The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) articles from June 2001

The Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA) archives from June 2001

Player: A careful comparison of Woods, Nicklaus.
June 1, 2001... Byline: Mike Kern PRINCETON, N.J. _ Gary Player says Jack Nicklaus is still the best golfer he ever saw. And he should know, since their careers paralleled. Player also says Tiger Woods is the best 24-year-old golfer there has ever been....

The creme de la creme for the video-game obsessed.
June 1, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Takiff GIZMO: New-generation video game hardware/software debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. BLASTOFF TIME: Forget "Pearl Harbor." The biggest "war" happening in the entertainment industry this year will be...

Coming in June: STP, Radiohead, The Cult, Bilal.
June 3, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Takiff June delivers a banner crop of new CD releases from rockers STP, Radiohead and The Cult, teen queens Mandy Moore and Jessica Simpson, alt-country great Lucinda Williams and neo soul sensation Bilal. JUNE 5 ...

Kobe ready for return to Philly.
June 4, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon LOS ANGELES _ Out with the conspiracy theories. In with talk about dominance and dynasties and gritty gladiators. Kobe Bryant is coming back home next weekend, friends, family and foes, bringing with him...

Sixers beat Bucks, 108-91, to advance to NBA Finals.
June 4, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ They were raging bulls, the 60-year-old coach from New York, the 25-year-old guard from Hampton, Va. The coach who insisted his players do everything the right way, the rebellious kid who said he had his...

The Answer delivers.
June 4, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ There were 42 precious ticks left on the clock, and Allen Iverson was enveloped in his glory. This special act of bonding between the NBA's Most Valuable Player and the fans of the 76ers has become a...

Doubted deals has deliver Sixers, Mutombo to the NBA Finals.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ Honestly, what was your reaction when the Sixers shipped Theo Ratliff to Atlanta for Dikembe Mutombo? The majority of fans were disappointed with the six-player, Feb. 22 deal. True, Ratliff had a...

Are you ready to Mutombo?
June 5, 2001... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ Want to be like Dikembe Mutombo and master several tongues? Here are some phrases to get you started: X X X "We're No. 1" Spanish: Somos numero uno French: Nous sommes le numero un ...

Mark Burnett: The ultimate `Survivor'.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Ellen Gray From the collective yawn that's greeted allegations that "Survivor" executive producer Mark Burnett outwitted, outplayed and outlasted his own contestants, you might think few people care that television's most popular...

With a fresh perspective, Kobe finds new success.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. _ It's a trivial thing, except that nothing in Kobe Bryant's fishbowl of a life is trivial. He was at the movies Sunday when Allen Iverson was burying the Bucks. He and his new wife, Vanessa,...

Lynch nears decision on rejoining 76ers.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ Tuesday in a park in Manhattan Beach, Calif., George Lynch planned to determine whether he could rejoin the 76ers in the NBA Finals. Lynch, the Sixers' starting small forward until breaking the fifth...

Mutombo must contain Shaq.
June 5, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ When you're 7-2, you aren't afraid of giants _ even jolly purple-and-gold ones. So despite his impending showdown with Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal in the NBA Finals, Dikembe Mutombo...

Devils beat Avalanche, 3-2.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Les Bowen DENVER _ Silence reigned inside the Pepsi Center. New Jersey Devils forward John Madden had just calmly hopped over Rob Blake's desperate stick-slide, deked Patrick Roy and stuffed the puck under Roy's left skate. ...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In Column.
June 5, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Jun. 5--The creme de la creme for the video-game obsessed GIZMO: New-generation video game hardware/software debuted at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. BLASTOFF TIME: Forget "Pearl Harbor." The biggest...

Phillies blanked by Mets.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ It probably is a little early to call the crisis hotline. After all, the Phils still are 14 games over .500, and still hold a five-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. ...

Abreu heating up in the batter's box.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ Bobby Abreu seems to have put his early-season hitting slump in the rearview mirror. Abreu, whose average was an anemic .229 on May 22, has been on a two-week tear that has brought it back up to...

Phillies trade Byrd to Royals.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Paul Byrd wasn't going to pound his fist on Ed Wade's desk, scream until his face turned Phillies red, make demands. He was just going to calmly explain, during Tuesday's appointment with the general...

Phillies opt for Floyd in first round.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ What are the odds? The Phillies deployed dozens of scouts across the continent over the last few months, blanketing every city and hamlet. They spent countless hours making their list and checking it...

Bucks fined for conspiracy theories.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ The price of conspiracy theories skyrocketed Tuesday. For the Milwaukee Bucks organization: $50,000. For Bucks coach George Karl: $25,000. For Bucks star guard Ray Allen: $10,000. Those...

Breaking down the Sixers-Lakers series on paper.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ In the midst of the wild celebration in the locker room Sunday night, 76ers coach Larry Brown paused momentarily, running his fingers across his tie. "The widow of John Lotz, a former North Carolina...

Brown says the joke's on him, not Jackson.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann LOS ANGELES _ Remember a couple of weeks ago when Sixers coach Larry Brown went on Philadelphia's WIP radio and ripped into Lakers coach Phil Jackson? It started after Allen Iverson won the MVP award and Jackson...

Keys to open wins in NBA Finals.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Dick Jerardi X X X 1. CONTROL THE LANE Neither team is that strong from outside. The Sixers' Aaron McKie and the Lakers' Derek Fisher, and sometimes Rick Fox, are the best shooters from long range. And none of them takes a...

Lynch wants to play in Finals.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ George Lynch, the 76ers' injured starting small forward, was cleared to try some light shooting Tuesday. Wednesday, he might be permitted to test his healing left foot with some defensive slides. ...

Sixers head west with confidence.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ Imagine this: A team that won 56 games during the regular season, that earned the No. 1 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, that includes the NBA's Most Valuable Player, the leading scorer, the...

Lakers seek a place in history.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon LOS ANGELES _ A familiar song on "Sesame Street" begins like this: "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong... " As the song is sung, a grouping is shown: a diamond, a...

Sixers seek to add to memorable upsets.
June 6, 2001... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ They've limped, hobbled and wheezed through three rounds of the playoffs, surviving more close calls than Richard Hatch on that rat-infested island. Now the never-say-die 76ers go up against the...

Sixers have too much to overcome.
June 6, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ You are a fax, and it is your nature to believe. And why not? The Sixers already have defied so many odds and overcome so many obstacles that it's easy to believe there's one more magical...

Phillies defeat Mets.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ I'll tell you what this is about," Larry Bowa rasped, his voice rising an octave in his excitement. "This is a game you'd like to have Pedro Martinez on the mound. That's what this is about. "Or Roger...

Phillies take another Floyd.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Not that the Phillies would do anything to try to unduly influence young Gavin Floyd, the 18-year-old righthander they drafted with the fourth overall pick in the draft on Tuesday, you understand. Not...

Lakers' empire takes its first hit of 2001.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon LOS ANGELES _ Ten minutes before tipoff, the chant began in section 320. Two seconds later, the chant died in section 320. "Sweep, sweep, sweep . . . " They never got four in a row. Call it fate. ...

Sixers pull a surprise in Game 1.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ The 76ers probably don't see the enormity of it all. They never have. They know themselves as no one else does. Only they know what's really left in their tank. Only they know how much of what's on...

George Lynch hoping to return for Game 4 but remains wary.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ George Lynch is working overtime searching for balance between patience and frustration. But either way, he's not ready to resume playing for the 76ers. Lynch, the starting small forward all season,...

O'Neal does his part, except free throws.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Marcus Hayes LOS ANGELES _ What more can the Daddy do? Make another free throw, perchance. Shaquille O'Neal, a k a the Shaq Daddy, asserted his dominance and carried the Lakers Wednesday night. But he missed 11 free throws,...

David Stern playing waiting game with Jordan, too.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann LOS ANGELES _ Because even the NBA commissioner "doesn't tell Michael what to do," David Stern said Wednesday he hadn't offered any advice either way to Michael Jordan on the subject of his potential comeback. So...

Iverson keeps pressure on in Game 1.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann LOS ANGELES _ How can a player either take a shot or get fouled on nine consecutive trips downcourt to end the first half but not be able to touch the ball on the most important possession of the game? It is the...

Maybe the Sixers will sweep.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ A funny thing happened on the way to the Lakers' coronation. The NBA actually made them play the 76ers in a basketball game. The game did not exactly follow the script. The Lakers, winners of 19...

Lakers smacked back to reality.
June 7, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood LOS ANGELES _ As usual for this time of year - or any time of year for that matter, today's air-quality prediction for Tinseltown is bad. But frankly, it's not the purple haze of the choking smog that's causing...

Frazier looks to batter Ali.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Bernard Fernandez VERONA, N.Y. - They say too many cooks spoil the broth. Unless, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde says, that broth is being prepared in Philadelphia, where there are so many flavors to sample that choosing the same course over...

Craven back in the running after Dover showing.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Bill Fleischman Dale Jarrett, Tony Stewart and Steve Park all took their runs at Jeff Gordon. Then it was Ricky Craven's turn in Sunday's Winston Cup race at Dover Downs International Speedway. Craven narrowed Gordon's lead...

Devils are on the verge of repeat.
June 7, 2001... Byline: Les Bowen EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. _ By all rights, the New Jersey Devils should be skating around Continental Airlines Arena late Thursday night with the Stanley Cup held high. The defending champions have grown more and more...

Lakers need the real Kobe.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon LOS ANGELES _ The big kids made the rules. The big kids called the fouls. This is the way it played out seven or eight Junes ago, when Kobe Bryant was in high school and Aaron McKie and Eddie Jones went to Temple, and...

Sixers on boot hill.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ Billy King, the 76ers' general manager, smiled at the proliferation of protective boots being worn. George Lynch had one after surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Eric Snow has one...

Lakers not in panic mode.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Marcus Hayes LOS ANGELES _ After the Sixers derailed the Golden Locomotive that is the Lakers, the favorites had varied reactions. Rick Fox woke up hungry, too upset to eat after the Game 1 loss to the Sixers Wednesday night....

Lue could solve the question for Lakers.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Marcus Hayes LOS ANGELES _ The next question: Is Tyronn Lue the answer for The Answer? Lue, the Lakers' third point-guard option, doubled his postseason playing-time high Wednesday as he limited Allen Iverson during 22 minutes...

Larry Brown again the focus of retirement talk.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner LOS ANGELES _ Larry Brown needs some time and space. His first trip through the Finals in his 18 seasons in the NBA is not the optimal time to ask the 76ers coach about what might lie ahead in his career. But a...

Mutombo gives as good as he gets.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann LOS ANGELES _ If they so choose, and Dikembe Mutombo says they do, the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo can watch live telecasts of their native son in the NBA Finals. The broadcasts are in the morning,...

Geiger finally comes through.
June 8, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood LOS ANGELES _ When he finally decided it was time to get back in uniform and try to contribute to the 76ers' quest for an NBA title, Matt Geiger said it took a big man to admit he made a mistake. A smart coach...

Daughters Ali and Frazier square off.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Bernard Fernandez VERONA, N.Y. _ Now I know how Dr. Frankenstein must have felt. Friday night, the monster I helped create - quite unintentionally, I should add - says "Grrrrrr," climbs off the operating table and lumbers...

King of the World time ...
June 8, 2001... Byline: Bill Conlin When I'm King of the World . . . T.J. Simers will be Grand Marshal of the 2002 Mummers Parade . . . In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Times sports columnist began Wednesday's piece like this: (ital) I had...

Digital TVs are getting smarter.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Mitsubishi High Definition projection TVs with "NetCommand," $4,299 and up. Coming this fall from Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. www.mitsubishi.com THE SHAPE OF TV TO COME: The transition...

Belmont won't get same attention as other Triple Crown races.
June 8, 2001... Byline: Dick Jerardi The television ratings for the Kentucky Derby were up 40 percent over last year. The ratings for the Preakness were up 56 percent. Saturday's Belmont Stakes will not draw the same kind of interest. First,...

Elgin Mutombo? The Big Mo? Take your pick.
June 11, 2001... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ Herb Brown hinted darkly on "Daily News Live" during the Milwaukee Bucks series that he was about to create a monster. He was working on a project as secret as the Star Wars software. The code name...

Shaq disses Mutombo for flops.
June 11, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ The Defensive Player of the Year is a big baby. That's what Shaquille O'Neal took from Sunday night's 96-91 Lakers win. Not his 8-for-9 from the line in the first half. Not his 30 points. Not...

Sixers now know Lakers won't back down.
June 11, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ OK, so now we know for sure that the gloves have come off. The Sixers told the Los Angeles Lakers to get ready for an old-fashioned South Philly street fight, and to their credit the Glam-Boys...

Duvam Benton together again.
June 11, 2001... Byline: Bernard Fernandez CANASTOTA, N.Y. _ If Simon suddenly got back together with Garfunkel, would they be as harmonious as they were in their 1960s and `70s heyday? Or are some former pairings best left in the past, preserved in the...

Take a walk through McKie's old neighborhood.
June 12, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Go to the corner of Susquehanna and Delhi and walk a block or two in any direction. This is the North Philadelphia neighborhood where a boy named Aaron McKie arrived, suddenly alone, to live with his...

A groundswell of critics at the Finals.
June 12, 2001... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ As the NBA playoffs continue and the stakes increase exponentially, critics without credential or clue seem to pop out of the ground with a unique viewpoint of a sport that often can resemble a chess...

Topping this trash talk is a tall order.
June 12, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA - There is trash talk, and then there is trash talk Shaquille O'Neal vs. Dikembe Mutombo style. Two very large men who apparently have something to say about each other. Monday, hours after he had...

Frazier-Lyde camp pushes for rematch with Ali.
June 12, 2001... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Toward the end of their cinematic bloodbath in the original "Rocky," Philadelphia pug Rocky Balboa and skin-of-his-teeth winner Apollo Creed embrace, whereupon the victorious champion whispers into...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In Column.
June 12, 2001... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Jun. 12--Digital TVs are getting smarter THE GIZMO: Mitsubishi High Definition projection TVs with "NetCommand," $4,299 and up. Coming this fall from Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America. www.mitsubishi.com...

Chef's table: Kitchen fires; heirloom produce; Napa cabbage; barley.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I have heard many different suggestions about how to handle a grease or oil fire in the kitchen. What is the best thing to do? _ Cindy A. A: Run, Cindy, run! Really, the best thing to do if you...

Phillies in midst of a free-fall.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Bill Conlin ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Dear sir, madam or whoever just stumbled out of the NBA forest: There is a fire in the Phillies' engine room. No, strike that. It should read there is (ital) no (end ital) fire in the...

Darren Daulton pondering future.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ He was the photo-finish runner-up when the Phillies hired Larry Bowa in November. He was rumored to be the hot candidate when the Florida Marlins were looking for a manager a couple of weeks ago,...

Phillies fall to Devil Rays.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Yeah, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are a big-league team. They have the major league franchise papers to prove it. Their box scores appear in newspapers across the country and they get their allotted...

Raja Bell finds much support.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ The first few people offered a cheerful "What's up" as Raja Bell, an otherwise anonymous figure, walked through a King of Prussia mall with his parents on Saturday. And after that? "I stopped to sign...

Croce to climb bridge to hang banner.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Hold the Wallenda . . . . . . But just for a day. Sixers president Pat Croce will climb the Walt Whitman Bridge on Wednesday morning to help hang a 5-by-70-foot banner that reads, "Go Sixers,...

Geiger needs power of healing.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Mark Kram PHILADELPHIA _ Richard Geiger has decided to give it another try. Though he and his wife, Kay, were once regulars at the First Union Center, he has not flown in from Florida for a single game this season. Because he looks...

Hugh Evans whistles while he works.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ He feels a rush of satisfaction when he leaves a game and no one remembers he was there. He recalls feeling pangs of regret when his son played football at West Virginia and he was frequently,...

Kobe gets an earful from Philly crowd.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Ted Silary PHILADELPHIA _ Kobe Bryant knifes between two defenders, soars to the hoop, evades an opponent's midair challenge and wolfs down a slam. Sonny Hill, wherever he is in the First Union Center, whether in a suite, a...

O'Neal shows his chatty side.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Marcus Hayes PHILADELPHIA _ He danced at the beginning of Monday's workout, though he spent his news conference reiterating that his opponent used dishonorable tactics. Tuesday he high-fived utility-cart driver Allen Iverson...

Aaron McKie finds an emerging market in trade.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ Aaron McKie, on Dec. 18, 1997, was the reluctant homeboy. That was the day he was traded from the Detroit Pistons to his hometown 76ers. That, he worried, was the day that would signal the beginning of...

George Lynch expects to play in Game 4 for Sixers.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ George Lynch was on the First Union Spectrum practice floor at 7 Tuesday morning with 76ers physical conditioning coach James Lloyd. He was on the floor later with his teammates for 20 minutes,...

NBA Finals by the numbers.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ Rumors were circulating around the First Union Spectrum as the seconds became minutes and the minutes became 10, 15, 20 and then 30. The Lakers were ready to concede the NBA Finals. They weren't just...

History shows Iverson comes up big in crucial games.
June 13, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Driving the lane, dribbling the ball with his left hand, there Allen Iverson was on the practice court at the First Union Spectrum - which wouldn't have been all that unusual, except that he was driving...

Resilient Sixers still believe.
June 13, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ The hard smack upside the Sixers' heads came almost as soon as they began this quest for an NBA championship. That long, three-point dagger from Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller in the first game...

Larry Bowa in the hot seat again.
June 14, 2001... Byline: Bill Conlin ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Some people never get close enough to the kitchen to feel the heat. They plod through life in the slow lane and die in their sleep without tasting the champagne of living, or the occasional cup of...

Rolen, Bowa exchange words.
June 14, 2001... Byline: Paul Hagen ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Scott Rolen walked into the visitor's clubhouse at Tropicana Field and took an immediate, hard left into the manager's office. For nearly a half-hour, the Phillies third baseman and Larry Bowa...

Lakers put Sixers on the brink.
June 14, 2001... Byline: Phil Jasner PHILADELPHIA _ Forget how high Shaquille O'Neal stands or how much weight he so gracefully carries. He is bigger than that. Bigger than 7-1, 330 pounds. Bigger than the aura of Hollywood glamour that swirls around...

Sixers don't have much left.
June 14, 2001... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ The ritual booing of the halftime entertainment having died down, the Sixers came out to warm up for the second half. The crowd at the First Union Center, half headed either to the bathroom or the beer...

Sixers running out of steam.
June 14, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ As usual, the effort of Allen Iverson could not be faulted. He played with the heart of the NBA's Most Valuable Player. But this game couldn't be just heart and effort and courage. For the Sixers,...

A special Father's Day for the Frake family.
June 14, 2001... Byline: Sam Donnellon TULSA, Okla. _ You tell George Frake II that his playing at the U.S. Open this week is a miracle and the South Jersey pro just smiles. A miracle is being told you have only two weeks to live in March, and living...

Daulton can smile after this sweep.
June 15, 2001... Byline: Bill Conlin ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ So, Dutch, what does Dead Team Walking need to resume playing like the juggernaut that has been in first place virtually since Opening Day? "Normally, with a good team, it's a Pedro (Martinez)...

Interview sessions can be entertaining.
June 15, 2001... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ Shaquille O'Neal had one final thought for the interview-room microphones after Game 4 of the NBA Finals. "Bleep," Shaq said. "Bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep." The few dozen reporters still in the room...

Sixers must be single-game minded.
June 15, 2001... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers know the enormity of the task in front of them, but it's not in their best interest to dwell on it. The Los Angeles Lakers know the inevitability of the prize that awaits them, but it's...