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TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2008
NHL
OVECHKIN, CAPITALS EMBARRASS BRUINS
You had to know it was going to be a long night for the Boston Bruins when one player notches a hat trick and the scoreboard reads 6-0-and you've just completed the first period!
Washington high-scoring star Alex Ovechkin scored three of his team's six first-period goals to send the Capitals on their way to a 10-4 drubbing of the Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin's hat trick gives him 52 goals on the season. That ties a career-high and also places him at the top of the NHL's goal leaders. Ovechkin also dished out a pair of assists in the win.
Tim Thomas started in net for the Bruins. He got pulled. He returned. He got pulled again. By the end of the night, Thomas had stopped 30 shots-and surrendered seven of Washington's 10 goals.
The loss ended Boston's six-game winning streak.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Anaheim 3, Ottawa 1
San Jose 6, Montreal 4
NBA
HORNETS TAKE NEW YORK
Chris Paul is, little by little, moving into a new category of NBA player. He was a fabulous rookie, and each year he gets better-even rising to All-Star status. But his coach, Byron Scott, used a word on Monday that reaches a new level as he described Paul's effort in helping the New Orleans Hornets beat the New York Knicks 100-88.
"That's what great players do," Scott said in describing Paul's night at Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan. On Monday, Paul's greatness included scoring 27 points, dishing out eight assists, grabbing five rebounds, nabbing three steals, and taking over the game in the final minutes.
Paul had some help, especially from Tyson Chandler, who had some pretty good numbers of his own: 15 points and 18 rebounds. With the win, the Hornets improved to 40-19 on the season. Their next win will give them the most wins since 2003-2004. The team record for victories in a season is 54 in 1996-1997. The Hornets have 23 games remaining.
New York fell to 18-42.
OTHER NBA GAMES
Utah 116, Dallas 110
Philadelphia 106, LA Clippers 80
NBA NOTES
* The Utah Jazz has matched the Dallas Mavericks in the season-record category with Monday's win over the Mavs. Both teams are 39-22 on the year.
* Deron William's 20 assists showed once again what a talented point guard he is. Steve Nash leads the league in assists with 11.5 a game, but Christ Paul, Jason Kidd, and Williams are right behind at 10.8, 10.4, and 10.1 respectively.
FACTS OF THE DAY
FOUR-GOAL NHL PERIODS
On Monday, Alexander Ovechkin scored three goals in the first period as the Washington Capitals clobbered the Boston Bruins 10-4. The record is four goals in one period, and here are the players who have done it.
Busher Jackson, 1934
Max Bentley, 1934
Clint Smith, 1945
Red Berenson, 1968
Wayne Gretzky, 1981
Grant Mulvey, 1982
Bryan Trottier, 1982
Tim Kerr, 1985
Al Secord, 1987
Joe Nieuwendyk, 1989
Peter Bondra, 1994
Mario Lemieux, 1997
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE
KYLE KORVER
BIO NOTE: Korver's dad is a pastor in Iowa. Korver has two uncles who are pastors. Korver's grandfather was a pastor.
RECENT NEWS: On Monday, Korver scored 17 points to help the Jazz beat the Mavs.
FAITH QUOTE: "There's a point when you consider yourself a Christian. But there's another point when your focus and ambitions are about God and furthering His kingdom. I think basketball really helps. Among all the pressures, the stress and ups and downs of a basketball season I just really realize now how much I need God in my life in order to be happy and to find true success."
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
BAD NEW BIRDS
It seems that the bad news just keeps coming for the Baltimore Orioles. The latest problem for this team that is trying cobble together a decent pitching staff as it tries to reverse a long slide into mediocrity is this: possible starting pitcher Troy Patton may have shut 'er down for 2008. Patton, a left-hander, joined the O's in the trade that sent Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros. He has been experiencing shoulder stiffness, and doctors who have examined him seem to be leaning toward diagnosing the problem as a torn labrium. That would mean surgery and the end of his 2008 season before it starts.
PACKERS GATHER NO MOSS
There was quite a bit of talk that Brett Favre wanted the Green Bay Packers to acquire Randy Moss, who would have given the veteran football heaver a nifty target to throw to. It's not going to happen. The Mosster has re-upped with the New England Patriots, signing up for three seasons that will pay him somewhere in the $27 million range.
A PENNY FOR YOUR TEAM
Will Oklahoma City get the Seattle SuperSonics? It could depend on a vote being taken today. The plan, if the voters approve, will pay for sprucing up the Ford Center, where the New Orleans Hornets played while the New Orleans Arena and the city were being rehabilitated, and for building the new team a practice facility. What will it cost the taxpayers? One penny. It's a one-cent sales tax on whatever they buy-a cost that is said to average $10 a month. So, the question is this: Is if fair to assess all the citizens of OKC a $10 a month fee so the NBA can come to town. That's what voters are wrestling with today as they vote.
DECEMBER 19 ALL OVER AGAIN
On Saturday, Mike Bibby will play for the Atlanta Hawks in a game that started on December 19. Bibby already played in one December 19 game as a member of the Sacramento Kings. Now he gets a chance to have a hand in a second December 19 victory, but for a different team. Confused? Well, what's happening is something that hasn't taken place in the NBA since 1982. On December 19, the Hawks played the Miami Heat. With less than a minute left, the Hawks' official scorer mistakenly said that Shaquille O'Neal had fouled out. Turns out he didn't have six fouls. So, the last 51.9 seconds were played by the Heat without Shaq-erroneously. The Hawks won 117-111, but on Saturday when the two teams meet to replay the final 51.9 seconds, the score will be 114-111, and Kidd can play for the Hawks even though he was a King on December 19. The Heat will also be able to use Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, who were members of the Phoenix Suns back then. And no, O'Neal can't come back and play out those final seconds, even though he didn't really foul out.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With three races in the books,
Driver Points Hometown
1. Carl Edwards 491 Columbia, MO
2. Kyle Busch 470 Las Vegas
3. Ryan Newman 450 South Bend, IN
4. Kasey Kahne 444 Enumclaw, WA
5. Kevin Harvick 428 Bakersfield, CA
6. Greg Biffle 427 Vancouver, WA
7. Jeff Burton 421 South Boston, VA
8. Martin Truex Jr. 371 Mayetta, NJ
9. Elliott Sadler 368 Emporia, VA
10. Dale Earnhardt. Jr. 261 Kannapolis, NC
Other notables:
11. Tony Stewart
12. Kurt Busch
14. Jimmie Johnson
16. Matt Kenseth
22. Jeff Gordon
38. Sam Hornish Jr.
INSIDE SPORTS SPECTRUM
Do you read Sports Spectrum magazine? If you do, you'll be able to identify the following athlete featured in the March-April edition of the magazine, which is arriving in mailboxes across the country this week.
TUESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* Catcher for the San Diego Padres
* Has also played for Cleveland and Boston
* Talks about discernment-the ability of Christians to make good decisions in their lives.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
MONDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He started his coaching career at George Fox College
* He has won back-to-back NCAA baseball titles
* His son plays for him at Oregon State University
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON? PAT CASEY,
Baseball coach, Oregon State
POWER UP!
Verse of the Day
"A word aptly spoken is lie apples of gold in settings of silver." Proverbs 25:11
Read about this how verse applies to you. It's the basis for a sports-related devotional article by Tom Felten.
The article "Skip-isms" is found on March 4 in the March-April edition of Power Up, which comes inside each copy of Sports Spectrum magazine.
Read about a tribute to the sayings of Skip Prosser, the Wake Forest basketball coach until he died suddenly last year.
Note: If you order a subscription to Sports Spectrum magazine, you also get Power Up, a daily sports-related devotional booklet. Call 1-866-821-2971 to order.
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
A Christian athlete who is now officially one year older.
KEVIN JOHNSON
NBA guard, retired
Born: March 4, 1966 in Sacramento, California
Kevin Maurice Johnson, 42 years old
Drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Currently, Johnson is working to revitalize the educational system in his hometown of Sacramento. He purchased a school, called St. Hope Academy, which is a prototype for a school that will increase the success rate among its students.
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 TUESDAY GUEST
JERRY HOWARTH, play-by-play, Toronto Blue Jays
Veteran broadcaster Howarth calls the games for a team that is trying to complete with the big boys in the AL East: New York and Boston. Jerry will take a look at the moves the Jays made to see if they've improved enough. And as everyone else does, Howarth will weigh in on the continuing Roger Clemens saga and what he thinks of the Rocket's glare in Washington.
SIZZLERS
Sports stuff that makes us wonder:
JUST WONDERING: Why are the Kansas Jayhawks (27-3) rarely mentioned among top college basketball teams this season?
JUST WONDERING II: Is there a better point guard in the NBA than Hornets youngster Chris Paul?
100 MILL: Welcome, Big Ben, to the $100 million QB club. Brett Favre, Carson Palmer, and Donovan McNabb will make room for you.
INGING ALONG: From all appearances, Brandon Inge will soon be turning in his Old English D. He doesn't want to catch, and the Tigers need backup at that position. Sounds like a trade could be coming soon.
WEAR RED TO THE DANCE: Congrats to Cornell-the first team with a ticket punched for the Big Dance after winning the Ivy League title.
