| Brown joins receiving line
Bill Belichick maintained all along that there would be a role for receiver Troy Brown with the Patriots. Yet as Randy Moss, Wes Welker, and Donté Stallworth exploded onto the scene this year, it was hard to see where. Belichick, despite his team being stocked with six receivers, proved to be true to his word. With Brown's time on the physically unable to perform list ending at 4 p.m. yesterday, the team essentially had three options: 1. add Brown to the roster; 2. place him on season-ending injured reserve; 3. release him. The Patriots went with the first option, activating the longtime fan favorite and waiving rookie defensive lineman Kareem Brown, the fourth-round draft choice out of the University of Miami who could return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Balanced schedule on NHL agenda
The NHL owners have a busy agenda as they gather this week in picturesque Pebble Beach, Calif., but they'll still find time to squeeze in a little golf. The annual two-day board of governors meeting, the most important of the year, goes tomorrow and Friday and should finally bring about a new format for the schedule. It means every team will play one another starting next season. "There's quite a large sentiment for change," said Edmonton Oilers president and CEO Patrick LaForge. Other main items on this week's agenda include: - A vote on the sale of the Predators to a local group in Nashville. - A thorough discussion of the on-ice product. Scoring is down, but what should be done? - A look at the finances, including last season's final numbers and an early season projection on this season's revenue figures.
Wood is first-team All-American
• Penn State's Kiersten Wood, a senior from Warwick, was named to the NCAA Division I All-America first team in field hockey last week.
Wood, a midfielder, had six goals and five assists for 17 points for the Nittany Lions (16-8).
Penn State (16-8) beat No. 3 Maryland and No. 2 Wake Forest before falling to No. 1 North Carolina 3-0 in the NCAA title game last Sunday in College Park, Md.
Wood was one of four Lancaster County players named to the All-America team, which is voted on by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Temple's Alli Lokey, a senior from Elizabethtown, was a second-team selection. Lokey, a midfielder, led the Owls with 18 goals and 10 assists for 46 points.
Iowa's Meghan Beamesderfer and Michigan's Paige Laytos, both sophomores from Warwick, were named to the third team.
Prince Albert goes green with a difference
From the department of obvious statements comes this declaration: Saskatchewan football fans are cut from a different cloth. The entire province - Prince Albert included - has caught Rider fever. In the gas stations, stores and shopping malls, the fate of Canada's favourite football team is the first topic on everyone's tongue. It's been an emotional, communal and - to some degree - commercial experience. On Friday, just about everybody in Saskatchewan still capable of summoning a measurable pulse wore green clothes of some nature. Rider hoodies, Rider jackets, Rider T-shirts and Rider jerseys dominated the clothing choices amongst Prince Albert citizens Friday. Our intrepid staff didn't bother to investigate beyond the visible, but chances are that a few folks donned green-hued undergarments.
Knights in national spotlight
With the Rutgers women's basketball team playing nationally or regionally televised games at least twice a month all regular season, I started thinking about what these big games can do not only for the Scarlet Knights program, but also the sport of women's basketball as a whole.
RU plays on the big stage 12 times this year, including three of the five games that the Knights have played so far this season.
The increased exposure is due to a few factors: the team's heightened profile following last season's finals appearance and the fact that 12 of the Knights games are against preseason Top 25 opponents. In fact, the Dec. 30 game versus Temple on ESPNU is the only televised matchup that does not involve one of the aforementioned ranked opponents.
Playing in to both the toughness of RU's schedule, as well as the increase of TV time for the Knights, is the strength of a Big East Conference that sent eight teams to last year's NCAA Tournament.
Six FC Thun players accused of having sex with minor
THUN: Swiss authorities on Tuesday accused six current and three former FC Thun soccer players of having sexual relations with a minor. Five other individuals, who are not soccer players, also have been accused, the office of the investigating magistrate of the Bernese Alps said. Most of the suspects acknowledged they had sexual relations with the girl, the magistrates office said. The accusations opened a formal case against the individuals, after police of canton (state) Bern last week temporarily arrested a dozen FC Thun players and others on suspicion of having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Under Swiss law, the action formally opened criminal proceedings against the suspects. Should the prosecutor then conclude there is sufficient evidence, formal charges could be brought. Authorities identified none of the men by name, in line with Swiss privacy laws.
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