Baylor's Brittney Griner punches Texas Tech player

In high school, Brittney Griner was a YouTube sensation drawing comparisons to Candace Parker. On Wednesday, the 6-foot-8 Baylor forward became famous again for all the wrong reasons. Griner punched Texas Tech guard Jordan Barncastle in the face after Barncastle flung her around in the paint during the second half of the Bears' victory. Griner was ejected and probably will be suspended by the Big 12 Conference for her actions. As for Barncastle, Texas Tech's coach said after the game she's concerned she could miss the remainder of the season because of the punch. Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey told reporters after the game that she would deal with Griner. "There's no place for that in sports," she said. "It was ugly for women's basketball. It was ugly that coaches were on the court, that benches cleared, and I will take care of that with my team."

Michigan's Sander Levin to lead House Ways and Means Committee

Michigan's Sander Levin to lead House Ways and Means Committee He will take over for New York's Charles Rangel, who faces an ethics investigation. Californian Pete Stark, who raised concerns among some Democrats, had been in line for the key post. Rep. Charles Rangel temporarily steps down as Ways and Means chairman Rep. Charles Rangel temporarily steps down as Ways and Means chairman In an untraditional twist, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) will replace Rep. Charles Rangel as acting chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee rather than Rep. Pete Stark (D-Fremont). Because of seniority, Stark had been in line to take the job and, as of Wednesday evening, House Democrats indicated that it was his, at least on an interim basis. But Stark's politics -- he's an unapologetic liberal -- and his volatility, with a history of making controversial and provocative statements, concerned other members of the committee as well as the Democratic leadership. Stark also has been in ill health in recent years, frequently missing votes. And, as chairman of the Ways and Means subcommittee on health, he has been intensely focused on healthcare issues rather than larger economic matters. In a statement, Stark said he wanted to stay in charge of his subcommittee. "I have decided to remain as chair of the Ways and Means Health subcommittee. We are at the cusp of achieving healthcare reform, and we must remain focused on moving forward," he said. "Once we pass health reform, it will take careful oversight to make sure that it is being implemented correctly." The Ways and Means Committee is charged with writing tax policy, which gives it sweeping authority over any piece of legislation that involves revenue. In that sense, Levin could make for a better fit. He's an expert on trade issues and is considered to be much more moderate than Stark. "The Ways and Means Committee plays a vital role on critical issues facing American families, including job creation, economic development and healthcare," Levin said in a statement Thursday, promising to work "collaboratively with Democrats on the committee and the entire caucus, with congressional leadership and the Obama administration" as well as "undertaking discussions with Republicans in order to move our nation forward." Levin, 78, has served in the House since 1983. He is the brother of Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) Pelosi made the announcement at a morning meeting of the House Democratic caucus. Rangel, the embattled congressman from New York, said Wednesday that he was stepping down as committee chairman while awaiting the outcome of an Ethics Committee investigation. Both he and Pelosi called it a "leave of absence." However, installing Levin may be a sign that Pelosi and the Democratic leadership are concerned about the long-term stability of the committee and are considering the possibility that Rangel may never retake the gavel.

CIF Girls' BBall: Jordan Runs Past Redondo Union, 58-40

CIF Girls' BBall: Jordan Runs Past Redondo Union, 58-40 by J.J. Fiddler | Jordan | 02.19.10 | | Text Size: + - This website picked Jordan to finish second in the Moore League because of their speed and guard play. As if to validate our choice after the fact, the Panther guards shined and used that quickness to pull away from the visiting Redondo Union Sea Hawks in the first round of the CIF playoffs at Jordan High last night, and they never looked back. Senior guard India Burke scored seven of her 12 points in the first quarter as the Panthers built a lead they would not relinquish on their way to a 58-40 win. Senior guard Danesha Long dropped a game-high 16 points for Jordan and junior captain Kyasha Wilson added seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Shayna Stuart led the way for Redondo with 13 points, four assists and two steals. "They did a good job of switching defensive looks on us," said Jordan head coach Adara Newidouski. "But we settled down and ran some plays off sets... the focus is always on us and what we're doing. In the second half we played good defense, and when we take it up a notch from where it was, we control the game... [Burke] is set for isolation early, and the more aggressive she is, the better we are." Burke was aggressive all right as Jordan stayed in the press for most of the game (15 first half turnovers for Redondo) and she turned two steals into those seven first quarter points to go up 15-4. Stuart got out behind the Panther pressure and her two lay ups near the six minute mark pulled Redondo to within four, but that's as close as they would get all night. Long, Burke and Wilson all made consecutive trips to the free throw line after the Sea Hawk mini run, and the Panthers took a 33-20 lead into halftime after grabbing 10 points at the charity stripe in the second quarter alone. Long led the charge to the line, and with fellow guard Armani Wiley on the bench with early foul trouble, she knew what she had to do. "I knew I had to lead for my team," said Long, who also had five rebounds and five steals. "That's what [the press] is there for... we just need to play smart and play hard on defense. Coach [Newidouski] is right, this is a special group. There's no reason we can't make it to the finals." Jordan opened the third quarter with a 15-7 run that was punctuated by a nifty pass from Erienei Alesana to Long on the baseline. That gave Newidouski her first honest smile of the night, and gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the night, 23 points. Jordan will most likely travel for the next round on Saturday, and will see the winner of the Schurr/Warren game. This website picked Jordan to finish second in the Moore League because of their speed and guard play. As if to validate our choice after the fact, the Panther guards shined and used that quickness to pull away from the visiting Redondo Union Sea Hawks in the first round of the CIF playoffs at Jordan High last night, and they never looked back. Senior guard India Burke scored seven of her 12 points in the first quarter as the Panthers built a lead they would not relinquish on their way to a 58-40 win. Senior guard Danesha Long dropped a game-high 16 points for Jordan and junior captain Kyasha Wilson added seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Shayna Stuart led the way for Redondo with 13 points, four assists and two steals. "They did a good job of switching defensive looks on us," said Jordan head coach Adara Newidouski. "But we settled down and ran some plays off sets... the focus is always on us and what we're doing. In the second half we played good defense, and when we take it up a notch from where it was, we control the game... [Burke] is set for isolation early, and the more aggressive she is, the better we are." Burke was aggressive all right as Jordan stayed in the press for most of the game (15 first half turnovers for Redondo) and she turned two steals into those seven first quarter points to go up 15-4. Stuart got out behind the Panther pressure and her two lay ups near the six minute mark pulled Redondo to within four, but that's as close as they would get all night. Long, Burke and Wilson all made consecutive trips to the free throw line after the Sea Hawk mini run, and the Panthers took a 33-20 lead into halftime after grabbing 10 points at the charity stripe in the second quarter alone. Long led the charge to the line, and with fellow guard Armani Wiley on the bench with early foul trouble, she knew what she had to do. "I knew I had to lead for my team," said Long, who also had five rebounds and five steals. "That's what [the press] is there for... we just need to play smart and play hard on defense. Coach [Newidouski] is right, this is a special group. There's no reason we can't make it to the finals." Jordan opened the third quarter with a 15-7 run that was punctuated by a nifty pass from Erienei Alesana to Long on the baseline. That gave Newidouski her first honest smile of the night, and gave the Panthers their biggest lead of the night, 23 points. Jordan will most likely travel for the next round on Saturday, and will see the winner of the Schurr/Warren game.