For the Record
Carjacked
At gunpoint before a home game against the Bobcats last Saturday, Hawks forwardShelden Williams (below). The 24-year-old, who is in his second NBA season,told police that his 2008 Chrysler Aspen was taken from him outside an Atlantabarber shop. Williams gave police the license-plate number of the vehicle oneof the carjackers had been driving, and that afternoon two suspects werearrested at a mall in Douglas County, in Georgia; the two men were inWilliams's car. Williams played two minutes in a win over Charlotte that night."I'm just glad he's safe," said Hawks coach Mike Woodson.
Won
By Annika Sorenstam, a tournament for the first time in a year. The world'stop-ranked player when the year began, Sorenstam suffered several injuries thisseason and had only six top 10 finishes, her fewest since 1994, when she was anLPGA tour rookie; she sank to No. 3 in the world. On Sunday she came back froma one-stroke final-round deficit to win the Dubai Ladies Masters, thetournament she won in October 2006, before her drought set in. "I am sohappy to have finally won again," she said.
Engaged
Less than a year after each was divorced from a longtime spouse, two-timeBritish Open champion Greg Norman and Chris Evert, winner of 18 Grand Slamsingles titles. In September, Norman, 52, reached a divorce settlement with hiswife of 25 years, Laura Andrassy. Evert, 53, was divorced last December fromher husband of 18 years, former Olympic skier Andy Mill. Said Tami Starr,director of Chris Evert Charities in Boca Raton, Fla., "They're bothextremely happy they've found each other."
Retired
After one of surfing's most remarkable careers, 41-year-old Mark Occhilupo(below). A pro at age 17 and ranked second the same year, the Australian-bornOcchilupo dropped off the tour in '87 and battled depression and weightproblems. The 5'9" goofy-footer spent nearly a decade off the competitivecircuit before a stunning comeback: He won the world title at age 33 in 1999.Last Friday, surfing at the Billabong Pipeline Masters in Oahu, Occy, as he'scalled, was eliminated in the third round, then carried along the beach byfellow surfers. "It's been such a good ride ... no regrets," hesaid.
Died
At age 88 of cancer, Hall of Fame boxing historian Hank Kaplan. By trade Kaplanwas a quarantine officer with the Centers for Disease Control in Miami for 30years, but he devoted his life to cataloging the rich history of the sport heloved. Kaplan wrote several books about boxing and founded World Wide BoxingDigest magazine. He was on the committee that selected members of theInternational Boxing Hall of Fame, and he was inducted himself in 2006. Hispersonal archives included boxing memorabilia and writing dating to the1800s.
Died
At age 88 of respiratory failure, Ted Corbitt (below), whom New York CityMarathon founder Fred Lebow once called "the father of American distancerunning." Corbitt began running as a child on his father's cotton farm inSouth Carolina and ended up competing in 199 marathons or ultramarathons.Corbitt, who helped found the Road Runners Club of America in 1957, was amember of the '52 U.S Olympic team—he finished 44th in the marathon inHelsinki—and in his prime held the U.S. records at several distances, includingthe marathon and 100 miles. Well into his 80s he worked as a physical therapistand competed in ultramarathons. "The marathon demands patience," heonce said. "You must be willing to suffer and keep on suffering."
Died
At age 40 of undisclosed causes, Brian Sean Griffith, a former bodyguard tofigure skater Tonya Harding and one of the conspirators behind the attack onher rival Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympic tryouts. A few days after Kerriganwas clubbed in the leg by an anonymous assailant, Griffith—then known as ShawnEckhardt; he later changed his name to distance himself from thescandal—admitted that he and Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had hatchedthe plan to eliminate Kerrigan from the competition. (The actual attacker wasShane Stant.) Griffith served 14 months in prison for racketeering. "ShawnEckardt died a long time ago," his brother, Mike Skinner, told TheOregonian last week. "There is no other person than BrianGriffith."
Go Figure
4 Starting quarterbacks the Panthers have used thisyear, the most ever by an NFL team.
4 Times in NFL history a game had ended 8--0 before theBrowns defeated the Bills by that score on Sunday.
78 Years since the last 8--0 game before Sunday: TheChicago Cardinals' defeat of the Minneapolis Red Jackets on Nov. 10, 1929.
1,864 Kickoffs the Buccaneers received in their 32-yearhistory before one was returned for a touchdown; Micheal Spurlock ran the1,865th back for a score against the Falcons on Sunday.
26 Games Islanders winger Chris Simon played thisseason after returning from a 25-game suspension on Oct. 13; Simon was to bebanned again for stomping on the leg of Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu lastSaturday.
30 Hours of classes Joe Namath took over the past fiveyears to finish the degree he began working toward at Alabama in 1961; hegraduated last week with a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies.
SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
They Said It
GREG ODEN
Trail Blazer rookie who's making $3.9 million this year, on how he likesPortland:
"The only thing is, they don't have any Wal-Marts near my house. I go toBest Buy or Target, but those places are pretty expensive."
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PIERRE TOSTEE/GETTY IMAGES (OCCHILUPO)
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TAMI CHAPPELL/REUTERS (WILLIAMS)
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CHRIS DETRICK/THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE (PICTURE THIS)
PICTURE THIS DEC. 15 Brigham Young's Jonathan Tavernari gets an eyeful.
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RICK BOWMER/AP (ODEN)
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UPI/CORBIS (CORBITT)
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