Steve Alford hired as UCLA head coach

UCLA has hired Steve Alford to replace Ben Howland as men’s basketball coach.

Alford spent five successful seasons as the head of the New Mexico basketball program. The Lobos were struggling when he first took over but made it to the NCAA Tournament three times under his tutelage and finished 2012-2013 with a 29-6 record.

The 48-year-old coach headed the programs at Iowa, Missouri State and Manchester College over the course of his 22-year career.

“Steve is the perfect fit for UCLA,” said Athletic Director Dan Guerrero. “He is part of the storied history of the game of college basketball and understands the tradition and uniqueness of UCLA.”

According to Jeff Goodman of CBS, Alford’s contract is worth $2.6 million per year for seven years. Alford had just signed a extension with the Lobos that was set to keep him there until 2023, but according to Goodman, the Bruins will pay the buyout on that contract.

Fox Sports 1

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. will start a national cable sports network in August, joining a field dominated by Walt Disney Co. (DIS)’s ESPN.

Fox Sports 1 will be available to more than 90 million pay- TV homes, New York-based News Corp. said today in a statement.

The channel’s start coincides with the beginning of the college football season. Fox and other major networks have turned to live programming like sports to bolster ratings and draw in viewers, who can easily record other programs to watch later. That’s created a crowd of competitors that also includes NBC Sports and CBS Sports.

“We’re not trying to beat ESPN,” News Corp. (NWSA) Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said at an investor conference today. “That wouldn’t make sense. Sports is a big huge arena. We’ve proven over the years we can do some interesting and exciting things.”

For News Corp., the challenge will be assembling a lineup of sports events that will draw viewers, and to convince pay-TV systems and advertisers they should pony up for the new network.

The network will sustain losses as Fox tries to increase the subscriber fee, Carey said. Speed, which Fox Sports 1 will replace, collects 31 cents a month per subscriber on average from pay-TV systems, according to SNL Kagan. The researcher estimates Fox will seek $1. ESPN received $5.13 in 2012.

*** [8/16/13]

Can Fox Sports 1 compete with ESPN?  Here's a chart comparing the sports covered by ESPN/ABC vs. Fox Sports vs. NBC vs. CBS vs. TBS/TNT.

Dennis Rodman, diplomat

Photographs of Dennis Rodman laughing while watching a basketball exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea, with Kim Jong-un, the leader of one of the world’s most repressive countries, may be some of the strangest sights in the history of accidental American diplomacy.

Not only did Kim attend the game Thursday and watch alongside Rodman, but he also invited Rodman, three Harlem Globetrotters and the Vice Media crew filming the trip for a documentary to his palace for a party, said Shane Smith, the founder of Vice Media, who dreamed up and organized the trip.

The group landed in Pyongyang on Tuesday with approval from North Korean authorities to conduct the exhibitions and film the documentary, but it was not promised that Kim would meet with the group.

“Apparently, he had a blast at the game,” Smith said, after speaking by phone with Ryan Duffy, a Vice Media correspondent who was on the trip. “So he invited them back to his home for a party, and they had a grand old time. Speeches were made — Dennis made a very nice one — and they were met with rounds of applause.”

The scene was particularly bizarre because of the tense relations between the United States and North Korea, which made that relationship more difficult recently by declaring it had conducted a nuclear test. Google’s executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, went in January to try to persuade the leadership to allow Internet access for more than a fraction of its people, but he did not report meeting with Kim.

Basketball, though, apparently has the power to thaw most anything because Kim, like his father, Kim Jong-il, is said to be a devoted fan. Rodman and Kim Jong-un talked without a translator assisting them courtside. Duffy said that the two spoke in English but that Kim spoke only limited English and that a translator was used at the dinner.

***

In his first interview since returning to the U.S. from an unprecedented visit to North Korea last week, former NBA star Dennis Rodman said he bears a message for President Obama from the country’s oppressive leader, Kim Jong Un.

“He wants Obama to do one thing: Call him,” Rodman told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “This Week.” “He said, ‘If you can, Dennis – I don’t want [to] do war. I don’t want to do war.’ He said that to me.”

The athlete also offered Kim some diplomatic advice for potential future talks with President Obama.
“[Kim] loves basketball. And I said the same thing, I said, ‘Obama loves basketball.’ Let’s start there,” Rodman said.

*** [7/2/13] ***

Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman has not spent his retirement with the sort of venerable remove we often like to see from past NBA greats. At various times since his final game in 2000, Rodman has fallen behind on child support payments, coached a topless women's basketball team, and, uh, released a children's book. In various ways, he seems addicted to attention and appears to need serious help.

Nevertheless, this February Rodman took part in an unofficial "diplomatic mission" to North Korea organized by Vice Media for their HBO television series (watch a clip here). On that trip, Rodman witnessed a basketball game between North Korean players and several Harlem Globetrotters, hobnobbed with dictator Kim Jong-un, and declared that he had a "friend for life." It was arguably the friendliest interaction between an American national and North Korea in several decades.

For his efforts, Rodman believes he deserves serious consideration for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The University of Hawai'i Rainbows

New University of Hawaii athletic director Ben Jay has decided that, beginning in June, the men's athletic teams will be called Warriors. The women's teams will be Rainbow Wahine.

Personally, I'm a little miffed. The Rainbow nickname goes back 90 years. That's a long time. Let's look at how we came by that nickname and what the teams were called before that.

On Jan. 1, 1923, Oregon State University traveled to Hawaii for a game at Moiliili Field. Late in the fourth quarter, the score was tied 0-0 when a rainbow appeared over the grounds. UH soon scored, and the sports writers began calling the team the "Rainbows." Fans believed we would win if a rainbow appeared.

Other UH teams have had similar experiences. Maui Diver's Cole Slater recalls a sailing race 15 years ago on a lake in Santa Barbara. "The UH women's team had gotten off to a slow start in some stormy weather and were not doing as well as usual.

"In the last leg of the race, the bad weather began to clear and a rainbow spanned the course. The winds shifted, which gave a huge advantage to the UH team, and they won the race."

Assistant UH sailing coach Jesse Andrews also remembers several instances where UH victories were associated with rainbows.

In recent years some teams have used Rainbows, others Warriors and some a combination of the two.

KHON2 newscaster Joe Moore was not happy when football coach June Jones dropped Rainbows in 2000.

"Since former coach June Jones took it upon himself to drop ‘Rainbow' from the name Rainbow Warriors, I have not liked the change. When I expressed my opinion on the air, Jones phoned me and said he couldn't recruit the quality players he needed if they were called Rainbows.

"When I asked why, he said, ‘Because they don't think it's manly or tough enough.'

"When I asked if he didn't consider it part of his job to enlighten his recruits about the uniqueness and significance of the rainbow in the school's history and Hawaiian culture, he said, ‘Good luck with that.'

"As a UH fan since high school," Moore continues, "they'll always be the 'Bows, no matter what one coach or athletic director has proclaimed is the official name."

***

[5/15/13] Ben Jay decides to keep the Rainbow after all.

[6/6/13] How about a Rainbow field?

Neil Everett's secret to success

Neil Everett says he owes his career as an ESPN anchor to his years in Hawaii, and expresses his thanks by peppering his national broadcasts with island phrases

In the promotions leading up to his talk at Downtown Athletic Club, ESPN anchor Neil Everett was described as a local boy who made it big. This brought up the expected question: Does the Portland-born and Spokane-raised journalist qualify for the coveted title of “local boy”?

For anyone who has heard him speak of his time in Hawaii and how those 15 years shaped his future, the answer is a resounding yes!

Neil Everett Morfitt – yes, that’s his real name – first arrived in Hawaii while a student at Willamette University. At the time, Williamette was the Northwest campus of choice for many Hawaii residents, and the affable Everett connected with the displaced local boys. Former UH offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Tommy Lee was the football coach, Aloha Stadium manager Scott Chan was the Bearcats’ quarterback, there was a Hawaiian club on campus and his frat brother was a Kaiser High alum who invited him to visit for the summer.

“I couldn’t find Hawaii on a map, and then when I landed it was like, ‘God, why doesn’t everybody live here?’” says Everett with an ever-present smile and boisterous laugh.

Within three years he was back in Hawaii looking to make the 808 his permanent home. He had recently graduated from the University of Oregon and had gotten a “dream job,” making $600 a month at an upstart radio station in the coastal town of Florence, Ore. It was there, while working as the news director at KGBU during the day and bartending at night, where the Neil Everett secret to success blossomed: Work hard and be nice to people. It’s not that hard.

***

Neil Everett, Rob DeMello's mentor

25 years of Bob Hogue

Perhaps it means I’m getting older, but it struck me the other day that 2013 marks the 25th year I’ve been writing for MidWeek. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it (since 1988), and I hope I get to do it for another 25 years!

So, in recognition of a quarter century of covering Hawaii sports — for MidWeek, and on television and radio — here are some of my favorite moments during that time:

-- Bob Hogue, MidWeek, January 30, 2013

Hawaii NFL Legends

During the National Football League’s Pro Bowl Jan. 27 at Aloha Stadium, for the first time the NFL will honor former players from Hawaii. Dubbed the Hawaii NFL Legends, the seven were chosen by the local Pro Bowl host committee, based on performance, accomplishment and character on the field and off it. MidWeek is pleased to have the exclusive on this inaugural class of honorees:

Wally Yonamine
Herman Wedemeyer
Charlie Ane
Arnold Morgado
Jim Nicholson
Blane Gaison
Leo Goeas

Where's Russ Francis and Jesse Sapolu?

Jerry Buss

Few have ever succeeded at making such a daunting climb, from the nightmarish depths of utter poverty and hopelessness to the soaring heights of unimaginable wealth and power.

At the age of 4, Jerry Buss was standing in a bread line on the frozen soil of Evanston, Wyo., a gunny sack in hand, waiting for the food that would keep him and his single mother, Jesse, alive for another day.

It was 1937, the lingering effects of the Great Depression still gripping parts of the nation.

By the time he had turned 6, Buss' duties had expanded to include trekking around town in search of old telephone books or other paper products that could be stuffed into the fireplace to provide warmth in a house devoid of heat.

By the time he was 34, exactly three decades after he had stood in that bread line, Buss had made his first million.

By the age of 46, Buss and his business partner, Frank Mariani, had parlayed that million into a real-estate empire that was spread over three states – California, Nevada and Arizona – and was worth an estimated $350 million.

 Buss died Monday at the age of 80. For most men, such a swift and impressive rise would have been enough to savor for a lifetime.

Not Jerry Buss. He had his eyes on bigger prizes.

That same year, 1979, he pulled off arguably the most complicated and lucrative transaction in sports history.

Buss' savvy real-estate investments helped make him a fortune.

Supported by an army of approximately 50 lawyers and accountants, Buss purchased the Lakers, the Kings hockey team, the Inglewood Forum and the 13,000-acre Raljon Ranch in the Sierra Nevada mountains from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million. The deal broke down to $33.5 million for the Forum, $16 million for the Lakers, $10 million for the ranch and $8 million for the Kings.

Cooke, in exchange, received the lease to the Chrysler Building in New York, and properties in Virginia, Massachusetts and Maryland.

When the deal was done, 12 separate escrows finalized, Buss spent his first day at the Forum inspecting the crown jewel of his properties.

As the workday ended and the arena emptied out, he lingered, surrounded by only a few security people.
With no event that night at the Forum, Buss took a chair and walked down to the empty floor where he was surrounded by silence and darkness, except for a few scattered lights.

He sat down at what would be mid-court or center ice, took out a cigarette, lit it and inhaled the magnitude of his surroundings.

In his mind's eye, he could see the seats packed, his Lakers and Kings moving up and down the floor or ice, his championship banners on the wall.

Smiling, Buss told himself, "You’ve come a long way, baby."

***

Jerry Buss remembered at memorial service (video, video2).

Billy Hunter out

Billy Hunter was ousted from his job as executive director of the union in a unanimous vote by NBA players who said Saturday they will "no longer be divided, misled, misinformed."

"This is our union and we have taken it back," players' association president Derek Fisher said.

Fisher said it was a day of change for the union, which has seemed inevitable since a review of the union last month was critical of Hunter's leadership and urged players to consider whether they wanted to keep him.

They didn't.

"We want to make it clear that we are here to serve only the best interests of the players," Fisher said. "No threats, no lies, no distractions will stop us from serving our memberships."

Hunter had led the union since 1996, guiding the players through three collective bargaining agreements and helping bring their average salaries to more than $5 million, highest in team sports. But Fisher pushed for the review after a falling out between the two leaders, and though it found Hunter wasn't guilty of any criminal activity involving union funds, it cited a number of conflicts of interests and poor choices that led the players to remove him.

details, details

At MMA events, there is rarely anything to pay attention to besides the fight. It's not like an NBA game, where there are cheerleaders and mascot races and dance squads and staring at Derrick Rose's knee to will it towards healing. (Maybe that was just my last trip to an NBA game.) At fights, you watch fights, and maybe the big screen at bigger UFC or Bellator events.

The singularity of events means you really shouldn't miss a knockout. Even if you look down for a minute and miss the punch, you generally don't miss the fighter laying on the ground and medical staff tending to him. You don't miss it, unless you're this woman employed to be a ring card girl.

Oscar Pistorius charged with murder

South African police have charged Olympic star Oscar Pistorius with the murder of his girlfriend, who was shot in the sprinter's home Thursday.

Pistorius, 26, kept weapons at his gated, luxury South African home as a means of protection against his country's soaring crime rate, according to a British writer who had exclusive access to the Olympic sprinter.
In the early hours of Thursday morning, the 400 meter runner – the first man to compete in the Olympics and Paralympics – is believed to have used part of his weapons collection to tragically gun down his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

Early reports had the alleged incident being reported as an accident, but police spokesperson Brigadier Denise Beukes told the Associated Press that information did not come from police and that "it would be very premature and very irresponsible of me to say what actually has happened."

According to those initial reports, Pistorius mistook Steenkamp, a 30-year-old television personality and model, for an intruder as she entered his residence at 3 a.m. and allegedly shot her four times in the arms and head.

According to the Associated Press, police said there had "previously been incidents and allegations of a domestic nature at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius."

According to British writer Jonathan McEvoy, who was given unprecedented access to Pistorius in a broad-ranging 2011 Daily Mail interview, the athlete held serious concerns for his personal safety, perhaps unsurprisingly given his nation's appalling record of violence.

Steenkamp and Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner for the prosthetic blades on his legs that allowed him to compete, are understood to have met in November and embarked upon a whirlwind romance. The actress' Twitter account painted the picture a joyful relationship when she asked her followers what they were planning for Valentine's Day.

Pistorius reached the semifinals of the 400m and the final of the 4x400m relay at the London Olympics, before later adding his fifth and sixth Paralympic golds.

LeBron is hot

LeBron is on a hot streak with 6 straight games scoring over 30 points and shooting over 60%.

But there have been even hotter streaks in the past.

Seriously, LeBron is playing on another level right now, even by his own ridiculous standards. But this has been done before, at least in some form or fashion. Wilt Chamberlain played in this realm on a daily basis. And Oscar Robertson did average a triple double for about five straight seasons. And Michael Jordan had stretches throughout his career where he reached this sort of statistical craziness. I go back to Jordan’s 1988-89 season (I know I’m dating myself here) from March 25 to April 14 and he had a 10-game stretch where he was playing like he was in “Space Jam”; triple-doubles in 10 of 11 games.

Preposterous!

Hawaii's top football prospects

Paul Honda lists Hawaii's top prospects based on college potential.

Here's the University of Hawaii potential signees:

John Wa'a, Kahuku, 6-3, 281 — Versatile in Kahuku's mix of power, stretch and toss sweep plays. A quiet, effective leader. Committed early to UH and never wavered. (10)

Aofaga Wily, Kahuku, 5-10, 212 — The Star-Advertiser All-State offensive player of the year rushed for 1,744 yards and 27 touchdowns for the state champion Red Raiders. Has power, finesse and excellent hands, but is also being looked at as a linebacker, his position as a JV player. (7) [commits to Hawaii]

Athlete Keelan Ewaliko, Baldwin, 6-0, 175 — An early-season rib injury curbed his statistical contributions, but he is among the most promising of the versatile seniors in this class. Ewaliko's speed and escapability were spectacular as a quarterback. At the next level, he could — and probably will, per UH coach Norm Chow — play multiple positions on offense, defense and special teams. (15)

Kennedy Tulimasealii, Waianae, 6-1, 286 — Tremendous explosion, a pocket wrecker even against double-team blocks. He finished a close second in the voting for all-state defensive player of the year. UH has kept tabs on Tulimasealii, but now that he's on the verge of academic qualification, other schools are jumping on the bandwagon. (2)

Ualesi Sale, Aiea, 6-3, 225 — Opposing coaches raved about Sale's playmaking ability. (11)

Rashaan Falemalu, Kahuku, 6-1, 192 — His rangy play, good closing speed and excellent anticipation made him perfect to play outside 'backer for Kahuku's lockdown unit.

(In parentheses are the Star Advertiser's rankings of the top 15 players from Hawaii.  Isaac Savaiinaea is the no. 1 ranked player from Hawaii. He finally decided on UCLA.)

***

Expected signees

[2/7/13] Meet the Warrior recruits / and the others

The Sapolu Story

The story of Jesse Sapolu could have been a sad memoir, a cautionary tale for the toughest of men.
Simply put, Sapolu risked his life to play football.

The choices he made against the reality of a heart defect could have served as a warning for others. Instead, Sapolu, a Costa Mesa resident who starred as an offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers, serves as an inspiration. That was his primary intent.

The Sapolu story is not sad at all. You can read about him in his new book, "I Gave My Heart to San Francisco."

Chris Kobayashi

Finally, he may only be an eighth-grader, but don’t be surprised if you hear the name Chris Kobayashi in the years ahead. The Punahou middle-schooler is a fleet-footed receiver in football, a sure-handed setter in volleyball, and a scoring machine as a basketball guard. Recently, in a big AAU tournament in Las Vegas where he played for coach Tes Whitlock, Kobayashi had high scoring games of 44 points, 39 points and 33 points (twice).

The neat thing about his story is that family friend Derrick Low came to watch him play. Kobayashi has known the former Iolani superstar since the age of 5. And like Low, who also was raising eyebrows with his amazing scoring efforts back in junior high, Kobayashi “played up” by competing in the 14-under and 15-under division as well as his 13-under age group.

Lance Armstrong admits it

Saying his "mythic, perfect story" was "one big lie," Lance Armstrong admitted that he used banned drugs or blood transfusions during most of his famed cycling career, including all seven of his victories in the Tour de France.

"I will spend the rest of my life trying to earn back trust and apologize to people," Armstrong told talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in an interview that aired Thursday night.

Armstrong, 41, said he started taking performance-enhancing drugs in the mid-1990s and that his "cocktail" of choice was banned testosterone, EPO and blood transfusions using his own boosted blood.

He disputed that he doped during his comeback in 2009 and 2010, saying the last time he "crossed the line" with banned substances was in 2005, his last victory in the Tour de France.

After denying doping allegations for several years, Armstrong said he failed to tell the truth because he got swept up in the "momentum" of his own legend. He was the cancer survivor turned superhero, the squeaky clean rider waving the American flag in victory.

"It just gets going and I lost myself in all that," Armstrong said.

He also said he didn't think he could compete if he didn't turn to doping because doping was so pervasive in cycling. "I didn't invent the culture, but I didn't try to stop the culture," Armstrong said.

The 90-minute broadcast was taped Monday in Austin, Texas, Armstrong's hometown. A second portion of the interview will air Friday night.

LeBron youngest to 20K

OAKLAND, Calif. -- LeBron James has become the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 points.

James eclipsed the milestone Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors when he made a short jumper with 2:45 left in the second quarter to give him 20,001 career points. He needed 18 points entering the game to be the 38th NBA player to reach the mark.

The previous youngest to score 20,000 points was Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who got there when he was 29 years, 122 days old. James was 28 years, 17 days on Wednesday.

In the first quarter, James also found Dwyane Wade slicing down the lane for his 5,000th career assist. He is the 13th player with 20,000 points and 5,000 assists.

James already was the youngest player in league history to win Rookie of the Year, record a triple-double, score 1,000 points, score 10,000 points and win MVP honors at an All-Star Game. Only Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain (29 years, 134 days) and Michael Jordan (29 years, 326 days) reached the latest milestone before turning 30.

James also is the 13th player with 20,000 points and 5,000 assists. The only active players to reach both marks are Bryant and Boston's Kevin Garnett.

Manti's girlfriend

In a statement released today, Te'o said he was a victim of a "humiliating" hoax.

His statement came soon after the website deadspin.com reported that Te'o's purported girlfriend, who was said to have died in September, never existed. The website ran the story today under the headline "Blarney."

In a statement issued by his representatives, Te'o said: "This is incredibly embarrassing to talk about, but over a period (of) months I developed an emotional relationship with a woman I met online. We maintained what I thought to be an authentic relationship by communicating frequently online and on the phone, and I grew to care deeply about her."

Te'o, a 2009 Punahou School graduate, was much celebrated for playing through the announced deaths of a grandmother and girlfriend in a 24-hour period in September and performing well in Notre Dame's 20-3 upset of then-10th ranked Michigan State.

Days before the game, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told the media Sept. 13 that Te'o "lost some people very close to him and it's obviously taken a toll on him."

"Our players have been there for him and have been a great support. We'll support him," Kelly said. "He'll be with us. He practiced. He'll be playing Saturday against Michigan State. Unfortunately, he's gone through a very rough 24, 48 hours."

Kelly added: "But his support and his family at home have been great, and all of the coaches and players have been there for him. He wants to be with his teammates, he wants to be with the people that care about him. He's a strong man and he's going through a tough time, but he'll rise to the occasion."

His grandmother, Annette Santiago, died Sept. 11, 2012, at age 72. 

But the alleged girlfriend, Lennay Marie Kekua, who was reported to be a Stanford student, does not exist, Deadspin said.

The heartwarming story was reported on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, in the Star-Advertiser and many media outlets and helped boost Teo's stock for a runner-up Heisman Trophy finish and seven major awards.

***

more from deadspin

***

Teo could lose millons

***

Manti speaks to ESPN

***

Maxim Hot 100

and the 2013 Hall of Fame inductees are ...

No one was elected to the Hall of Fame this year. When voters closed the doors to Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, they also shut out everybody else.

For only the second time in four decades, baseball writers failed to give any player the 75 percent required for induction to Cooperstown, sending a powerful signal that stars of the Steroids Era will be held to a different standard.

All the awards and accomplishments collected over long careers by Bonds, Clemens and Sosa could not offset suspicions those feats were boosted by performance-enhancing drugs.

Voters also denied entry Wednesday to fellow newcomers Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Curt Schilling, along with holdovers Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell and Lee Smith.

Biggio, 20th on the career list with 3,060 hits, appeared on 68.2 percent of the 569 ballots, the highest total but 39 votes shy. The three newcomers with the highest profiles failed to come close to even majority support, with Clemens at 37.6 percent, Bonds at 36.2 and Sosa at 12.5.

Other top vote-getters were Morris (67.7), Jeff Bagwell (59.6), Piazza (57.8), Tim Raines (52.2), Lee Smith (47.8) and Schilling (38.8).

Bonds, baseball's only seven-time Most Valuable Player, hit 762 home runs, including a record 73 in 2001. He was indicted on charges he lied to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied using PEDs but a jury two years ago failed to reach a verdict on three counts he made false statements and convicted him on one obstruction of justice count, finding he gave an evasive answer.

''It is unimaginable that the best player to ever play the game would not be a unanimous first-ballot selection,'' said Jeff Borris of the Beverly Hills Sports Council, Bonds' longtime agent.

Clemens, the only seven-time Cy Young Award winner, is third in career strikeouts (4,672) and ninth in wins (354). He was acquitted last year on one count of obstruction of Congress, three counts of making false statements to Congress and two counts of perjury, all stemming from his denials of drug use.

Since 1961, the only years the writers didn't elect a candidate had been when Yogi Berra topped the 1971 vote by appearing on 67 percent of the ballots cast and when Phil Niekro headed the 1996 ballot at 68 percent - both got in the following years. The other BBWAA elections without a winner were in 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958 and 1960.

Boise State staying in MWC

Boise State has backed out on a commitment to join the Big East and will remain a member of the Mountain West in 2013 — and San Diego State could be next to reverse course.

Boise State and the Mountain West announced Monday they had come to an agreement to keep the Broncos playing in the league they have been a part of the past two seasons.

“Without question, conference affiliation has been an odyssey for Boise State, with all the unexpected turns and changes that term suggests,” Boise State University President Robert Kustra said in statement. “The benefits of geographic footprint, revenue, and national exposure have to be balanced against the changing circumstances of conference realignment. I am confident that our Mountain West membership is the very best decision for Boise State University, our student-athletes and our incredible fan base.”

Boise State, which left the Western Athletic Conference for the Mountain West after the 2010 season, is still on the hook to pay a $5 million exit fee to the Big East, though the school says there are “provisions” that could make it less. Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said the conference will help Boise State pay its exit fee.

The Broncos were scheduled to join the Big East next year for football only. Boise State’s other sports were going to compete in the Big West. But more recent defections from the Big East made Boise State reconsider. And the Broncos were able to cut a sweet deal with the Mountain West that could allow Boise State to cash in on its popular and perennially powerful football program.

The Mountain West recently restructured its television deal with CBS Sports Network to allow the conference to sell games to other national networks. The deal, which runs through the 2015-16 season, will net a $300,000 bonus for schools that appear on ESPN, ESPN2, NBC, CBS or Fox, with an additional bonus of $200,000 for a Saturday game.

Under its new agreement with the Mountain West, Boise State home football games will not be part of the current or future Mountain West television rights contracts, Kustra said. The school’s home games will be sold separately by the conference and the university and revenue will be distributed among league members. But Boise State can make extra money by being on national television more often than its conference mates.

Seven NFL head coaches fired in one day

Quite a day for NFL sacks.

Seven coaches and five general managers were fired Monday in a flurry of pink slips that were delivered the day after the regular-season ended.

There could be more, but so far the sent-packing scorecard looks like this:

Andy Reid in Philadelphia, Lovie Smith in Chicago, and Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, all coaches who took teams to the Super Bowl, Norv Turner in San Diego, Pat Shurmur in Cleveland, Romeo Crennel in Kansas City and Chan Gailey in Buffalo.

Three teams made it a clean sweep, saying goodbye to the GM along with the coach — San Diego, Cleveland, Arizona. General managers also were fired in Jacksonville and in New York, where Rex Ryan held onto his coaching job with the Jets despite a losing record.

Reid was the longest tenured of the coaches, removed after 14 seasons and a Super Bowl appearance in 2005 — a loss to New England.

***

Chan Gailey didn't work out after three losing seasons, leaving the Buffalo Bills looking for their fifth head coach since 2001.

The Bills fired Gailey on Monday after he failed to deliver on his vow to transform a losing franchise into a playoff contender. Gailey's entire staff was fired, too, but the status of general manager Buddy Nix remained uncertain.

Gailey's teams lost twice as many games as they won, going 16-32 over three seasons. The Bills have now posted eight straight losing seasons, and closed with a second straight 6-10 mark after beating the New York Jets 28-9 on Sunday.

***

The Kansas City Chiefs are doing more than looking for a new coach after firing Romeo Crennel on Monday. They're changing the entire structure of the organization.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said in an interview with The Associated Press that he will hire the next head coach and that person will report directly to him. That's a departure from the previous 53 years in Kansas City, where the head coach had always reported to the general manager.

Hunt relieved the 65-year-old Crennel of his duties after a 38-3 loss to Denver on Sunday that finished off a 2-14 season, tied for the worst in franchise history.

***

Before the ball dropped on a new year, the Browns said goodbye to another coach.

The same thing happened after seasons in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2010.

One day after another dismal, double-digit loss season ended, the Browns fired coach Pat Shurmur and GM Tom Heckert, the initial offseason moves by new owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner, who intend to put a stop to the franchise's never-ending cycle of change. The Browns' next coach will be their sixth since 1999.

***
The Arizona Cardinals have fired coach Ken Whisenhunt after six seasons that included the long-suffering franchise's only Super Bowl appearance.  The team also ousted general manager Rod Graves, who had been with the franchise for 16 years. He'd been general manager since 2007.

The housecleaning by Cardinals President Michael Bidwill, son of team owner Bill Bidwill, followed a season that saw the team start 4-0 but lose 11 of its last 12 to finish 5-11.

The 50-year-old Whisenhunt had more wins than any other coach in Cardinals history, going 45-51, 4-2 in the playoffs. He had a year worth about $5.5 million left on his contract.  Of the team's three winning seasons the past 28 years, two came with Whisenhunt as coach.

***

Andy Reid's worst coaching season with the Philadelphia Eagles ended Monday after 14 years when he was fired by owner Jeffrey Lurie, who said it was time ''to move in a new direction.''

The dismissal came one day after Reid and the Eagles were humiliated 42-7 by the New York Giants and ended their season at 4-12.

***

The San Diego Chargers fired coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith on Monday after missing the playoffs for the third straight season.

Coming after a season of stunning come-from-ahead losses and increasing fan anger, the firings complete a startling fall for a team that won the AFC West from 2006-09.

The Chargers are the third team to fire Turner, who has an overall head coaching record of 114-122-1.

***

The Chicago Bears reached the Super Bowl under coach Lovie Smith and consistently boasted a formidable defense.

However, they missed the playoffs too many times, never solved their problems on offense and even after a 10-win season they are moving on without him.

The Bears fired Smith on Monday after the team missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons. General manager Phil Emery delivered the news to Smith on the day after the Bears beat Detroit to finish 10-6 but still didn't make the playoffs.

Hired in 2004, Smith led the 2006 team to the Super Bowl, but he also saw his team collapse in the second half of the past two seasons. He was let go with a year left on his contract, ending a nine-year run that produced an 81-63 record, three division titles and two appearances in the NFC championship game.

*** [1/4/13]

Kansas City names Andy Reid as head coach

*** [1/16/13]

In the end, Chip Kelly chose the NFL, giving the Philadelphia Eagles their guy.

The Eagles hired Kelly on Wednesday, just 10 days after he originally decided to stay at Oregon. The 49-year-old Kelly, known as an offensive innovator, becomes the 21st coach in team history and replaces Andy Reid, who was fired on Dec. 31 after a 4-12 season.

Kelly, 46-7 in four years at Oregon, interviewed with the Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills in a two-day span after leading the fast-flying Ducks to a victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3.

... Thanks Andy Reid.

Jim Donovan named AD at Cal State Fullerton

[12/13/12] Jim Donovan has been named as the new California State University Fullerton athletic director, the school announced on its website this morning.

Donovan attended a press conference in Fullerton, Calif. with CSUF president Mildred Garcia.

Donovan served as the University of Hawaii's athletic director for 4 1/2 years until being relieved in the wake of the Steve Wonder concert fiasco in July.

He was assigned to a marketing position in the Manoa chancellor's office in August.

“I am very honored to have been offered the position of athletic director of California State University Fullerton," Donovan said in a written statement. "As I begin a new chapter in my life, I want to express my gratitude for the opportunities provided to me by the University of Hawaii – as a student athlete, a graduate and, most recently, as athletic director.

"UH is a great institution with an athletic department that means so much to our state and I want to thank the people of Hawaii for their support and encouragement over the years.

"I would also like to thank the Governor, legislators, donors, season ticket holders, staff and coaches for their commitment to UH Athletics. And I sincerely hope that everyone will continue to support the efforts of UH’s new athletic director, Ben Jay, because UH athletics and its student athletes deserve the unwavering support of the Hawaii community."

*** [9/12/14]

Jim Donovan — the Cal-State Fullerton athletic director — was justifiably overjoyed, like any father would be.

His pride is for his entire family. Like Josh, his daughter, Jackie, stuck things out as a UH student-athlete despite Donovan being ousted as athletic director two years ago. Also, their mother and his wife, Tracy Orillo-Donovan, made the best of a work situation that can best be described as extremely awkward.

The family is together physically only a few days a year, but remains close in other ways.

Gentleman Ed Francis

Coconut head butts. Steel-cage matches (complete with barbed wire). Exotic "lady wrestlers." Da Bull, a Wolf and a couple of Giants.

Oh, and don't forget Victor the Bear. As in grizzly.

From Kauai to the Big Island, and even to the tiny Kalaupapa peninsula on Molokai, local people ate up these spectacles and countless more as professional wrestling rode a wave of popularity in the 1960s and '70s. Fans embraced the sport with a passion matched only by what the grapplers brought to the ring night after night.

Pro wrestling already enjoyed a following in the islands when "50th State Big Time Wrestling" debuted on television in the early 1960s and sent its appeal into overdrive. The interview show kept viewers enthralled from week to week, ensuring there would be little problem packing the old Civic Auditorium, Hono­lulu International Center (now Blaisdell Arena) and other venues with fans eager to see the wrestlers they loved — and loved to hate.

The man who put pro wrestling on the airwaves was Edmund Francis, better known as "Gentleman Ed." A renowned wrestler himself, the Chicago native who grew up during the Depression came to Hawaii in 1961 with his wife and four sons, a $10,000 loan and the lofty goal of taking the sport to new heights of popularity.

Francis recounts the adventures of his two-decade stint as Hawaii's foremost pro wrestling promoter in his new book, "Gentleman Ed Francis Presents 50th State Big Time Wrestling!" (Watermark Publishing, $34.95). Many of the episodes in the memoir, written with Hawaii native Larry Fleece, seem too fantastic to be true — but in the supersized world of pro wrestling, nothing is beyond the realm of possibility.

***

[11/18/23] remembering Ed Francis

Teo finishes second in Heisman

NEW YORK >> The Heisman Trophy remained exclusively an offensive player award as Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel out-pointed Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te‘o for the 78th annual award that symbolizes the most outstanding performer in the college game.

In a  beyond-remarkable season in which not much seemed to elude him, Te‘o, the Laie native, finished second in voting announced tonight at the Heisman Trophy presentation on ESPN.

"I definitely thought I could win and (the people who gave me) over 1,000 points thought the same thing," Te‘o said.

Manziel outpointed Te‘o, the Notre Dame linebacker, 2,029-1,706 to win the award emblematic of the most outstanding player in college football. Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein was third with 894. Manziel had 474 first-place votes to 321 for Te'o and 60 for Klein.

Manziel became the first freshman to win the award, denying Te‘o the opportunity to become the first exclusively defensive player to win.

"I came a long way," Te‘o said afterward. "That's something to look at; I came a long way. They said that is the most points a defensive player has ever gotten, I guess. But you know, congratulations to Johnny. He deserves it. He had a wonderful season. I'm just relieved. Now it is time to get ready for battle (in the Jan. 7 Bowl Championship Series title game) against Alabama."

Te‘o, a team captain and heart of the nation's top-ranked scoring defense, led the Fighting Irish to a 12-0 regular season, the No. 1 spot in the major polls and a berth in the Jan. 7 BCS title game. 

He won six major postseason awards this season, breaking the mark of five set by Charles Woodson of Michigan in 1997.

Ben Jay named Hawaii AD

The University of Hawaii ended five months of turmoil, speculation and uncertainty for its sports programs by announcing Friday that an Ohio State University official will be its new athletic director.

Ben Jay, OSU's executive associate athletic director for finance and operations, will succeed Jim Dono­van.

Donovan was put on leave from his post as UH athletic director in July when the school launched an investigation into the promotion of a Stevie Wonder concert that never materialized. Although he would be cleared of misconduct, Dono­van never returned to his athletic director job, instead agreeing to a reassignment in Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple's office.

Apple chose Jay over Solo­mon "Solly" Fulp, the University of California's deputy director of athletics. An 11-member selection committee recommended Jay and Fulp as finalists.

UH announced the hiring at 3:19 p.m., when a mass email was distributed. Chang wrote in an email that Apple would not be available for an interview with the Star-Advertiser on Friday.

But in a video interview with Ka Leo o Hawaii, the UH student newspaper, Apple indicated Jay's "background in accounting and finance" was a factor in his hiring. Apple said Jay was in charge of a $135 million budget at Ohio State.

UH's athletic department budget is about $100 million smaller. The department has borrowed more than $10 million from a UH fund to cover revenue shortfalls the past decade.

"He is very aware of the deficit, and he has ideas on how to move us forward," Rainbow Wahine volleyball coach Dave Shoji said.

Jay said, "One of the things is taking on challenges. I think if you ask (Ohio State athletic director) Gene Smith or any of my former bosses, that's something I enjoy. I like to try to tackle issues."

Jay said he expects to begin at UH in January.

Jay's father was born in Peru, then moved to China, where he was married. The couple then moved to the United States.

Jay was born and raised in Columbus, where his parents owned a mom-and-pop store near the Ohio State campus.

He is an Ohio State graduate with a bachelor's degree in accounting and master's in athletic administration.

He has worked as a minor league general manager and was director of operations for the Cleveland Indians. He was an assistant athletic director at Fairfield University before working 12 years as the Pac-10 Conference's commissioner for business and finance. In 2006 he returned to Ohio State.

Jay and his wife, Ling, have three children.

Jim Brown vs. Muhammad Ali

Jim Brown decided he wanted to fight then-heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.

He also had a legendary reputation for his toughness. Given that Brown had introduced Arum to Ali, it was hard for Arum to say no without at least checking. Brown figured it was a slam dunk massive payday.

"So I went to talk to Ali," Arum recalls. "He says, 'Jim wants to do what? Bring him here.' So I took him to Hyde Park in London, where Ali used to run. Ali said, 'Jimmy, here's what we're going to do: You hit me as hard as you can.' So Brown starts swinging and swinging, and he can't hit him. He's swinging wildly and not even coming close. This goes on for, like, 30 seconds. Then Ali hits him with this quick one-two to his face. Jimmy just stops and says, 'OK, I get the point.'"

***

So he went up against Franco Harris instead.

All-Time All-Hawaii Grown team

The idea for today, in conjunction with Billy Hull’s fine work in putting together the annual All-Hawaii Grown team, was to pick the greatest college football performers of all-time who played their high school football here in the islands. That was brutally difficult, almost as hard as choosing between Manti Te’o and Herman Wedemeyer for greatest ever.

Wedemeyer was known best as a shifty runner (and Sgt. Lukela on “Hawaii Five-0”). But his most impressive individual stat was 18 career interceptions, including nine in his sophomore year of 1945, when he was fourth in the Heisman voting. The 2012 leader in picks, Philip Thomas of Fresno State, has eight (in four more games). Te’o has seven this season, which is astonishing for a linebacker.

I’m copping out and naming them co-greatest. Maybe that changes this weekend if Te’o wins the Heisman, or next month if his Notre Dame team beats Alabama to finish as undefeated national champions.

Perhaps we will revisit this in a couple of years, especially after we see what Marcus Mariota does in the coming seasons. For now, this is my all-time starting team of college stars from Hawaii, with some advice from Kwon, Hull and Curtis Murayama (but please blame only me if you don’t like the choices):

Quarterback: Jason Gesser (Saint Louis/ Washington State).

Running back: Adrian Murrell (Leilehua/West Virginia).

Fullback: Bob Apisa (Farrington/Michigan State).

All-purpose: Tommy Kaulukukui (Hilo/Hawaii), Herman Wedemeyer (Saint Louis/Saint Mary’s).

Wide receiver: Ashley Lelie (Radford/Hawaii), Chad Owens (Roosevelt/ Hawaii), Jason Rivers (Saint Louis/Hawaii).

Tight end: Russ Francis (Kailua/Oregon).

Offensive line: Toniu Fonoti (Kahuku/Nebraska), Olin Kreutz (Saint Louis/ Washington), Chris Naeole (Kahuku/Colorado), Dominic Raiola (Saint Louis/Nebraska), Jesse Sapolu (Farrington/Hawaii).

Defensive line: Junior Ah You (Kahuku/Arizona State), Charlie Ane (Punahou/USC), Al Harris (Leilehua/Arizona State), Al Noga (Farrington/ Hawaii), Niko Noga (Farrington/Hawaii), Levi Stanley (Waianae/Hawaii).

Linebacker: Brian Cabral (Saint Louis/Colorado), Kurt Gouveia (Waianae/Brigham Young), Manti Te’o (Punahou/Notre Dame).

Defensive backs: Blane Gaison (Kamehameha/ Hawaii), Rich Miano (Kaiser/ Hawaii), Hal Stringert (Saint Louis/ Hawaii), Jeris White (Radford/Hawaii).

Kicker: Dick Kenney (‘Iolani/Michigan State).

***

[12/6/12] Manti Te'o wins Lombardi Award

2012 Hawaii Warriors

[8/29/12] Bob Hogue predicts a 5-7 season

[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

[9/15/12] Lamar 2, Hawaii 54

[9/22/12] Nevada 69, Hawaii 22

[9/27/12] Memories of Provo

[9/28/12] Hawaii 0, BYU 47

[10/2/12] Geordon Hanohano retires from football after neck injury

[10/7/12] Hawaii 14, San Diego State 52

[10/8/12] Despite its woes in the numbers game, the Hawaii football team is committed to the pro-set offense and man-press defense that were implemented this spring.

Out of 120 FBS schools, the Warriors' offense is 118th, with 266.60 yards per game. They are 110th in rushing (104.20 yards per game), 109th in passing (162.40), 107th in scoring (20.40) and 116th in third-down conversions (28.36 percent).

On defense, they are 87th (425.8 yards per game). They are good against the pass (211.80), poor against the run (214.0) and extremely generous in points allowed (43.80).

The Warriors have lost three in a row and are 1-4 overall entering this Saturday's homecoming game against New Mexico.

[10/13/12] New Mexico 35, Hawaii 23

[10/14/12] Warriors might go winless in the MWC

[10/15/12] Evaluation time

I wonder how Hawaii ranks among the teams in college football?  Well teamrankings.com has them at 118 (out of 124), ahead of Akron, S. Alabama, UMass, Idaho, Fla Atlantic, N Mex State.  They have their record at 0-5, so I guess they didn't count Lamar.  Their opponents?  USC (15), Nevada (62), BYU (52), San Diego State (80), New Mexico (74).  Alabama is the consensus #1 team in the nation, but teamrankings has them at #4.

Sagarin seems more accurate.  They have Hawaii at 147 (out of 246), USC (10), Lamar (213), Nevada (57), BYU (30), San Diego State (65), New Mexico (109).  Upcoming opponents: Colorado State (148), Fresno State (42), Boise State (20), Air Force (79), UNLV (132), South Alabama (170).

So Colorado State, UNLV, South Alabama should be winnable.  Especially the latter two since Colorado State is on the road.  Hawaii is currently ranked 9 out of 10 in the Mountain West (ahead of Colorado State).  I see that Wyoming is the only conference team not on their schedule.

[10/21/12] Despite not losing this week, Hawaii is down to #162 in the Sagarin rankings.  They are now ranked last in the Mountain West behind Colorado State.  They play Colorado State this week on the road and so should be the underdog.  Colorado State is ranked #141.

[10/27/12] Hawaii 27, Colorado State 42

[11/3/12] Hawaii 10, Fresno State 45

Hawaii's time will come, but when?

[11/10/12] Boise State 49, Hawaii 14
$47 for this?
How far things have fallen

[11/14/12] The inconvenient truths of UH football.

* Inconvenient Truth No. 1: Norm Chow isn’t going anywhere. That’s good news for supporters and bad news for detractors.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 2: This is the most talent-deprived team in decades.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 3: The 2012 Warriors are a MASH unit.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 4: Nick Rolovich isn’t the answer.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 5: The team has not improved.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 6 or Inconvenient Opinion No. 1: The coaching has been inadequate, especially when it comes to the lack of urgency in the second half.
* Inconvenient Truth No. 7: The program is in danger of becoming irrelevant.

[11/16/12] Hawaii 7, Air Force 21

The name "Air Force" emblazoned on the front of their uniforms was a great misnomer on a Friday night when the academy football team beat Hawaii with one hand essentially tied behind its back.

That would be the right, passing hand of Falcons quarterback Connor Dietz, who only raised his arm in victory -- and a couple of pump fakes.

Dietz never so much as put the ball in the 30-degree Rocky Mountain air and, still, the Falcons, daring the Warriors to stop them, were able to cooly come away with a 21-7 victory built around their relentless infantry and unyielding defense.

Sixty-eight offensive plays by Air Force, 68 runs and the Falcons (6-5) became bowl eligible and earned a trip to the Bell Helicopter Bowl.

It was the first time since 1992 the Falcons have gone without authoring a pass, and the first time UH has been beaten in the modern era (since leather helmets) by a foe that declined to take to the air.

[11/24/12] 10 UNLV, Hawaii 48.  For what was designated as a "freedom game," the Warriors were dressed to thrill in a 48-10 rout of UNLV before 22,070 at Aloha Stadium on Saturday night.

"To wear this," wide receiver Billy Ray Stutzmann said of the specially made red-white-and-blue uniforms, "and to play the way we did, it means so much. I can't stop smiling."  The UH jerseys are up for auction, with proceeds benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project, which helps severely injured military personnel resume an athletic life.

In ending an eight-game losing streak, the Warriors improved to 2-9 overall while claiming their first Mountain West Conference victory. They finish 1-7 in their inaugural MWC season.  The Rebels fell to 2-11 and 2-6.

[12/1/12] South Alabama 7, Hawaii 23.

Norm Chow could not have scripted a better season finale to his first year as Hawaii's head football coach.  The Warriors rolled up 410 yards of offense, held South Alabama to 2.6 yards per play and kicked three field goals in a 23-7 victory at Aloha Stadium.

The Warriors' second consecutive victory dulled the pain of a 1-9 start and served as a collective farewell present to 17 seniors.  It also was the first time since 2006 that the Warriors won their final game of the season.

Rick Majerus

Rick Majerus, the jovial college basketball coach who led Utah to the 1998 NCAA final and had only one losing season in 25 years with four schools, died Saturday. He was 64.

Utah industrialist Jon Huntsman, the coach's longtime friend, confirmed in a statement released through The Salt Lake Tribune that Majerus died of heart failure in a Los Angeles hospital.

Majerus said Nov. 19 that he wouldn't return to Saint Louis because of the heart condition. He ended the school's 12-year NCAA tournament drought last season with a 26-win team that won its opening game and took top regional seed Michigan State to the wire. The Billikens were ranked for the first time since 1994-95.

goodbye to Hector Camacho

NEW YORK » Hundreds mourned Hector Camacho today in the landmark East Harlem church the fighter attended as a boy, and hundreds more cheered and shouted "Macho" when his coffin was carried out and loaded into a hearse afterward.

"Hector lived the American dream, to come from simple beginnings and to be known by thousands of people," the Rev. Frank Skelly said. "He could lift us up, and he could break our hearts. He could inspire us and at times disappoint us."

Camacho, a native of Puerto Rico who moved to East Harlem as a child, was shot in the face Nov. 20 while sitting in a parked car with a friend outside a bar in Bayamon, his hometown in the U.S. territory. The friend, Adrian Mojica Moreno, died at the scene. The boxer died after doctors removed him from life support.

Chiefs player kills himself

KANSAS CITY, Mo. » Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend today, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager.

Authorities did not release a possible motive for the murder-suicide, though police said that Belcher and Kasandra M. Perkins, 22, had been arguing recently. The two of them have a 3-month-old child.

Belcher thanked general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel before shooting himself in the parking lot of the team's practice facility, police spokesman Darin Snapp said. Police had locked it down by mid-morning and reporters were confined to the street just outside the gates.

Chad Owens, outstanding player

TORONTO >> Former Hawaii receiver Chad Owens was honored as the Canadian Football League’s outstanding player Thursday night, three days before he leads the Toronto Argonauts against Calgary in the Grey Cup.

The 30-year-old Owens led the CFL in receiving with 94 catches for 1,328 yards and six touchdowns, also topped the league in return yards with 2,510 and had a record 3,863 all-purpose yards.

“Four years ago I had no real idea what the CFL was,” Owens said at an awards ceremony on Thursday night. “Everything that happened to me prior in my career, it all happened for this moment.

“In 2008 did I see this? No. But this offseason did I see this? Yes. You always have to believe you have a chance and I truly did. I’m just so thankful it came true.”

Owens, 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, beat out Calgary running back Jon Cornish in voting conducted by the Football Reporters of Canada and the eight CFL coaches.

Owens received 41 of the 57 available ballots.

138 points!

Grinnell College has been known to put lots of points on the board in basketball games over the years. The Division III school's "five-in, five out" run-and-gun style helps the team score over 100 points a game on a nightly basis.

Grinnell defeated Faith Baptist 179-104 on Tuesday night, but it was Jack Taylor's night that made history.
Taylor scored 138 points Tuesday against Faith Baptist to set an NCAA single-game scoring record.

Taylor made 52 of 108 shots from the field, including 27 of 71 from 3-point range. He made 7 of 10 free throws.

The previous NCAA record was held by Clarence "Bevo" Francis, who scored 113 points in a 1954 game for Division II Rio Grande.

Notre Dame #1

Notre Dame is suddenly very much alive for a national championship. Alabama and Georgia are too. Oregon and Kansas State may never quite recover from this heartbreak.

This is the type of Saturday night that makes college football what it is.

The BCS Championship Game picture was changed dramatically when Kansas State was embarrassed 52-24 at Baylor and Oregon blew a lead in the final minutes of regulation and lost 17-14 to Stanford in overtime. The Wildcats and Ducks were ranked 1 and 2 in the BCS standings. Now they're out - at least, unless there's more chaos before the season is over.

And Notre Dame, which hasn't won a national title since 1988, is now in the driver's seat.

The Irish won 38-0 against Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon, and then they watched the chaos unfold. If Notre Dame wins next week at USC, which might not have injured starting quarterback Matt Barkley, the Irish will play in Miami for the national championship.

The SEC, which has won six straight BCS championships, was on the outside looking in after Alabama's loss last week, but now that conference is almost assured a spot in the BCS Championship Game. If Alabama beats Auburn next week to win the SEC East Division, the winner of the Alabama-Georgia SEC Championship Game is almost certain to get an invitation to the BCS Championship Game. Alabama and Georgia will likely rank second and third in the new BCS standings.

And if Notre Dame loses at USC next week? Things are going to get really messy with a lot of one-loss teams claiming they belong in the BCS title game.

The Colt Brennan Story

He was Hawaii’s golden child once destined for greatness. Colt Brennan earned rock star status with his boyish good looks and record-setting performances on the gridiron. Fans regularly waited in long lines to purchase jersey No. 15 or camped at shopping malls just to get his autograph. Hawaii’s Heisman Trophy finalist could do no wrong.

“He had legions of fans, and he took Hawaii to a place where it had never been before,” says longtime private investigator Matt Levi. “He helped put Hawaii on a national stage with his remarkable achievements. But his fame was a two-edged sword, and it came with a price.”

Brennan recently sat down with Levi and agreed to take part in a revealing tell-all interview. The veteran journalist, who has been sharing stories with Hawaii viewers for 40 years, says the 29-year-old Brennan spoke openly about his flaws and failures.

“We talked about his 2010 accident, the DUI arrest, even his problems in Colorado,” says Levi. “He went on television and spoke about things that are very painful to him. That’s difficult for a young man.”

Levi says viewers will hear stories that Brennan has never shared publicly.

Levi’s 30-minute special Matt Levi Investigates: The Colt Brennan Story will air three times next week: Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. on KGMB; Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m. on KHNL (following the Thanksgiving Day NFL game); and Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. on KGMB.

-- Midweek, 11/14/12 (posted 12/6/14)

Lakers name Mike D'Antoni as new head coach

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers hired Mike D'Antoni late Sunday night, signing the former coach of the Suns and Knicks to replace Mike Brown.

The Lakers and D'Antoni's agent, Warren LeGarie, confirmed the deal two days after the Lakers fired Brown five games into the season.

D'Antoni agreed to a three-year deal worth $12 million, with a team option for a fourth season.
D'Antoni got the high-profile job running the 16-time NBA champions only after the club's top brass extensively discussed the job with former Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

The 11-time NBA champion coach met with Lakers owners Jerry and Jim Buss and general manager Mitch Kupchak on Saturday to weigh a return for a third stint on Los Angeles' bench.

The Lakers instead went with D'Antoni, a respected offensive strategist who coached Lakers point guard Steve Nash in Phoenix during the best years of their respective careers. D'Antoni was less successful during four seasons in New York, but at least restored the once-moribund Knicks to competence before resigning last March.

''Dr. (Jerry) Buss, Jim Buss and Mitch Kupchak unanimously agreed that Mike was the best coach for this roster at this time,'' Lakers spokesman John Black said.

The 61-year-old D'Antoni underwent knee replacement surgery earlier this month, and could be physically limited early in his tenure. Black said the Lakers aren't certain when D'Antoni will travel to Los Angeles to begin work.

Interim coach Bernie Bickerstaff will continue running the Lakers until D'Antoni arrives. Los Angeles beat Sacramento 103-90 on Sunday night, improving to 2-0 under Bickerstaff after a 1-4 start under Brown.
The Lakers' next game is Tuesday night against San Antonio at Staples Center.

After Brown's dismissal, Nash and Kobe Bryant both expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of playing for D'Antoni, although Bryant also campaigned eagerly for Jackson.

Bryant idolized D'Antoni while growing up in Italy, where D'Antoni was a star player for Olimpia Milano in the Italian pro league. D'Antoni also has been an assistant coach on various U.S. national teams featuring Bryant, including the gold medal-winning squad at the London Olympics.

Nash won two MVP awards while running D'Antoni's signature up-tempo offense for the final four seasons of the coach's five-year tenure with the Suns.

Nash and D'Antoni won at least 54 games each season and reached two Western Conference finals - and they eliminated Bryant's Lakers from the first round of the playoffs in 2006 and 2007, still the only first-round exits of Kobe's 17-year career.

***

In a stunning development late Sunday night, the Los Angeles Lakers opted to sign former Knicks and Suns coach Mike D’Antoni to a four-year deal as their next coach, ending negotiations with 11-time NBA champion coach Phil Jackson. He was believed to be the prohibitive favorite to replace Mike Brown, who was fired last Friday.

D’Antoni and former Lakers, Blazers, Bucks and Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy interviewed with the Lakers over the weekend. But they were fallbacks, interviews done just in case the Lakers, somehow, could not reach a deal with the 67-year-old Jackson, who’d won five titles in Los Angeles during two stints as head coach.

But the Lakers could not reach agreement with Jackson, whose representatives had made it clear last summer that Jackson wanted a much bigger role in any organization that he joined, with hiring authority for coaches and other positions in the organization.

Negotiations with Jackson ended Sunday night, and the Lakers called D’Antoni’s agent, Warren LeGarie, as their home game against the Kings was ending. The two sides quickly worked out a contract somewhat along the lines of what Brown — another LeGarie client — received, though specific dollar amounts were not immediately available.

The Lakers never contacted other potential coaching candidates like former Blazers coach Nate McMillan, or former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

In the end, D’Antoni’s relationships both with Steve Nash, whom he helped get two MVPs in Phoenix, and with Kobe Bryant, who has known D’Antoni since he was finishing his playing career in Italy when a young Bryant lived there, made him the choice over Dunleavy.

D’Antoni’s Suns gave as good as they got with the Lakers in the playoffs, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to defeat L.A. in a 2006 first-round series. And his “Seven Seconds or Less” offensive system, which demanded pushing the ball up court — even after opponents scored — to get a good shot early in the shot clock, was much more in line with the old “Showtime” Lakers of Magic Johnson than the halfcourt-based Princeton offense that Brown tried to run.

***

The Lakers could have had Jackson. Jerry Buss could have made things uneasy for son Jim Buss and paid the money necessary to make it worth Phil's while to save the Lakers' floundering fortunes for the third time in 13 years, and the Lakers could have decided that with the team's massive payroll and the millions they're still on the hook to pay Mike Brown over the next few years that they may as well go ahead and pay the coach Kobe wanted the most. Instead, they picked up Kobe's second choice, and it's probably the best deal for all involved.

It's true the Lakers players weren't listening to Phil when he and the team uneasily parted for the second time in 2011, same as was the case in 2004, but a few years away tends to change that. That's the guess, at least. It would have been a marvelous pairing once again, but one we'll never get to see.

For those disappointed in ego and money and control (those minor things) getting in the way of something special again, D'Antoni's presence is superb consolation.

***

Phil Jackson was prepared to return to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday morning if negotiations between his agent and the team went well, a league source told ESPNLosAngeles.com late Sunday night.

When the Lakers called to tell Jackson that they had instead chosen Mike D'Antoni to be their next head coach, he was "stunned," according to the source, because he had been under the impression "it was his job to turn down," although no formal offer had ever been made.

Sources over the weekend said Jackson had made significant contract demands, including salary, personnel decisions and the ability to skip some road games, but ESPN NBA analyst Kurt Rambis -- who has since spoken to Jackson; the two are close friends -- said that was never the case.

Rambis, a former Lakers player and assistant coach who worked on Jackson-led staffs from 2001-2004 and 2005-2009 and remains close friends with Jackson, said Jackson told him there had never been any discussions of salary or restrictions on a potential return, and that he and the Lakers had agreed to wait until Monday to negotiate.

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Between the hours of Mike Brown's firing and a meeting on Saturday morning with history's most accomplished coach, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak privately told people there was one candidate: Phil Jackson.

Jackson wanted to humiliate Lakers vice president Jim Buss far more than he wanted to coach the team. He wanted significant allowances on travel, coaching duties and an ability to veto player personnel moves that didn't fit his vision. With an unprecedented 11 coaching championships, Jackson had every right to make unprecedented demands. He doesn't have the right to be surprised when the Lakers rejected them and hired a pliable, cheaper coach in Mike D'Antoni.

"Phil wanted Jim Buss to walk away with his tail between his legs," one source with knowledge of the discussions told Yahoo! Sports. "He thought he had time to still negotiate with them, and see how much they would give him."

Now, the Lakers are going out of their way to spare Jackson the embarrassment of his overreaching, but this is pointless spin. They're working with him to sell the public that he hadn't asked for too much, that somehow the franchise chose D'Antoni over Jackson on sheer merit. It's noble, but laughable. Jackson heard those chants in the Staples Center and never believed the Lakers had the guts to call his bluff before circling back to him on Monday.

"Phil's assistants convinced him that they had his back on the concerns [Jackson] had about his load as head coach, and he was ready to get a deal done on Monday," a source with knowledge of the talks said. "But this was about Jim Buss giving him a royal you-know-what in the end."