Tigers

As Germantown Friends baseball coach Tim Gunn handed his boss a championship plaque Saturday, the dramatic end-of-the-season words didn't quite flow. "Tim, I . . . uhhh . . . need to talk to you about one thing," GFS athletic director Katie Bergstrom said, searching for the right words. "I needed to ummm . . . let you know that . . . uhhh . . . " With Gunn distracted, players crept behind him. A couple of them gripped an orange Gatorade tub, filled with water - cold. Splash.

TRENTON — Before they delved completely into the budget, lawmakers took some time this week to talk about sharks, tigers, and pigs. The Legislature is considering bills to ban the sale of shark fins, require aggressive monitoring of captive tigers, and keep pregnant pigs out of restrictive crates. The shark-fin bill generated the most controversy. It would force New Jersey fishermen to throw away shark fins rather than sell them. Supporters of the bill hope it will help stifle the shark-fin market, which has led to a practice called "finning," in which fishermen cut fins from live sharks and toss the animals back into the ocean to die. Fins are prized for shark-fin soup, a Chinese delicacy served at weddings and celebrations.

The Marple Newtown Tigers finished their regular season in high fashion when they beat the Strath Haven Panthers, 61-50, at home Tuesday night. The win brought the Tigers' overall season record to an even 12-12 and their Central League record to 8-10. Strath Haven slipped to 11-7 in the league and 14-9 overall. Tigers coach Brian McMahon said the victory was especially important because his team will play in the opening round of the District 1 playoff tomorrow night at Quakertown.

Tigers players are angry at Seattle's Ken Griffey Jr. for making an obscene gesture and yelling an obscenity toward their dugout after hitting a game- clinching homer in the eighth inning of Seattle's 9-5 win Sunday. As he neared home plate, Griffey looked into the Tigers' dugout and grabbed his crotch. Then, still looking at the dugout, he yelled a two-word obscenity. "It was the most classless thing I've seen on a field," said Tigers catcher Chad Kreuter. ESPN's cameras were following Griffey in his home-run trot and showed the incident live.

Marple Newtown basketball coach Vince Clarke did not have to wait as long as he might have feared to get his first present of the holiday season. It came in the form of a 56-53 win over Delco Christian on Thursday. "That was the one I was waiting for," said Clarke, whose Tigers won for the first time after three losses. "We started with a tough schedule. You have to play tough people to get ready for the Central League. Now I think we're on the verge. " The host Tigers showed that they could hang tough for 32 minutes and protect a narrow lead against a pretty fair club.

Princeton has settled on a risky formula for winning the NCAA lacrosse championship. Jesse Hubbard scored 34 seconds into overtime yesterday to give the top-ranked Tigers their third title in five years, 13-12, over Virginia. Each of Princeton's titles has come on an overtime goal. The Tigers beat Syracuse in two overtimes in 1992 and topped Virginia in 1994 in an ending that was eerily similar to yesterday's dramatic conclusion. "You have to thank God and your lucky stars to win three overtime games of this importance," Princeton coach Bill Tierney said.

When a basketball team is small - and Marple Newtown's is very small - it has to do the little things to win. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they didn't do the little things in a 57-48 loss to West Chester Henderson in the first round Monday of the West Chester Knights of Columbus Tournament. "I was very disappointed in the way we played," said Marple Newtown coach Vince Clarke, whose squad also fell to Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 66-44, in the consolation game Tuesday. "We didn't box out. We turned the ball over, which we hadn't done this year.

Who were those masked men wearing Marple Newtown uniforms? Marple Newtown coach Jim Smith thought he knew, even though the team that lost to Upper Darby, 20-19, Friday night bore little resemblance to the team that went into the game with only one win. "They're the same kids we've had all year," Smith said. "It's unbelievable. " Upper Darby coach Jack Shingle thought he knew even though the Tigers had shown little spark all season until Friday's near-monster- upset. The Royals (9-1 overall, 7-1 league)

Conestoga basketball coach Pete Fredrickson doesn't consider shooting to be one of his team's strengths, so the Pioneers coach was surprised Friday night at Marple Newtown when his squad shot 53 percent from the field through three quarters. But that percentage isn't difficult to attain if most of the shots are layups. The Pioneers held onto second place in the Central League with an 83-66 win over the Tigers. All five Conestoga starters scored in double figures, and 10 players scored.

Harry S Truman went into its Suburban One American Liberty Division matchup at Methacton Saturday with two missions. The Tigers wanted to go home with a victory, and they wanted to stop the turnover problem that had plagued them. They were only partially successful. They improved in the turnover department - they had only 2 - but lost, 22-20, despite a solid effort on both sides of the ball. "It seems like we're always one step, one fumble, one block away from winning the game," Truman coach Jan Cechak said.

As Germantown Friends baseball coach Tim Gunn handed his boss a championship plaque Saturday, the dramatic end-of-the-season words didn't quite flow. "Tim, I . . . uhhh . . . need to talk to you about one thing," GFS athletic director Katie Bergstrom said, searching for the right words. "I needed to ummm . . . let you know that . . . uhhh . . . " With Gunn distracted, players crept behind him. A couple of them gripped an orange Gatorade tub, filled with water - cold. Splash.

TRENTON — Before they delved completely into the budget, lawmakers took some time this week to talk about sharks, tigers, and pigs. The Legislature is considering bills to ban the sale of shark fins, require aggressive monitoring of captive tigers, and keep pregnant pigs out of restrictive crates. The shark-fin bill generated the most controversy. It would force New Jersey fishermen to throw away shark fins rather than sell them. Supporters of the bill hope it will help stifle the shark-fin market, which has led to a practice called "finning," in which fishermen cut fins from live sharks and toss the animals back into the ocean to die. Fins are prized for shark-fin soup, a Chinese delicacy served at weddings and celebrations.

BALTIMORE - Jockey Kent Desormeaux has been removed from Preakness entrant Tiger Walk after failing a Breathalyzer test. Desormeaux failed the test at Belmont Park in New York on Friday and was removed from three mounts on the program. He has not been suspended, but the New York State Racing and Wagering Board is conducting an investigation. According to a rule in New York that went into effect April 27, every jockey named to ride is required to undergo a test for alcohol consumption.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - Ian Poulter ran off four birdies around the turn and Martin Laird was the only player without a bogey on his card. That was enough for them to share the lead Thursday in The Players Championship at the TPC Sawgrass. Poulter birdied all of the par 5s on his way to a 7-under 65. Laird played in the afternoon and relied on his putting for some critical par saves to match Poulter. They were a shot ahead of Blake Adams. Phil Mickelson, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, had a 71. Rory McIlroy hit in the water on the island-green 17th for double bogey and shot even par 72. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods shot a three-over 74. Woods once went nearly eight years without missing the cut. Now he's in danger of missing the cut for the second straight week.

Princeton assistant men's track coach Steve Dolan calls senior Donn Cabral the ultimate competitor. Cabral's teammates refer to him as Track Jesus, because they trust him. "We know he's a warrior," sophomore Tom Hopkins said. Late Friday afternoon at Franklin Field, Cabral had to be. Because just about every other anchor in the closing 1,600-meter leg of the Penn Relays Distance Medley Championship of America race was within spitting distance of him. From the time he took the baton until they all headed around the last turn, they were virtually together, 13 strong if you're keeping score.

ALEX AVILA'S drive sailed to deep rightfield, barely clearing both an outfielder and a wall. An exhilarating opening series at Comerica Park was finally over, and the Detroit catcher could look forward to some much-needed rest. "I'm too tired right now," Avila said. "I'm glad we have an off day [Monday]. This weekend has been crazy. " Avila's two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning gave the Tigers a stunning 13-12 victory over Boston on Sunday, leaving the Red Sox winless in three games under new manager Bobby Valentine.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Remember when the longest holes used to be Tiger Woods' best friend, especially at Augusta National? On Friday, the four-time Masters champion didn't make a birdie or eagle on any of the four par-5's for only the third time here, and first since the last day in 2008. On Saturday he did it again. Not coincidently, he shot an even-par 72 that left him 12 shots back at 3-over 219 heading into the final 18. Woods was coming off his first PGA Tour victory in 21/2 years, two weeks ago at Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill event near his old home in Orlando, which he's now won seven times.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Sean O'Hair knows a good thing when it finds him. So when 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples asked him a couple of weeks ago whether he'd like to play a practice round this week with him and Tiger Woods . . . "I was all over it," the West Chester resident said. "I knew it would be a good time. " You think? The threesome teed off first on Tuesday morning, at 7:50. The galleries were what you'd expect, at least for the front nine. Then Woods decided to call it a round.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Has it really been 7 years since Tiger Woods won the last of his four Masters? Then again, it has been 46 months since he won the last of his 14 majors. And until 2 weeks ago, of course, he had gone some 2 1/2 years without a PGA Tour victory. He now has 72, after winning Arnold Palmer's tournament near his former home in Orlando for the seventh time. So naturally, he once again is considered the favorite this week at Augusta National. Even though Phil Mickelson, who at 41 remains 5 years his senior, has won three of the last eight green jackets and as they say seems to be in good form.

TIGER WOODS finally brought the buzz back to the very thing that made him famous - winning. Two weeks after another injury scare, Woods looked dominant as ever in that red shirt Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla. It was his first PGA Tour victory since a sex scandal at the end of 2009 led to one of the greatest downfalls in sports. And with the Masters only 2 weeks away, Woods looks more capable than ever of resuming his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus in the majors.