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10.31.2006
PTI and Brokeback Cowboys: For the second week in a row, Pardon The Interruption's Monday night installment started with some pretty gay comments.
At the end of the Sunday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers, victorious head coach Bill Parcells seemed to be shot by Cupid's arrow as he started kissing his players and putting his arms around them. It was a display of pure emotion as Parcells had brought his team all the way back from a devastating Monday Night Football loss just six nights earlier.
The PTI hosts saw it and had this to say:
Mike Wilbon: Tony, your boy Bill Parcells lost his mind and turned into the kissing bandit last night. Tony Kornheiser: I haven't seen that many Cowboys kissing since Brokeback Mountain. I have not. Wilbon: Ooh, ooh. I don't think the 'Boys with the star on the side of the helmet would like that analogy. Kornheiser: Really? Well, they're going to have to live with it. Wilbon: All the nuzzlin' and huggin' and kissin' and whew, get a room. Hey. Kornheiser: Gonna need more than one room.
Let the hype begin: With the New England Patriots' dispatching of the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, 31-7, the League's attention now turns to the upcoming Sunday night match-up between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.
By all accounts, these are the best two teams in the AFC. They have the two best records, the rivalry has become one of the best in the NFL, and the series between the two teams has been dominated by the Patriots since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady teamed up in 2001.
Still, the last meeting was won in Foxboro by the Colts, so the idea that they can't win at New England is long gone. For those who don't like either team, this will be a tough week to handle; for those (like Jim and me) who are big fans of one team over the other, it'll be the best game between now and if they meet up again in the playoffs. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.30.2006
NBA loses a visionary in Red Auerbach: Boston Celtics legendary coach Arnold "Red" Auerbach died Saturday, just four days before the start of the 2006 NBA season. He was 89. Auerbach's contributions to the Celtics, the NBA, and basketball itself, run deep. With Phil Jackson, he holds the record for the most NBA championships (nine); He drafted the first black player to play in the NBA (Chuck Cooper in 1950); He was the first to have an all-black starting lineup in the NBA; He named Bill Russell his successor at the helm of the Celtics, making Russell the first black head coach of a major American pro sports team; He established the foundation of the greatest team in the history of the NBA (The Celtics, which have won 16 NBA titles), and only the unnatural death of Len Bias in 1986 seems to have undermined what could have been even more championships; and all of this was done before he retired from coaching at the rip old age of 49.
It was in large thanks to Red Auerbach that I became a sports fan in the first place. The patriarch of the success of the Boston Celtics from the '50s to the '80s, Auerbach created a winning environment in New England (where I grew up) that made it hard to not be a basketball, and specifically a Celtics, fan.
It's always sad when a sport loses someone with a vision and a voice who helped open doors to minorities and the disenfranchised. Auerbach will be missed and remembered for decades to come. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.28.2006
Weeeee are the Chaaaaaampions of the Wor....erm, the United States: Capping off a fairly dull major league baseball playoffs, the St. Louis Cardinals brushed aside the Detroit Tigers on Friday, 4-2, to win their tenth World Seris title. Again, the Tigers fielding let them down, as two of the Cardinals four runs were unearned due to errors. There was *another* error by a Tigers pitcher, too; they should hold hours of drills next spring training.
Good for the Redbirds. They played their first season in their new ballpark and almost gave their passionate fans a collective heart attack by playing like crap down the stretch and almost losing their division, but they pulled it together when it counted. The Tigers looked overmatched but more than anything, they couldn't hit when it mattered. I wonder if the long layoff between their ALCS win and the World Series had any affect?
The Cardinals were sort of a Midwestern outpost of former Angels, with Jim Edmonds, hottie David Eckstein, 2002 World Series hero Scott Spezio and stoner stiff Jeff Weaver playing on the banks of the Mississippi. Plus, *gasp* they both have red in their uniforms! It must be, like, fate or something.
So, another baseball season comes to a close and to be honest, it's not going to go down as one of the more memorable ones in recent memories. Most of the pennant races were dull, there was no outstanding individual feats and the playoffs contained very few games that were nail-biting, the Cards v. New Yorks Mets NLCS Game 7 being the exception. Sports again becomes kind of a void for me until April, with only English football really getting me going. Go Angels in 2007! --Jim Allen
10.27.2006
Play ball...finally: After Thursday's Game 4 of the World Series, Detroit Tigers fans will probably never want to hear about the weather and baseball ever again. In the first really interesting game of the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals took command of the series with a 5-4 win, giving the Redbirds a 3-1 series lead. The persistent rains in the St. Louis area were a big factor.
With the Cardinals trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 7th, Little
David Eckstein, still a hottie, hit what looked like a routine can o' corn to centerfield. Instead, Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson slipped on the wet grass while turning to chase the ball and Eckstein ended up at second base. Fox flashed a stat during the game that will baffle baseball historians for years: the Tigers have six errors in four games, four of them by pitchers. How on earth does a pitching staff have a fielding meltdown?
That fourth pitching staff error was disastrous: after Eckstein's "double", the Cardinals So Taguchi bunted. Routine stuff, until Tigers pitcher Fernando Rodney (great name) lobbed the ball about 10 feet over the glove of his first baseman, Sean Casey. Little Eckstein scored and three plays later, so did Taguchi. This just wasn't to be the Tigers night though, because left fielder Craig Monroe came within three inches of making a great catch on a lashing Preston Wilson liner. Alas Tigers fans, it bounced off the tip of his glove and the Cardinals led 4-3.
As an Angels fan, I'm used to baseball-related heartbreak, so
after two doubles by the Tigers in the top of the 8th tied the score at 4-4, there was an air of inevitability that the Cardinals would score again. Sure enough, former Angels shortstop and fan favorite Eckstein hit a legit double to drive in a run in the bottom of the eighth, Cards closer Adam Wainwright blew people away while throwing in the high 90's in the top of the ninth and the Tigers were done.
The weather forecast for Friday in The Gateway City: 90% chance of rain. Although I don't care at all about how it affects Fox' TV schedule --their coverage was as bad as ever Thursday-- I feel sorry for the fans in Detroit who have tickets. If the game is cancelled Friday, that'll push any potential Detroit games back. People have been flying in to St. Louis and Detroit for the games and the rain has played havoc with their plans.
Purdue fans love penises too: Via Deadspin comes a story that warms my heart: people loving a penis. Now, to be fair, it's a large, inflatable plastic one --about 8 inches, cut, I'd say-- and it's batted around like a beachball at Purdue football games, but still. Of course, like the letter writer from Cyd's entry yesterday, some people can't take a joke. At a recent game, a Purdue player was on the field, hurt, when the inflatable schlong appeared and Dustin Meyer, an engineering student, was *not* amused: "Is this how much class we have left, that we are more entertained by an inflatable penis than we are concerned for an injured Boilermaker? If so, then I am embarrassed to call myself a Boilermaker". As a character in Jean Paul Sartre's No Exit declares, "Hell is other people". Right, Mr. Meyer? --Jim Allen
10.26.2006
Yet another reason to ignore baseball: When it rains, the players melt. The fourth game of the World Series was postponed because it was raining in St. Louis. Waaaaaaah, waaaaaaah. We can't go out in the rain. Other sports like soccer and football play in the rain, even though it compromises the quality of play. Why can't baseball? Who cares if the score is 1-0 in the 15th inning. How could would a baseball game in rain or snow be! -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Gay radio host tells us to stop looking at athletes: We got an email on Wednesday from a gay sports-radio host saying that we are jeopardizing the future of his career by posting information, a picture and a link featuring footage, shot by someone else, of an interview in the Philadelphia Eagles locker room in which a naked player passes in front of the camera. The radio host says that by us posting that on Outsports.com, we are reinforcing the stereotype that gay teammates and sports reporters will "check out" naked straight players if they see them in the locker room, thus jeopardizing his career. (Newsflash: Both gay and straight players check each other out in the locker room, gay people don't have a corner on that market.)
When Jim pointed out to him that it was Deadspin, a sports blog run by straight guys, that initially posted the item and where we first saw it, he said that's okay, because they're straight; Only gay people should refrain from posting it.
Every once in a while we hear from gay men who tell us that we're somehow harming gay people in sports by doing exactly what mainstream media outlets do: post pictures and articles with some sex appeal. We also hear from so many others, both gay and straight, about how we're helping to change sports for the better, how we're opening doors and getting people to think. The idea that us looking at pictures of attractive athletes, or posting stories that also appear on mainstream Web sites, somehow injures someone's career or the plight of gay people in sports is absurd. We're going to keep doing what we do, because we know the positive effect we're having on gay people who long ago gave up sports and straight sports people who may not have thought much about gay issues. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.25.2006
Naked in the locker room: It's fun to see straight guys gawking at naked athletes. But, it's not surprising to find our ubercool metrosexual friends over at Deadspin hooking us up with some inner-locker-room footage. They hooked us up with a postgame interview of superhottie Philadelphia Eagle defensiveback Sean Considine (one of the few white DBs in the League) in which we get a full-frontal perspective of another Philadelphia Eagle in the background.
The brown stuff won't go away: Smudgegate got a shot in the arm on Tuesday when CNNSI.com's Jon Heyman interviewed an anonymous bullpen coach about the "clump of dirt" on Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers' hand in Game 2. Here's some of what he told Heyman:
"It was pine tar. It couldn't be anything else. Pitchers use pine tar, shaving cream and suntan lotion. Pitchers use them to help them grip the ball and make the ball move more. &
"Pine tar is the best, but you have to be careful with it because it's detectable. There are pine tar rags. But usually the pitchers keep the pine tar on their glove. They put it either deep in the pocket or the heel of the glove or inside the glove. Then when they take the glove off, with your index finger, middle finger or thumb, they get the pine tar. &
" "I am guessing Rogers didn't really know how to use pine tar, because he put too much on. It probably spread from his glove to the palm of his hand.
"You have to try to be inconspicuous about it. He probably put the pine tar on the glove but it started to leak and build up on his hand. There was nothing he could do about it. It started to cake up too much. Pine tar also makes a stain on the ball."
In other words: Athletes cheat. Wouldn't it be nice if some of these guys whom our society puts on a pedestal actually played by the rules? My guess is you won't see any "clumps of dirt" on Rogers' hand anymore, even though it's been seen on his hand during every playoff game. -Cyd Zeigler jr
Game 3 is a snoozer. When you're a fan of the team kicking their opponents' collective butt, there's almost nothing better. But when you're just watching the game for some entertainment, there's nothing worse than a blowout. In Game 3 of the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals dominated the Detroit Tigers, winning the game, 5-0. The Tigers managed only three hits the whole game and now must win one of the next two games in St. Louis. -Cyd Zeigler jr
10.24.2006
Kornheiser is a Cuddler: Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon were in Dallas for Monday's edition of Pardon the Interuption. They started with this cozy banter, celebrating their fifth anniversary together on the show.
Mike Wilbon: "Tony, it's our fifth anniversary today. What should we do to celebrate."
Tony Kornheiser: "I'm Tony Kornheiser. We could cuddle. Huh?"
Wilbon: "Or not."
Kornheiser: "We could cuddle."
Wilbon: "Under the hole in the roof of Texas Stadium? Gotta come up with something better than that."
Kornheiser: "That makes it official. Under the hole in the roof. &Welcome to PTI, my fellow tender lovers."
A very bad decision by Bill Parcells: The blame for the Dallas Cowboys' loss on Monday Night Football rests squarely on the shoulders of head coach Bill Parcells. At halftime, down 12-7 to the New York Giants, Parcells opted to switch quarterbacks from Drew Bledsoe to Tony Romo. Romo has never started a game in the NFL. He started the second half of their game by throwing an interception that the Giants quickly turned into a 12-point lead. Romo proceeded to throw two more interceptions, one of which was the nail in the Cowboys' coffin, en route to looking absolutely terrible at times behind center. The Cowboys lost the game, 36-22.
I don't know if the Cowboys would have won the game had Bledsoe been the quarterback, but I can virtually guarantee that he wouldn't have handed the ball to the Giants in the Cowboys red zone on the first play of the second half. And with LaVar Arrington out for the second half with an injury, after getting a safety, Bledsoe likely would have had a slightly easier time of it in the second half than he did in the first half.
The switch to Romo at halftime smacks of an overly emotional decision. Bledsoe threw a terrible interception on second down within the five-yard line 90 seconds before halftime, and that must have stung Parcells. It was a bad decision by Bledsoe, but Parcells may have abandoned any hope for the playoffs by making the switch. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.23.2006
What's on Kenny Rogers' hand? Detroit Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers pitched a masterful World Series Game 2 Sunday night against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching eight scoreless innings and giving up just two hits in leading the Tigers to a 3-1 victory that tied up the World Series at one game apiece. But the question many are left with the morning after: Did he have some help?
In the first inning of the game, in which the Cardinals had two men on base with two outs, Fox cameras caught a glimpse of a brown substance on Kenny Rogers' pitching hand. It was brought to the attention of Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, who questioned the umpires about the ball doing "funny things." When Rogers came out to the mound for the second inning, the brown substance on his hand was gone.
Rogers claims that it was just some dirt that he didn't realize was there. What bullshit. This guy is trying to say that the starting pitcher of Game 2 of the World Series doesn't realize that there's some dirt (and it's not like it was a little dust, there was a decent amount there) on his hand? And, how did it get there? Was he building sand castles in the mud before the game?
Here's what's worse. As ESPN reported Sunday night, looking back at footage of Kenny Rogers' previous appearances this postseason, he has had "dirt" on his hand in other games.
What exactly is Rogers doing before his games?
Also, the stories about what happened on the field don't match. After the game, MLB umpire supervisor Steve Palermo said the officials had told Rogers to clean his hand; Rogers said they never talked to him about it.
It doesn't look right now like the Cardinals are going to do much about the incident. They should. This stinks more than what the substance on Rogers' hand looked like. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.21.2006
48 Years in the Hole: Back in September, Jim B. wrote about the bizarre incident where a starting punter for Northern Colorado was stabbed by a teammate. Rafael Mendoza was stabbed in his kicking leg by Mitchell Cozad, a rival for the starting punting job.
The bizarre took a very worldly turn on Thursday when Cozad was charged with attempted first-degree murder, carrying a potential sentence of 48 years in prison. Obviously, I'm not excusing the act --why anyone would want to emulate Tonya Harding in any way is beyond me-- but attempted murder? For stabbing someone in the leg?
"Based on the facts we've heard, it does sound a little over the top", said Scott Robinson, a Denver defense attorney and legal analyst. Ya think? Rumor is that The Man is using threat of 48 years to pressure Cozad in to naming an accomplice. Was the starting job at a nothing college, football-wise, worth all that Mr. Cozad?
Internet dumbass: I love the Internet, truly I do. It's opened up a world of knowledge, I get to obsess about tiny details of the show LOST with other saddos --you GO Benjamin Linus-- and I've heard music I never would have otherwise. However, some people are profoundly, dumb-as-a-box-of-hair stupid when using it.
Case in point: two dudes, one in Wisconsin and one in Texas, were passing back fantasies on a website called The Friend Society of what would be the worst terrorist type thing to happen. One scenario: dirty bombs being set off at seven NFL stadiums. A man in Milwaukee was charged in the case after Homeland Security got involved. When the story first appeared, a lot of people freaked out, obviousl, but after it turned out to be a hoax, a lot of people got mad. People, be careful what you post on the Internets, even if you're joking. --Jim Allen
10.20.2006
Cardinals win the pennant! Cardinals win the pennant!: The National League Championship Series had been kind of excitement free over the first six game, but Game 7 on Thursday night at Shea Stadium in New York made up for it. On a cool, misty night in a toilet of a stadium, the St. Louis Cardinals advanced to the World Series in dramatic fashion.
Yadier Molina will never have to buy a beer in St. Louis again --too bad, it'll probably be a Bud-- after he hit a two run homer in the top of the ninth inning to silence a boiterous Mets crowd and send the Cardinals to a 3-1 win. The Redbirds will be in search of their tenth World Series title. I normally hate Fox' coverage of baseball, with its 73 million shots of fans looking tense, but it was impossible not to feel for fans of the Mets after seeing their reaction to what happened. OK, if you're a Yankees fan, you were probably cackling like a deranged hyena on crystal meth, but still.
For fans of either team, it was a roller coaster: with the game tied at 1-1 in the top of the sixth, Mets leftfielder Endy Chavez made what will undoubtedly become a highlight clip staple, as he lept and caught a ball hit by the Cards Scott Rolen that was clearly over the fence. It was an astonishing catch (and it lead to a double play) but the Mets couldn't capitalize on the momentum a catch like that creates.
After Molina's home run, I expected the Mets to roll over and die in the bottom of the ninth; too many memories of the Angels collapse in 1986, I guess. However, the Mets managed to load the bases with two outs against Adam Wainwright. Up stepped Carlos Beltran, who had 116 RBI's during the regular season. In another moment that will be shown on highlights shows for years to come, he was totally schooled by Wainwright, standing there without swinging as strike three, and the Mets season, went past him. Ouch, that's gotta hurt.
So, after some pretty dull preliminaries overall, the World Series will finally begin on Saturday, with the Detroit Tigers hosting the Cardinals. Unfortunately, weather might be a factor: there's a 40% chance of rain on Saturday in Detroit, with it's roofless ballpark. Game 7 is scheduled to be played on Sunday, October 29th, but its conceivable that the World Series won't be decided until after Halloween. I'm not going to jinx either the Tigers or the Cardinals with a prediction, just a bland "I hope it's an exciting Series". --Jim Allen
10.19.2006
On to Game 7: The New York Mets pushed the NLCS to Game 7 in their quest to completely steal the Big Apple spotlight from the Bronx Bombers. And, oh yeah, get to the World Series. Game Sixes are like sex with no orgasm: Somebody's supposed to clinch the title, but you're just left with an unrealized finale. But, just as with sex, when that happens, the ultimate climax is that much more satisfying. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Favre goes after the NFL: Maybe Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre is just venting about his dreadful season. Maybe he's just a lost soul crying out for help. Whatever the reason, Favre lashed out at the NFL on Wednesday, saying the league was turning its back on wide receiver Koren Robinson, who has been suspended for a year and banned from the facilities of his latest team, Favre's Packers, for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Robinson had previously been suspended four games in 2004. He was let go earlier this year by the Minnesota Vikings for being arrested for drunken driving; Vikings head coach Brad Childress has no patience for such distractions, while the Packers were willing to take the risk.
Favre, who himself has had issues with substance abuse, said the decision to ban Robinson from the Packers facilities kept him away from his much-needed teammates and their support. What I don't understand is why his teammates can't reach out to Robinson and offer support. The league has no ability to prevent players from communicating with Robinson. So, I don't quite understand what Favre is complaining about, unless he's just too busy planning how to throw more interceptions and can't fit a visit to Robinson into his busy schedule. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.18.2006
Did a coach get fired because she's a lesbian? A Maine high school girls softball coach is suing the school, saying her contract was not renewed because she was outed as a lesbian. Kelly Jo Cookson, who had been the coach of the team for 14 generally successful years, has filed suit claiming that the reason she was not rehired was because of her sexual orientation.
Discrimination in hiring based on sexual orientation is now illegal in the State of Maine. The suit is the first to utilize the state's addition of sexual orientation to the Maine Human Rights Act, which was upheld by voters last November. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of several criteria including race and ago in employment, education, housing and credit.
But some in the community are crying foul, saying that Cookson will not return because of a 2005 incident in which she had her team walk barefoot through sheep manure. The superintendent at the time reprimanded Cookson, saying that it was unhealthy and that it could be construed as hazing.
It's tough to make out exactly who's right and wrong in this story. The manure incident would be troubling to any parent or school board. And let's be clear about this: She wasn't fired, her contract was simply not renewed. No one is forced to renew a contract that doesn't work out for them, and Brewer High School is no different.
Certainly confusing the issue is the fact that she was the conference coach of the year three of her 14 years as head coach. Many school overlook indiscretions by a coach when she's winning. So, why didn't they here?
"The allegation that (the) decision was in any way discriminatory is simply false," superintendent Daniel Lee said in a prepared statement. "The school department is confident that it will prevail in any legal action taken against it."
Here's hoping Cookson gets her jury trial, that the truth comes out, and that justice, whatever it may be, is served. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.17.2006
Meltdown in the Desert: The Chicago Bears scored three offensive points against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. They gained 168 total yards and quarterback Rex Grossman was awful, throwing four interceptions and fumbling twice. On the other side, Arizona rookie quarterback Matt Leinart was terrific, throwing for two touchdowns. So how on earth did the Bears manage to win, 24-23, after being down 23-3 late in the third quarter? The Bears defense scored twice on fumble recoveries and with 2:58 left Devin Hester returned a punt 83 yards for a score. On the Cardinals final drive, Leinart moved them smartly into position and set up kicker Neil Rackers for a 40-yarder to win the game. But Rackers missed the kick left and the Cardinals had the choke job of the season.
Arizona became the first team in NFL history to lose consecutive games after leading by 14 points after the first quarter. The Bears became the first team in six years to win a game despite committing six turnovers. This is why Chicago is 6-0 and Arizona is 1-5. After the game, Cardinals coach Denny Green lost it, pounding the podium and shouting "bullshit" several times before stalking off. Can't say I blame him.
MNF Sucks: ESPN has ruined Monday Night Football and that was never more obvious than during last night's game. We were watching what would have been a major upset in the making, and all during the second quarter we were forced to listen to booth guest Charles Barkley talk about Terrell Owens (is it a requirement on ESPN that everyone talks about TO?) and what candy he liked to eat on the bench. All that is OK in the fourth quarter of a blowout, not the first half of a major upset. I like Barkley, but he was nothing more than a distraction. This continues a trend of ESPN putting a guest in the booth for the second quarter. Barkley was at least better than some actor named James Denton, who polluted the telecast last week.
Color man Tony Kornheiser is totally misplaced in the booth and sounds like a babbling fool half the time. When Arizona, a heavy underdog, got its first first down, Kornheiser said they should stop the game and just go home. A few plays later, after the Cardinals went up 7-0, he was ready to declare the game over. Fellow analyst Joe Theismann, the supposed expert, did nothing to tell us why the Cardinals were able to move the ball so easily against the Bears. But the master of hyperbole did say that the Chicago offensive line was playing with more emotion than any he's ever seen; this as the Bears offense scored all of three points. Play-by-play guy Mike Tirico is the least objectionable of the bunch, but even he spent more time kvetching with Barkley about everything but the game we were watching. Lame all around. -Jim Buzinski
Tyson wants to fight a woman: Mike Tyson is scarily serious when he says that he wants to fight women on "Mike Tyson's World Tour," which begins in Youngstown, Ohio, on Friday. The tour features none other than the 40-year-old former heavyweight world champion in bouts that will likely go just four rounds. On Monday, Tyson specifically mentioned fighting pro boxer Ann Wolfe, who is 21-1 with 15 knockouts. Wolfe's promoter, Russ Young, told the Associated Press he doesn't see that match happening anytime soon.
"No state would sanction that," Young said. "She would be outweighed by 60 to 70 pounds. Ann would never entertain the idea."
So the question remains: Why on Earth would anyone pay to see Tyson fight for four rounds? I suppose it's the same reason lots of people would likely pay to watch a train wreck. The chances of Tyson having a meltdown are probably just as good in four rounds as they are in 12. I can see the promo materials now: "For just $50, you get to see three-and-a-half rounds of a former world champ, plus he'll bite the nose off of a woman!" Now that's marketing. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.16.2006
Mets back with a bullet: It looked as though the injuries to the pitching staff had finally caught up with the New York Mets. After winning Game 1 of the NLCS, they dropped two straight and looked to be heading into a must-win Game 5. The pitching staff still gave up too many runs (5) in Game 4; but the Mets' bats came alive in Game 4, tying up the series with a big 12-5 statement win. Oh, and the Mets recaptured homefield advantage, to boot. Carlos Beltran was 3-for-3 in leading the Amazin's. If they can somehow take Monday's game, they'll return to New York needing just one win in two games there. A big "if," but something Mets fans have got to be thinking about today. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Suspensions at the U:The University of Miami Hurricanes have had a thug reputation for about 20 years; but the team had never sunk to this level before. In their blowout win against Florida International University on Saturday, over a dozen Hurricane players engaged in a brawl with FIU players that has left 31 players suspended.
"I don't have many bad days," Miami head coach Larry Coker said Sunday morning, according to the Associated Press. "This is a bad day. And last night was a bad night."
Of course, some of the players are saying that they had to join the melee, that they couldn't leave their teammates hanging, blah blah blah. It's the same bull we hear every time athletes let their emotions get the best of them. I wish the suspensions were more than one game; Sitting on the sideline for one game just isn't going to cure these kids of being stupid, and it won't teach a single other athlete that engaging in fights, whether on-field or off-field, isn't worth it.
All told, 13 Hurricanes will miss their Oct. 21 game at Duke; 18 players will miss FIU's Oct. 28 matchup against Alabama. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.14.2006
Tigers win the pennant, the Tigers win the pennant!: In the previous two major league baseball playoffs, in 2004 and 2005, there seemed to be teams of
destiny each year. In 2004, it was the Red Sox and ending their curse; in 2005, it was the White Sox and their long title drought. Once again, it seems the
American League is hosting a Team of Destiny, the Detroit Tigers. On Saturday night, 22 years to the day after their awesome 1984 team finished demolishing
the San Diego Padres to win the World Series, the Tigers booked a place in this years edition with a thrilling 6-3 win over the Oakland A's, completing the
Tigers four game sweep.
The Tigers stumbled badly in to the playoffs after building a big lead in the AL Central, but they've looked very impressive
in demolishing the Minnesota Twins and the A's. The starting pitching has been excellent and the hitting clutch. A perfect example was the game on
Saturday: they got decent starting pitching from Jeremy Bronderman, the bullpen shut down the A's and, in the bottom of the ninth, Magglio Ordonez drilled a
three run walk-off homer to send the Tigers crowd wild.
It was great to see the long suffering Detroit fans have something to cheer about; just three years
ago, the Tigers came within a game of matching the 1962 New York Mets record for most losses in a season in the modern era, finishing a pitiful 43-119.
Cards with the mo': The New
York Mets may really come to rue blowing the 6-4 lead they had going in to the seventh inning in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against
the St. Louis Cardinals. Leading the series 1-0, the bullpen imploded and gave up five runs in the last three innings for a 9-6 loss, letting the Cardinals get up off the mat.
A
comprehensive 5-0 victory on Saturday at home for the Cardinals gives the tham a 2-1 series lead, and suddenly the Mets are in some trouble. Due to the 2-3-2 format of the playoffs
(home-away-home), they now face the very real prospect of either not having to go back to New York at all, but instead packing up their gear for the winter, or being down 3-2.
Jeff Suppan was the star for the Cards, pitching a three-hitter over eight innings and hitting a home run in the second inning. I'm a big fan of the DH --yes, I know, I'm not a purist-- but that was pretty cool to see. As the old cliche goes "Game 4 will be crucial!". --Jim Allen
10.13.2006
NLCS underway, finally: After having a game washed out and all the weirdness and sadness surrounding the death of Cory Lidle on Wednesday, the
National League Championship Series finally got underway at Shea Stadium Thursday night. Riding a great pitching performance by Tom Glavine and a towering
two run home run by Carlos Beltran, the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 2-0.
It was still pretty moist in Queens, but Glavine used a mere 89
pitches in seven innings to give his team a 1-0 series lead. The rainout means that there will be no travel day, something that the Mets could use. Their
starting pitching is pretty thin due to injuries and they can expect Glavine to start four games in the best-of-seven.
Go to jail, do not pass
go: On 9/15, I wrote about a Little League (actually T-Ball) coach who was convicted of paying one of his nine-year old players to hit a teammate with a
ball so he'd be hurt and not be able to play an important game. That man, Mark Downs, will now have the pleasure of spending 1-6 years in a Pennsylvania
prison for his folly.
"I didn't do nothing" Downs remarked as he was lead off, and while I'd be in favor of jailing people who mangle the beautiful English
like that, the jury wasn't buying any of that. In a total shocker, Downs was also ordered to undergo a mental health evalution. What a sad end to a pitiful
story. --Jim Allen
10.12.2006
Oct. 11 plane crash reportedly kills Yankee pitcher: New York City turned its attention yet again to a plane crashing into a Manhattan building on Wednesday. This time it was a small plane, not an airline jet, and the plane left but a bruise on the side of the building it hit. The contents of that plane, however, were dear to many New Yorkers.
The plane was registered to New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, and it is being reported that he was in the plane when it crashed. Lidle had been acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 31 of this year in Yankees owner George Steinbrenner's annual talent grab for their playoff run.
Many New Yorkers were certainly shocked by the news this afternoon, and many a heart skipped a beat, remembering the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center five years and one month ago to the day. A terrorist attack has been virtually ruled out by the FAA, though a no-fly zone was instituted within a one-mile radius of the crash.
Lidle was 4-3 this season with the Yankees and made one four-out appearance in the playoffs against the Detroit Tigers. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.11.2006
Tigers take a bite out of the A's: For about 161 games, the Detroit Tigers had the best record in all of Major League Baseball. But when the playoffs started, everyone seemed to forget that fact as they were pushed back to the wild card position and faced an AL playoff run with no hope of homefield advantage. Yet, the Tigers took out the New York Yankees in four games and on Tuesday swiped away homefield advantage in the ALCS by pounding Barry Zito and hanging on to beat the Oakland A's, 5-1.
Some fun notes out of college. Oh, those wacky college athletics programs. A couple were in the news recently with strange facts. The Boston College football team will use a kicker who will play in his first football game this weekend against Virginia Tech. Let me be clear. Steve Aponavicius, the BC kicker, hasn't played in a football game at any level. Ever. The former soccer player stuck to round balls in high school.
At St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania, a female doubles tennis team is setting a record as the oldest collegiate doubles team in history, and quite possibly the oldest teammates in the history of NCAA athletics. According to the Associated Press, Lori Orthen and Marilyn Miller have a combined age of 93 and won their doubles match on Tuesday against a team from West Liberty State College. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.10.2006
A flat-out ugly football game: Snow can make for a great football game. The classic so many point to these days is the Patriots-Raiders playoff game in 2001 that has become known as "The Tuck Rule Game;" Until the infamous call in the fourth quarter, the game was going down in history as the next great snow bowl.
But what about a nasty snow, rain and sleet combination? Not so much. The Baltimore Ravens visited the Denver Broncos on Monday night in one of the ugliest games that I can remember. While the score might look like the result of two very good defenses pitted against two mediocre offenses, it was more likely the result of Mother Nature having laid a nickel on the under for the game. In the end, the Broncos' defense caught two more interceptions and pulled away in the fourth quarter, 13-3.
The Ravens' loss leaves one unbeaten team in the AFC: The Indianapolis Colts, who have snuck past some not-good teams for a couple "embarrassing" victories. So, who's the best team in the Conference? With six teams sitting with one or less loss, it's tough to say. My money right now would be on the Denver Broncos, who are winning with great (and yes, I'm saying "great" at this point) defense, even if they do need a little help from Mother Nature from time to time. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.8.2006
Baseball Championship teams set: After stumbling in to the playoffs by playing awful in the month of September, some pundits gave the San Diego Padres a chance to beat the Redbirds and advance the National League Championship Series. The Cardinals ended such talk on Sunday night with an easy 6-2 win in St. Louis. They now face the New York Mets, who should be favored.
While I was at Jim B.'s watching football today, I read the post-mortems of the Yankees crashing out of the American League Championship Series to the Detroit Tigers in the New York Times. The general feeling was: it might be time to get rid of Joe Torre as manager; the pitching staff needs to be overhauled and Alex Rodriguez isn't good enough for the Yankees. The Yankees *do* need to make some big changes, but the concept of "rebuilding years" won't fly in New York, so expect more high priced free agents that are just rental players to land in the Bronx over the winter.
Football notes: I don't have any of the details, but Cyd's New York team won the Gaybowl VI title in Dallas on Sunday. Jim B.'s team, L.A. Motion, lost in the semi-finals. More about this from them in the coming week.
While Jim was in Dallas, I was at his house, with complete control over the NFL Sunday Ticket package on the satellite dish. I focused mainly on the Titans v. Colts in the morning and what a grim game it was. The Colts look completely flat --again-- and barely beat a rebuilding Titans team, 14-13. The Titans stuck with rookie Vince Young and the results were mixed. He's got a terrific arm and his 19 yard scamper for a touchdown in the first quarter was fantastic, but he's still a rookie, making rookie mistakes.
I zipped around to a few other interesting games. Didn't watch much of Da Chicago Bears, as they just steamrolled a poor Buffalo Bills team, 40-7. Rex Grossman might be the hottest quarterback in the league right now; yes, the world is going to spin off its axis soon. New England won handily at home against the pitiful Miami Dolphins, 20-10. The Fins started the extremely cute Joey Harrington, but they still stink. The Pats cruised on a beautiful fall day in the Northeast.
The New Orleans Saints provided their fans with another win at the Superdome and the big reason was a kick-ass 65 yard punt return by Reggie Bush with 4:17 to go, as the Aints beat the woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers (now 0-4) by a field goal, 24-21.
The late games were meh, including the mega-hyped Dallas Cowboys v. Philadelphia Eagles. Terrell Owens return to the town he caused so much ruckus in was a bust: 3 catches for 45 yards, as the Cowboys got rolled 38-24. I hate to say it, but as much as Jim B. and I love Drew Bledsoe, he threw three picks on Sunday and in one case held the ball so long, he ended up being sacked for a 12-yard loss. Drew, Drew, Drew. In the Sunday night game, the San Diego Chargers had a fairly easy time beating the World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-13. Quarterback Philip Rivers looks like the real deal for the Bolts, throwing for 242 yards and two touchdowns against a good Steelers defense.
Jim B. and Cyd will be back with their usual NFL notes next week. --Jim Allen
10.6.2006
Yawn: There's been two games apiece in each of the four baseball playoff series so far and the verdict has to be: boring (unless your team is winning, of course)! Oakland and St. Louis have won their first two games on the road and unless they pull off great comebacks, which are unlikely, Minnesota and San Diego's players will be working on their golf games soon. After losing a 6-5 heartbreaker on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles were no match for a good Tom Glavine pitching performance as the New York Mets went up 2-0 by winning 4-1.
Since I live on the West Coast and am totally AL-centric, I never knew how gorgeous Mets pitcher Aaron Heilman was before. Duly noted.
After being rained out --as Cyd noted yesterday, more like drizzled out-- for game 2, Detroit and the New York Yankees got the game in on Thursday afternoon, which was supposed to be a travel day. Trailing 3-1, the Tigers rallied for a 4-3 win to even up the series, the only of interest right now. Since the Angels didn't make the playoffs this year, I just want compelling series and I'm not seeing that so far.
To be honest, writing "seeing that" seems like a bit of a cheat. For example, today's Tigers v. Yankees game started at 10:00 am here in Los Angeles. I could record it on my DVR, but when it comes to sports, it's either watch it live or not at all for me. Luckily, my boss doesn't care if I keep tabs on the scores while I'm working, but it's just not the same. I feel sorry for fans of teams on the East Coast too, because some of those late games don't get over until well past midnight, which is tough on people that have to get up early for work. There's no good solutions to the scheduling; they could make them all night games, but that means that potentially half the country would have the chance of watching one of the games taken away.
Of course, considering how much I intensely dislike how Fox covers baseball (ESPN is in the mix and they do a much better job), maybe that "watch the pitch-by-pitch at work on my computer" isn't so bad. Two things really bug the heck out of me about Fox' coverage. First off, the directors have extreme cases of ADD. Between every pitch, there seems to be this sequence: shots of both managers > batter > a closeup of the pitcher so extreme that I can count the pores on his face > back to the managers > shots of three or four fans > batter and then...pitch. It's all done in a rapid cutting style and it drives me insane. It's so frantic and it's a lame attempt to juice up a game that is built on leisurely rhythms; call it the NASCAR-ization of baseball coverage.
The other thing that bugs me about Fox' coverage is that they're so intent on cramming as many commercials as they can in to every half inning that they sometimes come back to the game while the pitcher is in the middle of winding up to throw. GRRRRRRR. And to top it off, in tonight's Dodgers v. Mets game, they were so intent on cutting to stud Mets pitcher Billy Wagner's reaction of getting the final out that they didn't stay on the play at first base long enough to see the umpire's call on a close play. Awful, just awful. Oh well, my policy of muting the sound and listening to CD's at least spares me the likes of the ghastly Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. --Jim Allen
10.5.2006
Yanks ticket holders now in a bind: A couple weeks ago, the New York Yankees came down hard on a couple season-ticket holders who had sold some of their game tickets on Craigslist and the like. The Yankees said that any season-ticket holder caught selling their tickets would not be allowed to renew their season tickets and would be prevented from buying playoff tickets this season.
Cut to today. Last night, the Yankees were scheduled to play Game 2 of their series against the Detroit Tigers, but the game was rescheduled for today at 1 p.m. due to rain. Living in New York, I can tell you it was maybe 45 minutes to an hour of rain, a little drizzle around it, and that was it. Nonetheless, they moved the game to today in the middle of the workday.
Of course, some fans who had tickets to the game tonight have gone on Craigslist and are selling their tickets; others are likely scared of doing so after the Yankees' recent threat. And what would the Yankees expect them to do? It isn't the fault of these people that they can't come to the game today: Some people do have to work. I imagine the Yankees will turn a blind eye to this, but why did they have to create that policy in the first place? With 81 home games and usually some playoff games, why should someone be left either spending 81 days at Yankee Stadium or being forced to give away tickets or have them not used? The Yankees really ought to rethink this policy; it's shortsighted, and it's not like the Yankees are short on cash. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.4.2006
Good day to be a visiting team: The Oakland A's and the St. Louis Cardinals both went on the road in their first playoff game and stole homefield advantage. And in the nightcap, the New York Yankees bombed the Detroit Tigers for 8 runs, five of them in the third inning.
In topping the Minnesota Twins, a hot pick to come out of the AL, 3-2, Oakland's Frank Thomas hit two home runs, ending a 13-year home run drought in the playoffs, the longest amount of time between one player's two homers in MLB history.
The Yankees' Derek Jeter was the difference in their win, hitting 5-for-5 and scoring three of the teams' runs. The Cardinals took the opening frame with some stellar defense, holding the Padres to one run on six hits.
But can we just talk about something for a second? Not a single MLB team was over .600 in the regular season. Another reason to continue to ignore baseball this season. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Open mouth, insert cleat: Manchester United footballer Rio Ferdinand got into a bit of a pickle yesterday when he called the host of a radio show a "faggot." The host, Chris Moyles, had asked Ferdinand which of his teammates, Alan Smith or Paul Scholes, he thought was more attractive. Ferdinand said he didn't play that game. When Moyles joked that he'd prefer Smith, Ferdinand said, "You're a faggot."
A couple calls quickly came into the radio station, and Ferdinand was reportedly apologetic immediately, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not homophobic."
This one ranks as probably one Rocker (out of five) on our Rocker anti-gay scale. The guy made one little comment and immediately apologized. He probably thought he was being funny; obviously, a few people didn't think it was so funny. (Thanks to Towleroad.) Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.3.2006
No pussies at Columbia: The Columbia men's hockey team, a club team, has been suspended until January for distributing flyers that read, "Don't be a pussy, play Columbia hockey," according to 1010 WINS. The student president of the university's club sports governing board says that it wasn't because of the term "pussy," but because the team didn't get the board's permission to distribute the flyers before doing so.
I don't know what's worse: The idea that a team would be suspended for using the word "pussy" on a flyer, or that they would be suspended for not asking permission to distribute a flyer or even worse, the ridiculous idea that this board president thinks anyone would believe him.
Universities like Columbia are supposed to be beacons of free speech. Of course, many have also built the foundation of political correctness. Either way, it's hard to believe a university would allow any club to be suspended for not asking permission to distribute a flyer. I guess they have to thank themselves for not using the "Don't be a fag, play Columbia hockey" flyer they were probably considering; they'd probably be kicked out of school. (Thanks to Jeff Kagan for the tip.) Cyd Zeigler jr.
Haynesworth gets five games for foot facial. It looked like a video demonstrating 'roid rage. Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth kicked off the helmet of Dallas Cowboys center Andre Gurode, then stepped on his head with his cleats; the gash took 30 stitches to close. Haynesworth then became irate for being tossed from the field, screaming at the officials then at his head coach, Jeff Fisher. After the rage had worn off, Haynesworth said post-game that he would accept any suspension handed down, and that he regretted the incident.
For his efforts, the league handed him a five-game suspension; the previous longest suspension for on-field behavior had been two games. Lesson to players: Don't piss off the new commish.
I don't quite know what to say about it. There really aren't words to adequately state how grossly unacceptable Haynesworth's behavior was. I'm not sure that suspension even captured it. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
10.2.2006
On to the Postseason: Baseball's 162-game marathon has ended and we have some pretty interesting playoff matchups: Oakland-Minnesota and Detroit-New York in the American League; and Los Angeles-New York and St. Louis-San Diego in the National League. Our preseason expert was right in picking the Dodgers, Mets, Cardinals and Athletics to make the playoffs, and his Oakland over New York World Series pick is still intact.
The biggest loser this weekend was Detroit, as the Tigers choked away the Central Division crown to the Twins. The Tigers led the Kansas City Royals, 6-0, Sunday and all they needed was a win to take the crown and start the playoffs at home. Instead, they blew the game to the woeful Royals and now draw the Yankees in the first round.
My picks say the Yankees over the Tigers in four and Twins over the A's in five. Twins over the Yankees in six in the ALCS. In the National League, the Mets will take the Dodgers in four, while San Diego will dump slumping St. Louis in four. The Mets will beat San Diego in six games to win the NLCS. In the World Series, the Twins will be too tough in the Hanky Dome and win the series in seven.
Steroids in Baseball: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada denied reports by onetime teammate Jason Grimsley that they all took steroids. The report came in the Los Angeles Times, which saw an unedited version of a federal agent's affidavit that charged Grimsley with steroid possession. Of course, I would expect them all to deny it; Clemens used the "I have never failed a drug test" defense. This is probably technically true, but what we know is that human growth hormone, a favored performance-enchancing drug, is not detectable by any test. Take their denials with a grain of salt.
NFL Week 4: Check out our weekly notes on the NFL action, including the game of the year. --Jim Buzinski
9.30.2006
Weak sauce: In the context of some of the comments on Outsports' list of anti-gay slurs, the latest example of the genre is pretty weak. Paul Scholes plays midfield for Manchester United and during ManYoo's Champions League match on Wednesday, he was caught by a lipreader (!!) yelling "fucking poof" at the referee after getting a yellow card. Of course, there's no way of knowing if Belgian ref Frank De Bleeckere is gay or not without asking him (he's certainly handsome enough); Scholes' snarled words are depressingly common in that situation.
What causes this to rise above the usual non-story that this would normally be is an Englishman named Peter Tatchell. Mr. Tatchell runs (or seems to be the only active member) the queer direct action group OutRage!, patterned on ACT UP. He's made Scholes comments a cause celebre in England. In an editorial in the paper The Guardian, Tatchell calls for an investigation of Scholes by the footballing authorities, an apology and a committment for him for gay rights.
Although I agree that if Paul Scholes had hurled racial abuse he'd be in much hotter water, Peter Tatchell's list of demands strikes me as overkill, frankly. As Jim B., Cyd and I like to snark, there's apologies and then there's non-apology apologies. I suspect that if Scholes even dignified Peter Tatchell with a response (he's been silent so far), it'd be completely half-hearted, PR-ed and spin doctored to death and, in the end, totally pointless. Ozzie Guillen's comments in the link above are much worse, in my view, and I think that making a huge deal out of every incidence of anti-gay slurs will render complaints null, because there won't be any gradation between them. --Jim Allen
9.29.2006
Sorry, no more football for you: Obviously, high school football is an important part of life, for good and bad, for a lot of people. In places like Texas, Friday night is akin to a religion and even here in laid back California, my high school (the Poly Parrots, thank you) had bitter rivals in the shape of Grant and North Hollywood. For a school in Michigan, that's not enough.
Oscoda Area High School is a 530-student school located in a town on Lake Huron in northeast Michigan. So far this season, they've been outscored 164-0 in their four games. After forfeiting a game against Pinconning last Friday, the coach of the team, Kyle Tobin, recommended that the remaining four games of the season be cancelled, a decision the local school board approved. "I have 28 years of coaching experience in high school and college, and I know the difference between a team playing bad and a team that's unsafe" Coach Tobin remarked, a refreshingly sane statement coming from someone involved with teenagers in sports.
Naturally, senior quarterback Mike Gondek didn't feel that way, saying "All I ever wanted to do was play football. My teammates never felt so unsafe that we didn't want to be out there". Kyle Tobin will be forever known in that remote part of Michigan --there's more lakes than towns when you look at it on Mapquest-- as The Coach That Cancelled A Season but I sympathize with him.
In one of my few experiences of playing organized tackle football, I was stupidly put on the offensive line and I got steamrolled by much larger players. Just because I had a body like a fire hydrant doesn't mean that I was physically able to handle it and it's a better end to the season for Oscoda than headlines saying "NE Michigan high school football player paralyzed after hit in game".
Sorry, no more penalty shootouts for you: I might be one of the few people on the planet who likes penalty shootouts deciding major football (soccer) tournaments. I think the drama and the tension are amazing, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter doesn't agree with me, the bastard. "When it comes to the World Cup final it is passion, and when it goes to extra time it is a drama. But when it comes to penalty kicks it is a tragedy. Football is a team sport and penalties is not a team, it is the individual". Well, OK then.
In a case of the cure might be worse than the disease, Blatter is proposing a tied match be replayed --a horrible idea and not at all workable due to TV-- or that players be subtracted as time goes on, which seems to mitigate against the whole nonsense he was bleating about "teams". Of course, haters *cough* Jim B. *cough* Cyd *cough* have a "play until you drop" attitude, but that would have the clubs such as Manchester United, Barcelona and River Plate that provide the players for national teams howling about potential injuries. It's a tough nut to crack, but hopefully more thought is put in to this before the next World Cup in South Africa in 2010 than the meager stuff Blatter is proposing. --Jim Allen
9.28.2006
Madden Curse: We might have discovered a surefire way to take care of Osama bin laden -- put him on the cover of the next Madden video football game. Nothing has been more successful than putting NFL stars out of commission. MVP Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks graces the cover of Madden 2007. Poof! He breaks a bone in his foot and is sidelined indefinitely.
Gamespy has the rundown: "The history of the so-called Curse goes back to the 2000 edition of the game, when the Detroit Lions' Barry Sanders shared the cover with John Madden. Sanders retired before training camp, so that year's cover athlete wasn't even on the field. In 2002, that year's cover athlete Daunte Culpepper struggled and had his season cut short by a knee injury. The 2003 cover featured Marshall Faulk, who, after suffering an ankle injury, failed to rush for 1,000 yards and never did so again in his career. Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who graced the 2004 cover, fractured his right fibula the day after the game was put on store shelves. Last year, quarterback Donovan McNabb had a troubled season, with a sports hernia in the first game and the Eagles underperforming in every possible way."
9.27.2006
A Gay Jock's Fears: Australian rugby star Ian Roberts came out at the height of his career in 1995, becoming virtually the only team sport athlete to ever do so. He told an Australian court Tuesday that he was "terrified" that he would be linked at the time to a pedophile ring, the Australian media reported.
Roberts was friends and roommates in 1996 with Arron Light, a teenage prostitute who police said was allegedly abused by members of a pedophile ring. Arron disappeared shortly before he was to give evidence against alleged members of the ring in 1997. His skeletal remains were found buried in a shallow grave five years later.
Roberts told a court investigating Arron's death that the news about Arron had hit him "like a sledge hammer between my eyes and I was terrified what people would think and that it would destroy me in the public arena," media reports said. "Me having come out as a gay sports person one moment then to be involved in a child sexual assault case, it is always going to be situation where people of ignorance ... associated pedophiles with being gay. I had just come out now this happened, people are going to obviously assume it's all one and the same."
Police had charged Frederick George Rix in the killing, but he was never charged since no body had been discovered at the time; he remains a person of interest in the case. In court Tuesday, Roberts said that Rix had sexually assaulted him 25 years ago, a charge Rix denied; Rix was so disruptive during Roberts' testimony that he was threatened by the judge. Roberts said he pleaded with Arron to go to the police to protect others.
"In the end it wasn't just about Arron." Roberts said. "It was about anyone else these people might have been harming. I made that clear to Arron as well." The inquest is continuing.
Pennant Races All But Over: Heading into the final days of the baseball season, there is no drama in the American League, while the race is wild in the National League. In the A.L., Oakland clinched the West, joining New York, Minnesota and Detroit in the playoffs. The defending champion Chicago White Sox, whose 87 wins would easily give them a spot in the National League playoffs, are officially eliminated. Maybe manager Ozzie Guillen will blame it on the fags.
The real drama is in the National League. San Diego leads Los Angeles by two games in the West, but the Dodgers lead the Phillies by a game in the wild card race. The Central race was all but over a week ago, but Houston has won seven straight while St. Louis has lost seven straight, so the Astros are only 1.5 games out. If the Cardinals collapse and miss the playoffs, it might go down as the biggest choke of all time. --Jim Buzinski
9.26.2006
Saints Go Marching In: The New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-3, in the first NFL game played at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina 13 months ago. The Saints looked, for one night at least, like the best team in the league, and they were clearly fired up by the crowd. They blocked an Atlanta punt on the game's fourth play, recovered the ball in the end zone and never looked back.
It was a nice moment for New Orleans, but it was only a moment. The city is still far from functioning and may never regain its pre-storm luster. As one restaurant owner told Billy Witz of the Los Angeles Daily News: "Like my daughter put it, this is bread and circus. If you've lost your home and are in the process of putting it back together, I don't know if you're excited about all this."
Don't tell that to ESPN, which bludgeoned us with How Symbolically Important it all was. The worst was Tony Kornheiser, who oozed annoying gravitas all night. When the Saints scored, he told us How Important the Saints Were to the city. When they took a time out he told us. When a Saint was hurt he told us. I'm surprised he didn't thank the advertisers for their support. For once, Joe Theismann was the least objectionable since he at least focused a lot on football. Meanwhile, play-by-play man Mike Tirico yelled at the top of the lungs every time the Saints did something positive. I found myself rooting for Atlanta so they would ALL JUST SHUT UP!
This was a nice dog-and-pony show by the NFL to show how committed it is to New Orleans; the proof will be, though, after this year. I still suspect the team will be headed to L.A. in the next few years, which will make Monday night a fleeting memory. Spike Lee, whose HBO documentary on Katrina is a must-see for anyone who cares about the city, summed up the evening best: "It's four hours, then back to your FEMA trailer." --Jim Buzinski
9.25.2006
Simms Loses Spleen: Further proof that the NFL is a nasty business -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms had emergency surgery to remove his spleen following several hard hits in the Bucs' 26-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Simms needed a blood transfusion and will be in the hospital several days. If he plays football again, it won't be for at least two to three months, so he might miss the rest of the season. Check out our weekly notes on the NFL action, including the hottest players we saw. --Jim Buzinski
Safe European Home: As a total Anglophile it pains me to write this, but opening up the team that plays the United States in golf's Ryder Cup to non-Brits was the best thing that happened to that team. Before that team change at the 1979 event, the United States dominated completely but Europe has won eight of the last eleven. So, when the United States went in to Sunday's final series of events behind, it was almost a certainty that Europe would retain the Cup, which they did.
It's simply bizarre that the United States has better players overall, including arguably the greatest pro golfer ever in Tiger Woods (calm down all you Jack Nicklaus fans), and they still get schooled by the Europeans. Woods had a decent time of it in Ireland, going 3-2-0, but he's now 1-4 in Ryder Cup competition. Phil Mickelson was awful, going 0-4-1; he's won one match in his last two Ryder Cups. The United States team was rather weak this year, with four rookies, while four of the six players who automatically qualified didn't win one match all weekend, so Lefty wasn't the only reason the Yanks struggled.
In truth, the United States didn't choke, they were simply outplayed by a fired up European team. I usually roll my eyes at "Player XXX is playing this one for his dog that died last week" kind of sentimental claptrap, but there's no denying that Darren Clarke's recent travails (i.e. his wife dying of breast cancer last month) were a big motivating factor. Even more impressively, after the win Clarke downed a pint of Guinness in almost one breath as the highly partisan crowd went nuts. Oh well, the United States can try again on home turf in 2008, when the event will be played at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucy. Europa! Europa! --Jim Allen
