Perhaps the biggest nonconfer-ence game of the year kicks off Saturday night when USC visits OhioState, and our college football writ-ers see it playing out differently:
Matt Hayes:
Why Ohio State wins
We know the crooked num-ber: Ohio State is 0-5 in its last fivegames against the top five. Here’sa zero number with more oomph:USC freshman quarterback MattBarkley hasn’t played a collegegame on the road. This one—primetime, loaded with pressure, againstan elite opponent—screams fresh-man mistakes. Too many, in fact, forUSC to recover.
Dave Curtis:
Why USC wins
USC has more talent, more onthe line, and more confidence outof Week 1. Most important, Barkleywon’t need training wheels in hisfirst big game. He’ll lean on RB JoeMcKnight and his healthy offensiveline, and make the few throws USCwill need. Add it up, and the Trojansgrab the crucial road win.
Showdown in the ’Shoe
No. 3 USC at No. 8 Ohio State, Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN
Two stars in Saturday’s game of the week share their thoughts:
Ohio State safetyKurt Coleman
“(This game) isgoing to be thedetermining fac-tor if we’re readyto step it up to the nextlevel or if we have to goback and rework somethings.”
USC offensive guard Jeff Byers
“Watching them, they’reat Ohio State for a reason. They’re talented, fastand strong, andthey’re well-coached. We knowwe’re going to get thatdefense’s best effort.”
More from Coleman and Byers,
Page 21
THURSDAYSEPTEMBER 10, 2009SEE A DIFFERENT GAMEVOLUME 2 ISSUE 50
Scoreboard
Baseball
American League
Texas 10, Cleveland 0N.Y. Yankees 4, Tampa Bay 2Minnesota 4, Toronto 1Boston 7, Baltimore 5Kansas City 5, Detroit 1
Chicago White Sox 4, Oakland 3, 13 innings
L.A. Angels 6, Seattle 3
National League
Chicago Cubs 8, Pittsburgh 5St. Louis 5, Milwaukee 1San Diego 4, San Francisco 2Philadelphia 6, Washington 5Florida 6, N.Y. Mets 3Houston 2, Atlanta 1Colorado 4, Cincinnati 3Arizona 4, L.A. Dodgers 3
MLB>27 NFL>6 NBA>39 NHL>36 NASCAR>43 COLLEGE FOOTBALL>18 COLLEGE BASKETBALL>41 RECRUITING>4
QUICK LINKS:
Jeter ties Gehrig
Derek Jeterwent 3-for-4Wednesday inthe Yanks’ 4-2win to tie LouGehrig for mosthits by a Yankeewith 2,721. Butex-Yankeesare moreimpressed withthe way he carries himself—all class, allthe time, according to former pitcher Tommy John. He assesses Jeter’s placeamong Yankee greats.
“The Yankees have never really had a hitter’s hitter, guys like Pete Rosewho get 200 hits a year, except DonMattingly for a while. (Jeter averages208 per 162 games.) They’re more power hitters, guys who get 160 hitsand hit for power. To me, Derek Jeter is very consistent. He’s had a longcareer. He’s a very good hitter. I would love to pitch with a guy like himbacking me because you know he’sgoing to be busting his butt.”
— Matt Crossman
Clemson at Ga. Tech,
Page 19
BY CLIFTON BROWN
Goodbye, preseason. Hello, realseason.The NFL kicks off its 90th cam-paign tonight with a matchup of twoAFC heavyweights. The Steelershope to become the first team sincethe ’04 Patriots to repeat as SuperBowl champs. But the Titans had theNFL’s best record last year (13-3) andwhipped the Steelers, 31-14, in Nash-ville last December.“They beat us handily,” Steelerscoach Mike Tomlin said. “We will findout about ourselves pretty quickly.”Here are five questions to ponder,while anticipating what should be asuperb season opener:
How will the Titans fare without defensivetackle Albert Haynesworth?
Haynesworth became the league’shighest-paid defensive player, bolting tothe Redskins in free agency.The Titans must prove theycan pick up the slack.“A good performance wouldshow that we have a lot of talentand we’re able to move on,” defensiveend Kyle Vanden Bosch said. “Weweren’t just a one-playmaker defense.”
Can the Steelers’ blitz get to Kerry Collins?
The Titans’ line protects Collinslike the secret service. He was sacked just eight times in ’08, and he readsdefenses well.“His decision-making is extremelyquick,” Tomlin said. “Very rarely do blitzes get him.”
Will Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger pulloff another special performance?
Big Ben loves the big stage—as heproved leading a last-minute, game-winning drive in Super Bowl 43.“It will be crazy—great atmosphere,everybody’s watching, all of your peersare watching,” Roethlisberger said. “Ithink you are going to get the best from both teams.”
Will Titans wide receiver Nate Washingtonplay against his former teammates?
Washington is a game-time deci-sion with a hamstring injury. Afteraveraging 16.4 yards per catch thelast three seasons with Pittsburgh,he is being counted on to upgrade theTitans’ passing game.
Are the Steelers ready for every opponent’sbest shot?
The Steelers have won six con-secutive season openers, and HeinzField will be rocking tonight. TheSteelers want to prove they are notresting on last season’s laurels.“It’s going to be a unique atmo-sphere; it’s going to be awesome,”Tomlin said. “What happened lastyear is in our rearview mirror.”
Go time
AFC contenders in center stageas NFL season begins tonight
TITANS AT STEELERS
8:30 tonight ET, NBC
Experts make casefor USC, Buckeyes
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z get to Kerry Collins?
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, NBC
Steelers favored by 6
Week 1primer
Office pool tips,
Page 7
Expert fantasy advice,
Page 8
Forecasting the ‘09 awards,
Page 9
Scouting report
Keys to Titans’, Steelers’ victory,
Page 6
Q&A with James Farrior,
Page 6
Ben RoethlisbergerKerry Collins
Derek Jeter’s hitssparked a rally. Page 31
BILLKOSTROUN/AP
SPORTING NEWS TODAY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
2
See a Different Game
Tune In Today
A quick look at the best sports on TV
— all times Eastern
NFL
Steelers at Titans
8 p.m., NBC
The NFL has a good Thursday traditionof going with the Super Bowl championshosting the season opener, and this grittydefensive matchup should be one of theyear’s best, most physical games. The Titanshave something to prove after falling short asthe AFC’s top seed, and you can bet they’ll beaggressive in going after Ben Roethlisberger.As for the champs, they’ll get an extra lift fromthrongs of Terrible Towels.
— Vinnie Iyer
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Clemson atNo. 15 Georgia Tech
7:30, ESPN
Under rookie head coach Paul Johnson, theYellow Jackets’ option offense rolled throughmuch of the ACC last year. Clemson “held”GT to 207 rushing yards a year ago, and theJackets needed a fourth-quarter TD pass fromJosh Nesbitt to grab a 21-17 win. Clemson andstar RB C.J. Spiller head to Atlanta looking forrevenge and a leg up in the Atlantic Division;Georgia Tech, meanwhile, needs a win to keeppace with Miami in the Coastal.
— Dave Curtis
TENNIS
U.S. Open
7 p.m., ESPN2
A Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal final is stillpossible, but Nadal first will have to get pastNo. 11 seed Fernando Gonzalez today—notto mention any other fans who want toapproach him for post-match pecks. If Nadalmakes it through, his semifinal opponentwould be either one of two emerging 20-year-olds in Marin Cilic, who beat Andy Murray inthe fourth round, and Juan Martin del Potro,who has made it to the quarterfinals of four of the last five Grand Slam events.
— Roger Kuznia
GUIDE
COLLEGEFOOTBALL
7:30 p.m.ESPN—
Clemsonat Georgia Tech
CYCLING
1 a.m.VERSUS—
Tour of Missouri, fourthstage, St. Jamesto Jefferson City,Mo. (delayedtape)
GOLF
9 a.m.TGC—
EuropeanPGA Tour,Mercedes-BenzChampionship,first round,at Cologne,Germany
3 p.m.TGC—
PGA Tour, BMWChampionship,first round, atLemont, Ill.
6:30 p.m.TGC—
Nationwide Tour, UtahChampionship,first round, atSandy, Utah(same-day tape)
NFL FOOTBALL
8 p.m.NBC—
Tennesseeat Pittsburgh
TENNIS
11 a.m.ESPN2—
U.S.Open, men’squarterfinals, atNew York
7 p.m.ESPN2—
U.S.Open, men’squarterfinals andmixed doubleschampionshipmatch, at NewYork
OFF THE FIELD
Roethlisberger rejects settlement offer
The attorney for PittsburghSteelers quarterback
Ben Roethlis-berger
rejected a settlement offer bya former Nevada casino workerwho claims the Super Bowl win-ner sexually assaulted her.Roethlisberger attorney
DavidCornwell
says the woman’s offer is bizarre.The woman wants Roethlis- berger to admit to the allegations,apologize and donate $100,000to the Committee to Aid AbusedWomen, a Reno nonprofit orga-nization that offers support todomestic violence victims.In a statement Wednesday,Cornwell says the proposalinsults women who have legiti-mately suffered from sexualmisconduct.
Henry hires wife
According to sources, the
Bos-ton Herald
reported that the newwife of the Red Sox’s principalteam owner
John Henry
has takenover the team’s developmentplans at Fenway Park.In June, Henry was married to
Linda Pizzuti
and he just replaced
Janet Marie Smith
, the team’s V.P.for planning and development,with his new bride. The
Herald
reports that Smith left the teamrecently after eight years and iscredited with sparing FenwayPark from demolition as well asinstalling Monster seats.Pizzuit worked for her family’sdevelopment firm in Boston.
Nets’ new home
A new design for the Brooklynhome of the New Jersey Nets fea-tures weathered steel and glass,with a canopy that juts out likethe bill of a baseball cap.Developer
Bruce Ratner
unveiledthe new design for the BarclaysCenter on Wednesday. It replacesa design from renowned archi-tect
Frank Gehry
.The Barclays Center is thecenterpiece of the multi-buildingAtlantic Yards project. Ratnertook Gehry off the $1 billionproject in June, citing cost con-cerns. He was replaced by thefirm Ellerbe Becket. The pricetag for the project was takendown to $800 million.
Gillespie checks in
Former Kentucky basketballcoach
Billy Gillespie
, who wasfired after two seasons, checkedinto the John Lucas After CareRehab Facility in Houston. Lastmonth, Gillespie was arrestedand charged with DUI.
Quick hits
VH1 on Wednesday pickedup the option for a second seasonof
Terrell Owens
’ reality series
TheT.O. Show
,
SportsBusiness Daily
reported. VH1 president
Tom Cal-derone
in an e-mail to
The
Buffalo News
said the net is “extremelyhappy” with the ratings both inBuffalo and nationwide.Swimming superstar
MichaelPhelps
’ endorsement deal withSpeedo has been extendedthrough 2013,
SportsBusiness Jour-nal
’s Tripp Mickle reported. Aspart of the deal—terms of whichweren’t announced—Speedo willdonate $10,000 to the MichaelPhelps Foundation for everyworld record Phelps sets.The Mets’ new Citi Fieldhas been “plagued by waterdamage to several luxurysuites” as well as “mold, fallingsigns and falling concrete,flooding in outfield seats, faultyelectrical wiring and shoddytile work,” according to sourcescited by the
New York Post
.
— Compiled by Ken Bradley, with wire reports
MORE COVERAGE
fromsportingnews.com
SN
Sporting Blog:
SHOPARCHITECTS/AP
An artist’s rendering of the Nets’ planned new home in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Tonight, the Steelers will open defense of their Super Bowl title with a league-highseven entrants on
Power company
Only 500-HR hitters who hit home runs in samegames (Through Sept. 1, 2009)
1. Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez
(July 1, 2009)
2. Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez
(June 26, 2009)
3. Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez
(June 13, 2009)
4. Ken Griffey Jr. and Sammy Sosa
(June 12, 2005)
5. Barry Bonds and Rafael Palmeiro
(June 12, 2004)
6. Hank Aaron and Willie Mays
(May 8, 1971)
7. Willie Mays and Ernie Banks
(June 17, 1970)Source: David Vincent (SABR)
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Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez
SPORTING NEWS TODAY
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
3
My Profile
Dabo Swinney
Clemson football coach
(What you won’t find on Facebook … even if you are approved as a friend)
Born:
Nov. 20, 1969, in Birmingham, Ala.
Status:
Married to Kathleen
Alma mater:
Alabama
What’s on TV:
ESPN, CNN, NFL Network,
American Idol
What’s in my iPod:
James Bonamy, Elvis, Ray Charles, JimmyBuffett, George Jones, Motown Artists, Tim McGraw, The Eagles
What I drive:
Cream 2009 Ford F-150
Favorite flicks:
Rocky
,
Vacation
,
The Fugitive
,
Meet the Parents
What I’m reading:
Have read all these recently—
Ordering Your Private World
, by Gordon MacDonald;
The Magic of Thinking Big
, by David Schwartz;
They Call Me Coach
, by JohnWooden;
Racing to Win
, by Joe Gibbs.
Bookmarks:
Worst habit:
Biting my nails
On my office walls:
A picture of Coach Gene Stallings
Love to trade places for a day with …
Michael Jordan. Would love to be able to soar like he did on the basketball court.
First job:
Cutting grass and cleaning gutters. Started when I was 13years. Did that until I got out of college. Got paid $25-$60. I was also a baseball umpire from 14-26, got paid $20-$30.
Talent I’d most like to have:
Sing
Favorite meal:
Chili—regular or chicken chili. Pot roast is a close second.
Favorite athletes to watch in other sports:
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, SteveNash, Tiger Woods and Jeff Francoeur
Favorite city to visit:
Boca Grande, Fla.
Favorite team as a kid:
University of Alabama
Favorite physical attribute about myself:
My smile
Favorite values in others:
Humility, kindness and unselfishness
Dream date:
I live with my dream date.
My greatest love:
My family
My hero:
My wife, Kathleen
My bucket list:
1. Win a national championship as a head coach at Clemson, 2. Visitall 50 states, 3. Shoot par on a golf course, 4. Run a marathon
My motto:
All in
— Jeff D’Alessio
PATRICKCOLLARD/AP
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