FAMU marching band picked to perform at Super Bowl pregame show

Florida A&M University's marching band has been selected to perform in the Super Bowl XLIV pregame show at Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 6 -- and they're rehearsing a tribute to Michael Jackson. This marks the third time in five years that the marching "100" has been invited to participate in a Super Bowl. "We are extremely honored and proud to be selected by the National Football League to perform during the pregame show," said Julian White, director of bands and chair of FAMU's Department of Music, who received a telephone call from the entertainment director for the National Football League.

"To be invited for a third time in only five years is confirmation that we give a quality performance," Dr. White said in a news release issued by the Tallahassee school on Tuesday. "It is only fitting that we salute the King of Pop for the world to see," White said. (Read More, Click Blog Title)

FAMU Rattlers 'Hawk' Dawson finally wings his way into MLB Hall of Fame

Former Florida A&M University Rattlers baseball star and alumnus, Andre Dawson (1973-75) was the lone inductee to Major League Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday. A graduate of Miami's Southwest High School, Dawson will be enshrined on July 25, 2010 in Cooperstown, NY., 15 days after his 56th birthday.

OTTAWA, Canada — Baseball graduated its 2010 Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, which turned out to be a class of just one player: Andre Dawson. At last, The Hawk is in the Hall. A joyous day, not just for the elegant outfielder and his cast of supporters, but for fans of the Montreal Expos, able to reflect on another fond figure from their long-gone ball team. Dawson, in his ninth year on the ballot, received 77.9 per cent of the vote, comfortably past the 75 per cent margin. He leaped more than 10 per cent in the voting by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America after reaching 67 per cent last year.

Dawson, angular, powerful and fleet in his youth, had Hall of a Fame markings in his 21 seasons with four clubs, but was severely hampered by injury late in his career. It wasn’t character that slowed Dawson, but a pair of bad knees, preventing this “five-tool” player from posting automatic Cooperstown numbers. Dawson finished his career as a .279 career hitter with 438 home runs, 1,591 runs batted in and 314 stolen bases. He was the National League’s rookie of the year with the Expos in 1977 and the 1987 NL most valuable player with the Chicago Cubs. Eight times he was an all-star and 12 times he underwent knee surgery. In history, only Willie Mays and Barry Bonds shared Dawson’s combination of at least 400 home runs and 300 stolen bases. (Read more, click main blog title)

'Well worth the wait' for baseball hall inductee Andre Dawson

The Hawk has a new nest: the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Andre Dawson, considered by some to be the best player ever produced by the Montreal Expos, was elected Wednesday to the baseball shrine — the only player to make the cut this year in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. "It was well worth the wait. I can’t really describe the elation," Dawson, who made the Hall on his ninth try, told reporters on a conference call. "If you’re a Hall of Famer, eventually you’re going to get in, no matter how long it takes."

Dawson appeared on 77.9 per cent of the ballots, after falling 44 votes short last year of 75 per cent needed for induction. A strong-armed outfielder whose speed and power on the diamond and class off it made him a fan favourite, Dawson played 21 seasons for four teams (the Expos, the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins), hitting 438 home runs, collecting 1,591 RBIs and stealing 314 bases. He is one of only three players in MLB history to hit 400 home runs and steal 300 bases in his career. Willie Mays and Barry Bonds are the others.

Dallas Green recalls Andre Dawson 'blank check' signing

Most free-agent negotiations are conducted under clandestine circumstances, far from the prying eyes of the public and media. But in 1987, for all to witness during spring training in Mesa, Ariz., free agent Andre Dawson and agent Dick Moss demanded the immediate and undivided attention of Cubs management. Dallas Green, then the Cubs' bombastic general manager, took umbrage at the fact the future Hall of Famer and Moss showed up with a blank contract. Green huffed and puffed, then referred to Dawson and Moss as "a dog and pony show."

I was the Tribune's Cubs beat reporter at the time, and In the Wake of the News columnist Bob Verdi and I thought the entire surreal scene was made for TV, as well as newspapers. I spoke with Green on Wednesday about the scene and he provided some background. "It all started in 1984 when we won (the division) and I had to sign all of those guys to multiyear contracts, and big contracts," said Green, 75, now the senior adviser to the general manager of the Phillies.

"You know, Rick Sutcliffe and Steve Trout and Scott Sanderson and Dennis Eckersley. ... I had to re-sign all of those guys because they were on one-year deals. It took a pretty good chunk of dough. And, of course, in '85 we didn't do too well, and in '86 we struggled a little, as well. It was where Tribune Co. finally had to put (its) foot down and say, 'Hey, we're approaching the payroll we want to be at.' I said, 'Well, I love this guy (Dawson)'.

Andre Dawson receives just due with Hall of Fame election

Never one to sweat the details, Andre Dawson is happily on his way to Cooperstown. A man who generated respect along with run production throughout his 21-year career, six of his most satisfying seasons coming when he was based at Wrigley Field, Dawson will take his place in the Hall of Fame alongside Ryne Sandberg, who like "The Hawk" knew Wrigley before there were lights. There was never a real question of Dawson's Hall of Fame worthiness -- anyone who saw him dominate the National League with the Cubs and Montreal Expos knew he had earned his spot among baseball's greats. The question was how long he would have to wait, and that finally was answered Wednesday.

Dawson, whose signing with the Cubs in 1987 was one of the most amazing stories in team history, was more gracious than he needed to be on the subject of hard-to-convince voters. "The wait isn't a big factor in the scheme of things," said Dawson, 55, who was a huge fan favorite on the North Side. "You get frustrated when people say, 'When are you going to get in?' and you don't have an answer for that. As I sit here now, I think it was well worth the wait."

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Howard Bison 72, Navy Midshipmen 65

Howard Uses Late Run to Push Past Navy, 72-65

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Howard men's basketball team outscored Navy, 9-0, in the final minute of play to hand the Midshipmen a 72-65 setback on Monday night. The loss snapped Navy's modest two-game winning streak and drops Navy's record to 6-9 overall. Howard improved to 2-13 with the victory. Navy has lost six straight games away from Annapolis and has a 1-7 record away from Alumni Hall, entering Saturday night's Patriot League opener at Bucknell.

"We didn't do enough tonight for 40 minutes to be successful. When we don't play together, we aren't going to beat anyone," said Navy head coach Billy Lange. "We were careless defensively and didn't show enough patience on offense. It just seemed we got antsy in the second half and weren't patient enough. When we were, we got any shot we wanted." Howard was aided by seven three-point plays. Three of the seven came on fouled three-point shot attempts, while the Bison also connected on four and-one opportunities. "It's just a lack of focus, and we didn't close out on shooters properly," said Lange. "Our heads were somewhere else."

Final Stats

White, Collins Lead Balanced Attack In Win Over Navy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Curtis White scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half and Dadrian Collins added 10 of his 15 after intermission to lead Howard to a 72-65 win over Navy in a non-conference men's basketball game at Burr Gymnasium. The Bison (2-13), who snapped a five game losing streak, rallied from a 36-30 halftime deficit on the scoring of White and Collins who combined for 12 of the team's points during a key 15-9 run that tied the score at 45-all.

Buoyed by the run, Howard embarked on an 11-4 run to open up a 56-49 lead at the 10:48 mark of the second half. This time it was Mike Phillips and Calvin Thompson who keyed the run as they combined for 8 of the points. But the scrappy Mids (6-9) put together a rally of their own, a 16-6 spurt that helped them regain the lead at 65-63 with 3:08 remaining.

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Hampton Pirates 78, Fordham Rams 54

Senior 6'-8" forward Michael Freeman took the Atlantic-10 Fordham Rams to school scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds in leading the Pirates inside attack.








Freeman's fourth double-double of the season leads HU to rout of Fordham

HAMPTON - — It's always nice to come home after a long trip … even if nobody's at the house. The Hampton Pirates put together their most complete performance in their first home game since Nov. 23, pounding Fordham 78-54 Sunday at the Convocation Center. And while there weren't many in attendance — just 342 showed up for the rare Sunday night game, even with free admission — those who were there got to see the Pirates (3-10) in rare form.

The 24-point margin of victory is Hampton's biggest since a 65-31 win Dec. 1, 2007 against Howard. The Pirates snapped a five-game losing streak and gave coach Edward Joyner Jr. his first home win. Their 51 percent field-goal shooting is a season-best, and they won the rebounding battle 42-31 — the first time they've done that all season. "We wanted more rebounding, and we got it," Joyner said. "We wanted better shooting, and we got it. The only thing we have to work on is turnovers (21, including 13 in the second half). Some of that was being ahead by a lot in the second half, but we need to play the complete 40 minutes."

Final Stats

Hampton Pounds Fordham

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team started 2010 strong, beating the Rams of Fordham University 78-54 at the HU Convocation Center on Sunday night. It was Hampton’s largest margin of victory since the Pirates beat Howard 65-31 on Dec. 1, 2007. The Pirates also snapped a five-game losing streak and gave interim head coach Edward “Buck” Joyner Jr. his first home win. Hampton (3-10) went on a 15-5 run late in the second half to pull ahead to its largest margin of the night, 69-37 with 5:25 to play after a 3-pointer from Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.). Fordham closed the game on a 17-8 run, but the Pirates’ lead was so large at that point, the Rams couldn’t complete the comeback.

Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) led the Pirates with 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting and an 8-for-9 performance from the free throw line. Freeman also pulled down 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 11 points for the Pirates, who shot a season-best 51.0 percent (25-for-49) from the floor and 5-for-11 (45.5 percent) from 3-point range. Read More...

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Is Southern, SWAC any good?

1. What’s the state of men’s basketball in the SWAC?

Not good. Not good at all. Seventeen years have passed since 13th-seeded Southern upset Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament. Nowadays, the SWAC is simply not competitive. Take last year’s champion, for instance. Alabama State cruised through the league with a 14-4 record ... won the SWAC tournament ... and lost in the NCAA play-in game. The SWAC has taken at least a few corrective steps. It moved the conference tournament from the archaic, crumbling Fair Park Arena in Birmingham, Ala., to the modern CentruyTel Center in Bossier City. And next year, the tournament will end a week earlier, giving the champion more time to prepare for the NCAAs.

2. Where does Southern stack up?

Who knows? The Jaguars were hardly world-beaters in nonconference play; they were blown out by the likes of Utah, Brigham Young and Southeastern Louisiana. They have just two wins in 12 games. Then again, that’s two more wins than they had entering SWAC play last year. They have shown glimmers of hope, as well, with better play at the point, bench players with potential and some inside muscle. As the conference schedule begins, they at least have a chance to finish in the top half of the league. Any doubts? Please refer to Question No. 1.

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Morgan State 61, Coppin State 50

Senior guard Corin Adams hit five three pointers (career high) and 25 points for the Lady Bears in their victory over the Lady Eagles.

BALTIMORE, Md. --Corin Adams scored a game-high 25 points and Brittany Noel came off the bench and added a career-high 14 points to help visiting Morgan State to a 61-50 victory over cross-town rival Coppin State on Saturday afternoon in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams at the Physical Education Complex on the campus of Coppin State. The 11-point victory for Morgan State is its largest margin of victory over Coppin State in 11 years, since a 76-53 win over the Eagles on March 4, 1999 in a MEAC Tournament quarterfinal game in Richmond, Va. It is also Morgan’s largest regular season road win at Coppin since an eight-point (63-55) victory at the Coppin Center on Jan. 5, 2008.

With the win, Morgan State (4-8, 1-0 MEAC) put an end to its season-long five-game losing skid, which it had to close out the 2009. The victory was also the Lady Bears’ third consecutive MEAC opening win against the Eagles and spoiled Coppin’s first conference opener in its new facility. Adams, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, shot 9-of-21 from the field, including a game- and career-high five three-pointers (5-of-10) for Morgan State, which has now won three of the last five meetings over its city and league rivals. Adams also added five rebounds, a team-high five assists and recorded a game-high two of Morgan State’s three blocks.

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SU choice Mitchell prepares to lead Jaguars

Thursday night, across the nation, millions of people chugged champagne and threw confetti, preparing for the new decade. Stump Mitchell sat in a room by himself on the East Coast, ostensibly working two jobs at once. At the moment, he is the assistant head coach and running backs coach of the Washington Redskins. Next week, he is in line to become the new head coach at Southern University. He can’t come out and say that exactly. But he’s certainly preparing that way.

On New Year’s Eve, Southern offered the position to Mitchell, who has spent the last 11 seasons as an NFL assistant coach but only three as a college head coach. Mitchell can’t say yes to the offer until next week; the Redskins finish their season Sunday at San Diego, and after that, he must meet with team management. “I can’t accept the job until I talk with our legal counsel,” he said. “I will get that opportunity next week. Then, everything should occur like we want it to.” In the meantime, he has started to put a plan in place.

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