The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from August 2004

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from August 2004

Pasta sauce with a KISS.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I enjoy your show very much! Could you please share your homemade (quick) pasta sauce? I usually make my own with homegrown tomatoes, basil, fresh garlic, olive oil and a few bay leaves. Thanks so...

So much for `Let's Make a Deal' in Philly.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _The Cubs got Nomar. Ed Wade got nowhere. . . This column is directed to you, Dave Montgomery. I've known you since you joined the Phillies' front office in 1971, when Veterans Stadium was new and we...

Black chick lit gets chic.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Yvonne Dennis PHILADELPHIA _ Moping and man-bashing are out. Erotica, not as hot as it used to be. Sure, African-American women still want sex in their literature, but now apparently they want it packaged within chic,...

Johnson pulls off Pocono sweep.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman LONG POND, Pa. _ Jimmie Johnson is the main mountain man. Johnson's victory in Sunday's Pennsylvania 500 gained him the "Pocono power" award: a sweep of this year's two NASCAR Nextel Cup races at Pocono Raceway....

Stewart accepts crash without blame.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman LONG POND, Pa. _ Racing fans who have developed a dislike for Tony Stewart this season were temporarily rewarded Sunday. Just past the midpoint of the 200-lap race, Stewart exited Turn 1 between Kurt Busch on...

Owens gives fans something to cheer about.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ It was the first one-on-one drill of the afternoon, right in front of the packed grandstand at Lehigh. Terrell Owens high-stepped off the line, grabbed a couple fistfuls of Lito Sheppard, tossed Sheppard...

Trotter will be one to watch in camp.
August 2, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ Don't ask me where, but I'm sure that someplace besides Philadelphia there is a reserve linebacker receiving as much attention as Jeremiah Trotter. Still, the saga of the prodigal linebacker and...

Coming this month: New from Ray Charles, LL Cool J and more.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Ray Charles' swan song and LL Cool J's latest, plus potent packages from newcomers Mark Broussard and A Girl Called Eddy top the crowded August album release schedule. ___ AUG. 3: Sweet Sensations: On...

New photo printers take PC out of the picture.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMOS: Portable photo printers from Canon, Olympus and Epson. WIRELESS AT LAST: There's a new breed of high-quality, super-small photo printers that connect directly to a digital camera, cutting the PC out...

You might feel like you've been played after watching `The Player'.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray Just when you thought there was nothing new that could be done with "reality" dating shows, UPN comes along and proves it. Taking a page from nearly every show that's gone before it, "The Player" Tuesday sets out to...

Greene needs a dose of sprinting humility for proper perspective.
August 3, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ It takes a humble athlete to get the word "GOAT" tattooed on his arm. Unless, of course, you're talking about sprinter Maurice Greene, for whom GOAT, written within the mane of a lion, means...

Date's on the wagon. Can she still sip?
August 3, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I recently started dating a man who is in Alcoholics Anonymous. He's been clean for 10 years, so I'm not worried about him falling off the wagon. Here's my dilemma: When is it OK for me to have a drink in front of...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
August 3, 2004

Two defendants in Philadelphia's 'pay-to-play' corruption case to plead guilty.
August 3, 2004

Coming this month: New from Ray Charles, LL Cool J and more.
August 4, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Ray Charles' swan song and LL Cool J's latest, plus potent packages from newcomers Mark Broussard and A Girl Called Eddy top the crowded August album release schedule. ___ AUG. 3: Sweet Sensations: On...

Fencer plans a seed and watches young talent grow.
August 4, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood A tree grows in Brooklyn, and apparently so will world-class fencers as long as the seed is planted. In fact, in the 13 years since he opened his foundation at the Fencers Club in Manhattan, Olympic bronze...

Philadelphia pushes plans to enliven parkway.
August 4, 2004

Chappelle speaks out about slights, stress and the price of success.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray When Dave Chappelle says he's undergoing an "altitude" adjustment, he's not entirely joking. At not quite 31, the star of Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" is either a latecomer to TV success or one of those...

Big water rate increase may be on tap for Philadelphia residents.
August 5, 2004

Dawkins injury may not be crucial with Hart as backup.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ It was the hit of training camp so far, and it came at an auspicious time. Minutes after free safety Brian Dawkins walked off the field to get a left knee MRI, having hyperextended the knee in a...

Philadelphia duck boats battle for tourist trade.
August 5, 2004

Let's can this mush and have some real ads.
August 6, 2004... Byline: John M. Baer Hope you see what's going on. The race for president is dissolving into mush. Vacuous new TV ads produced and aired for millions and millions and millions of dollars (what a waste!) offer the following: A...

Author produces fascinating look at Negro leagues.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Stan Hochman PHILADELPHIA _ Jackie Robinson played shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs, a Negro league team, in 1945. Gloomily. Bolted before the season ended. Branch Rickey signed him for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Made history...

CBS team settles into new roles.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman NEW YORK _ When CBS Sports announced that Jim Nantz and Greg Gumbel were trading NFL broadcasting jobs, the general reaction was: Why? Gumbel and Phil Simms were CBS' top NFL-voices pairing. They had described...

Tom, help us on college $$.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Ronnie Polaneczky Last week, anonymous colleagues of Tom Ridge told the Associated Press he hoped to leave his Homeland Security gig after the November election because, among other reasons, he needed to earn college-tuition money...

On terrorism, we're adapting, not winning.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Jill Porter It's tempting to wax triumphant about the nation's calm response to the most recent terrorist warning. People showed up for work in the targeted buildings in Washington and New York. The stock market didn't plunge. Life...

Bowa's past as player irrelevant when determining his future.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen Random thoughts while waiting for the Philadelphia Phillies to end their longest road trip of the season... _Maybe Larry Bowa will be fired. Maybe he'll dodge another bullet. But any debate on the subject that refers...

Once powerful U.S. looks to regain its footing in Olympic ring.
August 7, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Americans prefer to see this country at the forefront of just about everything, and for a long while in Olympic boxing that air of smug superiority was justified. In the 1960, '64 and '68...

Bush approves disaster aid for Philadelphia, surrounding areas.
August 7, 2004

Neighborhood housing agency battles Philadelphia over finances.
August 7, 2004

The Chef's Table: Family wants more goo in the oatmeal cookies.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: First off, I want to say I really enjoy your show. That said, I'm hoping you can help me out. I really enjoy baking and my family loves the flavors of the oatmeal cookies that I make. However, they...

High-def lowdown on conventions, Olympics.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Scoping out an HDTV view of the political conventions and the Summer Olympics. THE BIG PICTURE: Viewers of live, high-definition televised events have learned that you sometimes have to give a little...

Jon Cryer says shed no tears for sitcoms.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray There are people who'll try to tell you that the sitcom is dead, but Jon Cryer isn't buying it. And why should he? As the actor who plays Charlie Sheen's nebbishy divorced brother on CBS' "Two and a Half Men,"...

Eagles treading on perilous ground with Kearse.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ Jevon Kearse spotted the Comcast SportsNet camera following his progress as he walked toward the parking lot late Monday afternoon, a beige Ace bandage covering his left ankle. Kearse immediately broke...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
August 10, 2004

Ridge not the same leader he was before.
August 10, 2004... Byline: John M. Baer What's happened to Tom Ridge? I always liked him. Liked his story: born poor, scholarship to Harvard, combat in Vietnam, Congress, governor, a good soldier who answered a post-Sept. 11 call to take an impossible...

Her Bush backing has got him down.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: My girlfriend is a beautiful, intelligent woman. We've been dating for about six months and have a great sex life. But a few weeks ago, I learned that she voted for Bush! And she's going to again! I can't handle...

`Trading Spouses,' `Wife Swap'; how did it get to this?
August 11, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray Come November, I'd like to see Teresa Heinz Kerry living in the White House. Or maybe even on a ranch in Crawford, Texas. Either way, I think the would-be first lady should spend a couple of those post-election...

What's three more weeks for an ancient city?
August 11, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ Construction of the Acropolis, also known as the "Sacred Rock," began in 510 B.C. as a province to the ancient gods of myth. Sitting 500 feet above the city of Athens, it serves as a historical reminder...

Swimming notes.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Never mind the fancy venues, the crowds of people, the worldwide television audience. At least, Brendan Hansen is trying not to. "When you think of the Olympics, you build it up as a really big thing,"...

Michael Phelps draws spotlight to swimming.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ In the iconic picture, Mark Spitz remains forever young. Smile on his face, seven Olympics gold medals hanging neatly from around his neck. It represented a high-water mark for swimming in the United States. ...

Camp T.O. puts less pressure on McNabb.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ Yes, there were ankle and thumb injuries, and they certainly figured heavily in Donovan McNabb's early struggles last season. But now, viewing 2003 from a distance, McNabb can acknowledge there was...

Owens explains comments made to Playboy.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen BETHLEHEM, Pa. _ This is part of what life with Terrell Owens will be like for the Eagles. Owens appeared on schedule in the media tent at Lehigh Tuesday, the same day his remarks in an upcoming issue of Playboy...

There's safety in numbers at Olympics.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen The lecturer, a former British Marine, was dead serious. He had been hired to educate a group of reporters who are covering the Olympics on all the dangers that could await them. Terrorists, he warned, do their...

Ads on black radio dub Kerry `whishy-washy rich white politician'.
August 12, 2004... Byline: Chris Brennan PHILADELPHIA _ A Washington nonprofit group with ties to the Republican Party is airing radio ads in nine cities, asking if U.S. Sen. John Kerry takes "the black community for granted?" The four ads _ one calls...

Philly has ties to 4 Olympics basketball players.
August 12, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ With Dawn Staley making her third Olympics and Allen Iverson competing in his first, Philadelphia is well represented in basketball. But two non-American players are also holding up the banner Philly...

Dawn Staley and basketball, a partnership for life.
August 12, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ In hindsight, Dawn Staley probably shouldn't have been surprised. Wednesday night, when she walked into a meeting with 13 other U.S. Olympic Team captains, she never thought that she would walk out as...

Carter would never hit Hilton, former girlfriend says.
August 12, 2004... Byline: Dan Gross Angi Taylor says the Nick Carter who would have hit Paris Hilton is not the one she dated. The morning co-host at Q-102 in Philadelphia went out with the Backstreet Boys singer in 2002 and doesn't buy the New York...

Yu-Gi-Oh-No: New film reaffirms drive to turn kids into gamblers.
August 12, 2004... Byline: Gary Thompson As the father of a 7-year-old boy, I spend more time than is wise (say, 10 seconds) watching a cartoon TV show called "Yu-Gi-Oh!" It's a work of Japanimation whose characters, apparently modeled after '70s...

Barry Bonds, in a different body, makes presence felt.
August 13, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ Philadelphia doesn't host much royalty. England's Prince of Wales visited us on Oct. 9, 1860. The emperor and empress of Brazil showed up May 10, 1876, for the dedication of the Centennial International...

Phillies not built for longterm playoff success.
August 13, 2004... Byline: Marcus Hayes PHILADELPHIA _ Not everyone picked the Phillies to win the National League East and roll into their first World Series in more than a decade. Not everyone believed that a team with questions in the lineup and in...

Iverson, U.S. teammates eager to get started.
August 13, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ To answer the cynical question, yes, Allen Iverson was late for his first Olympic media conference _ nearly 45 minutes late as a matter of fact. Then again so were head coach Larry Brown, co-captain Tim...

Greece puts on display of art, majesty that spans thousands of years.
August 13, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ Drexel University President Dr. Constantine Papadakis could afford to poke a little fun at his native Greece's notorious reputation for procrastination. It was a day before the Opening Ceremonies of the...

A town makes amends with the `Say Hey Kid'.
August 14, 2004... Byline: Mark Kram HAGERSTOWN, Md. _ A tear came to his eye. Hall of Famer Willie Mays had not known what to expect when he came back to Hagerstown, only that it was entrenched in his psyche as a place that he never intended to revisit....

Hopkins family all about the bouts.
August 14, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ "Those huffy Hopkinses" sounds like the title for a sitcom pilot about bickering relatives who, petty squabbles aside, really do share a bond of affection. You won't find it on your fall...

Youngest Chinese sensation `got game'.
August 15, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ Perhaps this is going to be an Olympic cycle thing for Chinese basketball. Four years ago in Sydney, the "literally" big story out of China was that of then 19-year-old Yao Ming, a 7-foot-5 giant who...

New York makes its pitch for 2012 Games.
August 15, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ And the race is on... No, not running or swimming or biking for a gold medal. For the biggest Olympic prize there is. New York, London, Paris and Moscow all held news conferences Sunday to explain why...

Yes, U.S. basketball team can sink lower.
August 15, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _The scariest thing for the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team is that what happened Sunday night might not be rock bottom. The way the ""Dream Team for Everybody Else in these Olympics" performed Sunday...

Allegedly robbed of gold, Pa. swimmer takes silver in 100-meter breaststroke.
August 15, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Heart-tugging disappointment always makes for a good story. There's nothing like a good, old-fashioned, we-wuz-rubbed controversy to get people's attention, though. Brendan Hansen's second-place finish in...

8 golds no longer a possibility for Phelps.
August 15, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Glug, glug, glug. Michael Phelps isn't going to win eight swimming gold medals in the Olympics. And the United States men's team won't live up to its loftiest expectations. Those hopes _ and Phelps...

The Chef's Table: Powdered vs. confectioners' sugar? No difference.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I hope this isn't a stupid question. I have some cookbooks that call for powdered sugar and others that call for confectioners' sugar. Aren't they the same? If not, how are they different? _...

Don't let the Phillies off the hook.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ You're like me. You've been asking since Opening Day, "What's not to like about the Money Pit? What's not to like about Citizens Bank Park?" Who could dislike the Phillies' Jewel of Denial? It's...

Emotional day for Smarty Jones followers.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Dick Jerardi BENSALEM, Pa. _ If you didn't know better, you would have sworn Smarty Jones was getting ready to run in the fourth race Saturday at Philadelphia Park. Outside the colt's stall in Barn 11, the Smarty crew was nervously...

Iverson feels his global impact.
August 16, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ Not that Allen Iverson has lost focus on why he is here, but he'd like to make more of his first Olympic experience. On those rare occasions when he might get a break from practice or games with the...

Time to hit the notebooks on the electronics aisle.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMOS: Back-to-school specials. Student life has really gone high-tech. Notebook computers have replaced spiral notebooks on most student shopping lists. And no self-respecting student hits campus without a...

Phelps takes bronze in 200-meter freestyle.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ This time, the New York Jets didn't beat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. This time, the underdog U.S. hockey team didn't shock the mighty Russians at Lake Placid in 1980. This...

Americans get back on winning track in Olympic pool.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Sometimes it's all about getting in the right frame of mind. After winning the semifinal of the men's 200 meter butterfly, Great Britain's Stephen Parry was asked how he had motivated himself before the race....

University vice president chosen for Pennsylvania's Gaming Control Board.
August 16, 2004

Terrell Owens takes cold and calculating approach.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ When the subject of Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens was raised to Terrell Owens on Monday _ in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th questions of...

These `girls' are a little too close.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray One of the many perks of this job is that when I see something on TV that bugs me, tossing the remote at the screen isn't my only option. OK, sadly, I can do little about the apparently stunted growth of those U.S....

Craving more imagination: She's had her fill of dinner.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I usually try to let the guy take the lead and plan the first date, which means it's invariably in the dinner or drinks department. And I'm so bored with cocktail bars, I could scream. Is there a way to ask a guy...

`The Reunion,' airing Wednesday on ABC.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray It's not easy writing about television this week if you're not writing about the Olympics. Tens of millions who abandoned the broadcast networks this summer are back, and like me, probably spending more time...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
August 17, 2004

Polanco works wonders at 3rd base.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Marcus Hayes PHILADELPHIA _ As an understudy, Placido Polanco starred. Polanco moved from second base and replaced injured third baseman David Bell after Bell lost the past week's worth of games to back spasms. Polanco played...

Brown's complaints about roster input sound a bit hollow.
August 17, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ Allen Iverson gave a damning indictment on the state of United States basketball the other day. Sitting with his baby son, Isaiah, on his knee, Iverson said he hoped that the way that the other teams in...

Bowa's future with Phillies on shaky ground.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Marcus Hayes PHILADELPHIA _ The question is as old as sport: When a team underachieves, should you blame the head or the body? Usually, the head gets replaced because the body occupies more space. And so, as the Phillies'...

Baseball owners talk Montreal Expos.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ It's a golly-gee great time in baseball again. No talk of impending apocalypses or of teams hemorrhaging dough. No unrest about leadership either. As they began their two days of meetings here...

NASCAR needs to tweak new `Chase' format.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman PHILADELPHIA _ Point taken. At this stage of a NASCAR Nextel Cup season, I never thought that each week I'd be checking the points for Cup drivers within sight of the 10th and final place for the Chase for the...

Eagles depending on Johnson.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ As is his custom, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson made his way up the steps to the auditorium stage, spoke plainly and returned to work _ happy enough to do the interview, happy enough to be...

A modern-day Greek tragedy.
August 18, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood ATHENS _ According to mythology, the near-invincible Greek warrior Achilles tied the slain body of his great foe Hector to the back of his chariot and dragging it around the walls of Troy. Desecrating Hector's...

Hansen comes up short in 200-meter breaststroke.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Disappointment had been his fuel. After Brendan Hansen narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympic team four years ago, he realized he never wanted to have that feeling again. "It's like your dog died," he...

U.S. women shatter 17-year-old record.
August 18, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen ATHENS _ Swimming records don't usually last much longer than the average movie plays in your local Cineplex. Improvements in training, technique and nutrition have allowed the athletes to swim faster and faster. ...

Electoral College holds key to election, again.
August 19, 2004... Byline: John Baer Want a good picture of where the race for president stands today? Might surprise you. Forget about the many national polls showing a close up-and-down John Kerry/George Bush contest. State polls are fun,...

Lewis vs. Owens should be a Friday night showcase.
August 19, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch WESTMINSTER, Md. _ Like my boy tells me, if it looks like disrespect and smells like disrespect, by golly, it is disrespect. As far as the Baltimore Ravens are concerned, that's exactly what this blood feud with...