Lov-3

CP3 Requests Trade to Knicks, No D-Will Extension with Nets

NBA

– Hornets’ G Chris Paul has requested a trade to the Knicks. Paul’s agent told the Hornets that CP3 won’t be signing a contract extension, and that he’d like to be dealt to the Knicks. The club would have to get a third team involved to get a deal done because the Knicks simply don’t have enough trade assets.

– Nets’ G Deron Williams will not sign a contract extension with the team and will instead play this season out prior to free agency. Williams wasn’t expected to sign a long-term extension to begin with.

– According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, F Caron Butler’s “preferred” destinations are the Clippers and Bulls. He’d start at small forward for Los Angeles, but would likely play shooting guard if he signs in Chicago. Bulls beat reporter K.C. Johnson also added that Butler is working out in Chicago on Thursday morning.

– Heat’ F Mike Miller (hernia) is recovering from surgery and is about 8 weeks away from returning to the court. Miller played in Dwight Howard’s charity game in late November and said he felt fine afterward, but Udonis Haslem told the media that Miller just underwent the procedure and his timetable is “about” 8 weeks.

NFL

– The Vikings have waived QB Donovan McNabb. McNabb will be subject to the waivers process with $1.5M remaining on his 2011 salary.

MLB

– According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Blue Jays are also pursuing free agent RHP Heath Bell. Rosenthal previously wrote that three teams were in the mix, so now we know that the Marlins and Blue Jays are two of them. Toronto tried to sign RHP Jonathan Papelbon prior to him signing with the Phillies. The 34-year-old Bell is believed to be seeking a 3-year contract.

– Cubs’ president Theo Epstein downplayed rumours Thursday that RHP Matt Garza is being shopped. ”He is exactly the type of guy we’d like to build around. We need starting pitching.” The Cubs will have to be blown away by an offer to move Garza to another team. The 27-year-old posted a 3.32 ERA and 197/63 K/BB ratio over 198 innings in 2011 for Chicago.

– Yankees’ RHP Mariano Rivera (vocal cords) will undergo surgery Friday to remove polyps. He is expected to need a couple of weeks of recovery time, including one without speaking, but it shouldn’t have any impact on his availability for spring training. The 42-year-old posted a 1.91 ERA, 44 saves and a 60/9 K/BB ratio over 61 1/3 innings this season.

– According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Orioles have acquired C Taylor Teagarden from the Rangers. Teagarden, who turns 28 later this month, has a .220/.286/.417 batting line over 392 plate MLB appearances, but is known for his great defensive ability. He’ll serve as the O’s backup catcher.

WWE

– Back when Alberto Del Rio won the WWE Championship at SummerSlam (after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase), the longterm plan was for him to eventually drop the belt back to CM Punk at Survivor Series, which he did. Del Rio dropping the WWE title to John Cena at Night of Champions and then recapturing it a month later at Hell in a Cell was somewhat of an “on the fly” decision in hopes of spiking ratings, which it didn’t.

– WWE’s Vengeance PPV event on October 23, 2011 garnered 130,000 buys overall—70,000 in North America and 60,000 overseas. With the exception of the disastrous December to Dismember pay-per-view event in 2006, Vengeance is the lowest-selling domestic PPV event in WWE history dating back to the infancy of pay-per-view in the 1980s. December to Dismember, which was branded as an ECW event, drew 55,000 buys in North America. Vengeance was headlined by Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match, Mark Henry vs. Big Show in a World Heavyweight Championship Match, and Awesome Truth vs. CM Punk and Triple H.

– With Sin Cara out of action for 6-9 months following his recent knee surgery, WWE officials are said to be “beyond disappointed” with the situation. Especially with Rey Mysterio currently out of action – Sin Cara was the company’s only mask-wearing superstar at the time of his injury – and WWE had a ton of new Sin Cara merchandise about to be released (including the infamous “P-Shirt”). WWE also reportedly had a major stunt planned for Sin Cara at the 2012 Royal Rumble – but that obviously won’t be happening.

– Evan Bourne’s 30-day suspension for his first violation of WWE’s Talent Wellness Program has expired. Therefore, he is now eligible to resume performing for the organization. WWE announced on November 1, 2011 that the WWE Tag Team Champion had been suspended for thirty days due to his non-compliance with their drug testing policy. Bourne was suspended after reportedly testing positive for Spice, a synthetic marijuana brand.

– With Primo, Hunico and Epico recently aligning themselves together on SmackDown, there are plans to add Rosa Mendes to the new stable. Following the recent breakup of Awesome Truth and the Wellness violation of tag team champion Evan Bourne, Hunico and Epico are being groomed for a run with the WWE tag team titles.

– WWE.com has pulled last week’s controversial Thanksgiving-themed slideshow article counting down the seven biggest “turkeys” to ever trot the squared circle. The page is now inaccessible. The list was heavily scrutinized by fans and former talent alike who felt it was hurtful as well as hypocritical. Former WWE performers Vito LoGrasso (aka Vito) and Nick Cvjetkovich (aka Kizarny) both took to social media outlets to respond to being labeled turkeys. Vito stated the following Friday on Facebook:

“A lot of people are upset with the WWE today. They spoke of me in a negative way which put the fans in shock. How would they post something like this on a holiday?! I have a family and the kids are all upset. I thought they had an anti-bullying policy.”

LoGrasso stated in a subsequent interview that he planned to take the matter to GLAAD and TMZ, pointing out the hypocrisy in WWE bullying him when they have an anti-bullying campaign in place.

Cvjetkovich shared similar sentiments regarding his former employer’s demeaning piece as he called it “a dick move” in a YouTube video. He added on Twitter,

“So much for anti-bullying @WWE @JoeyStyles. Receiving tons of positive messages is the only thing that saved my Thanksgiving that u wrecked!”

– Former WWE Diva and Divas Champion, Maryse, joins Diva Dirt for an exclusive interview to discuss her release from WWE, her upcoming project, House of Maryse and look back at her entire career. In a near one-hour audio, Maryse talks to us about her release from WWE, why she’s done with wrestling, whether she’d go to TNA, whether she’d pose for Playboy again and more. You can listen to the full interview here. Maryse opens up about her relationship with The Miz, the scary stalker situation earlier this year, and reflects on her career. We talk to the Sexiest of the Sexy about her time in WWE ranging from the Diva Search, learning English on the job, the development of her character, winning the Divas Title, suffering a dislocated kneecap, the Divas division and so much more. Here are some highlights of what Maryse said about:

Her WWE Release: “I think it was more mutual. I wanted to leave the company for a while now because I have other projects I want to work on and it was impossible to work on those projects being under contract with the WWE. I had six fantastic years with the WWE. I had a really good run. Two actually, with my two Divas Championships. After six years, I was looking at it and I said, ‘I need to keep growing’. That’s why I decided to take a break from wrestling and to leave because I wanted to focus on my next project which is House of Maryse.”

“Also, living in LA, I have other opportunities that I want to work on and I would love to be working on the big screen. I love playing different characters, and I would love to be playing different characters in movies or TV shows, instead of continuing my career with the WWE. I’m a business woman, I need to keep growing and reinvent myself, so that’s mainly the reason why I decided to be like, ‘Okay, I think it’s time to move on to the next chapter now’.”

Fans being upset to see her go: “The way I see it is, you can be a character on a TV show for years, then the TV show gets cancelled and your favorite actress or favorite comedian, you don’t see them for a little while and then you see them back doing something else. You can still be enjoying them performing on TV. To me, the WWE was… I was a character that I played for six years and now I’m ready to play a different character. They’ll see me again on TV. Everything is fine.”

The Evolution of Her Character: “They always saw me wrestle as a babyface when I was in developmental, so when I got to TV, I said that I wanted to be a heel. I said, ‘Just trust me. Just let me be a heel and I’ll show you’. To me, it’s just characters. It’s a little bit of you obviously, but it’s just characters. All of that happened little by little, especially in the live events, I would do something and the crowd would react to it like the hand gesture or the hair flip. One day I did that. I was feeling sassy that day and I said, ‘You know what, I’ll try this tonight’. I did it and the crowd just reacted well to it, so I kept it.”

Downside of the Divas division: “I feel like right now, all the girls they have in the Divas division are really talented and have so much potential. They can do so much. I just wish the WWE would give them more. You need to be able to build a character, you need to have time, you need to have a microphone and be able to talk so people can relate to you. Without that, it was really, really hard to build yourself- build your character, so I just wish they would give them more time and they would be more involved with the women’s division. They deserve it. There’s a lot of potential there, but you need to give a little bit to see that.”

– “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s new action movie, which is currently shooting in Vancouver and co-stars Steven Segal, will be titled, “Maximum Conviction.” Austin and Segal will play soldiers guarding female prisoners from mercenaries that are trying to kill them.

Women’s Hall of Honor welcomes six new members – TexasSports.com – Official website of University of Texas Athletics – Texas Longhorns

Nov. 19, 2011

Photo Gallery

Dalton Pool, Texas Media Relations

AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday, during a midday induction ceremony and luncheon, UT Athletics honored its 12th class of Women’s Athletics Hall of Honor inductees before a standing-room only crowd inside the Frank Erwin Center’s Lone Star Room.

The 2011 Women’s Hall of Honor class included: Kim Basinger, Heather Bowie Young, Cat Osterman, Sanya Richards-Ross, Kelly (Wilson) Schmedes and Chris Plonsky.

Enshrinement into the Hall of Honor is considered the highest honor bestowed by the 38-year-old UT Women’s Athletics department.

Kim Basinger (Basketball, 1976-79; Volleyball, 1976-77) was the first basketball student-athlete to commit to former head coach Jody Conradt and became the leader of the UT program in the early years.

As a junior (1977-78), Basinger was a finalist for the first-ever Wade Trophy, which honors the women’s National Player of the Year in college basketball. She helped Texas to a 29-10 record and a No. 15 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. Basinger was a team co-captain as a senior and led the Longhorns to a 37-4 mark and a No. 4 ranking in the final AP poll.

In addition, she earned two letters with the UT volleyball team as a sophomore and junior (1976-77).

Basinger received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1988. Basinger joined her current Austin-based law firm in 1988, was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1989 and became a partner in what is now the firm of Wilson Grosenheider Jacobs Basinger & Loiacono, L.L.P., in 1996.

“It was such a privilege and honor to represent The University of Texas while I was here,” Basinger said. “I want to thank Jody Conradt. It’s been an incredible experience, and now so many years later I am still benefitting from your legacy and your stellar career, and it affects every aspect of my life.”

Heather Bowie Young (Golf, 1995-97) was the 1997 NCAA individual champion and National Player of the Year. Bowie Young is one of the top golfers in school history.

Bowie Young earned second-team All-American and first-team All-SWC honors in her junior season, and led the team to win the last ever Women’s Golf SWC Championship.

She capped off her collegiate career in 1997 by winning individual medalist honors at the NCAA Championship and the Big 12 Championship, and once again led her team to a conference title, but this time in the Big 12.

Bowie Young claimed the Honda Broderick Award as the Collegiate Female Golfer of the Year and was a co-recipient of the Marilyn Smith Award as the National Senior Female Golfer of the Year. She also earned first-team All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year accolades while leading Texas to the first Big 12 team title in 1997. During the second round of the 1997 NCAA West Regional, she fired a 67 to set a then-UT record for lowest 18-hole score.

Bowie Young still competes professionally in the LPGA to this day, and during her professional career Bowie Young has earned more than $3 million in winnings.

“We live in an instantaneous generation. We want to know how fast we can download stuff, and we want everything right now,” Bowie Young said. “In sports, it is not like that. It takes time and patience to develop your craft, and that is something I learned at The University of Texas.”

Cat Osterman (Softball, 2002-03, 2005-06) was a three-time National Player of the Year, four-time All-American and 2004 Olympic Gold medalist. Osterman is one of the most decorated student-athletes to ever compete at The University of Texas.

Osterman tossed UT’s first ever perfect game in her freshman year in 2002. She then went on to throw eight more perfect games during her career at UT.

In her senior season (2006), she tallied a 38-4 record with a 0.42 ERA, including 28 shutouts and five no-hitters, while earning National Player of the Year accolades and helping Texas reach the Women’s College World Series for the third time in her career. The only softball individual ever to win National Player of the Year honors three times, Osterman also earned the 2005-06 Honda Softball Player of the Year Award, the 2006 ESPY Award as “Best Female College Athlete” and the 2005-06 SportsWoman of the Year Award for a Team Sport by the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Osterman still holds UT career records in victories (136), ERA (0.51), shutouts (85), and no-hitters (20), and holds the NCAA record for career strikeout ratio per seven innings (14.35). She also ranks second in NCAA history in career strikeouts (2,265) and career shutouts and fifth in career wins. Osterman posted the lowest ERA in the NCAA during three of her seasons (2003, 2005 and 2006) and remains the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in ERA three times.

“I really think I was Coach (Connie) Clark’s easiest recruit,” Osterman said. “I decided in the fourth grade that I wanted to go to The University of Texas. My time here on the Forty Acres was filled with plenty of wins and losses, and ups and downs, but what the Forty Acres gave me is something I never dreamt of. Being a Longhorn puts you on a stage that is unimaginable. The world gets to see you, and you have an opportunity to make a difference far beyond our city and our state. I’ve been all across the country and all across the world, but to this day seeing burnt orange in the stands is what makes me the proudest.”

Sanya Richards-Ross (Track, 2003-04) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, four-time World Champion, five-time NCAA Champion and 11-time All-American, and she remains one of the top 400-meter runners in the world. During her two seasons in Austin, she led the Longhorns to three Top Five team finishes at the NCAA Championships.

As a freshman in 2003, Richards-Ross helped Texas to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championship with second-place individual performances in the 200 meters and the 400 meters while running the anchor leg on the NCAA Champion 4×400-meter relay. She then led the Longhorns to a second-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championship by winning the 400-meter individual title, running the anchor leg on the victorious 4×400-meter relay and helping the 4×100-meter relay to a third-place finish.

In her sophomore season in 2004, Richards-Ross helped Texas to a tie for seventh place at the NCAA Indoor Championship by winning the 400-meter individual title, running the anchor leg on the NCAA Champion 4×400-meter relay and placing second in the 200 meters. She then led the Horns to a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championship by placing third in the 400 meters. Still the UT record-holder in both the indoor and outdoor 400 meters.

Richards-Ross turned professional following her sophomore year and earned her first Olympic gold medal as part of Team USA’s victorious 4×400-meter relay at the 2004 Athens Games. Four years later at the 2008 Beijing Games, she won a bronze medal in the 400 meters and claimed her second Olympic gold medal by anchoring the Team USA’s winning 4×400 meter relay.

Richards-Ross resides in both Austin and New York City with her husband, former UT football player Aaron Ross.

“In the past two weeks I have been all over the country for obligations and appearances related to my sport, but I have to tell you guys there is nowhere else I would rather be today than right here with all of you,” Richards-Ross said. “I feel overwhelmed to receive such an honor from UT, as I feel I will never be able to repay this University for all the amazing opportunities and priceless memories it gave me while I was here.”

Kelly (Wilson) Schmedes (Soccer, 2001-04) was a two-time All-American and is UT’s all-time leader in career points and assists.

Schmedes was a four-time All-Big 12 first-team and NSCAA All-Central Region first-team selection, and she still holds UT career records for points (129) and assists (41), shares the mark for game-winning goals (13) and ranks second in goals (44).

During her senior season in 2004, she set school single-season marks for points (46), goals (16) and assists (14) while leading Texas to a 15-7-2 mark, a trip to the NCAA Tournament Third Round and a No. 16 ranking in the final NSCAA poll.

In the classroom, Schmedes earned three Academic All-Big 12 first-team accolades. She also claimed ESPN The Magazine first-team Academic All-American honors, a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, and was a recipient of the NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award in 2004, a honor presented to the top eight senior student-athletes in the country. She is one of only six UT student-athletes to ever earn the award.

“It’s extremely humbling to be honored with such an amazing group of women,” Schmedes said. “Women who have been so influential in advancement of women’s athletics both here at UT and throughout the world.”

Chris Plonsky (Administration, 1982-86, 1993-current) is in her 23rd year of association with The University of Texas and her tenth year as Women’s Athletics Director, Senior Woman Administrator, and Director of men’s/women’s athletics external services.

She currently directs UT’s 11-sport women’s athletics program and is the liaison with multimedia rights holder IMG College, which performs corporate sponsorship sales and radio network/internet/television production and distribution. Since Plonsky assumed the role of women’s AD, the Longhorns have won two NCAA team titles (2005 Outdoor Track and Field and 2006 Indoor Track and Field) and 32 Big 12 Conference championships. Plonsky played a major role in the recent ground-breaking agreement between UT, IMG College and ESPN for the creation of the Longhorn Network.

Plonsky earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Kent State University in 1979. She is a former editor of The Daily Kent Stater campus newsletter and was named the school’s outstanding journalism graduate (magna cum laude) in 1979. She also lettered three years in basketball (1975-78) and served as team co-captain during her junior season.

Plonsky first joined the UT Athletics staff in January of 1982 as Women’s Sports Information Director. Plonsky was named BIG EAST Conference office director of public relations in July 1986 and spent seven years with the league in public relations and assistant/associate commissioner capacities. She rejoined UT Athletics in October 1993 as Associate AD for External Services under men’s AD DeLoss Dodds.

“You can feel the passion, and the emotion, and the legacy, and the responsibility that we honorees feel. It never does leave us. We are always a Longhorn, and it’s our job now to carry this on and to be sure that 10 years from now these stories perpetuate,” Plonsky said. “I believe in this place so much, and in what is such a tumultuous time in college athletics, UT stands as a beacon of light because we do it the right way, and it’s my promise that we will continue to carry that tradition on.”

Luck, Griffin, Richardson Lead Heisman Finalists

NEW YORK (AP) — Stanford’s Andrew Luck is returning to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, just not as the favorite. That distinction belongs to Baylor’s Robert Griffin III.

The two star quarterbacks will join fellow finalists Trent Richardson, Tyrann Mathieu and Montee Ball at the Heisman presentation Saturday night in Manhattan.

Luck is the only repeat finalist this season, while Griffin is the first Baylor player to get an invite to the ceremony. The school that never has had a player finish better than fourth in the Heisman voting now seems to have the front-runner.

“I’m sure it will be a really close vote,” Griffin told reporters in Waco, Texas, after watching the announcement with teammates and coaches on Monday.

Richardson is the second Alabama running back to be a finalist in the past three years. Former teammate Mark Ingram won the Heisman in 2009.

Ball has scored 38 touchdowns for Wisconsin and needs one more to match Barry Sanders’ NCAA record.

Mathieu, the LSU defensive back nicknamed “Honey Badger,” has made numerous game-changing plays for the top-ranked Tigers.

The field was deep this season and several deserving players didn’t make the cut. Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, a finalist last season; Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley; and record-breaking passer Case Keenum of Houston did not receive enough votes to be among the final five.

Ballots from the 926 voters, mostly media members and former winners, were due Monday evening.

Luck was the Heisman runner-up to Auburn’s Cam Newton last year and passed up a chance to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft to return to Stanford for his junior season. From the moment he made the decision to stay in school in January, he became the odds-on favorite to win the big bronze statue.

Luck is looking to become Stanford’s second Heisman winner, joining quarterback Jim Plunkett, who won in 1970.

“It would mean a lot,” Luck said in an interview on ESPN. “I would mean a great deal for the university. Mean a lot to me and a great deal to the football program, as well.”

He had another stellar season, passing for 3,170 yards with 35 touchdowns while leading the Cardinal to an 11-1 record and a second straight BCS bid. But the competition has been fierce and numerous contenders emerged.

The prognosticators now have Griffin as the most likely winner.

Heismanpundit.com, which has successfully predicted the past four winners with a straw poll of 13 voters, had Griffin as its top vote-getter on Monday. Luck was second and Richardson third.

Stiffarmtrophy.com, which compiles ballots from voters who make their choices public and has predicted the past nine winners, had Griffin winning by a comfortable margin over Luck, with Richardson third.

Griffin leads the nation in passer rating (192.3), with 3,998 yards and 36 touchdowns. He has also run for 644 yards and nine touchdowns. And much like Luck, Griffin has led a long-struggling program to its greatest success in decades. Baylor is 9-3 this season, its first nine-win season since 1986, including its first victory against Oklahoma.

“Baylor nation we’re in there,” Griffin said. “Now we just got to try to snatch it. Hopefully the vote turns out our way. “Being invited is an honor. It’s not all that we want, but it’s a starting spot.”

The best showing a Baylor player has had in the Heisman voting was quarterback Don Trull’s fourth-place finish in 1963.

Richardson has been the unquestioned offensive engine for No. 2 Alabama. He’s fifth in the nation in rushing at 131.9 yards per game and tied for fifth in touchdowns with 23. Richardson and the Crimson Tide will meet Mathieu and LSU in the BCS championship game on Jan. 9 in New Orleans.

The sophomore cornerback is the second defensive player to be a Heisman finalist in the past three years. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska finished fourth in 2009.

Mathieu, though, is more like Charles Woodson, the do-it-all defensive back who won the 1997 Heisman for Michigan.

Mathieu has forced five fumbles, intercepted two passes and scored four touchdowns, including two long punt returns in LSU’s past two games against Arkansas and Georgia.

He also was suspended for a game this season for violating the team’s drug policy.

Ball has been a touchdown machine for Wisconsin and ranks fourth in rushing at 135.3 yards per game. He has 12 more touchdowns than the next best player in the nation and if he can tack on two more in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, he’ll break Sanders’ record.

Brett Favre to Chicago Is a Fairytale That Should Never Come True

Adam Schefter is reporting that “A source familiar with a certain QB in Mississippi told ESPNChicago.com that that QB would listen if the Bears made a pitch.”

Of course, this means the return of Favre-watch. Unfortunately, the media will jump on the bandwagon and run this story into the ground until either Favre or Lovie Smith comes out and disputes the rumors. Until then, all hell is sure to break loose.

Whilst this story will be dissected from all angles and “experts” will weigh in on the subject, the bare facts are that Caleb Hanie does not appear to be able to get the job done. Because of this, the opportunity has arose for the Bears to do some searching on the open market for a replacement who can get the job done.

Once Jay Cutler joined the Bears, we all thought we could put a rest to the unstable quarterback situation in Chicago. For God knows how many years, the Bears were stable at that position and would be for the foreseeable future. However, a thumb injury has sidelined Cutler, and the Bears are now back to square one.

Is it just me, or does Brett Favre have a huge vendetta against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers?

Assuming that the reports are true, the obvious reason Favre would want to play for Chicago would be the match on December 25th, where the Bears travel north to play the Packers, who could be at 14-0 at that point and would be on the verge of an undefeated season.

Admittedly, that would be some storyline.

Here is why it will never happen.

Brett Favre is a traditional West Coast quarterback. He has been in the same system all his career and knows the terminology and concepts like the back of his hand. Then you have the Mike Martz system. Though the origins of the offense date back to the West Coast and Sid Gillman’s San Diego Chargers, the offenses couldn’t be more different.

The last time we saw Brett Favre on the field… Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

While the West Coast offense looks for quick passes and utilizes the tight ends and full backs as receivers, the Mike Martz/Sid Gillman offense involves long-developing plays and uses the tight ends and backs as blockers. The philosophy, the concepts, the verbiage and route trees are all different.

Therefore, if you were to take a quarterback from either system and try to teach them the other, it wouldn’t be achievable in a week or two. It is far from a simple transformation. There aren’t many systems as complex as Mike Martz’s, which is why the Bears wanted an experienced veteran who had experience in the system, so if Hanie had become injured, someone could step in and manage the game.

It would be foolish for Favre to throw himself into a system with an offensive line that, though they’ve made recent strides, gave up seven sacks to the team with the league’s lowest sack total. With Matt Forte sidelined indefinitely and no legitimate No. 1 receiver, Favre should rethink his motives. Is returning and getting battered and bruised all over again all worth it just so you have a chance to get one over on your former team?

Just to be on the safe side, the city of Chicago should cut all of its telephone lines for the next couple of days. You never know what ideas Jerry Angelo could be conjuring up in his head.

Giuliana Rancic Will Undergo Double Mastectomy

Credit: Getty

Giuliana Rancic has revealed that she will have a double mastectomy after lumpectomies have failed to completely eradicate her breast cancer.

The E! host, 36, appearing alongside husband Bill Rancic on NBC’s Today show, where she said instead of considered another lumpectomy and radiation, they are choosing the more drastic option, because they want to be sure the cancer is gone, and much less likely to return.

“For me, it was important to get the cancer out,” Giuliana said. “That’s what I wanted to do, just get it out. At the end, to be honest, all it came down to was just choosing to live, and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”

She said that husband Bill’s support was crucial in coming to such a decision. “Bill said to me, ‘I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid,’ ” she said. “He said, ‘I don’t care what you look like, I don’t care about the physical portion of this. I just need you around for the next 50 years. So, let’s just get you healthy.’ And that certainly helped me come to a decision. I couldn’t be more at peace with the decision. But it’s hard, and I still break down some nights … But I’m okay.”

Awwwww I feel terrible for her, but luckily she has such a GREAT husband.

Watch the interview below:

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Harper double sees Burnley through in FA Cup

Jimmy Mullen’s Burnley, not content with continuing to win every league game, won through to the second round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 replay win at Doncaster and landed a home tie with Rotherham United who beat Scunthorpe United.

Burnley folk needed some good news after the council announced just a day before the replay that poll tax would be increased for 1992/93. It’s a bit like season tickets now where the prices come out and you start having to find the money long before you’ve received what you paid for in the previous year.

The ‘basic’ amount was set, residents were told, to increase by £39 to £231 but, and this was a massive warning, if the non-payers didn’t do the right thing and pay up then the increase could be by a further £17 to £248.

Meanwhile, the town’s bionic man Steve Austin was out of jail. He wasn’t really bionic, not as I’m aware and in truth was the owner of the Hen’s Nest Mini-Market in Gannow Lane. He opted to serve 14 days on principle to support those who couldn’t pay and his partner decided to do likewise.

“Jail is nothing to fear,” said the brave Mr Austin, who was reported to be having shoulder problems. Where was it he was held for the full 14 days? Was it Strangeways or even Walton or Wormwood Scrubs? None of those as it happened, he was detained in a cell at Great Harwood Police Station.

Meanwhile the council desperately needed the money with news that urgent repairs had to be carried out on the Town Hall before it was closed down. It wasn’t going to be cheap either with it being reported that it would be a multi-million pound scheme.

“A lot of money needs to be spent on the Town Hall. If it isn’t the Fire Brigade will be coming in to close it down,” Councillor Mike Cooney, chairman of the Economic and Property Sub-Committee warned.

“We are paying the price for putting these things off year after year and it must not be allowed to go on for a further year,” he added. To me it looked as though the poll tax payers were the ones paying the price given that price rise. Maybe, just maybe, I paid for the cleaning of the Town Hall steps.

I’m sure most people have heard of Kylie Minogue but maybe not so many have similar recollections in 1991 of SADMOSS.

Kylie’s new single – ‘I Guess I Like It Like That’ – was due for release and it had been mixed in Burnley by DJ Paul Taylor who was with Vision Masters at the Angels. Kylie – by then a massive name in the music world, a former star of Neighbours and yet she certainly had to play second fiddle in Burnley to SADMOSS.

For those unfamiliar it was an organisation set up by a Mr John Miller in Burnley to help explore his musical tastes. To give it its full title it was The Society for the Appreciation of Depressing, Melancholy or Sad Songs.

This bloke worked for Burnley Hospital Radio so God knows what he was doing to patients who might have been looking for a lift as they recovered from illness, although he was quick to point out that the radio station and SADMOSS were not connected.

He did initially choose SADSONGS for this society (Appreciation of Depressing, Sad Or Nauseating Gloomy Songs). I suppose he might have been on to something – Sad Songs say so much.

Ahead of the cup tie came news that two regular Burnley supporters would be missing the game. Shirley Wrigley and Deric Roberts had met watching the Clarets from their seats in the cricket field stand where love blossomed. Well, maybe the blossoming wasn’t in the cricket field stand.

They’d tied the knot and yet, despite being such big fans, were now set to miss four games whilst they enjoyed a honeymoon in Tenerife. There’s a sad note to this story though. Deric unfortunately passed away in April 2008 in his early 60s after a fight against cancer.

Whilst away they missed Burnley winning through in the FA Cup at the second time of asking. The draw at Turf Moor in the first game was the only game under Jimmy Mullen’s management that hadn’t been won but that was most certainly put right at Belle Vue where the Clarets won for the second time in three months.

The 3-1 win came with an outstanding second half performance which was described by Edward Lee in the Burnley Express as every bit as good as anything produced in our recent run. He said that whilst the first half was solid, the second half was outstanding and would have been good enough to account for any side involved in the first round of the competition.

The win was based on a superb defensive performance which wasn’t even affected by the loss of captain John Pender just a few minutes into the second half, and with the firepower up front we were always too good for Doncaster.

Mullen made just the one forced change to the side that had won on the previous Saturday at Maidstone with Chris Pearce coming in for Andy Marriott in goal. Marriott would however be available again for one more game at Northampton on the following Saturday.

In that solid first half performance it took us until seven minutes before the break before we took the lead. John Francis got down the left wing and played the ball across for Steve Harper who carried the ball into the box.

Steve Harper – Two goals as Clarets go through

HIs first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Mark Samways but HARPER was on hand to collect the rebound, take it past the goalkeeper and slot it into the empty net.

It was our first real chance and the lead lasted until just before half time. Mark Rankine got in a cross from the right wing which was headed by Shane Reddish for Billy WHITEHURST who made no mistake from close range.

Level again at the interval but that’s as good as it got for Doncaster even though Burnley were forced into that early second half change with Pender’s injury. Mark Yates came into the midfield with the versatile Andy Farrell slotting in to partner Steve Davis in the centre of defence.

Within no time Burnley were back in front with a similar goal to the first. Again Francis played the ball but this time the winger HARPER flung himself at it and looped it over Samways.

Burnley just dominated with Yates, the substitute, in inspirational form on the ground where he’d made his Burnley debut in August. He was involved in everything and when we wrapped it up with a third close to the end it was fitting that he played his part.

Yates it was who played a brilliant through ball from his own half to release Roger ELI who shrugged off three defenders before calmly slotting the ball under Samways from the edge of the box. It was a clinical finish from the Burnley striker and it made the game safe.

Doncaster Rovers: Mark Samways, Shane Reddish (John Cullen 77), Brian Rowe, Andy Crosby, Brendan Ormsby, Colin Douglas, David Harle, Eddie Gormley (Max Nicholson 82), Mark Rankine, Billy Whitehurst, Kevin Noteman.

Burnley: Chris Pearce, Ian Measham, Joe Jakub, Steve Davis, John Pender (Mark Yates 52), Andy Farrell, Steve Harper, John Deary, John Francis, Mike Conroy, Roger Eli. Sub not used: Graham Lancashire.

Referee: Philip Wright (Northwich).

Attendance: 4,207.

Our opponents in the next round, Rotherham United, also won through on the night before but not quite so convincingly against Scunthorpe United. They won 7-6 on penalties after the replay had ended 3-3.

Interestingly the Rotherham side included both Billy Mercer, Burnley’s goalkeeping coach, and Ally Pickering whilst Scunthorpe’s team featured Graham Alexander and Ian Helliwell who scored the first Scunthorpe goal.

The Midweek Cup Results

Tuesday 26th November 1991

First RoundWindsor & Eton 2 Woking 4

First Round ReplaysCrewe Alexandra 5 Carlisle United 3(after extra time, 3-3 at 90 mins)Farnborough Town 4 Halesowen Town 0Gillingham 1 Brentford 3Hereford United 3 Atherstone United 0Rotherham United 3 Scunthorpe United 3(after extra time, 3-3 at 90 min, Rotherham won 7-6 on pens)Telford United 2 Stoke City 1

Wednesday 27th November 1991

First RoundMansfield Town 0 Preston North End 1

First Round ReplaysDoncaster Rovers 1 Burnley 3Exeter City 0 Colchester United 0(after extra time, Exeter won 4-2 on pens)Halifax Town 1 Witton Albion 2(after extra time, 1-1 at 90 mins)Reading 2 Slough Town 1Rochdale 3 Gretna 1Walsall 0 Yeovil Town 1(after extra time, 0-0 at 90 mins)Wycombe Wanderers 0 Kettering Town 2

Swimming: Grunewald gains state finals; she and Schwab get team records

by Bruce Strand, Sports editor

Courtney Grunewald and Ali Schwab both set team records during state Class AA swimming preliminaries Friday, and Grunewald earned a spot on the medal stand as well.

The two Elk River juniors who’ve gone to state together three straight years now led a solid effort by the Elks/Rogers contingent. All five entrants will score points (top 16) at the U of M Aquatic Center on Saturday.

“Everyone swam their best,” said coach Colleen Killpatrick, “and everyone’s coming back for the second day.”

Grunewald tied the second-oldest record on the Elks board with 57.40 in the 100 butterfly. She had the fifth-best prelim time to earn a berth in the championship heat Saturday evening. Grunewald also placed 10th in the individual medley with 2:08.90. Her section times were 57.71 and 2:09.92.

“I’m excited. I hope I can cut another point-oh-one tomorrow and break it,” said Grunewald, referring to the team record set by Colleen Morgan in 1999. “I’m shooting for top three.”

Grunewald medaled at state last year in another event, backstroke, placing sixth.

Schwab didn’t make championship finals but her 1:06.91 in the 100 breaststroke placed 10th in prelims and broke Tracy Wormwood’s team record of 1:07.12 set in 2008. Schwab will swim in the consolation heat in the breaststroke and 50 freestyle, where she placed 13th with 24.54. Her section times were 24.58 and 1:08.15.

The 5-foot-11 swimmer had 1:07.23 at state as a freshman, placing eighth, but slipped to 16th last year with 1:09.5. She came back strong in both her events.

“I am real excited to break that 1:07 from two years ago,” said Schwab. “I really wanted to get that record … In the 50, I dropped a lot of time at section and even more at state.”

Schwab said two weeks of tapering before sectionals and state helped, as it’s supposed to.

“I like to swim the first 50 (in breaststroke) as fast as I can and see if I can hold it, ” said Schwab, “and usually tapering allows me to hold it.”

The Elks’ other entry, the medley relay team of Emma Johnson, Schwab Grunewald and Taylor Odegard, placed 15th with 1:51.95, not bad considering their section time was 17th among 25 entrants.

Odegard is a freshman in her second state meet, both in relays. Johnson is a seventh-grader.

“My first year (with Elks) has been awesome,” said Johnson, adding that she’s swum for “six or seven years.”

Jessica Young of Rogers clipped a couple seconds off her PB in the Class A 200 freestyle in the afternoon to place 10th with 1:58.55. Young, who’s an Elk during the regular season, moved up from her 13th seed, and will swim in the consolation heat.

The Elk record that Schwab broke was one of only two remaining on the board from pre-2000. The longest-standing record is Jodel Fesenmeyer’s 52.60 in the 100 freestyle set in 1997.

Schwab got herself on the record board for the first time. Grunewald has been on it since eighth grade when she helped the medley relay set a record that stills stands.

Brooke Mueller Caught Partying On Video Prior To Cocaine Possession Arrest

Consummate drug user and Charlie Sheen ex-wife Brooke Mueller was arrested over the weekend in Aspen, Colorado on cocaine possession and assault charges and now a video of Mueller partying prior to the arrest has surfaced.

Mueller was arrested on Friday night but prior to that run-in with police the 34-year-old was caught busting a move on a nightclub dance floor with drink in hand.

Moments into the video police show up to break up the dance party where Mueller was taken outside and placed under arrest.

Speaking after the incident a source close to Mueller told People:

“Brooke can’t stay sober on her own,” and”Maybe this [arrest] will force her to go into a treatment center for a long stay. Thirty-day rehabs won’t work for her.”

In the meantime Steve Honig, Mueller’s rep, didn’t deny the accusations by the insider but instead said in a statement:

“I think anyone who is truly a friend of Brooke’s would not be spending their time talking anonymously and behind her back to the media.”

“I seriously question the validity of any comments made by these people alleging to be friends with Brooke.”

Hours after the arrest Mueller was sprung from the Pitkin County jail on an $11,000 bond.

Here’s the Brooke Mueller party video:

Who would have thought months ago that Brooke Mueller would be running around like a complete lunatic while her ex-husband has signed a lucrative deal for a new TV show and has been appearing clean and sober for months.

College Football Capsules – Top 25: ‘Honey Badger’ leads No. 1 LSU past Georgia

ATLANTA (AP) — The “Honey Badger” doesn’t care when his team struggles. He just takes what he wants. In this case, it’s a trip to the national championship game.

Tyrann Mathieu turned in an MVP performance when the No. 1 Tigers needed him most. He ran back a punt 62 yards for a touchdown, set up another score with a fumble recovery and finally finished off No. 12 Georgia with his best play yet — a whirling dervish of a return that led to the decisive TD in a 42-10 victory in the Southeastern Conference title game Saturday.

LSU (13-0) advanced to a spot in the BCS championship game in New Orleans, just 75 miles from its Baton Rouge campus. The Tigers opponent will be announced Sunday night, but SEC West rival and No. 2 Alabama — already beaten by the Tigers 9-6 in overtime a month ago — had the inside track even though it didn’t win its division.

The Crimson Tide will have to deal with a fearless sophomore who has the country’s best nickname, and is an even better player.

“Last night, I envisioned me having three touchdowns,” Mathieu said. “I think I came close to that. It comes down to me trying to do what I can for my team.”

His moniker stems from a humorous YouTube video that supposedly depicts the world’s fiercest animal (“Honey Badger don’t care, he just takes what he wants,” the narrator says). Defensive coordinator John Chavis showed the 5-foot-9, 175-pound player the clip on the way back from a victory at West Virginia, believing it fit Mathieu perfectly.

“My teammates love the name, and I think it depicts me on the field,” Mathieu said. “I just go with it. My teammates do a great job having my back. Anything I can do to help those guys, lift their spirits, I’ll do it. I think the Honey Badger does that sometimes.”

The Bulldogs (10-3) raced to a 10-0 lead that could’ve been even bigger if they hadn’t dropped a pair of potential touchdown passes in the first quarter. LSU looked downright awful on offense, going three-and-out on all seven of its possessions before halftime.

The Tigers didn’t even have one first down, finishing the half with just 12 total yards.

But, thanks to Mathieu, the deficit was only 10-7 when the teams went to the locker room. He fielded a punt at his own 38, found an opening and was gone — all the way to the end zone for his second punt return for a touchdown in as many weeks. He had a 92-yarder that sparked a win over Arkansas.

Well, almost to the end zone. A replay showed Mathieu flipped the ball to an official just before he crossed the goal line, but no one on the field caught the blunder.

“I’ll have to remember not to do that next time,” he said with a smile.

That was long forgotten by the time he was done. On Georgia’s first possession of the second half, quarterback Aaron Murray tried to scramble for a first down but had the ball knocked loose just before he hit the turf.

Mathieu was there to fall on it at the Bulldogs 26 for his fifth fumble recovery of the season.

LSU quickly seized its first lead. The Tigers finally picked up a first down before freshman Kenny Hilliard broke off a 15-yard run for the first of his three touchdowns. Normally, that would’ve been more than enough to win the game’s MVP award. Not even close on this day.

Mathieu dropped back to receive another punt. About the only thing the Bulldogs managed to do was keep him out of the end zone. He cradled the ball, took off down the center of the field, cut back to his left, stutter-stepped and turned on a burst of speed, basically came to a stop around the Georgia 30, then took off again and was finally dragged down at the 17.

He avoided or broke away from at least eight of the 11 red-clad guys trying to bring him down, a Heisman-worthy play that should be enough to at least get him to New York for the banquet — if not earn serious consideration for the award as the nation’s top player. Certainly, no defensive player has come up with more game-changing plays.

“As the conference champion in the SEC and being one of the key players on that team, I think he needs real consideration,” coach Les Miles said. “He’s a special player. He has a special place.”

Georgia would certainly be willing to send a letter of recommendation. Mathieu essentially ruined any chance of the Bulldogs — a 13 1/2-point underdog — pulling off an upset that would’ve shaken up the race for No. 1.

“I enjoy watching him play football except when he plays against us.” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “You appreciate the way he plays. There’s just something about him. He finds a way to do something special just about every game. He did it again today.”

Mathieu has scored four touchdowns this season — two on returns, two more from his cornerback spot. He’s forced six fumbles. He’s picked off two passes. He the leading tackler on one of the nation’s top defenses.

“I respect him a lot, especially with me being a return guy,” Georgia’s Brandon Boykin said. “That turned the momentum of the game.”

LSU took control with a 21-point third quarter, coming back from a double-digit deficit for the second week in a row and leaving little doubt that it’s the best team in country heading into bowl season. The only other unbeaten team, Houston, was blown out in the Conference USA championship game Saturday. All the other top teams have at least one loss.

The Tigers have knocked off five teams in The Associated Press’ current Top 25 — including three of the top eight. They’ll still have to win one more game to claim the BCS title, but they could still be voted No. 1 in the final AP poll, no matter what happens Jan. 9 in the Big Easy.

Miles, as least for public consumption, said he looks forward to a rematch with the Tide, a game that will ensure the SEC of its sixth straight national champion.

“I would certainly understand if college football decides it should be two SEC teams playing for the national championship,” he said. “It’s a very special conference with very special teams.”

SEC East champion Georgia came into the game on a 10-game winning streak, and the Bulldogs showed no fear of LSU in the early going. Murray connected with Tavarres King on a 44-yard pass and could’ve had a TD when a pass across the middle went through King’s hands. They settled for Blair Walsh’s 40-yard field goal.

Knowing he would have to throw caution to the wind, Richt called an onside kick that worked the perfection. Walsh bounced the ball off the turf and high into the air. Alec Ogletree soared in to grab it beyond the necessary 10 yards, giving the Bulldogs another possession.

They should’ve scored a touchdown. Instead, they wound up with nothing. Freshman Malcolm Mitchell dropped a pass right in his hands at the LSU 5 with no one around, and Walsh missed a 45-yard try.

But LSU couldn’t do anything with the ball. The Tigers’ longest play in the first half was 9 yards. Eleven of their 21 plays went for zero or negative yards. Outside of Mathieu, punter Brad Wing was LSU’s best weapon, averaging 54.1 yards on his first seven punts.

Both offenses stalled in the second quarter, managing a grand total of 2 yards — 1 for each team. Georgia went to the locker room with a commanding 135-12 lead in total yards, but certainly a sense it had missed its chance to put away an LSU team that had outscored No. 6 Arkansas 41-3 after falling into an early 14-0 hole.

Hilliard scored on a 4-yard run after Mathieu’s second long return to make it 21-10, essentially enough to finish off the Bulldogs, but the freshman runner then hauled in an 8-yard touchdown pass for good measure.

The Tigers romped in the final period. Alfred Blue broke off a 48-yard touchdown run and Morris Claiborne returned an interception 45 yards for the final score. LSU won even though Jordan Jefferson completed only five passes and the offense totaled a mere 237 yards.

Murray had a miserable day, completing just 16 of 40 for 163 yards with two interceptions. Georgia’s running game was non-existent with Isaiah Crowell hobbling on a sore ankle. The freshman had only 15 yards on 10 carries.

The Bulldogs will likely settle for a trip to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.

Mathieu has a bigger goal in mind. He doesn’t care what it takes to get there.

“There’s a part of Tyrann Mathieu that’s definitely the ‘Honey Badger’,” Miles said. “On the football field, he takes what he wants.”

No. 21 Clemson stuns No. 5 Virginia Tech

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — So much for Tajh Boyd’s late-season slump. Clemson’s, too.

The sophomore quarterback threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as No. 21 Clemson routed No. 5 Virginia Tech 38-10 Saturday night to win its first Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 20 years.

Boyd had thrown seven interceptions and only four touchdowns passes in his previous four games, but was sharp against the Hokies. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 240 yards, ran for 34 yards and was the game’s most valuable player.

Boyd said he and his teammates might have gotten complacent after 8-0 start this season.

“You get a sense of complacency if you let the outside world affect you,” Boyd said. “That is one of the life lessons you learn. That’s what happened. But it happened for a reason.”

Said Clemson coach Dabo Swinney: “I wouldn’t trade anybody for my quarterback, Tajh Boyd.”

The Tigers (10-3) clinched their first Orange Bowl berth since 1981, the year they won their only national championship. Clemson won’t be playing for a national title this season, but the victory was still sweet considering they’d lost three of four games to close the regular season.

Swinney, who never lacks for emotion, started his press conference by saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that I’m taking my Clemson talents to South Beach, baby.”

This is the first time Clemson has won 10 games in a season since 1990.

“There have been a lot of walls built up around this program over the last 20 years and we knocked down them down tonight,” Swinney said. “We’ve been down in the valley and the players locked arms and they charged up that hill.”

Clemson became the only team to beat Virginia Tech (11-2) twice in the same season. The Tigers beat the Hokies 23-3 in Blacksburg, Va., on Oct. 1.

The second half was all Clemson.

Clemson scored three touchdowns on five plays in a span of 4:24 in the third quarter to break open a 10-10 tie at halftime.

After Virginia Tech went three-and-out on its first second half possession, Boyd capped a 10-play, 87-yard touchdown drive with his second touchdown pass of the game to tight end Dwayne Allen for a 17-10 lead.

On Clemson’s next play from scrimmage, wide receiver Sammy Watkins got behind the defense and hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Boyd — his 31st of the season, extending his own school record. Boyd completed 20 of 29 passes for 240 yards and was named the game’s most valuable player.

Andre Ellington, who ran for 125 yards, raced 29 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 31-10 lead. Boyd put the game away early in the fourth quarter on a quarterback sneak.

“Our team, I could sense the confidence growing,” Swinney said. “I told them if you just put it together on offense, defense and special teams, it won’t be close, I don’t care who we play.”

Similar to the first matchup, the Hokies could get nothing going against a stingy Tigers defense, which knocked away nine passes.

Virginia Tech tailback David Wilson, the ACC’s player of the year, was a non-factor, held to 32 yards on 11 carries.

“I was kind of surprised (by the play calling),” Wilson said. “… It was the same thing in the UVA game. In the first half I only had a couple of carries. I had 15 in the second half. I thought it was going to be the same thing today but I guess they never got around to it.”

Virginia Tech quarterback Logan Thomas had a rough night, fumbling on the team’s first play from play from scrimmage leading to Boyd’s first touchdown pass to Allen and an early 7-0 lead for Clemson.

Late in the game, down 28 points, Thomas threw into the end zone and was picked off by Bashaud Breeland, who returned it 64 yards to set off a wild celebration. Clemson fans, sitting behind the team’s bench, began bombarding the field with oranges.

“It was great to see that happen,” said Allen, who set a Clemson record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end. “This is what we worked for.”

Thomas said: “Clemson did a great job of scoring points and scoring them quick. And 21 points in 4 minutes is hard to come out of. Give them credit they played a great game offensively and defensively.”

Swinney said he was proud of the way his team bounced back after losing three games, including a baffling setback to North Carolina State, down the stretch.

“We were a team with the flu and we got some penicillin tonight,” Swinney said.

It was one of those nights for the Hokies, who failed in their bid to win their fourth ACC title in five years. Even when something went well for the Hokies, it quickly backfired.

After falling behind by 21, Jarrett Boykin hauled in a 29-yard pass from Thomas deep in Clemson territory. But Boykin was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct when the spiked the ball, drawing a 15-yard penalty. Four plays later, the Hokies turned it over on downs.

Thomas’ fumble proved to be a foreshadowing of things to come.

Thomas said this loss hurts more than the last defeat to Clemson “because our seniors don’t deserve a loss like that. So I think that’s why it hurts the most.”

On their first offensive play of the game, Tigers linebacker Stephone Anthony jarred the ball loose from Thomas on a keeper and defensive end Andre Branch recovered at Virginia Tech 25. It was Clemson’s first takeaway in its last four games. The Tigers capitalized three plays later on when Allen hauled in a 24-yard touchdown pass from Boyd.

“It was one of those games where things didn’t happen right,” Hokies coach Frank Beamer said.

Swinney said the Tigers turned in a defensive performance that would have made former Tigers defensive lineman Chester McClockton proud. McClockton, a member of Clemson’s last ACC Championship team, passed away earlier this week.

”I thought it was ironic that he was No. 91 and we won our first championship since ’91,” Swinney said. “I’m happy how our players honored him tonight.”

No. 9 Boise State rolls over New Mexico

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Boise State safety Cedric Febis hesitated just for a moment when he was asked if Boise State is good enough to deserve a spot in the BCS.

Broncos coach Chris Petersen, who was standing in the corner of the room waiting his turn with reporters, provide the answer.

“Yes,” Petersen emphatically interjected, moments after the No. 9 Broncos rolled over New Mexico 45-0 in Saturday’s season finale.

The Broncos (11-1, 6-1) are clearly on the outside looking in on the Bowl Championship Series, and more than likely they’ll have to settle for a return trip to the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas, where they dismantled No. 20 Utah 26-3 a year ago.

But Petersen’s response is surprising considering his reluctance in previous years to lobby even slightly on his team’s behalf.

Considering the strength of schedule and other factors, Petersen wasn’t shy about making a case for a team that lost only once, a down-to-the-wire defeat at home to TCU on Nov. 12.

“You know, this team is as good as any of the teams that we’ve had,” said Petersen.

“We lost a one-point game to a really good TCU team that continually got better throughout the year. I think that it’s our most difficult schedule that we’ve played. But, that is as far as it goes for us. We don’t have anything else to say. I mean you say hey, ‘look at the record.’ I think it speaks for itself,” he said.

No matter where they play in the postseason, the Broncos wrapped up their second straight season with a single loss in convincing fashion.

Kellen Moore threw three touchdowns in the final home game of his brilliant career, Doug Martin ran for two more and the Broncos’ defense had no problem bottling up the punchless Lobos.

Moore, the winningest starting quarterback in college football history, was nearly flawless, completing 28 of 33 attempts for 313 yards. As usual he spread the ball around, hitting 10 different receivers, and expertly ran Boise State’s no-huddle offense through the first three quarters.

His three touchdown passes in the game gave him 41 on the season, breaking his own previous record of 39 set in his sophomore year. He also set a new school mark for completions in a season with 300, third most all-time in the Mountain West Conference.

It was also Moore’s 49th career win as a starting quarterback, the best in FBS. He also has 137 career touchdown passes, second best behind Houston’s Case Keenum.

The Broncos sprinted to the lead, scoring three touchdowns in the first quarter thanks to Moore’s accuracy — he completed 10 straight passes during one stretch — and a Broncos defense that held the Lobos to one first down in their first three possessions.

Moore capped the Broncos’ first two possessions of the game by throwing touchdowns of 2-yards to senior Kyle Efaw and 16-yards to Tyler Shoemaker. That catch gave Moore the school completion record and gave Shoemaker 14 touchdowns on the season, also good enough to set a new school mark.

“All the things (Shoemaker) has gone through, for me personally to go through this whole journey with him, essentially the whole time is really special and really neat,” Moore said.

Boise State then worked on putting the game out of reach before halftime. Midway through the second, Moore engineered an 11-play, 89-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard TD to tight end Gabe Linehan. Minutes later, Michael Frisinia tacked on a 30-yard field goal to put the Broncos up 31-0 at the half.

Moore and other members of his recruiting class are a victory away from being the winningest senior class in school history with 50. The 2006 group, the first batch signed by Boise State coach Chris Petersen, won a second BCS bowl, forced wholesale rewrites of the school record books and elevated Boise State’s national profile from a pest from a small conference to a program that proved it could consistently beat teams from college football’s biggest and best leagues.

As for the Lobos (1-11, 1-6), they are at the other end of the college football spectrum. They have lost 22 straight road games, the nation’s longest such skid.

New Mexico had 197 total yards and crossed midfield only twice. B.R. Holbrook was 16 of 28 for 145 yards and was sacked twice for New Mexico.

The loss gives the Lobos three straight seasons with just one win and closes out the brief, seven-game tenure of interim coach George Barlow, who took over in September after Mike Locksley was fired.

But Saturday’s blowout in Boise also ushers in the Bob Davie era in Albuquerque. The former Notre Dame coach and television analyst will take over head coaching duties this month.

“The thing you like about these kids is when things were going as bad as they were, they were still playing hard,” Barlow said.

The Broncos scored once in the third quarter when Martin dashed 40 yards down the left sideline to put Boise State up 38-0.

Moments later, Moore, Martin and many other Broncos seniors walked off Bronco Stadium’s quirky blue turf for the last time, closing out careers that spanned one of the most successful eras in school history.

No. 15 Wisconsin beats No. 11 Michigan State

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Wisconsin got the late touchdown it needed, the late stop it needed and the big break it needed Saturday night.

Badgers Heading To Rose Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS — Wisconsin got the late touchdown it needed, the late stop it needed and the big break it needed Saturday night.Otherwise, the inaugural Big Ten championship game may have ended the same way the Badgers’ first round with Michigan State did. Montee Ball scored four touchdowns, the last coming on a 7-yard run with 3:45 left, and the Badgers used a running into the kicker penalty to kill the clock as No. 15 Wisconsin hung on to beat No. 11 Michigan State 42-39 and earn a second straight Rose Bowl bid.”It makes it twice as nice,” Badgers coach Bret Bielema told the crowd after hoisting the trophy. “They came out today, they weren’t going to be denied, and to do it here, first time ever – Big Ten champs, twice!”Yes, the Badgers (11-2) were ready to party when streamers started covering the field. Some players walked into the postgame news conference carrying roses. Quarterback Russell Wilson, the game’s MVP, tucked the rose behind his ear.Next up for Wisconsin is Pac-12 champion Oregon, which beat UCLA in its conference title game Friday night.But the Badgers almost didn’t make it.After losing on a deflected Hail Mary pass in October in East Lansing, the Spartans (10-3) looked as if they might pull off another miracle comeback Saturday night when they forced what appeared to be a three-and-out with less than two minutes to go.Coach Mark Dantonio called for a punt block, but instead of getting the ball or taking advantage of Keshawn Martin’s return inside the Wisconsin 10-yard line, Isaiah Lewis hit punter Brad Nortman. The 5-yard penalty gave Wisconsin the ball with Michigan State out of timeouts.Game over.”I don’t know if he hit him,” Dantonio said. “You probably have seen all the replays, but he threw the flag. I thought he flopped a little bit.”It’s the second straight year, Michigan State and Wisconsin have been in the Rose Bowl hunt at season’s end.The Badgers got the invite last year based on a tiebreaker. This year, they took the undisputed title thanks primarily to their two offensive leaders – Ball and Wilson.Ball was his usually spectacular self early and efficient late. He ran for more than 100 yards and scored on two 6-yard TD runs in the first quarter. He scored two more times in the final 13½ minutes — once on a 5-yard shovel pass and the other a 7-yard TD run that gave Wisconsin a 40-39 lead. A conversion pass from Wilson to Jacob Pedersen made it 42-39 with 3:45 left.Ball finished with 27 carries for 137 yards and three scores, and his four TDs put him within one of breaking Barry Sanders’ FBS mark (39) as he tried to impress the Heisman voters.Wilson was nearly as good. He was 17 of 24 for 187 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions and broke the NCAA record by throwing a TD pass in his 37th consecutive game. Graham Harrell of Texas Tech held the previous mark (36).”This is one of the reasons I came here,” Wilson said of the Rose Bowl ticket.The loss not only extended Michigan State’s Rose Bowl drought, it hasn’t gone since 1988, and ruined Dantonio’s pregame prediction. In an interview taped Friday, Dantonio told a local radio station that the Spartans would win the game and go to the Rose Bowl.He and the Spartans tried everything to make that happen.The Spartans ran a fourth-down pass play, called a fake extra point and even got an impromptu lateral for a score – and that was just in the first half. Kirk Cousins made most of it work. Only one of his 17 first-half passes hit the ground in the first half, and he wound up 22 of 30 for 281 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.But it was Cousins’ ability to fool the normally stout Badgers’ defense that nearly won the game.On fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, he got Wisconsin to bite on a fake pitch and hooked up with a wide open B.J. Cunningham for a 30-yard TD pass to cut the deficit to 21-14.On its next possession, Michigan State receiver Keith Nichol, who wrestled the Hail Mary pass across the goal line to beat Wisconsin in October, beat the Badgers again. This time, he caught a short pass from Cousins and just before stepping out of bounds lateraled to Cunningham, who ran the final 4 yards for a TD. Michigan State then called for a fake extra point that Brad Sontag ran in to make it 22-21.”We felt we were having our way offensively the whole game,” Cousins said. “We never felt like it was won. But we felt like we had our way offensively.”Even after playing more conventional football for most of the next two quarters and taking a 36-34 lead, the Spartans lined up two different players in the Wildcat formation, ran a reverse and drove for a 25-yard field goal to make it 39-34 with 8:31 left in the game.But just like the first meeting, the Badgers answered.Wilson led Wisconsin on an eight-play, 64-yard scoring march, converting a fourth-and-6 when Wilson scrambled, threw back across the field and Jeff Duckworth made a spectacular adjustment to haul in a 36-yard pass. On the next play, Ball burst up the middle for the 7-yard TD to give the Badgers the lead.This time, the Wisconsin defense stiffened and after a replay review overturned a third-down play that would have gone for a first down, the Spartans punted for only the third time in the game.They never got another chance.”It’s tough,” Cousins said. “We came close two years in a row. We don’t get to go, it’s tough.”Michigan State’s Martin had a career-high nine receptions for 115 yards, the second 100-yard game of his career.