Sean Payton makes Parcells proud

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(Patrick Semansky/AP)

That's New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton hoisting the Lombardi Trophy out of his sunroof as he steers his car through a throng of fans at the New Orleans airport on Monday.

Here's an interesting story from the Sun Sentinel about Payton's mentor Bills Parcells ringing up his protege the morning after the big win.

Payton reportedly invited Parcells to deliver the pregame talk to the Saints but Parcells declined. Former NBA coach Avery Johnson gave the talk instead.

Staff report

Tiger Woods will make his return to golf on a familiar course next month, according to TMZ.com.

Woods is making plans to tee it up at next month's Tavistock Cup, the made-for-TV rivalry of  Orlando clubs set for March 22-23 at Woods' home course, according to a source "who work for the Woods family."

Isleworth's annual showdown against Lake Nona is a semi-private affair, where only a few hundred spectators are invited to walk the fairways with 20 top PGA Tour, LPGA and European Tour pros. Golf Channel televises the event.

Get the full story: orlandosentinel.com

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Tribune News Services

Brandon Wood and Ryan Broekhoff each scored 18 points as Valparaiso edged Illinois-Chicago 83-82 Monday night.

Brandon McPherson added 15 points for the Crusaders (13-13, 8-6 Horizon), who have won seven of their last nine games.

Jeremy Buttell had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Flames (6-18, 2-12), who scored a season high but still lost for the 10th time in 11 games. Robo Kreps added 17 points.

Valparaiso led 75-66 with just over three minutes to play, but Illinois-Chicago quickly mounted an 11-4 run to pull within two with just under a minute left. Two free throws by McPherson later put the Crusaders ahead 83-79 with 27 seconds to go.

Kreps then hit a 3 as time expired.

Neither team led by more than nine points in a game that featured 10 ties and nine lead changes.

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Butler rolls on, routs Loyola

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butlerloyola.jpgTribune News Services

Matt Howard scored 20 points to lead the No. 18 Butler past Loyola 62-47 on Monday night in Indianapolis for the Bulldogs'13th straight win. Butler (21-4, 14-0) can clinch the conference title outright with a victory at Youngstown State on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs are tied for the second-longest winning streak in the nation with Murray State. Siena has won 15 straight. 

"This team is looking for more," Howard said. "If we're going to keep progressing, it's got to be 40 minutes of basketball to get to where we want to be."

Photo: Matt Howard shoots over Loyola's Andy Polka. (Tom Strattman/AP)

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Chicago State loses to Detroit

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Tribune News Services

Thomas Kennedy and Lamar Lee each scored 15 points and Detroit built a big lead early then coasted past Chicago State 92-72 Monday night.

Xavier Keeling added 13 points and Chase Simon 12 for the Titans (15-10), who shot 57.9 percent in ending a two-game losing streak. Carl Montgomery scored 20 points and Kabangu Tshinga Kasamba had 18 for the Cougars (7-18).

Detroit led by at least 19 throughout the second half, and two free throws by Curtis Eatmon with 8:06 to play gave them their biggest lead, 84-53.

Chicago State led by four twice in the game's first five minutes before Detroit pulled ahead 18-10 with a 12-0 run. The Titans never trailed again.

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Tyrus Thomas, not so much.

Yes, Charles Barkley thinks Vinny Del Negro is doing a great job with the Bulls and says Joakim Noah is his favorite NBA player.

Barkley appeared Monday on "Chicago Tribune Live" on Comcast SportsNet and touched on a variety of topics, including how he would handle the Tyrus Thomas situation

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By Philip Hersh

VANCOUVER -- International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge is concerned enough about doping among Russian biathletes and cross-country skiers he has raised the issue with Russian Federation President Dmitry Medvedev.

"We have alerted the Russian authorities, and we expect them to comply,'' Rogge said.

But Rogge said there was nothing he could do about the black eye created by having the only athlete to test positive at the 2006 Olympics back in competition at the 2010 Games.

Tribune News Services

Thirsty basketball fans cheering on the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to wait at a concession stand the next time they want a sip of water.

Citing concerns over swine flu, the team said Monday that all drinking water fountains have been removed from Quicken Loans Arena to reduce the spread of bacteria and communicable diseases.

Fans who want a drink of water can get a 9-ounce cup for free at the concession stand or pay $4 for bottled water. Removing the fountains was not an attempt to force fans to purchase bottled water, team spokesman Tad Carper said.

11 fans greet Colts at airport

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The Indianapolis Star Reports: While New Orleans residents may never stop celebrating the Saints' Super Bowl victory, Colts fans jumped off the bandwagon quicker than it took Tracy Porter to return a Peyton Manning interception for the final touchdown.

Eleven fans greeted the Colts at Indianapolis International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Get the full story: Indystar.com

Super day for Saints, Big Ten

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Tracy Porter returns a fourth-quarter interception 74 yards for a touchdown. (Robert Duyos/Sun Sentinel)

By Teddy Greenstein


A flip of the calendar has been most kind to Big Ten football.

New Year's Day brought an Ohio State romp in Pasadena and a Northwestern bowl game that had everything but a Gatorade shower for Pat Fitzgerald. Then Iowa carried the league banner against Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

On Super Bowl Sunday, a Purdue grad (Drew Brees) was MVP, an Illinois alum (Pierre Thomas) turned a dinky screen pass into a 16-yard touchdown and a Hoosier (Tracy Porter) sealed the Saints' victory with a 74-yard interception return to the paint.

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