Sports Beat column - December 13, 2006

Sports Beat
December 13, 2006

Sports Beat by Bill McCaffrey

One thing for sure in the NFL has been a merry-go this season and the Baltimore Ravens have used the mellowing and less â¤¦me and Iâ¤? of Brian â¤¦subdued Big Egoâ¤? Billick and the maturity of Steve â¤¦Airlessâ¤? McNair along with an always tough Ravens defense to clinch a playoff spot and a chance to capture their second Super Bowl win. Yes the new â¤¦Purple People Eatersâ¤? have made a believer out of me, oh boy, I guess itâ¤s a crow meal for me. Hats off to Big Ed for sticking with a team I wouldnâ¤t have bet a dime on at the start of the season. The only hang ups to this team are â¤¦Ragheadâ¤? Ray and â¤¦Number 21â¤? these two Ravens are overrated thugs! This week the Ravens host the really pitiful Cleveland Browns. The Browns QB this week will be Derrick Anderson who used to be the property of the Ravens. As the Washington Redskins sink into the deeper basement of the NFL East how can you buy the Jason Campbell voice that he is the savior when heâ¤s 1-3 as a starter. All the muck that absorbs that media voice have never played a down of football, take Ed â¤¦Downtownâ¤? Brown he buys all that stuff so he can suck all that media food, someone has reported that good ole â¤¦Downtownâ¤? now brings a lab top and camera to the game then puts them down on the table and skips off to the food line and talks trash to assorted folks in the crowd. Hey is â¤¦Downtownâ¤? doing an article in any paper these days? The Redskins dropped one to the Philadelphia Eagles to fall further down in their East NFC division. Look for another loss for the â¤¦Gibbs Gophersâ¤? as they play the Saints in New Orleans . It was Prince George â¤s two, Baltimore two in the Maryland State High School football championships. Suitland opened the playoff finals on Friday by overcoming a Sherwood 3 TD lead and prevailing 39-38 in overtime to win the 4A title. On Saturday QB Joe Haden ran for two TDâ¤s and threw for two TDâ¤s to lead Friendly to a 31-18 rout of River Hill. Do you know who was the coach of Friendlyâ¤s first football State Championship? Jim â¤¦Bearcatâ¤? Crawford and a few of his players were Jeff Hanbury, Jeff Luna, Mike Grigsby, and Kirk Wineland. That was a 4-A title this one 3A. In the 2A title game Baltimore â¤s Edmondson blasted McDonough 37-9. In the 1A title game Baltimore â¤s Dunbar spanked Fort Hill 38-23.

MIKE SKLAR

Recently a great person passed away, someone I had the pleasure of knowing since my high school days and that was Mike Sklar. Mike owned Mitchell Sports first on 14th NW between Girard and Harvard Streets, then on Wisconsin Avenue . He provided uniforms for Hamline Church teams and a DC star team, both teams I coached and played on and I spent a few afternoons talking to the â¤¦Coachâ¤? in the back room of his shop. He also in the mid-fifties had a team called â¤¦Sklars Starsâ¤? which played the St. Louis Hawks (at Capital Arena) and the Philadelphia Warriors and Syracuse Nationals (at Uline Arena). Alex Hannum coached his team and some of the players were Dick Groat, Cliff Hagen, CM â¤¦Chuckâ¤? Newton, Ernie â¤¦The Handâ¤? Warlick , Bob Rousey, Dick Klosterman, Loy Tsiourpolis and Paul Arizin. He tried to bring the NBA to DC but just couldnâ¤t make it happen. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.

BOXING NEWS
SEIVERT, NICKLOW WIN

Before a good crowd at the Pikesville Armory on Jake Smithâ¤s Baltimore Pro Boxing card Shelly Seivert of Severna Park made her debut winning a six round decision over previously unbeaten Kita Watkins. Jessie Nicklow remains unbeaten (8-0) with a six round decision over Jayson Champion. In a disappoint to many f his fans in attendance Jed Phipps was knocked out in the first round by Ralph West (17-9-1). Many believe Phipps should retire. In his pro debut Elias Boulousassis fought to a majority draw with Chris Cooke. Other results: Nick Caroles, W TKO second round over Robert Evans. Glenn Williams W TKO over Derrick Martin. Reuel Williams W KO first round over Henry Mayes. Dalemanik Robeson EL W TKO third round over Michael Ciccone. Happy Holiday 's From Jake" The Snake "Smith And the Baltimore Boxing Team Our next boxing show is Sat. Jan. 27th @ thePikesville Armory tickets are on sale now and will make a great holiday gift this show is going to be called Baltimore Rock and Box this will be a night of professional boxing and live rock & roll after the fights for your tickets and other info please call 410-375-9175 WBC Title Fight in Fairfax Yields Draw for No. VAâ¤s Jimmy Lange White impressive in Spivey upset at the Patriot Center ; Pultz scores comeback victory while Farmer suffers first setback and â¤¦Junkieâ¤? JP stopped in first round The WBC Continental Americas super welterweight championship title fight yielded a draw between local favorite JIMMY LANGE (27-3-2, 19 KOs) of Great Falls, VA, and FONTAINE CABELL (21-6-2, 16 KOs) of Orlando, FL, last night at the Patriot Center. Despite each fighter claiming that he thought he earned enough points for a victory in the post-fight press conference, the judges scored the bout 117-111 for Lange, 116-112 for Cabell and 114-114. The Patriot Center â¤s fourth live pro boxing event drew 5,437 fans to the George Mason University arena (the previous three shows had more than 5,000, 6,000 and 3,700 fans respectively). Neither fighter seemed to find a consistent rhythm or advantage over the other during the evenly-matched title bout. The second round featured some heavy hitting from both boxers and each claimed to have suffered a hand injury during the process. An inadvertent butting of heads in the same round produced a cut on Langeâ¤s head resulting in a steady stream of blood that was finally patched by prominent cutman Jimmy Glenn several rounds later. Unlike his previous bout where he used an impressive last-minute surge to stop Tommy Wilt and earn a win, Langeâ¤s 12th and final round performance featured numerous body blows that seemed to hurt a dazed Cabell, but it was not enough to secure a victory. DEAN WHITE (14-5-1, 8 KOs) of Smithsburg, MD, showed considerable resolve in scoring an eight-round unanimous (77-75, 77-75, 77-75) upset over Portsmouthâ¤s DORIN SPIVEY (35-5, 28 KOs) in the action-packed, co-featured event. The two squared off in 1998, but the outcome was different Saturday night as White appeared more aggressive in earning the hard-fought win against the Pernell Whitaker-trained fighter. After spending more then a decade in retirement, former WBO cruiserweight champion BOONE PULTZ (24-1, 15 KOs) of Odenton, MD, returned to the ring, recording a unanimous six-round decision (59-55, 60-54, 60-54) over ALONZO CUTCHIN (7-14, 6 KOs) of Charlottesville, VA. Despite obvious signs of â¤¦ring rustâ¤? due to the long layoff, the victory didnâ¤t quell Pultzâ¤s large group of supporters from enjoying the 47-year-oldâ¤s comeback win. In one of the eveningâ¤s most highly-anticipated bouts -- not for its skill-level but for its intrigue and celebrity-status -- radio co-host JP FLAIM (0-1) of The Junkies was dazed by an onslaught of blows from JAY WATTS (2-8, 2 KOs) within seconds of the opening bell of round one. The barrage continued as the game DJ attempted to thwart more punches, but was overmatched and knocked down to the canvas several times. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:59 of the first round. Flaimâ¤s co-host ERIC â¤¦EBâ¤? BICKEL worked the fighterâ¤s corner, while fellow Junkies, JOHN â¤¦CAKESâ¤? AUVILLE and JASON â¤¦LURCHâ¤? BISHOP provided commentary along with play-by-play man JOHN SCHEINMAN via a live ringside broadcast of the fight. In other undercard matches, heavyweight JUAN ROBLES (5-0, 3 KOs) of Waynesboro, VA, remained undefeated by pummeling Brockton, MAâ¤s DAN SHEEHAN (10-36, 4 KOs) with a second-round TKO at 2:59; Alexandriaâ¤s JAIME PALMA (10-10-1, 2 KOs) earned a split decision win (39-37, 39-37, 37-39) against REGGIE SANDERS of Fort Wayne, IN; Front Royal, VA prospect ANDREW FARMER (4-1, 3 KOs) suffered his first pro defeat at the hands of KEN HUMPHREY (3-2, 2 KOs) of Ripley, TN with a four-round majority decision (38-36, 38-37, 38-38); and New Yorkâ¤s REGGIE LaCRETE improved to 2-0 with a four-round unanimous decision (39-37, 39-37, 39-37) over WILLIAM BAILEY (5-13-2, 2 KOs) of Chesapeake, VA. Joe Hensleyâ¤s Major League Boxing served as the official promoter of record. ASSOCIATION OF BOXING COMMISSIONS JUDGES AND REFEREES CERTIFICATION COURSE NORTH CAROLINA BOXING AUTHORITY JANUARY 19 & 20, 2007 JANUARY 19, 2007 BASIC JUDGES COURSE: 6:00 pm 9:00 PM JANUARY 20, 2007 BASIC JUDGES COURSE: 8:30 am â¤³ NOON EXAMINATION 1:00 pm â¤³ 3:00 pm REFEREES COURSE 8:30 am â¤³ 3:00 pm Examination 3:00 pm â¤³ 5:00 pm The courses will be taught by Duane Ford and Armando Garcia. Those who obtain a score of 70% and higher will receive a certificate from the Association of Boxing Commissions noting that certification has been achieved. The officialâ¤s name will also appears on www.abcboxing.com as being a certified official. The cost of the training is $50 per person if you pre-register and $75 if you register the day of the class. A check or money order may be sent to Sheree Brown, at the North Carolina Boxing Authority, 4704 Mail Service Center , Raleigh , NC 27699-4704 . The check should be made payable to the North Carolina Boxing Authority. Hotel reservations can be made by calling the Comfort Inn at 919-779-7888 (specify the North Carolina Boxing Authority rate). The rate of $59.75 for Friday and Saturday has been secured for this training. Reservations must be made before January 5, 2007 . The classes will be held at the Highway Patrol Training Academy which is only a five minute drive from the hotel. If you have any questions or you would like to know of other hotels in the area, you can contact Sheree Brown at 919-733-3925. Meharg Voted Region Coach of the Year The 19-year veteran earns the honor for the 10th time For the second-straight year and 10th time overall, Maryland field hockey head coach Missy Meharg was selected the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. With the honor, her name moves onto the national coach of the year ballot. Meharg guided the Terps to another successful season, winning the NCAA crown for the second consecutive year, the first time the team has posted back-to-back titles. Maryland captured a share of the regular-season ACC title and was the top-ranked team in the conference tournament, advancing to the championship game. Meharg's Terps garnered five All-ACC nods, eight all-region citations and five were selected All-American. Senior Paula Infante was the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and was a Honda Award finalist for the third straight year. Freshman Nicole Muracco was the ACC's Rookie of the Year. Maryland was 23-2 this year en route to winning the national crown, the sixth 20-win season in the history of the program. Meharg is the program's all-time winningest coach with 327 victories. Infante Tabbed National Player of the Year for the Second Time Infante wins Honda Award Maryland senior Paula Infante has won the Honda Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding field hockey player of the year. She becomes only the third player in the 31-year history of the award, and the first in the program, to win the honor multiple times after receiving the award in 2005. Infante becomes the second player in the history of Maryland athletics to win the award twice. Paula Infante leaves behind a legacy of excellence. She led the Terrapins to two-straight NCAA titles in 2005 and 2006, the first time in the history of the program. During her tenure, Maryland also advanced to the national semifinals all four years, also a first for the program. Infante is the most honored Terrapin in team history. She is the first player to ever earn first team All-American honors four times. She also became the first player to garner multiple conference player of the year honors, when she was selected the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season. Infante is a four-time All-ACC honoree, fourth player in the program to earn four all-conference nods. She was also named to the All-ACC Tournament team four times and was the first Terp to be selected to the All-NCAA Field Hockey Tournament team four times. In 2006, Infante was tied for the team lead with five game-winning goals and was tied for second with 12 goals, while also ranking second with 33 points. She was also third with seven assists. She helped the defense tie the school record with 12 shutouts, as the Terrapin backfield led the nation with a 0.70 goals against average. Infante's career numbers are just as impressive. Over her career, she scored 58 goals, which tied for fifth all-time in the Maryland record books. Her 139 points are seventh all-time. In the first round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament, she scored a school-record tying five goals in the 5-2 victory over Delaware, also setting an NCAA Tournament record for most goals and points in a postseason contest. Infante is one of just two field hockey Terps to ever win the Honda Award. Former Terrapin Autumn Welsh was the 2001 recipient. Women's lacrosse standout Jen Adams, current Associate Head Coach of the Terps, is the only Terrapin to win the Honda Award, winning it in 2000 and 2001. Infante becomes a candidate for the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup, presented to the country's top female athlete across all sports. A donation of $5,000 will be made to the Maryland athletic department by the American Honda Co., Inc. Ballots are distributed each year to senior women's administrators at all NCAA member schools to determine the Honda Award winner. The award winners in 12 sports are nominees for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the year with the winner receiving the Honda Broderick Cup. The winner will be announced in New York City in June 2007. Harper Nominated for USSA Athlete of the Year Laura Harper is up for worldwide honor and fans can vote online. Maryland junior Laura Harper is in the running for the United States Sports Academy Athlete of the Year award, presented by USA Today and MSNBC.com. Harper is nominated after being selected the USSA's Athlete of the Month in April when she helped the women's basketball team capture the program's first-ever national title and was named the Final Four' Most Outstanding Player. A worldwide online balloting of fans, which ends December 25, will determine the winner. The ballot will be located on a website hosted by the Academy and will be available through direct links from USATODAY.com Sports content and the sports pages of MSNBC.com. To submit your vote, please visit www.usatoday.com, www.msnbc.com or www.ussa.edu. Academy Athlete of the Year ballot is the culmination of the Academy's yearlong Athlete of the Month program, which recognizes the accomplishments of men and women in any sport around the globe. The Academy's Athlete of the Month is selected by an international voting committee comprised of former athletes, media, sports organizations and governing bodies. Along with Harper, 2006 female ballot includes Belgium tennis player Justine Henin-Hardenne, Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen, WNBA All-Star Lisa Leslie, French swimming star Laure Manaudou, French tennis player Amelie Mauresmo, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, American sprinter Sanya Richards, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, Russian figure skater Irina Slutskaya. LPGA player Karrie Webb and Chinese gymnast Nan Zhang. There is also a male recipient of the award. The 2006 male ballot features South Korean speed skater Hyun-Soo Ahn, Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele, Italian soccer star Fabio Cannavaro, Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, American NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, American golfer Phil Mickelson, American swimming star Michael Phelps, Major League Baseball All Star Albert Pujols, Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith, American basketball player Dwyane Wade, American golfer Tiger Woods and American football player Vince Young. As in years past, the male or female athlete receiving the most votes will be named the Academy's Athlete of the Year. Past winners include Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Mia Hamm, Michael Jordan, Annika Sorenstam and Tiger Woods. In addition to the overall winner, a Female Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year will be named. These two awards will go to the athlete who receives the most votes, outside of the overall winner, in each of the respective categories. Last year, as the leading overall vote-getter in the combined male and female categories, tennis sensation Roger Federer won the 2005 Outstanding Athlete of the Year and was presented his award on center court at the NASDAQ 100 in Miami . IndyCar Rookie of the Year Danica Patrick received the most votes in the women's category to earn the 2005 Female Athlete of the Year honor. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who single-handedly revitalized the greatest race in cycling, won the 2005 Male Athlete of the Year award. The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports. For more information about the United States Sports Academy , " America 's Sports University ," call 251-626-3303 or visit the Academy's website http://www.ussa.edu. Game Time Changes Announced for Terrapin Classic Terps move game times to earlier in the day for annual tournament The University of Maryland athletic department has announced game time changes for the Terrapin Classic, the regular-season women's tournament being held at Comcast Center on Dec. 29 and 30. Game times on both days have been switched to 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. To purchase tickets for the two-day event, log onto www.umterps.com or call the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP. Four teams will be participating in the annual Terrapin Classic, including the Terps. Maryland faces UNC-Greensboro on Friday at 6 p.m. , following the clash between Liberty , a 10-time Big South Conference Champion and NCAA Tournament team, and Marist, also an NCAA Tournament team. The championship and consolation games take place on Saturday, with Maryland playing the later game. A game time change in the 2006-07 schedule was announced earlier in the season. The Terps' contest on Jan. 21 against Wake Forest had already been switched to a 4 p.m. start. The contest will also be aired nationally on CSTV. Maryland has been ranked No. 1 in every poll this season. The Terrapins are off to their best start since 1991-92, posting a 12-0 record. For more information on purchasing tickets, and up-to-date information on the team, log onto www.umterps.com. Maryland's Five Starters Named Naismith Player of the Year Candidates First time in the award's history five players selected from one team The Maryland women's basketball team's starting five were named preseason candidates for the Naismith Award, presented to the national player of the year, the first time in the history of the award that five players from the same team have been named to the list. Among the 50 candidates on the list were senior Shay Doron, sophomores Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver, and juniors Laura Harper and Crystal Langhorne. The list of 50 candidates was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which includes basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances from last season and expectations from the 2006-07 campaign. In January, the board of selectors will narrow the list to 30. Those players who distinguish themselves throughout the season will be eligible for the final ballot in March. The award, presented by Cingular Wireless, will allow fans to participate in determining this year's winner through text messaging. Fan voting will account for 25 percent of the final results. Sophomore Marissa Coleman and junior Crystal Langhorne have been selected to three national player of the year candidate lists, including the Naismith's preseason list. Each has been targeted John R. Wooden Award and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Wade Trophy preseason candidates. Senior Shay Doron and sophomore Kristi Toliver were named to the Wade Watch, as well, while this marks junior Laura Harper's ( Elkins Park , Pa. / Cheltenham ) first selection to a preseason national player of the year honor roll. All five Terps were integral members of last year's national championship title run. This season, they have helped Maryland run out to a 12-0 record, its best start since the 1991-92 season. It also boasts the nation's longest win streak at 18 games. Doron has left her mark all over the Maryland record books. She is third all-time in scoring and has broken the school records for career free throws made and attempted. She also ranks among the all-time best three-point shooters, while also ranking in the top 15 in steals and assists. This season, she has started every game and is averaging 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Langhorne has earned numerous honors since arriving on campus three season's ago. Last year, she was voted an All-American by the Associated Press and the United State Basketball Writers Association, and was selected to the All-ACC team for the second-straight year, earning a spot on the first team. She is currently the conference's active double-doubles leader with 38, including five this season. Coleman was the only freshman last season to earn all-conference honors after being named the ACC's Rookie of the Year. On Dec. 2 of this year, she recorded the program's first-ever triple-double vs. UCSB and just the 11th in ACC history. Toliver assumed the starting point guard position after arriving on campus. At the 2006 NCAA Championship, she hit the game-tying three pointer, which forced overtime in the eventual title-game victory over Duke. She is currently second in the ACC in assists per game (5.83) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.94). Harper emerged last season as the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, a year after suffering an Achilles' tendon injury, which forced her to sit out the majority of the season. This year, she has started all 12 games for the Terps and is averaging 13.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She notched her 100th career block at Northern Iowa last this week, which put her fourth all-time in the Maryland record books. It is the second time this season at least four Terps have been named preseason candidates for a national player of the year honor. Coleman, Doron, Langhorne and Toliver were also named to the Wade Watch, the first time in the history of the Wade Trophy four players from the same team had been named preseason candidates. The Terps take a break from the action until Thursday, Dec. 21 when they travel to Baltimore to take on Loyola. Toliver Helps No. 1 Maryland Close Out 77-66 Win At Temple Coleman records a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds as Terps win their 18th straight game. Maryland had been in this situation before - down late on the road. With all five starters returning from last season's team that won the national championship, the Terrapins didn't fold. Kristi Toliver scored six points during a decisive closing run to help the top-ranked Terps hold off the pesky Temple Owls 77-66 on Sunday afternoon. "We knew we had been in these situations before," said Maryland center Crystal Langhorne, who scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half. "With all our players returning, we are very experienced and have an advantage down the stretch." Trailing 57-44 with 9:36 left in the second half, Temple went on an 18-1 run to take a 62-58 lead with 5:38 left. Kamesha Hairston scored 10 points during the spurt. "We can walk away with our heads up high and know that we put up such a good fight," said Temple coach Dawn Staley. Maryland (12-0) responded by scoring the next 13 points, with Toliver hitting consecutive jumpers and two free throws to give the Terps a 65-62 lead with 3:34 left. The Terps held the Owls scoreless until Shenita Landry's layup with 43.8 seconds left, when the game was out of reach. "Poise was the biggest thing," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "We knew they would make a run, we just had to value the ball." Marissa Coleman scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Maryland . Laura Harper led the Terps with 17 points. Shay Doron added 11 and Toliver finished with 10 points and eight assists. All five Maryland starters have been averaging in double figures all season long. Hairston scored 28 points and Fatima Maddox added 22 for the Owls (4-4). "They played like seniors," Staley said of her top two scorers. "They'll make mistakes, but they always are there for us." Maryland has won 18 straight games, with its last loss coming to North Carolina in the championship game of last season's ACC tournament. The Terps were sluggish in the first half, settling for jump shots. They held a 28-18 lead with 3:56 left before Maddox scored eight points to close the gap to 30-28 at the half. "We just needed a stop," Maddox said. "My offense just came." The Terps opened the second half with a 15-4 run, extending a two-point halftime lead to 45-32 with 16:15 left in the game. Langhorne scored nine of her points during that spurt as the Terps constantly pounded the ball inside. "We didn't have enough post touches in the first half," Frese said. "We were more patient in the second half getting the ball inside." The Owls were without Lady Comfort, who scored a career-high 25 points in Temple 's 72-58 win over Stony Brook on Wednesday night. She was suspended for Saturday's game by Staley for violating team rules. "She broke a team rule and it was discussed last night with the team captains and then I made an executive decision," Staley said. Maryland is off to its best start since winning its first 16 games of the 1982-83 season. The top-ranked team will be off for the next 10 days on exam break. The Terps will next play Dec. 21 at Loyola , Md. "We didn't want to lose with our next game in 11 days. It would stink if we had lost," Harper said. Dâ¤Alessio Coach of the Week The Bowie State University Bulldogs swept this week's CIAA Player and Coach of the Week honors. Senior guard Gil Goodrich was named the Player of the Week, freshman Corey Camphor was tabbed Rookie of the Week (for the second time this season) and 8th year Head Coach Luke D'Alessio was selected Coach of the Week. Goodrich averaged an astounding 42 points per game in wins over Saint Paul 's College (111-75) and Mansfield (PA) University (122-117) in double overtime. Goodrich's best outing came against Mansfield , scoring a school record 52 points. Camphor came off the BSU bench to hit four of six field goal attempts (three of which were 3-pointers) during the week. His best game also was against Mansfield , scoring six points, handed out one assist and had one steal. D'Alessio's team went 2-0 last week, averaging 116.5 points per game. The Bulldogs currently lead the CIAA in scoring, averaging 90.3 points per game.

BOWIE STATE OUTGUNS MANSFIELD 122-117
BSUâ¤s Goodrich Explodes for School Record 52 Points

Bowie State University senior guard Gil Goodrich scored a BSU school record 52 points, leading the Bulldogs to a 122-117 double overtime victory of the Mansfield (PA) University Mountaineers. The win improves Bowie State â¤s record to 5-1. BSU opened up a quick 8-3 lead in the games first 2:47 but Mansfield closed the gap to 13-10 by the 15:50 mark of the opening period. However, the visiting Mountaineers hit a cold spell over the next three minutes, allowing the Bulldogs to go on a 12-0 run to extend the Bowie State lead to 22-10. Mansfield hug tough and eventually took a 42-41 lead with 2:15 left in the first half. Bowie State regained the lead on two free throws by senior Tyronne Beale (19 first half points) and took a 47-45 advantage into the break. Mountaineers long ball was the name of the game in the first 20 minutes, with Mansfield hitting nine of its 17 first half three-point attempts. Kevin Hill contributed six of those triples, leading Mansfield with 18 first half points. Bowie State accounted for six first half three-pointers and shot 51.5 percent (17 of 33) from the floor. Mansfield took a 50-49 lead a little over a minute into the second half on a 3-point field goal by Terrance Williams. From there, the Mansfield Mountaineers confidence level increased and so did their lead. Brandon Lawley scored two field goals and John Hampton along with Chris Greene added a field goal each over the next 2 Â1Ž2 minutes to open up a 58-50 lead for Mansfield. The Mountaineers increased their lead to 13 points (69-56) with 12:51 left in regulation. Bowie State trailed by double digits over the next 5:54 before slowly getting back in the game. Four of the five BSU starters, Goodrich, Beale, Jason Ingram and Orlando Wright played a major role in the Bulldogs comeback, tying the game for the fourth time at 94-94 with 1:40 left in regulation on the A.C. Jordan Arena scoreboard. Jovoun Webb tipped in a John Hampton miss, shifting the lead back to Mansfield . A Goodrich jumper knotted the score at 96 with 49 seconds remaining in regulation. Mansfield â¤s Chris Pender turned the ball over to Bowie State with 14 seconds left but Goodrich did the exact same thing with five seconds to go. Hampton had a good look from about 16 feet but his shot fell short sending the game into the first overtime period. Webb opened the first overtime scoring for Mansfield and Lawley added two more points less than a minute into overtime, giving the Mountaineers a 100-96 advantage. BSUâ¤s Goodrich nailed a triple on the next Bulldogs possession and put the home team back in front at 101-100 with 3:03 on the clock. Mansfield â¤s Hampton put the advantage back on the visitors side of the scoreboard with a big three-point bucket at the 1:00 minute mark. Joshua Johnson (six points) pulled down a key offensive rebound and was fouled on the play. Johnson knocked down two free throws but MUâ¤s Lawley tied the game at 105 with 23 seconds left in the first overtime. BSUâ¤s Jamil Abâ¤dal-Aliyy probably could have sealed the victory but missed two free throws. Unfortunately, the Mountaineersâ¤ Hampton and Kevin Hill missed the mark on Mansfield â¤s next two field goal attempts, extending the game another five minutes. Bowie Stateâ¤s Wright (19 points) began the second overtime period with two free throws but Lawleyâ¤s jumper tied the game for the eighth time at 107 and he was fouled on the play by Beale. Lawley converted the free throw, giving Mansfield the lead at 108-107 with 4:45 remaining in the contest. BSUâ¤s Abâ¤dal-Aliyy (8 points) redeemed himself from two earlier free throw misses, connecting on four free throws and a field goal over the final 4:45 to close out the game. Both teams were red hot from the floor in the second half as Mansfield and Bowie State shot 63 percent. Overtime shooting was all Bulldogs with Bowie State hitting seven of 13 attempts (54 percent) compared to 32 percent (seven of 22) for Mansfield . The Mansfield Mountaineers knocked down an amazing 20 three-pointers with Hill accounting for nine of them. Hill paced Mansfield with 31 points and Lawley added another 17 points. Other top scorers for Mansfield includes 16 points each for Hampton and Webb. Other than Goodrichâ¤s record setting afternoon, Beale ended the game with 25 points before fouling out and led both teams with 15 rebounds.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S TOPS BOWIE STATE 87-80

Saint Augustineâ¤s College used a 52 point second half and erased a three point halftime deficit to capture an 87-80 road win against Bowie State University . Nicholas King scored a team-high 24 points and Antonio Fitzgerald added another 21 points to lead the Falcons. The first 20 minutes featured four ties and eight lead changes. Saint Augustineâ¤s held a six point lead (16-10) with 12:25 remaining in the first half but BSUâ¤s Orlando Wright stuck a 3-pointer at the 9:20 mark, putting the Bulldogs in front 19-18. A King jumper put the Falcons back in front at 20-19 on St. Augustine â¤s next possession. However, senior Gil Goodrich tied the contest at 20 and fellow senior Tyronne Beale (16 points) shifted the lead back to Bowie State at 22-20 with just over seven minutes remaining before halftime. The score would be tied three more times before a Goodrich three-point bucket gave the home team a 29-26 advantage with 4:31 left. An Aaron Hutchinson layup with 31 seconds left before intermission, gave Bowie State a 38-35 lead at the break. Three point shooting by the Bulldogs in the first half made all the difference with BSU knocking down seven of 14 triples. Bowie Stateâ¤s lead lasted only four minutes into the second half until a Claude Neeley dunk tied the game at 47-47. Saint Augustine â¤s opened up a nine point advantage (65-56) with 8:56 remaining in the game. BSUâ¤s Bulldogs did manage to trim the Saint Augustine â¤s lead to just one at 72-71 courtesy of a one of Goodrichâ¤s four three-point field goals with 2:49 remaining in the contest. Joshua Johnson gave Bowie State its first lead since late in the first half with 2:06 left on the clock but it was short lived. The Fitzgerald/King duo scored 13 of Saint Augustine â¤s final 15 points over the games final two minutes to secure the win for the Falcons. Goodrich ended the game as Bowie State â¤s leading scorer with 26 points and a game-high nine assists. Wright chipped in 11 points and freshman Corey Camphor came of the Bulldogs bench to score eight points in the loss. Bowie State (5-2 / 2-2 in the CIAA) will host the Huskies of St. Cloud (MN) State University â¤³ Tuesday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m. before taking off until the New Year. Once the calendar year changes, Bowie State will head south for a road contest against the Trojans of Virginia State University â¤³ Saturday, January 6, 2007. Saint Augustine â¤s next contest will be in Dallas (TX) against Tarleton State â¤³ Saturday (12/16).

BRUCE REPORT

Since 2002, Fields of Dreams has served more than 1,000 kids in Washington 's most neglected neighborhoods, combining baseball instruction with character education, nutrition, reading, and homework help. This program really works. Would you forward the email below to your email lists (and ask your friends and associates to forward to their lists) to help us raise the money we need to make sure each one of our kids gets a special trip to RFK next season? Thanks! Enjoy the holidays! HELP SEND A FIELDS OF DREAMS KID TO RFK FOR A NATS GAME; YOUR CONTRIBUTION CAN PROVIDE A THRILL-OF-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE The Fields of Dreams after-school program served 140 children this Fall in some of the most neglected neighborhoods of the District of Columbia . At each of our six public elementary schools and one middle school, we hire a teacher and a coach to work with twenty boys and girls. We provide the children with pro-style uniforms and equipment and first-class baseball fields. Our Fall program is seven weeks, our Spring program is twelve weeks, and we have an all-day Summer Camp for seven weeks. The kids learn baseball and study the values that guided the life of baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. The parents and teachers tell us that our young Dreamers are more focused about being on time and doing their homework so that they are able to participate in our program. This is all very expensive, but the children need so much and generally receive so little. It costs us $400,000 each year to run our after-school and Summer camp programs. One of the special things we do for our young Dreamers is to make sure that each one has a thrill-of-a-lifetime experience at RFK Stadium. Each young Dreamer has an opportunity to attend a Nationals game and sit just a dozen rows behind the Nationals dugout. They are thrilled to be so close to the action. Many of our Dreamers are attending a professional sports game in person for the first time. Because they sit so close, quite a few each season go home with baseballs and autographs. The cost of this program is $10,000 each year. In addition to the ticket price, we provide each Dreamer, coach, and teacher with $10 to help with transportation, food, and drinks. Your contribution of $55 will allow one young Dreamer to attend a Nationals game. Your contribution of $110 will allow two Dreamers to attend a game. Your contribution of $440 will allow a teacher and a coach to take six young Dreamers to a game. Contributions to Fields of Dreams/AGW are tax deductible. A Greater Washington, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit tax exempt organization, is the fiscal agent. The organization's federal tax identification number is 52-2108599. Please mail your contribution to: A Greater Washington, 1730 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Suite 712 , Washington , DC 20036 . Note: Please forward this request to friends and associates on your email lists. THANKS!

WE GET LETTERS

Bill, Also in that lineup at the Telephone Company was Marlene Ward. I went to work at 2815 N St. in 1952 and worked there until 1955. Walter Auer later became our boss of the Plant Dept. He was a big, quiet man, used to sit at his desk and dial the weather and take a nap. Remember Sidney Goad very well. Also remember a fellow who kept us in stitches we called Brownie. Remember Shorty Foreman? All test desk men. I sat right behind them on the 611 desk, Trouble Desk. Great memories. Marlene Dear Marlene, I worked there in the summer of 1951, the summer before you came. Walter did that weather bit when I was there but he was a really great guy. Bill Bill, I email with Jimmy Pantoâ¤s wife regularly, she went to Anacostia. Fred Fred, Good information. Bill

SPORTS NOTES

Butch Davis at North Carolina and Tom Oâ¤Brien N.C. State will build winners at those schools. Gary Williams could have a long season this season after that Boston College loss. How many of you remember the hay rides to Great Falls ? I wonder where Geraldine â¤¦Gerryâ¤? Cox is today. Another great place was Marias â¤¦300â¤? in Baltimore . Once again the Orioles are blowing smoke in their fans eyes. They never had a chance for Luis Junzales and now are telling them Jay Payton is the answer in left field. Come on give the fans a break and tell the truth. Put Edgar Carlotto on your prayer list to have a complete recovery from his heart attack this past weekend. He is the Menâ¤s supervisor for The Northeast Conference and is head of the IAABO Visualization and Education Committee. Georgia Gibbs passed away last week at age 87, she was one of the top female singers of the 1950â¤s. She sang with the Artie Shaw band, was the â¤¦girl singerâ¤? on the Jimmy Duranto-Gary Moore â¤¦Camel Caravanâ¤? show. She also toured with Danny Kaye. Also deepest sympathy goes to the family of Leo M. Rishity who passed this weekend at age 77. He was a graduate of Coolidge High School . I still wonder whatever happened to Bette Powell, Marion Diehl, Bette Wisecarver, Jill Quade, and Joan Lindsay. In this weekâ¤s USA Today Montrose Christian is 14, DeMatha 18, Towson Catholic 20, DeMatha is 6th in the East. Our deepest sympathy goes to the family of Don Allen who passed recently at 78, he was a TV anchor at TV9 and TV7 in the 1960â¤s and 70â¤s. Also sympathy goes to the family of Frank Innocenti who passed at age 90, he was an Eastern High School graduate and Metro DC police officers. Look for the University of Maryland Gymnastics team to have another great season under coach Bob â¤¦Dukeâ¤? Nelligan who enters his 30th season at College Park . The Co-Captains are Rachel Colon and Angela Ferg. Jeremiah Stermer is having another exhibit of his paintings at Marin-Price Galleries ( 7022 Wisconsin Ave , Chevy Chase ), Jeri is my favorite artist. The exhibit opens on December 16th and runs until December 31st. You can get good information listening to Lamont Germany on XM Radio 175 the MLB Channel Monday thru Friday from noon to 4:00 p.m. Monday Night Football is terrible and the â¤¦Sad Suckâ¤? Toni K. is the worst in the booth even worse than Dennis Miller was. Deepest sympathy goes to the family of Mickey Fontana who passed at age 79 recently. He was a graduate of McKinly Tech and was active in Senior Olympics Softball.

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