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Updated: March 17, 2010, 1:38 PM ET
Report: Gonzalez fired as coach
Associated Press
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- A person close to the university tells The Associated Press that Seton Hall Pirates basketball coach Bobby Gonzalez has been fired.
The person spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. The school called a news conference for later Wednesday to discuss its basketball program.
Gonzalez was fired a day after the Pirates (19-13) were beaten by Texas Tech in the opening round of the NIT.
Gonzalez met with Monsignor Robert Sheeran early Wednesday and was informed of the decision, the person said.
The firing comes two days after women's basketball coach Phyllis Mangina resigned after 25 years.
Wednesday 3-17-10
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"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
- Jack London -
NFL to examine 2 possessions in playoffs OT
By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
Barry Wilner, Ap Football Writer
1 hr 6 mins ago
NEW YORK – NFL owners will vote next week whether to allow each team a possession in overtime in the playoffs if the team winning the OT coin toss kicks a field goal on the first series.
Previously, the game would end whenever either side scores, as happened in the NFC championship game in January, with New Orleans beating Minnesota on Garrett Hartley's kick. But NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay says a trend has developed showing too strong an advantage for teams winning the coin toss to start overtime.
If the team that falls behind by three points on the first series also kicks a field goal, then the game would continue under current sudden death rules.
The proposal is only for the postseason.
"Statistically, it is pretty clear there has been a change," McKay said. "When sudden death was put in for 1974, it clearly worked very well and was a good system. It brought excitement and effectively broke ties. From '74-'93 you had a 50-50 (breakdown) in who would win between those who won toss and who lost the toss.
"Changes occurred over time, and the numbers have changed to 59.8 percent winning the coin toss and winning the game. The team that loses the coin toss wins 38.5 percent.
"We are trying to put in a system that emphasizes more skill and strategy as opposed to the randomness of the coin flip."
McKay credited the advancements in field goal accuracy and skills of return teams for the hefty switch in statistics. The competition committee found that since 1994, when the kickoff was moved back 5 yards to the 30, teams winning the OT coin toss won 34.4 percent of the games on the first series. They kicked field goals 26.2 percent of those times, an increase from 17.9 percent in 15 years.
"I would say this is something that's been on our radar for a number of years and been talked about a lot," he said. "In the last four or five years, we have not proposed anything because we thought if there weren't enough votes (among the 32 owners), we should not propose it. This year, the statistics are so compelling we need to get the discussion going."
Rest assured there will be plenty of discussion; 24 votes are needed to adopt the change.
The players union strongly has supported the current overtime setup because it fears another system could lead to more injuries. McKay said the competition committee has "not spent a lot of time with them" on this proposal, but will make the players association aware of the recommendation.
Another recommendation to the owners, who will hold their meetings in Orlando, Fla., beginning Sunday, centers on expanding protection for defenseless players, most notably receivers. McKay said a recent rule change helped, but there are cases where receivers already have made a catch and still are defenseless when they get hit in the head area.
The proposal will offer those players protection from hits to the head until after the catch is made and the receiver has an opportunity to protect himself.
"Before you can do something you must first be something."
"There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe -
Tiger Woods to return to golf at the Masters
By DOUG FERGUSON, AP Golf Writer
Doug Ferguson, Ap Golf Writer
32 mins ago
PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Tiger Woods said Tuesday he will return to golf next month at the Masters, ending a four-month hiatus brought on by a sex scandal that shattered his image as the gold standard in sports.
"The Masters is where I won my first major and I view this tournament with great respect," Woods said in a statement. "After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I'm ready to start my season at Augusta."
The Masters begins April 8.
The Associated Press first reported his plans to return at Augusta National last Thursday.
Woods has not competed since Nov. 15 when he won the Australian Masters for his 82nd victory worldwide. Twelve days later, he crashed his car into a tree outside his Florida home, setting off shocking revelations that he had been cheating on his wife.
"The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played," Woods said.
"I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment," he said. "Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."
There had been reports he would play the Tavistock Cup exhibition next week in Orlando, followed by the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, where he is the defending champion and a six-time winner.
"When I finally got into a position to think about competitive golf again, it became apparent to me that the Masters would be the earliest I could play," Woods said.
Already the major with the highest TV ratings, this Masters could be the biggest yet. The first two rounds are televised on ESPN, with CBS Sports on the weekend.
"Obviously, the ratings will be off the chart," Heath Slocum said. "It will be interesting to watch — not only the reaction from him, but from the fans, the media, the players. I would venture to say he might be nervous."
Woods twice has come into a major after a long layoff without playing, with mixed results — he missed the cut at Winged Foot for the 2006 U.S. Open after his father died, and he won the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines while playing on a shattered left knee.
Woods is a four-time Masters champion, although he has not won at Augusta National since 2005, his longest drought there.
In some respects, the Masters makes sense for golf's No. 1 player to return. Media credentials are limited regardless of who's playing or what's in the news, and Augusta National has more control of its tickets than any other golf tournament.
Those with season badges risk losing them if they violate policies, or are caught selling them.
Woods has been the biggest draw at the Masters ever since he became its youngest champion at 21 in 1997, when he broke the tournament scoring record with a 12-shot victory.
That likely won't compare to this year.
Woods' world came crashing down on Nov. 27 when he fled his house in the middle of the night and ran his Cadillac SUV over a fire hydrant and into a tree. About that time, allegations of womanizing began to emerge, and Woods' silence was replaced by rumors of what happened that night and how, as the world's most famous athlete, he could keep so many affairs a secret.
He eventually confessed to infidelity and said Dec. 11 he would take an "indefinite break" from golf. Woods spoke publicly for the first time on Feb. 19 at TPC Sawgrass, where he confessed to cheating on his wife, Elin.
"I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did," Woods said that day.
He was in a Mississippi clinic from Dec. 31 until Feb. 11, then went to an Arizona clinic for a week of family counseling. He returned to practice when he got home to Isleworth, and swing coach Hank Haney joined him last week.
This will be the first time Woods won't play Bay Hill, the only regular PGA Tour event he has never missed as a professional.
Meantime, the governing body of golf outside the United States said it hoped Woods would play at the British Open in July.
"We're pleased to hear that Tiger is to return to golf. ... Golf needs the world No. 1 to be playing," Royal & Ancient spokesman Malcolm Booth said.
Woods has not yet entered to play at the British Open at St. Andrews, but has until May 27 to send in his entry form. Booth says it's "normal that he hasn't" entered yet.
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That it cost $14.7 billion dollars to count all americans in the 2010 Census? I think it's a waste of money when you can use a birth and death certificate to approximate and I don't think everyone is totally honest on the form anyway. Just me thinking out loud.
Midday 3-15-10 Evening
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New Moon Monday 3-15-10
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Sunday, March 14, 2010
Andre to Pete: 'No, wait, I've got a dollar'
ESPN.com news services
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, in what began as an attempt at levity during a charity doubles match, launched their legendary rivalry into uncharted waters over the weekend in Indian Wells, Calif.
Sampras, teamed with Roger Federer, and Agassi, alongside Rafael Nadal, gave a new twist to a decades-old exchange in the Hit for Haiti charity fundraiser at the BNP Paribas Open.
With the one-set match even at 4-4 on Friday night, Sampras and Federer took a 40-love lead in the ninth game, with Sampras appearing to put a little extra on his serves.
All of the players were wearing microphone headsets.
"You always have to go get serious, huh, Pete?'' Agassi asked to the delight of a laughing crowd.
Sampras then double-faulted, and the show began.
"OK, Andre, I'll joke around a little bit," Sampras said, with a slight hint of sarcasm. "I'm going to imitate you."
For 15 seconds, Sampras mocked Agassi's pigeon-toed walk in a circle behind the baseline. Gathering himself to serve, he directed a broad smile at Agassi directly across from him.
But Sampras didn't stop there.
ESPN360: Hit for Haiti charity event
Roger Federer and Pete Sampras played Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi in one doubles match Friday night, while Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport took on Justine Henin and Martina Navratilova. Watch replay
With racket in hand, he awkwardly pinched and rolled his shirt-tail inward in another apparent ribbing of Agassi.
"Say something, say it," Sampras then declared to Agassi, hands in the air, asking for a comeback.
"I'm waiting, I want to impersonate you," Agassi replied.
"OK, go ahead," Sampras said.
Agassi pulled out the fabric of his empty sweatpants pockets.
"I don't have any money," Agassi said, using his left hand to continue rifling through that pocket. "No, wait, I've got a dollar!"
In a biography released late last year, Agassi told a story in which a valet confirmed to him that Sampras had tipped him a dollar after they had eaten at the same restaurant, an establishment that was said to be in Indian Wells.
"It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt, huh?" Agassi said.
Sampras then bounced a ball as he appeared to begin to serve.
But Agassi interrupted.
"Look at him, he can't help himself," Agassi said.
"This guy," Sampras chided in return.
Meanwhile, the two greats of the current era, Federer and Nadal, continued to wait out the awkward moment.
"This rivalry is intense, man," Federer said. "I mean, Rafa, start. Do something."
Sampras then resumed play.
But instead of hitting to the return court where Nadal awaited his serve, Sampras darted a shot right at Agassi, who was able to dodge the ball.
"It's all right, it's all right," Agassi said.
"That's the way you want to play it?" Sampras jokingly said.
"You know what, it's better than being a valet driver and you pulling up," Agassi said.
Sampras couldn't hide his look of surprise this time.
"Let's talk about our baggage," Sampras said. "Here we go. I'm a bad tipper. I'm sorry, Barack Obama."
Play picked up again, and Nadal's crosscourt, backhand return kept the game alive.
"Wow," Sampras said, continuing the verbal jousting with Agassi. "You got personal. You got personal with me."
"Nah, nah nah" Agassi said. "Everybody knows that already."
Sampras and Federer went on to beat Nadal and Agassi 8-6.
In the women's match, Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin beat Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport, 8-6.
The $1 million fundraiser that also featured singer Tony Bennett was a sellout at the 16,100-seat Tennis Garden.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Lutz fired after 12 seasons at Charlotte
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte fired coach Bobby Lutz on Monday after his 12th year at his alma mater was marred by a late-season collapse and a costly blunder in a first-round loss in the Atlantic 10 tournament.
Chancellor Philip Dubois said in a statement that the move was in the "long-term interest of 49ers basketball and the university as a whole." Lutz leaves as the school's all-time winningest coach with a 218-158 mark and with four years left on his contract.
"This was an extremely difficult decision and not one that was made lightly or in haste," athletic director Judy Rose said. "Bobby has been an important part of the 49ers family and represented our university in a most positive manner. Our expectations for our program are high and our goal is to strive to be in the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10 with an opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament on a regular basis."
Lutz did not immediately return a message left on his cell phone.
The move would have seemed improbable barely a month ago, when the 49ers knocked off Temple and moved into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic 10. With a roster full of newcomers, Lutz had seemingly turned things around after Rose said over the summer that Lutz faced a "critical year" after going 11-20 in 2008-09.
But Charlotte soon went into a free-fall, losing seven of its last eight games to miss out on the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year. The 49ers also failed to get a bid to the NIT on Sunday.
And Lutz's last game will be memorable for an embarrassing gaffe.
Trailing Massachusetts by three with under a minute left in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament at home, the 49ers had the ball and called a timeout. But they came out of the huddle with six players and when play began they were called for a technical foul.
UMass, which entered 11-19 and the 11th seed, hit both free throws and went on to post the upset.
"You'd think a guy with three undergraduate degrees and two graduate degrees could count to five, but obviously I didn't," Lutz said after the game, which left Charlotte 19-12.
Lutz's assistants were also fired on Monday, and the school said a search for a replacement would begin immediately.
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"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs."
- Malcolm Forbes -