PSU
Sports
g a
Glance
By Chris Torres
Staff Reporter
cgtlllgpsu.edu
Well, now that the thrill of foot
ball is over, it is time to switch
gears to other sports. For
some, football is the only sport
out there, but Penn State bas
ketball is at its halfway point
and it's time to review.
For the Penn State men, the
struggles continue. At time of
printing, the men had a record
of 7-13, with a conference
record of 1-6. Hard to believe,
but there is actually good news.
The men are on pace to eclipse
last years' total wins, which
were nine.
Aaron Johnson, the 6-foot-9,
240-pound junior forward, has
led the team; he has led the
team with an average of 14 ppg
and 10.5 rpg. The team has
also gotten good play out of
Travis Parker and Geary
Claxton, who has been a pres
ence on the court leading 17
blocks this season.
But the Lions are losing in two
key categories. Overall, they
are averaging 3.5 points less
per game than their opponents
and are averaging four more
turnovers.
For any team that wants to be
successful, they must be able
to score points and not
turnover the ball. The men
have to work harder if they
hope to get a couple more wins
this season. They have some
big games in their conference
coming up, so better play is
essential.
For the women, well it is just
another year in paradise. Well,
maybe not that good, but they
are doing well. They are once
again ranked in the Top 25 and
on their way to another appear
ance in the NCAA Tournament.
Currently the women are
boasting a 13-7 record. That
includes a 9-0 record at home,
but poor showing on the road;
only 4-7. In the Big 10 confer
ence, the Lady Lions are 8-1.
So who leads this team any
way? Well, they are led by five
seniors; the most notable being
Tanisha Wright, who leads the
team in scoring, averaging a lit
tle over 20 ppg; Ashli Schwab,
leader in rebounding; and Jess
Strom, leader in field goal and
three-point percentage.
Ahead for the Lady Lions are
teams such as Northwestern,
Ohio State, and Indiana. The
team has broken the Top 25
rankings, but it remains to be
seen if they will be as good as
the team that made it to the
elite eight last season.
So, the results are the same
when it comes to PSU
Basketball so far this season.
The women are playing well
once again, and the men con
tinue to struggle.
For the women, the senior
leadership on the team and
Rene Portland will take them to
the NCAA Tournament again.
Whether or not they will be
successful is another story.
Expect more excitement when
March rolls around.
For the men, it will be a strug
gle all season long. The good
news is that they will probably
eclipse the win total of last sea
son by a few wins. The bad
news is that, barring a miracu
lous showing in the Big 10 tour
nament, they will probably miss
the big dance.
There is one match-up to look
for in the coming weeks. On
Feb. 16, the guys will play top
ranked Illinois in "Happy
Valley." It probably will not hap
pen, but how sweet it would be
if Penn State pulled off the
huge upset. In college basket
ball, anything can happen.
S 1 co ri t s
Eagles' fans
By Christian Torres
Staff Reporter
cgtlll@psu.edu
By the time this article is read,
Superbowl XXXIX will have
been signed, sealed, and deliv
ered. Fans of either New
England or Philadelphia will be
basking in the joy of ultimate
bliss for a while. But while New
England fans have already
enjoyed their smorgasbord of
championships for a couple
Wide receiver Terrell Owens answered many questions in recent press conferences, and left no doubt
that he'll play in the Superbowl against New England.
Herb recounts the NHL's greatest players
By Herb Smith
Staff Reporter
hjsl3s@psu.edu
Greatest
Hockey Players
of All Time
5. Mark Messier
4. Ray Bourque
3. Gordie Howe
2. Mario Lemieux
1. Wayne Gretzky
Now, did you really think there
would be a different player
ranked number one on this
countdown? Even the most
casual hockey fan knows the
name Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky,
known as "The Great One," was,
without a doubt, the greatest
player ever to lace up a pair of
skates. For the 20 seasons
between 1979 and 1999,
Gretzky put up numbers that will
never be reached.
In other sports, there is no
clear-cut, number one, greatest
player. In basketball, Kareem
Abdul Jabbar had the most
career points, but he is rarely
years, Philly has not seen a title
since 1983. So what would it
mean for a city that has suffered
through disappointment after dis
appointment to win a title? More
than anyone would even com
prehend.
Let's see. Many things have
changed since the Philadelphia
76ers knocked off the Los
Angeles Lakers in 1983. Atari
has been replaced by the
Playstation and X-Box. The
Hooters have been replaced by
mentioned in the same breath as
Michael Jordan. In baseball,
Hank Aaron has the most home
runs in a career, but does that
make him better than Ty Cobb or
Babe Ruth? Gretzky had the
skill and domination of Jordan
with the numbers of Abdul
Jabber to back it up.
Over his two decades on the
ice, Gretzky amassed enough
trophies to fill a dozen mansions.
He won the scoring title an
amazing ten times, including
seven straight from 1981 to
1987. He won the league MVP
award nine times and he earned
plenty more awards too numer-
ous to mention. He also added
four Stanley Cups to his trophy
case.
The only thing greater than the
number of trophies Gretzky has
earned is the number of records
that he still posesses. He holds,
or shares, more than 60 records
including most goals, assists,
and points in a season and most
goals, assists and points in a
career. These are probably his
most impressive and famous
records. His career goals mark is
150 higher than the next active
player, and he has 700 more
assists than the player ranked
second on the list. His career
point record has an even bigger
Maroon 5. And lets not forget,
The Facts of Life has been
replaced by Joey.
Now a lot has happened in the
22 years in between, but some
thing has stayed the same.
Something has not changed.
Losing in Philadelphia since
1983 has become sort of expect
ed. The Flyers were always
going to get close to the cup, but
they were not winning the darn
thing. The 1993 Phillies may
have been lovable and John
Photo courtesy of www.philadelphiaeagles.com
Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky holds one of his four career Stanley Cups high
cushion. Gretzky's next closest
challenger is nearly 1,000 points
behind him.
His single season records are
just as impressive. Great players
of today score about 40 goals a
season, and get about 60 to 70
assists a season for a points total
of around 100. Gretzky's best
The Capital Times, February 7, 2005 7
die hard
Kruk was cool, but a World
Series championship? Yeah
right. And the 76ers? Well with
the exception of 2001 when they
made it to the NBA Finals, there
has not been much to cheer
about.
So how about the Eagles? Well,
it was a pretty rough time for the
guys in green. The Marion
Campbell years were something
to forget and the team was not
very popular.
In 1985, the Chicago Bears and
that great defense won the
Superbowl. The leader of that
squad of suffering was Buddy
Ryan and soon enough, Buddy
was the main man in Philly.
Ryan did not disappoint, partic
ularly with his defense. But what
did that team and its coach, most
noted for placing a bounty on
Cowboys kicker Luis Zendejas,
accomplish? Well in classic
Philly fashion, nothing except for
a few playoff appearances and a
lack of a championship. Classic
Philly style!
So time went on and still no
championship for the beloved
birds. Coaching changes hap
pened and even a new owner
took control. Then came 1999
when the Eagles hired Andy
Reid, an unknown assistant
coach from Green Bay. Nothing
was expected of Reid when he
came to Phifly. Perhaps a few
playoff appearances or even a
division title here and there
would be good enough.
But who would have thought
that six years into his tenure,
Reid would have a chance to
erase the ultimate loser mentali
ty that fans in Philadelphia have
had since 1983. Yes the Eagles
are one win away from a
Superbowl title, but its magni
tude on fans from that city is
huge.
Many people like to pick on
Philly fans for being whiners and
idiots. In some cases, they are
seasons in those categories
were; 92 goals (1981-82), 163
assists (1985-86) and 215 points
(1985-86). Plain and simple, the
players' best of today does not
even compare to Gretzky's best;
not even close. This is the rea
son why Gretzky was given the
name "The Great One." If any
right. Why throw snowballs at
Santa?
In reality however, fans in
Philadelphia are some of the
most passionate fans in all of
sports. Not only are they there
for the team, but they will brave
the coldest weather to cheer for
their beloved teams.
That was evident when the
Eagles played the Falcons in this
year's NFC Championship
Game. In temperatures that
struggled to get out of the single
digits, it was a struggle for both
teams just before halftime. But
the Philly fans cheered for their
team and had faith that the
Eagles were finally going over
the-top and into the Superbowl.
And the cheering and faith finally
paid off.
After three years of champi
onship heartbreak, the Eagles
have finally gotten a chance to
compete for an NFL title. For
Philly fans, years of frustration
and pain were washed away if
even for one day. And now it is
their time.
Fans of Philadelphia will still be
celebrating or crying when this
article is read. If they celebrate,
they deserve it. If the Eagles
lose, they should not be
ashamed.
Let's face it, the Superbowl is
the biggest T.V. event, sporting
or not. It is an unofficial holiday
when everyone pays attention to
one game and one game only. It
is estimated this year that almost
800 million people around the
world will watch the spectacle.
Just imagine this...the
Philadelphia Eagles win the
Superbowl and everyone around
the globe is shouting
E.A.G.L.E.S. As said before, the
result will be known before this
article is read. But for Eagles
fans that have suffered through
disappointment and heartache,
nothing could be sweeter.
Photo courtesy of sportingnews.com
player in sports deserves that
nickname, it is Wayne Gretzky.
No player in any other sport has
ever dominated his sport enough
to be called the greatest ever. It
is safe to say, there is only one
Wayne Gretzky, and his records
are the safest in all of sports.