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The most popular item in Bill McCartneys basement full of memorabilia from a long and well-decorated coaching career is a picture of his Colorado teams 1994 victory at the Big House: The Miracle at Michigan.Theres a little button in the corner of the frame that when pushed summons Keith Jacksons unforgettable call of Kordell Stewarts 75-yard Hail Mary pass on the final play of the 27-26 upset over the fourth-ranked Wolverines. Derek McCartney, Bills grandson, lived next door growing up and would gather up his grade-school buddies on a weekly basis to bring them downstairs and give them all a chance to press the button.We wore that thing out, says Mike McCartney, Bills son. There wasnt a time we went into the basement where we didnt play it.Derek is now 22 years old and a defensive lineman for the Buffs, who will travel back to the Big House this season for another underdog matchup against a Wolverines team that is once again ranked fourth in the nation. Bill will be there to watch. It will be, he says, his first time back in the stadium that has meant so much to his coaching career since he left victorious 22 years ago.The visit will be an important trip for Bill, who worked for eight seasons in his home state as an assistant at Michigan before building a national champion from scratch at Colorado. The 76-year-old coach was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimers disease this summer. Hes still physically fit and socially sharp, but his short-term memory has started to falter. Friends and family say he has trouble remembering conversations from earlier in the day. He can recall with clarity, though, practicing the Hail Mary pass from Stewart to Michael Westbrook the day before beating Michigan.It didnt work on Friday; the ball fell to the ground, Bill said. We didnt deflect it properly. So, its true that we got a little bit lucky, but we also felt like we prepared properly.An instant classic like that produces a thousand different stories from a thousand different perspectives. McCartney would probably be OK with hearing them all.Jerry Hanlons version starts in Miami, Ohio, where the longtime Michigan assistant was being inducted into Miamis famous Cradle of Coaches on that September afternoon in 1994. He says its the only home Michigan game he hasnt watched from inside the Big House since he started with the Wolverines in 1969.I watched it in the press box (at Miami) on the television and damn near jumped out of the box, Hanlon said.Hanlon was part of Bo Schembechlers staff in Miami that followed him up to Ann Arbor. Schembechler struck up a relationship with Bill after hearing that he had won football and basketball state championships in the same school year at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, Schembechler asked McCartney to join his staff and coach the linebackers at Michigan.McCartney grew up across the street from a high school in Riverview, Michigan, a few miles west from where the Canadian border dips down into Lake Erie. He would sneak over to the school and watch football practices, where he says he decided as a seven-year-old that coaching football would be his vocation.He shared an office with Jack Harbaugh for the majority of his eight years in Ann Arbor. During their first week in Ann Arbor, McCartney sent his boys down the street to meet Jacks sons, John and Jimmy. They had the best cereal of anyone in the neighborhood, Jim recalled earlier this week.McCartney eventually worked his way up to being the teams defensive coordinator. McCartneys monsters, as radio man Bob Ufer dubbed the defense, didnt allow a touchdown for five straight games (three of them shutouts) to help lead the 1980 team to a Big Ten title and Schembechlers first Rose Bowl victory.McCartneys allegiance to and reverence for Schembechler is the tie that binds Michigan and Colorados football programs. McCartney modeled much of his tough-love formula that made the Buffaloes successful after what he learned while coaching for the Wolverines.We tried to do things a similar way, McCartney said. I tried to duplicate that, although I wasnt Bo.Shemy Schembechler, Bos son, was a graduate assistant on Michigans staff when McCartney returned with his Buffaloes team in 1994. Shemys job after the final play of the game was to go and collect the prospects in town for the days game and bring them back to the locker room. It was as long and devastating a walk as he can remember having in the Big House.While on his way to retrieve the recruits, he bumped into Elli Uzelac, a former Michigan assistant who had joined McCartney in Colorado as offensive coordinator.He comes up behind me and says, Shem turn around, Schembechler says. He said, Sorry buddy, but we still love you. It was almost just like my dad. They had the same mantra of jubilance in winning a game like that. It was almost like it was the Michigan of the West.Colorados coaches agree with that description, almost to a comical fault.Whatever Schembechler did, Mac did, says Gary Barnett, a long-time McCartney assistant and eventually a head coach at Colorado. He did it to the point where we got tired of listening to all the Michigan stuff. It was Michigan this, Michigan that. Bo this, Bo that. He was in Bos corner all the way.As former Colorado coaches, Barnett and McCartney bump into each other frequently at charity events and golf outings. Those days usually come with a few stories from their time on the same staff -- knocking off Oklahoma State with a fake field goal in 91 or the year before, when Barnett replaced Gerry DiNardo as offensive coordinator a month before playing for a national title. McCartney called over Barnett to deliver news of his promotion. He said, OK, Gerrys leaving. Youre the coordinator. Figure out how to win the game. End of meeting.Barnett did. Colorado beat Notre Dame 10-9 in the Orange Bowl to wrap up an undefeated season and a national championship. A few years later, Barnett was the head coach at Northwestern and sitting in his office after a game when he flipped to ABC to catch the end of Colorado-Michigan. He saw the Buffaloes were down to a final play and walked away figuring they had lost.Barnett said as he remembers the play, it was actually Westbrooks job to tip the ball to another receiver. Their routes got crossed up near the goal line, so Westbrook was a little out of position when he caught the game winner. The coach says now that he should have known to expect the unexpected after working alongside McCartney for so long.Two months later, McCartney announced he was stepping away from coaching at age 55 to spend more time with his family. Barnett was shocked again.He was always going to do something or say something that was off the wall, Barnett said. For us, that one came out of nowhere, but it was kind of fitting.Mike McCartney has a version of the story, too, of course. He was working for the Chicago Bears at the time and made the trip back to Ann Arbor to see his dads team play in their old hometown.He remembers standing in the tunnel of the stadium late in the second quarter and seeing Les Miles, then Michigans offensive line coach, who was headed down from the press box to talk to his players during halftime. The Buffs had the ball and were going to try a deep pass to score before the break. McCartney leaned over to Miles, who was part of McCartneys first staff in Colorado, and let him know that Stewart had the arm strength to hurl 75 or 80 yards in the air.Les talked to me later on, he said. On that last play (of the game) he was in the press box telling Michigans coaches, Hey, McCartney told me Kordell can throw it 75 or 80 yards. You better back up. Can you imagine if they wouldve batted it down because of something I said? Luckily, it worked out.Mike McCartney called that weekend an emotional one, and he expects the return trip this time around to be much the same. Dozens of former players and coaches are planning to meet in town Friday night to relive glory days and tell their own versions of one of the many stories theyve shared together.As Bill McCartneys disease starts to eat away at his memory, those unforgettable moments become more important, his son said. They talk more now about old coaching stories than they ever have before, and calling them to mind lights up the old coachs face in a way few other things do now.Im 76, so Im over-the-hill Bill, but (this weekend) Im wired, fired and inspired, he said. We havent seen each other for a long time, but theyve got all stories. Those stories are funny and theyre also revealing. Im sure theyll be some of that. Theyll say, Do you remember this? and Ill say, No. Remind me.Nike Air Force 1 Pas Cher . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Nike Air Force 1 France . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. http://www.nikeairforce1france.fr/ . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Air Force 1 France Soldes . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Vente Nike Air Force 1 . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying.PARIS -- If Rafael Nadal truly was going to be challenged, if his bid for an unprecedented eighth French Open championship would be slowed even a bit, this might have been the moment. Leading by a set and a break 70 minutes into Sundays final against David Ferrer, another generally indefatigable Spaniard, Nadal faced four break points in one game. The last was a 31-stroke exchange, the matchs longest, capped when Nadal absorbed Ferrers strong backhand approach and transformed it into a cross-court backhand passing shot. Ferrer glared at the ball as it flew past and landed in a corner, then smiled ruefully. What else was there to do? Dealing with Nadals defence-to-offence on red clay is a thankless task. His rain-soaked 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Ferrer on was Nadals record 59th win in 60 matches at the French Open and made him the only man with eight titles at any Grand Slam tournament. "I never like to compare years, but its true that this year means something very special for me," Nadal said, alluding to the way he managed to come back from a left knee injury that sidelined him for about seven months. "When you have a period of time like I had," he added, "you realize that you dont know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time." But he does it, year after year. He won four French Opens in a row from 2005-08, and another four in a row from 2010-13. "Rafael was better than me," said Ferrer, who had won all 18 sets hed played the past two weeks to reach his first Grand Slam final at age 31. "He didnt make mistakes." A week past his 27th birthday, Nadal now owns 12 major trophies in all -- including two from Wimbledon, one each from the U.S. Open and Australian Open -- to eclipse Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver and equal Roy Emerson for the third-most in history. Nadal trails only Roger Federers 17 and Pete Sampras 14. "Winning 17 Grand Slam titles, thats miles away," Nadal said with his typical humility. "Im not even thinking about it." This was Nadals first major tournament after a surprising second-round loss at Wimbledon last June. Since rejoining the tour in February, he is 43-2 with seven titles and two runner-up finishes. Hes won his past 22 matches. "For me, its incredible," said Toni Nadal, Rafaels uncle and coach. "When I think of all that Rafael has done, I dont understand it." Lets be plain: No one, perhaps not even Ferrer himself, expected Nadal to lose Sunday. Thats because of Nadals skill on clay, in general, and at Roland Garros, in particular, but also because of how Ferrer had fared against his friend and countryman -- and video-game competitor -- in the past. Ferrer entered Sunday 4-19 against Nadal. On clay, Nadal had 16 consecutive victories over Ferrer, whose only head-to-head win on the surface came the first time they played, in July 2004, when Nadal was 18. Nadal had yet to make his French Open debut then, missing it that year because of a broken left foot. On May 23, 2005, Nadal played his first match at Roland Garros, beating Lars Burgsmuller 6-1, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Court 1, known as the "bullring" because of its oval shape. And so began the reign. Nadal won a record 31 consecutive matches at the French Open until the fourth round in 2009, when Robin Soderling beat him. In 2010, Naddal started a new streak, which currently stands at 28.dddddddddddd. There was occasional shakiness this year. Nadal lost the first set of each of his first two matches, and was pushed to a tiebreaker to begin his third. His fourth match, a straight-set win against No. 15 Kei Nishikori, "was a major step forward," Nadal said. Still, he barely edged No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic in a thrilling semifinal that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours and ended 9-7 in the fifth set Friday. By any measure, that match was far more enjoyable to take in than the final, akin to dining on a filet mignon accompanied by a well-aged bottle of Bordeaux -- each bite and sip rich, textured -- one day, then grabbing a hot dog and can of soda from a street vendor 48 hours later. Under a leaden sky that eventually would release a steady shower from the second set on, Ferrer felt nerves at the outset, he acknowledged later. But after the players traded early breaks, Ferrer held for a 3-2 lead. Thats when Nadal took over, winning seven games in a row and 12 of 14 to render the ultimate result pretty clear. It was as if he simply decided, "Enough is enough." His court coverage was impeccable, as usual, showing no signs of any problems from that left knee, which was supported by a band of white tape. His lefty forehand whips were really on-target, accounting for 19 of his 35 winners and repeatedly forcing errors from Ferrer. When Nadal did have lapses, he admonished himself, once slapping his forehead with his right palm after pushing a lob wide. But whats demoralizing for opponents is the way Nadal slams the door when they have openings, then rushes through when he gets the slightest chance. He was at his relentless best on key points, including those four break chances for Ferrer at 3-1 in the second set. Immediately after, Nadal broke to 5-1 on a forehand winner down the line. As Nadal prepared to serve in the next game, a man wearing a white mask and carrying a fiery flare jumped out of the stands nearby. The intruder quickly was shoved to the ground by one security guard, while another went to protect Nadal. "I felt a little bit scared at the first moment," Nadal said, "because I didnt see whats going on." It happened within a few minutes of other actions by protesters, including chanting from the upper deck that briefly delayed play. Police said seven people were held for questioning. Nadal got broken in that game, then broke back right away to take the second set. The third set was similar to the first. It was 3-all, then suddenly over. Nadal took the last three games, ending the match with a forehand winner before dropping his racket and falling on his back, leaving a rust-colored smudge on his white shirt and flecks of clay on his stubbled cheeks. Soon he was standing, holding his index finger aloft. Yes, Nadal is No. 1 at the French Open, without a doubt. When the ATP rankings are issued Monday, however, he will be No. 5, due to points he dropped while hurt. Oddly enough, Ferrer will be at No. 4. "Yeah, its strange, no? I lost the final against Rafael, but tomorrow I am going to be No. 4 and him No. 5," Ferrer said with a grin, then delivered his punchline: "I prefer to win here and to stay No. 5." Sorry, David. This is Nadals tournament. Now the question becomes: Is eight enough? ' ' '