Ichiro, the Yankee

The New York Yankees have traded for Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, reports YES’ Jack Curry.

The veteran outfielder will likely play part-time in left field as New York tries to overcome the absence of Brett Gardner, who will miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury. Raul Ibanez and Andrew Jones have played left field in his absence.

Ichiro, the 2001 AL MVP in his first season in America, made 10 straight All-Star teams from 2001 to 2010. He is a free agent after the season.

But Ichiro has struggled this year. He is hitting only .261 with a .288 on-base percentage. It seems likely that he would be part of a platoon in left field. The Yankees may be hoping that playing in New York for a title contender will rejuvenate Ichiro.

NCAA wipes out Penn State

INDIANAPOLIS  >> Penn State football was all but leveled today by an NCAA ruling that wiped away 14 years of coach Joe Paterno's victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties, crippling a program whose pedophile assistant coach spent uncounted years molesting children, sometimes on university property.

The sanctions by the governing body of college sports, which capped eight months of turmoil on the central Pennsylvania campus, stopped short of delivering the "death penalty" of shutting down the sport. But the NCAA hit Penn State with $60 million in fines, ordered it out of the postseason for four years, and will cap scholarships at 20 below the normal limit for four years. The school also will be on probation for five years.

Any current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.

"Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people," NCAA President Mark Emmert said as he announced the penalties at a news conference in Indianapolis.

$100 million for Drew Brees

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drew Brees and the Saints reached a deal on par with the quarterback's record-setting play, giving New Orleans' fans some news they can celebrate after an offseason rife with turmoil.

The team announced Friday that it had agreed to a five-year contract with Brees. A person familiar with the deal said it's for $100 million, with $60 million guaranteed.

The deal will also pay the quarterback $40 million the first year, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details had not been publicly announced.

Brees posted a note on his Twitter page reading, "Deal is Done! Love you, Who Dat Nation. See you soon!"

Brees skipped the Saints' offseason practices while holding out for his new long-term contract, which now gives him the highest average annual pay ($20 million) in NFL history. 

6th grader receives scholarship offer

Damon Harge first gained national attention here at Prep Rally for blowing up the North Carolina high school hoops scene while still in the sixth grade. Now he's getting noticed by some pretty talented pros and college coaches, one of whom just took the dramatic step of making Harge possibly the first sixth-grader to receive a Division I college basketball scholarship offer.


As first noted on Twitter by Michael Monroe of Hoops Report, and later confirmed by the player himself on the same medium, 12-year-old Damon Harge recently received a scholarship offer from North Carolina Central, despite having yet to enter the seventh grade. The scholarship offer was also directly confirmed with a Prep Rally source by the Harge family.

Harge, a diminutive but nearly unguardable point guard (he stands just 5-foot-4 and 120 pounds), has drawn favorable comparisons with the likes of John Wall in recent years, and now at least one college coach has seen enough to be convinced that he has a future at the next level … even if that level may be six years away.
The budding star received the offer while working out in Raleigh with reining NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, fellow pro Nolan Smith, current N.C. State star C.J. Leslie and soon-to-be N.C. State super frosh Rodney Purvis. Despite being the youngest and least experienced player there by a mile, Harge reportedly held his own, convincing N.C. Central coach LaVelle Moton that Harge is the real deal.

2012 Olympics

7/7/12 - Men's basketball roster finalized
7/12/12 - Blake Griffin suffers knee injury, Anthony Davis summoned
7/12/12 - Griffin to miss Olympics with injured knee
7/12/12 - U.S. defeats Dominican Republic 113-59 in exhibition

7/17/12 - Beginning with preliminary-round women's soccer games on July 25, all 302 events from all 32 sports on the London program will be streamed live online and in a special "NBC Olympics Live Extra" app for smartphones and tablets.

In delivering more than 3,000 hours of live streams, every competition feed made available by the host broadcaster will be utilized – and for some sports, that allows for truly comprehensive coverage:

7/19/12 - United States defeats Great Britain 118-78

7/22/12 - Started to read Outliers, so I wondered about the birth dates of the players on the Olympic basketball team

PG - Chris Paul        May 6, 1985
PG - Deron Williams    June 26, 1984
G  - Russell Westbrook November 12, 1988
SG - Kobe Bryant       August 23, 1978
GF - James Harden      August 26, 1989
FG - Andre Iguodala    January 28, 1984
F  - Kevin Durant      September 29, 1988
F  - LeBron James      December 30, 1984
F  - Carmelo Anthony   May 29, 1984
FC - Kevin Love        September 7, 1988
CF - Anthony Davis     March 11, 1993
C  - Tyson Chandler    October 2, 1982

So let's see, two players born in the first four month of the year.  LeBron born on December 30.  Kobe born in August.  Durant born in September.  I'd say it doesn't apply here.

7/22/12 - U.S. holds off Argentina 86-80

7/24/12 - U.S. tops Spain 100-78 in pre-London exhibition

7/29/12 - USA defeats France 98-71 in Olympic opener

7/31/12 - USA defeats Tunisia 110-63

7/31/12 - Michael Phelps out-touched in the 200-meter butterfly, then wins record 19th medal (and 15th gold) in anchoring 200-freestyle relay

8/2/12 - USA dominates Nigeria 156-73

8/2/12 - Michael Phelps holds off Ryan Lochte in 200 individual medley for three-peat and 20th medal

8/3/12 - Phelps three-peats in the 100 fly for his 20th medal and 17th gold.

8/4/12 - Serena outmatches Sharapova to win gold medal

8/4/12 - Double-amputee finishes second in 400m heat

8/4/12 - USA has to rally to beat Lithuania 99-94

8/4/12 - USA wins 4x100 medley to give Phelps 22nd medal and 18th gold

8/5/12 - Usain Bolt repeats at 100m dash setting another Olympic record

8/8/12 - Kobe and LeBron lead USA past Australia 119-86 in quaterfinals

8/9/12 - Usain Bolt repeats in 200m dash too

8/10/12 - USA downs Argentina 109-83 to advance to gold medal game

8/10/12 - Pistorius wins despite no medal

8/11/12 - Jamaica defeats USA in 4x100 and sets a new world record

8/12/12 - USA holds off Spain 107-100 to win gold medal (video)

8/12/12 - One man's memories

8/15/12 - Yes, the 2012 Olympic team will get to play the Dream Team!

8/15/12 - The Dream Team vs. Puerto Rico.  This is the game I always wished I taped for future viewing (not that I ever watch the tapes again).  But I think Wendell called me and I was talking with him.  But I see it's on youtube.  Cool.  That's my new project for the future.  Transfer my videotapes and upload to youtube.

Or maybe it was the Dream Team vs. Cuba since that was actually their debut at the Tournament of the Americas.  Yeah, that was it.  I remember Bird draining that 3-pointer.  Too bad that I only see the edited highlight video and not the complete game.

6/13/15 - hey, the full game has been uploaded!

Michelle Wie had a good round

KOHLER, Wis. » This is why there was so much hype when she was a kid, why PGA Tour players stopped to watch her swing, why people said Michelle Wie was going to rewrite the history book.

She is capable of making golf look easy. She hasn't done it often this year, or often enough over the years to silence her critics, but she did it in the second round of the 67th U.S. Women's Open on Friday.

Wie made the 6,800-yard Blackwolf Run, lengthened by some 500 yards since 1998, look 500 yards too short.

The willowy 6-footer set up six of her seven birdies with wedge approach shots en route to a 6-under-par 66, her best-ever round at the Women's Open and the lowest score, by two shots, at this championship.

"Obviously, it went well today," Wie said. "It was just fun out there. I just went out and tried to be patient and, you know, when putts start dropping in it makes for a low round."

Halfway through the championship, Wie trailed Suzann Pettersen of Norway by one shot. Pettersen shot a 68 and moved to the top of the leaderboard at 5-under 139.

Wie started on the 10th tee and birdied four of her first six holes, every one with a wedge in her hands. She hit a lob wedge to 15 feet on the par-5 10th, a sand wedge to 4 feet on the par-4 11th, her 52-degree wedge to 10 feet on the par-4 14th and a pitching wedge to 15 feet on the par-4 15th.

"Yesterday, I had a lot of 40-foot putts, 50-foot putts," she said. "Today on the back nine I had a lot of putts within 15 feet. That really helps. It's the difference between lagging them and trying to make them."

On the front nine (her back), Wie birdied Nos. 1, 4 and 6 and bogeyed No. 2.

"I'm pretty stoked to be back in contention and honestly not have to worry about the cut line," she said. "It feels pretty good. I'm looking forward to a good weekend."

Though Wie is only 22, she's been in the public eye for a decade. She was the youngest player to Monday-qualify for an LPGA event at 12 years, 4 months, 14 days and had competed in a handful of PGA Tour events by the time she was 16.

Tom Lehman called Wie's swing "flawless" and Judy Rankin said of her, "I don't know anybody in the game of golf, male or female, that at the age of 14 was a better player than Michelle Wie."

A series of disappointments and questionable career decisions derailed Wie's early momentum, and she was criticized for everything from playing against men to juggling her career and college.

"I didn't really think about it too much," she said. "I'm really grateful for all the opportunities that I have had and all the accomplishments I did when I was younger. But I can't really live in the past.

"What I did is what I did, and I'm really looking forward to what I'm going to do tomorrow and Sunday and in the future."

Wie graduated from Stanford this year but has struggled with her game, having missed the cut in six of her last eight starts. Her best finish in 2012 is a tie for 33rd at the Sybase Match Play Championship.

"Nothing really has changed since the beginning of this year," she said. "I just kind of kept with the same stuff, and I felt like it was coming for the last couple of weeks.

"I have to say it felt pretty good to see my name on that leaderboard. I kind of like that spot up there."

Wie had 13 one-putt greens and needed just 23 putts, one day after taking 35. Pettersen played behind her and had a front-row seat for the fireworks.

"I know she's been struggling this year, but I must say playing behind her I don't think I've ever seen her make as many putts as she did today," Pettersen said. "She was fist-pumping every putt she looked at.

"Michelle is awfully talented and has a lot of game. I think you should give her a break. She just graduated after four years in college. That's pretty impressive to do that on the sideline of trying to compete out here."

Sixty-five players survived the cut at 5-over 149 and will play on the weekend. Among the notables who won't be around are Natalie Gulbis, two-time Women's Open champion Juli Inkster and Cheyenne Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods.

Wie has been working with coaches Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott, mostly on the mental side of the game.

"I don't know if anyone gave up on me or not," she said. "I'm sure some did and some didn't. But I never gave up on myself and today was a good reminder to myself that I can do it and I still have it."

***

[7/7/12]  And not so good..

Honolulu's Michelle Wie returned to all-too-familiar form today, shooting a 6-over 78 to fall out of contention at the U.S. Women's Open held on the Championship Course of Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wis.

The Punahou School graduate shot a stunning 66 on Friday to move into a tie for second entering today's third round, but drifted down to a tie for 13th at 2-over 218. She trails third-round leader Na Yeon Choi by 10 shots. The South Korean bettered Wie's second round by one shot. The 65 dropped her to 8-under 208, leaving her six shots clear of countryman Amy Yang, who is in at 2-under 214 after firing a 68 today.

Wie carded back-to-back bogeys to start her round and never recovered. The recent Stanford graduate had only one birdie after making seven on Friday five bogeys and one double at the par-4 11th. Wie's average round this year has been a 75. That's why the 66 on Friday was so shocking. Wie has earned a little less than $20,000 this season on the LPGA Tour. She is currently 40th in the world rankings.

[7/8/12] And even worse..

Honolulu's Michelle Wie continued her downward spiral today at the U.S. Women's Open, closing with an 8-over par 80 that left her tied for 35th at 10-over 298. She was tied for second after a second-round 66, but was 14 over par for the weekend.

As for Wie, she began her day bogeying five of the first seven holes. After five straight pars, she tripled the par-3 13th, bogeyed the par-4 15th and birdied the closing hole, the only red number she had on her card.

Wie has had a disappointing year and has dropped to 40th in the world rankings as a result.

Giants continue to blackout Hawaii

For San Francisco Giants fans in Hawaii, the team's first-place success can be a little bittersweet these days. That's when it isn't just plain head-banging maddening.

While they relish the Giants' standing atop the National League West Division and what it might portend for this season, they say there is the continuing disappointment with not being able to see much of it firsthand.

We're going on four years now of Major League Baseball's curious blackout, one that has Hawaii fans caught in a rundown between the clubs' greed and the inflexibility to work out deals with cable partners.

This notion that Hawaii is "home television territory" for the Giants, some 2,500 miles distant and therefore subject to blackout, would almost be funny if it hadn't been so ham-handedly drawn up and tight-fistedly enforced.

It is one thing to black out Giants' home games in Northern or Central California, where fans are within driving — or rail — distance of AT&T Park. It is quite another to impose it on the 50th State, where the commute is more arduous.

The shakedown works like this: MLB teams are allowed to declare "home television territories" that need not be based on any geographic common sense. Profit motive is enough. Which is why at various times as many as six teams — Giants, A's, Angels, Dodgers, Padres and Mariners — have all staked their claim to these islands.

Not to actually play any games here, you understand, but to strong-arm local fans and their cable operators to sign on and pay up or forgo the opportunity to watch them on a regular basis.

Unless local cable operators come to terms with the team's designated regional sports network, there is a blackout of non-ESPN national games and DirecTV. In this, even subscribers to MLB.com, MLB Extra Innings and others outlets have found themselves in the dark.

Some clubs, the Mariners and Padres, for instance, have relented and granted so-called "temporary waivers." Others, such as the Dodgers and Angels, have managed to work out deals with Oceanic Time Warner Cable.

Meanwhile, the Giants have dug in the way Willie McCovey once did and aren't budging. Even testimony to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington and a letter from some concerned U. S. senators earlier this year have yet to back the Giants away from the plate.

Which is why fans here didn't get to see Matt Cain's perfect game until the final innings, when ESPN and others finally cut in.

Give KITV's MeTV Hawaii, available on digital cable Ch. 126, credit for bringing in a 12-game package. But that still leaves more than 90 percent of the Giants games up to the whims of the TV market. At least fans can catch their team on the radio on KKEA, 1420-AM.

Giants fan and rail public relations operative Doug Carlson was so enraged he started a blog dedicated to the blackout, www.commaaina.blogspot.com.

When that didn't work, Carlson took perhaps the ultimate step: He moved to Sacramento. "I can't say the Infamous MLB Blackout of Hawaii was all of the motivation, but it definitely was a sweet part of the transition," Carlson wrote in an email.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com.

P.S.  Sacramento Kings too.  (Good thing it's not the Lakers or Clippers.)

LeBron gets his championship

Music blared and confetti fell, the only celebration LeBron James really wanted in Miami.

Not that one two summers ago, the welcoming rally where he boasted of multiple titles, perhaps without realizing how hard it would be to win just one.

He dreamed of this moment, with teammates surrounding him and the NBA championship trophy beside him.
"You know, my dream has become a reality now, and it's the best feeling I ever had," James said.

James had 26 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, leading the Miami Heat in a 121-106 rout of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night to win the NBA Finals in five games.

Ripped and ridiculed for the way he announced he was leaving Cleveland and taking his talents to South Beach, it's all worth it now for James.

Best player in the game. Best team in the league.

And now, NBA champion.

"I'm happy now that eight years later, nine years later since I've been drafted, that I can finally say that I'm a champion, and I did it the right way," James said. "I didn't shortcut anything. You know, I put a lot of hard work and dedication in it, and hard work pays off. It's a great moment for myself."

***

The greatest small forward (except for Julius) comment on LeBron and Durant.

Sandusky found guilty

A jury found former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky guilty on 45 of 48 child sex abuse charges on Friday, ending a trial that rocked U.S. college football and renewed attention on pedophilia in America.

Sandusky, 68, faces potentially hundreds of years in prison for molesting 10 boys over 15 years. He was escorted immediately out of the courthouse in handcuffs and taken into an awaiting sheriff's cruiser.

A large crowd that gathered outside the Centre County Courthouse in central Pennsylvania broke into cheers upon learning of the news. One of the victims who had testified burst into tears as the verdict was read. Sandusky, meanwhile, stood and faced the foreman and appeared expressionless, tucking his hands into his pockets.

[10/3/12] Mike McQueary files $4 million lawsuit against Penn State

Rich Miano returns to Kaiser

There was a time when Rich Miano couldn't wait to put plenty of distance between himself and Kaiser High School.

Rich Miano:
Returning to his
alma mater to coach

How much?

"Six thousand miles," Miano said.

Dragged to Hawaii from Brockton, Mass., pouting and defiant, if not exactly kicking and screaming, by a family move with seven weeks left in his sophomore year, Miano said he wanted little to do with the place.

He wanted even less when, after being given a tour of the campus, he was told about the institution known as "kill-a-haole day."

" 'What's a haole?' " Miano said he inquired.

" 'You,' " he said his guide told him.

"Needless to say I didn't go to school that day," Miano said. Nor did he want to return for his junior year, much less stick around long enough to graduate.

"I was the most miserable person on this planet," Miano recalls.

But here we are 34 years later and Miano, who was announced Friday as the Cougars' new head football coach, can't shake the place.

Fact is he hasn't wanted to. For nearly 20 years he has lived, by his wishes, a 5-minute stroll from the Kaiser campus.

***

From Kaiser To UH And Back (Bob Hogue article)

Bradley stuns Pacquiao

In a stunning decision, unbeaten Timothy Bradley (29-0) won a split-decision victory over eight-time world champion Manny Pacquiao (54-4-2) at the MGM Grand Gardens Arena.

Two judges scored the WBO welterweight title fight 115-113 for Bradley, who appeared to be trailing all night. The third judge gave Pacquiao a 115-113 edge.

The results were loudly jeered by a near-capacity crowd in the arena, many of whom stood stunned at their seats.

This L.A. Times writer Kevin Baxter had Bradley 3 rounds and  Pacquiao winning the other 9 rounds.

ESPN's Dan Rafael scored the fight Pacquiao 11, Bradley 1.

Fox Sports' Scott Savitz had it 11-1 for Pacquiao.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports had it 9-3 Pacquiao.

Nearly everybody on media row, including HBO's Harold Lederman, scored the bout overwhelmingly for Pacquiao. Lederman had it 119-109. But the judges at ringside, in a stunning decision, saw it otherwise. And the crowd let them know how they felt, raining boos as HBO's Max Kellerman tried to talk to the fighters afterwards.

Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum came over to media row and said he had it 10 rounds to 2 for Pacquiao, and said even Bradley's manager had it 8-3 for Pacquiao.

Even Bradley seemed surprised by the decision. He was booed lustily by the crowd after the fight.

''Can you believe that? Unbelievable,'' promoter Bob Arum said. ''I went over to Bradley before the decision and he said, `I tried hard but I couldn't beat the guy.'''

"I've never been as ashamed of the sport of boxing as I am tonight," said Arum, who handles both fighters.

"This is a death knell for boxing, and I'm going to make a ton of money on the rematch," Arum said.

Following the fight, well-known trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas tweeted that "boxing is a corrupt sport."

Did Bradley know beforehand?

Uncle Drew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DnKOc6FISU

[via shu @chucksangels]

Dr. Shaq

MIAMI >> Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is a doctor now.

O'Neal received his doctoral degree in education from Barry University alongside 1,100 other students during commencement ceremonies Saturday.

The Miami Herald reports that O'Neal got on one knee so the chair of Barry's organizational learning and leadership program could drape a light blue hood around O'Neal's more-than-7-foot frame.

O'Neal then high-fived other graduates as he made his way back to his seat along with his manager, Cynthia Atterberry, who also received a doctorate in education.

The former All-Star and MVP earned a cumulative GPA of 3.813 while completing 54 credit hours at Barry, mostly through online courses and video conferencing over the last four years. O'Neal's doctoral capstone project explored how CEOs and business leaders use humor in the workplace.

***

[I'm impressed.  He must be smarter and harder-working than people give him credit for.]

Junior Seau

Former NFL star Junior Seau was found shot to death at his home Wednesday morning in what police said appeared to be a suicide. He was 43.

Police Chief Frank McCoy said Seau's girlfriend reported finding him unconscious with a gunshot wound to the chest and lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful. A gun was found near him, McCoy said.

Seau's mother appeared before reporters, weeping uncontrollably.  "I don't understand ... I'm shocked," Luisa Seau cried out.  Her son gave no indication of a problem when she spoke to him by phone earlier this week, she said.

Seau was a standout linebacker with the University of Southern California before going to the San Diego Chargers — his hometown team — whom he led to the Super Bowl following the 1994 season.

"Everyone at the Chargers is in complete shock and disbelief right now. We ask everyone to stop what they're doing and send their prayers to Junior and his family," the team said in a statement.

Seau remained with the Chargers until 2003 and went on to play with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots before retiring after the 2009 season.

Seau spent parts of 20 seasons in the NFL, including his 1990-2002 stint with his hometown Chargers. He helped them to their only Super Bowl appearance, was voted to a team-record 12 straight Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro six times.

Andy Ganigan

Boxer Andy Ganigan, a former world champion and member of the Hawaii Sports Hall of Fame, died today in Las Vegas, according to his niece, Michelle Shue. Ganigan's death comes two years after an assault in his hometown of Waipahu left him severely debilitated. He was 59.

"Since the assault his body can't fight off diseases. He never recovered," Shue said in a telephone interview with the Star-Advertiser. "His body basically just shut down after two years of fighting." She said Ganigan died with family members by his side.

Ganigan was a boxing sensation in the 1970s and 80s, with a 34-5 record, including 30 knockouts and a lightweight division championship. He was named to Ring Magazines' list of  "100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time" in 2003, 20 years after he retired.

But the last two years of his life were spent as a near-invalid after an apparently drunken and unprovoked attack on March 26, 2010.

changes coming to the BCS?

[6/21/12] CHICAGO » The BCS commissioners are backing a playoff plan with the sites for the national semifinals rotating among the major bowl games and a selection committee picking the teams.

The plan will be presented to university presidents next week for approval.

Once the presidents sign off — and that seems likely — major college football's champion will be decided by a playoff for the first time starting in 2014.

"We are excited to be on the threshold of creating a new postseason structure for college football that builds on the great popularity of our sport," Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick said Wednesday.

All 11 commissioners stood shoulder-to-shoulder behind Swarbrick, who read the BCS statement from a podium set up in a hotel conference room.

The commissioners have been working on reshaping college football's postseason since January. The meeting Wednesday was the sixth formal get-together of the year. They met for four hours and emerged with a commitment to stand behind a plan.

"I think we're very unified," Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said.

The commissioners refrained from providing specifics of the plan in their announcement.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott did say the two semifinals would be worked into the existing major bowls and the site of the national championship game will be bid out to any city that wants it the way the NFL does it with the Super Bowl.

People with firsthand knowledge of the decision tell The Associated Press the semifinals of the proposed plan would rotate among the major bowls and not be tied to traditional conference relationships.

They also said that under the plan a selection committee would choose the schools that play for the national title.

[4/27/12]  SEC Commissioner Mike Slive came here four years ago with a plan to remake the Bowl Championship Series by creating two national semifinals to determine which teams played for the national championship.

Not only was Slive's proposal shot down by his fellow commissioners, he wasn't even allowed to call it a playoff.

Now, for the first time, all the power brokers who run major college football are ready to have its championship decided the way it's done from peewees to the pros. And the way fans have been hoping they would for years.

"I've always tried not to use the dreaded P word," Slive said Thursday. "But now we're all using it. So what the heck."

Yes, major college football is on the verge of implementing a playoff, its own version of the final four. Two semifinals and a title game.

"I'm very stunned," said former Alabama running back and Cleveland Browns draft pick Trent Richardson, who won two BCS championship games with the Crimson Tide.

There's still plenty left to figure out, though. First of all, where and when to play the games and how the bowls fit in. After that, Slive and his cohorts have to come up with a way to select the four teams. The new postseason format would go into effect for the 2014 season.

***  [1/9/12]

The Bowl Championship Series as college football fans have come to know it is going away.

Over the next six months, the people who oversee the much-maligned postseason system will talk about how to deconstruct the system for crowning a national champion. In the tumultuous 14-year history of the BCS, never has there been more of an appetite for change among college football's leaders.

"It's my impression that ... there will be meaningful discussion about possible changes to the BCS," Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday as SEC rivals LSU and Alabama prepared to play in the title game Monday night at the Superdome.

What the changes will be is hard to say because nearly everything seems to be up for discussion, from eliminating automatic bids to top-tier bowl games to creating a four-team playoff — an idea that's known as the plus-one model.

What's not on the table is exactly what many football fans are clamoring for, a full-scale playoff that would require numerous teams to play additional games.

2012 NFL Draft

Once the NFL draft got past quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, it was like a day on Wall Street. Everybody wanted to make a trade.

The wheeling and dealing started even before the Colts opened the proceedings as expected Thursday night by taking Luck and the Redskins followed by selecting RG3.

Behind closed doors, general managers around the league were gabbing away, jockeying to position their teams to land the most coveted player on their draft board.

When it was over, there were eight trades involving 12 of the league's 32 teams and draftniks breathlessly trying to keep up with the organized mayhem. It all started when Minnesota swapped its No. 3 choice for Cleveland's No. 4 pick. The Browns, who also gave up a fourth, fifth and seventh-rounder, desperately wanted Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The Vikings still got the guy they sought in Southern California tackle Matt Kalil.

Bobcats are the worst ever

Michael Jordan's No. 23 has long been synonymous with greatness. Now that number has a completely different meaning for him.

As Jordan watched from his luxury box, his Charlotte Bobcats lost their 23rd consecutive game Thursday night 104-84 to New York Knicks and finished the shrunken season with the worst winning percentage in NBA history (.106). That means the man recognized globally as the greatest basketball player ever is the not-so-proud owner of the worst NBA team ever.

A spectacular resume that includes six NBA championships and five league MVP awards would also include one very forgettable season for the record book.

It had been 39 years since an NBA team finished with a worse winning percentage than the Bobcats. In a full season, the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110).

In this lockout-shortened regular season, the Bobcats finished a woeful 7-59 — and they are every bit as bad as the numbers indicate.

They're last in league scoring and shooting percentage. They lost 22 games by 20 points or more. It's hard to decide what's worse, their offense or their defense.

This year's Bobcats were everything Jordan wasn't as a player — unproductive, uncompetitive and unwatchable.
Jordan told the Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that he knew this was going to be a trying year, but didn't expect it would be this bad.

"But did we want to chase the most pingpong balls (in the May 30 draft lottery)? No way," Jordan told the newspaper. "Ever since I've owned the team I think we've made some very positive moves on the business side. We had to make a difficult decision to turn over the talent. This year the talent we had didn't respond, but that doesn't cause me to turn my back on the plan."

2012 NBA Draft

[4/18/12] Kentucky's starting lineup of three freshmen and two sophomores did most everything together. Now, they will go their separate ways in the NBA.

Freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague, and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb declared for the draft in a nationally televised news conference Tuesday night.

"We made it work," Jones said. "We all wanted to be there and do it together like we've done everything else together."

The group, all clad in similar blue UK golf shirts, came into the season largely untested before ascending to No. 1, winning the Southeastern Conference in dominating fashion and capping an NCAA tournament run with a 67-59 victory over Kansas in the title game for the school's eighth championship.

"It's been a great opportunity playing here, I'll miss this team, the way we played together. We all love each other," said Davis, who picked up every major player of the year award and is likely the No. 1 pick in June's draft. "I'm just going to miss this place. We won an NCAA championship here and did a lot. We all did a lot for this school and I'm going to miss it."

The five join seniors Darius Miller, who is also projected to be drafted, and Eloy Vargas in leaving the program.

[6/14/12] Scott Howard Cooper's mock draft

[6/21/12] David Aldridge's Big Board

[6/26/12] Scott Howard Cooper's mock draft 3.0

*** [6/28/12]

 Best in the country and Nos. 1 and 2 in the NBA draft. The celebration goes on for Kentucky's kids.

The Wildcats became the first school to have the top two picks and tied a record with six players taken Thursday night.

After the New Orleans Hornets made the long-expected selection of forward Anthony Davis with the first pick, Charlotte followed by taking fellow freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

"It's crazy," Davis said. "Michael is a great player. We have two down and four more to go. Hopefully, all of them will go in the first round."

They didn't, the only disappointment for the Wildcats. They settled for four in the first round and a tie with North Carolina, which won the race to four picks -- all in the top 17 selections.

Harrison Barnes (No. 7, Golden State), Kendall Marshall (No. 13, Phoenix), John Henson (No. 14, Milwaukee) and Tyler Zeller (No. 17, Dallas) all went between Kidd-Gilchrist and the next Kentucky player, Terrence Jones at No. 18 to Houston.

Jamie Moyer winner at 49

Rockies left-hander Jamie Moyer pitched himself into the history books Tuesday night, becoming the oldest pitcher to win a Major League game.

Moyer, 49, did it in impressive fashion, allowing two unearned runs on six hits in seven strong innings against the Padres in Colorado's 5-3 victory.

Previously, the oldest pitcher to win a game in the Majors was Jack Quinn of the Brooklyn Dodgers, who won in relief on Sept. 13, 1932, when he was 49 years and 70 days old. Moyer was 49 years and 151 days old on Tuesday.

Moyer made his Major League debut on June 16, 1986, as a 23-year-old rookie with the Cubs, going seven innings to defeat the Phillies. Moyer has changed plenty since his 1986 debut. So, too, has the world.

The Cosby Show, in its second season, was television's most-watched show in 1986. "A Perfect Spy," by John le Carré, was atop the New York Times' best-sellers list. An average gallon of gas cost, well, a lot less -- 93 cents.

On Tuesday, a gallon of gas cost an average of $3.89.

Bert Sugar

MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (AP)—Bert Sugar, an iconic boxing writer and sports historian who was known for his trademark fedora and ever-present cigar, died Sunday of cardiac arrest. He was 75.

Jennifer Frawley, Sugar’s daughter, said his wife, Suzanne, was by his side when he died at Northern Westchester Hospital. Sugar also had been battling lung cancer.

“Just his intelligence and his wit and his sense of humor,” Frawley said when asked what she will remember about her father. “He was always worried about people. He was always helping people.”

Sugar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005. According to the hall’s website, Sugar wrote more than 80 books, including “The 100 Greatest Boxers Of All Time.” He also appeared in a handful of films, including “The Great White Hype” starring Samuel Jackson.

“Around ringside, it’s not going to be the same with Bert not there,” said Jack Hirsch, the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Laura Beeman selected as Hawaii women's basketball head coach

University of Southern California women's basketball associate head coach Laura Beeman was introduced by the University of Hawaii as its new women's hoops coach this afternoon.

Beeman, the eighth coach in program history, was received to a round of applause at the press conference at the Les Murakami Stadium hospitality room.

"It's not often that you have a dream, and that dream comes true," Beeman said. "To have my first Division I head coaching job at the University of Hawaii is very, very special."

She was selected unanimously among five finalists by UH's four-person search committee, UH athletic director Jim Donovan said. He glowed about her resume — a successful 15-year run as head coach at Mt. San Antonio College, followed by two years at USC.

"We are very pleased to hire a coach that has the vast experience and success that Coach Beeman has achieved," Donovan said. "Not only does she have a personality that will fit well in Hawaii and a proven track record, Coach Beeman has extensive recruiting contacts in California which will be a huge plus for us as we head into the Big West Conference next season.

"Absolutely (her in-person interview helped)," he added. "Great, in-depth conversation about Xs and Os.Her philosophy in basketball, her philosophy in team building. And building a whole student-athlete."

Beeman takes over for Dana Takahara-Dias, who was not retained on March 7 after UH lost in the first round of the WAC tournament.

***

To new Hawaii women's basketball coach Laura Beeman, confidence is derived from preparation.

Beeman had reason to be confident at her introductory press conference on Friday at Les Murakami Stadium. She'd prepared for that moment for most of her professional career.

Her teams found success at each of her coaching stops, from 15 years leading at Mt. San Antonio College, to a one-year stint assisting with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, to the past two seasons as the associate head coach at Southern California. Now she will try to turn the Rainbow Wahine into a winner against the weight of five straight losing seasons in Manoa, with no postseason appearances since the 2003 WNIT.

***

For nearly a half-century, people in the San Bernardino, Calif., area have looked to their neighborhood Beeman Pharmacies for the cures to what has ailed them.

Now, the University of Hawaii is calling upon Laura Beeman, one of the few Beemans not in the family business, to supply a remedy for the school’s women’s basketball program.

baseballs top (paid) players

Alex Rodriguez $30 million (+)
Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins, $27 million
Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, $25 million
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners, $24.5 million
Johan Santana, New York Mets, $24.4 million
C.C. Sabathia, New York Yankees, $24 million
Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers $23.3 million
Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees, $22.8 million
Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies, $21.8 million
Ryan Howard, Philadephia Phillies, $21.5 million

Sean Payton suspended

NEW YORK >> The NFL has suspended New Orleans head coach Sean Payton for the 2012 season, and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is banned from the league indefinitely because of the team's bounty program that targeted opposing players.

Commissioner Roger Goodell will review Williams' status after the upcoming season and consider whether he can return to the league.

Also Wednesday, Goodell suspended Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular-season games of 2012, and assistant coach Joe Vitt has to sit out the first six games.

In addition, the Saints are being fined $500,000 and forfeit second-round draft picks this year and in 2013.

Peyton Manning chooses Denver

Peyton Manning will trade the horseshoe for the horse.

The four-time MVP informed Denver VP of football operations John Elway of his decision to join the Broncos on Monday morning, per AP.

Manning apparently called the 49ers and Titans, the other teams vying for his services, earlier in the day to inform them of the verdict.

"I was hoping we would win out,'' Titans owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean. "I thought we'd be ahead of Denver. I thought he'd want to stay in Tennessee.

"I want to thank the whole organization for their efforts in trying to sign Peyton and also to Peyton for the time he put into the process. Peyton called me this morning to inform me of his decision and obviously I am disappointed, because I thought we would be a perfect fit."

It's been widely assumed Manning, who turns 36 Saturday, will sign a deal similar (if not exceeding) the five-year, $90 million package he inked with the Colts (who released him March 7) last July. He and Patriots QB Tom Brady topped the NFL with pacts that averaged $18 million annually.

***

So now a new guessing game begins: Where will Tebow land? The short answer is that none of us knows at this point. But since that's neither sexy nor interesting to a news cycle that must be fed by the hour, if not the minute, let's explore some of the options:

***

[3/21/12] Tim Tebow traded from Broncos to Jets (that was fast)

[3/21/12] Alex Smith stays with the 49ers

Dana Takahara-Dias dismissed

LAS VEGAS >> In the wake of a messy separation with Hawaii women's basketball coach Jim Bolla in the spring of 2009, UH athletic director Jim Donovan placed an emphasis on off-the-court appeal in his first major hire.

He got that in the immediate sense with Dana Takahara-Dias, but not the eventual on-court results he hoped would come with it.

Immediately after a season that featured both encouraging benchmarks and head-scratching low points, Takahara-Dias was dismissed as head coach of the Rainbow Wahine on Wednesday.

Donovan notified her soon after sixth seeded UH lost to third-seeded Louisiana Tech, 63-54, in the WAC tournament quarterfinals.

Donovan lauded her for her high character and leadership, which included consistent community service projects by the Rainbow Wahine. But ultimately, he said he could not ignore a second straight 11-19 season, another losing WAC record (6-8, good for a fifth-place tie) and UH's habitual first-round exit in the tournament.

"Dana is a great person. As an individual, I couldn't ask for a better person," Donovan said. "She's done everything I expected off the court. It's just the on-the-court performance wasn't there."

Takahara-Dias went 32-58 in her first tenure as a Division I coach, including 15-31 in WAC play. Her original three-year contract was allowed to expire.

Colts release Peyton Manning

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts ended their successful partnership with a tearful goodbye Wednesday, when team owner Jim Irsay released the star quarterback rather than pay a whopping $28 million bonus while there are lingering questions about his health.

"We all know that nothing lasts forever," Manning said. "Times change, circumstances change, and that's the reality of playing in the NFL."

Manning and Irsay each paused frequently, fighting tears and their voices shaking, as they appeared together at a news conference at the Colts' team complex. It was an unusual and awkward scene, two men whose NFL lives have been so closely intertwined, standing side-by-side in jackets and ties as they told the world they were splitting up.

"This has not been easy for Jim," Manning said, "and this has certainly not been easy for me."

The 35-year-old Manning will become a free agent, and is expected to generate interest from a half-dozen or so NFL clubs, provided he's healthy. Manning is coming off a series of operations to his neck and missed all of last season when his team's record, not coincidentally, plummeted to 2-14.

"Peyton is on the mend to try to resume his career," Irsay noted.

Indianapolis needed to cut Manning this week to avoid paying him a bonus from the $90 million, five-year contract he signed in July, although both owner and player insisted the decision was not really about money. The Colts are widely expected to begin moving on by taking Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft.

Obama gives Bush credit

It's true! Here's the transcript.

Mits Kawashima

Mitsuo Kawashima, who ushered in the sport of bodybuilding in Hawaii and promoted health and fitness to the islands' masses for decades, died Feb. 3, three days short of his 94th birthday.

Known by all who met him as "Mits," Kawashima popularized bodybuilding in Hawaii in the 1980s as promoter of the Hawaiian Islands contest, an event that he co-promoted with his longtime friend Arnold Schwarzenegger. Kawashima and his late wife, Dot, ran the event from 1979 to 2007, with emerging Hollywood star Schwarzenegger emceeing the first seven contests before large crowds at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Mits Kawashima. I lost a great friend and mentor this week, and the world lost one of the best advocates of fitness and bodybuilding," Schwarzenegger wrote Feb. 6 on his Twitter feed.

"Mits was one of the first people I met when I came to America. From the moment we met, he was always a loyal and thoughtful friend, guiding me and inspiring me to always be at my best, whether I was working out in his gym or later in life when he would always be a phone call away with his wisdom. The Arnold Classic will have an empty chair this year in honor of Mits, and while I will miss him, I know that he has finally been reunited with Dot, the woman of his dreams."

"He was the pioneer in Hawaii in bodybuilding," said Tommy Kono, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. "Mits was the first one who had a good bodybuilding studio over here. He brought over the idea from California."

"Mits was the guy that everyone looked up to when it came to bodybuilding," Kono said. "He was very straightforward, and when he instructed he made sure they followed his rules. No nonsense. He had a good rapport with his students and they all respected him because of that."

Kono said Kawashima "developed Dean Higuchi and he went on to the Mr. America contest (finishing sixth)."

"Mits influenced me by just talking, like Timmy Leong, their wisdom," said Ed Morishima, a 1987 world champion in powerlifting who became the third person in the history of the sport to bench more than three times his body weight (148 pounds, benched 448). "He had his point of view on things. We talked on life, things, it didn't matter. (He was) honest, hard-working, loyal, a straight shooter … very humble."

Top Ten Asian American Athletes

Roman Gabriel
Hines Ward
Tiger Woods

They're Asian?

Michelle Wie won't miss graduation this time

PALO ALTO, Calif. » Michelle Wie did not go to Stanford to play golf, at least not the game that brought her worldwide fame as a teenager.

"One time, me and a couple of guys played campus golf," said Wie, sitting in a coffee house on campus after her longest day of classes. "You hit tennis balls with a golf club. You start at the frats and end at the fountain, so that's like one hole. We hit cars, we hit some bikers. Just goofy things that you don't usually do."

These are the goofy times she wouldn't trade for anything.

Moments like tailgating at the Fiesta Bowl before Stanford played Oklahoma State. Sitting — mostly standing, actually — in the student section behind the bench at Cardinal basketball games. Spending all day roasting a pig before a Super Bowl party. Catching up with friends at the Coho Cafe, where cartoon figures of famous alumni are painted on the walls.

There's a caricature of Fed chairman Ben Bernanke, and even one of Tiger Woods, who won an NCAA title at Stanford. Wie's face is not among them. She's a student, just like everyone else.

And she appears to be loving life more than ever.

"My life has progressed in various ways than I thought it was going to," said Wie, who laughs easily these days. "I'm more rooted in what I'm doing. I guess that's called growing up."

For much of her teenage years, all Wie heard was that she was going about life the wrong way. She was playing too much golf, way too early. She was playing against the men. She turned pro as a junior in high school.

Turns out she knew what she was doing all along.

Mountain West to merge with Conference USA

[5/4/12] Both the Mountain West and Conference USA announced expansion plans today.

The Mountain West said San Jose State and Utah State will join the league in July 2013, which will give it 10 football-playing members. Currently, the league consists of Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming, with the Fresno State and Nevada coming aboard in July, and Hawaii becoming a football-only member on the same date.

Mountain West schools San Diego State and Boise State are joining the Big East for football next year.

The WAC, which once had 16 football teams, could be left with only New Mexico State and Idaho after next season. As for the Sun Belt, the league recently added Texas State and Georgia State as football members starting in 2013 in anticipation of losing two schools.

Conference USA announced today that it is adding five new schools in 2013.

Commissioner Britton Banowsky said Charlotte, Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas and UT-San Antonio will join the league in all sports, with Charlotte joining in football in 2015.

Charlotte is rejoining Conference USA after several years in the Atlantic 10. Louisiana Tech has been in the WAC since 2001, and UTSA will play in the WAC next year before joining CUSA. FIU and North Texas will be leaving the Sun Belt Conference.

Current CUSA members include East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, Tulsa, Alabama-Birmingham and UTEP.  Conference USA will lose Houston, SMU, Memphis and Central Florida to the Big East in 2013.

Banowsky says Conference USA and the Mountain West continue to discuss a merger and expansion remains a possibility. 

*** [2/14/12]

The Mountain West, which UH is scheduled to join as a football-only member in July, will dissolve and merge with the remnants of Conference USA in 2013 to form an as-yet-unnamed "super conference" of at least 16 members, according to announcements Monday.

Most of UH's other sports will compete in the California-based Big West beginning in 2012 as the Warriors leave the Western Athletic Conference after 33 years.

Increasingly ravaged by defections, the MWC and C-USA will repackage as a regionally based association July 1, 2013, that officials say is designed to provide enhanced stability and marketing opportunities. Expansion to as many as 18 to 24 members is a possibility.

Besides UH, the schools involved are the Air Force Academy, Ala­bama-Bir­ming­ham, Colo­rado State, East Caro­lina, Fresno State, Marshall, Nevada, Nevada-Las Vegas, New Mexico, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso, Tulane, Tulsa and Wyoming.

Already there is speculation that Temple University of Philadelphia and Miami-based Florida International may be asked to join.

Talks between the two midmajor conferences, then totaling 22 members, gained momentum last summer as a football-only union. But as the defections began to mount, discussions shifted to an all-sports amalgamation. San Diego State, Boise State and Texas Christian will depart the MWC by 2013, while C-USA loses Memphis, Central Florida, Houston and Southern Methodist.

Initially, at least, plans call for two geographically based divisions that Scott Cowen, Tulane president and C-USA chairman, said "will look fairly similar to the way the Mountain West looks now and C-USA looks now."

UTEP, a former Western Athletic Conference member now in C-USA, is expected to move into the West.

But Cowen said, "Over time we definitely anticipate there will be some crossover games," meaning teams from western and eastern divisions would eventually compete against each other.

Cowen said plans call for not only a championship game in football, but semifinal contests as well.

Smatresk said, "This is an exciting development that will stabilize the current conferences and create the first truly national conference with members in five time zones and television viewership from coast to coast and on to Hawaii."

NBA GM Survey

The 2011 NBA offseason was unique, with free agency running concurrently with the start of training camps, which were abbreviated in order to start the season on Christmas Day. Once things settled down and general managers were able to step away from their phones for a bit, NBA.com conducted its 10th annual GM Survey.

Which team will win The 2012 NBA Finals?

Who will win the 2011-12 MVP?

If you were starting a franchise and could sign any player, who would it be?

Who is the best point guard in the NBA?

Who is the best shooting guard in the NBA?

Who is the best small forward in the NBA?

Who is the best power forward in the NBA?

Who is the best center in the NBA?

Who will win the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year?

Which rookie will be the best player in five years?

Who is the best international player in the NBA?

Who is the best international player NOT in the NBA?

Who is the best defensive player in the NBA?

Who is the best head coach in the NBA?

Who is the best assistant coach in the NBA?

Which active player will make the best head coach someday?

Which player is the most athletic?

Which player is the best pure shooter?

Which player is the fastest with the ball?

Which player is best at moving without the ball?

Which player is the best at getting his own shot?

Which player is the best offensive rebounder?

Which player is the best passer?

Which player is the best finisher?

Which player does the most with the least?

Who is the toughest player in the NBA?

Which player is the best leader?

Which player has the best basketball IQ?

Which player would you want taking a shot with the game on the line?

[click here for the results]

Angelo Dundee

Angelo Dundee, the brilliant motivator who worked the corner for Muhammad Ali in his greatest fights and willed Sugar Ray Leonard to victory in his biggest bout, died Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. He was 90.

The genial Dundee was best known for being in Ali’s corner for almost his entire career, but those in boxing also knew him as an ambassador for boxing and a figure of integrity in a sport that often lacked it.

He died with his family surrounding him, said son, Jimmy Dundee, but not before being able to attend Ali’s 70th birthday bash in Louisville, Ky., last month.
AdChoices

“It was the way he wanted to go,” Jimmy Dundee said. “He did everything he wanted to do.”

Promoter Bob Arum said he had been planning to bring Dundee to Las Vegas for a Feb. 18 charity gala headlined by Ali. He called Dundee a legend in the sport, someone who worked the corner for some of the greatest fights of the times.

“He was wonderful, he was the whole package,” Arum said. “Angelo was the greatest motivator of all time. No matter how bad things were, Angelo always put a positive spin on them. That’s what Ali loved so much about him.”

Arum credited Dundee with persuading Ali to continue in his third fight against Joe Frazier when Frazier was coming on strong in the “Thrilla in Manilla.” Without Dundee, Arum said, Ali may not have had the strength to come back and stop Frazier after the 14th round in what became an iconic fight.

Dundee also worked the corner for Leonard, famously shouting “You’re blowing it son. You’re blowing it” when Leonard fell behind in his 1981 fight with Tommy Hearns—a fight he would rally to win by knockout.

A master motivator and clever corner man, Dundee was regarded as one of the sport’s great ambassadors. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 after a career that spanned six decades, training 15 world champions, including Leonard, George Foreman, Carmen Basilio and Jose Napoles.

Joe Paterno dies at 85

Happy Valley was perfect for Joe Paterno, a place where "JoePa" knew best, where he not only won more football games than any other major college coach, but won them the right way: with integrity and sportsmanship. A place where character came first, championships second.

Behind it all, however, was an ugly secret that ran counter to everything the revered coach stood for.

Paterno, a sainted figure at Penn State for almost half a century but scarred forever by the child sex abuse scandal that led to his stunning dismissal, died Sunday at age 85.

His death came just 65 days after his son Scott said his father had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lung cancer. The cancer was found during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness. A few weeks later, Paterno broke his pelvis after a fall but did not need surgery.

Mount Nittany Medical Center said in a statement that Paterno died at 9:25 a.m. of "metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung." Metastatic indicates an illness that has spread from one part of the body to an unrelated area.

The hospital says Paterno was surrounded by family members, who have requested privacy.

Paterno had been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation after what his family called minor complications from his cancer treatments. Not long before that, he conducted his only interview since losing his job, with The Washington Post. Paterno was described as frail then, speaking mostly in a whisper and wearing a wig. The second half of the two-day interview was conducted at his bedside.

His family released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: "His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled."

"He died as he lived," the statement said. "He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community."

***

reactions

***

4/5/12 - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett wanted Paterno fired reports ESPN. Allegations denied

***

7/22/12 - Joe Paterno statue removed

***

8/18/12 - JoePa didn't understand
8/21/12 - Paterno the book

Ed Francis

In November we looked back at pro wrestling in the islands. Local fans who enjoyed watching their favorite wrestling stars in action can thank promoter Ed Francis for bringing these events into the arenas and our homes. This month we look back on Francis and his time spent in the islands.

Grandmaster Cho

At Grandmaster Cho's tae kwon do studio, approximately 300 elementary school students from East Oahu just began taking classes. They have come for the six-week President's Fitness Challenge Program, an initiative strongly supported by Michelle Obama. Children must be active one hour per day, five days out of the week for six out of eight weeks. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award. The fitness sessions at the studio focus on flexibility, strength, endurance, speed and coordination.

Although the fitness program is separate from formal tae kwon do and jujitsu classes taught at the studio, students are exposed to the core values of traditional martial arts as taught by the grandmaster. "Most important is that you learn to respect yourself, your parents and your teachers. You must master the art of respect for your life's journey." Key principles also include modesty, courtesy, integrity, self-control and perseverance. Students learn never to initiate violence and to work toward the creation of harmony among all people.

The grandmaster just turned 71 and has trained daily for 61 years. He is a ninth-degree black belt and has won world championships. Even today he teaches virtually every class. Despite arduous training and high expectations for his students, he has a soft, gentle side that warms the children's hearts and keeps them coming back.

According to the grandmaster, one must be true to the principles of the art to be optimally successful in physical training. Once children begin to excel in the studio, most often they also bring home top grades from school. To encourage scholarship, the grandmaster keeps a poster with math tables on the front mirror, and at the back wall he proudly posts the report cards his students bring him.

Over time the journey of tae kwon do builds confidence together with a strong mind and body. As the grandmaster's students mature into teenagers and earn their black belts, they feel themselves prepared for higher education and professional success.

Lesnar KO'd by Overeem, announces retirement

LAS VEGAS – Alistair Overeem promised his fight with Brock Lesnar wouldn’t last too long.

He was right, but he shouldn’t have been so conservative. Overeem finished the former UFC heavyweight champion in just two minutes, 26 seconds, battering Lesnar with knees, kicks and punches to win by first-round knockout.

The win sets up Overeem, a former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 champion, for a shot at the UFC title held by Junior dos Santos.

Lesnar had no shot, as he was unable to deal with Overeem’s varied strikes. After the fight, he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

“I’m going to officially say tonight is the last time you’ll see me in the Octagon,” Lesnar said. Later, he added, “Brock Lesnar is officially retired.”

Lesnar went for a single-leg takedown, but Overeem easily shook it off. Overeem hurt Lesnar with a knee to the body early, but finished the fight with a great kick to the midsection. Lesnar winced in pain and backed to the cage. Overeem rushed in and rained punches on him until referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the fight.

***

The legacy of Brock Lesnar

Mayweather gets 90 days

LAS VEGAS >> Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is a perfect 42-0 in the ring and has dodged significant jail time several times in domestic violence cases in Las Vegas and Michigan.

But his courtroom streak came to an end Wednesday when a Las Vegas judge sentenced him to 90 days in jail after he pleaded guilty to a reduced battery domestic violence charge and no contest to two harassment charges.

The case stemmed from a hair-pulling, punching and arm-twisting argument with his ex-girlfriend Josie Harris while two of their children watched in September 2010.

"Punishment is appropriate," Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa said after a prosecutor complained that Mayweather has been in trouble before and hasn't faced serious consequences.

"No matter who you are, you have consequences to your actions when they escalate to this level of violence," she said.

Good behavior could knock several weeks off Mayweather's sentence. but he will likely serve most of the sentence set to begin Jan. 6, said Officer Bill Cassell, a Las Vegas police spokesman.

Mayweather and his manager, Leonard Ellerbe, declined comment outside the courtroom.

The jail time raises doubts about a possible showdown between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, a champion fighter from the Philippines against whom Mayweather's welterweight success is usually measured.

A long-awaited fight between the two men regarded as among the best of their generation has been delayed by stalling techniques and verbal sparring.

Norm Chow, new Hawaii head coach

University of Hawaii lawyers are continuing to negotiate a contract that would make Norm Chow the first Asian-American head coach of a major college football program.

Members of the UH general counsel's office have been conferring with attorneys from Yee & Dubin Sports, the Los Angeles-based agents for Chow, for several hours today, according to someone familiar with the negotiations but not authorized to speak on behalf of either party until an agreement has been concluded.

The Hawaii-born Chow is of Chinese, Hawaiian and Portuguese descent.

Word that Chow has been offered the UH job spread excitement through his family for reasons beyond a Hawaii homecoming. Reportedly some members of the family broke into tears.

"I think what it is is that it would be beyond my dad (for importance)," said Maile Chow, an English teacher at Mid Pacific Institute. "'He would be the first Asian-American to ever be a head football coach in the NCAA" at a major school. "That's beyond our family, beyond my dad as a person. It is a representative of a lot of other things and so I think that is why the rest of us also feel that way."

Friends said the 65-year-old Chow wants to finish his coaching career here. He is a native of Palolo and a Punahou School graduate.

Chow currently receives $275,000 as Utah's offensive coordinator, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Chow reportedly received a $1.2 million buyout from the Tennessee Titans, where he was offensive coordinator through 2007, and $500,000 from UCLA last year.

Chow has spent 38 years in college coaching at Brigham Young, North Carolina State, USC, UCLA and Utah but this will be his first head coaching job. He has coached three Heisman Trophy winners and been part of national championship teams at BYU and USC.

Chow beat out four other candidates. They were Universiy of Texas assistant Duane Akina, Baylor associate coach Brian Norwood, Oregon State assistant Mark Banker and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

***

press conference

Norm Chow, home at last

[12/28/11] Taylor Graham transferring from Ohio State to Hawaii

*** [12/30/11]

Cal Lee, the Hawaii football team's assistant head coach, has been told he will not be retained after his contract expires March 31, 2012.

This month, Lee completed his ninth season on the Warriors' coaching staff after one of the most successful coaching careers in Hawaii high school history.

"It's awful," UH head coach Norm Chow said of his decision not to retain Lee. "We grew up together."

As a Punahou School senior, Chow worked for Lee's mother in the cafeteria. "It's very hard, but it's a business," Chow said.

In 21 years as Saint Louis School's head coach, Lee was 241-32-5, winning 14 Oahu Prep Bowl titles and the inaugural state football championship. <!- So much for aloha. I wonder what the St. Louis fans think of Chow now? -->

*** [12/31/11]

This football season, Lewis Powell was known as "the guy with the beard."

Powell, who has not shaved in a year, promises a clean start when he begins his new job as the Hawaii football team's defensive line coach on Monday.

"You have to look professional," Powell said.

Powell and Philip Rauscher — both administrative assistant coaches for Utah this season — will be part of head coach Norm Chow's first UH coaching staff. While Chow, who is coaching Utah's offense in today's Sun Bowl, will remain on the mainland for another week, Powell and Rauscher will be headed to Hawaii.

"I'm excited to go over there and get going," Rauscher said. "It's a great opportunity for Coach Chow, and I want to be there to help him out, and get everything done for him."

Powell was a Utah player and graduate assistant before moving into his current position.

"I'm leaving a good job in Utah, and hopefully I'll do a good job over there in Hawaii," Powell said.

Powell was born at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, and lived in Hawaii, Tonga and the Bay Area. He played one season of junior varsity football for McKinley High.

Powell said he relishes a chance to recruit.

Rauscher is expected to coach the tight ends, a position that was not part of the Warriors offense the past 13 seasons. Chow will implement a pro-set offense that often will feature a tight end and fullback.

"Tight end is such an important position to our offense," Rauscher said. "We have to get the right type of kid in there. If he's on the roster already, we'll fit him in there. If not, we'll recruit, and get that position going."

Rauscher, who was raised in San Diego, played on both the offensive and defensive lines at UCLA. After that, he was a student assistant and then graduate assistant at UCLA. He also served as offensive coordinator at Dixie State before returning to UCLA to work under Chow.

Rauscher praised Chow as "a great guy to work for. He cares about the kids. He's excited. I've been working with one of the best guys I've ever met."

Rauscher said he is enthusiastic about recruiting. "You have to sell yourself, and you have to sell the program," Rauscher said. "We'll go get the best kids, and go from there."

*** [1/9/12]

Hawaii head coach Norm Chow said he will retain Tony Tuioti on his football coaching staff.

"I like his work ethic, and his desire to be a coach," Chow said.

Tuioti is a former UH defensive tackle. He was hired as UH's director of player personnel in 2008, Greg McMackin's first year as UH head coach. The past two years, Tuioti coached the Warriors' defensive linemen.

McMackin reached a "release agreement" with UH on Dec. 5. Chow was hired on Dec. 22. So far, Tuioti is the only coach retained from McMackin's 2011 staff.

Chow had never worked with Tuioti, but was impressed after telephone conversations.

Chow said Tuioti received strong recommendations.

"He wants to learn," Chow said. "He works hard."

Tuioti has been an active recruiter, landing cornerback Mike Edwards, safety John Hardy-Tuliau, and defensive ends Craig Cofer and Tavita Woodard.

Tuioti has been helpful in acclimating newly hired assistant coaches Phil Rauscher and Lewis Powell.

*** [1/10/12]

New University of Hawaii head football coach Norm Chow added four more assistant coaches to his coaching staff with the announcement of offensive assistants Tommy Lee, Keith Uperesa, and Chris Wiesehan and defensive assistant Daronte’ Jones.

Chow’s staff now includes seven assistant coaches. Earlier this week, Chow announced the addition of offensive assistant Philip Rauscher and defensive assistants Lewis Powell and Tony Tuioti.

Chow is expected to fill the remaining two vacancies, which includes the defensive coordinator position, in the next week.

“This group of coaches have years of experience at every level of football,” Chow said. “Our players will be able to learn from the very best in the business. They have proven track records and have been successful everywhere they’ve been. We’re very fortunate to have them.”

Lee, born and raised in Honolulu, is the older brother of Ron and Cal Lee, both former UH coaches. Cal Lee was not retained from last year's UH staff.

Uperesa spent the past two seasons as the offensive line coach at Nicholls State. The Punahou and Brigham Young alum coached the line at UNLV, Utah, USC, and was offensive coordinator at Idaho State.

Wiesehan and Jones coached in the Canadian Football League last season.

[1/12/12] Norm Chow at the Hukilau

[1/13/12] Players meet the coach

[1/15/12] Benny Fonua

[1/17/12] Clark Evans, TE

[1/17/12] Inoke Funake retained as graduate assistant

[1/18/12] Chris Demerest completes staff

[1/19/12] John Ursua

[1/23/12] Ethan Watanabe

[1/23/12] Shane Brostek is still open

[2/1/12] Warriors get 20 oral commits (2 out of top 10)

[2/1/12] Mike Milovale taught the Haka dance in music class

[2/2/12] Norm Chow comments on the recruiting class

[2/8/12] Quenton Brown, defensive end

[2/9/12] Nick Rolovich joining Nevada staff / future head coach?

[2/9/12] Marrell Jackson, safety

Coach Profiles

Thom Kaumeyer (linebacker)

Lewis Powell (defensive line)

Daronte Jones (defensive backs)

Chris Demarest (special teams)

Phil Rauscher (tight ends)

Tommy Lee (receivers)

Chris Wiesehan (offensive line)

Keith Uperesa (running backs)

Norm Chow (head coach, quarterbacks)


[8/31/12] The New Look Warriors

[9/1/12] Norm Chow Returns to the Coliseum Saturday to Make History

[9/1/12] Hawaii 10, USC 49

[9/27/12] Memories of Provo