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Doug Flutie:
Retires at 43. Forever remembered for Hail Mary pass for BC in 1984 and had remarkable 21-year career for a QB. New gig: ABC/ESPN college football analyst.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
RUSTY. PISTONS.
While all the talk on Tuesday will be about Rasheed Wallace's failed guarantee, the talk should be about how they lost.
LeBron had his usual "stellar" line (8-23, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 8 TO) but that's hardly why the Pistons lost.
How about:
• 33.3% from the field
• 13 points in the 4th quarter (outscored by 8)
• 14 turnovers
Do these look like the stats from a team that history was supposed to consider elite?
Check out the record of some of the past elite teams in the first two rounds of the playoffs:
'02 Lakers: 7-1
'01 Lakers: 7-0
'00 Lakers: 7-3
'98 Bulls: 7-1
'97 Bulls: 7-1
'96 Bulls: 7-1
There's a big difference between 3-1 and 2-2. The Pistons were one quarter away (actually, one layup away) from potentially having a stranglehold on the series ... and now it's the best out of three.
Oh, and don't worry about your pride, 'Sheed. Unfulfilled guarantees only make you stronger ... right Patrick Ewing?
Brown Gone? Count On It
Welcome to "Biography: Larry Brown" narrated by his longtime agent Joe Glass:
"Larry Brown is a coach, and he wants to coach. All things being equal, I expect him to be the coach of the Pistons for the next couple of years." -- Joe Glass (7/3/05)
"As far as we're concerned, he's coach of the Knicks and he's going to remain the coach of the Knicks unless we're told otherwise." -- Joe Glass (5/16/06)
Confused? (The Knicks usually are.) Here's a quick translation for you:
You owe Larry $40 million. If you want him out of here, that's fine. Just cut him a check for $40 million and he'll gladly pack his bags.
Fins Sign Vick
Wait, isn't the future success of anyone in the NFL based solely on character and his Wonderlic score?
Then what are the Dolphins doing signing Marcus Vick?
Wait, maybe Nick Saban uses a different formula than the one we're constantly being fed.
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CHECK OUT THE QUICKIE EVERY WEEKDAY MORNING! |
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| WHO'S GOT THE MOMENTUM ... |
Michelle Wie: Moves closer to qualifying for men's U.S. Open
Josh Beckett: 7IP/2H/1R Sox beats Orioles for 12th time
Danny Almonte: To play in All-Star game in Albuquerque
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| ... AND WHO'S GOT NO MO' |
Tanyon Sturtze: Rotator cuff injury may end season/career
Northwestern: Women's soccer team suspended for hazing
Reggie Bush: Undergoes precautionary MRI for hamstring
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Conventional wisdom:
Player + bad character = poor performance
Saban's wisdom:
Player + multiple arrests x Michael Vick's brother = Welcome to Miami
So potential based on on-field play is what Saban uses?
Fascinating.
MLB Roundup
Happy Birthday, Josh: Why is Josh Beckett a good pick for Cy Young? He's 5-1 and just had his first really good start of the year. Look for that 4.24 ERA to continue to go down.
Garcia wins again: Freddy Garcia won his sixth straight start for the White Sox (6.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R vs. Twins).
Twins promote Liriano:Highly touted lefty Francisco Liriano replaces struggling Carlos Silva in Twins rotation. In 22 innings of relief, he has 32/4 K/BB ratio; yes, he and Johan could be best lefty 1-2 punch since Glavine and Avery (no, we didn't forget Wells and Pettitte).
Bright spot in Atlanta: The Braves beat the Marlins 11-8 but are still 2 games under .500. Oh, and the best second-year player in Atlanta is not Jeff Francoeur. It's catcher Brian McCann, who is hitting .352/.397/.574 with 5 HRs and 19 RBI. Francoeur has 32 RBI but has been a negative offensively due to his awful 28/1 K/BB ratio. Yes, that's one walk, leading to a terrible .267 on-base percentage.
Bonds doesn't homer: He does double and walks in 10-1 rout of Astros. "This thing, it's like chasing two ghosts, you know?" Bonds said before the game. "Babe Ruth, I think he just kind of hovers over people a lot."
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Mavs win in OT
Admit it. We are all praying for anything but a Pistons vs. Spurs final. So, count Page 2 among those who jumped off their couch when Jason Terry hit two big jumpers in OT to secure the Mavs' victory.
Oh, and while MVP Steve Nash is struggling against the Clippers, Terry -- who replaced Nash as the Mavs' point guard -- played 51 minutes, scored 32 points and committed just one turnover. In fact, with Nash and Chauncey Billups both inconsistent on the offensive end, Terry and Tony Parker are the best point guards in the playoffs right now.
Nets at Heat, 8 p.m. ET (TNT): Miami looks to close out New Jersey in Game 5. With three straight double-digit wins, expect Heat to roll once again. If Jason Kidd is actually 1st-team all-D, shouldn't he figure out how to hold D-Wade under 29 points per game?
Clippers at Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT): Prediction: Nobody will play defense, Cassell will bark at the refs for 48 minutes, the Suns will fire up 3-pointers and Chris Kaman will not get a haircut.
Obvious keys: After scoring 31 in the series opener, Nash has scored 14, 12 and 8 and Suns lost 2 of 3. Other key: Will Kaman play despite his injured shoulder (and do the Clips even need him?)
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Mike Tyson:
Tyson is apparently a fan of the Irish boy band Westlife. So much so that he wants to sing for them as well.
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Today on ESPN.com
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| Quickie: Live! |
| NBA Daily Dime |
| Page 2 Index |
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| 5 MLB Stat Lines We Can't Believe |  Brad Ausmus, HOU
| Hitting .340 with .437 OBP
|  Matt Holliday, COL
| 11 HRs, 35 RBI
|  D. Mientkiewicz, KC
| .226, no HRs; yet he still plays
|  Alex Rios, TOR
| 10 HR all '05, 8 this year
|  Juan Pierre, CHI
| | .560 OPS; decline continues |
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Duke lacrosse captain David Evans is the third player indicted on charges of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer at a team party.
Sharks fans have more to boo about as the team faces playoff elimination after losing three straight games to the Edmonton Oilers.
Philadelphia Flyers center Peter Forsberg underwent a three-hour ankle operation to have torn ligaments repaired and several bones realigned.
The Mastro Auctions Inc. president will return the Super Bowl championship ring that former Green Bay Packers star Jerry Kramer lost 25 years ago.
Mets' Victor Zambrano injured worse than expected: he had Tommy John surgery and career now in jeopardy; still isn't injured Zambrano a better option than Jose Lima?
Happy Birthday, Janet Jackson! The pop queen is reportedly going a punishing fitness regimen to get her body back in shape to her wardrobe malfunction days.
Dan Shanoff is out on paternity leave and Page 2 will keep you updated with his latest baby news.
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