NHL
FISHER LEADS SENATORS PAST ISLANDERS
The Ottawa Senators were the best team in the Eastern Conference heading into the NHL’s All-Star weekend. Thanks to Mike Fisher, they picked up right where they left off.
Fisher scored one goal, his 19th of the season, and assisted on another to lead the Senators over the New York Islanders 5-2. Anrej Meszaros, Chris Phillips, Dean McAmmond, and Jason Spezza also scored for the Sens.
Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber stopped 23 shots to earn the win.
The Islanders, who have not won a home game since December 29th, have dropped four of their last five games. A meager 9,546 fans paid to see the hometown Isles fall to the Senators.
OTHER SCORES
Buffalo 4, Tampa Bay 2
Boston 3, Nashville 1
Carolina 3, New York Rangers 1
Phoenix 4, Columbus 2
Montreal 4, Washington 0
Pittsburgh 4, New Jersey 2
St. Louis 3, Toronto 2
Dallas 4, Vancouver 3
San Jose 3, Edmonton 0
Philadelphia 3, Los Angeles 2 – OT
NBA
SONICS BREAK SKID AGAINST, YES, THE SPURS
Nice start to your nine-game road trip, San Antonio. First, they traveled to Utah on Monday and lost to the Jazz. Next, they flew over to Seattle to take on the SuperSonics and their 14-game losing streak. And now the Spurs have a losing streak of their own: three.
Seattle shocked the Spurs 88-85 at the Key Arena in the Emerald City on Tuesday to earn just their tenth win of the season to go with their 35 losses. And now the Spurs (28-16) go into Phoenix on Thursday without their point guard.
Tony Parker did not play on Tuesday because Gregg Popovich, always looking ahead to the playoffs, put him on the inactive list. Parker has a bone spur in his left heel, and Dr. Pop decided that rest would be the best medicine.
Kevin Durant was the star for the struggling Sonics, scoring 26 points and capping off his performance with a jump shot that put the Sonics ahead for good in the game’s closing minute. Two Seattle players chipped in with double-doubles: Chris Wilcox (16 and 10) and Nick Collison (14 and 10).
Manu Ginobilli led the Spurs with 29 points while Tim Duncan added 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
OTHER NBA SCORES
LA Lakers 120, New York 109
Phoenix 125, Atlanta 92
Houston 111, Golden State 107
Detroit 110, Indiana 104
Washington 108, Toronto 104 (OT)
New Jersey 87, Milwaukee 80
Chicago 96, Minnesota 85
Boston 117, Miami 87
NBA NOTES
• When you shoot 34 percent and your opponent shoots 64 percent, you can expect to lose by, say 30 or so points. The Suns took 81 shots and scored 125 points. The Hawks took 102 shots and scored 92 points. Any questions?
• Defense made the difference for the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday as they finally won a game after nine straight defeats. The Nets scored only 87 points, but they limited Milwaukee to 37 percent, which spelled the difference.
• Where was Chris Webber when the Warriors needed him? His name is on a contract, but he was not ready to take the floor as his new/old team played Houston. They could have used him to do help do something about Yao Ming, who scored 36 points and hauled in 19 rebounds.
FACT OF THE DAY
DISHING IT OUT
Here’s a look at a list of the NBA’s Top 10 all-time assists leaders, a list that includes only one active player: the Nets’ Jason Kidd.
1. John Stockton 15,806
2. Mark Jackson 10,334
3. Magic Johnson 10,141
4. Oscar Robertson 9,887
5. Jason Kidd 9,149
6. Isiah Thomas 9,061
7. Gary Payton 8,966
8. Rod Strickland 7,987
9. Maurice Cheeks 7,392
10. Lenny Wilkens 7,211
Note: Steve Nash is not far from joining the list. He has 6,424 career assists.
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAYS FEATURE: MIKE FISHER, CENTER, OTTAWA SENATORS
BIO NOTE: The 27-year-old native of Peterborough, Ontario, is already in his eighth NHL season—and that doesn’t include the “work” stoppage year of 2004-2005.
RECENT NEWS: On Tuesday, Fish scored one goal and assisted on another as the Senators beat the Isles.
FAITH QUOTE: “Family is really one of the most important things in my life. As I was growing up, my parents were very supportive. They encouraged me in my faith and were great examples of what it means to be a Christian.”
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
ANNOUNCING . . . THE WINNER!
“And the winner of the Johan Santana Sweepstakes is . . . New York Mets, come on down! You’ve just acquired perhaps the best lefthander in baseball. You’ll enjoy this lefthander’s ability to strike out batters (he fanned 235 of them last year), you’ll like the fact that he doesn’t walk very many batters (just
WHAT TO SAY?
Andy Pettitte is going to meet with some high-level folks next week, and who knows what is going to come of it? The Brian McNamee folks want him to say things that will help their case. And, of course, his good buddy Roger Clemens will want Pettitte to say things that will help his case. This is not a good situation for the Yankee lefty to be in. It could get ugly.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
It’s time for replays in college basketball. It’s time for officials to review the tape, see who the offenders are, and make sure they are called for their fouls. And we’re not talking about the 10 players inside the lines. We’re talking about college students who cross the line with their taunts and their signs aimed at opposing players. The most recent event happened at Oregon when the UCLA Bruins and Kevin Love committed the crime of stepping onto the court to play a game against the Ducks. College students who apparently forgot their parents’ admonitions to treat people with civility, hurled invectives and obscenities at Love. Fortunately, the Oregon folks called the UCLA folks and apologized that their students were out of control. The next step is for Oregon officials to go under the hood, review the tapes of fan shots, and call out as many miscreants as they can identify. Perhaps those youngsters should get a note from the school that says, “Upon further review, the University of Oregon rules that it made an error in admitting you to this school.” Do that a few times, and the thousands of kids who go to games to enjoy them won’t be embarrassed by the few who get out of hand.
WHO IS HE?
Testing your knowledge of past sports stars—taken from “Legends” articles from the pages of Sports Spectrum magazine
TUESDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• Played in 949 NBA games
• Blocked 3,064 shots in his career
• Set a record for most blocks in a season (456) in 1985-85
• Started out after high school to be an auto mechanic.
• Voted the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year twice
• Had his uniform retired by the Utah Jazz in 1996.
WHO IS HE? MARK EATON
WEDNESDAY’S MYSTERY PERSON
• Hit 52 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds in 1977
• Was named NL Most Valuable Player that year.
• Played on the Reds’ 1975 and 1976 championship teams.
• Closed out his career in 1986 with total of 348 home runs and 1,239 RBI, plus 1,925 base hits.
Quote: “The strong point in my life has been letting Christ be in control. He’s the way, the truth, and the life.”
WHO IS HE?
SPORTS SPECTRUM RADIO
SS DAILY INTERVIEW
To hear today's interview, go to the Sports Spectrum radio home page. It can be found at www.sport.org.
THE WEDNESDAY GUEST
MIKE BARBER, former tight end, Houston Oilers
Frank Giardina is in Phoenix to take in the sights and sounds of the Super Bowl. One of the people he has talked to is Mike Barber, a former NFL player who hosts a national Christian TV show on Trinity Broadcasting. One of the topics of discussion is Wade Phillips; Barber played for his dad in Houston.
