Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service articles from January 2005

Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service archives from January 2005

Jacksonville is Super in its own way.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Charles Bricker JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ The view of the St. Johns River from the front of the Adam's Mark Hotel, where the NFL has its downtown headquarters for Super Bowl XXXIX, hasn't changed much in the past 20 years. There...

Connecting the dots: With Sosa out of picture, Cubs switch focus.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Dave van Dyck CHICAGO _ The Cubs are working on replacing Sammy Sosa's offensive numbers, possibly with Magglio Ordonez, as they wait for details of Sosa's trade to Baltimore to be finalized. Although high-priced trade...

Pop the cork: New home for Incredible Sulk.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Rick Morrissey CHICAGO _ If you want to know the deeper reason why Sammy Sosa no longer will be with us, it's because he loved himself to death. You can go through coroners' reports from the past 50 years and never happen...

Celtics erase 13-point deficit, then Bulls' win streak.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Sam Smith CHICAGO _ There are always a few hurdles on the way to the NBA title. "This was much like what has been happening the last few games even though we were winning," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said about Saturday...

Sosa may be a goner, but he left mark on Chicago and the Cubs.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Paul Sullivan CHICAGO _ A patch of snow covered a hallowed spot on the street outside 3705 N. Kenmore Ave., on Saturday, obscuring the spray-painted mark of a prodigious Sammy Sosa home run from the summer of 2003. By the...

Pride of West Side energizing Celtics.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Sam Smith CHICAGO _ It was a disappointing Saturday night with two quick fouls and another early in the third quarter for the Boston Celtics' Tony Allen, who is becoming one of the surprise rookies of this season. "I took a...

`Dream Job' winner gets prime spot with new ESPNU.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Teddy Greenstein CHICAGO _ Mike Hall is going from one dream job to another. ESPN is set to announce Monday that Hall, the Glen Ellyn, Ill., native who hit the jackpot by winning ESPN's "Dream Job" competition, will become...

Lack-a-Shaq isn't a problem.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Ethan J. Skolnick MIAMI _ This wasn't what the people, Jimmy Buffett through Jay-Z, came to see. This wasn't what Shaquille O'Neal wanted to show them. But it was precisely what the Miami Heat needed: for O'Neal to rest...

Young American soars under radar to the super-G podium.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Philip Hersh SANTA CATERINA, Italy _ So much had been alike in the careers of U.S. skiers Lindsey Kildow and Julia Mancuso, precocious 20-year-olds and rivals for five years. But this season Kildow set herself apart,...

Bush to launch public relations campaign for privatization plan.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: William Neikirk WASHINGTON _ Social Security's projected money shortage either is a crisis, a problem, a concern, or mere fiction. As President Bush seeks to overhaul the Depression-era retirement program by converting a...

For the McNabbs, a decision long ago lead to Super week.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Rick Morrissey CHICAGO _ The only way the thing could begin, the only way any of these things are allowed to begin, is if the mother would give her approval. And she was holding on to her approval with a grip that could win a...

Iraqi expatriates celebrate elections.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Oscar Avila and Deborah Horan CHICAGO _ The Iraqi election Sunday turned expatriates in Chicago into proud participants and anxious observers, with nearly all Iraqis cheering the event as a step forward for their beleaguered...

Iraq's Kurds vote in droves.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Colin McMahon KIRKUK, Iraq _ Somehow, amid all the celebrating, the dressing up and, literally, the dancing in the streets, Iraq's Kurds found time to vote in droves Sunday. United in their aspiration for independence and...

Bush administration expresses optimism, caution.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Cam Simpson WASHINGTON _ After months of grim news and futile efforts to stem the deadly insurgency in Iraq, President Bush declared Sunday's Iraqi national election a "resounding success" and said "the world is hearing the voice...

Chicago Fire sends Razov to Columbus.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Dave Surico CHICAGO _ Peter Wilt empathizes with those caught up in the talk about the Sammy Sosa trade over the weekend. The Fire general manager made one of the biggest deals in team history Sunday when he sent all-time leading...

Charm City opens its arms to Sosa.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: David Haugh BALTIMORE _ In case Sammy Sosa wonders, Enrique Ribademeria knows where Sosa can get a good plate of lechon asado (roast pig) and gandules (beans) if he craves a Dominican delicacy in his new city. Ribademeria,...

Sosa deal could be done by mid-week.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Dave van Dyck CHICAGO _ The trade of Sammy Sosa _ of historic importance and proportions _ could be official by Wednesday if several hurdles are cleared. Sosa's trade to Baltimore includes a $12.5 million payment from the...

Dant helps Demons tie mark.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Bill Jauss CHICAGO _ DePaul senior Jenni Dant is a very emotional player. She got plenty of opportunity to emote Sunday. The 17th-ranked Blue Demons (17-3, 6-1 Conference USA) beat South Florida 74-66 and tied a 26-year-old...

Chicago area products, ex-Bears abound in Super Bowl scene.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Terry Bannon JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ At some point in Super Bowl XXXIX, Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb will peek into the New England secondary, locate safety Rodney Harrison and adjust accordingly. The teams are from...

Eagles, Pats built to stay on top.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Charles Bricker JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ Two of the NFL's omnipotent head coaches arrived Sunday to begin final preparations for Super Bowl XXXIX and, though it's certainly the farthest thing from their minds, their presence here...

Hairston embraces chance to join Cubs, play for contender.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Paul Sullivan CHICAGO _ The first thing anyone wants to know about Jerry Hairston Jr. is his musical preference. "Do I have a boom box?" Hairston said with a laugh Sunday. "That's the most popular question I've had the last...

NBA regresses to that '70s show.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Sam Smith CHICAGO _ So how's that daunting Eastern Conference been lately? Oh, right, Shaquille O'Neal and his coach don't exactly see eye to eye. O'Neal has been saying fourth place is all right because he has won championships...

Slow start, stronger finish in wary Tikrit.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Aamer Madhani TIKRIT, Iraq _ U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Coombs was pounding the pavement Sunday morning trying to get Iraqis to come out and cast their ballots, but he wasn't receiving much encouragement. An hour after the polls...

Eagles' Mitchell begins war of words with Patriots' DB Harrison.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Don Pierson JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ Donovan McNabb said Sunday he knew Rodney Harrison from growing up in the Chicago area and was sure Harrison "never got caught up" in the disparaging comments made by Freddie Mitchell on the eve...

Shaq-Yao match takes back seat to Heat's team effort.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Michael Cunningham MIAMI _ There wasn't much to Shaq vs. Yao Sunday, so fans who came to see the league's most dominant player clash with its tallest settled for a complete game from the Heat. Foul trouble for center...

Shiites see election as chance to redress past wrongs.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Liz Sly NAJAF, Iraq _ At 7 a.m. sharp Sunday, as the gates to the Fadileh Primary School opened for voting, Najiha Hassan Raadi trundled down the road in a wobbly wheelchair to be among the first to cast a ballot in Iraq's...

Eagles, Patriots staying outside of Jacksonville.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Charles Bricker FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a man who likes a lot of privacy for his football team and he's getting as much as he could have reasonably asked for during Super Bowl week....

Iraqis defy insurgents, turn out in droves.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Evan Osnos BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Millions of Iraqi voters Sunday embraced their first free election in half a century, turning out in large numbers and defying an insurgent onslaught of mortars and suicide bombs that killed dozens...

MSU talent level impresses Illinois coach Weber.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Marlen Garcia CHAMPAIGN, Ill. _ Illinois worried last week about Wisconsin because of its home-court winning streak and its swing offense, but the Badgers aren't the best Big Ten opponent the Illini will play this season, coach...

Cubs clearly back in chase for Ordonez.(Chicago Tribune)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Phil Rogers CHICAGO _ Will the last man out of the National League Central turn off the lights? Forgive the overstatement. The Central still features some studs, of course. But Sammy Sosa follows Carlos Beltran, Jeff Kent,...

Lost Boy dies without seeing mother again.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Dahleen Glanton ATLANTA _ Gabriel Boul, a Sudanese refugee who was torn from his family at the age of 7, clung to life for more than a month, fueled by the hope that he would see his mother again. He died last week surrounded by...

Eagles' Dawkins, Sheppard return to Jacksonville next.(South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Charles Bricker JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ You're well into north Jacksonville when you exit Interstate 95 at Golfair Road and make your way onto Moncrief Avenue, past the pine tree-covered graveyard to William Raines High School. ...

Francis' flash saves Magic in Washington.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Brian Schmitz WASHINGTON _ Orlando Magic point guard Steve Francis was more worried about the snow falling outside the arena. "Man, I have to take my grandmother home in this," he said. Oh, the game? Another game-winning...

Sixers stun Mavericks _ without Iverson _ on the road.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Joe Juliano DALLAS _ The trip into the heart of Texas was just what the 76ers needed to eradicate the bitter taste of a stunning loss to the lowly New Orleans Hornets the night before. This time, it was the Sixers who did the...

Iverson-less 76ers find way to step up.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Eddie Sefko PHILADELPHIA _ It's a good thing the Philadelphia 76ers were missing the NBA's leading scorer, or this could have been really ugly. The Sixers, who without Allen Iverson couldn't beat the team with the worst...

Kansas runs away from Texas at the end.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Rick Plumlee LAWRENCE, Kan. _ After so many close home games, Kansas figured it was time to make a statement. Texas just happened to be the one to get run over Saturday night. ``And that makes it even better,'' Kansas...

Class struggle: No. 16 Texas hits road block vs. No. 6 Kansas.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Chip Brown LAWRENCE, Kan. _ The 16th-ranked Texas Longhorns seemed swallowed up by everything about Allen Fieldhouse in a 90-65 loss to sixth-ranked Kansas on Saturday night. From its banners in the rafters featuring names...

Wisconsin bounces back to rout Penn State.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mark Stewart STATE COLLEGE, Pa. _ The Penn State faithful let Sharif Chambliss have it Saturday night. But instead of booing the Nittany Lion-turned-Wisconsin Badger every time he touched the ball, maybe the fans in Penn...

Kansas gives an answer with authority.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Jason Whitlock LAWRENCE, Kan. _ Now we know. Now we know what the Kansas Jayhawks are capable of after they've been embarrassed, after they undeservedly fall five spots in the coaches' poll, after the ESPN GameDay crew calls them...

These playoffs haven't yielded compelling story lines.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Neil Hayes The playoffs have served their purpose in one sense. They have identified the NFL's two premier teams. The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots could compete with great teams from any era, and that hasn't...

Band aid the perfect fix for halftime at Super Bowl.(Seattle Times)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Les Carpenter SEATTLE _ The best part is the hand-wringing. From the moment Janet Jackson's nipple popped onto everyone's Trinitrons, the NFL has fretted, pointed fingers and thrown its arms in the air over the bosom that slipped...

Neuheisel trial drama is set to commence.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Bud Withers SEATTLE _ In 2002 and 2003, the NCAA basketball tournament was very good to Rick Neuheisel, bringing him several thousand dollars' winnings in an auction-style pool. Now, in one of the ironies of a trial to begin...

Warriors can't clip the Clippers.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Marcus Thompson II LOS ANGELES _ Once again, the effort was there. But as Golden State Warriors coach Mike Montgomery often says, this is a performance league. The Warriors _ depleted by injuries, hobbled by inexperience,...

Clippers' recovery time is short _ with a win in the end.(The Orange County Register)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Art Thompson III LOS ANGELES _ Clippers forward Elton Brand has a favorite saying after disheartening defeats: "The great thing about the NBA is that you can always get over a loss because you have another game coming up right...

Entertainment, justice fuse again in Jackson trial.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Paul Nussbaum SANTA MARIA, Calif. _ When the 150 most important people in the Michael Jackson case show up in court Monday, they will be outnumbered by the media and overshadowed by the celebrity defendant. The prospective...

Bush proclaims Iraq elections `a resounding success'.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: William Douglas WASHINGTON _ He wasn't on the ballot, but President Bush won big Sunday in Iraq's election. The high voter turnout, despite violent efforts by insurgents to quash it, appeared to validate, at least in the...

Advance planning of U.S. forces helps elections go off relatively smoothly.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Ken Dilanian BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Although he'd toiled for weeks planning for every contingency, Capt. Rodney Schmucker figured there was an even chance he'd be spending election day shooting it out on the streets with insurgents and...

Shiite city finds its voice after years of repression.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Nancy A. Youssef NAJAF, Iraq _ Near the tomb of Sayed Mohammed Bakr al Hakim, the man who co-founded Iraq's political opposition movement, his widow and son with one simple act turned the work that cost Hakim his life into a...

Vignettes from Iraq.
January 31, 2005... A SHIITE NEIGHBORHOOD Firas Khudair, 27, had just left a polling center in Baghdad's heavily Shiite neighborhood of Kadhemiya when a mortar round exploded in a nearby palm grove. No one was injured, but the polling center's glass...

Insurgents fail to derail Iraqi election.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Tom Lasseter BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Iraq's first democratic elections in 50 years were marred by 10 suicide bombers, 44 people reported killed and untold numbers of mortar shells that rained down on polling sites and the nation's...

Assembly will turn attention to forming new government.
January 31, 2005... First, all the seats in Iraq's new 275-member national assembly will be allocated according to the percentage of the vote that each of the 84 political entities and 27 independent candidates received. By law, women made up at least a third of...

People in the news.
January 31, 2005... GRAFFITI GOWN MAKING ROUNDS A ``Hollywood Graffiti'' gown signed by more than 350 stars, including Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn, has kicked off the first leg of its world tour at a Michigan museum, The Associated Press reports....

Fanning in `Wonderland'.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mike Szymanski LOS ANGELES _ After working with her in the TV sci-fi mini-series "Taken," screenwriter Les Bohen is taking up a project to adapt "Alice in Wonderland" for 10-year-old Dakota Fanning. The precocious blonde,...

Winners and losers in Iraqi elections.
January 31, 2005... Here's an early line on the winners and losers in Sunday's Iraqi elections: WINNERS: The Bush administration: The U.S. military, backed by Iraqi forces, managed to secure the country. For a day. But can democracy take root with...

Directors Guild coddles Eastwood's `Baby'.
January 31, 2005... LOS ANGELES_Clint Eastwood won the Directors Guild of America feature film award for "Million Dollar Baby," making him the frontrunner for the Oscars. Eastwood's win among the Directors Guild is usually a big predictor for the Oscar...

It's `On the Outs' with Slamdance.
January 31, 2005... LOS ANGELES _ A story about three girls in a New Jersey prison "On the Outs," won best narrative feature and best audience feature at the 11th Annual Slamdance Film Festival, which ended Saturday. The alternative festival in Park City...

Millions of Iraqis defy insurgent threats to vote in elections.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Hannah Allam and Tom Lasseter BAGHDAD, Iraq _ Sunday was a rare day of jubilation in this war-weary nation. A surprise majority of Iraqis cast ballots in their first independent elections in half a century, voting for democracy...

Battle themes win at Sundance.
January 31, 2005... LOS ANGELES _ The Sundance Film Festival seemed dominated by domestic battles and war themes as far as the prizes given out this year. The indie film festival held in Park City, Utah, gave the best directing dramatic award and Waldo Salt...

Expatriate Iraqis in America go to great lengths to vote.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Ruby L. Bailey NEW CAROLLTON, Md. _ Affan Alwan came simply because he could, because there was no longer a dictator who would not allow it. Thirty years after fleeing his homeland, Alwan cast his first-ever vote in an Iraqi...

Israel to transfer control of 5 West Bank cities to Palestinians.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson JERUSALEM _ Israel is planning to transfer security control of five West Bank cities to the Palestinians in the coming days, the latest in a flurry of gestures aimed at paving the way for a high-level...

Gardner to assist festivities for State Games of America.(The Gazette)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Danny Summers DENVER _ Rulon Gardner won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling and gives part of the credit for his success to the teaching he received at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. When the 33-year-old...

Spacek out, Fisher in on `ER'.
January 31, 2005... Due to scheduling conflicts, Oscar winner Sissy Spacek has bailed on an upcoming episode of NBC's "ER." She'll be replaced by Frances Fisher. Fisher appears in the medical drama's Thursday, Feb. 10 episode, titled "Shortness of Breath."...

Bush declares election a success.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 31, 2005... Byline: David Jackson WASHINGTON _ President Bush declared the Iraqi election a success on Sunday but warned, "There's more distance to travel on the road to democracy." "Today, the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the...

`Medium' gets rare early renewal.
January 31, 2005... Averaging 15.7 million viewers through its first four airings, there was little doubt that NBC would bring "Medium" back for the 2005-06. In a somewhat unusual move, the network made the early announcement on Friday (Jan. 28) that the...

Researchers create human motor neurons.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: John Fauber MILWAUKEE _ Using their own line of embryonic stem cells, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have become the first to make human motor neurons, the spindly nerve cells that control nearly all movement...

Adirondack hill draws a wide spectrum of Olympic hopefuls.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Linda Robertson The frigid Adirondack town of Lake Placid, N.Y., seems an unlikely gathering place for athletes aspiring to make the Iraqi, Mexican and Greek Winter Olympic teams. But something about sliding down an icy,...

Can Eagles avoid the Super Bowl trap?(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Bill Lyon JACKSONVILLE, Fla. _ So what do you think? Quite a view from up here, huh? "Yes, sir, it is. It surely is. Is it all you thought it'd be? "Yes, I guess so. I guess it is. Almost worth the wait, wasn't...

Packers fans have reasons to cheer for Eagles.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Dale Hoffman MILWAUKEE _ Freddie Mitchell made the most outrageous statement of the National Football League playoffs two weeks ago, and only seven days remain for rest of the league to catch up. ``I want to thank my hands for...

Basketball fills a Bennett family album.(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Jeff Potrykus MILWAUKEE _ The snapshots of father and son, joined by their love for basketball and for each other, working side by side in basketball arenas from coast to coast, might never fade from the Bennett family album. ...

Salmons carries Iverson-less Sixers against Mavs.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Joe Juliano PHILADELPHIA _ A jovial Allen Iverson joined the crowd of reporters surrounding 76ers teammate John Salmons in the visitors' locker room at American Airlines Center and pretended to have a microphone in his hand. ...

Irish steps up, stop No. 19 Huskies.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Reggie Hayes SOUTH BEND, Ind. _ Mike Brey knows how to hit his players where it hurts. Right in the ego. The Notre Dame men's basketball coach needed more production out of his big men _ any production other than their...

Pats' Harrison takes Mitchell's barb in stride.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Curt Sylvester JACKSONVILLE, Fla._Willie McGinest is still wondering why Philadelphia wide receiver Freddie Mitchell said what he said last Friday. In an interview on ESPN's ``SportsCenter,'' Mitchell was asked if he could...

Sun shines brighter for Purdue following win over Michigan.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Pete DiPrimio WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. _ Let's start over, shall we. Let's pretend Purdue just began its season, it's 1-0 and all things are possible. That seven-game losing streak and 4-13 record? It's ancient history, as...

Brown deals with N.Y. reports.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mitch Albom DETROIT _ Why is Larry Brown telling the New York Post that coaching the Knicks would be a ``dream'' job? Doesn't Larry have a job, coaching the Pistons? Isn't he taking them to the White House today for recognition...

Weapons and violence mark Trimble's past, present.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Kymberli Hagelberg HEMPHILL, Texas _ For the first time since a gun was held to her head in 2001, Susan McCoy feels safe enough in her own home to sleep through the night. What keeps her awake now is the thought that the man...

Brown keeps mum on Knicks rumors.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Perry A. Farrell DETROIT _ Pistons coach Larry Brown _ with the New York media in town and with a chance to squelch rumors that he's interested in leaving at the end of this season to take over as coach of the Knicks _ did...

Change of Pace: Prep standout commits to Michigan.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mark Snyder DETROIT _ Andre Criswell is reversing his field. The Detroit Renaissance all-state dream team defensive end committed to Michigan after previously committing to Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan. "They want...

LB Decker gets offer from MSU.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mick McCabe DETROIT _ The invitation seemed like another courtesy call. Michigan State football coach John L. Smith invited Birmingham Brother Rice senior Adam Decker and his father, Mike, to campus last Thursday for a talk....

Rest assured, Hill's set to play.(The Orlando Sentinel)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Brian Schmitz ATLANTA_The e-mail asking about Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill came from Fargo, N.D. __ I'm sure you get a lot of e-mails from us fantasy dorks, but I'm sitting top 10 in a national contest that would pay...

Silas keeps realistic expectations with LeBron injured.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Brian Windhorst CLEVELAND _ Paul Silas calls himself an optimist and often displays such a happy-go-lucky, glass half-full persona. But when the cookie crumbles, the Cavaliers coach also is very much a realist. Which is...

No. 24 Temple wins 14th straight women's game.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mel Greenberg PHILADELPHIA _ The Temple women's basketball team desperately needed a player to step up Sunday in its Atlantic Ten Conference game against visiting Xavier. Forward Kamesha Hairston was that player. Hairston, a...

Purdue thrashes Michigan; Wolverines drop fourth straight.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
January 31, 2005... Byline: John Eligon WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. _ Their best player is suspended. They've used 11 different starting lineups because of injuries. And five of their first seven Big Ten games have been on the road. No doubt, times have been...

Some experts fear election's aftermath.(The Dallas Morning News)
January 31, 2005... Byline: Tod Robberson LONDON _ Election day offered Iraqis a chance to take stock of how far they've come in the 21 months since Saddam Hussein's dictatorship fell and yet be sobered by the amount of work still needed to heal their...

Fanning seeks her dream of working with De Niro.
January 31, 2005... Byline: Mike Szymanski At 10-years-old, Dakota Fanning is able to says she's done something that most actors aspire to their whole careers _ co-star in a movie with legendary method actor Robert De Niro. "He made me feel comfortable...