NewsChannel 9 - Local Sports News http://www.9wsyr.com/sports/ The latest sports headlines from across Central New York. en-us Copyright 2012 Newport Television LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:00:01 -0500 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:48:15 -0500 Sports News http://www.9wsyr.com/sites/wsyr/images/9wsyrlogo.jpg NewsChannel 9 WSYR http://www.9wsyr.com/sports/ 214 66 15 No. 2 Syracuse 64-61 in OT over No. 12 Georgetown http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/content/su_sports/story/No-2-Syracuse-64-61-in-OT-over-No-12-Georgetown/PLme8m8DvUOArwdJ5zHbbQ.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/PLme8m8DvUOArwdJ5zHbbQ.cspx SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Kris Joseph scored a career-high 29 points, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute of overtime, and No. 2 Syracuse beat 12th-ranked Georgetown 64-61 on Wednesday night to give coach Jim Boeheim his 880th career win.

Boeheim took sole possession of third place all-time in Division I, one more than North Carolina's Dean Smith, but it wasn't easy against the Orange's rival.

The game was tied at 55 after regulation, and Otto Porter scored the first four points of overtime for the Hoyas, swishing two free throws and hitting a baseline jumper to give Georgetown 61-59 lead with 2:19 left.

Dion Waiters tied it with a pair of free throws for the Orange, and after Porter lost the ball out of bounds at the other end, Scoop Jardine fed Joseph in the left corner, and he buried his career-best sixth 3 of the game with 29 seconds left.

Jardine sealed it by forcing a turnover by Jason Clark with 4.9 seconds to go, allowing Syracuse (24-1, 11-1 Big East) to remain unbeaten at home at 16-0. Georgetown (18-5, 8-4), had won five of six entering the game.

]]> WSYR_Sports Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:36:59 -0500 No. 2 Syracuse 64-61 in OT over No. 12 Georgetown SU, Georgetown renew rivalry tonight at Carrier Dome http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/content/su_sports/story/SU-Georgetown-renew-rivalry-tonight-at-Carrier/wXKCaqTkLUSG-maAYHDq7Q.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/wXKCaqTkLUSG-maAYHDq7Q.cspx Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Tonight, Syracuse University will face traditional rival Georgetown at the Carrier Dome.

Fans have been gearing up for the showdown between two ranked teams for several days, with some students camping out to get fronts row seats.

SU enters the game ranked No.2  in both polls, while the Hoyas are ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll.

The Orange are 23-1 overall, while Georgetown is 18-4. The Orange is tops in the Big East at 10-3. Georgetown’s conference record is 8-3.

Senior guard Jason Clark leads the Hoyas with 15.4 points per game.

The Orange recently saw the return of sophomore center Fab Melo. He joined the team just in time to help it rout St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

]]> WSYR_Sports Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:26:42 -0500 SU, Georgetown renew rivalry tonight at Carrier Dome More than 26,000 tickets sold for Georgetown game; where to park http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/content/su_sports/story/More-than-26-000-tickets-sold-for-Georgetown-game/fclMBGV67EufBlzqt26pXQ.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/fclMBGV67EufBlzqt26pXQ.cspx Syracuse (WSYR-TV) -- More than 26,000 tickets have been sold to see old rivals Syracuse and Georgetown go at it in the Dome Wednesday. It will be the biggest weeknight crowd in at least a year.

Students are already lining up, waiting to get in. Remember, the student section is on a first come, first served basis. The first students got in line Friday morning and have been camping out in rotation with some friends ever since.

Students won’t have trouble getting to the game, but if you’re going, it’s best to have an idea where you’re going to park before you actually arrive. It’ll save you time and hassles – unless of course you have a season’s pass.

Without a season's pass you can forget about parking in the lots right around the Dome. That includes the women’s building. Staffers that normally park there during the day don’t have to leave, but the head of parking, Dee Bailey, says it’s a well choreographed dance between daytime parkers and event parkers.

Bailey says the best bet for fans attending a single game is to head right to the Manley Field House lots. It’ll cost you $12, which includes the shuttle to the Dome. Those lots open at 4 p.m. and the first buses will start between 5 and 5:30 p.m.

"You have all those employees and students that park out there and you can tell the buses that are coming in, dropping off the students, they open up the spaces for the patrons, so it's excellent how it all works out,” Bailey said.

The Manley and Skytop lots fit about 2,000 cars for football, so those wanting to see the Orange take on Georgetown will have plenty of room for parking.

]]> WSYR_Sports Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:00:27 -0500 More than 26,000 tickets sold for Georgetown game; where to park Giants celebrate win with victory parade http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/story/Giants-celebrate-win-with-victory-parade/JwwqWCuAhE2FT81mcX2AlA.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/JwwqWCuAhE2FT81mcX2AlA.cspx NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Giants are returning from their Super Bowl win to a celebration the likes that only New York can throw: a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, where the city has honored stars for almost a century.

Members of the Giants will be showered with a mile of confetti as they travel up Broadway from Battery Place. Then, in a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, the team will be presented with symbolic keys to the city.

"Big Blue gave us a game to remember, and on Tuesday we're going to give them a parade to remember," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said after Sunday's triumph in Indianapolis.

The parade for the Super Bowl champions will have an estimated economic impact of up to $38 million for the city, depending on the number of spectators, Bloomberg said. As many as 1 million are expected - about a third of them from outside New York.

After the parade, the team will travel to New Jersey for a 3 p.m. rally at Met Life stadium.

This will be the second Super Bowl championship parade for the Giants in four years. They also beat the Patriots in the NFL title game in 2008.

But it's hard to imagine a victory more exciting than the Giants' last-minute, 21-17 victory over the Patriots.

The hero of this year's parade undoubtedly will be Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. The Giants quarterback and Mario Manningham connected on a clutch play, as the receiver made an over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline on the opening play of the game-winning drive.

On Monday, 250 fans nabbed pairs of tickets to the festivities at City Hall. About 50,000 people entered sweepstakes for a place at the ceremony.

The parade itself is open to all and promises to draw impenetrable crowds behind police barricades, as it did four years ago.

Three large screens around City Hall will allow members of the public to watch the ceremony. Streets will be closed between Broadway and Church Street from Canal to Pearl streets, as will Brooklyn Bridge access to and from Park Row.

New York has feted its public heroes since 1919, with the first parade for World War I General John Pershing and his victorious troops.

They were followed by more than 200 parades honoring everyone from aviator Charles Lindbergh to scientist Albert Einstein, Pope John Paul, South African leader Nelson Mandela and pianist Van Cliburn. Their names are chiseled into the Broadway sidewalks.

The Giants will be showered with at least 30 tons of manufactured confetti from skyscrapers lining Broadway.
 

]]> WSYR_Sports Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:02:04 -0500 Super Bowl-champion Giants return home http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/story/Super-Bowl-champion-Giants-return-home/TITuqILCv0yP0E5G5yM2Mg.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/TITuqILCv0yP0E5G5yM2Mg.cspx NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - The Super Bowl-champion New York Giants have returned home.

The team's charter plane touched down around 1:55 p.m. Monday at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Several players saluted the crowd as they departed the aircraft, and some used cameras and video recorders to capture the moment and the scene. Coach Tom Coughlin also had a big smile as he waved to the crowd.

Once on the ground, the players, coaches and team officials were greeted by several hundred airport employees and a Port Authority bagpipe band. Crews also fired a water cannon to salute the team while the plane taxied to a hangar.

The players then took buses to the team's headquarters in East Rutherford, where thousands of fans lined the gates waiting to catch a glimpse of the champions.

The Giants captured the franchise's fourth Super Bowl championship on Sunday, with a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots.

New York now only trails Pittsburgh with six titles, and San Francisco and Dallas with five.

The Giants also became the first team to win the title after finishing the regular season 9-7. The team had an up-and-down year, but finished with wins over the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, securing the NFC East title, before winning four consecutive postseason games.

]]> WSYR_Sports Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:54:22 -0500 SU ranked No. 2 in both polls http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/content/su_sports/story/SU-ranked-No-2-in-both-polls/EHq_62l6yEyxPUVeJFlt8Q.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/EHq_62l6yEyxPUVeJFlt8Q.cspx Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – The Syracuse University men’s basketball team remained locked in the No. 2 spot in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls on Monday.

Over the weekend, the Orange soundly defeated St. John’s 95-70 at Madison Square Garden after getting sophomore center Fab Melo back in the line-up.

Kentucky, however, held onto its top spot. The Wildcats trounced South Carolina 86-52 in Columbia.

SU hosts Georgetown Wednesday night at the Carrier Dome.

In both polls, Ohio State, Missouri, and North Carolina rounded out the top five.

AP Poll
1. Kentucky (63) 23-1
2. Syracuse (2) 23-1
3. Ohio St. 20-3
4. Missouri 21-2
5. North Carolina 20-3
6. Baylor 21-2
7. Kansas 18-5
8. Florida 19-4
9. Murray St. 23-0
10. Duke 19-4
11. Michigan St. 18-5
12. Georgetown 18-4
13. San Diego St. 20-3
14. UNLV 21-4
15. Florida St. 16-6
16. Saint Mary's (Cal) 22-2
17. Creighton 21-3
18. Marquette 19-5
19. Virginia 18-4
20. Mississippi St. 18-5
21. Wisconsin 18-6
22. Michigan 17-7
23. Indiana 18-6
24. Louisville 18-5
25. Harvard 20-2

Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 83, Iowa St. 71, Southern
Miss. 51, Temple 41, Gonzaga 35, Wichita St. 31, Long Beach St. 6,
New Mexico 5, Kansas St. 3, Cleveland St. 2, Iona 2, Vanderbilt 2,
BYU 1, Miami 1.
ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll

1. Kentucky (31) 23-1
2. Syracuse  23-1
3. Ohio St. 20-3
4. Missouri 21-2
5. North Carolina 20-3
6. Baylor 21-2
7. Florida 19-4  
7. Murray St. 23-0
9. Duke 19-4
10. Kansas 18-5
11. Georgetown 18-4
12. Michigan St. 18-5
13. Saint Mary's (Cal) 22-2
14. San Diego St. 20-3  
15. Creighton 21-3
16. UNLV 21-4
17. Florida St. 16-6
18. Mississippi St. 18-5
19. Marquette 19-5
20. Virginia 18-4
21. Harvard 20-2
22. Wisconsin 18-6
23. Indiana 18-6
23. Louisville 18-5
25. Michigan 17-7

Others receiving votes: Notre Dame 19, Gonzaga 14, New Mexico 13, Iowa State 10, Nevada 9, Southern Miss 9, Long Beach State 8, Middle Tennessee 6, Connecticut 6, Temple 6, Vanderbilt 5, California 5, Wichita State 5, Virginia Commonwealth 2, Saint Louis 2, Cleveland State 1, Drexel 1

]]> WSYR_Sports Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:41:40 -0500 NY Giants victory license plates available http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/story/NY-Giants-victory-license-plates-available/x770Ja5aLkutjrFoiSyOtg.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/x770Ja5aLkutjrFoiSyOtg.cspx Syracuse (WSYR-TV) – New York State is manufacturing victory license plates in honor of the Giants’ dramatic Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots on Sunday night.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI victory license plate to honor the championship team.
 
 The plate features the Giants’ Big Blue “NY” logo along with the official Super Bowl XLVI logo.

The custom license plate can be ordered in any Department of Motor Vehicles office, online at www.dmv.ny.gov or by calling the Custom Plates Office at (518) 402-4838, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The pricing for the New York Giants Super Bowl XLVI Champions plate is the same as the currently issued Giants plate. The initial cost for a standard issue plate is $60, with an annual renewal fee of $31.25. The plate can be personalized with two to six characters for an initial fee of $91.25, with an annual renewal fee is $62.50. All custom and personalized plate fees are in addition to the regular registration renewal fee.

Those who already have a Giants custom or Super Bowl XVII plate can upgrade, but only by calling the Custom Plates Office. The cost to upgrade is $28.75 for a standard plate and $78.75 for a personalized plate.

]]> WSYR_Sports Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:50:33 -0500 Giants beat Patriots 21-17 to win the Super Bowl http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/story/Giants-beat-Patriots-21-17-to-win-the-Super-Bowl/T5oWA6-_rUaWvM5FWpmSIQ.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/T5oWA6-_rUaWvM5FWpmSIQ.cspx INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York's fourth Super Bowl title.

It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.

This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game's MVP award - and they took turns being brilliant. Manning became the first QB to open a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. Later, Brady put together a run of 16 completions in a row, breaking another Super Bowl mark.

But in the end, it was Manning - who was selected as the MVP - who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead.

Ahmad Bradshaw capped the winning drive with a 6-yard run up the middle. He wanted to stop at the 1-yard line but fell backward into the end zone.

Less than a minute later it came down to one last play, when Tom Brady's long heave into the end zone fell incomplete among a maze of players.

New England had the ball for all of one play in the first 11 1-2 minutes, and that play was an utter failure, a rare poor decision by Brady. After Steve Weatherford's punt was downed at the New England 6, Brady dropped to pass in the end zone and had time. With everyone covered and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck finally coming free to provide pressure, Brady heaved the ball downfield while still in the pocket.

Only problem: No Patriots receivers were anywhere near the pass. The Giants were awarded a safety for Brady's grounding in the end zone.
Manning, meanwhile, couldn't have been more on target early, hitting six receivers in the first period, completing his first nine throws, a Super Bowl record. He also was aided by Ahmad Bradshaw, who hardly looked like a running back with a bad foot. Bradshaw broke a 24-yard run, and New England made another critical mistake by having 12 men on the field on a third-and-3 on which the Giants fumbled.

Instead, New York got a first down at the 6, and two plays later Victor Cruz beat James Ihedigbo on a slant to make it 9-0, prompting Cruz to break into his signature salsa move.

Manning's first incompletion didn't come until 1:19 into the second quarter.

At that point, it was 9-3 after Stephen Gostkowski's 29-yard field goal. The Patriots got to the Giants' 11, but All-Pro DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a third-down pass.

Soon after, when the Patriots had a three-and-out and Pierre-Paul blocked another throw, Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien had a quick discussion. Then O'Brien, soon to take over as Penn State coach, went over to the struggling Brady.

The talk must have helped. On the final series of the opening half, Brady was masterful. Starting at his 4, and ignoring the last time the Patriots began a series in the shadow of the end zone, he was vintage Brady.

With New York's vaunted pass rush disappearing, Brady went 10-for-10 for 98 yards, capping the drive that included two Patriots penalties with Woodhead's 4-yard TD reception with 8 seconds to go in the half. Hernandez and Woodhead each had four catches on the drive that, stunningly, put New England ahead despite being outplayed for so much of the first 30 minutes.

Brady kept firing - and hitting - in the third quarter, with five more completions. The Giants didn't come within shouting distance of the record-setting quarterback. He capped a 79-yard drive to open the second half with a 12-yard TD to Hernandez, but then the game turned. Again.

Consecutive field goals by Lawrence Tynes of 38 and 33 yards brought New York within 17-15. Brady then threw deep for his tight end after weaving away from two pass rushers. His throw was short, and Chase Blackburn picked it off early in the fourth quarter.

Although the Giants moved into New England territory again, as they did on every drive to that point, they bogged down and punted.
]]> WSYR_Sports Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:54:54 -0500 No. 2 Syracuse crushes St. John's 95-70 http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/content/su_sports/story/No-2-Syracuse-crushes-St-Johns-95-70/cWU1A3bH80-v6kc8Yfoptw.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/cWU1A3bH80-v6kc8Yfoptw.cspx NEW YORK (AP) - Fab Melo scored a career-high 14 points in his return after a three-game absence and Jim Boeheim tied Dean Smith for third place on the victory list with win No. 879 as No. 2 Syracuse dominated St. John's 95-70 on Saturday.

Syracuse (23-1, 10-1 Big East) rallied behind the return of the 7-foot Melo, taking a 41-27 halftime lead and blowing it open by starting the second half on a 16-3 run in front of a sellout crowd of 19,979 at Madison Square Garden, most of whom were wearing orange.

Melo missed the last three games as he resolved an academic issue. He had been allowed to practice with the team and he looked ready from the start of his first game back, once again a force in the middle on the back line of the 2-3 zone.

Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair both had 14 points for the Orange, whose only loss this season was at Notre Dame in the first game of the three Melo missed. Kris Joseph and Michael Carter-Williams had 13 points each for Syracuse, which shot 55.7 percent (39 for 70) from the field.

After tying Smith, the longtime coach at North Carolina, Boeheim trails only fellow Hall of Famers Mike Krzyzewski (919) and Bob Knight (902) on the career wins list.

Boeheim and Syracuse have continued to win despite a tumultuous stretch for the program. Bernie Fine, his assistant for more than 35 years, was fired three games into the season after two former ball boys accused him of sexually molesting them when they were young.

It was the Orange's seventh straight win over the Red Storm and the 13th in their last 14 meetings.

D'Angelo Harrison had 23 points for the Red Storm (10-13, 4-7), who dropped to 0-9 this season against ranked teams. They had four wins last season over top-10 teams. Moe Harkless added 15 points and Phil Greene had 14.

Melo started the run to open the second half with a basket and added a dunk and two free throws as the Orange took a 57-30 lead with 14:31 to play.
Carter-Williams had a breakaway dunk, and after a turnover by St. John's, Waiters had another breakaway jam. As the Red Storm called a 30-second timeout with 9:16 left, the Orange players were all raising their arms, encouraging the crowd to raise the noise level. They did.

It would have been the fourth straight game St. John's started five freshmen - the "Fresh Five" - but Harrison didn't start because he was late for the team bus. He was in the game within the first 3 minutes.

Harrison had a career-high 29 points against DePaul in the Red Storm's previous game.

It was St. John's worst loss of the season. Georgetown beat the Red Storm 69-49 last month, also at Madison Square Garden. St. John's dropped to 2-6 at Madison Square Garden this season.
]]> WSYR_Sports Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:47:37 -0500 Father, son look back on Super Bowl debacle a year later http://www.9wsyr.com:80/sports/story/Father-son-look-back-on-Super-Bowl-debacle-a-year/HlXw7cecI0KUfvQSjSlajg.cspx?rss=117 http://www.9wsyr.com/s/HlXw7cecI0KUfvQSjSlajg.cspx Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - Like most Central New Yorkers, Jim and Kevin Niezabytowski will be watching the Super Bowl at home this year.

In this case, however, the father and son will have last year’s trip fresh on their minds.

Jim and Kevin were among the 3,200 fans with tickets to the big game at Cowboy Stadium who weren’t allowed to sit in their seats because of safety concerns. A year later, they’re regretting the way they chose to be compensated for last year’s ordeal, even though they say it was a fair offer from the NFL.

"It took them awhile, they looked at several different packages and came around finally to what they sent to Kevin,” Jim Niezabytowski said.

Jim and Kevin were left with three options: a trip to this year’s Super Bowl, a future Super Bowl, or a financial package.  Kevin chose the last one.  He says he needed the money for some much needed renovations on his house.

"And of course my father and I looked at each other when we made that decision and said, watch the Giants go to the Super Bowl and sure enough here we are,” Kevin Niezabytowski said.

This year, both Giants fans are having plenty of second thoughts, but when they had to make their decision last March, the Super Bowl and a Giants Super Bowl were the farthest things from their minds.

"He had a lot of advice from family and friends but it was always his decision,” Jim said.

"We're going to do it the normal way with my brothers and father and get together at one of our houses and watch it the normal way, the way most people watch it,” Kevin said.

Of the roughly 3,200 fans who found themselves scrambling in last year’s seating fiasco, 246 took the NFL up on its offer for a ticket to Sunday’s game. The rest accepted a financial settlement from the NFL, plan on going to a future Super Bowl, or are suing the league.

]]> WSYR_Sports Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:27:59 -0500 Father, son look back on Super Bowl debacle a year later