FIRST THINGS FIRST - STUPID WEATHER

Now this is FUNNY! ...And, unfortunatley true.


Weatherman Freaking Out Over DC Snowpocalypse
by TheDlisted
T.A.H. Worldwide Headquarters, WARRENTON, VA – 29 degrees, 24inches of snow (WTF?)
MIAMI – 71 degrees
GREENSBORO – 34 degrees
PAPEETE – 81 degrees
MOSCOW – 10 degrees
NEW ORLEANS – 49 degrees
LAS VEGAS - 49 degrees

THURSDAY NIGHT HOOPS

NO. 10 DUKE 86, NO. 21 GEORGIA TECH 67 – Kyle "Twilight" Singler went to the bench and clutched his banged-up right wrist. (OK, we know Twilight is set in Washington and Singler is from Oregon, but there pretty close and you can't deny the look...) Then he came back onto the court, rattled in a 3-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer and kept making those long-range shots during the second half.

That pesky wrist injury certainly couldn't slow the Duke star. Georgia Tech's defense didn't stand a chance, either.
Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers to lead the 10th-ranked Blue Devils past the 21st-ranked Yellow Jackets on Thursday night.

To read more from the Raleigh News & Observer, click here.

MARYLAND 71, FLORIDA STATE 67 – While being booed relentlessly by the Noles Nation, Greivis Vasquez scored 21 points as Maryland overcame a late rally to beat Florida State on Thursday night.

Maryland (15-6, 5-2 ACC) led by as many as nine points in the second half, but FSU (16-5, 4-4 ACC) tied the game twice in the final 3 minutes and had the ball with 38 seconds left, trailing 66-64.

Freshman Michael Snaer drove to the hoop and made a runner but was called for charging with 14.5 seconds left.

To read more in the Washington Post, click here.

VIRGINIA TECH 74, NORTH CAROLINA 70 – Evidently, defeating the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball National Champion University of North Carolina Tar Heels is still a big deal worthy of a celebration as occurred last night in Blacksburg. Actually, beating the Heels isn’t a court-storming occassion as it has been in the recent past as Ol’ Roy’s struggling squad now has the second fewest overall wins (13) in the ACC and is currently tied with N.C. State for the most overall losses (9). So look for www.FireRoy.com any day now...

Last night, the Hokies Malcolm Delaney, Jeff Allen and Terrell Bell all made key free throw in the waning seconds, as Virginia Tech remained perfect at home this season with a win over the Tar Heels in Cassell Coliseum.

The victory moved Tech to 17-4 overall and 4-3 in the ACC. The Hokies moved to 11-0 at Cassell Coliseum and avenged a 78-64 loss to the Tar Heels earlier this season. In fact, Tech snapped a five-game losing streak to Carolina.

The Tar Heels (13-9, 2-5 ACC) led 43-42 following a John Henson basket with 15:20 left in the game, but Tech retook the lead on a Delaney bucket 27 seconds later and never trailed again.

To read more from the Roanoke Times, click here.

DUKE’S YELLOW PATCH EXPLAINED

We’ve been wondering what the bright yellow patch on the upper right portion of the Blue Devil uniforms is all about.

The patch is a show of support for the both people of Haiti as they recover from last month’s massive earth quake and for a national fundraising effort to help in the ravaged country’s recovery. The campaign, titled “Save Haiti Saturday,” ran through today’s games, and has already raised more than $1 million in pledges from businesses that have agreed to donate a portion of their Saturday sales to the cause.

Three Duke graduates, including former basketball manager and current Miami Heat Vice-President of Basketball Operations Nick Arison are among those spearheading the “Save Haiti Saturday” initiative.

The program is also being supported by numerous celebrities, including Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Seacrest, Lenny Kravitz and former Duke players Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Chris Duhon and Mike Dunleavy.

To read more, click here.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO…

Hmmm…

(This is exactly as we got it from the news service.)

Former adult film actress Veronica Siwik-Daniels (aka Joslyn James), who claims to have had a long-term intimate relationship with golf icon Tiger Woods, takes her seat near an drawing of a golf ball with her face on it at a press conference at the offices of attorney Gloria Allred on February 3, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.

Allred and Siwik-Daniels are calling for the end of the production of golf balls bearing an image of Siwik in the product series, "Tail of the Tiger - The Mistress Collection". Allred argues that putting the face of a woman on a ball which golfers hit with full force could result in marks on the image that might resemble bruises and may lead to inappropriate jokes about hitting women.

James says that she loved Woods and had reason to believe that he loved her. She has been in seclusion and has not talked to the press until now.

T.A.H. says “seriously?” Evidently, Allred, Siwik-Daniels and anybody who thinks this ridiculous assertion made in a publicity-grasping press conference has any relevance or merit has never played a round of golf. Golfers NEVER make "inappropriate" jokes about anything. Jeez...

Oh, and that artist's rendition of "asphalt rash" is weak, really weak.

(Photo by David McNew/Getty Images North America)

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY

A competitor dressed as Superman looks dejected as he takes part in the Tough Guy 2010 race on January 31, 2010 in Telford, England.

Another competitor emerges from the water which looks both muddy and cold.

Nice, England, NICE!

(Photos by Michael Regan/Getty Images Europe)

PICTURE(S) OF THE DAY 2

SKYSCRAPES. Lee Westwood plays his second shot on the 18th hole and Ross McGowan (below), both of England, during the second round of the $2.5 million Omega Dubai Desert Classic on February 5, 2010 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

(Photos by Andrew Redington and Karim Sahib/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

FACE JOB. Duke's Miles Plumlee (21) is faced by Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010.

Lawal received a technical foul.

(AP Photo)

‘NEW HOTNESS’ KEEPS ROLLING

Mike Scott scored 15 points and Virginia held North Carolina State scoreless for more than 7 minutes on the way to victory Wednesday night at the magical JPJA.

Virginia (14-6, 5-2 ACC) regained a share of first place in the conference with No. 10 Duke, and completed a season sweep of the series with the Wolfpack.

North Carolina State (14-9, 2-6) led 28-25 at halftime, but managed just 19 points in the second half, none during a stretch when Virginia turned a 32-29 deficit into a 40-32 lead.

To read more from the Charlottesville Daily-Progress, click here.

ACC FOOTBALL SCHEDULE RELEASED

The 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference football schedule released today by Commissioner John D. Swofford is an ambitious slate which has conference teams playing 11 games against teams ranked in the final 2009 AP poll, 14 against opponents that are projected to be in the nation's pre-season Top 25 and 26 games against teams which participated 2009 in post-season bowl games.

In all, the schedule is comprised of 97 games, including 48 conference match-ups, over a span of 13 weeks and is capped off with the Sixth Annual Dr Pepper Atlantic Coast Conference Football Championship Game, which this year will be played on Saturday, Dec. 4 in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

To read more from theacc.com, click here.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

NOT COACH DADGUMMIT. And that is going to take some getting used to…Florida State head football coach Jimbo Fisher talks to the media about the Seminoles recruits during an NCAA college football news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010, in Tallahassee, Fla.

This is Fisher's first recruiting class, and by all accounts it’s a dandy.

SUNDAY ACC HOOPS

MIAMI 82, VIRGINIA TECH 75 – James Dews scored 21 points as Miami shot 63.2 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from behind the three-point line in a win over Virginia Tech Sunday afternoon. It was only the Canes second win of the ACC season.

The Hokies rallied from a 19-point deficit with a 24-10 run midway through the second half. J.T. Thompson scored eight points during the run, and his free throw with 7:32 remaining cut Miami's lead to 65-60.

Virginia Tech (16-4, 3-3 ACC) stayed within a five-point deficit and had a final chance to reduce a 75-70 lead with under a minute left. But Malcolm Delaney missed a running jumper with 34 seconds remaining and fouled Reggie Johnson on a put-back attempt.

To read more from the Miami Herald, click here.

CELMSON 62, MARYLAND 53 – Trevor shook off missing his first 12 shots to score nine of his 10 points down the stretch as Clemson broke a three-game losing streak with a victory over league-leading Maryland on Sunday night.

Booker was the Atlantic Coast Conference's field goal percentage leader last season and he came through when the Tigers (16-6, 4-4 ACC) needed it most.

Booker tied it at 48 on a short jumper, then put Clemson up for good, 52-50, with two foul shots. He followed 2 minutes later with a 3--his first in nine games--that pushed Clemson's lead to 57-53 with 3:23 left.

To read more from the Greenville Times, click here.

VIRGINIA 75, NORTH CAROLINA 60 – Much has changed for the struggling North Carolina team looking to follow-up on last year’s squad that won the 2009 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball National Championship, but one thing is disturbingly the same – this team also gets lit up big time by opposing guards while suffering game-changing defensive lapses. Last night, Sylven Landesberg scored 29 points and Virginia ran off 18 unanswered early in the second half drop the Tar Heels to 2-4 in conference play.

Sammy Zeglinski added 19 points for the Cavaliers (13-6, 4-2 ACC), who regrouped from consecutive losses to earn another impressive victory under first-year coach Tony Bennett. Virginia had lost 63 of 68 meetings in Chapel Hill, but blew the game open by holding the Tar Heels without a field goal for nearly 8 minutes in front of a stunned Smith Center crowd.

While Landesberg led the offense, Zeglinski knocked down a pair of 3-pointers during the decisive run, which turned a 35-32 margin into a 21-point lead with 14:20 to play.

To read more from the Charlottesville Daily Progress, click here.

WHERE WE STAND

Standings courtesy of www.theACC.com.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"I'm encouraged by the administration's response. I continue to believe there are antitrust issues the Administration should explore, but I'm heartened by its willingness to consider alternative approaches to confront the tremendous inequities in the BCS that favor one set of schools over others."

-- Senator Orrin Hatch regarding the Obama administration’s announcement that it is considering examining the BCS.

The Most Full-of-Crap Man In The World (BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock) admonished the Senator noting that the government shouldn’t increase the deficit investigating college football…

To read more from the Wall Street Journal, click here.

ACC, PAC 10 HAVE FALLEN DOWN AND THEY CAN’T GET UP

As of the start of league play yesterday, the teams leading the ACC (Maryland) and the PAC 10 (California) were not ranked in any poll. That’s correct – we didn’t say not in the top 10 – we said unranked.

Since both of these conferences have long-standing traditions as basketball powers, we surmise this situation has never before occurred.

The PAC 10 has no ranked teams, another unusual occurrence while the ACC has just two (Duke and Georgia Tech). The Big East leads the way with six (but, then again, they do have 41 teams in the conference), followed by the S.E.C. and Big 12 with three each, and the Big Ten with three.

Maryland losing to Clemson, moved ranked Duke into a tie for first place. Now, it's time for the PAC 10 to get off the snide...

PICTURE OF THE DAY

THE U IN THE BIGS. Former University of Miami players pose for a group picture after the 2010 NFL Pro Bowl at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens on Sunday January 31, 2010. Left to right are Ray Lewis, Antrel Rolle, Frank Gore and Andre Johnson.

(Photo by Al Diaz/Miami Herald)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

NOTHING SAYS PRO BOWL LIKE DANCING WITH YOUR MASCOT. Antrel Rolle(notes) #21 of the Arizona Cardinals greets his team mascot during the 2010 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 31, 2010 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 3

SKINNY. But really fast. Michael Schumacher of Germany at the roll out of the new Mercedes W01 at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit on February 1, 2010 in Valencia, Spain.

(Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)

NO. 7 HOYAS’ SIZE, STRENGTH, DEFENSE TOO MUCH FOR DUKE

Here’s something you may have been able to torch the boys in Vegas on – Personal Fouls: Duke 29, Georgetown 23.

Add these numbers to the equation. Field goal percentage: Duke 37.1%, Georgetown 71.2%. Three-point percentage: Duke 9-29, 31%, Georgetown 6-13, 42%.

Game over.

With President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden seated in the front row, the No. 7 Hoyas literally stole the game from No. 8 Duke, forcing five turnovers in a two-minute, first-half spurt on the way to an 89-77 victory Saturday.

It couldn't have been a much bigger day for Georgetown: the president attending his first Hoyas game, the first sellout of the season in the 20,000-seat Verizon Center, a crowd mostly sporting "We Are Georgetown" T-shirts in a school-sponsored "gray out," the 200th win for coach John Thompson III, the launch of an initiative for Darfur schools, and, of course, a dominant program from the Atlantic Coast Conference in the building.

Gred Monroe and Chris Wright led the Hoyas with 21 points each. Nolan Smith led Duke with 19 points.

To read more from the Washington Post, click here.

SATURDAY SNOW HOOPS

FLORIDA STATE 61, BOSTON COLLEGE 57 – Solomon Alabi scored 16 points and Ryan Reid, Chris Singleton and Terrance Shannon added 10 each as Florida State defeated Boston College before 8,188 fans in Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA.

Junior Rakim Sanders scored a game-high 17 points and classmate Joe Trapani netted 15 points to lead Boston College.

The game was tied with one minute to play, before FSU junior Derwin Kitchen hit the Seminoles' only three-pointer of the day with 43.9 seconds left to give the visitors a 57-54 advantage. After a BC turnover, Michael Snaer sank two free throws with 30.5 seconds to play to extend the lead to five points.

After both teams missed the front end of one-and-one opportunities, BC sophomore Reggie Jackson hit from three-point range with 8.5 seconds left to narrow the margin to two points.

To read more from the Tallahassee Democrat, click here.

NO. 22 GEORGIA TECH 98, Kentucky State (Thorobreds, 2,341 students, Frankfort, KY) 50 – They do know that Thorobreds is spelled Thoroughbreds, right? They must, they're from Kentucky...

Gani Lawal scored the 1,000th point of his career and the Jackets shot 72.1% from the field.
Game over.

Glen Rice, Jr., scored 15 points, D'Andre Bell added 14.

Georgia Tech (16-5) has won four of five and improved to 11-1 at home, dipping out of the Atlantic Coast Conference to take on a Division II school from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

After Kentucky State's Troy Johnson cut the lead to 17-15 with a 3-pointer, the Yellow Jackets went on a 48-14 charge that ended on Iman Shumpert's dunk with 18:12 remaining. Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt pulled his starters a few minutes later with the lead at 32.

To read more in the Atlanta Journal Constitution, click here.

N.C. STATE 77, North Carolina Central (Eagles, 8,500 students, Durham, NC) – On a day when most of the Triangle's population was stuck inside because of a January snowstorm, the Wolfpack also needed a little time to warm up.

But once State (14-8) got started, they sizzled, hitting 78.3 percent and scoring 50 points in the second half, as it cruised to a 77-42 victory over the Eagles.

The Pack needed a late burst in the first half to overcome the Eagles, who had a similar start last year in a game at the RBC Center. A 15-2 run at the end of the first half and a game-high 23 points from junior Tracy Smith left little doubt to the outcome of the game.

To read more in the Raleigh News & Observer, click here.

GET YOUR TIGER BALLS HERE

Assuming, of course, Elin has already removed them…

T.A.H. Pop Culture Editor Young A.T. hipped us to this little gem…So, if, after a few too many adult beverages down at the pub during a spirited discussion about one of the women in Tiger Wood’s harem, you said you might be willing to “play a round” with Tiger Paramout # fill-in-the-blank, now you can!

Literally.

We aren’t sure if the fellas out at Creative Classics Inc. in L.A. and Vancouver think they’re gonna make money on these or if they’re just trying to be funny.

To order yours, click here.

Click on the photo at right to read the captions.

T.A.H. WORLDWIDE WEATHER AT 9 A.M. E.S.T.

T.A.H. Worldwide Headquarters, WARRENTON, VA – 9 degrees, 6 inches of snow (WTF?)
MIAMI – 68 degrees
GREENSBORO – 19 degrees
PAPEETE – 82 degrees
MOSCOW – 21 degrees
NEW ORLEANS – 35 degrees

PICTURE OF THE DAY

FIRST FAN. President Barack Obama talks with Vice President Joe Biden, center, and his son Hunter Biden,right, during the Georgetown Duke basketball game at the Verizon Center in Washington Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010.

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

PICTURE OF THE DAY 2

SNOW DAY. N.C. State fans took a “snow day” and a pass on the game Saturday while snow piled up outside.

(Photo by Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News & Observer)