NOVEMBER 15, 2006
Today's "top" story . . .
Unhappy at work? Moss says mood affecting play
OAKLAND, Calif. (ESPN) -- Do people work best when they're happy, or should professionalism be motivation enough? Oakland Raiders team captain Randy Moss and coach Art Shell seem to have different viewpoints.
Moss, asked Monday about dropping more passes than usual this season, said perhaps his lack of happiness has affected his play.
"Maybe because I'm unhappy, and I'm not too much excited about what's going on, so my concentration and focus level tends to go down when I'm in a bad mood," Moss said. "So all I can say is if you put me in a good situation and make me happy, man, you get good results."
Moss made the comments after appearing at a news conference announcing the establishment of a college football award in his honor -- the Randy Moss Award, to be given to the top return specialist in Division I-A. more
SUBJECTS: Randy Moss | Football | Oakland Raiders
The Hot Sports Wife/Ex/Girlfriend of the Day
Mrs. Tiki Barber!!
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49ers insist they'll keep 'San Francisco', City leaders upset, say the name won't move with team
(Chronicle) -- What's in a name? If you are the San Francisco 49ers, a lot, apparently.
A Super-Bowl-size battle is brewing over the fate of the team's name and whether it would still be allowed to call itself the San Francisco 49ers if it relocates to Santa Clara.
Team officials say that any move would involve bringing along the San Francisco name. But in the city by the bay, where leaders are furious over last week's surprise announcement that the 49ers want to leave their Candlestick Point home, officials already are arguing that, if the team goes, the name stays.
Legal experts, however, say that if the team moves, the chances of it being forced to become the Santa Clara 49ers, the Silicon Valley 49ers, the San Francisco 49ers of Santa Clara or any other tongue-twisting combination, are slim to none. There simply are few -- if any -- legal grounds for requiring the team to keep the San Francisco name within the city limits, they say. more
SUBJECTS: San Francisco 49ers | Football | Stadium
Missouri RB has assault trial postponed for third time
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri running back Tony Temple's trial on a misdemeanor assault charge was postponed Tuesday for the third time in four months.
Temple, a junior from Kansas City and the team's leading rusher, was scheduled to appear before a Boone County judge Tuesday morning.
Temple was not in the courtroom when his attorney, R. Travis Jacobs, asked Associate Circuit Judge Larry Bryson for a continuance. The request was granted, and no future court date was announced. Previous trial dates in August and September were also postponed.
Temple was arrested June 11 for allegedly punching a Bennigan's worker in the face and mouth in a dispute involving Temple's girlfriend, a former Missouri softball player who worked at the restaurant.
Temple was suspended from the team for summer conditioning drills by coach Gary Pinkel but has returned to gain 761 yards and score three touchdowns this season for Missouri (7-3, 3-3 Big 12). more
SUBJECTS: Tony Temple | Football | University of Missouri | Assault
Houshmandzadeh forgives McCree for violent hit
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh forgave San Diego safety Marlon McCree for the early, high hit that left him groggy.
The former Oregon State player watched a replay of the fourth-quarter hit, which left him momentarily unconscious, and decided on Monday there was nothing wrong with it.
McCree drew a pass interference penalty for the hit in San Diego's 49-41 victory over Cincinnati. As he fell, Houshmandzadeh's head connected with the knee of linebacker Randall Godfrey.
"He was just trying to make a play on the ball," Houshmandzadeh said. "He got there a little too soon. It wasn't actually his hit that hurt me. It was the fact that the linebacker was coming so fast. He tried to jump over me but as he jumped, he kneed me in the head. It was just one of those split-second type of accidents, basically." more
SUBJECTS: T.J. Houshmandzadeh | Cincinnati Bengals | Marlon McCree | San Diego Chargers | Football
Hackers steal data from Landis lab
PARIS (AP) -- A hacker stole data from computers at the French anti-doping lab where tests are being challenged by American cyclist Floyd Landis, police said Tuesday.
The Chatenay-Malabry laboratory, which is accredited by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency, analyzed the samples that indicated Landis had elevated levels of testosterone when he won the Tour de France in July.
Police are investigating a complaint that computers at the lab were breached by a hacker. The complaint was lodged by French Anti-Doping Agency president Pierre Bordry on Nov. 7.
The prosecutor's office in the Paris suburb of Nanterre has opened a preliminary inquiry into "intrusion into an information system" and "theft of data." more
SUBJECTS: Floyd Landis | Cycling | Steroids | Chatenay-Malabry Laboratory | Theft
Polamalu may play despite sixth concussion
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu may play at Cleveland on Sunday despite sustaining at least the sixth concussion of his football career.
Polamalu is listed as questionable, meaning there’s a 50-50 chance he’ll play only a week after being so disoriented during Pittsburgh’s 38-31 victory Sunday he almost tumbled off the Steelers’ bench while sitting by himself.
“He’ll do some testing again tomorrow. He feels better,” Steelers coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday. “This will be to see if he stays asymptomatic. Once again, this is a situation where he’ll have to get clearance from the doctors before any decision is made about his availability.” more
