Tim Tebow admits he has a hard time saying no to fans, but the Heisman-winning quarterback said he's learning to appreciate Florida's policy that he no longer sign autographs.

Continue to 2nd paragraph "It is hard (to say no), but I'm getting better at it," Tebow said after Thursday's practice. "I feel bad. I don't want to be a mean guy, so I'll always give in and keep signing forever. That's why I've got mean people around me to do it for me.

The Gator men's basketball team held its first practice Wednesday night after a short holiday break, while putting the finishing touches on its preparation for Saturday's game against Temple in Sunrise at the Orange Bowl Classic.

Although Billy Donovan admits his team was "a little rusty" with some bad timing in its first session back, he's hoping the time off will help his young squad.

"I really am hoping that it was a rejuvenating refresher for our team," Donovan said. "Having ten games in 25 days and then having final exams with a 10-day break to try to get better and trying to balance those two things, then having a couple of games in that time, it was probably a good time for those young guys to get home and see their families."

Being around so many past Heisman winners during his magical trip to New York three weeks ago, Tim Tebow kept hearing a common theme about one of sport's most famous trophies.

Continue to 2nd paragraph It will change you, forever change you.

Now that he's had some time to think about that, Tebow respectfully disagrees.

"People say the Heisman is going to change you for the rest of your life," said the sophomore Florida quarterback who is the first underclassman to win the award. "Actually, it's going to change people's perspective of you for the rest of your life.

"It doesn't change you and who you are and how you act. That's how you have to go about it."

The fall semester ended with finals last week and Meyer said all of his players have made the grade and are eligible for the bowl game.

"Everybody made it. We got the grades," Meyer said. "As a matter of fact we had a (team grade-point average) of 2.9, one of the highest we've ever had."

Meyer said the school would release further information about the Gators' academic success this semester in the next few days.

Florida also is in good shape physically for the bowl game.

Even when he worked elsewhere, Roger Clemens was very much a part of Houston.

He lived here and paid taxes here, and when he won another Cy Young Award or a League Championship Series or World Series ring, he brought it back to Houston for appropriate display.

But when he decided in 2004 to wear the uniform of his hometown, Houston embraced him with renewed fervor, and Clemens embraced Houston as well.

It was during that time of mutual affection that Houston, the home of the Roger Clemens Foundation, became the home of the Roger Clemens Award, presented annually to college baseball's best pitcher, and the Roger Clemens Institute for Sports Medicine and Human Performance, at Memorial Hermann hospital.

Billy Gillispie is back, coaching a game in these parts for the first time since he did a two-faced two-step out of Texas A&M.

The little paperboy from Graford has made so good, he grew up to become the big-shot head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. Gillispie got the whole thing in writing, but wait. He and the school haven't formally signed a contract. More than eight months after Gillispie never got around to signing the contract extension he'd agreed to at A&M, he's working under a two-page "memorandum of understanding" with Kentucky.

Understanding? Kentucky? Let us take a recess until the laughter of Tubby Smith, Rick Pitino, Eddie Sutton and Joe B. Hall subsides.

THE NBA's brand of jus tice continues to bewilder and disfigure.

The Suns' chances of beating the Spurs in the playoffs were vastly diminished last May when commissioner David Stern followed the letter of league law and suspended Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for Game 5 in Phoenix for taking one or two harmless steps onto the court after Robert Horry flagrantly hip-checked scurrying Steve Nash into the scorer's table.

Meanwhile, the NBA only saw fit to suspend elbow-wielding Kenyon Martin one lousy game as a result of fracturing the left eye socket of Hornets' forward Melvin Ely, who may be forced to miss the next two months.

The Jimmy V Classic was played in the Garden two weeks ago, and in advance of the doubleheader, we hyped the appearance of three of the nation's best freshmen - Kansas State's Michael Beasley, Southern Cal's O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose of Memphis.

Beasley was banged around by Notre Dame tight end/power forward Luke Harangody and got his 19 points and 8-of-20 shooting to complement 13 boards. Harangody had 19 and 14.

Mayo had 16 points on 8-of-20 shooting, and Rose had nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists but committed five turnovers and missed 6-of-9 shots.

Fans sitting behind press row who were expecting the arrival of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce were disappointed.

Rodriguez may have created a loophole. WVU plays No. 3 Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl Jan. 2. Rodriguez said Monday he doesn't expect to coach the bowl game because he didn't want to be a "distraction," but the obscure date may provide an obstacle for WVU.

Rodriguez's contract says he cannot be reassigned. If WVU wanted to have a new coach in place, it could be forced to fire Rodriguez or commit some breach, which could then free Rodriguez from the buyout.

The same section of the contract sets behavioral expectations and says Rodriguez is subject to punishment if he "places the University or football program in a bad light or otherwise affects the operations of the football program."

The penalty ranges from termination to reprimand and is to be determined by President Mike Garrison who, in theory, probably couldn't suspend Rodriguez for the game.

"I'll let you do your own speculating, but what I will tell you is Mike Garrison is not going to blink," the administration source said. "In regard to whether or not (Rodriguez) wants WVU to fire him, I don't know if that is true or not, but the university does know if it fires him or takes him out of his position as coach, his responsibility to pay the $4 million buyout may be in danger."

D.J. Woods, an All-State receiver from Strongsville, Ohio, who committed to West Virginia University last week, said Monday the Mountaineer football state of affairs has changed his mind.

"This is the third time I've done this and the second time the school I committed to had a coaching change," said Woods, who previously committed to Nebraska, where Bill Callahan was fired, and was set on going to Auburn until he visited WVU earlier this month. "I'm starting to think I'm a curse."

He hasn't heard from anyone at WVU after Rodriguez called him Sunday and said he wanted Woods to go to Michigan. Woods reopened his recruitment and said Louisville called with a scholarship offer Monday. Penn State, Auburn and other schools that already had offered scholarships also made new contact.

WVU safeties coach Bruce Tall recruited Woods, but a team source said Sunday Rodriguez wanted Tall on his staff at Michigan.

When Corey Brewer, Chris Richard and Al Horford met for dinner one recent night in Atlanta, the first thing they tried to do was call Taurean Green and Joakim Noah — in different time zones — just to rub it in.

Horford's mother was cooking. And those two were missing it. As much as the lives of all five have changed dramatically since winning their second consecutive NCAA basketball title last spring at the University Florida, some things have remained the same.

Her chicken/beans/rice dish still is in great demand.

The unthinkable is about to happen: college basketball without Dick Vitale.

His signature voice is going to be silenced until February. Doctors have found lesions on his left vocal cord that need to be surgically removed. In a letter on ESPN.com, the veteran analyst said he has been having "a very difficult time with discomfort in my throat."

Vitale, 68, said the goal is to return to action in early February.

The United Center fans' chants for Kobe Bryant started during the Bulls' home-opening loss to the 76ers, even if they were mild, almost tongue-in-cheek.

The pleas intensified and grew more serious as the home losses mounted, along with the fans' dissatisfaction.

They haven't been heard in weeks, as the Bulls have won six times in nine games. Still, Luol Deng is realistic, even if the chants aren't since Bryant isn't coming here other than with the Lakers on Tuesday night.

The Jets face a quarterback decision this week, but it's nothing compared to The Quarterback Decision.

With Kellen Clemens' status uncertain because of rib and shoulder injuries, the Jets (3-11) may return to Chad Pennington for Sunday's road game against the Titans (8-6). That could upset their grand plan, which might have far-reaching implications for the Eric Mangini-Mike Tannenbaum regime.

When Clemens replaced an ineffective Chad Pennington last month, the organization's hope was to give the second-year quarterback an eight-game audition to evaluate him as the possible long-term answer. Clemens' uneven play, combined with his modest body of work, will make it tougher for the team to make a judgment in the offseason.

There was garbage swirling around Giants Stadium, the goal posts were swaying and balls were fluttering out of the quarterbacks' hands. Add in temperatures near freezing and it seemed like a perfect night for smashmouth football.

So why did the Giants end up throwing the ball 52 times?

Tom Coughlin didn't even wait for the question Monday before he gave his answer, one day after the Giants went pass-crazy in a 22-10 loss to the Redskins. He defended the play-calling of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, and insisted he had no problem with the aerial game plan.