Patriots go 16-0

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) - The New England Patriots became the first NFL team to finish with a 16-0 record in the regular season after their 38-35 victory over the New York Giants on Saturday.

The following are NFL records set by the Patriots, the first team to go unbeaten since the 1972 Miami Dolphins (14-0).

MOST VICTORIES IN A SEASON - New England became the first team in NFL history to win 16 games in a regular season, which expanded its schedule by two games in 1978. The 2004 Steelers, 1998 Vikings, 1985 Bears, and 1984 49ers all posted 15 wins.

MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES IN A SEASON - Tom Brady threw two TD passes to finish the season with 50, breaking the mark of 49 set by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2004.

MOST TOUCHDOWN CATCHES IN A SEASON - Randy Moss caught two TD passes to finish the season with 23, eclipsing the mark of 22 by San Francisco 49ers receiver Jerry Rice in 1987.

MOST POINTS IN A SEASON -- The Patriots improved their season total to 589 this season to top the record of 556 set in 1998 by the Minnesota Vikings.

MOST TOUCHDOWNS BY A TEAM IN A SEASON - The Patriots, who scored four touchdowns in the season finale, established a record of 75 touchdowns to beat the mark of 70 set by the 1984 Miami Dolphins.

CONSECUTIVE REGULAR SEASON WINS BY A TEAM - Patriots won their 19th consecutive regular season game dating back to last season, breaking their own NFL record of 18 in a row set over the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

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The games was simulcast on the NFL Network, CBS, and NBC.

Mitchell Report

Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada and Andy Pettitte were named in the long-awaited Mitchell Report on Thursday, an All-Star roster linked to steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs that put a question mark, if not an asterisk, next to some of baseball's biggest moments.

Barry Bonds, already under indictment on charges of lying to a federal grand jury about steroids, and Gary Sheffield also showed up in baseball's most infamous lineup since the Black Sox scandal.

The report culminated a 20-month investigation by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, hired by commissioner Bud Selig to examine the Steroids Era.

"Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades - commissioners, club officials, the players' association and players - shares to some extent the responsibility for the steroids era," Mitchell said. "There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged and to deal with it early on."

Tebow wins Heisman

NEW YORK (AP) -- Tim Tebow needed only two years of college to graduate to Heisman Trophy winner, putting the sophomore in a class by himself.

Florida's folk-hero quarterback with the rugged running style and magnetic personality won the Heisman on Saturday night to become the first sophomore or freshman to take college football's most prestigious award.

Evel Knievel

Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died today. He was 69.

Bill James, the revolutionary

Thirty years ago, a 27-year-old mostly unemployed freelance writer named Bill James started self-publishing an annual book about baseball. James, who was the last resident of Kansas drafted during the Vietnam War, had recently graduated from college with an English degree, after spending a couple of years marching around military bases in South Korea.

During those marches, he thought about baseball. James was interested in a bunch of issues that the people who ran major-league teams tended to ignore, such as whether minor-league batting statistics predicted major-league success, and how important walks were relative to stolen bases.

It would be more accurate to say that traditional baseball men didn't ignore such questions, so much as they simply accepted certain pieces of traditional wisdom in regard to the answers -- wisdom largely unsupported by any evidence.

An iconoclast by nature, James wanted to write about the extent to which the conventional wisdom of the sport was actually true. But he faced several obstacles.

First, he had never played baseball on any organized level beyond high school. Second, he had no formal statistical training. Third, no one had published anything like the books he wanted to write.

As for book publishing, James was told there was no market for the kind of things he envisioned writing.

So James decided to publish his books himself. His first volume, a mimeographed text of about 80 pages, sold a few dozen copies. But he was an excellent writer as well as an original and interesting thinker, and over the next few years his work eventually came to the attention of a baseball fan - Dan Okrent - who had influence in the publishing world.

James got a contract with a large trade publisher, and his books went on to become best sellers. The more remarkable story is what happened among his readers.

James revolutionized the way a whole generation of young people thought about baseball, and much else besides. One of his readers, a kid from Boston named Theo Epstein, went on to become the youngest general manager in major-league history, when he was hired by the Boston Red Sox in 2002.

One of the first things Epstein did was to hire James, as a senior consultant to the Red Sox organization. In the four years since, the Red Sox, who hadn't won a World Series in 85 years, have reached baseball's pinnacle twice.

Some of the central themes of James' work apply particularly well to his own story. For example: An expert is someone who knows what he's talking about, whether he has any credentials or not. Powerful, wealthy institutions can be run for decades by people who don't know what they're doing. And the conventional wisdom is often wrong.

These ideas, obviously, can be applied far beyond the subject of baseball. They're the sorts of ideas that never fail to annoy and infuriate authority figures, which is why it takes a special kind of person to hurl himself into the face of the solid rock wall of stupidity that defends many a comfortable social institution.

The world needs a lot more people like Bill James.

Paul Campos is a law professor at the University of Colorado and writes for Scripps Howard News Service.

Barry Bonds indicted

Bonds, perhaps the greatest hitter of his generation, was indicted Thursday on four counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. He is accused of lying under oath in December 2003 when he told the grand jury that investigated the BALCO steroid ring that he had never used banned drugs.

The 43-year-old free-agent outfielder faces arraignment Dec. 7 in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, months of legal proceedings - and a federal prison term of about 30 months if he is convicted at trial, legal experts said.

Adrian Peterson 296

Adrian Peterson raced to the NFL's single-game rushing record at the midpoint of his rookie season. Who knows how many more records he could have at the end of the year?

After giving up the longest play in league history on a missed field goal right before halftime, the Vikings turned to their amazing rookie and Peterson delivered - rushing for an NFL-record 296 yards in a 35-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

Fabulous Moolah

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Lillian Ellison, professional wrestling's Fabulous Moolah, has died. She was 84. Ellison died Friday, according to Dunbar Funeral Home in Columbia.

Born Mary Lillian Ellison in 1923, she was dubbed the Fabulous Moolah after saying she wrestled "for the money ... for the moolah."

She was a longtime champion and the first woman inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame. Her autobiography, "The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle," was published in 2003.

Favre breaks Marino's TD record

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brett Favre is No. 1 -- with a bullet.

Favre broke Dan Marino's record for career touchdown passes Sunday, zipping No. 421 to Greg Jennings in the first quarter of Green Bay's 23-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

He hit Jennings on a 16-yard slant for the score with 4:56 left in the quarter, and like most of his touchdown throws through his brilliant 17-year career, this one had plenty of steam on it.

Ever the jubilant celebrator, Favre sprinted to the end zone and hoisted Jennings on his left shoulder. He joined in hugs with his teammates on the sideline, as thousands of Packers faithful who made the trip from Wisconsin cheered loudly.

Gebrselassie Sets World Record In Berlin Marathon

Cruising alone for the final seven miles on Berlin streets lined with damp, golden leaves Sunday morning, Haile Gebrselassie shattered the world record in the marathon by 29 seconds, securing a mark he has coveted since he was a teenager in Ethiopia.

The rain and wind had stopped by 9 a.m. after a soggy three days, and, along with a flat course and five pacesetters flanking him, the conditions were ideal for Gebrselassie's record run of 2 hours 4 minutes 26 seconds for the 26.2 miles.

Paul Tergat of Kenya had set the previous world record, on this same course, in 2003. To the 34-year-old Gebrselassie, this world record, his 23rd in distances ranging from two miles to the marathon, was the most satisfying.

Colt Brennan's improbable road

After every home game, Colt Brennan waves to his probation officer as he leaves Aloha Stadium.

When a teammate needs a designated driver, he knows he can call Brennan, who, under the terms of his probation, is not allowed to drink.

When children in a juvenile detention center need a pep talk, Brennan always says yes. He reasons that words mean more coming from a convicted felon turned good.

Brennan, Hawaii’s star quarterback, is on the cusp of what could be a transcendent season in his senior year. He is projected to make a run at the Heisman Trophy, and his coach insists that he will be the first quarterback selected in the N.F.L. draft. His strong right arm, combined with a soft schedule, have people around college football’s most remote program believing that Hawaii’s chances of making a Boise State-like run to a Bowl Championship Series game are, well, not remote.

Those possibilities, for the player and for the team, are even more noteworthy considering the improbable, circuitous road that Brennan, 24, took to Hawaii.<! via email from donna ->

Greg Oden to miss season

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Greg Oden's rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers ended before it started when the 7-footer had knee surgery Thursday.

The top pick in the June draft went in for an exploratory procedure on his right knee and ended up having microfracture surgery, which means he will sit out the season.

WFH

[9/9/07] Jamaican Asafa Powell set a new men's world 100m record of 9.74 seconds at the IAAF Grand Prix at Rieti, Italy, on Sunday, beating his old mark of 9.77 set in Athens in June 2005.

Powell's new world record shaves three-hundredths of a second off his previous mark set in June 2005.

The 24-year-old Powell dominated the race ahead of Norway's Saidy Ndure Jaysuma (10.07) and 2003 world champion from St Kitts and Nevis, Kim Collins (10.14).

The Jamaican failed to win the 100m title at the Osaka world championships, finishing third in 9.96 seconds behind Americain Tyson Gay (9.85) and Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas (9.91).

"I was much more fluid," said Powell, who had run 9.77 three times. "Zero tension, zero pressure."

Powell set his latest record in the second of two heats, and even eased up at the end to save something for the final, which he won in 9.78.

"This means that I can do even 9.68," the Jamaican said. "I'm worth that time, I know it."

[5/16/06] Justin Gatlin's 100 metres world record has been erased after five days -- not by another sprinter, but because an official couldn't tell time.

Tissot Timing informed the International Association of Athletics Federations yesterday that there was an error in interpreting the American's winning time in the Super Grand Prix meet in Doha last Friday. Gatlin ran the 100 in 9.766 seconds. His time was announced as 9.76, eclipsing the world record of 9.77, set by Asafa Powell of Jamaica in Greece in June of 2005.

Under IAAF rules, Gatlin's result should have been rounded up to 9.77, the IAAF said yesterday as it wiped out Gatlin's mark. Gatlin and Powell are now officially deadlocked, a circumstance that adds fuel to their feud over the title of the world's fastest man.

[5/12/06] DOHA, Qatar -- Olympic champion. World champion. Now, Justin Gatlin is the world record holder, too. The American sprinter broke the 100-meter record Friday with a time of 9.76 seconds at the Qatar Grand Prix. He shaved one-hundredth of a second off the mark of 9.77 seconds set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell on June 14, 2005, in Athens, Greece.

[6/14/05] Asafe Powell runs 9.77.

thin letters

Jarrod Saltalamacchia's name is the longest in Major League history, and that made it a challenge for equipment manager Zack Minasian to get it on the back of the jersey.

"First, I had to learn to spell it," Minasian said. "I looked at Catalanotto and that's 11 letters. That goes from armpit to armpit so there was no way I was going to use regular thick letters for Saltalamacchia. So I went with the thin letters. I don't normally do that, but in this case, I had no choice. But it worked out fine."

chicken skin at Oregon State

Mike and Laurie knew she had polycystic kidney disease. It was inherited. It killed her father; an uncle and brother have had transplants and her sister may need one. It’s been a fact of life for the Cavanaughs for a long time. This past year, Laurie’s kidneys were operating at just 10 percent of capacity. Her doctor said it was time to find a donor. Family members began to be tested. None was a match. Friends began to volunteer to be tested. No match found there either. One day, OSU offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf stopped by Mike’s office."Hey Cav, I’ve been reading about this - I could do it,” he said. “I’m going to get tested.”

Incredibly, Langsdorf, 35, was a match. Langsdorf and his wife, Michelle, were an itinerant football family. Danny had left the NFL to join the Beavers staff the same time as Mike. They had worked together for two years. "You know, as coaches we’re always preaching family, togetherness,” says Cavanaugh. "But this was huge. An amazing sacrifice and commitment. It doesn’t get any more family than this.”

All-Time Gold Glove Team

Rawlings today announced results of worldwide fan voting for the All-Time Rawlings Gold Glove Team, which generated nearly 1 million votes and sparked great debate during the "Summer of Glove" – the golden anniversary celebration of the Rawlings Gold Glove Award®.

Fans selected pitcher Greg Maddux, catcher Johnny Bench, first baseman Wes Parker, second baseman Joe Morgan, shortstop Ozzie Smith, third baseman Brooks Robinson, and outfielders Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Ken Griffey, Jr., as the best nine defensive players of the past 50 years. The players have exactly 100 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards between them.

Texas Rangers score 30

The Texas Rangers became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.

Trailing 3-0 in the opener of a doubleheader, the Rangers scored five runs in the fourth inning, nine in the sixth, 10 in the eighth and six in the ninth.

It was the ninth time a major league team scored 30 runs, the first since Chicago set the major league record in a 36-7 rout of Louisville in a National League game on June 28, 1897, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Bonds hits no. 756

With a mighty swing of his black maple bat, in front of a raucous and all-forgiving home crowd at AT&T Park, San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds became baseball's home run king Tuesday night, crushing career homer No. 756 deep into the stands in right field to wrest the most hallowed record in sports from Hank Aaron.

Kevin Garnett traded to Celtics

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have acquired 10-time All-Star and 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 first round draft pick (top three protected) and a return of Minnesota's conditional first round draft pick previously obtained in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade. Minnesota also receives cash considerations in the deal.

"Kevin Garnett is a great player in our league, with a fierce and competitive spirit, who brings offensive scoring prowess and a defensive presence to our team," Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge said. "The players we're trading to Minnesota have bright futures in the NBA and we wish them well."

Bill Walsh

Bill Walsh, the imaginative and charismatic coach who took over a downtrodden 49ers team and built one of the greatest franchises in NFL history, died Monday morning at his home in Woodside at the age of 75, after a three-year struggle with leukemia.

A master of using short, precisely timed passes to control the ball in what became known as the West Coast offense, he guided the team to three Super Bowl championships and six NFC West division titles in his 10 years as head coach.

Kevin Love named Gatorade player of the year

Basketball players Kevin Love, who will attend UCLA, and Connecticut recruit Maya Moore were honored as national high school athletes of the year Wednesday.

They are the second consecutive basketball players to win, joining last year's honorees Greg Oden of Ohio State and Tina Charles of Connecticut. In 2004, basketball players Dwight Howard and Candace Parker won.

Love received his circular silver award from New Jersey Nets star Vince Carter and Oden, the No. 1 overall pick in the recent NBA draft by Portland.

"I know that last year Greg won and to follow in his footsteps in the next year is a tremendous honor," said Love, who closed his acceptance speech with "Go Bruins."

"You're kind of dumbfounded. You kind of have to pinch yourself and ask yourself if it's real and it is, and it feels great," he said.

Love averaged 33.6 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and three blocks last season, helping Lake Oswego High to its third consecutive state title game appearance. He was a four-year varsity starter.

He also earned four other major national player of the year awards. His father, Stan, starred at Oregon and played in the NBA.

Chestnut dethrones Kobayashi

In a gut-busting showdown that combined drama, daring and indigestion, Joey Chestnut emerged Wednesday as the world's hot dog eating champion, knocking off six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi in a record-setting yet repulsive triumph.

Chestnut, the great red, white and blue hope in the annual Fourth of July competition, broke his own world record by inhaling 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes -- a staggering one every 10.9 seconds before a screaming crowd in Coney Island.

"If I needed to eat another one right now, I could," the 23-year-old Californian said after receiving the mustard yellow belt emblematic of hot dog eating supremacy.

Kobayashi, the Japanese eating machine, recently had a wisdom tooth extracted and received chiropractic treatment due to a sore jaw. But the winner of every Nathan's hot dog competition from 2001 to 2006 showed no ill effects as he stayed with Chestnut frank-for-frank until the very end of the 12-minute competition.

Once the contest ended, the runner-up suffered a reversal -- competitive eating-speak for barfing -- leading to a deduction from his final total. Kobayashi finished with 63 HDBs (hot dogs and buns eaten) in his best performance ever.

Oden and Durant top 2007 NBA Draft

NEW YORK (AP) -- Greg Oden is the 1.
The Portland Trail Blazers settled months of debate Thursday night when they chose Oden over fellow college freshman Kevin Durant with the No. 1 pick in a highly anticipated NBA draft.

Portland opted for the 7-footer who can dominate a game with his defense over the sensational scoring of Durant, who would have been the No. 1 pick in many other years after one of the most outstanding freshman seasons in NCAA history.

But franchise centers are hard to find, and most believe the Blazers got one.

As expected, Durant was quickly taken second by the Seattle SuperSonics, who found a replacement if they lose Rashard Lewis to free agency. The 6-9 forward, wearing an orange tie to match Texas' colors, averaged 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds, ranking fourth nationally in both categories, and is considered the most talented player in the draft.

But that wasn't enough to beat out Oden, who led Ohio State to the national championship game despite never playing at full strength after surgery on his right wrist. Still, he averaged 15.7 points and shot nearly 62 percent while drawing comparisons to Bill Russell for his rebounding and shot blocking abilities.

Looking nervous and battling a head cold since arriving in New York, Oden shared a long handshake with commissioner David Stern before heading off for interviews. He was expected to fly to Portland later Thursday night.

Oden could have been the top pick last year out of high school if not for the NBA's age requirement rule.

"I'm a better player because of that year in college," Oden said. "Coach (Thad) Matta, he taught me so much, first about being a young man growing up in Columbus."

The Pacific Northwest rivals got an immediate jump-start to their rebuilding plans by moving up in last month's lottery to grab the top two picks. Though this is considered the deepest draft in years, Oden and Durant are regarded as the only can't-miss players.

And the Sonics may be adding another top-five pick.

Big East player of the year Jeff Green of Georgetown went to the Celtics with the No. 5 pick -- though there was no guarantee he'd play for Boston. The Celtics have been mentioned in a number of trade rumors, including one with Seattle, and Green said in an interview he'd be playing for "another green" -- meaning he expected to join Durant with the Sonics.

The Atlanta Hawks used the No. 3 pick, their first of two in the lottery on Al Horford, who saluted the pro-Florida crowd with the Gator chomp. The two-time defending NCAA champions were hoping to become the first school with three players selected in the top 10 of the same draft.

The Hawks passed on Michael Conley Jr., even though they still need a point guard after passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams two years ago. The Memphis Grizzlies then grabbed Conley, Oden's teammate since their junior high days and the third freshman in the top four picks.

The Milwaukee Bucks took a chance at No. 6 on the draft's mystery player, Chinese forward Yi Jianlian. Though Yi was getting plenty of attention -- half of the record 60 international media members were from China -- he came with plenty of question marks. He hasn't played against top competition in the Chinese leagues, and he is rumored to be older than the 19 he is listed.

"I think I'm ready. I played Olympics, I played world championship," Yi said. "I think I can play in the NBA."

LeBron like Mike?

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 31 (AP) -- LeBron James grimaced, limped up to the podium and plopped into a chair behind a microphone.

It was the only time he looked human all night.

James had already used every ounce of energy to put together one of the most spectacular performances in playoff history, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to the verge of their greatest season.

James' career playoff-high 48 points - including his team's final 25 and 29 of its final 30 - carried Cleveland within a win of the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history with a 109-107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

* * *

Where does LeBron's Game 5 rank among the greatest playoff performances by an individual?

[I still rank Jordan's 63 point game vs. Boston as the best game period I've ever seen. - mike]

2007 NFL Draft

JaMarcus Russell barely had to wait before taking the stage as an Oakland Raider at Saturday's NFL draft. Brady Quinn turned out to be the forgotten quarterback, lingering long after Russell was picked, until Cleveland took him 22nd.

Russell was the top choice, by the offense-deficient Raiders. The 6-foot-6 junior QB who can throw the ball 80 yards fits the mold for Al Davis, who loves the deep ball.

Notre Dame's Quinn sat and watched 21 players get called before he went to the Browns, the team he grew up rooting for in Dublin, Ohio. Once considered the best prospect in this year's crop, he was still available when the Browns traded with Dallas to get back into the first round.

After Russell's selection, Detroit declined several trade options for the No. 2 overall pick and chose wide receiver Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, considered the best athlete available. It was the fourth time in five years the Lions chose a wideout high in the draft. Only one of the others, Roy Williams, has succeeded in Detroit. Johnson, an All-American junior known as "Spider-man," is 6-4 and 237 pounds and can run a 4.35 in the 40.

Muhammad Ali turns 65

At the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, organizers had tried to keep very quiet the identity of the distinguished American who would light the Olympic cauldron. The torch was carried into the stadium, and when it reappeared for the big moment the spotlight showed it in the hand of Muhammad Ali.

And all anyone could think was:

Of course.

For years, Ali had been the best-known American in the world, one of the great athletes in history, an Olympic gold medalist.

And, almost forgotten by 1996, for a time in the 1960s he was one of the most controversial figures in the United States.

Ali turned 65 this week, an impossible concept for anyone who remembers, or sees on tape, the sleek, sinuous, muscular body that danced uncatchably around the ring before landing a piledriver on the unfortunate boxer facing him. His self-described pattern of "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" seemed like an understatement on both ends.

He was also a permanent one-man parade, of poetry and put-ons and principle, from Louisville to Madison Square Garden to Manila.

These days, Ali is a physically sad figure, a sufferer from pugilistic Parkinson's syndrome, an old boxer who clearly took too many punches, one of the fastest-talking figures of sports now having trouble making his words understandable. It's hard to see the pantherlike boxer in the 65-year-old.

But it's even harder to recognize the widely hated, electrically controversial figure of the 1960s, the world's best-known war resister coming from the world's most violent sport, in the American icon that Ali has become.

If he's changed in 40 years, so has the country and the world around him.

It's one more lesson from Ali's life, a bulletin to politicians who claim that while things may not look good today, their militant insistence will be validated by history. History, even a few decades of it, makes judgments different from what establishments expect. It's not always on the side of the folks who send out the bombers and the search-and-destroy missions.

Ali, after all, wasn't even always called Ali. He won his Olympic gold medal, and his first heavyweight championship fight, as Cassius Clay. When he announced, in the company of Malcolm X — another public enemy looking better in the history books — that he was dropping Clay as his "slave name" and becoming a Muslim, he was more editorially denounced than rock and roll. Most sports reporters attacked him — Howard Cosell became a celebrity simply for treating Ali decently — and the next five years were absorbed in an effort to find a heavyweight to beat him and uphold right-thinking values.

And when Ali refused the Vietnam-era draft, going to the ceremony and not answering when his name was called, he was stripped of his title and sentenced to five years in prison. It took until 1970 for the Supreme Court to throw out his conviction, and longer for him to regain the championship, and during all that time Ali was an inviting punching bag for millions of Americans.

In the Vietnam era, it turned out that Ali's most useful boxing skill wasn't fighting, but the ability to take a punch.

Now, 40 years later, Ali is a national hero, not to say an international icon. Resisting a war doesn't seem an incomprehensibly disloyal act, and becoming a Muslim doesn't seem an act of cultural betrayal. As of this month, an African American Muslim sits in the U.S. House of Representatives, where the walls once echoed with denunciations of Muhammad Ali.

History, it seems, has dealt considerably more generously with Ali than with the people who wanted to send him to war.

Which is why it often can be a mistake for a president to set his jaw about the casualty lists and stand next to a White House portrait of Lincoln and assure himself that one day history will vindicate him.

History makes its own judgments, and sometimes the objects of popular and government abuse end up lighting fires -- sometimes on international television coverage -- that burn brighter than the politicians of the past ever expected.

-- David Sarasohn is an associate editor at the Oregonian of Portland, Ore

Fujikawa makes cut

With an electric smile and precocious shot-making skill bursting from his 5-foot-1-inch frame, Tadd Fujikawa fired a 4-under-par 66 at Waialae Country Club. Coupled with his first-round 71, it gave him a place in PGA and Hawaii golf history and the hearts of anyone who loves the underdog.

The Moanalua High School sophomore became the second-youngest player to make a PGA Tour cut and the youngest to ever advance to the weekend in this tournament.