Category: Sports

Will Hoffa mystery be buried with Giants Stadium?
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ñ One of New Jersey’s longest-lasting myths is about to be buried in the Meadowlands.
It’s been more than 20 years since a self-described mob hit man claimed that the body of former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa was entombed beneath Giants Stadium.
The FBI found the story not credible at the time, but the rumor has persisted and fueled years of wisecracks.
Hoffa disappeared in Michigan in 1975, when Giants Stadium was being built.
Now the stadium is about to be demolished, and the story may be buried forever.
The company doing the demolition says the site of the stadium will be covered with 13 feet of concrete and asphalt and turned into a parking lot.
An FBI spokesman says the bureau doesn’t plan to search the site.

Rochette named Canadian flag-bearer
VANCOUVER ó Joannie Rochette will carry the Canadian flag into tonightís closing ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics.
The 24-year-old figure skater from Ile-Dupas, Que., won a bronze medal less than a week after her mom Therese died of a heart attack.
Earlier it was short-track speedskater Charles Hamelin who was accepting flag-bearer congratulations at a party that drew many of the Canadian medallists.
Asked about carrying the flag, Hamelin said: ìYes, thank you very much.î His choice was confirmed by teammates. Two federal government sources also confirmed Hamelin as flag-bearer prior to the COCís denial.
Prior to the news conference to name the flag-bearer a COC spokesman denied Hamelin had been offered the position.
Hamelin won double gold in the 500 metres and the menís 5,000-metre relay.
The decision was made by chef de mission Nathalie Lambert and her assistants Joe Juneau and Steve Podborski, with the formal announcement set for today.
Long-track speedskater Clara Hughes carried the Canadian flag at the opening ceremonies.

Bilodeau wins Canada’s first gold on home soil
Mogulist Alexandre Bilodeau won Canada’s first ever gold on home soil laying down a near-perfect final run at Cypress Mountain on Sunday.
“I went out and I knew what to do,” Bilodeau said immediately following the event.
The 2009 overall World Cup champion executed a back full off the top air and a perfect-scoring back iron cross off the bottom air to earn a score of 26.75.
Dale Begg-Smith, competing for Australia, took the silver medal. American skier Bryon Wilson claimed the bronze medal.
Bilodeau, of Rosemere, Que., has topped the podium six times at previous World Cup events. The 22-year-old has often said his brother, Frederic, who has cerebral palsy, has inspired him to push his limits.
“It’s really getting me right now,” Bilodeau said. “My brother is my inspiration. Growing up with a handicap puts everything in perspective.
“I have no regret on what I’ve done in the last four years. I’ve said I’m ready, the most ready I’ve ever been. I went out and knew what to do.”
Vincent Marquis, the first Canadian to ski in the final, placed fourth ahead of teammate Pierre-Alexandre Rousseau in fifth place.
“My goal was to cross the finish line and give it all I have,” Marquis said. “I am excited, but at the same time, fourth is so close.”
Marquis received a score of 25.88 in the final while Rousseau laid down an exceptional run delivering a back iron cross off the top jump and earning himself 25.83 points.
Canadian Maxime Gingras finished in 11th place.
“It was amazing with the crowd. I was not too stressed, I went for it. I just wanted to make he podium,” Gingras said.
Following her silver medal run on Saturday, mogulist Jenn Heil suggested a gold medal for Canada was within reach.
“That gold medal is going to come soon,” she said.

Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever
NEW YORK ñ The New Orleans Saints’ victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of “M-A-S-H” to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.
Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.
“It was one of those magical moments that you don’t often see in sports,” said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.
Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday’s Super Bowl. The “M-A-S-H” record was 105.97 million.
The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl ó last year’s game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.
The “M-A-S-H” record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. There’s a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsen’s Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday.
“It’s significant for all of the members of the broadcasting community,” said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. “For anyone who wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people watched this program. You can’t find that anywhere else.”
Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well when selling advertising for next season, he said.
The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan Alda, the star of “M-A-S-H,” and the slugger whose record was beaten.
“If the `M-A-S-H’ audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New Orleans to triumph in every way possible,” Alda said. “I am, too, and I couldn’t be happier for them. I love that city.”
There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9 million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77 percent of homes with TVs on were watching “M-A-S-H” in 1983, compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.
Nielsen also measures only the United States, and it’s possible some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate measurement of television audiences outside the United States is spotty at best.
Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didn’t take into account large numbers of people watching “M-A-S-H” communally, which is often the case for football games, too.
“Not to say I’m competitive, but in part we are talking about sports,” he said. “And I actually AM competitive.”
McManus didn’t want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its appeal to sports fans has also helped.
A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a 10-0 lead ó a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the game ó but New Orleans roared back.
The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans, the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said. More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job counting viewers in homes than outside of them.
“Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a good combination for us,” McManus said.
The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new CBS series “Undercover Boss” that premiered after the game. An estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in their own companies, Nielsen said. That’s third only to a 1996 “Friends” and 2001 “Survivor” as the most-watched program after the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Dorito’s was a big winner in a measurement of interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc. said the snack company’s ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in 15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder.
The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker’s ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.
In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of TiVo’s research department.

NBC plans 835 hours of Winter Olympic coverage
NEW YORK ñ NBC will spread 835 hours of coverage of the Vancouver Olympics over five networks and its Olympic Web site, all of it in high definition.
The network announced the numbers Thursday, saying it will be the most total hours ever for a Winter Olympics, and more than the last two Winter Games combined.
Coverage starts with Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 12.
In addition to NBC, programming will be on the USA Network, MSNBC, CNBC and Universal HD.
NBC’s prime-time coverage will consist mainly of figure skating and Alpine skiing, with some freestyle skiing, speedskating and snowboarding mixed in.
Unsaid was who will host “The Tonight Show,” the only hour on the NBC schedule between 3 p.m. and 5 a.m. that will not consist of Olympic programming.

Mark McGwire admits using steroids
NEW YORK ñ Mark McGwire finally came clean, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998. McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. During a 20-minute telephone interview shortly afterward, his voice repeatedly cracked.
“It’s very emotional, it’s telling family members, friends and coaches, you know, it’s former teammates to try to get ahold of, you know, that I’m coming clean and being honest,” he said. “It’s the first time they’ve ever heard me, you know, talk about this. I hid it from everybody.”
McGwire said he also used human growth hormone, and he didn’t know if his use of performance-enhancing drugs contributed to some of the injuries that led to his retirement, at age 38, in 2001.
“That’s a good question,” he said.
He repeatedly expressed regret for his decision to use steroids, which he said was “foolish” and caused by his desire to overcome injuries, get back on the field and prove he was worth his multimillion salary.
“You don’t know that you’ll ever have to talk about the skeleton in your closet on a national level,” he said. “I did this for health purposes. There’s no way I did this for any type of strength use.”
McGwire hit a then-record 70 homers in 1998 during a compelling race with Sammy Sosa, who finished with 66. More than anything else, the home-run spree revitalized baseball following the crippling strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series.
Now that McGwire has come clean, increased glare might fall on Sosa, who has denied using performing-enhancing drugs.
“I wish I had never played during the steroid era,” McGwire said.
McGwire’s decision to admit using steroids was prompted by his decision to become hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, his final big league team. Tony La Russa, McGwire’s manager in Oakland and St. Louis, has been among McGwire’s biggest supporters and thinks returning to the field can restore the former slugger’s reputation.
“I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come,” McGwire said. “It’s time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected.”
He became the second major baseball star in less than a year to admit using illegal steroids, following the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez last February.
Others have been tainted but have denied knowingly using illegal drugs, including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and David Ortiz.
Bonds has been indicted on charges he made false statements to a federal grand jury and obstructed justice. Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury trying to determine whether he lied to a congressional committee.
“I’m sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids,” McGwire said. “I had good years when I didn’t take any, and I had bad years when I didn’t take any. I had good years when I took steroids, and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn’t have done it and for that I’m truly sorry.”
Big Mac’s reputation has been in tatters since March 17, 2005, when he refused to answer questions at a Congressional hearing. Instead, he repeatedly said “I’m not here to talk about the past” when asked whether he took illegal steroids when he hit a then-record 70 home runs in 1998 or at any other time.
“After all this time, I want to come clean,” he said. “I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I’ll do that, and then I just want to help my team.”
McGwire said he wanted to tell the truth then but evaded questions at that hearing on the advice of his lawyers.
“That was the worst 48 hours of my life,” McGwire said.
La Russa immediately praised McGwire’s decision to go public.
“His willingness to admit mistakes, express his regret, and explain the circumstances that led him to use steroids add to my respect for him,” the manager said.
McGwire disappeared from the public eye following his retirement as a player following the 2001 season. When the Cardinals hired the 47-year-old as coach on Oct. 26, they said he would address questions before spring training, and Monday’s statement broke his silence.
“I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 offseason and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again,” McGwire said in his statement. “I used them on occasion throughout the ’90s, including during the 1998 season.”
McGwire said he took steroids to get back on the field, sounding much like the Yankees’ Andy Pettitte two years ago when he admitted using HGH.
“During the mid-’90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years,” McGwire said. “I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years, and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.”
Since the congressional hearing, baseball owners and players toughened their drug program twice, increasing the penalty for a first steroids offense from 10 days to 50 games in November 2005 and strengthening the power of the independent administrator in April 2008, following the publication of the Mitchell Report.
“Baseball is really different now ó it’s been cleaned up,” McGwire said. “The commissioner and the players’ association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I’m glad they did.”

Alomar, Martinez, Larkin & McGriff on Hall ballot
NEW YORK ñ Roberto Alomar is among 15 first-time candidates of this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, joining holdovers Mark McGwire, Andre Dawson and Bert Blyleven.
Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin and Fred McGriff also are new to the ballot this year. There are 26 candidates, three more than last year when Rickey Henderson was elected in his initial appearance and Jim Rice made it on his 15th and final try. Dawon fell 44 votes shy of the 75 percent needed and Blyleven was 67 short.
Also on the ballot for the first time are Kevin Appier, Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile.
Other holdovers on the list announced Friday include Harold Baines, Don Mattingly, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Lee Smith and Alan Trammell.
McGwire, hired last month as hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, is on the ballot for the fourth time. While he hit 583 homers, eighth on the career list, he has been stigmatized since his 2005 congressional testimony, when he evaded answering whether he had used steroids. He received 118 votes (22 percent) in last year’s vote, down from 128 in each of his first two tries.
Segui has admitted he used steroids.
Alomar, a 12-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove second baseman, had a .300 batting average, 210 homers and 474 steals in 17 major league seasons.
Martinez spent all 18 seasons with Seattle, winning two AL batting titles and finishing with a .312 average and 309 homers. A seven-time All-Star, he was a designated hitter in 1,412 of 2,055 career regular-season games.
Larkin was a 12-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove shortstop in 19 seasons, all with Cincinnati. He had a .295 career average with 198 homers and won the 1995 NL MVP award.
McGriff is tied with Lou Gehrig for 26th on the career home run with 493 and had a .284 average in 19 seasons. He led the AL in homers for Toronto in 1989 and the NL for San Diego in 1992.
Reporters who have been in the BBWAA for 10 or more consecutive years are eligible to vote, and results will be announced Jan. 6. Inductions, which will include anyone elected by the Veterans Committee, are scheduled for July 25 at Cooperstown. The Veterans Committee vote will be announced Dec. 7.
The complete ballot: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Ellis Burks, Andre Dawson, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile

Alouettes battle back for Grey Cup title
It turns out the 13th man was the difference.
Damon Duval got a second chance, and now he has his first Grey Cup ring.
And the Saskatchewan Roughriders have nothing but heartbreak after prematurely celebrating a win.
With a two-point lead in the final seconds, the Riders forced Duval to try a 43-yard field goal for the win.
He missed.
The Riders had 13 men on the field and were flagged for too many men.
On his second try from 33, Duval hit it and sent a crushing blow to the Riders with a in the 97th Grey Cup in front of 46,020 spectators at McMahon Stadium.
Darian Durant threw a eight-yard touchdown Andy Fantuz and had a 16-yard run for a major, Luca Congi hit on field goals of 23, 40, nine, and 44 yards, and the Riders defence forced two turnovers.
Alouettes quarterback threw touchowns to Jamel Richardson and Ben Cahoon, while Avon Cobourne had a rushing TD and Damon Duval kicked field goals of 28 and 33 yards.
The Riders owned the first half, but Durant finally made a mistake fitting a quarterback in his first Grey Cup midway through the third quarter.
In trying to go deep to Rob Bagg, Durant was picked off by Billy Parker, but the Alouettes didnít get anywhere from their own five-yard line.
On the ensuing possession, Durant ran for 14 yards and Wes Cates had rushes and receptions of eight each to set up another Congi field goal to make a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Late in the final frame, Durant made another horrible mistake, throwing up a prayer at midfield that was picked off by Jerald Brown.
The Als went straight down the field and scored as Ben Cahoon dove into the endzone for a 11-yard touchdown, but the two-point conversion failed and the Riders had a two-point lead.
To start that final frame, the Riders took control with a five-play, 75-yard run that was capped by Durantís 16-yard touchdown run on a straight draw play.
That put the Riders up 16, but the Alouettes quickly answered as Cavlillo went 71 yards in six plays to set up Cobourneís three-yard run. The two-point conversion was good and the deficit was eight.
The Alouettes came out in the second half more focused that the first, as Anthony Calvillo put together a nine-play, 74-yard drive and hit Jamel Richardson on a eight-yard touchdown pass to make it 17-10 Riders.
At the end of the half, Fantuz caught a 28-yard pass and stepped out at the one-yard line. It was ruled in complete but Ken Miller challenged and won, so Congi hit on a nine-yard field goal to make it 17-3.
After three straight two-and-outs and a fumble, the Alouettes finally got moving towards the end of the first quarter, putting together a 44-yard drive for a 28-yard Damon Duval field goal to cut the deficit to 10-3.
Montreal had another great drive going, but fumbled away a chance at points. Fullback Kerry Carter had the ball stripped by Riders linebacker Rey Williams and Chris McKenzie at his own 17-yard line.
On the Als fourth possession, and before the East Division champs had a first down, Marcus (Chunky) Adams stripped Calvillo as the Als QB was trying to evade the pressure.
Keith Shologan picked up the ball and rumbled to the eight-yard line, where Durant hit Fantuz on the next play to give the Riders a 10-0 lead.
The Als didnít get any help from their punter in the first half, as Duval shanked two punts, the second one going just seven yards late in the second quarter that let the Riders get a 44-yard field goal to go up 13-3.
Riders defensive back Lance Frazier nearly had an interception on the Alouettes second possession, as he knocked a pass loose from Jamel Richardson, but that forced a second straight punt.
After forcing a second straight two-and-out to start the game, Saskatchewan took the ball with good field position and then used three Wes Cates runs to set up Luca Congi 40-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
The Riders made some progress on their first drive, using as 26-yard pass to Cates and a 12-yard run by Rob Bagg to get into position for a field goal.
But Congi missed a 42-yard attempt and Larry Taylor returned it out of the endzone.
The Alouettes won the coin toss and elected to receive, but they went two-and-out after Riders linebacker Mike McCullough made a great tackle on Ben Cahoon to drop him short of a first down.

Souped up Series as Phillies and Yankees get ready
NEW YORK ñ Even before the first pitch, this World Series seems souped up.
Stocked full of honed home run hitters, powerful pitchers and frenzied fans ó plus a fast-talking shortstop fond of forecasting future results ó the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies generated a Fall Classic of talk ahead of Wednesday night’s opener.
“I think we mirror each other,” Yankees star Alex Rodriguez said Tuesday. “They have switch-hitters, just like us. They have power, just like us.”
So let the mighty matchup begin: Philadelphia, defending just its second World Series title, against the moneyed, much-admired and much-hated team that often sets baseball’s standards for success and excess.
“Obviously they have a lot of the star power in their lineup and all the hype that goes along with being Yankees,” Ryan Howard said. “We’re from Philadelphia.”
New York may be a heavy favorite in Las Vegas, but players on both sides predict a close Series, perhaps ending a record run of five straight that have ended in sweeps or five games.
Both teams worked out Tuesday in the mist of $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium, where two freshly painted logos were in foul territory in honor of the ballpark’s first World Series. Still standing across the street, covered in black mesh as if a ghost, is its 86-year-old predecessor, awaiting demolition after hosting a record 100 Series games.
CC Sabathia, 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in his first postseason with the Yankees, starts Wednesday night for New York against former Cleveland teammate Cliff Lee, 2-0 with an 0.74 ERA for the Phillies. The latest-opening World Series ever, one that will stretch into November for only the second time, begins with a rematch of the April 16 ballpark opener, won by the Indians 10-2.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Sabathia said.
George Steinbrenner, New York’s 79-year-old owner, was expected at the stadium he built for the first time since opening day. First Lady Michelle Obama also planned to be on hand in a celebrity-filled crowd wondering whether the Yankees are on the way to a 27th title ó and first since 2000.
Teammates 16 months ago, Lee and Sabathia texted each other often in the runup. Sabathia won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award with the Indians, and was followed by Lee last year.
“I think we made each other better,” Lee said. “We helped each other out as far as how we thought we should approach certain teams and just what’s the best frame of mind to have on the mound and stuff.”
Pedro Martinez ó the former Red Sox star ó starts Game 2 for the Phillies against A.J. Burnett, and that should really juice up the crowd. Ever since he strangely said “I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy” following a 2004 loss at Fenway Park, chants of “Who’s your daddy?” have boomed through the Bronx whenever he’s pitched.
While most players practiced protestations of humility, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins attracted attention with a brash boast.
“Of course we’re going to win,” the 2007 NL MVP said on “The Jay Leno Show” on Monday night. “If we’re nice we’ll let it go six, but I’m thinking five. Close it out at home.”
The Yankees responded with a verbal pie to the face.
“He’s been Nostradamus, that’s what I heard,” catcher Jorge Posada said. “He’s been (making) a lot of good predictions, so we’ve got to take that away from him.”
Rollins had forecast the Yankees and Phillies would meet in the Series. Before the 2007 season, he said the Phillies and not the Mets were the team to beat in the NL East.
“That’s just Jimmy,” Howard said. “Obviously, with those comments, you know here in Yankee Stadium, you know they’re going to be all over him. And you know what? He wants that. He relishes that moment.”
With Howard and Rodriguez, this will be only the second Series with two former season home runs leaders since 1975’s faceoff between Cincinnati’s Johnny Bench and Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski, according to STATS LLC. The other was in 1989’s Earthquake Series, when Oakland’s Bash Brothers of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire swept San Francisco and Kevin Mitchell.
No player in the major leagues has been scrutinized more than A-Rod, a postseason star following a scandalous spring training that included a steroid admission and hip surgery.
And Howard has carried the defending champion Phillies every bit as much as Rodriguez has propelled the Yankees to their first Series appearance since 2003 ó and the first of his career.
“Ryan, along with his power, he’s also become a great hitter,” Rodriguez said. “And that’s bad news for the National League and bad news for us.”
The 34-year-old Rodriguez already has succeeded Reggie Jackson as the favorite Yankees target of wannabe amateur psychologists, who try to analyze past playoff flops and his relationships with Madonna last year and Kate Hudson this season. Now he wants to follow Mr. October as a champion.
A three-time AL MVP, he entered the first round against Minnesota hitting .136 (8 for 59) in the postseason dating to 2004 and was hitless in 18 consecutive playoff at-bats with runners in scoring position.
What a change.
He led the Yankees with a .438 average, five homers and 12 RBIs in series victories over the Twins and Los Angeles Angels, hitting tying home runs in the seventh, ninth and 11th innings.
“I think everyone is looking for a profound answer,” he said, “and I don’t have one.”