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E1 DAILY 12-15-07 MD RE E1 CMYK

[ABCDE] SPORTS E

Saturday, December 15, 2007 R

MIKE WISE INSIDE

In Todd They Trust Redskins he plan sounded easy, no? Quarterback (located at It will set the NFL record for at Giants Find an anonymous backup toddcoll15.blogspot.com). “He was longest gap between starts since the T quarterback and create a the third-string quarterback when we 1970 AFL-NFL merger. It’s a feat When: Tomorrow, blog caricature, a player on the very started writing it. We had no idea. equivalent to Clark Gable winning 8:15 p.m. periphery of the NFL — so removed We didn’t expect this to happen.” best actor. In 2008. The Redskins Where: Giants that someone might believe it really Be still, son; no one expected don’t merely go to the bench for their Stadium, East could be him. It started less than two Toddball. backup quarterbacks; they go on Rutherford, N.J. years ago as a gaff, a harmless way But now T.C. has become the toast Jurassic digs. TV: WRC-4, WBAL-11. for two law school students at of D.C., guiding the Redskins past And yet, since Jason Campbell Records: Redskins George Washington University to kill the Bears and winning the NFC’s went down with a dislocated kneecap 6-7, Giants 9-4. time and develop their humor genes. offensive player of the week award. and sprained medial collateral BY SARA D. DAVIS — “We picked someone for the sole He starts tomorrow at the ligament, it’s all Todd, all the time. purpose of that he’ll probably never Meadowlands against the New York TV. Radio. T.C. is everywhere. Hokies Knocked Out BY TONI L. SANDYS — THE WASHINGTON POST In their first visit to the play,” said Raul Flores, who along Giants, 10 years and two days since Everyone from the congregation College Cup Patrick Nyarko with Faris Ghareeb co-manages the he last started for the Buffalo Bills, Two years ago, two GW law students created a blog and Virginia Tech lose, blog Todd Collins: Diary of an NFL which makes him, what, a spry 36? See WISE, E4, Col. 3 portraying a humorous caricature of Todd Collins. 2-0, to Evan Brown and Wake Forest. E2 THE Learning on the Fly Injury and tragedy have transformed the Redskins’ secondary and forced inexperienced players to the fore. E4 A Defensive Shift

Also Today Former National The Evidence Examined Mitchell Draws DRUGS Bennett Says The Mitchell commission relied on interviews with hundreds of Distinction Can’t Win ’Em All witnesses in addition to evidence turned over by former Thanks to four law students Steroid Use Was clubhouse attendant Kirk J. Radomski, including bank checks and Between Report, and a professor working pro shipping labels. It also used items such as handwritten notes to make its bono, American sprinter ‘Stupid Decision’ case against the 91 players named in the report. Legal Proceedings LaTasha Jenkins is the first athlete to win an arbitration By Barry Svrluga By Dave Sheinin hearing against the U.S. Washington Post Staff Writer CANCELED CHECKS Washington Post Staff Writer Anti-Doping Agency. E4 Former Radomski told the Mitchell NEW YORK, Dec. 14 — One day Bush Addresses Report Gary Bennett, a member commission he sold human after releasing an explosive report on Speaking for the first time of the 2006 World Series champion growth hormone to former first steroid use in , former Senate about the Mitchell report, St. Louis Cardinals, defied the baseman and designated hitter majority leader George J. Mitchell President Bush says steroids trend that seemed to dominate Mo Vaughn beginning in 2001, said Friday he included virtually all have “sullied” baseball. E5 baseball yesterday, a day after 91 while Vaughn was with the the names of players for whom he had current and former players were Anaheim Angels. Radomski uncovered “credible” evidence of See No Evil linked to the use of performance- produced three checks from doping. He defended his inclusion of The Mitchell report includes enhancing drugs in a wide-ranging Vaughn, two for $3,200 each and and others for whom instances of teams ignoring report. In a telephone interview one for $2,200. Vaughn, who the only evidence was witness testi- evidence of steroid use. E5 last night, Bennett said, “As far as retired after the 2003 season, mony. was the MVP in BASKETBALL the report is concerned to me, it’s “Much of the information we re- accurate.” 1995 with the . ceived we were able to corroborate, Rallying Together Thus, Bennett did what few and we put it in the report,” Mitchell The loss of Gilbert Arenas players did yesterday: admit to the said. “Our effort was to publish as appears to have galvanized use of steroids or human growth much as we reasonably could.” the Wizards, who are 9-5 hormone in the wake of the report In an interview at the offices of his without him. E6 issued by former Senate majority HANDWRITTEN NOTES law firm, DLA Piper, Mitchell drew a leader George J. Mitchell. distinction between his report — Yesterday’s Scores “Obviously, it was a stupid deci- Radomski said this note, which was “conducted,” he said, “for Raptors 104 Kings 109 sion,” Bennett said. “It was a mis- written on Dodger Stadium a private entity,” Major League Base- Pacers 93 76ers 99 take. It was something that quite stationary, was included ball — and legal proceedings, which obviously, you regret now.” with a check from catcher require a different standard of proof. Bucks 82 Magic Few players came forward with Paul Lo Duca as a payment He also reiterated that players were Celtics 104 Bobcats Late either confessions or denials. F.P. for a shipment of human each offered the chance to speak to Santangelo, a utility infielder with growth hormone during his the investigators, but in the case of Hawks Sonics four teams for parts of seven sea- time with the Los Angeles Clemens and most others, the players Pistons Late T-wolves Late sons, admitted on his morning ra- Dodgers. The note was declined or did not respond. dio show in Sacramento that he seized during a search by “People are bandying about [the Clippers Cavaliers “panicked” and took human federal agents of Radomski’s home. The Mitchell report includes word] ‘hearsay,’ using the word to de- Grizzlies Late Nets Late growth hormone twice. copies of three canceled checks from Lo Duca, each for $3,200. scribe direct eyewitness testimony,” David Justice, a former all-star Lo Duca signed as a free agent this week with the Washington Mitchell said. “I’ve tried hundreds of Knicks Hornets who was a teammate of Nationals. cases. If you go into a court, that’s evi- Bulls Late Mavericks Late Roger Clemens — the report’s big- dence. Some people in the media gest name — denied his own use, tend to regard evidence as something Jazz Lakers and challenged Clemens to step other than testimony, and somehow Blazers Late Warriors Late forward and speak about the accu- MAIL RECEIPTS [argue] that testimony doesn’t qual- sations against him. ify as evidence. Well, of course it’s ev- HOCKEY “He should be talking about it,” Radomski said idence, and there’s no higher quality Yesterday’s Scores Justice said in an interview on that he mailed of evidence than direct eyewitness, ESPN radio. “If you really didn’t two shipments personal-participation testimony.” Sabres 5 Flames 4 do it, say something about it. At of human In his report, Mitchell included Capitals 3 Hurricanes 3 least have a conversation about it.” growth testimony from former Toronto Blue Messages to Clemens’s agent hormone to Jays and New York Yankees strength Maple Leafs 4 Wild and lawyer went unreturned yes- then-Los coach Brian McNamee, in which Thrashers 0 Ducks Late terday, as did the vast majority of Angeles McNamee described injecting Clem- calls to agents for players who Dodgers ens with steroids on several occa- COLLEGE BASKETBALL were named in the report. Randy pitcher Eric sions between 1998 and 2001. More Than Defense Hendricks, one of the agents for Gagne. One was sent to Gagne’s Clemens, a seven-time Hoyas guard Jeremiah Rivers Clemens and New York Yankees home in Florida; the other was sent to Award winner who is considered one is reaping the reward of hard left-hander Andy Pettitte, said Dodger Stadium. This is a copy of the of the greatest of all-time, work on his shooting. E3 Express Mail receipt from that shipment. Top 25 Score See PLAYERS, E4, Col. 6 See MITCHELL, E5, Col. 5 23 Villanova 103, Hartford 75 BASEBALL Grand Opening The Nats will open their park with a nationally televised Connolly Helps Sabres A Drive From Tennessee - night game on March 30. E2 Martin’s One Day, Two Trades Lester Hudson End Caps’ Win Streak The Diamondbacks acquire BY TREVOR RUSZKOWSKI Obscurity FOR TENNESSEE-MARTIN starting pitcher Dan Haren K Sabres 5, Capitals 3 from Olie Kolzig. The Capitals had from Oakland, send closer been seeking to win four in a row Jose Valverde to Houston. E2 At 23, Hudson By Tarik El-Bashir for the first time this season and to FOOTBALL Washington Post Staff Writer sweep a homestand of at least four Is First-Year Wonder games for the first time since Sentence in Vick Case Alex Ovechkin and the Washing- March 11-19, 2000. The last of Michael Vick’s By Eric Prisbell ton Capitals played with energy Instead, the Sabres beat them co-defendants gets two Washington Post Staff Writer and emotion for stretches last for the sixth straight time, in- months for his role in a night against the Buffalo Sabres. cluding for the third time this sea- dogfighting ring. E4 Over the first nine games of his college career, Les- They were even gifted a third- son. SOCCER ter Hudson scored 35 points against the nation’s period goal by the Verizon Center Connolly slipped loose in the third-ranked team, recorded the first quadruple- boards. slot and jammed a rebound past Not Coming to America in Division I men’s basketball history and But they couldn’t keep Sabres Kolzig to put the Sabres ahead 4-3 Juan Sebastián Verón says he amassed a higher scoring average than all but two center Tim Connolly from finding in a mostly evenly played game. will stay in Argentina, ending players in the country. the back of the net on a rebound Kolzig went to the bench with D.C. United’s pursuit. E2 During a season in which several high-profile fresh- with 3 minutes 42 seconds remain- 1:41 left to play so Washington men have excelled, none has accumulated better sta- ing. Connolly’s goal broke a tie and could have six attackers. But rath- tistics than Hudson, an obscure junior at the Univer- helped Buffalo escape with a 5-3 er than putting the heat on the Sa- Index sity of Tennessee-Martin whose long journey to Divi- victory. bres’ Ryan Miller, Buffalo’s Jochen sion I college basketball stands almost without peer. The win snapped the Capitals’ Hecht scored into an empty net SPORTS IN BRIEF...... E2 “It is one of those stories you could do a movie three-game winning streak and with 74 seconds remaining to RADIO/TV ...... E2 COLLEGE BASKETBALL ...... E3 about,” said his former high school coach, Andre Ap- dropped them to 6-4-1 under inter- clinch the win. FOOTBALL...... E4 plewhite. im Coach Bruce Boudreau. Drew Stafford gave Buffalo its BASKETBALL ...... E6 Instead of being nationally ranked like many teen- Washington received goals from first lead 19 seconds into the third

SCOREBOARD...... E7 Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin

HIGH SCHOOLS ...... E9 See HUDSON, E3, Col. 1 and Brooks Laich and 25 saves See CAPITALS, E7, Col. 1

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