Cleaves

A 19-year-old woman allegedly raped by former Calvert Hall star Gary Neal and a La Salle University basketball teammate told police she was so drunk she was throwing up into a sink when Neal forced himself on her, according to a police investigation report. In the report, the woman says Neal was the first to rape her in a dormitory at the Philadelphia school at about 1 a.m on June 24. She told investigators Michael Cleaves joined in, saying at one point: "I want to get some of that." Neal, a 6-foot-4 guard who grew up in Aberdeen, was the Explorers' leading scorer last season as a sophomore.

When the British author Chris Cleave published his debut novel, "Incendiary," he fell victim to perhaps the worst historical coincidence ever to afflict an author. The book, about a terrorist attack in a London sports stadium, was released on July 7, 2005 - the same day that three suicide bombers detonated their devices in the London underground transit system. Cleave's publishers yanked "Incendiary" off the shelves and canceled Cleave's book tour. He was so depressed that for a time he stopped writing.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michigan State would have been satisfied if Mateen Cleaves turned back the clock 21 years to Magic Johnson. But Cleaves didn't stop until he reached 30 years and became Willis Reed. The images will burn forever: Cleaves limping off the court. The crowd roaring as he returned from the locker room. The hero hopping in place in the final moments, dancing in painful celebration. Johnson was in the stands, watching Cleaves play the final 12 minutes with a sprained right ankle, admiring leadership that not even he provided when Michigan State won its only other NCAA men's title in 1979.

Contemporary romantic comedies mostly seem to be in love with raunchy humor. Although "Friends With Benefits" boisterously deserves its "R" rating, it also deserves recognition for being a funny examination of two people who aren't sure what they want in a relationship. It also helps that the snappy dialogue flies by so fast that the occasionally unfunny jokes do not linger. This particular couple's "meet-cute" introduction firmly places them within the screwball tradition.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The first step in Michigan State's rapturous journey to this year's Sweet 16 started last summer when point guard Mateen Cleaves shed 25 cumbersome pounds.Cleaves played basketball last season like a guy in a parka. He was uncomfortable, unseemly and -- in light of his celebrated high school career at Flint (Mich.) Northern -- unspectacular.By any other word, he was fat."I felt like I was playing with seven winter coats on," said the charismatic point guard, who'll lead the underdog Spartans into an East Regional semifinal tonight against No. 1 seeded and No. 1-ranked North Carolina at Greensboro Coliseum.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Mateen Cleaves cupped his right hand over his mouth in disbelief and cried. After Michigan State's 89-76 victory over Florida for the national championship Monday night, Cleaves stood side-by-side with coach Tom Izzo on the court, watching in amazement as the highlights of this year's NCAA tournament flashed on an RCA Dome big screen. Guess who represented the lasting image? It was a night in which Cleaves seemed to make all the right decisions. It was a night that confirmed all of Cleaves' previous decisions.

ST. LOUIS -- Mateen Cleaves has the reputation.Wayne Turner has the crown.Those are the perspectives of the two point guards in the pivotal matchup of the Midwest Regional final at the Trans World Dome today.Cleaves and the Michigan State Spartans against Turner and the defending champion Kentucky Wildcats.Forget about winning ugly. Disregard those awkward-looking jump shots. And don't even bring up the rare occasion when their offense takes the night off.These guys have a common bond, and it is about winning.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Florida guard Kenyan Weaks forced Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves to the sideline deep in his own backcourt, then proceeded to tip the ball out of bounds. That play happened with about 13 minutes left in the first half, and although the Spartans retained possession, it was one of the few times the Gators' full-court press had any success. And it still did not produce a turnover. The Gators' press, which carried the team through the NCAA tournament by wearing out the opponent at the end of the game, turned out to be part of its downfall in last night's 89-76 loss to Michigan State in the national title game.

POTOMAC - Pete Cleaves is getting a rough introduction in his first year as general chairman of the Kemper Insurance Open. After 31 straight days without rain, the last week has been one storm after another, producing one headache after another. Rain early in the week made for wet conditions through the first round, the second round was interrupted for 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 33 players waited out a six-hour delay yesterday before completing the second round. The third round wasn't started.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The final episode of "The Flintstones" signed off with a magical ending. Carried by Flint, Mich., seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson, Michigan State carved out another piece of basketball history with an 89-76 triumph over Florida in the men's NCAA tournament final last night at the RCA Dome. It was the largest margin of victory in the championship game in eight years. The Spartans (32-7) achieved their first national championship since the Magic Johnson-led team won in 1979, but Michigan State didn't require any special tricks last night.

NOVEL INCENDIARY By Chris Cleave. Alfred A. Knopf. 288 pages In every catastrophic tragedy, there are dreadful after-images -- not just for those who were somehow touched by the event, but for all who witnessed it, whether up close or on TV. So it was for Americans post-9 / 11. As someone who had worked in New York for years with friends and colleagues within blocks of Ground Zero, I found the most unbearable such image to be the phalanx of desperate, grief-stricken...

A 19-year-old woman allegedly raped by former Calvert Hall star Gary Neal and a La Salle University basketball teammate told police she was so drunk she was throwing up into a sink when Neal forced himself on her, according to a police investigation report. In the report, the woman says Neal was the first to rape her in a dormitory at the Philadelphia school at about 1 a.m on June 24. She told investigators Michael Cleaves joined in, saying at one point: "I want to get some of that." Neal, a 6-foot-4 guard who grew up in Aberdeen, was the Explorers' leading scorer last season as a sophomore.

Still Love in Strange Places, by Beth Kephart. W.W. Norton & Co. 224 pages. $24.95. Beth Kephart writes, "In 1984, one year after I met the man I'd marry, one year before I said I do, the revolutionary forces brought their war, in force, to the land Bill had grown up loving." For nearly two decades, Kephart has been trying to get to know her husband and the land that he loves -- El Salvador. In her new memoir, she sifts through its soil and the history books written about it, giving us detailed lessons in geomorphology, ecology, agriculture, culture, politics and economics.

POTOMAC - Pete Cleaves is getting a rough introduction in his first year as general chairman of the Kemper Insurance Open. After 31 straight days without rain, the last week has been one storm after another, producing one headache after another. Rain early in the week made for wet conditions through the first round, the second round was interrupted for 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 33 players waited out a six-hour delay yesterday before completing the second round. The third round wasn't started.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Mateen Cleaves cupped his right hand over his mouth in disbelief and cried. After Michigan State's 89-76 victory over Florida for the national championship Monday night, Cleaves stood side-by-side with coach Tom Izzo on the court, watching in amazement as the highlights of this year's NCAA tournament flashed on an RCA Dome big screen. Guess who represented the lasting image? It was a night in which Cleaves seemed to make all the right decisions. It was a night that confirmed all of Cleaves' previous decisions.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Florida guard Kenyan Weaks forced Michigan State guard Mateen Cleaves to the sideline deep in his own backcourt, then proceeded to tip the ball out of bounds. That play happened with about 13 minutes left in the first half, and although the Spartans retained possession, it was one of the few times the Gators' full-court press had any success. And it still did not produce a turnover. The Gators' press, which carried the team through the NCAA tournament by wearing out the opponent at the end of the game, turned out to be part of its downfall in last night's 89-76 loss to Michigan State in the national title game.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Syracuse wouldn't budge out of its zone, so Michigan State finished in one. The top-seeded Spartans scored the final 17 points, converting on 10 of their last 11 possessions to pull away from fourth-seeded Syracuse, 75-58, in a Midwest Regional semifinal last night. The partisan crowd of 21,214 at the Palace of Auburn Hills watched Michigan State erase a 14-point second-half deficit and advanced to its second straight regional final. After holding the Orangemen scoreless for the last 5: 54, the Spartans (29-7)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The final episode of "The Flintstones" signed off with a magical ending. Carried by Flint, Mich., seniors Morris Peterson and Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State carved itself another piece of basketball history with an 89-76 triumph over Florida in the men's NCAA tournament final last night at the RCA Dome. The Spartans (32-7) achieved their first national championship since the Magic Johnson-led team won in 1979, but the former superstar remained a mere spectator since Michigan State required no special tricks last night.