News sports 2008-08-10 Andanh.com

Freshmen finding footing with Hilltoppers Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:41 -0500
Each fall, some of the top high school football talent in the country makes its way to various campuses with big dreams, lots of confidence and maybe just a little bit of nervousness. Every fall, most feel they’re ready to jump right away into the college fray. And like clockwork, every fall, many of them are swept up by the tornado that is college football. For the 17 football freshmen at Western Kentucky, the scenario is the same. “Man, it’s just been so fast,” said freshman quarterback Marcus Vasquez, who played high school ball in Chula Vista, Calif. “We move, we just move so fast, and for us, it’s just learning all that offense, all the signals, the plays and everything. “And with everyone else going so fast, we’ve just got to learn really quickly.” Increased speed is often the biggest challenge for freshmen. “They don’t get it (at first), I promise you they don’t,” WKU coach David Elson said. “You always ask them at the end of the season about what’s the biggest difference between high school and college, and the first thing that always comes out of their mouth is the speed of the game. “The competition level is higher, everybody’s pretty good and I think we do everything we can by having them here in the summertime and going through 7-on-7. But when it comes to putting those pads on, it’s always a bit of a shock to their systems.” Freshman offensive lineman Adam Smith didn’t quite understand the change until he strapped on his helmet for the first time a few days ago. “It’s completely different from high school, and you knew it would be, but you really never knew what to expect,” said Smith, who was sporting a fresh samurai-style hairdo, courtesy of his veteran linemates. “The guys are all great and it’s just something to be a part of, and I’m glad to be a part of it. “It’s just overwhelming, and I really don’t know what to say.” Despite the whirlwind of playbook study and cranked-up speed, the adjustment process appears to be going smoothly. “So far it’s been good, it’s a lot of hard work and the tempo’s much higher here so you’ve got to go hard every play,” freshman linebacker Sergio Joyner said. “They’ve got everything planned out, you move quick from one period to another so fast. “It caught me by surprise, but I’m adjusting to it kind of quick here. Everybody’s working great, and I feel a lot better now than when I first came in.” Elson said freshmen typically take several practices to settle in and start playing to their full potential. The coaching staff and veteran players are prepared for that. “They’ve been solid, we told them they wouldn’t be getting as many reps as they’re used to and some of them are getting a little more, they’re swimming a little bit,” Elson said. “But that’s normal, we put a lot in over five days and once everything starts to slow down for them and some of these words we throw at them start to mean something, they’ll get a little more aggressive.” Meanwhile, adjusting to a new life away from home is another matter altogether. So relying on one another for support is something that this group began early in the summer when they arrived for 7-on-7 drills and workout sessions. “The freshman group that came in is really close,” Vasquez said. “We’ve blended in well with the rest of the team, they’ve really welcomed us and really accepted us. “A lot of people around here are from Georgia or Florida and I’m really the only person here from out west that far, but I’ve been here for a month now and everyone gets along pretty well.” Elson thinks the camaraderie goes a long way. “They’ve been great,” Elson said. “Being here in June and July for most of them has really help with building some chemistry and also with the older guys helping and putting their arms around them. “As a class themselves, they’re pretty together and leaning on each other, so it’s been really positive at this point.” Going from top dog in high school to the grunt work of the scout team in one year can be a roller coaster. But this year’s freshman class appears ready for the ride. “In high school, you’re one of the best on the team,” Smith said. “And here, everybody’s exactly like you, so it’s different. “But one of the things I love about this program is everyone’s together, we’re a team and we’re all brothers and when I came to college I was always scared about how we’d be treated, but everybody’s welcomed us in great and it’s been a plus.”

Drawing from the spirit Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:40 -0500
inspiration in WKU’s tough schedule By NICK BAUMGARDNER, The Daily News, nbaumgardner@bgdailynews.com Perhaps no one understands the meaning of Western Kentucky University’s motto - “Where the spirit makes the master” - quite like Bill “Whitey” Sanders. Sanders, who led the nation in pass completions in 1953 at WKU, maintains that WKU spirit more than 50 years after he took his last snap on the Hill. After football, Sanders embarked on an acclaimed career as an editorial cartoonist, including nearly a quarter century at the Milwaukee Journal. Now retired and living in Florida, Sanders recently gave WKU head coach David Elson a gift Sanders feels embodies the Hilltoppers’ athletic spirit. Sanders’ cartoon depicts a small football player dressed in a Hilltopper uniform holding a slingshot. The weapon holds a football bearing the phrase “the spirit,” and looming over the spirit-toting player are three gigantic players dressed in Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama uniforms. This David vs. Goliath take on WKU’s difficult 2008 schedule depicts the challenge that awaits Elson and his current squad. But it also shows Sanders’ belief that with WKU’s tradition behind it, anything’s possible. “Western has always had - and this is what motivated me to send coach Elson the cartoon - a kind of unique spirit and relationship with its students, and I think that’s truly unique,” Sanders said. “He and I have had conversations about the general area, and as the campus grows and the athletics become more upscale, we all hope that they don’t lose that ambiance. I kind of get the sense that coach Elson tagged onto that pretty quick and I think he’s helping perpetuate that. “And that makes a big difference on how the team functions, outside of its brawn and talent and everything else.” After hanging up his cleats in 1953, military service took Sanders overseas to Korea. When his active duty ended, Sanders caught on as a general assignment reporter for an English newspaper in Tokyo. While in Korea, Sanders came across a book of political cartoons by the famed Herb “Herblock” Block of The Washington Post. In reading the book, Sanders said he found a passion that’s been with him ever since. From there, Sanders sent out several brochures back to the United States in hopes of catching on with a newspaper as a political cartoonist. His timing was good. “I had at one time been through a town in the Carolinas that had the word ‘green’ in it,” Sanders said. “I couldn’t remember the name, and then I ran across this place called Greensboro, North Carolina, and sent a brochure to the Daily News there and another one to the Courier-Journal in Louisville. When I woke up in the morning I had two letters, one from Greensboro, one from the C-J. I opened the C-J’s first and they said they had just hired a cartoonist and wouldn’t have an opening in the foreseeable future, so I went back and opened the Greensboro letter and it said their old cartoonist had just been hired by the C-J. So I immediately came back to the U.S. and went to work in Greensboro.” Sanders has also drawn for the Kansas City Star, the Milwaukee Journal and Newsweek. Sanders has been listed in the Who’s Who in American Graphic Arts, as well as earning a place in the Wisconsin Media Hall of Fame. Still, Sanders said some of his fondest memories came from his days as a Hilltopper. “The ’52 and ’53 bunch have been like brothers for 50 years,” Sanders said. “We get together once or twice a year, most of us married people we knew from school, and over the years we just bonded in a way that was really unusual. “We’ve all just had a really marvelous relationship, and that bonding process with us in school has been one of the most important things to me.” Sanders, who currently resides in Fort Myers, Fla., said he and a group of his former teammates return to WKU every year for Homecoming. They plan to gather again on Nov. 1, when the Hilltoppers host North Texas. Like many, Sanders believes the 2008 schedule is as big a challenge as the program’s ever faced. He made no bones about the possibility that 2008 could be a bumpy ride. “There’s no question that these are going to be three or four games that they’re likely not going to be favored to win by all standards, but the rest of that schedule has games that they’ll get through in pretty good condition,” he said. Long-term, however, Sanders thinks the program is headed in the right direction. He said he has faith in Elson’s commitment to keeping WKU’s spirit alive and well. “If it comes down to just brawn and talent, (college football) becomes more businesslike than it should be,” Sanders said. “Where you have successful athletic programs, you’ve got someone that helps agenda that kind of spirit, and I don’t think it’s true everywhere.”

Sad end won’t taint East’s season Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:40 -0500
INDIANAPOLIS — Considering how much momentum and confidence the Bowling Green East All-Stars had garnered throughout the Great Lakes Regional Tournament, their season-ending defeat Friday might have seemed surprising and crushing. But if BG East’s 2-0 tournament semifinal loss to Ohio did hurt, manager Rick Kelley said that pain wouldn’t last long. “My guess is these kids will rebound quickly and by (Saturday) morning they will have gotten over the loss and cherish the memories they have and keep those for the rest of their lives,” Kelley said Friday night. Kelley should know. He spent plenty of time with the All-Stars on what was one long ride. The tournament run began at the end of June, when BG East was perfect during the Area Little League tournament. East then reeled off 10 straight wins through the district and state tournaments in Owensboro and Louisville, respectively, to earn its trip to Indianapolis and the Great Lakes Regional. It was BG East’s first regional appearance since 1980, and Kelley said that won’t be forgotten. “These kids got every right to hold their heads high and be proud of what they accomplished,” Kelley said. “State champions - that hasn’t happened in 28 years at Bowling Green East.” And BG East didn’t simply make the regional - it made plenty of noise after dealing with early adversity. BG East didn’t get off to a good start, managing only one hit in a 3-0 loss to Illinois. But BG East bounced back with three straight dominating wins, outscoring its foes 43-11. The rebound helped BG East grab the No. 1 spot in the pool, which featured the kind of consistently tough competition that BG East hadn’t yet seen. “(It’s something to be proud of) to be the No. 1 seed in the pool, an extremely tough pool,” Kelley said. “You battle against one team and come up for a breath of fresh air and you’ve got another one coming up and hitting you in the face.” In the end, a Mount Vernon, Ohio, pitcher with a wicked offspeed pitch ended BG East’s run. Nick Hoar allowed only three hits over six innings and struck out 13 as he baffled BG East batters. What was BG East’s weakness throughout the tournament got them in the end. “Offspeed pitches have been our worst enemy throughout the tournament,” Kelley said. “We had been working on it pretty hard, but it just didn’t work. It just wasn’t meant to be.” It must have been an incredible pitching performance to silence BG East bats, which earned plaudits over the past week. “We thought if we could hold Kentucky to five runs we could win,” Ohio manager Tom Glibert said. “For him to (shut Kentucky out) considering what they’ve done is amazing. Wow.” BG East had so many heroes throughout its tournament run, it was waiting for somebody to step up on Friday. It had rallied for victories before, including in a 3-2 win over Owensboro Southern in the district finale when BG East scored three sixth-inning runs. “It does cause you to push the envelope some and maybe get overanxious,“ Kelley said. “You want to so badly help your team. You want to be that spark plug. That probably did work against us.” Instead of playing on ESPN in Saturday night’s finale, BG East had to watch Indiana and Ohio from home. They will also watch the Little League World Series, which begins Friday, with keen interest. But they’ll still appreciate their own journey. “As I told them, I appreciate them taking me along on the ride,” Kelley said. “The ultimate showcase in Little League is Williamsport (Pa.) and we were a step away from having the opportunity to go there.”

Pike's Peek: Channel may not be end for Mead Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:41 -0500
Let’s try a little experiment. Put down this newspaper and make circles with your arms. Big, sweeping, swimmer-style arcs. Come back when you’ve done it 43,746 times. Yeah, that’s what I thought. You weren’t gone too long. Former Western Kentucky swimmer Mallory Mead, though, can wear that number - give or take a few hundred - like a badge of honor. Mead joined a club of less than 1,000 worldwide and all-time members on July 26, when she successfully crossed the English Channel - from Dover, England, to Cap Gris Nez, France - becoming the first known person from the Bowling Green area to achieve the feat. Mead’s time of 10 hours, 34 minutes is well above average - she’s easily within the fastest 250 crossings in history. Perhaps equally important, she got to write her name on the wall at the White Horse Pub in Dover, a tradition reserved for Channel conquerors. “First it was kind of anti-climactic, because you get out and you go back and take a shower and go to bed,” Mead said on Saturday, a few days after she returned to the United States from Europe. “But the next day I went to Dover ... and got to write my name on the wall. I felt like that was a much better ending to the story.” Naturally, the Channel crossing wasn’t easy. Lots of folks have latched onto the fact that Mead - an Indiana native and recent WKU graduate - was stung twice by jellyfish, but that barely fazed the swimmer. That sort of thing happens all the time, Mead said, and in water as cold as the Channel, the pain doesn’t last. Mead’s shoulders, though, certainly made their presence felt. For the first seven or so hours, Mead was perfectly fine. No pain, not tired, no boredom. But tens of thousands of strokes, at a pace of about 69 per minute, began to add up. First it was Mead’s elbows. Then, somewhere near the eighth hour, around the time Mead finally spotted France on the horizon, her shoulders began to scream. “It just started to hurt more and more and more,” Mead said. “I kept thinking I was getting close ... (but) just because you see France doesn’t mean it’s close. I kept my stroke, because I still really wanted to finish as fast as possible. It got pretty excrutiating in the end.” When she landed on France, exhausted, cut up by rocks, throat wrecked by hours of salt water exposure, she was greeted by friend and fellow swimmer Clara Bennett, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student who completed her own crossing in 11 hours, 12 minutes a couple of days later. (For more detail on the pair’s experience than could fit here, visit http://swimmingthechannel.blogspot.com.) Bleeding and beaten, it wasn’t until the following, super-sore Sunday morning that Mead began to fully appreciate her success. Mead originally intended for the Channel crossing to be her retirement from open water swimming. But maybe not. Boosted by confidence and competitive spirit, Mead is now considering an even rarer accomplishment - something called the Triple Crown of open water swimming. With the 21-mile Channel and a previous completion of the 28 1/2-mile Manhattan Island Marathon to her credit, Mead figures she might as well take a shot at the 21-mile Catalina Channel in southern California. Hard to say for certain how many people have finished the Triple Crown, but Mead believes it’s no more than 20. She has no time frame yet, since she just started a new job in Indianapolis. Besides, she worked for months to prepare for the English Channel, so these things don’t happen quickly. “I’ve gotta see where I’d go with (work) before I start thinking about more swimming,” Mead said. — Daniel Pike is sports editor for the Daily News. He can be reached at 783-3271 or by e-mailing dpike@bgdailynews.com.

Outdoors: Tips for shotgun season Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:42 -0500
I had been toting a shotgun afield for years before I really paid much attention to choke tubes. Mostly this was because I learned how to shoot and hunt small game using old single-round shotguns with fixed chokes. Not until well into my teens, when I slowly began to gravitate towards turkey hunting, did I realize just how important constriction - or lack thereof - was to the shotgun hunter. With a new Remington 870 in hand, I could barely imagine what differences the series of tiny, silver screw-in choke tubes would make. But when I fired a shell with each of the three different tubes into a torn piece of aluminum barn roofing, I finally saw the light. Although fall is still a ways off, the time of year when more folks head out with shotguns than any other is just around the corner. Squirrel season kicks off Saturday, followed closely by the always popular opening day of dove season Sept. 1. Then early goose and wood duck seasons not long after that, until finally November rolls around and we’re smack dab in the middle of everything. Therefore, it would make perfect sense (if you are not already) to become acquainted with your favorite shotgun and its interchangeable chokes. Turkey hunters are accustomed to patterning their shotguns, usually when they purchase a new super-extra full choke or when they switch brands of ammunition. But a great deal of small game hunters have never taken the time to see how their spread looks on paper. Even if you already happen to be a dead-eye shot with a scattergun, patterning it certainly won’t hurt. Popular choke packages generally include all or many of the following, listed from the least constrictive to the most: cylinder, skeet, improved cylinder, modified, improved modified and full. Understanding how each of these performs is an asset for guys and gals like me who hunt a lot of different game with only one or two shotguns. Aside from the fact that it is fun to have several in the safe for every occasion, if a person owns one good-fitting shotgun with several chokes, there is no need for additional shotguns - with simple swaps of tubes and shells, it can go from a duck gun to a grouse gun to a just-about-anything gun. Understanding what role a choke plays in your hunting efficiency and accuracy is best accomplished by patterning your shotgun. Poster board, appliance boxes, wide-rolled sheet paper tacked over plywood - anything that is safe to fire at and large enough to encompass a large string of shot will work. The old standard is 40 yards, but I prefer matching the distance for each particular choke based on what game you intend on shooting. When duck hunting, a 35-yard shot isn’t uncommon. But it is for kicking up rabbits, so these are points to ponder before patterning. The same holds true for selecting the properly sized target area. For quail-sized game, I would draw a circle on the target with about a six-inch diameter; for big ducks, such as mallards, I would at least double that size to represent a cupped mallard. Another necessity when matching chokes is having the proper load on hand. A light field load of No. 8’s, similar to what you may knock doves down with, is going to look entirely different than a high brass load of No. 4’s - a fantastic pheasant stopper - simply because there are going to be approximately 275 more pellets. For fast-flying fowl like quail and doves, a hunter usually prefers a more open, less-constrictive choke like improved cylinder, something that throws a wide pattern full of small shot capable of stopping the small birds. However, if you’re chasing swamp rabbits in far western Kentucky, you are probably going to need a tighter choke like improved modified to deliver a dense load of No. 5 shot in order to take one of the behemoth bunnies down when the beagles run it past. The bottom line is that you want to have as many pellets inside of the circle as possible at the optimum distance you believe most of the shots will occur. When the season rolls around, having a clearer understanding of when to use what choke will be evident in the form of a heavier vest and less empty hulls on the ground. — Geordon T. Howell is outdoors columnist for the Daily News. He can be reached by e-mailing highbrasshowell@yahoo.com.

Sports briefs: Paul Walker’s third yields two holes-in-one Sat, 9 Aug 2008 21:02:42 -0500
Two golfers aced the par-3 third hole at Paul Walker Golf Course this week. On Saturday, Myron Callaham used a 9-iron to drop his shot from 115 yards. The feat was witnessed by Fred Alcott and Steve Harris. On Wednesday, Landon Watkins of Bowling Green aced the hole. It was Watkins’ second hole-in-one on that hole this season - the first was during the 2008 Walker Junior Medal tournament in June. Watkins used a 52-degree gap wedge from 152 yards. The shot was witnessed by Ben Wood. Meanwhile, Krisha Coleman of Flossmoor, Ill., aced the par-3 third hole at CrossWinds Golf Course on Aug. 2 during the Par Makers Tournament. Coleman’s shot on the 120-yard hold was struck with a 6-hybrid. MLGA holds three events The Muni Ladies Golf Association held events recently at Paul Walker Golf Course and at the Golf Course at Riverview. On July 22 at Paul Walker, Karen Lee won the first flight. Lois Brockman took the second flight, Sonja Kimmel the third and Jean Lucas and Georgia Zoellner each topped the fourth flight. Carole Steen, Beverly Finkle and Zoellner recorded chip-ins. On July 29 at Riverview, Steen won the first flight, Finkle the second, Judy Dobernic the third and Lucas the fourth. Finkle carded a birdie at No. 10. On Tuesday at Paul Walker, Steen won the first flight, Brenda Frye the second and Dean Brosche the third. Louise Culp and Trudy Lee had chip-ins. Culp posted three birdies, while Steen had one. Potter wins BGCC’s Ladies Day Low Gross competition The Bowling Green Country Club held a Ladies Day Low Gross competition on Thursday. Paula Potter won the A Flight. Brenda Wallace was first and Ruth Ann Bell second in the B Flight. Belinda Jefferson won the D Flight, while Shelia Rogers won the D Flight. In-line hockey registration Last-chance registration for in-line hockey leagues will be held Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the hockey rink at Basil Griffin Park. Leagues are open to players ages 6 and up. The registration fee is $80 for all age levels except for adult, which is $85. Free rental equipment is available to new players. — For more information, call 392-0250 and leave a message.

Not easy being green Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:24:00 EST
Hunter Cantwell needs to make better decisions in the pocket. This much was clear during the first hour of a late July frog-gigging trip with the University of Louisville quarterback. Three times Cantwell tucked a speared bullfrog into a compartment of his camouflage overalls, only to watch in disbelief as the critter leapt out toward swampy safety.

Now a safety, Lentz makes the cut on defense Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:25:00 EST
In his media-guide photo, University of Kentucky safety Matt Lentz looks like a nice guy. Clean-cut. Cropped hair. Coat and tie. It was kind of a problem.

Jeffersonville team makes Little League World Series Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:04:00 EST
The Jeffersonville, Ind., team is going to the Little League World Series after last night's thrilling extra-inning victory.

Phelps blows up 400 IM record Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:57:00 EST
Michael Phelps got one of his toughest races out of the way, and it couldn't have been any easier. With President Bush cheering him on, Phelps dominated his first event of the Beijing Olympics this morning (last night EDT), crushing his own world record and all hopes of his challengers with a mark of 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds in the 400-meter individual medley.

Louisville team full of local talent Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:23:00 EST
If you want a reason to believe that U of L can exceed the modest expectations, try this one: There is a solid knot of local players who understand how far this program has come and how high it soared.

Rain has players treading water Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:56:00 EST
J. B. Holmes' quest for the first major championship of his professional golf career never got going yesterday. The former University of Kentucky standout warmed up twice for the third round of the PGA Championship but didn't strike an official shot as play was washed away.

Helio loses gamble, so Dixon cashes in Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:59:00 EST
As Helio Castroneves' car coughed for fuel, Scott Dixon gulped with glee. Dixon, the IndyCar Series driver who has had nearly everything go his way this season, got his luckiest break yet last night when Castroneves handed him the victory at Kentucky Speedway by running out of fuel in the last turn of the Meijer Indy 300.

UK scores commitment from talented Texas QB Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:55:00 EST
The University of Kentucky football team landed one of the biggest commitments of coach Rich Brooks' tenure on Friday when highly touted Texas quarterback Ryan Mossakowski picked the Wildcats.

Trip benefiting Boilermakers Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:55:00 EST
Matt Painter knows how helpful a foreign trip can be for a college basketball team. Before the 2003-04 season, when he coached Southern Illinois, Painter took the Salukis to Europe. Picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference, SIU went 17-1 and won the league by five games.

Columbus clips Bats' streak Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:53:00 EST
The visiting Columbus Clippers rode a seven-run fifth inning to an 11-5 victory over the Louisville Bats last night, pounding starter Adam Pettyjohn and ending the Bats' eight-game win streak.

Spirit One is No. 1 at Arlington Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:33:00 EST
French-based Spirit One won the Arlington Million yesterday, leading from start to finish for an upset victory over an international field of seven turf horses. Winning jockey Ioritz Mendizabal raised his arm in triumph after Spirit Open turned back favored Archipenko by three-quarters of a length.

Maren's Meadows leads whole way at Monmouth Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:33:00 EST
Maren's Meadow raced wire-to-wire in the $150,000, Grade III Monmouth Oaks yesterday, beating Acoma by 41/2 lengths at Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

PREP BASEBALL: Elizabethtown upends Central Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:08 -0500
ELIZABETHTOWN What a difference two weeks can make.

PREP BASEBALL: John Hardin sweeps North Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
RADCLIFF It’s been said that hitting is contagious and the John Hardin Bulldogs certainly had a bad case of it spread through the team Thursday night.

PREP SOFTBALL: Krupinski, Central Hardin shut out John Hardin Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:06 -0500
CECILIA Having been shut out in their previous two games, the Central Hardin Lady Bruins were in a little bit of a funk.

PREP SOFTBALL/BASEBALL ROUNDUP: Lady Panthers fall; Mayfield moves to 7-1 Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
The slumping Elizabethtown Lady Panthers lost for the 10th time in 13 games, falling to visiting Warren Central on Thursday, 3-1.

BOYS'/GIRLS' PREP TENNIS RESULTS: Thursday's Matches Thu, 1 May 2008 23:03:07 -0500
Results from Thursday's area high school tennis matches:

LIVE SCORING: PGA Championship Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:53 EDT

Cats QB Hartline ready for spotlight Sun, 10 Aug 2008 08:11 EDT

The shadow of Andre Woodson will be lurking over Mike Hartline from the moment Hartline takes his first snap against Louisville.

But if anybody knows about life in the shadows, it's Mike Hartline.

Hartline is a strong bet to succeed Woodson as the University of Kentucky's starting quarterback. But growing up in Canton, Ohio, Hartline was often in the background while his older brother, Brian, was in the spotlight.

.My brother was kind of like the big superstar, and I was just the kid brother,. Hartline said. .From pee-wee ball to middle school to high school, he was the one that everybody wanted to watch play..

Mark your calendar with Cats Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:49 EDT

While using vacation time to relax and reflect (where is that application to the Hair Club for Men?), I turned on the car radio and heard a Kentucky fan asking ESPN's Doug Gottlieb a question. Yes, the caller began, UK basketball had not been preeminent in recent seasons. So, did Gottlieb see Kentucky reasserting itself as a top-shelf program next season? Or in 2009-10?

Gottlieb, a former college basketball player, cut off the caller. It's summer, he said. Think baseball, pro football training camps and the anticipation of another college football season.

Call back in, say, November to ask about Kentucky basketball.

The evergreen interest in UK basketball that produced a scolding from Gottlieb inspired two entrepreneurs. The fans' 365-day-a-year preoccupation with Kentucky basketball led Steve Mott and John Spalding to produce a calendar that recognizes a moment in the program's storied history for each day.

Asheville beats Legends with play at plate Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:07 EDT

Warren Schaeffer hit a ground-ball double into left field for the game-winning RBI in the ninth inning, and the Asheville Tourists denied the tying run with a play at the plate to beat the Lexington Legends 2-1 at Applebee's Park.

Brandon Barnes singled and stood as the tying run in the bottom of the ninth. He headed home from first when Russell Dixon belted a double to right field but was called out at the plate on the cutoff throw to home.

Barnes finished 4-for-5, and Dixon went 4-for-4 with two doubles and the Legends' only run of the game.

Carlos Ladeuth (6-10) came in the game in crunch time and gave up the go-ahead run. That wasted nice outings from Leandro Cespedes and Mike Koons. Cespedes scattered five hits over five innings, giving up one run and one walk and striking out nine. Koons threw one-hit ball over three innings.

Lexington's Breeden fails to advance in 100 butterfly Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:51 EDT

BEIJING . Elaine Breeden had hoped to gain a spot in the Olympic finals of the women's 100-meter butterfly.

Then again, it's the 200 fly that is her specialty.

So when she tied for sixth in her semifinal heat Sunday morning in Beijing, there were no tears before a Water Cube sellout crowd of 17,000. Now, she has another day to rest for the 200 butterfly.

.Not my best. I was a little disappointed with the time,. Breeden said of her 58.55-second finish. .But my butterfly's feeling good, so I'm just going to rest up and look forward to the 200, which is my best event..

Dominant Dixon does it again Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:58 EDT

SPARTA . As Helio Castroneves emerged from his No. 3 Penske Dallara/Honda Saturday evening, he flung his hands in the air, dropped his head in dismay and exclaimed to all within earshot, .What do I do?.

One turn was all that separated the two-time Indy 500 champion from ending his season-long winless streak. One corner was all he had to navigate to finally gain an advantage over his unshakable nemesis this year.

In an effort to keep his championship hopes alive, Castroneves knew he had to try something desperate.

But as has been the case repeatedly for Castroneves this season, his rival Scott Dixon managed to do him one better.

John Clay: Cardinals plan to surprise skeptics Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:58 EDT

LOUISVILLE . Last month in Rhode Island, the media mavens that cover the Big East Conference put their collective gray matter together and determined that Louisville would finish seventh in the eight-team league.

Which begged the immediate question: Could Louisville really be that bad?

.Last year people were picking us to win the national championship game, and we went 6-6,. said U of L quarterback Hunter Cantwell at the team's media day yesterday. .We don't pay much attention to predictions.'

Oh, really.

UK's Cobb might be needed at QB Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:21 EDT

It looks as if Randall Cobb could eventually be a serious factor in the quarterback race.

UK Coach Rich Brooks said Saturday after the team's first practice in full pads that Cobb would spend 90 percent of his practice time at quarterback leading up to the season opener at Louisville.

The original plan was for Cobb to split his practice repetitions between quarterback and wide receiver, which is a serious area of need for the UK offense.

But Curtis Pulley 's dismissal, combined with Cobb's impressive showing at QB during the first week of practice, has led the staff to determine that they need to get Cobb ready to contribute under center.

Louisville's Guy anxious to move on after shooting Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:38 EDT

LOUISVILLE . Trent Guy can still hear the shots echoing through the parking garage moments after he left a local nightclub last month.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Nineteen times a group of assailants fired at Guy and his fiancee in the early-morning hours of July 5. Somehow, only one of the bullets struck the Louisville wide receiver, lodging in his back.

A month later, the memories still haunt Guy. He's not sure what happened. He's not sure why it happened. But he does know he's thankful to have survived.

Carroll says Sparta deal .will happen' Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:58 EDT

SPARTA . If Bruton Smith is having second thoughts about buying Kentucky Speedway, it's all news to track founder Jerry Carroll.

Speculation arose this week that Bruton's Speedway Motorsports Inc. may not complete its purchase of the Sparta track after Bill Brooks, SMI's chief financial officer, said during a conference call with financial analysts Wednesday he couldn't definitively answer whether the company had decided to move forward with the deal by its Aug. 18 deadline.

But prior to the running of Saturday's Meijer Indy 300, the last race at Kentucky Speedway under his ownership, Carroll said Brooks' statements were simply legalese and that the deal was as good as done.

.Between Oct.1 and Oct. 15 we'll close this deal out. I have no doubt in my mind that the deal will happen,. Carroll said. .Something would have to really blow up not to close the deal. If you're legally trying to do this deal, Bill Brooks had nothing else he could say. If he said, .Yes we're going to close,' then all the legal documents had to be done and he was making the commitment that it was done. There were certain papers that have to be filed.

'Diving queen' does her part to maintain China's dominance Sun, 10 Aug 2008 13:47 EDT
Soon Chinese diver Guo Jingjing will retire to a life of endorsing products, dancing at nightclubs and dodging paparazzi without the burden of training eight hours a day.

But first, she will do her part for China, the country that made her a star. She began Sunday by winning the three-meter synchronized final with partner Wu Minxia, starting what she and her fans hope will be a sweep of eight gold medals for Chinese divers.

Guo, as famous here as basketball player Yao Ming and hurdler Liu Xiang, won the third Olympic gold of her career. She's also favored to defend her Olympic title in the three-meter individual final.

Guo and Wu performed with exacting delicacy to win by a commanding margin with a total of 343.50 points. Their height off the board and acrobatics in the air impressed a partisan crowd at the Water Cube. Even their humility was synchronized. After each dive, they bowed to the judges and spectators.

Russia's Julia Pakhalina and Anastasia Pozdnyakova finished second with 323.61 points. The bronze medal came down to the last dive, on which Germany's Heike Fischer and Ditte Kotzian scored 4.5 points more than American's Kelci Bryant and Ariel Rittenhouse.

Curtis on top through PGA's third round Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:07 EDT
Ben Curtis put himself 18 holes from snatching another major championship.

A long shot who won the 2003 British Open with an implausible last-day rally, Curtis battled long and difficult Oakland Hills to shoot a 2-under 68 Sunday to take a one-shot lead over J.B. Holmes through 54 holes at the rain-delayed PGA Championship.

Curtis followed rounds of 73 and 67 and was at 2-under 208 heading into the final round.

Most of the field had to return to Oakland Hills on Sunday morning to complete the third round. The top three twosomes never even got a chance to tee off on Saturday before rain, lightning and thunder created ponds where there never were ponds at the old Donald Ross layout.

Curtis faced killing about 2 1/2 hours before teeing off in the final group for the final round.

Best of Beijing Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:10 EDT
Athletes of the day

Beach volleyball stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, gold medalists in Athens four years ago and three-time reigning world champions, play a live second-round match against a team from Cuba NBC's evening broadcast.

The pair have won 63 straight matches after Sunday's first-round win over a team from Japan. They are the tournament's top seed.

Treanor made news Saturday when President Bush visited the beach volleyball venue. She invited the President to smack her bikini-clad bottom for luck, but he refused, going for the lower back instead.

- Mike Persinger, Charlotte Observer

While you were sleeping: Overnight at the Games Sun, 10 Aug 2008 09:05 EDT
Being in China is kind of like Bizarro World, a Seinfeld-ian backward universe where "up is down, down is up, he says 'hello' when he leaves, 'goodbye' when he arrives" and you sleep when everybody is awake and are awake when everybody else was asleep.

You're just getting up; I'm just winding down.

While you were zzzzz-ing, this is what happened on Day 2 at the Olympics in Beijing:

U.S. women gymnasts qualify but... Chellsie Memmel fell off the uneven bars; Nastia Liukin landed on her backside in her bars routine; and Samantha Peszek, who twisted her left ankle in the last warm-up, performed only the uneven bars, meaning the U.S. had only four athletes, not five, in three of the four events. The U.S. qualified for Tuesday's team finals, with 246.8 points, but the Chinese scored 248.275.

Victory follows tragedy... The U.S. men's volleyball team took the court less than 24 hours after their coach's father-in-law was murdered by a knife-wielding assailant in Beijing. Hugh McCutcheon was not on the bench, but his spirit carried the third-seeded Americans to a 3-2 victory over Venezuela.

Murder-suicide blackens mood, but Games go on Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:30 EDT
BEIJING - They played without their head coach Sunday. They huddled in a moment of silence before the game began. They talked about their anger and their helplessness after the game was over.

This has been an awful and odd weekend for the U.S. men's volleyball team. Their head coach, Hugh McCutcheon, was pulled away from a Saturday practice after 20 minutes by an urgent phone call.

It was the sort of phone call we all dread, the one that changes your life for the worse a few seconds after you say hello. McCutcheon's father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was killed by a knife-wielding Chinese assailant Saturday at a popular Beijing tourist attraction called the Drum Tower. His mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, was stabbed and severely injured in the attack. She underwent eight hours of surgery Saturday and is listed in critical but stable condition at a Beijing hospital.

The Bachmans' daughter Elisabeth - a 2004 Olympian for the U.S. women's volleyball team - was with her parents at the time of the attack. She was not injured. Immediately after the attack, the lone assailant committed suicide by jumping off the Drum Tower.

It is a horrifying story. You can't wrap your mind around it.

American Phelps wins his first gold of Games in world-record time Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:57 EDT
The first swimming final of these Olympic Games, the 400-meter individual medley, didn't turn out to be the Michael Phelps-Ryan Lochte duel most anticipated.

Phelps v. Spitz, however, is very much on.

Phelps, the American swimmer with hopes of breaking Mark Spitz's Olympic record of seven gold medals in one Games, distanced himself from the field in the final 200 meters of Sunday's 400 IM final at the National Aquatics Center. And by the time he touched the wall, America's aqua man had obliterated his previous world record to win his first gold of the Games.

In the last final, 41-year-old Dara Torres anchored the U.S. women's 400-meter freestyle relay to a silver medal, becoming the oldest U.S. swimmer ever to medal. It was Torres' 10th Olympic medal overall, putting her two behind Jenny Thompson, whose 12 is the most for any U.S. Olympian in history.

Phelps' time of 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds was a full 2.32 seconds faster than silver medalist Laszlo Cseh of Hungary, and 1.41 seconds faster than the world record he set at the U.S. trials on June 29. Ryan Locthe won his second individual medal, finishing third in 4:08.09.

U.S. men's volleyball continues in wake of tragedy Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:20 EDT
BEIJING - In many ways, the U.S. men's volleyball match against Venezuela on Sunday afternoon was nothing special.

There were kills and digs and momentum swings in the Americans' 25-18, 25-18, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10 victory, just like any other match. The players didn't wear black arm bands, or leave their head coach's seat vacant, or write Hugh McCutcheon's initials on their shoes.

But as the players huddled together on the court before the match - something they had never done previously - their linked arms signified how close the murder of their coach's father-in-law has brought them. Through the noise of 11,000 fans at Capital Gymnasium, all the 12 players heard was silence.

"It's difficult in the Olympics to change protocol," USA captain Thomas Hoff said. "We know one thing: They're not going to start the game without us, and we wanted to have a moment of silence where we could gather our thoughts. ... It was a moment of silence to honor the Bachmans, Hugh's family. It's tough to change, but we wanted to do it."

McCutcheon was informed during Saturday's practice that his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, had been stabbed to death and his mother-in-law, Barbara, was being rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. McCutcheon's wife, Elisabeth, a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic women's volleyball team, was with her parents at the Drum Tower, a popular tourist site in Beijing, when they were attacked by a knife-wielding assailant. She was not injured.

The hard part of these Olympics . making sense of it all Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:40 EDT
BEIJING - The sky had been gray every day for a week in Beijing, gray from smog and haze, so there was something comforting about the rain on Sunday morning. Those scorching and cloudless gray days felt eerie and wrong. The rain made sense.

That's the hard part of these Olympic Games in China, making sense of it all. There has never in the history of the world been a bigger collection of games with more people watching and more countries competing and more money changing hands.

And still, there has been an overpowering sense of order. This is at the heart of China. Order. Soldiers seem to be braced at attention along every street in Beijing. The whole city feels locked down in a way that is different from past Olympics and Super Bowls. You cannot walk anywhere, it seems without getting redirected or patted down.

Then on Saturday afternoon, in the heart of the city, by the ancient Drum Tower, a Chinese man with a knife killed Todd Bachman, the father-in-law of the United States men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, the father of 2004 Olympic volleyball player Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon. The killer severely injured Bachman's wife Barbara and their Chinese tour guide. He then jumped to his death from the second story of the tower.

There's no way to make sense of this sort of tragedy, of course. Attacks on foreigners are almost unheard of in China. In the aftermath, there were only vague questions: How could this happen? Was this part of something larger? Was this a direct attack on Americans or a vicious but aimless attack? What was this all about?

Phelps turns in spine-tingling performance in Water Cube Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:35 EDT
BEIJING-The Water Cube is the perfect habitat for Michael Phelps, who truly must be some sort of amphibious creature.

How else to explain the way he swamped the field, and his world record in the 400 individual medley on Sunday morning?

Phelps began his quest for eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics with a smooth victory in the race that was supposed to be his toughest.

Phelps felt sluggish at dawn, warming up at the Athletes' Village pool, where he begged his coach to let the Beijing 400 IM be his last. He doesn't want to suffer through the pain of it anymore.

But once he got to the Cube, his skin began to tingle.

Phelps wins gold, sets record: 1 down, 7 to go Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:35 EDT
Michael Phelps got one of his toughest races out of the way, and it couldn't have been any easier.

With President Bush cheering him on, Phelps dominated his first event of the Beijing Olympics on Sunday morning, crushing his own world record and all hopes of his challengers with a mark of 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds in the 400-meter individual medley.

This was thought to be a potential stumbling block in Phelps' quest to win eight gold medals after fellow American and good friend Ryan Lochte matched him stroke for stroke at the U.S. Olympic trials just over a month ago. Both went under the previous world record in the 400 IM then, with Phelps touching first in 4:05.25.

But Phelps beat Lochte when it really mattered. Laszlo Cseh of Hungary took the silver in 4:06.16, while Lochte faded to third in 4:08.09 - more than 4 seconds behind the amazing Phelps.

"I'm pretty happy. That was a pretty emotional race," Phelps said. "I knew it was going to be a tough race all the way through."

Smashing debut: Phelps sets world mark to win gold medal No. 1 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:30 EDT
BEIJING - Was this really supposed to be Michael Phelps' most difficult race to win? Some folks suggested that, but it sure didn't turn out that way as he motored to gold medal No. 1 at the Beijing Games.

Meanwhile, Dara Torres, the 41-year-old who has energized the "older folks," picked up a silver medal as part of the women's 4x100 meter relay team.

Phelps got the day in the pool started in sledgehammer fashion, as he won the 400-meter individual medley by smashing his own world record with a time of 4 minutes, 3.84 seconds. Nobody really challenged him but the clock itself.

"I wanted to go 4:03; I didn't know if I would," said Phelps, whose previous world record was the 4:05.25 he swam at the U.S. trials early this summer in Omaha, Neb. "To be honest, I didn't really feel that great. Going into the ready room, I started getting these kind of like chills up my body. And right then and there, I knew I was starting to get more and more excited."

It showed in the pool, as Phelps dominated the race. He had swam a time of 4:07.82 in the prelims the day before, which set an Olympic record. But his race in the final blew that one away.

A day after tragedy, U.S. volleyball team posts opening victory Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:25 EDT
Playing without its head coach and embroiled in emotion, the U.S. men's volleyball team edged Venezuela in its Olympic opener Sunday.

Head coach Hugh McCutcheon was not at the opener, and it's unclear whether he will be back for any of the squad's games. His father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was killed by a knife-wielding Chinese assailant Saturday, and his mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, was severely injured in the attack. She underwent eight hours of surgery Saturday and is listed in critical but stable condition at a Beijing hospital.

The Bachmans' daughter Elisabeth - a 2004 Olympian for the U.S. women's volleyball team - was with her parents at the time of the attack at the tourist attraction called the Drum Tower but was not injured. She and her husband have been at the hospital most of the time since.

After the attack, the assailant committed suicide by jumping off the Drum Tower.

"We may see him," U.S. team captain Thomas Hoff said of McCutcheon. "We may not. He's got priorities and needs to take care of those things."

U.S. men edge Venezuela on emotional day Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:25 EDT
BEIJING - Playing without its head coach and embroiled in emotion, the U.S. men's volleyball team edged Venezuela in its Olympic opener Sunday.

Head coach Hugh McCutcheon was not at the opener, and it's unclear whether he will be back for any of the squad's games. His father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was killed by a knife-wielding Chinese assailant Saturday, and his mother-in-law, Barbara Bachman, was severely injured in the attack. She underwent eight hours of surgery Saturday and is listed in critical but stable condition at a Beijing hospital.

The Bachmans' daughter Elisabeth - a 2004 Olympian for the U.S. women's volleyball team - was with her parents at the time of the attack at the tourist attraction called the Drum Tower but was not injured. She and her husband have been at the hospital most of the time since.

After the attack, the assailant committed suicide by jumping off the Drum Tower.

"We may see him," U.S. team captain Thomas Hoff said of McCutcheon. "We may not. He's got priorities and needs to take care of those things."

Garcia on top after 9 holes in PGA's final round Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:42 EDT
Sergio Garcia was just nine holes from being able to finally shake the tag of "best player to never win a major."

Garcia held a one-shot lead over Ben Curtis, who already has his major, as the leaders made the turn in Sunday's final round of the PGA Championship at wet and chilly Oakland Hills.

Curtis, the surprise winner of the 2003 British Open at Royal St. George's, had been playing keepaway with the lead. Leading by a shot after returning to the course to play the third round early on Sunday, Curtis was on top by as many as three strokes after birdieing the first hole.

But Garcia opened with three consecutive 3s - for a birdie, an eagle and a par - to get within a shot. A birdie at the drivable, 294-yard, par-4 sixth briefly gave the Spaniard a share of the lead, only to have the unflappable Curtis birdie the same hole moments later in the final grouping.

But Curtis then bogeyed the uphill, against-the-wind eighth, falling into a tie with Garcia, who has finished in the top three in a major four times. As Garcia moved to the 10th hole, Curtis encountered more problems on the par-3 ninth, driving into a greenside bunker and then failing to get on the green with his shot out. The 31-year-old Ohioan's bogey dropped him a shot off the lead.

Can you say Vanderkaay? U.S. counting on lesser-known swimmers Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:12 EDT
When Michael Phelps is setting up for Olympic history, Dara Torres is making 41 the new 21 and fancy swimsuits are helping reset world records almost daily, it is easy to see how a handful of notable U.S. swimming feats might slip by unnoticed these days.

Such was the case at last month's Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. It was there that Peter Vanderkaay, Alex Vanderkaay, Christian Vanderkaay and Dane Vanderkaay made the Qwest Center their family pool for a week.

The four brothers from Michigan all competed in the trials. Only Peter made the Olympic team, but having Peter and his brothers all swimming at that level was considered quite the accomplishment for the family.

"That's probably the most incredible part, that all of us kind of stuck with it," Peter said. "That doesn't happen a lot."

Perhaps more incredible to the brothers is that Peter developed into the elite swimmer of the group.

Bring on the French! Phelps set for next showdown Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:07 EDT
Michael Phelps left Ryan Lochte in his wake.

Bring on the French!

With no room for error in his quest to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals, Phelps and three American teammates headed into perhaps the toughest obstacle of all on Monday morning: a showdown in the 400-meter freestyle relay against France, a team led by world record holder Alain Bernard.

"That's going to be a fun one," Phelps said.

The French believe they can ruin Phelps' hopes of going eight-for-eight in a country where eight is considered a lucky number. They've certainly got reason to be confident, putting up the best time of the year until a backup American squad broke the world record in the preliminaries on Sunday night.

'So exciting': Torres' coach Lohberg cheers from hospital bed Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:02 EDT
Of all the Americans who watched on television Saturday night as 41-year-old Dara Torres won an Olympic silver medal in the 4x100 relay, none was as moved as her coach Michael Lohberg, who is fighting for his life in a hospital bed in Bethesda, Md.

Lohberg was supposed to be in Beijing with Torres and seven other Olympians he coaches at the Coral Springs Aquatic Center, but the week before his flight to China, he was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder that can be fatal if not treated aggressively.

He flew to Maryland and received blood transfusions at the National Institutes of Health. Though he is still in delicate condition, "far from being out of the woods," he has been coaching from his bed. He has a television and his laptop computer inches away, and said he has been in constant contact with Torres and his other swimmers on his cell phone.

"I watched Dara's relay and it was so exciting," he said. "She did as I expected. She was her typical self, just phenomenal. Very few people have what she has. Tiger Woods. Michael Phelps. Dara. They are so special. You put a 41-year-old to anchor the relay and she swims the second-fastest time in history? That's out there. She's amazing."

Lohberg spoke to Torres hours after the race and she told him she still couldn't believe she won a 10th Olympic medal. "I told her I wasn't surprised at all," he said. "I expected nothing less." They mapped out the rest of her week. He also spoke to German swimmer Anna Poleska, who races Wednesday, and he consoled a swimmer who lost in the semifinals of his event.

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