|
Stat of the Week
Week of February 25, 2008
(44)
The number of points (44) scored by the Bamberg Barons High School basketball team during the DoDDS European Division III championship game in Mannheim, Germany. DoDDS is the acronym for Department of Defense Dependents Schools—and the kids in this tournament are all dependents of American servicemen and women who are stationed overseas. Bamberg trailed 42-41 with only ten seconds left in the game, but center Joshua Robinson recovered an offensive rebound and put it in the basket for the lead, drawing a foul on the play. He converted the free throw and secured the 44-42 victory—but the most compelling part of this story is that Robinson and his teammates won the tournament less than a week after the death of their coach, Charles Jordan, who spent the last 32 years teaching, coaching, and mentoring military brats all over the world.
Honorable Mentions
(16)
The number of times (16) Brian McNamee claims to have injected Roger Clemens with steroids and HGH. Actually, he says "at least sixteen times." Three weeks ago Clemens gave a deposition denying he attended a party thrown by then teammate Jose Canseco back in 1998, and then two weeks ago he told Congress he might have stopped by Canseco's house after a round of golf. McNamee claims Clemens began to show an interest in using steroids while attending that party—and now last week, Canseco's neighbor from 1998 claims to have a photo of his son, with Clemens, at that same party. This thing just won't go away.
(21)
The number of turnovers (21) for the Kansas Jayhawks during a 61-60 upset loss against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday. Kansas came into the conference game ranked number four in the nation with a 24-2 record, while OSU came in unranked at 13-12. OSU guard Byron Eaton hit the game-winning free throw with 12.6 seconds left on the clock. He also scored a career high 26 points, and after the game he said, "It just comes down to heart. We out toughed them—and I think we wanted it more than they did."
(47)
Memphis carried a (47) game home winning streak—the longest in the nation—into Saturday's match-up against in-state rival Tennessee. Memphis also came into the game unbeaten and ranked number one in the nation, and Tennessee entered the game ranked number two. In the end, it was Tyler Smith who hit a turnaround jump shot with 28 seconds left in the game for two of his team high 16 points to give the Volunteers the lead—and they held on for a 66-62 victory.
(63)
The number of career wins (63) for Tigers Woods. He dominated Stewart Cink on Sunday, taking the finals of the World Golf Championships—Accenture Match Play Championship 8 and 7 during a 36-hole finale. Tiger has won four consecutive PGA tournaments dating to last season, and with the victory he surpassed the legendary Arnold Palmer on the career win list. Woods said afterwards, "I think anytime you're associated with Arnold and what he's done with the game of golf, it's always a positive thing."
(170)
The winning percentage (.170) for the Miami Heat after losing to Philadelphia 101-96 on Saturday. The team has lost 11 straight, and they have yet to record ten wins on the season—their record is 9-44. Miami has not won a game the entire month of February, and they might not get one at all. They host Sacramento at home on Tuesday—after that, they close out the month on the road in L.A. and Seattle.
Stat of the Week
Week of February 18, 2008
(1)
The number of Daytona 500 titles (1) for The Captain—Roger Penske. "I've been coming here almost 30 years trying to get to victory lane," said the owner of Penske Racing. "We've worked hard and we've come close, but this one was pure team effort."
Honorable Mentions
(8)
The number of laps (8) Ryan Newman led during the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Kyle Busch led the most laps with 86, and 16 different drivers led for at least one lap—but it was Newman who got a push from teammate Kurt Busch on the final lap that sent him to victory lane. Newman called it "the push from heaven that made it all happen," though it probably felt like quite the opposite for Tony Stewart, who lost the lead on the final lap and fell to third place.
(10)
The number of consecutive shots (10) Jason Kapono made during the final round of the three-point shootout during the NBA All-Star weekend. He missed his first two shots in the final round, but then dropped ten in a row and tied a 22-year-old record by scoring 25 points in the final round. The Toronto Raptors forward is the best three-point shooter in the league this season, and he won the shootout for the second year in a row.
(16)
The number of laps (16) Tony Stewart led during the 50th running of the Daytona 500. Stewart, who has never won the biggest race in NASCAR, lost the lead on the final lap and settled for third, calling it "one of the most disappointing moments in my racing career."
(70)
The number of LPGA Tour victories (70) for Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam. Last year she suffered through neck and back injuries that limited her play—and she did not record a win for the first time since 1994. She posted a final round 69 though at the season-opening SBS Open at Turtle Bay to claim a two-shot victory and career win number 70. Sorenstam later said, "We've talked so much about '07, it's time to talk about '08."
(78)
The percentage (.78) of fan votes Orlando's Dwight Howard received during the final round of the slam dunk contest during the NBA All-Star weekend. Howard got perfect scores from the judges during the first two rounds, and later proved a big man could win the competition by electrifying the crowd with his final dunk of the night. He wore a cape and an "S" on his chest as he took off from just inside the free throw line, soared through the air, grabbed a suspended ball, and literally threw it down, not even making contact with the rim.
(81)
Ryan Newman ran (81) consecutive races without taking a checkered flag. Last week that might have been a problem, but not anymore—right now he's on top of the world.
(134)
The number of points (134) for the Eastern Conference during the NBA All-Star game—and 27 of them came courtesy of game MVP LeBron James. He scored the go-ahead basket with 55 seconds left in the game on a powerful dunk that secured the All-Star game MVP hardware for the second time in three seasons. Dirk Nowitzki said, "He's making shots and he almost had a triple-double. Amazing play down the stretch with the dunk—it was a fun game down the stretch and he really took the team on his back." The final score was 134-128.
(214)
Jeff Quinney played (214) consecutive holes without a three-putt. In search of his first tour victory, he began the final round of the Northern Trust Open trailing Phil Mickelson by one shot. Quinney made a run starting on the eighth hole, driving home four consecutive putts outside of ten feet. That gave him three birdies in four holes and sole possession of the lead—but then his streak ended with a three-jack on number thirteen. He then made four bogeys in five holes, and lost by two.
(691)
The scoring average (69.1) for Phil Mickelson through four PGA Tour events in 2008. He made a disastrous 11 on the par-5 14th last week at Pebble Beach to miss the cut—going from contention on Saturday to home on Sunday in a rather shocking manner. Setting that aside, his scoring average is the second lowest on tour and he has three top tens, a victory at the Northern Trust Open, and heading into this week's match-play event, Mickelson is also the FedEx Cup points leader.
Stat of the Week
Week of February 11, 2008
(43)
The number of cars (43) that will make up the starting field for the Daytona 500 on Sunday. The one starting at the pole position belongs to two-time defending points champion Jimmie Johnson, who qualified at a speed of 187.075 mph. Johnson, who won the Daytona 500 in 2006, begins the season looking to equal Cale Yarborough’s record of three straight series championships.
Honorable Mentions
(5)
Kirk Radomski, the former clubhouse attendant for the New York Mets who pleaded guilty last spring to distributing steroids and laundering money, was sentenced to (5) years probation last week as a result of his plea agreement with prosecutors. It was his cooperation that led Senator Mitchell and other investigators to Brian McNamee, who in turn gave up Roger Clemens. But of course Clemens is fighting allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs—and this week, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training, Radomski, McNamee, and Clemens will all be testifying before Congress.
(47)
The number of laps (47) Dale Earnhardt Jr. led during the Budweiser Shootout at the Daytona International Speedway on February 9. He dominated the 70 lap race and took the checkered flag during his first race with new team Hendrick Motorsports. Team owner Rick Hendrick said, “It feels good to answer the question can we win—it takes a big load off. This feels so good, just to get it out of the way.” Junior, who last year did not win a race for the first time since 1999, is now looking to take the checkered flag in something more than a non-points exhibition event.
(129)
The number of rushing yards (129) for Adrian Peterson during the Pro Bowl in Honolulu on Sunday. The Vikings rookie star running back also scored two touchdowns as the NFC beat the AFC 42-30. Peterson, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award this season, became just the second rookie to win Pro Bowl MVP honors.
(199)
Steve Lowery won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on Sunday after going (199) consecutive tournaments without posting a victory. It was the third career win for the 47-year-old PGA Tour veteran, but it was his first in seven years. He shot a 68 on Sunday, and after Vijay Singh made three consecutive bogies on his way in to the clubhouse, Lowery found himself teeing it up alongside Singh on number eighteen in a sudden-death playoff. Lowery made a birdie on the first extra hole to grab the title, a $1.08 million check, and an invite to The Masters.
(1000)
The winning percentage (1.000) for the North Carolina Tar Heels when they take on the Clemson Tigers at home. It took the third-ranked Tar Heels two overtimes to maintain a perfect 53-0 record all-time at home against conference rival Clemson this weekend. The winning streak broke the previous record of 52 consecutive home wins against one opponent held by Princeton against Brown University. It almost didn’t happen though, as UNC had to rally from a 15-point deficit. Tyler Hansbrough then took over in the extra periods, scoring 13 of his game high 39 points as the Tar Heels prevailed 103-93.
Stat of the Week
Week of February 4, 2008
(1)
The number of Super Bowl titles (1) it takes to make your childhood dreams come true—just ask New York Giants quarterback and reigning Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning.
Super Bowl Honorable Mentions
(2)
The consecutive number of Pete Rozelle Trophies (2) for being the Super Bowl MVP that have been earned by a member of the Manning family. Big brother Peyton got a ring and an MVP award for his performance last season as quarterback for the Colts, and this year it was his kid brother Eli who got a ring and a trophy of his own. Eli said after the game, “I talked to Peyton and he said go in there, have some fun—you can do it.”
(3)
The number of Super Bowl rings (3)—and holding—for Tom Brady. One more will tie him with legends Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for the most rings in history for a starting quarterback. Patriots fans have been riding high all season, and for good reason, with Brady, all of his records, and his MVP award at the helm, seemingly poised to place his name in the record book one more time—and yet, today, Brady and the Patriots are no different than the 30 other NFL teams with only one thing left to do, “Wait until next year.”
(11)
The number of consecutive games (11) the Giants won on the road to close out the season as Super Bowl champions with a record of 14-6. Coach Tom Coughlin saw his team lose the season opener in Dallas, but that was it—they ran the table away from the Meadowlands the rest of the way, including all four post-season games. Coughlin said, “The road signified the coming together of a team. We rode that emotion all the way through.” The Giants also became the first NFC Wild Card team to win the Super Bowl.
(35)
The Patriots were (:35) seconds from perfection—35 years after the Dolphins ran the table—but they fell 17-14 to the Giants. Is it possible to go 18-1 and have the season be an utter disappointment? It all depends on when the one happens—and in this case, the answer is a resounding yes.
(242)
Tom Brady connected with Randy Moss on a six-yard touchdown strike with (2:42) left in the fourth quarter to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead. The touchdown capped off an 80-yard drive that lasted 12 plays and took 5:15 off the game clock—and it looked and felt like a game-winning drive. That is, until the Giants marched 83-yards on 12 plays for the winning touchdown.
(255)
The number of passing yards (255) for Eli Manning. The last 13 put the ball in the corner of the end zone and in the capable hands of Plaxico Burress, who drew the ire of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady earlier in the week when he predicted the Giants would win by a score of 23-17. Burress was closer on his prediction, and more accurate, than most experts—and after scoring the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII he said, “It’s the greatest feeling in professional sports.”
(959)
The Giants opening drive lasted (9:59)—the longest drive in terms of time off the clock in Super Bowl history. They had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead, but they set the tone for a game in which they had to control the time of possession. In the end, the Giants held the ball for 30:27 compared to 29:33 for the Patriots—and that opening drive, and the field goal, made Eli Manning’s crazy almost-sacked scramble that turned into an unbelievable catch and a first down for David Tyree with 1:15 left in the game, and the ensuing touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, possible.
(1000)
The winning percentage (1.000) for the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
|
SportsFananza.com