Month: March 2006 (Page 15 of 18)

Be sure to vote!

In the spirit of March Madness, the NBA is conducting a Big Dance Bracket where fans (or dirty old men) can vote for their favorite dance squads. Since the site is only providing still pictures of the respective dance squads, I’m guessing that we’re supposed to vote based on their appearance, not their dance prowess.

Morrison, Redick invited to Team USA tryouts

On Sunday, the 23 players invited to play or tryout for Team USA were officially announced. The only two collegiate players on the list are Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison and Duke’s J.J. Redick.

“They’re both great scorers,” Krzyzewski said. “I think some collegiate players going into this type of situation would be a little bit intimidated. I don’t think either one of these guys will. They more define the specialist role.”

Coach K appears determined to have enough shooters on Team USA, which was one of the downfalls of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team.

Three #1 seeds appear set

With the release of the new USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll, it appears that, unless Duke loses its third consecutive game, three of the #1 seeds are set. UConn, Duke and Villanova have been rotating through the top four spots in the poll for the last few weeks. If Duke wins a conference tourney game or two, they should lock up the #1 seed in the South (or possibly the East if UConn and ‘Nova falter early.) The Big East team that goes the farthest in that tournament will likely be awarded the #1 seed in the East, with the other team likely getting the #1 seed in the Midwest.

However, the fourth #1 seed is up for grabs. Memphis was first in line, but their loss last week to UAB has pushed them down to the #5 ranking, and Gonzaga took their place. If the Bulldogs go on to win their conference tournament, they have a good shot at being the #1 seed in the West. However, there are several other teams that could lay claims to the final #1 seed. Memphis, George Washington, Ohio State, Texas and, to a lesser extent, Illinois and North Carolina, could each make a strong argument with terrific play in their respective conference tournaments.

Puckett suffers stroke, in critical condition

I used to be a huge Kirby Puckett fan. Who wasn’t, right? Then details of his “secret life” were revealed in a 2003 SI article. Fan no more.

Still, you never want to see this:

Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett, one of the most beloved players to ever don a Twins uniform, suffered a stroke Sunday morning at his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

A nursing supervisor at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix told The Associated Press that the former Twins center fielder was in critical condition. She did not provide additional details.

Puckett had surgery to drain blood and relieve pressure resulting from bleeding in the brain, the The Star-Tribune of Minneapolis reported.

Puckett’s friend, former Twin Tony Oliva, said he’s been concerned about Puckett’s weight for many years:

“The last few times I saw him, he kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Oliva said. “And we worried about him. I saw him about five months ago. He always tries to invite me. He says, ‘Come to Arizona, and we’ll play some golf.'”

What a sad story this guy has turned out to be. Once one of the most popular players in baseball, a guy many praised as a great family man, Puckett’s star certainly has fallen since being diagnosed with glaucoma in 1996 and forced to retire.

Two Vols charged with crack possession

This isn’t the kind of news Tennessee fans want to be reading about as the Vols head into the Tourney:

Tennessee basketball players Anthony Passley and Jordan Smith were charged with possession of crack cocaine and suspended indefinitely from the team.

Officers trying to clear traffic near a nightclub spotted a car on the sidewalk under a no-parking sign and approached to ask them to move, DeBusk said.

Officers found 15.2 grams of crack cocaine in the car and charged the pair with possession for resale, the police spokesman said. Passley was charged with simple possession of marijuana, DeBusk said.

Crack? Really? What is this, 1985?

Passley, a red-shirt freshman, transferred from Wisconsin-Milwaukee, while Smith, a walk-on, has played only four minutes this season. Something tells me that’s all he’s ever going to play for Tennessee.

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