OCR Text |
Show oS DAILY HERALD TODAY | ss eee at American Fork \a ee Thursday, March 9, 2006 TODAY Ag \_2 3:30 p.m. NBA | ON THE AIR SALT LAKE CITY— Jerry Sloan was reassured Wednesdaythat his 18-year run as coach of the Utah Jazz is not in jeopardy Sloan met with Jazz ownerLarry Miller on Wednesday about a rumorthatMiller had threatened to Miller clarified his comments afterward. But Sloan wanted to makesureMiller didn't mean “fire” — asin “terminate.” “I didn’t say that. I don't knowwhotold him that,” Miller said before Wednesday night's gameagainst Pac-10,Arizona vs. Stanford 1 p.m. two days before when the Jazz blew a 20-point lead against the Orlando Magic. Miller said he wasupsetthat the Jazz were showing no “fire” on Monday. Utah wonthe game and the Minnesota Timberwolves. “So he was nervous about that and I understandthatif that’s what he thought. So we spent10 or 15 minutesjust talking aboutstuff and reiterating the commitment we've Big Ten, Minn. vs. Mich. 12:30 p.m.ESPN2 Pac-10, UCLA vs.‘ASU-OSU always had.” Sloan, in his 18th season coaching the Jazz, has the longest tenure of any coach or managerin the four majorleagues.Miller has maintained that Sloan, who has the fifth-most wins in NBA coachinghistory, has the job until he doesn’t wantit. “Asfar as I'm concerned, nothing has changed,” Miller said. “Onething | always know aboutJerry, Pac-10, Cal vs. USC 7 p.m. FSN FSN ESPN ESPN2 MWC, BYU vs. Utah NFL Denverat Philadel| San Antonio at Phoenix AMASupersport NBA 10 p.m.» love to stay with them and beat them, ultimately, but NEEDS ANOTHER ELEMENT Out on the trail Wednesday, Swingley of Lincoln, ook, MikeSliveis a bright guy. ‘ Hedidn’t get to be czar of the Southestern Conference and coordinatorof the Bowl Championship Series with a few dull knives in the drawer. So whenSlivesaid last ___ we're not very far intoit, really.” The rules of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race require mushersto take at least one 24-hour rest period and twoeight-hour breaks. Mushers also rest their dogs for several hourseach day,either on the trail or at a checkpoint, and halt them on the trail every few hoursto toss them snacks of meat and fat. Mont., was setting this year's pace. For arriving first in McGrath, Swingley won an * Alaska Native spirit mask and a $500 credit from PenAir,an in-stateairline. He stopped briefly in Takotna before a 38-mile run to the abandoned gold mining town of Ophir. the 78th position when she decided to scratchat the 12:30 p.m. SPD. 6 p.m. 8:30 p.m. a former biologist with an Ivy League degree.“I'd Rainy Pass checkpoint. So far, four of the 83 dog teams thatstarted the race have scratched. Morgan,56,is a geologist who worksat Utah ESPN State University. HONORS TNT TNT Cougar named player of the week release him COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — BYU's Ashlyn MINNEAPOLIS — Daunte Culpepper wants out of Minnesota. Culpepper’s shaky relationship with the Vikings deteriorated further on Wednesday when the quarterback said he wantstobe released if the team fails to trade him. “Ifa trade does not happen then I am asking the Vikingsto terminate mycontract as soon as possible,” Culpeppersaid in an e-mail to reporters. Culpeppersaid he had asked the Vikingsif he could speak to interested teams on his own behalf. He said Minnesota deniedhis request. He said he appreciated that the team’s new owner, Zygi Wilf, was willing to pay him a $6 million bonus Men's CollegeBasketball BYU vs. Utah 10 p.m. 1160 AM 700 AM ation,” Barbersaid.“I didn’t wantto learn a new defenseand go througha transition of getting acquainted with a whole new team.Getting the opportunity to be reunited with the guys here, I couldn’t pass it up.” COLLEGE BASKETBALL I have with management regarding the approach to mypersonalandprofessional life, I think it is the best business decision for both parties to go our separate ways,” Culpeppersaid. He softened his message slightly by saying thatif Comcast will be the exclusive broadcaster ofall WACmen'squarterfinal and semifinal basketball games. The games willbe broadcast live on Comcast Channel60 andwill be available onComcast On Demand immediately following the games. The WACfinal will be broadcast on ESPN2. The schedule today includes Boise State vs. Louisiana Techat | p.m.; Utah State vs. San Jose State at commenton the e-mail. IDITAROD » Barber signs one-year deal with Eagles: Since Shawn Barberleft Philadelphia three years ago, the Eagles havetried three players at weaksidelinebacker. Now they're going back to Barber. Less than a week after Kansas City cut him for financial reasons, the 31-year-old Barber signed a Mushers bask in village hospitality 3:30 p.m.; Nevada vs. Idaho at 7 p.m.; and Hawaii vs. New MexicoState at 9:30 p.m. The semifinals will be at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on Friday. one-yeardealwith the Eagles on Wednesday. Terms of the contract weren't immediately known.Philadelphia also re-signed defensive end Juqua Thomas to a one-year contract. “I wasn't really interested in going to a newsitu- named the MWC Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week,respectively. Russell had a game-winning hit and madesignificant offensive contributions over the weekend. The third-baseman ripped a two-run single against No. 14 Texas A&Min the bottom ofthe fifth inning to give BYU the victory bythe eight-run rule. She also hit a homerun and had four RBI against the top-25 team. Her game-winninghit camein the bottom of the sixth inning against College of Charleston. PREP SPORTS TAKOTNA,Alaska — The dog teams leading the Iditarod spentjust a few minutes atthis hillside vil- lage on Wednesday, but many mushers stayed to recuperateat oneofthe sled dog race’s most hospitable checkpoints. + “Myhouse isn’t this good,” said Aliy Zirkle, of Two Rivers, betweenbites of a made-to-order burgerin the community center. Until Takotna, she had beenthird behind Doug HERALD wrens = DAYTONA BEACH,Fla. — Penalties levied by NASCAR against the new af Fpme Racing team for using an unapproved modification during.olyoo the Daytona 500 have been unanimously up! The penaiieswmahide a $25,000 fine to crew chief Philippe Lopez andloss of 25 points by both driver Terry Labonte and William Saunders,listed as owner ofthe No. 96 Chevrolet and a partner of team owners and former NFL quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. The team acknowledged the carburetor modifications violated the rules, but contended the part was supplied by a third-party engine builder and that the infraction was unintentional. They also appealed the severity of the points penalties. gies swept the Wolverines. BYU baseball: BYUtravelsto Riverside, Calif., this week to play UC Riverside in a threegameseries beginning today. The pitching rotation has flipped for BYU (3-9), with Kalen Parsons (0-3,6.53) and Kyle Tash (3-1, 5.53) round out the rotation for UVSC. D BYU softball; The Cougar softball team will compete in the Stanford Classic this week- helps us learn what areas of our game need more practice, and Game-I starter and Jesse Craig (0-4, 5.32)will start Game 2. _Dorais, Ben Gardner, Jacob Gustafsson and Josh McAd- Middle Tennessee State (6-141), MiamiOhio (12-8), Wiscon- tobe competitive asateam, but cach tournament round we play that can only makeus better,” Brandon Chrisiansen Co.3.75) Heat ES said UVSC coach Denise Larson. This is the inaugural year will start Saturday’s game. Fishing - Hunting - Gear Adventure Tr for the women’sgolf team. Ashley Baldwin ledthe way for the Wolverines finishing the week with a 248 (32-overpar). Echo Thatcher was next with a 252, followed by Shari SportsExpos.com Johnson(274), Kasey Larson (281) and Blayne Pilgrim (311). Tee Cah Ftiihdedeeb) biha NOTHING! Northern Arizona (937) won the tournamentby one stroke over Sacramento State (938). southpaw Patrick Wells (1-2, 7.47) now being moved tothe D BYU track and field: Six Cou- gar men will join the finest collegiateathletes in the nation for nee Indoor National Track and ield Championships ii ee n ng Ark., Friday. “I’m ecstatic to goto nationals,” said BYU men's coac Mark Robison. “Everyonehasa chance to become an All-American out of the group that’sgoing and I think we're going to oltreee eheen ) PHEASANTS /, Hee For more information: apter in Uta ounty March 11, 2006 starting at 4 p.m. i CABELA Ss conference room. 2502 W. Grand Terrace Parkway Lehi, Utah Join the nation’s leading habitat organization for aninformational meeting. This is your opportunity to makea local impactin your wildlife community. The decision on where to spend chapter fundsstays with the local chapter. ant js 3 strength of schedule.” Translation: Scheduling can help a program pick up easy wins to stay unbeaten (see: Miami vs. Florida A&M) or important winsto raise stature (see: California vs. Tennessee). Schedule at your ownrisk. Soinstead of forcing schools to beef up nonconference schedules or face a ratings game consequenceat the endof the strength of nonconference scheduleis the most fair and accurate way to judge similar teams. Mysuggestion is a separate quotient in the BCS ratings for nonconferencestrength of schedule that would be factored into the ratings after the final regular-season coaches and Harris polls are released. This way, bad wins early could become good winslate -and vice versa. The nonconference rating element also would prompt . schools to eliminate some dog ' nonconference games andbring’ ° us closer to finding two deserving teams for thenationaltitle game-- AND eliminate someof the whiningin the process. Considering the BCS has failed to do thatin three of the past five seasons, whynotgive it a shot? If we're goingto stick with this system,let’s find the best wayto attack things. It wasthenthatI felt like Vincent Gambini in front of Judge Chamberlain Haller. “Mr. Gambini,thatis a lucid, intelligent, well-thought-out objection.” “Thank you.” “Overruled.” Twoyears ago, Auburn com- plained aboutgetting hosed by the Orange Bowl. That team played Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech in ams (9:33.77). sin (4-6), Pacific (8-8) and No. 5 nonconference games. DUVSC baseball: The Wolver- Stanford (17-4)in the tournament, which begins ‘Thursday. Aubieis a national title contender again this fall, and a ) BYU tennis: The BYU men’s and women’s tennis teams are on the road this weekend in their final pre-conference dual meets, schedule showsits opponents are WashingtonState, Buffalo, Tulane and Arkansas State. If we don’t learn fromhistory, we’re doomed to have the ines travel to Davis, Calif., for phatke series against felD+ independent UC Davis, Sohane Friday afternoon. The Wolverines are coming off of a series against Air Force at home wherethe Falcons took twoout of three. This will be the secondtime’ that UVSC and UC Davis have met in a three-game series. season in Davis, the Ag- The No, 22 Cougar women (84) face Oklahoma State today and are at Oklahoma Friday. The men(5-11)play a doubleheader on Saturday against Colorado and Denver. glanceatits nonconference fourth BCScontroversyin six years. Or somethinglike that. TT D Matt Hayes is a columnist for The Sporting News. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE | Dea Continued from B1 “The whole idea was that no ion. spokesman Gres had to havelabor peace. That's ‘ itSed all thebayhere. I w ea ae fete ts trips The agreement comes after a weekofon-again, off-again eo Sun in FoLeo Cay rete: 7 Tagliabue predicted it would PheasantsForever is a national, non-profit conservation organization dedicated to wildlife habitat come down to the llth hour. It did and perhaps went be- epowel@pheasenistorever.org Please attendtofind out more. 59 seconds CST,a second be- agreementgives us the oppor- Allo onaeane announced ieee ae taken place at tunity to continue our unprecenereednel yee and _said earlier the 8 p.m. deadline wet of ven The union didn’t seem to care. ‘ Forget etek about Gene Upshaw,the executive director of the NFL Players Associationceina ee. ‘Uitimately, it is about what is best for the players, the own- rae Even Brentson Buck. uea defensive tackle cut last weS Creatfoctmeee like me because now somebody has little extra money and they can go ae aveteran who might have gotten squeezed out this” Buckner p.m. after league officials one was eer We didn't Call: Cade Powell 208-351-7623 and conservation practices. Pheasants Foreveris starting a chapter in Utah County. Kam Mickolio (0-4, 7.50), (personal best 7-2.75) and the endin California. distance medley team of Jason The Cougars (14-5) take on Announcing a planning meeting for a Ghee ee « part of the standingsto the extent that schools can help strength isn’t a complete argumentuntil after the bowls, Hall of Fame Racing appeal denied automatically qualified for nationals andwonthe MWC indoortitle with a vault of y feet, 4.5 inches. Proviqualifiers who made the NCAA field include high jumper David Pendergrass mr Sint fie South Towne Expo Center wordscarefully, “remains a themselvesin scheduling with AUTO RACING see some good things.” A son,I called him onit. You know, as much as a lowly hack can challenge the Don of the BCS. The adventof the permanent 12th gamethis fall has yielded another twist to the never-ending question: At whatpoint does nonconference strength of schedule becomemoreofa factor in the ratings system? There area lot of Texas vs. Sam HoustonStates in those 12th games and very few Colorado vs. Georgias. If you know whatI mean, Mr. Commish. “Strength of schedule,” Slive said, pausing and choosing onus on voters to determine whoplays a better schedule and continued the cycle of polls and opinions. That's not good enough. SoI offered this to the commish: Because conference UVSC womengolfersfinish 16th PHOENIX,Ariz. — The UVSC woitien’sgolfers completed their first full tournament at a team Wednesday, 16th in field of 16 at the 54hole Bobcat Desert Classic, “Wehavea long way to go week the BCSratings system wouldn't changefor this sea- The Lone Peak administration is seeking applicants for the position ofdrill team advisor. The present advisor is moving from the area with her family. Potential candidates should contact assistant principal Rhonda Bromley at the school at 763-7050. Lone Peakseeking drill team advisor WAC games on Comcast cable the team didn’t honorhis request, “then intend to fulfill my contractual obligations to the Minnesota Vikings.” Ina brief phoneinterview with The Associated Press, Culpeppersaid he had been angered by a recent e-mail he received from the team. Hedidn't elaborate on the contentsof the e-mail. A Vikings spokesmansaid the team would not Russell and San Diego State’s Melissa Owens were BES FO season, the BCSsimply laid the duelater this month. “However, becauseof the fundamental differences RMI | A Wednesda Utah musher withdraws: Rookie musher Sue Morgan of Richmond, Utah, quit the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Wednesday,possibly suffering from a cracked rib, race officials said. Morgan was 272 miles into the 1,100-mile race across Alaska from Willow to Nome. She was in FSN Big East, W.Virgina vs. Pitt_ 7:30 p.m.’ ESPN Big 12, Missourivs.Neb. _7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Pac-10, Wash. vs. Ore-WSU 9:30 p.m. __FSN heis absolutely trustworthy and always doing the best that he can.” Culpepper tells Vikings to trade him or 3:30 p.m. ACC,Virginia vs. Va.Tech 5 p.m. Big East,Villanova vs. Rutgrs 5 p.m, Auto Racit of “Myplan was to stay here for 24,” said Zirkle, 36, Midnight_ESPN2 iam. ESPN Singapore Masters 7am. Tec ° Barton Creek Challenge Noon TGC PGA, Honda Classic 2p.m. USA Men's Baskestball Baskestball Big East,UConn vs. Syracuse 10 a.m. ESPN Big 10, Penn St. vs. N'wstm 10 a.m. ESPN2 Big East, Marg. vs. Geo'town 12:30 p.m, ESPN to two of his team executives and the word “fire” field pega ee rer sei oe He ea ean 1,100mile journey from Anchorage to Nome. World Baseball Classic fire his longtime coach. The rumor was spurred by an outraged Miller walking across the court to talk $wingley, a four-time Iditarod champ, who led the T A ike,winfinshed losyear, ilth ‘said she's stick- Television Italy vs. Dominican Rep. Mexico vs. Canada Hayes . ~— = Jazz owner reassures Sloan PAGE ie at Mountain View \_ what time zéne. obably saved a yers from for salary cap ers and the fans of the National _said. “I’m sure the veteran Football League. As caretakers minimum is going to go 4D30 yond: Tag! said an ment was reached at 6:59 and ‘of the game we have actedin ie manner the founders in- guyslike me can goout and jet a one-year somewhere and fore the deadline to notify the ‘Moving forward, this new they are going into.” f feel good about the situation |