DBAHO

He served as the cornerstone for the reconstruction of one miserable NFL franchise and now, nearly a decade later, Warren Sapp will try to help re-establish the halcyon days of a once-proud team that suddenly fell into disrepair last season. Sapp, a seven-time Pro Bowl performer during his nine-year tenure with Tampa Bay became an unrestricted free agency this spring. In a deal that would have been considered unthinkable less than 24 hours before it was consummated, he reached contract agreement with the Oakland Raiders on Saturday evening. The seven-year contract, completed after very long Friday night and Saturday bargaining sessions by phone, will pay Sapp $36.6 million. About $7 million of that will come in the form of guaranteed bonuses. League sources said that the contract is not severely backloaded and will pay Sapp more than $14 million in its first three years and in excess of $19 million the first four years. For the front part of the contract, such a distribution is superior to some of the deals signed by defensive tackles earlier in free agency. Oakland entered into the bidding for Sapp late Friday, phoning agent Drew Rosenhaus only after ESPN.com reported that the Cincinnati Bengals were close to a deal with the defensive tackle on a four-year contract that would have paid him more than $16 million. Operating with their trademark stealth, Raiders executives quickly assessed the financial viability of adding Sapp and determined it was reasonable to make an 11th-hour pitch for him. Just as important for the Raiders coaches was the feeling that Sapp would be a good fit in their defense. Sapp will be paired with another free agent acquisition, nose tackle Ted Washington, and so will be able to continue playing the "three technique" or "under" position so familiar to him. Since the mammoth Washington figures to draw a lot of double-team blocking, Sapp, who will be aligned in the center-guard gap, ought to have plenty of room to maneuver. Getting Sapp, even in the twilight of an often brilliant career, is a move characteristic of the Raiders, even coming off a disastrous 2003 season that left many critics insisting that it is time for the franchise to begin rebuilding with younger players. Part of the sales pitch to Sapp and Rosenhaus, though, was the manner in which Davis has always taken care of veteran players, on and off the field. And Sapp was intrigued by likely being able to finish his career with one of the NFL's most recognizable franchises. There is also a bit of gamesmanship, not surprisingly, in the fact the Raiders staged an all-out yet surreptitious whirlwind courtship. Remember, Sapp played his entire career with Tampa Bay, the team to which coach Jon Gruden defected after leading the Raiders to a berth in Super Bowl XXXVII. Delayed revenge was not the prime reason the Raiders jumped into the Sapp Derby, but it would be naïve to believe it didn't play at least a minor part in going after him so late in the process. There is little doubt that Bengals officials, who were confident when they went to bed on Friday night that they would close a deal by Saturday afternoon, will be stung by the unexpected reversal. Cincinnati executives probably will feel used by Sapp and Rosenhaus, who spent long hours Friday night negotiating with the Bengals. League sources said both sides bargained in good faith and with the knowledge that there could be another team or two still chasing Sapp and attempting to steal him from the clutches of Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis. It became somewhat apparent, after the Bengals made a final offer and then did not hear from Rosenhaus for a few hours, that their worst fears might be realized. Sources close to Sapp maintained, though, he was prepared to join the Bengals until the Raiders entered the picture and came out of the chute with a first offer that captured his attention. Arguably the best and also best-known player remaining in the unrestricted free agent pool, Sapp tired about a week ago of waiting for the Bucs to send some sort of signal they wanted him back in 2004, and instead went on the offensive. He instructed Rosenhaus to follow up on inquires with other clubs and, at the same time, he admitted publicly his time with the Bucs might have come to a close. Landing a player of Sapp's profile, even if his game has declined a bit the past couple seasons, would have been a huge acquisition for the Bengals. Not only would he have helped anchor the interior of a line that slumped badly against the run in the second half of the 2003 season, but Sapp, 31, also would have been a presence in the locker room, and provide an attitude and swagger the Bengals have rarely displayed. When he arrived in Tampa as a first-round draft choice in 1995, the Bucs were in the midst of a string of 12 consecutive seasons with double-digit defeats. But by Sapp's third season with the franchise, Tampa Bay was in the playoffs, and that began a run of five straight postseason appearances. Obviously, he hopes to return the Raiders to prominence before his career ends. On his Web site, Sapp had listed six franchises with which he would consider continuing his career. He never cited Oakland as a potential new home. But it had been clear for the past week that Cincinnati was more aggressive than other suitors. In end, though, the Bengals could not finish off a deal for which their longsuffering fans were clamoring. It is believed that there were also relatively serious discussions with the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, but neither team was in the same financial bracket as the Raiders' offer. As a precursor to his departure, Sapp on Saturday posted on his Web site a picture of a tombstone. Inscribed on the tombstone was a Buccaneers logo and the words: "1995-2003. Thanks." There were no substantive discussions during the free agency period between top Bucs officials and representatives for Sapp, and it appeared early in the week that both sides were prepared to move on. Sapp is coming off a 2003 season in which he totaled 58 tackles and five sacks. The sacks were the fewest since his rookie season in 1995. While many observers insist Sapp is not the dominant force of just a few years ago, the former University of Miami star can still take over a game for stretches. And given the lack of interest by a Bucs team he helped to build into a contender, it is a good bet the prideful Sapp will feel that he has something to prove to Tampa Bay officials and other skeptics as well. The departure of Sapp, along with the release of strong safety John Lynch on Wednesday, marks the end of an era for the Bucs. The 12th overall player chosen in the '95 draft, Sapp has 524 career tackles along with 77 sacks. He has also forced 16 fumbles, had eight recoveries and deflected 20 passes. Sapp has appeared in 140 games and started in 130 of them.

ESPN has been on the Indians bandwagon this offseason, can't say I'm suprised with fourth place. And yes, KW will blow this team up IF we are losing and have no chance of winning the division. Then u can call up ur Reed's, Borchard's, even ur Honel's and Wing's if they pitch well in Birmingham and giv em sum experience.

I'm suprised u didn't suggest having a Super logo in there sumwhere.

Remember he's always played along with Jason Taylor so he'll need a solid support cast in Chicago. If Miami swaps da 1st rounders with Chicago, they'll probably pick Shawn Andrews since they really need an OL.

I just copied this article from news.com.au, hence why the time frame was put in. But yeah, u wouldn't see that in an American paper.

CITING public concern, Virgin Atlantic has scrapped plans to install urinals in the shape of a woman's lips at the airline's clubhouse at New York's John F. Kennedy airport. "Everyone at Virgin Atlantic was very sorry to hear of people's concerns about the design of the 'Kisses' urinals," the airline said. "We can assure everyone who complained to us that no offence was ever intended." The urinal was designed by Netherlands-based company Bathroom Mania, which markets the product as: "Kisses, the sexy urinal, makes a daily event a blushing experience! This is one target men will never miss." The design is of a woman's mouth with bright red lips, opened as if waiting to be kissed. Photographs of the urinals were published in the New York press earlier this week and drew a lot of negative public feedback, with complaints that they were overly-suggestive and tasteless. In today's statement, Virgin said they were intended as a "fun and quirky" alternative to the traditional all-white models. "The urinals themselves were the idea of a female designer and we were therefore surprised by the reaction," the airline said. "However, Virgin Atlantic always aims to listen to our passengers and the general public and as a result we will not install the urinals." Virgin's swanky clubhouse at JFK airport is for passengers flying its new upper-class suite service.

ONE of the world's most wanted terrorist suspects could have visited Australia in the 1990s on a forged passport, the Federal Government said today. Attorney-General Philip Ruddock urged anyone with information about the reported visit by Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, now at the centre of a manhunt in Pakistan, to come forward. Pakistani journalist and bin Laden biographer Hamid Mir said al-Zawahiri claimed to have come to Australia in the 1990s on a mission to establish a global terrorist network. Mr Mir described al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian doctor, as the brains behind al-Qaeda and also revealed he boasted of buying blackmarket nuclear bombs. "In those days, in early 1996, he was on a mission to organise his network all over the world," Mr Mir said. "He told me he stopped for a while in Darwin. He was ... looking for help and collecting funds." Mr Ruddock said the government had no record of the reported visit, but admitted it was possible al-Zawahiri had entered Australia undetected by authorities. "Under his own name or any known alias he hasn't travelled to Australia," Mr Ruddock told reporters in Sydney. "But if a person is able to obtain forged documentation in another identity, it is quite possible that somebody could have travelled and that we wouldn't know." Mr Ruddock said the government was keen for further information about the reported visit, as Mr Mir had been unable to provide details of aliases or travel dates. "But if there are other people who have information, I would encourage them to come forward and provide it to us," Mr Ruddock said. "It is important if people like this have been in Australia to know what they have been doing, who they've been seeing, to know something of the circumstances of their linkages." Mr Ruddock would not comment on whether spy agency ASIO would approach people linked to terror groups over the matter. Sydney brothers Bilal and Maher Khazal have both been sentenced in absentia to 10 years in jail after being found guilty in Beirut's military court of helping to finance a terrorist campaign in Lebanon. In an interview with ABC TV's Andrew Denton, Mr Mir said al-Zawahiri made the claim about nuclear weapons after an interview with bin Laden in December 2001. Mr Mir said he told al-Zawahiri it was difficult to believe al-Qaeda had nuclear weapons when they did not have the equipment to maintain or fire them. "Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri laughed and he said 'Mr Mir, if you have $30 million, go to the blackmarket in central Asia, contact any disgruntled Soviet scientist, and a lot of ... smart briefcase bombs are available'," Mr Mir said. "They have contacted us, we sent our people to Moscow, to Tashkent, to other central Asian states and they negotiated, and we purchased some suitcase bombs." The FBI lists al-Zawahiri among its Most Wanted Terrorists with a bounty of $US25 million ($33.32 million) on his head. He is thought to be among a group of militants encircled by Pakistani forces near the Afghan border, who have been holding out under a barrage of shells and mortar bombs since Tuesday.

What about Don Zimmer. Could come in handy when we play da Yanks and Red Sox.

A NORTHERN Philippine town is attempting to bake itself into the Guinness Book of Records with what it claimed was the world's biggest strawberry buttercake. La Trinidad, which calls itself the Philippines' strawberry capital, has been baking giant cakes for the last three years. But Mayor Nestor Fongwan said the town has outdone itself this time with the giant dessert weighing 11,146 kg. At 10 pesos (24 cents) a slice in the town hall, the massive cake was expected to feed 55,000 townspeople. About 3000 kg of strawberries were used in baking the cake, which is 2.57 metres high and 2.65 metres wide, Fongwan said. The Guinness Book of Records does not have an entry for strawberry buttercakes but organisers said they would seek a new category for their massive creation. Plant City, Florida, holds the Guinness Record for the biggest strawberry shortcake.

I'm on 24 out of 32, I can't believe I'm actually beatin ppl in this. You ppl are a disgrace to the NCAA.

LOL, man has sum1 had too much to drink tonite.

And yet the SlackHawks beat Vancouver, with Arnason scorin a hattrick. I guees he didn't like Sutter pickin a fight with him in da bar afta all.

I heard this was goin to happen if he didn't take a paycut.

Some team like a Pittsburgh will definitely take a chance on him. He's got too much talent.

Hey I didn't write the story ok. And yes, Letterman was on at 2:30 a.m very early this mornin.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Out since Sunday with two sprained wrists, White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand will attempt to make a comeback today against the Cubs. Rowand suffered the freak injury in a game against the San Francisco Giants when he slipped near the first-base coach's box. Rowand was taking a wide turn at first and getting set to head for second on a drive to the outfield when the grass in foul territory gave out from under him. Both of his feet shot forward, and instead of taking the impact of the fall on his rear end, Rowand put his hands down and jammed both wrists into the turf. The ball was caught near the warning track. "There is still a little tenderness in there, but it's gotten to the point that I can deal with it,'' said Rowand, who was working out Thursday, the Sox' only day off of spring training. "It's gotten a lot better every day. I went out and took a bucket and a half [of balls] off the tee and a bucket and a half off the pitching machine. It felt pretty good.'' Rowand originally was scheduled to play Tuesday in Tempe and Wednesday in Phoenix, but he doesn't think the time off will hurt him. He leads the Sox this spring with a .522 batting average and eight RBI. On the bright side, the injured wrists aren't nearly as bad as the broken bones he was trying to return from last spring after a dirt-bike accident. "We have two weeks left in spring training, so it's not a big deal,'' he said. "It's a minor setback. Those things happen when you play this game; they're out of my control. At least this one happened on the field.'' WRONG ENDING: Dan Wright admitted he ran out of gas toward the end of his intrasquad outing Thursday against the Sox' Class AAA lineup. He gave up two home runs and his only walk in the final two innings of his six-inning outing. The right-hander allowed four runs and eight hits while throwing 73 pitches. "I had good command of all three of my pitches,'' he said. "I got a lot of ground balls. There were only three or four fly balls, and two of them left the yard. Everything else was on the ground.'' Manager Ozzie Guillen also had a chance to look at left-hander Neal Cotts in the game. Guillen wasn't ready to name his No. 5 starter, but he said Wright and Jason Grilli basically have made the team barring any late setbacks. Cotts and Jon Rauch will open the season at Class AAA Charlotte. THE NERVE: Jamie Burke is expected to be on the bench today against the Cubs and likely will be the starting catcher Saturday against the Texas Rangers after sitting out more than a week with an irritated nerve in his shoulder. Burke, one of the leading candidates for a reserve role, was hit on the back of his shoulder by a slow curveball March 11 against the San Diego Padres. REGULAR PLAN: It won't be their Opening Day lineup, but the Sox will have all of their regulars on hand to face the Cubs. Willie Harris will lead off, followed by Jose Valentin, Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Lee, Paul Konerko, Joe Crede, Rowand and Miguel Olivo. Jon Garland will start for the Sox. Guillen said Thursday that Harris will be his regular second baseman, but he expects to play Juan Uribe at second on Opening Day in Kansas City because the Royals will have left-hander Brian Anderson on the mound. Guillen prefers Uribe in the lineup against left-handers.

From the Daily Herald, TUCSON, Ariz. - Thursday was a day of rest for the White Sox in spring training. It also was a day to sift through the first month of camp and try to figure out where the Sox have been and where they might be going. • Biggest surprise: It's only spring training and, remember, marginal talents such as Chris Snopek and Greg Norton used to dominate the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues. But give credit to center fielder Aaron Rowand, who came to camp determined to prove deserving of a starting job and promptly going out and earning it. Rowand, who approaches the game much like Lenny Dykstra used to, leads the Sox with a .522 batting average and 8 RBI this spring. Defensively, his throwing arm is better than average. • Biggest surprise II: The race for the fifth starter's job is still on, but Dan Wright is building an insurmountable lead. Wright was knocked around a little bit during a minor-league game Thursday, but the big right-hander has been extremely sharp (1-0, 2.79 ERA) in 3 Cactus League appearances. Elbow pain took a big toll on Wright last season, but he was a 14-game winner in 2002 and could give the White Sox a much-needed lift at the back of the rotation. • Biggest disappointment: Faced with a glaring need for speed, the Sox have basically handed Willie Harris the starting job at second base and dropped him into the leadoff spot. Unless he starts picking up the pace, Harris is going to be sitting on the bench watching Juan Uribe. Harris is batting .200 (5-for-25) in exhibition play and still looks tentative running the bases. If he fails to get on base and manufacture runs, the White Sox' offense will have to rely on the longball to score. • Biggest disappointment II: Shingo Takatsu might have been the man in Japan, but he's no longer pitching against the Hiroshima Carp or Nippon Ham Fighters. While the 35-year-old reliever throws some of the nastiest stuff on the White Sox' staff, his control has been surprisingly erratic, and Takatsu looks lost against left-handed hitters. • Compare and contrast: Jeremy Reed came into camp as the Sox' most heralded prospect, but another outfielder, Ryan Sweeney, has been the best young hitter this spring. Drafted last June in the second round out of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sweeney is still a baby at the age of 19. But the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder has a fluid, left-handed swing, and he has looked a lot like a young John Olerud while batting .318 in the Cactus League. • Hurts so bad: Joe Borchard was positioned to win a reserve job in the outfield this spring. Instead, the power-hitting outfielder has spent most of his time in the trainer's room with a sore left quadriceps. Borchard, the White Sox' top pick in the 2000 draft, suffered the injury in the first intrasquad game and was quickly passed up by Ross Gload. • Worth watching: Now that opposing hitters are looking for his best pitch, the cutter, Esteban Loaiza is frantically working on mixing in changeups, fastballs and curveballs. Problem is, those are the same pitches Loaiza threw when he was being roughed up during mediocre stints with the Pirates, Rangers and Blue Jays. Unless he figures out a way to get some more bite on the cutter, don't expect Loaiza to come close to approaching last season's 21 wins. • Best addition: Without a doubt, it has been Ozzie Guillen. The Sox' new manager is still learning on the job, but his communication skills and overall passion for the game will cover up a lot of mistakes.

Same here, althought for a guy who has no idea bout college B-Ball, I think that's pretty good.

THE parents of a young girl are fuming over the book their daughter brought home from the school library: a children's story about a prince whose true love turns out to be another prince. Michael Hartsell said he and his wife, Tonya, couldn't believe it when Prince Bertie, the leading character in King & King, waves off a bevy of eligible princes before falling for Prince Lee. The book ends with the princes marrying and sharing a kiss. "I was flabbergasted," Hartsell said. "My child is not old enough to understand something like that, especially when it is not in our beliefs." The 32-page book by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland was published in March 2002 by Tricycle Press, the children's division of Ten Speed Press of Berkeley, California. A sequel, King & King & Family, was recently published. The publisher's website lists the books as intended for readers age 6 and up. Barbara Hawley, librarian and media coordinator at Freeman Elementary School, said the book has been on the library's shelves since early last year. "What might be inappropriate for one family, in another family is a totally acceptable thing," said Elizabeth Miars, Freeman's principal. Hawley said she couldn't comment on the book because she hadn't seen it. She declined to say whether she knowingly selected a book on gay marriage. The Hartsells said they are keeping the book until they get assurances it won't be circulated. But Hawley said all county schools have a committee that reviews books after their appropriateness is questioned, and the Hartsells must make a written complaint and return the book for review. The Hartsells said they intend to file such a complaint and are considering transferring their daughter.

IT was a busy night in New York for rocker Courtney Love. Just hours after the rock singer repeatedly flashed her breasts on a top-rating television chat show, Love was arrested for allegedly throwing a microphone stand and hitting a man in the head during a concert. The 24-year-old man was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said. Love, 39, was charged with reckless endangerment and third-degree assault after the incident at 2.30am (6.30pm AEDT) at the Plaid nightclub. The singer already faces felony drug charges in California. Earlier in the night Love had surprised CBS Late Showhost David Letterman when she entered the studio, turned her back to the camera and lifted her shirt to reveal her breasts. The controversial rock star then stood on Letterman's desk, sang a few bars of Danny Boy, and offered the host a close-up of her bare essentials. "Very sweet of you," Letterman quipped. "We're going to lose our liquor license." Love sat on Letterman's couch, gestured to her chest and said, "FCC!" - a swipe at the Federal Communication Commission. The Commission has been cracking down on lewd content on television and radio after pop star Janet Jackson exposed one of her breasts on a live broadcast of the Super Bowl last month. The flash during a dance routine with singer Justin Timberlake stunned viewers. Jackson later apologised for what she called a "costume malfunction". Commenting on the Comission's work Love said: "Is this like Reagan trickle-down economics? Is this like Bush trickle down?". Last October the former Hole lead singer, was arrested after allegedly trying to break into the Los Angeles home of a former boyfriend. The singer was later taken to a treatment centre for a drug overdose. Police who searched her home during her absence allegedly found illegal painkillers. Love has been charged with two felony counts of possession of controlled substances. She also faces misdemeanour charges of disorderly conduct and being under the influence of a controlled substance. A preliminary hearing in the felony case has been postponed until April 15. On Tuesday the rock star arrived two hours late at a court in Beverley Hills where she was scolded by the judge after talking out of turn in court. During last night's show, Letterman asked Love whether she could talk about the court case. "Yeah, I'm not supposed to," she said. When Letterman later asked if drugs were involved, Love said, "One expired Percocet and one Ambien." Love later lit up a cigarette - defying New York City's strict anti-smoking laws - and asked Letterman, "Are you going to cut this because I'm smoking?" "That won't be the reason we cut anything," he replied. Letterman looked profoundly uncomfortable with Love's scatterbrained performance, but he did get the last word. As he looked to go to a commercial break Love insisted he ask her one more question. "How much do you weigh?" Letterman said. Love looked shocked and did not answer. The Late Show, which is pre-taped, was edited to obscure Love's breasts before being broadcast. In an ironic twist, fellow breast-flasher Jackson will appear on the show on March 29, in the singer's first network television interview since the Super Dome incident.

IF your potential partner for life walks past you in the street, it might be your mobile phone that makes the first move. Phone-assisted dating could be the next big thing on the singles market. US programmers have devised a system that allows two phones that detect their owners have similar interests, to communicate. Potential daters subscribe to the phone service, which stores a personal profile and information on what they want in a partner. If two people with enough similarities pass, the program tells the phones to communicate. The system uses Bluetooth technology, which is already built into many mobile phones and electronic devices. It allows two devices to make contact within a 10m radius. The program, called Serendipity, would tell phones to scan for nearby Bluetooth signals every 30 seconds. If it finds one connected to the program, it tells the database via the internet which phone it has found and if their owners match the phones communicate. According to New Scientist, users could decide if they just want to send their signal to people who are friends of friends, to avoid encounters with strangers.

TAIWAN's president and vice-present were shot on their final day of campaigning today but their lives were not at risk and tomorrow's presidential poll would go ahead, officials said. President Chen Shui-bian was shot in the stomach and vice-president Annette Lu was hit in the right knee as their motorcade cruised the streets of the southern city of Tainan. Chiou I-jen, secretary-general in the Presidential Office, said Chen and Lu were conscious and had immediately called for calm ahead of tomorrow's vote. "They did not suffer life-threatening injuries. They urge the public to cool down," Chiou told reporters. Chen was riding in a red convertible four-wheel drive vehicle past crowds lining the streets in his hometown. People were setting off celebratory fireworks as he drove by and early media reports said he was injured by firecrackers. But Chiou said: "It was definitely a gun attack". Officials had found one bullet. "The vice-president first felt pain in her knee and she thought it was caused by firecrackers," Chiou said. "Then the president felt some wetness on his stomach area, and then they realised something wrong." Election officials said the election would go ahead. "According to the election law, the election will proceed unless one presidential candidate dies," a Central Election Commission official said. Tomorrow's election pits Chen against opposition leader Lien Chan, who has promised to take a softer approach with China, AP reported. China regards Taiwan as a rebel province to be recovered by force if necessary and has been highly critical of Chen's policies, labelling them "splittist". The Chinese government made no immediate comment on the shootings. The Foreign Ministry referred questions to the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office, which did not answer telephone calls. China and Taiwan split when the Communists took over the mainland in 1949, and Beijing is pressuring Taiwan to unify. Lien and Chen agree on most of the basic issues involving China policy. Neither candidate favours immediate unification, and both are highly distrustful of the Communist leadership. However, Chen has been more aggressive in pushing for a Taiwanese identity separate from China's, and this has raised tensions with Beijing. Chen also raised China's ire by planning an unprecedented island-wide referendum on the day of the election. China regards the referendum as a first step towards a future vote on independence. Voters will be asked whether Taiwan should beef up its defences to guard against hundreds of Chinese missiles pointed at the island.

Giv Willie sum time there rafa. I think the most likely scenario is that Harris will start out slow, but once he gets used to major league pitching, his .OBP and AVG. will increase in the 2nd half of the season. I just hope KW and da fans don't go for a quick fix, if Harris doesn't start out the season like a house on fire. It'll be his 1st major season in the big leagues, giv him time.

Jimenez for a career year? LOL, ahhh that's a good one.

Hmmm I think A-Rod, Chavez, Glaus, Rolen and Blalock would all have sumthin to say about that. Top 10 mayb, top 5, not yet.