Article:Armchair Weekend in Review (January 25-27, 2008)

Not much to report from this weekend, but here goes...

= Football of all kinds =


 * With Super Bowl XLII a week away, the New England Patriots were the first to arrive, and star quarterback Tom Brady told reporters upon landing in Arizona that his allegedly busted-up ankle was okay. So, Pats fans, you can relax now...


 * Meanwhile, the coaching carousel has begun to spin – and in the case of one team, rather out of control. The Washington Redskins announced the firing of Joe Gibbs' presumed heir apparent, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, along with an assistant of Gibbs'. Three thousand miles away, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis was reported to have drafted a letter of resignation for head coach Lane Kiffin to sign. Davis, however, denied that such a move was made.


 * Kiffin coached the South squad in Saturday's Senior Bowl, where Florida's Andre Caldwell led the South to a 17-16 victory thanks to a touchdown with over three minutes to go in the game. The MVP award went to Tulane running back Matt Fort&eacute;, despite only 36 yards on four carries.

FA Cup – Fourth Round Proper

 * Manchester United got two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, and they were helpful in aiding the Devils to a 3-1 over Tottenham. United's opponent next month will be archrival Arsenal, who shut out Newcastle 3-0 with a double by Emanuel Adebayor. Round up the usual suspects...


 * Oldham Athletic's giant-killer run ended on Saturday with a 1-0 loss away at fellow League One side Huddersfield Town. Their opponent in mid-February will be defending cupholder Chelsea, who bested Wigan 2-1.


 * A very small (in stature) squad named Havant & Waterlooville F.C. got their chance to take on Premiership titan Liverpool, and needless to say, got theirs cleaned in a 5-2 wallop by the Reds. Israeli striker Yossi Benayoun got three goals in the match.

= Throwing down, big time =


 * Even without a couple of their players, UConn managed to upset seventh-ranked Indiana, 68-63. It was later revealed that Huskies coach Jim Calhoun put the two under suspension for an alcohol-related offense.


 * Memphis remained undefeated and had little, if any, trouble in beating Gonzaga, 81-73.


 * Was Roy Hibbert's block at the last second goaltending or not? The zebras said it was, and that's how the ninth-ranked Hoyas' game against West Virginia ended, with a 58-57 win.


 * Moving to the pros, the Boston Celtics may have by far the best record in the entire NBA, but they suffered a ball-breaking 96-93 loss to the Orlando Magic thanks to a three-pointer at the buzzer by Hedo Turkoglu.


 * Florida's other team, the Miami Heat, ended their long losing streak at sixteen games, edging the Indiana Pacers 98-96 behind 35 points from Dwayne Wade.


 * In a clash of East vs. West, the East had the upper hand. Kobe Bryant may have amassed 33 points and 12 boards, but Lebron James' led the world with 41 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 98-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

= Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! O! O! Open! =


 * Who'da thunk this matchup? With top seeds Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal ousted in the semifinals, the men's final had an unusual feel to it. However, Serbian Novak Djokovic and unheralded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga hooked up early Sunday (ET) and made the most of a strange final. While Djokovic lost the first set, he soon fought back to take Serbia's first Grand Slam title, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2).


 * The former Yugoslavia had more to cheer about, as Ana Ivanovic made her way into the women's final, where she lost to last year's runner-up, Maria Sharapova, in straight sets.

= That's all for this week =

Until the aftermath of Super Sunday, let's all be good sports...