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The Dallas Cowboys got Emmitt Smith with the 17th pick in the draft, one year after taking Troy Aikman with the first pick. The pick was not lauded by everyone in the media because although Smith had a stellar career in Florida, there were real questions about his size and his speed. Considering the fact that the Cowboys had to move up in the draft to grab him, some so called experts had doubts about the wisdom of choosing Smith.
Smith came out in his rookie year and rushed for 937 yards. Oddly enough, in his last year with the Arizona Cardinals, Smith rushed for exactly 937 yards. From 1991 to 2001, Smith posted 11 seasons with over 1000 yards rushing, setting the NFL All Time rushing leadermark in 2002, a mark previously held by Walter Payton. Smith was laso picked for eight Pro Bowls in his career, second to Barry Sanders 10, and won the rushing title four times.
Emmitt Smith won the NFL rushing title for the fourth time in 1995, having run for 1773 yards in the season. he set an NFL record on the year by scoring an amazing 25 touchdowns, although that record was later broken by Priest Holmes of the Kansas City Chiefs. By starting the year off with a 60 yard touchdown run on his first carry, Smith got the year started in the right way. Smith was the youngest player to reach 1500 yards in a season, doing so in 1991. He has 78 100-yard rushing games to his credit. His best game came when he gained 237 yards against the Eagle on Halloween night. he was a model runner, once carrying the ball 418 times without a fumble.
After spending two years with Arizona, Smith retired as a Dallas Cowboy, ending a remarkable career that began with questions and ended with clear answers.

There is no aspect of a player in the NFL that is more closely examined than his speed. Time and time again, players are set up to have their speed in the 40 yard dash measured. After the run, the results are analyzed meticulously, with the difference of a few hundredths of a second, making the difference between a high pick and millions of dollars or falling into the void and losing out on te lucrative contracts that are dangled out there every year.
Why? Because speed can make the difference in whether a wide receiver gets the few inches of separation necessary to make the catch. Speed can determine whether the running back you are considering can hit the hole that your linemen open up for just that split second, allowing the ball carrier to gain a few yards or break into the secondary.
But is the hard examination of speed really the best indicator of whether or not a player will make it into the NFL or is it just a measuring stick that needs to be evaluated along with a slew of other attributes, some of which are almost intangible and not really evident until the player actually enters a game?
The NFL has seen some major players that have begun their careers with real questions about their speed, only to have those players turn out to be real football players, perfectly capable of performing at a top level despite their lackluster showing in the NFL's most watched category. Emmit Smith is a prime example. Coming out of college there were some scouts who felt that he was just a step slow but he went on to prove them wrong, eventually becoming the NFL's all time rushing leader.
A newer example is Arizona' wide receiver Anquan Boldin. Known in college as a top wide receiver, Boldin ran some very slow times at the NFL tryouts, dropping him in the draft to the second round. What did he do? He came out and had a great year, earning Rookie of the Year honors by catching over a hundred passes and gaining over 1300 yards in his debut season.
What it comes down to is that when evaluating a player against another player, the scouts are always looking for ways to justify their pick. Given two players of seemingly equal ability, a player with a better time in the 40 is going to be picked first. That doesn't mean he's a better football, it just gives the scout or the team something to hang their hat on when they have to answer questions about why they picked one player over another. After all is said and done, sometimes a GM or scout has to make a call based his gut feeling about a player, something they don't like to do. But to win in the NFL, it sometimes means that heart can take precedence over speed.

Once again we got see the New England Patriots win a Super Bowl, something that has become somewhat familiar over the last few years. As we approach the new NFL season, there has been talk about the difficulty in winning the title for three consecutive years, something no team has been able to do in the history of the league.
Looking at the Patriots, the scary thing is that this team may be capable of doing it. I don't believe there's ever been a team whose success is based more solidly on a system than on the players themselves. Certainly the Patriots have a talented team, but I believe the talent collected is a result of the system, and the eagerness of players with talent to go to a team that has proven itself consistently able to make a run into the playoffs and win the whole shooting match.
So what are the Patriot's chances again this year? I think they're pretty good. Like every NFL team, the Patriots will lose some players, but they've shown that they are able to replace those players with either low cost free agents, or from up and coming younger players already on the team. The Patriots accomplish this by drawing the attention of players who have either achieved some success in the league because of their talent, or by recognizing that talent before anybody else. In addition, they are able to keep the talent they have by supplying the player with a forum that associates them with success, thus creating other opportunities to earn money through endorsements and other means. There have been several players on the Patriots recently who have opted to stay instead of going to other teams making better offers. Most players will give up some money in order to win, and that's a chance the Patriots offer.
Tom Brady is a prime example. Most QB's who have experienced the type of success as Brady would have staged a holdout for more money, especially after winning a Super Bowl. Brady was content to sit tight, win more games, and eventually land a contract that pays him the type of money available in the free market.
As the new season begins, the Patriots are looking at some major changes and it will be a real challenge for the club to re-create the type of winning streaks that have carried them to the top. Both the offensive and defensive coordinators are gone. Romeo Crennel took on the job of head coach of the Cleveland Browns, while Charlie Weiss went over to Notre Dame. Losing both of your coordinators is an event that would stop most teams in their tracks, but the Patriots are probably as capable of handling the situation as anybody in history.
The idea that the Patriots will collapse with the coaching losses is just wishful thinking on the part of the other teams in the league. The Patriots have shown that they can pick talent under the leadership of their head coach and player director, and to think that only extends to the players on the field is a mistake.
The key to success for New England has been in the way they prepare for a game and a season. Once they've set out on a course of action, the Patriots stick to the plan and carry it out no matter what. This is just the way Belichick is, and having accomplished what few other coaches in history have done, he is in prime position to separate himself from the others, having already set records for the best winning percentage in the postseason.
Belichick sets his goals early, and convinces his team that they are in no better position to win a championship than any other team in the league. By doing so, he gets the kind of dedication and work that leads to a Super Bowl Title. He also insists that every player in a back up role be prepared as well as the starter, a requirement that has served the Patriots well over the course of the past few seasons when injuries have threatened to undermine their success. The combination of coaching and talent spotting puts the Patriots in position to take another Super Bowl Title this year.
There are some teams though, that have a good chance of being able to knock off the reigning champs if they can show some improvement in certain area of their team. The Colts are one of them. Obviously they have very few problems on offense, being set at running back, wide receiver, and QB. Should the Colts substantially improve on their defense, they could make a run at the Patriots, who have simply dominated the Colts over the past few seasons. The jinx Manning has been labeled with is more a question of the team's failings than his own. No QB can be a winner if he's saddled with as porous a defense as the Colts.
Belichick steeps his team in a philosophy that has served him well and is very simple. Get good people and let them do what they know how to do. make sure everyone is on the same page and pulling in the same direction. It's a lesson the other teams in the NFL should learn, if they want to have even a shot duplicating what Belichick and crew have done over the last few years.

As if the Detroit Piston's didn't have enough to worry about with falling behind to the Miami Heat 2-1 in their series, the distractions created by the situation with Larry Brown will just give them a little something extra.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are courting Brown to come to their city and they aren't being real shy about doing it. The news out of Cleveland right now is that the Cavaliers want Brown to make a pretty quick decision, and though it's pretty common knowledge that they would like to nab Brown as early as they can, putting pressure on him before the series with his current team is over seems pretty low down. Most teams and coaches will refrain from doing that type of thing until they've taken their current team as far as it's going to go.

Brown has been silent on the matter, much to his credit, and seems determined to deal with his health issues after the season before making any decisions as to his future spot in the NBA. After getting the OK to speak to Cleveland, Brown has been largely silent on the subject, and in pre-game and practice interviews, avoids the subject. Whether or not his decision to speak with the Cavaliers has been a distraction to his team is open to debate, but it does seem petty to lay a situation on a team like that as it enters into post season play.
It's not the first time that Browns' name has been bandied about in the press in relation to his moving on from Detroit. Perhaps the Pistons would be better off getting a more businesslike head coach, one who won't present as many problems as Brown, and looks at his obligation to his current team more seriously than Larry Brown appears to. The only one who likes the situation is the Heat, since it offers the chance to go out and play basketball against a team with other things on its mind.

The LSU Tigers haven't had the best of seasons, something most of their fans aren't used to, but a bad season for the Tiger's is probably okay in most other team's books, it's just that the fans in Louisiana expect a trip to the World Series every year, and a win in most years.
Now the Tigers are preparing to host their 17th regional, and planning on erasing the memory of a rather poor year by their standards, by success in the regionals and beyond. Carrying the No. 1 Seed into the regionals, the Tigers will match up against Marist on Friday in the first game of the day. The second game is Northwestern State against the No. 2 seed Rice, with the losers scheduled to meet up on Saturday morning and the winners Saturday night.
Surprisingly to me, the Tigers are ranked No. 13 in the nation, a designation I think is heavily influenced by past performance, with LSU falling in the SEC Tournament after just a pair of games. The team from Baton Rouge has the mindset of forgetting recent history and concentrating on the next game, something they'll have to do if they want to end up playing in the Super Regionals. Should they advance that far, the chances are they'll be playing against their in state rival Tulane, a team that has lived up to it's billing as the No. 1 team in the nation pretty convincingly. The last time these two met in a Super Regional, Tulane came out on top and advanced to the World Series, which was in 2001.
The Marist Red Foxes are the top team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this year, sporting a record of 33-19. They've had the pleasure of playing in Louisiana earlier this year, having made the trip down to Tulane, where they were swept in their series against the Green Wave. Laval said on Monday that he had no good information about the Red Foxes, knowing only that their top pitcher was a left hander. That lefty is Chris Tracz, who has been impressive all year, with a 9-3 record and not having given up a home run in 98 innings. He's backed by reliever Robert Ryan.

It hasn't been a real good year for Junior. He's been in a slump for a good awhile, and suffered some embarrassing moments, like running into his own teammate and causing a pileup in the Coca Cola 600, had to get rid of his crew chief, who promptly turned around and lit into him, and in an unusual turn of events for the former fan favorite, he's been booed.
Starting with firing his crew chief, Dale let go of Pete Rondeau, in an attempt to light a fire under the team, and attempting to make changes in a method that was obviously not working for him. Rondeau had only been employed for less than a dozen races, so obviously there were some issues that hadn't been worked out properly before he signed on, and Earnhardt must have felt like there was no sense in keeping a guy hanging around, with whom he had conflicts if the team wasn't winning.
Prior to his hiring of Rondeau, Earnhardt had a long association with the Eury's, a set of relatives of his, but with their relationship being "strained", Earnhardt felt like he couldn't keep working with these guys.
Tooping off the whole matter was Earnhardt's mishap, when he ran into the back of his teammate Waltrip recently. Waltrip expressed some confusion about exactly what happened, but Eury Sr., in an obviously bitter statement said that he didn't know what Jr.'s problem was but that there was no room for that kind of thing on a team that's already struggling.
Rondeau, the recently fired crew chief, claims that although he was working for Earnhardt, that he never actually had a full contract signed by the team owner, and that he was told he would be given six weeks notice in the event of a firing. He also complained that the former member Eury was supposed to be working with him as a member of both teams but Eury only made one appearance and was never seen again.

The Phoenix suns came back from the dead in Game 4, rallying for a 111-106 win over the Spur to keep their hopes alive in the series, and head back to Phoenix where the home crowd should make things easier.
The Suns ended their longest losing streak since January, played better defense than what they've shown since the series began, and finally got a little bit of a fast game going, something they've been unable to do in the first three games of the series. Stoudemire kept the Spurs Tim Duncan to 15 points in a good defensive effort, and racked up 31 points and five rebounds of his own, but more importantly, kept the fire going with some good play that didn't show up in the stats.
The Suns broke the game open in the third quarter, stretching their lead to 12 at one point, and held off a late Spurs rally that pulled San Antonio to within a single point when Horry hit a 3-pointer and gave them the lead on another by Bruce Bowen.
After saying that they just needed to get some better play in the first quarter, the Suns did just that, taking a 26-23 lead after the first stanza, their first lead in the series after the opening bell. The biggest factor may be the move to the Suns home court, where they've performed well all season, and breaking the mind factor of falling behind 3-0, in games which they played poorly. It remains to be seen if the team from Phoenix can do something that's never been done, which is rebound from an 0-3 start in a conference series.
Steve Nash nailed 17 points and dished out 12 assists in the game, a performance more like his usual stats, while Joe Johnson got 17 points of his own. Quentin Richardson contributed 14 points and Marion had 11.
The series will resume in Phoenix on Wednesday night, with game time slated for 8 central.

by Leanne Phillips

Even if you are not a huge football fan, the thing about football is that there are a lot of extra bells and whistles that make football a fun game to watch. Here is a guide to the football extras that add fun to the game for even the beginning spectator.

Cheerleaders and Marching Bands. Since just about the time football was invented, cheerleaders and marching bands have added to the fun and excitement of football games. The job of cheerleaders is to get the crowd excited and to get them cheering and making a lot of noise. The idea behind this is that, the more excited the crowd becomes, the more motivated the teams will be to win. I'm not sure if this is necessarily true, but I do know that a lot of football fans sure seem to like cheerleaders. Likewise, it is always exciting to see marching bands perform. There is just something about seeing the band march into the stadium, in their uniforms and all in unison, playing and marching to the beat of the bass drum. Many marching bands perform routines in which they create patterns on the field while playing, which is very cool to watch.

Football Pools. Football fans often enjoy placing friendly bets or "wagers" among friends, or participating in something called a football pool. A football pool may cover one game or a series of games. The participants in the pool contribute a small amount of money to the pool, perhaps weekly. There are a number of different kinds of football pools. For example, in one type of pool, participants attempt to pick the winners for that week's professional football games. The person who correctly picks the winners for the most games wins the money that was pooled together. For example, if 10 people participate in the pool and each participant contributes $10 to the pool, the prize will be $100. Another fund may be set aside from weekly contributions to form a pot of money that will go to the person who correctly picked the winners for the most games all season. Entering a football pool is a good way for the novice football fan to begin to experience the excitement of the game. For some reason, it's a lot more fun to watch a football game, even when you aren't quite sure what's going on, if you have $100 or so riding on the outcome of the game.

How to pick a winning team. It's fun to try to predict which team will win a football game, even if you don't have any money riding on the outcome. It's especially fun to pick different teams and get a friendly rivalry going while watching the game. If you are new to football, have not been following the teams and know absolutely nothing about football teams, there are still plenty of ways to pick a winning football team. The best way to predict the winning team is by the name of the team's home town. Teams who play for cities with two-word names usually beat teams who play for cities with one-word names. For example, if the New England Patriots are playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Patriots will win. If the San Diego Chargers are playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the San Diego Chargers will win.

What if both teams come from cities with two-word names or, even worse, one-word names? Well, then it gets a little trickier. You then have to resort to the teams' colors. Teams with darker team colors will beat teams with lighter colors. For example, the Oakland Raiders' colors are silver and black. This trumps the Miami Dolphins' colors, which are teal and orange. So, although both teams come from cities with one-word names, the Raiders will win. Okay, try this one on your own: Who wins between the San Francisco 49ers, whose colors are red and gold, and the Dallas Cowboys, whose colors are blue and silver? This is tricky, you may say, because red and blue are both bright, primary colors. But, remember the first rule: The San Francisco 49ers play for the city of San Francisco, a city with a two-word name, while Dallas is a one-word name. Besides that, everybody knows that the San Francisco 49ers always beat the Dallas Cowboys.

Snacks and beer. If you have invited a group of people into your home to watch a football game, there are two things that are mandatory: Snacks and beer. A big screen television is optional, but desirable. Football watching fare is always casual. The perfect snacks for a football party include submarine sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, dips and finger foods, such as chicken fingers or Jeno's Pizza Rolls. One of the good things about football fans is that they are not picky. One of the bad things about football fans is that they are messy. Be prepared for cups of beer being knocked over as fans jump up exuberantly to cheer a touchdown. If you can get your guests to drink out of sippy cups, so much the better.

Talking during the game. Talking during the game is a big no no. This may seem strange to hear, since anyone knows that a room full of football fans watching a game is a very noisy room indeed. However, please note that the fans are not actually talking. They are doing anything but talking. It is okay--in fact it is encouraged--to cheer, boo, yell, jump up and down, curse the referee, or call the players idiots or heroes, depending on how well they are playing for that particular game. Make as much noise as you like. Actual talking, however, with real sentences and logical content, is discouraged or, in some locales, even forbidden.

Half time. Now you can talk. In fact, this is the time to do so. Many people think that half time is a time for the players to regroup and make plans to come from behind in the second half of the game, or for the crowds to be entertained with various half time shows, including cheerleading routines, dancers, singers and marching bands. This is not true. Now is the time to discuss how great a game a particular player is having, or what a stupid mistake one of the players made, or the records of the respective teams, or the fact that you are out of beer. If you are, indeed, out of beer or snacks, this is the time to run to the corner store and replenish the football game watching provisions. If your team is winning, now is the time to "talk trash" or brag about the great game or season your team is having, especially if other members of the group are rooting for the opposite team. If you are all fans of the same team, now is the time to crow and brag about what great taste you have in football teams.

Celebrating. "Celebrating" occurs when a football player makes a touchdown and then "spikes" the football in the end zone. Spiking the football means to throw it down into the ground with a grunt or shout of triumph. Instead of spiking the football, a player might make up a funny dance to let the other team know exactly how happy he is to have made a touchdown. If someone on your chosen team makes a touchdown and begins doing a celebration dance in the end zone, the appropriate response is to get up and being doing the end zone dance yourself, preferably on the coffee table.

History lesson: Back in the day, the touchdown celebration was an art form. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson invented the end zone celebration in 1984 when he did a celebratory dance much like the funky chicken in the end zone. In 1988, Ickey Woods created his famous end zone "shuffle." Over the years, end zone celebrations like the Moss Moon, The Dirty Bird, the Mile High Salute, the Lambeau Leap and the Bob and Weave have regaled the crowds.

In 2003, Joe Horn took the end zone celebration to new heights when he pulled a hidden cell phone out of the goal post padding and made a phone call or pretended to make a phone call. Some say he called one of his relatives to celebrate the touchdown, while others say he called NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to find out how much his fine would be. Note: Horn was fined $30,000 for his celebratory phone call, which was ruled to be unsportsmanlike conduct.

Monday Night Football. Monday Night Football was invented in order to ease football fans gradually out of a weekend filled with college and professional football games and back into the regular work week, which in most cases does not include football. In order to make the transition a little less painful, the National Football League, in its infinite wisdom, came up with Monday Night Football. Monday Night Football is just like any other football game, except that it is played on Monday Night. It is a regular league game, and there is absolutely nothing different or special about it, except that it is played on Monday Night. Although you may by now have a keen appreciation for the game of football, spending an evening watching football when you just spent all day Sunday watching games may be a little too much for you. If you have a football lover in the house, and you are not yet quite at that level, it is a wise idea to have two televisions in the house so you do not miss The Bachelor.

Copyright (c) 2005 by Leni Leanne Phillips

Belly dancing has lately become the latest fitness craze, even though it has been around for centuries. Belly dancing is a great sport to get fit and release a sensual side, what woman wouldn't love this sport? Whether you want to do this sport for fun, or take it on as a serious invigorating work-out, you will no doubt, either way have the time of your life. It is all about slow, seducing movements, tied in with shimmies and other beautiful fast moves. Belly dancing is a sport of seduction, sensuality, grace, passion and slow movements. It is also a great way for any woman to feel wonderful, no matter what shape or size. Believe it or not, to belly dance, it looks a little better if you actually have a little flab! Though you can use this sport to tone those pudgy areas and shape up in a very fun way. Usually other sports can either be boring or unnerving for those of you who hate to do any kind of exercise. If you are a female that loves being with their partner, but does not enjoy fitness, this is definitely the sport for you.

There are some figure 8 movements, with shimmies, hip drops and hip shakes and arm movements to compliment the choreography. You should definitely try belly dancing if you have not found a sport that you enjoy yet. I have not talked to one woman that has not enjoyed either exercising to a video with belly dancing, or even taking an actual class. Not only will you be happy, but your partner will too! This is fun, and it is definitely full of smiles and laughter! There is absolutely not one thing to be discouraged or disappointed in with the sport of belly dancing. If there is one thing that belly dancing can do, is brings out someone in yourself that you never knew you had, and perhaps a new appearance as well! So instead of having to dread going to the gym, or go play a sport that you absolutely loathe, take some time out to try some belly dancing, it is well worth your time to check it out. You will tone up and trim down, while exploring a whole new realm of sensuality just by trying out some new movements! Maybe invite some friends over, that way they can help you master the steps, while learning new things themselves, it will be a fun experience, not to mention pretty funny! After you have the steps mastered, it would be fun to go and purchase yourself a belly dancing outfit, and you will be all set up to play your part! Last but not least, test it on your partner, and have the time of your life while doing it! There is nothing stopping you from trying out this awesome sport, so get off the computer and try it! There are stores online that you can purchase instructional videos from, or hop in your car and head to the next available class!

by Leanne Phillips

Now that you know who all the people are down there on the football field, on the sidelines and in the stands, it's time to learn some basics about how the game is played.

The Object of the Game. A football field is 100 yards long. The object of the game of football is for the offense (the team that has possession of the football) to carry the ball, by whatever means possible, from the center of the field (the 50-yard line) for a distance of 50 feet, to the "end zone," that is, the end of the field, just beyond the zero yard line and just before the goal posts. The defense's job is try to prevent this from happening by defending the end zone. Each team takes turns playing offense and defense. During their turns playing offense, the teams earn points for accomplishing things such as "touchdowns," "extra points," and "field goals."

Quarters and Halves. A football game is divided into four quarters of play. Each quarter is 15 minutes long. However, football minutes are much like dog years. 15 minutes of football play is actually about 48.37 minutes in real world time. The teams take a break after the second quarter, called "half time." During half time, marching bands, cheerleaders and sometimes even popular singers perform and entertain the crowds, while the coaches yell at the football players in the locker room.

The Coin Toss and The Kickoff. Before play starts, the referee tosses a coin to decide who gets possession of the football first. The visiting team calls the coin toss. The team that wins the toss gets the first chance to try to score a touchdown. The team that loses the coin toss kicks the ball to the other team from their 30-yard line. This is done at the beginning of the game and at the beginning of the second half. It is also done each time the teams change possession of the ball, unless possession of the ball is changed because of an interception. Finally, if the game goes into overtime because there is a tie at the end of four quarters of play, overtime play starts with a kickoff.

Putting the Football Into Play. When play starts, the offensive team's center snaps the ball to the quarterback, who then attempts to throw or "pass" the ball to one of the offensive team's "wide receivers." It is the wide receiver's job to catch the ball. If possible, the wide receiver will then hand the ball off to a running back, who will run with the football as far as he can without being tackled by members of the other team's defense.

Passing and Running. Remember, the offense is trying to move the ball a distance of 50 yards to the end zone. They may attempt to do this using a "passing game," which means throwing the ball as far as they can, preferably to a wide receiver named Jerry Rice, in an attempt to move the ball or "gain" a certain number of yards. Or, they may attempt to do this using a "running game," which means the football is passed or handed off to a player who is good at running with the ball down the field as far as he can, called a running back.

Intercepting and Tackling. The defensive players will attempt to keep the offensive players from moving the ball down the field. If the ball is passed by the quarterback to a wide receiver, the defense may attempt to "intercept" the ball, which means they jump in front of the ball and catch it themselves, so that the ball becomes theirs. It is then their turn to try to move the ball down the field. Or, they may try to prevent the wide receiver from catching the ball by tackling him or otherwise interfering with the quarterback's ability to complete the pass. If they are unable to keep the wide receiver from catching the ball, or if the wide receiver is successful in handing the ball off to a running back, they may try to "tackle" the player with the ball. This basically means they knock him down to the ground and pile up on top of him until he can't breathe or yells "Uncle." Or, they may try to cause the wide receiver or the running back to lose control of the ball and "fumble" or drop the ball. (History lesson: This is where we get the phrase, "Wow, you really dropped the ball.") If the ball is fumbled, either team may grab the ball and run with it. If the offense gets the fumbled ball back into their possession, then they have "recovered the fumble." If the defense picks up the fumbled ball, then they can run as fast as they can in the other direction and may be able to score a touchdown for their own team.

Quarterback Scramble. Sometimes, in an attempt to trick the defensive team, or if his receiver is not "open" or in a position to catch the ball, the quarterback may try to run with the ball himself. This is called a quarterback scramble. When you see it, you will understand why it is called a quarterback scramble, because the quarterback basically scrambles around for a few minutes, is unsuccessful in actually getting anywhere, and then hurriedly drops to the ground on his own so the big, mean tackles won't jump on him. It is relatively rare for a quarterback to try to run with the ball for a number of reasons. First of all, quarterbacks need to move quickly and to be very mobile. In order to be able to do this, they don't wear as much padding as the other players and are relatively unprotected from injury. They risk being tackled and seriously hurt when they run with the ball, so they avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary. Second, quarterbacks are, if a team is lucky, very good at passing the football. They are not necessarily very good at doing much of anything else, however.

Quarterback Sack. When the defense is successful in tackling the quarterback before he can pass the football, this is called a "quarterback sack." It can be lots of fun to watch, particularly if the quarterback is wearing a Dallas Cowboys uniform and is named Drew Bledsoe.

Moving The Ball Down the Field. The team with possession of the football gets four chances, called "downs," to move the football down the field to the end zone. If they fail to do so within four attempts, play then passes to the other team. However, each time the offense is successful in moving the ball a minimum of ten yards, they get to start all over again, back at the first down. For example, if the offense did not get anywhere during the first down or the second down, but then, during the third down, the quarterback successfully throws a completed pass for a gain of 12 yards, then the offense gets to start all over again with the first down and, again, has four chances to move the ball to the end zone.

Touchdown! The goal of the team playing offense is to score a touchdown by getting the football into the "end zone," which is the area beyond the zero yard line on either end of the football field where the goal posts are located. The touchdown earns the offensive team six points. If their kicker is able to kick the ball in between the goal posts after a touchdown, this earns them another point, known as the "extra point." The kicker almost always makes the extra point, so it's not very exciting. If you act too excited when the kicker scores this point, unless the game is a close and important one, you risk revealing your naivete about the game.

Field Goals. Sometimes, despite their best efforts, a team is not quite able to score that much-sought-after touchdown. If they get close enough to the end zone, but don't think they will be able to score a touchdown, they may attempt a "field goal." A field goal is scored when, instead of attempting to pass or run the football, the offense brings their kicker in from the sidelines. The kicker then kicks the ball in between the goal posts. This may be relatively easy, or quite difficult, depending on how far the kicker is from the end zone. A field goal scores the team three points, which is not quite as good as a touchdown, but is better than nothing. History lesson: The longest field goal ever kicked in NFL history was 63 yards, first by Tom Dempsey in 1970, and again by Jason Elam nearly thirty years later in 1998. It's always good to know a little football trivia like this in order to hold up your end of the conversation during a football game. Just make sure you show off this knowledge at the appropriate time, preferably just after a field goal attempt. If you say it at the wrong time, such as during half-time or while the team is attempting a first down, you may be met with blank stares.

Copyright (c) 2005 by Leni Leanne Phillips

Many thought the Western Conference finals (this writer included) would be a great basketball series. Instead, the Spurs will look tonight to close out the Suns in four straight.

In setting up the possibility of a sweep, the Spurs have shown everyone that they are a championship caliber team once more. The Suns are three down after three games because San Antonio is simply the premiere basketball team in the league right now.

In fact, in the first two games of the series, the Suns showed the NBA's best defensive team just how good the Suns were offensively. Phoenix ran up and down the floor scoring 114 points in game one and another 108 in game two. Generally, these point totals would usually lead to victory in today's offensively-challenged NBA

But the defensive-minded Spurs, the team that won during the regular season by giving up 88 points per game, showed the basketball world just how talented they were offensively. San Antonio came from four points down after three quarters in game one, blitzing the Suns with a 43 point fourth quarter performance, then in game two came from five behind after three with another memorable fourth quarter offensive spurt.

After simply outscoring the Suns in the first two games, San Antonio put on a defensive clinic in game three, holding the high scoring Suns to 92 points, their first post season game under 100 points and first sub-100 point game since April 15th. Then again, in putting another 102 on the board, the Spurs proved their offensive metal, this time cruising to victory after leading by 17 points after the third quarter.

The league's Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash, and their extremely athletic big man, Amare Stoudamire, have continued their extraordinary playoff performances for the Suns. Stoudamire has shown everyone that is set to challenge Duncan and O'Neal for the title of the league's top center while Nash is simply the league's best point guard.

But an injury to Joe Johnson in the Dallas series has revealed the Suns lack of depth. With Shawn Marion having a poor series, the Suns have needed someone else to step up. Unfortunately, inconsistent play from Jim Jackson and Quentin Richardson has led to the Suns relying far too heavily on Nash and Stoudamire.

For the Spurs, the difference is their three best players are getting it done consistently. Tim Duncan has offset Stoudamire's performance while Tony Parker has somewhat offset that of Nash. Guard-forward Manu Ginobli is the third player having a great series and has given the Spurs that consistent third scoring option that the Suns have lacked.

When it comes to playoff basketball, experience is deemed critical and the Spurs are showing that they are the veterans of the so called second season. San Antonio appears set to sweep Phoenix and head to the NBA Finals in search of their third title in eight years and second in the last three years.

After Detroit's upset of the Lakers last year, most had the East the favorites for 2005. But the Spurs domination of the Suns gives the definite impression that the strength of the NBA lies in the Western Conference once again.

by Leanne Phillips

Many women enjoy sports, including football, just as much as their male counterparts. If you are not one of them, you just may want to learn a little bit about football anyway. While I would never advocate pretending to like something in an attempt to gain a gentleman's favor, you just may find that, if you learn a little bit about football, you will begin to enjoy it a lot more. If your boyfriend, husband, sons or circle of friends are big football fans, then, realistically, you may be forced to spend more than a little time watching football on television or even going to games. By learning the basics about football and football fans, you may find that you begin to develop an appreciation for, and even an enjoyment of, the game.

This series of articles will offer you the basics you need to get you started on the road to becoming a true football fan.

Offense and Defense. The first thing you need to know in order to get an idea what is going on during the game is who the key players are. First of all, there will be two football teams on the field. You can tell the teams apart because they will be wearing different colored uniforms and helmets. The football team that has the football and is trying to throw it or run with it is the "offense." The football team that is trying to keep the other team from being able to throw the ball or to run with it is the "defense."

Snapping and Kicking. When the teams are getting ready to put the ball into play, one player will bend over and "snap" the ball backwards, between his legs, to another player. The guy who is bending over is called the "center." The guy who (hopefully) catches the snapped ball is the quarterback. Each team also has one player whose entire job is to try to kick the ball over the goal posts at appropriate points during the game. This guy is called, not surprisingly, the kicker.

The Coach. On the sidelines for each team, you will see a man dressed in official NFL football sweatpants, sweatshirt, jacket or other official NFL-approved clothing. He may or may not be yelling and turning red in the face. This is the team's coach. History lesson: In days of old, coaches wore business suits and dressed nicely for games, but the NFL now tells them how to dress in order to promote the products of their sponsors. So, if they look like they just rolled off the couch, it's not their fault.

Referees and Cheerleaders. You will also see several men dressed in black and white striped shirts, wearing caps, blowing whistles, yelling and waving their hands around a lot. These are the referees. They are responsible for making sure everyone follows the rules of the game. Also on the sidelines for each team, you will see a group of very bubbly girls dressed in sparkly, short skirts, and either dancing or jumping around, sometimes holding pom poms. These are the cheerleaders.

Spectators and Fans. Finally, in the stands, you will see lots and lots of spectators. A few of them will have their faces and bodies painted to match their favorite teams. They may appear to be very drunk and/or acting foolishly, or they may appear to be just a little more exuberant than is necessary for the circumstances to the untrained eye. These are football fanatics. Whatever you do, don't marry one.

Copyright (c) 2005 by Leni Leanne Phillips

Long gone are the days of conventional sports such as football, baseball, track and swim team. One sport that is considered mainstream in countries throughout Europe is looked upon as a leisurely basement pass time in
America. Officially joining in the Olympic competition in 1988 table tennis has grown to accommodate nearly 40 million players worldwide.

With humble beginnings in the 1880s, British soldiers stationed in South Africa and India improvised ping-pong using the lids of cigar boxes as the paddle and bottle corks as the ball. Stacks of books on the floor served as
a net. The sport caught on throughout Europe. Due to rising popularity English manufacturer, J. Jaques & Son Ltd, decided to copyright the phrase "ping-pong" in 1901. Other manufacturers offered less expensive equipment
alternatives under the name "table tennis." The rights to the name "ping-pong" was later sold to American manufacturer Parker Brothers for use in the United States.

The very first table tennis tournament was held in London in 1927. The tournament held a Hungarian champion up until WWII. The American Ping Pong Association was formed in 1930 to a limited few because the Parker Brothers version of equipment was extremely expensive. Asian players emerged in 1953 dominating the sport with the introduction of the foam rubber paddle by Horoi Satoh, a Japanese player, the year before. This new paddle allowed players to put a spin on the ball during game play.

The game can be played in singles or doubles. When served the ball must bounce once before it goes over the net and once before it is hit by the opposing player. With technology changing in the production of balls and
paddles speeds excess of 100 mph can be accomplished with the correct hand strokes. Errors in the game include allowing free hand to touch the table, failing to hit ball after it has bounced on one's side of the net, letting
the ball bounce twice on one's side of the net without hitting it and letting the ball bounce on one's side once it had already been hit. The game is played until 21 points are acquired with at least a 2-point lead.

The game of ping-pong has gone on to aspire the world's first successful video game Pong. Developed by Atari, Pong maintained the same general concept of regular ping-pong by having two paddles controlled by two
different individuals. Players then teeter-tottered a small ball back in forth in the same way one would in the original real life game. Pong is living proof of the growing popularity of this world wide phenomenon that is
called ping-pong.

Though still not as popular in the United States table tennis is still revered as a competitive Olympic Sport. Even though only about four thousand Americans compete professionally it does not discredit the passion and
dedication that these athletes have for their sport. The fact of the matter is that table tennis is a sport that is practiced and trained for. It takes quick reflexes and a sharp eye to thwart the opponent.

Not having the normal physical requirements and demands of general orthodox sports, table tennis appeals to a vast variety of players. There are competitions that range from any age group from as young as ten years of age
all the way up through players in their nineties. Table tennis is a great sport and pass time for those condemned to wheelchairs and offers great competition for the Special Olympics. It is this flexibility and lovability that contributes the appeal and thrills that is table tennis. The growing popularity of table tennis throughout the years is proof of the staying power and influence this sport has on the United States as well as the rest of the world. Who would have thought that with such humble beginning that table tennis would take off as it has? It doesn't matter who you are, what you do or whether you have a disability or not. This sport has something for anyone and everyone no matter what country or culture one is native to. Super heroes need not apply.

Whether you need to lose a little or a lot of weight, playing sports is a good way to do it. Sports are fun and at the same time you are losing weight. When you play sports that require you to move around a lot and at a fast speed, your heart rate goes up. That's when you start to lose weight. Some fun sports to play are volleyball, basketball, football, and even roller-skating. You will have so much fun that you want even know that you are losing weight. I stayed in shape by roller-skating. It kept my legs slender and my abs flat.

Sports are fun even if you aren't very good at them. I am the worst basketball player in the world but I still get out there and try my best. Who cares if people are looking at you or even laughing? You are the one having fun and losing weight. Sports are also good for the heart. You can still play sports even if you are over weight. You could play a sport that does not require you to move very fast at first. After you work your way up there and you feel more confident then you can move on to faster sports. A good sport to do if you are over weight is something like roller-skating. You can go as slow or as fast as you want to.

Most sports are very safe and not expensive. The most you may spend is sixty dollars. Skates are sometimes expensive. A basketball can range from five dollars to fifteen dollars. Most people can afford to pay that. It is also a good way to get the whole family involved so if you feel like a fool you aren't doing it alone. Most kids like sports and will be happy to have their parents out there with them. There are so many sports to choose from and you could try a different one everyday of the week. You can see which one you like best. You can lose three or more pounds by playing basketball every day more at least two weeks.

If you don't believe me then get out there and try it. That's the only way you will find out. You can even get your friends to play sports with you. They can be a good support system for you. You can even play some sports when you are pregnant. People play basketball and even roller-skate while they are pregnant. It will help you stay in shape while you are pregnant and that is always a plus when you are pregnant. Playing sports is also proven to help your labor a little easier. We all know labor is never all that easy but being in shape and staying active always helps. I know because I have been through two pregnancies.

Being active helped me during labor. If you are one of the millions of people who or over weight or want to lose a few pounds to get into the new dress or pair of slacks you haven't been able to wear since high school then try playing a sport. You will see a difference. Even walking is a sport. Everybody can do some walking. You can lose weight that way to. Try doing a brisk walk and you will notice a change. Your hair will start to look better and your nails will too. The pores on your head open up when you are active and your hair may even start to grow. If you smoke and playing fast sports make breathing a little difficult, try something like walking, a slow jog, or roller-skating. These sports don't require to much but at the same time your heart will speed up and you will burn calories. Playing sports can be done during any season. If it is cold than you can go ice skating. That is really fun to do. Sports can help with being bored to.

If you have nothing to do then grab your skates or your basketball and go out and have some fun. It will help the time pass by and before you know it two hours went by. You won't even know it. Within a month or maybe even sooner, you will be in smaller jeans, shirts, dresses, or pants. So whenever you are just sitting around the house gaining wait go play some kind of a sport. Not only will you feel better but you will look better at the same time. You can turn head in a good way. People will notice your glowing face and smaller waist. When they ask you what you did you can tell them that you play sports. Be proud. Get up and go.

The LSU Tigers will be hosting their 16th consecutive regional tournament, to be played on June 3 through the 6th at Alex Box stadium. Speaking as the NCAA national baseball selection committee chairman, Charlie Carr said that the selection this year was difficult, there bing very few of what he called slam dunks, anf that LSU was one of the teams on the edge, there being a large selection of good teams to choose from, that it would be hard to say who was deserving and who was not.

The Tigers are part of a quartet of SEC teams to play host this year, the others being Florida, who were regular season champions, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, who lost to the Bulldogs on Sunday. The other conference with four teams was the Atlantic Coast Conference, with Georgia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, and Miami all being given the nod as a host team. The others are spread out amongst Arizona State, Long Beach State, Tulane, Texas, Cal State Fullerton, Oregon State, Baylor, and Nebraska.

While a teams performance during the year is an obvious factor in the decision to be a host team, the ever present aspect of money is always in the mix, and the Tigers proven record of being able to pull in the fans and the money was a factor in their choice as host. Carr admitted this fact, saying that it was only one of a large number of factors taken into consideration. He pointed out that Oregon State was chosen this year for the first time, with the selection people believing that some sites have to be chosen every year with the idea of giving a team a chance to prove that they can be a team capable of pulling in the kind of numbers of fans that the NCAA would like to see.

The announcement included the schedule for each round of games, with a game being played every day at 1 and 6. Should play result in a second championship game being called for, that game would be scheduled for the Monday following the weekend, with game time being set for 1:30 p.m. The entire array of tournament teams and schedules will be announced today.

LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said he didn't see any real surprises, saying that the four best teams in the SEC got into the regionals. Smoke Lavall was pleased with being picked to host the tourney, saying that the selection was a tribute to the members of the team and their performance on the baseball field this year. He also said that he was happy for the seniors on the squad, because the selection gives them the opportunity to once again play at Alex Box Stadium for their fourth straight participation in a regional, and the chance to play in a third Super Regional should they win.

The Tulane Green wave will host an NCAA regional this coming weekend, the result of sharing the conference title with TCU and the washout of the championship game due to torrential rains that forced the cancellation of the match up in Mississippi this weekend.

Head coach Rick Jones said that he was confident that his team was prepared to win the event on Sunday, but that they were content with the way things turned out anyway, also saying that he would be happy to get the anti-climatic outcome every year if it meant his team would get the chance to be in it at the end and to host the regional play.

There are four schools that will be in the regional event, three of which will be announced on Monday. It starts on Friday and could run until Monday depending on how the games turn out.
Tulane is acting as the host of the event for the second time since 2001, after reaching the World Series in that year.

Tulane has been expecting the results they've gotten so far, after being one of the top ranked teams in the nation all year. With a record of 50-9, they have been listed as either the No. 1 or No. 2 team by the major ranking services for most of the season and have done nothing to damage their position in the polls all year, turning in a solid season with good pitching and excellent hitting ability in their trip through the regular season and beyond.
The final game was put on delay just fifteen minutes before the start, being played at Mississippi's Pete Taylor Park, the scene of a huge rainstorm that swept through Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday. After a rainstorm of over an hour and a half, the field was awash in water, with the dugouts being flooded and the power being knocked out in the stadium. After the storm and a discussion by the officials on the scene, the game was called off with the officials ruling that it would be impossible for the field to be prepared to play on.

Because of the rainout, TCU and Tulane will share the Conference USA title, with Tulane being tagged as the host of the regionals because of its position as the No. 1 seed. Along with the seeding came the automatic host tournament position in the regionals. Because of its No. 2 seeding, TCU is also expected to receive a bid.

TCU coach Jim Schlossnagel saif that he was not happy with being unable tp play the game, because the chance to play the top team in the country, and all the publicity that comes along with such a matchup was something that you don't get the opportunity to do very often, and the chance to play on national television is something he and his players were looking forward to. The benefits of such exposure to TCU's program would have been invaluable in his opinion, but because the conditions were so bad, the chances of a player getting hurt were more than he and the officials were willing to risk.

Jones on the other hand, wasn't as upset. His strategy was to use the tournament as an opportunity to get his team tuned up for the last part of the season, in which they hoped to make a run at getting back into the College World Series.

After 35 years of heart breaking attempts, bad luck, mechanical breakdowns, and other assorted problems, one of the Andrettis finally came home with a win at the Indy 500 although not as a driver. Michael Andretti, owner of the car driven by Paul Wheldon, got his wish with Wheldons win at the Indy 500 on Saturday. Saying "No more Curse", Andretti was ecstatic at the end of the race, won by Wheldon who stretched things to the limit with a nearly empty fuel tank.

The last time an Andretti sat in the winners circle was in 1969 when Michael Andretti's father, Mario Andretti, got his last win in the race. It was a close thing though, as newcomer and fan favorite Danica Patrick was in the lead for a good portion of the final few laps before Wheldon was able to pull ahead with 28 laps to go. Wheldon was able to pull off the long awaited win after Patrick had gained the lead with a brilliant performance considering the fact that she ran into a multitude of problems such as an engine stalling on her, and a crash that damaged the nose cone and left wing on her vehicle.

Danica Patrick has become the first woman to lead the Indy 500, having pulled ahead of the pack three times, and staying out front for 19 laps in all. Patrick said after the race that saying it was a good showing for a woman was wrong, that was she did was a good showing for anyone, man or woman, and I have to say I think she's right.

Considering the fact that Patrick is a rookie, her performance in Sunday's race was very good, being one of the better performances by a newcomer in the long history of the famous race.
A win may have been just a little too good to be true though, and a little too much to ask for in a rookie season, as Wheldon was able to jump ahead with just seven laps to go and Patrick had to cut back on her speed in order to conserve fuel, slowing her down and allowing Wheldon the margin he needed for victory. With the win, Wheldon became the first English winner of the Indy 500 in a long time, the last victor being Graham Hill who won the event back in 1966.

Andretti, the owner of the car Wheldon was driving, said that the win felt just as good as if he had been driving the car himself, something I find to be a stretch but hey the guy's happy so we;ll let it go. Andretti was plagued with bad luck in the race as a driver, although he holds a few records in the event, such as being in the lead more often and longer than anyone who has never actually stood in the winners circle.
Michael was quick to hand the victory over to Wheldon, a relative newcomer to the event, and a driver who looks to become a force in racing, as he is off to the best start in the history of the Indy Racing League. Wheldon has said in the past that his majorgoal was to win the Indy 500, something he accomplished probably earlier than most would have expected. He was crying as he exited his car and said that a win at the Indy 500 was a dream come true for him, having been one of his favorite races since he was a boy and first became interested in the sport of racing.

The Andretti vehicle, with Wheldon behind the wheel, finished the race with after having reached an average speed of 157.6 miles an hour and had a total race time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. Because of his win, Wheldon will rake in about a million and a half dollars, not a bad payday.

Danica Patrick meanwhile, was able to finish the race in fourth place, her efforts at winning hampered by the fact that she was forced to slow her speed and nurse her car along due to low fuel. She got a little lucky at the end too though, with a crash by driver Sebastian Bourdais, a mishap that happened very late in the race.
Prior to Patrick's fourth place finish, the best placing by a woman in the Indy 500 was a ninth place spot by Janet Guthrie which occurred back in 1978. Patrick fell behind in lap 186, right before a crash, and regained the lead on the next lap. "I thought we were going to win the thing at the end" said Patrick. Unfortunately, since she was running out of fuel, she was forced to slow her speed to conserve fuel and finish the race.

The effort to conserve fuel slowed her speed from 226 to 221, allowing Wheldon to take the lead. In short order, Patrick was passed by Voctor Meira, and Bryan Herta. After Patrick, Buddy Lazier, who won the event in 1966, finished fifth, and in the sixth spot was another Andretti driver, Dario Franchitti.
This years event was a huge success after last years poor showing. The presence of Patrick in the race helped attendance and attention. The weather was also another factor as the skies were clear and conditions good for the racing event. In all, the crowd was estimated at about 300,000.

New came out today that the governor of Louisiana, in an effort to met the state of Louisiana's obligations to the New Orleans Saints, will probably ask for tax increases on hotels, rental cars, and football tickets to raise the money the state needs to make their annual payment to the team owned by Tom Benson, who seems intent on milking the area for every red cent his already immensely wealthy family can get its hands on.
Two bills are going to be brought out soon, with the expected revenue to total about $12 million dollars. They are going to be introduced into the House committee on Wednesday. The two pieces of legislation will probably concentrate on drawing the money from Saints fans and the already suffering tourism industry, which has been in the doldrums since the Sep 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and is already one of the most highly taxed areas of the economy in New Orleans. Gov. Blanco has been hoping to get Benson to enter into new long term negotiation that would include the renovation of the Saints home in the Superdome, but Benson has said that he will not negotiate until after the 2005 NFL season, forcing the state to try and find a way to meet the windfall agreement it made with the Saints under the former administration which amounted to virtual rubbery in my opinion.
The crux of the problem stems from the fact that the Superdome Commission, which is funded by revenue created by hotel taxes and other events held at the Superdome, is seeing a severe drop-off in the revenue that was expected because of the slowing economy and the reduced amount of tourism that has been the norm since the terrorist attacks ground travel to a halt in the United States and the world in general.

The former Gov. Fowler, signed a $186 million dollar deal with the Saints that stretches out over 10 years. In order to keep the underperforming NFL team around, the state had to give the NFL cellar dwellers cash, a rent free deal in one of sports finest arenas, and the sum total of all concessions sales. Meanwhile the Superdome Commission is seeing falling hotel occupancy, soaring insurance rates, and a complete lack of interest in a corporation coming in and buying the naming rights to the stadium.
Things look bad and look worse for the future. The money to pay the Saints looks to be about $10 million short for this year and will probably be about $13 million short for next year.
The plan being introduced calls for a 5% tax on auto rentals in the local area and it's estimated that the tax will bring in about half a million dollars in total. the other plan is an increase of 1% in the states already high hotel room tax, and projections are that the rate hike would bring in another $7 to $8 million. The real kicker, in addition to crippling an already hurting tourism industry, is that Saints fans, and other fans that attend the events held in the Superdome, would be forced to pay an extra 10% on tickets, food, drinks, and anything else sold in the Dome .
It seems to me that the state of Louisiana has now reached the point of dismissing returns from the deal it has with the Saints. While I am an avid fan, I can only feel that the idea of giving handouts to millionaires is a bad deal. As much as Benson cries, his team is doing very well in the small market it occupies. This view is backed up by several legislators, and seems to point out that what we are seeing in New Orleans with the Saints is something the rest of the country has experienced with other NFL teams. Just how much is an NFL team worth? Is it asking too much for an owner to show some loyalty to a community?
Right now, if you come to a Saints game in the Superdome from out of town, you're paying a 13% tax on your hotel room. That's pretty high, and it makes me wonder how many planners of major events will shy away from New Orleans because of the high hotel rates. Will we gain more by having the Saints in New Orleans than we will lose by having to pay to keep the Saints in New Orleans? And how much leverage does Tom Benson have anyway? Will San Antonio or Los Angeles come up with a billion dollars to buy the Saints? My gut feeling is that as much as the NFL wants to have a team in Los Angeles, the town has already shown that they are not interested in having an NFL team. If you had a billion dollars, would you risk it in a market that has already let two franchises walk away?

Mike Reid hasn't had the best of luck in his time on the tour as of late, experiencing some breakdowns that have cost him some wins, but this time he benefited from some problems of other players and ended up with a win.
Reid, who trailed by three strokes late in the round and had only a single hole left to play, managed to get into a three way playoff against Dana Quigley and Jerry Pate, by hitting on a long eagle putt, and then coming back to the same green and hitting a birdie in the playoff round. the two strokes got him his first win in a tourney in over 14 years of play.

Quigley was looking to be the winner for a good portion of the tournament, then Pate made a comeback and put himself into position to win, but both were left scratching their head as Reid came out of nowhere to nab the victory after they faltered at the end and left a gaping hole for Reid to step through.
After the tourney, Reid he was shocked at his win, as shocked as anybody who witnessed the vent. Reid, whose last win came at the Casio Open in the long ago year of 1990, became eligible for the Champions tour last year at the age of 50.

Pate, who made his return to paying golf after being out of the game for over 20 years, came back last year. He missed a relatively easy putt that had the potential to send the tourney into a second playoff round. A water shot ended Quigleys hopes as he sent his shot into the liquid void on a par 5. Reid, who was in the tournament despite the fact that his son was graduating high school, said he was thinking that he was out of it in the middle of play, but then decided that if he could come up with a couple of birdies here and there that he could force his way back into the game. He was right.

Reid was behind in the game to Quigley by six strokes and to Pate by three at one point during play, a seemingly unbeatable lead, but after a series of poor shots by the pair, found himself once again in the mix.
in other golfing events, Jimin Kang aced herself into a win on the 15th hole of the Corning Classic, beating out Annika Sorenstam and Meena Lee. She ended up with a 15 under par and a bundle of money, taking home $165,000, which is the largest check she's gotten in her time on the tour, which began in 2003.

Pitching looks to be the Bulldogs key to success in the postseason, as they defeated cross state rival Ole Miss 4-1 on Sunday.

Playing in the Southeastern Conference tournament, the Bulldogs got another strong pitching outing in a string of fine performances over their last few outings. Mississippi State, carrying a record of 40-20, finished in fourth place in their division, is now waiting for word on which team they will play and which park will be the site of their next game. Ole Miss, having been picked as a regional host team, are waiting for word on if they have been picked as one of eight national seeds.

The Bulldogs carry a pitching staff that can worry any team they face, with the men on the mound seeming to have saved the best performances for the post season. Brooks Dunn was on the mound Sunday, and serving as their midweek starting pitcher on the season, showed that he could do it on the weekends also. Dunn went seven innings for the Bulldogs, being relieved by C.J. Ketchums after giving up a scoring single.

The Bulldogs resume includes the good pitching jobs done as of late by the following members. Alan Johnson pitched well against LSU, Todd Doolittle had a great outing against South Carolina, and against Tennessee, Jon Crosby was excellent. In total, the four aces from Bulldog country have only let five runs come in after a combined total of almost 30 innings.

Mark Holliman got the start for the Rebels, pitching two scoreless inning. But in the third, the Bulldogs pounded out three runs to gain the lead and hold it. The Bulldogs Jeffrey Rea hit a scoring single along with Ed Easley, who drove in two runs with hios scoring single in the same inning.
The Rebels had their chances during the game, loading the bases at one point in the seventh, only to see the stanza end on a strikeout.

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco is optimistic that his team will be viewed as one of the top eight teams in the nation despite the loss. He complimented the Bulldogs on their taking advantage of the pitching in one inning, which was enough to get the lead and provided enough scoring to hang on for the win.

The Detroit Pistons let the officiating get into their heads last night, distracting them from the fact that they were actually playing a basketball game, and allowed the Miami Heat to take a 113-104 win in Michigan.

Rather than calling it a win by the Heat, the game should be pegged as a self defeat by Detroit. The game gives the Heat a 2-1 lead in the series though, and sends the Pistons back to The Palace on Tuesday night trailing in a series, before heading to Miami in a game that always lends itself to the home crowd.

Miami was able to rack up 11 points on fouls during a run that set them up with the lead about halfway through the fourth quarter, a turn of events that set Detroit up with the temper tantrums and resulted in a pair of technical fouls that obviously did their cause very little good.

Detroit head coach Larry Brown said after the game that his team had lost their poise, and by doing so had reduced their chance in a game that they had a good opportunity to win.
Four Pistons had five or more fouls in the game, something that's indicative of a loss of control, when emotions get the best of a team and they begin to take their frustrations out with sloppy play and ill advised chances.

With a total of 36 on the night, Wade hit 21 in the first half of the game. Lindsey Hunter did a good job of shutting him down late, and putting Wade into foul trouble..
Shaq finished with a total of 24 points, while Jones was able to score 19. Shockingly, the Shaq hit some free throws in the game, something that always amazes me when it happens. He nailed his first six of the fourth quarter. After the game he said that his team needed the points so he just took his time and was able to hit them. The statement begs the question: Is there ever a time when your team can't use the points and you can just go up to the line and not worry about whether or not you hit your free throws?

Despite Detroit's unhappiness with the officiating, the game was not poorly called and the stats show a pretty even distribution of fouls, with Detroit being called for fouls 33 times and the Heat 29 times, although Miami did go to the line 11 times more than Detroit. Technicals will do that to you guys.

Danica Patrick hangs tough at Indy

Danica patrick showed the world that she belongs right where she is by taking a fourth place finsih at the Indy 500 on Sunday. By hanging in there and getting the best finish ever for a woman at Indy, Patrick opened up new avenues for women in the sport of racing.
Patrick got her strong finish despite the fact that there were a few problems along the way, including a late fuel problem that probably cost her the win, something the crowd of over three hundred thousand would probably like to have seen, evidenced by the fact that the crowd broke into cheers whenever Patrick pulled into the lead.
Patrick had a good chance at the end, something most drivers in the race wish they could have. Although Patrick got a lot of attention over the last few weeks, probably based more on the fact that she is a very attractive woman than her performance on the track, she showed the world that she has what it takes to compete in a sport long dominated by men. Patrick gained some publicity awhile ago when she posed for a magazine in a bikini, but there were plenty of fans out there that had real questions as to whether the attractive brunette could hold her own in what is considered by most to be the world's premier auto racing event. Patrick showed that she was well able to not only compete, but could probably beat the majority of the pack given the same opportunity.
He ability to come back and finish strong despite a string of problems only lends to her credibility. Beginning the race in the fourth spot, the highest ever held by a woman, Patrick made a mistake by stalling her car in the pits, a mistake that dropped her from her fourth place spot down to the 16th spot.
After overcoming that problem, Patrick blazed her way back into the race, cruising her way up into the seventh spot, when another rookie mistake hurt her position. Making an inadvertent swing to the right after waiting for the green, Patrick had a collision with another car driven bt Thomas Enge. The crash caused problems for another driver who was pushed into a spin and ended up against the wall.
Patrick was heard over the radio apologizing to her crew. After the race, Patrick said that she had made some mistakes, that she was lucky her car wasn't taken out of the race by damage after being hit twice, and that she was lucky to have kept the engine running.
She was helped along in her effort by the decision to keep running after the majority of the cars in the event went into the pit. Her crew was gambling that she would have enough fuel left to finish the race, and they were correct in their gamble, although they got a little conservative at the end, trying to finish the race with a little reduced speed that allowed Wheldon to pass her, along with two other cars, and setting her up for the fourth place finish.
Patrick, although obviously not happy with not winning, said after the race that despite the mistakes, she thought she had done well, having come very close to pulling off the first victory by a woman in the long history of the Indy. She's right, what she did was show that she was capable of being in any race, and that she's got the talent it takes to compete in the sport. Her mother, interviewed after the race, said that Patrick showed her toughness in the event with her ability to come back and overcome mistakes, not only in the race, but being a woman in a male dominated sport.

Each year the PGA season begins with three months of golf without a major. That part of the season sees little fan fare, with events in Hawaii and on the West Coast drawing minimal interest. But then comes the Masters in early April, and golf fanatics begin paying attention to the season. The hype starts and the discussions as to who is the world's best player begin again. Yet just as the excitement begins heating up, the Tour hits another lull in its season.

The remainder of April and all of May, the Tour goes through a number of tournaments that see few elite fields. That stretch of tournaments is seen as a tune-up for the game's top players, with most of them spending time practicing and playing irregularly, only enough to keep their games sharp competitively.

But then comes June and a run that includes one major a month, the US Open in June, The British Open in July and the PGA Championship in August. Whereas there are nine tour events between the Masters and US Open this season, the next three majors will be played with at most five tournaments in between.

These major championships up the golf talk and the rhetoric. Since these tournaments see the best golfers in the World, a win is particularly meaningful, with a player's career defined in great part by his ability to perform in these illustrious events.

Sports writers will immediately begin discussing the game's best player who has yet to win a major. That moniker went to Phil Mickelson until last year when the dynamic left-hander took home his first major, the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

Lefty broke through in incredible fashion, having a phenomenal year in the majors in 2004. Along with his first place finish at the Masters, the flop-shot artist finished second at the US Open, third at the British and sixth at the PGA. The monkey off his back, Mickelson will now see some other player denoted as the best golfer on Tour without a major championship to their credit.

In addition, talk will inevitably turn to Tiger Woods and his assault on the major record books. In April, Woods earned his fourth Masters title and ninth major championship, breaking a lengthy drought. That is, lengthy for Woods.

Tiger has made no bones about the one record that means the most to him. Jack Nicklaus and his incredible 18 major titles appears to be the mark Tiger most seeks. Walter Hagen is currently second on the major's list, having won 11. After Hagen, Woods is in a tie for third with Gary Player and the legendary Ben Hogan.

If Woods is to have a realistic chance to break Nicklaus mark, he needs another run like 2000-2001 when Woods actually held all four titles at the same time. If Woods goes the remainder of the season without another major, the talk of his breaking Nicklaus hallowed mark will continue to slide backwards.

But Woods no longer ranks as a prohibitive favorite. The upcoming majors will see fields that include the best of the foreign contingent as well, including Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Vijay Singh. Along with Mickelson, these four all outshone Woods a year ago. Goosen, the World's fifth ranked player, took home his second US Open title, cruising to a two shot victory over Mickelson. Els lost the British Open in a playoff to Todd Hamilton and missed the PGA playoff by a single shot, finishing fourth. The world's number one ranked player Singh took home that PGA Championship, one of nine wins on Tour in 2004.

As golf heads into the summer months, the three remaining majors arrive in a rat-a-tat fashion. And with them comes the hype, the excitement and the level of golf that true fanatics live for.

Almost every person in this world has some interests and hobbies. Stamp collection, reading books, playing chess, and music, etc.! These categories include may include another thing: swimming! Though it is a game but it is also taken as a hobby. Those who took it as hobby, they used to swim in canal, rivers, and swimming pools, etc. The swimming pools are available to swim in the colleges or any organization, and clubs in the city or town can also provide the same. In some cases, it is also seen that during summer vacations, some schools or colleges open their swimming pools for general public to enjoy swimming and charge some nominal fees for this.
Swimming as a game needs a good stamina, presence of mind and above all, practice. It is a very interesting and enjoyable game. In summer season, it attracts all and everyone, and who even do not know how to swim is willing to jump into the pool or the canal.

Some people learn to swim while they are very younger. They used to go outside with their friends for playing and then they started learning in the village or town pools or small tanks containing water and with the passage of time they learned well how to swim. In some good schools or colleges the, management provides facilities for extra curricular activities, which includes provision of swimming pool in the premises or in other case they can hire some swimming pool outside the premises to teach their students how to swim. They provide a coach for teaching to the students and to take care of them from any mis-happening.

It is seen in some cases that those who has a great interest in swimming or have passion for it and resources available, they use to have small swimming pools in their own houses so that they can enjoy the same without any interruption. The swimming pools are also available in hotels, tourist places or some type of entertainment places.

Some people have a fear from water but they wanted to swim and enjoy in the swimming pool or in canal. But due to their fear, they could not able to make it feasible. So was th