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Flash: Barbaro lives! . . . according to Parade Magazine! |
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February 12, 2007 |
 Beckham |
 Means Road Trip |
 Zook |
Los Angeles, February 12, 2007 – “‘The fractured right hind leg healed so well, he was out of his cast and walking daily,’ says Dr. Dean Richardson of the University of Pennsylvania, Barbaro’s chief surgeon. “But he developed a condition in his left hind hoof requiring surgery on Jan. 13. Since then, his comfort has improved and he’s stable.”
So read an item on the heavily-read Personality Parade on page 2 of yesterday’s Parade magazine – dated February 11, 2007 – which has weekly circulation of 37 million. One problem: Barbaro died on January 29!
= Tonight’s menu =
>> The 25-26 Clippers will try to get back to .500 at the Palace of Auburn Hills tonight against the Pistons. Detroit is 31-18 and has a six-game winning streak while the Clippers are 2-4 on their current, lengthy road trip thanks to the Grammy Awards being held at Staples Center. Detroit is favored by nine with an over-under of 187 which translates to Pistons 98, Clippers 89.
= NBA/pro basketball =
>> Remember Gilbert Arenas’s prediction that his next scoring outburst would come against Portland yesterday? Arenas went into the game confident of scoring 50, but was 0-8 from three-point range and ended with nine! Said Arenas after the game: “We have a new philosophy now, focusing on defense and we are still adjusting to that.” Washington coach Eddie Jordan’s reaction? “That’s just plain stupid.” By the way, the Trailblazers hammered the Wizards at home by 21, 94-73.
>> Would you like a trey? Former UCLA star Jason Kapono came into the league with one clearly identifiable quality: he can shoot the three. He’s continuing to lead the NBA in three-point field-goal percentage at 55.4%. Now the Heat would like to re-sign him, but it may take a raise from his current $1.19 million a year to more than $5 million – roughly about the mid-level exception – to keep him. Nice shooting, Jason!
>> NBA coaching carousel: the Newark Star-Ledger reported today that Knicks owner James Dolan told the team on Friday that team President and Head Coach Isiah Thomas had nothing to worry about. Even though the Knicks are well under .500 with a 22-29 record, they’re within one win of equaling last season’s total of 23 and there are still 31 games to go.
>> In Minnesota, Randy Wittman will apparently stay as head coach even if the Timberwolves do not make the playoffs since owner Glen Taylor is tired of changing coaches. Wittman is Minnesota’s third coach in the two seasons since Flip Saunders was excused.
>> Home Sweet Home: It used to be that only the Chicago Bulls faced an annual long road trip in the NBA, but it’s becoming more and more commonplace. Because Staples Center was being used for last night’s Grammy Awards, the Lakers were sent on an eight-game trip and were 3-5. The Clippers were sent on a seven-game trip and are 2-4 going into their finale with Detroit. Even the mighty Spurs were sent away from the AT&T Center for eight games because of the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo! They are just 2-4 so far with two more games on the road at New Jersey and Detroit on Tuesday and Wednesday. But no one can match the Bulls for road-warrior futility in their annual excursion around the country due to the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus shows at the United Center. This season, the Bulls managed a 1-6 record during the trip in November and are now 5-47 during circus tours over the past eight seasons.
>> Last add, NBA: true or false: the Eastern Conference team with the best record against the West is the Pistons. Did you say false? You’re right, that’s wrong! It’s Cleveland with a 12-7 record against Western teams and 8-1 at home. The Cavs are 18-14 against the East and 30-21 overall, second best behind Detroit.
= College basketball =
>> Florida stayed no. 1 in both major polls this week with Ohio State second, Wisconsin third, North Carolina fourth and then UCLA in the Associated Press poll or Pittsburgh in the ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll. UCLA is seventh in the coaches’ poll. In the RPI rankings, UCLA remains no. 1 with North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Wisconsin following. Florida, now in the midst of a 15-game winning streak, is up to no. 8.
>> More rankings: after a four-game losing streak, Duke fell out of the Associated Press top 25 for the first time since the end of the 1995-96 season, breaking a streak of 200 weeks, second all-time. Only UCLA during the last ten years of the John Wooden era and for five years after between 1966 and 1980 had more consecutive weeks in the poll at 221. Duke was the leading vote-getter not in the top 25 in both polls, missing the last spot by three points in the coaches’ poll and by eight points in the AP poll.
>> Prediction: Seth Davis of CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated said this weekend that Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and UCLA would be regional top seeds unless any of those schools lost two more games before the tournament.
= College football =
>> Recruiting follow-up: Illinois coach Ron Zook’s top-15 recruiting class continues to be the subject of a lot of chatter in college football circles. A story in the New York Times noted the reaction of several coaches who wondered how Zook did so well, insinuating that Illinois may have broken some rules. But at least one former coach is coming to Zook’s defense: Mike Gottfried, now a game commentator for ESPN. Gottfriend called the story a “cheap shot” on the air and said
“What has happened is there's a Midwest university that's out there that has lost some players to Illinois. They're crying, they're complaining: ‘There must be cheating going on because why wouldn't the players come to our school and why are they going to Illinois?’
"I wouldn't wrap dead fish in this paper, the New York Times. I don't care about it, and it's wrong.”
>> Fashion statement: Correspondent The Kook pointed us to a sarcastic response to the news that Oregon head football coach Mike Bellotti had been given a five-year extension by the University. The wild boys at Michiganzone.Blogspot.com suggested that Belotti would make the announcement at five different press conferences at which he would wear five different suits, one for each year of the contract. Moreover, “Belotti noted that by mixing and matching the various pieces, he actually has 372 different suit combinations, only 400 fewer choices than the football team has on game days.”
= NFL/pro football =
>> ESPN hairstylist Mel Kiper, Jr. caused a commotion among NFL beat writers in half a dozen cities in his latest draft showing Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn all the way down at ninth to the Miami Dolphins. Comment: Cleveland will pick third or fourth and has Charlie Frye at quarterback and Reuben Droughns at running back. They need a quarterback a lot worse than they need a running back and Quinn is from Ohio. Brady Quinn will be a Brown.
>> Quarterback shopping: the Philadelphia Eagles would like to keep Jeff Garcia as an insurance policy, of course, but the Daily News and the Inquirer are full of stories about offers from the Vikings, or perhaps Denver or Carolina as some have lost confidence in Jake Delhomme. The wildest rumor yet is Chicago, after Rex Grossman’s sub-par Super Bowl.
= All around the world =
>> Midfielder David Beckham returned to the Real Madrid line-up on Saturday with a goal that helped Real beat Real Sociedad, 2-1. Beckham scored on a free kick with eight minutes to play in the first half and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the game-winner three minutes into the second half with a header. With Madrid in a tailspin most of this season, the win might have saved the job of manager Fabio Capello, the same man who benched Beckham for the past month.
>> Beckham alert no. 2: a new fragrance that balances masculinity and style called “Instinct” has been introduced by Beckham with Coty Beauty. According to the announcement, Instinct “begins with an invigorating flash of bright Italian bergamot, grapefruit and mandarin leaf notes. Next, an unexpected trio of provocation strikes via a blend of spicy red pimento, warm star anise and fusing cardamom notes. The scent ends with a seductive wave of precious Haiti vetiver, intense patchouli and an almost touchable hint of white amber.”
>> What’s in a name: Among the more than 450 thoroughbreds nominated for the 2007 Triple Crown races, the favorite of bettors in the West will certainly be a California-based entry named “Horse Greeley”!
~ Rich Perelman
>> Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below!
>> Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free sports memorabilia! Just click on the “Register & Win” tab at left; enter today!
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