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

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

This is why Kobe Bryant is sweating right about now.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ So we heard the leaks and we watched the administrative slapstick in the courthouse and we were left with the distinct impression that the rape case against Kobe Bryant was somewhere between unwinnable...

King of the World speaks . . .
September 1, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ When I'm King of the World. . . Fantasy Football will be the official national pastime. . .It sure as hell isn't baseball. Isn't anybody else embarrassed that the nation that invented the game and won...

Jill Scott tests the waters after a two-year absence.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Al Hunter Jr. PHILADELPHIA _ Jill Scott needed to take a deep, soul-energizing breath and reacquaint herself with Jill Scott the person, not Jill Scott the star. She wanted time to be a daughter to her mother Joyce and become...

Bringing back Douglas a sign of urgency by Eagles.
September 1, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ It appears that the Eagles have finally ended the Thomas-Wolfe-be-damned portion of their roster-building process, now that Hugh Douglas is back in the house. First Jeremiah Trotter, then Dorsey Levens,...

Vice president of Philadelphia newspaper publisher resigns.
September 1, 2004

Philadelphia teachers agree to 10-day contract extension.
September 1, 2004

Pennsylvania governor should 'rethink' gaming board chairman, lawmaker says.
September 2, 2004

Phillies in a mess again _ top to bottom.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ Welcome to Phillies Hell. Monty's Inferno. Abandon all hope ye who enter here. Just a few weeks short of 40 years ago, history's losingest professional sports team did something unthinkable even by...

Many questions for Phillies to Wade through.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ Do you trust them? I asked this question, several readers have reminded me, back in February, when Citizens Bank Park looked no more a completed project than the Phillies do now. I asked the...

NASCAR goes prime time again.
September 2, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman PHILADELPHIA _ Sunday's Nextel Cup Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway in Fontana, Calif., starts at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Get ready for more prime-time Cup races. Prime-time races, preferably on Sundays,...

New era may be on the way for Philadelphia taxicabs.
September 2, 2004

Contract talks stall between Philadelphia, unions.
September 2, 2004

Philadelphia teachers return to school without contracts.
September 2, 2004

Best September stories in the majors.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ These are the September songs, some of the stories worth following as the final month of the regular season unfolds: _Yankees vs. Red Sox: This ancient blood rivalry seemed to have gone cold when the...

Coming this month: Nelly, Brian Wilson, Alan Jackson and more.
September 3, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Double does of Nelly and Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson's long awaited "Smile" plus new sets by Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, and Jill Sobule are part of September's super-crowded album release lineup. ___ ...

Yankees asking for a forfeiture is a vile act.
September 6, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ This might be the most vile, most despicable act of unsportsmanlike conduct ever committed by a professional sports franchise. Monday, the New York Yankees actually had the audacity to ask the...

The Chef's Table: Buttermilk makes fried chicken crispy and delicious.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I have heard you mention on your show that you soak your chicken in buttermilk before frying. How long do you need to soak it and would regular milk work just as well? _ Sara T. A: I didn't...

More passes mean more chances for quarterbacks to be injured.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ No one can know for sure how the NFL's latest experiment in defense-defanging will play itself out, but there are strong suspicions. The league appears determined to eliminate any impeding of receivers...

Coming this month: Nelly, Brian Wilson, Alan Jackson and more.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff Double does of Nelly and Elvis Costello, Brian Wilson's long awaited "Smile" plus new sets by Mark Knopfler, Alan Jackson, and Jill Sobule are part of September's super-crowded album release lineup. ___ ...

What's his secret? After 3 years, she hasn't met his folks.
September 7, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: I've been dating a man for about three years. He's very kind, quite respectable and has a good job. But I don't really know him. He's met my family, but I've never met any of his family or friends. When I ask him...

Eagles' amazing run proves Reid is worth the money.
September 8, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ If you look at it strictly from the perspective of Eagles management, giving Andy Reid a four-year contract extension wasn't just the right thing to do but also the prudent one. Sure, chairman...

Gaming chief knew of promoter's mob ties.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Joseph R. Daughen Gaming Commission chairman Frank Friel knew of boxing promoter Arthur Pelullo's alleged organized-crime ties before testifying that he had never seen any evidence linking Pelullo to the mob. A veteran New...

Once-strong offensive line now one of Panthers' biggest concerns.
September 8, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Entering his eighth NFL season, Carolina Panthers center Jeff Mitchell understands the transitory nature of professional football in the free-agency era. He understands that an NFL offensive line...

Clock ticking on Gibbs and Redskins.
September 9, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch ASHBURN, Va. _ Depending on your point of view, either nothing has changed with the Washington Redskins or everything has. Owner Dan Snyder went out and spent a bundle of money in the offseason on free agents....

We need to send al-Qaeda another message.
September 9, 2004... Byline: Carol Towarnicky What bothers me is not the seven minutes President Bush stalled on Sept. 11, 2001, reading "My Pet Goat" to grade schoolers. It's the three years that came after the seven minutes: Three years of stonewalling...

Tough part of the Fantasy Game is the beginning draft.
September 9, 2004... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ The single-most difficult circus act a fantasy league commissioner performs annually is trying to bring the league together for a draft. Invariably, someone must participate by phone because he can't...

MLB deals bad hand with wild cards but Astros, Marlins disagree.
September 10, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ Without the wild card, you could have had a turkey shoot inside Houston's Minute Maid Park on Wednesday without worrying too much about hitting a spectator. Instead, there were more than 35,000 tickets...

New rules favoring receivers is a good thing.
September 10, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ We interrupt the nonstop whining by defensive players and coaches over the NFL's crackdown on illegal contact to bring you a couple of messages. First, forget all of this...

Mail bonding: Terrell Owens and the Fan.
September 10, 2004... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ This is a story of two remarkably different people brought together by an outrageous moment. One is the electric wide receiver who scored a touchdown on the first play in his first game at Lincoln...

Smart Jones is a million-dollar stud.
September 10, 2004... Byline: Dick Jerardi PHILADELPHIA _ Smarty Jones will have a $100,000 stud fee when he begins his breeding career. In other words, anybody wanting to breed a mare to Smarty must pay $100,000. His "book" of mares is "limited" to 110 each...

New rules may seriously affect Eagles.
September 11, 2004... Byline: Sam Donnellon PHILADELPHIA _ To bolster their offense in the offseason, the Eagles signed Terrell Owens for big bucks. To pay for this and for the free-agent acquisition of Jevon Kearse, they allowed veteran cornerbacks Bobby...

Eagles will show up, but how far will they fly.
September 11, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ When you look back on a football season, and on a team, there are things that you wonder about but can never really know. It's like that every year in the NFL, with almost every team _ what if this guy...

The Chef's Table: Don't have to go nuts to find good pecans.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: We need some "good" pecans... Help! _ Jay K. A: I will certainly help because we all know what happens when you get around "bad" pecans. Some of them start drinking a little more than they...

End of summer sizzlin' tech sampler.
September 13, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: A techno catch-up. Here's some of the consumer-electronics news that's piled up, during our brief summer vacation. SLENDERIZING TVs: Despite the public's growing fascination with flat-panel TVs,...

Pennsylvania governor still supports choice for Gaming Control Board leader.
September 14, 2004

Where did `Six Feet Under' writers dig up that plot twist?
September 14, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray Honk if you think "Six Feet Under": _Only buried itself deeper Sunday night. _Needs to buy a clue. _Has lost all respect for its audience. (If you haven't already seen the fourth-season finale but plan...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
September 14, 2004

He's not laughing: His wife nixed their tickle sessions.
September 14, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: TICKLING!!! Just saying it makes me remember my single days! I was introduced to tickling 20 years ago by a woman I met at a club. She came back to my home, asked to be tied up and then requested to be tickled and...

Mayor, council feud threatens Philadelphia's capital budget plan.
September 14, 2004

Pennsylvania governor seeks replacement to head state Gaming Board.
September 15, 2004

Jason Alexander's second solo sitcom is all about sports.
September 15, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray Jason Alexander isn't a sports guy, but he's playing one on TV. The "Seinfeld" veteran's latest sitcom, which launches Monday, has him playing Tony Kleinman, a sports columnist and TV commentator based on real-life...

CVS must pay refunds in Pennsylvania Rx scam.
September 15, 2004

Philadelphia's economic growth on tap.
September 15, 2004

And 1 Mix Tape Volume 7 DVD brings the goods.
September 15, 2004... Byline: Damon Williams Quartet-court alley-oops. No-look half-court passes. Split-second crossovers that leave defenders' egos bruised and fans cheering. It isn't the NBA. It's streetball at its highest level, showcased on "And 1 Mix...

Survivor kicks off with a (volcano) blast.
September 15, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray ___ SURVIVOR: VANUATU - ISLANDS OF FIRE. ___ Yes, that's a real, live volcano "Survivor" host Jeff Probst is standing in front of in the premiere of CBS' "Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire." Even...

Hopkins: the best of the Executioner's song.
September 16, 2004... Byline: Bernard Hopkins LAS VEGAS _ Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins has had the longest title reign of any middleweight champion. He won the vacant IBF crown in April 1995, stopping Ecuador's Segundo Mercado in seven rounds, added the...

Time to share the spotlight.
September 16, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Can two stars coexist on the same team? It is a familiar enough question, usually posed by someone being asked to sign a pair of enormous paychecks. The tone is usually ominous _ you know,...

Philadelphia summit hailed for business ideas.
September 16, 2004

Hopkins can put on a show.
September 16, 2004... Byline: Sam Donnellon LAS VEGAS _ I must rest now. I must rest for the big fight on Saturday. No more interviews please. No more short questions that invoke breathless answers. No more long, bad poems that require expansive,...

Hopkins: the best of the Executioner's song.
September 16, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez LAS VEGAS _ Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins has had the longest title reign of any middleweight champion. He won the vacant IBF crown in April 1995, stopping Ecuador's Segundo Mercado in seven rounds, added the...

Pennsylvania governor's pick to lead Gaming Control Board steps down.
September 16, 2004

Polls in Pennsylvania spell trouble for Kerry.
September 17, 2004... Byline: John Baer PHILADELPHIA _ Five new polls in Pennsylvania this week are very bad news for John F. Kerry. They say, in my view, that if something doesn't change real soon, this election is over. Here's why. Pennsylvania...

Francisco is wrong, but some fans are out of control, too.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ There is never any reason for a professional athlete to assault a fan who is sitting in the stands. None. Ever. That's the easy part. The whole issue of the relationship between players and those...

Here's pick Hopkins to win by TKO.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez Philadelphia Daily News boxing writer Bernard Fernandez analyzes Saturday night's middleweight unification bout between IBF/WBC/WBA champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins and WBO titlist Oscar De La Hoya. ...

Broncos' Griffin shows his stuff for Fantasy types.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ One of the thousands of questions heading into this NFL season was what kind of numbers Denver running back Quentin Griffin would put up. After Week 1, at least, the answer to that question is...

Some NFL players hit major growth spurt, and other notes.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ No wonder the Eagles seem so confident that little Brian Westbrook can hold up to the pounding of a 16-game, 300-touch NFL season. It's because he's not so little anymore. I was flipping through...

NHL TV analyst Clement says game worse on the ice.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Bill Fleischman PHILADELPHIA _ As almost everyone except the National Hockey League owners and players seem to grasp, the NHL is the last major pro league that can afford a long shutdown. Fans will find other sports to follow. ...

De La Hoya looks to history for inspiration.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez LAS VEGAS _ Oscar De La Hoya knows history, at least as it relates what happened the night of April 6, 1987, in a temporary outdoor stadium erected here on the tennis courts at Caesars Palace. That's when...

Hopkins, De La Hoya must put boxing back on the world stage.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Sam Donnellon LAS VEGAS _ The fight has been tagged the "Quest For History," but the task for Bernard Hopkins on Saturday night is really the opposite, really much bigger than that. Boxing needs a jump-start from Bernard...

Five years later, Eagles' drafting of McNabb looks like the best bet.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ The circumstances and the cast of characters involved in the 1999 NFL draft are very familiar by now. You probably know that the Eagles spurned their fans' advice and took Donovan McNabb with the second...

Eagles' Owens stays out of verbal fray with Moss.
September 17, 2004... Byline: Les Bowen PHILADELPHIA _ This is what you get when you bring in superstars _ hoopla and hype. They tend to dominate the stage. Eagles coach Andy Reid doesn't seem entirely comfortable with the notion. It'll be interesting to...

The Chef's Table: Fry up your hot wings right.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan Q: I'm a huge hot wing fan and can really make good ones. But the one thing that is keeping my wings from being the greatest, according to my buddies, is that my sauce is too thick and the wings won't...

About `Blue': something old, some things new.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray Things you might not know about "NYPD Blue": _Dennis Franz is a major fan of the Game Show Network. The set in his trailer has been tuned to the channel "for the past two years." _Currie Graham, who'll debut...

`NYPD Blue' enters its 12th and final season.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Ellen Gray CENTURY CITY, Calif. _ As "NYPD Blue" enters its 12th season Tuesday, Dennis Franz and his alter-ego, Andy Sipowicz, are beginning the long goodbye. "I really vacillate between how I'd like Sipowicz to leave the...

Whole-house audio systems are hot.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Jonathan Takiff THE GIZMO: Multi-room audio systems. SOUND SURROUND: Wish you could have music wherever you go? Join the crowd. Last year, Americans spent $1.4 billion on multi-room audio systems, according to the Consumer...

Rapper Sigel blends in during court apperance.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Theresa Conroy PHILADELPHIA _ Rapper Beanie Sigel blended in with other defendants Monday when he showed up _ minus fancy hat, flashy suit and formidable cigar _ for a Municipal Court appearance. Sigel wore matching dark jeans...

This time, T.O. rules.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Bill Conlin PHILADELPHIA _ This was supposed to be the Ali vs. Frazier of pitch and catch. OK, Ali vs. Ali might say it better. And the pitchers were a couple of fullback-sized howitzers named Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper....

Johnson's defense holds the fort against Vikings.
September 20, 2004... Byline: John Smallwood PHILADELPHIA _ It is the credo of Jim Johnson's defense. Bend but don't break. Get twisted like a pretzel, but don't snap. Give up chunks of yardage; lose the time-of-possession battle; it doesn't matter...

Hopkins the toast of the boxing world after big-time knockout.
September 20, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez LAS VEGAS _ When he was doing time in Graterford penitentiary for robbery, and even after he'd become a world champion, Bernard Hopkins' boxing dreams were confined within the city limits of Philadelphia. If...

Philadelphia Daily News Plugged In column.
September 21, 2004

Cuddling is no party.
September 21, 2004... Byline: Steve and Mia Q: A friend invited me to a "Cuddle Party" at his house. I've never heard of one before. Could you tell me what to expect? Mia: Well, I haven't been to such an event myself, but I hear they're parties where adults...

Late-blooming star Hopkins won't stop at 40.
September 22, 2004... Byline: Bernard Fernandez PHILADELPHIA _ Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins promised his mother, who died last year, he would not fight beyond the age of 40. But since Hopkins will celebrate his 40th birthday on Jan. 15, he's hoping his mom...

Former LaSalle player charged with rape.
September 22, 2004... Byline: Simone Weichselbaum and Bob Cooney PHILADELPHIA _ A former La Salle University basketball player has been charged with raping a woman 14 months after she first told coaches about the alleged assault. Dzaflo Larkai is charged...

Landscaping service sues brother of Philadelphia mayor over airport deal.
September 23, 2004

Under duress, Pep Boys applies brake to Philadelphia pocket-bike sales.
September 23, 2004

Center City, Pa., restaurateur pleads not guilty to tax evasion.
September 23, 2004

Philadelphia council returns for another tussle on taxes.
September 23, 2004

ESPN's Rose is baffling mix of fact, fiction.
September 23, 2004... Byline: Stan Hochman PHILADELPHIA _ There's a scene in "Hu$tle," the cold, harsh ESPN movie about Pete Rose, in which outgoing commissioner Peter Ueberroth and incoming commish Bart Giamatti summon Rose to New York in the spring of 1988....

Eagles' new pass rusher is blessed, not Kearsed.
September 23, 2004... Byline: Dana Pennett O'Neil PHILADELPHIA _ He could have glanced at the last name God had stuck him with and resigned himself to his fate. No one would have blamed him. The name already had been borne out in so many others. His...

Bush sells out people's health to religious zealots, corporate contributors.
September 23, 2004... Byline: Carol Towarnicky As a liberal, I try to do unto others what many supporters of President Bush would never do unto me: I respect their right to hold religious beliefs different from mine. Pray and Let Pray _ that's my motto. Or...

Twins may be most dangerous team in AL playoffs.
September 24, 2004... Byline: Paul Hagen PHILADELPHIA _ The New York Yankees have the ghosts of history and stacks of legal tender on their side. The Oakland Athletics are favored by the cognoscenti who are enamored of their innovative "Moneyball" approach. ...

Running backs in pain in Fantasy land.
September 24, 2004... Byline: Ed Barkowitz PHILADELPHIA _ What in the name of Bo Jackson is going on around here? Though we are sitting on the doorstep of only Week 3, the injury bug has feasted, especially at the running back position. If one of your...

These Eagles have chance for greatness.
September 24, 2004... Byline: Rich Hofmann PHILADELPHIA _ Two-and-oh, and the living is easy . . . Two-and-oh, and the bandwagon rolls . . . The last time the Eagles set foot in Detroit, it was 1986 - Buddy Ryan's first summer coaching the Eagles. Ryan...

Don't blame everything on A.J. Feeley in Miami.
September 24, 2004... Byline: Paul Domowitch PHILADELPHIA _ It hasn't been a particularly good week for Dolphins quarterback A.J. Feeley. Threw two interceptions Sunday in his team's 16-13 loss to the Bengals, including one that was returned for a...