The Associated Press
THE BOUNCE

ANDREW BAGNATO

The Associated Press

In the case of USC basketball coach Tim Floyd’s recruitment of O.J. Mayo, it might come down to a case of he said vs. he said.

Louis Johnson, a former associate of Mayo’s, has told federal and NCAA investigators that Floyd gave $1,000 in cash to a man who helped steer the star player to the Trojans, according to Johnson’s attorney, Anthony V. Salerno.

Whatever happens, there was a sense of relief at the University of Arizona, which had courted Floyd this spring before hiring Xavier coach Sean Miller.

UA athletic director Jim Livengood denied he had offered Floyd the job. But he said he had asked Floyd about the reports and his relationship with Mayo.

“I asked him the question,” Livengood said. “He said there’s nothing to that. So end of question. We didn’t go any farther.”

Floyd has yet to respond to the allegations, which first appeared in a Yahoo! Sports report.

“That’s really the whole thing: who do you believe?” Salerno told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “Tim Floyd had a motive to pay O.J. Mayo to get there. Louis really doesn’t have any motives. He doesn’t have an ax to grind against Tim Floyd.”

Salerno said he thinks investigators believe Johnson’s story. Johnson has told them that he accompanied Mayo’s handler, Rodney Guillory, to a meeting with Floyd at a Beverly Hills cafe on Valentine’s Day 2007, and that Guillory emerged with an envelope stuffed with $100 bills.

“I don’t think they’ve expressed any indication that they don’t believe him,” Salerno said, referring to NCAA investigators. “And for what it’s worth, I think the U.S. government, through the Justice Department, believes him, too.”

Johnson’s account comes as USC deals with allegations that 2005 Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush received improper benefits from a sports marketing agent while at USC.

If the NCAA can prove Floyd paid Guillory for delivering Mayo to USC, that would be a major violation. The Trojans could be forced to forfeit victories, and could face recruiting restrictions and lose scholarships.

USC athletic department spokesman Tim Tessalone said the school could not comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Mayo played one season at USC, leading the Trojans to a 21-12 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the third overall pick. He was runner-up for the NBA’s top rookie award to Chicago’s Derrick Rose.

Salerno said he wonders why Floyd has not disputed Johnson’s account if it’s false.

“Tim Floyd easily could have said, ‘That’s baloney, it’s slanderous and not true, I never did that,’” Salerno said. “In my opinion, it’s kind of damning, his being silent. It’s not like this is a criminal case for him. It’s not like this is a subtle allegation. It’s black and white.

Pima relay team shines

Citizen Staff Report

The Pima Community College women’s 3,200-meter relay team set a meet record with a time of 9:20.93 at the two-day Region I Championship in Mesa.

The team of Brittany Delker (Desert View High), Danielle Higgins (Benson), Cherise Price (Catalina) and Leandra Treusch (Catalina Foothills) already had qualified for the national junior college championships May 21-23 in Hutchinson, Kan.

Monica Honyumptewa (Hopi) won the 10,000 meters in 44:59.47, while Priscilla Urquides (Tucson High) took second in the 400 hurdles (1:08.16). Both qualified for the nationals meet.

On the men’s side, Jeremiah Korn (Sahuaro) earned a regional title in the men’s hammer throw of 151-7 and a spot in nationals.

Korn qualified for the national meet earlier this season in the shot put.

Matt Lundstrom (Mountain View) took second in the 10,000 meters (33:25.48) to also qualify for nationals.

Both Pima squads were in third place going into Thursday’s final day of Region I competition.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – The gambling ring investigation that implicated Phoenix Coyotes associate coach Rick Tocchet raises many questions about pro and college sports wagering. Here’s a look at the basics:

Q. What are the most common sports wagers?

A. Typically, a bettor will place a wager based on the point spread set by bookmakers to account for the relative strength of teams. Some Las Vegas sports books made Pittsburgh a 4-point favorite over Seattle in Super Bowl XL, which meant bettors taking the Steelers had to “give” the Seahawks 4 points.

Other bets, known as parlays, involve picking winners in a series of games. In pro and college football, “over-under” bets are popular. In those, bettors wager on whether a game’s combined point total will be over or under a figure set by a bookmaker.

Q. Why are sports leagues so paranoid about gambling?

A. It’s not that the leagues condone other illegal activities. But for sports officials, gambling is particularly frightening because it raises questions about whether games are on the level, which is the essence of competition. If fans suspect there’s a fix, it could seriously damage a sport’s reputation. It happened to college basketball in the 1950s and to boxing and horse racing at times.

Q. Have people gone to jail?

A. In 2000, Jay Cohen, the co-owner of World Sports Exchange, an illegal Internet wagering site based on the Caribbean island of Antigua, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and fined $5,000 after a Manhattan federal jury found him guilty of operating a business that illegally accepted sports wagers from Americans over the Internet and telephones.

It’s unusual but not unheard of for athletes to go to prison in gambling scandals. Former NFL quarterback Art Schlichter, an admitted gambling addict, served time for gambling-related convictions.

Q. For athletes and coaches, is there a difference between wagering on other sports and wagering on their sport?

A. It’s a critical distinction. Those who bet on their sport have inside information on injuries and other factors that could affect the point spread. They can, in rare instances, be involved in fixing games.

Had Pete Rose limited his gambling to football, basketball or horse racing, it’s possible he would be enshrined in Cooperstown. When there was evidence that Rose bet on baseball while managing the Cincinnati Reds, his case took on a whole different dimension. Baseball banned him for life.

By contrast, former Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel was fired for participating in an NCAA Tournament hoops pool. He sued the university for wrongful termination and won a $4.5 million settlement.

Q: How much money is wagered on sports in the U.S.?

A: Estimates vary but are always in the billions of dollars when all wagering – legal and illegal – is taken into account.

More than $90 million reportedly was wagered legally on Super Bowl XL in Las Vegas. Last year, Vegas sports books handled an estimated $80 million on NCAA Tournament bets. Experts estimated that more than $2 billion was wagered in private pools and with offshore Internet sites.

Q: Wasn’t there a gambling scandal at Arizona State?

A: Former ASU student Benny Silman was convicted of bribing Sun Devil men’s basketball players Stevin “Hedake” Smith and Isaac Burton in 1994 to miss shots so Silman and other gamblers could win bets. Smith served a year in prison and Burton, two months.

Q: What is the worst-case scenario when it comes to athletes and gambling?

A: Heavy gamblers often run up sizable debts. An athlete in that position could be vulnerable to pressure from bookmakers, some of whom have ties to organized crime. Athletes are in a unique position to influence the outcomes of games.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

TEMPE – Something had to give in the Arizona State-Stanford men’s basketball game Saturday night.

The Sun Devils hadn’t won a Pac-10 home game.

The Cardinal hadn’t won a Pac-10 road game.

Someone’s luck had to change, and if you’ve followed the Sun Devils this season, you might guess it wouldn’t be theirs.

In their latest gut-wrenching home loss, the Sun Devils fell 70-64 in front of 7,386 spectators in Wells Fargo Arena, their fourth straight home loss in Pac-10 play.

The Sun Devils (7-10, 1-7 in Pac-10) blew an eight-point second-half lead and made only three field goals in the final 12 minutes.

“We need to figure out how to close out games,” point guard Antwi Atuahene said.

ASU’s seasonlong run of misfortune continued when Jeff Pendergraph, who had a team-high 14 first-half points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, sprained his right ankle late in the first half. He did not return.

“He came out, and he was a horse,” freshman Sylvester Seay said.

But Stanford had a stallion, forward Matt Haryasz, the senior from Page High School who chose the Cardinal over ASU. Two nights after he scored a career-high 25 points in an overtime loss at Arizona, Haryasz dropped 27 on the Sun Devils and also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.

Haryasz, whose parents, sister and hometown friends were in the seats, was the last player to enter the Cardinal’s dressing room. When he stepped in the door, a cheer went up from his teammates.

“It feels awesome,” Haryasz said. “This is a special game for me. To go out of ASU with a win my last time coming through is nice. That’s pretty special for me.”

For Stanford, this shaped up as a virtual must-win. Coming to town with an unsightly 140 RPI, the Cardinal (8-7, 4-3) need to start stacking wins to draw an NCAA Tournament berth for the 12th straight year.

ASU came in looking to rebound from an 88-58 loss to California on Thursday night, which matched the worst loss in coach Rob Evans’ eight years in Tempe. Evans, looking for a spark, gave Seay, a freshman, his first career start.

“I expected us to come out with a lot of fire today,” Atuahene said. “What happened Thursday night was pretty much an embarrassment.”

ASU’s effort was solid, and Seay provided plenty of energy. But the Sun Devils couldn’t stop Haryasz, who ranks fourth in Pac-10 scoring (17.7 points per game) and leads in rebounding (8.9 per game).

The Sun Devils opened up a 48-41 lead with 11 minutes to go. That’s when Haryasz went to work. First he hit a couple of free throws, then scored on a fast-break dunk and three jump shots.

By the time he was finished, Stanford had a 55-54 lead with six minutes to play. ASU would tie the game three times down the stretch but never led again.

No. 10 Washington 78, Oregon 59: At Seattle, Jamaal Williams scored 20 points, Brandon Roy scored 19, and Bobby Jones added 15 as Washington’s three seniors sparked a win.

It was only the fifth time in 18 games the seniors were the top three scorers for Washington (16-2, 5-2 Pac-10), which also starts two freshmen.

The Huskies, who moved into a tie with UCLA for the top spot in the Pac-10, have won four straight conference games since stunning consecutive losses at home to Arizona and Washington State. And the national scoring leaders, averaging 87.3 points per game coming in, finally cracked 70 for the first time in three games.

No. 12 West Virginia 60, No. 24 UCLA 56: At Los Angeles, Mike Gansey scored 24 points, and West Virginia survived a furious rally by the Bruins.

The Mountaineers (14-3) led by 20 points early in the second half but saw their lead shrink to three in the final 2 minutes.

The Bruins (15-4) missed 3-pointers by Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar, then Farmar had the ball stripped by Gansey, who got fouled and hit a free throw before time expired.

Oregon St. 59, Washington St. 50: At Pullman, Wash., Chris Stephens scored 23 points to lead Oregon State.

Wesley Washington, making his first start for Oregon State (10-8, 3-4 Pac-10), had season highs of 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.

Robbie Cowgill had 13 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks for Washington State (9-7, 2-5). Kyle Weaver added 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Cougars, who have lost four straight.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

TEMPE – Notre Dame linebacker Brandon Hoyte had seen seniors weep as their college football careers ended.

“I was, like, there’s not going to be any tears shed out of these eyes,” Hoyte said.

Hoyte upheld his vow until the moments after Notre Dame defeated Syracuse 34-10 Nov. 19 in the home finale. As the game ended, Hoyte urged his fellow seniors to acknowledge the crowd with a lap around Notre Dame Stadium.

“We’re coming back around toward the tunnel and I look up and I see all the fans, and that’s when the tears started rolling,” Hoyte said. “I was like, aw, come on, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Football players are supposed to be tough. But don’t be surprised if there are a few moist eyes in Sun Devil Stadium today when No. 4 Ohio State faces fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

When it’s over, the seniors on both sides will move on to the next phase of their lives – NFL careers for a fortunate few, degrees and jobs for most of the others.

Notre Dame has 16 seniors. For the eight fifth-year seniors, the Fiesta Bowl marks the light at the end of what, at times, seemed like a five-year tunnel.

They were Bob Davie’s last recruiting class. They had four head coaches. One – George O’Leary – lasted only a few days before resigning amid newspaper reports that he had falsified biographical material.

When Notre Dame replaced O’Leary with Tyrone Willingham, none of the seniors could have dreamed that they would outlast Willingham by a year.

The Irish seniors went 21-15 in their first three seasons, with blowout bowl losses to North Carolina State (28-6 in the 2003 Gator) and Oregon State (38-21 in the 2004 Insight). This season, they returned to the national elite with a 9-2 record, drawing the school’s first BCS bid since 2000.

“For them, it’s got to be even more special,” Ohio State senior defensive end Mike Kudla said. “It’s their first BCS game in quite some time. The stakes on it are huge.”

Notre Dame’s seniors hope to break a dispiriting streak: The past eight Irish classes have failed to produce a bowl victory during their careers. But even if they go out losers, the Irish seniors have been part of a fabled program’s rebirth. Asked how his class might be remembered, linebacker Corey Mays said, “Oh, that’s a hard question. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a lot of great years to come.”

For Ohio State’s eight fourth-year seniors, the greatest year was the first. This Fiesta Bowl completes a circle that began when the Buckeyes beat Miami in the 2003 Fiesta to claim their first national title in 34 years.

Buckeyes offensive tackle Rob Sims has a vivid, and disturbing, memory of that night in Tempe. He gave up a sack to Miami defensive end Jamaal Green in overtime. “Every time I go to sleep, I see it,” he said. “It’s crazy. Still. I’ve given up sacks my entire career but I can’t let that one go. At that moment, I was so young, I thought I had lost the game.”

The Buckeyes’ fourth-year senior class, which includes seven starters, is 42-8 with three bowl victories and three wins over rival Michigan.

“They could be the greatest class ever in Ohio State history, which makes me mad because I came in with them,” said defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, who has one year left after redshirting in 2002.

The Buckeyes seniors won a second consecutive Fiesta Bowl in their sophomore year but took a big step back last season, losing four games and finishing fifth in the Big Ten, Ohio State’s worst finish since 1999.

As this year kicked off, the seniors seemed to be at a crossroads. Another mediocre season would have diminished their legacy. But by qualifying for a third BCS bowl in four years, they have left a mark.

Center Nick Mangold paused when asked how people would remember his class.

“I hope that they look back with fondness,” Mangold said. “That we fought hard and did the best we could for the university, that we all had the love for Ohio State that we should, and that we left behind the sense of tradition for the young guys who are here now to carry on.”

Fiesta Bowl

No. 4 Ohio State (9-2) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (9-2)

• When: 2:30 p.m. today

• TV/radio: ABC/1290-AM

• Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe (71,706 capacity)

• Line: Ohio State by 4 1/2

• Payout per team: $14 million to $17 million

• Bowl records: Notre Dame 13-13, Ohio State 17-19

• Series: Tied 2-2. Ohio State won last meeting 29-16 in 1995.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

TEMPE – In nearly three decades as a football coach, Charlie Weis has coached everyone from defensive backs to tight ends.

But he had never prepared a college football team for a bowl game.

That’s why Notre Dame’s rookie head coach arranged a visit with Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban during the Fighting Irish’s regular season-ending trip to Stanford last month. Saban was in the area for a game against Oakland the same weekend.

Weis and Saban are protégés of New England coach Bill Belichick, which means they’re practically brothers, at least in the coaching sense.

“Charlie stopped by and said, ‘How did you get ready for a bowl game? I’ve never had six weeks to get ready for a game. Do you just keep practicing?’ ” Saban said from Miami. “What I told him was, ‘Hey, I made the mistake at Michigan State. We practiced too much and we got killed in every bowl game, because by then the players didn’t want to play.’ ”

Saban changed his approach when he moved to Louisiana State in 2000, treating the bowls as a “one-game season.” It paid off when Saban’s Tigers defeated Oklahoma to win the Sugar Bowl and the 2003 Bowl Championship Series national title.

It’s not surprising that Weis, who is leading No. 5 Notre Dame against fourth-ranked Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, turned to Saban for advice.

Saban has divided his career between college and the pros, flourishing at both levels. Weis spent much of his career in the NFL, following Bill Parcells from the New York Giants to New England to the New York Jets, then joining Belichick’s Patriots staff as offensive coordinator in 2000.

Weis took over at his alma mater in February.

Weis represents the most recent example of a small but interesting trend in major-college football – coaches who have flourished on campus after working in the NFL.

Pete Carroll, a former Patriots and Jets head coach, is one victory away from his third consecutive national title at Southern California.

Kirk Ferentz, another Belichick protégé, has won a share of the Big Ten Conference title at Iowa.

Pat Hill, who also coached under Belichick, has turned Fresno State into a non-BCS power.

“I think there’s a pretty good formula for guys who at some point in time were college coaches, and then they go to the NFL and, in whatever capacity they serve, they develop even further,” Saban said. “When they go back to college, they’re even more prepared, and they succeed there. There’s pretty decent track record on that.”

Not all former NFL coaches had superb years.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt struggled to a 5-6 record in his first season after stepping down as the Dolphins’ head coach.

Oregon State’s Mike Riley also went 5-6, dropping his record at Corvallis to 28-30 since he left the San Diego Chargers.

In college, the coach’s attention is divided by such tedious but important chores as recruiting, schmoozing alums and making sure some 85 scholarship players remain academically eligible. In the NFL, it’s all football, all the time.

“We used to say there’s no bake sales” in the NFL, Ferentz said from Iowa City. “In college, you’re doing a lot of responsibilities.

“I didn’t go into law or medicine, but to me, if you’re going into coaching, coaching in the NFL would probably be like law school or med school. Every waking hour was spent on football. It was total immersion.

“And typically you’re around some of the brightest minds in football. It may cause you to grow a little faster than if you’ve only been in a college environment.”

Weis eased his transition by bringing an NFL mentality to South Bend, Ind., a mecca of the college game.

Borrowing a page from Belichick, Weis curtailed media access to the nation’s most closely followed program.

And Weis’ almost obsessive attention to detail is an NFL trademark.

“A lot of guys might think a week out, two weeks out,” Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White said. “He’s way ahead of that. He’s got things so well-scripted.”

Weis’ approach has paid off in a 10-year contract extension worth an estimated $30 million.

Weis had an impressive debut, but his long-term success will be dictated by his ability to recruit.

Acquiring talent is probably the biggest difference between the NFL and college football.

In the NFL, teams draft names off a board.

College coaches beg prospects to sign.

But that’s where Weis’ NFL background comes in handy.

He’s not afraid to flash one of the four Super Bowl rings he earned with the Giants and the Patriots.

“His hands are permanently like this,” Irish tight end Anthony Fasano said splitting his fingers in a sort of Vulcan salute.

Pro backgrounds

A few of the notable college head coaches with NFL coaching experience:

• Charlie Weis, Notre Dame: New York Giants, New England, New York Jets, 1990-2004

• Pete Carroll, Southern California: Buffalo, Minnesota, New York Jets (head coach), San Francisco, New England (head coach), 1984-99

• Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: Cleveland, Baltimore, 1993-98

• Mike Shula, Alabama: Tampa Bay, Miami, Chicago, 1988-2002

• Sylvester Croom, Mississippi State: Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, San Diego, Detroit, Green Bay, 1987-2003

• Karl Dorrell, UCLA: Denver, 2000-02

• Ron Zook, Illinois: Pittsburgh, Kansas City, New Orleans, 1996-2001

Fiesta Bowl

• No. 4 Ohio State (9-2) vs. No. 5 Notre Dame (9-2)

• When, where: 3 p.m. Monday, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe

• TV/radio: ABC, 1490-AM

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

Those who have watched USC closely the past two years could not have been surprised by the top-ranked Trojans’ early struggles at Oregon on Saturday.

In each of the previous two seasons, USC opened Pac-10 play on the road, and both times it trailed heading into intermission. At Cal two years ago, the Trojans rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to force overtime but lost. Last year, the Trojans bounced back from an 11-point halftime deficit at Stanford to win 31-28.

Saturday, USC trailed Oregon by 13 in the second quarter and 13-10 at halftime before waking up to clobber the Ducks 45-13.

“We’re not always going to come out firing and scoring 28 points in the first quarter,” USC tailback Reggie Bush said. “Sometimes, like today, it’s going to take us a little bit longer. It’s going to take us all four quarters to score 45 or 50 points.”

Saturday, it took 31 minutes, 7 seconds for USC to put up 45 on the Ducks, but who’s counting?

Arizona State, that’s who. The No. 14 Sun Devils host USC on Saturday.

The Trojans’ biggest problem may be discipline. They were penalized 11 times for 86 yards at Oregon.

ASU’s Hagan breaks mark

Derek Hagan is rewriting the record book at Arizona State.

The senior wideout added to his legacy in the 14th-ranked Sun Devils’ 42-24 win over Oregon State on Saturday when he became the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards.

He caught a 44-yard pass in the first quarter – his 33rd straight game with a reception – to move past John Jefferson (1974-77). Hagan finished with a personal-best 193 yards and now has 3,160 career receiving yards.

“We feel good,” Hagan said. “We know we’ve got a great team. It’s just getting better.”

That’s a good thing, with USC looming. USC beat the Sun Devils 45-7 last year on its way to its second national championship.

“We have to be ready,” said ASU quarterback Sam Keller, who threw for 365 yards against Oregon State. “They’re the No. 1 team for a reason.”

- The Associated Press

Huskies show spark

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham fell to his former team Saturday, but he knows enough about the Irish personnel to understand the way you can hurt Notre Dame is to throw deep against its secondary.

The Huskies lost to the Irish 36-17, despite Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback throwing for 353 yards.

Mistakes plagued Washington, including a fumble at the Irish 1, negating a chance to take an early lead and energize the 70,000-plus crowd.

After the game, Notre Dame players, most of whom Willingham recruited, sought out their former coach to offer best wishes.

“I expected … for them to at least say they knew me,” he said.

- The Associated Press

PAC-10 STANDINGS

Team W-L W-L

California 1-0 4-0

USC 1-0 3-0

Arizona State 1-0 3-1

UCLA 0-0 3-0

Washington State 0-0 3-0

Stanford 0-0 1-1

ARIZONA 0-0 1-2

Oregon 0-1 3-1

Oregon State 0-1 2-2

Washington 0-1 1-3

• Last weekend: Cal 41, N.M. St. 13; Notre Dame 36, Washington 17; USC 45, Oregon 13; ASU 42, Oregon St. 24

• Saturday: ARIZONA at California, 3:30 p.m., TBS; USC at ASU, 12:30, ABC; Oregon at Stanford, 2 p.m.; Wash. St. at Oregon St., 1 p.m.; Washington at UCLA, 12:30 p.m.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

The Louisiana State Tigers jetted out of Phoenix early yesterday, bound for their storm-battered home state.

But the team that arrived in Baton Rouge, La., had a different look than the one that left two days earlier.

On the morning after their dramatic 35-31 victory over Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium, the Tigers climbed two rungs to No. 3 in the latest AP (media) and USA TODAY (coaches) polls.

“What they set out to do, they did,” LSU coach Les Miles said before the Tigers boarded their charter flight. “If they play with that kind of heart, we’ll have a lot of victories in front of us.”

In LSU’s first game since Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the Tigers stunned ASU with 28 points in 13 minutes, 34 seconds of the fourth quarter.

The decisive score came on a fourth-and-10 with 1:13 left, when JaMarcus Russell wandered out of the pocket and fired a 39-yard strike to Early Doucet, who beat two defenders to the ball.

As Doucet tumbled out of bounds, he was engulfed by LSU’s purple-clad cheerleaders. It’s no stretch to think the nation will offer a similar embrace to the Tigers in the weeks ahead.

“With the recent hurricane, we felt a little down, but we did a great job rebounding,” Doucet said. “We all came together.”

Big Ten troubles

While LSU is dreaming big dreams, the Big Ten is trying to awake from a nightmare.

It was Black Saturday in the nation’s oldest major conference.

First, No. 3 Michigan was beaten by No. 20 Notre Dame 17-10 in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Then eighth-ranked Iowa was drubbed 23-3 by rival Iowa State.

And then No. 4 Ohio State lost a 25-22 squeaker to second-ranked Texas in Columbus, Ohio.

In one stunning day, the Big Ten’s three Top 10 squads took it in the shorts. Barring an unforeseen series of events – Purdue running the table to finish unbeaten – it’s unlikely that a Big Ten team will play for the national title in the Rose Bowl.

Poll madness

The Ohio State-Texas showdown lived up to its hype, and then some, as Heisman Trophy candidate Vince Young threw a 24-yard scoring pass to Limas Sweed with 2:37 left to rally the Longhorns before 105,565 fans in Columbus, Ohio.

But yesterday’s polls showed why some schools would rather not play those kinds of high-risk, high-reward games.

The Buckeyes dropped five spots to No. 9 Associated Press rankings and dropped two spots to No. 9 in the USA TODAY coaches poll. Meanwhile, they were leapfrogged by Florida State, which moved to No. 8 from No.11 in both polls.

What did the Seminoles do to deserve this elevation?

After trailing The Citadel, a Division I-AA team, 10-3 with 68 seconds to go in the first half, FSU rallied for a 62-10 victory in Tallahassee, Fla.

Voters rewarded the Seminoles for running up the score and penalized the Buckeyes for having the guts to tackle a traditional powerhouse.

Back to reality for Irish

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis didn’t waste much time celebrating the Irish’s rise to No. 10 in the AP poll, their first appearance in the Top 10 in three years.

Nor did Weis spend much time crowing about the Irish’s 17-10 win at Michigan, in which Brady Quinn threw two TD passes in the first half. Weis was too busy researching remarks he plans to make to the team before this next week’s visit by Michigan State, which has won its past four trips to South Bend, Ind.

“By giving them the cold, hard facts – ‘Fellas, this is the way it is’ – will slap them back to reality,” said Weis, the first Irish coach to win his opening two road games since Knute Rockne in 1918.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

As the Oklahoma Sooners football team prepared for this season, everyone wanted to know whether it could extend its domination over Texas.

Few gave much thought to how the Sooners would fare against Texas Christian.

The Horned Frogs, pride of Fort Worth and the newest member of the Mountain West Conference, shocked the seventh-ranked Sooners 17-10 in Norman on Saturday.

That night, Georgia Tech went into Auburn and handed the 16th-rated Tigers a 23-14 loss.

In the space of eight hours on the season’s opening Saturday, two of the three teams that went unbeaten in the regular season a year ago had been upended.

The common denominator: quarterbacks. Both the Sooners and the Tigers replaced veteran starters – Heisman Trophy winner Jason White at Oklahoma and Jason Campbell at Auburn – and both paid a heavy price for the mistakes made by inexperienced newcomers.

The Sooners started Paul Thompson, who had completed 31 passes in college but none since 2003. Thompson, a junior, lost two fumbles – one inside the TCU 5-yard line – and had one pass intercepted. Redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar fumbled to set up TCU’s winning touchdown.

At Auburn, sophomore Brandon Cox, who had completed 22 passes in his career, threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Tech. But his four interceptions in the second half sunk the Tigers.

Trouble for Ty

It wasn’t a good weekend to be Tyrone Willingham. First his new team, the Washington Huskies, blew a 17-6 lead in the final 10 minutes in a 20-17 loss to Air Force in Seattle.

Then Willingham’s former team, Notre Dame, blitzed No. 23 Pittsburgh 42-21.

With new head coach Charlie Weis calling the shots, the Irish looked virtually unstoppable. Led by quarterback Brady Quinn, the Irish mixed a short passing game with the occasional long ball and an inside running game.

The Irish scored touchdowns on six of their first seven possessions. The 35 points in the first 30 minutes are the most in a half by Notre Dame since Lou Holtz’s final home game in 1996.

It was an impressive debut for Weis. Notre Dame fans were positively giddy because the Irish won’t have to rely only on defense to win games, and it proved the school made the right move when it launched Willingham last year.

But the fans might want to remember what became of the last coach who opened his Notre Dame career with a resounding victory over a ranked team.

His name was Tyrone Willingham, and he drubbed No. 23 Maryland 22-0 three years ago. But that was a neutral site at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

Mountain of talent

The Mountain West Conference’s slogan is “Above the rest.” We have a better idea: “As good as most.” It isn’t very catchy, but it’s accurate.

In the space of the season’s first two days, the MWC strengthened its case for an automatic Bowl Championship Series berth, winning two out of three against the Pac-10 and splitting with the Big 12.

The Mountain West’s newest member, TCU, stunned Oklahoma. Utah, which lost star quarterback Alex Smith and head coach Urban Meyer, beat Arizona on Friday, and Air Force knocked off Washington.

Meanwhile, Colorado needed a last-gasp field goal to hold off Colorado State in Boulder.

Take that

Northwestern’s 38-14 rout of Ohio University had a personal side.

Ohio’s new coach is Frank Solich, who, when he was the Nebraska coach, ran up the score in a 66-17 win over Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

“Remember the Alamo Bowl” was a rallying cry for Wildcat fans last week.

Look ahead

No. 2 Texas at No. 6 Ohio State, this Saturday night.

This is the year’s top intersectional showdown. The winner will jump to the front of the race to decide USC’s opponent in the Rose Bowl.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – The Insight Bowl is about to move from Phoenix to Tempe and raise its national profile by teaming with two of the nation’s top conferences.

Beginning with the 2006 bowl season, the Insight will play host to the sixth picks from the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences, ending a relationship with the Pacific-10, Big East and Notre Dame.

Payouts have not been announced, but it is expected they will increase from $750,000 per school to about $1.3 million.

The Insight Bowl appears to have outgrown Bank One Ballpark, its home since 2000. Its likeliest destination is Tempe’s Sun Devil Stadium, which will lose the Fiesta Bowl to Glendale after the 2006 season. The move could be announced as early as today.

The Tempe City Council is expected to give the pact final approval on July 22.

“This takes the Insight Bowl to a whole new level,” said Richard A. Fennessy, president and chief executive officer of Tempe-based Insight Enterprises Inc., a leading provider of information technology products and services. “We’re really excited about the matchup.”

No dates are set, but officials said the game could end up on New Year’s Eve, depending on the wishes of television. The Insight’s contract with ESPN expires after this year’s game.

Officials from the Big Ten and Big 12 declined to discuss their commitment to the Insight until they had finalized all their bowl deals and received approval from conference presidents, considered a foregone conclusion.

But Insight Bowl President and CEO John Junker said both conferences had aggressively pursued the possibility of a game in Arizona.

“We were surprised that the Big Ten and Big 12 were so interested and made it such a priority to get this done,” Junker said. “Those conferences had just about everybody in ‘bowldom’ chasing them.”

The good news for the Insight Bowl comes as a blow to the Pac-10, which will be forced to fill a hole in its bowl menu. The Pac-10 has sent its fourth-best team to the Insight each of the past three years. It appears the Las Vegas Bowl could move up a slot to fourth in the Pac-10 pecking order. Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen was vacationing in Europe and could not be reached for comment.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that Fennessy, Insight’s president and CEO, is a 1987 Michigan State graduate and avowed college football fan.

“When you say to the average football fan in the Valley, ‘How would you like to see Wisconsin-Texas A&M?’ they’ll be charged up,” Junker said.

According to Insight officials, the game could have paired Illinois and Oklahoma in 1999; Minnesota and Texas A&M in 2000; Michigan State and Iowa State in 2001; Purdue and Oklahoma State in 2002; Wisconsin and Texas Tech in 2003, and Minnesota and Colorado last year.

The new partnership is a big change for the Insight, born as the Copper Bowl in Tucson in 1989 and appeared to be headed for extinction before the Fiesta Bowl acquired it in 1997.

Before it snared the Insight Bowl, Tempe was reeling from the loss of the Cardinals and the Fiesta Bowl, which bring sports fans and millions in tourist dollars to downtown Tempe.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

Four months ago, Tuffy Gosewisch was undersized and overlooked.

Oh, Gosewisch’s coaches and teammates knew how important the senior catcher was to Arizona State’s baseball team. But few outside Packard Stadium had any idea about the 6-foot, 185-pounder from Scottsdale Horizon High School.

That’s about to change. Having helped lead the Sun Devils back to the College World Series for the first time since 1998, Gosewisch’s cover is about to be blown.

“Him coming to the College World Series, now people around the country are going to see how great he is,” ASU pitcher Brett Bordes said.

Gosewisch commanded the spotlight Tuesday as the Sun Devils met with reporters before practice. He participated in a national media teleconference, then did a succession of stand-up interviews with Phoenix area television stations.

Just like that, Gosewisch went from an anonymous man in the mask to a media darling. Well, maybe not just like that. He has been squatting behind the plate for ASU since 2002, with a career batting average of .317. But this year he blossomed into the leader of a gritty, spirited team.

“I think everybody kind of likes to get some attention,” he said. “I like to get that attention, too, but only if it’s deserved.”

Gosewisch is a big reason the Sun Devils have finally returned to Omaha, Neb., which once seemed like their private playground. In Sunday’s decisive 9-8 super regional victory over defending champion Cal State Fullerton, Gosewisch banged out five hits, tying a career high.

A day earlier, he turned in a game-changing pickoff play to help preserve a 6-2 victory. Gosewisch sniffed out a Fullerton trick play with the bases loaded. When the runner at first pretended to fall down, Gosewisch feigned a throw in that direction, then whirled and pegged out the runner at third to douse a scoring threat. Gosewisch remembered being burned by a similar play as a freshman.

“I was like, ‘Wow, Tuffy, are you serious?’ ” Bordes said.

It was typical of Gosewisch, who always seems to be one pitch, one batter, one play ahead of everyone else. He’s always delighted in both the physical and mental challenge of catching. Now he’s ready to display his talents for a national audience. The Sun Devils open the College World Series against Nebraska tomorrow in Omaha.

“I feel like I’m kind of a coach on the field,” Gosewisch said. “You have to be kind of a Renaissance man out there.”

Gosewisch offers a natural story line. Start with his name – his parents, Nancy and Goose Gosewisch, dubbed him “Tuffy” because they were expecting a girl named Tiffany. (His real first name is James).

Gosewisch will turn 22 in August. But he wears braces and sports a crew cut – the kind your mom made you get before shipping you off to summer camp. He looks like the kid brother who ended up playing catcher because no one else would.

Gosewisch is only the second catcher in ASU history to start for three years. His last two years he was a semifinalist for the prestigious Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year Award.

Gosewisch may still be in college because he doesn’t have the sort of physique that makes pro scouts drool. He was selected in the 11th round by Philadelphia two weeks ago.

“It would be nice if I were bigger and faster, but I can’t really control that,” he said.

Gosewisch is hitting .323 this season with six home runs and a team-high 67 RBIs. He’s thrown out 25 of 64 attempted base stealers (39 percent). He allowed only one passed ball during the regular season and was charged with only two errors.

“He’s the most underrated catcher I’ve ever seen,” ASU pitcher Jason Urquidez said. “To me, he’s just indispensable. You know that if you throw a ball in the dirt, he’s going to block it. He’s always going to pick you up.”

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – For most of its history, Notre Dame has stood alone among the major college football giants.

The Fighting Irish have their own legends, their own mystique, even their own television network.

So it was with Notre Dame’s affiliation to the Bowl Championship Series. Notre Dame acted as if it were its own BCS conference, collecting a full conference share for each appearance.

But now the Fighting Irish are acting as if they are a mere conference member, happy to let BCS money roll in without having to actually play in a game. Sort of like Vanderbilt.

Formally announcing a prior understanding, BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said yesterday that Notre Dame had agreed to accept an annual $1 million payout in years it doesn’t appear in a BCS game, and $4.5 million in years it does.

The latter figure represents the share paid to non-BCS qualifiers such as Utah. Under the previous arrangement, Notre Dame received an entire conference share – valued at close to $14 million – for appearing in a BCS game but took home nothing when it didn’t qualify.

In the BCS’ first seven years, the Fighting Irish played in one game – the 2000 Fiesta Bowl – and lost 41-9 to Oregon State.

“They haven’t qualified every year in this structure, so they’re going to be making up annual payments to help offset any loss in that regard,” Weiberg said after the BCS ended three days of meetings. “The idea behind it is Notre Dame is treated like a member of a conference that has annual automatic qualification.”

For Notre Dame, the switch means it can plug a set BCS amount into its budget annually instead of hoping for a windfall. The move also takes pressure off new head coach Charlie Weis, who will not be under pressure to produce a huge bowl payout. The Irish will still keep any payouts from non-BCS bowls.

At present, the Irish receive an automatic berth if they finish in the top six of the BCS standings. If a non-BCS school qualifies, the Irish are guaranteed a spot with nine wins or a top-10 finish. They are BCS-eligible if they win nine games and finish in the top 12.

Under the new format, Weiberg said a nine-win Notre Dame would automatically qualify if it ranks in the top eight and would be eligible if it finished in the top 12.

“I think with these expanded at-large spots and this new structure, there’s a feeling that if Notre Dame is available, they’re going to be very popular to these bowls for possible selection,” Weiberg said. “So they have some reason to believe that if they have a top-10 team, even though they might not automatically be in because they’re not in the top eight, it’s still very likely they will be selected.

The BCS has produced some lunatic scenarios over the years, but it’s almost impossible to envision an eligible Notre Dame squad being snubbed.

“Obviously, they’re the top recognized brand name nationally,” Fiesta Bowl president John Junker said. “Other teams are loved and followed. But in all parts of the country, Notre Dame sets the standard.”

San Diego bowl named

SAN DIEGO – The city’s second postseason college football game will be called the Poinsettia Bowl and be sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union.

Holiday Bowl officials also said yesterday that they expect the Poinsettia Bowl to produce approximately $20 million annually during what traditionally is the slowest week of the year for the local tourism industry.

The Poinsettia Bowl will be played Dec. 22 at Qualcomm Stadium. It will be run by the same officials who will then stage the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 29.

The Poinsettia Bowl will match a team from the Mountain West Conference against an at-large team. The Poinsettia Bowl, licensed last week by the NCAA, has received support from the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and Navy.

The Poinsettia Bowl was the second choice in a poll that named the Holiday Bowl in 1978. The nation’s biggest poinsettia producer, Ecke Ranch, is in northern San Diego County.

East-West game is moving

SAN ANTONIO – The nation’s oldest college all-star football game is moving from San Francisco to San Antonio.

The East-West Shrine Game, played since 1923, will be held in the Alamodome beginning next year, game officials said yesterday. The 2006 game is scheduled for Jan. 21.

- The Associated Press

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

PHOENIX – As the Bowl Championship Series wrapped up its annual meetings yesterday, officials winced at the thought of what problems might loom for major-college football’s controversial national title scheme.

“We joke about it a little bit in terms of ‘What can go wrong next?’ ” Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson said.

The main problem with the BCS is that it often spends the spring fixing problems that arose the previous fall. Such was the case again during this week’s meetings at the Royal Palms Resort and Spa as the BCS decided it would rather tinker with its controversial standings formula than overhaul it.

Last year, Auburn was the odd team out among three unbeatens while Texas grabbed an at-large berth in the Rose Bowl over California when some voters changed their last ballots. In part because of the resulting firestorm, the AP demanded that its poll be removed from the equation. After debate here this week, BCS officials decided to find a replacement for the AP poll, which comprised one-third of the three-pronged equation, along with the coaches poll and a computer average.

All signs point to a replacement poll to be administered by the National Football Foundation. It would consist of former coaches, players and athletic directors and perhaps even a few media members – so long as they’re willing to take the heat that comes with revealing their ballots at year’s end.

“We’re going to have to take a look at the component parts of such a poll,” BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg said. “Part of that would be who would vote.”

The BCS has asked the coaches to consider revealing their final regular-season ballots, and the coaches seem willing to comply. The BCS standings are used to set the pairing in the BCS title game and to determine access for non-aligned conferences.

Following the 2006 season, when a new national title game will debut in the Glendale stadium one week after the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the BCS will add two at-large spots. More bids means improved access for the BCS outsiders. But it also means that the six BCS conferences – the Pacific-10, Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern, Big East and Atlantic Coast – will be able to protect, and perhaps even improve, their revenue.

When Utah, a member of the non-BCS Mountain West, qualified for the Fiesta last year, it did so at the expense of California, which finished one rung higher than the Utes.

Under the new scheme, California would be in and the Pac-10 would draw an additional slice of a total pie estimated at some $150 million.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

TEMPE – This wasn’t what Andrew Walter envisioned when he decided to return for his senior year at Arizona State.

Viewed as a likely first-round choice had he turned pro after his junior season, ASU’s record-setting quarterback fell to the third round in the NFL draft Saturday. Oakland selected Walter with the 69th overall pick.

But what appeared to be a setback for Walter could turn out to be a blessing. He’s headed for a team whose go-deep offensive philosophy meshes with his skills. The Raiders’ history of blitzkrieg football goes back some four decades, to Daryle “The Mad Bomber” Lamonica.

“It’s what we did in college, and it’s certainly a tradition (in Oakland) to throw the ball down the field,” Walter told Oakland officials. “I don’t think it gets any better than that, so I’m stoked.” At a time when many NFL clubs employ the West Coast offense, with its reliance on mobile quarterbacks and short, precision pass routes, it seemed Walter might have trouble finding a home.

“He can have an outstanding NFL career,” ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski said. “This guy won’t fit with all teams, but he’ll fit with the Oakland Raiders.”

Two Devils were taken yesterday. Center Drew Hodgdon went to Houston in the fifth round, No. 151 overall, and defensive end Jimmy Verdon went to New Orleans in the seventh round, No. 232 overall.

Citizen Staff Writer

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

and MIKE CHESNICK mchesnic@tucsoncitizen.com

A call to expand the Cactus League, which is enjoying unprecedented popularity, has won support from a new governor’s baseball commission and from a Pima County official.

“We have a strategic advantage in Arizona: our weather and climate,” Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said last night. “We need to take advantage of that.”

The Phoenix area, which supports nine of the 12 Cactcus League teams, might stand a better chance of luring teams from Florida.

But Huckleberry said Tucson could accommodate up to two more teams by adding facilities to the Tucson Electric Park and Hi Corbett Field complexes. The Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox train at TEP and the Colorado Rockies work out at Hi Corbett.

“The more the better, as far as we’re concerned,” Huckelberry said.

But in Florida, word that Arizona was trying to pluck two Major League Baseball teams from the Grapefruit League was met with alarm.

Saying “Let’s play ball,” Gov. Janet Napolitano on Wednesday created the Arizona Baseball and Softball Commission, with goals that include expanding the Cactus League, where record crowds flocked to new and upgraded ballparks last year, producing an estimated $250 million in revenue for the state.

“I don’t want to be too forward, but I think the (Cleveland) Indians would be a logical choice and the Houston Astros,” said commission chairman Slade Mead, a former Arizona state senator. “Those are the two teams I’d want to focus on.”

Cleveland trained in Tucson, from 1947-92 and the Astros had their Triple-A team in Tucson from 1980-96.

Tucson native Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, said he was all for a larger Cactus League.

“Look at the weather,” he said while sitting at Diablo Stadium in Tempe on Wednesday, pointing to the puffy clouds beyond the center-field fence. “Sitting up here having a dog and a beer … why wouldn’t you want to come here? I think it’s great to have more teams here.”

Cactus League Association vice president Robert Brinton also supports the expansion and promotion efforts, citing the league’s economic impact, which he puts at a “remarkable” $250 million a year.

“It’s a Super Bowl every spring,” he said.

The response in Florida, where 18 clubs conduct spring training in 17 communities, was different. David Cardwell, executive director of the Grapefruit League Association, said he had recently attended a facilities conference in Tempe and came away with the sense officials in both states planned to work together rather than compete.

“This takes me by surprise,” Cardwell said. “We didn’t think there was going to be any raiding going on. I was hoping we would be able to work together on some of the common issues that each one of us have rather than spend our time and resources trying to fend off one another.”

The Arizona commission’s first meeting will be in March.

To attract more teams, the panel likely will look into new sources of funding because nearly all the funds allocated by the state Tourism and Sports Authority for Cactus League projects have been used or earmarked for upcoming projects.

There was no immediate word on where new teams might play.

Huckelberry said Tucson “would be a friendly face” in any discussions of adding teams.

Last September, Huckleberry tossed around the idea of increasing Pima County’s bed tax by 4 percent to match Tucson’s 6 percent bed tax to help ease the cost of spring training. The state Legislature is expected to take up the matter this session.

Because the 12-member Cactus League needs an even number of clubs to ease scheduling, officials would try to land another club along with the Indians. Perhaps that’s why Mead mentioned the Astros.

But the Astros in 2000 agreed to a lease extension to remain in Kissimmee, Fla., through 2016, with local government spending about $18 million to improve Osceola County Stadium. Houston first conducted spring training in Apache Junction in 1962 and 1963 before moving to Cocoa, Fla., in 1964. An Astros spokesman said the club had no response to Mead’s remarks.

Other candidates include the Cincinnati Reds, who have asked for millions in improvements to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., the club’s winter home since 1998. The Reds’ lease expires in 2008.

The Cactus League has enjoyed massive popularity in recent years, with bellwether franchises such as the Chicago Cubs, who play in Mesa’s HoHoKam Park, and the San Francisco Giants, based at Scottsdale Stadium, drawing large crowds. The Diamondbacks have stoked interest in spring training in Tucson since their birth in 1998.

Last year, the Cactus League drew a record 1.23 million fans, Brinton said, with the Cubs drawing a major-league record 177,008.

The Arizona Republic

By ANDREW BAGNATO

The Arizona Republic

AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Tedy Bruschi was sitting alone in the New England Patriots’ team dining room this week when his cell phone rang.

It was head coach Bill Belichick.

“I was hoping it wasn’t bad news,” Bruschi said. “I hoped I didn’t miss a meeting.”

Belichick was calling Tuesday night to tell Bruschi he was going to the Pro Bowl.

The former University of Arizona star was a late replacement on the AFC roster for injured Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis.

“I’m not going to downplay it,” Bruschi said, his dark eyes sparkling as he recounted the call. “I came in here not knowing what I was doing. I developed myself into a player that can be recognized as one of the best in the league.”

It’s Bruschi’s first trip to the Pro Bowl, which seems absurd in light of Bruschi’s contribution to the emerging New England dynasty.

Bruschi personifies the Patriots’ team-first ethic.

Perhaps that’s why he has often been overlooked since the Patriots selected him in the third round of the 1996 draft.

But there may be another reason.

“I’m not the biggest guy,” said Bruschi, who is listed at 6 feet 1, 247 pounds.

Nor is he the fastest or the strongest.

Arizona’s coach at the time, Dick Tomey, was the only one to offer Bruschi, a San Francisco-area product, a Division I-A scholarship.

Bruschi repaid Tomey by becoming a foundation of the fabled “Desert Swarm” defense.

New England’s unit doesn’t have a catchy nickname, but Bruschi is every bit as important to the Patriots’ success.

“He just seems to know where the ball is going to be, and he gets there,” New England guard Stephen Neal said. “He’s hard to block. I’m really glad I don’t have to go up against him on Sundays.”

The 31-year-old Bruschi’s maturity into one of the NFL’s top defensive players matches his growth off the field.

Early in his career, Bruschi’s reputation as a wild man wasn’t limited to the gridiron.

But in a Jan. 16 interview with Boston Globe columnist Jackie MacMullan, Bruschi said he decided six years ago that alcohol was a problem for him.

“I got to a point where I realized whenever there was a problem in my life, whether I was getting into trouble or having trouble in my marriage, alcohol was involved,” Bruschi told MacMullan. “It was an accumulation of events. I was about 24 or 25 years old. Heidi (Bruschi’s wife) and I were having one of our arguments, because I had taken it too far one more time.

“I looked at it, and I said, ‘I’m tired of this.’ So I quit drinking.”

Bruschi went into further detail with other reporters.

“That is the decision that I made,” he said. “About five, six years ago, I decided that I wanted to become the best father that I could possibly become.”

Bruschi has worked just as hard to become the best linebacker he could be.

That’s no small effort for a player who spent his college career as a lineman, tying the all-time Division I-A career sacks record (52).

It took Bruschi a while to become as dominant in the NFL as he was in college.

But he’s developed a knack for delivering big hits and big plays.

In New England’s 20-3 trouncing of Indianapolis Jan.16 in Foxboro, Mass., Bruschi made perhaps the most memorable play of this postseason.

He smashed Colts running back Dominic Rhodes as he latched on to a screen pass, ripping the ball out of the startled back’s arms as the two men hit the ground.

Bruschi scored another turnover when he recovered a Reggie Wayne fumble later in the game.

Those are the types of plays Bruschi hoped to make when he broke into the league.

It took him a few years to learn to play linebacker.

“I can’t remember one moment when I really started to get it,” Bruschi said. “Maybe when it was my fourth or fifth year of my career… .”