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1.31.2003
Wilccats Knocked Off Perch: There will almost certainly be a new No. 1 in men?s
college basketball after Stanford knocked off Arizona, 82-77. It was the third year in a row that Stanford has gone into Arizona and knocked off the Wildcats. If Pittsburgh wins its game this weekend, the Panthers stand to become top dog for the first time in their history. The beauty of college basketball?unlike in football?is that rankings are pretty meaningless thanks to there being a tournament.
1.30.2003
Sloan to Sit: The NBA lowered the boom on Utah coach, suspending him seven games for pushing referee Courtney Kirkland in the chest Tuesday night. "Obviously his behavior was out of line, and the message is clear that that type of behavior cannot be tolerated," NBA vice president Stu Jackson said. It was one of the longest NBA suspensions of recent years and one totally deserved.
Rangers Fire Coach: Bryan Trottier was a star for the New York Islanders, but he?s now a fired coach of the New York Rangers. Trottier was canned only 54 games into his rookie season as the Rangers are mired in last place in their division despite a $70 million payroll. The Rangers had won five of six, which makes Trottier?s dismissal all the more puzzling.
1.29.2003
Jazz Still Kicking: The Utah Jazz may be old, but they still have some fight. They proved it with a 102-92 win at Sacramento, a tough venue to play. The game was marred when Utah coach Jerry Sloan shoved official Courtney Kirkland in the chest and was ejected in the first quarter. Expect Sloan to be suspended since pushing a ref is a no-no.
Hoosiers Stumble: In men?s college basketball, No. 19 Indiana was upset by Michigan State, a game after the Hoosiers were blown out by Purdue. It doesn?t get better for Indiana, which next plays Louisville, winners of 13 in a row.
1.28.2003
Homophobia on the Bench: The Washington Post addressed an issue in women?s college basketball recruiting that everyone knows exists, but few talk about?smearing a rival coach by playing the gay card.
``As women's college basketball has grown,? the Post's Greg Sandoval reports, ?so too has negative recruiting, a practice previously associated with the men's game. By implying that a rival coach is gay, opposing schools are preying on what Helen Carroll, athletic diversity specialist for the San Francisco-based National Center for Lesbian Rights, calls the fear of a gay "boogeywoman" who will make their daughters choose a lesbian sexual orientation.?
``It's difficult to know how often this kind of recruiting tactic occurs. James Nichols, 43, the founder of Team Unique, a District youth-league squad that has sent 20 players to Division I schools, says recruiters discreetly raise the subject of sexual preference. ?None of it is on the table,? said Nichols, who often helps families navigate the recruiting process. ?It's whispered quietly into the ears of parents.? But according to Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt, winner of six national championships and a record 802 games, the practice is ?at an all-time high.? "
The story also took note of the decreasing number of female coaches , with a record low 44% holding the job of coaching other women. It?s unclear how much of this decline stems from homophobia. The Post should be commended for casting a light on this disgusting practice that plays to the worst fears of parents by perpetuating negative, harmful and false stereotypes.
1.27.2003
No Stopping the Bucs: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who started 0-26 as an expansion franchise in the 1970s, reached the pinnacle of the NFL with a dominating 48-21 win over the Oakland Raiders. The Bucs top-ranked defense was utterly dominant over the Raiders? top-ranked offense, recording five sacks and intercepting league MVP Rich Gannon a record five times; three of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns.
Tampa shed its image of an underachieving team with a lot of individual stars by playing a complete team game. No names like running back Michael Pittman (124 yards rushing), receiver Joe Jurevicius (four catches) and defensive back Dwight Smith (two interceptions returned for touchdowns) shined alongside stars Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice. The Raiders picked the worst time for their worst game of the season. They lost by their largest margin of the season and allowed more points than in their last three games combined.
1.26.2003
History Down Under: There was a bit of history made at the Australian Open by two legends who are senior citizens by tennis standards.
Andre Agassi dominated German Rainer Schuettler in straight sets to win the men?s singles crown. Agassi?s 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 blowout made him the oldest player to win a Grand Slam singles event since 1971. Agassi?s all of 32.
Earlier, Martina Navratilova, 46, became the oldest person to ever win a Grand Slam title when she teamed up with Leander Paes to win the mixed doubles. ?This goes beyond any wildest dream,'' said Navratilova, who now has at least one title each in singles, doubles and mixed doubles at all four major tournaments.
1.25.2003
A Serena Slam: Serena Williams did it again, winning her fourth consecutive tennis Grand Slam event. And for the fourth time in a row she beat sister Venus, this time with a three-set win at the Australian Open. In a match plated indoors because of the Melbourne heat, Serena made fewer errors in winning the first and third sets. She is the ninth woman to have won all four majors. She is so dominant that the women?s game risks becoming a bit boring; if Serena is not in a tournament, does it count?
1.24.2003
Landmark Scholarship: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays will grant the first-ever college scholarships for incoming gay student-athletes and they will be named after Esera Tuaolo, the ex-NFL player who came out in October.
The scholarship will go to a GLBT student who plays on a high school team, PFLAG Executive Director David Tseng told the Gay.com / Planetout.com network. The amount of the scholarship hasn't been set yet. "I didn't expect all or any of this, but the response in this country has been so supportive," Tuaolo told network. "It's not about me anymore. It's not about my family. It's something bigger than I am. My story adds another dimension to the fight for gay rights."
We hope other organizations follow the lead of PFLAG and hope there is never a dearth of applicants.
1.23.2003
An Epic at the Open: Talk about an instant classic. Andy Roddick and Younes El Aynaoui put on a show at the Australian Open that won?t be forgotten. In the quarterfinals of the tournament, Roddick outlasted El Aynaoui 4-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4, 21-19 in a match that lasted an incredible 4 hours and 59 minutes. It was the longest fifth set of the Open era (which started in 1968) and the longest at the Australian Open in 30 years.
The match ended at 12:47 a.m. local time with the stands still packed. After bowing to the crowd, the two players walked off hand in hand as a sign of their respect for each other. ``My respect level for him just grew and grew through the match,'' Roddick said. ``We could see each other 10 years down the line and know we shared something special.''
As good as the match was, Sports Illustrated Jon Wertheim noted a problem: ?The only drawback: Practically nobody back in the States saw Roddick's thrilling victory. Had this battle taken place at the U.S. Open, we'd be calling it the match that saved American tennis.? The match was played in the middle of the night in the States.
On the women's side, Serena Williams rallied from two breaks down in the final set to beat Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals. She will now face her sister Venus in their fourth straight majors' final. Serena has won the previous three.
1.22.2003
Talk About a Tongue-Lashing: Some things you just can?t make up. Witness this dispatch Monday night from the Associated Press: ?Edmonton Oilers coach Craig MacTavish ripped out the tongue of Calgary Flames mascot Harvey the Hound after the 6-foot-6 dog repeatedly taunted him at the bench.? It seems that Harvey was giving MacTavish too much lip and the coach turned around and pulled out the mascot?s foot-long red tongue.
Even after being rendered mute, Harvey continued to taunt MacTavish and the coach had to be restrained from picking up a hockey stick. The Flames later said their mascot ?was in a place he shouldn?t have been.?
1.21.2003
Shockey Fined: The NFL fined New York Giants bad-ass tight end Jeremy Shockey $10,000 for unruly behavior he exhibited in the Jan. 5 wild card game at San Francisco. Shockey was fined $5,000 for throwing ice that hit two children and $5,000 for making an obscene gesture to the crowd. Shockey later signed a football in the locker room for the boys.
Shockey made headlines last fall when he told Howard Stern he didn?t want any gay players on his team. He later said he regretted what he said.
Hewitt Upset Down Under: Younes El Aynaoui stunned top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt in four sets at the Australian Open. The loss continued a tradition of frustration for Hewitt at his home-country tournament. Hewitt, a Wimbledon and U.S. Open champ, has reached the fourth round just twice in seven tries in Melbourne.
1.20.2003
Shiver Me Timbers: The Super Bowl has been hijacked by pirates. The Oakland Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it a match for the high seas by winning their conference title games.
The Bucs rolled into Philadelphia as underdogs in the NFC title game but rolled out winners after laying a 27-10 whupping on the Eagles. Tampa Bay fell behind 7-0 after three plays were run, but took control and embarrassed an Eagles team that was outcoached and outhustled. The Bucs used big pass plays by Joe Jurevicius and Keyshawn Johnson to build a 20-10 lead, then sealed it on Ronde Barber?s 92-yard interception return with 3:12 left.
In Oakland, the Raiders held off a game Tennessee Titans team to win the AFC title, 41-24. The Titans led, 17-14, late in the first half. But Titan fumbles on consecutive plays resulted in 10 Raider points. Tennessee rallied to cut the lead to 27-24 starting the fourth quarter, but league MVP Rich Gannon responded with two long scoring drives to ice the game. The Vegas bookies made the Raiders an early 3 οΎ½-point favorite.
1.19.2003
And Then There Were None: There will be no undefeated men?s college basketball team this season. Maryland saw to that with an 87-72 win over top-ranked Duke on Saturday. The Terps were down six at the half, but exploded to outscore the Blue Devils, 50-29, in the second half. Ryan Randle of Maryland had 17 rebounds as the Terripans dominated the rebound battle. If you want unbeatens, look to the women, where Duke (16-0) and Connecticut (15-0) lead the way/
More on Mr. T: Thanks to Mike Schaefer of San Francisco for more on Tom Tolbert (Jock Talk Jan. 18):
You may already know this but Tolbert is on the radio every afternoon in San Francisco on sports-talk KNBR 680-AM (4-7pm I think). I believe they Web cast as well. He's something of a meathead (he's meant to appeal to the frat-boy demographic) though hardly the worst in that regard. This being San Francisco, the station seems aware of the gay community, even if the topic doesn't come up too often.
Tolbert is teamed with Ralph Barbieri and they call themselves "The Razor (Barbieri, who has a somewhat raspy voice) and Mr. T (Tolbert)". Barbieri is the far more interesting character -- he's a late-fortysomething guy, never married, who recently became a father thru a surrogate mother because he "couldn't find the right woman to marry". Hmmmm.
1.18.2003
What is Tom Tolbert Thinking? Almost as entertaining as the Houston Rockets' 108-104 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers was the bantering between ESPN commentators Tom Tolbert and Bill Walton during the second quarter about Shaquille O'Neal's racially-motivated comments directed toward Yao Ming. Shaq mocked Yao several months ago on national television by saying, "Tell Yao Ming, 'Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.' " The comment is gibberish.
Tolbert went to Shaq's defense, saying that he's an athlete and, in the locker room, he can say whatever he wants; so, he should be able to say what he wants, in a joking manner, to the media. Walton, essentially, told Tolbert he didn't know what he was talking about and, as a professional basketball player, Shaq needs to know when to keep his "jokes" to himself.
Yao Shows More Than Just Flashes: In the biggest match-up of his young NBA career, Yao Ming certainly showed up in a big way. The Lakers went right to work in the game, testing Yao's fortitude; Yao responded by blocking Shaquille O'Neal's first three shots. While Shaq finished with 31 points to Yao's 10, take a look at this game stat: Blocked Shots - Yao: 6, Shaq: 0.
Contrary to what some said when he was drafted #1 by the Rockets, Yao is no Shawn Bradley.
1.17.2003
Stupid Owners Trick: Baseball did another dumb thing Thursday when owners voted unanimously to give home-field advantage for the World Series to the league that wins the All-Star Game. ?The game needs a boost and I believe this will add a great measure of interest and excitement to the game,? Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. ?Our research shows that fans overwhelmingly support any changes that will make the All-Star Game more significant.?
The change still needs the OK of the players? union and opposition seems to be forming. The players seem to realize that having a midsummer exhibition game help determine the eventual champion cheapens the sport. ?That?s crazy. You?ve got the All-Star game with players from different teams. I don?t think that?s right,? said Chicago White Sox catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., a six-time All-Star, to AP. ?That?s totally ludicrous.? However, ?baseball owners? and ?ludicrous? go hand-in-hand.
Hot Wings: Brendan Shanahan scored two unanswered goals in the third period as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche, 4-2, in a battle of NHL division leaders. These two longtime rivals don?t like each other, and that was evident with the many near-fights that broke out. Sports Illustrated this week picked Colorado as its midseason choice to win the Stanley Cup, but put the Red Wings right up there.
1.16.2003
Kings Bounce Mavs: In a week span, the Sacramento Kings have showed they should be considered the favorite to win the NBA title. A few days after blasting the Nets in the New Jersey, the Kings dismantled the Dallas Mavericks, 123-94, in a battle of first-place teams. The Mavs still have the league?s best record, but Sacramento demonstrated that all roads to the title will likely have to go through Cow Town.
Baseball Three-Way In a move designed as much as anything by the New York Yankees to screw the Boston Red Sox, a three-team trade was finalized that sent star pitcher Bartolo Colon (20-8 in 2002) to the Chicago White Sox. In the swap, the Yankees sent pitcher Orlando Hernandez and $2 million to Chicago for reliever Antonio Osuna and minor league pitcher Delvis Lantigua. Then the White Sox packaged Hernandez with right-handed pitcher Rocky Biddle, outfielder Jeff Liefer and cash to Montreal for Colon and minor league infielder Jorge Nunez.
ESPN analyst Dave Campbell laid out reasons why the Yankees were facilitators of the deal. ?The Yankees' underlying motivation for this deal, I believe, is they were afraid Bartolo Colon might end up with Boston,? Campbell wrote. ?Had the Red Sox acquired Colon, the dynamic of the AL East would have shifted. Imagine a Boston rotation featuring the formidable threesome of Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Colon? I'm sure New York's front office imagined that as well -- and didn't want that imagination to become a real-life nightmare.?
1.15.2003
Bengals Hire a Coach: The Cincinnati Bengals, the worst franchise in the NFL, may have done something right by hiring defensive guru Marvin Lewis as their new coach. For one, Lewis is now only one of three minority head coaches in a league where the majority of players are black and his hiring is to be applauded on that basis alone.
``In the 35 years of the franchise, there haven't been a lot of blacks in there,'' offensive tackle Willie Anderson said. ``For one of the first blacks in the front office to be the head coach, that's a gigantic move. Cincinnati is a place where you wouldn't think that would happen.'' Lewis is a great defensive mind, coordinating the awesome defense of the Super Bowl-winning Baltimore Ravens in 1999. We wish him well.
At the Summitt: Tennessee women?s basketball coach Pat Summitt became the first female to win 800 career games, as the No. 5 Volunteers beat DePaul. Summitt is just one of four Division I coaches, male or female, to reach this plateau.
1.14.2003
Snow Success:Ryan Quinn, a cross-country skier for the University of Utah who happens to be openly gay, has had a terrific run of late.
Quinn, 22, was 8th in the sprint race at the U.S. Nationals, and this weekend placed 3rd in the Utah Winter Games 10 km "open" classic race, behind a first place from former Olympian Jon Alberg. On Sunday, Quinn was second in the 10 km skate race, pulling Utah into an NCAA win, and ahead of both Torin Coos (US Ski Team) and Zack Simons, Utah's sprint specialist. Thanks to Nat Brown, longtime cross country coach and guru, for this information.
Aussie Open Shocker: Jennifer Capriati is one and done at the Australian Open, after losing to Germany?s Marlene Weingartner 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Capriati, the two-time defending Aussie champ, became the first to ever lose in the first round Down Under. We came close to another stunner when Serena Williams, who has won three straight Grand Slam titles, eked out a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-5 over 56th-ranked Emilie Loit of France. Williams admitted nerves may have played a factor. ``I think I was a bit lucky to pull that through. I think it was a little bit of the nerves. I had never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam,'' she said.
1.13.2003
Oakland Has Final Word: All week long, the Oakland Raiders kept hearing J-E-T-S, as the New York media and fans basically anointed the Jets as the NFL?s best team. It rankled and riled up the Raiders, who finished with the AFC?s best record, but felt they weren?t getting their props. And it pissed off Oakland even more when the Jets engaged in a pregame stare-down as the Raiders were introduced. "It was like stuff out of high school," safety Rod Woodson (pictured) said. "They need to be on the sideline. It was childish and unprofessional on their part, and we reacted the way we should have."
Whatever the cause, the Raiders were more than motivated and it showed as they pulled away from New York in the second half for a 30-10 playoff win. Jets phenom quarterback Chad Pennington, who had been flawless of late, had the jitters, fumbling once and throwing two interceptions. After the game, Raider receiver Jerry Porter had the last laugh: "J-E-T-S. Just End The Season."
1.12.2003
A Titanic Win: In a classic NFL playoff game, the Tennessee Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-31, in overtime after three field goal attempts and a premature fireworks display. The wild 31-31 battle in regulation that saw four lead changes was only a prelude for the bizarre overtime.
After winning the toss, Tennessee drove to the Steeler 13 and lined up for a 31-yard field goal try by Joe Nedney (pictured). His kick went through and the stadium operator in Nashville set off a wave of fireworks as the fans celebrated. But wait ? a split second before the kick, the Steelers called a time out so Nedney would have to try again. His second kick was wide left and the Steelers celebrated. But wait ? Steelers defender Dwayne Washington ran into Nedney and a penalty was called, giving Nedney another chance. He then drilled a 26-yarder and the Titans had survived.
Steeler coach Bill Cowher was incensed at the call on Washington, thinking it ticky-tack at such a critical juncture. "For a game to be decided on that call is ludicrous,? Cowher said, and his players agreed. And Nedney admitted he hammed it up a bit to make Washington?s contact seem worse than it was. ?He got a pretty good hit on me, but I think when I'm done, I might try acting,? Nedney said.
The second NFL playoff game, a 20-6 win by Philadelphia over Atlanta was a snoozer in comparison, with only one offensive touchdown scored. Both the Titans and Eagles will play in their conference title games next week.
1.11.2003
Bumbling Bud: Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has come up with yet another dumb idea. Selig is pondering a change in the All-Star Game, whereby the winning league will gain home field advantage in the World Series. By tradition, the advantage has rotated each year.
It?s hard to see why a meaningless exhibition game that is losing popularity each year should be able to determine something as critical as home field. It defies all logic. Why would an All-Star for the Red Sox play extra hard just so the Yankees can potentially get the extra World Series games? Ditto for the Giants and Dodgers, Cubs and Cards and numerous other rivals.
We like the current setup, but if baseball wants to tinker, it should adopt the system used by other sports leagues?the team with the best regular season record gets the edge.
1.10.2003
Still Kings: For a night at least, the Sacramento Kings proved once again that in the NBA the West in best. The Kings went into New Jersey and blasted the Nets, 118-82, to end the home team?s 10-game winning streak. Sacramento now has the NBA?s second-best record (27-9) and trails only West rival Dallas. The Kings scored 69 points in the first half and hot-shooting Peja Stojakovic (pictured) scored 21 of his 24 points in the opening two periods. Let?s hope this isn?t a preview of another lopsided NBA Finals.
Expensive Tantrum: Ron Artest of the Indiana Pacers lost his cool last week in a loss to the Knicks, and took out his frustrations by smashing a high-definition digital TV camera. Sports Illustrated totaled what Artest?s outburst cost him: Fine ($35,000), lost pay ($63,552 for a three-game ban), and reimbursement to the camera?s owner, MSG Network ($150,000). Total--$248,552. Next time, Artest should just bang his head against a wall; it would be less painful.
1.9.2003
Hetero Butt-Slapping: Kudos to King Kaufman of Salon.com for a terrific column on the homoerotic aspects of football. He deconstructs recent commercials showing men being uncomfortable bonding with other men and describes the disconnect between the homophobic environment of pro football and its inherent homoeroticism.
The ultra-macho world of the NFL is ?precisely what makes it so fascinating that ballplayers spend so much time doing the things that straight men work so hard to avoid doing when they're not on the field, things like hugging and slapping each other's butts and holding hands and putting their foreheads together in tender gestures of affection,? Kaufman writes.
Hoops Get Hot: The new year always brings the start of conference play in men?s and women?s college basketball and a sign that teams get serious. Whatever the year, though, it seems three things are certain?death, taxes and a good Duke team. The Dookies? men went out of conference to beat Georgetown and remain unbeaten (10-0) and ranked No. 1. The Duke women (13-0) are also No. 1, which means Cameron Indoor Arena is the center of the basketball universe.
1.8.2003
Kids in the Hall: Gary Carter and Eddie Murray took two different routes to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Both were voted in Tuesday and will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer
Carter, a catcher with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets, was elected with the necessary 75% of the votes on his sixth try. Murray, who played 12 of his 21 years with the Baltimore Orioles, got in on his first try. It was a bittersweet day for Murray, who attended the funeral of his younger sister who died of cancer.
Speed It Up: Don?t you just hate being behind a golfer who takes forever to play? The PGA does and it announced a new plan to give slow golfers one warning before giving penalty strokes. Habitual offenders face fines. This is a great rule and should be applied to Major League Baseball pitchers?take more than 15 seconds between pitches and be assessed a ball.
1.7.2003
Officials Screw Up: The aftermath of the wild 39-38 NFL playoff win by San Francisco over New York got stranger Monday, when the league admitted its officials blew the call on the final play. The result should have given the Giants a second chance at a game-winning 42-yard field goal.
Here?s what happened: With six seconds left, the Giants attempted a field goal. The snap was bad and holder Matt Allen picked up the ball and wound up throwing downfield to Rich Seubert, who was eligible to catch the ball. Seubert was mugged by the 49ers? Chike Okeafor, but no penalty was called. Instead, the Giants were penalized for having ineligible players downfield and the game ended.
Mike Pereria, the league?s head of officials, said pass interference should have been called on Okeafor. "If the defensive pass interference had been called, there would have been offsetting penalties with the down replayed at the original line of scrimmage," the league said in a statement. "Although time had expired, a game cannot end with offsetting penalties. Thus, the game would have been extended by one untimed play."
Given the Giants? woes in kicking field goals on Sunday, there is no guarantee they would have succeeded on a second chance, but they were ultimately the victims of a blown call. "They should lose their jobs," cornerback Jason Sehorn said of the officials, according to the New York Times. "They should be out. How do you not know the rules of your own game?"
1.6.2003
Cardiac Kids: We saw two of the greatest comebacks in NFL history on Sunday in games not soon forgotten.
First in Pittsburgh, the Steelers rallied from 24-7 down in the second half to shock the Cleveland Browns, 36-33, on a touchdown with 54 seconds remaining. It was fitting that the comeback was engineered by Tommy Maddox, the NFL's comeback player of the year.
The loss was another bitter playoff collapse for Cleveland, which has not won a postseason road game since 1969. We had ?The Interception? in a 1980 14-12 loss to Oakland; ?The Drive? in a 1986 23-20 overtime loss to Denver; ?The Fumble? in a 1987 loss to Denver. Add ?The Drop,? in honor of Dennis Northcutt?s dropping what would have been a first-down reception with 2:40 remaining.
A few hours later, the San Francisco 49ers topped the Steelers by rallying from 38-14 down with 20 minutes to play to stun the New Year Giants, 39-38. The game ended in a bizarre finish when the Giants botched what would have been the game-winning 42-yard field goal. Trey Junkin snapped the ball too low and holder Matt Allen was forced to run around and throw up a prayer that wasn?t answered.
It will be a loooong offseason for both Cleveland and New York, who will forever wonder how they lost games they were certain they had won.
1.5.2003
LSU Wins Sugar Bowl: LSU beat Oklahoma, 21-14, to win the Sugar Bowl and a share of the college football national championship. Contractually, the winner of the BCS title game is crowned champion by the coaches, even though USC had been No. 1 in the last regular season poll. USC, which won the Rose Bowl, is No. 1 in the Associated Press writers' poll, so we have a split title. This is fair since both LSU and USC finished with only one loss.
The Sugar Bowl was a boring dud, with two inept quarterbacks--LSU's Matt Mauck and Oklahoma's Jason White--combining for four interceptions and only 229 total yards passing. White, the Heisman Trophy winner, has stunk in his last two games, which shows again why the award is pretty meaningless. Let's hope the powers that run college football come up with a better way to crown a champion.History in Green Bay: The Atlanta Falcons made NFL history Saturday night by beating the Green Bay Packers, 27-7, in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first playoff defeat ever for the Packers at home, ending a 13-0 streak that began in 1939.
The Falcons, behind the sensational quarterback Michael Vick, dominated from the start and led 24-0 at halftime. The Packers were inept on offense, defense, special teams and coaching, winding up with five turnovers and suffering the third-worst home loss in wild card history. The defeat also ended an amazing streak: Brett Favre's run of 35 straight home wins when the temperature was 34 degrees or below.
In the AFC wild card game, the New York Jets drilled the Indianapolis Colts, 41-0, in a snoozer of a contest.
1.4.2003
Incredible:In what some pundits are already calling "the greatest game in college football history", Ohio State beat the #1 ranked Miami Hurricanes 31-24 to claim the national college football title. The Buckeyes' win at the Fiesta Bowl (the BCS Championship game this year) had enough twists and turns to satisfy fans of Agatha Christie. After Ohio State had gone ahead 17-7 with 8:33 remaining in the game, it looked as if they were cruising to their first national title since 1968. But a furious rally by the 'Canes led to a Willis McGahee 9 yard TD run and a Todd Sievers 40-yard field goal on the last play of regulation to tie the score at 17-17.
The group of us that watches football are divided on how overtimes should be structured. Some like sudden death, some like both teams to have a chance. In the college game, the OT's are played like a regular period. Miami picked up right where it had left off in regulation and scored on a Ken Dorsey-to-Kellen Winslow Jr. 7-yard TD pass to take the lead 24-17.
Ohio State got the ball back and converted a fourth-and-14 on a pass by hot QB Craig Krenzel. The Buckeyes faced a fourth-and-3 at the 5 when Krenzel threw to the right corner of the end zone for Chris Gamble. Pass interference was called on the Miami defender, Krenzel scored on a 1-yard run and suddenly Miami was in trouble as the game headed to a 2nd extra period. Ohio State got the ball to start the 2nd OT and promptly scored on a run by their great running back Maurice Clarett to take a 31-24 lead. Miami tried to rally again to send the game to a third OT, but on the last play of the game, QB Ken Dorsey heaved a desperation pass that OSU linebacker Matt Wilhelm batted to the ground and all of sudden, 11 1/2 point underdogs Ohio State were the national champions.
Whew. We're exhausted just from watching the topsy-turvy game. We hope Outsports messageboard member OSU Fan is happy!
1.3.2003
Rose Bowl, Part 2: As a follow up to our item about the Rose Bowl yesterday came this factoid in today's Los Angeles Times: the Grandaddy Of Them All was a bust this year, both in terms of the football played and the attendance. Wednesday's game attracted 86,848 people to the historic stadium. That sounds impressive until one realizes that it's the most poorly attended game since 1944. In other words, a game played in brilliant weather between two highly ranked teams barely drew more than a game played during a World War.
Although Rose Bowl officials were trying to underplay their displeasure, they ultimately laid the blame for the poor attendance at the feet of Washington State Cougars. Their opponents, the Oklahoma Sooners, actually sold more than their allotment of tickets by 7,500 seats. But we feel this might be a case of "shooting the messenger". By joining the Bowl Championship Series rotation of national title games, the traditional rivalry between the Pac-10 and Big-10 was scrubbed. What would have been a natural matchup, Pac-10 champion USC vs. co-Big-10 champion Iowa, instead took place in Miami at Pro Player Stadium. The Orange Bowl game would traditionally pit a Big-12 team, say, oh, Oklahoma, against one of the Florida-based powers but fans in Miami seemed less than enthralled with that particular matchup as many empty seats were visible on television.
Can we go back to the way it was? Please?
1.2.2003
Happy 2003: We hope everyone had a nice New Year's Day.
Bowl Day: Michigan won The Outback Bowl in a 38-30 thriller over Florida. Florida coach Ron Zook will be answering questions from Gators fans about a series of questionable decisions for years to come. A coach who brought lustre back to a floundering program , Notre Dame's Tyrone Willingham, saw his team's season end on a down note after the Irish lost the Gator Bowl 28-6 to North Carolina State. Texas' cutie QB, Chris Simms, got a measure of redemption by finally playing well in a big game as the Longhorns roughed up LSU 35-20 in the Cotton Bowl. The real Longhorn star was receiver Roy Williams, a favorite of NFL scouts. Auburn won a dull Capital One Bowl, 13-9, over Penn State while Georgia's Bulldogs looked impressive at the Sugar Bowl, beating Florida State 26-13.
We went 3-3 on our picks, with the two big games left (the Orange Bowl and the national title game Fiesta Bowl). Not bad!
It's Not The Same: New Year's Day for sports fans in Southern California and the Midwest has usually meant one thing: The Rose Bowl. For as long as we've been following sports, it's been the Pac 10 vs. the Big 10 (or whatever number of teams were in the conference at the time!). But thanks to the Grandaddy of Them All being part of the BCS coalition, that conference rivalry that has produced some classic games is no longer a factor. It was bizarre not to have a Rose Bowl game on New Year's Day last year due to the Rose Bowl being the BCS championship game and this year, cute as Nate Hybl is, it was strange to see the Oklahoma Sooner's playing in glorious sunshine at the great stadium in Pasadena. It used to be a tradition to watch the Rose Bowl in the afternoon and the Orange Bowl (usually with the Sooners or Nebraska participating) at night on New Year's Day but no more. Politics and money has dictated otherwise and we think college football is poorer because of it.
1.1.2003
Bowl Predictions: Happy New Year from Outsports! Since this is a huge day for college football, we figured we?d go out on a limb and tell you what will happen in all the bowl games the next three days:
Outback Bowl: Michigan 27, Florida 16 Cotton Bowl: Texas 42, LSU 14 Gator Bowl: Notre Dame 19, North Carolina St. 10 Capital One Bowl: Penn State 34, Auburn 17 Sugar Bowl: Georgia 30, Florida State 14 Rose Bowl: Washington State 24, Oklahoma 20 Orange Bowl: USC 38, Iowa 24 Fiesta Bowl: Miami 34, Ohio State 14. ?Canes win the national title again.
1.1.2003
Records Were Meant to be Tied: Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are tied for the U.S. Open lead at 7-under at Olympia Fields; and, with that, they are also tied for the U.S. Open record for 36 holes. Singh's 7-under all came on Friday, shooting a 63 to catch what seemed to be an unreachable score by Furyk. Tiger Woods is chasing close behind, at 4-under.
All That's Left is Planning the Parade: New Jersey Net backup center Dikembe Mutombo guaranteed a victory for his team. If only his team was listening. The Nets lost their second of three home games in the NBA Finals on Friday, 93-83, to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs now have two home games to wrap up the series.
1.1.2003
The Squeeze Play: Many Bostonians are waking up this morning only to find that, whether they watched until 3am or got a restless night's sleep, the curse continues. The Oakland A's used a squeeze play in the bottom of the 12th to beat the Boston Red Sox in the first game of their ALDS, 5-4.
Limbaugh Quits ESPN: Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh,
hired by ESPN to provide controversy to its pregame NFL show, quit on
Wednesday after providing a bit too much controversy.
Limbaugh announced his resignation after a storm of attention over his comments Sunday about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Here is what Limbaugh said: "Donovan McNabb is regressing, he's going backwards. And ... I'm sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well; I think there is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn't deserve."
The comment generated little discussion at the time but turned into a tempest by midweek. Limbaugh defended his comments on his radio show, saying the furor proved his theory was correct. But he later submitted his resignation, saying in a statement: "I offered an opinion. This opinion has caused discomfort to the crew, which I regret. I love 'NFL Sunday Countdown' and do not want to be a distraction to the great work done by all who work on it."
"It's somewhat shocking to hear that on national TV from him," McNabb said earlier in reaction to the comments. "It's not something that I can sit here and say won't bother me."
The NFL was upset by Limbaugh's comments, the Washington Post reported, saying that Commissioner Paul Tagliabue personally called McNabb to offer his support.
1.1.2003
Records Were Meant to be Tied: Vijay Singh and Jim Furyk are tied for the U.S. Open lead at 7-under at Olympia Fields; and, with that, they are also tied for the U.S. Open record for 36 holes. Singh's 7-under all came on Friday, shooting a 63 to catch what seemed to be an unreachable score by Furyk. Tiger Woods is chasing close behind, at 4-under.
All That's Left is Planning the Parade: New Jersey Net backup center Dikembe Mutombo guaranteed a victory for his team. If only his team was listening. The Nets lost their second of three home games in the NBA Finals on Friday, 93-83, to the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs now have two home games to wrap up the series.
1.1.2003
College World Series Underway: The College World Series got underway Friday and Saturday, with the teams from the West dominating the first round of games. Stanford dominated South Carolina the first day, with an 8-0 victory powered by pitcher John Hudgins, who threw eight two-hit innings. On Saturday, Texas used their bats to blow past Miami, 13-2. Cal State - Fullerton and Rice also won their first round games.
Roddick Gets a Big Blast Andy Roddick finally beat Andre Agassi in the semifinals of Queens Club championship in London, 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (8-6). During the match, Roddick tied a record with a serve that sailed at 149 mph.
1.1.2003
The Curse, NBA Style: During the recent baseball playoffs, much was made of supposed curses that have prevented the Boston Red Sex (the "Babe Ruth Curse") and the Chicago Cubs (the "Goat Curse") from winning the World Series for ages. The National Basketball Association's team with a curse hanging over it undoubtedly the Los Angeles Clippers. Starting life as the Buffalo Braves, the team had some success before the owners screwed things up. The team moved to San Diego in 1978, and after sinking to the point of drawing crowds of less than 5,000, in 1981 the real curse descended upon them: real estate mogul Donald Sterling bought the team and moved them to Los Angeles.
Easily one of the worst owners in the history of professional sports, Sterling has meddled with personnel decisions, refused to pay promising young players salaries that would keep them with the team and so on. The Clippers seemed to have turned the corner a few years, moving in to the Staples Center and gathering a promising collection of players. All that promise is in shambles as most of those promising players left after contract disputes. After signing the excellent Elton Brand to a six-year, $82 million contract in the offseason, The Curse struck again during the Clippers first game of the new season when Brand broke his foot. He'll be out 4-6 weeks and, as a Clippers executive said off the record, "Without Brand, we're probably the worst team in the league". It's promises to be a long, miserable season for the Clippers and their long-suffering fans.
FineAfter last Sunday's win for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Coach Brian Billick unleashed a classic tirade against the instant replay used to decide calls in the games. Furious with two calls that went against his team (which still beat Denver 26-6), he declared that he could no longer "do the company line" and blasted the use of replays. On Thursday, he paid for his outburst by being fined.
12.31.2002
You?re the Weakest Link ? Goodbye: These guys won?t be in need of unemployment benefits, but there were three more added to the jobless rolls on Monday.
Dave Campo (Dallas Cowboys), Tom Coughlin (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Dick LeBeau (Cincinnati Bengals) were fired by their respective NFL teams after losing seasons. The hot rumored replacement for Campo is Bill Parcells, who has taken two different teams to Super Bowls.
Getting Off Easy: Indiana men?s basketball coach Mike Davis was suspended for one game by the Big Ten for his on-court antics Dec. 21 against Kentucky. Davis acted like a 5-year-old as he ranted and raved at officials for what he thought were bad calls at game?s end.
The Big Ten did not comment on why Davis got only a one-game suspension instead of the possible six. A harsher sentence would have sent a better message that acting like an out-of-control idiot is not the best way to be a role model. This is not Davis? first offense. He was fined $10,000 last season for criticizing officials.
12.30.2002
The NFL Playoffs Begin: There is some nice symmetry to the playoffs in the NFL this year.
We have both New York teams, both Bay Area teams and both Pennsylvania teams. We have both Bays (Green and Tampa). We have three transplants (the Oakland-LA-Oakland Raiders, the Houston Oilers-Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore-Indianapolis Colts. And we have new blood in Atlanta and Cleveland.
How wacky was the season? Sunday in the NFL saw the Jets and Browns get in, which caused the Broncos, Patriots and Dolphins to drop out. We also saw the Saints lose at home to the lowly Panthers and lose a wild card spot.
The biggest loss may have by Green Bay, which was drilled by the Jets, 42-17. The Packers went from having all their playoff games at Lambeau Field (where they are virtually unbeatable) to having to win twice on the road to reach the Super Bowl.
We also had a friend win $250 by betting $10 (at 25-1 odds) that there would not be a touchdown in the Tampa Bay-Chicago game. Tampa won, 15-0, on five field goals. He?s already having a Happy New Year.
12.28.2002
Gone Bowling A year ago, Nebraska played in the Rose Bowl for college football?s national championship and got waxed by Miami. It?s gone downhill from there and Friday the Huskers found themselves in the Independence Bowl (!) against Mississippi. Rose, Independence or Toilet, it doesn?t matter what bowl Nebraska is in these days. Ole Miss, behind Eli Manning?s 313 yards, beat Nebraska 27-23. The loss dropped the Cornhuskers to 7-7, their worst mark since 1961. It ended a remarkable streak of 40 consecutive years with a winning record.
In other bowl action, Kansas State, an 18-point favorite over Arizona State in the always-exciting Holiday Bowl, needed a late rally to pull out a 34-27 win. ? And Oklahoma State beat Southern Mississippi in a bowl game we swear we had never heard of before tonight?the Houston Bowl.
12.27.2002
Watch out for Falling Coaches It wasn?t a good day to be a pro coach in Atlanta. On Thursday, both the coach of the NBA?s Hawks and the NHL?s Thrashers were sacked.
Lon Kruger was dumped by the Hawks after starting 11-16; this in a season where management promised a playoff team.
The Thrashers axed coach Curt Fraser and assistant Tim Bothwell. Fraser, has been head coach of the Thrashers since their inception in
1999.
His disappointing tenure is only, 64-173-31-15.
The Thrashers continue an NHL trend this season of firing coaches. We've watched many teams including Calgary, New Jersey, Dallas,
Philadelphia,
San Jose and Colorado make drastic changes on the bench this
year. And Winter has barely begun.
12.26.2002
For the Eyes: As a holiday treat, check out some of the awesome images we just posted in our Gay Games gallery.
12.25.2002
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!: We are taking a couple of days off, but want to wish all of our terrific readers a happy holiday season and a winning 2003. We hope Santa made all your wishes come true.
12.24.2002
All Talk, No Action: ?Paper champions? is how Pittsburgh Steelers safety Lee Flowers described the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team that struts and preens (led by the obnoxious Warren Sapp) but generally fails to show up when it counts. Prior to Monday night?s NFL match, the Bucs vowed revenge on Pittsburgh. After all, Tampa was 11-3 and playing at home with the league?s top defense.
But the Bucs got their lunch handed to them by the Steelers, who scored 17 first-quarter points, then let their defense take over. The Steelers overran Tampa?s weak offensive line, recording six sacks and forcing two fumbles and an interception. Tampa was playing without quarterback Brad Johnson, but the way Pittsburgh played defense it wouldn?t have mattered. Flowers gets to gloat and say it ain?t bragging if you can back it up.
With the win, Pittsburgh won the AFC North division. The loss really hurt the Bucs, who now are the NFC?s third seed; if this holds, Tampa will get only one home playoff game before hitting the road to Philadelphia or Green Bay, places they never win at.
