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10.31.2002
Happy Halloween: We at Outsports wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween, the unofficial gay national holiday.
Bengals Shoot Their Mouths Off: Can it get any worse for the truly terrible Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL? The 0-7 Bengals on Wednesday were handed the indignity of being rated as an underdog to the expansion Houston Texans for their Sunday contest in Houston. How did they react? By guaranteeing a win, that's how. Is this arrogance justified? Not at all. Are the Texans using the comments of Bengal's head coach Dick LeBeau and receiver Chad Johnson as inspiration? You bet. It never ceases to amaze us how teams willingly provide bulletin board fodder for other teams and more importantly, how easily athletes are motivated by such comments. Normally we wouldn't waste 30 seconds watching the Texans vs. Bengals on Direct TV's NFL package, but they might get more than a peek in this weekend. Go Texans.
The Yao Ming Era Begins: Highly touted Chinese center Yao Ming made his NBA debut with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and it was nothing worth televising back to 200 million of his fellow Chinese. He played a quiet 11 minutes, with no points and 2 rebounds. At 7'5", the Rockets are willing to be patient with him and considering that he's only been with the team for 10 days due to obligations to the Chinese national team, his learning curve is going to be steep. Time will tell if makes an impact in the NBA or whether he'll be another giant who disappoints like the Dallas Maverick's Shawn Bradley. We wish him luck.
Stop It, We Beg You: We're all in favor of great catchphrases being used by sportscasters. "Pass the rock" is great alternative to "Pass the ball", for example. But ESPN calling the NBA "The Association" makes us wince. It reminded us of the Seinfeld where the gang were consciously searching for a new catchphrase. They never found one. We hope ESPN's attempt doesn't catch on.
10.30.2002
Four Peat?: The Los Angeles Lakers are the odds-on favorites to win their 4th consecutive NBA title this season. The Lakers need something to keep themselves motivated during the long NBA regular season that began Tuesday so here's a few things Coach Phil Jackson will trot out:
* Although the Boston Celtic's record of 8 straight titles might be unattainable in this age of free agents and luxury taxes, recent history shows that Michael Jordan and his supporting cast couldn't get that 4th title in row, largely because he retired after each of the Chicago Bulls 3-Peats.
* Jackson can best Celtic's Coach Red Auerbach's record of 9 titles by winning his 10th this season.
* The Sacramento Kings have been whining the whole off-season about how they were the better team last season and that they should have won the thrilling best-of-7 Western Conference championship series against the Lakers. Unfortunately for them, they play the games for a reason and the Lakers won in 7. The Lakers would love to shut the Kings up for good this season. Wake us up in April when the season starts to mean something.
10.29.2002
Nobody's Watching: Or it just seemed that way. As expected, the television ratings for the Anaheim Angels vs. San Francisco Giants 7-game World Series were the lowest ever for baseball's premier event. Many theories are being thrown out: the labor strife that consumed baseball for most of the summer sapped fan interest; the all-California Series that meant that for east coast viewers, the games started at 8:30 p.m., often not ending until well after midnight; in the west, the games started at 5:30 p.m., so most people were either still working or on the way home; an Angels team that had no national profile prior to the playoffs meant that casual fans didn't tune in and so on.
Fox's parent company, News Corp., paid far more money ($2.4 billion) for the baseball package than was economically sensible. They also are heavily in debt due to their NFL ($4.5 billion) and NASCAR ($1.9 billion) packages so it's almost certain that baseball will not get a similar deal when the current package runs out. Baseball simply cannot deliver the ratings to serve as a promotional platform for Fox's prime time shows and apart from keeping the baseball rights from Disney, that's why Fox paid far over market value for a declining spectator sport. If the next package is indeed for less money, it will only add to baseball's (alleged) financial woes, as a lot of teams are heavily dependant on television revenue.
10.28.2002
Yes They Can: The Anaheim Angels ended 41 years of heartbreak and futility, beating the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 of the World Series. A 4-1 victory in Game 7 ensured that not only did the Angels win their first title, but that Barry Bonds didn't win his first title. The Angels appeared to have run out of the fuel that had propelled their regular season and playoff run, when facing elimination in Game 6 and trailing 5-0, a great comeback capped by Series MVP Troy Glaus' RBI double sent the Series to Game 7. There was not much drama in Game 7 as the Angels jumped out to their lead and used excellent starting pitching from rookie John Lackey and the bullpen trio of Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival to keep the Giants at bay. Congratulations to a gritty, hard working Angels team that gelled in mid-season and despite dire warnings about collapses in past seasons and Indian Burial Ground Curses, are now the champions of major league baseball.
Emmit's Tops: Congratulations are also in order for Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. The great running back broke Walter Payton's all-time rushing yards record on Sunday. Emmitt, besides being totally hot, is one of the class acts in all of pro sports. It's a shame that the Cowboys are such a poor team now but Smith, a sure Hall of Fame inductee, can look back when he retires on a great career that includes three Super Bowls titles.
10.27.2002
Angels Live: Wow! That's all anyone can say after the Anaheim Angels rose from the dead to tie the World Series with the San Francisco Giants at three games each. A monster home run by the Giants' Barry Bonds, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead, seemed to be the capper, and one more run in the seventh made it 5-0. But the Angels rallied for three in the seventh and three in the eighth to pull out the win. After 162 regular season games and 16 playoff games, the 2002 baseball season comes down to one game for the championship.
Irish Not Lucky, Just Good: Anyone who doubted Notre Dame had to be surprised by the Fighting Irish's easy 34-24 college football romp at Florida State. The game was not as close as the final score, with Notre Dame leading in the fourth, 34-10. The Irish, like them or not, have a great shot at going unbeaten the rest of the way. If this happens, look for Notre Dame to make the Bowl Championship Series final. This would upset Irish-haters, but we think a strong Notre Dame program is good for the sport; hating means ratings.
10.26.2002
It took only two minutes for the best rivalry in the NBA to have a fight break out. The Sacramento Kings' Doug Christie and the 3-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers' Rick Fox brawled in the first quarter Friday, in a preseason game. Amid flying elbows, shoving and punches being thrown, both players were ejected from the game. The players left the Staples Center court in opposite directions but apparently Fox, better known for his cheekbones, hair and wife (Vanessa Williams) than for his excellent basketball skills, went to the tunnel leading to the locker rooms and instigated more fisticuffs.
The Kings have been mouthing off all winter how they were the better team last year--the Lakers beat them in the Real NBA Finals last year, the Western Conference Finals, in a thrilling 7 game series--and the Lakers have been bemused. Now, as Laker star Kobe Bryant said "It's personal". Mark your calendars: the two teams meet for the first time in the regular season on Christmas Day at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Injured center Shaquille O'Neal should be back by then and it has all the earmarks of a classic matchup.
10.25.2002
The San Francisco Giants humiliated the Anaheim Angels 16-4 in Game 5 of the World Series to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Angels threw away a 3-0 lead on Wednesday, losing 4-3. They seem to have suddenly lost the magic that propelled them to their first playoff appearance in 16 years and comprehensive playoff series wins over the New York Yankees and Oakland A's. Although both teams starting pitcher's ERA's are awful (Angels: 9.14; Giants: 8.72), the Giants middle relief has been superior in the last 2 games. It 's also helped the Giants that homphobe Jeff Kent has gotten hot at the right time. The Series shifts back to Anaheim for Game 6 on Friday.
The mess that is Major League Baseball continues. The Montreal Expos, the team with 200 season ticket holders, were supposed to be contracted out of existence at the end of last season. The labor settlement prevented that from happening but now baseball, who owns the Expos, has to figure out what to do with the sad sack team. While MLB is looking for buyers who will move the team to either Washington DC or Portland or Buffalo or [fill in your town here], it is being rumored that for the 2003 season the Expos will play home games at Boston's legendary Fenway Park while the Red Sox are on the road. And today it was rumored that the Expos might play up to 20 games in Puerto Rico. The whole episode is a sad reminder of how poorly run the former National Pastime is.
While we think it's great that San Franciso Giant's manager Dusty Baker's son Darren is in the dugout and participating in the Giant's World Series run, there was almost a disaster in Game 5. David Bell was steaming home with yet another run against the Anaheim Angels and he narrowly avoided colliding with Baker's son, who had run out to grab a bat (Darren's a batboy). A 3-year-old shouldn't be doing such a risky job and we hope the Giants get someone older to do it before someone gets hurt.
10.24.2002
A Former Lineman Comes Out: Esera Tuaolo will become that rarest of breeds, an out ex-professional athlete, when he reveals to HBO that he is gay. The Associated Press obtained an advance copy of the Oct. 29 "Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel" that contains a segment on Tuaolo, a defensive lineman for four NFL teams in his nine-year career, most notably with the Minnesota Vikings.
In the segment, AP reports that Tuaolo talks about the "difficulty and frustration" inherent in keeping his sexual orientation secret.
"They didn?t know who Esera Tuaolo is," he says. "What they saw was an actor."
Tuaolo, who played on the 1998 Atlanta Falcons Super Bowl team, said players during his career regularly told gay jokes in the locker room.
"They made me go further and further into depression, further and further into shame. Sometimes, suicidal," he said.
ESPN's Sterling Sharpe, a teammate of Tuaolo with the Packers, also was interviewed on the show, AP said. Asked what would have happened had Tuaolo come out while he was
still active, Sharpe replied: "He would have been eaten alive and he would have been hated for it."
Tuaolo, 34, who lives with his partner and two adopted children in the Minneapolis area, is an actor and singer described by one critic as having a "gorgeous voice."
In addition to the HBO show, Tuaolo will be profiled in this Sunday's New York Times. Outsports will review the HBO show and provide a more detailed report this weekend.
10.23.2002
Marshall Faulk: Gays Should Shut Up: The message boards are jumping over a segment set for Oct. 29 on HBO's "Real Sports" that will feature the coming out of a former NFL player. (Aside: We know who it is but aren't telling, just yet). Expect another round of media exploration of the gays in sports issue, but this time it won't be about baseball. The attitudes of NFL players (save for Jeremy Shockey have yet to be examined, but St. Louis Rams star Marshall Faulk weighs in in the November issue of Playboy. We don't know the whole context of the interview yet, but Faulk is quoted by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as saying: "I could see coming out to make a statement if the league had a rule that gays couldn't play or something like that. But that's not the case. So just shut up."
It's ignorant attitudes like Faulk that help keep gay jocks closeted. It's not as if there have been any players to come out while active, so what is Faulk talking about? Hard to see Faulk making such prejudiced statements about another minority group. He just lost our respect.
10.22.2002
Second Chance: Who said there are no second acts in life didn't meet Tommy Maddox. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was out of football for three years and played in the defunct XFL in its only season. He got his chance in the NFL this year in Week 3, subbing for an ineffective Kordell Stewart and he may never go back to the bench. Maddox has led the Steelers to all three of their wins, and the team is averaging more than 30 points a game when he's started. He was efficient Monday night in a 28-10 win over the inept Indianapolis Colts, throwing for two scores.
Whither the World Series?: The days when the World Series captivated the country for a week are long gone, and the ratings for the first two games between Anaheim and San Francisco reflect this. Game 1 was the lowest ever for a first game in prime time, and Game 2 was little better. The Game 2 rating was 20% less than a year ago. The fact two California teams are playing has a lot to do with the lack of interest outside the Golden State. Throw in a four-hour game Sunday that ended well after midnight in the East and you have trouble. But one would think baseball fans are baseball fans, no matter who's playing. In some big cities, however, the ratings were close to half what a Monday Night Football game gets. The two games have been exciting, but relatively few seem to care.
10.21.2002
All Knotted Up: What we learned after the first two games of the World Series is what we knew going in--there's not much difference between the Anaheim Angels and San Francisco Giants. The teams are tied, 1-1, and each have scored 14 runs. Their pitching is suspect, yet they each have clutch hitters. Sunday's Game 2 11-10 Angels win took almost four hours, uncalled for in a nine-inning game (does each pitcher have to take five minutes between throws?). It was decided by an eight-inning two-run home run by Tim Salmon, finally getting his chance to shine after years of toiling on mediocre Angel teams. Barry Bond also homered, his second of the Series.
Where's the Mute Button?: Fox's World Series coverage is just what we expected--some great visuals, lame announcers and promo after promo. Fox showed Hall of Famer George Brett in the stands and our first thought was what new Fox show is he on, since that seems to be the criteria for a cameo. Play-by-play man Joe Buck is mediocre and we wonder how he got to be the lead for both baseball and the NFL. Don't get us started on Tim McCarver. The guy loves to hear himself talk, even when he's stating the obvious or belaboring some obscure point. He hit a low when he compared Angels shortstop David Eckstein to Simba the Lion. You see, Eckstein plays for the Angels, which is owned by Disney, which produced the Lion King. How profound!
Football Musings: Notre Dame is the real deal. Winning at Air Force was clutch. ... So much for Seneca Wallace's Heisman. The Iowa State QB was royally stuffed by Oklahoma in a 49-3 romp. ... Remember how this was to be the year Randy Moss exploded for the Minnesota Vikings (on the field, we mean)? Moss has scored two touchdowns this season and none in the last four games for the 1-5 Vikes.
10.19.2002
Blue Wrecking Crew: Boise State plays on this funky blue artificial surface called "Smurf Turf," but there was nothing cartoonish about the Broncos' 67-21 demolition of Fresno State in college football. Boise State seemed to be running up the score and they were still throwing with a 47-21 lead in the fourth. You can imagine Fresno State won't soon forget.
Our Series Pick: As the World Series starts today, here's how we see it: The Angels are the more complete team and take our the Giants in six. And within a week we'll all be sick of the Rally Monkey and Fox.
10.18.2002
Reaching Out: The Chicago Gay Hockey Assn. is taking a bold and unorthodox move to improve its team--It's advertising in a mainstream hockey magazine. The team placed this ad in the local "Hockey Stop" magazine that goes in rinks throughout Chicago and Suburbs and farther:
Toronto 8- CHICAGO 0
Colorado 1- CHICAGO 0
Montr￩al 8 - CHICAGO 0
NewYork 4 - CHICAGO 0
Boston 2 - CHICAGO 0
CAN?T BELIEVE THESE SCORES? WE COULDN?T EITHER.
So Chicago is developing its first gay hockey organization. We?re looking for
gay or gay-positive heterosexual skaters of all experience levels, fan club
boosters, League supporters, and all other interested people to join us.
Help us create the best organization in the country! Call us or sign up today.
773.509.6398 www.chicagogayhockey.org.
10.17.2002
Oh, Say Can You Shut Up: Michael Wilbon of the
Washington Post has identified an alarming trend in sports
that needs to be stamped-out--a Star-Spangled Banner that
goes on and on. Wrote Wilbon: "Singers (and I use the term
loosely) come in and take six minutes to sing the national
anthem, boring us to death with their egomaniacal
renditions."
Punishment, Big Red Style: The
University of Nebraska seems to have a double-standard when
it comes to jocks getting in trouble, and it's no surprise
that football rules.
Greichaly Cepero and Jamal Lord
were each "ticketed for disturbing the peace after a
drunken run-in with Lincoln police officers early Sunday,"
the Omaha World-Herald reported. Cepero was also ticketed for failure to comply with a police officer's order. Lord was arrested last year for urinating in public and for trying to buy alcohol as a minor. Cepero, the captain of the volleyball team, was suspended by her coach indefinitely. Lord, starting quarterback for
the Cornhuskers, will be allowed to play. For Husker fans, still smarting from a 4-2 record and Lord's poor play, having him on the field may be their form of punishment.
10.16.2002
Much Ado About Nothing: We're baffled by the criticism directed as San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens for his end zone celebration Monday night in Seattle. Owens scored a touchdown, then kneeled down and pulled a pen from his sock. He signed the football he scored with and handed it to a friend in the stands as he had promised.
We thought what Owens did was clever and not disrespectful to anyone, and even Shawn Springs, the player Owens beat for the score, was not bothered. But word is that the NFL may penalize T.O. And Seattle lineman John Randle called it "embarrassing for the league." As AP reported, this is the same Randle "who once celebrated a sack by crawling on the ground and lifting his leg like a dog near a fire hydrant."
KKK or Gay? Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard asked Miami Dolphins defensive back Patrick Surtain 20 questions. Here is No. 16:
Which will we see first? An openly gay NFL player or a black member of the Ku Klux Klan?
``[Laughter] Good question right there. I say a black KKK member. The black guy can sneak in maybe because he's mixed or something, but an openly gay guy in the NFL, you ain't seeing that.''
10.15.2002
A Golden State: The San Francisco Giants are heading to the World Series following a dramatic 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. David Bell scored the winning run on a mad dash and slide off a base hit by Kenny Lofton in the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinals ended their emotional season that saw them deal with the death of pitcher Darryl Kile. The win was satisfaction for Barry Bonds, who shedded his reputation as a post-season underachiever.The Giants will play the Anaheim Angels in an all-California Series.
Wild Things: For the first time since baseball adopted the wild card format, the World Series will feature two teams that didn't win their division. While this has made for exciting post-season baseball, one can question whether the wild card cheapens the regular season. Baseball teams already play 162 games and now all winning a division gets a team is a potential series-deciding game at home.
Signed and Delivered: Did you see that weird sight of Terrell Owens during the Monday night football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks? Owens, the often-odd 49ers star receiver, scored a touchdown, then kneeled down and pulled a pen from his sock. He signed the football he scored with and handed it to a friend in the stands as he had promised. Chalk one up for literacy.
10.14.2002
Heavenly: The Anaheim Angels have been one of pro sports' sad-sack franchises since their inception in 1960. But no longer. With their resounding 13-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, the Angels won the American League pennant, 4 games to 1, and will play in next week's World Series.
The Angels, down 5-3 in the seventh inning, exploded for 10 runs, led by Adam Kennedy's (left) three-run home run. It was Kennedy's third home run of the game.
Rally Monkey, Pro: The Rally Monkey has gained national attention for being the good luck symbol for the Anaheim Angels. Whenever the Angels are behind in the seventh inning at home, the stadium video screen shows a clip of a monkey maniacally jumping up and down. The fans go crazy and it serves to energize the stadium. During the playoffs, people have dressed in monkey suits, worn monkey masks and donned monkey hats. It's been great fun to watch and added an extra element of entertainment to the playoffs. Baseball purists may sneer, but seeing people go ape is certainly better than watching them make jackasses of themselves in other ways.
--Jim Buzinski, Angels fan since Oct. 5
Rally Monkey, Con: I've been going to games in Anaheim since 1978, I state with complete certainty this: The Angels have the worst fans in professional sports. They are bored, passive fans who have been programmed to expect failure, sometimes on a monumental scale.
For the last two seasons, when I've gone to Angels games the crowd will be in a stupor until Satan shows up on the scoreboard: The Rally Monkey. Then, mass hysteria takes over. It's digusting how a pathetic film clip of a monkey in a uniform jumping up and down is the only thing that will get the crowd going. Pitcher Jarrod Washburn is right: It's sad that all most people know of this team is a plush toy of a monkey. --Jim Allen, Angels fan since 1974
10.13.2002
Wide ... Again: For the fourth time in 11 years, Florida State missed a last-second field goal that would have beaten Miami. The first three times, the kick was wide right. On Saturday, down 28-27 to the Hurricanes, Seminole kicker Xavier Beitia's 43-yarder at the gun was wide left.
The miss capped a terrific game that saw Miami's 28-game win streak in jeopardy. Florida State outplayed the Canes and led by 13 in the fourth before Miami rallied. The clock management on Florida State's last drive was atrocious. The 'Noles took 20 seconds to get off one play, used two conservative runs on another and barely stopped the clock with 1 second left to allow Beitia's attempt.
Not Ready for the Big Time: Oklahoma beat Texas, 35-24, in a battle of the unbeatens that saw Longhorn quarterback Chris Simms again underperform in a big game. Simms was 12 of 26 for only 156 yards and three interceptions. In his career, Simms is 0-4 against Top 10 teams with zero touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He's not a pressure player.
Going Ape S***: The Anaheim Angels' Rally Monkey gimmick worked to a charm in Game 4 of their American League Championship Series against Minnesota. With crazed fans wearing monkey hats and monkey suits, the Angels scored seven runs in the 7th and 8th innings to beat the Twins, 7-1, and take a 3-1 series lead. For the third time in their history, the Angels are one win away from the World Series.
10.12.2002
Angels Blessed: The Anaheim Angels continued their remarkable postseason run with a dramatic 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. The Angels won it with a solo home run by Troy Glaus in the bottom on the eighth. The Angels lead the series, 3-1.
Same Pronounciation, Different Meaning: A correction from the Florence (Ala.) Times Daily: " A sports column on 1C in Wednesday's edition misrepresented a quote by Alabama coach Dennis Franchione. Franchione quoted a T-shirt as reading, "We're going to Hawaii to get leid."
Hingis Done for 2002: Martina Hingis just hasn't been the same player since injuring her ankle earlier this year and she may have tried to come back from surgery too soon. By losing this week in a German tournament, Hingis dropped out of the Top 10 rankings for the first time since 1996.
``At the moment I am not capable of reaching the level that I expect of myself, and I apologize to the public and my sponsors,'' Hingis said.
10.11.2002
Giant Killers: The San Francisco Giants are on the brink of their first World Series appearance since 1989 after going up 2-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series. The Giants beat the Cards, 4-1, in St. Louis behind two home runs by Rick Aurilia.
Andy Rooney Is a Big, Fat Idiot: Have you ever noticed how annoying and clueless Andy Rooney is? The 83-year-old CBS commentator, who has insulted gays and blacks in the past, went after women, specifically those who are football sideline reporters. "I'm not a sexist person, but a woman has no business being down there trying to make some comment about a football game," Rooney said on the Boomer Esiason radio show.
ESPN college football analyst Bill Curry, a former player and coach, told USA Today: "Andy, get a life. How many years did you play? In football, if you can do the job, you play. The same with reporters, like our Michele Tafoya. Don't knock somebody because you don't like their gender."
10.10.2002
Most on the Coast: The two California baseball teams made big noise in getting road playoff wins.
The Anaheim Angels struck for four runs early in beating Minnesota, 6-3, to tie their American League Championship Series at 1-1. In St. Louis, Barry Bonds sparked the San Francisco Giants to a 9-6 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of their National Legue series. We're seeing a rare sight--Bonds producing in October.
Ball Dispute: As if the legal system wasn't clogged enough, the two men arguing over who owns Barry Bonds' 73rd home run ball failed to reach a settlement and their case will go to trial. Only in America.
Hockey Is Life: From Bernie Lincicome in the Rocky Mountain News: "Maybe no other sport has quite the variety and bluntness as ice hockey. My favorite T-shirt summary of the sport [is], `If You Die, We Split Your Gear,' although my preferred bumper sticker is 'My Son Cross-Checked Your Honors Student.' "
10.9.2002
Twins Win a Snoozer: Maybe it was the letdown after having won their respective Division Series, but Game 1 of the Anaheim Angels and Minnestoa Twins American League Championship Series was a bit of a snoozer. There wasn't much offense to speak of (the Angels scored their lone run on an error) and the pitching was efficient but unspectacular. The Twins won 2-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
They're Stuck With Each Other: The love affair between quarterback Tim Couch and Cleveland Browns fans is all but over. "Fucking bullshit" is how Couch described being booed at home Sunday while he lay on the ground injured from a concussion. The fans wanted backup Kelly Holcomb, and they got their wish. But Holcomb broke his leg and now Couch will remain the starter. He said he prefers playing on the road because he at least can accept the booing. A neurosurgeon said Couch's outburst may have been a result of the concussion.
10.8.2002
Hot Hand: Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre put on a clinic in the first half of Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears. Favre was brilliant, throwing for 287 yards (a record first half for him) and three touchdowns. Favre completed passes to seven receivers. The guy is simply amazing.
We still chuckle over Favre's segment on HBO a couple of weeks ago where he and center Frank Winters kidded about their "relationship," with Brett saying he often asks Frank to spoon with him. Favre's the coolest player in the NFL.
A Buff Ref: NFL referee Ed Hochuli gets more compliments on his physique than most players. We have heard announcers on CBS, Fox and ABC (Monday night) this season comment on Hochuli's "big guns" and how much he works out. He does fill out a striped shirt pretty well.
Braves Choke Again: Choke is a harsh word, but it applies to the Atlanta Braves. They blew a 2 games to 1 lead in losing their National League Division Series to the San Francisco Giants. In the bottom of the ninth in Monday's Game 5, down 3-1, the Braves get men on first and third with no outs. Result? Strikeout, double-play. Ball game. The Braves have won their division 11 straight times, but captured the World Series only once (way back in 1995). Three things you can depend on--Death, taxes and the Braves losing a playoff series.
10.7.2002
Weekend Highlights and Lowlights
The Kings Are Dead: Baseball fans owe the Anaheim Angels a debt of gratitude by eliminating the New York Yankees. Don't get us wrong--the Yankees have been great champions, but it was getting boring watching them in the World Series every year. The Angels were clearly the better team.
Contract This:
Hard as it is to believe, the Angels aren't the Cinderella team of the playoffs. That honor goes to the Minnesota Twins, who a year ago were slated to be disbanded by the idiots who run the sport. After beating Oakland on Sunday, the Twinkies are now four wins away from the World Series.
Sooner Trickery: Coolest college football play we saw was Oklahoma's fake field goal that turned into a 14-yard Matt McCoy to Chris Chester touchdown pass, giving the Sooners the lead for good over Missouri.
Bay Area Disappointment: The Oakland Athletics have become major underachievers. For the third year in a row, the A's lost Game 5 of the American League Divisional Series. The A's have now lost the last six times they could have clinched a series.
Call Them the Lambs: The St. Louis Rams have hit rock bottom, surrendering meekly in a 37-13 rout at San Francisco. Sure the Rams are banged up, but how about showing some grit or determination?
10.5.2002
One More to Go:The Anaheim Angels are on the brink of doing what no American League has done since 1997: Knock the New York Yankees out of the playoff. Before a packed house of red-clad fans pounding Korean noisemakers (you had to see it), the Angels rallied from a 6-1 deficit to beat the Yanks, 9-6, and take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-5 series. It was only the third time in the storied history of the Yankees that they lost a game after leading by five runs. Tim Salmon's 2-run home run in the eighth provided the cushion for the Angels in what has been a terrific baseball series.
Despicable: A Phoenix disc jockey, Beau Duran, hit a new low in radio when he telephoned the widow of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile and asked if she had a date to the Cards' Thursday playoff game in Arizona. Kile died suddenly of blocked arteries in June and the Cardinal organization has been devastated since. But Duran obviously thought his call was "funny." He was suspended for at least a week and the station apologized.
10.4.2002
Bye, Bye Rocker: There is some justice in the world: Noted homophobe and all-around jerk John Rocker was cut Thursday by the Texas Rangers. If he wanted to put his free time to good use, Rocker would go to anger management classes and work in an AIDS hospice. He might learn a thing or two about tolerance.
D'Backs In Trouble: Don't look now, but the defending World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks are in big trouble. The D'Backs lost Game 2 of their National League playoff series, 2-1, to St. Louis, to fall behind 2 games to 0. One more loss and Arizona goes home for the season. What's scary for Arizona fans is that they lost both games despite Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling getting the starts.
10.3.2002
Heavenly Comeback: The Yankees jumped out to a 5-4 lead, having climbed back from being down, 4-1, and all hope for the Anaheim Angels seemed to be lost. But, the heavens opened up on them in the eighth inning as they scored three runs that put them ahead for good. With the series tied, 1-1, the Angels have now captured home field advantage from the Yankees and head to Anaheim for two games this weekend.
Where Football Is King: Is Bowden Bowl IV a state holiday? For Florida State, it is. With Seminoles football head coach Bobby Bowden taking on the Clemson Tigers, with Bobby's son, Tommy, at the helm, Florida State University has decided to close up for two days. Classes have been cancelled on Thursday and Friday because of probable "traffic problems." Who needs classes when you have a football game to get ready for?
10.2.2002
That Yankee Magic: What can you say about the New York Yankees? Even when they were behind in their American League Championship Series Game 1 vs. the Anaheim Angels, you just felt that they would find a way to win. A ball that first baseman Scott Spezio of the Angels couldn't handle led to one run to tie the score at 5-5. Anaheim manager Mike Sciosica will be second-guessed for not bringing in closer Troy Percival to face Jason Giambi, but his decision not to bring in Percival to face Bernie Williams was truly baffling. Williams hit a 3-run homer to win the game for the Yankees, who it seems really do have that October magic.
TV Idiocy: Baseball continues to shoot itself in the foot. That the St. Louis Cardinals vs. Arizona Diamondbacks game started at 11 p.m. EST and is only available on cable is one example of this. Additionally, Fox's coverage of Game 1 of the New York Yankees vs. Anaheim Angels game was poor. While it's nice that Tim McCarver has toned it down a bit, there were too many lame comments from him and Joe Buck, too much focus on Jason Giambi's torn uniform, way too many promo for lame Fox shows and other things that have us wishing that NBC in it's heyday in the 70's still had exclusive coverage.
10.1.2002
A Long, Bizarre Play: Anyone watching NFL Monday Night Football saw the longest play in league history in a bizarre sequence. The situation: Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam''s 57-yard field goal try at the end of the first half was short and caught eight yards in the end zone by Chris McAlister of the Baltimore Ravens. McAlister at first pretended he was going to kneel down and end the half, but then stood up and took off down the left sideline. Getting a great block from Ray Lewis, McAlister raced passed a stunned Bronco kick team 108 yards for a touchdown. It broke the old mark of 106 yards held by three players.
Computer Error: In a sign computers really are dumb machines, the New York Times college football rankings came out. Texas (4-0) and ranked #2 by humans in the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls, did not even make the Times'' Top 25. But 3-2 Texas Tech did.
A Bum Thumb: The news was bad for St. Louis Rams fans: Quarterback Kurt Warner will miss eight to 10 weeks after breaking his pinkie on Sunday. At 0-4 and without Warner, the Rams can start looking ahead to 2003.
