Archive for April, 2006
NFL Draft Day: Leinart is a sure Top 3 pick
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
Matt Leinart considered turning pro after winning the Heisman Trophy and a 
national championship at Southern Cal in 2004. He probably would have been the first overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft by San Francisco.
But Leinart elected to stay in school. He didn’t win the Heisman, nor did his team repeat as national champion. He’s also unlikely to be the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, conceding that honor to teammate Reggie Bush.
But Leinart doesn’t regret for a second his decision to return to campus for his senior season. He’s a better quarterback and more ready for the NFL now because of it. Leinart passed for 10,683 yards and 99 touchdowns, setting a school record with his .648 completion percentage.
Avalanche try to bury Stars in Game 3
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
For Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett, anger from his team’s flat performance in 
Game 1 morphed into frustration. The Stars turned in a more spirited Game 2 showing, but it only resulted in another crushing defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Stars have shown they can win in hostile environments, and they’ll have to at least once on Wednesday or Friday at the Pepsi Center if they want to bring the series back to Dallas.The frustration for the Stars stemmed from the fact that they did many things right on Monday night in Game 2. They out-hit the Avalanche throughout the game and the physical play led to a four-goal second-period comeback that erased a three-goal deficit.
But the Stars must eliminate some of the turnovers, coverage breakdowns and other defensive lapses that allowed the Avs to tie the game in regulation and then skate off with a 5-4 win with just under five minutes elapsed in overtime.
Lakers Game 2 plan vs Spurs: Pound the ball to Kwame Brown
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
Kobe Bryant already has Phoenix Suns guessing. On the other hand, the 
Suns aren’t sure what to expect either.
Will they get the aggressive Kobe Bryant who set an arena record earlier this month in Phoenix with a 51-point effort? Or will they see the pass-first, stick-with-the-plan man who had 22 points on seven-for-21 shooting in Game 1?
Sun guard Raja Bell, who has had his share of tussles with Bryant over the years, got first crack at what would happen tonight in Game 2. “I think everybody knows who’s going to show up,” he said Tuesday. “I think he’s going to come out and be more aggressive. There’s no guesswork involved with that.”
Grizzlies look to rebound in Game 2 vs Mavericks
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
The Grizzlies didn’t get the result they were looking for when they lost 103-93 in Game 1 of their series Sunday night in Dallas, but there is good news. The team has two days between games to practice, look at tape and figure out 
what went wrong and come up with ways to fix those problems for Game 2 Wednesday night.
Of course, the loss Sunday only accentuates the importance of Game 2, as the Grizzlies need to come out victorious in order to have a split in the series when they arrive back in Memphis, which was their stated goal before the series started.
“(Earning a split on the road) makes it a series. It’s a whole different ball of wax coming home down 0-2 versus 1-1,” said Shane Battier Friday before the team left for Dallas. “Unfortunately I haven’t been able to experience that, coming back 1-1, but the old saying about the playoffs is that the playoffs really don’t start until the road team wins a game. If we go down there and get one that would be a huge boost to our confidence.”
Barcelona ready to eliminate AC Milan in Champions League semis
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
Frank Rijkaard believes his selection headache is a blessing as FC Barcelona prepare to meet AC Milan in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi final at Camp Nou. The Dutch coach has Deco, Henrik Larsson and Ronaldinho all available and is delighted to have the tricky decision of who should and should not play from such a talented pool.
“I have a luxury problem,” Rijkaard said. “It is good when players make life difficult for the coach like this. 
Deco is an important player for us and it is great to have him back.” The Portugal midfielder was suspended for Barcelona’s 1-0 win in Italy last week and his return could see the Spanish side play a more attacking game.
For all their forward-thinking, however, Rijkaard accepts that the key to a Barça victory will be preventing Milan from scoring. “I hope we maintain our usual mentality,” he said. “I would like to score a second goal, but I know we must pay attention and not concede one. We are confident. We are playing at home and will have the support of our fans and will be going out to win the game.”
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