| Waller leads Hills by example
WAYNE -- Mike Roman watched Tim Waller play linebacker, how he pursued the ball, how he hit people. Then he realized he wasn't the only one watching, that his teammates, too, were trying to emulate his Wayne neighbor's football instincts. But while they all strove to match Waller's level, the bar had been set fairly high. .
Cruel defeat snuffs out European dream
IN THE end, the emotions were not so much mixed as scrambled to the four corners of Hampden. We had seen Italy score in 70 seconds, we had seen them dominate the early minutes with some chilling football that not only took the fire out of the home support but also shocked Alex McLeish's team to the core. But in the final stages of the game it was the world champions who had the heat coming on them, their lead wiped-out by a scrambled Barry Ferguson goal just after the hour, their assurance of before in danger of being stripped away. With ten minutes remaining, Scotland drove forward once again, the substitute Kenny Miller linking with James McFadden and sending the most delicious ball across the Italian penalty area. The Azzurri were at sixes and sevens, Fabio Cannavaro and Gianluca Zambrotta, two of the game's pre-eminent defenders from two of the world's most glamorous clubs, were over-run.
Late third period goals halt Thunder comeback
BLOOMINGTON -- The Bloomington PrairieThunder staged one big comeback Saturday night at U.S. Cellular Coliseum. | Photo galleryA second proved too much to ask for.After squandering a 3-0 lead, Port Huron bounced back with goals by Brian Felsner and Tab Lardner late in the third period and then held on for a 5-4 International Hockey League victory before a crowd of 3,041.The sputtering Thunder (5-9-0) struggled again offensively for most of the game while suffering its second home loss in as many nights to Port Huron and sixth defeat in its last seven games overall.“We have to win these (home) games or at least get a point," said a visibly frustrated Thunder coach Derek Booth. “Go to overtime or something. We can't give away points, and that's what we've done."It was a different story for the Icehawks (9-8-0), who claimed their third road victory in three days.
Hectic schedule delights Gunter
Cardiff and Wales defender Chris Gunter is delighted to get his season back on track after four games in nine days. The full-back, 18, had been struggling for a place at Ninian Park before impressing in Wales' draws with the Republic of Ireland and Germany. He then returned to the Bluebirds side for Saturday's vital win over Ipswich and Monday's 0-0 draw at Leicester. "It's been unbelievable, I didn't expect to play for Wales then to get back for Cardiff was superb," he said. .
FootballGenerals.com Debuts Weekly Pro Football Head Coach Rankings - Belichick, Dungy, Phillips at Top After Week 12
Statistically, the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick has been the best coach in professional football this year, according to the website FootballGenerals.com. Launched today, FootballGenerals provides the only statistical, weekly rankings of NFL head coaches, along with coach-related news. .
BCS could expand at-large pool
The Bowl Championship Series will expand the pool of teams eligible for at-large bids if it's faced with a shortage of qualified contenders when the season is over. BCS rules state a team must have at least nine victories and finish in the top 14 of the final standings to qualify for an at-large bid to one of the five marquee bowl games. But because no conference can have more than two teams, including its champion, in the BCS, officials were facing the possibility of not having enough eligible teams to fill the 10 spots this season. The BCS announced Tuesday that if fewer than 10 of the top 14 teams in the standings are eligible for an at-large bid, the qualifying standard will extend to the top 18. If enough teams are still not available, the standard would be pushed back four spots until the pool is big enough to fill all the bowls.
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