The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from April 2007

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from April 2007

Capsule for Monday's national championship basketball game.
April 1, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil FLORIDA (34-5) vs. OHIO STATE (35-3) What: NCAA Championship Game When: Monday (Telecast begins at 9 p.m. EDT) Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta. TV: CBS. History: Ohio State leads the series,...

Looking for a better championship game.
April 1, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi ATLANTA _ Saturday's national semifinals had memorable moments, but, like last year, these were not memorable games, despite all the talent on the Georgia Dome floor. The Ohio State-Georgetown game never had a flow...

`V' is for Vivian _ and victory.
April 1, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood CLEVELAND _ A quarter of a century is a long time to wait for a second opportunity, but that's how long it has taken C. Vivian Stringer to return to the NCAA women's championship game. Back in 1982, the NCAA...

Get better sound from your MP3 player.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Earphone roundup. POD PEOPLE: Eighty-eight million owners already love their iPods. This year, predicts the Consumer Electronics Association, another 41 million MP3 players of all brands (at least...

It's a win, but Dragons prove tough for Soul to slay.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Barkowitz Apr. 2--UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The Soul didn't beat the New York Dragons as much as it survived them. A prohibitive road favorite, the Soul played its sloppiest game of the year and won. Those who see the wall as...

Philadelphia Daily News, John Baer column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: John Baer Apr. 2--Well, well, well, Bigfoot is joining the race. I mean my 2007 Race to Reform, a contest between the state House and Senate to see which cleans up the Legislature -- and, in a larger sense, Pennsylvania...

Garcia's arrival: Drumroll, please.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 2--CLEARWATER, Fla. -- When Jimmy Rollins made waves by declaring the Phillies the new team to beat in the National League East, his manager, Charlie Manuel, wasn't surprised. He figured his players would be...

20 players worth the price of admission.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Vigna Apr. 2--In a season in which Phillies fans figure to flock to the ballpark just to see Ryan Howard and Chase Utley swing and Cole Hamels pitch, here are 20 other players around baseball (in no particular order) YOU DON'T...

20 story lines around baseball.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen Apr. 2--1 Barry Bonds: If he can stay off the disabled list and isn't tripped up by legal problems, he should get the 22 homers he needs to break Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755. But how will baseball celebrate the...

A postseason balancing act.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 2--CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Phillies are favorites! Rejoice! But remember: They have been here before, and recently. They were picked as a dark-horse club to unseat the Braves atop the National League East...

Former La Salle star Smith a developing situation.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Phil Jasner Apr. 2--He was a two-time Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year who went untouched in the NBA draft. He was a muscular 6-8 rookie forward who played impressively in two summer pro leagues but couldn't get a...

Lights, camera, HD.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 2--Let's hope there aren't any hoops fans in the KYW-TV newsroom -- or the engineering department. While the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game is steaming up on the station tonight, the "Eyewitness...

Philadelphia Daily News, Stu Bykofsky column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Stu Bykofsky Apr. 2--Just when you think American business, under the cloak of capitalism and competition, couldn't get any more scummy, Circuit City proves you wrong. When it laid off 3,400 Circuit City veterans -- 8 percent...

A closer for comfort.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Steve King Apr. 2--CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The title of Satchel Paige's autobiography is "Maybe I'll Pitch Forever." The legendary Negro Leagues star nearly did. He pitched in his first major league game at 42, and made one...

Mural with a message.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Damon C. Williams Apr. 2--Soon, the 17th Police District headquarters will get much more than a fresh coat of paint. Three of its walls at 20th and Federal streets will be adorned with a sweeping mural that was given the...

Philadelphia Daily News, Bill Conlin column.(Column)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Bill Conlin Apr. 2--TO A KID baseball fan growing up in Brooklyn with the biggest, baddest war of them all raging, the 1940s were a decade of slogans. We were exhorted to "Remember Pearl Harbor," to "Praise the Lord and Pass...

Editorial: The merger syndrome.(Editorial)
April 2, 2007... Apr. 2--The proposed merger of Independence Blue Cross and Highmark, which would create the third-largest health-care provider in the country, should be greeted with caution and handled with care. Lost in the fanfare of this long-expected...

Philadelphia Daily News, Stan Hochman column.(Column)
April 2, 2007... Byline: Stan Hochman Apr. 2--If there's a tripleplay today, Len Caprisecca will see it when it happens, watch it again two or three times on the big ballpark screen, and watch it again on Comcast SportsNet tonight. Caprisecca's...

Gators shoot for another.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil Apr. 2--ATLANTA -- The Gator Haters aren't entirely wrong. There is good reason to not like these people. The University of Florida has shanghaied college athletics, making everyone else, well, Gator bait....

Bisenius could be major contributor.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 2--Joe Bisenius hasn't packed his belongings just yet. With an eye toward the waiver wire and still hopeful of a trade, the Phillies yesterday submitted to Major League Baseball a 24-man roster instead of the...

Philadelphia Daily News, Urban Warrior column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Chris Brennan Apr. 2--Brian Lewis was leaving his apartment, heading to a gig as a disc jockey in January 2005, when three guys jumped him. Two of them pulled pistols. The men wanted his gear, including two CD mixers worth...

Murder & mayhem.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Regina Medina Apr. 2--The cold-hearted killer beat the woman to death, but didn't stop humiliating her, police said. After she was dead, he placed a plastic bag and red pillowcase over her head, then tied a wool scarf around...

Griffin a star for Suburbs.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ted Silary Apr. 2--Kyle Griffin knew long ago that all-star games are a different breed of basketball animal. Confirmation, yet again, came yesterday. Three seconds remained at Saint Joseph's University in the 20th annual...

Reconstruction era.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 2--CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jimmy Rollins wasn't sure about the number, but he knew the Phillies had undergone a major overhaul when he attended the funeral. Former third-base coach John Vukovich died March 8....

Young stars fueling ticket sales.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 2--It's not like when Billy Wagner, Jim Thome, Kevin Millwood and Eric Milton opened Citizens Bank Park, but it's something. The Phillies sold a record 23,000 season tickets for that 2004 edition, which...

Source: Wright not the man for Kentucky.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil Apr. 2--ATLANTA -- The Jay Wright-to-Kentucky rumors officially can be put to bed. A source told the Daily News that the Villanova coach isn't headed to the Bluegrass State and that Wright already has made...

Philadelphia Daily News, Dan Gross column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Dan Gross Apr. 2--Two CBS 3 staffers were detained Thursday by officers assigned to the Veterans Administration Hospital (39th & Woodland) for videotaping without permission. The pair were caught "in an area of the nursing...

Philadelphia Daily News, Dick Jerardi column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Apr. 2--ATLANTA -- Saturday's national semifinals had memorable moments, but, like last year, these were not memorable games, despite all the talent on the Georgia Dome floor. The Ohio State-Georgetown game never had a...

Philadelphia Daily News, Ed Moran column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Apr. 2--With the end of the Flyers' season coming this week, I sign off on my weekly hockey column with some random thoughts about the year, the past, the future and reaction to the debate of the past week, as in "to fight...

Philadelphia Daily News, John Smallwood column.
April 2, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood Apr. 2--CLEVELAND -- A quarter of a century is a long time to wait for a second opportunity, but that's how long it has taken C. Vivian Stringer to return to the NCAA women's championship game. Back in 1982, the...

Rash decision? Not the '07 theme.
April 2, 2007... Byline: Paul Vigna Apr. 2--Dan Stephenson, the Phillies' manager of video production, was preparing a commercial last September on the heels of Ryan Howard's three home-run day against the Braves. Hearing a call of one of the homers on...

Vols roar back to deny Tar Heels.
April 2, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood Apr. 2--CLEVELAND -- It was the cruel thing to do. The basketball gods took the University of North Carolina to the precipice and then bailed out on the Tar Heels just as they were about to clench their fists...

Fate whacks Tony & family.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Ellen Gray A lot's happened since we first met "The Sopranos" in January 1999, and not all of it's been about the whacking. Here's a look at how Tony and some of his nearest and dearest have fared: _Who: Tony Soprano...

Exit `Sopranos': HBO's mob show starts a long goodbye.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Ellen Gray "Is this it?" Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) asks her mobster husband as they're awakened by a furious banging on their door in the opening minutes of Sunday's "The Sopranos." Yep, this is it. Call it the seventh...

Philadelphia Daily News, Jenice Armstrong column.(Column)
April 3, 2007... Byline: Jenice Armstrong Apr. 3--Given America's baby daddy epidemic, it's hard to imagine that anyone would have the nerve to raise an objection to anything being done to get deadbeat dads to step up and do the right thing. But some...

Big-time fans enjoy opener.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Dan Geringer Apr. 3--His wife Amanda was due to give birth to their first child at any moment in Ship Bottom, N.J., but that did not keep Joe "No Last Name, Please!" from yesterday's Phillies home opener. Cheering with his...

Bullpen questions surface quickly.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 3--In the aftermath of the deflation on Opening Day, it might have been easy to blame the manager for the 5-3, 10-inning loss. Easy, but wrong. The argument could have been: You don't let starter Brett...

A bounce here or there might have led to win.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Paul Hagen Apr. 3--Little things? You don't have to tell Charlie Manuel about the little things and how they can cost you ballgames. No, sir. During the long, dark winter, the Phillies manager spent a lot of time dwelling on...

Condrey, Smith and Bisenius can be best described as 'relieved'.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 3--Clay Condrey, the veteran, hoped to avoid starting a ninth season in the minors. Matt Smith, the lefty, hoped his slider would arrive in time for his first big-league Opening Day. Joe Bisenius hoped...

Duquesne's heroes win at game of life.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil Apr. 3--ATLANTA -- Every time he looks out of his dormitory window at Duquesne University, Kieron Achara sees it. The school's student union, once just another innocuous hub of activity, will forever be a...

Iguodala feeling the mileage.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Phil Jasner Apr. 3--His back is sore, his shooting percentage is down, he feels the contact a little more than usual. For the first time in his nearly three seasons with the 76ers, Andre Iguodala is tired after games. If being the...

2 bizmen sentenced in pay-to-play cases.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Michael Hinkelman Apr. 3--Two Philadelphia businessmen who succumbed to the same temptation -- pay-to-play politics at City Hall -- were sentenced to prison yesterday in separate cases. Both Louis Chartock and Joseph C....

Philadelphia Daily News, Sam Donnellon column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Sam Donnellon Apr. 3--You want to be steadfast in your support. You want to be as optimistic as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel when you see the 10 Phillies hits in yesterday's box score, accentuating the opportunities those...

Archdiocese to celebrate.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Christine Olley Apr. 3--The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced yesterday it will begin a yearlong jubilee at Easter Sunday Mass in the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul to observe the 200th anniversary of its founding. ...

EDITORIAL: City's woes not the church's cross to bear.(Editorial)
April 3, 2007... Apr. 3--It's not that we don't think this city needs prayers. It does -- lots of them. But after reading a new report from Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board on the region's labor supply, we think the 5,400 people who packed Enon...

Philadelphia Daily News, Bernard Fernandez column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Bernard Fernandez Apr. 3--It is not a done deal. No negotiations have taken place. All there is now is a seed of an idea, planted (by me) in the fertile soil of spring. Will it blossom in the fall? Who the heck knows? Try this...

Philadelphia Daily News, Ellen Gray column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Ellen Gray Apr. 3--The Sopranos. 9 p.m. Sunday, HBO. 'Is this it?" Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco) asks her mobster husband as they're awakened by a furious banging on their door in the opening minutes of Sunday's "The Sopranos."...

Philadelphia Daily News, Dan Gross column.(Column)
April 3, 2007... Byline: Dan Gross Apr. 3--Five years ago Bethany Watson was crowned Miss Philadelphia on the stage of Drexel's Mandell Theater. Saturday night, she got engaged on the same stage. Watson served as co-host of the 2007 Miss Philadelphia...

Philadelphia Daily News, Rich Hofmann column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann Apr. 3--Charlie Manuel said he told Chase Utley what might be coming about 10 days ago, and he told Ryan Howard on Sunday. And then the Phillies' manager played his first card of the 2007 baseball season, his first...

Philadelphia Daily News, Dick Jerardi column.(Column)
April 3, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Apr. 3--ATLANTA -- When you do it once, you celebrate. When you do it twice, everybody celebrates. In a sport that has become more transient than at any time in its history, what Florida has done the last two...

Court upholds city law limiting mayoral donations.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Catherine Lucey & Bob Warner Apr. 3--Another critical issue in the Philadelphia mayor's race -- whether the candidates will be able to solicit six-figure donations from unions, law firms, political-action committees and other...

Cops: Killed old lover to make way for new one.
April 3, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta & Regina Medina Apr. 3--Eric Johnson had a problem. His new girlfriend was supposed to come to town last week, but his old flame was still in the mix, sharing a home with him in Port Richmond. With little...

Oden at point of no return.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Apr. 3--ATLANTA -- Once upon a time, Michigan's Fab Five returned as one and made an encore run as their one shining moment. Conventional wisdom suggests Ohio State will not get a similar mulligan. Certainly, all...

Gator than the rest.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil Apr. 3--ATLANTA -- Asked on Sunday what it would mean to win back-to-back national championships, Joakim Noah politely declined. The Florida junior, rarely at a loss for words, felt it was inappropriate to...

Ryan Parent might make surprise debut tonight.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Apr. 3--Life has been moving kind of fast this year for Ryan Parent. The defensive prospect who just turned 20 won a gold medal with Canada in the World Junior Championships, then was the key Flyers acquisition in the...

OPINION: Everybody cares ... but here's what we can do.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Elmer Smith Apr. 3--"The mayor doesn't care. The police commissioner doesn't care. Nobody cares." Whether it's children writing to our editorial pages or neighborhood people bemoaning the escalating wave of violence in our...

Philadelphia Daily News, Jill Porter column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Jill Porter Apr. 3--When Charles Faust allegedly stole a property belonging to a former city housing official, he wasn't shy about it. When he filed the phony deed transferring the property to himself, he smiled right into the...

Timbaland and friends go for 'Shock Value'.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 3--While "killing you with these beats" behind dozens of smash hits, and making a fortune for his efforts, producer Timbaland doesn't think he gets his due. "What do you know about me? Not a damn thing," he...

Philadelphia Daily News, John Smallwood column.
April 3, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood Apr. 3--CLEVELAND -- University of Tennessee coach Pat Summitt has won a record six NCAA Division I women's basketball championships, but she's also coached in the national championship game five other times and been...

'Every child must go to school'.
April 3, 2007... Byline: Mensah M. Dean Apr. 3--With the bravado of a general preparing to lead soldiers into battle, Mayor Street yesterday swore in 71 new parent truant officers to combat the city school district's chronic truancy problem. "Getting...

Steps on the long road to end violence.
April 3, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta Apr. 3--Against the backdrop of a soaring triple-digit homicide tally, some of the Police Department's top brass put on their uniforms and took to the streets last night. About 30 commanders -- from captains to...

Hairston wants to make history for Owls in pros.
April 3, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood Apr. 3--CLEVELAND -- Kamesha Hairston had hoped to play in her home state this past weekend in the women's NCAA Final Four. A three-time all-city selection at Bowser High in Toledo, Ohio, Hairston turned down...

Baylor's Mosby finds comfort in basketball, God.
April 3, 2007... Byline: John Smallwood CLEVELAND _ Sometimes, Bernice Mosby says, she is still overcome by grief. It can happen in quiet moments, when she's sitting alone and the emotions come sweeping back. She was eight years old when the news first...

Hopkins vs. Holyfield a boxing writer's dream.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ It is not a done deal. No negotiations have taken place. All there is now is a seed of an idea, planted (by me) in the fertile soil of spring. Will it blossom in the fall? Who the heck knows? ...

The Tiger Woods effect.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Rich Hofmann The walk up the 18th fairway that day was outrageous. Then again, the whole weekend had been. In April of 1997, Tiger Woods humbled Augusta National and seized his sport by the throat simultaneously. He bludgeoned the...

Tiger Woods: that `kid' grew on us quickly.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi It was a late August Sunday in 1994 when the remote began to pass idly over the channels. There, something looked familiar. It was the TPC at Sawgrass where I had been eight months before. What's going on there? ...

Redefining the perfect `10'.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern ___ "Now is not the height of Tigermania. The challenge will be for him to sustain it and challenge the records of Nicklaus, Palmer and Hogan . . . He seems to have the ability to set a target, and do what he sets...

Ten reasons there's only one Tiger.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern So, what makes Tiger as unreal as he is? With apologies to "Late Night," here's our Top 10 reasons, one for each year he's been playing, in no particular order: APPROACH We're not talking about who hits the best...

Moving wall has far-reaching results.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Marcus Hayes Apr. 4--Theoretically, it will cost the Phillies about $200,000 per season in lost attendance revenue to take away 30 home runs. They consider it money well spent. In order to raise and deepen the leftfield...

Philadelphia Daily News, Bill Conlin column.(Column)
April 4, 2007... Byline: Bill Conlin Apr. 4--When I'm King of the World . . . A luxury wing will be built at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to honor the game's most special breed of batsman: The No. 3 hitter . . . It will pay homage to the great...

Milt expects his candidacy to end today in Harrisburg.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Mark McDonald Apr. 4--Milton Street said his quest for an at-large seat on City Council will come to an end today in Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg through what he called "sleazeball stuff." But the attorney representing the...

Kentucky can wait.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Dick Jerardi Apr. 4--ATLANTA -- Last year, the questions were about the players. This year, the questions are about the players -- and the coach. There are no questions about Florida's place in the new world of college basketball....

EDITORIAL: Breaking the mold.(Editorial)
April 4, 2007... Apr. 4--It's about time the state was elbowed out of the city's business. So we applaud the Commonwealth Court's decision, by a 6-1 vote, to uphold the city's ability to regulate its own elections and impose campaign-contribution limits....

Euros haven't cashed in at Augusta.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Apr. 4--AUGUSTA, Ga. -- So, whatever happened to the European invasion? Other than kicking U.S. butt every other year in the Ryder Cup, they have sort of been an endangered species of late. Which wasn't always the case....

Flyers end road schedule with OT loss.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Apr. 4--TORONTO -- As the final week of the season winds down, the Flyers closed out their road campaign and flew the team charter home to be put away until next season. They were better overall away from the Wachovia...

Source: Colts free-agent safety Doss may pay Eagles a visit.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Les Bowen Apr. 4--Strong safety Mike Doss is scheduled to visit the Eagles this afternoon, a team source confirmed. That is, Doss will visit the Eagles if he doesn't sign with the Minnesota Vikings, who entertained the...

Tiger's tournament that got away.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Mike Kern Apr. 4--AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Last April, for the fourth time, Tiger Woods returned to Augusta National as the defending champion. He also came with the knowledge that his father Earl was about to lose a prolonged battle with...

Ball bounces, car speeds, a little girl hurt.
April 4, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta Apr. 4--It was a perfect day for kids to be outside playing -- sunny and warm, a taste of summer in early spring. Little Aniya Poplar and her cousins tried to stick to the pavement in front of her grandmother's...

Hatcher is closing in on 1,000th career game.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Ed Moran Apr. 4--TORONTO -- Derian Hatcher said he wouldn't have played if he was too sore. But there is still one thing to consider. The veteran defenseman is two games away from playing in his 1,000 NHL game, a career...

Philadelphia Daily News, Jonathan Takiff column.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Apr. 4--APPLE OPENS THE DOOR . . . A CRACK: Apple's agreement with the EMI music conglomerate to sell tune downloads unburdened by DRM (digital rights management) software is good news for gearheads. Without...

Big labor opts not to endorse.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Catherine Lucey Apr. 4--With a wide-open Democratic mayoral primary looming, the city's biggest labor force has decided not to endorse a candidate. Former carpenter U.S. Rep. Bob Brady had lobbied hard for backing from the...

Killer ends her search for a life.
April 4, 2007... Byline: David Gambacorta Apr. 4--Jean Jackson was a lost soul, looking for someone or something to believe in. She had a rough start to life -- the youngest of seven from a broken home, sent off to live in foster care in Massachusetts....

Police question man in Shore murders.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Wendy Ruderman Apr. 4--What was starting to look like a cold case -- the apparent slaying of four Atlantic City prostitutes found together in a ditch near a seedy motel last November -- heated up again yesterday with news that...

N.J. sex sting nabs school-bus driver from Philly.
April 4, 2007... Byline: Regina Medina Apr. 4--Her name was Casey and she said she was 13. That didn't stop 28 men from trying to get their hands on her. Casey is really 18 and she was the lure when the men showed up at her house in Mantoloking,...