NBA
SUNS BEAT BLAZERS; NOW 3-4 WITH SHAQ
The Shaquille O'Neal portion of the Phoenix Suns' season improved on Tuesday, thanks to Amare Stoudemire. The Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers 97-92 behind Stoudemire, who led the team with 22 points.
For his part, O'Neal didn't offer much offensive support, but he did haul down 13 errant shots to make a contribution on the boards. The win ended a brief two-game skid and improved the Suns to three wins out of the seven games in which The Big Newcomer has suited up.
The Trail Blazers, who surprised most observers with a strong first half of the season, dropped their fifth game in their last seven contests. Brandon Roy led the Blazers with 25 points.
OTHER NBA GAMES
LA Lakers 117, Sacramento 105
Golden State 135, Atlanta 118
Detroit 100, Seattle 97
San Antonio 81, New Jersey 70
Chicago 112, Memphis 97
Charlotte 109, Minnesota 89
NBA NOTES
* One team scored 135 points. One team scored 70 first-half points. Surprisingly, they weren't the same team on Tuesday in Atlanta. The Hawks raced to a 70-68 halftime lead, but they ran out of gas in the second as Golden State outpaced them 67-48 in the second.
* Who's hot? San Antonio: Ten straight wins and atop the West at 42-17; Houston: Fifteen straight wins; LA Lakers: Nine victories in last 10 games and just .007 points behind the Spurs. Who's not: Memphis: Nine straight losses; Minnesota: Four straight losses, two wins in ten games, and just one game ahead of Miami for least wins in the league to go with their league-highest 47 losses; Miami: Like the T-Wolves, 2-8 in last ten games.
NHL
CROSBY RETURNS; PENGUINS WIN
Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby returned to the ice on Tuesday night after more than six weeks away. And he did what superstars do-he led his team to victory. Pittsburgh 2, Tampa Bay 0.
Crosby missed more than a couple ofscoring opportunities, but the game's brightest young star delivered an assist when he set up teammate Maxime Talbot for the game's first goal.
That's all the offense Pittsburgh would need as goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was stellar between the pipes. Fleury turned away 35 Lightning shots to win his sixth straight game.
Pittsburgh maintained their lead in the Atlantic Division and grabbed the stop spot in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
OTHER NHL SCORES
Buffalo 5, Philadelphia 2
Colorado 2, Vancouver 1
Calgary 1, Columbus 0
New Jersey 4, Toronto 1
Chicago 4, Minnesota 2
Nashville 5, Edmonton 1
St. Louis 3, Los Angeles 2
Florida 1, Boston 0 - OT
New York Islanders 4, New York Rangers 3 -Shootout
FACTS OF THE DAY
BRETT FAVRE, A LOOK AT THE RECORD
First year: 1991, Atlanta Falcons, two games, four attempts, no completion.
Next 16 years: 1992-2007, Green Bay Packers
Games: 255
Pass Attempts: 8,756
Completions: 5,377
Yards: 61,655
Touchdowns: 442
Interceptions: 288
Passer rating: 85.7
Last game missed: September 6, 1992
SPORTS SPECTRUM INSIDER
Getting to the heart of what matters in life
TODAY'S FEATURE
TONY CLARK, SAN DIEGO PADRES
BIO NOTE: Clark grew up in San Diego and attended a Christian high school in the area.
RECENT NEWS: On Tuesday, Clark had a double and two RBI as he helped the Padres win. He is attempting to latch on with the Padres after playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
FAITH QUOTE: "My perspective on pretty much everything has changed. Baseball is not the center of my universe. Jesus Christ is the center of my universe. In the scheme of things, baseball is not nearly as important as our eternal salvation, and that's something that I came to grips with, which allows me to keep all of this in perspective. The things I've experienced and the people I've met have all happened for a reason. If I can make a difference in someone else's life as a result, I've accomplished what the Lord has called all of us to do-share the Good News!"
MINI MEMOS
Putting the SS spin on today's sports news
THE END OF AN ERA
Brett Favre nearly ended his career in storybook fashion by taking the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl. Instead, the top QB story of the season ended up being about Eli Manning. Now, however, Favre, has decided to write finis on his outstanding time in the NFL and leave the Packers and the excitement in younger hands. Favre matured greatly as a man as he made his way through a hallowed and respectable career. He suffered personal tragedies and on-the-field disappointments, but he seemed always to carry himself with class and decorum. He and his wife, Deanne, were watched closely as together they went through her battles with breast cancer. They were not afraid to recognize that their faith in God was invaluable as they lived life in the spotlight while coping with private difficulties. Together, as a nation watched, they grew in their love for each other despite their obstacles, and they continued to put their trust in Someone bigger than themselves. That's a rarity among today's rich and famous. As Favre works his way into retirement after Tuesday's announcement that he's hanging up his green and gold, we can honor him for a remarkable career handled well.
NEW TAXES OK WITH OKC
Read their lips: More new taxes. The citizens of Oklahoma City, facing a downturn in the economy, decided to spend some of their own cash so they could see Kevin Durant move to their city and play basketball. Perhaps they feel that bringing millionaire basketball players to their fair city will mean millions of dollars in revenue, which could cause an upturn in the local economy. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with that at all; perhaps they just love basketball. When the New Orleans Hornets were making the Ford Center their home, Oklahoma City supported them spectacularly, proving their interest. And now they have spoken at the polls. Sixty-two percent of them said yes to a sales tax that will help renovate the Ford Center, build a practice gym, and undoubtedly bring Durant and his buddies to town. Imagine the "buzz" when the Oklahoma City Whatevers play the New Orleans Hornets for the first time.
WBC
Does WBC stand for Whiners Baseball Classic? It seems that everything related to this tournament (the World Baseball Classic) brings complaints and gripes from someone. Now the Dominican Republic is threatening not to field a team if the WBC in 2009 does not schedule some games on its fields. That should be easy to fix, but really, DR, do you have to make threats that you'll take your players and go home? Couldn't you simply make a request and give solid reasons why you deserve to host WBC games. Let's leave the whining and power plays to the politicians.
PERHAPS TRY SOMETHING ELSE
Youngsters planning to play major league baseball, beware. You may find yourselves stuck in the regrettable position of being a very good young player who makes only $455,000 a year or so. You see, Major League Baseball has a set of standards that you have to agree with before you sign up to play, and part of those standards say that if you have played for less than three years, you have to sign for what your team offers you. And if it's a mere $455,000, as in the case of Nick Markakis; or a paltry $675,000 as in the case of Prince Fielder; or who knows how measly Jonathan Pappelbon's paycheck is going to be-well you just have to try to eek by. You may have to get a hybrid to save on gas or clip coupons or move in with relatives, but be creative. Or, here's an option. You can opt not to play baseball at all. If this kind of salary structure bothers you so much you can't stand it, you could instead teach school and make about $40,000 a year helping kids make something out of themselves. Or maybe you can sell real estate. Or work in the mortgage industry. So, kids, before signing up to play baseball, think about your future. You may just want to do something else.
SPRINT CUP STANDINGS
With three races in the books, here's a look at the leaders in the Sprint Cup standings. Next up for the NASCAR guys: The Kobalt Tools 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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.
WEDNESDAY'S SPORTS SPECTRUM FEATURE
* He pitched in the 2007 World Series and had an ERA of 0.00.
* He and his wife have a foundation that helps people in places like Jamaica.
* He has changed teams over the winter, and now he wears red.
CAN YOU NAME THIS SPORTS PERSON?
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? JOSH BARD
BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
A Christian athlete who is now officially one year older.
STEVE ONTIVEROS
Major league pitcher, retired
Born: March 5, 1961 in Tularosa, New Mexico
Steven Ontiveros
He was the second Steve Ontiveros to play in the majors. The first, Steven Robert Ontiveros, was born in 1951 and played infield in the 1970s.
Ontiveros the second (the pitcher), had a career mark of 34-31. He pitched from 1985 through 1995, took several years off with injuries, and returned in 2000.
He works at Line Drives, a baseball academy in Scottsdale, Arizona. Former major leaguer Brian Harper also works there. He and his wife, Cindy, have a daughter, Eve-Ana.
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
C. J. WOOLUM, college basketball coach
Whose the NCAA Player of the Year? How good are Tennessee and Memphis? Who might surprise fans as March Madness comes our way? These and other college basketball items will be the topics Woolum tackles as the NCAA season winds down toward the tournaments.
