random facts, tidbits, articles and most importantly my thoughts about things that i find while aimlessly surfing the web...
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Architecture, College Football, Baseball, Hockey, March Madness, The Economy, Corporate Corruption, Incomptent Leadership, Tulane, Atlanta, Florida, etc.
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travacado's thoughts
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Friday, January 30, 2004
Walker ties Predators goal record with 81
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Scott Walker cared more about the final score than his big goal.
Walker tied the Nashville franchise record for goals, leading the Predators to a 6-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
"We're just trying to get points and win games now," Walker said after his 15th goal of the season gave him 81 with the Predators to tie Cliff Ronning. "I just happened to get that goal. I didn't even know how many I had, but that's great."
Nashville's Wyatt Smith scored his first goal in more than a year. Kimmo Timonen, Martin Erat and Vladimir Orszagh each had a goal and an assist, and Marek Zidlicky and Andreas Johansson had three assists apiece.
"They got frustrated. Everyone could see that," Johansson said of the Blue Jackets. "That opened up a lot of different opportunities for us. We could take a shot or pass -- they were running around and making it easy for us."
Scott Hartnell also scored, and Zidlicky tied a career high with his three assists.
It was the most goals scored by the Predators this season. They ran their record to 13-0-0-1 when they score at least four times.
"It's the type of a game we're going to have to expect coming down the stretch: hard battles, tough games, not much room to move out there," Walker said. "Especially with the teams that are going to be a factor."
Trevor Letowski matched his career high with two goals and three points for Columbus, and Geoff Sanderson and Tyler Wright added goals. Manny Malhotra had a career-best three points on three assists.
Each team had 31 shots and scored on half of its six power-play attempts. Columbus also had two goals waved off, including Todd Marchant's score when the referee prematurely blew his whistle with the puck still loose on the ice.
Columbus coach Gerard Gallant said that official Chris Rooney apologized. The goal would have tied the game at 2.
"If they would have counted that goal it would have made a big difference," Columbus defenseman Luke Richardson said.
Smith's first goal since Nov. 10, 2002, tied it at 1. Columbus goaltender Marc Denis stopped shots by Jason Morgan and Zidlicky, but Smith put in the second rebound.
The Predators made it 2-1 when Timonen scored on a hard slap shot from the top of the left circle on a power play.
In a wild second period, each team had 29 penalty minutes, three five-minute fighting penalties and one 10-minute misconduct.
"I thought Columbus spent a lot of time trying to prove how tough they were," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said.
Former Blue Jacket Jamie Allison received a 10-minute misconduct and, as he left the ice, threw his stick like a spear down the tunnel leading to the Nashville dressing room. A police officer then appeared to get in an argument with Allison.
Trotz said a fan took Allison's glove as he was headed down the tunnel. Two fans were later escorted out of the arena by police.
Hartnell made it 3-1 early in the second period with a backhander off Zidlicky's shot from the point. Orszagh then scored on a slap shot from the top of the left circle. It was the 12th goal for each.
Letowski cut the lead to 4-2 while falling to the ice. The goals by Hartnell, Orszagh and Letowski all came in a span of 1:56.
The teams traded third-period goals, with three of the four scores coming on the power play.
"It's a nice way to finish off a four-game road trip," Hartnell said after Nashville went 2-2. "Anytime you can go .500 on a road trip, that's pretty good." (Article courtesy ESPN.com)
TIDAL 7:42 AM
Sunday, January 25, 2004
Predators hold on for win vs. Oilers
EDMONTON, Alberta — He'd just finished watching his Predators play one of their poorest periods of the season, nearly surrendering all of a four-goal lead to the Edmonton Oilers.
But it didn't take Coach Barry Trotz long to see the bigger picture following the Predators' 4-3 win over the Oilers last night.
''The bottom line is that it was a huge win for us,'' Trotz said. ''At the end of the season, they're not going to ask 'How did you do in the third period against Edmonton?' They're going to ask how many wins you have.''
The Predators (24-17-6-2) used some opportunistic scoring in the first two periods to build a 4-0 lead, then held on to snap a five-game road winless streak in front of a sellout crowd at Rexall Place.
It was quite a performance for the reunited line of Andreas Johansson (two goals and an assist), David Legwand (one goal, two assists) and Scott Walker (two assists), who combined for three goals and five assists.
Johansson's goals were his first in the seven games he's played since returning from a 34-game post-concussion absence.
''I'd been getting a lot of chances, but I just hadn't been able to finish,'' Johansson said.
''I really thought our line was skating good right away. Edmonton's really aggressive early, but if you can get the puck past them, you can get them running around a little bit.''
The Oilers (19-22-8-2) scored twice in a 24-second span early in the third period to cut Nashville's lead to 4-2, then made the game very interesting when Igor Ulanov scored with 55 seconds left.
''We can't be happy about that,'' Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun said. ''That's what happens to us on the road sometimes. Once they score on us, we just stop doing the right things.''
Vokoun stopped 22 shots for his NHL-leading 22nd win, tying him with Ed Belfour of Toronto and Marty Turco of Dallas.
The Predators did not convert any of their four power-play opportunities in the first period and were just 1-of-8 on power plays for the game. (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 11:25 PM
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Vokoun saves Preds
In his last outing before the NHL makes its All-Star choices, Predators goalie Tomas Vokoun gave the league's selection panel quite a performance to consider.
He all but stole his team a victory last night, turning away 26 shots and posting his second shutout of the season as the Predators downed the Minnesota Wild 2-0.
It was Vokoun's 21st victory of the season, tying him with Colorado's David Aebischer for tops in the league. But whether he'll be named Thursday for the Feb. 8 All Star contest in Minnesota remains to be seen.
''There's no way we win that game without the performance of Tomas Vokoun, and that's why I'm making a plea that he should be on the All Star team,'' Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. ''There's not too many guys on this planet I'd put in the net ahead of him right now. Hopefully people will take notice of that.''
You can bet the Wild took notice, especially over the game's first 30 minutes, when Minnesota fired all manner of close-range attempts at the Nashville net. Vokoun's 23 stops over the first two periods included a pair of point-blank saves on Jason Wiemer and a pair of back-to-back saves on talented right wing Marian Gaborik.
''You don't need to be a hockey expert to know he was the reason we stayed in that game,'' Predators defenseman Jamie Allison said. ''We were a little sloppy on our end, but he stopped everything.''
The Predators (23-16-6-2) scored the only goal they'd need with 9:34 left in the second, when Vladimir Orszagh slapped in the rebound of Scott Walker's short-handed attempt. Martin Erat added an insurance goal three minutes into the third period.
The win extended the Predators' overall unbeaten streak to seven and their home unbeaten streak to 10. (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
TIDAL 6:45 AM
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Predators continue success at home
It was the Edmonton Oilers who handed the Predators their most significant loss of last season, bringing a realistic end to Nashville's late playoff charge.
So the Predators took a little extra satisfaction in their 2-1 victory over the Oilers last night, a win that shoved Edmonton two points further behind Nashville in the Western Conference standings.
''We had that great run from January through February and March last year, and then that loss to Edmonton really kind of broke our backs,'' Predators captain Greg Johnson said. ''We had that in the back of our minds. It's still early, but we want to put as much distance between ourselves and everyone else as we can.''
It was Johnson who scored the eventual game-winner in front of 15,861 fans at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, collecting a short-handed goal that put the Predators ahead 2-0 with 11:32 left.
The Oilers' Ryan Smyth broke up Tomas Vokoun's shutout bid with nine seconds left. But that wasn't enough to keep the Predators (22-16-6-2) from extending their overall unbeaten streak to six and their home unbeaten streak to nine.
''We're trying to remain humble and we know we've got a tough task ahead,'' Johnson said. ''But we're enjoying coming to the rink.''
The Predators had dominated the opening 20 minutes, outshooting the Oilers 14-2, but the period ended 0-0 after Nashville failed to convert a 2-minute, five-on-three power play.
Right wing Scott Walker put the Predators ahead 1-0 with 10 minutes left in the second period, when his cross-ice pass bounced bounced off the skate of Edmonton defenseman Scott Ferguson and trickled past goalie Tommy Salo.
Walker thought he'd scored again with 7:10 left in the second when he used his skate to deflect Marek Zidlicky's pass past Salo, but video replay overturned the initial goal call. (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Preds get some revenge
Nashville finally feels good after playing Oil
NASHVILLE -- With the skate finally on the other foot, it's understandable why the Nashville Predators would want to kick the Edmonton Oilers around every chance they get.
It's the Oilers, after all, who beat the Predators twice in the same week last March, helping complete a humiliating collapse during a 15-game winless streak that ended their Western Conference playoff hopes and their season.
It's the Oilers who'd sashayed into Music City and fashioned five wins and a six-game unbeaten streak at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in their last half-dozen visits, showing up the local boys.
So, when the Oilers came calling last night, six points back in the standings and in dire need of a win, the Predators, who've never had the luxury of looking down their noses at the visitors this deep into a season, had all the motivation they needed.
They turned it into a 2-1 win, the latest instalment in a rivalry that's heating up as quickly as the playoff race is bound to from here on - a race in which these teams meet three more times before the pecking order is decided.
Just for kicks.
Situation Reversed
"They're always really important games and this is no different," Oiler coach Craig MacTavish said. "The situation is reversed to a certain degree, but at this stage of the season it's always a battle between us and Nashville."
Greg Johnson's shorthanded goal with less than 12 minutes to play and 21 saves by Tomas Vokoun settled it and extended the Preds, unbeaten streak at home to 7-0-2-0.
Much more importantly, the Predators bumped their margin over the Oilers in the standings to eight points on a night it could have been cut to four. A night the teams went at each other hard.
"They're a hard-working team," said Ryan Smyth, who coaxed a puck past Vokoun with eight seconds to play to dress up the score. "We knew that from the get-go."
The Predators, looking for their first playoff berth in their sixth season, brought it early and often and there would have been little drama after 20 minutes, had a red-hot Tommy Salo not been magnificent. Outshot 14-2 in the first period - thanks, in part, to a couple of bogus goaltender interference calls - Salo got the Oilers to the intermission even.
A lucky bounce changed that midway through the second period as Scott Walker's pass attempt from the wing went off Scott Ferguson's skate and behind Salo for a 1-0 lead.
Fans On MacTavish
When the Predators weren't giving it to the Oilers, the fans were, as MacTavish and Brad Isbister got jawing with the paying customers at the buzzer to end the second period.
Sticks and stones stuff, and not of nearly as much consequence as Johnson's goal, on a feed from Walker.
"If you're going to be successful, you've got to get shorthanded goals," said Walker, who also had a goal called back. "It's a real back-breaker for teams. It came at a good time for us."
And a bad time for the Oilers.
"Both teams want to win," MacTavish said.
"You have to take care of your own problems. Right now, Nashville is a problem for us. We have to take care of our own mess.
"You know the head-to-head games are what's going to decide the positioning. Especially when you play a team four times in the last 35 games of the season." (By Robin Brownlee, The Edmonton Sun courtesy Slam! Sports)
Cheerleader of the Week
Cheryl Regan, New England Patriots Cheerleaders
TIDAL 11:05 AM
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Support John Edwards for President
Please visit my John Edwards page for more details...
"John Edwards -- his time is now"
The Des Moines Register Editorial endorsement published Sunday, January 11, 2004
When we first met John Edwards, we were inclined to write him off as the possible Democratic presidential nominee. The North Carolina senator is short on experience in public office. Nearly all his rivals are far more seasoned.
They include a five-term governor who has energized the party's base; a leader in the U.S. House of Representatives who has been involved in every major national issue for 25 years; a prominent senator whose resume includes a distinguished war record.
Democrats could nominate any of those candidates with confidence they had chosen a worthy standard-bearer with the potential of being a successful president. The abundance of well-qualified candidates makes choosing among them difficult.
Until Edwards is given a closer look. The more we watched him, the more we read his speeches and studied his positions, the more we saw him comport himself in debate, the more we learned about his life story, the more our editorial board came to conclude he's a cut above the others.
John Edwards is one of those rare, naturally gifted politicians who doesn't need a long record of public service to inspire confidence in his abilities. His life has been one of accomplishing the unexpected, amid flashes of brilliance.
Edwards grew up around the textile mills in the Southeast. He describes his family as close-knit and hard-working - the kind of family that had to sit around the kitchen table to figure out what to sacrifice to send their son to college. Edwards played high school football, worked some summers in the mills and studied textiles at North Carolina State University, figuring on returning to the mills as his family's first college graduate.
Instead, he went on to law school at the University of North Carolina, where he met his future bride. Both became lawyers. John specialized in trial law, winning some of the most spectacular verdicts in North Carolina history and earning a small fortune by the time he was in his 40s. The couple endured the loss of a 16-year-old son in a highway accident in 1996. They have three surviving children.
In his first try for public office, Edwards defeated an incumbent Republican in 1998 to win a seat in the U.S. Senate from North Carolina. He financed his own campaign, avoiding contributions from lobbyists. In the Senate, he serves on the Intelligence Committee, a good place to get a crash course in national-security issues.
Now, at 50, Edwards is seeking the nomination for president.
On issues, the major contenders for the nomination aren't far apart. They differ in emphasis and detail, but all have the same general thrust: Roll back some or all of the Bush tax cuts and redirect the money into health care and education. Conduct a foreign policy that is more collaborative and less bellicose.
The underlying theme of the Democrats is that the government under President Bush is serving the interests of wealth and privilege, not of ordinary Americans. Howard Dean's call to "take our country back" is the rallying cry.
Dean has the slogan, but it is Edwards who most eloquently and believably expresses this point of view, with his trial-lawyer skill for distilling arguments into compelling language that moves a jury of ordinary people. He speaks of there being two Americas:
"One America does the work, while another America reaps the reward. One America pays the taxes, while another America gets the tax breaks. If we want America to be a growing, thriving democracy with the strongest middle class on Earth, we must choose a different path."
If Edwards wins the Democratic nomination, voters this fall would have a choice between two men who almost perfectly embody the rival political philosophies in America today. George W. Bush and John Edwards are attractive, likable, energetic. They have about the same level of prior experience in government - and they are polar opposites.
Bush is from a prominent family, attended Ivy League universities, made his fortune in business and fervently believes the philosophy of "a rising tide lifts all boats." His policies flow from the conviction that all Americans will gain if business is largely unfettered and if investors are better rewarded.
Edwards is from a working-class family, attended public universities, made his fortune representing ordinary people in the courtroom and fervently believes that America does best when doors of opportunity are open to anyone willing to work and get ahead. He says those opportunities are being choked off in an America today that rewards wealth, not work. Emblematic of his approach is his proposal to pay the first year's tuition to a state university or community college for any student willing to work.
Like all the Democratic candidates, Edwards is strongly critical of Bush, but with him it tends to be a little less personal. He emphasizes his goal is not merely to replace Bush but to change America. He tends to conduct positive, optimistic campaigns.
What a clear and attractive choice an Edwards vs. Bush fall campaign would offer. Beginning in the Iowa caucuses next Monday, Democrats would do well to give that choice to Americans.
TIDAL 8:39 PM
Friday, January 16, 2004
Last-minute win: Hartnell lifts Preds with 47 seconds left
Maybe it was the incredible performances by Phoenix goalie Brian Boucher.
Or it could have been the fact the Predators had scored only one goal in their previous five periods and two overtimes.
Whatever the reason, it was surprising to see the flurry of goals that came last night in Nashville's 4-3 win over the Coyotes at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.
An announced crowd of 10,377 watched Scott Hartnell, with just 47 seconds remaining, chip in the winning goal off a shot from Kimmo Timonen while the Predators were on the power play.
Boucher, who set an NHL record with five consecutive shutouts earlier this month, sat out last night's game and veteran Sean Burke returned to the starting lineup.
Scott Walker originally received credit for the winning goal. Even Hartnell didn't know he was the last player to hit the puck.
''It looked to me like it went off Walker's stick, but they looked at it and I ended up tipping (Kimmo) Timonen's shot in,'' Hartnell said. ''No matter who scored it, it was a huge goal and gets us a step closer to our goal of making the playoffs.''
The win made the Predators 6-0-2 in their last eight home games and gives them five more wins than losses this late in the season for the first time in franchise history.
Nashville was coming off a 0-0 tie with Los Angeles, and Coach Barry Trotz expected another low-scoring affair.
''It's going to get tougher and tougher to score because you're getting into that second season now and everybody's kicking in and teams are going to be tight defensively,'' Trotz said.
Nashville took a 1-0 lead when Andrew Hutchinson, off an assist from Walker, scored just 4:43 into the game. Marek Zidlicky scored just 5:09 later to stretch the lead to 2-0.
Phoenix, however, responded with three unanswered goals, taking a 3-2 lead when Brian Savage scored in the second period with a backhand.
Martin Erat tied it at 3-3 with 2:43 remaining in the second period when he brought the puck from behind the net and scored. (By Mike Organ, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Predators' pace dictated by CBA
As GM at Washington, David Poile built a solid organization, showed a unique patience, and further established himself as a man who could bridge the sometimes seemingly intimidating chasm between traditional, deep-rooted NHL thinking and the new wave. Out of both necessity and wisdom, he has taken the long-range view again during his stint as the Predators' only GM, riding through the fluctuations of fortune that have led to the end of the hockey honeymoon in the city that originally wildly embraced the franchise. The Preds have had only one sellout all season. They have had three announced crowds of under 10,000 and have averaged 12,379. The NFL's Titans have become the top act in town, and the arena no longer is the place to be for the country stars. Or even insurance salesmen. "On the ice, we're making progress," Poile said. "...It's maybe slower than our fans want it to be, or longer than they thought it would take." (By Terry Frei, ESPN.com) View the entire article
Atlanta set to get 2005 NHL All-Stars
The NHL plans to award its 2005 All-Star Game to Atlanta shortly after the sale of the Thrashers is completed, four people familiar with the situation said Thursday.
The game, which would be played at Philips Arena in early February 2005, would mark the third major-league All-Star Game in Atlanta in a five-year period, all seduced by the city's relatively new sports venues.
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played at Turner Field in 2000 and the NBA All-Star Game at Philips Arena last year.
One potential problem with next year's hockey All-Star Game could be the league's uncertain labor situation.
The NHL's collective bargaining agreement expires before next season, and a season-threatening lockout has been widely predicted if the players' union refuses to accept some sort of salary restraint.
If a labor dispute were to result in the cancellation of the All-Star game, Atlanta is expected to get the 2008 game as a makeup.
The Thrashers and Hawks began pursuing NBA and NHL All-Star games as soon as the arena was built.
The bid for the 2005 game -- submitted before Time Warner reached an agreement in September to sell the Thrashers, Hawks and Philips Arena operating rights -- was made jointly by the Atlanta Sports Council, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, the hockey team and arena.
The teams' buyers, a group of nine investors based in Atlanta, Washington and Boston, continue to negotiate legal terms with the NHL and NBA, both of which must approve the transaction before it can close. The buyers say they hope the deal will be approved by the end of the month.
There has been no discussion of a contingency plan for the All-Star Game if the sale were to fall through.
This season's NHL All-Star Game will be played in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 8. The 2005 game would be the third played in the Southeast. The game was played in Sunrise, Fla., last year and in Tampa in 1999.
Hockey's All-Star game culminates a weekend of events that includes a "young stars" game, a skills competition, clinics, open practices and a fan festival. (By Tim Tucker, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
TIDAL 6:48 AM
Monday, January 12, 2004
Cheerleader of the Week
Laura, Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
TIDAL 6:08 AM
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Legwand leads way past Devils
On Friday morning, Predators Coach Barry Trotz sat center David Legwand down for a lengthy chat following practice.
Based on Legwand's performance in last night's 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, Trotz might want to consider motivational speaking as a second career.
Legwand, who'd scored one goal in his previous 13 games, collected a pair against the Devils to lead the Predators past the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was the first two-goal performance of the season for Legwand, and it helped the Predators beat the New Jersey for the first time in five tries at Gaylord Entertainment Center.
''I talked to David because we all know he has the ability to play at a very high level, and we need that from him, from now until the end of the season,'' Trotz said. ''If tonight was any indication … that was terrific. On both his goals, he was in the right place at the right time.''
Legwand's second score came with 14:40 remaining in the third period, gave the Predators a 3-1 lead and effectively clinched the contest for Nashville (18-14-4-2), which won for the third time in four outings.
Scott Walker carried the puck down the right side and flipped it to the middle of the ice, where a charging, sliding Legwand appeared to unintentionally kick the puck past Devils goalie Martin Brodeur.
''Barry was just reminding me of the way I played last year before my injury near the end of the season,'' Legwand said of Friday's discussion. ''I know I need to pick up my game, and I think I did that tonight. I need to use my skating more to get in on the defense, be creative with the puck, use my linemates and make the right play at the right time.''
Devils forward John Madden cut the Predators' advantage to 3-2 with 24 seconds remaining, but New Jersey wasn't able to beat Tomas Vokoun for a tying goal. Vokoun produced one of his best games of the season, stopping 38 of 40 shots to set a franchise record with his 82nd victory.
The Predators used some offensive help from a pair of unlikely sources to build their lead to 2-0 early in the second period.
Enforcer Jim McKenzie slipped a pass to defenseman Mark Eaton, whose shot from just inside the blue line eluded Brodeur. It was just the second point of the year for McKenzie, who was playing in his first game against his former team.
''It's not like I've been trying to save (points) up,'' McKenzie said. ''Guys like me take advantage of points every chance we get. But it does mean a lot to beat a team that won the Cup, and a team that I played for last year.''
Legwand had given the Predators a 1-0 advantage on a power-play goal with 6:58 left in the opening period. He cut into the middle of the ice and made a nice feed to Jason York, then followed York's shot and put a rebound past Brodeur.
It was the fifth power-play goal in three games for the Predators, who'd endured a 3–for–59 stretch in the 13 contests before that.
''Martin Brodeur just kicked it out in front, and you don't see a goalie like him do that very often,'' Legwand said. ''At a key opportunity like that, you've got to put it in.''
Vokoun made one of his best saves of the season in the opening period to keep the Devils off the board.
Just 4:22 into the contest, Devils defenseman Scott Niedermayer appeared ready to knock a rebound into a near-empty Predators net. But Vokoun launched himself back across the goalmouth and speared the puck with his glove before it crossed the goal line.
''In a situation like that, you're just trying to battle and get as much as you can in front of his stick,'' Vokoun said. ''I was fortunate to dive and he just shot it in my glove. There's probably a lot of luck involved in something like that.''
The contest was the first in a five-game stint Trotz has described as a murderer's row for the Predators. Nashville's next four contests are against Detroit, Toronto, Colorado and St. Louis.
''It was huge to get this one,'' Trotz said, ''because we've got some big ones coming up.'' (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Revenge is good for Titans
BALTIMORE — As the crowd filed out of M&T Bank Stadium yesterday, Titans wide receiver Derrick Mason stood in the middle of the field and stomped on the Ravens logo.
''That signified them going home and us beating them up,'' Mason said. ''We continue to move on, and Ray (Lewis) can dance all the way to his summer home.''
The Titans moved on to the AFC Divisionals after beating their old nemesis, the Baltimore Ravens, 20-17 in a Wild Card game.
Much of the game seemed eerily familiar to Tennessee's mistake-filled playoff loss to Baltimore in 2000, part of a five-game Titan losing streak to their old AFC Central rival.
This time, however, the ending was different.
Kicker Gary Anderson's 46-yard field goal with 29 seconds left helped erase some of those memories. The Titans play at Kansas City or New England next weekend.
''This isn't some fairy tale, some David and Goliath thing,'' Titans tackle Brad Hopkins said. ''We knew we had the capabilities to win the game … and we were determined to win.''
The Titans made it hard on themselves, however. Quarterback Steve McNair threw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a 56-yard TD by safety Will Demps in the fist half.
The Titans took a 14-10 lead in the third quarter when McNair connected with wide receiver Justin McCareins on a 49-yard touchdown pass, but they found themselves tied at 17-17 when the Ravens scored on a 35-yard pass from Anthony Wright to tight end Todd Heap with 4:30 remaining.
Anderson's winner capped an eight-play, 35-yard drive that began at the Tennessee 37 with 2:44 left.
''We were in this spot a couple of years ago and we came away with the W,'' Baltimore linebacker Lewis said. ''The Titans came in here and won. It happens. … Hey, tip your hat to those guys.'' (By Jim Wyatt, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
Cheerleader of the Week
JoAnna, (Seattle) Sea Gals
TIDAL 3:20 PM
Friday, January 02, 2004
Predators get boost of power
All things seem possible with the start of a new year.
One need look no further than the Predators for confirmation.
The same team that managed only three power-play goals in its last 13 games produced three yesterday, providing all the necessary scoring in a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A slow-starting Predators squad entered the final period trailing by a goal. But Kimmo Timonen's second score of the game tied matters, and Martin Erat fired a game-winner past Sebastien Caron with 12:41 remaining.
The 3-for-7 showing on the power play marked the first time the Predators had recorded three man-advantage goals since Feb. 4, 2003, and was a sharp contrast to the 3-for-59 they had endured over the past month.
''I thought the power play moved the puck very well,'' Coach Barry Trotz said. ''We talked about creating movement, attacking seams, getting traffic and getting back to some of the basics. Today I think the players recognized what the whole staff had said and we reaped the benefits.''
The Penguins, who'd won just once in their last seven games, held one-goal leads at the end of the first and second periods. Rico Fata scored with just 51 seconds left in the opening stanza and Tomas Surovy slapped home a rebound with 3:16 left in the second.
But Pittsburgh couldn't stay out of the penalty box, surrendering three power plays in each of the final two periods.
''Things have been tough on the power play because I don't think we've worked as hard as we did at the beginning of the year,'' Timonen said. ''It's all about working hard and getting set up in the zone. When we get set up, I think our power play is as good as any team.'' (By John Glennon, The (Nashville) Tennessean)
FSU-Miami: Same ol', same ol'
The New Year has a familiar ring - make that clang - to it for Florida State.
The No.9 Seminoles (10-3), despite a mostly solid effort by its defense, lost yet another game to Miami on a wide-something field-goal attempt. This time, and for the fourth time since 1991, FSU watched in dismay as another kick went wide right. Xavier Beitia, who broke the monotony of wide-right misses with one wide left a year ago, missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt with 5:30 remaining in the Orange Bowl rematch between FSU and the Hurricanes.
Even then, FSU had a chance to win. But Chris Rix, anemic in the second half, was unable to rally FSU past the Hurricanes. Even a blocked field-goal attempt by B.J. Ward, an FSU record eighth in his career, was not enough. Two FSU chances followed Beitia's miss. The final opportunity was doomed from the start when two consecutive penalties put FSU in a first-and-30 situation. No.10 Miami (11-2) sealed the 16-14 victory when cornerback Antrel Rolle separated P.K. Sam from the football on fourth down inside the Miami 40-yard line.
"I wish we could turn this thing around," Bowden said. "I wish I knew what wide we'd be. Don't know what other series has been this way."
Rix completed just 6 of 19 passes for 96 yards, one touchdown and an interception. FSU had 110 yards on the ground.
"Our offense didn't do much, but when you play Miami, it's hard to do much," Bowden said. "... Kick that ball through the goal posts, we'd do all right. With a little luck we might have won tonight."
The next time these teams meet - on Labor Day night - it will be with both as ACC members.
"It hurts," Rix said. "I feel especially for the seniors because they never beat Miami."
The rematch followed a familiar script from the start as Rix committed his 11th turnover against Miami in four games. And he was intercepted by Miami safety Sean Taylor for the third time in two games. This one, on FSU's first possession after Miami had taken a 3-0 lead, came with a new twist. After Rix's turnovers accounted for 45 of Miami's 99 points in the previous three meetings, the Hurricanes came up with nothing on the turnover.
Miami's Brock Berlin also committed an early turnover. Rover Jerome Carter grabbed his second career interception on a tip to himself in the end zone and returned it 30 yards. That set up FSU's first touchdown, which provided yet another flashback to previous FSU-Miami meetings. Warrick Dunn stunned Miami on a direct-snap in 1993, one of at least three direct snaps by Dunn that became part of FSU lore.
On Thursday night, it was Lorenzo Booker who parlayed a direct snap into a 9-yard touchdown.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden vowed before the game to be patient in establishing a ground game, and Booker's run was one of three rushing highlights before halftime. Tailback Greg Jones bullied his way 24 yards to set up a touchdown. The score came on a play more commonly executed by Miami than FSU when tight end Matt Henshaw scored for the second time in as many games.
Bowden had designed plays for Chris Rix to roll out against Miami. And, with 8:41 remaining, Rix ran to his right and threw back to his left, finding Henshaw all alone in the end zone for a 14-3 FSU lead.
But from that point, the Hurricanes scored 13 unanswered points to set up yet another FSU-Miami thriller. Jarrett Payton, who had shocked FSU in Doak Campbell Stadium in October, breezed to a 46-yard gain to set up Tyrone Moss' 3-yard touchdown run with 5½ minutes remaining in the first half. That cut FSU's lead to 14-10. Jon Peattie cut FSU's halftime lead to 14-13 on a 44-yard field goal.
But it was Peattie's 51-yard field goal, made possible after FSU's defense was called for illegal substitution, that gave Miami a 16-14 lead early in the third quarter.
"He was that (far) from getting off the field," Bowden said of the 12th man on the field. "They (the officials) were right."
It also gave the Miami fans in the crowd of 76,739 hope that their team would string together five consecutive victories against FSU for the first time since the 1950s. Miami won the first five meetings between the two schools and put itself in position to duplicate the feat as the Seminoles' offense struggled after halftime. Rix didn't complete a pass and the Seminoles collected just 24 yards of total offense in the third quarter. A bad exchange between Rix and B.J. Dean that was recovered by Vilma didn't help.
But while the Rix and Company sputtered, the defense kept FSU in the game despite a handful of missed tackles. Typical of FSU's aggressive play on defense came with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter when Charles Howard crushed Berlin as he released a pass to Kellen Winslow, who was rocked by freshman linebacker Ernie Sims.
The defense had not sacked Miami in the four previous losses to the Hurricanes but finished Thursday night with two. The biggest defensive play in the third quarter was provided by Eric Moore who tipped Berlin's pass and grabbed it to quash a Miami drive. But FSU's defense wasn't done. It smothered a Berlin fumble on a quarterback sneak with 7:35 remaining to set up a familiar ending to an FSU-Miami game.
"You had two great defenses out there," Bobby Bowden said. "It was really who made the fewest mistakes win." (By Steve Ellis, Tallahassee Democrat)
Here's to Devon, Natalie, Nicole and the rest of the National Champion USC Song Girls!
TIDAL 7:10 AM
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