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Audio slideshow: Paul Kenyon previews URI-Dayton

Click the play button below to see and hear the show, as Paul Kenyon previews the Rams huge conference opener out in Ohio. You won't want to miss this one.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 5:50 PM to URI Basketball | Permalink | Comments 0

Audio slideshow: Kevin McNamara previews PC-Rutgers

Click the play button below to see and hear the show, as Kevin McNamara previews the Friars' in-conference home opener. It's a game the Friars really need, against a team they should really beat.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 5:50 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Bruins' Chara named to NHL All-Star team

NEW YORK (AP) - The Detroit Red Wings dominated the first half of the NHL season. Now they're taking over the All-Star game, too.

Sidney Crosby is starting to do the same.

Crosby, the 20-year-old reigning NHL MVP, topped All-Star voting for the second straight year and will start again for the Eastern Conference, the league announced Tuesday.

The Pittsburgh Penguins captain, in his third NHL season, received 507,274 votes, nearly 200,000 more than anyone else in the East, and about 30,000 more than West leader Nicklas Lidstrom.

For Boston, Zdeno Chara will make his third All-Star appearance.

Detroit placed three players in the All-Star starting lineup, the second straight year a team has done so. The Buffalo Sabres did it last season for the East en route to their first Presidents' Trophy.

Lidstrom, a five-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, will join Red Wings teammates Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the Western Conference starting lineup Jan. 27 in Atlanta.

Lidstrom, who received 477,787 votes, will partner with Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf on the blue line while Jarome Iginla - also of the Flames - plays up front with Zetterberg and Datsyuk.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk are among eight first-time All-Star starters. Iginla and Phaneuf, who have helped Calgary take over first place in the Northwest Division, are also set to make their initial starts in the midseason game.

Vancouver's Roberto Luongo got the starting nod in goal for the West.

Crosby, who entered Tuesday ranked fourth in the NHL with 57 points, got the most votes again but earned 318,509 fewer votes - a 39 percent drop - than he garnered for the 2007 game in Dallas when approximately 28 million ballots were cast.

Last year, Crosby at 19 years, five months, became the youngest player voted into the starting lineup since fan balloting began in 1986. He went on to be the NHL's youngest scoring champion with 120 points.

His linemates in Atlanta will be current scoring leader Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators right winger Daniel Alfredsson, who both will be making their first All-Star starts. Lecavalier is going to his third All-Star game, while Alfredsson will play in his fifth.

"The first time, I was young and I was nervous being with all these older guys," the 27-year-old Lecavalier said. "To be voted on there is special. I never thought I'd go in like that. I'm the old guy now."

On defense will be fellow first-time starters Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens and Chara. Markov is the only starter making his first All-Star appearance.

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was elected for the fourth time and will take part in his 10th All-Star game, tying Lidstrom for the most among this year's starters. Lidstrom is in the starting lineup for the eighth time.

"It is more of a recognition, no question, but I don't know if it means more," Alfredsson said of his starting assignment. "All-Star weekend is a lot of fun no matter how you get into it."

Surprisingly, the league's top two goal scorers, Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers (34 goals) and Washington's Alex Ovechkin - tied with Iginla with 32 - weren't elected to start for the East. Ovechkin was fifth in votes among forwards with 177,574, while Kovalchuk came in sixth with 173,629.

"This league is really young," Lecavalier said. "The last time I went to the All-Star game all these young guys that were in the room, it was unbelievable. It's great to see. There is great future in the NHL with guys like Sidney and Ovechkin."

Lecavalier and Crosby are both centers, but there was no doubt in Lecavalier's mind who will take that spot in Atlanta.

"I'll go on the left wing," he said with a laugh.

It is only fitting that Red Wings make up half the West's starting lineup since Detroit is running away with the Central Division and has a commanding edge in the race for home-ice advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

Detroit entered play Tuesday with a mark of 32-8-3 and 67 points, 15 more than Dallas. The Red Wings became the first NHL team to win 30 games in the first half of the season when they beat the Stars last Wednesday.

Zetterberg was chosen to his second All-Star team, but sat out last year due to an injury. Phaneuf and Datsyuk are also All-Stars for the second time, and Iginla will play in his fourth.
Luongo was voted to the West starting lineup for the second straight season following his trade from Florida to Vancouver in 2006, and will be an All-Star for the third time.

This marked the 20th year that fans determined the starting lineups for the NHL All-Star game. Voting took place online and by cell phone only for the second straight season.

Western Conference reserves, chosen by the NHL's hockey operations department along with general managers, will be announced Thursday. The rest of the Eastern Conference roster will be revealed Friday.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:45 PM to Bruins | Permalink | Comments 0

Football by the numbers: Those numbers look good for New England

By Michael Salfino

Last week we made such a big deal about net yards per pass attempt (YPA), and the team with the better regular season net-YPA lost all four games. So that invalidates the stat, right?

Not exactly. The team with the better YPA (including sack yards) in last week's games went 3-1. In a typical NFL week, 80 percent of the teams with the higher YPA win.

The Steelers were the exception. But they threw an extra interception (typically worth six points even without the TD return that resulted from one Ben Roethlisberger misfire) and had a kickoff returned to the 1-yard line. Without those plays, they likely win comfortably.

Again, every 15 yards from scrimmage more than your opponent gives you, on average, a one-point edge on the scoreboard. The Steelers had a 100-yard edge from scrimmage, but gave away way more than that via the extra pick, essentially a kickoff-return TD and a lost fumble (average cost: three points). Note that we don't typically factor in special teams yards, because kickoff returns are a big part of that. And if you're returning a bunch of kickoffs, you're in trouble.

The problem with stats like net-YPA as a predictive tool is that they represent norms, averages that teams very often significantly surpass or fall well short of. And that, dear reader, is why they call it "gambling." Keep your money in your pocket and enjoy the real-life action or you'll end up like my friend Miles Benelli, who went the wrong way last week on Alien vs. Predator: Requiem.

The following is purely for entertainment purposes.

Over the regular season, Green Bay outpassed opponents by an average of 1.3 yards per attempt, more than twice what Seattle managed. Green Bay's defense was sixth-best in points allowed on the strength of its third-best finish in preventing third-down conversions. The Seahawks' offense was 26th in converting third downs. Packers 31, Seahawks 17.

The Jaguars' secondary was exposed last week by Ben Roethlisberger. Imagine what Tom Brady will do should the conditions in New England cooperate. The Patriots were 26th in yards allowed per rush, so the Jags should pile up some rushing yards until those slingshots prove no match for Brady's howitzers. Patriots 38, Jaguars 24.

The Colts' defense is second-best in YPA allowed, sixth in yards per rush and first in points per game. It's like they've switched uniforms with the Patriots of prior years. The Chargers are first in interception rate, but I doubt that Peyton Manning falls victim to picks. The Chargers' offense limped to a 25th-place finish in first downs per game. You must sustain long drives versus the Colts Cover 2. Colts 24, Chargers 13.

There's a myth that it's difficult to get that third consecutive win versus a division rival. Since division play began in 1970, a team has faced an opponent it swept in the regular season 17 times and gone 11-6 in the third game. Dallas' offense would be crippled without Terrell Owens (questionable, ankle). He limped through practice Monday and participated in Tuesday's walk through. Cowboys 24, Giants 21.

Now, some player recommendations.

Buy

Joseph Addai, RB, Colts: San Diego's run defense was 17th in yards allowed per carry. Expect the Chargers' front seven to have all eyes on Manning.

Hold

Brandon Jacobs, RB, Giants: Rookie Ahmad Bradshaw appeared to pass him on the depth chart in the second half on Sunday. But Jacobs averaged 115 rushing yards the final three weeks of the season and 5.0 per carry for all of 2007.

Terrell Owens, WR, Cowboys: Strictly a guess, given our early-week deadline. But Owens played at an MVP level in the Super Bowl loss to New England weeks before his broken leg should have been fully healed. Expect at least a couple of big plays.

Sell

Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers: Don't expect Antonio Gates (toe) to play. Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers will try in vain to gain separation against the most technically sound secondary in football.

David Garrard, QB, Jaguars: Was terrible in Pittsburgh, but got his first playoff pelt anyway. The Jags aren't built to win a high-scoring game like they need to win on Saturday night. Jacksonville's defense is very overrated.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments 0

Brady is NFL Offensive Player of the Year

NEW YORK (AP) - Just like all those wins, the NFL awards keep rolling in for Tom Brady.

The league's Most Valuable Player added The Associated Press 2007 Offensive Player of the Year honors to his collection Tuesday, easily outdistancing his main weapon on the unbeaten New England Patriots, Randy Moss.

Indeed, of the four players who received votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL, three were Patriots. Brady, of course, led the way, just as he did through the first 16-0 regular season in league history.

"We set out a bunch of goals early in the season," Brady said, "and I think I said the best part about playing quarterback here is I just have to do my job, show up every day and work hard just like everybody else. I think my job description is just a bit different than everybody else's, but there's a lot of satisfaction knowing that I can just come out there and worry about myself and expect that everybody else is going to do their job.

"It's been a fun season. There's no doubt about it."

And it's been a rewarding season for Brady, the first New England player to be chosen MVP and now the first Patriot to win Offensive Player of the Year. He collected 351/2 votes to 121/2 for Moss. Wes Welker, the Patriots' other starting receiver, got one, as did Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.

Brady, an eight-year veteran who's already a winner of three Super Bowls, threw for 50 touchdowns, beating Peyton Manning's league mark by one. He also threw 23 of those TD passes to Moss, lifting the receiver past Jerry Rice's record of 22.

New England scored 589 points and 75 TDs, both records. Brady's precision - a 68.9 completion percentage, 117.2 passer rating, just eight interceptions - and yards passing (4,806, 383 more than runner-up Drew Brees of New Orleans) made him a natural choice for his second award in less than a week.

"Individual awards haven't been as important to me as the team goals, and I've said that for a long time," Brady said. "While I'm very flattered to be honored in that way, I understand that my greatest satisfaction comes from winning games and being the leader of this football team. I take that job very seriously and I hope that translates into a win this week."

That would be Saturday night against Jacksonville in the second round of the playoffs. The Patriots are seeking the second perfect season in league history; only Miami, 17-0 in 1972, has gone through the regular schedule and the postseason unbeaten.

Since Favre won Offensive Player in 1995, only two quarterbacks have taken the award: Manning with his record-setting 2004 season, and now Brady in surpassing Manning's achievement.

Last year's winner was running back LaDainian Tomlinson of San Diego.

Brady is the fourth straight double winner, joining Manning, running back Shaun Alexander of Seattle, and Tomlinson.

"If you go ask him he'd probably say the same thing: all the individual awards don't matter," Patriots running back Kevin Faulk said. "It's the team awards that matter, and with the team awards you get all the individual accolades."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:25 PM to Patriots | Permalink | Comments 0

Gossage elected to Hall; Rice passed over

NEW YORK (AP) - Goose Gossage became only the fifth relief pitcher elected to the Hall of Fame, earning baseball's highest honor Tuesday on his ninth try on the ballot.

Known for his overpowering fastball, fiery temperament and bushy mustache, the Goose received 466 of 543 votes (85.8 percent) from 10-year members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Jim Rice was passed over yet again, getting 392 votes (72.2 percent), up from 346 (63.5 percent) last year and 16 short of the 75 percent needed. He will appear on the writers' ballot for the 15th and final time next year, when career steals leader Rickey Henderson will be among the newcomers.

Andre Dawson was third at 358 (65.9 percent), followed by Bert Blyleven at 336 (61.9 percent).
Mark McGwire, a casualty of the Steroids Era in some writers' minds, received just 128 votes - the exact total he had last year. His percentage increased slightly to 23.6 percent, up from 23.5 percent last year when he was on the ballot for the first time.

Gossage, who fell short by 21 votes last year, joins Hoyt Wilhelm (1985), Rollie Fingers (1992), Dennis Eckersley (2004) and Bruce Sutter (2006) in Cooperstown's bullpen.

Gossage was a nine-time All-Star who pitched for nine major league teams from 1972-94 and had 310 saves - 52 of them in which he got seven outs or more.

He will be inducted July 27 in Cooperstown, joined by five men elected last month by the revamped Veterans Committee: former commissioner Bowie Kuhn, former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth and ex-Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:17 PM to Red Sox | Permalink | Comments 0

Paul Kenyon's college hoops chat transcript

Paul Kenyon: Hi everyone. Mike McDermott has set up our chat today to have me here in the office on the way to the airport. I'm ready to go, so let's get right into it.

Firm: Pal- this is the deepest Rhody team I have seen in my years of following the program. Do you agree with this assessment? Also, do you see Delroy James breaking into Coach Baron's rotation and mking a contribution this year? What can we expect from this newcomer?

Paul Kenyon: I agree with your first point Firm, about the depth. I don’t think there is any doubt this is the deepest URI team in years, if not ever.

When Al Skinner was at URI, it was his preference to have a smaller rotation, a preference he still relies on. Al wanted seven guys he could depend on. He made them his guys and he stayed with them. There were many years in which URI did not even fill the scholarship limit, by choice.

Jim Baron is doing things differently right now, in part because of the style of play he is using. He feels he needs more bodies to be able to push the pace as much as he wants to. He wants to go as deep as possible. The good news is that the roster allows him to do so. The nine-man rotation he has used all year has worked nicely. Every guy has contributed.

And now, as you point out, there is a 10th guy ready to help, too. I definitely think Delroy James will become a factor. It might not happen right away, but it will happen.

I got to see a couple practices before last season began when Delroy was allowed to work with the team.

At that point, he was very much ready to be part of the regular rotation. After missing so a year and a half he needs time to get back in the swing of things. But as everyone saw in the FDU game, he is on his way. He will help this year and be a very significant factor over the next three years.

Ethan, South Kingstown: Paul, two friends and I are driving out to the Dayton game from Kingston.

How will URI handle the vociferous Flyer fans?

With so few Rhody Rowdies on hand, what (if anything) will the Rams have to do differently to recreate their road success at the Carrier Dome?

Paul Kenyon: Hi Ethan. Drive safely, please. It’s great to hear that some people are excited enough about the team to make the drive to Ohio.

I think you will enjoy the atmosphere in Dayton. Many of us feel it is the best in the Atlantic 10. You will stick out if you are not wearing something red.

I also think you will feel comfortable. I’ve found the fans in Dayton to be as civil as any around. It’s an older crowd, in large part, a crowd that respects good basketball.

While Dayton has won 24 of its last 26 games in the building, URI has won each of its last two games there. I remember the last-second shot by Dustin Hellenga to beat the Flyers a few years ago.

URI has played well on the road in the last two years. There is no reason to think that should change tomorrow night. We’ll all be disappointed if it is not another close game between two outstanding teams.

GandysFantasy: "Hello PK - URI hoops has come a very long way since the "Jerry! Jerry!! Jerry!!!" days, when complete pandemonium seemed to be the order of the day. Can you provide a perspective on how stable the program is today, versus the complete and utter destruction of the Harrick/Jerry D years? (PS - it's looking like a GREAT day to be on the links on Tuesday!!! That'll cure the RI winter-time blues!)"

Paul Kenyon: Hi Gandy. It is golf season somewhere. Rhode Islanders Brad Adamonis and Patrick Sheehan tee it up on the PGA Tour in Hawaii this week. And I’m betting Triggs, Montaup and Exeter will be doing some business back here this week, too.

But we can wait a bit on the golf. The basketball is too much fun right now. Your question about the stability of the program brings up what I think is the biggest reason of all URI fans should be excited.

You are correct that the stability is there, not just for this season, but for the next few years, as well. Even losing three key players after this year, there already is enough talent on the team to expect a solid, if not strong team, again next year.

The reports we are getting on this year’s recruits are very positive, too. Anyone who follows on Journal chat board has seen posters keeping everyone up to date on several of those players.

To make matters even better, the stability in the athletic department is as good as I’ve ever seen it. I had a conversation with Gregg Burke yesterday about work that is being done to get more students involved and how the student attendance has gone up markedly this year. The school is still putting together -- and selling -- ticket plans for the eight A-10 games, Burke said.

As we’ve seen over the last few days, the television situation is improving, too. I believe 10 of the next 12 games will be televised.

There really are many reasons for Rhody fans to be encouraged

GandysFantasy: Paul, I am of the opinion that the ProJo does a very good job covering the local and regional college hoops scen; mine apears to be a minority opinion. Between you and K-Mac, along with Billy Reynolds (who knows New England hoops history better than anyone), the ProJo provides the Ocean State with ample coverage, yet it's never enough for many delusional Rhody diehards. How do you respond to your many critics?

Paul Kenyon: Hi Gandy. Thanks for the kind words. We do appreciate the support.

Frankly, I feel strongly that you are correct, too. I’m kind of the third wheel when it comes to the basketball coverage here, so please let me speak about the other two. There is no other newspaper in New England, and very few in the country, that have a one-two punch like we have in Bill Reynolds and Kevin McNamara.

Bill Reynolds is simply as good as it gets when it comes to New England basketball. He literally wrote the book on the subject. No one knows the game, or cares about the game any more.

Kevin McNamara picked up the fever growing up in Coventry and has become one of the very best college basketball people in the country. With the Big East headquartered here in Rhode Island, Kevin has gotten to work with many of the best basketball people in the country, on and off the court. He does a great job not only with game coverage but with his Sunday round-ups.
There are reasons to criticize us here. But I would strongly defend the coverage the Journal gives college basketball.

TonyP: Hi Paul, you and I were at URI together with mutual friends but hereis my question. DO yuo know waht ever happened to John Fultz?

Paul Kenyon: Hi Tony. It’s nice to have another old guy here.

I remember seeing John Fultz make many, many shots. Today, most of them would count for three points, not two as they did then. I’m sorry I can’t help you, though. I don’t know about John's whereabouts. Sorry.

TonyP: Will URI win the conference?

Paul Kenyon: If someone forced me to pick the conference winner right now, Tony, I would have to stay with Xavier, the pre-season pick.

I guess that’s one of those picks for the program. The Musketeers’ have the program everyone else in the A-10 would like to copy. It really is a class program that is able to attract top quality players year in and year out.

As they’ve shown with their scoring explosion in their last three victories, twice going over 100 points with seven players scoring in double figures, they are very, very good again.

The good news is that they have more competition than ever. URI and Dayton, obviously, are going to give the Muskies everything they have. As I said in a chat here a couple weeks ago, I am very impressed with Massachusetts, too. I can’t wait to get to see Duquesne coming into the Ryan Center next week. It is the wild card in the race.

GandysFantasy: PK, you must be looking forward to the game in Dayton. What is the atmosphere like at that arena, and what can fair-weather fans learn from the Flyer Experience?

Paul Kenyon: For those who enjoy college basketball, I would heartily recommend seeing a game in the UD Arena.

You are right, Gandy, I am looking forward to seeing another game there. The place is different, almost a throwback. For those of us who are old enough to remember the 1960s and 1970s, it is almost like going back. My memories of those days are that crowds went more to enjoy the game and root for their team than root against the opponents. The atmosphere was fun. There was no profanity, less booing of officials and coaches. It was just a fun thing to do.

That’s the way it still is in Dayton. While there is good student support, the building is so big, seating over 13,000, that the crowd is older. It is more pleasant than is some arenas. The fans have seen great basketball for more than 40 years in the city and they seem to appreciate good play from both sides.

I’m going to quote Jimmy Baron in tomorrow’s pre-game story saying ``the atmosphere in Dayton is second to none.’’ As far as the A-10 is concerned, I couldn’t agree any more strongly.

South County: Paul, what does Rhody have to do to get tapped for NCAA this year?

Paul Kenyon: Hi South. Want to talk magic numbers even before conference play begins?
Why not? Let me throw one up. I’ll go with 25.

If URI has 24 victories on Selection Sunday it will be worried only about where it will play in the NCAA Tournament, not whether it will be invited to the dance.

The 14 victories and great RPI rating -- I believe it is at 17 now -- makes it possible to look ahead. Let’s say the Rams go 10-6 in the conference to get to 24 victories and tie for third in the conference. That gives them a first-round bye and then they win their quarterfinal game in the A-10 tournament to get to 25 victories.

The view from here is that they would still be in the 30s in the RPI at that stage, especially if the wins included one or two against the other contenders. All victories beyond 25 would be simply getting themselves a higher seed.

rhodyrudder: Hi Paul. Thanks again for doing the chat and for your coverage of the Rams. I want to ask about Rhody's home court advantage at the Ryan Center. The atmosphere for the PC game was as good as I've seen in any arena for college basketball. Do you think they will be able to get crowds of 7000 or more, and can they run the table at home?...Also, a quick question regarding the game tomorrow. You mentioned that it would be on channel 64. Is this the local Fox affiliate, or is it #64 on the Cox cable, which currently is not showing any programming at all? I can't even turn to it.

Paul Kenyon: Hi Rudder. Let’s do the last part first. The Cox Communications people tell me that it is Channel 64 on your television, not the local Fox affiliate. I think it’s great everyone did so much work to get the game on.

As for the Ryan Center atmosphere, I’ve spent so much time here today complimenting Dayton and Xavier, I’m glad you asked about the Ryan Center. URI fans have reason to be proud of the building and they have turned it into a major boost for the program. Having students sit so close to the action makes it fun. At times, some students might have gotten a bit carried away. But security guards now are stationed neat the visiting bench and those who get rowdy are kicked out of the building. That’s happened at least a couple times in the last two years, which makes it better for everyone.

I mentioned earlier that I spoke to Gregg Burke, the deputy AD yesterday. One of the subjects he touched on is work he is doing to increase attendance. Ticket plans are now available for A-10 games only, plans that would allow a fan to have the same seat for all remaining games. Gregg told me about the student group he has organized to give him advice and suggestions. Already, more student tickets have been distributed than in the entire 2004-05. Hopefully, I’ll get to tell everyone more about that in the next couple weeks.

The part about being unbeaten at home is asking a lot? If the Rams can sweep a home schedule that includes visits from Dayton, Xavier, Duquesne and Saint Joseph’s, they will truly have a season to remember. That’s a tall order and one I would doubt the team could pull off.

GandysFantasy: Paul, did you ever think you'd see a building as grand as the Ryan Center hosting URI basketball games? Does it need any improvements (other than more fans!)?

Paul Kenyon: Let me relate one quick story about one of my first visits to the Ryan Center.

I gave myself a little tour from top to bottom to see what the facility was like. As I’m finishing, I ran into a couple people I know who had been just ahead of me. They had finished doing the same thing.

One of them looked at me and his first words were, ``Can you believe how nice this place is?’’
It is one of those reactions that made two points. First it was that the planners _ and Ron Petro deserves the most credit on the design. It will be his most long lasting legacy to the school _ really did a great job. It is a facility to be proud of, a great place to watch a game.
The second point was more a Rhode Island thing. It seemed as if he was saying he was so accustomed to having things go wrong. His reaction was like, ``We really did this one right.’’
I wholeheartedly agree.

The one constant problem since day one is the sound system. When I arrived for the FDU game workers were trying to deal with the sound system to make it better. There are parts of the building where the sound simply does not travel well.

TonyP: Paul I now work at U of Florida where of course the program is on the rebound after a few great years. THe question is will URI ever be able to compete on the level of a UF/Tenn?KY level?

Paul Kenyon: Tony, we can’t get too carried away here.

The quick answer to your question is that you are looking at the view from the top. There is no way in the world a URI can compete on a regular basis with a Florida. Anyone who visits the facilities, who sees the budgets, who sees the fan support, knows it is simply impossible.
But as we are seeing this year, it is very possible for URI to compete at a high level, if no the highest level. We’ve spoken here today about the Ryan Center, the increasing fan support. The pieces are there for URI to be very good at its level. And that level can include being a top 25 team in basketball.

Paul Kenyon: That's it for today everyone. Sorry I couldn't get to everyone's questions. I enjoyed it. It's off to the airport.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:59 PM to URI Basketball | Permalink | Comments 0

Download today's Sports cover

Can the Patriots' defense weather Jacksonville's tandem threat of running backs Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew? Read Robert Lee's story to find out. On the baseball front, will Jim Rice finally get into the Hall of Fame? Also, get the latest on the Roger Clemens' saga. And find out how to watch the Top 25 basketball showdown between URI and Dayton tomorrow.
Download file

Posted by Rich Lee  at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments 0

Talk URI hoops today with Paul Kenyon

College basketball writer Paul Kenyon will take questions from projo.com readers in a live chat today at 11 a.m., just before he boards a plane on his way to cover tomorrow's URI-Dayton game. The chat will last about an hour. You can submit your questions about URI basketball now: go to projo.com/chat, click launch chat, pick a display name and enter the college hoops chat room (you do not have to enter a password; do not check "enter as member"). Type in your question -- remember not to press enter or click send until you have completed your thought -- and Paul will see them when he enters the room. Questions will display as he answers them.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:17 AM to URI Basketball | Permalink | Comments 0