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To know list: 8 cheers for old Notre Dame

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005

[1] MASTERFUL MOMENTS

Even better than the other 1,695

An intense student of the game and ever conscious of his place in it, recently retired Jerry Rice (see page 55) had little problem selecting for the Sporting News his five favorite catches:

1 49ers vs, Bengals, January 22, 1989 (Super Bowl 23), fourth quarter

"It was the one where I kind of dove for the pylon and hit it with the ball. It was just a reaction. Once I caught it, I spotted the cone and stuck my arm out in desperation."

2 Eagles at 49ers, November 29, 1992, first quarter

"I broke Steve Largent's record for career receiving touchdowns, getting No. 101 against Philadelphia. It was at Candlestick Park. I have always idolized Steve Largent. There was a lot of anticipation as I got close to his record, and I was happy to put it behind me."

3 Raiders at 49ers, September 5, 1994, fourth quarter

"We played on Monday night to open the season, and I scored three touchdowns to get to 127 and pass Jim Brown's all-time NFL record. Just because of what he stood for and just the caliber of player he was, to break his record was unbelievable."

4 49ers vs. Chargers, January 29, 1995 (Super Bowl 29), first quarter

"Steve Young hit me over the middle on our first drive, and we jumped on San Diego early. The Friday before the game, we went over the game plan at practice and no balls touched the ground. We were so sharp. We talked about it, and we knew we could run those routes inside, fake back outside and they'd bite. And that's what the, did."

5 49ers at Bears, January 8, 1989 (NFC championship game), first quarter

"This was a real cold game in Chicago. Joe Montana threw me this 20-yard comeback. I had to go up and catch it, step forward and then back to let two Bears collide, then go on to score."

[2] STRETCH DRIVE

One-way streets

Sure, there are more questions surrounding baseball's postseason than there are phone numbers in Derek Jeter's Blackberry. But as October nears, remember these certainties:

The Red Sox want no part of Randy Johnson. Don't tell the Sox the Big Unit isn't himself this season. He is 4-0 in five starts against the Red Sox, partly because he has two of their key lefties; Johnny Damon and David Ortiz are a combined 4-for-26 lifetime off Johnson.

The Cardinals want no part of Brad Lidge. Remember how the Astros' closer dominated the Cardinals in last year's NLCS? It wasn't a fluke. In 70 at-bats against Lidge over the past two seasons, including the '04 NLCS, the Cardinals have managed only four hits.

The White Sox want no part of the A's. Oakland has won 14 of its past 18 meetings against Ozzie Guillen's guys.--Stan McNeal

[3] DIVERSITY IN NASCAR

Let the Danica comparisons begin

After being shown up all summer by Danica Patrick and her fourth-place finish in the Indy 500, NASCAR wants a female star. Whether 24-year-old Erin Crocker can be that is unclear, but we're going to find out--she will drive full time in the Busch series next season. Even before she crashed last week in her first-ever Busch qualifying effort, her team owner, Ray Evernham, urged patience in her development. Still, she wouldn't have that ride if she hadn't already impressed Evernham, who was the crew chief for three of Jeff Gordon's championships. She won't fail for lack of quality equipment, the universal lament of female NASCAR drivers. Evernham is one of the savviest owners in the business.--Matt Crossman

[4] The press conferences should be a riot

In Living Color meets NASCAR--that's the race plan for Star Motorsports' partnership with the entertainment world's Wayans brothers. The Star-Team Wayans car will run in the Nextel Cup Series next season. The Wayanses have pledged their support of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program and plan to eventually field entries in Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series. Evernham Motorsports' Tommy Lane, who is black, tops the list of potential Star-Team Wayans drivers.--Lee Spencer

[5] NUMBERS GAME

Andruw's advantage over Albert

We know Andruw Jones and Albert Pujols are playoff-bound; we just don't know which one will be National League MVR History says it will be Jones, the N.L.'S home run and RBI leader entering the week. Of the 20 major leaguers to accomplish the home run-RBI double and make it to the postseason in the same year, the only ones who didn't win the writers' vote for MVP were Larry Doby (1954,Yogi Berra), Dante Bichette (1995, Barry Larkin) and Albert Belle (1995, Mo Vaughn). Ken Griffey was the last player to win the MVP while leading in homers and RBIs, doing it for the 1997 Mariners.--Tom Gatto

[6] TSN STAFF POLL

So which is
the best division
is baseball?

76%    N.L. East
15%    A.L. East
 6%    N.L. Central
 3%    A.L. West

[7] THAT'S LIFE

The NHL's new TV deal ... well, it could be a lot worse

The NHL has a new broadcast home--the Outdoor Life Network. Despite the minor inconvenience of OLN serving 26 million fewer households than ESPN the old home of the league, fans are liken to feel well-served by the channel formerly known as the Overly Lance (Armstrong) Network. It will take some searching (Channel 608 on my DirecTV? Don't those channels charge by the hour?), but once fans settle in, they will find a network that is treating the oft trod-upon NHL as if it were the NFL.

To know list: 8 cheers for old Notre Dame

Sporting News, The, Sept 23, 2005

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