Say Welcome to Duck's Jeremiah Johnson

Oregon running back Jeremiah Johnson, a senior captain and converted Beaver-hater, talks about his views on the Civil War and on previous rivalry games.

On how he first heard about the Civil War ...It was my first day on campus, just reading in the media guide and seeing (the information on) Oregon State -- I already had an idea because they were Oregon State and we were Oregon. I signed a letter of intent, and I've been a Beaver-hater and a Duck ever since.

I kind of caught on quick. I don't like them at all, you know what I'm saying? I've played them two times in my career -- last year I was hurt. I'm looking real forward to playing them, because it's the last time I'll play Oregon State. I think I'll speak for the team when I say we're going to play real, real, real, real, real hard.

Every time I think of the rivalry, I get a funny feeling in my stomach. Whoever wins, that's the sticker everybody puts on their car. I hate seeing ... I get road rage whenever I see an Oregon State decal on somebody's car. I pull up and look --'who's driving that car?' -- so I see who it is.

On his high school rivalry with Crenshaw High in Los Angeles, playing for Dorsey High ...Crenshaw ... I don't like them to this day. When we played that game, it was blood, sweat and tears on both sides of the ball. After the Crenshaw game, I would always come home with cuts and bruises all over my body.

On violence surrounding Dorsey-Crenshaw games ...Wow, heck yeah. We always take precautions. We've got the gang problem over there. I'm not involved with the gangs, but it was in our fans and our surroundings. There was always something bad after the game. I'm just thankful that God protected me through all those four years there.

We had about a seven-cop escort, and it was only about six miles away. It was real important, real serious. In L.A., for people without a life, it's about gang-banging out there, doing stupid stuff.

There's always somebody there trying to intimidate, showing their colors. There's always somebody, as we say in California, always bangin' on the next person. You just got to look over that and just play football because when it comes down to it, a gun is not going to make you win a football game.

On what he expects from Saturday's game ...You can't let your rival beat you two years in a row. That's why we're trying to end their little streak that they got going here, trying to win up in Reser. That's pretty much state bragging rights, and we're just trying to own that this year.
We're going to be amped, we're going to be fired up, and we're going to be ready to knock some heads off. It's going to be a hard-fought, fist-to-fist, gut-and-grime game out there. I can't wait for Saturday to come.

It's gonna be blood, sweat and tears, even when we get to Corvallis. It would be real great to go out there and just dominate and come back to Eugene and celebrate.
We'll just bleed until the game's over and won.

On keeping Oregon State out of the Rose Bowl ...I'm not really worried about where they're going. It's about where we're trying to get to, you know what I'm saying? And a win is going to get us to where we want to be. If we knock them out of Rose Bowl contention, so be it, that's how it's got to be. But we're not really worried about where they're going.
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Nebraska Eyes Gator: Buffs just want a bowl bid

Bo Pelini's first Nebraska-Colorado game as Cornhuskers coach won't affect the Big 12 North standings. It will have an effect on the bowl season.

Nebraska is looking to play in one on New Year's Day.

Colorado is just looking to play in one.
The Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-3) have won four of five to move into position for a Gator Bowl bid if they can beat the Buffaloes.

"If that happens, great. I'd love to get to a New Year's Day bowl game," Pelini said. "If it's not a New Year's Day bowl game, I know this: If we win the football game we'll have more options than if we don't."

Injury-depleted Colorado has lost six of eight after a 3-0 start and needs a win over the Huskers to become bowl-eligible. The Insight, Independence and Texas bowls would be possibilities.

The Buffs (5-6, 2-5) find themselves in the same situation as the Huskers when the teams met in Boulder last year. Colorado won 65-51, denying Nebraska a bowl bid and marking the end of the Bill Callahan era.

"There's a lot on it," CU coach Dan Hawkins said. "It's the last game, and you always want to finish. It's Nebraska. That means a lot. Like I told our guys, 'All the chips are in the middle. You're all in. There's no reason not to be.'"

Recent Colorado-Nebraska games have not packed the punch of the meetings from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s. This will be the third time in four years, but only the fourth time since 1988, that neither team is in the Top 25 when they've met.

But remnants of the rivalry were apparent early in the week when Nebraska players spoke of the joy they would derive from keeping Colorado out of a bowl game.
Pelini prefers to keep his focus on remaking the Nebraska program and improving its bowl position.

Nebraska has been playing some of its best football since an embarrassing 62-28 loss at Oklahoma on Nov. 1. The Huskers followed a solid win over Kansas with a 56-28 victory at Kansas State two weeks ago. The Joe Ganz-led offense is rolling up 463 yards a game, a figure that ranks just sixth in the prolific Big 12 but ninth nationally.

Other than obvious breakdowns against Missouri and Oklahoma, the Huskers' defense has done about as well as anyone else in the Big 12.

"I just feel like we haven't yet put four quarters of our best football together. If we put a performance out there Friday like Oklahoma did Saturday night, I'd be pretty fired up," a smiling Pelini said, referring to the Sooners' 65-21 rout of Texas Tech.

"I think we've come a long way, I really do. I see improvement, a lot of guys individually. I've seen a lot of guys develop. Is this program where I want it to be? No, not yet."
But playing Georgia Tech or Florida State in the Gator Bowl would be a fantastic finish for Pelini's first season at Nebraska. He took over a program that arguably was worse than its 5-7 record last year indicated and, with the exception of the Missouri and Oklahoma games, put a competitive product on the field.

"Three weeks ago, after that Oklahoma game, I said this is a three-game season. Myself, the players, we committed to going undefeated in that three-game season," Pelini said. "We'll worry about the bowl game, whatever happens there, when that comes. We need to win this football game. There is a sense of urgency for me, the staff and the players to get it done and make sure we keep this ship heading in the right direction and getting some momentum for this program."
But defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said it's a great sign that the Huskers are even in the New Year's bowl conversation.

"Obviously, we're on our way, getting back to where we're supposed to be — always being in a bowl game and being in a good one," Suh said.
Colorado has seen its 2008 campaign all but ruined by injuries. Eleven players have been lost for the season.

"To lose this many guys permanently is pretty amazing really," Hawkins said.
Hawkins is 13-23 in three seasons at Colorado, and the injuries have stunted his program's progress. Highly regarded freshman tailback Darrell Scott missed the 30-17 loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 15 because of an ankle injury and is questionable for Friday. So is free safety Ryan Walters, who sprained an ankle early against OSU.

Then there's been the spotty quarterback play. Cody Hawkins went the distance against OSU, but he split time with Tyler Hansen the previous four games.

"This whole venture has been a challenging thing for coach Hawk, but a good one. That's why I came," Dan Hawkins said. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy."
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Stevie Hicks Died

Former all-state football player Stevie Hicks died today after being found lying on Interstate 480 near downtown Omaha.

Police were investigating the death but released no details and gave no explanation of what may have happened.

Hicks, 25, was found about 8:30 a.m. on I-480 under the bridges that form the I-480 and North Freeway interchange, police said.

He was a Creighton Prep star and running back at Iowa State.
He was the Cyclones' top rusher three years running, despite injuries that limited him as a junior and senior. He rolled up 1,062 yards as a sophomore, 545 as a junior and 523 in his senior year, 2006.

At Creighton Prep he was twice named to The World-Herald's All-Nebraska team. He rushed for 1,818 yards and scored 17 touchdowns as a senior and had 1,220 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior.
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NASCAR ::Second-place not good enough for Edwards

“The only thing about second is it’s better than third. That’s really all you can say,” the runner-up in both the NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series championships said, reflecting on torrid finishes that came up short in the point standings on each circuit.

“We all go out here to win, and the feeling of victory and achievement is so huge that second is not (pleasurable),” Edwards said on Friday during Champions’ Week media day at Disney World. “It’s satisfying that we performed so well, but getting second really doesn’t mean a lot.”

Clint Bowyer held off Edwards for the Nationwide driver championship by 21 points, and Jimmie Johnson prevailed in the Sprint Cup Series, even though Edwards won a series-best nine races and three of the final four.

Most years, the 2007 Nationwide Series champion would have repeated with the kind of comeback he staged after trailing by 204 points with eight races to go. But Bowyer’s season-long consistency was too much to overcome.

Bowyer, who was working in a body shop in Kansas before receiving a career-changing call from Richard Childress a few years ago, won just one of 35 races. But 14 top-five finishes and a series-best 29 top-10s were enough to give the native of Emporia, Kan., his first driver championship.

Bowyer was recognized Saturday during an awards banquet in Orlando. Joe Gibbs Racing won the owner championship, winning a series-record 19 races and amassing a staggering 32 top-five and 44 top-10 finishes.

“How can you not appreciate it. It’s unbelievable to be able to think what we accomplished this year,” Bowyer said on Friday. “Whether you were a filthy rich kid and bought your ride and owned the team and owned the car, what we were able to accomplish means a lot and is a lot of fun to be a part of.”

The crown also is special because of who he beat for the title. He and Edwards, of Columbia, Mo., were raised in the Midwest and are good friends off the track.

“We grew up with kind of the same backgrounds, him being from Missouri and me being from Kansas. We’re both very proud to able to get paid to do what we’re doing. I know how hard he worked and how much it means to him to be able to race,” Bowyer said.

Edwards won three of the last four Nationwide Series events and seven overall to make it interesting down the stretch.

Still, Edwards and crew chiefs Drew Bickensderfer and Bob Osborne were left with an empty feeling last weekend after winning both the season-ending Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup races at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

In addition to not catching Bowyer, Edwards fell 69 points short of stopping Johnson from taking his record-tying third consecutive Cup championship.

“I know we won those last two races, but I’ve never seen two guys—not dejected, but more focused than that,” Edwards said.

“Standing there in Victory Lane at Homestead, you look across the racetrack and see those guys celebrating and you say: ‘Oh man, that could have been us if we had just done a couple of things differently.’ That’s motivating.”

Edwards is looking forward to 2009, too.

He plans to travel to London for the Race of Champions next month and is getting married in January. Later comes his first trip to Thailand for a week or two of sightseeing, rest and relaxation.

“I know nothing about Thailand. I know nothing about Bangkok. That’s going to be fun,” Edwards said. “We tried to think of a place that was farthest, literally and figuratively, from Columbia, Mo. I’m thinking, Bangkok, Thailand could not be any farther.”

Then, it’s on to next season and resuming the quest to catch Johnson. Despite his disappointment in falling short this year, Edwards said he has nothing but respect for the champion.

“Jimmie, what he’s done, I think not only is good for him. It’s good for the sport to have a guy who can do that and have those kinds of results. As much as I can be, I’m happy for him. He’s a good guy, he deserves it,” Edwards said.

“We didn’t mess up. Jimmie just was perfect. … By most measures (our year) was great, but we set out this season to win two championships and we came up a little bit short. … At least we can rest well knowing that we had these guys nervous a little bit at the end.”
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Annika Sorenstam Failed on Final LPGA Tour

Jeong Jang and Candie Kung beat Annika Sorenstam and Angela Stanford 3 and 2 on Friday to help Asia split the six opening alternate-shot matches in the Lexus Cup, Sorenstam’s final LPGA Tour-sanctioned event before she retires.

Sorenstam, set to end her Hall of Fame career next week in the Ladies European Tour’s Dubai Ladies Masters, is the International team’s playing captain.

“Of course, I’m disappointed not to get a point, but we played good golf,” Sorenstam said. “We have to regroup and try to get the next two points. It’s a team effort and I’m just glad I have a solid team that can pick me up.”

The teams will play six best-ball matches Saturday and the competition will conclude Sunday with 12 singles matches.

The Asian teams of Song Hee Kim and Inbee Park, and Yani Tseng and Seon Hwa Lee also opened with victories on the Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit Course.

Kim and Park beat Helen Alfredsson and Christina Kim 3 and 2, and Tseng and Lee held off Suzann Pettersen and Natalie Gulbis 2 and 1. Lee is 7-0-0 in the event.

“I think me and Yani made a really good team,” Lee said. “She hit it far. I had a good short game. We matched up. She hit it solid today in the fairway and I hit really good iron shots today and made a couple birdies.”

The International teams of Cristie Kerr-Karen Stupples, Paula Creamer-Nicole Castrale and Katherine Hull-Nikki Campbell won their matches.

Creamer and Castrale edged Asian captain Se Ri Pak and Eun Hee Ji 2-up.

“It’s hard to focus on your game when you’re focusing on your group,” Pak said. “At the same time, I’m not happy about losing it. It happened. I tried to do well. There’s two days to go. We’re happy with the results. We have a great team.”

Creamer has an inflamed abdominal wall that left her hospitalized Saturday night and nearly forced her to withdraw from the final round of the ADT Championship.

“I struggled,” Creamer said. “It was hard with the medications in the sun and the heat, probably not the best mixture for your body. It was a good match. Playing against Se Ri, always nice to beat the captain.”

Kerr and Stupples beat Sarah Lee and Na Yeon Choi 2 and 1.

“It was awesome,” Stupples said. “We had it all worked out really well today, who was drawing and who was fading. Cristie is a great partner to play with. She kept me in it. I was a bit nervous at times out there.”

The Australian duo of Hull and Campbell beat Japan’s Namika Omata and Mayumi Shimomura 3 and 1.

“It had been a while since I’d played foursomes, so, I must admit, it took a while to get a rhythm out there,” Hull said. “We did well considering, and it’s great to get a point on the board. Anytime you can get at least half a point is good. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully get another point on the board.”

Asia won 15-9 last year at The Vines in Perth, Australia, for its second straight victory. The International team won the inaugural matches 16-8 in 2005 at Tenah Merah in Singapore, and Asia won 12 1/2 -11 1/2 at Tenah Merah in 2006.

“Overall, we are very pleased with the performance,” Sorenstam said. “There were some great matches out there, some great golf overall. We had some teams that clicked very well, which was fun to see. It was a good atmosphere out there and I’m very proud of the team. It was way better than last year.”

Kung and Jang took a 4-up lead over Sorenstam and Stanford with a birdie on No. 11.

“We played great together,” Kung said. “We had a good plan. She is a much better putter than me, so we let her do that and she did her job.”

The Asian team dropped 14 and 15, but won 16 with a par to end the match.

“She was helping me a lot and, hopefully, I was helping her,” Jang said.
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Donovan McNabb..He's Back!!

Donovan McNabb got pulled for Kevin Kolb again. This time, he earned a seat on the bench with a superb performance instead of a stinker.

McNabb threw four touchdown passes, Brian Westbrook tied a team record with four scores and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Arizona Cardinals 48-20 on Thursday night.

“Adversity always happens in our position,” McNabb said. “It’s how you pull yourself out of it. I knew coming into this game if I just continued to be myself and know what I’m seeing out there and react, good things will happen.”
Just four days ago, McNabb was benched for the first time in his career at halftime of a 36-7 loss at Baltimore. The Eagles only trailed 10-7 when coach Andy Reid decided to put Kolb in after McNabb threw five interceptions and lost two fumbles in his previous seven quarters.

But Reid gave McNabb another chance and the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback responded with his best game since Week 1. He completed 27 of 39 passes for 260 yards and a passer rating of 121.7. Kolb ran out the clock while McNabb celebrated the win on the sideline.

“He was very determined, he commanded the offense, he relaxed and played very well,” Reid said. “He blocked everything out and went about his business. It’s a credit to him and the kind of guy he is.”

Westbrook, playing with a sore ankle and knee, had 110 yards rushing and 20 more receiving. He had two TDs on the ground and two receiving. Wideout Irving Fryar was the last Eagles player to score four TDs in 1996.

“We needed this game. It was a little vindication for my offensive line. We did a great job,” Westbrook said.

The Eagles (6-5-1) desperately needed to win to maintain their slim playoff hopes.

They’ll have a few extra days to prepare for the New York Giants (10-1) on Dec. 7.

The Cardinals (7-5) will clinch their first division title in 33 years if San Francisco loses at Buffalo on Sunday.

“It sure seemed like we came out flat,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I don’t know if we were mentally prepared. We played hard, but obviously made too many mistakes. We weren’t as crisp as we had been.”

Kurt Warner had 235 yards passing, three TDs and three interceptions.

“It’s not the game we wanted to play,” Warner said. “I came out and forced one early. We just didn’t have our game today and it was across the board.”

Right from the start, McNabb looked like the guy who led the Eagles to four straight NFC championship games and one Super Bowl. He was 5-for-5 for 38 yards on the opening drive, capping it with a 5-yard TD pass to Westbrook. Whoever was calling the plays — Reid or offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg — finally mixed it up instead of relying heavily on the pass. The running backs carried six times during the 12-play drive.
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Stephon Marbury declined to play Wednesday night against the Pistons

Stephon Marbury will soon either be ordered to stay home indefinitely or be released by the New York Knicks, a source told the New York Daily News.

Marbury again declined to play Wednesday night against the Pistons, the second time he had done so in six days. The same source told the Daily News that Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni considered sending Marbury home that night.

The Knicks are down to two healthy guards -- Chris Duhon and Anthony Roberson -- after Nate Robinson missed Wednesday's game with a groin injury and Cuttino Mobley has not yet been cleared by team doctors.

Marbury is one of the league's highest paid players and is scheduled to make at $20.8 million this season.
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Allen Iverson missed practice Thursday and will be levied a "hefty" fine

Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson missed practice Thursday and will be levied a "hefty" fine, coach Michael Curry said.

"I'm surprised when guys are late; I'm surprised when they don't show," Curry said, according to the Detroit Free Press. "It's a pretty hefty fine to be late, or to miss, and once again, it's accountability for yourself and your teammates."

Rodney Stuckey, who scored 13 points and added a career-high 11 assists for his first career double-double Wednesday in a 110-96 victory over New York, will start in Iverson's place Friday against the Milwaukee Bucks in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Curry said he hadn't decided whether Iverson would play.
Iverson, who was traded from the Denver Nuggets nearly a month ago, is averaging 18.5 points and 5.4 assists in 10 games with the Pistons this season.

He talked Saturday about the importance of finding chemistry with a new team through practice.

"I've been through it before," Iverson said. "I think the toughest part of it has been our schedule. We've been on the road a lot. That was tough. For me, it's just getting a chance to settle in.

"The most important thing is getting more practice time."

Iverson is no stranger to controversy stemming from practice issues.

In April 2002, he missed practice prior to Game 2 of the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, a month before his famous rant at coach Larry Brown's criticism for missing team practices.

Nearly two years later, he was benched for the start of a 76ers game against the Nuggets by coach Chris Ford and fined an undisclosed amount after not making it to Denver for practice.

Then in November 2006, Iverson reportedly stormed out of the practice gym after a conflict with coach Maurice Cheeks. The 76ers traded him to the Nuggets the next month.

Information from ESPN research was used in this report.
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MLB: Big Offer For Ramirez

The Los Angeles Dodgers made a lucrative offer to free-agent outfielder Manny Ramirez it was reported in the US on Wednesday.

Though details of the offer have yet to be disclosed, general manager Ned Colletti told the Times that it would be the "second-highest average annual value in baseball."

Currently, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has the highest annual salary at $27.5 million, while New York Mets ace Johan Santana makes about $22.9 million per season in second place.

The mercurial slugger was acquired in a deadline deal from the Boston Red Sox this year and proceeded to carry the Dodgers into the postseason. They won their first playoff series since 1988, advancing to the National League Championship Series before falling to the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies.

Ramirez hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBI in 53 games with Los Angeles. He turned it up even more in the playoffs, hitting .520 (13-for-25) with four homers, 10 RBI and 11 walks.

The 12-time All-Star is 17th on baseball's all-time home run list with 527 and 20th in RBI with 1,725 in 16 seasons.

The career .314 hitter, who helped lead the Boston Red Sox to two World Series titles before falling out of favor with upper management, will turn 37 in May.
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NBA Monday Review ESPNSTAR

It was a busy night for the Detroit Pistons on Monday - hours after dealing a trio of players - including guard Chauncey Billups.
Richard Hamilton scored 19 points as the Pistons won their third straight game to start the season with a 101-83 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats and former head coach Larry Brown.

Detroit set in motion a major overhaul of its roster Monday afternoon, acquiring nine-time All-Star Allen Iverson from the Denver Nuggets for Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.

Iverson is expected to be in uniform Wednesday night in Toronto upon the completion of a physical Tuesday in Detroit.

The Pistons used a balanced scoring attack to remain undefeated, with Hamilton leading six players in double figures.

Detroit built a 12-point edge in the first quarter, 23-12, after a basket from Amir Johnson with 1:14 to play and trailed for a total of just 78 seconds in the game.

For the second straight game, the Philadelphia 76ers built a 20-point first half lead. This time they were able to keep it as they picked up their second straight home win with a 125-91 victory over the Sacramento Kings.

On Saturday, Philadelphia led by as much as 23 points in the first half only to see Atlanta rally for a 95-88 win. Thanks to Thaddues Young and Lou Williams, Philadelphia made sure the outcome was never in doubt on Monday.

Williams finished with 17 and Willie Green came off the bench to score 16 points for the Sixers.

Kevin Martin had 14 points for the Kings who dropped all four games in their season-opening road trip.

Marc Gasol scored 27 points to lead three players in double figures as the Memphis Grizzlies snapped their seven-game losing streak against the Golden State Warriors with a 90-79 victory.

Gasol, a rookie centre and the brother of Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, added a team-high 16 rebounds for Memphis, which limited Golden State to just 12 fourth-quarter points.

What looked like a showdown bound to go down to the wire turned into a blowout, as the Cleveland Cavaliers exploded at just the right moment, when the Dallas Mavericks went ice cold, coming away with a 100-81 victory on the road.

With the Cavaliers nursing a one-point lead late in the third, LeBron James' driving layup and subsequent free throw sparked a 20-2 run that put the game out of reach with plenty of time to spare. James, who posted 29 points and eight boards, enforced his will on Dallas' defence, drawing contact all night and finishing 13-of-15 from the foul line.

Once the final period rolled around, he let his re-tooled supporting cast take over. Mo Williams, acquired in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, opened up the fourth with a pair of pull-up jumpers and capped Cleveland's surge with a 3-pointer to give his new team an 85-68 lead that proved to be insurmountable.

Dwight Howard registered his fourth straight double-double, collecting 22 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Orlando Magic to a 96-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls.

Even with another dominant showing from their franchise centre, the Magic had to hold off a late surge by the Bulls, who staged a 9-0 run to pull to within a point. Rookie point guard Derrick Rose hit an off-balance runner from the baseline that rattled in to cut Chicago's deficit to 93-90 and Ben Gordon followed moments later with a short jumper to make it 93-92.

However, Rashard Lewis knocked down 3-of-4 free throws to help ice the victory. He finished with 21 points and 11 boards.

Paul Millsap scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz beat the Los Angeles Clippers for the second time in three days, posting an 89-73 victory.

Mehmet Okur scored 16 and Andrei Kirilenko added 15 and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who recorded a 101-79 triumph at home Saturday.

Baron Davis and Marcus Camby both returned from injury and came off the bench for the Clippers (0-4), who are still searching for their first win. Chris Kaman had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead Los Angeles and Davis had 14 and nine assists.
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