AT BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK AUBURN FOOTBALL Cardenas wins Virtual in dramatic fashion showdown By DOUG DEMMONS reer Superbike win on a rain-soaked News staff writer track. Which Tigers were But it wasn’t quite the victory that better — 2010 or 2004? Martin Cardenas won the Day- it might have been, Cardenas said, if tona Sportbike championship last the track had been dry. year in dramatic fashion in the sea- By CHARLES GOLDBERG “It’s different to win in the dry News Auburn Bureau son finale at Barber Motorsports than the wet,” the Suzuki rider from Park. Medellin, Colombia, said. “To win AUBURN — Never mind the AP poll or On Saturday, he pulled off an- the coaches’ poll or the computers or the in the dry, you know you have the NEWS STAFF/BERNARD TRONCALE other dramatic Barber win, this time speed.” BCS standings. in the top-level Superbike race, A win is still a win, he said. David Gaviria runs over Tomas Puerta on the first lap This is Showdown Sunday between overcoming favorites Blake Young of the SuperSport R1 race Saturday at Barber two of the greatest Auburn football and Josh Hayes to take his first ca- See SUPERBIKES Page 6B Motorsports Park. teams, and you, the people, were called on to vote at al.com for the winner be- tween two Tiger teams that went a com- U.S. OPEN bined 27-0. You know, 2010 versus 2004. Your 2,000-plus votes have been tab- U.S. OPEN ulated and you think the 2004 team was AT A GLANCE better. A glance at Saturday’s Well, former Auburn coach Pat Dye says you would be wrong. He’ll take the third round of the 2010 Tigers over the 2004 team. U.S. Open at the But wait. Travis Williams, a linebacker 7,574-yard, par-71 on the 2004 team and a graduate assis- Congressional tant on the 2010 team, said he likes Country Club: the ’04 Tigers. y Leading: Rory “It’s probably bias on my part, but I be- McIlroy, whose lieve the 2004 team was a little better top 3-under 68 left him to bottom,” he said. at 14-under with a Why do we care now? Why in June? Be- 199 total and an cause the 2010 unbeaten Auburn Tigers eight-shot lead were honored at the White House this over his closest month for winning the BCS national title. pursuer. A few days later, the 2004 unbeaten Au- y burn Tigers found their way back in the Chasing: Former news when Southern California had PGA champion Y.E. its ’04 national title taken away. Auburn Yang is second. finished No. 2 in the nation that year, Three players — and, while no Auburn official made any Jason Day, Lee claim to the vacated title, former coach Westwood and Tommy Tuberville said the Tigers should Robert Garrigus — be considered for the ’04 championship. are another stroke But was 2004 better than 2010? back at 5-under. y Shattering: See AUBURN Page 4B Besides bettering Jim Furyk’s AP previous 54-hole Open record — Rory McIlroy walks across the players’ bridge at the ninth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open set at Olympia on Saturday. Fields, where he posted 200 after three rounds in 2003 — McIlroy broke his own mark of 13-under for lowest score in WALK IN THE PARK relation to par at a U.S. Open. Tiger Woods still holds Record-setting McIlroy running away from field the record margin AP over the field after President Barack Obama receives a By EDDIE PELLS toughest test in golf, McIlroy shot the second straight time. three rounds — 10 jersey from Auburn head coach The Associated Press 3-under-par 68 to finish at 14-under But this lead is double the size of strokes, set at 199, breaking Jim Furyk’s record for the one he held at the Masters two Gene Chizik, left, and Kodi Burns. BETHESDA, Md. — Rory McIlroy Pebble Beach in the best 54-hole score by one months ago, when he blew up on 2000. kept punishing the golf course and stroke. the back nine, shot 80 and finished the record book Saturday, setting McIlroy leads Y.E. Yang (70) by 15th. y Today on TV: NBC THUMBS UP himself up with an eight-shot lead eight and Lee Westwood (65), Jason “Overall, I’m very happy with the 12:30-6:30 p.m. at the U.S. Open with 18 holes left Day (65) and Robert Garrigus (68) way I played today,” McIlroy said. Golfing politicians. between him and his first major by nine. “Now, I just have to do that for 18 President Barack championship. The 22-year-old from Northern more holes.” INSIDE Obama and House In a third round that felt more Ireland will sleep on the lead head- y Open leaderboard Speaker John Boehner like a regular day on tour than the ing into the final day of a major for See OPEN Page 5B and scores / 5B put partisanship aside, at least on the golf course, and paired up for a vic- tory in a “high-stakes” match against The lost decade of NBA talent from Alabama, Auburn the vice president and the governor of Ohio. The president and speaker he NBA Draft will come and have combined to produce 15 It lets the schools off the hook. each pocketed a $2 prize. go quietly this week in Tusca- NFL first-round picks in the past More recently, Anthony Grant Tloosa and Auburn. Again. decade, including six in 2011. Yet shows great promise at Alabama, THUMBS DOWN We’ve reached the 10-year an- after Thursday, they’ll both have whose 2011 recruiting class was niversary since Alabama or Au- a goose egg in the NBA Draft for ranked fifth in the country by Ri- Los Angeles Dodgers. burn last produced a first-round the 10th straight year. vals.com. Tony Barbee may even- With a 7-3 loss to the NBA draft pick. Trivia answer to Call it the lost decade of NBA tually bring in better talent at Au- Houston Astros late stump your friends: Gerald Wal- talent from Alabama and Auburn. burn, too. And it’s true there are Friday night, the Dodg- lace was the last one, pick No. 25 It’s easy to write this off as life no assurances that first-rounders of the first round by the Sacra- in a football state. Too easy. will pan out. ers saw their losing streak reach four mento Kings in 2001. Because that line of thinking straight and they fell nine games un- The two giants in this state sells basketball short in this state. See SOLOMON Page 4B der .500 for the first time since 2005.