By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer

AP - May 7, 10:57 pm EDT 1 of 22 NBA Gallery LOS ANGELES (AP)—Kobe Bryant couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate his first MVP award.

He had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists Wednesday night, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 120-110 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team in the postseason.

Bryant received his Most Valuable Player trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern in a brief ceremony before the game.

“I’m at a loss for words, I don’t know what to say,” Bryant said as the Staples Center crowd of 18,997 roared its approval and chanted M-V-P. “I love you guys so much. We’re going to play until June. Let’s get this party started.”

The 29-year-old Bryant was a runaway winner, receiving 82 first-place votes and 1,100 points to far outdistance New Orleans’ Chris Paul in the voting of 126 media members. The results were announced Tuesday.

Following the presentation, Bryant’s wife and two young daughters gave him with a bouquet of flowers at center court.

Series Breakdown
 
“It was an emotional night for all of us,” Bryant said after the game. “We haven’t seen Staples Center this electric. It gave me goose bumps. You want to ride the momentum, and we were able to do that.”

The Lakers made their first six shots, and after falling behind 13-12, Bryant scored six points during a 13-0 run that put them ahead for good.

“We were never able to gather momentum in the second half, but we never really had that point where we felt threatened in this ballgame,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We felt that the offense was going well, we were doing things we wanted to do.”

The series shifts to Utah for Games 3 and 4 on Friday night and Sunday. The Jazz had an NBA-best 37-4 home record this season, but one of the losses was by 11 points to the Lakers on March 20.

“No expectations, no disappointments,” Jackson said regarding the games in Utah.

“We’ve got to control the tempo, we’ve got to control the pace. That’s big in Utah,” Bryant said. “We’re a pretty good road team. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Derek Fisher, who played for Utah last season, added 22 points, Pau Gasol scored 20, and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 35 free throws—22 more than the Jazz.

“We can’t foul them,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. “We’ve put them at the line 89 times (in two games). That’s way too many. That was the difference in the game, free throws.”

Seven Utah players scored in double figures led by Deron Williams, who had 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the last 33 seconds, and 10 assists. Paul Millsap added a career playoff-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mehmet Okur had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 14 points. Okur and Kirilenko both fouled out in the final minute.

Carlos Boozer was held to 10 points—all in the second half. He played less than seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble.

“We feel like we’ve been in both games, we just haven’t been able to get over the hump,” Utah’s Kyle Korver said.

The Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41 in Game 1, but lost 109-98. They won the battle of the backboards again 41-37, but shot 44.6 percent while attempting a season-high 101 shots—33 more than Los Angeles.

Utah Jazz’s Deron Williams dun…

AP - May 8, 1:48 am EDT
 “There’s no need to panic, but they’re definitely in control right now,” said Williams, who scored three points in the first half. “We’ve got to protect our homecourt. These next two games are must-wins. If we’re down 3-1, it’s going tough to come back from.”

The Jazz outscored the Lakers 11-4 to get within five points with just under six minutes to play. But a jumper by Sasha Vujacic, a 3-pointer by Fisher and a free throw by Gasol extended the Lakers’ lead to 105-94 with 4:26 left.

A three-point play by Kirilenko made it 107-99 before Bryant fed Gasol for a dunk with 2:40 to go, and the Jazz weren’t closer than six points after that.

“It’s a great day for us today,” Odom said. “We just fed off the crowd.”

The Jazz drew within nine points early in the third quarter before Bryant outscored them 9-4 by himself to make it 82-68. A 3-pointer by Williams with 1.5 seconds left in the third quarter trimmed the Lakers’ lead to 93-83.

The Lakers led 55-40 before Williams made a 3-pointer for his only points of the first half. It was 63-49 at halftime, and it might have been worse for the Jazz had Millsap not scored 13 points—three more than his previous playoff high.

Notes

Only 13 of the 211 teams that lost the first two games in a best-of-seven NBA playoff series have overcome that deficit to advance. … Teams coached by Jackson are 39-0 when winning the opener of a playoff series— 24-0 with the Chicago Bulls and 15-0 with the Lakers. … Sloan is fourth on the all-time regular-season wins list with 1,089 victories and Jackson ranks sixth with 976. Jackson is the overall leader in the postseason with 185 wins while Sloan is sixth with 91. … The Lakers have a 15-3 record at Staples Center against the Jazz since the arena opened before the 1999-2000 season.

Source:sports.yahoo

NEW ORLEANS - From long distance, nobody’s close to Jason Kapono. The NBA’s best 3-point shooter this season, Toronto’s forward with the silky touch won his second straight 3-point Shootout on All-Star Saturday, tying a 22-year-old record with a final round of 25.

Kapono missed his first two shots in the last round before dropping 10 straight. By the time he approached the last rack of balls, Kapono had already clinched the win and didn’t have to fire up another shot.

But he knocked down a few more anyway, matching three-time winner Craig Hodges’ mark of 25 set in 1986. When his final shot swished through, Kapono, who made all five money balls — worth two points apiece — and went 20-for-25 in the last round, slapped high-fives with other All-Stars and hugged Raptors teammate Chris Bosh.

Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson, who made 11 3-pointers in Friday night’s rookie challenge finished second. He scored 17 points in the final round, finishing three points ahead of Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, who replaced injured Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

Kapono almost didn’t get out of the first round. He was in danger of elimination as he approached the last rack but came through in the clutch by sinking five straight shots to advance.

In the Skills Challenge, Utah’s Deron Williams was flawless and fast.

With a nearly perfect run through an obstacle course of dribbling, passing and shooting, the Jazz point guard defeated New Orleans playmaker Chris Paul in the final round.

Williams blazed up, down and around the floor of the New Orleans Arena in 25.5 seconds, a new record for the six-year-old event. Cheered on by his home crowd, Paul, who completed the circuit in 29.9 seconds in the first round, finished in 31.2 seconds for second place.

Williams and Paul are regarded as the next generation of elite point guard, and they knocked off one of the best ever — Jason Kidd — as the All-Star weekend tipped off with a festive night of fun.

“It’s a rivalry,” Williams said of his personal matchup with Paul. “We like to go against each other.”

Kidd couldn’t get his shot from the top of the key to fall and finished third in 39.7 seconds. At least he was better than Miami’s Dwyane Wade, last year’s winner, who had just about everything go wrong during his run.

In the night’s first event, San Antonio’s Becky Hammon, David Robinson and Tim Duncan won the Shooting Stars competition. It featured three-person teams consisting of an NBA player, a WNBA player and a former NBA great from the same city. Contestants had to make six shots with the final one a heave from mid-court.

The evening concluded with a slam dunk contest that promised to be one of the most interesting in years.

Orlando center Dwight Howard, who didn’t make it out of the first round in last year’s contest despite making a dunk after slapping a sticker bearing his face on the backboard’s glass — 12 feet, 6 inches above the floor — was aiming to become the tallest contestant to win the event.

The 6-foot-11 center promised some surprises, including props. Boston’s Gerald Green, the defending champion, Toronto’s Jamario Moon and Memphis’ Rudy Gay were also in the field.

source:news.yahoo

NEW ORLEANS – As the New Jersey Nets and Dallas Mavericks feverishly worked to convince Devean George to join in the trade for Jason Kidd on Thursday, there suddenly loomed another issue that could obliterate the proposed deal: the loose lips of Jerry Stackhouse.

The NBA will investigate the possibility the Mavericks and Stackhouse violated league rules with a prearranged agreement for the forward to return to Dallas after reaching a contract buyout in New Jersey and sitting out the 30-day waiting period, sources said. Several league sources said the NBA will consider forbidding Stackhouse to re-sign with the Mavericks this season as punishment for public comments the forward made on Wednesday that suggested tampering could have occurred.

If it comes to that, the deal is dead. Dallas owner Mark Cuban wouldn’t complete the trade for Kidd without a belief that he could bring back Stackhouse this season. Ultimately, sources say, Mavericks management decided that losing Stackhouse would be too hard of a hit to the Mavericks’ depth, too steep a price to pay for Kidd.

For the Mavericks, the trouble started when Stackhouse, 33, gave an interview to the Associated Press on Wednesday that suggested there was a plan for how his trade, buyout and eventual re-signing with Dallas would unfold.

Stackhouse said that he was only part of the deal “to make the numbers work.”
What’s more, he said, “I feel great. I get 30 days to rest then I’ll be right back. I ain’t going nowhere.”

Even if George changes his mind on Friday about agreeing to waive his “Early Larry Bird Rights” and accept the trade to New Jersey, sources said the league office will not immediately approve the trade. With angry rival executives across the league expressing outrage over Stackhouse’s comments, as well as the NBA’s own issues and suspicions with the comments, senior VP of basketball operations Stu Jackson is obligated to look deeper into the matter.

The NBA doesn’t allow such prearranged agreements. The rest of the league is required to have a fair chance to sign Stackhouse in the 30 days before he is eligible to re-sign with the Mavericks. It doesn’t help appearances that Stackhouse and Kidd share the same agent, Jeff Schwartz.

When several league executives read Stackhouse’s comments on Wednesday, they were irate and privately promised to protest if Stackhouse ends up passing on leaguewide offers and returns to the Mavericks.

“It sounds like a side deal, doesn’t it?” one Eastern Conference executive said. “The league will have a lot of explaining to do if Stackhouse goes back to Dallas.”

Another general manager said, “I thought it was the most blatant statement someone could make about a trade. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the league disallowed Stackhouse to go back to Dallas. Stackhouse is too impulsive and is prone to say stuff like that which could really end up hurting Dallas.”

Finally, a third GM said, “It’s caused a lot of people to wonder how they could get away with that, how those kind of pre-existing arrangements can be allowed.”

For now, it is clear the trade that would send Kidd and Malik Allen to Dallas for George, Stackhouse, Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and Maurice Ager, two first-round picks and $3 million is stuck. Before the Mavericks’ 109-97 loss to the Suns in Phoenix on Thursday night, agent Mark Bartelstein insisted that his client hadn’t changed his mind about vetoing his trade to the Nets.

“There’s nothing new,” Bartelstein said. “Right now, he’s just focusing on playing for the Mavericks.”

Between now and next Thursday’s trade deadline, the Nets and Mavericks are exploring scenarios that still include George and a sign-and-trade with Keith Van Horn, but the Stackhouse case could make everything else irrelevant. Across the league, there’s a belief that Stackhouse revealed too much with his words and the NBA plans to take a hard look and ask the obvious question: Is there strong enough evidence of a pre-existing agreement between the Mavericks and Stackhouse that deserves punishment? If they league decides there is, and refuses to let him re-sign with the Mavericks, the results could be devastating for Dallas.

No trade.

No Kidd.

It would be a steep price to pay for the loose lips of Jerry Stackhouse.

source:sports.yahoo

I despise Fox.

There are a million reasons as to why I despise Fox - their incessant need to emblazon their logo on almost fricken’ everything, their need to cut away from an instant replay review in the first quarter to show yet another Pontiac commercial and then return and explain what happened - it can go on and on.

The awfulness of Fox’s broadcasts cannot be adequately explained in print. It is almost as though Fox’s senior executive producers are plucked straight from high-school AV classes across the country, given advanced cameras, and told to shoot a football broadcast.

Their pre-games are terrible in collegiate football. I like Fran Tarkenton, but he has no business participating in a round-table prior to the start of a major BCS bowl game. My grandmother - drunk - could give a better synopsis of the game than Fran could.

I cannot in good conscience start off with an explanation of the outstanding game that Georgia just played tonight. I am, however, forced to respond to the absolute abomination of a broadcast that Fox just conducted during the 2008 Sugar Bowl.

Where to begin? Oh, let’s count the ways:

As already mentioned, Fox broke away from an instant replay review involving a Hawai’i catch in the first quarter to show a Pontiac commercial. They returned from this commercial with Brennan lining up and explaining that the ruling had been upheld, all without ever showing an actual replay of the play in question. If you had any question as to whether Fox actually cares about college football, or merely cashing a check from advertisers who would like to advertise during college football, well - there’s your answer.

Thom Brennaman and Charles Davies were the two worst possible announcers I could imagine calling this game. Their Fiesta Bowl experience last year has apparently turned them both in to the biggest WAC homers on the face of the planet. I believe they were in tears during the latter half of the third quarter because of the fact that Hawai’i had been exposed as a fraud of a team - as Kyle said, a team that should have come close to New Orleans only if they were there to play in the New Orleans Bowl.

Davies - a Tennessee grad - made asinine remarks, such as “I think America is terribly disappointed that they haven’t got to to see Hawai’i firing on all cylinders tonight”, a statement that was constructed in such a way as to imply that Georgia should somehow apologize for smacking Hawai’i all over the field like a used pinata.

My girlfriend, sitting next to me during this whole thing, turns to me and says “Well, it would have helped if Hawaii didn’t suck so much.”

Brennaman referred to Georgia as “The Gators” at the line of scrimmage in the third quarter. I’m not making this up. I’m sure this will show up on YouTube sometime soon - it’s on my TiVO, I just might post the damn thing myself to show the heinous incompetence of Brennaman. If someone referred to USC as “The Bruins” during a national telecast of the Rose Bowl, I’m sure they would be certain to never be calling said bowl game ever again on account of complete blindness, incompetence, or both.

By the middle of the fourth quarter, Richt had emptied the benches and had started to play Joe Cox and some of the other backups, clearly trying to get some catches and touchdowns for the backup seniors in the bowl game. Brennaman - for about the full five minutes remaining, began to openly question the class of Mark Richt. I will posit this: if Pete Carroll had gone for it on 4th down during the fourth quarter and tried to score a touchdown while up by a significant margin, I’m sure the announcers wouldn’t have questioned him then.

Oh, wait….you mean that actually happened this year?

4-4-NE27    (8:10) John David Booty passed to Fred Davis for 10 yards.
1-10-NE17    (7:40) Chauncey Washington rushed for no gain.
2-10-NE17    (7:00) John David Booty passed to Fred Davis for 11 yards.
1-0-NE6    (6:45) Touchdown. Allen Bradford rushed for 6 yards.
(6:45) David Buehler made the extra point.
USC 49 NE 17, Plays: 12 Yards: 80 Possession: 05:16.

Huh. Funny that. I might also add that when Georgia did get the ball back again, they kneeled down three times to end the game.

Georgia played a statement game tonight - they absolutely torched a team that played well this year, and while they clearly did not belong in the Sugar Bowl, Georgia played them head and shoulders above any other opponent during the course of the year.

And still, we get no respect. Apparently, according to Charles Davies, we’re supposed to apologize to America for playing good defense.

Are you serious?

Random PoP Query(ies)

The other day I saw a guy on the metro, in the middle of the day, who was snoring so loudly it surely could wake the dead. Now, the guy obviously had been working very hard and was completely out. But the snoring was so loud and painful it made the sound of fingernails scratching a blackboard sound pleasant. So my question is you can’t wake the guy right? I mean I tried the fake coughing but that was as far as I was willing to go. So what’s the etiquette here?

For those who saw the pregame to the Georgia-Hawaii game: Don’t you think Fran Tarkenton looks exactly like a cast member from Monty Python?

A reader writes: “I was wondering: I have a 27-inch regular television (not high def or anything like that, though it still works perfectly fine, has remote and manual) sitting in the middle of my living room floor, unused. I know that as people move to high-def sets, these TVs aren’t as valuable anymore, but I was wondering if there might be a neighborhood charitable organization that might be willing to accept it. Perhaps for a waiting room, or to hook up to a game system for some kids?” So if you know of a charitable group that needs a tv leave your contact info in the comments and the reader will get in touch with you.

After failing to complete a wild comeback against the Chargers Sunday night, the Colts have dropped from the No. 2 spot on one side of the rankings. Indy had been positioned in the second slot in both writers’ rankings behind the Patriots, who are still No. 1, since Week 2.

The weekend of surprising outcomes resulted in several teams taking tremendous leaps and falls this week. Jason Cole moved both the Bucs and Seahawks up five slots into the “Top 12,” while dropping the Ravens 11 spots back after their loss to the Bengals. Charles Robinson’s rankings reflect a lot more consistency with last week’s – the top six teams remain the same –. though the Jaguars and Saints each moved five spots after their surprising results. Perhaps most notable though is that each writer has seven teams with losing records in his “Muddled Middle.”

Here are the complete rankings following Week 10 action.

TOP 12
Cole rankings 
1. LW (1) New England Patriots (9-0)
2. LW (3) Dallas Cowboys (8-1) 
3. LW (4) Green Bay Packers (8-1) 
4. LW (2) Indianapolis Colts (7-2) 
5. LW (7) Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) 
6. LW (8) Cleveland Browns (5-4) 
7. LW (13) Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3)
8. LW (5) Tennessee Titans (6-3) 
9. LW (14) San Diego Chargers (5-4) 
10. LW (6) New York Giants (6-3) 
11. LW (16) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4) 
12. LW (17) Seattle Seahawks (5-4) 
 Robinson rankings 
1. LW (1) New England Patriots
2. LW (2) Indianapolis Colts
3.  LW (3) Green Bay Packers 
4. LW (4) Dallas Cowboys 
5. LW (5) Pittsburgh Steelers 
6. LW (6) New York Giants 
7. LW (12) Jacksonville Jaguars 
8. LW (7) Tennessee Titans 
9. LW (8) Cleveland Browns 
10. LW (13) San Diego Chargers 
11. LW (9) Washington Redskins 
12. LW (10) Detroit Lions 
 
 
Cole: To all the readers who ripped me for having the Ravens in the Top 12 last week despite their embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh, it was a major faux pas – plain and simple. Other than that, I apologize for nothing, not even to you Lions fans who think I’m dissing your squad. To be frank, I like the Lions this season, but I still don’t take them completely seriously. The loss to Arizona was proof of why I don’t quite buy what’s happening yet. … Indianapolis dropped a couple of pegs after the first-ever Adam Vinatieri meltdown. The loss to San Diego isn’t so troubling as the Chargers have always hung tough with the Colts. The problem is the mounting injuries which have left Peyton Manning with a receiving corps little better than what he had his final season at the University of Tennessee. That doesn’t even account for the foot injury to Dwight Freeney, whose loss could be devastating to the defense. Robinson: It’s that kind of year for the Patriots. Sitting on the bye, they watched themselves get a stronger foothold as the Colts’ health issues got worse. For Indianapolis, nothing is more important than the status of Dwight Freeney’s foot. … Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders might be one of the most underrated assistant coaches in the NFL. … While Mike McCarthy and Rod Marinelli are getting plenty of love for coach of the year, has anyone handled a volatile player better than Wade Phillips has handled Terrell Owens? … Romeo Crennel’s timeout prior to Cleveland’s fourth-quarter challenge on Sunday might have been the worst in-game coaching maneuver of the season. But with the way the playoff race is shaping up, he might get a chance to redeem himself against the Steelers in the first round of the AFC playoffs. … San Diego’s blitz pressure against Indianapolis looked like a page from last year’s playbook.
MUDDLED MIDDLE
Cole rankings 
13. LW (21) Buffalo Bills (5-4) 
14. LW (11) Detroit Lions (6-3) 
15.  LW (12) Kansas City Chiefs (4-5) 
16. LW (15) Washington Redskins (5-4) 
17. LW (10) New Orleans Saints (4-5) 
18. LW (18) Cincinnati Bengals (3-6) 
19. LW (20) Chicago Bears (4-5) 
20. LW (9) Baltimore Ravens (4-5) 
21. LW (19) Carolina Panthers (4-5) 
22. LW (22) Minnesota Vikings (3-6) 
 Robinson rankings 
13. LW (16) Buffalo Bills 
14. LW (17) Seattle Seahawks 
15.  LW (15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
16. LW (11) New Orleans Saints 
17. LW (14) Baltimore Ravens 
18. LW (19) Denver Broncos 
19. LW (21) Arizona Cardinals 
20. LW (18) Kansas City Chiefs 
21. LW (22) Chicago Bears 
22. LW (20) Carolina Panthers 
 
 
Cole: Buffalo doesn’t get any style points for the win over Miami, but the Bills get some credit for playing very smart in the second half. In short, they showed that they know how to win in less-than-ideal circumstances. Now, if quarterback J.P. Losman can bottle that knowledge, he might actually keep his job for the long term rather than allowing Trent Edwards to push him aside. Will that happen? Doubtful. Losman is self-destructively arrogant. – New Orleans should be better than it is and Kansas City should be worse. For both teams, the answer is all about mindset and focus. Robinson: The second-longest winning streak in the NFL behind the Patriots? It’s Buffalo’s four straight victories. But this week’s game against New England will tell us whether the Bills are a legit playoff contender, or nothing more than a team that has scrapped out five wins against opponents that have a combined winning percentage of .200. … If fans didn’t understand the balance a healthy Deuce McAllister brought to the New Orleans backfield before, they should understand it now. Reggie Bush is averaging a combined 4.3 yards per touch rushing and receiving. He’s a poor man’s Eric Metcalf. … Steve McNair is a turnover waiting to happen. Kyle Boller may not be a better alternative at this point, but at least he’s something different. … So Rex Grossman led the Bears to a comeback win. Bank on it: He’ll be on the outs again by the first week in December. 
BOTTOM OF THE PACK
Cole rankings 
23. LW (27) Denver Broncos (4-5) 
24. LW (28) Philadelphia Eagles (4-5) 
25. LW (29) Arizona Cardinals (4-5) 
26. LW (23) Houston Texans (4-5) 
27. LW (25) Atlanta Falcons (3-6) 
28. LW (26) San Francisco 49ers (2-7) 
29. LW (32) St. Louis Rams (1-8) 
30. LW (24) Oakland Raiders (2-7) 
31. LW (30) New York Jets (1-8) 
32. LW (31) Miami Dolphins (0-9) 
 Robinson rankings 
23. LW (24) Philadelphia Eagles 
24. LW (23) Houston Texans 
25. LW (27) Cincinnati Bengals 
26. LW (26) Atlanta Falcons 
27. LW (25) Minnesota Vikings 
28. LW (28) San Francisco 49ers 
29. LW (29) Oakland Raiders 
30. LW (31) St. Louis Rams 
31. LW (30) New York Jets 
32. LW (32) Miami Dolphins 
 
 
Cole: Congrats to good-guy coach Scott Linehan for getting his first win and for getting his offense to play with some consistency. The Rams offensive line is still a mess because of injuries, but if Linehan can hang in there and keep line coach Paul Boudreau, things figure to get better for the rest of the season and the situation could be fixed long term. … Miami takes over the bottom spot from the Rams with another awful loss. Coach Cam Cameron is a nice man, but he’s kind of a knucklehead in the mode of Dave Wannstedt. Here’s a clue: He keeps starting quarterback Cleo Lemon when it’s obvious Lemon is just a guy and the future of the franchise lies in whether rookie John Beck is any good. If not, the Dolphins need to draft another quarterback in the offseason and owner Wayne Huizenga desperately wants to know the answer. Robinson: Andre Johnson’s return is too little too late. With Jacksonville, Tennessee and Cleveland battling for the AFC’s two wild-card spots, the Texans are already playing for 2008. … If you watched Cincinnati topple Baltimore Sunday, you saw why the Bengals have bent over backwards dealing with Chris Henry’s off-field issues. He’s the X-factor that offense has lacked all season. … No matter how badly Brad Childress needs him, Adrian Peterson’s knee injury is going to be handled with an overabundance of caution. Why? Because owner Zygi Wilf wants it that way. … The key to the NFC West? It’s the Rams, who are going to play the spoiler with their healthy skill position players and a coach who is making the closing argument to keep his job. 

Travis Henry of the Denver Broncos tested positive for marijuana. He faces a year suspension as this is his 3rd positive test. He was suspended 4 games during his first sesaon with the Tennessee Titans.

According to this article on ESPN.com, Henry is fighting the NFL in federal court to have the positive test blocked. He is claiming that his representative was not allowed to be present in the testing of the “B” sample. You can read the article to get the whole story on that. I think that will be denied.

Midway through the 13th inning, with the Padres beating the Rockies 8-6, I stepped out front for my umpteenth cigarette of the night and started thinking about the lede for this story. It went like this:

On Earth Two, inside the recently discovered galaxy ESO 137-001, 200 million light years from the Milky Way, the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 7-6. Garrett Atkins played the hero, squeezing a 7th inning pitch just out of the park on what lesser umpires might have ruled a double. A little further away in the cosmos, on Earth Three, the Rockies won the game 6-5, when leading NL MVP candidate Matt Holliday ended a potential Padres rally by fielding a simple fly ball in the 8th. Here on Earth Prime, the Rockies fought valiantly, forcing 13 innings of baseball against arguably the NL’s best pitching staff, but came up just short, leaving them with nothing but memories of … the greatest three weeks in Rockies history.

At that point, I was planning on celebrating a great season instead of mourning a painful loss. I was going to write about how we shouldn’t feel bad for the Rockies, at least they got to play one game in the month of October, and that that game was one of the greatest sporting events ever seen on any planet. And I was particularly looking forward to ripping the Paiges and Kiszlas who were no doubt ready to pounce on the Rockies uncharacteristic outfield errors and Clint Hurdle’s strategy to allow every pitcher on our roster at least 1/3 of an inning of camera time. The piece was going to be funny and thoughtful and incisive.

Then the team had to go and win the thing for real. So I’m left writing this:

Matt Holliday hammered a triple and scored the winning run as the Rockies earned their first playoff berth in 12 years on a three-run, bottom of the 13th rally against the greatest closer in MLB history.

You’re right — it sounds a little too cliché.

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Al Oerter, the discus great who won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field’s biggest stars in the 1950s and ’60s, died Monday of heart failure. He was 71.

Oerter died at a hospital near his Fort Myers Beach home, wife Cathy Oerter said. He dealt with high blood pressure since he was young and struggled with heart problems, she said.

“He was a gentle giant,” she said. “He was bigger than life.”

Oerter won gold medals in 1956, 1960, 1964 and 1968. Oerter and Carl Lewis are the only track and field stars to capture the same event in four consecutive Olympics. Oerter, however, is the only one to set an Olympic record in each of his victories.

“His legacy is one of an athlete who embodied all of the positive attributes associated with being an Olympian,” said Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee. “He performed on the field of play with distinction and transferred that excellence to the role of advocate for the Olympic movement and its ideals.”

Born in New York City, Oerter was 6-foot-4 and once competed at nearly 300 pounds. He dispensed with coaching and conventional training methods, molding himself into a fierce competitor who performed his best when the stakes were highest.

“I can remember those games truly as if they were a week ago,” Oerter told The Associated Press last year.

In Melbourne in 1956, Oerter threw 184 feet, 11 inches on his first toss and watched in amazement when nobody else, including teammate and world-record holder Fortune Gordien, came close to beating him.

He came from behind to win again in Rome, and overcame torn rib cartilage and other injuries to make it three in a row at the Tokyo Games in 1964.

At 32, he was a long shot in the 1968 field headed by world-record holder Jay Silvester. However, Oerter responded with a personal-best of 212-6 to leave Mexico City with the gold.

He came out of retirement and won a spot as an alternate on the 1980 team that didn’t compete because of the boycott ordered by President Carter.

Later in life, Oerter discovered a new passion and took up abstract painting.

Oerter maintained his Olympic ties through Art of the Olympians, a program he founded to give him and other former Olympians who have taken up art to showcase their work.

“Al approached the art world the same way he approached the sports world,” friend and former Olympian Liston Bochette said. “He studied it. He analyzed it. And he sought excellence in the arts.”

Funeral arrangements are pending.

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — The streak is over, and so is the United States’ bid for a third Women’s World Cup championship.

Brazil and its star player Marta put on a dazzling performance against the Americans and cruised to a 4-0 victory in the semifinals Thursday, ending the U.S. unbeaten streak at 51 games and sending the Brazilians into their first title match, against Germany on Sunday.

Brazil went ahead on an own-goal in the 20th minute, and Marta made it 2-0 soon after. Cristiane and Marta added goals in the second half, with Marta becoming the tournament’s leading scorer with seven goals.

The U.S. played the final 45 minutes with 10 players after midfielder Shannon Boxx was sent off in first-half injury time for a contentious second yellow card.

Goalkeeper Briana Scurry, playing in her 164th game for the U.S., was surprisingly picked ahead of Hope Solo, who started the first four games. Solo gave up two goals in the first match but was unscored on for the following 300 minutes. Scurry, meanwhile, hadn’t played a full game in three months.

Though U.S. coach Greg Ryan didn’t blame the loss on Scurry, Solo questioned the decision and Scurry’s performance.

“It was the wrong decision, and I think anybody that knows anything about the game knows that,” she said. “There’s no doubt in my mind I would have made those saves. And the fact of the matter is it’s not 2004 anymore. … It’s 2007, and I think you have to live in the present. And you can’t live by big names. You can’t live in the past. It doesn’t matter what somebody did in an Olympic gold medal game in the Olympics three years ago. Now is what matters, and that’s what I think.”

The Americans play Norway in Sunday’s third-place game.

Bidding for another title to go with championships in 1991 and 1999, the U.S. team was outplayed and outhustled by the Brazilians in its worst defeat in any World Cup match. The semifinal loss was a repeat of the 2003 event, when the Americans were eliminated by Germany.

“We could have come out stronger I think but today was Brazil’s day,” American striker Abby Wambach said. “I’m heartbroken.

“The first goal was kind of a fluke goal, then Marta comes down on the second goal and then we go down on the red card. Things were not falling for us today.”

In the 20th minute, Formiga sent in a corner, which bounced just short of the goal. Attempting to head it behind, midfielder Leslie Osborne headed it into the net between Scurry and Lori Chalupny.

Marta, Brazil’s creative striker, struck seven minutes later. She evaded a half-dozen players and cracked a left-footed shot from 15 yards that hugged the ground and beat Scurry diving to her left. She got her left hand on the ball but couldn’t stop it.

Brazil may have also deserved a penalty in the fifth minute when American defender Cat Whitehill escaped despite bringing down Cristiane in the area.

Forced to push for the goal in the second half, the U.S. left itself exposed at the back with Maycon, Daniela and Cristiane narrowly missing in the opening minutes. Cristiane finally broke through in the 56th to make it 3-0, left-footing a shot home in a one-on-one contest with Scurry.

“Tonight we played as a team, and we have not always done that,” Brazil coach Jorge Barcellos said. “We have the individual talent and this game was a complete team effort.”

The Americans had only two shots on goal in the first half and top striker Abby Wambach was never a factor. Kristine Lilly, playing in a record fifth World Cup, had the best U.S. chance in the second half but her point-blank shot landed in Andreia’s hands in the 63rd.

After the third goal, Brazil slowed the play as the Americans kept pressing for a score.

Brazil’s last flurry came in the 79th when Marta showed off all her talent. Off the left wing, she faked around U.S. defender Tina Ellertson, raced into the box, dummied around another and beat Scurry with a shot that drew a huge ovation from a crowd of 48,000.

Scurry, the 36-year-old veteran who was coach Greg Ryan’s surprise goalkeeping choice against Brazil, had a nervous first half. In the seventh minute, she came out to catch a free kick, but it slipped through her fingers although Brazil missed the scoring chance.

Ryan said he picked Scurry because of her quick reflexes. She was in goal in a 2-0 win over Brazil in June in New York, and she also was the keeper in the Americans’ 2-1 victory over Brazil in the 2004 Olympic final. Badly outplayed in that match, Scurry was credited with bringing the Americans gold.

Brazil’s victory was only its second over the United States in 23 games.

Despite winning Group B, the Americans seldom looked threatening on offense in this tournament, and was unable to sustain the form of its 3-0 victory over England in the quarterfinals.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Brett Favre threw his 420th career touchdown pass in the 4th quarter of the Green Bay Packers’ game against the San Diego Chargers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, tying Dan Marino’s all-time NFL record.

Favre, who is playing his 17th NFL season and turns 38 next month, was credited with a 57-yard completion to Greg Jennings, who ran a slant pattern from the left side. The touchdown, with 2:03 remaining, gave the Packers a 24-21 lead.

Following the touchdown, Favre sprinted down field with his arms in the air and got down on his knees to congratulate Jennings. Favre then picked up his favorite receiver Donald Driver before heading to the sideline where teammates were lining up to hug the new record holder.

Favre zeroed in on yet another career milestone just a week after leading the Packers to a road victory over the New York Giants for his 149th win as a starter — passing John Elway’s all-time record.

Favre started his quarterback-record 240th straight game on Sunday, tying him for second on the all-time list with former Minnesota center Mick Tingelhoff. Former Minnesota defensive end Jim Marshall holds the all-time mark with 270 consecutive starts.

Including the playoffs, Favre has started 250 career games.

As he usually does, Favre downplayed talk about personal records and individual achievements earlier this week. Besides, Favre said, Peyton Manning will probably end up breaking the touchdown pass mark in a few years.

“I couldn’t tell you how it’s looked at,” Favre said, when asked about the record earlier this week. “I know it’s a lot of touchdowns. But if you play a long time, that means you’re playing fairly well.”

While there is no single record for quarterbacks that carries the significance of Barry Bonds passing Hank Aaron’s career home run record, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said Marino’s touchdown mark probably comes closest.

This week Favre said he didn’t think the touchdown record was getting anywhere near the hype that Bonds’ pursuit of Aaron received over the summer. Then he laughed off any further comparison to Bonds, smiling as he jokingly flexed his forearms to prove he doesn’t quite measure up.

Powering the Packers to a 17-14 halftime lead over the Chargers, Favre threw two touchdown passes in the first half.

The first went to his favorite target, wide receiver Donald Driver, who dove and stretched his arms to catch a lob from Favre to put the Packers ahead 10-7 in the second quarter. Favre’s 418th career touchdown pass came one play after he flipped the ball underhanded to running back DeShawn Wynn for a first down on third-and-3 at the Chargers’ 14.

Favre’s second touchdown went to tight end Bubba Franks, allowing the veteran to redeem himself for dropping a potential touchdown pass in the first quarter that forced the Packers to settle for a field goal.

The touchdown to Franks came one play after another classic — but not-so-glamorous — Favre moment. Facing first-and-goal at the Chargers’ 5, Favre began to scramble and tried to pump fake — only to watch the ball pop out of his hands for an apparent fumble that was recovered by the Chargers.

A replay determined his arm was in motion when the ball popped out, and the play was ruled an incomplete pass. On second-and-goal, Favre found Franks in the left-front corner of the end zone for his 419th touchdown pass.

Favre, who also is two interceptions shy of tying George Blanda’s all-time record of 277, makes no apologies for his high-risk, high-reward style of play over the years.

Given the fact he is also closing in on Marino’s career records for attempts and yards passing, Favre said earlier this week it’s only logical he would have a lot of touchdowns and interceptions.

“There have been some bad plays, some bonehead plays, whatever you want to call it,” Favre said earlier this week. “But a lot of those good ones would not be there if it wasn’t for taking a chance. For me, it has been well worth the risk.”