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Connecticut football player stabbed to death after game

Jasper Howard, a cornerback for the University of Connecticut, was stabbed to death after an on-campus dance reports Yahoo! Sports. The dance took place just hours after the team’s victory over Louisville.

UConn police said one of their officers was approached on Hillside Road around 12:33 a.m. and told that a stabbing had occurred. Police found Howard and another person with stab wounds, university police said in a statement. The name of the second person was not immediately released.

Both were taken by ambulance to Windham Community Memorial Hospital. Howard was later airlifted by Lifestar helicopter to St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, where he died from his injuries, police said. The second person was treated and released from Windham hospital.

Howard made a key move in Saturday’s game, forcing a fumble just as Louisville was about to score. The Huskies were up 21-13 at the time. They later won 38-25. Following the game, Howard, who led the Big East in punt returns last season, talked to the AP about the play.

You wonder why someone would feel the need to stab two people following a dance, especially a couple of kids.

A-Rod redemption

It’s been a surreal year for Alex Rodriguez. It began with disgrace, as he joined the club of major league players implicated in the never-ending steroids scandal. He was never a fan favorites in New York, and now he had sunk to a new low. His reputation would be forever tarnished.

Yet after watching A-Rod’s postseason performance so far, this may be the best thing that ever happened to him. Last night, A-Rod rose to the occasion again to provide a dramatic home run to save the day for the Yankees in Game 2.

• To be honest, for all his remarkable numbers, A-Rod has never inspired legend quite like a Williams or Ruth, a Bonds or a Mantle. Yet through five postseason games, he now has three home runs that have either tied or put the Yankees ahead. One off Joe Nathan and another off Brian Fuentes, two pretty darn good closers, too. Here’s the reaction from The LoHud Yankees Blog:

• His story of exorcising October demons has almost become old hat. Four times he has been asked the same questions and four times he has continued to repeat what he said in St. Pete. “I know you guys are probably looking for something profound. I’m just in a good place. I’m seeing the ball and I’m hitting it. That’s about it.” Rodriguez now has an RBI in each of the first five postseason games, setting a new Yankee record. Here’s audio from Rodriguez:

• Burnett said he, Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba Chamberlain were in the clubhouse watching the 11th inning unfold. People would never believe the scene they made after Rodriguez hit the tying homer. “We were like little kids,” Burnett said, “jumping around and hugging.”

• In the dugout, Mark Teixeira couldn’t fathom that Rodriguez had done it. Again. “I just kept yelling, ‘He did it again! He did it again!” Teixeira said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”

It’s amazing what a great athlete can do when he just focuses on the job at hand. A-Rod has admitted to being so self-absorbed that he put tremendous pressure on himself. The scandal seems to have forced A-Rod to grow up and develop a more mature approach to the game. If he keeps this up and the Yankees win the World Series, this will be one of the fastest and most dramatic image turnarounds we’ve ever seen in sports.

Fantasy Q&A Question of the Week: Week 6

We’re starting a new feature this week, picking the best/funniest/dumbest question of the week from our Q&A thread and posting it on Sunday morning. This week’s question comes from RJR, who wants to use his RB depth to trade for a WR but is having trouble finding someone willing to trade with him:

“Also, a little worried about WR situation but nobody seems to want to make a legitimate trade – starting Burleson but need 2 more: Nicks, Holmes, or TO. I have too many good RBs, and although many teams in my league need RBs they are not willing to give up anything for them. Which 2 should I start: Turner, Moreno, Bradshaw, Rice.”

My answer: In terms of trade, maybe you should try to use one of your RBs to upgrade from TO or Holmes. So offer a RB + WR for a stud WR. That way, the other team will be more likely to bite. Moreno plus Holmes should nab you Fitzgerald, AJ or Wayne, especially if this is a non-PPR league.

Whenever you’re in a situation like RJR is — great depth at one position (RB) while having serviceable starters at the position (WR) you want to shore up — it’s best to approach an owner that needs what you have (RB) and has a guy or two that you want at the other position (WR). Usually, offering two for one will give you an advantage. He may want to get a starter at RB, but he’s not willing to give up his WR stud straight up to get one. So you offer him a decent starter with upside — in this case, Santonio Holmes or Terrell Owens — along with a starting RB. He may be willing to downgrade from a guy like Wayne, AJ, Fitzgerald, Roddy White, Steve Smith, etc. to Holmes or T.O. to get a guy like Rice or Moreno. (By the way, I’d be much more willing to part with T.O. than Holmes, but don’t let the other owner know that!)

Since RJR has Rice and Moreno, two productive, but not “big name” backs, he may instead want to dangle Michael Turner out there. Turner is coming off a great game against San Francisco but has otherwise been pretty disappointing this season. Turner, by name alone, might garner a stud WR (especially in a non-PPR league, where WRs simply aren’t as valuable as RBs). In order to pull this kind of a trade, fantasy owners need to look for a trade partner that has a big need at RB but can also absorb a loss of a stud WR. In this case, I’d try to package Turner and T.O. for a stud WR.

If you’re still debating your lineup this week, be sure to check out our Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em post. If you’re looking for a defensive team to start, our weekly DTBWW post should be able to help. Good luck!

NFL Rookie of the Year Power Rankings

Matthew Stafford helped the Lions win a game but he’s hurt now and, well, the Lions still have just one win. So he slips to honorable mention. Meanwhile, you’ll see some other names jump into the fold….

1. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—Leading all rookie running backs with 337 yards and 2 total TDs. And with Denver’s crazy backfield situation, look for more of this kid in the coming weeks.

2. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—With 31 tackles and 9 assists, not only does Laurinaitis lead all rookies in total tackles, but playing on a crappy team his numbers are approaching Ray Lewis’. That’s really saying something.

3. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets—Though he stopped throwing to the other team this past week, he didn’t exactly have gaudy numbers as his team lost its second straight game.

4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Even though Steve Smith and Mario Manningham are leading the way in the Meadowlands, this rookie has shown great hands and some nice moves and has a really bright future catching passes from Eli Manning.

5. Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens—Started at left tackle last week and held Antwan Odom, the NFL’s sack leader, to zero sacks. That’s impressive.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions; Jeremy Maclin, Eagles

NFL Coach of the Year Power Rankings

Amazingly, Josh McDaniels and Marvin Lewis are still tied atop this list. And even if they were ranked 1-2, what difference would that make? They both have exceeded expectations in a big way to this point.

1. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos & Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—After last weekend, these two are still tied, even though McDaniels’ team is 5-0 and Lewis’ is 4-1. Denver beat the Patriots and McDaniels’ mentor Bill Belichick last weekend in Denver, while Lewis’ Bengals had an emotional win over the Ravens in Baltimore a few days after defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s wife tragically passed away.

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Really, did anyone expect the Colts to be 5-0 out of the gate? Everyone thought that with the departure of Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, there would be a regression. Then Anthony Gonzalez got hurt, and still, Caldwell and Peyton Manning are carrying on the winning tradition.

3. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—You have to give a guy credit when he has his team fully prepared each week. The last three weeks, the Giants have utterly dominated their opponents, because Coughlin and his team take no one lightly. The Giants have been hit fairly hard by injuries too, but Coughlin always seems to have a guy to plug in.

4. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—With a 5-0 start, it’s time we gave this guy his due for having the balls to coax Favre back even after Favre’s waffling act teetered on the retirement side again.

5. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—His team came flying out of the gate with the same high-flying offense, but also with a much-improved defense. We’ll see if Sean is still sitting here after the big showdown against the G-men Sunday.

Honorable mention: Mike Smith, Falcons; Andy Reid, Eagles; Lovie Smith, Bears

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