Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 27

INSIDE I Suns' James Jones is starting to find his rhythm. C4 ALL-STAR SNUB? The Dallas Mavericks' Josh Howard is performing at an elite level. C5 ONLINE TODAY Go to nfl.azcentral.com and click on scores to follow the NFL playoffs live. A nat.tr iht.feiin nr SUNDAY, JANUARY 7, 2007 THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC SPORTS.AZCENTRAL.COM SECTION THE INSIDE STORY BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OHIO STATE VS. FLORIDA I Zoom i 11.

1 ifew m. 11 Bk) i t. I cs i r' i if i 21 COWBOYS 20 Seahawks survive as QB Romo loses grip Associated Press SEATTLE All Tony Romo had to do was put the ball down and let Martin Gramatica make a short kick. He couldn't do it -and the Seattle Seahawks are still alive in the NFL playoffs. Romo's botched hold on a 19-yard field goal try with 1:19 left forced the Pro Bowl quarterback to scramble left, but he was tackled at the 2 and the Seahawks escaped with a 21-20 victory in the wildest of wildcard games Saturday night Seattle will play either Chicago or New Orleans in an NFC division playoff game next weekend.

Seattle trailed 20-13 after getting stopped on fourth and goal with about 6:40 to go, but rallied thanks to a Dallas fum-ble-turned-safety on the next snap and a 37-yiird touchdown from Matt Hasselbeck to Jer-ramy Stevens on the ensuing drive. Romo moved the Cowboys from their 28 to the Seattle 2 on a pass to Jason Witten that initially was ruled a first down. But a replay showed the Cowboys were short. Dallas had its offense still on the field after being told it was fourth down, then sent in Gramatica who already had made kicks of 50 and 29 yards to win it. At least, that was the plan.

JONATHAN DANIELGETTY IMAGES Colts 23, Chiefs 8 The Indianapolis Colts get an impressive effort from Dwight Free-ney (left) and the rest of their defense en route to a relatively easy playoff victory at home. C12 Today's games Jets at Patriots, 11 a.m., Ch. 5 Giants at Eagles, 2:30 p.m., Ch. 10 SEAHAWKS I i y. La 4i ill pWHHPHWH! nMIMIIMI -1 1 i I 4 JIM BRYANT ASSOCIATED PRESS 1 ASU men's basketball stays winless in Pac-10 Antwi Atuahene and the Arizona State's men's basketball team stayed close in the first half at Washington but couldn't finish the job, losing to the Huskies 64-53 to start the conference season 0-4.

CIO Penguins' Crosby scores on midseason report Star second-year player Sidney Crosby has the MVP award nailed down. C7 Singh set to snap frustrations in Hawaii Vijay Singh, second the past three years at Kapalua, tries to end the drought as he leads the Mercedes-Benz Championship after three rounds. C14 TODAY'S GAMES Coyotes at Blackhawks, 1 p.m. Warriors at Suns, 6 p.m. Three-game planner, C2 ONLINE POLL Go to sports.azcentral.com to vote: Which team do you want to win the BCS title game? THE SCORES NFLC12 Colts 23, Chiefs 8 Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20 NBAC4-5 Hawks 86, Clippers 74 Cavaliers 96, Nets 91 Pacers 100, Hornets 93 Bulls 106, Pistons 89 Jazz 96, Nuggets 84 Trail Blazers at Kings, late, Sonics at Warriors, late NHLC6-7 Bruins 4, Flyers 3 Devils 3, Senators 2 Rangers 4, Canadiens 3 Sabres 4, Maple Leafs 3 Capitals 3, Thrashers 2 (OT) Hurricanes 4, Islanders 2 Predators 3, Blues 2 Avalanche 2, Wild 1 (SO) Stars at Flames, late Blue Jackets at Sharks, late Red Wings at Kings, late Countdown to Glendale This date in college football Jan.

7, 1950: The South defeats the North 22-13 in the first Senior Bowl all-star game at Jacksonville, Fla. The NFL starts running the game in Mobile, the following year. BCS title game, Monday INDEX Briefs C3 Baseball C3 NBA C4-5 NHL C6-7 Colleges C8-11 NFL C12 Scoreboard C13 Golf C14 For live sports scores and stats, send text message with the TEAM If JO 2 playmakers in Monday's game have 1 thing in common: SPEED 1 i N1 ByDougHaller I The Arizona Republic Florida freshman Percy Harvin could have ended up at Southern California, where coaches would have groomed him as the next Reggie Bush and labeled him destined for stardom. Harvin instead chose his own path, opting for Florida, where he has helped the Gators surge to Monday's BCS National Championship Game and starred in a healthy debate as kickoff draws closer. Harvin and Ohio State junior Ted Ginn Jr.

are included among college football's bigger playmakers. Both are former high school sprint champions. Both are explosive. Both will factor in the Scoreboard's final turn. See BCS TITLE Page C8 Ohio State sets standard on how to hire a coach BCS National Championship Game: Monday, 6:30 p.m., University of Phoenix Stadium, Ch.

10. In the Buckeyes' tradition of great backs, un jrstated Antonio Pittman is gaining ground. C8 Florida's DeSh-awn Wynn can show Ohio State fans what they've missed. C8 Paola Boivin Republic columnist letic director in the nation should note. Ohio State was perceived as settling on Tressel, which is amusing because he could outcoach the backside of most of his peers.

Saban is set to make between $3.5 million and $4 million a year with the Crimson Tide. When the Buckeyes See BOIVIN Page C8 In the world of ingenious hires, Ohio State's selection of Jim Tres-sel will go down as one of the finest. You can take it to the bank, where you'll surely run into new Alabama coach Nick Saban. The hiring of Saban at a time when the Buckeyes are preparing for the national championship game has provided a juxtaposition that every ath ON BASEBALL Look at Ryan to guess stats on aging Unit By Joseph A. Reaves The Arizona Republic So what can the Diamondbacks expect from Randy Johnson? Depends on his back.

But if Johnson pitches like Nolan Ryan did at his age, figure on 30 starts, 13 wins and 204 innings. If he pitches like Roger Clemens, he'll be a little better than half that good: 19 starts, seven wins and 11373 innings. If he's up to Jamie Moyer standards, the hometown team should get about 11 wins, 33 starts and 211'3 innings. But if Johnson's anything like Don Sutton, you're looking at, maybe, three wins, 16 starts and a paltry 87V3 innings. Few pitchers in history have stayed in the game long enough to be 43 years old at the start of a season.

Thaf how old Johnson will be Opening Day this spring. If he plays out both years of his expected new contract, he will be 45 the final month of the 2008 season. Only five regular starters since World War II have been that old, and two of those were knuckleballers, Charlie Hough and Phil Sec JOHNSON Page C3 SPECIAL REPORT AT ET ES A 1 0 AG A I WO VIOLENCE FINDS UGLY PLACE IN SPORTS Editor's note: First of two parts. By Michael Kiefer The Arizona Republic As she waited in court for a jury to come back with a verdict, Tina Placou-rakis flashed back to the worst day of her life. That was the day the man she loved attacked her while she was taking a shower, she said.

There, in the place she should have felt safest, he knocked her to the floor and held her for seven hours, sometimes with a foot on her neck. As she shivered on the tile, naked and curled in a fetal position, he spit tobacco chew on her, urinated in the drain next to her and humiliated her until he got what he wanted, which was for her to sign over the title of her car to him. Millions of women are physically and mentally abused by their husbands, boyfriends, fathers, sons or lovers. What made Placourakis' story different is that her abuser was a retired millionaire ath lete, Charles "Chili" Davis, who started his Major League Baseball career as a switch-hitting center fielder for the San Francisco Giants and ended it as a designated hitter for the New York Yankees. "The physical abuse from him is something I think about and I blink and it goes away," Placourakis said.

"The mental abuse affects me because I'm angry that I allowed it. I'm not a weak person." See VIOLENCE Page C2 NAME (e.g. Suns) or PLAYER NAME (e.g. Steve Nash) to 44636 (4INF0). For more Sports, including the latest scores and updates, go to sports.azcentral.com REACH US: Sports editor Mark mark.falleriffiarizonarepublic.com.