Northwest Sports: In the Morning

"I'm a Mexican doctor and I've got your son."
Those were the words a Michigan mom heard at 8am on Tuesday...her son, Kyle Meagher, is in a Cabo San Lucas hospital after being beaten nearly to death; allegedly by two Portland State basketball players who he'd kept out of the VIP room of a club. Meagher has eight screws and two titanium plates in his mouth, he won't be able to eat for a month. The two players, center Scott Morrison and guard Jeremiah Dominguez, have now struck a deal with Mexican authorities and are free, though they may face charges in the United States. Let's not assume that they committed the attack, sounds like they were the two most likely suspects--Meagher identified them from photos, but they've denied involvement. Still--Ken Bone, this might be a propitious time to cash in that NCAA tourney appearance and take another job.

Bennett told recruits he's staying (they think)...
Tony Bennett and his staff called their recruiting targets this week to let them know he won't take the Indiana job. But there's some confusion as to what he actually said. James Watson of OK got a call from Bennett assistant Ron Sanchez who "said [Bennett] wasn't leaving." But Klay Thompson of CA says Bennett "didn't really say he'd decline all offers, but I think he'll be there next year." The university said Bennett wouldn't take the Indiana job, but their statement didn't say definitively that he'd be back for 08-09.

Mike Holmgren's famous career advisors...
You'd probably think an experienced guy like Mike Holmgren would know his own mind about retirement. You'd be wrong, according to TNT's Frank Hughes. Holmgren sought out advice from fellow coaches, including Tony Dungy: "It wasn’t, ‘Mike, I think you should do this,’ or, ‘Tony, I think you should do this.’ It was more, ‘What do you think about the issues? What is important to you? How are you feeling about your team, about your guys, about your ownership?’ I think both of us, when we talked about the positives, that kind of outweighed the emotional spiral you are on at the end of the year." Dungy didn't offer much advice, but was extremely adamant that Holmgren not move back to San Francisco.

Blazers soldier on, reinforcement on the way...
Don't think that being mathematically eliminated from the playoff race has the Blazers giving up. No! They still have a goal for the season, and that goal is to finish .500. And they'll get some help, as Brandon Roy's MRI showed a groin strain, no tear. He could play again as early as Sunday.

Bobby Jones' wild ride continues...
Jones signed a 10-day contract with the Spurs, that makes the fifth NBA team he's played for this season. Jones also played some with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Garfield beats Redmond...in baseball?
You're going to have to endure these little digressions about Garfield High School athletics. The Dawgs are used to beating Redmond in basketball, then getting hammered in every other sport ever invented by man. But yesterday they beat the top-ranked Mustangs in, of all things, baseball. Said the Bulldogs coach: "They're starting to see that they're not a bad team." Wow! Well that would be a first.