Keyboard Quarterbacks

By Karen Bailis

That's it. Hell has frozen over. Pigs have gone airborne. The moon is Connecticut Husky blue.

Pat Summitt has voted for sworn enemy Geno Auriemma as Coach of the Year. Nancy Lieberman made the revelation Sunday night during Tennessee's Sweet 16 win over Notre Dame.

There's no question that Auriemma is a heckuva coach. He might have done his best coaching job yet this season, compiling a 35-1 season and landing the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after losing two starters for the season with ACL injuries. And he was rewarded with his fourth selection as WBCA coach of the year last week.

But for Summitt to vote for Auriemma, the man against whom she's appeared to have declared a silent war, is historic.

Maybe that run-in with the raccoon on her porch did more than separate her shoulder. Perhaps it separated her from whatever has been clouding her senses since last summer. That's when she discontinued the long-standing season matchup between the two premier basketball powers, her Tennessee Vols and Auriemma's UConn Huskies. She's not publicly stated her reasons, other than to say Auriemma knows why. Tennessee and the SEC have filed grievances against UConn alleging recruiting violations.

Auriemma has urged Summitt to simply state the reason for their animosity: "She just hates my guts."

That might be. But the winner of 980 games, including 101 NCAA tournament games and 7 national championships knows good coaching and can swallow her pride long enough to check the box next to Auriemma's name.

Oh, to be a fly on the scorer's table if the two cross paths on the sideline for the Final Four.

By Karen Bailis

One of the best point guard square-offs in the early years of the WNBA was between Liberty star Teresa Weatherspoon and journeywoman Debbie Black. It was sure to be explosive not for their scoring output – that wasn’t their game – but because each was the match to the other’s dynamite. They sure knew how to set each other off.

And Black knew best how to get to Spoon. The 5-foot-2 Black, a defensive player of the year like her rival, used her size to her advantage. She’d Velcro herself inside Spoon’s uniform and wouldn’t let go. She’d disrupt, annoy and dog the volatile Weatherspoon, who would swat, seethe and elbow the tiny Tasmanian devil and then, finally, she’d blow. They once nearly came to blows after a frustrated Spoon knocked over Black as they walked off the court.

The memory of Weatherspoon vs. Black lived on in the women’s NCAA Sweet 16 Saturday in New Orleans with White vs. Riley, which was every bit as intense and featured a punch not caught by the refs.">

Erica White, the senior point guard for LSU, is driving her team toward its fifth straight Final Four. Andrea Riley, the sophomore point guard for Oklahoma State, had led her team to its first Sweet 16 berth in nearly 20 years.

It was a frustrating outing for Riley and her Cowgirls. In the first 26 minutes of the game, she was the only member of her team to score a field goal. She did, however, nearly score a knockout. But it was her team that fell, 67-52, to White’s Tigers.

The two point guards, the smallest players on the court but the biggest in bravado, trash-talking and toughness, led their teams in scoring – the 5-foot-5 Riley with 26, the 5-foot-3 White with 18. Like Debbie Black did in her day, White led her team’s defensive efforts, and perhaps that’s what put Riley over the edge. Or, it might have been the fact that Riley has having to carry the offensive load for OSU, while White got help from three other teammates in double figures.

That’s no excuse for throwing a punch.

Riley had just come up with an emphatic block of White’s jumper in the second half. The two ran back up court having what appeared to be a colorful conversation, with White doing most of the talking. Riley launched a shot, then took a shot at White’s head. White, to her credit, did nothing but put up her hands, as if to show the refs that she wasn’t making any illegal contact. No matter. The refs didn’t see it. LSU Coach van Chancellor did and pulled his point guard to calm her down. Riley played on.

But it’s White and LSU who will play on, in the Elite Eight on Monday, against North Carolina. Many fans will look forward to the matchup between LSU’s 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles and UNC’s one-two post punch of Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle. But just as intriguing will be the tilt between White and UNC freshman point guard Cetera DeGraffenreid. More fireworks? Tune in to ESPN at 7:30 pm.

By Karen Bailis

Everyone loves an underdog -- especially in March. But I take it a step farther. Being vertically challenged myself, I love the undersized. So when the smallest player on the court comes up huge, it must be noted in a big way. Or, at least, here.

Jazzmin Walters -- all 5-foot-2 of her -- made a monster three-pointer with 4.8 seconds left in overtime, the shot-clock running out and a defender in her face to give Old Dominion (5) an 88-85 win over in-state rival Virginia (4). ODU advanced to the Sweet 16 Tuesday night, for the first time since 2002.

"Once I got the ball, I just let it fly," Walters said of her third 3-pointer of the game. "That play wasn't set up for me to score, but it ended up that way."

The shot wasn't all the mighty mite point guard did for her Monarchs. She scored 17 points, dished 10 assists and committed just one turnover. The junior is averaging 7 points, 5 assists and 2 steals on the season.

Another Littles player had a big game in the contest: Virginia's Lyndra Littles tallied 29 points and took the final shots in an attempt to force a second overtime. Truth be told, Littles doesn't live down to her name; she's 6-foot-2.

"I thought Littles during the last five minutes of the game was phenomenal," Old Dominion coach Wendy Larry said. "She played with a different passion and energy. But this little engine that could was relentless, too," she added, meaning Walters.

Another little engine tried but couldn't get past Notre Dame. Oklahoma's point guard, Jenna Plumley, was the Sooners' second-leading scorer with 18 in a 75-79 OT loss. She also picked 3 steals and doled out 5 assists. Generously listed at 5-foot-4, Plumley had been averaging 7.5 points this season, down from double figures last year, her freshman season. Still, the plucky guard, one of few American Indians in the game, is a fan favorite.

Here's why, says 6-4 Courtney Paris, the owner of a 92-game streak of double-doubles:

"She's such a little thing, but she does all these big things."

Shannon Bobbitt of Tennessee is known to come up big in Tournament time. Coach Pat Summitt has said she wouldn't have won her seventh national championship without her 5-foot-2 point guard, a junior college transfer last year. The feisty, trash-talker from Manhattan came up a little, uh, short against Purdue, with only 5 points, 4 assists and 2 steals. But her team didn't need her in its 78-52 rout. In last year's championship run, she saved her best performances for the biggest games.

By Karen Bailis

At one point late in the second half of Stanford’s second-round tournament game Monday night against UTEP, Cardinal guard Candice Wiggins’ 42 points matched the output of UTEP’s entire team. She finished the game with a school-record-tying 44 points, not to mention 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

Stanford won the game, 88-54, on its home floor to advance to the Sweet 16. And it was a sweet farewell Wiggins gave Cardinal fans in her final game at Maples Pavilion. Her 44 points were the third most scored in NCAA tournament history, behind Lorri Bauman’s 50 in 1982 and Sheryl Swoopes’ 47 when she took Texas Tech to the 1993 Championship.

Not bad for the Pac-10 scoring leader who this season broke Lisa Leslie’s career scoring record yet has often been overshadowed by the other Candace, the one who wears orange, dunks and wins National Championships and is expected to be the WNBA’s No.1 draft pick after this year’s Final Four.

"This is my lasting imprint of my career,” Wiggins said after exiting her home court arm in arm with Coach Tara VanDerveer to the cheers of 5,000 fans. “I think it just summarizes the feeling I have when I play at Maples."

Monday night’s eight tournament games saw about as many other outstanding individual performances:

Sylvia Fowles and Erica White of LSU (2), who dismantled last year’s Cinderellas, the Marist Red Foxes (7), 68-49, in Baton Rouge. Fowles, the 6-6 dominant center who was double-, triple- and quadruple-teamed much of the night, finished with 19 points. Her 13 rebounds gave her 1,527 for her stellar career, breaking the all-time SEC record held by Valerie Still of Kentucky since 1983. White, the 5-3 point guard, spent most of the first half on the bench in foul trouble. She scored all of her 15 points in the second half to break open what had been a close game. She added 4 assists and 4 steals.

Sarah-Jo Lawrence’s buzzer-beating layup to give George Washington (6) a stunning 55-53 win over Cal (3), which had led most of the game. Lawrence scored 13 points, but four of them were pivotal: She tied the game with a driving layup with 12.1 seconds left, then capitalized after a Cal turnover by rebounding an airball by guard Kimberly Beck. The Colonials’ bench erupted as Cal’s jaws dropped and tears fell.

Andrea Riley’s free throw with 0.7 seconds left in OT to lift Oklahoma State (3) over Florida State (11), 72-73. The nail-biter appeared headed to a second OT when Riley, an underrated point guard, dribbled to the top of the key and hit traffic. She tried to force an awkward shot and was fouled as the buzzer sounded. The refs put time back on the clock and Riley went to the line. She missed the first shot but sank the second for her 21st point. She then intercepted FSU’s cross-court pass to seal it.

Kia Vaughn led four Rutgers (2) players in double figures in hard fought 69-58 win over Iowa State (7) in Des Moines. Vaughn racked up a season-high 23 points, 17 of them in the first half including 12 straight. It was her second straight 20-plus point game. Epiphanny Prince scored 17 points, Matee Ajavon had 16 and Essence Carson added 10.

Shavonte Zellous carried her Pittsburgh (6) team past 2005 champ Baylor (3), 67-59, after the other half of the Panthers’ dynamic duo, Marcedes Walker, fouled out with 5:28 left. Walker had contributed 17 points and 9 rebounds, but Zellous did the rest. She hit three free throws with 4:59 left after being fouled behind the arc and Pitt holding a two-point lead. She then outhustled a Baylor player to a loose-ball rebound with 37 seconds left and the Panthers up 61-54. The two put Pitt in its first Sweet 16.

And the best quote of the Tournament came from Texas A&M Coach Gary Blair, who is taking his squad to the school second ever Sweet 16 after shellacking Hartford, 63-39: "There's room for people to jump on this bandwagon at any time. I don't think we have our spring football game for at least a couple weeks. Right now, it's just about women. Isn't that great? ... We might even have a woman president. You never know what's going to happen. We want to go to that next level. We don't want to just get up there and play hard and everybody pats us on the back. We're in this thing to win now."

Politicians love a good photo op and great, free and positive publicity among their voters.

Few situations present themselves more maximizing moments than when local sports teams enter big sports events. It's commonplace to have governors or senators from competing teams make friendly wagers on their teams in the name of civic pride. For example, governors from the home states of teams competing in the Super Bowl or World Series routinely make bets with one another. The media eats these things up.

No other event captures the passion of the entire nation for a long period of time like March Madness. And since the current state of affairs, literally and figuratively, of New York governors is ripe with delicious sex scandals, let's have some fun.

New York State has two teams in the men's tournament and three in the women's tournament. New York State also has one governor who resigned because he got caught in a prostitution ring and one governor who admits on a daily basis that he's had affairs with other women.

Yeah, you see where I'm going here. So let's go!

Men's tournament bets

No. 14 Cornell vs. No. 3 Stanford

Gov. David Paterson bets his cell phone contact list, while California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger bets his unpublished insider guide to groping women.

No. 13 Siena vs. No. 4 Vanderbilt

Gov. David Paterson bets Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen a weekend in New York, including top-notch accommodations, two tickets to any Broadway show and two dozen New York bagels for Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones' cell phone number.

Women's tournament games

No. 16 Cornell vs. No. 1 UConn

Gov. Paterson bets free E-ZPass for a month, while if the Huskies don't win, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell draws chips for everyone in Paterson's entourage at Mohegan Sun and lets them all "pull a Fredo."

No. 7 Syracuse vs. No. 10 Hartford

If the Hawks win, Gov. Paterson must produce two tickets to last home games at both Yankee and Mets games. But, if the Orange win, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell draws chips for everyone in Paterson's entourage at Foxwoods Casino and lets them all "pull a Fredo."

No. 7 Marist vs. No. 10 DePaul

Should DePaul win, Gov. Paterson would take the train to Chicago and decree that deep-dish pizza is the world's real pizza. If Marist wins, Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich must come to Times Square and decree New York style pizza is the best, and pay for two hookers for Paterson.

By Mark La Monica

Growing up a North Carolina fan, there's never been much suspense when it comes to Selection Sunday. The Tar Heels were always among the top 4 seeds and arguing over bracket selection is just plain dumb. The years the Tar Heels didn't make the tournament, you already knew they had no shot.

But this year, my alma mater - the mighty Big Red of Cornell University -- qualified for their first March Madness since 1988 (five years before I even got there). So, watching Selection Sunday this year was quite exciting.

Myself and Lawyer friends Tim and Steve figured Cornell would earn a 13, 14 or 15 seed. Basically, anything but the play-in game and I'd be happy. With each announcement of the 2, 3 and 4 seeds, I edged a bit closer on my stool. With each announcement of the 13, 14 and 15 seeds that wasn't Cornell, I edged a bit back on my stool.

Then came the South region and Stanford with the No. 3 seed. As soon as we saw that, we all said, "Yep, Cornell is going to play Stanford."

Sure enough, the GPA Game was born. Some might think Cornell has no shot against Stanford. But in this tale of the tape, you'll see that the smartest first-round NCAA matchup in history is a dead heat. Each school has the advantage in 18 categories (marked in red).

* Numbers based on U.S. News & World Report's annual college publication for 2007 and 2008.

By Mark La Monica

Plane tickets from JFK to Louisville, Ky., for May 2-5 are going for $445 on the cheap end at Travelocity. I know this because I just looked it up. I looked it up because I just finished watching a press screener for "The First Saturday in May," a documentary about the Kentucky Derby, and I'm strongly considering righting the wrong of having never gone to Churchill Downs for the Triple Crown's marquee event.

The Kentucky Derby is among the greatest sporting events in the country. You don't need to be a horse bettor or avid horse racing fan to appreciate what is known simply as "The Derby."

It was mighty enough of a day to earn the No. 10 spot on our Best Sports Days of the Year countdown a few years ago.

"The First Saturday in May" chronicles six different trainers and horses and their race to qualify for the 2006 Derby. The six are Lawyer Ron, Barbaro, Brother Derek, Sharp Humor, Jazil and Achilles of Troy.

Horse folks will recall that only Achilles of Troy didn't qualify for the 20-horse field. (Sorry, Frank Amonte Jr.) Most people will recall that Barbaro won the Derby going away . . . and the subsequent sadness that took place two weeks later at The Preakness. (The documentary deals with this in the final moments of the 97-minute film.)

With everyone already aware of this film's ending, the editors and directors had to create a way to keep viewers interested the whole way through. It takes some crafty editing and dynamic on-screen personalities telling emotional stories. Directors John and Brad Hennegan did just that. The film is solid all around, and if you've ever found yourself remotely interested in the Derby, even for only two minutes in May, watching this documentary is worth your time.

"The First Saturday in May," which screened at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, opens nationwide in specific theaters April 18. Watch the trailer below.

By Karen Bailis

Ah, irony. On the same day we find out New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer allegedly has been caught on a federal wiretap setting up a meeting with a high-end hooker, we also find out another governor is constructively responding to constituents' needs.

After an outcry from Connecticut women's basketball fans, Gov. Jodi Rell has negotiated a deal so that tonight's Big East semi-final between UConn and Pitt will be seen on a public broadcast network in addition to ESPNU, which is available to about two people in the Nutmeg State.

The Husky Hardcores had been beside themselves that they wouldn't be able to see their beloved No. 1 team demolish another deluded opponent hopeful for an upset. So in comes Rell, gets together in a room with Connecticut-based ESPN, Comcast and CPTV, and out she comes with a deal so that CPTV can simulcast the game.

Right on!

Meanwhile, Spitzer apologized to his family and the public and said he would get back to us "in short order." I don't think he was watching the game.

By Karen Bailis

There’s no questioning Pat Summitt’s toughness.

Her patented glare has melted TV tubes and the resolve of her opponents. She successfully takes on Gators, Tigers and Bulldogs on a nightly basis in the SEC jungle, beating the Tigers of LSU on Sunday for her 13th conference championship. Longtime followers know the story of how she willed herself not to give birth until returning home to Tennessee when she inconveniently went into labor while on an important recruiting trip in Pennsylvania – she forbade the anxious pilot to make an emergency landing in Virginia because her Vols had suffered a painful loss to the Cavaliers that season.

Yeah, she’s tough. No question.

So a measly raccoon had no chance against her when it took an attack stance on her front porch last week as the winningest Division I coach returned from a walk with her dog. The seven-time national champion – who preaches defense any chance she gets – did all she could to defend her dog and herself. She swatted the poor masked offender with her forearm – surely a foul – and knocked it off the porch.

In so doing, she dislocated her shoulder. But her dog was unscathed and obviously loyally thankful.

She didn’t stop there. She spent the next couple hours trying to pop the shoulder back into place on her own. When she couldn’t, she finally relented and called a doctor. It took him and her son, Tyler – yes, the one who tried to make his entrance while Mom was courting point guard Michelle Marciniak – to double-team the stubborn shoulder back into place.

The injury didn’t slow her one bit. There she was on the sidelines for the SEC Tournament, no sling, no slowdown. She gestured just as wildly as always at her players and the refs. She high-fived with a smile after downing LSU and sealing a No. 1 seeding for her defending national champs.

Good thing there aren’t any NCAA tournament teams who call themselves the raccoons.

BY MIKE CASEY

As promised, here are the top five. If you liked yesterday's list, I guarantee you'll like these even more. You even get a bonus video (there are two No. 3 videos!)

And if you tuned in late and want to see yesterday's list of fights 6-10, click here.

BY MIKE CASEY

The NHL is really, really gonna hate me for this. A while back I had a job interview with them and they told me that one condition was if I worked for them, I could not promote hockey fights in any way. They can consider this my response.

For the true fan, fighting is one of the most entertaining and enjoyable aspects of the game. It brings the crowd to its feet, and other than ridiculous saves and eye-popping goals, it's the only part of any hockey game you'll ever see on SportsCenter.

As long as it's done fairly by two willing participants, I think it will always have a place in the game. (I'm not talking about cases where a goon grabs the other team's best player and beats the crap out of him, because there's no place for that in any sport.)

With that in mind, and with major thank-yous to YouTube and HockeyFights.com, I researched the top 10 hockey fights of the 2007-08 season so far.

I'll post the Top 10 in two installments, starting with numbers 6 through 10. I'll post the rest tomorrow afternoon at around 1 p.m. Enjoy!

10) December 6, 2007 Andrew Ladd vs. Shane O'Brien -- This is an impressive bout in terms of the fury and the number of punches thrown, but you don't get the sense a lot of them landed. Still a great watch.

9) February 16, 2008 Curtis Glencross vs. Mike Weaver -- The Oilers trail by two with less than 10 seconds to play. Since they can't tie it up conventionally, they decide to even the score the old-fashioned way. Canucks defenseman Mike Weaver pays the price, although he does land an impressive rabbit punch on Glencross.

8) February 2, 2008 George Parros vs. Riley Cote -- The two heavyweights exchange punches before Anaheim's George Parros shakes free and delivers the best KO punch of the season.

7) March 2, 2008 Jesse Boulerice vs. Colton Orr -- It's a late-season divisional matchup and enforcers from both teams decide to throw fisticuffs. Not one for the faint of heart.

6) November 25, 2007 Eric Godard vs. D.J. King -- Islanders fans will fondly recall Godard's days patrolling the ice in Uniondale. Now he's a Flame, and he gets involved in an energetic bout with the Blues' D.J. King. Unfortunately, it turns into a hugfest in the end.

If you enjoyed this blog, please send me an e-mail to let me know. And check out some cool hockey fights photos.