By Wayne Drehs
ESPN.com
PARKERSBURG, Iowa -- Step-by-step, Jared DeVries walks deeper into the nightmare that is his former high school. Every time his white cross trainers hit the ground, he is greeted by another noise: the crackling of broken glass here and the squish of wet ceiling tiles there.
The Detroit Lions defensive end has read the articles, seen the pictures and watched the videos. His friends and family warned him about what to expect.
It was a just about four weeks ago, on the evening of May 25, when an EF5 tornado, three-quarters of a mile wide, with winds in excess of 200 mph, ripped through this community of 1,900, destroying or damaging nearly half the town. The tornado, which stayed in Parkersburg for 34 seconds before traveling another 43 miles, killed six people and leveled 21 businesses, the city hall and the heart of the community: Aplington-Parkersburg High School.
DeVries knew his high school was damaged, but not until he showed up here does it hit him. Not until he climbs over the orange "BIOHAZARD" tape, walks through the water-, brick- and glass-covered halls and stands in the doorway of what was once his gymnasium, does it sink in.
Iowa town turns to football to recover from tornado....
ESPN.com news services
The Dolphins say they want Jason Taylor to play one final season in Miami, but that reportedly hasn't stopped the Green Bay Packers from continuing to check on his availability.
The Green Bay Press-Gazette and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are reporting that the Packers have called the Dolphins to check if the team is willing to deal the star defensive end. The Packers also inquired about Taylor before April's NFL draft.
And a source in South Florida told the Journal Sentinel that, despite Taylor's insistence earlier this month that he's willing to play in Miami in 2008, he has only pushed harder for a trade from the only team he has ever played for.
Reports: Packers checking on Taylor's availability in trade
Bryan Chu, Chronicle Staff Writer
Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker was beaten, mugged and found unconscious off the Las Vegas strip early Monday morning, a Las Vegas law enforcement official said.
No arrests have been made, but police have some leads.
"We don't believe this is a random act," Las Vegas police Lt. Clint Nichols told the Chronicle. "They knew who he was and (Walker) presented a target.
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Irving, TX (Sports Network) - The Dallas Cowboys started their three-day mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday without star wideout Terrell Owens, who missed practice with what team officials termed as a personal matter.
Owens signed a three-year, $27 million contract extension earlier this month before news broke that he was placed in the NFL's "reasonable cause" testing program after missing a drug test. The veteran wide receiver attributed the missed test, and subsequent missed calls by the league office to Owens, to a mix-up of phone numbers. Nevertheless, Owens will be subject to as many as 24 random tests in the next calendar year.
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New Dallas Cowboys stadium to have world's largest video displays
0 comments Posted by Dstall at 9:28 AM
By ANDREW D. SMITH / The Dallas Morning News
Rather than just reading over the massive numbers, try – for just a moment – to envision the product they describe.
Imagine four city buses parked in a line. Now imagine another layer of buses stacked on top of them. Add five more layers and hang the 28-bus cluster over a mental football field.
Having trouble? You're not alone. Even the folks behind the new Cowboys stadium can't really fathom how the world's largest video displays will change the game for fans.
"We have no reference point. It's completely different than anything else in football," said Jack Hill, director of stadium construction.
MORE....
By JOHN BRANCH
Michael Strahan, the longtime leader of the Giants’ defense, is retiring from the N.F.L., leaving his lone Super Bowl victory as the final game of a 15-year career.
trahan, a defensive end and a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer, told the Giants of his decision on Monday morning. A news conference was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday at Giants Stadium.
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By Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas - Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson has been charged with drunken driving after being arrested for the second time in just more than a month.
Authorities said Benson was arrested early Saturday in downtown Austin after he failed a field sobriety test. The former Texas star was charged with driving while intoxicated and was released on bond.
The arrest comes a month after Benson was charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. He has said that neither charge is true, and the cases are pending.
STORY....
