September 2007 Archives

By NANCY ARMOUR
AP National Writer
Think of sports memorabilia, and those baseball cards from childhood immediately spring to mind. It’s simple, nostalgic, a way to hold on to a much simpler time.
Then O.J. Simpson got involved.
Simpson’s arrest almost two weeks ago in an armed holdup of sports memorabilia collectors was a reminder of just how big a business collecting is. And like every business, memorabilia collecting has its shady characters.
“There’s an unsavory side to any business, no matter what it is. It’s the nature of business,” said Josh Evans, chairman and founder of Lelands, an auction house in Seaford, N.Y. “Unfortunately, usually they kind of slip in between the shadows and behind closed doors. When something like this happens, it brings them into the light.
“They’re a very small percentage, only a few.”
According to police reports, Simpson and several other men went to a hotel room at the Palace Station casino in Las Vegas on Sept. 13 on the pretext of brokering a deal with two longtime collectors. But once in the room, the collectors were ordered at gunpoint to hand over items including game balls signed by Simpson, framed awards and plaques and Joe Montana lithographs. Some of the items were valued at as much as $100,000.
Simpson insists the items were really his and had been stolen from him earlier. But he’s facing multiple charges,
including kidnapping and armed robbery.
One of the collectors has a criminal record, as does the man who arranged the meeting with Simpson.
“When you’re not with the flagships of the industry, I’m not real sure who you’re doing business with,” said FBI Special Agent Tim Fitzsimmons, the case agent for Operation Bullpen, which broke up a nationwide network of forgers, authenticators and sellers of sports and celebrity memorabilia.
“It’s kind of like the old axiom, you get what you pay for.”
Although the Simpson case might make the memorabilia industry seem less than legit, Fitzsimmons and others say nothing could be further from the truth. Most memorabilia is bought and sold through agents or auction houses — companies whose multimillion dollar earnings are dependent on doing honest business.
They employ authenticators to make sure that ball really was once hit by Babe Ruth, and the signature on that trading card really is Tony Gwynn’s. If someone brings them something to sell, they require a provenance, a paper trail that traces the item’s owners and history.
“You won’t last long in this business unless you’re being fair with people,” said Dan Imler, managing director of SCP Auctions, which recently auctioned
off Barry Bonds 756th home run ball.
“It’s all about earning people’s trust and earning your future business. Generally, those people that are unscrupulous don’t stick around long.”

The Associated Press issued this directive on how the NL will be settled, and it'll be updated after tonight's games.
For a classic explanation of a four-team tie, jump to the end:

NL East: If New York and Philadelphia (both 87-71) finished tied, and the wild card is not assured of coming from the NL East, they would play tiebreaker game Monday in Philadelphia. If the wild card is assured of coming from the NL East, Philadelphia would win the division because it won the season series 12-6, and the Mets would be the wild
card.

NL Central: If Chicago (83-76) and Milwaukee (81-78) finish with the same record, they would play tiebreaker game Monday at Chicago.

NL West: If Arizona (89-70) and San Diego (88-71) finish with the same record, and the wild card is not assured of coming from the NL West, they would play a tiebreaker game Monday in Phoenix.
If San Diego and Colorado (87-72) finish with the same record, and the wild card is not assured of coming from the NL West, they would play a tiebreaker game Monday in San Diego. If the wild card is assured of coming from the NL West, then division title would be based on who won the season series. Colorado beat San Diego 10-8 and Arizona beat San Diego 10-8.

Wild Card: In the event two teams tie for the wild card and cannot win the division, Colorado would host New York, Philadelphia or San Diego in a tiebreaker; New York would host Arizona or San Diego; Philadelphia would host Arizona; and San Diego would host Arizona or Philadelphia.

Three teams with same record: In the event three teams finish with the same record, and two of them are tied for first place, the two teams in the same division would play a tiebreaker Monday for the division title. The loser of that game would then play a wild-card tiebreaker Tuesday against the team from the other division.

Four teams with same record: In the event four teams finish with the same record, and they all
are tied for first place, NL East and NL West tiebreakers would be played Monday; the losing teams would meet in a wild-card tiebreaker Tuesday.
In the event four teams finish with the same record, and two are tied for second place in the NL West, New York and Philadelphia would play the NL East tiebreaker Monday; the loser would play a three-team, two-day, wild-card tiebreaker with the NL West teams on Tuesday and Wednesday. In the that scenario, the team with the best head-to-head record among the three teams in the wild-card tiebreaker would get the choice of having a bye on Tuesday or playing both games at home.

(Photo by BASE Productions/FSN)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart displays his entire throwing range in this high defintion photo shot at thousands of frames a second laid over each other during the production of the FSN show, "Sport Science."

Following up on today's Daily News media column on the new series, "Sport Science," where FSN will have original shows airing Sundays at 9 p.m.:
The sight of Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter using a sledgehammer on a crash-test dummy makes you think: Doesn't an All-Pro like him have better things to do than risk injury with this TV stuff?
John Brenkus, the show's co-creator and on-air guinea pig, said the first thing FSN asked him the project was what athletes would be attached to it?
"We took the approach that: If we build it, they will come," said Brenkus about the airport hanger in Hawthorne they converted into the lab. "They're gazillionares. But if you build the most high-tech sports facility that's cutting edge and tell them we want to give you insight on your abilities, they'll come. It ended up as an easy sell. When you can teach something to some athlete that you idolize, that’s an incredibly reearding experience. Guys like Chad Johnson, who has this bad-boy image, showed up on time and was only supposed to stay an hour. He was there four or five hours later asking us, 'What else can I do?'"
Softball pitcher Jennie Finch ended up shattering a piece of plexiglass in a segment trying to see which had a greater impact, a baseball or a softball. The experiment was trying to measure the reaction time a batter has against either a baseball or softball pitcher. As it turned out, they discovered that a batter can't see a 90 mile per hour pitch during the last 25 feet of flight. The eye blinks at .83 seconds, almost the same as an MLB fastball. The brain can't measure it that close for a batter to make a decision.
Matt Leinart and others participated in a "empathy" test -- hooked up with all kinds of sensors to measure blood pressure and biorhythms, the athletes were put in front of a monitor and watched images.
"It was kind of like 'Clockwork Orange'," said Brenkus. "All the images were sports related, from a car wreck to a home run to someone getting kicked into the groin. The responses were measured as how the athletes empathized with what they saw. And as it turned out, if you watched something take place either in person or on TV, your body does respond to the feeling of watching someone else get hurt. We do experience some pain. You have a physical reaction."

As for Kirk Herbstreit, in addition to the sidebar in today's Daily News about his crazy travel:
Herbstreit will have seen USC play in person twice after Saturday's broadcast. The Trojans are an ABC prime-time window tennant for three straight weeks (with at least two more to come, not including the afternoon meeting with UCLA on Dec. 1). That streak will end when its game against Stanford next week airs on ... ahem ... Versus.
Asked on Mike Tirico's radio show to give his top five each week, Herbstreit isn't one to stick all season with an unbeaten tennant at No. 1 simply because it won its game. It's how USC has won this season that keeps it in Herbstreit's top spot, while LSU, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Florida continue to play musical chairs behind the Trojans.
"It starts with their defense, even with the injuries they've picked up so far with Brian Cushing and others," Herbstreit said of USC's No. 1 ranking. "I'm blown away by the speed on that side of the ball and how much chaos it creates. They feel invincable. As for the offense, it's not realistic to expect (sophomore Vidal) Hazelton, (redshirt freshman David) Ausberry and (freshman) Ronald Johnson to be as good as Steve Smith or Dwayne Jarrett right now. Maybe that'll happen by week six or seven. They're still talented but they have time to get better.
"There's a certain aura about the program now. Everyone wondered if the team would fall off once Carson Palmer left. And then when Leinart and Bush and White left. But it keeps going. The one constant is Pete Carroll and how he affects everything. He has the ability to keep things loose and authentic. When there's hard work to do, they do it for him. It's pretty cool to see that.
"And with that traditional offense, it's exciting to see how a fullback and tight end work into this, in this era of a spread offense. It's really a throwback for the fullback and tight end to not only work their way into the offense, but be vital parts, like Stanley Havili and Fred Davis have done. USC isn't all about the quarterback or the 10 running backs or the star receivers. The fullback and tight end being as active as they are is really a dying breed."

Read on .....

By GARANCE BURKE
Associated Press Writer
FRESNO -- An assistant high school football coach led his team to a string of victories by improperly recruiting more than a dozen players from American Samoa and offering them housing, according to an investigation by local sports authorities.
The six-month probe alleges a Samoa-based relative of the coach began meeting with the students’ parents as early as 2004, and persuaded them to send their sons from the remote South Pacific island to Stockton, 50 miles south of Sacramento. Once there, the coach is accused of housing the students at his home, with his brother or with other coaches.
Fourteen students and their families flew to California on tickets purchased by the coach’s mother, and were put up in motels for a week paid for by Franklin High School personnel, authorities said. The coaches helped the parents get fake utility bills to establish their sons’ residency, and the Yellowjackets gained a new set of recruits to
advance their standing within the league, officials said.
“Who knows where they would have been if they hadn’t had those kids,” said Pete Saco, a regional commissioner
of the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports in the state. “Our goal is that everybody has to play by the rules. That’s the essence of what high sports is all about.”

LeBron James' rendention of the old Bobby Brown song "My Prerogative" with the MC Hammer pants and Gumby haircut, was the only memorable thing from when he co-hosted the ESPY Awards last July with Jimmy Kimmel.
And that's what apparently helped sell the folks at NBC's "Saturday Night Live" to invite him as the host to open the 33rd season of the show (Saturday, 11:35 p.m., KNBC Channel 4). James will be the first NBA player since Michael Jordan in 1991 to open the series, and the first NBA player to appear since Charles Barkley did it in '93 (all back when NBC was covering the NBA on a regular basis).
"We started talking internally last year (about having James on) and then after the playoffs, and watching the ESPYs of course, and the Nike ads, you can tell when someone has a sense of humor or perspective on theirself and can laugh at stuff," said Lorne Michaels on moments ago on a conference call with media writers. "He's known by all sorts of people who don't follow basketball that much."
Kimmel said of James during the EPSYs: "He can do it all -- except sing and dance." Now the 22-year-old has another chance, especially with muscial guest Kanye West busting a few moves.
Thursday, James wouldn't say if he's going to reprise a song-and-dance number. That's mostly because he's not sure if any of the skits they've rehearsed so far are getting on.
"Right now, we're about 30 minutes long and we're going to wait to see after dress rehearsal so I hate to say what's in," said Michaels. "He's really good at this stuff."
"I've been a fan of the show since my mom let me stay up to watch it," said James. "If I wasn't a fan, I wouldn't be doing it."
"We have been on 12 years long than he's been alive," Michaels reminded us.
Here's a Wikipedia list of sports figures who have hosted the show over the years.

Those of us who caught the end of this morning's "Roggin and Simers Squared" episode on KLAC-AM (570) were amazed to hear that the show's three co-hosts -- Fred Roggin, T.J. Simers and Tracy Simers -- have all been blown out, and Dan Patrick, the former ESPN Radio midday host, will replace them in the morning time slot beginning Monday.
"It is Fred, T.J. and Tracy in this time period for the last time," Roggin announced this morning, according to LARadio.com. "This is going to be our final show together on KLAC. Yesterday, the somewhat sobering, yet exciting news. As many of you know, Dan Patrick, who worked for ESPN for many years, left that network and became a free agent and decided to go with syndicated radio. As the story goes, as the crow flies, as the wind blows, Clear Channel, which owns this station, signed Dan Patrick. Dan Patrick needed a Los Angeles home. Given the fact that from the very beginning of our go-round here, it had been trumpeted that it was only going to last a year."
Simers, the L.A. Times page 2 columnist, admitted the grind of the morning radio was taking its toll on him and had been asking for some sort of change in the schedule. Simers will be paid through the end of his contract, until 2008. Roggin said he will stay at the station in some capacity.
On Dan Patrick's official website, a clock counts down the days, hours and minutes to the launch of his new show. On his blog, the September 26th, 2007 entry reads: "So here it is. I’m proud to let you know that ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ will return Monday morning October 1st. We’ll be live from 9a-Noon ET…6a-9a PT on a station near you. We’ll have more info at danpatrick.com leading up to the launch about station specifics. Thanks to all of you that checked out the site and the blog over the past two months. I can’t wait to get back on the air. Talk to you Monday."
It is known that any station that carries ESPN Radio content could not take Patrick's show under orders from ESPN. That left 710-AM as well as 1090-AM in San Diego out of the picture for a Southern California home for Patrick.

BEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) — Nike has unveiled what it said is the first shoe designed specifically for American Indians, an effort aiming at promoting physical fitness in a population with high obesity rates.
The Beaverton-based company says the Air Native N7 is designed with a larger fit for the distinct foot shape of American Indians, and has a culturally specific look. It will be distributed solely to American Indians; tribal wellness programs and tribal schools nationwide will be able to purchase the shoe at wholesale price and then pass it along to individuals, often at no cost.
"Nike is aware of the growing health issues facing Native Americans," said Sam McCracken, manager of Nike's Native American Business program. "We are stepping up our commitment ... to elevate the issue of Native American health and wellness."
Nike said it is the first time it has designed a shoe for a specific race or ethnicity. It said all profits from the sale of the shoe will be reinvested in health programs for tribal lands, where problems with obesity, diabetes and related conditions are near epidemic levels in some tribes.
Nike designers and researchers looked at the feet of more than 200 people from more than 70 tribes nationwide and found that in general, American Indians have a much wider and taller foot than the average shoe accommodates. The average shoe width of men and women measured was three width sizes larger than the standard Nike shoe.
As a result, the Air Native is wider with a larger toe box. The shoe has fewer seams for irritation and a thicker sock liner for comfort.

NEW YORK (AP) -- The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and Wednesday announced the decision to brand it won out over the other options -- sending it to Cooperstown unblemished or launching it into space.
(According to the site Vote756.com, 47 percent of the 10 million plus votes cast picked the asterisk, while 34 percent wanted it sent to the Hall unmarked and 19 percent were willing to have it blasted into space). Ecko announced the results this morning on NBC's "Today" show, to give him as much publicity as possible.
Ecko said he believed the vote to brand the ball showed people thought "this was shrouded in a chapter of baseball history that wasn't necessarily the clearest it could be."
Ecko, whom Bonds called "an idiot" last week, had the winning bid Sept. 15 in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit Aug. 7 to break Hank Aaron's record of 755 home runs. The final selling price was $752,467, well above most predictions that assumed Bonds' status as a lightning rod for the steroids debate in baseball would depress the value.
The asterisk suggests that Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use. The slugger has denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Fans brought signs with asterisks on them to ballparks as he neared Aaron's hallowed mark.
Bonds publicist Rachael Vizcarra did not immediately respond to an e-mail sent early Wednesday seeking comment about the ball's fate.
Hall of Fame president Dale Petroskey said accepting the ball did not mean the Hall in Cooperstown, N.Y., endorses the viewpoint that Barry Bonds used drugs.
"This ball wouldn't be coming to Cooperstown if Marc hadn't bought it from the fan who caught it and then let the fans have their say," Petroskey told The Associated Press. "We're delighted to have the ball. It's a historic piece of baseball history."
Hall of Fame officials and Ecko are discussing how to affix the asterisk on the ball. It's not yet known when the ball will go on display.
The Giants announced Friday they will part with Bonds after this season, the seven-time NL MVP's 15th in San Francisco and 22nd in the majors.
Ecko, known for his pop culture pranks, said he bought the ball and arranged to let the public decide its future online as a way to hold a conversation about a classic American sport in the digital world.
"This is obviously something that struck a chord with fans," Ecko said Wednesday in a phone interview with the AP.
Bonds broke the home run record with a shot into the right-center field seats off Washington Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsik at San Francisco's AT&T Park.
Matt Murphy, a 21-year-old student and construction supervisor from New York, emerged from a scuffle holding the ball. He said he decided to sell it because he couldn't afford to pay the taxes required to keep it.

Only a few hours remains before the 6 p.m. (PDT) deadline approaches on the fate of Barry Bonds' 756th home run ball.
Fashion guru Marc Ecko spent more than $750,000 to buy the ball at auction and has set up a website -- www.vote756.com -- that allows three options for the ball's fate. According to his digital counter, more than 10 million have voted.
The choices: Give it to the Hall of Fame as it, brand it with an asterisk and give it to the Hall, or blast it into outer space.
"He's stupid. He's an idiot," Bonds has said. "He spent $750,000 on the ball and that's what he's doing with it? What he's doing is stupid."
The stupid part is you can vote as many times as you want, seemingly all day if you like.
At least the counter on the site that'll determine the fate for home run No. 755 is a bit more realistic.
On EndTheDebate.com more than 18,000 have voted to smash No. 755, while more than 8,000 want to save it. No word on when the voting ends there.

**==UPDATE: Ecko's website now says you have to tune into NBC's "Today" show Wednesday at 7 a.m. to find out the results of the poll........

In today's Daily Oklahoman, writer Jenni Carlson wrote again, standing by the facts in her original column on Oklahoma State quarterback Bobby Reid back on Sept. 22 that set Cowboys coach Mike Gundy into a post-game tizzy last Saturday that made its way quite quickly around the sports world thanks to immediate video.
Carlson even went on ABC's "Good Morning America" to defend her position Tuesday. The newspaper has her video response on its NewsOK.com website as well.
"I didn't expect this sort of outrage," she said on ABC.
How could she, or anyone?
The Association for Women in Sports Media even issued a response, saying it was "alarmed at the unprofessional manner in which Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy chose to take exception with a column written by AWSM member Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman. Gundy has the right to express his opinion, just as Carlson has the right to express hers. But his decision to air his objections in the form of a personal attack shows a lack of respect for all journalists."
Gundy's meltdown probably didn't do his QB any good -- now the kid must want to curl up in a corner and hide because everyone who has access to a TV knows about his mom feeding him chicken and all the other questionable stuff she included in that column.
She asked Gundy again in Monday's press conference for him to clarify his remarks that three-quarters of her story was inaccurate, but he wouldn't do it. So where is she supposed to go now?
Gundy's overreaction made for great TV. And it opened a better debate on what role the media has in covering college athletes vs. pro athletes.
Do we put pressure on college athletes in the media?
"More than we used to and more than we should," said Washington Post columnist Mike Wilbon when he came onto Mike Tirico's ESPN Radio show Tuesday.
Wilbon said he wasn't sure Carlson "gets it." He thought she crossed the line by criticizing his personal live and not his on-field performance. A younger columnist like Carlson is more inclined to be more bloger-mentality than journalistic quality reporter, both Wilbon and Tirico co-host Scott Van Pelt said.
"There's no accountablity with bloggers," said Wilbon. "Way too much rumor. That's not what we should be doing. Everyone now wants to be a star through opinion. I wonder what contributes to that?"
Wilbon, of course, with his appearances on ESPN's "PTI."
Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Slezak wonders if Gundy was more upset about the female writer than the contents of the story. A fair question.
Also check in on what Marc Isenberg has to say about this matter on his Money Players blog: "Gundy should stick up for his players, but that doesn't mean he should publicly berate someone in the media who writes something critical. Gundy might benefit from some media training. Lesson 1: Don't argue with anyone who works for a company that buys ink by the barrel (great advice offered by Walter O'Malley)."
Some say Gundy was more upset at his staff for leaking information to Carlson, and used Carlson as the target of his anger to get the message across to his guys. His tirade made no sense coming off a big victory that day against Texas Tech.
If so, that's a brutal approach. Because, as Jim Rome gave his take on his syndidated radio show today and probably will expand upon on his "JRIB" ESPN show later today, all Gundy had to do was take Carlson aside and get angry at her privately. Nothing justified his reaction Saturday and an apology is in order.
Regardless, let the lively debate continue. As long as it doesn't get personal.

Going back to our story Sunday in the Daily News on the Los Angeles Amazons of the Women's Pro Football League, we made the reference to the first real attempt at a female pro pigskin team -- the L.A. Dandelions, who started in 1973 at Long Beach Veterans Stadium and lasted until the late '70s with another ownership change.
Ann Beebe, currently the radio producer for USC football and basketball on KSPN-AM (710), will now admit she was one of the original Dandelions as a punter and kicker.
"It's 30 years later, and I'm still hesitant to let this out ... I guess that shows you how far women's football has come," Beebe said.
"We were paid $25 per game, for a whole season and a half, at which point we had to play for free if we wanted to continue. Our owner did pay to fly us to two road games, however -- Oklahoma City and Albuquerque. We played a game in the Dodgers minor league ballpark against Dallas."
Beebe said the highlight of the whole experience was when several players from her team were in a TV movie, "The Oklahoma City Dolls," starring Susan Blakely, Eddie Albert and Waylon Jennings *and Mike Walden as the game announcer). The team photo above is of many Dandelion players portraying the Dolls' opponents, Minnesota Maids. Beebe, as No. 73, is shown here as a punter.
That's where they really made some money.
"We had about a week's work and made more money on that movie than we ever did playing for real -- which still was not much," she said. "I learned how to kick a field goal over one weekend by watching NFL games, and kicked one in the movie."
Beebe says she is still in touch with Dandelions quarterback Rose Lowe and has fond memories of playing for coach Aubrey Duncan, who is now the Amazons' head coach.
"Rose has actually been to some Amazon practices but I haven't made it by yet," Beebe said. "If I ever get there, I want to show Aubrey I can still kick a football."
In the team photo above, that's Beebe (73) in the top row next to Lowe (12).
Another member of the Dandelions was a linebacker named Barbara Patton.
"She used to bring her young son to practice," said Beebe. "He grew up to be a real NFL linebacker."
That would be Marvcus Patton, a former star at UCLA who played for Buffalo, Washington and Kansas City during a 13 year career in the NFL.
Beebe says she still has a VHS video of some of Dandelion history and remembers when NBC did a story on a "Dateline"-type show. Channel 9 reporter Mark Steines, who is now with "Entertainment Tonight," also did a three night feature about 10 years ago.
As for reading the story on the Amazons, Beebe said: "I'm not sure I would have the dedication today's players seem to have. I'm glad they are still trying to make it happen."
Beebe has produced USC football and basketball since 1998. She also did Clippers games from 1986 to 2006 and worked on the KWKW Dodgers broadcasts from 1999-2004. She's also worked at KRLA, KHJ, KRTH and did 20 years for ABC Watermark on American Top 40 with Casey Kasem.

Milton Bradley questioned the legitimacy of what goes on with Fred Roggin's "The Challenge," and see what happened to him?
The thing he should be upset about is how easy the "rapid fire" question segment got for those playing live at Barney's Beanery.
We agree, they needed to dumb down the questions based on the fact no one (hardly) got past five right the first two weeks. But here was a series of true-false asked to one female contestant:
In hockey, they use a ball?
In NASCAR, the drivers always turn left?
Luge is an Olympic sport?
Motoball is an Olympic sport?
You can play tennis with either hand?
What a shock when she won.
I'll give you name of a team, you give me the city, he said to another guy.
Another stunner. Dude got 'em all right.
"Let me say what's up to Petros and Money!" he said afterward.
A smart man on many fronts. Except Money wasn't in the studio. Just Petros.
Third guy also won a dinner.
"True or false: The Dodgers play in the National League?"
The guy gulped before he said true.

Anyway, for Week 3, I believe it's the first time I got every question correct. None were wrong for a dreaded 0. So chalk me up for an all-time best 260 points for third place, only 10 points out of first. Again, this is despite the delay of playing on DirecTV through the Tivo. There's 40 points possible per answer, and I only got that once even though I clicked onto the right answer immediately at least five times (and only got the 40 points once). That's my handicap for the others to take advantage of.
Over the season, I'm in seventh place with 630 points. The lucky red balls are working.
(Not that I'm paying that much attention, but Richel Rogin .... 20th place in the overall standings ... c'mon, you can do better .... )
Here's how it played out Sunday:

Question 1: Which quarterback led the Baltimore Ravens to victory in Super Bowl 35?
A) Steve McNair
B) Tony Banks
C) Maury Povich
D) Trent Dilfer

Question 2: You make the call (A clip of Green Bay's Brett Favre throwing a pass, having it batted back at him, he catches it and throws it again, the pass sailing out of bounds).
A) Incomplete pass
B) Muff
C) Incomplete forward pass.
D) Ineligible player downfield

Question 3: What NFL coach was once an assistant at USC?
A) Mike Shanahan
B) Joe Gibbs
C) Mike Holmgren
D) Fred Rogers

Question 4: Southland resident Maurice Greene won two gold medals at which Olympic Games?
A) Sydney
B) Athens
C) Atlanta
D) Cheyenne

Question 5: (Audio question): Which major league baseball player is singing this song?
A) Scott Spiezio
B) Barry Zito
C) Jason Giambi
D) Ben Broussard

Question 6: Who is the first unseeded player to win a men's title at Wimbledon?
A) Pat Cash
B) Donald Rumsfeld
C) Boris Becker
D) Michael Stich

Question 7: Before being drafted by the Expos, Gary Carter signed a letter of intent to play which sport at UCLA?
A) Volleyball
B) Football
C) Water polo
D) Basketball

Question 8: Which NBA team drafted Dodgers pitcher Mark Hendrickson?
A) Sacramento Kings
B) Cleveland Cavaliers
C) New Jersey Nets
D) Philadelphia 76ers

(Associated Press)

As a follow up to the column in today's Daily News about the Los Angeles Amazons womens' pro football team, here's a recent story that covers the Women's Pro Football League -- where it's been and where it's trying to go:

By DEANNA MARTIN
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS -- Lisa Watson has a husband and five kids at home, plus a full-time job. But her schedule gets really crazy in the summer and fall, when she becomes “Tank,” a member of the Indiana Speed women’s professional football team.
“I just make time, because I love it,” said the 30-year-old Watson, dressed in pads and a helmet while taking a break from a sweltering August practice at a city park.
When football fans across the nation were gearing up for college football and the NFL, the 14 teams in the Women’s Professional Football League had already begun their eight-week regular season.
They don’t have prime time TV spots or multimillion-dollar sponsorship deals. They don’t draw huge crowds to their games at high school or small-college stadiums. Most teams -- with names such as the Las Vegas Showgirlz, the Minnesota Vixen and the Carolina Queens – don’t make a profit.
But the women who wear these football uniforms aren’t playing for fame. And with salaries sometimes at $1 a game, they certainly aren’t playing for fortune.
“I got into it just for the love of the sport,” said 41-year-old April Priest, a linebacker and running back who is also co-owner of the Speed. “I saw my first practice and was hooked.”
Though women’s football has been around for more than 100 years, the current incarnation of the WPFL began in 1999. The sport has come a long way since an 1896 exhibition game in New York City featured women in sailor suits and short dresses. Police stopped the game for fear of spectators crushing the players as they tried to get a better look.
Today, dozens of teams offer women the chance to play football in at least three different leagues, said Brian Wiggins, executive director of the Women’s Professional Football League and owner of the Houston Energy.
“Women want to play,” Wiggins said. “There’s always going to be women’s football.”

By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- In some ways, this is a story of triumph — a group of football players playing through chaos and giving a school a much-needed source of pride.
In other ways, it’s a footnote — a great team rightfully overshadowed by nine symbols of bravery.
Or maybe it’s both. Maybe the 1957 Central High School football team is forever destined for this uncertain legacy.
To many, Central is famous for one reason: the Little Rock Nine, a group of black students who integrated the school 50 years ago this month amid a howling mob and a military escort. But the school has an additional claim to fame as the home of Arkansas’ most storied high school football program.
And the Tigers just happened to be one of the best teams in the country the year Central desegregated.
“I think there’s still a great deal of resentment that that year (students) paid more attention to the football team than we paid to the Little Rock Nine,” said Ralph Brodie, who played football and was student body president that school year. “We were going to make our grades and do our sports and achieve what we could achieve.”
Central has won 32 state championships in football and 17 in boys basketball — and that’s just an overview of the school’s athletic dominance. From 1952-57, the Tigers won six straight football titles. From 1955-58, they won 35 consecutive games.
That streak, of course, includes the ‘57 team, which was ranked No. 1 in the country by a Minnesota news service. The Tigers went 12-0 under coach Wilson Matthews — in one of the more unusual seasons any team has ever played.
Sam Gill, a linebacker that year, remembers the 101st Airborne arriving to enforce integration.
“We had military helicopters and other equipment on our practice field,” he said.
The 101st didn’t want to be a burden, though, and showed up on game night to cheer the Tigers.
“They were our biggest fans,” said Gene Hall, then an assistant coach. “They were cheering for Fort Central.”
When asked about the desegregation, some players from the all-white team are defensive — not about the Little Rock Nine, but about how the student body was portrayed by the media.
“When you are shown to the nation and to the world (as) pariahs or racists, and knowing that you’re not,” Brodie said. “By the time we had won the state again and won all 12 games, it was a very big sense of pride — one of the few things that we could be proud of.”

Anything goofy going on at KSPN-AM (710) concerning afternoon host D'Marco Farr?
His mug and bio has been removed from the station's official site. There were reports on a rival station -- KLAC's Joe McDonnell -- that Farr, who made it to No. 1 on the Bottom 5 in the most recent "Best and Worst of L.A." sports-talk show hosts, was working with the station on a buyout, a settlement hadn't been reached, and he ended up coming into work Thursday late.
Not because the station didn't want him. Because he wanted to leave.
This morning, LARadio.com reported that KSPN GM Bob Koontz "let D'Marco out of his contract early" so he could pursue an NFL job.
No, not as another NFL TV talking head.
It's the Seven Year Itch, D'Marco style. And he's scratching, leaving the rest of us scratching our heads.
"D'Marco has been working out and losing weight," KSPN program director Larry Gifford e-mailed us this morning. "My understanding is he wants to return as a player."
Farr, 36, last played as a Pro Bowl defensive lineman in the NFL in 2000 after winning a Super Bowl title with the St. Louis Rams. His rookie year, '94, after being drafted from the University of Washington, was spent with the Los Angeles Rams.
As far as the weight loss goes, they're still talking about the chair he personally destroyed while just sitting in it at Hertiage Hall on the USC campus before a live radio remote earlier this year.
And as for comebacks:
The Jan 14, 2002 Sporting News reported:
Look for former Rams DT D'Marco Farr to put his broadcasting career on hold and attempt a comeback. He has been rehabbing from two knee surgeries. Within a month or two, he is expected to be able to show teams how far he has come. Farr, 30, missed six games because of injury in 2000 and did not play at all this season.
And then on May 26, 2003,when he tried his comeback with the San Francisco 49ers:
Former Rams DT D'Marco Farr's comeback from a two-year hiatus didn't last a full minicamp. Farr made it through two days of practices before bowing out because of his nagging knee problems.
It's not like Farr doesn't have a media career to (cough) fall back on.
He does radio every Sunday for the Rams on KLOU-FM (103.3 FM) in St Louis, flying back to see all the home games. He's also on the FSN college football studio show live Saturday.
When the former "DKLA" show started at 1 p.m., listeners were informed of Farr's decision. Co-host Kevin Kiley, who has been with Farr the last eight months, confirmed that Farr "retired from radio because he had some opportunities in pro football -- not necessarily as a player, but maybe a coach ... I'd rather watch him play than argue with him. He just had an opportunity he couldn't pass up. We're friends and I stand by him."

Following up on the Daily News media column today, if the audio of the DodgerTalk segment from Sunday in question isn't still on the KFWB website, here's a transcription of what host Bob Harvey said, thanks to Alan Oda at LARadio.com:
"Now I have never, in 35 years I’ve been on radio, been the kind of host that would ever air dirty laundry, so having said that, I’m going to put out a pair of socks, and that’ll be fair, I think. During the break, I got a call from Josh Rawitch, the PR director for the Dodgers, who has not been a fan of this show all year, because as a host, I try to tell it like it is, and not tell it like it is from the Dodger viewpoint. Now I’ve assumed from the calls that we’ve received that fans wanted it that way, that they appreciated having a guy here who was not a homer, and instead was a host who talked baseball, who – if he didn’t agree with Grady Little’s lineup or managing moments – he would say something.
"To be called – first of all, to be called during the show – and to be told this show is embarrassing, well that’s a personal affront to me and I would think that a lot of Dodger fans, who have called in and have been a part of this show, would take affront at that. Now having said that, I have probably 13 games left to go in this Dodger season, that is unless they pull the plug on me tomorrow, and then it’s 149 games. But regardless, I’ve enjoyed doing this, I’m not going to sit here and be a homer, and I’m not going to be a guy that’s going to have the Dodgers dictate to me what to say, when to say it. And having said that, I’m going back to the phones.."

Harvey continued after a caller gave the KFWB host some support:
"Well, I get comments from the Dodgers that 'well, you don’t come out to the stadium enough and you’re not aware of what’s going on, the intricacies behind the team.' Well, I tell you what, I read the L.A. Times everyday, I read the Daily News everyday, and I don’t exactly see their beat writers hitting Grady or Ned with hard-hitting questions, they’re more of the softball lob questions. So what good is it going to do for me to go out there and get the company PR line. I would rather sit here, hear from the listeners, hear what you’ve got to say, and hear what your concerns are. That’s what I want to do."

Read on for more:

Many of the Mexican-American baseball players who starred on amateur and semi-pro teams in East Los Angeles from World War II through the 1970s will be honored this morning at 10 a.m. by the Los Angeles City Council at City Hall, followed by a reception at 11:30 a.m.
The ceremony is sponsored by Councilmember Jose Huizar, 14th Council District.
More than 40 players in the Southern California area have been extended invitations, and this event will further public recognition for their contributions and draw attention to the "Mexican-American Baseball in Los Angeles: From the Barrios to the Big Leagues" project sponsored by the Baseball Reliquary.
Speakers today include Francisco Balderrama, a professor of Chicano Studies and History at Cal State LA, who will talk about the oral history project sponsored by the Reliquary, as well as Al Padilla, who will speak on behalf of the ballplayers in attendance.
The touring exhibition, "Mexican-American Baseball in Los Angeles: From the Barrios to the Big Leagues," which had been at CSULA, will be at the Pomona Public Library, 625 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, California, from October 1-November 30. On Saturday, October 20 at Ralph Welch Park (1251 W. Eleventh St., Pomona) the Baseball Reliquary will present a forum with many of the ballplayers who starred on amateur and semi-pro teams in East Los Angeles and who are featured in the exhibition. The discussion runs from 1 to 3 p.m., preceeded by a baseball clinic from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
For more information: Terry Cannon at the The Baseball Reliquary

A guy from Forest Hill, Md., was the winner in the NBCSports.com contest that asked people to guess how long it would take John Madden's personal bus to travel from Indianapolis to Dallas, where he was going from the NFL Thursday night opener to the first Sunday night telecast ealier this month.
Madden's cruiser made it in 14 hours, 17 minutes and 51 seconds.
The correct guess: 14 hours, 17 minutes, 52 seconds.
If it was the “Price Is Right,” he’d lose. But in this game, he wins two tickets to a future Sunday Night game, with airfare and hotel, and a tour of the Maddencruiser.
"That’s amazing," Madden said Thursday of the winning guess. "I'm the worst guy at guessing things like that. Al (Michaels) can win on something like that. He will tell me within a couple of minutes."
What would Madden's guess have been?
"I just ask (the driver) to give me a ballpark figure. I never want to put pressure on him to speed up. They told me it would be 3 or 4 in the afternoon (on Friday) and that's all I cared about."
==A link to a 2002 New York Times story on Madden comparing his bus rides to "Travels With Charlie."

Barry Bonds' 755th and 756th home run balls will be destroyed.
Or not. You help decide.
Fashion designer Marc Ecko has revealed himself to the world -- as Saturday's winning bidder in the online auction for the ball that Bonds hit last month to break Hank Aaron's record. The final selling price for No. 756 was $752,467, plus a 20 percent buyer's fee.
The 35-year-old Ecko had not even taken possession of the ball before he announced that he's set up a Website called Vote 756 that will let you, or anyone else, decide which of the three outcomes they think the ball most deserves: Give it to Cooperstown, brand it with an asterisk and then send it to the Hall of Fame, or blow it up. He plans to announce the final tally after voting ends Sept. 25.
"I bought this baseball to democratize the debate over what to do with it," Ecko wrote on the Web site about the "Bestow, Brand or Brandish" choices. "The idea that some of the best athletes in the country are forced to decide between being competitive and staying natural is troubling."
"This either makes him a lunatic or a genius, one of those two," Matt Murphy, the 21-year-old from New York who emerged with the 756th ball at San Francisco's AT&T Park, said when told of Ecko's actions. "I'm leaning toward genius."
Ecko, who has already appeared on NBC's "Today" show to announce his plan, said he voted to brand the ball with an asterisk, but "my vote really doesn't matter. The American public will tell us what to do with it."
That's one way to look at it.
Meanwhile, beginning Wednesday at 7:55 a.m. EST (4:55 a.m. our time), the public will also be allowed to cast a vote on the fate of the 755th ball, thanks to Ben Padnos and "a group of ordinary sports fans" who have set up a website EndTheDebate.com.
"EndTheDebate believes that there is only one way to answer this question: by having a legitimate and fully open vote," reads the front page of the Website as it stands.
"Aaron hit 755 home runs. If he is the true home run king, there can be only one 755 ball in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If Bonds's record is legitimate, his 755th ball should sit alongside Aaron's in Cooperstown." And the site says it will donate it to the Hall.
If it's voted down, they will "DESTROY the ball by literally blowing it up with explosives," they say.
The difference between the two sites: The 755 site will let people vote once a day, and there will be a running scoreboard. There is no time or date given as to when the decision will come on the ball's fate.
"But there's more," the site continues. "Soon we intend to announce an exciting contest where one lucky winner will be selected for an unforgetable prize. We can't announce the details yet, but we promise it will be worth the wait. Please check back soon for details!"
Of course, the site is trying to draw attention to itself -- and help pay for the price of the ball, which went for $186,750 according to Sotheby's SCP Auctions.
"We also think it's important to give many businesses access to the tens of millions of people interested in this discussion," said Padnos in a press release. As a result, the site will offer 7,550 ad squares at $200 per square.
"Finally, we think it's only right to have a charitable element to this," Padnos concluded. "Seven point five five percent of our profits are going to charity."

The three of 'em really serve no purpose, other than to provoke disparaging comments from overindulgent gallery members, create photo ops with grabby PGA players or Artie Johnson, and become marginalized window dressing for something we thought we were years beyond accepting as standard proceedure.
That's Ayla Webb, Lindsey Sowles and Jessica Jean proving the point.
But the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, now under the rule of comedian George Lopez, announced today is accepting applications for anyone with a healthy disposition above the waist to wear either the words "Hope," "Chrysler" or "Classic" across their chest and act as psuedo ambassadors for the PGA event when it comes though the Palm Spring region next Jan. 14-20.
If you go to this link on the official BHCC and ooogle at the "Classic Girls" of the past, it's really an exhibition of how style may have changed, but not the attitudes. And in reading the list of those who've filled the roles, no one named "Hope" ever got to wear her name across her enhanced region. We don't think anyone named "Bob" did either.
Why wouldn't any girl at east 18 years old -- is that all? -- and available to participate the entire week of the tournament give it a shot. Who's to say what kind of lawsuit is bound to come of it, let along the personal connections you'll make for you and your friends for years to come.
Although, going down the list of names, we don't recognize anyone in the 1976, post-Queen era. Before that, it was made to look as if it was something like the Rose Parade Queen and Court. Now, it's simply eye candy for those who lack 20-20 vision.
The application deadline is Nov. 12. "Tryouts," whatever that involves, will be held at The Falls Restaurant in Palm Springs on Friday, Nov. 16.
Knowing what order to stand must be the only challenging prerequisite. OK, Ayala's always first, and Lindsey is second because ... because Jessica is last.
Any of them get out of order, it's chaos. And a great photo op.
Those interested in applying for this demanding, yet unrewarding job can check into the hot line at 760-346-8184 or visit the event web site.
And you can have a picture to remember yourself by:
Those who will do it in 2008 can see how it looked 40 years ago:

Or 30 years ago:

Or 20 years ago:

Even 10 years ago:

Naw, we weren't robbed like Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano was by some nut who ran onto the field at Fenway Park and snatched the hat off his head Sunday night.
The second week of Fred Roggin's "Challege" was another uneven performance by those who participated in the "Rapid Fire" segment, both in the studio and at some chicken wings bar in Rancho Cucamonga who claim they couldn't hear the questions.
That segment is a mess, and poor Fred doesn't know what to do about it. The questions are too hard, the contestants aren't smart enough. Awkward pauses is all we seem to ge tout it. The only highlight was when Petro Papadakis kissed the contestant who dared get as many as five right in the inept drive to get 10 correct and win a gift certificate.
Anyway, at least the Challenge waited until after the final pitch of the Yankees-Red Sox game on ESPN before it started. We worried we'd miss the real action.
For the record, we got only six of eight right, and one of them was a late guess. The result: 180 points, tied for 77th, 100 points out of first. Even Roggin's wife, Richel, did better with 200 points. No, she doesn't get told the questions ahead of time. No really. Really, she doesn't. Or does she get any assistance from others watching with her. Really. Swear. Really.

After a 190-point effort in the opening week, we stand tied for No. 26 in the overall standings with 370 points. That's 35 points by our calculator more than Mrs. Roggin.
Again, we have the DirecTV delayed handicap. What's your excuse?

Here's how week 2 fell into place with the questions:

Q1: What is the name of the Arena Football League team owned by John Elway?
a) Philadelphia Soul
b) Arizona Rattlers
c) Chicago Fire
d) Colorado Crush

Q2: You make the call: (A video is shown of the Colts' Peyton Manning throwing a pass toward the end zone to Stokley, who is hit by a defender and the pass goes incomplete):
a) Incomplete pass
b) Defensive pass interference
c) Offensive pass interference
d) Unnecessary roughness

Q3: Who is the winningest coach in NFL history?
a) Vince Lombardi
b) Tom Landry
c) Don Shula
d) Chuck Noll

Q4: Relief pitcher Rollie Fingers won the Cy Young and MVP Award in 1981 with what team?
a) Oakland A's
b) San Diego Padres
c) Milwaukee Brewers
d) Montreal Expos

Q5: (audio) Which former wrestler is singing this song?
a) Hulk Hogan
b) Randy "Macho Man" Savage
c) The Ultimate Warrior
d) Rowdy Roddy Piper

Q6: Who was the last Dodger pitcher to have a higher batting average than ERA in a season?
a) Burt Hooten
b) Sandy Koufax
c) Orel Hershiser
d) Fernando Valenzuela

Q7: Irvine native Amanda Beard has won how many Olympic medals?
a) 5
b) 8
c) 7
d) 6

Q8: Only 2 players in major league history have given up a home run to both Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. One is a former Angel. Name him.
a) Frank Tanana
b) Nolan Ryan
c) Ken Forsch
d) Bert Blyleven

By JAIME ARON
AP Sports Writer
After missing two games with injuries, 59-year-old linebacker Mike Flynt will take the field for Sul Ross State on Saturday for the first time in 37 years.
Flynt will suit up for the Lobos (2-0) when they face Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.
The Crusaders (1-0) are ranked third in the Division III poll. The game will be the American Southwest Conference opener for both teams.
Flynt will not become the oldest college football player, as Edgard Barreto played for Ashland (Ohio) University when he was 60 in 1997. Barreto, however, got in for only one play in the fourth quarter of a blowout in the next-to-last game of the season.
Flynt could be considered the oldest player counted on to be a regular contributor.
“The opportunity like what I’m going after right now is just a testament to what you do at any stage of your life if you’d just take a few minutes every day to prioritize your health and take better care of yourself,” Flynt said in an August interview.
Although he’s the ultimate college “senior” — a grandfather and AARP member, he’s eight years older than his head coach and six years from Medicare — Flynt is legitimately capable of playing against guys one-third his age.
Coaches didn’t give him a spot on the roster. He had to earn it in two-a-days. He’s remained in great shape over the
years as a strength and conditioning coach at Nebraska, Oregon and Texas A&M, and later by selling the Powerbase, a fitness machine he invented.
Still, some aches and pains from practices kept him out of the first two games.
Flynt last played for Sul Ross in 1970. He was kicked off the team before the 1971 season because of a fight and
never got over the regret of missing his senior year. He shared that with some former teammates at a school reunion earlier this summer and one of them suggested he should rejoin the team.
Flynt never considered it because he thought he was out of eligibility. Turns out, he had one semester left. He’s now also taking graduate school courses.

Michele Tafoya's connection to the Humaine Society has more to do with her love for cats than dogs. It was painful enough for her recently to have to find new homes for her three cats because her 2-year-old son had developed an alergy to them.
"I no longer have any pets and it's been a real bummer," said the ESPN "Monday Night Football" sideline reporter who also does ABC NBA games during the winter.
Her alliance with the Humane Society, which has come to see more than $2,000 in donations since 2004 for the word-play game she's been doing with Steve Mason and John Ireland on KSPN-AM (710) as told in today's Daily News media column, kind of puts her into an interesting situation considering the dog-fighting stories that have circulated in the recent NFL offseason.
Tafoya says she has interviewed Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick many times, and she was with ESPN's crew in Altlanta last month for an exhibition game on the day he entered his guilty plea bargain agreement. Tafoya covered the press conference that day held by team owner Arthur Blank and team GM Rich McKay. But under coaches orders, Tafoya wasn't allowed to interview Falcons players during the game about their thoughts on the Vick situation. Maybe it's just as well.
"I was shocked that anyone could do those kind of things to an animal, or any living being," said Tafoya. "Having talked to him before, I don't think anyone saw this coming, with anybody. A player with maybe a personality that's seemingly more mean or ruthless, maybe it's less of a shock.
"The whole story was sickening to me. I couldn't read the indictment. I can't stomach that kind of imagery."
And what would she do if she was to interview Vick today?
"I'd be able to do it; in fact, I'd love to do it," Tafoya said. "I'd want to find out the genesis of all this, what went through his mind as he did this or as he participated, why he thought he'd never get caught, what it is about his background that makes him capable of doing this.
"People can say, 'It's just dog fighting,' but this was way beyond that. It was interesting to see other media writers recoil at the whle notion of it. We forgive way too much and on this one, no one was very forgiving."

More media-related notes if you have a few hours to kill:

Luging isn't dangerous. Unless you crash.
So don't watch that video above if you're planning to attend this weekend's annual recruiting trip that the U.S. Luge team does in Santa Clarita looking for future talent.
They call it a "slider search," but the last time I did that, I ended up at White Castles near O'Hare Airport and had a rough ride all the way home.
Here's the release that the U.S. Luge team has asked we pass along:
"Young athletes who want to experience the thrill of luge, the Fastest Sport on Ice®, and train under the guidance of U.S. Olympic and national team coaches and athletes can do so when the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search rolls into Santa Clarita on Saturday and Sunday.
Each three-hour clinic is designed for boys and girls, ages 11-14. USA Luge national team coaches and athletes use a traveling ramp and wheel-equipped sleds to teach youngsters the basics of riding a luge sled including proper positioning, steering, and stopping. Each clinic concludes with young athletes testing their physical skills through a battery of fitness tests. Those who show the most promise at the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search clinics are invited to train on ice next winter. They will also be considered to the 2008-09 USA Luge development team.
Entry fee for the Verizon-USA Luge Slider Search, the official athlete recruitment tour of USA Luge, is $15 per child (includes a souvenir tee shirt courtesy of Verizon). For more information or to register a youngster, log on to www.usaluge.org or call 1-800-USA-LUGE.
The event is at Alta Vista Avenue between Constellation Road and Copper Hill Drive in Santa Clarita/Valencia between 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m. on both days.
And remember kids: Always wear a seat belt. And protective gear. And listen to your parents. And do this anyway even if your parents say no. Because it'll be fun. But we're under no liability if you take our advice and get hurt.
So there. It's all legal.

He wasn't on the Opening Day roster of player transactions reported by all the networks for their NFL pregame shows, but 10-year-old Jason Krause of Chicago probably generated the most free-agent buzz (both positive and negative) from Week 1.
See for yourself. He upstaged Chris Berman, for one, with better info.
ESPN snuck him into their two-hour “Sunday NFL Countdown” buffet, with a 1 minute, 15 second segment called “Takin’ It To the House." From his bunkbed, the fifth grader lisped a diss of Detroit and quarterback Jon Kitna for predicting a 10-win season -- “frankly, you’re no Joe Namath,” the kid historian said in his best Jim Rome blast mode.
For his next trick, Krause will back to “discuss sportsmanship,” according to ESPN, as it pertains to the bad blood between the San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots, who face each other on a rival network Sunday night.
If Krause looks familiar, he’s the camera-friendly older brother of Dani Krause, who, while recovering from brain cancer, was the recipient of a day of figure skating with Michelle Kwan on this summer’s ESPN SportsCenter series called “My Wish.”
See below:

Over at SCP Auctions, the Mission Viejo-based sports memorabilia clearing house for those with too much disposable income and not enough stuff on their walls, the sale of the Barry Bonds' 755 and 756 balls runs through Saturday. As of today, the current high bid for Ball No. 756 has almost reached $250,000, while the 755 horsehide just passed the $115,000 mark.
But who really wants either of those dirty deeds?
Among the other stuff on the site, such as Mickey Mantle's fishing licence ($4,000), a Lou Gehrig barnstorming autographed photo ($8,500) and Wilt Chamberlain's knee pad ($100), how about the Lakers' 1986-87 world championship banner, or Elgin Bayor's No. 22 jersey , both of which used to hang high and proud in the Forum?
The Lakers are actually putting those two things up for auction to benefit the Lakers Youth Foundation, and bidding ends Friday. Again, these aren't banners that have been up in the rafters at Staples Center. These have been in storage (and probably are pretty dusty) since they were taken down from the Forum and apparently not reapplied up at the Lakers' new-ish home arena.
The $5,000 opening bid for the title banner (Lot 1071) has been met by one bidder. Opening bid for the Baylor jersey (Lot 1070) is set at $3,000 and there is no action on it as yet. (And it not No. 13 as the SPC press release says.)
If you're looking for something a bit more in your price range, there's also a Pat Riley autographed Lakers road jersey (Lot 1065) going for $200. Oh, wait, there's been 10 bids already on it. Last one was for $471. Get it while it's hot.
Believe it or not, there's already been four bids on a Slava Medvedenko throw-back signed Lakers jersey that's up to $146. Is he still on the team?

There's no disputing the fact that David Beckham is a good lookin' lad, but isn't it really that voice of his that'll make you stop in your tracks and say, "Really .. that's the way he talks?"
His knees and ankles may not render him a member of any value to these Galaxy footballers, but it's his helium-like vocal chords that the TV is most interested in these days in helping change the way you'll look at a game for the rest of your lives.
In a very special edition of MLS Primetime on Thursday, during the match at the Home Depot Center between the Galaxy and Chivas USA -- who's the home team? who cares -- Beckham will begin his transformation into an in-your-face TV broadcaster by joining the ESPN2 telecast on the 8 p.m. game.
It's not as if there's a lot of dead time to fill.
Play-by-play man Glenn Davis (it must not be a true kickball affair if Dave O'Brien isn't present), analysts Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smyth and sideline guy Allen Hopkins have agreed to cut back on their verbiage to allow the Galaxy captain, who continues to rehab a knee injury, to make his first televised soccer booth appearance.
ESPN folk says the Englander has agreed to "discuss a wide range of topics as well as provide some insight on the in-game action." You'd think the later would be more important, consider it's a league contest. Naw, give us some real dirt this time, eh Becky?
For those who don't have access to a TV and only a computer, ESPN360.com will also have the telecast, perhaps reviving their "BeckCam" from hiding. Just to let all of us all know that he may be out of sight and out of mind these days, but he's never out of voice range.

Please, tell me you're not wearing a pair of those Croc sandals on your webbed feet right now.
Really? No, really? You know they ain't hip. They are, in fact, about as lame a thing as a person can wear trying to look cool. It's been documented.
Crocs, however, won't go down trying. At least its marketing department hasn't. Today, it was announced that the "comfort footwear" company has hooked up with the AVP pro beach volleyball tour as its title sponsor for the next five years, through 2012.
It keeps its booth at every AVP event to sell its rubbery clogs that come in yellow and blue and purple and pink and whatever other puke color it could come up with, trying to convince the beach crowd that it's the thing to wear in the sand.
On little kids, maybe. On anyone over 14 years old? A fashion violation. Especially those who wear them to work with blue jeans on casual Fridays. They should be made to go home.
Even if you're 65 and working in your garden, Crocs are a crock.
And don't even consider Crocs with socks.
Yet Crocs hasn't given up.
“Extending our title sponsorship with Crocs for an additional five years is an exciting milestone for us and we are thrilled to continue working with Crocs as they have been an excellent partner in helping us reach a larger audience, and created even more excitement around our events,” said Leonard Armato, chief executive officer and commissioner of AVP in a statement.
(Yes, Leonard wears them).
“Crocs has been a partner of the AVP Tour since 2006 and we are very excited to be a part of the company’s active marketing and retail campaigns," he continued. "Crocs combines technology with comfort to produce one-of-a-kind lifestyle products that fit perfectly with the AVP brand and events. We not only appreciate Crocs’ involvement to date, but enthusiastically look forward to continuing our mutually beneficial relationship over the next five years.”
And we appreciate Crocs investors, who continue to funnel money into our purse winnings.
“The tremendous growth and demographic footprint of AVP make this partnership an excellent fit for the Crocs™ brand and we are excited to extend our partnership with AVP,” said Ron Snyder, chief executive officer of Crocs, Inc. “The AVP Crocs Tour’s popularity and exciting future continue to make this title sponsorship attractive to a strong and growing company like Crocs.”
By the way, you ever notice what AVP players wear when they're playing? Nothing.
That says enough.

Don't take our word for it. Go to I Hate Crocs. com and read on....
And shop here: http://www.spreadshirt.com/shop.php?sid=45501

Because they found out they could make more money selling more ads, Fred Roggin's was told he could add an extra half hour to "The Challenge" -- that NFL post-post-game show on KNBC Channel 4 that comes on every Sunday night after the NBC national game. But with that additional 30 minutes, he's cut back the number of trivia questions in the audience participation "Challenge" from nine to eight.
"It fit better with the segments in the show," Roggin admitted.
Fine. Give our brain that much less to dig through.
Although, considering the "Rapid Fire" segment that was added in, he might consider taking that out entirely and making "The Challenge" a 12-question exercise.
So it was back to school, Week 1 of the second edition of the Challenge, and on the whole, the questions were on par with last year. Not too far out there, but not easy enough to make a joke of things. You gotta know your stuff.
We don't actually recall how we did a year ago .... oh, wait, we'll do some research ... maybe we were in the top 188 last year. After week 13, we don't have any records on the blog search that kept it in the memory bank.
Just as well. We started OK, faded in the middle, and perhaps lost interest. It happens. It was around Christmas time and we got busy and couldn't schedule our lives around the show.
This year, we've committed to trying again, although stretching this over an hour has only made it twice as painful to participate.
Tighten it up. Maybe drop that whole "Rapid Fire" segment, or cut it down to just getting five right for the restaurant coupon (because no one's ever gonna get it), and give us playing on the computer a couple more questions to guess at. Or just ask Patrick Alog easier questions. Oh, they can't get any easier, can they?
At least Petros Papadakis got to call Atlanta QB Joey Harrington "a dork." The night wasn't a total loss.
For openers, I had 7 of 8 right and scored 190 points, which was a tie for 22nd place with a couple other guys, 90 points behind winner Tommy Tedros.
Alog, one of the champs from last year, actually was below me..... for the first time ever.
Top 25 must be good for something, right? Even a cheesy little football.
Yo, Alan Oda: I edged you out, too. The game is on.
And Mrs. Roggin? I didn't even see her name for anyone with 150 or more points. Bring on the smacktalk again like last year, OK?
Again, I did this with the delay that a TiVo and DirecTV causes, so my points could have actually been better. That's the handicap I deal with. Not an excuse, but just to explain how it is.
And if you haven't signed up, it's a week to week thing. You just fall behind on the season champ. Get on the site and get logged in, lame-o.

So here's how the Week 1 questions fell, with the right answers (and then our answers) below:

Q1: Joe Montana led the 49ers to how many Super Bowl titles?
A: 2
B: 5
C: 4
D: 3

Q2: Make the call: What is the proper ruling? (A video of Washington's Clinton Portis is shown where he runs toward the goal line, fumbles, the ball rolls forward over the goal line and out of bounds)
A: Touchdown
B: Fumble
C: Touchback, Houston ball
D: Down by contact, Washington ball

Q3: Who is the only college football player to win the Heisman Trophy twice?
A: O.J. Simpson
B: Archie Griffin
C: Ty Detmer
D: Vinny Testaverde

Q4: Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce went to which local high school?
A: Morningside
B: Inglewood
C: Crenshaw
D: Compton Dominguez

Q5: (An audio question) Which French athlete is singing this song?
A: Thierry Henry
B: Tony Parker
C: Joakim Noah
D: Zinedine Zidane

Q6: What Ivy League law school did Ducks GM Brian Burke attend?
A: Harvard
B: Yale
C: Princeton
D: Columbia

Q7: Dusty Baker played in how many World Series as a member of the Dodgers?
A: 1
B: 4
C: 2
D: 3

Q8: Who is the only golfer in PGA history to hit a hole in one on a par 4?
A: Tiger Woods
B: John Daly
C: Andrew Magee
D: Arnold Palmer

Here's how it shook out:

Anyone could have seen Justin Gimelstob's career in the media from miles away.
Two years ago at the U.S. Open, the former UCLA All-American was recruited to do columns for Sports Illustrated's website. The first one he scrawled opened with:
I think "Nobody's safe" is an appropriate title for my first blog entry. As long as you enjoy my opinions and insights, I am going to give them to you. Some might be controversial, some might be humorous, but all will be honest and, hopefully, thought-provoking. With that said, my first target is ... the women on tour.
He then went on to write about how dysfunctional the women's tour is, especially when events between them and the men overlap and there's too much bickering about the lack of time on the practice courts.
However, one of the benefits of having the women around is the ever-increasing desire for each and every young sassy player trying to outdo -- or in this case, under-dress -- the next.
My prediction? Pretty soon the WTA practice courts, and maybe even the match courts, will resemble a women's volleyball court, with g-strings and bikinis being the only logical next step. Not that I'm complaining, or even think that wouldn't be a valuable marketing tool. But I'd like to recommend to players both female and male, and even coaches out on the practice courts: If you resemble a beached whale, keep your gear on!
Lindsay Davenport responded by calling him the "poster boy" for superficial, physically judgmental men everywhere.
Can't beat that for free publicity.
Since then, Gimelstob has done some work for The Tennis Channel and stayed in the TV spotlight, even if his game hasn't been what it once was back in the late '90s. The final episode at the U.S. Open, on the USA Network, was a classy way for Gimelstob to end things, as this clip, including the post-match interview, shows:

Although he lost to Roddick in that first-round match, Gimelstob went to the quarterfinals in mixed doubles (with the attractive Ashley Harkleroad) and the third round of the men's doubles (with Amer Delic) at the U.S. Open, so the New Jersey native could stretch out his stay in New York a few more days.
"Self-depreciation has been a good thing for me the last couple of weeks," says Gimelstob, calling this a bittersweet moment in his life.

Expanding on the Q-and-A in today's Daily News, some more of what Gimelstob has to offer as a media guy:

Harkening back to the story on Paul Westhead, who's got his foot in the door to be the first coach to win an NBA and WNBA title in his career, here's the backstory to foot faux pas that surfaced before his Phoenix Mercury team evened up its best-of-five series against the Detroit Shock in the second game of the WNBA Finals on Saturday.
According to the East Valley Tribune story, Westhead was giving his team a pregame talk when Cappie Pondexter said, "Coach, what’s up with your shoes?”
Westhead said he owns two pair of black shoes, but only brought one pair to Detroit. He accidently took one shoe from each pair -- a gator leather shoe on one foot and a buckle penny loafer on the other. Both were black. But they weren't that much of a match.
“My wife is here and she didn’t know,” Westhead said.
While the rest of the team kept quiet through the first four days, Pondexter was the only player who didn’t know, but the first to point it out.
“You know coach is a little old, we got to get him in style,” Diana Taurasi joked. “He needs some fashion tips. We’ll hook him up, though. We’ll get him ready for next year.”
Here's a version of the story from the Arizona Republic.

Going with the somewhat inept slogan "They drop the ball: You pick up the cash," the second season of the Onion's exclusive bottom's up fantasy league (aka: "Shattered Expectations") kicks off Sunday where the more you win is based on the more your players screw up.
It shouldn't be any other way.
Signing up for this fantasy league at the Onion's site could make you $500 a week, or $5,000 (in real American currency, they say) if you're the end-of-season champ.
The Onion sent out an alert to current subscribers to let them know all this was taking place, just in case you were asleep at the wheel.
The letter, addressed to "Dear Readers and Disgruntled Football Fans," says it wants only to capture the real feeling of a fantasy team owner: Disappointment, disillusionment and disbelief.
Last year's winner, Glen Nakamura of Lakeland, Fla., showed "unwavering pessimism," according to the site, and can now purchase "untold amounts of beef jerky."
The site even offers draft suggestions. Such as: Anyone on the Minnesota Vikings, for starters. Jason Elam, the Denver Broncos' kicker, could be a steal since his job is to "mop up man for a transition team."
Think of it this way: Enter your roster in both the league you're trying to win, and in this one. That way, no matter how the players perform, they're doing some good for you.
Boy, if only Brian Bosworth was still in the league ...

After a couple of false starts -- maybe the waves weren't good enough -- ESPN2 finally airs the surf documentary "Down the Barrel" on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Yup, right in the middle of the first NFL slab of games. So at least TiVo it on the big screen for delayed gratification.
Shot in what's called "crystal clear high definition," filmmaker and Cardif surfer Steve Lawrence uses narrator Eric Balfour ("24," "Six Feet Under") to focus on Kelly Slater's quest for an eighth world title.
Surfers Rob Machado, Joel Parkinson and Kalani Robb also add their voices to the narrative that takes the viewer into the lifestyle, danger and drive of the sport.
Called "one of the most ambitious surfing films ever made," this doc has already won two Awards of Excellence from the Accolade Competition and is nominated for three Surfer Magazine Poll Awards (Cinematography, Documentary and Movie of the Year), which take place on Tuesday.
Go to this link at EXPN to see a trailer.
(And after the documentary airs Sunday on ESPN2, stick around for some real football when the U.S. men's national team faces Brazil in one of them friendly things at Soldier Field in Chicago at 1 p.m. ... just what Bears fans want to see on opening weekend)
And so you never can say we don't point out something good the competition has done, here's a piece by the LA Times' Pete Thomas on Slater's future plans on fighting the enemies of the high seas -- poachers of whales and dolphins.

NBC "Football Night in Ameirca" studio co-host Cris Collinsworth was asked on a conference call with media writers if it's true that viewers want analysts who are supposed to be candid, is it going a bit too far if, as newcomer Tiki Barber has shown in excerpts of his new book that are critical of coach Tom Coughlin, your commentary is focused on settling old scores with your former employer.
"I don't know if you can have it both ways," said Collinsworth, who also does game color for the NFL Network as well as contributes to HBO's "Inside the NFL." "The first thing everyone wants to do when they bring you out of uniform and sit you down in a coat and tie and put a camera on you is debrief you on your old team. That's just a fact of life. Jerome Bettis had to do it last year and the comments he made about Bill Cowher (wanting to quit) cause a bunch of screaming but he was exactly right.
"Now that Tiki has made comments about his former my team, I could ask you the question, Would you prefer he says: You know, Tom Coughlin did an unbelievealbe job and helped me with my fumbling and my teammates were the greatest bunch of guys in the world that I've ever been around.' Collectively around the universe would be the sound of the remotes going click, click, click.
"With all the attention Tiki has gotten, for my money he's willing to say anything about anyone. If that's what he truely believes. That's a pretty high threshold. I've worked with a lot of former players and the standard is, Are you willing to speak the truth if you really believe it to be the truth?"
Truth is, Barber may run out of juice past the first weekend -- he made it on the set for Thursday's opener despite having been doing scores of interivews selling the book (which caused him to miss the NBC conference call), and he'll be the focus of the studio Sunday night when the network does the game involving his old team, the New York Giants, at Dallas.
For the long haul, we'll have to see what he brings to the peacock clubhouse. Otherwise, he may be better off looking forward to his days on the "Today" show as a correspondent.

On with more notes that didn't quite fit into the scheme of today's Daily News media column and sidebar stories:

Associated Press
NEW YORK -- If Ian Kennedy has to postpone his wedding, it will be for a really good reason.
Scheduled to be at Westborough Country Club in Kirkwood, Mo., for his wedding on Oct. 6, the rookie pitcher might have to be on the mound for the New York Yankees in a playoff game.
The 22-year-old right-hander out of USC, engaged to Trojans' womens basketball player Allison Jaskowiak, zoomed through the minors this year and made his major league debut Saturday, beating the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
With Roger Clemens injured and Mike Mussina struggling, Kennedy could now figure into postseason plans.
"She doesn't want to think about it," Kennedy said. "I try not to think about it because she might get upset."
About 200-250 people are expected for the church wedding and reception, according to Jaskowiak's father, Dennis.
"I'm kind of taking it game by game," Allison Jaskowiak said. "If it happens when he's on the postseason roster, we'll deal with it as it comes."
Because Kennedy plays baseball and his fiancee is on a college basketball team, finding common time off for the wedding was difficult. USC's basketball season starts Nov. 11, but practice and school has already started.
Before scheduling the event, the pitcher checked early this year with Mark Newman, the Yankees senior vice president of baseball operations.
"He said this year would be better than any year," Kennedy said. "I don't know what we're going to do if I do play in the playoffs. I guess I'll have to worry about it when it happens."
Kennedy was selected by the Yankees with the 21st pick of last year's amateur draft and received a $2.25 million signing bonus. After pitching at Class-A Staten Island last year, he was a combined 12-3 with a 1.91 ERA this year at Class-A Tampa, Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton.
"Going into this season, I was thinking Double-A was fine. It's just been a wonderful experience," Allison Jaskowiak said.
A 5-foot-11 shooting guard and forward, Jaskowiak started 21 games for USC last season, averaging 3.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 24.8 minutes.
Many weddings have complicated planning. Kennedy's call-up could force last-minute alterations to his ceremony, depending on whether the Yankees make the postseason and decide to put him on the roster. And if there isn't a rainout, Oct. 6 is scheduled to be an off day in the AL playoffs.
"We haven't talked about it until recently," Dennis Jaskowiak said. "Worst comes to worst, hopefully he'll be able to come in for at least the one day, and then we can still have the reception and the ceremony."
Yankees manager Joe Torre wasn't aware of the potential conflict.
"I didn't get one of the invitations," he said. "We just hope his prospective wife is very understanding."

Although there had been speculation that the Kings' season opener in London against the rival Ducks might not be televised, the team confirmed Thursday that FSN Prime Ticket will carry the game Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9 a.m. PDT with Bob Miller and Jim Fox on the call at the O2 Arena, which opened in July and is owned by the Anschutz Entertainment Group, the Kings' parent company.
In addition to the season-opener in London, FSN West (the Kings' primary channel) will have 65 regular-season games, plus three games on FSN Prime Ticket that are Ducks' home games in Anaheim.
Versus is carrying the second of the two-game series on Sunday, Sept. 30, also at 9 a.m. PDT.
Nick Nickson and Darryl Evans will also do the radio call of both Kings' games in London on the team's flagship station, AM-1150.
The entire Kings TV schedule can be seen at LAKings.com/tv.
It is the third trip to London by the NHL. In 1992, the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens played preseason games at the Wembley Arena, as did the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs in 1993.
Tickets appear to be sold out for the event, at least by a Ticketmaster search. Probably a good thing for TV viewers. A note on the Ticketmaster website where those who wanted to buy seats at the 02 Arena recommends that "seats located on Level 4 are not recommended for those who have a fear of heights."

ESPN Classic and NBA TV will simulcast Friday's ceremony of the 2007 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement ceremony at 4:30 p.m., and with it, the induction of Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
Prior to the ceremony, NBA TV has a one-hour special at 3:30 p.m. looking back at Jackson's playing and coaching career called "Phil Jackson: NBA Maverick," which is sure to upset Dallas owner Mark Cuban, although "Maverick" is the title of the book Charley Rosen co-wrote with Jackson back in 1975, following it up with "More Than a Game" in 2001.
Rosen is used as the basis for moving the Jackson special, but the show will also have what NBA TV says is rarely seen interviews and highlights with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, former Knicks coach Red Holtzman and former Bulls star Michael Jordan.
"As far as basketball is concerned, what I think got him was the warrior mentality they went into battle with 'It's a good day to die,'" Rosen says about Jackson, who was influenced by Native Americans while growing up in North Dakota and later playing for the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux. "He felt that was the way you had to approach a basketball game as ''This is the last basketball game you are ever going to play.'"
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values" by Robert Pirsig, is another influence in Jackson's live introducted in the show. Gotta admit, that's in our top three books of all time. Read it as a freshman at Loyola Marymount back in the day and will refer to it often when I'm in one of those contemplative moods and don't have enough peyote to get into Carlos Castenada book. (All paths are the same: They lead to nowhere)...
The others inducted Friday include University of North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, four-time WNBA championship coach Van Chancellor, the late NBA referee Mendy Rudolph, international coaches Pedro Ferrandiz and Mirko Novosel, and the 1966 NCAA Champion Texas Western Miners, coached by Don Haskins and the basis of the movie, "Glory Road."

As if John Madden needs any of this anymore.
He could retire today on the residuals of his video game. Or books. Or portable grill. If he had one.
But there's one thing that brings him back to the broadcast booth, and it's not the free halftime spread. It's the ability to celebrate what's good about the NFL.
He said so today on a conference call with media writers, that he's tired of all the makin' it rain at a dogfight business. He's done with all the ...
Aw, let's hear it from the ever-expanding man himself, on the day before the NFL kicks off its season with NBC's coverage of New Orleans at Indianapolis on Thursday night:
"I think its time to not only celebrate the start of the opening of the season, but to celebrate, I hope, good news. This off-season has just been filled with crap. Everything has been negative and it's time to for some positive stuff. Ninety-nine percent of what happens in the NFL is good, and then that one percent isn't so good, but we hear more about that one percent than we do about the 99 percent. And now, I think the celebration is: we're starting the 99 percent and hearing about that, and getting away from that other stuff. I'll tell you, I'm excited as hell to get this thing started."
Can't you just hear Frank Caliendo creating an entire 10-minute piece for Fox's NFL pregame show just on that quote?
We're 99 percent sure he could do it justice. The other one percent would be ... you know ... a crapshoot.

At least the new Big Ten Network is good for something. It actually televised Saturday's Michigan-Appalachian State contest from Ann Arbor. Little did it know that other networks would be begging for a copy of its gamefilm with Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis on the call. But that's what FSN has done, reaching an agreement with the fledgling network so it could show the replay of Appalachian State's 34-32 victory, on Tuesday night at 10:30 p.m. on its family of channels.
FSN will insert an interview with Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore that'll air during the replay.
FSN affiliates in L.A., Arizona, Detroit, Florida, Midwest, N.Y., North, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Rocky Mountain and Wisconsin will air it at 10:30 p.m. Some other affiliates that have MLB games to carry live Tuesday (South, Southwest and some areas of Ohio) will either show it before or after the baseball.

To put into context the performance last night by San Diego Padres 27-year-old rookie pitcher Jack Cassel against the Dodgers, where he lasted 5 2/3 innings, striking out five with a fastball that really moved around in the strike zone and allowing 10 hits and three runs, leaving with the game tied before the Padres went onto a 6-4 victory:
Cassel, a graduate of Kennedy High in Granada Hills, who then went to Pierce College and Loyola Marymount, is the older brother of Matt Cassel, the current backup quarterback to Tom Brady with the New England Patriots who also performed in pretty much obscurity as the backup to Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC but was still a seventh-round pick in the '05 NFL draft.
Matt was part of that '94 Northridge Little League team that went to the World Series, and he also played enough baseball at USC to be drafted himself in that sport.
Jack and Matt have a younger brother, Justin, in the Chicago White Sox organization.
Jack Cassel had his contract purchased from Portland on Aug. 10 and made his major league debut in the Padres' 12-7, 11-inning win in Cincinnati that night. He threw three innings in relief, allowing two runs and two hits. He was optioned back to Portland the next day.
As for Friday's game, this report from the Associated Press afterward:
"I was actually thrilled when I found out that I was starting and that it would be Friday, and seeing it would be the Dodgers," said Cassel. "I had a lot of buddies back home in Los Angeles, they're saying, 'We're rooting for Jack Cassel but not necessarily the team.' So it was great to get this victory."
Rafael Furcal bunted for a single on Cassel's first pitch, and the right-hander fell behind 1-0 in the first, but settled down.
"Jack did a nice job today," manager Bud Black said. "He hung in there. He had a couple situations where he could have melted but he didn't. He made pitches. I like that he didn't back off at all. Threw strikes. I thought he had composure, I thought he had poise. I thought he did a nice job."
Here's a link to a story in Thursday's Boston Herald making the link between Matt, the backup QB, and Jack, the struggling minor-league pitcher, and how the two can lean on each other for support.
And here's another link to a Bob Ryan column in Friday's Boston Globe about Matt Cassel, who racked up some playing time in the Patriots' final exhibition game Thursday.