that regard."\nKnown best for a gruff demeanor and colorful quotes, Parcells leaves with the ninth most wins in NFL history and a career record of 183-138-1. He was 34-32 in Dallas, including 0-2 in the postseason. He had one year left at more than $5 million on a contract extension signed last January.\nBefore joining the Cowboys, Parcells led the Giants to Super Bowl wins after the 1986 and '90 seasons, got the Patriots to a Super Bowl and took the Jets to the AFC title game.\nHe gave up a job in television to return to the sideline in Dallas, energized by the challenge of restoring glory to "America's Team."\nWhile he definitely left the Cowboys better than he found them, his tenure ultimately may be remembered for the lack of a playoff victory. Dallas hasn't won a postseason game since 1996, easily the longest skid in the history of the franchise that's been to a record eight Super Bowls.\nThus, Parcells' legacy with the Cowboys can be framed this way: Instead of joining Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer as coaches who led them to championships, he leaves lumped with Chan Gailey and Dave Campo as the only ones who didn't.
(01/22/07 6:53am)
Going on the road for the first time in its dual-match season, the IU women's tennis team had more to worry about than just their pair of opponents. But neither the Drake Bulldogs nor the nationally ranked Kansas Jayhawks were able to hand the Hoosiers their first loss.\nIU beat both teams 6-1.\nIU coach Lin Loring said his team would have to play well to beat Kansas on the road. Entering the match, the Hoosiers outranked the Jayhawks 43 to 59, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. IU held a 4-1 series lead between the schools, including a win in Bloomington last year.\nLoring said he expected a tougher match this time around. Not only would the Hoosiers have to overcome KU's home-court advantage, but Loring also considered this year's Jayhawks to be stronger than the group IU defeated a year ago.\nAfter nearly six hours of play, IU's 6-1 victory over Kansas was more decisive than its 5-2 win a year ago, yet Loring said that "the score's a little deceiving."\nIU split the first two doubles matches with Kansas, but the third match -- which would determine who received the doubles point -- went to IU sophomore Stephanie Heller and junior Brianna Williams via a tiebreaker. Loring said this match was crucial in swinging both the momentum and the match in the Hoosiers' favor.\nKansas only took one of their six singles matches against the Hoosiers after the tiebreaker. Though the 9:30 a.m. start marked the first action of the day and of the spring season for the Jayhawks, Loring said the team seemed deflated after losing the doubles point.\nAfter defeating Kansas, IU went on to pummel Drake. The Bulldogs did manage one point against the Hoosiers, and Loring credited the slip to his team's fatigue and said that factor was why it was important to face Kansas first.\n"We wouldn't have scheduled it any other way," Loring said. "We wouldn't have given the competitive advantage to Kansas."\nWilliams said before the match that the team had been trying new doubles combinations in practice after the team lost the doubles point in its match against Western Michigan last weekend. In Saturday's two matches, the Hoosiers won five of six doubles matches and took both points. The only loss came against KU's top team, ranked by the ITA as the No. 2 doubles team in the Central region.\nLoring said the Hoosiers will continue to work on improving in this area, but the goal is to find compatible partners more than it is to win matches at this point in the season.\n"We played new combinations this week," he said. "We're just going to keep experimenting until we're comfortable with the combinations we have"
(01/22/07 5:00am)
PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. -- Nine months pregnant and married to a fervent Bears fan with tickets to Sunday's NFC Championship game, Colleen Pavelka didn't want to risk going into labor during the game against the New Orleans Saints.\nDue to give birth Monday, Pavelka's doctor told her Friday she could induce labor early. She opted for the Friday delivery.\n"I thought, how could (Mark) miss this one opportunity that he might never have again in his life?" said Pavelka, 28, from the southwestern Chicago suburb of Homer Glen.\nAt 10:45 p.m. Friday, Mark Patrick Pavelka was born at Palos Community Hospital after close to six hours of labor.\nWhile her husband watched the Bears play the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field on Sunday, Colleen planned to watch in the hospital with the baby wrapped in a Bears blanket -- a Christmas gift from his grandmother.\nThe couple named Mark after his father, who wore a "Monsters of the Midway" shirt during the delivery.\n"If he wasn't born by Sunday and the Bears won, I would have named him Rex," after Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, joked Mark Pavelka, 28.\nMark is the couple's second son.
(01/19/07 4:42am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- The city that crowns champions yearns for one to call its own.\nIndianapolis hands out trophies at the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 500, at an NCAA Final Four every few years and at scads of world championships and Olympic trials it hosts. It's a big-time sports town in almost every sense of the word -- except, maybe, in the way that counts most.\nIt is not a titletown.\nThe Colts haven't won a Super Bowl since they moved to Indianapolis 23 years ago. They haven't even been to the big game, in fact. The last championship to be celebrated by a big-league team inside the city limits came in 1973, when the Pacers won the American Basketball Association title.\n"It's a city with a major inferiority complex," said Bob Kravitz, sports columnist for The Indianapolis Star. "It's a city that's still looking for an identity, a sports identity. ... We have a really nice identity as hosts. We're very good at handing out other people's championships. Now, the town wants one of its own."\nOnce again, Friday will be called "Blue Friday" in Indianapolis, and fans throughout this metro area of about 1.6 million will be wearing Colts colors, hoping a bit of Colts pride might spark quarterback Peyton Manning and the home team to its first trip to the big time.\nThe New England Patriots -- with quarterback Tom Brady, coach Bill Belichick and those three Super Bowl rings -- will provide the perfect foil in Sunday's AFC championship game. In many ways, it had to be them.\n"For us, they're always the team that's in the way of what we're trying to do," running back Dominic Rhodes said. "I mean, it would have been good to go down and beat San Diego. But to get the Pats at home, to have a chance to beat them in this atmosphere--that's what you want."\nOf course, getting the storybook setup doesn't always mean a title is preordained.\nThree years ago, Indianapolis made its first AFC title game and lost to the Patriots. Two years ago, Manning set an NFL record with 49 touchdown passes in the regular season, but the Colts lost to the Patriots in the divisional playoffs. Last year, the Colts started the season 13-0 and secured home-field advantage through the playoffs, but saw those dreams derailed with a divisional-round loss to Pittsburgh. This year, "The city is crazy about the Colts," said John Dedman of the Indiana Sports Corporation, which brings sporting events to the state.\nThis football frenzy is, in many ways, a labor of love that fans in long-suffering sports cities can best understand.\n"When I came here in 2002, I would have classified it as a basketball town, a Pacers town," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "Now, you see a lot more blue around, people in Colts gear. People have embraced this team. We've got players who are easy to embrace."\nIndiana has long been known as racing and hoops country, and the Pacers of the 1990s and early 2000s had some championship credentials. But Pacer Reggie Miller's retirement and the Ron Artest brawl in November 2004 sullied their esteem in the community, and they have suffered in the standings, as well.\nMeantime, Manning keeps setting records and the Colts find themselves on the cusp of the Super Bowl.\nAgain.\n"There are a lot of people in town who are swallowing hard this week because they had such huge expectations last year and then fell on their sword," Kravitz said. "In this city, the sight of Tom Brady gives us the civic heebie-jeebies"