Duke is gone

LSU upset Duke 62-54 in the South Regional semifinals tonight. The main culprit: J.J. Redick, who shot just 3-18 from the field. Sheldon Williams had a good night with 23 points and 12 boards, but he and Josh McRoberts (9 points/8 boards) were the few bright spots for a team expected to get to the Final Four.

The numbers pretty much tell the story:

28% FG overall
5-24 from three-land

In the last 8 minutes:
1 FG made (a three)
+
13 FG missed
+
4 FT made
+
4 turnovers
=
7 points scored

The difference between Duke and Carolina?

Duke scored 7 points in the last 8 minutes tonight.
Carolina once scored 8 points in the last 17 seconds to force OT (see Davis, Walter, 1974).

Another disappointment. Sigh.

NFL moves: TO in Big D, Adam V to Indy, Garcia to Philly

Terrell Owens [w]rapped up his stay in Philadelphia with a little ditty on his web site aimed at the Eagles, soon after his release from Philly and subsequent signing with Dallas. Good luck to Jerry Jones - he'll need it. And Drew Bledsoe should start taking some herbal green tea to prepare for the turbulent months ahead. "Ha ha - that's funny."

Adam Vinatieri, who was not stuck with the Patriots' franchise tag again, signed with the Colts. Reminds me somewhat of Johnny Damon going to the Yankees. We'll miss you in Foxboro, Adam. Another similarity to the Damon signing: the loss of Vinatieri hurts NE two ways: they lost a clutch kicker, and he signed with a conference rival. Chances are the Pats won't have a knee-jerk reaction by signing Mike Vanderjagt, the departed "idiot" kicker. After all, if they wouldn't pay big money to their own guy in the prime of his career, why would they pay it to someone else?

Jeff Garcia signed with the Eagles, meaning that Mike McMahon's days with the Iggles are over. What a disaster that turned out to be. And the fact that last year Andy Reid went with McMahon over Koy Detmer spoke volumes for Detmer's future, too. See ya, Koy. Garcia may be an old, bald guy who throws INTs as well as McNabb, but he also can learn how to hold for kickers.

Free Agent Moves

Culpepper traded to Miami (interesting move)....Brees signs with New Orleans (I'm sure he's going to donate his signing bonus to Katrina refugees, right?)....Dallas releases Keyshawn Johnson (to make room for T.O., perhaps?).

Duke. ACC Champs. Again.

Almost forgot. Duke beat Boston College for their 7th ACC Tournament title in the last 8 years. Ho hum.

Eagles: Open for Business, Few Customers

Ex-Eagle Shawn Barber signed with his former team last week, the only significant signing the team has made this off-season. Of the free agents on the market that the Eagles were rumored to be interested in, none chose Philly:

WR Reggie Wayne stayed in Indianapolis with the Colts, who signed Wayne to a multi-year deal.

C LeCharles Bentley of the Saints went to Cleveland:
"He only had one team on his mind - the Cleveland Browns," said Jonathan Feinsod, one of the agents representing Bentley. "He's from Cleveland, he went to Ohio State, and that's where he wanted to play. I heard the rumors about the Eagles, but I don't know where they came from."

OL Steve Hutchinson, signed to an offer sheet by the Vikings, will go there or stay with Seattle if the Seahawks match Minnesota's offer.

WR/PR Antwaan Randle El reportedly will go to Washington.

WR Joe Jurevicius went to Cleveland.

T Jon Runyan is basically gone...hopefully not to Dallas.

So where does this leave the Eagles? Going nowhere fast. They will likely take a look at QB Jeff Garcia, though Garcia still wants to start, as does ex-Bengal Jon Kitna. Josh McCown of the Cardinals also looks appealing, since his days in Tempe may be limited by starter Kurt Warner. WR Eric Moulds will also be discussed.

So far, a disappointing beginning for a team known for lightning strikes in Free Agency. When you're 6-10, you're more than just "one player away."

Darby Baseball

Since we're based in Philadelphia, here's a story from ESPN about our neighbor to the Southwest: Darby, PA...home of a largely forgotten Negro League team.

Buck O'Neil - Shafted Again

Buck O'Neil gets shafted by the Baseball Hall of Fame. Again. Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star with details...

...and Joe's follow-up story in the aftermath.

All I can say is Buck has a lot of class, even if he isn't in this year's class.

Patrick Ewing and Cameron Crazies (not!)

Yesterday's Sports Reporters on ESPN featured the usual apocryphal Cameron Crazie story, voiced in passing by Howard Bryant as he described how tough it is for teams to play in Cameron Indoor Stadium:

Remember Duke fans holding up signs saying 'Ewing Can't Read This'?

Key word: apocryphal.

Let's see. Ewing played at Georgetown from '81-'82 through '84-'85. A little check of the Duke media guide shows that Duke did not play Georgetown at home, at GU, or at a neutral site (meaning the two schools did not play at all) between 1932 and 1989. Meaning: it never happened.

The crazies have done enough distasteful, crude and vulgar things over the years. Don't keep bringing up an imaginary event when there's so much reality to choose from. Oh, I'm sorry. That would have meant doing a little research. But that's why they call them reporters, not journalists.

-P