Colts head coach Pagano makes emotional return to team

INDIANAPOLIS — Chuck Pagano stepped to the podium Monday, hugged his team owner, thanked his family for their support and wiped a tear from his eye.

He might, finally, turn out the lights in his office, too.

Nearly three months to the day after being diagnosed with leukemia, the Colts' first-year coach returned to a team eager to reunite with a boss healthy enough to go back to work.

"I told you my best day of my life was July 1, 1989," Pagano said, referring to his wedding date. "Today was No. 2. Getting to pull up, drive in, get out of my car, the key fob still worked. I was beginning to question whether it would or not. When I asked for Bruce (Arians) to take over, I asked for him to kick some you-know-what and to do great. Damn Bruce, you had to go and win nine games? Tough act to follow. Tough act to follow. Best in the history of the NFL. That's what I have to come back to."

The comment turned tears into the laughter everyone expected on such a festive occasion.

For Pagano and the Colts, Monday morning was as precious as anyone could have imagined when Pagano took an indefinite leave to face the biggest opponent of his life, cancer.

In his absence, all the Colts did was win nine of 12 games, make a historic turnaround and clinch a playoff spot all before Sunday's regular-season finale against Houston, which they pegged as the day they hoped to have Pagano back. If all goes well at practice this week, Pagano will be on the sideline for the first time since a Week 3 loss to Jacksonville.

Pagano endured three rounds of chemotherapy to put his cancer in remission.

That Pagano's return came less than 24 hours after Indy (10-5) locked up the No. 5 seed in the AFC and the day before Christmas seemed fitting, too.

"I know Chuck is ready for this challenge. In speaking to his doctor multiple times, I know that the time is right for him to grab the reins, get the head coaching cap on and begin the journey," owner Jim Irsay said. "It's been a miraculous story. It really is a book. It's a fairytale. It's a Hollywood script. It's all those things but it's real."

The reality is that he's returning to a vastly different team than the one he turned over to Arians, his long-time friend and first assistant coaching hire.

Back then, the Colts were 1-2 and most of the so-called experts had written them off as one of the league's worst teams. Now, they're ready to show the football world that they can be just as successful under Pagano as they were under Arians, who tied the NFL record for wins after a midseason coaching change.

Pagano also has changed.

The neatly-trimmed salt-and-pepper hair and trademark goatee that were missing in November have slowly returned, and the thinner man who appeared to be catching his breath during a postgame speech in early November, looked and sounded as good as ever Monday.

He repeatedly thanked fans for their prayers and letters, the organization and his family for their unwavering help and promised to provide comfort and support to other people who are facing similar fights. During one poignant moment that nearly brought out tears again, Pagano even recounted a letter sent to him by a 9-year-old child who suggested he suck on ice chips and strawberry Popsicles in the hospital and advised him to be nice to the nurses regardless of how he felt — and he never even paused.

"I feel great, my weight is back, my energy is back and again, it's just a blessing to be back here," Pagano said.

In the minds of Colts players and coaches, Pagano never really left.

View the original article here

Mao scores emotional national crown victory

KADOMA, Osaka Pref. — Grief-stricken Mao Asada rode a Christmas Day wave of emotion to come from behind and capture the women's title at the national championships Sunday, securing a berth at the world championships in Nice, France, in March in the process.

With open arms: Mao Asada performs her free skate program at the national championships on Sunday in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Mao won the event ahead of Akiko Suzuki. KYODO

Courageously competing here in Osaka just weeks after the death of her mother Kyoko, the 21-year-old delivered a graceful, if not perfect skate, to beat Akiko Suzuki with a winning total of 184.07 points.

"I was skating in a different situation to normal and I wondered how things would turn out, but I managed to stay focused and I believed in myself," said Mao, who won her fifth overall national crown.

"I think I was able to control myself better than yesterday and I am really pleased to end the year with this title," added the former two-time world champion.

Grand Prix Final silver medalist Suzuki moved up from third to second with 179.27, while short program winner Kanako Murakami made a series of errors and placed third with 172.69.

Suzuki and Murakami were also selected to take part in the worlds.

Mao opted out of her trademark triple axel and opened with a double axel before cleanly landing a triple flip-double toeloop and following up with a triple lutz.

She popped out of a triple salchow and the only other blemish came when she botched a triple loop and two-footed the jump.

"I was a bit disappointed about my jump at the end but reminded myself to keep smiling until the end," said Mao.

A resurgent Mao had been set to compete at her first Grand Prix Final in three years in Quebec earlier this month but made a frantic dash back to Japan from Canada on the eve of the women's short program after learning that her mother was in a critical condition in the hospital. Kyoko died before Mao could reach her bedside.

Kyoko, 48, passed away on Dec. 9 after a long battle with liver cirrhosis.

Like Murakami, Suzuki also had a wobbly skate, singling a triple lutz and also making a bad landing on a triple flip.

"I was aiming for victory but with a performance like this . . . well, that's just the way it goes. I'll do my best to skate better at the world championships."

Murakami singled a triple loop and made errors on a number of other jumps, also tripping over and crashing to the ice after mistiming her steps.

"My aim was to make the medals podium so I am pleased about that," said the former junior world champion. "I don't normally make mistakes on my steps and my mind just went blank. I want to put the same amount of practice into free skate as I do in my short skate and get more confidence."

Daisuke Takahashi won the men's national title on Saturday and will be going to Nice, along with runnerup Takahiko Kozuka and third-place finisher Yuzuru Hanyu.

View the original article here

Mao awaits emotional return at national championships

OSAKA — Former two-time world champion Mao Asada has vowed to pull out all the stops in what is set to be a highly emotional return to the rink at the national championships getting under way on Friday.

Back to work: Figure skater Mao Asada, a two-time world champion, will compete in the national championships in Osaka Prefecture two weeks after her mother's death. KYODO PHOTO

The 21-year-old has made the brave decision to compete at the event that serves as a qualifier for the world championships in Nice, France, in March, and starts just a fortnight after her mother, Kyoko, passed away at age 48 after a lengthy battle with liver cirrhosis.

A resurgent Mao had been set to compete at her first Grand Prix Final in three years in Quebec City earlier this month, but made a frantic dash back to Japan from Canada on the eve of the women's short program after learning that her mother was in a critical condition. Kyoko died before Mao could reach her bedside.

"When I came back from the (Grand Prix) final I was so busy and didn't have time to think about competition," Mao told a news conference Thursday.

"But I had to think after things settled down a bit and I realized I only had about a week before the nationals and thought I ought to start training. I wasn't thinking about pulling out."

Mao did not speak about her mother as she stood calmly before reporters at the news conference, but said she has been given words of encouragement by those close to her.

"People said 'try hard but not too hard as you are already doing your best.' This is the last event of the year so I want to wrap it up with a good performance. It's not about points or positions I just want to show my best skating," she said.

Mao failed to win a single event in the worst season of her competitive career in 2010-11, but headed into the Grand Prix Final with confidence sky high after a pair of strong performances in November.

She finished second behind Akiko Suzuki at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo before ending a three-year GP title drought at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, despite leaving out her trademark 3.5-revolution triple axel jump.

Mao will be aiming for her first national title in two years and fifth overall. Defending champion and world gold medalist Miki Ando is taking time out of competition this season.

NHK Trophy winner Suzuki finished runnerup at the Grand Prix Final and is a strong contender while Kanako Murakami and Haruka Imai are likely to be competing for the third berth.

On the men's side, former world champion Daisuke Takahashi, whose strong free skate earned him the silver at the Grand Prix Final, will be battling it out with Takahiko Kozuka and 17-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu, who placed fourth in his Grand Prix Final debut.

"I made mistakes on my quads (in Quebec) but I have improved in every other aspect," Takahashi said.

"I have got confidence in my triple jumps. I just have to try and make the quad in both the short and the free programs. Obviously I will be going for victory (at the nationals) but the main thing is getting one of the berths for the world championships."

Hanyu said he was hoping to build on the experience of competing against the world's elite skaters.

"I was so pleased that I was able to get a place among the six skaters at the final," he added.

Defending champion Kozuka underperformed on the GP circuit this season and failed to qualify for Quebec. Nobunari Oda will miss the nationals as he continues to recover from an injured left knee.

The competition begins on Friday with the pairs and men's short programs. The women's short program is scheduled for Saturday.

View the original article here