Driver Kills Angels Pitcher

From Gillian Flaccus and Ken Peters of the Associated Press at Comcast Sports:
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others were killed by a suspected drunk driver Thursday, a shocking end to the life of a rookie who had overcome major elbow surgery to realize his big league dreams.
The accident in neighboring Fullerton occurred hours after the 22-year-old pitcher made his season debut with his father in the stands, throwing six scoreless innings against the Oakland Athletics. The Angels ultimately lost the game, 6-4.
The team postponed Thursday night's game with Oakland, the final one of their season-opening series.
``It is a tragedy that will never be forgotten,'' manager Mike Scioscia said at an Angel Stadium news conference.
Adenhart's father, Jim, a retired Secret Service agent, walked onto the field in the empty stadium Thursday and spent several moments alone on the pitcher's mound. Wearing a red sweatshirt, the Angels' color, he briefly covered his eyes with one hand.
Jim Adenhart also spoke during a closed-door meeting of players and team officials.
``He just wanted to say thank you for the opportunity, thank you for raising his kid in minor league ball on up through the system in the Angels' organization,'' outfielder Torii Hunter said.
Nick Adenhart was a passenger in a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse that was broadsided in an intersection about 12:30 a.m. by a minivan that apparently ran a red light, police said.
The impact spun around both vehicles, and one then struck another car but that driver was not hurt, police said.
The minivan driver fled the crash on foot and was captured about 30 minutes later. Police identified him as Andrew Thomas Gallo, 22, of Riverside, and said he had a suspended license because of a previous drunken driving conviction.

Top College Hoops Picks

Well, our poll was wrong.
55% of you said Villanova would win it all in the college hoops fest. You were (sadly) wrong.
And 10% of you said Connecticut. You were wrong.
Now it's down to Michigan State vs. that old standby, Carolina.
Michigan State has to be considered the Cinderella team in this year's tournament -- and the sentimental favoite.
And fully 25% of you say that Michigan will win it all.
The remaining 10% pick Carolina.
We will soon find out who the new champion will be!

Tom Brady Wedding Gunfire

From Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa with Simone Press in the Boston Herald:
Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s glam Costa Rican wedding was marred by gunfire last night when security guards hired to keep paparazzi away fired at two photographers as they fled the scene with their film. No one was hurt.
According to two spokesmen for the INF photo agency, photographers were hiding in the brush near Gisele’s beachfront home taking pictures of the event when they were rousted by the newlyweds’ security guards.
he photographers, identified as Yuri Cortez and Rolando Aviles, were marched up to Bundchen’s villa where they were ordered to surrender their still photos and video. The men refused and fled with the security guards in pursuit.
Two of the photographers ran to a waiting SUV and jumped in as a guard fired a shot at them, the photo agency said. The bullet shattered the Suzuki’s rear window, passed between the two men in the front seat and bounced off the windshield.
“No one was hurt but one of their cars was messed up,” the INF spokesman said.
The photo agency posted pictures of a photographer standing by an SUV with a shattered back windshield. A second picture shows the photographer holding a bullet.
It is unclear whether Mr. and Mrs. Brady and their 25 guests knew about the incident. According to People magazine, the newlyweds looked relaxed and happy as they mingled under a tent on the balcony of Gisele’s beachfront estate during their dream wedding redux.

Final Four: Who Wins?

Connecticut, North Carolina, Michigan State or Villanova?

Who will win it all?

Vote in our poll at the top right of this page.

We want to hear from you!

Wildcats Can Win ALL

From Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News:

When the 61 games were done, the Final Four was not unpredictable, but, nevertheless, consists of a combination of four teams that was far from obvious. Nationally, Villanova probably was given less consideration than by those locally who had seen enough to understand the essence of Jay Wright's team. And Michigan State, under the radar in the Big Ten, played a near-perfect game yesterday to take out Louisville, the overall No. 1 seed.
North Carolina and Connecticut were no surprise. And nobody will be terribly surprised if they meet a week from tonight in the championship game at Ford Field in Detroit.
Carolina and UConn will be solid favorites. Anybody who does not think 'Nova has a chance just has not been paying attention. Are the Wildcats likely to beat UNC in the second game on Saturday? No. Is it possible? With this team, almost anything has to be considered, including a national championship.
Michigan State does not appear to have the firepower to hang with UConn, but the Spartans do have some serious athletes. Will that be enough to beat UConn? Again, unlikely.
UNC (32-4), UConn (31-4), Michigan State (30-6) and Villanova (30-7) are a combined 123-21.

Villanova Gears Up

Villanova's Dream Team!

Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (1), Shane Clark and Reggie Redding (15) celebrate Reynolds' game-winning basket against Pittsburgh, which earned the Wildcats a Final Four berth. (Yong Kim / Staff Photographer)

From Rich Hoffman in the Philadelphia Daily News:
Somehow, some way, Villanova is going to the Final Four.
It was a classic game. It was a game that will be talked about for as long as they talk about college basketball in Philadelphia. It was a tight, physical, brutal wonderful game – and Scottie Reynolds won it with a driving layup with 0.5 seconds left.
The final score was Villanova 78, Pittsburgh 76. And when everyone got done holding their breath at the end, when a Levance Fields 75-footer at the buzzer crashed off of the backboard and away, the Wildcats erupted to celebrate the school’s first Final Four appearance since 1985.
It is so hard to describe how tough and good this game was, and how it would have felt if the Wildcats had come up short. It was that good. It was that difficult.

What makes Villanova so special?

Well, of course I'm partial.
But I think it's a Villanova spirit - an honest, well-grounded "can do" spirit that drives the university and its community to do their very best and to give that extra effort that makes a difference.
Villanova is a school grounded in the Augustinian ethic and the teachings and values of St. Augustine. Villanova doesn't try to hide its Catholic identity or its Catholic heritage. Villanova is proud of it - proud of all of it.
Go to Villanova's web site and you will see Villanova's Christian character. You will see the daily quote from Augustine himself; the Lenten reflections and the open, giving, Catholic spirit of the university.
Here's what Villanova President Rev. Peter J. Donohue says: "We are a Catholic and Augustinian University with a well-rounded academic curriculum and a commitment to the greater good. Saint Augustine believed in the intrinsic connection between the mind and the heart, between truth and love. At Villanova, we celebrate this relationship through a passionate pursuit of knowledge and service to others."
Villanova's understanding of its own Christian character and Villanova's steadfast adherence to the teachings of St. Augustine set it apart.
I honestly believe that Villanova is infused with the love and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Sprit knows.

And that makes all the difference!

Kutcher Defends Phelps

Ashton Kutcher is defending Michael Phelps. And Kutcher is also retracting his previous criticism of whoever it was that circulated the Phelps bong picture in the first place

Kutcher posted his defense on his own blog. Here's what Ashton has to say:

I don't smoke marijuana and any statement to the contrary is a lie. I simply feel that Michael Phelps is entitled to his privacy. The kid made a mistake (he is only human) and anyone who has been in the public eye knows the magnification of minor missteps can be blown way out of proportion. Yes he is a role model and a great one at that. But I'm sure that in his lapse of judgment he wasn't thinking, "boy I hope the whole world can see this so that kids everywhere can copy me." And truth be told, if they went out and trained and worked as hard as he has to reach the great heights of success in their careers I wouldn't hammer them about a slip up either. And in kind I would like to retract any negative statement that I made about the kid who published the pic. I'm sure he/she wasn't in a sober head space while taking it or publishing it for that matter (you are the company you keep). I leave perfection to the creator of this great universe and wouldn't assume that duty on any human being.

BTW: That photo that you see above is neither Phelps nor Kutcher. It's Demi Moore bending over in a white bikini. Ashton took the photo and posted it on his Twitter page. Demi's reaction?

"He is such a sneak and while I was steaming his suit too!"

Villanova Roars Into Eight!

Villanova's Dante Cunningham (left) and Reggie Redding are hugged by Corey Stokes toward end of the Wildcats' 77-54 win over Duke. (Ron Cortes / Staff Photographer)

From Rich Hoffman in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
To paraphrase Bill Parcells, the old basketball coach, you are what the tournament says you are. And what the Villanova Wildcats are is an elite American college basketball program. When they arrived for their Sweet 16 game last night against the Duke Blue Devils, it was their fourth journey of this distance in five seasons. It has been a fantastic run, an elevating period of time for the program.
But they all wanted more - kids, coaches, thousands in the stands at the TD Banknorth Garden. Greed. That remains the second-most dominant emotion.
And now, hopeful, greedy, all of that, Villanova stands on the precipice again. For the second time under coach Jay Wright, the Wildcats are one game away from the Final Four after running Duke out of the gym last night, 77-54. Tenacious on defense, relentless on offense, physically dominating for every one of the court's 94 feet, Villanova now has a game against Pittsburgh remaining between them and the happiest basketball place on Earth.

Bravo, Eustace Girls!

We want to take a moment to congratulate the Bishop Eustace girls basketball team on their outstanding year and their emergence as South Jersey champions.
We congratulate the entire team but of course we want to give a Great Big Shout Out to Alyssa Cirucci (on the far right, end of row). Alyssa is "just" a freshman at Eustace but already she's making a difference and proving to be a real team player as well as a sports standout.
She has done the Cirucci name proud and we commend her and her wonderful parents Lou and Michelle.
Remember the name, Alyssa Cirucci. You're gonna be hearin lots more about her!

Jay Shows The Way!

From Phil Sheridan in the Philadelphia Inquirer:

Jay Wright started outcoaching UCLA's Ben Howland long before tip-off of their second-round NCAA tournament game yesterday.
Howland, whose teams had been in the last three Final Fours, made it all-too-loudly known that he was unhappy playing Villanova in the Wachovia Center. That would be understandable if Howland's teams hadn't been assigned to Anaheim, San Diego, and Sacramento for the opening weekends of those three tournaments. UCLA left California just once before the Final Four in three years.
Sometimes a coach can motivate his players by giving them a grudge to nurse. Howland managed to plant an excuse in his players' minds. Wright had his 'Nova team stoked to smash the Bruins in the mouth - figuratively, of course - with fierce defense and relentless offensive pressure. The Bruins' response was to whine to the officials. . . .

Wright has begun to establish his own legacy at Villanova and, therefore, in Philadelphia basketball. In just eight seasons on the Main Line, Wright has earned a place among the best coaches in the city's storied history.
"If you're the coach at Villanova, you're going to be good," Wright said. "Every coach that's been there has won. It's not me. It's every coach."
Actually, there's more to it than the blue-and-white unis and the picture-pretty campus in Radnor Township. Wright has done an exceptional job.
After going to the NIT his first three years at 'Nova, Wright has taken a team to the NCAA tournament five years in a row. Four times, the Wildcats have advanced to the round of 16. Three years ago, they made it to within a game of the Final Four, losing to eventual national champion Florida in the round of eight.
Wright's 'Nova teams have a 9-4 record in the NCAA tournament. He has advanced now with completely different teams. So Wright isn't a potential Big Five Hall of Fame coach. He's a future Big Five Hall of Fame coach. . . .

The bracket is set up to give 'Nova games against Duke and Big East rival Pittsburgh in Boston. There is nothing easy about either of those games. There isn't supposed to be.
Play the way they did against UCLA for 40 minutes and the Wildcats could beat anyone. That kind of defensive energy and smart, balanced offensive attack would be effective anywhere, any time.
"We had six guys in double figures," Wright said. "That's big time. That's a good team."
Yes, and it's a very well-coached team, too.

Villanova: 16 In 16!

From Mike Jensen in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
Sure, Jay Wright is pleased to see Villanova move on to its fourth berth in the NCAA Sweet 16 in the last five seasons, but he's not readily acknowledging it.
There's no time.
"It's just 'next game' for us," the Wildcats coach said after his team defeated UCLA, 89-69, in the second round of the NCAA East Regional. "At the end of the season, we'll have time. Right now, we have to get ready for the next game.
"That's what you love. I don't want to waste time talking about accomplishments. I want to enjoy being with these guys. I want them to enjoy being together. Who knows, this might be our last game coming up. We want to really enjoy this."
In their three previous trips to the Sweet 16 under Wright, the Wildcats twice lost in the regional semifinals, including last year's 72-57 loss to eventual champion Kansas. They earned the regional finals in 2006 but dropped a 75-62 decision to Florida.
"It feels great to be back," junior guard Reggie Redding said. "Last year we lost in this round coming up, and we hope we can go farther than we did last year."
Overall, this is Villanova's 16th appearance in the Sweet 16.

Villanova Wins Again!

From the Associated Press:
The Wildcats had it all the way. Dante Cunningham scored 18 points Saturday, helping Villanova reach the round of 16 for the fourth time in 5 years with an 89-69 victory over UCLA that ended the Bruins' bid for a fourth straight Final Four appearance. Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding each had 13 points for the third-seeded Wildcats (28-7), who will play the Texas-Duke winner in the East Region semifinals in Boston.
Backed by a raucous, hometown crowd at their off-campus home, Villanova jumped on UCLA early and hardly let up. The combination of tight defense, physical play, and excellent shooting was too much for UCLA. Villanova led 44-31 at halftime, and the game that was expected to be close and low-scoring turned into a rout in the second half, with the Wildcats leading at one point by 25.

Former NFL Q'back Killed

From Patrick Walters at the Associated Press:
Pennsylvania authorities say a former NFL quarterback who failed to show for sentencing on drunken driving charges nearly four years ago has been killed in a car crash in Greece.
A Chester County detective says authorities had initially been skeptical about reports of William "Jeff" Komlo's death in a weekend crash. But acting chief county detective Jim Vito says the State Department used fingerprints to confirm the crash victim was indeed the 52-year-old fugitive.
Komlo played for the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers over five NFL seasons from 1979 to 1983.
In July 2005, Komlo failed to show for sentencing on two drunken driving convictions.
Two months earlier, authorities had issued a warrant for Komlo when he didn't appear for a May 10 preliminary hearing on charges in an alleged assault on his girlfriend.
At the time he went missing, Komlo was under investigation for fires at his home in Chester Springs, Pa., and another home in Florida.
Komlo had lived in Chester Springs and worked as an insurance broker in the nearby Philadelphia suburb of Wayne. Authorities did not know what happened to him after he skipped the hearings in 2005.

Villanova Triumphant!

Villanova's Reggie Redding and Dante Cunningham celebrate the Wildcats' comeback win over American, 80-67. (Philadelphia Inquirer, Ron Cortes/Staff photographer)

Dead Wrestler's 'My Space'

Andrew "Test" Martin, a former WWE wrestler, was found dead in his Tampa, Fla. apartment late Friday night. Neighbors called police after seeing the 33-year-old motionless over a span of several hours.
The cause of death wasn't immediately known, but police said foul play isn't suspected. An autopsy will be performed.

As if this story isn't weird enough, get this: Martin's last posting (March 10) is still up on his My Space page and people have been going to the page and telling the young werstler how sorry they are that he died. They're leaving messages for Martin as if he's still there and the page has turned into a sort of ongoing pop memorial with creep comments such as: "Holy Shit.I know this is weird but I'm sorry for your death. This was a shock, I can't believe it's true..."

You can visit the page by clicking here.

Cole Kicks Off

Our Phavorite Phillie Cole Hamels takes the mound today and he's focused and ready to get back to his day job. Here's part of the story from Andy Martino at the Philadelphia Inquirer:

In the last six months, Cole Hamels has won four postseason games and the most valuable player award in two series, chatted with David Letterman, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, spoken about education in Malawi, and began a transition from baseball phenom to mainstream celebrity.
Hamels, 25, is scheduled to start today for the Phillies in an exhibition game against Canada's team in the World Baseball Classic, marking the end of a hectic, shortened off-season for the pitcher.
Constantly in demand after the World Series, the young ace admitted that the experience was draining, but said that he was eager to return to work.
"The off-season is supposed to be time to be off," Hamels said. "We want to be able to get right mentally, but me and my teammates haven't really been able to get away, and that hurts you a little. . . . But we have a job to do now, and we're excited about that."
He added: "At this point, you almost have to forget about [winning it all], pretend it never happened."

If that's what it takes, then let's pretend it never happened. We know that Cole is grounded, focused, real. Git it done, Cole!

A'int Goin Nowhere!

From Bob Glauber at Newsday:
The specuation continues about Donovan McNabb's whereabouts in 2009, and that he has played his last game in an Eagles' uniform.
Has he?
Well, consider that McNabb is still miffed at being benched against the Ravens, and he still plans on a sit-down with head coach Andy Reid. And yes, he does want a revision of his contract, which has two years left on it.
All that aside, however, the indications are extremely strong that McNabb isn’t going anywhere. First, he has been working out regularly at the team’s training facility. And while we’re still more than two months away from the team’s mandatory mini-camp, which some are speculating that McNabb will pass up, there are no indications internally that he plans to skip the team’s required functions.
So, the bottom line: Will McNabb be playing for the Eagles in 2009? We asked a league source with knowledge of McNabb’s situation if there was any chance McNabb would be with another team next season. Hie response: “No way.”

Ahhhh, spring!

As baseball spring training begins anew the fans are once again juiced.
Forget that Philadelphia hasn't had a world champion professionsl sports team in 25 years - 25 long, barren years. That means there isn't a kid (or a college student or young adult) around who remembers the last Philadelphia world championship.
How sad!
And yet the Philadelphia sports franchises continue to pitch their wares, raise their prices and string the fans along with promises of a better day tomorrow. And the fans (poor suckers that they are) continue to buy it.
Sure, I know that Philly teams have won division and conference championships in the interim. That's fine. But no Big Enchilada. And unless the fans get the Big Enchilada, it's not good enough.
Let's put it this way: Suppose you supported a political party that hadn't won the White House in more than 20 years. How long would you expect to keep contributing to and working for that party if it kept losing and losing and losing. How much support does anyone owe to losers?
Hey, I'm a loyal guy but loyalty has its limits. Defeat is a bummer. And a loss is a loss. Period.
The fans deserve a world championship - any world championship. So, here's my message to the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers and Sixers: Git It Done!