Goodpasture girls coach in hospital after collapse

Goodpasture girls basketball Coach Joey Spann was taken to the hospital after collapsing during halftime of his team's Region 5-AA quarterfinal game at David Lipscomb on Friday.

Goodpasture president Ricky Perry said Spann, 59, was in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was likely to have heart bypass surgery today.

"The outpouring of support from people visiting the medical center has been overwhelming, in a good way," Perry said.

Goodpasture was leading 14-12. Plans to finish the game had not yet been determined Friday night.

Shortly before the start of the second half, Spann was returning to the bench from the locker room when he fell suddenly in front of the scorer's table.

He lay motionless before medical staff were able to revive him. Spann was awake and speaking as paramedics arrived soon after and transported him.

"This was something you don't expect," Lipscomb Coach Ernie Smith said. "You just don't know what to do right now."

Players and coaches of both teams gathered in the locker room to pray as Spann was treated.

"We've been rivals before, but this supersedes all that," Smith said.

Sycamore 66, M.L. King 65: Andrea Segroves hit a 3-pointer with seconds left in Sycamore's (19-10) Region 5-AA quarterfinal win over M.L. King (11-17). She finished with 15 points. Sydney Sims scored 29 points and hit six 3-pointers for M.L. King.

CPA 40, Westmoreland 32: Region 5-AA top seed CPA (27-5) outscored No. 4 seed Westmoreland (23-9) 14-4 in the fourth quarter. Meredith Roman led CPA with 12 points.

Macon Co. 82, Whites Creek 60: Kelsey Gregory and Katie Reid scored 18 points each to lead Macon County (25-3) in the Region 5-AA quarterfinals. Tanya Willis scored 21 points for Whites Creek (10-15).

Vandy women haven't yet secured bye

In seven of the eight seasons that Vanderbilt has made the SEC Women's Tournament final, it has avoided a first-round game.

Earning that bye for next week's tournament at Bridgestone Arena will come down to the regular-season finale.

Vanderbilt squandered a chance to clinch a top four seed on senior night Friday, falling to Florida 74-69. It was Vanderbilt's third consecutive loss at Memorial Gym, after opening the season 12-0 at home.

Vanderbilt (18-10, 9-6) still is fourth in the SEC , the last spot awarded a bye, but it likely needs to win Sunday at South Carolina to finish there or better. The only way it can lose and earn a bye is if LSU upsets Tennessee and Auburn upsets Kentucky. That would create a four-way tie with South Carolina, LSU and Auburn at 9-7, and Vanderbilt would win that tiebreaker.

If South Carolina and Vanderbilt are the only teams tied for fourth, South Carolina would finish fourth based on winning the only meeting between the teams this season.

"We're not going to add on pressure, because pressure makes you feel bad," forward Tiffany Clarke said. "But it's important to us. It's hard playing those consecutive games when you don't have the bye."

Florida (16-13, 6-9) snapped a seven-game losing streak to Vanderbilt and avenged a 103-97 double-overtime loss Feb. 6.

Jordan Jones led Florida with 16 points, and Christina Foggie paced the Commodores with 15.

The game began 21 hours after its scheduled 8 p.m. Thursday start time. Vanderbilt officials pushed the game back because of storms Thursday night.

An announced crowd of 4,429 showed up a day later to see the home finale for seniors Jence Rhoads, Hannah Tuomi and Rebecca Silinski. Rhoads, who had been day-to-day with a sprained ankle, had 13 points in a team-high 37 minutes.

Florida forward and McGavock graduate Ndidi Madu had six points in the second half after struggling in the first half.

"I had McGavock teachers, my dad, my brother, my cousins, my grandma … everybody came out to support me," Madu said. "I had the nervous jitters because I wanted to play good. Once I calmed down, everything fell into place."

Vols' game will be broadcaster's last

STARKVILLE, Miss. — After nearly six decades, Mississippi State radio broadcaster Jack Cristil will retire as the voice of the Bulldogs.

The 85-year-old Cristil announced the decision after LSU beat Mississippi State 84-82 on Wednesday night.

Cristil cited health issues, saying he needed kidney dialysis that required immediate attention. He says Saturday's game against Tennessee will be his last.

"All good things, as they say in the trade, must come to an end sooner or later," Cristil said during Wednesday's postgame show. "Please accept my genuine, my honest and heartfelt thank you for the kindness that you have displayed to me during my 58 years. It has been one genuine pleasure to be associated with such a magnificent university."

He was hired before the 1953 football season and has been a fixture on Mississippi State radio broadcasts over the past 58 years.

He added basketball play-by-play duties in 1957 and has broadcast more than 2,000 MSU athletic events during his career — or roughly 60 percent of football games and 55 percent of basketball games in the school's history. His voice is the only one many Mississippi State fans have ever known in radio broadcasts.

Jim Ellis, who has worked with Cristil during broadcasts since 1979, said Cristil's professionalism was his greatest asset. Cristil was known for his sometimes biting remarks, especially when things weren't going well for the Bulldogs.

Ellis recalled some advice Cristil gave when the two first started working together.

"He said 'We try to give the true picture of what's happening at the ballgame. We don't try to sugarcoat it or make it look like what it's not. We just tell folks what's happening and then they can make their own decision as to what they think about it," Ellis said.

Ellis will take over play-by-play duties for the remainder of the men's basketball season. Mississippi State said a permanent replacement will be selected after the season.

Cristil, a Memphis native, has been named the Mississippi Sportscaster of the Year 21 times and was named the SEC Broadcaster of the Year in 1988. In 1992, he was given the Ronald Reagan Lifetime Achievement Award and also inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.

Cricket World Cup 2011: Bangladesh v India live

Email rod.gilmour@telegraph.co.uk if you think Bangladesh will do a Holland.

OVER 14: Bangladesh 90/1 Iqbal 23* Siddique 18*
Bangladesh continue to eke out streaky runs behind square. Harbhajan can't stop Siddique this time, whose inside edge yields four more.

OVER 13: Bangladesh 84/1 Iqbal 22* Siddique 13*
A collective sigh of relief in Dhaka as Siddique miscues a pull off Munaf. It skies to mid-on and Yousuf races round before bouncing out of his hand. Harsh, but it's a dropped catch.

OVER 12: Bangladesh 79/1 Iqbal 20* Siddique 10*
Here comes the Turbanator, Harbhajan Singh into the attack. Round the wicket to Siddique and a tidy over warrants two singles.

OVER 11: Bangladesh 77/1 Iqbal 19* Siddique 9*
Powerplay has been taken and Juna's email stutters Tamim into life with a lofted drive for four back over Munaf's head. Then, a couple of defensive strokes before Tamim unleashes his second boundary of the over with a Sehwag-like punched drive off the backfoot. Proper Swiss timing that.

Juna emails from Houston. "Iqbal will lead us to victory. Please forget his quiet start!"

OVER 10: Bangladesh 68/1 Iqbal 11* Siddique 8*
Tavaré Iqbal still can't find his timing. I don't think I can recall seeing him start an innings as sedately as this (nine off 20 balls). All the same, he's still at the crease and, with every over that passes, is only a good thing for the host's chances.

OVER 9: Bangladesh 64/1 Iqbal 8* Siddique 7*
Munaf continues and Siddique keeps Tamim in the shade with a gargantuan wix over midwicket. Yusuf Pathan tries his level best to attempt a catch (never on) and clatters into the advertising hoardings in the process full tilt. The physio is on, there's a brake in play before Siddique sees out the rest of the over. 0,0,6,0,0,0.

OVER 8: Bangladesh 56/1 Iqbal 6* Siddique 1*
Zaheer's first ball of his fourth returns another lbw appeal, this time flatly turned down. Zaheer is finding some good line and movement under the lights here.

WICKET! Imrul Kayes b Patel 34

What a shame. Kayes plays on with a late cut which really should have been sent to the boundary. Spotlight back on Iqbal now, for the umpteenth time.

OVER 7: Bangladesh 56/1 Iqbal 6* Siddique 0*
Munaf Patel predictably takes over from the wayward Sreesanth.

OVER 6: Bangladesh 55/0 Kayes 34* Iqbal 6*
Imrul Kayes was the fifth highest run-scorer in ODI cricket last year. And the 24 year-old is making Tamim look like Tavaré at the moment. Khan, though, puts the brakes on with a solid over.

OVER 5: Bangladesh 51/0 Kayes 30* Iqbal 6*
It's surely too early for a Bollywood script. Two young Bangladesh openers at the crease and Sreesanth can't find his radar. Four cracked boundaries and all too Kayes. A cut, a classy upper drive, a swing to square leg, too many shots to write about... 1,4,4,4 (no ball),0,4,5 wides,1 brings up 24 runs off the over. Sreesanth looks up to the heavens.

OVER 4: Bangladesh 27/0 Kayes 13* Iqbal 5*
Zaheer has yet to fire and is oblivious to the raucous atmosphere being created here. Kayes bludgeons Khan's last delivery for four.

OVER 3: Bangladesh 21/0 Iqbal 4* Kayes 9*
A fiery Sreesanth bowling to a cacaphonic Dhaka crowd brings back the atmosphere. The Indian, though, sees Kayes garner two boundaries off his first three deliveries. Sreesanth has surely reached boiling point. Next over should be interesting.

OVER 2: Bangladesh 13/0 Iqbal 4* Kayes 1*
Zaheer Khan makes his first entrance. A semi-decent offering despite four leg byes off Kayes' pads. 7.5 runs per over needed.

OVER 1: Bangladesh 8/0 Iqbal 4* Kayes 0*
Here we go then. Bangladesh need 51 more than they have ever scored before in a limited overs game and the hosts get off to a decent start. The dangerous Tamim Iqbal starts with a legside clip for four before an almighty, typical;y robust lbw appeal from Sreesanth which brings the first referral of this World Cup. It misses leg stump by a mere fraction. An inch left and Bangladesh's hopes would have gone up with the Dhaka evening mist.

OVER 50: India 370/4 Kohli 100*
Kohli takes a single off the first ball and then has to wait, somewhat impatiently, for the next three balls as Pathan can't find a run. Kohli is back on strike next delivery and takes the single which hands him his first World Cup ton. Pathan is then caught behind off the last ball of the innings. So what. The damage has been done by Sehwag and Kohli and it will surely prove a very big toss to lose!

See you in a while but here's Kohli (there's going to be more of his words over the coming years, too):

"I decided to play myself in and then me and Virender decided to go after them. I was very nervous going into the game against Bangladesh. But it was a good start for me and I told Virender to go for a double-hundred, he's just an amazing player. I really enjoyed myself."

WICKET! YK Pathan c Mushfiqur Rahim b Shafiul Islam 8

OVER 49: India 365/3 Kohli 98* Pathan 5*
Hossain complements Shakib with a decent over, just seven from it but 53 off his previous nine. Kohli needs just two more for his deserved ton.

OVER 48: India 358/3 Kohli 94* Pathan 0*
An otherwise tidy over from Shakib who yields just four runs. But the damage has been done.

WICKET! Sehwag b Shakib Al Hasan 175

A weary shot but not before an epic innings. Sehwag is clean bowled but 175 in the opening game has set up India's tournament. He rarely looked in trouble and he walks off with his runner with the man-of-the-match award firmly in his backpocket, you would think. A continuing class act.

OVER 47: India 354/2 Sehwag 175* Kohli 92*
I refer you to over 26 for my thoughts on Kohli as he continues to impress here. The question is whether he will get to his 100 and Sehwag to a record ODI score before the 50 overs are up. A low full toss and Sehwag sends a poor last delivery from Hossain back over the hapless Bangladeshi's head.

OVER 46: India 340/2 Sehwag 169* Kohli 87*
Thanks Giles, who is off for a herbal tea and to reflect on Bangladesh's Nasser-like decision to insert. Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan is inching closer to his final over which I assume he is relishing. India are racing towards 400 which is becoming a realistic prospect in this glorified net session.

OVER 45: India 331/2 Sehwag 168* Kohli 81*
Bangladesh look like they have given up, resigned to having to chase a mammoth total. Sehwag smashes the leather off the ball with a six over the bowler's head, into the second tier of the stands. Nothing terribly wrong with the delivery, just a magnificent shot.

OVER 44: India 319/2 Sehwag 158* Kohli 79*
Sehwag top-edges down to the third-man boundary for two runs, he's really freeing his arms now. Luck is on hs side but for how long? Maybe Kirsten's record won't be beaten. Kholi hammers the ball for four past wide long-on. Hardly a murmour from the Bangladesh crowd. Ball change, which is a good thing. The other one was so discoloured you could hardly pick it up.

OVER 43: India 308/2 Sehwag 155* Kohli 71*
The highest individual score in a Cricket World Cup is by former South Africa opener, and now India coach, Gary Kirsten with 188. Sehwag should easily pass this. Both batsmen seem to be slogging now, but there's an artistry to it from Sehwag. Only seven from that over.

OVER 42: India 301/2 Sehwag 152* Kohli 67*
Sehwag passes 150. And Kholi joins in the fun by wellying Mahmudullah for six. It's almost Twenty20 cricket this. 2, 2, 1, 6, 4 and the final delvery is a.... single. 16 off the over.

OVER 41: India 285/2 Sehwag 147* Kohli 56*
Sehwag thumps the first ball straight into Kholi's right hand. His partrner just saved Bangladesh two runs there. That must have stung. Next ball from Naeem Islam is smashed for six over the long-on boundary.

OVER 40: India 276/2 Sehwag 139* Kohli 55*
Bangladesh's bowlers are offering absolutely no threat whatsoever. Mahmudullah's slow balls are being pitched far too short, enabling both Sehwag and Kholi to simply rock back and cut the ball away to the offside for easy ones and twos.

OVER 39: India 272/2 Sehwag 137* Kohli 53*
Bangladesh's fielding is getting very sloppy. Sehwag "spoons" the ball back over the bowlers head off the final ball of the over, once bounce and four. It was a very good spoon, though, maybe more of a backfoot drive.

OVER 38: India 265/2 Sehwag 132* Kohli 51*
Sehwag has a runner out there (Ghambir), so it looks like that blow on the knee might be more serious than suggested. It's stand and deliver time. Kholi brings up his 50 with a quick single, his 13th ODI fifty. Everything is coming off for India at the moment and even a lame Sehwag is dominating Bangladesh. Kholi has just inside-edged straight into his nether regions. No sympathy from Bangladesh as the batsman catches his breath.

OVER 37: India 261/2 Sehwag 130* Kohli 49*
Sehwag receives treatment from the physio out in the middle before a ball is bowled after being stuck on the knee the previous over. Thankfully for the Indians he is ok. Audible groan from Bangladesh supporters. And Sehwag brings up the 250 with a thumping shot off Abdur Razzak down the ground, two bounces and four. Next ball is a towering six, clearing the boundary by 15-20 yards.

OVER 36: India 245/2 Sehwag 115* Kohli 48*
At the current rate India are going they will reach 346 by the end of their 50 overs. Sehwag nearly cuts the ball down onto his own stumps first ball of the over. Bit of luck there, but none for Bangladesh. Rubel Hossain is looking to pepper Sehwag with a few inswinging short balls but there isn't the pace in the pitch.

OVER 35: India 241/2 Sehwag 109* Kohli 52*
Shafiul Islam on and - four! Too full and Sehwag treats it with contempt. Powerplay is in force as Shafiul looks bereft of where to bowl to Sehwag, who finishes the over with a mighty six off a full toss. and here's the intrepid Giles Mole to take you through the next few overs.

OVER 34: India 224/2 Sehwag 104* Kohli 41*
Hossain back into the fray to start his sixth over and India muster four from it. That's drinks and the lights are summoned.

OVER 33: India 219/2 Sehwag 102* Kohli 38*
Kohli is taking over Gambhir's mantle with ease. He finds three boundaries, 14 runs from the over and enough evidence to suggest that Sehwag will now launch himself into the Tigers' attack.

Satya, from Chandur, predicts India will "get above 450", while Sehwag surpass 200 runs unbeaten, according to Shariph Alam in Hyderabad.

OVER 32: India 204/2 Sehwag 101* Kohli 24*
That's it! Sehwag scores one of the easiest ODI tons, off 94 balls, that you are ever likely to see. An early onslaught left us wondering if we would witness another quick-fire innings but he has been very mindful today on a slow, semi-lifeless pitch. Well deserved.

OVER 31: India 198/2 Sehwag 99* Kohli 20*
A sedate over! Four singles as Sehwag edges towards 100. We're all set for it and the Tigers know it.

OVER 30: India 194/2 Sehwag 97* Kohli 18*
Sehwag opens the bat with more face than a catwalk model and finds four behind point. Clever shot that.

Harish, in Banglalore, says that "Sehwag is on for 200 and India will easily score 350 without any hitches!" With no hitches, they should be heading to 400, surely!

OVER 29: India 186/2 Sehwag 91* Kohli 18*
A myriad of runs in Mirpur. Another 10 for India, too. Kohli is into his stride with a four to fine leg but it's his three through the off-side which earns the plaudits, interestingly some decent applause from the Dhaka crowd.

OVER 28: India 176/2 Sehwag 89* Kohli 10*
Kohli carves his first four with a timely drive through mid-off as India muster 10 runs off Mahmudullah's third over.

OVER 27: India 166/2 Sehwag 87* Kohli 5*
Shafiul Islam is back into the attack after an indifferent start to his World Cup. The 21 year-old mixes it up well, too. A yorker, slow off-cutter and a slowish bouncer which nearly finds its way onto Kohli's stumps.

OVER 26: India 164/2 Sehwag 86* Kohli 4*
Kohli looks equally comfortable early doors. I'm also earmarking him as one to watch in this tournament but not before Sehwag scores the first World Cup ton, which is surely imminent.

OVER 25: India 160/2 Sehwag 85* Kohli 2*
A wicket means nowt to Sehwag who carves a rank ball from Razzak over the legside for four. Seven off it and India continue their long strides towards 300 at the halfway mark of this opening contest.

OVER 24: India 153/2 Sehwag 79* Kohli 1*
Well, well, well. Not sure what Gambhir was doing there, essentially missing a straight one. Kohli, who has come into the side at the expense of Suresh Raina, enters the fray and sees off the rest of the over.

WICKET! Gambhir b Mahmudullah 39 INDIA 152/2

Mahmudullah comes on and his second ball sees Gambhir attempt to flick the ball to mid-wicket. Decent flight and Gambhir completely misreads the line and is bowled through the gate.

OVER 23: India 151/1 Sehwag 78* Gambhir 39*
Gambhir cuts for four before the obligatory singles ensue. All too easy still.

OVER 22: India 141/1 Sehwag 74* Gambhir 33*
Five off Shakib's latest effort as Sehwag moves closer to one of the easiest hundred's in ODI cricket. A breeze in Bangladesh!

OVER 21: India 135/1 Sehwag 70* Gambhir 31*
Methodical Gambhir. He's reached 30 without any trouble at all. A chip here, a dab there. Perfect complement to Sehwag's exploits and India are scoring off virtually every ball now.

OVER 20: India 129/1 Sehwag 68* Gambhir 27*
Gambhir dances down the wicket as if he's dodging the famed Dhaka traffic and finds four through mid-wicket, reducing the crowd to a John Player League Sunday atmosphere.

OVER 19: India 120/1 Sehwag 66* Gambhir 20*
No boundary for five overs now. Both Indians look happy enough with nudges and nurdles with some suspect feet movement from Gambhir to boot.

OVER 18: India 115/1 Sehwag 64* Gambhir 17*
Shakib gives Bangladesh reason for optimism with some flighted spin. No breakthrough though.

OVER 17: India 113/1 Sehwag 63* Gambhir 16*
Naeem offers no problems to Gambhir and Sehwag as the former starts to use his feet. India are extremely comfortable at the moment, the perfect start to their pre-tournament tag as favourites.

OVER 16: India 107/1 Sehwag 61* Gambhir 12*
Shakib into his third over and India are more sedate. Just the three singles as Gambhir continues to find his stride. That's drinks. Great start from India. With their lengthy batting line up, 330 plus looks a decent bet.

OVER 15: India 104/1 Sehwag 60* Gambhir 10*
Six! The first of the tournament. Sehwag skips two paces and launches a lofted drive over long-on off Razzak. That's his 50 as India then pass 100. We're in the power play by the way.

OVER 14: India 92/1 Sehwag 49* Gambhir 9*
Al Hasan continues and four singles from it. Gambhir uses his wrists while Sehwag uses his feet. I sense some fireworks.

OVER 13: India 87/1 Sehwag 46* Gambhir 7*
Not sure that's the best decision. Shafiul Islam is back on and both Indians help themselves to two boundaries: a Sehwag whip and a Gambhir cut. Islam's figures 3-0-33-0. Incidentally, Sachin has also been run out 33 times now.

OVER 12: India 74/1 Sehwag 41* Gambhir 0*
Shakib Al Hasan is on and Sehwag gives himself plenty of room and finds four through point. Gambhir then fends off the rest of the over.

OVER 11: India 69/1 Sehwag 36* Gambhir 0*
Amazing how rival Asian nations show such little appreciation for boundaries. Sehwag struck two majestic legside fours before Sachin's mix-up with the Tigers' fans answering with tumbleweed. Gambhir enters the fray for the last ball.

Tendulkar run out (Shakib) 28

Dreadful mix-up. The run wasn't on as Tendulkar pushes to mid-on and sets off. Sehwag - no contempt for India's greatest batsman - abruptly sends the maestro back and is run-out by a mile. Tendulkar's mistake.

OVER 10: India 60/0 Sehwag 27* Tendulkar 28*
Hossain again finds his length but the Indian openers still find seven from it as Sachin tucks, nips and digs off his legs and pads. Hossain surely set for a rest now. Good comeback 5-0-28-0.

OVER 9: India 53/0 Sehwag 25* Tendulkar 24*
Nothing like relieving the pressure from a player with 21 years experience in the international arena. Sachin cracks four to the long-on boundary as India pass 50. It's the 16th partnership of that nature between these two greats. How many of those have been cracked before the 10th over?

OVER 8: India 48/0 Sehwag 25* Tendulkar 19*
Hossain and Razzak bowling extremely well in tandem here. No boundaries for five overs and Hossain's line is perfection. He gets an appreciative roar

OVER 7: India 46/0 Sehwag 24* Tendulkar 18*
Razzak offers some flight in his second over and Sehwag, who has hogged most of the last three overs, again defends. You sense frustration from Sehwag and he almost offers a caught and bowled chance off the last delivery. More singles than the Beatles at the moment.

OVER 6: India 42/0 Sehwag 22* Tendulkar 17*
Hossein has been spared an early breather and continues his third over. Just the four singles as Sehwag is forced on the back foot and is happy to nudge. Everyone can breathe, for now, but at least the tentative opening from the Bangladesh opening bowlers has been quelled.

OVER 5: India 38/0 Sehwag 20* Tendulkar 16*
.. as spinner Abdur Razzag comes into the attack. Tendulkar and Sehwag pick up a run apiece with a couple of watchful singles. Sehwag's mind looks on song today.

OVER 4: India 36/0 Sehwag 19* Tendulkar 15*
A menial four runs from the fourth over as Rubel Hossain offers a better line. The Indian openers have cut the decibels in half and it brings the first bowling change of the tournament.

OVER 3: India 32/0 Sehwag 18* Tendulkar 13*
Only eight from that one. Tendulkar helps himself to two more boundaries, interspersed with some welcome line and length from Islam. 300 plus is already on the cards here.

OVER 2: India 24/0 Sehwag 18* Tendulkar 5*
Time for a first look at Sehwag's partner, one Sachin Tendulkar. The Little Master clips one off his hips for four first up, impeccable timing. A single to get the legs warmed up ensues before Sehwag cracks his third four back past Hossain.

OVER 1: India 12/0 Sehwag 12* Tendulkar 0*
Sehwag couldn't give a stuff for Bangladesh hosting this opener. He carves 12 off Shafiul Islam's first over, including a gentle push through the covers to the boundary off the first ball. It's the way he plays and will continue to do so. Great stuff.

Stat: If you wondering why Bangladesh inserted India, 19 of the last 24 matches here have been won by the side batting second.

0830: The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium looks a picture this morning. A classic sub-continent two-tiered bowl, it's full to the rafters and the national anthems are ringing out. The 30,000 Bangla fans are resplendent in Karate Kid bandanas and there are more than a few tigers in the throng too.

0820: Virat Kohli comes in ahead of the dangerous Suresh Raina for India. Like a production line, if one is out of touch another is waiting. India's XI is batting-heavy.

India: Sehwag, Tendulkar, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni, Pathan, Harbhajan, Zaheer, Sreesanth, Patel
Bangladesh: Tamim, Kayes, Siddique, Rahim, Shakib, Rakibul, Naeem, Mahmudullah, Razzak, Shafiul, Rubel

0805: So, Bangladesh take early honours by winning the toss and inserting India. Pads on for Sehwag and Tendulkar, playing his sixth World Cup. Can't wait.

0800: While we're waiting for the two teams and, no doubt, a spritely Ravi Shastri with the pre-match captain's thoughts, why not catch up with Ian Chadband on the Little Master. We also have an interactive guide at the ready, team-by-team guide and why England will surely do better than their disastrous 1996 effort.

0750: Shuprobhat, good morning and welcome to the World Cup opener. Of course, there's only six weeks left to go but if these two can serve up a classic then at least it might lob a few more days off the schedule as we catch our breath back.

For there is every reason to enjoy this one. There are 150 million passionate Bangladeshis relishing the contest (Dhaka was party central last night), Sachin Tendulkar is in town and leads a formidable line-up while Bangladesh have their own talent, 21 year-old Tamin Iqbal, at the ready.

And India have got revenge on their mind, too. At the last World Cup, Bangladesh hastened India's exit out of the Caribbean with only their second win over their neighbours. India have since had seven wins on the bounce since 2007, but that defeat in Trinidad hurt, not least for the tournament' sake and the millions of crazed Indian fans!

We will soon see whether India can live up to their billing of pre-tournament favourites.

Spanish media reaction to Arsenal's Champions League win over Barcelona

Guardiola played down last night's result, stressing confidence his side will progress in the competition. However, Julián Ruiz's take on things is that Barcelona are a team descending into crisis.

He writes in El Mundo: "In the second half, Barcelona were a team without spark or fluidity, a toy without batteries - the team was like a deflated doll.

"Messi looks to have lost the thread of his dynamite and Iniesta, the poor guy, looks like he is sleep-walking. I don't want to sound too opportunistic but I was ridiculed when I said Barcelona are a worse side that last year and above all two years ago.

"In this country everything has to be black and white; Barcelona are in crisis, that's the truth. Propaganda and fanaticism don't play a part."

Ruiz's colleague, Paco Cabezas, gives a slightly more balanced view of last night's match. Arsenal, he says, deserved the win but were helped by Guardiola's mistakes,

"However creative you are and however well you can play, great teams are built on triumphs and defeats. Arsene Wenger knows this all to well having gone six years without a title. And now Guardiola experienced a similar feeling in London.

"Arsenal imposed themselves on this match and I think won fairly thanks to their resistance and the initiative of Jack Wilshere. Guardiola, on the other hand, replaced Villa with Keita. At the time the team should have been taking steps forward, instead they backed down. A fatal decision from Pep."

Sport's Lluis Mascaro, in awe of what he witnessed at the Emirates, gives a straight-forward explanation to what went wrong for Barca; the referee and Guardiola.

"A lack of luck could be used an as excuse for defeat but the referee annulling a legal goal and not awarding a penalty also work. This argument sounds like an excuse but it's not. The other reality is that Guardiola was wrong to bring Keita on for Villa. A match they could have won 3-0 was lost. What a shame."

No surprises that Mascaro (together with 90 per cent of Spanish journalists writing about last night's match) makes reference to Cesc Fabregas and the 'will he won't he' join Barca saga.

Not everything came off for him last night but that hasn't dampened Mascaro's view.

"His football fits perfectly with Guardiola's system, he is a born winner and a natural replacement for Xavi. You cannot go to Chelsea, or Reak and in this case money does not matter. Cesc is priceless. Rosell must do whatever it takes, his future must be Blaugrana."

AS columnist Santi Gimenez has accused Barcelona of lacking fighting spirit to match their superb technique.

"There were two teams who needed the ball to play their game but there was only one ball, and the question came down as to how such a dilemma would unfold.

"Broadly, it unfolded like this: Barca had the ball but not the unbreakable spirit or faith that characterises wounded teams. And a wounded Englishman is very dangerous. And he knows how to fight back. And in the end strength overcame technique."

Barca gave a lesson in technique up to the 65th minute, he said. "Arsenal gave one in courage from then on."

Spain's leading daily, El Pais, said Barcelona called it a day in London before the final whistle, and little by little let the game slip away after the David Villa-Lionel Messi combination had given them a first-half lead.

"Even though Arsenal's goals came late, they played well and made an interesting come-back with dynamic, lively football," El Pais said.

"Wenger's boys are better and better footballers, they have definitively lost respect for Barcelona who yesterday were more administrative and less ambitious or, at least, more vulnerable and less punishing."

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas: Barcelona are the best team in history, and we beat them

Yet there was a period of last summer when, had you visited a bookmaker, you would have received shorter odds on Fabregas wearing the colours of Barcelona this season than Arsenal.

Fabregas had told Arsene Wenger that he wanted to return home, two formal offers had been tabled and Arsenal were left with the unappealing choice of a weakened team or an unhappy captain.

Wenger, though, had season-defining occasions like this at the forefront of his mind when he refused to compromise on one of his genuinely world-class players and backed himself to man-manage Fabregas through the storm.

This was also an occasion to provide answers to some of the questions Fabregas has surely been asking himself. Can he fulfil his ambitions with this young Arsenal squad? Would his hunger be diminished by not getting his way? And could he even get into the Barcelona team?

As was rather undiplomatically pointed out by Peter Hill-Wood, the Arsenal chairman, there remains considerable doubt over that final point. Of the three central positions that Fabregas could conceivably fill, two are filled by arguably the greatest midfielders of this current era in Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. The third is taken by a holding specialist, Sergio Busquets.

Yet, as he proved in the World Cup final, the great quality of Fabregas — an ability to spot and execute defence-splitting passes — is pretty much unrivalled. That was also evident with his first significant touch last night when he delightfully lifted the ball over Gerard Pique to present Robin van Persie with a chance that was ultimately smothered by Victor Valdes.

Fabregas is less comfortable in tight spaces than some of his former Barcelona team-mates, but his ability to drive forward into dangerous areas was often superior. That relentless energy was a catalyst for Arsenal’s second-half revival, with his pass also beginning the move for Andrei Arshavin’s goal.

Fabregas immediately acknowledged the huge progress that has been made at Arsenal since he was so publicly pursued by Barcelona. “They don’t lose many games and they are the best side in football history in my opinion,” he said. “But we have only played half of this tie.’’

Wenger added: ''We are not favourites now but we believe we have a chance and will go for it. Barcelona are still favourites but we know we can beat them, which we didn’t know last year.’’

Fabregas’s desire has been admirably undiminished by Wenger’s refusal to let him join Barcelona. Yes, there have been flashes of petulance but at no stage has there been any question over his willingness to put his body on the line for Arsenal. He again covered more distance last night than any of his team-mates. His leadership, so often questioned, was also hugely impressive.

Always running, always cajoling, the influence of Fabregas helped inspire Jack Wilshere. When tempers threatened to boil over, it was Fabregas who stepped in with calming words for his team-mates.

Indeed, as Barcelona predictably enjoyed over 60 per cent of possession, there must have been moments, even amid such a memorable victory, when Fabregas wondered what he would become in such a team. A placard among the away supporters that simply bore the word 'Cesc’ was designed to tug further at his heartstrings.

Intriguingly, though, it was Fabregas who also delivered the very message of patience that Wenger would have been preaching directly to him over the past year. “My friends [Carles] Puyol and Xavi didn’t win anything until they were 26,” he said. “They always remind me to be patient, it will come.”

His contract does not expire until 2015, which puts Arsenal in a strong position for at least the next two years. He could potentially lead this young team into a new era of success. And then, in 2012 or 2013, he can choose where he will fulfil the peak years of his career. Increasingly, that decision no longer feels like a foregone conclusion.

Injuries hit Preds hard at center

Before the season started, center ice was supposed to be a position of strength for the Predators.

Unless a trade or call-up cures Nashville's injury situation, it will continue to be a spot of scarcity.

The Predators announced Thursday that Marcel Goc will undergo season-ending surgery after injuring his shoulder on Feb. 17. It is the same shoulder he hurt on Oct. 16 that knocked him out of the lineup for six games.

Three of Nashville's four opening-night centers are now out for the season. Matthew Lombardi (concussion) still isn't symptom free, and Cal O'Reilly (broken fibula) is on crutches.

"Center ice has been really decimated, obviously with Lombardi and O'Reilly out for the season and Goc out for the season," Nashville Coach Barry Trotz said. "That was an area we're trying to strengthen all the time. It has been a challenge and guys will have to step up."

The Predators have yet to decide how they will address Goc's absence. An acquisition or a call-up from Milwaukee are possibilities.

"We've had (Matt) Halischuk up here, I think the coaches believe he can play. We've had Chris Mueller up here, I know the coaches believe he can play," General Manager David Poile said. "(Blake) Geoffrion has played really well of late."

Defense hunting?: With the trade deadline Monday, Poile said he is fielding calls from other teams. Nashville's potential wish list is unchanged: If Francis Bouillon can't return, the Predators could be in the market for a defenseman.

"Am I calling around and asking what's available on defense? The answer is yes," Poile said.

Jonathon Blum may make it harder to make a move for a defenseman. Blum played 21:24 and was one of two defensemen who finished even on the game.

"I thought he was outstanding tonight for a young guy in his second game — lots of poise," Trotz said.

Svatos claimed: The Senators claimed Nashville forward Marek Svatos off waivers. He had one goal and two assists in nine games for the Predators.

Happy returns: Defenseman Ryan Suter and forward Sergei Kostitsyn were in Nashville's lineup after missing Tuesday's loss. Suter had an upper-body injury. Kostitsyn's injury was undisclosed.

Goodpasture girls coach in hospital after collapse

Goodpasture girls basketball Coach Joey Spann was taken to the hospital after collapsing during halftime of his team's Region 5-AA quarterfinal game at David Lipscomb on Friday.

Goodpasture president Ricky Perry said Spann, 59, was in stable condition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was likely to have heart bypass surgery today.

"The outpouring of support from people visiting the medical center has been overwhelming, in a good way," Perry said.

Goodpasture was leading 14-12. Plans to finish the game had not yet been determined Friday night.

Shortly before the start of the second half, Spann was returning to the bench from the locker room when he fell suddenly in front of the scorer's table.

He lay motionless before medical staff were able to revive him. Spann was awake and speaking as paramedics arrived soon after and transported him.

"This was something you don't expect," Lipscomb Coach Ernie Smith said. "You just don't know what to do right now."

Players and coaches of both teams gathered in the locker room to pray as Spann was treated.

"We've been rivals before, but this supersedes all that," Smith said.

Sycamore 66, M.L. King 65: Andrea Segroves hit a 3-pointer with seconds left in Sycamore's (19-10) Region 5-AA quarterfinal win over M.L. King (11-17). She finished with 15 points. Sydney Sims scored 29 points and hit six 3-pointers for M.L. King.

CPA 40, Westmoreland 32: Region 5-AA top seed CPA (27-5) outscored No. 4 seed Westmoreland (23-9) 14-4 in the fourth quarter. Meredith Roman led CPA with 12 points.

Macon Co. 82, Whites Creek 60: Kelsey Gregory and Katie Reid scored 18 points each to lead Macon County (25-3) in the Region 5-AA quarterfinals. Tanya Willis scored 21 points for Whites Creek (10-15).

Minor league hockey coach loses shirt

A bad call made one assistant hockey coach lose more than his cool – he lost his shirt.

And shoes, too.

Greg Pankewicz, an assistant coach for the Colorado Eagles professional hockey team, started stripping after a referee pushed an Eagles player in a game earlier this week.

While it's unclear exactly what angered Pankewicz, a video posted on YouTube shows an ice-clearing brawl ending with a ref steering an Eagles player back to the team’s bench. Pankewicz then strips off his jacket, shirt and finally shoes before heading to the locker room

The striptease didn't detract from the team's play, however. The Eagles went on to win the game 5-1.

"We played very well tonight, and moved the puck well all night," head coach Chris Stewart said after the game. "If there's one thing that I thought we could have improved on, it was burying our chances that we did have.”

Pankewicz, meanwhile, might not be spotted on the bench for a little while. He was suspended for the remainder of the regular season for the impromptu performance.

"The automatic suspension of one game, and a fine came from throwing items onto the ice," Central Hockey League Director of Operations Bob Huffan said.

But the 40-year-old Pankewicz probably earned more notoriety than he's ever had in his playing and coaching career - at least with non-hockey fans. As of Thursday afternoon, one video showing him stripping had garnered more than 425,000 views.

"And all this time I thought Greg Pankewicz was a regular member of society. Now I just love him!" one user tweeted.

Pankewicz joined the coaching staff of the Eagles in 2009 after 18 years of playing. His jersey was retired that year.

nmandell@nydailynews.com

With Wire News Services

Red Wings notes, quotes from Sunday's win over Wild

AT XCEL ENERGY CENTER, ST. PAUL, MINN.

In the first: The Wings won the vast majority of face-offs in the opening period, but all their puck possession they didn't get a ton of great chances on Niklas Backstrom. Danny Cleary had the best of the period when he fired a shot from just outside the crease in the last couple of minutes, but Backstrom was there with the stop.

In the second: Jimmy Howard opened the second period with a similar save on Clayton Stoner. Johan Franzen drove the puck to the net on the Wings' second power play of the period but again was thwarted by Backstrom, and Howard had to come up with a big save on Cal Clutterbuck's backhand attempt while Detroit still had the man advantage. The Wild had just five shots on net in the second period.

In the third: Nicklas Lidstrom finally converted on Detroit's 22nd shot when he slid into the slot and fired a forehand that slipped by Backstrom, who had Cleary in front of him, at 1:10. The Wild tied the game at 4:50 when Nick Schultz knocked the puck away from Pavel Datsyuk, and Brent Burns collected it to spring Martin Havlat. Havlat raced up the middle and fired a forehand that shot by Howard. The Wings had 14 shots on net in the third period for 35 total, and the Wild had 11 to reach 24 through regulation.

OVERTIME ACTION: Cleary got one of the best chances for the Wings midway through overtime when Lidstrom sent the puck down low, but Cleary couldn't get the puck up and over Backstrom fast enough. Darren Helm drove the puck in from the right side in the last minute but got bottled up at the net and saw his chance denied, too.

SHOOTOUT SCENE: Datsyuk went top shelf on Backstrom and Howard stopped Pierre-Marc Bouchard in Round 1. Jiri Hudler shot wide in Round 2, and Matt Cullen deked so far to the right his shot was easily knocked away by Howard. Todd Bertuzzi weaved in before sending a backhand into the back of the net to seal the victory.

OVERHEARD: Howard on playing the Wild's style: "Minnesota is always looking to come down, pull up, pass across, but the guys did a great job coming back and being in lanes and having sticks and everything." ... Kris Draper on how the Wings played: "We did a lot of things well. Went with four lines the majority of the game, and guys were getting into it and creating good chances. Howie was really good for us."

Overheard Part II: Lidstrom on attacking more late in the game: "I thought we started taking more shots in the second half of the game. But they were playing a very patient style and not giving us a whole lot." ... Minnesota coach Todd Richards on the game: "It was a pretty fast, pretty intense game. Detroit's always impressive. I was impressed with the way we battled today. We earned a tough point. It certainly wasn't easy, getting down 1-0, but the way games are going right now, it's so, so tight."

UP NEXT: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday back at the Joe against San Jose and former assistant coach Todd McClellan.

Contact HELENE ST. JAMES: 313-222-2295 or hstjames@freepress.com.

Why the Minnesota Timberwolves were involved in Carmelo Anthony trade

What does the Carmelo Anthony trade mean for the third team involved in the deal, the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Minnesota seemed to be getting the short end of the deal and some people may ask why they were even involved in the trade for Carmelo Anthony. Why were they willing to give up guard Corey Brewer?

The main role the Minnesota Timberwolves played was to make sure the Denver Nuggets did not suffer losing millions in luxury-tax penalties thanks to Eddy Curry’s expiring $11.2 million contract. Now, Minnesota will take that contract, the only thing blocking Denver from trading Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks.

But why would the Minnesota Timberwolves agree to this?

Eddy Curry will be waived instantly after the Timberwolves swap out the contracts of Corey Brewer for Anthony Randolph. Minnesota also gets $3 million in cash from the Knicks, so the contract is not as big of a deal.

The next question is why did they want to get rid of Corey Brewer, a 2007 draft pick, for Anthony Randolph?

Minnesota does not believe that Corey Brewer will ever be a prominent starter for a contending team. He doesn’t handle the ball or shoot is well enough and gambles too much on defense. Brewer only averaged 8.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 assists in 56 games with Minnesota this year.

The Timberwolves have been interested in Anthony Randolph since he played for Golden State. He is 6-10 and has the promise of being a Lamar Odem type contributor. He can also play both forward spots. But he has only played in 17 games this season, averaging 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds a game. He is only 21 and averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds last year.

Rumors are still floating that Corey Brewer will be traded by the New York Knicks before Thursday’s trade deadline.

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Alberto Del Rio wins the 2011 WWE Royal Rumble

Tonight's WWE Royal Rumble is live from Boston, MA and has 40 entrants for the first time ever.

Royal Rumble Match

The match starts out with a big brawl between The Corre and Nexus. Anonymous GM makes another "appearance" and orders the refs to get control in the ring.

1) CM Punk (eliminated by John Cena)

2) Daniel Bryan (eliminated by Nexus)

Great action between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. A long conversation from the announcers over the internet and the minor leagues for these two wrestlers. The crowd is split over who they want to win.

3) Justin Gabriel (eliminated by Bryan)

Gabriel and Punk go at it right away as Bryan is resting (hurt). JG misses the 450 on CM Punk and he's eliminated by Daniel Bryan.

4) Zack Ryder (eliminated by Bryan)

Stryker says that Ryder is wearing the Nasty Boys trunks.. Hilarious.. Ryder is eliminated by Daniel Bryan.

5) William Regal (eliminated by DiBiasi)

Regal beats on both Punk and Bryan. A great exchange of uppercuts from Regal and Bryan.

6) Ted DiBiasi (eliminated by Nexus)

Ted takes out all 3 men in the ring.

7) John Morrison (eliminated by Nexus)

Morrison takes out all 4 men. Jon gets knocked off the ring and lands on the ringside barrier, never touches the ground, and jumps back into the ring.

8) Yoshi Tatsu (eliminated by Mark Henry)

9) Husky Harris (eliminated by Great Khali)

HH runs in there to help CM Punk

10) Chavo Guerrerro (eliminated by Mark Henry)

Chavo hits a series of suplexes on multiple wrestlers.

11) Mark Henry (eliminated by Nexus)

Eliminates Chavo and Tatsu easily.

12) JTG (eliminated by Mike McG.)

JTG enters on fire but gets beat down by Husky. So far, no surprises

13) MIke McG. (eliminated by John Cena)

Sprinted to the ring.

14) Chris Masters (eliminated by Nexus)

Masters goes right after Nexus. Masterlock on Punk but Nexus saves him.

15) David Otunga (eliminated by John Cena)

4 members of Nexus in the ring now and they gain control.. They eliminate everyone else and turn their attention to Mark Henry and he's gone too. Nexus is left in the ring.

16) Tyler Rekks (eliminated by CM Punk)

Nexus pummels him and eliminates him.

17) Kozlov (eliminated by Nexus)

He fights all of Nexus but to no avail.

18) R-Truth (eliminated by Nexus)

R-Truth is beaten down as soon as he enters the ring.

19) Great Khali (eliminated by Nexus)

Possibly the first surprise of the match. Khali having success and eliminates Husky.

20) Mason Ryan (eliminated by John Cena)

Comes out and goes toe-to-toe with Khali. Great Khali gains control. But Mason Ryan eliminates Khali.

21) Booker T (eliminated by Nexus)

Huge reaction by the crowd. Booker T getting the better of the fight. Spinneroonie. Then eliminated

22) John Cena (eliminated by Miz)

WWE's Superman is ready to fight Nexus. He eliminates all of Nexus and goes at it with CM Punk.

23) Hornswoggle (eliminated by Sheamus)

CM Punk attacks him. Cena eliminates CM Punk

24) Tyson Kidd (eliminated by John Cena)

Cena and Hornswoggle team up. Hornswoggle does the Attitude Adjustment to Tyson.

25) Heath Slater (eliminated by John Cena)

More tag-team action from Cena and Horn.

26) Kofi Kingston (eliminated by Orton)

Kofi and Cena staredown. Then they lock up after 1 minute.

27) Jack Swagger (eliminated by Rey)

Swagger takes out both Cena and Kofi. Horn and Kofi team up together against Swagger.

28) Sheamus (eliminated by Orton)

Sheamus boots Hornswoggle over the top rope.

29) Rey Mysterio Jr (eliminated by Barrett)

30 ) Wade Barrett

31) Dolph Ziggler (eliminated by )

Ziggler goes right after Kofi. All 6 men pair off and beat on each other.

32) Kevin Nash (Diesel) (eliminated by Wade Barrett)

They are all shocked to see Nash. He looks in good shape. Nash is taking out everyone.

33) Drew McIntyre (eliminated by Big Show)

Drew goes right after Nash to help Sheamus. They team up on Nash. Crowd is behind Nash big time.

34) Alex RIley (eliminated by Big Show)

The Miz comes out and does commentary

35) Big Show (eliminated by Ezekial Jackson)

Big Show and Nash staredown at the top of the ramp. Chokeslam on Barrett.

36) Ezekial Jackson (eliminated by Kane)

Zeke comes in and eliminates Big Show.. Cena has been in there the longest.

37) Santino (eliminated by Sheamus)

Eats a big boot by Sheamus

38) Alberto Del Rio

HE takes his time.. Rey is waiting for him.

39) Randy Orton (eliminated by Alberto)

Orton attacks Del Rio outside the ring. RKO on Del Rio, Sheamus, Kofi, and eliminates the latter two. He faces off with Cena.

40) Kane (eliminated by Rey)

13th straight Rumble for Kane.

Del Rio, Barrett, Cena, and Orton are the final 4. The two young stars take on Cena and Orton. Miz sneaks in and eliminated Cena. Wade and Alberto teams up on Orton. Del Rio wins the Rumble after eliminating Orton and Barrett. But Santino comes back in and hits the Cobra on Del Rio who then reverses Santino over the top rope. 

Six Nations 2011: England deflate France team's ego as Marc Lievremont's men fall short

By his needless, provincial provocation, the France coach lifted ‘Le Crunch’ beyond a purely sporting context, equating a rugby match in south-west London with a re-enactment of Agincourt.

Insular? Rather rich from a man whose national anthem can last for a quarter of an hour. Not for nothing has La Marseillaise, its message of revolutionary fight and vengeance delivered so thunderously at Twickenham on Saturday evening, been cited as a veritable hymn to xenophobia.

When juxtaposed with God Save the Queen, recited here by a cherubic children’s choir, it gathered in primal power.

For a patriotic, 80,000-plus crowd, who hissed at Les Bleus’ entrance just as lustily as they applauded England’s arrival amid jets of fire, Lièvremont’s barbs had served to remind them of one rather salient fact: as a nation, we do not seem to like the French much, either.

On such matters it pays to defer to the ever-wise Edmund Blackadder, who said: “We hate the French! We fight wars against the French! Did all those men die in vain on the fields of Agincourt? Was the man who burned Joan of Arc just wasting good matches?”

Sometimes sport needs the injection of a little needle.

Three months after a dismally sanitised Anglo-French football friendly between England and France, the 94th helping of Le Crunch delivered it. Small wonder that it took barely four minutes for the first contretemps to erupt at the scrum.

Pummelling the England defence was one Sebastien Chabal, that fearsome, Samson-haired infantryman who has always looked culled from the battle scenes of Henry V.

France were upholding a noble tradition, one that the great full-back Pierre Villepreux defined thus: “We attack from the tunnel”. With England in their crosshairs, he meant, the result has tended to hold less importance than the ultra-belligerent way they have resolved to play.

Rarely does that hold truer than when a Six Nations Championship is on the line.

England, Lièvremont led us to believe, have become the pariahs of this competition by their desire to drape themselves in the flag. But it is the French upon whom outsider status now falls.

Amusingly, their coach sought to find common cause with Ireland by recalling how supporters in Dublin had exhorted him: “For pity’s sake, beat the English."

Really? The Irish are not exactly known for a love of all things Gallic — it is no exaggeration to say that some trace the country’s economic crisis to the Thierry Henry handball that cost their football team a place in last summer’s World Cup.

In a Rugby World Cup year, the French themselves found similarly unloved at a febrile Twickenham.

The tension of the first half was more than matched by the drama early in the second, when Ben Foden’s try released the pressure valve.

The crowd were driven to near hysteria as Chris Ashton swallow-dived over two minutes later, before the score was ruled out for a midfield infringement.

For nationalistic fervour, England versus France is to rugby what our sparring with Germany is to football. Aptly, then, Dylan Hartley gave a fine exhibition of his goalkeeping skills in intercepting a menacing kick from Aurelien Rougerie.

Lièvremont might be a maddening tinkerman with his squad, but all the dramatis personae were present and correct on Saturday to render this Le Crunch a compelling production.

Where Chabal smouldered, Imanol Harinordoquy brought extra aggression from the second row. And how the occasion needed the introduction of Jonny Wilkinson, brought on after an ankle injury to Toby Flood.

The aficionados remembered his critical contribution for England in that rain-lashed World Cup semi-final in 2003, while his female admirers crossed fingers he would not pull a hamstring kicking a 50-metre penalty.

Wilkinson did better than that, slotting his first kick between the posts with all the accuracy of an Agincourt archer.

Some of the hits here were bone-dislodgingly fierce. Captain Mike Tindall, watched by fiancée Zara Phillips, was wrapped up by replacement Julien Bonnaire with a brutal emphasis.

Even Hartley, such an impressive anchor of the front row at 24, was enduring a torrid evening. Mercifully for him, there was little bottom-of-the scrum skulduggery of the sort that Brian Moore, among Hartley’s predecessors at hooker, had to experience.

In the early Nineties, scorelines might have suggested that England were beating France for fun, but this was not quite how the forwards saw it.

Moore is fond of recounting the propensity of both packs then to “level everything above grass height”.

He tells how Peter Winterbottom, not a player given to violence, kicked the head of a French adversary during the 1991 World Cup quarter-final at Parc des Princes.

He had been provoked, it emerged, by the earlier spectacle of the same opponent stamping on Moore’s face.

This match was disfigured by no such excesses. What it lacked in the thrill of Ashton’s theatrics it compensated for in the rawness of the confrontation.

For all the spills and errors of a 17-9 win, Twickenham folk could still beam and each other and say: “We beat the French”. This was, as Lièvremont could not fail to have grasped, the one satisfaction that really mattered.

Dubai Open 2011: Novak Djokovic inflicts more misery on Roger Federer

The second-seeded Serbian won with something to spare by6-3, 6-3, out playing the top-seeded Swiss maestro in the first set and recovering from 1-3 down in the second as Federer had constant problems with his timing and rhythm off the ground.

It gained Djokovic his third successive title at the $1,600,000 event, and suggested that he has every chance of leapfrogging Federer next month into the world No 2 ranking.

“I played really well here,” said Djokovic. “It’s a great challenge playing Roger Federer and I had to be at the top of my game if I was going to win.”

Federer had described Djokovic as “a huge obstacle” before the final, and so it proved. Djokovic had his tactics well worked out - directing a higher proportion of his attacks to the backhand, and mixing athletic containment with fiercely angled counter-attacks which threatened to spread Federer.

It was hard to believe that Djokovic had described his performance against Tomas Berdych the previous day as a “catastrophe”.

He started with a far better rhythm, even though the conditions were very different - much cooler and slower - than during his last two matches in the afternoon sun.

Federer, by contrast, struck his first forehand into the net and it proved a signal. He remained prone to odd mistimings and ended the match with 20 unforced errors on the forehand drive which has sometimes been described as the best shot of its kind there has been.

Union head: MLB's $25M loan to Mets okay

The executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association says he isn't concerned that MLB's $25 million short-term loan to the Mets' owners in any way affects the team's ability to fulfill its players' contracts.

"It doesn't. The commissioner's office for many years has supported different franchises in different situations and that's their prerogative," Michael Weiner said Saturday at Steinbrenner Field. "I rely upon both the assurances we've received from the commissioner's office as well as the documents that we are entitled to under the basic agreement. And I have every confidence that all the obligations to players under the basic agreement and their contracts would be met and I still have every confidence that that's going to be the case."

The Daily News first reported on its website Friday that the Mets had received a $25 million loan from MLB in November to address liquidity issues that have arisen out of the lawsuit they are fighting against the trustee representing the victims of Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme. The Mets are seeking an investor to buy from 20% to 25% - and possibly up to 30% - of the team in the wake of the lawsuit filed against them in December by Madoff trustee Irving Picard seeking up to $1 billion. The team is currently carrying $375 million in debt and, separately, $675 million in stadium debt for Citi Field.

When the Daily News inquired about the loan Friday, the Mets declined comment and issued a statement:

"We said in October that we expected to have a short-term liquidity issue. To address this, we did receive a loan from Major League Baseball in November. Beyond that, we will not discuss the matter any further."

Weiner said he isn't surprised by the loan. "It shouldn't be a shock to anybody that the commissioner's office would be in discussions with the Mets about this situation," Weiner said.

The New York Times reported Friday that interest in the sale of part of the team has been modest, with "fewer than 12" applications before MLB, a necessary process to buy into a team, but a person familiar with the inquiries fielded by financial expert Steve Greenberg disputes that characterization.

According to the person familiar with the inquiries, MLB allows only 12 applications at one time and that is the number that is currently before the commissioner's office. "There have been 30 legitimate inquiries, an unprecedented number," said the person.

With Mark Feinsand

MSU 53, Minnesota 48: Notes and quotes from Spartans' win

WHAT HAPPENED: On a night when Michigan State couldn't score -- or shoot -- when Minnesota had made a late run to seemingly gain control, the Spartans came up with steals, rebounds and clutch free throws to grab a win. MSU used a surprising three from Durrell Summers -- he'd missed all eight shots from the perimeter -- four free throws from Keith Appling, and two more free throws from Mike Kebler to seal it.

UNLIKELY HERO: Appling spent the night running from the floor to the bench and back as his coaches tried to help him navigate Minnesota's pesky zone. Appling played tentatively in the zone, resulting in four turnovers. He shot 1-for-4. Then after all that, with his team down by two and less than 2 minutes left, he sank two free throws to tie the game at 48, then two more to give the Spartans a 50-48 lead.

SAY WHAT? Senior guard Kebler started in place of Summers. Kebler found himself guarding Ralph Sampson III to begin the game. Kebler is 6-fee-3. Sampson is 6-11. Sampson got the ball twice with Kebler on him. He scored once.

DREADED ZONE: Minnesota packed it in all night against the Spartans. The defensive strategy left space on the perimeter for MSU. They couldn't take advantage consistently. MSU shot 6-for-24 from beyond the three-point line.

THE INSIDE GAME: The Golden Gophers' zone took away MSU's inside game. When the Spartans did try to force it in, bad things happened. MSU didn't shoot a free throw until 6 minutes into the second half.

NOT QUITE HIMSELF: Draymond Green spent the last week battling a stomach virus. He started against Minnesota but still didn't look like himself. Even so, he snatched a couple of crucial late rebounds to help secure the win. Green finished with seven points and 10 rebounds.

Tennessee Receives NCAA Notice of Allegations; Lane Kiffin Cited

The NCAA has cited former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin with a failure to monitor charge in a Notice of Allegations letter released by the University of Tennessee on Wednesday. Overall, the school was charged with 9 major violations, two in football -- both tied to Kiffin -- and seven in basketball.

The story was first reported here by FanHouse earlier this month.

Kiffin has also been hit with a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance charge. The levying of these two charges against the former coach rather than the Vol program represents a last-minute appeal by Tennessee to avoid the saddling of the program itself with the penalties. Instead, Tennessee deftly stepped aside and served up the head of Kiffin to the NCAA.

Meanwhile Bruce Pearl, head basketball coach of the University of Tennessee was cited by the NCAA for, per the UT release, "impermissible contact with prospective student-athletes during an unofficial visit, acting contrary to the principles of ethical conduct, failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, and failure to monitor the activities regarding compliance of all assistant coaches within the men's basketball program."

The majority of these charges stem from Pearl's lying about having junior recruits over to his house for a barbeque. Hosting juniors at the home of a head coach is a secondary violation, but Pearl's lie made the matter a major violation that led to a dock in pay, an eight-game SEC suspension, and more punishment to come, potentially, from the NCAA.

While Tennessee declined comment other than posting the letter, Pat Haden, the athletic director at USC, released this statement in support of Kiffin:

"We have received from the NCAA a notice of allegations against Lane Kiffin pertaining to his tenure as the head football coach at Tennessee. The NCAA enforcement process provides for Tennessee and Lane to address those charges. Until that process is completed, it would be unfair and premature for me or USC to comment on this matter."

"However, I will say this: Since his return to USC last year as our head football coach, Lane has been vigilant in making sure he and the football program follow the NCAA's rules and compete the right way. Lane has my support as our head football coach."

For his part, Kiffin, who declined comment when FanHouse broke this story, released the following statement: "On the advice of my legal counsel, we cannot comment other than to say we look forward to working through the process with the NCAA."

Tennessee will have 90 days to respond to the NCAA's notice of allegations and then will appear before the Committee on Infractions in early June.

Follow Clay Travis on Twitter here. With All That and a Bag of Mail back on a weekly basis, you can e-mail him questions at Clay.Travis@gmail.com.

Titans hire one assistant, get rid of two

The moving and shaking continued on Mike Munchak's coaching staff Monday, as the Titans hired Dave Ragone as the team's new wide receivers coach but fired assistant secondary coach Tim Hauck and assistant special teams coach Marty Galbraith.

Ragone comes to the Titans from Hartford of the United Football League, where he served as quarterbacks coach under Chris Palmer, who last week was named the Titans' offensive coordinator.

A former University of Louisville standout, Ragone also played under Palmer when Palmer was the Houston Texans' offensive coordinator. The Texans drafted Ragone in the third round in 2003, and in 2004, he started two games for Houston.

Ragone spent a year playing football in NFL Europe, earning the league's offensive MVP title in 2005, before signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Ragone finished his playing career in 2006.

The 31-year-old Ragone takes the place of Fred Graves, who left earlier in the offseason to become wide receivers coach with the Carolina Panthers.

Hauck, meanwhile, was let go after his second year with the Titans.

In Hauck's first season, the defense totaled 20 interceptions (16 from secondary members), which was eighth-best in the NFL. But the Titans finished 26th in overall defense last season, 29th against the pass.

Prior to being hired by former Titans Coach Jeff Fisher, Hauck had spent five years coaching in the college ranks.

Galbraith just finished his sixth season with the Titans as assistant special teams coach. The Titans were among NFL leaders in a number of special-teams categories last season and sent returner Marc Mariani to the Pro Bowl. But Tennessee finished 30th in kick-return yardage allowed.

Remaining openings on the staff include the assistant secondary position and assistant special teams coach, as well as quality control assistants on both offense and defense. Munchak is expected to increase the size of the staff by creating some new positions.

Munchak has said he wanted to complete his staff by the start of the NFL Combine, which begins Wednesday.

Eminem, Chrysler Hit on All Cylinders for Motor City

Chrysler's extraordinary two-minute commercial that ran during Sunday's Super Bowl included the contemporary rapper Eminem and a quick edit between two iconic visual elements of Motor City history.

The first was a series of shots showing the Joe Louis "Fist" monument, an 8,000-pound sculpture of a forearm and a fist outside City Hall that honors the heavyweight boxing champion who rose from Detroit's Black Bottom in the 1930s.

The second shot showed a portion of the acclaimed Diego Rivera "Detroit industry" murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts painted during the Louis era, during the Great Depression.

The Rivera portion focused in tightly on the forearms of two men -- one white, one black -- whose taut, straining muscles mirrored the effect of the Louis monument. Their strength operated the machinery that put the world on wheels.

Officially, the commercial is a two-minute ad for a new product, the Chrysler 200. Artistically, it is a vision of a city that, like a boxer, has been knocked down hard by multiple punches but has struggled to its feet at the referee's count of nine.

Overall, the ad is an astonishing work of art and one of the best television commercials ever made, a mini-documentary about the history and current personality of a region.

"What does this city know about luxury, huh?" a narrator asks, an edge in his voice. "What does a city that's been to hell and back know about the finer things in life?"

Much of the commercial seems to be shot from a moving car showing the smokestacks of factories and some bleak streets reflected in side mirrors, rear-view mirrors and the shiny black paint of the car.

"You see, it's the hottest fires that make the hottest steel," the narrator says. "That's our story. Now, it's probably not the one you've been reading in the papers, the ones being written by people who've never been here and don't know what we're capable of.''

You're watching Chrysler Eminem. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

The narrative captures perfectly Detroit's chip-on-the-shoulder attitude and its guarded optimism as its government-rescued major industry emerges from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

"Now, we're from America, but this isn't New York City or the Windy City nor Sin City," the narrator continues.

During the narration, the screen shows images of overcast skies, brick buildings, steam from manhole covers, young athletes jogging in the snow and skaters on an outdoor ice rink. The visuals don't prettify Detroit; its humans and architecture look hard and rugged and cold.

Underneath the words of the narrator, the commercial uses the music of Eminem, who is just about the blackest white man Detroit ever produced.

Near the end, he pulls his car up to the renovated Fox Theater on Woodward Avenue, joins a gospel choir on stage, glares at the camera in an in-your-face manner, points his finger directly at the lens and declares: "This is the Motor City and this is what we do!''

Even the final shot -- white words on a black screen -- challenges the notion that foreign automakers produce a better product. "Imported,'' it says of the Chrysler 200, "from Detroit.''

Perhaps those not from Detroit didn't feel the same rush I got from this commercial. But I grew up within walking distance of Chrysler's Jefferson Assembly plant and I offer full disclosure with pride.

Although I now work in New York, I have plenty of family and friends in the Motor City. I visit there frequently, for business and pleasure.

And I still root, root, root for the home town. This ad hit me like a poem and a prayer with perfect pitch. You know how some movies get rated with two thumbs up? This commercial gets two fists up for a city that can still pack a punch.

Dallas 4, Detroit 1: Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom laments goal that got away

Tomas Holmstrom's reputation as one of the best net-front players in hockey cost him and the Red Wings on Thursday night in a 4-1 loss to the Stars at Joe Luis Arena.

With the Wings trailing 2-0 early in the second period, Brian Rafalski appeared to score 9 seconds into a power play.

The goal was immediately waved off, but replays clearly showed that Holmstrom was not in the crease. He was called for incidental contact with goaltender Kari Lehtonen anyway.

"I didn't see it myself, but I think I was feet out," Holmstrom said. "It was a tough one. It would be a momentum changer for sure, too.

"It was a tough break for us. It should be allowed."

Holmstrom said he didn't know what more he could say about it. Lehtonen had plenty to say, though, during the next stoppage in play.

"Even the goalie come up to me and say, 'Hey, you got robbed on that one," Holmstrom said. "So what can you do?"

Holmstrom said he'd like those kinds of plays to be reviewed by the officials back in Toronto.

"Yeah, why not?" Holmstrom said. "So many goals get disallowed around the net. You gotta be sure. You can't just blow the whistle."

Holmstrom said "for sure" the game would have had a different outcome if that goal had counted.

"It was 2-1," Holmstrom said. "For sure. Hopefully we go into the third 2-1 and go from there. It's a big difference."

Krys Barch scored the only goal of the second period, giving the Stars a 3-0 advantage at 8:54 of the second.

"We just never were that good all night long," said Wings coach Mike Babcock. "Give (Dallas) credit. Their goalie was outstanding, made lots of key saves and gave them an opportunity."

Babcock said he thought Rafalski's power-play goal should have counted, "but it doesn't really matter what I think. I wasn't making that decision.

"That was a 2-1 game at that point. Maybe we get some momentum, but I don't think you can point fingers at anything except ourselves for tonight's outcome."

Mike Ribeiro opened the scoring for the Stars in the first period after Brenden Morrow's shot went off the stick of Brad Stuart and off to the right side of the ice. Ribeiro got the puck and fired it into an open net before Jimmy Howard could react.

The Stars went ahead 2-0 on a shorthanded goal by Loui Eriksson at 19:37 of the first period.

"They rimmed it around the board and (Niklas) Kronwall tried to keep it in," Babcock said. "We should have backed out, and they end up scoring a shorthanded goal for the key play in the game."

Despite having 10 shots, the Wings were 0-for-5 with the man advantage in the first two periods. They finally scored on a power play in the third, when Holmstrom netted a backhand after taking a pass from Pavel Datsyuk at 16:29.

Jamie Langenbrunner scored an empty net goal at 18:17 to put the Stars back up by three.

Contact GEORGE SIPPLE: 313-223-4796 or gsipple@freepress.com.

Vanderbilt women-Florida: Game preview

FLORIDA (15-13, 5-9 SEC) AT VANDERBILT WOMEN (18-9, 9-5)

Where. Memorial Gym

When. 8 p.m. today

TV. CSS

Radio. 560-AM

Last meeting. Vanderbilt 103-97, 2OT (Feb. 6)

Story lines. It's Senior Day for Vandy's women, who will honor Jence Rhoads, Hannah Tuomi and Rebecca Silinski after the game. The fourth-place Commodores can finish anywhere from second to fifth in the SEC with two games before next week's conference tournament in Nashville. The top four teams get a first-round bye. Rhoads (12.5 ppg) will be a game-time decision after missing Sunday's loss to Kentucky with a sprained ankle. Vandy has won seven straight over the Lady Gators.

Parents of Drew, Ryan Miller road trip to Buffalo to see sons play

Red Wings forward Drew Miller said his parents were to drive Friday from East Lansing to Buffalo, where tonight they’ll get the rare chance to see him and his older brother, Ryan Miller, who plays for the Sabres.

“They’re actually going to be in Buffalo for the game, them and my little brother and sister,” Drew said. “They get to see us play at the same time. Usually they have two TVs going. It’s fun for them.”

Drew is 2-1 against Ryan, having beaten him while with Anaheim, lost to him early last season while with Tampa Bay, and then beat him at the Joe last season. He has never scored on him, though — “except in the summer. It’d be fun to get one in one of the games.”

Madoff trustee Picard swings at SEC

The family of the top lawyer at the Securities and Exchange Commission invested with Bernie Madoff and earned more than $1.5 million in ill-gained profits, according to trustee Irving Picard, who has named the lawyer, David M. Becker, as a defendant in a clawback lawsuit, a Daily News investigation has found.

The apparent conflict of interest raises significant questions about the watchdog commission's failure to stop Madoff and his $65 billion Ponzi scheme, despite repeated red flags and investigations into his operations.

Becker, 63, who is leaving his post as general counsel and senior policy director of the SEC in five days to return to the private sector, has never publicly disclosed his family's ties to Madoff. He and his two brothers, who are also defendants in the suit, were named executors of their mother's estate, which included a Madoff account, after her death in 2004. They liquidated the account in 2005, withdrawing $2,042,845, and are being sued as co-executors of the estate and individually.

David Becker was the SEC's general counsel from 2000-2002 and again from 2009 until this month. He joined the agency in 1998 as deputy general counsel.

A spokesman for the SEC, John Nester, confirmed Tuesday that Becker received the complaint several days ago.

"He had no involvement with his parents' financial affairs, and no recollection of his parents' account with Madoff prior to his mother's death and subsequent liquidation of the account," Nester said on behalf of Becker.

The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 12 of last year against Becker and William P. and Daniel I. Becker, is one of up to 200 that Picard has filed in an effort to recover money from people who gained from Madoff's scheme and redistribute it among the far greater number of those who lost their savings.

A spokesperson for Picard's law firm, Baker & Hostetler LLP, declined to comment on the Becker lawsuit, citing the ongoing litigation.

For Mets owners Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, the stunning assertion that an SEC heavyweight profited from Madoff's chicanery and is being sued by Picard could bolster their own claims that they were unaware of Madoff's scheme, financial and legal experts said.

The crux of the 373-page complaint Picard recently filed against the Mets owners claims they "knew or should've known" about Madoff. No such claim is made in the straightforward, 24-page complaint against David Becker and his brothers.

Helen Davis Chaitman is a nationally renowned litigator who represents a number of Madoff victims and is a Madoff victim herself, and has been sharply critical of Picard's methods in trying to recover funds.

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Marlborough: horse racing tips

Fruity O’Rooney (2.30 Plumpton) has taken well to chasing and while he has been outclassed a shade on his last two outings, this appears to be a much more suitable level. He acts on the ground and will not lack for stamina.

Trainer Micky Hammond has his string in good heart and San Deng (3.50 Catterick), who justified support at long odds over course and distance last month, appeals as the type to progess again.

Bet of the Day: Lexi's Boy (5.10 Wolverhampton) recorded a career-best when bravely battling home here last time and can progress further.

Catterick

2.20 Streamtown

2.50 King's Counsel

3.20 Chamirey

3.50 San Deng

4.20 Heavenly Chorus

4.50 Crowning Jewel

Plumpton

2.00 Stan's Cool Cat

2.30 Fruity O'Rooney (nb)

3.00 The Bishops Baby

3.30 Lupanar

4.00 Keki Buku

4.30 Storm Command

5.00 Midnight King

Wolverhampton

2.10 Steel City Boy

2.40 Frequency

3.10 Norse Dame

3.40 Imaginary World

4.10 Star Links

4.40 Lowther

5.10 Lexi's Boy (nap)

5.40 Cwmni

Yankees of past, present reflect on Pettitte's career

The Yankees released statements from team management and current and former players regarding the career and retirement of Andy Pettitte, who will announce his retirement on Friday at 10:30 a.m. at a press conference at Yankee Stadium:

Yankees Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner and Yankees General Partner Hank Steinbrenner
"It's been a pleasure to play with Andy for all these years, and the Yankees have been fortunate to have him representing the organization both on and off the field.

"More importantly it's been an honor to get to know him as a person, and I consider him family. I wish for nothing but happiness for him and his family, as I know how important they are to him."

Derek Jeter
"Andy was a great teammate and a wonderful guy. He was a fighter and all about winning, and he was respected by every person in the clubhouse."

Mariano Rivera
"I'm really sad that Andy is going to retire. He was so much more than a teammate to me - he was one of my closest friends. I admire everything that he has accomplished as a Yankee, but Andy was someone who always put the team first. I'm going to miss him deeply."

Jorge Posada
"He is one of the greatest pitchers in Yankees history. Whitey Ford might have more wins as a left hander, but through the seasons we won all those World Series, he was the anchor of our staff every year. Without him we don't win all four World Series.

"Since I've been retired, I'm always asked, 'Who would you have pitch a World Series Game 7?' And I always say, 'Andy Pettitte.' When people ask why, I tell them it was because he was so prepared for every start. When the time comes for a big game, you want a guy who's going to give you seven strong innings. And that's what he did time and time again.

"Andy was one of my favorite teammates in my entire career, and he is a great person off the field. In the clubhouse, he cared about the team winning, and he wasn't interested in his individual stats. No matter how he was feeling he went out there every five days and gave us a chance to win."

Tino Martinez
"Andy took the ball every five days, and if he had it his way, he'd get it more often than that. What's really unusual about him is that a lot of times pitchers are more consumed with themselves. Andy was probably the consummate team player, especially for a pitcher. He was so concerned not only about the day he pitched but he always had his arm around a young guy in between starts.

"He's been a huge favorite of mine because he's such a stand up guy, and he hasn't changed from day one. He's a great teammate, and I think that's why he won so many games. The guys that play behind him understand how intense he is, and it becomes contagious.

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Pinstriped pitching icons

There's no shortage of great Yankees, and pitchers aren't excluded from the pantheon of iconic Bombers. Below you'll find 10 Yankee pitchers - relievers and starters - and we want you to rank the best hurlers from the Bronx. Simply drag the image from the columns on the left to their respective slots on the right.

Whitey Ford

Lefty Gomez

Andy Pettitte

Goose Gossage

Dave Righetti

Red Ruffing

Mariano Rivera

Mel Stottlemyre

Catfish Hunter

Ron Guidry

SUBMIT

Pack's big run started against Big Blue

DALLAS - The road to Super Bowl XLV was more of a struggle than the Packers ever envisioned. Once among the preseason NFC favorites, they struggled early and battled crippling injuries. Just to get to the playoffs they had to fight until the very end.

Through it all, their confidence never wavered. And as soon as they locked up that postseason berth, they knew their journey would end right here. "Once we got in," said Packers receiver Donald Driver, "we told everybody, 'You don't want to see us.'"

They weren't kidding, either. The sixth-seeded Packers ran the gauntlet to reach the Super Bowl. They won in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, beating the NFC's top three seeds, to become just the fourth team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl by winning three straight road games and the first sixth-seeded team to get there from the NFC.

Their roll goes back farther than that. The flashpoint for the NFC champs, who arrive in town Monday, came the day after Christmas when they hammered the Giants, 45-17, at Lambeau in what was essentially a play-in game for the final wild-card spot. That win served notice the Packers were a serious contender, which they proved by winning five in a row.

"Everybody keeping an eye on their target," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. "Really, coming down to the New York Giants game, that's the one thing we just kept reiterating to our players: All of our goals are still in front of us. We didn't need any help. And I think that really helped our guys stay focused, stay on point."

Before that, the Packers had wavered. After a 7-3 start, they had lost three of four and Rodgers' health was a concern after he suffered his second concussion. They were 8-6 and on the brink of missing the playoffs when the Giants came to town."With the injuries we had early in the season, maybe some people wrote us off," said tackle Chad Clifton. "But I think that's just a credit to the players we have in the locker room. Guys stepped up and played well and put us in position to get us where we're at today."

Ticker: No taxicab confessions for Lions coach Jim Schwartz

So what was Jim Schwartz up to? Cooking up some kind of deal?

NFL.com's Vic Carucci blogs that they were on the same flight to Indianapolis for the NFL combine Wednesday, but Schwartz declined to share a cab to the hotel.

Carucci says "Schwartz volunteered that he was well aware that 'we could have shared a cab, but I had a couple of phone calls to return, and they were the kind of calls I couldn't have in front of someone from the media.'

"I told him I understood. For the record, I did shower this morning."

Chauncey: Sad farewell

He shared more than a few tears with friend Rip Hamilton when the Pistons dealt him to Denver in 2008, but Chauncey Billups says breaking the news to his family about being traded from his hometown was even harder to deal with.

"That right there was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life," Billups told the Denver Post. "That right there was the toughest thing for me -- the family aspect of it. Basketball is basketball, I've been doing that all my life, that won't change, wherever I'm at.

"But it's the family aspect that people don't understand. I got to go home and face my three daughters, I have to face my wife, and tell them that daddy's leaving. And daddy doesn't have a choice. ... And that I have to go in 24 hours."

Including Billups in the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks is something the Nuggets said they dreaded doing, and team executives even issued public apologies for it.

"I heard about it," Billups said. "That's cool. That's a nice gesture. My family appreciates that. At the same time, I'm in New York City -- and my family and kids are in Denver ..."

Law of probability

Revenge of the nerds, some were calling it. Division III Caltech -- known more for Nobel Prize winners -- broke a 310-game conference losing streak in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 46-45 win Tuesday over Occidental College.

How does it feel, Coach?

"Superb elation, overwhelming emotion, pride," Oliver Eslinger said Wednesday.

The hero was senior Ryan Elmquist, who hit a free throw with three seconds left and had a game-high 23 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in his final college game.

Bottom line

• Former Tigers star Charles Barkley, quoted by ESPN.com on the Alabama fan accused of poisoning those hallowed oaks at Auburn's Toomer's Corner: "We're from Alabama -- you can't make this (stuff) up. Some things just happen there, and people want to know why we rank 48th in education?"

Compiled from staff reports and news services by STEVE SCHRADER, who can be reached at 313-222-6710 or sschrader@freepress.com .

Metro & state: Concussions force former Michigan QB Steven Threet to quit

Former Michigan quarterback Steven Threet, who has suffered four concussions in the past five years, told the Arizona Republic that he's giving up football.

The junior from Adrian played at Arizona State last year and suffered two concussions. He completed 61.9% of his passes for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns with 16 interceptions for ASU.

"At this point, I think this is the best decision, given the circumstances I'm in," Threet told the newspaper, adding that he's still experiencing symptoms.

Threet transferred from Georgia Tech, sat out 2007 and played in 11 games for the Wolverines in 2008, passing for 1,1,05 yards, nine TDs and seven interceptions.

In 2009, he left Ann Arbor and again sat out a season before playing for ASU.

GOLF: Michigan State freshman Christine Meier (Rochester Hills) is Big Ten women's golfer of the week.

Softball: Junior Kelsey Krych went 3-for-7 as Oakland dropped a double-header to Presbyterian (S.C.) College, 7-0 and 5-1 in Clinton, S.C. Presbyterian is 4-0.

Free Press staff reports

England v France: Dimitri Yachvili replaces Morgan Parra as coach Marc Lievremont rings changes

Morgan Parra who has been almost faultless for France so far this campaign, drops to the bench along with Clement Poitrenaud, Damien Traille and Julien Bonnaire.

There are recalls for Sebastien Chabal, Vincent Clerc, Dimitri Yachvili and Yannick Jauzion, while Maxime Medard switches from wing to full-back to replace Poitrenaud.

Poitrenaud was brought into the side which went on to beat Ireland 25-22 last time out as part of a reshuffle triggered by an injury to Maxime Mermoz, but drops back to the bench for this weekend's encounter with Martin Johnson's in-form England side.

Traille, who operated at full-back in the opening 34-21 win over Scotland before moving to centre against the Irish, also moves to the bench.

The changes come as head coach Marc Lievremont looks to make it three wins out of three against the only other side boasting a 100 per cent record after two games.

France team to play England in the RBS Six Nations match at Twickenham, London, on Saturday February 26 - Kick off 5:00pm: Maxime Medard; Yoann Huget, Aurelien Rougerie, Yannick Jauzion, Vincent Clerc; Francois Trinh-Duc, Dimitri Yachvili; Thomas Domingo, William Servat, Nicolas Mas, Julien Pierre, Lionel Nallet, Thierry Dusautoir (captain), Sebastien Chabal, Imanol Harinordoquy.

Replacements: Clement Poitrenaud, Guilhem Guirado, Sylvain Marconnet, Jerome Thion, Morgan Parra, Julien Bonnaire, Damien Traille.

Lady Vols-Georgia: Game preview

GEORGIA (20-6, 10-3 SEC) AT NO. 4 LADY VOLS (25-2, 13-0)

• Where. Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville

• When. 6 p.m. today

• TV. ESPN2

• Last meeting. Georgia 53-50 (Jan. 21, 2010)

• Story line. The Lady Vols have won 27 consecutive SEC games, with its most recent loss coming against Georgia last year. Defense helped Georgia snap an eight-game losing streak against the Lady Vols last season. The Bulldogs had nine steals and forced 23 turnovers. A victory gives Tennessee the SEC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament in Nashville. Coach Pat Summitt said she is hopeful Angie Bjorklund (9.6 ppg.) will be able to return today. She missed the past five games with an injured right foot.

Baseball honors Hemond

JUPITER, Fla. - Longtime baseball executive Roland Hemond, the architect of dramatic turnarounds by the White Sox in the '70s and Orioles in the '80s, has been named the second recipient of the Hall of Fame's prestigious Buck O'Neil Award for distinguished achievement and extraordinary efforts to enhance the game's positive impact on society.

Hemond, 81, will receive the award, named after the famed Negro Leagues pioneer and voted on by the Hall's Board of Directors, at the ceremonies in Cooperstown on July 23, which will feature inductees Roberto Alomar, Bert Blyleven and Pat Gillick. O'Neil was the first recipient of the award, in 2008, two years after his passing.

"I'm just overwhelmed," Hemond said by phone from Arizona Tuesday. "Buck O'Neil was a friend and someone I, like everyone else, greatly admired. I have so many people I'll be sharing this award with - scouts, player development people, managers, coaches and the players. I only wish Chuck Tanner was still here to see it."

In 1970, the White Sox, bankrupt and at their lowest ebb en route to a 106-loss season, hired Hemond, who had been scouting director for the California Angels, as general manager and Tanner (who died at age 82 on Feb.11) as their manager.

Together, they literally saved the franchise from being moved to Seattle. Thanks in large part to his trade for slugger Dick Allen, who won AL MVP honors in 1972, Hemond transformed the Sox into a team that won 87 games that year. Hemond remained White Sox GM through 1985, winning an AL West title with manager Tony La Russa in 1983. Then, in 1988, Hemond became GM of an Orioles team that lost 107 games that year. The next season they were 87-75.

In addition to his accomplishments as a GM, Hemond mentored and groomed as assistants Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski with the White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin with the Orioles.

Photos: Today's Tigers workout in Lakeland

More shots from spring training:

Feb. 20 workout

Feb. 19 workout -- first full squad

Feb. 18 workout

Feb. 17 workout

Feb. 16 workout

Feb. 15 workout

Feb. 14 workout

Feb. 13 workout

Feb. 12 workout

Michigan notes from today's win over Hawkeyes

At Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa

Wolverines 75, Hawkeyes 72 (OT)

WHAT HAPPENED: For the second straight game the Wolverines jumped out to a fast start — 14-4 in this case — but went cold and watched the home team surge past them. Iowa’s run was 26-6 over 10 minutes, turning a 10-point deficit into a 10-point lead, which stood at 32-24 at halftime. Much like the Illinois game, the Wolverines rallied, climbing back as Tim Hardaway Jr. took over, scoring 20 points in the half, battling back and forth, eventually heading to overtime for the third straight year in Iowa City. The Wolverines hit their free throws and held on for the victory. Hardaway scored a career-high 30 points. The Wolverines got nearly all their scoring (68 points total) from three players — Hardaway with 30, Darius Morris with 20 and Jordan Morgan with 18.

TURNING POINT: Halftime. When Bryce Cartwright hit a half-courter just before the buzzer, U-M could have gone to halftime down 11. Instead, it was waved off after a replay and the Wolverines started rallying after halftime to get back in the game.

MICHIGAN CONNECTION: Iowa freshman Roy Devyn Marble, who played at Southfield-Lathrup, scored 11 points.

REASONS TO HOPE: Hardaway, a freshman, continued to show he’s U-M’s most talented player, setting another career high — the first Wolverine to reach 30 points since Manny Harris in November 2008. Morgan was strong in the post, despite foul trouble. Again, the first-half deficit didn’t faze the Wolverines, who rallied to take the lead in the second half, then win in OT.

REASONS TO MOPE: U-M’s Zack Novak struggled from the floor, going 0-for-10 from the field and 0-for-6 from three-point range, only scoring on two free throws in overtime.

TEED UP: U-M coach John Beilein picked up his first technical foul of the season — apparently his first since March 4, 2008.

ODD LINEUP: Because of foul trouble late in the first half with four Wolverines with two fouls each, U-M’s late first-half lineup was Eso Akunne, Stu Douglass, Matt Vogrich, Evan Smotrycz and Blake McLimans. It meant 11 Wolverines played in the half. It gave Akunne a chance for a basket, though, as he got a lay-up, his first points since the Gardner-Webb game on Nov. 21.

TRIPLE THREAT: After a horrible 2-for-18 three-point performance at Illinois, the Wolverines answered quickly on Saturday, hitting three triples in the first 3 1/2minutes. They finished with a subpar 6-for-20 (30%) performance — five from Hardaway.

UP NEXT: Michigan hosts Wisconsin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Crisler Arena.

MMA: Josh Burns' hammer punch topples Jeff Kugel at Palace

Josh (The Hammer) Burns laid the wood on former professional hockey player Jeff Kugel in the first round of their MMA pro heavyweight clash at the Palace on Friday night.

Burns, 32, of Dexter finished off Roseville's Kugel, 31 -- who played for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL in the late '90s before being banned for life for fighting -- with a hammer punch to the side of Kugel's head.

With Kugel unable to defend himself as he lay on his stomach on the canvas, the referee stopped the bout at 2:52, handing the fight to Burns on a TKO.

Kugel, 6-feet-7 and 263 pounds, pinned Burns, 6 feet, 250, against the cage early in the round, kneeing Burns to the thighs and stomach. He opened a cut on Burn's right cheek with an elbow, which seemed to fire up Burns.

After locking legs, the fighters crashed to the ground, with Burns the first to gain the advantage, hammering Kugel to the head.

"The elbow woke me up," admitted Burns, who had legendary UFC fighter Mark (The Hammer) Coleman in his corner. "It made me a little more motivated. I just gave him a good hammer punch to the side of his head and then he ducked his head down and was done."

Burns, who improved to 6-1, said he was waiting for the bigger Kugel to make his move in the opening seconds.

"He likes to bull-rush people," said Burns. "Once he got hold of me, I realized it was harder to get away from him than I expected. He got in a couple of good knees and got me with the elbow. I don't want to sound overconfident, but I believe I have powerful hands, and I knew if I touched him, he'd know he was in a different league."

Kugel entered Friday's fight with an easy first-round win over Eric (Butterbean) Esch last year. The former left wing and team enforcer was confident he could box Burns and keep him at bay.

He made the mistake of grappling early with Burns, a former Ohio State wrestler, and paid the price.

"I should have boxed -- it's my own fault," said Kugel, who also played with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. "He's a grappler, and I cut a lot of weight before the fight. I'm very disappointed. It's pretty easy to know who to lay the blame on for this one."

Kugel, 1-1, will get back in the gym, he said.

"We'll go back to the drawing board," Kugel said, "The next fight will be different."

Burns hopes to appear on a Strike Force card March 5, or fight at the end of March in Mexico.

"I wasn't happy with the start of the fight," Burns said. "But once he caught me with the elbow, I was ready. I'm pleased with how I ended it."

Contact MIKE BRUDENELL: 313-222-2115 or mbrudenell@freepress.com.