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Show WWW.NETXNEWS.NET MONDAY • AUGUST 7 • 2006 _ r i ft r f i T\ i i-i i i I I i i i i i 1 l \ \ \ i t 11 i I J Owlz sweep Chukars, earn playoff spot Webster's Wisdom Ben Webster Hall of Fame Coach John Madden John Madden is finally where he deserves to be, not just in a big motor home traveling the country from NFL game to NFL game, but in the NFL Hall of Fame. Madden has made a name for himself through announcing, video games, athlete's foot commercials, and turduckens (a turkey stuffed with a duck then stuffed with a chicken). Many young people don't realize but before all that he was he great football coach. From 1969 to 1979 Madden lead the Oakland Raiders to seven division titles, eight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title. He never had a losing season as a coach and finished with a 112-39-7 overall record. Madden led the 1977 Raiders to a 32-14 victor)' over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XL Madden coached NFL stars such as Ken Stabler, Gene Upshaw, and current Raider head coach Art Shell. At 32 years old Madden was then the youngest head coach in the NFL when he was hired. Madden was once an aspiring player in the NFL. In 1959 he was a rookie guard with the Philadelphia Eagles. He suffered a career ending knee injury in training camp and never played in the NFL. He began his NFL coaching career as linebacker coach with the Raiders in 1967 after a job as a defensive assistant with San Diego State. He was never known as a stickler on the small things but he wanted players to work hard and they did as is evident in his record. His .759 winning percentage is tops among NFL coaches who have at least 1 00 wins. It took 28 years since he retired from the coaching ranks for Madden to be put among the leagues greatest and he is now known for other things. When Madden first left coaching he was up for the Hall as a finalist but reportedly didn't make it because the committee wasn't sure Madden was finished as a coach. He mainly retired from coaching because of his fear of flying. He now travels from game to game in his luxurious Madden Cruiser. I wasn't even bom when Madden walked the sidelines for the silver and black but from what the numbers say he deserves it. What is on the forefront of my mind when I think of John Madden is Madden NFL video games and football announcing. Madden has become a star in the booth since he begun announcing games in 1981 with Pat Summerall for CBS. They moved as a team to Fox to announce the networks lead game from 1994-2001. He's been on ABC's "Monday Night Football" the last three years with Al Michaels, They will both move to NBC for "Sunday Night Football." Madden joined Warren Moon, Troy Aikman, and Harry Carson for this year's Hall of Fame class. I will never now the Madden that was a relaxed winner 37 years ago but I do know him as a very good football analyst. There is no doubt that Madden loves football. He brings passion and fun to the booth these days and what young football fan doesn't spend many hours playing Madden NFL? [ would have loved to see the big guy in his coaching days. Ben Webster Sports Writer A day after the Orem Owlz clinched a playoff berth by winning the first half of the Pioneer League Southern Division the Owlz beat Idaho Falls 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with a walk-off RBI double to sweep the short 3-game series. Orem first baseman Brooks Shankle, drafted in 2004 in the round 32 of the MLB draft, took the pitch from Chukars Bryan Casey with one out in the final inning and blasted it deep to center field. Shankle's double drove in right fielder Darrell Sales for the game winning run. "1 just tried to keep the short rally going and get on base," Shankel said. "It felt great and hopefully it will give me some confidence and help me get on a roll for the second half of the season." Manager Tom Kotchman was happy with the win but not so happy that it took the final at-bat to get it. "I'd sure like to win the game earlier rather than waiting for the final inning,'" Kotchman said. "I noticed they have a defibrillator and if we keep this up they may have to use it on me." In the Pioneer League it is like they have two regular the seasons. The two teams from each division that win the half seasons advance to the playoffs. Orem qualified when they beat Idaho Falls the night before. The Billings Mustangs won the Northern Division in the first half of the season to clinch a playoff spot as well. The way the season is set up in the league this game and the rest of the regular season don't mean as much for Orem. "Our regular season sucks, our playoffs suck, our league sucks and most fields we play on suck," Kotchman said in response to the way teams reach the playoffs. Orem got on the board first in the opening game of the second half of the season when Idaho Falls reliever Josh Cribb gave up three straight hits immediately after entering the game in the fourth inning. Orem got a pair of RBI singles by P.J. Phillips and Abel Nieves to take a 2-0 lead. The Chukars got one back in the fifth after O.D. Gonzalez was walked, then stole second, and got to third on a wild pitch. Chukar center fielder Brett Bigler brought him home. The Owlz added another run in the seventh only to give up the lead again in the eighth. Idaho Falls scored on a Jase Turner solo home run and got an unearned run before the Owlz could gel out of the inning. Shankle helped the Owlz avoid extra innings and win on a walk-off double for the second night in a row. Jeremy Haynes pitched five innings for Orem and got the win* his first on the year. Abel Nieves was the hero the night before delivering a RBI double in the bottom of the 10 th to give the Owlz a one game lead over Idaho Falls for the first half of the season with a 23-15 record. The early playoff berth gives the Owlz an opportunity to play the way that they want without worrying about outcomes of games. "It feels good to be in the playoffs and it's good to get it done now especially before the month of August because you can set up your pitching rotation how you want it," Kotchman said. "We still want to win the second half but it doesn't matter as much now." Orem has some work to do if they want to win the Pioneer League for the third straight year. Orem doesn't have a batter in the top ten for batting average in the Pioneer League. "We need hitting and guys need to be willing to work. If they don't want to spend the time outside we have air-conditioned cages inside," Kotchman said. "!s 15 minutes of extra work going to make a guy that much more tired the next day?" With eight pitchers under 20 years old the Owlz strength during the first half of the season has been pitching. "Our young guys have got us through this much of the season. It's great to have so many young guys on our side," Kotchman said. With so many young pitchers on the roster the Owlz have a good chance to win the second half of the season as well. If that does happen the team with the second best record in the division, will face Orem in the first round of the postseason. Orem goes on their longest road trip of the season and will be back in action on campus August 9 against the Ogden Raptors. Fantasy football drafts are "round the corner Ben Webster Sports Writer NFL training camps are now in session, most first round draft picks that held out have been signed and it is time to get ready to finally win your fantasy football league this season. Fantasies in can be realized when you get the right players on your team. Here is a look at some of the possible top fantasy players. Running Backs: In most cases running backs are going to be the top point getter for your team and in most drafts running backs are jumped on at the top of the draft. Top five: 1. Ladainian Tomlinson, San Diego: He gets loads of carries in Marty Schottenheimer's system and he gets a lot of receptions. A lot of touches mean a lot of yards and touchdowns. 2. Larry Johnson, Kansas City: 1750 yards rushing last year and 20 touchdowns could have even more this but the retirement of all-pro fullback Willie Roaf could hurt his cause. 3. Shaun Alexander, Seattle: Set the single season touchdown record last year and could be as strong this year. 4. Edgerrin James. Arizona: New team same results? 5. Tiki Barber, New York Giants: A better EH Manning could help Barber. They are the most notable guys on the team but their mistakes could cost you. The team and system they play under has a major effect on how many points they can get you. Top five: 1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis: Manning and the Colts dominated the regular season last year but James is gone. |