DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Two Duke University lacrosse players were arrested early Tuesday on charges of raping and kidnapping a stripper hired to dance at an off-campus party, and the district attorney said he hopes to charge a third person soon. The indictments, unsealed Tuesday, did not indicate what possible evidence or arguments led the grand jury Monday to indict Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty, both 20. District Attorney Mike Nifong would not discuss the evidence. "It had been my hope to charge all three of the assailants at the same time, but the evidence available to me at this moment does not permit that," Nifong said. "Investigation into the identity of the third assailant will continue in the hope that he can also be identified with certainty." Seligmann posted a $400,000 bond shortly after his arrest, and his attorney waived his court appearance. Finnerty, who posting the same amount later Tuesday, made a brief appearance in Superior Court wearing a jacket and tie. The next court appearance for both players was set for May 15. Both Seligmann, a 6-foot-1 sophomore from Essex Fells, N.J., and Finnerty, a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Garden City, N.Y., were in handcuffs when they stepped out of a police cruiser before dawn. Seligmann is "absolutely innocent," said his attorney, Kirk Osborn. "He's doing great. That's all I have to say." Asked what led to the indictments, Osborn said: "Apparently it was a photographic identification. And we all know how reliable that is." Finnerty's attorney, Bill Cotter, said, "We're surprised that anybody got indicted, quite frankly." "The next jury will hear the entire story, which includes our evidence, and we're confident that these young men will be found to be innocent," he said. Calls to the Finnerty and Seligmann homes Tuesday morning were not immediately returned. No one answered the door at the Finnerty house, which sits in a cul-de-sac of million-dollar homes on Long Island. A lacrosse net and equipment could be seen in the yard, which abuts a golf course. Shortly after the allegations surfaced last month, Seligmann's father, Philip Seligmann, spoke to The New York Times about the allegations involving the team, saying, "It's unfortunate, but it will all be resolved positively very shortly." The alleged victim, a 27-year-old black woman and mother of two children, told police she was attacked March 13 by three white men in a bathroom at a party held by the lacrosse team. The racially charged allegations have led to near daily protest rallies. The school canceled the highly ranked team's season and accepted the resignation of coach Mike Pressler after the release of a vulgar and graphic e-mail that was sent by a team member shortly after the alleged assault. Defense attorneys have urged Nifong to drop the case, saying DNA tests failed to connect any of the 46 team members tested to the alleged victim. But Nifong has argued that he has enough evidence to proceed. He has said 75 percent to 80 percent of rape prosecutions lack DNA evidence. According to court records, a medical examination of the woman found injuries consistent with rape. Defense attorneys have said time-stamped photos taken the night of the party show that the alleged victim was injured and impaired before she arrived. Nifong has declined to discuss the case. School officials said Monday that the lacrosse coach was warned last year that his players had too many violations of the campus judicial code and he needed to "get them in line." Duke athletic director Joe Alleva said the university's executive vice president reviewed the lacrosse team's disciplinary record last year, then discussed his findings with Alleva. "He said there were too many incidents, but there's not enough incidents to make a drastic change in the program at this point in time," Alleva told The Herald-Sun of Durham. Alleva told the coach "his team was under the microscope, and he had to do everything he could to get them in line and to not have any more behavior problems." The review by Duke's executive vice president was spurred by reports of "boorish behavior" by the lacrosse team, Alleva said. Sue Wasiolek, Duke's dean of students and assistant vice president for student affairs, said the review showed the lacrosse team had a "disproportionate" number of violations of the campus judicial code. None was particularly serious, but administrators were concerned about the cumulative record and the fact that some players had several violations, she said. Neither Seligmann and Finnerty were among the Duke team members arrested over the past few years for misdemeanors including underage drinking and public urination. Finnerty, however, was arrested in November in Washington, D.C., and charged with simple assault after a man named Jeffrey Bloxgom told police the lacrosse player and two of his high school
Thursday, May 18, 2006
NEW YORK (AP)
-- The New York Knicks took out an insurance policy on Larry Brown's contract that would free the team from paying the remainder of the coach's contract if he's forced to resign due to health issues, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
The newspaper, citing an anonymous league source, reported that the Knicks made the move when Brown signed his record five-year, $50 million contract. The newspaper also said the contract would not prevent Brown from taking another NBA or college job if he and the Knicks part ways.
The 65-year-old Brown, a former Indiana Pacers coach, didn't travel to Detroit, where the Knicks lost 103-97 on Sunday. He was hospitalized Thursday night in Cleveland with a stomach ailment after becoming ill during the Knicks' 91-87 loss to the Cavaliers. He returned home Friday, but assistant coach Herb Williams ran the team in a 97-80 loss to Milwaukee.
It wasn't known if Brown will coach the final two games of the regular season: Monday at home against Charlotte or at New Jersey on Wednesday. The Knicks are 22-58, the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Williams said he spoke to Brown during the past few days and said he sounded "OK" but didn't discuss whether Brown would return.
"It probably depends on how he feels," Williams told the newspaper. "At this point, it's no use to rush him back. He has to take care of himself."
-- The New York Knicks took out an insurance policy on Larry Brown's contract that would free the team from paying the remainder of the coach's contract if he's forced to resign due to health issues, the New York Daily News reported Monday.
The newspaper, citing an anonymous league source, reported that the Knicks made the move when Brown signed his record five-year, $50 million contract. The newspaper also said the contract would not prevent Brown from taking another NBA or college job if he and the Knicks part ways.
The 65-year-old Brown, a former Indiana Pacers coach, didn't travel to Detroit, where the Knicks lost 103-97 on Sunday. He was hospitalized Thursday night in Cleveland with a stomach ailment after becoming ill during the Knicks' 91-87 loss to the Cavaliers. He returned home Friday, but assistant coach Herb Williams ran the team in a 97-80 loss to Milwaukee.
It wasn't known if Brown will coach the final two games of the regular season: Monday at home against Charlotte or at New Jersey on Wednesday. The Knicks are 22-58, the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Williams said he spoke to Brown during the past few days and said he sounded "OK" but didn't discuss whether Brown would return.
"It probably depends on how he feels," Williams told the newspaper. "At this point, it's no use to rush him back. He has to take care of himself."
BOSTON (AP) -- The Kenyan national anthem got its annual airplay in the Back Bay on Monday after another Boston Marathon sweep. It was the Americans, though, who were boasting of a breakthrough. Robert Cheruiyot finished in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 14 seconds to nip the course record by a single second, and Rita Jeptoo won the women's race for Kenya's fourth sweep since 2000. With five American men in the top 10 -- including Nos. 3, 4 and 5 -- the United States had its best finish since the addition of prize money in 1986 helped bring back the top international fields. "It's exciting to see a lot of American guys run well," said Olympic silver medalist Meb Keflezighi, who was third behind Cheruiyot and Kenya's Benjamin Maiyo. "The crowd was just phenomenal. When they were chanting, 'Go USA! Go Meb! Go USA!' I was like, 'I'm glad I'm here."' Keflezighi, a naturalized citizen from Eritrea who lives in San Diego, ran with the leaders until the 16th mile and then began falling behind. Brian Sell, from Rochester, Mich., was fourth, catching Alan Culpepper around the last turn before the Copley Square finish. "When Brian went by me, I thought he was some guy that jumped on the course," Culpepper said, evoking memories of 1980 shortcut-taker Rosie Ruiz. "We don't talk about this anymore here," moderator Frank Shorr joked. Culpepper, from Lafayette, Colo., was fourth last year, a performance that matched the best U.S. finish since 1987. The last American to win in Boston was Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach in 1985; no American man has won since Greg Meyer in 1983, and 12 times since then there have been no Americans in the top 10. "For those of us who are in it and make our profession, we're probably not as surprised as other people. We've seen this coming for a while. We've seen this building," Culpepper said. "I think it is a new day, for sure." Cheruiyot and Jeptoo each claim an olive wreath, a bowl of beef stew and a $100,000 first prize. Kenyan men have won 14 of the last 16 Boston titles and its women have won three in a row and six of seven. "I think we'd given in to the fact that the East Africans are supposed to dominate the race," said Kevin Hanson, whose club in Rochester, Mich., trained seven of the top 22 men's finishers. "And we haven't come up with a reason why." Four of Kenya's women's titles belong to Catherine Ndereba, who was not in the field this year. Defending men's champion Hailu Negussie dropped out just after the halfway point with stomach problems that usually indicate dehydration. Cheruiyot had no such troubles. He let Maiyo set a blistering pace and ran off his shoulder before taking the lead going up one of the Newton Hills. He came onto Boylston Street -- the last stretch -- with almost a minute to break the record, then sprinted the last 50 yards as volunteers waved for him to hurry. "I think, 'No,"' he said. "And then I see I can make it." Cheruiyot was a second faster than fellow Kenyan Cosmas Ndeti was when he set the course record in 1994 and 66 seconds ahead of Maiyo. Jeptoo, who won in Stockholm and Milan in 2004, had never run a marathon on American soil and almost didn't make this one because of a lost passport. She didn't get to town until Friday and never had a chance to drive the course, let alone run it. But she outkicked Latvia's Jelena Prokopcuka to finish in 2:23:38 and win by 10 seconds, the closest women's finish ever; Japan's Reiko Tosa was third, another 23 seconds back. For the sixth straight year, Ernst Van Dyk of South Africa won the wheelchair division in 1:25:29. Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland won the woman's wheelchair race in 1:43:41. The official field of 22,517 entrants is the second-largest in Boston Marathon history, representing 94 countries and all 50 states. The winners also moved to the top of the standings of the new World Marathon Majors, a circuit that will hand out $1 million in bonuses for top performances in five races over two years. Points are awarded for top five finishes, meaning three American men made the leaderboard. "I think we're doing something right. Quite clearly," said New York City Marathon director Mary Wittenberg. "This is a monumental shift in where we've been, and a great precursor for the future."
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- LSU freshman forward Tyrus Thomas declared for the NBA draft Monday, while sophomore teammate and Southeastern Conference player of the year Glen Davis said he is coming back to the Tigers. "When you're hot, you're hot," Thomas said of his decision, which comes just three weeks after he and Davis helped the Tigers make the Final Four. "I have to take advantage of the opportunity available to me. I know I have to improve both physically and mentally. But, this is a great opportunity for myself and my family." Thomas, the conference's freshman of the year and co-defensive player of the year, signed with an agent Sunday night, a move that ended his college career. "I came to the conclusion that signing was what I really wanted to do in my heart. I can get more things accomplished faster on the business side this way." Davis, the athletic and personable inside presence known as "Big Baby," said he still has unfinished business in college. "There are a lot of things I want to accomplish, not only as a player but as a person," Davis said. "Furthermore, I feel that college is the best time of my life. I feel that staying at LSU will help me mentally and physically. I just want to make it clear that I will be here next year to further my education and to be with family members -- my teammates." Both Davis and Thomas played key roles in the Tigers' run to their first Final Four appearance in 20 years. Davis averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds a game this past season. "Playing in that last game left a terrible taste in my mouth," Davis said of the Tigers' semifinal loss to UCLA. "I'm a competitor. I want to leave on top. Not only do I want to be the best player, but I want to win. "I have to enjoy these moments. I put them in my book of memories. I'm a young adult and I'm still having fun. The next level is business and you have to approach it as a business. One more year will help me be the player I want to be." Thomas, who sat out his first season at LSU as a redshirt, came off the bench for the first 10 games of the 2005 season before starting against Cincinnati. Late in the regular season, he injured an ankle against Kentucky and missed four games. Still, he averaged 12 points and nine rebounds a game and also blocked a team-high 99 shots. In LSU's NCAA tournament victories against Duke and Texas, Thomas scored 30 points, grabbed 26 rebounds and blocked eight shots. "There is no question in my mind that Tyrus will be successful," coach John Brady said. "When Tyrus came out of McKinley High School, I don't think anybody in this room thought he would be one of the top five players in the NBA draft." Brady, who also saw Stromile Swift and Brandon Bass leave after their sophomore seasons, has watched both Davis and Thomas develop in their two years on campus. "I've seen both Tyrus and Glen grow up and mature," Brady said. "What Tyrus is doing is good and what Glen is doing is good. It's a testament to this program that not one but two guys are able to be picked in the first round. What this shows is that when players come to LSU, they improve and get better."
STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Rudy Gay expects life to get really hectic now. The Connecticut sophomore and leading scorer for the Huskies will forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft. Now he must decide on an agent. Projected as a high first-round pick in the draft, Gay is gearing up to field a host of offers. "I know it's going to get crazy now," he said at news conference Monday. "Now (basketball) is a job. It's something I have to do. I have to put on my suit and tie and go to work." The 19-year-old Gay can punch in on draft day, June 28. First-round picks get a guaranteed two-year contract with an option for a third. Gay is already feeling some rookie jitters. "No matter how many people tell me what I can do, it's me stepping into a situation, so there is going to be a little bit of nervousness," he said. "I'm leaving school, I'm leaving a lot of people I have good relationships with. It was a tough decision. It took a lot of time, a lot of thought. But then again, I'm ready." He is the second underclassman to leave early for the Huskies this year. Junior Josh Boone has entered himself in the draft but hasn't hired an agent, allowing him to return to school next season. He has until June 18 to withdraw from the draft. Junior point guard Marcus Williams is expected to make his decision in the next several days. The deadline to declare for the draft is April 29. Gay is the 10th UConn player to declare early. Previous players, joining Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Charlie Villanueva. The 6-foot-9 Gay averaged a team-best 15.2 points a game last season, and is projected to be a lottery pick. He also averaged 6.4 rebounds and had a team-high 56 steals for the Huskies (30-4). "When you sign on the dotted line to go to college, you plan on being there four years," Gay said. "When I came to UConn I didn't think about any time period or any time when I should leave." The scouting reports helped make that decision for him. Coach Jim Calhoun said in his conversations with NBA executives and scouts, Gay is projected to be taken in the top six of the draft. "This is the time for a tremendously talented guy to take advantage of a tremendous opportunity," Calhoun said. "I see nothing but greatness ahead for him. There's no question that Rudy will fulfill the promise that those people who draft him have in him." Living up to the promise of being dubbed a future lottery pick since his days as a prep star in Maryland wasn't always easy for Gay at UConn. The athletic and rangy Gay delighted fans with his thunderous dunks, but was rarely a dominant player. In 64 college games, he averaged 13.6 points. Calhoun pointed out that Gay was surrounded by veteran players such as Rashad Anderson, Hilton Armstrong and Denham Brown, and his numbers were in line with being on a very deep team that for a while was ranked No. 1 in the country, "The year he just put together, the kid got overlooked a little bit," Calhoun said. "He was having a terrific year on a terrific team. We never would have been (No. 1) without Rudy." Gay had a career-high 28 points in the Maui Invitational against Arkansas. He scored 20 in the Huskies' loss to George Mason in the NCAA regional final in Washington. Gay's family members and teammates and Calhoun and the rest of the UConn staff attended the news conference. Saying goodbye to his teammates was the toughest part, Gay said. "It's like a family. All the guys were there to support me," he said. "I will do the same for them."
CHICAGO (AP)
-- Mark Buehrle was told to stop doing belly flops and slides on the tarp during rain delays. A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Crede were ordered to get a trim.
What, are those fun-loving World Series winning White Sox cracking down?
Not really. General manager Ken Williams doesn't want Buehrle to get hurt and threatened to fine him if he repeated his slip-and-slide performance from Sunday's rain-delayed win over Toronto.
Pierzynski and Crede got the word from owner Jerry Reinsdorf -- relayed to them by Williams -- that he'd like a neater appearance. Both have long blond hair sticking out from their caps, a style Crede started last season when the team was winning or he was hitting well.
"Jerry Reinsdorf asked me to tell them to get a haircut and look more presentable. So I asked them to get a haircut and look more presentable," Williams said Monday.
"Rules are rules and you got to follow them," Crede said, adding he'd never gotten a haircut previously in the city of Chicago. He did have a trim this spring in Arizona.
"If you got to cut it, you got to cut it," he said.
Pierzynski, who dabbled in some professional wrestling promotion in the offseason, said he already had an appointment Thursday to get a haircut when Williams approached him with Reinsdorf's request. He might have an opportunity, he says, to have his locks trimmed as part of another promotion to raise money for charity.
"Joe's been hitting the ball pretty good. I think he should keep his. But me, I always let my hair grow every winter. I always get it cut April or May. To me I'm just too lazy in the offseason to go get it cut, so I let it go," Pierzynski said Monday.
Manager Ozzie Guillen said the hair rules are not his, but ones set down by Reinsdorf many years ago.
"This rule has been here since I got here and was playing. Neat haircuts. He's not saying you got to be bald," Guillen said. "You got to go with his rule."
Buehrle thoroughly enjoys putting on a show for fans during rain delays and the White Sox don't want to their personable left-hander to change his personality. They don't want him blowing out a knee, either.
"He needs to find another hobby," Williams had said Sunday.
"He's afraid I'm going to get hurt. He said there's no fine, but if I do it again there will be a fine," Buehrle said Monday.
"It's only once in a blue moon you get to do that anyway, so it's not like it's an every day thing they're taking away for us. ... I'd do it if there was no one in here. It's more fun for me. I like to go out there and do it. I did it when I was a little kid in my backyard during the summertime."
Guillen, whose live-wire personality helped the White Sox win their first World Series in 88 years, said he understands that Buehrle is having a good time.
"I know he likes to have fun, but when you are playing for this ball club you always have fun. And this is a pretty dangerous way to have fun," Guillen said.
But asked what would happen if he were asked to shave off his goatee, Guillen was, as usual, quick with a joke.
"Get another manager," he said. "I can't. I want to look old. The last time I shaved my goatee off, people thought it was my fault we played bad."
-- Mark Buehrle was told to stop doing belly flops and slides on the tarp during rain delays. A.J. Pierzynski and Joe Crede were ordered to get a trim.
What, are those fun-loving World Series winning White Sox cracking down?
Not really. General manager Ken Williams doesn't want Buehrle to get hurt and threatened to fine him if he repeated his slip-and-slide performance from Sunday's rain-delayed win over Toronto.
Pierzynski and Crede got the word from owner Jerry Reinsdorf -- relayed to them by Williams -- that he'd like a neater appearance. Both have long blond hair sticking out from their caps, a style Crede started last season when the team was winning or he was hitting well.
"Jerry Reinsdorf asked me to tell them to get a haircut and look more presentable. So I asked them to get a haircut and look more presentable," Williams said Monday.
"Rules are rules and you got to follow them," Crede said, adding he'd never gotten a haircut previously in the city of Chicago. He did have a trim this spring in Arizona.
"If you got to cut it, you got to cut it," he said.
Pierzynski, who dabbled in some professional wrestling promotion in the offseason, said he already had an appointment Thursday to get a haircut when Williams approached him with Reinsdorf's request. He might have an opportunity, he says, to have his locks trimmed as part of another promotion to raise money for charity.
"Joe's been hitting the ball pretty good. I think he should keep his. But me, I always let my hair grow every winter. I always get it cut April or May. To me I'm just too lazy in the offseason to go get it cut, so I let it go," Pierzynski said Monday.
Manager Ozzie Guillen said the hair rules are not his, but ones set down by Reinsdorf many years ago.
"This rule has been here since I got here and was playing. Neat haircuts. He's not saying you got to be bald," Guillen said. "You got to go with his rule."
Buehrle thoroughly enjoys putting on a show for fans during rain delays and the White Sox don't want to their personable left-hander to change his personality. They don't want him blowing out a knee, either.
"He needs to find another hobby," Williams had said Sunday.
"He's afraid I'm going to get hurt. He said there's no fine, but if I do it again there will be a fine," Buehrle said Monday.
"It's only once in a blue moon you get to do that anyway, so it's not like it's an every day thing they're taking away for us. ... I'd do it if there was no one in here. It's more fun for me. I like to go out there and do it. I did it when I was a little kid in my backyard during the summertime."
Guillen, whose live-wire personality helped the White Sox win their first World Series in 88 years, said he understands that Buehrle is having a good time.
"I know he likes to have fun, but when you are playing for this ball club you always have fun. And this is a pretty dangerous way to have fun," Guillen said.
But asked what would happen if he were asked to shave off his goatee, Guillen was, as usual, quick with a joke.
"Get another manager," he said. "I can't. I want to look old. The last time I shaved my goatee off, people thought it was my fault we played bad."
PITTSBURGH (AP)
-- To put Sidney Crosby's rookie season into perspective, consider this: Only Wayne Gretzky had a season this good at so young an age, and he wasn't playing in the NHL.
Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season, setting up three goals Monday night in a 6-1 Pittsburgh victory over the New York Islanders that may prevent the Penguins from finishing as the league's worst team for the second season in a row.
Crosby's three-point night gave him 62 assists, to go with 38 goals, and tied Mario Lemieux (1984-85) for the team rookie scoring record of 100 points. Crosby also joined Hall of Fame forward Dale Hawerchuk of the Winnipeg Jets (103 points, 1981-82) as the only 18-year-olds to score 100 points in an NHL season.
However, Hawerchuk was three-plus months older than Crosby when he did it, and was only a few days short of 19. Crosby's season might be more comparable to Gretzky's first when, in the year in which The Great One turned 18, he scored 104 points for the WHA's Jets in 1978-79. The Jets moved into the NHL a season later.
"It's a great accomplishment, and I'm definitely proud of it," Crosby said. "By no means, coming into the season, did I think about getting 100 points. But as it became near, it was something I thought would be a nice feat, and I tried to have the best finish to the season -- and have no regrets."
He's had that finish, too, with 20 points in nine games and 13 in his last six.
"One hundred points? At 18?" teammate Colby Armstrong said. "This kid's doing something most people can't imagine or dream of."
Playing before a noisy, T-shirt-twirling crowd of 17,084 that reacted to his every shift as it were the playoffs and not an almost meaningless late-season game, Crosby gave the fans exactly what they wanted to see.
Three points -- and his name in the record book.
Crosby, shut out two nights before by the Islanders, also became the seventh NHL rookie to reach the 100-point mark, joining Teemu Selanne, Hawerchuk, Lemieux, Joe Juneau, Peter Stastny and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, who reached the mark last week.
"You're only a rookie once, and this is the only opportunity you have to achieve something like that," Crosby said. "It was nice to be able to do that here -- I scored my first goal here, and this was a very similar feeling to that."
Crosby, honored in a pregame ceremony as the Penguins' most valuable player, didn't take long to get his first point, executing a 2-on-1 break for Andy Hilbert's 12th goal at 1:04 of the first.
Then, midway through the second period, Crosby needed only 25 seconds to get points No. 99 and 100.
Crosby got his 99th at 15:19, passing to Armstrong along the right wing boards before cutting to the net, taking the return pass and feeding it ahead for Tomas Surovy's 12th goal.
After the Islanders' Jason Blake drew a 5-minute charging penalty, Crosby grabbed the puck off John LeClair's faceoff win and passed it up ice to Ryan Malone, who beat goalie Garth Snow for his 21st goal and second of the game, at 15:44.
Play was stopped for nearly five minutes as the crowd showered the ice with hats and T-shirts given away to support the Penguins' efforts to get a new arena. Several fans held up signs reading "Crosby 100" -- some teenage fans had it painted on their chests -- and teammates crowded to congratulate Crosby as he returned to the bench.
"When he started to get around 80 points, you really started to believe he could do it," coach Michel Therrien said. "But I didn't want to take away from the team concept. He did it within a team concept, and he deserves a lot of credit."
By winning for only the 22nd time in 81 games, the Penguins moved ahead of St. Louis in the overall NHL standings, 58 points to 56 points.
Crosby's 100 points provide a glimmer of hope for the Penguins' future during a disappointing season.
Their playoff hopes faded quickly during a season-opening nine-game losing streak, and Mario Lemieux later retired for the second time in his Hall of Fame career because of a heart problem.
Notes: Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the No. 1 draft pick in 2004, stopped 26 of 27 shots in his final start. Sebastien Caron will start Tuesday at Toronto. ... Crosby also trails only Hawerchuk in points scored by a rookie in the same season in which he was drafted. ... Crosby has nine multiple-point games in his last 12. ... The home game may have been the last for longtime Hall of Fame general manager Craig Patrick, whose contract is up. The Penguins have given no sign he will be brought back.
-- To put Sidney Crosby's rookie season into perspective, consider this: Only Wayne Gretzky had a season this good at so young an age, and he wasn't playing in the NHL.
Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to score 100 points in a season, setting up three goals Monday night in a 6-1 Pittsburgh victory over the New York Islanders that may prevent the Penguins from finishing as the league's worst team for the second season in a row.
Crosby's three-point night gave him 62 assists, to go with 38 goals, and tied Mario Lemieux (1984-85) for the team rookie scoring record of 100 points. Crosby also joined Hall of Fame forward Dale Hawerchuk of the Winnipeg Jets (103 points, 1981-82) as the only 18-year-olds to score 100 points in an NHL season.
However, Hawerchuk was three-plus months older than Crosby when he did it, and was only a few days short of 19. Crosby's season might be more comparable to Gretzky's first when, in the year in which The Great One turned 18, he scored 104 points for the WHA's Jets in 1978-79. The Jets moved into the NHL a season later.
"It's a great accomplishment, and I'm definitely proud of it," Crosby said. "By no means, coming into the season, did I think about getting 100 points. But as it became near, it was something I thought would be a nice feat, and I tried to have the best finish to the season -- and have no regrets."
He's had that finish, too, with 20 points in nine games and 13 in his last six.
"One hundred points? At 18?" teammate Colby Armstrong said. "This kid's doing something most people can't imagine or dream of."
Playing before a noisy, T-shirt-twirling crowd of 17,084 that reacted to his every shift as it were the playoffs and not an almost meaningless late-season game, Crosby gave the fans exactly what they wanted to see.
Three points -- and his name in the record book.
Crosby, shut out two nights before by the Islanders, also became the seventh NHL rookie to reach the 100-point mark, joining Teemu Selanne, Hawerchuk, Lemieux, Joe Juneau, Peter Stastny and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, who reached the mark last week.
"You're only a rookie once, and this is the only opportunity you have to achieve something like that," Crosby said. "It was nice to be able to do that here -- I scored my first goal here, and this was a very similar feeling to that."
Crosby, honored in a pregame ceremony as the Penguins' most valuable player, didn't take long to get his first point, executing a 2-on-1 break for Andy Hilbert's 12th goal at 1:04 of the first.
Then, midway through the second period, Crosby needed only 25 seconds to get points No. 99 and 100.
Crosby got his 99th at 15:19, passing to Armstrong along the right wing boards before cutting to the net, taking the return pass and feeding it ahead for Tomas Surovy's 12th goal.
After the Islanders' Jason Blake drew a 5-minute charging penalty, Crosby grabbed the puck off John LeClair's faceoff win and passed it up ice to Ryan Malone, who beat goalie Garth Snow for his 21st goal and second of the game, at 15:44.
Play was stopped for nearly five minutes as the crowd showered the ice with hats and T-shirts given away to support the Penguins' efforts to get a new arena. Several fans held up signs reading "Crosby 100" -- some teenage fans had it painted on their chests -- and teammates crowded to congratulate Crosby as he returned to the bench.
"When he started to get around 80 points, you really started to believe he could do it," coach Michel Therrien said. "But I didn't want to take away from the team concept. He did it within a team concept, and he deserves a lot of credit."
By winning for only the 22nd time in 81 games, the Penguins moved ahead of St. Louis in the overall NHL standings, 58 points to 56 points.
Crosby's 100 points provide a glimmer of hope for the Penguins' future during a disappointing season.
Their playoff hopes faded quickly during a season-opening nine-game losing streak, and Mario Lemieux later retired for the second time in his Hall of Fame career because of a heart problem.
Notes: Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, the No. 1 draft pick in 2004, stopped 26 of 27 shots in his final start. Sebastien Caron will start Tuesday at Toronto. ... Crosby also trails only Hawerchuk in points scored by a rookie in the same season in which he was drafted. ... Crosby has nine multiple-point games in his last 12. ... The home game may have been the last for longtime Hall of Fame general manager Craig Patrick, whose contract is up. The Penguins have given no sign he will be brought back.
SAN ANTONIO (AP)
-- Homecourt advantage and some rested players could mean a lot when the playoffs start.
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs got both Monday night.
Manu Ginobili scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 16 to help the Spurs clinch the Southwest Division title and the best record in the Western Conference with a 115-82 rout of the Utah Jazz.
The Spurs earned the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
"It's great to get [homecourt] wrapped up," Duncan said. "I'm feeling good right now -- feeling healthy. I think we all feel pretty good right now, and that's the main thing."
San Antonio (62-19) took a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter and led by as many as 36 points, allowing the Spurs to rest their starters as the playoffs draw near.
Duncan hit 7-of-13 shots and had five rebounds in 22 minutes. He left the game and did not return with 3:54 remaining in the third quarter when the Spurs had a 14-point lead. Ginobili played 25 minutes.
The Spurs bench scored 65 points, including 16 by Brent Barry.
Andrei Kirilenko sat out because of lower back spasms for the Jazz, who have lost two straight games.
Deron Williams led Utah (40-41) with 18 points.
The Spurs showed playoff form. San Antonio shot 57 percent from the field compared to 43 percent for Utah.
"They got about everything they wanted tonight," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "They were playing in such a comfort zone that we couldn't even begin to shut them down."
The Spurs can't catch Detroit for the best record in the league, but San Antonio still can accomplish something by beating Houston in the final regular-season game Wednesday. The Spurs can break a franchise record for single-season victories.
The 1994-95 team won 62 games. The Spurs had the homecourt advantage but lost to Houston in the Western Conference finals.
"Nobody is going to turn down homecourt," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I've said that about 1,000 times over the years. Nobody is going to give it up, but it doesn't ensure anything. We've had it before and got knocked out. It's not a sure bet."
Utah, which will finish the season Wednesday night at home against Golden State, has finished with a .500 record or better 21 times in the past 22 seasons.
Utah had a 16-13 lead 9:39 into the game. But the Spurs went on a 13-1 run during the next 2:42.
San Antonio led 26-17 with 39 seconds left in the quarter when Ginobili sank a 3-pointer. It was the third straight 3-point basket for the Spurs in a span of 54 seconds.
The Jazz cut the Spurs lead to five points just more than a minute into the second quarter, but San Antonio went on another dominating run, outscoring Utah 27-12 during the next 10:11.
The Spurs bench led the way, hitting 11 of its first 16 shots and outscoring the Utah bench 28-2 in the first half.
Barry ended the game 7-of-10 from the floor. Robert Horry was 3-of-3 from 3-point territory.
"We're going to need more from guys like Brent and myself as we progress through the playoffs," Horry said.
Notes: Utah guard Devin Brown, who played for the Spurs the past three seasons, was presented with his NBA championship ring before the game. ... Jazz guard Milt Palacio missed his third straight game because of inflammation in his left knee. ... Utah enter Carlos Boozer had scored more than 20 points in seven of his past eight games, but he was limited to eight points in 32 minutes by the Spurs.
-- Homecourt advantage and some rested players could mean a lot when the playoffs start.
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs got both Monday night.
Manu Ginobili scored 18 points and Tim Duncan added 16 to help the Spurs clinch the Southwest Division title and the best record in the Western Conference with a 115-82 rout of the Utah Jazz.
The Spurs earned the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.
"It's great to get [homecourt] wrapped up," Duncan said. "I'm feeling good right now -- feeling healthy. I think we all feel pretty good right now, and that's the main thing."
San Antonio (62-19) took a 19-point lead into the fourth quarter and led by as many as 36 points, allowing the Spurs to rest their starters as the playoffs draw near.
Duncan hit 7-of-13 shots and had five rebounds in 22 minutes. He left the game and did not return with 3:54 remaining in the third quarter when the Spurs had a 14-point lead. Ginobili played 25 minutes.
The Spurs bench scored 65 points, including 16 by Brent Barry.
Andrei Kirilenko sat out because of lower back spasms for the Jazz, who have lost two straight games.
Deron Williams led Utah (40-41) with 18 points.
The Spurs showed playoff form. San Antonio shot 57 percent from the field compared to 43 percent for Utah.
"They got about everything they wanted tonight," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "They were playing in such a comfort zone that we couldn't even begin to shut them down."
The Spurs can't catch Detroit for the best record in the league, but San Antonio still can accomplish something by beating Houston in the final regular-season game Wednesday. The Spurs can break a franchise record for single-season victories.
The 1994-95 team won 62 games. The Spurs had the homecourt advantage but lost to Houston in the Western Conference finals.
"Nobody is going to turn down homecourt," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I've said that about 1,000 times over the years. Nobody is going to give it up, but it doesn't ensure anything. We've had it before and got knocked out. It's not a sure bet."
Utah, which will finish the season Wednesday night at home against Golden State, has finished with a .500 record or better 21 times in the past 22 seasons.
Utah had a 16-13 lead 9:39 into the game. But the Spurs went on a 13-1 run during the next 2:42.
San Antonio led 26-17 with 39 seconds left in the quarter when Ginobili sank a 3-pointer. It was the third straight 3-point basket for the Spurs in a span of 54 seconds.
The Jazz cut the Spurs lead to five points just more than a minute into the second quarter, but San Antonio went on another dominating run, outscoring Utah 27-12 during the next 10:11.
The Spurs bench led the way, hitting 11 of its first 16 shots and outscoring the Utah bench 28-2 in the first half.
Barry ended the game 7-of-10 from the floor. Robert Horry was 3-of-3 from 3-point territory.
"We're going to need more from guys like Brent and myself as we progress through the playoffs," Horry said.
Notes: Utah guard Devin Brown, who played for the Spurs the past three seasons, was presented with his NBA championship ring before the game. ... Jazz guard Milt Palacio missed his third straight game because of inflammation in his left knee. ... Utah enter Carlos Boozer had scored more than 20 points in seven of his past eight games, but he was limited to eight points in 32 minutes by the Spurs.
PHOENIX (AP) -- A 23-year-old Arizona man was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly throwing an object at Barry Bonds during Monday night's game between San Francisco and Arizona.
The object, which resembled a toothpaste tube, landed a few feet in front of Bonds and was removed by a security guard. The incident occurred in the fourth inning.
The Diamondbacks announced that Mark Greggersen, 23, of Show Low, Ariz., had been charged with disorderly conduct.
"We take that stuff very seriously," Diamondbacks President Rich Dozer said.
It's the second time this month that Bonds had an object thrown at him from the stands during a game.
Earlier this month in San Diego, a fan tossed a syringe near Bonds as he came off the field in between innings at Petco Park. The person who did that was never caught.
Dozer said the Diamondbacks had added several security guards for the four-game series with the Giants, which opened Monday night. "We had three guys on (the fan) before the follow-up was through," Dozer said, referring to the alleged offender's throwing motion.
Bonds declined to speak to reporters after the game.
Center fielder Randy Winn, the closest teammate to Bonds when the incident occurred, said he did not see the fan throw the object. But Winn said he was concerned it could become common.
"It's definitely not a trend that we want to continue," Winn said. "I know he's going through a lot. First and foremost, he's a human being.
"If you want to cheer for Barry or boo Barry, that's part of the game," Winn said. "But if you throw things or go after him, that's not what anyone wants."
Giant manager Felipe Alou said he was not concerned about security surrounding his slugger, who needs six home runs to tie Babe Ruth for second place on the career home run list.
"They might be doing a good job; we don't know," Alou said. "It's hard to control everything on everybody.
"I'm really not concerned," Alou said. "Security has been upgraded in this country for four or five years now."
Alou said he didn't plan to speak to Bonds about the latest incident.
"I don't say anything," Alou said. "Barry's a man of stature. I think he's well-prepared for what's going on."
The object, which resembled a toothpaste tube, landed a few feet in front of Bonds and was removed by a security guard. The incident occurred in the fourth inning.
The Diamondbacks announced that Mark Greggersen, 23, of Show Low, Ariz., had been charged with disorderly conduct.
"We take that stuff very seriously," Diamondbacks President Rich Dozer said.
It's the second time this month that Bonds had an object thrown at him from the stands during a game.
Earlier this month in San Diego, a fan tossed a syringe near Bonds as he came off the field in between innings at Petco Park. The person who did that was never caught.
Dozer said the Diamondbacks had added several security guards for the four-game series with the Giants, which opened Monday night. "We had three guys on (the fan) before the follow-up was through," Dozer said, referring to the alleged offender's throwing motion.
Bonds declined to speak to reporters after the game.
Center fielder Randy Winn, the closest teammate to Bonds when the incident occurred, said he did not see the fan throw the object. But Winn said he was concerned it could become common.
"It's definitely not a trend that we want to continue," Winn said. "I know he's going through a lot. First and foremost, he's a human being.
"If you want to cheer for Barry or boo Barry, that's part of the game," Winn said. "But if you throw things or go after him, that's not what anyone wants."
Giant manager Felipe Alou said he was not concerned about security surrounding his slugger, who needs six home runs to tie Babe Ruth for second place on the career home run list.
"They might be doing a good job; we don't know," Alou said. "It's hard to control everything on everybody.
"I'm really not concerned," Alou said. "Security has been upgraded in this country for four or five years now."
Alou said he didn't plan to speak to Bonds about the latest incident.
"I don't say anything," Alou said. "Barry's a man of stature. I think he's well-prepared for what's going on."