The Jackson Sun from Jackson, Tennessee • 12

2BThe Jackson Sun COLLEGE FOOTBALL Tuesday. January 11 20OS Your sports For Randy Moss, it's all about Randy Moss ill W.4 Lopresti PWBBWWPSWW" I ft j. I ll sm i itmtoni iw-ittffiraaiiiltfafiftrlTraittiartii and advanced. The St. Louis Rams, the New York Jets and Randy Moss' team.

The only home team to survive won big. The Indianapolis Colts got 221 receiving yards from Reggie Wayne, and he didn't pretend to pull down his pants, either. Instead, Wayne thanked fellow receiver Marvin Harrison for a crushing block on his last touchdown, and said, "We've been fighting for each other all year." And of the great season he is having, Wayne added, "I'm always asking myself how I do it. But I'm just glad Peyton (Manning) and coach Dungy believed in me." He doesn't sound a lot like Randy Moss. So four teams are left fighting for the NFC Super Bowl spot.

Atlanta will play St. Louis Saturday, and Philadelphia will play Randy Moss' team on Sunday. The Eagles will try to pressure Randy Moss' quarterback, and find weaknesses in Randy Moss' defense. They all want to get to the Super Bowl. Randy Moss has never been.

But lots of other guys have. Mike Lopresti is a national sports columnist for Gannett News Service Randy Moss' team is going to the second round of the playoffs. Randy Moss' team beat the Green Bay Packers for the first time ever in the postseason. That's because Randy Moss' quarterback threw four touchdowns, and Randy Moss' defense intercepted four passes. By the way, the team and its other players have names, but why waste the space? Watching Randy Moss the past few days, we have seen the light.

That happened sometime between him sulking away the last few seconds of a game last week, then announcing he didn't care much what his teammates had to say about it, then using a playoff touchdown as an occasion to reach for his pants and wiggle out a faux moon for the benefit of camera and crowd. Kind of like a child waving his hands and screaming for attention before he jumps off the diving board. Hey! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! Because we really couldn't see it, presumably it was a new moon. In any case, the situation seems clear. This is a stage built for one.

Randy Moss is delivering the longest soliloquy since Hamlet. His M0RRY GASHThe Associated Press Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss bends over to the crowd after catching a 34-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of their NFC wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Vikings won, 31-17. After Randy Moss scored two touchdowns Sunday, Randy Moss' center said everything was OK. Randy Moss' team stunned the Packers with a quick touchdown, when one of Randy Moss' other receivers broke free for a 68-yard touchdown.

Randy Moss' line provided good protection on the play including the center Randy Moss told to shut up so Randy Moss' quarterback could throw the pass. And in the end, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre who has never pretended to pull down his pants during a game, or walked out on his team was left to consider retirement, because he played so badly against Randy Moss' defense. It was a great weekend to go on the road. Three visiting teams won I A I -J I Si mm I I tl'ftfflP BASKETBALL 6 p.m. NCAA men: Ohio St at Wisconsin (ESPN) 6 p.m.

NCAA men: Louisville at Southern Miss. (ESPN2) 6:30 p.m. High School: Trenton at Milan (WTKB-FM 93.7) 6:30 p.m. High School: Bradford at Greenfield (WTNE-FM 97.7) 6:30 p.m. NCAA men: Villanova at Providence (CSS) 7 p.m.

NBA: Indiana at Memphis (FSN, WTJS-AM 1390) 8 p.m. NCAA men: Alabama at Arkansas (ESPN) 8 p.m. NBA: Miami at Phoenix (NBA TV) MISCELLANEOUS 5:30 a.m. Ned Jarrett's World of Racing (WTNV-FM 104.1) p.m. Sportsbeat (WTNE-FM 97.7) 6 p.m.

Sports Night Live (WTJS-AM 1390) 6 p.m. The Cheap Seats (WNWS-FM 1013) 6:45 p.m. NASCAR Today (WTNV-FM 104.1) 7 p.m. Sports Talk (WCTA-AM 810) Schedule subject to change TODAY College Women's Basketball Albany State at Lane, 5:30 p.m.; Lambuth at Bethel, 6 p.m. College Men's Basketball Trevecca Nazarene at Lambuth, 7 p.m.; Albany State at Lane, 7:30 p.m.

High School Basketball (Girls begin at 6:30 p.m., unless noted) Fayette Academy at Liberty at Chester Madison at Middleton, 6 p.m.; South Side at McNairy Central; TCA at USJ; Bruceton at Clarksburg; Riverside at Camden; Carroll Academy at Hardin Crockett Co. at Union City: Dresden at South Fulton; Bradford at Greenfield; Bolivar at Humboldt; Lexington at McKenzie: Fayette-Ware at Ripley, 6 p.m.; Scotts Hill at Adams-ville; Trenton at Milan; West Carroll at Glea-son; Westview at Obion Middle School Basketball St. Mary's at Spring Hill, 6:30 p.m. THURSDAY College Women's Basketball STL Pharmacy at Bethel, 5 p.m.; Camp-bellsville at Union, 5 p.m.; UTM at Jacksonville State. 5:30 p.m.; Fort Valley State at Lane, 5:30 p.m.; Martin Methodist at FHU, 6 p.m.

College Men's Basketball Georgetown at Union, 7 p.m.; STL Pharmacy at Bethel, 7 p.m.; UTM at Jacksonville State. 7:30 p.m.: Fort Valley State at Lane. 7:30 p.m.; Crichton at Lambuth. 8 p.m.; Martin Methodist at FHU. 8 p.m.

High School Basketball (Girls begin at 6:30 p.nv, unless noted) Carroll Academy at West Carroll: Dyers-burg at Obion 6 p.m.: Humboldt at Gibson Co. Middle School Basketball Bradford at Spring Hill, 6:30 p.m.; Dyer at Crockett 6:30 p.m.; Humboldt at Union City, 6:30 p.m.; St Mary's at South Haven, 6:30 p.m. FRIDAY College Women's Basketball St. Catherine's at DSCC, 6 p.m. College Men's Basketball St.

Catherine's at DSCC, 8 p.m. High School Basketball (Girls begin at 6:30 p.irt, unless noted) JCM at North Side, 6 p.m.; Middleton at JCS, 6 p.m.; Scotts Hill at Madison, 6 p.m.; USJ at Fayette Academy; Carroll Academy at Bruceton; Camden at Lexington; Chester Co. at McNairy Central; Westview at Crockett Gleason at Dresden; Hardin Co. at Dyersburg; Greenfield at South Fulton; Ripley at Haywood; Humboldt at Union City; Lake Co. at Trenton; Big Sandy at West Carroll.

SATURDAY College Women's Basketball IUSE at Bethel, 1 p.m.; Arkansas Baptist at Union, 2 p.m.; FHU at Lambuth, 2 p.m.; UTM at Samford, 4 p.m.; Lane at Benedict, 5:30 p.m. College Men's Basketball UTM at Samford, 2 p.m.: Bethel at Asbury, 2 p.m.: Arkansas Baptist at Union, 4 p.m.; Campbellsville at FHU, 5 p.m.; Lane at Benedict 7:30 p.m. High School Basketball (Girls begin at 6:30 p.nv unless noted) Lexington at Chester Fayette Academy at West Memphis Christian, 2 p.m.; Haywood at Westview; West Carroll at McKenzie; Middle School Basketball USJ at JCS tournament, TBA; Liberty at Covington SUNDAY Middle School Basketball USJ at JCS tournament TBA. MONDAY College Women's Basketball Lane at Paine, 5:30 p.m. College Men's Basketball Bethel at Lambuth, 7 p.m.; Lane at Paine, 7:30 p.m.

High School Basketball (Girls begin at 6:30 p.m, unless noted) DCA at JCS, 3:30 p.m.; Riverside at Hardin Co. Middle School Basketball USJ at JCS tournament TBA. Schedule subject to change tfj. L. WCBS-TV, HOThe Associated Press In this image released by WCBS-TV, Randy Johnson puts his hand up to block a camera from WCBS-TV after he left his Manhattan hotel on his way to a physical for the New York Yankees on Monday.

i Welcome to New York, Randy Ski Continued from cover Jones went to Snowshoe last February and made the trip to Colorado in 2003, the holy grail for skiing aficionados. On the occasion when there is snow in West Tennessee, Alvin and Nina aren't afraid to tell that they do a little skiing in their backyard. The obvious destination for winter activities is Gatlinburg, about a 5 '2-hour trek from Jackson. The appeal of Ober Gatlinburg is the variety of activities, even for the non-skier, including a scenic ski lift and an indoor ice rink. The downside of these destinations, though, is the touchy weather conditions that have to be perfect for the resorts to be able to create snow.

While many resort Web sites have a ticker that continuously updates course conditions, it's not always the most reliable source. Avid skier Don Williams of Jackson has been burned before by inaccurate weather conditions. The warmer southern air doesn't always lend to skiiable conditions, as he learned on a trip to North Carolina. "We started out and it was beautiful," Williams said. "We did a couple of runs and then it started sleeting, which wasn't so bad.

Then, it started raining." By the time Williams could get back on the slopes again, the resort, was making so much snow that there was a whiteout, and his trip was botched. Melissa Under, 425-9754 Other Skiing options Ski Valley Ski Area Where: Dillard, two hours northeast of Atlanta Drive time: about 7VS hours Web site: www.skivalley.com Ober Gatlinburg Where: Gatlinburg Drive time: about hours Details: Ober Gatlinburg features an indoor ice rink, eight ski trails and a scenic chair lift. Cost: Skiing fees depend on the time of day. Night sessions cost $15, while daytime sessions begin at $28. Equipment rental begins at $15, and lessons start at 12.

Web site: www.obergatlinburg.com Snowshoe, W.Va. Where: Snowshoe, W.Va. Drive time: about 10 hours Details: This Web site includes a travel planner with hotels, restaurants, etc. The resort offers more than 50 trails for all skill levels. Website: www.snoeshoemtn.com Conditions Latest snow conditions, as supplied by SnoCountry Mountain Reports.

Conditions are subject to change due to weather, skierrider traffic and other factors. Be aware of changing conditions. For more information go to www.snocountry.com North Carolina Appalachian Sunday 7:46 a.m. wet granular 18-42 inch base 7 of 9 trails, 78 percent open, 5 of 5 lifts, Monday-Friday: 9a.m.-4p.m., Saturday Sunday: 9a.m.-4p.m. Cataloochee Sunday 5:45 p.m.

wet granular 18-26 inch base 3 of 10 trails, 30 percent open, 2 of 5 lifts, Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-lO p.m.; SaturdaySunday: 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Hawksnest Reopens Friday Ski Beech Sunday 6:58 a.m. wet granular 10-20 inch base 3 of 15 trails, 20 percent open, 2 of 10 lifts, Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 6-10 p.m.; Saturday Sunday: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 6-10 p.m. Sugar Mountain Saturday 9 p.m. frozen granular machine groomed 8-34 inch base 9 of 20 trails, 45 percent open, 4 of 8 lifts, sm Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.- 10 p.m.; SaturdaySunday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Wolf Laurel Sunday 3:58 p.m. loose granular machine groomed 18-26 inch base 4 of 15 trails, 27 percent open, 2 of 4 lifts, Tennessee Ober Gatlinburg Reopens Friday Indiana Paoli Peaks Sunday 6 a.m. loose granular machine groomed 8-28 inch base 14 of 17 trails, 82 percent open, 5 of 8 lifts, a.m.-9:30 p.m; Friday: 10 a.m.-lO p.m., a.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.: Sunday: 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Perfect North Slopes Sunday 7 a.m. variable machine groomed 20-30 inch base 21 of 23 trails, 91 percent open, 7 of 10 lifts, Monday-Thursday: 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday: 9:30 a.m.-3 a.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m-3a.m.; Sunday: 9:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

West Virginia Canaan Valley Sunday 4 a.m. frozen granular 12-24 inch base 5 of 37 trails, 14 percent open, 2 of 3 lifts, Snowshoe Mountain Sunday 3:33 a.m. loose granular machine groomed 16-26 inch base 50 of 57 trails, 196 acres, 88 percent open, 13 of 14 lifts, sm Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; SaturdaySunday: 8:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Winterplace Sat 7 p.m. loose granular machine groomed 18-28 inch base 18 of 27 trails, 67 percent open, 6 of 9 lifts, sm Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-lO p.m.; SaturdaySunday: 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Missouri Snow Creek Sat 7:20 p.m. packed powder machine groomed 60 inch base 10 of 12 trails, 100 percent open, 4 of 6 lifts, Monday-Thursday: Noon-9 p.m.; Friday: Noon-3 a.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m.-3 a.m.; Sunday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. team, his offense, the league the ENTIRE DAY OF SUNDAY has been specially created for his whim and pleasure and promotion. All for Randy, and Randy for Randy. We highly resolve that this game of Randy Moss, by Randy Moss, and for Randy Moss shall not perish from this Earth.

And now let's return to the action Randy Moss' team had lost seven of 10 games before Sunday. Randy Moss' coach tried to joke his way out of the slump. Coach Collapse, he called himself. Randy Moss' coach has a pretty good sense of humor. Randy Moss' center was one of the guys who complained about Randy Moss leaving the field early last week.

So Randy Moss went on national television and basically said his center could stick it in his ear hole. Baseball notes ers can attract in New York. Walking along a Manhattan avenue, he put his long right arm up to block a camera from WCBS-TV after he left his Manhattan hotel. Johnson, who was accompanied by Yankees director of team security Jerry Laveroni, made contact with the camera, station spokeswoman Audrey Pass said. "Get out of my face, that's all I ask," Johnson said, according to a video of what occurred, which was posted on the station's Web site.

"No cameras," Laveroni said. "Don't get in my face," Johnson then said. "I don't care who you are. Don't get in my face." "I'm just taking a picture," said the cameraman, identified by the station as Vinny Everett. Responded Johnson: "Don't get in my face, and don't talk back to me, all right." Johnson issued a statement through agent Alan Nero that was "Just hearing some of those names makes it even more special.

"I've always thought of myself as someone who appreciates the history of the game, and some of those names on that list, I don't feel like I belong in that company." Irsay disagreed. He invested a $34.5 million signing bonus in early March to make Manning a Colt for life. He considered it a wise investment at the time. Manning's methodical sweep of major individual honors, coupled with the team's continued success, only reinforces Irsay's belief in his quarterback. "It's really incredible when you look at the athletes in our league," Irsay said.

"You talk about how hard it is just to make the Pro Bowl." Manning has been selected to his fifth. "Then you talk about how hard is to make All-Pro." Manning did, a unanimous first-team selection. "Then you talk about how hard it is to be the offensive or defensive player of the year." Last week, Manning was the unanimous choice as Offensive Player of the Year. Now, MVP. "When you are the MVP, and you are the MVP by such a landslide," Irsay said, "it's something that is quite unprecedented." CBS analyst Phil Simms, a distributed by the Yankees.

"Regarding the unfortunate incident that happened this morning as I was on my way to take a physical, I hope that everyone will understand that the past few days have been a bit overwhelming and I wish I had handled the situation differently," Johnson said. "I am very sorry it happened." Beltran passes physical for New York Mets NEW YORK Carlos Beltran passed his physical without incident both at the doctor and on the street and the New York Mets scheduled a news conference for Tuesday to announce his $119 million, seven-year contract. With Randy Johnson due to be introduced by the Yankees the same day, the Mets called their neighbor Monday and let them know their shindig at Shea Stadium would be at 11 a.m., because some of the people had to leave town in the afternoon, Mets spokesman Jay Horwitz said. former Super Bowl MVP, appreciates Manning's work ethic, preparation and performance. Simms has seen improvement every season.

Asked prior to the Colts' 49-24 AFC wild-card playoff win over Denver about the prospects of Manning being named MVP, Simms paused and gave an incredulous look. "You know how that question sounds, don't you?" he asked. "I would be very, very surprised if it isn't close to unanimous. Peyton's had that kind of year. "The numbers speak for themselves, but Peyton's value is so much more." Noted coach Tony Dungy: "(Manning) is definitely the conductor of our train and he's got the train rollin' pretty well right now." That train, though, hasn't reached its final destination.

Of the 25 different QBs who have earned the MVP award, only eight went on to lead their team to a Super Bowl title or NFL championship, "That's what it's been about for us all along," Manning said. "We've accomplished a lot of things individually this "But obviously we want to accomplish something special team-wise. We have a great opportunity (starting Sunday with the AFC Divisional playoff game at New England)." The Associated Press NEW YORK Randy Johnson got a little physical on the way to his New York Yankees physical. The Big Unit got into a confrontation on a Manhattan sidewalk with a television cameraman Monday, then apologized in a statement released later in the day. Johnson passed all exams Monday, but the Yankees awaited results of blood and other tests that needed more time.

Still, New York went ahead and scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to announce the completion of its drawn-out trade with Arizona. In a deal agreed to on Dec. 30, the Yankees are sending the Diamondbacks pitcher Javier Vazquez and Brad Halsey, catcher Dioner Navarro and $9 million. Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner, gets a $32 million, two-year contract extension that runs through 2007. Johnson got a taste Monday of how much attention star ballplay- Manning Continued from cover His resume includes NFL single-season records for touchdowns (49) and passer rating (121.1), each registered while leading the Colts to a second straight 124 record and AFC South championship.

But if the company he's keeping as a multiple MVP is an indicator of what's to come, the Pro Football Hall of Fame needs to reserve a room. "For some players," Colts' owner Jim Irsay said, "there is a special room upstairs at the Hall of Fame where they reside. Peyton's starting to make that case to be in that rarified air of achievement. "And the good news is this is just his seventh year. Quarterbacks play a long time." Manning is the fourth Colts' quarterback to be named MVP, joining Unitas (1964, 1967), Earl Morrall (1968) and Bert Jones (1976).

Overall, he's the 25th different quarterback. Of the latter group, eight have their busts on display in Canton, Ohio, and two others Young and Dan Marino -likely will be added when the Class of 2005 is determined on Feb. 5. "I'm very humbled just to be on that list with some of the other two-time winners," Manning said. F.STEVEN GREG GROBMYER.DDS JOSEPH LEONARD DDS www.premdent.com COSMETIC FAMILY DENTISTRY "Creating Smiles, Building Confidence" 6058 HIGHWAY 412 SOUTH BELLS, TENNESSEE 38006 TF.U 731-663-9999 FAX: 731-663-0510 1970 The AFL wins its second straight Super Bowl as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 behind Len Dawson superb quarterbacking and Jan Stenerud's three field goals.

1973 The American League adopts the designated hitter rule. 1981 Jim Plunkett completes 14 of 18 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Oakland Raiders to 34-27 victory over the San Diego Chargers. The Raiders are the first AFC wild-card team to advance to the Super Bowl. 1984 The Denver Nuggets beat the San Antonio Spurs 163-155 in the highest scoring regulation-length NBA game. 1987 Denver's John Elway leads the Broncos to a 23-20 overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns to win the AFC Championship.

Elway caps a 15-play, 98-yard march with a 5-yard TD pass to Mark Jackson to tie the game with 37 seconds remaining. Rich Karlis kicks a 33-yard field goal in overtime to give Denver the win. 1992 Kristi Yamaguchi, runner-up the previous three years, wins her first title in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Christopher Bowman, the 1989 U.S.

champion, wins the men's title. 1998 Lleyton Hewitt, an Australian high school sturfcnt ranked 550th, wins the Australian Men's Hardcourt Championship to become the lowest-ranked player ever to win an ATP Tour event 2004 Detroit allows 100 points for the first time all season, but the Pistons are still able to outlast Dallas 115-102. Detroit has its NBA-record streak of not allowing 100 points snapped at 38 games, a streak that started the previous season. -The Associated Press iet Comfortable Get hooked up with a better system for heating your home. Our energy-efficient heating units are reliable, powerful and economical.

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