Here’s a synopsis of the practice participation report for Thursday, in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl XLII:
New York Giants
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress (ankle) did not practice for the second consecutive day.
Cornerback Kevin Dockery (hip flexor) and guard Rich Seubert (knee) returned to full participation in practice.
New England Patriots
Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney (shoulder) was limited in practice.
– Marcia C. Smith, The Orange County Register
If you’re an Angels or Dodgers fan, you have to be feeling left out these days, or at least impatient.
Johan Santana is headed to the New York Mets for four who-knows-if-they’ll-ever-be-good prospects, none of which, according to the baseball geeks, is their best prospect.
Erik Bedard — another front-end lefty starter who’s less polished than Santana but strikes out batters at a crazy rate — appears to be headed for Seattle for a package of players that might be better than what Minnesota finally settled for.
Best we can tell, the Angels and Dodgers of big-market Los Angeles (or thereabouts) weren’t serious contenders, let alone finalists. Read the rest of this entry »
PHOENIX — With Super Bowl XLII quickly approaching, Super Bowl veterans on the New England Patriots and New York Giants passed along similar messages to first-timers: Cut out the distractions and don’t wear yourself out before Sunday’s big game.
Here are some nuggets of advice:
From Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, playing in his fourth Super Bowl: “You have so many people that call and are congratulating you or want tickets or are trying to find ways to get down here to see you play. It can become a bit distracting. As long as you really focus on what you are here for and what is most important, then you will handle it just fine. This is really not the year to come down to enjoy the Super Bowl parties and the festivities. … It is just for us.” Read the rest of this entry »
We knew Luis Gonzalez wasn’t coming back to the Dodgers. Now we know where he’s going.
Gonzalez is about to become a Florida Marlin, according to The Associated Press.
The Marlins also signed one-time Angels prospect Dallas McPherson, who never reached his potential because of injuries.
Here’s the full story from the AP: Read the rest of this entry »
PHOENIX — Super Bowl XLII pregame performer Alicia Keys took advantage of the game’s record media turnout at a Thursday news conference by announcing her upcoming American concert tour, which will begin April 19 in Hampton, Va., and conclude June 18 in New York City at “the home of the future Super Bowl champion Giants,” she said.
Keys, the Grammy-winning performer riding the success of her Billboard No. 1 album “As I Am,” showed some support for the New York Giants in Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots. Then the songstress, who might be the only person on the Super Bowl field smaller than New England receiver Wes Welker, made a confession. Read the rest of this entry »
On Friday night, the Ducks face St. Louis for the first time since the Dec. 14 trade that sent Andy McDonald to the Blues for Doug Weight.
Our Dan Wood looks ahead to the matchup and analyzes the deal to date in the Ducks blog.
LOS ANGELES – I went to the Clippers game to watch them play against … the Atlanta Hawks?
Well, yes, because there is a hot transaction that could go down as early as next week, and it doesn’t involve Corey Maggette or Sam Cassell.
It involves Darrell Bailey, also known as “Clipper Darrell.”
I got to Staples Center and asked our Clippers beat writer, Art Thompson III, what would be a good angle to look for Wednesday night.
Art immediately opened his eyes wide and asked, “You know the hot story right now, right?” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he mentioned Clipper Darrell. Read the rest of this entry »
PHOENIX — Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders arrived at the Super Bowl XLII Media Center on Thursday on foot, his right arm in a sling. He left driving away — carefully — in a new GMC sport-utility vehicle.
Sanders was named 2007 GMC Defensive Player of the Year, edging San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie for the honor, which is awarded based on fan voting. More than 242,000 fans submitted votes on NFL.com. Read the rest of this entry »
Among the gazillions of prop bets available on Super Bowl XLII is this one with a Southern California bent:
Kobe Bryant vs. the New England Patriots.
The goal is to determine who will score more points on Super Sunday — Bryant vs. the Washington Wizards or the Patriots vs. the New York Giants.
Bryant is averaging 27.8 points this season. The Patriots averaged 36.8 during the regular season, 26.0 during the AFC playoffs.
According to BodogLife.com, the Patriots are 2.5-point favorites.
You buying that, Lakers fans? Tell us what you think:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was pink, chafed red in parts, apparently coated with some sort of Chapstick and glowing brightly beneath the stage light. With a high-definition television, you could see it completely on NFL Network’s broadcasts of the New England Patriots’ Thursday-morning news conference.
We’re talking about the blemish double-parked on the upper lip of Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
Is this the Super Bowl version of a teenage girl getting a zit on her nose the morning of Senior Prom? Is this a biological sign that the meticulous genius is feeling the stress of the approaching Super Bowl XLII and the weight of an almost-perfect season? Or is this just the dryness of the desert taking its toll on a complexion? Read the rest of this entry »
