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The Bounce:QB Sanchez is new face of the Jets franchise

<h4>QUOTABLE </h4><br />
'Winning is the most important thing. I'm too old for a cake and I don't want to get fat.' </p>
<p>KOSUKE FUKUDOME, </p>
<p>Cubs outfielder, after driving in five runs in Chicago's win over St. Louis on his 32nd birthday Sunday

<h4>QUOTABLE </h4>
'Winning is the most important thing. I'm too old for a cake and I don't want to get fat.'

KOSUKE FUKUDOME,

Cubs outfielder, after driving in five runs in Chicago's win over St. Louis on his 32nd birthday Sunday

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – Mark Sanchez’s first pass with the New York Jets was right on target.

The fifth overall pick in the NFL draft clutched his new No. 6 green and white jersey at his introductory news conference Sunday and softly tossed it over two rows of seats, right into the hands of his father.

“Over the linebacker,” a beaming Nick Sanchez said, “and into the seam.”

The Jets are hoping for a whole lot of that on the field for years to come after trading up 12 spots Saturday to select their new face of the franchise.

“It’s very rare that you find a team that you like so much and you end up getting drafted by them,” Mark Sanchez said. “You usually end up getting heartbroken on draft day.”

Sanchez, decked out in a black pinstriped suit, dark green tie and white Jets cap, caught a flight from his home in Mission Viejo, Calif., shortly before midnight and landed in the New York area early Sunday morning. He then went on a head-spinning media tour, including a stop at the draft site at Radio City Music Hall, along with his family and agent David Dunn.

“This is so cool,” said a smiling Sanchez as the cameras flashed while he held up his jersey – punter Reggie Hodges worked out a side agreement for the No. 6.

“There’s a lot of work ahead,” the former Southern California star said. “This isn’t an end point. Getting here isn’t it. It’s about winning games and playoff games and getting into championship games.”

Two ASU players taken late

TEMPE – Arizona State did not have a player taken in the NFL draft until the seventh round, when the Philadelphia Eagles took guard Paul Fanaika 213th overall.

Ten picks later, ASU safety Troy Nolan was drafted by the Houston Texans.

Fanaika, 6 feet 5, 327 pounds was selected with a pick the Eagles got in a trade with Seattle.

The 6-1, 207-pound Nolan had four interceptions in 2008.

The Arizona Republic

Miami’s streak snapped

NEW YORK – Once the nation’s foremost football factory, the University of Miami barely got a mention during this year’s NFL draft.

The U’s streak of 14 years with at least one first-round draft pick was snapped Saturday. Then Sunday came, and just how far the Hurricanes’ talent-level has fallen since Butch Davis left for the NFL and handed the program to Larry Coker in 2001 was magnified.

The first and only Miami player drafted went in the sixth round. Linebacker Spencer Adkins was taken 176th overall by the Atlanta Falcons.

The Associated Press

Recovering Byrd

Being drafted by San Diego might help LSU wide receiver Demetrius Byrd in his recovery from a car accident.

Byrd was chosen in the seventh and final round, 224th overall.

Earlier this week, Byrd was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after a car crash in Miami. Byrd had scrapes and bruises, but was held in intensive care for observation.

LSU officials said Byrd’s car hit a utility pole after a tire blew out. No other cars were involved.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver had 37 catches for 513 yards and four TDs. He also played a key role in the Tigers’ 2007 national championship.

The Associated Press

Mr. Irrelevant

The final pick of the draft, ending the 15-hour, 15-minute extravaganza, was South Carolina place-kicker Ryan Succop.

Selected 256th overall by Kansas City, the 22-year-old Succop was a three-year regular kicker for the Gamecocks. Being picked last carries the distinction of getting called “Mr. Irrelevant.”

“I don’t really mind it. I don’t plan on being irrelevant,” Succop said. “I’ve been very blessed and I plan on making an impact right away. I’ve been blessed with the ability to do it and I’m looking forward to doing it.”

The Associated Press

Rhodes hits 450th homer

KOBE, Japan – American Tuffy Rhodes, a former Tucson Toro, has become the 12th player in Japanese professional baseball to hit 450 home runs.

Rhodes hit a solo homer in the fourth inning Sunday for his 450th, then added a three-run shot in the fifth and a two-run homer in the eighth to lead the Orix Buffaloes to an 11-3 win over the Nippon Ham Fighters.

“When I first came to Japan, I never thought I would hit this many homers,” Rhodes says.The 40-year-old leads all active players in Japanese baseball with 452 home runs. Tomoaki Kanemoto of the Hanshin Tigers is next with 429.

Sadaharu Oh holds the record for most home runs in Japan with 868.

Rhodes, who played with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, is in his 13th season in Japan.

The Associated Press

Soccer fans stay home

MEXICO CITY – Thousands of Mexican soccer fans had to forgo a beloved tradition Sunday, forced by a swine flu epidemic to cheer from their living room couches instead of the sun-soaked seats at packed stadiums.

To the south of Mexico City, the Pumas team took on the Chivas at the picturesque Olympic Stadium, decorated by muralist Diego Rivera, but its sold-out, volcanic-rock bleachers were empty. They tied at 1.

Also Sunday, America faced the Tecos team in Mexico City’s enormous Estadio Azteca as fans watched the action on television.

Only a few people milled around outside the stadium, with most of the city’s 20 million inhabitants hunkered down at home. Most of those who ventured out wore surgical masks, which were being handed out by soldiers on street corners.

The Associated Press

NUMBER OF THE DAY

23

Players drafted out of the Pac-10 in the seven-round NFL draft. Other top conferences, with number of teams in parenthesis:

SEC (12) 37

ACC (12) 32

Big Ten (11) 28

Big 12 (12) 28

Big East (8) 27

Mountain West (8) 16

<br />
<h4>Roadblock? What roadblock? </h4>
<p>The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose shoots over the Boston Celtics’ Brian Scalabrine during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoff in Chicago on Sunday. The Bulls won 121-118 in double overtime.” width=”423″ height=”640″ /><p class=

Roadblock? What roadblock?

The Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose shoots over the Boston Celtics' Brian Scalabrine during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference playoff in Chicago on Sunday. The Bulls won 121-118 in double overtime.

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SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Hard work pays off for Britton

Re: Ex-Wildcat Eben Britton selected by Jacksonville in NFL draft

• Good luck to this guy who is arguably one of the nicest and hardest working guys to have ever put on the Arizona Football uniform!

JUST A FAN

• First off, congratulations big Brit! And thank you.

But those was some pretty classless comments. You are going to be making millions and you’re “angry” because you didn’t get into the first round . . . there are people losing their homes and jobs. Grow up, man.

Definitely could have used another year in college to mature as a man and a person.

3834

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ON THIS DATE

1956: Rocky Marciano retires as the undefeated heavyweight boxing champion. He finishes with a 49-0 record, including six title defenses and 43 knockouts.

1968: Jimmy Ellis wins the world heavyweight boxing title with a 15-round decision over Jerry Quarry in Oakland, Calif. This is the final bout of an eight-man elimination tournament to fill Muhammad Ali’s vacated title.

1994: Former Arizona Wildcat Scott Erickson, who allowed the most hits in the majors the previous season, pitches Minnesota’s first no-hitter in 27 years as the Twins beat Milwaukee 6-0.

Citizen Online Archive, 2006-2009

This archive contains all the stories that appeared on the Tucson Citizen's website from mid-2006 to June 1, 2009.

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For all of the stories that were archived by the Tucson Citizen newspaper's library in a digital archive between 1993 and 2009, go to Morgue Part 2

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