jock
cup
jockstrap
underwear
gay
gay sports
gay jocks
gay pride
12.31.2003
Spurrier Out in DC: Here?s how miserable Steve Spurrier was as Washington Redskins coach?He walked away and left $15 million on the table. That was what he was due to be paid in the final three years of his five-year contract, money he forfeited when he abruptly quit Tuesday.
"The whole thing wasn't working," Spurrier told the Washington Post. The man who once ruled the college football roost while at Florida now leaves his legacy as a 12-20 bust who team got worse over time instead of better. All the college coaches and teams he humiliated while at Florida must have popped open the champagne. Spurrier said he will take a year off, but expect him back in the college ranks two seasons from now.
12.30.2003
Tis the Season: Like egg nog and mistletoe, the holiday season is a time for NFL coaches to get fired. Three felt the ax Monday, the day after the regular season. Out are Dave McGinnis (Arizona), Dick Jauron (Chicago) and Gregg Williams (Buffalo). They join Jim Fassel, who was told two weeks ago by the New York Giants that he would not be back. Of these four, only Fassel ever won a playoff game. More coaches are expected to be sacked in the coming weeks. Quick turn-around artists like Bill Parcells in Dallas and Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati showed how much of an effect a coach can have.
New Year?s Date: We know it has nothing to do with sports, but ? Angelina Jolie is the woman most straight American males would like to date on New Year's Eve, according to a survey by movie rental chain Blockbuster Inc. Ashton Kutcher was the male lead most women wanted to see under the New Year's Eve misteltoe, garnering 31% of responses. Personally, we?d prefer a night with the Denver Broncos receiving corps -- Shannon Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey, Ashlie Lelie, etc.
12.29.2003
Miracle in the Desert: It must have been divine intervention. How else to explain the miraculous way the Green Bay Packers made the playoffs? Check out our weekly look at all the doings in the league.
Holmes Sets Mark: Three seasons ago, Priest Holmes came to the Kansas City Chiefs as an unheralded free agent, but he?s now one of the game?s superstars. On Sunday, he set two NFL records that may last a while. Holmes scored his 26th and 27th touchdowns, the first setting the mark for rushing touchdowns in a season, the second for total TDs.
Holmes is a very quiet star, who seldom toots his horn, but his teammates love him, especially his blockers. ''It's an honor just to be blocking for the guy,'' said left guard Brian Waters. ''Twenty years from now I'll be able to tell my kids, `Daddy was out there.' ''
Spurs Win Again: The San Antonio Spurs started the NBA season 8-10 and thoughts of defending their title seemed silly. After Sunday?s win over Milwaukee, however, the Spurs have won 13 in a row, on the strength of great defense, and look like they?ll be one of the league?s top teams again.
12.27.2003
Forgiveness: One of the saddest stories of the year was a car crash that left the Atlanta Thrasher's rising young hockey star Dan Snyder dead. Unfortunately, car crashes killing pro athletes are far from rare but what made this one a little different is that a teammate, NHL All-Star Dany Heatley, was driving--and survived the crash.
Heatley suffered a broken jaw and torn knee ligaments in the late September crash. He was allegedly going 80 mph on a two-lane road, spun out of control and after spinning off the road, crashed his Ferrari in to a wall. Heatley has started to skate again and should be playing for the Thrashers again fairly soon. On Friday, he held an emotional press conference, his first meeting with the media since the crash. The most amazing thing to come out of the tragedy is that one of Heatley's biggest supporters are people that would understandably be considered the least likely candidates to express forgiveness: Dan Snyder's family. Even so, Dany Heatley is not out of the woods yet legally. The Fulton County, Georgia district attorney's office still hasn't made a decision about whether they will proceed with a case against Heatley. One factor in their decision is that Dany Heatley, had a roughly .01% alcohol level at the time of crash. It's well below the state legal limit of .08%, but the prosecution could decide to proceed on that basis. In any case, one man is dead, a family has lost a son and sibling and another man's life will never be the same. With the incredible gesture of support by Snyder's family, maybe there will be a measure of closure for all the survivors.
12.24.2003
Happy Holidays! Jock Talk is taking a brief holiday break. Hope you all are enjoying the season.
Cyd and Jim
12.23.2003
Favre Excels Despite Tragedy: Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, playing a day after his father died of an apparent heart attack, had one of the greatest games of his storied career as the Pack routed Oakland, 41-7.
Favre threw for four touchdowns in the first half and finished the game 22 of 30 for 399 yards, the four scores and no interceptions. He completed passes to 12 different receivers as the Packers kept their playoff hopes alive.
Favre?s father Irvin died Sunday in Mississippi of an apparent heart attack while driving. After consulting with his family, Brett Favre decided to play to honor his dad, who was his high school coach. During the nationally televised game, Favre could be seen smiling after great passes but also with red around his eyes that suggested he was tearing up. He got choked up talking about his father during a postgame interview in a scene that put a lump in our throat. With football being a source of the tremendous bond between father and son, Irvin Favre would have been proud of his boy.
12.22.2003
An All-Time Ending: The end of the New Orleans Saints-Jacksonville Jaguars game will go down as one of the most bizarre in NFL history. Jacksonville led the Saints, 20-13, and New Orleans was 71 yards away from a touchdown with only seven seconds left. Only a miracle would save them. And, this being the Christmas season, a miracle was delivered ? sort of.
Quarterback Aaron Brooks threw a pass to Donter Stallworth at the 50. Stallworth broke three tackles and tossed a lateral over to Michael Lewis at the Jaguars 33. Lewis then turned and flipped a backwards pass to Duece McAllister, who threw it back to Jerome Pathon. Getting a great block by Brooks, Pathon ran the final 21 yards for the score. Jags led, 20-19, awaiting the ?automatic? extra point. Saints kicker John Carney had made 130 straight extra points and as he lined up, everyone was expecting overtime. But Carney unbelievably missed and the Jags won, 20-19.
"This is awful,'' Saints receiver Lewis said. "I can't explain how it feels to go from one emotion to the other.''
12.20.2003
The Exorcist: Sports fans can be a strange bunch. As many football widows would attest, people can get obsessive and odd about a team in a way that doesn't happen with other things in the rest of their life. Our case study: a fan of the Chicago Cubs. When Cubs fan Steve Bartman snatched a foul ball away from left fielder Moises Alou and turned the tide of a crucial Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, he achieved instant infamy amongst Cubs fans. But what of the ball that he caught? On Friday, that ball was sold for a staggering $106,600 at an auction.
The buyer was Grant DePorter, who was a friend and business partner of the late Cubs announcer Harry Caray, renowned for his drunken renditions of Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Cubs games. What is funny about this is that on February 26th, in the midst of celebration honoring Harry Caray, the ball will be destroyed, a baseball version of an exorcism. DePorter is taking requests about the method of destruction, and while the event might provide "closure" for Cubs fans, they should be focusing their wrath on a team that still had a chance to win Game 7 to advance to their first World Series since any of us were born but didn't. There are famous curses in baseball: The Curse of The Bambino (Red Sox), The Indian Burial Ground Curse (Angels) and the Cubs own Curse of the Goat. It's nice to think that forces beyond our understanding are at play, but the reality is often more mundane than that. Bad management, bad players and bad managers are more responsible for the Cubs often sad-sack state, but if this somewhat silly event helps them move on, then good for them.
12.19.2003
Rivalry Sideshow: The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have one of the most intense rivalries in American sports. Their American League Championship Series best-of-seven series in October was full of drama. In Game 3 at Boston's Fenway Park, feelings boiled over and a bench-clearing brawl broke out. Later in the game, two Yankees players, Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia got involved in a scuffle with a Fenway Park groundskeeper, Paul Williams, in the Red Sox bullpen. Nelson said he asked Williams nicely to stop rooting on the Red Sox while standing in the Yankee bullpen. A scuffle ensued and Garcia, who was playing right field, jump over the wall and joined in. Williams claims that Nelson started it. The players and the groundskeeper were formally charged with assault and battery on Thursday.
Clerk Magistrate Michael Neighbors admitted the case against Nelson and Garcia was "weak" but allowed the case to continue based on police reports. The Yankees have released Nelson but if Garcia is still with them come their first visit to Fenway, he's sure to get a loud reception from The Red Sox Nation. Oh, and as would be expected, Paul Williams has filed a civil suit against Jeff Nelson and Karim Garcia. With the Red Sox' recently flurry of signings, they again figure to be contending with the Yankees for the American League Eastern division title. It could get very interesting in the Bronx and Boston.
12.18.2003
Fassel Out in New York: Jim Fassel, who took the New York Giants to the Super Bowl three seasons ago, was fired effective at the end of the season. Fassel had asked the team?s owners to let him know if he was gone and they said yes. He then asked to coach the team?s final two games and it was approved. The Giants have been a disappointing 4-10 this season. Fassel has always come across as a decent sort and his leaving was done with as much class as possible. Expect him to resurface as the leading candidate to be the next coach in Arizona.
A-Rod Trade on Hold: The Major League Baseball player?s union has blocked attempts by the Texas Rangers to restructure the contract of Alex Rodriguez, putting into doubt a trade to Boston for Manny Ramirez. We doubt that many people other than diehard fans really care at this stage since the A-Rod offseason moves have seen more fits and starts than a car with a bad transmission. Get a deal done and we?ll be more excited.
Battle of No. 1?s: The NBA?s last two top picks?Yao Ming of Houston and LeBron James of Cleveland?met on the same court for the first time. James outscored Yao, but it wasn?t enough as Houston won, 89-85. The Cavs have now lost 12 of their last 14 games.
12.17.2003
Horn Fined: The NFL lowered the boom on New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn, fining him $30,000 for using a cell phone Sunday as part of an end zone celebration.
''Fining him is one thing, but to me that's very excessive. This is not a murder case,'' Horn?s agent Ralph Vitolo said. The league also fined fellow Saint Michael Lewis, who helped Horn dig the cell phone from underneath padding in the goal post. Horn said he would pay Lewis? fine.
Also on Tuesday, the NFL fined Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson $10,000 for grabbing a sign from behind a snowdrift and holding it up after a touchdown catch Johnson's sign read: ''Dear NFL: Please don't fine me again.''
One has to wonder where the NFL?s priorities are. The Horn fine is excessive and the Johnson one absurd. We?re still waiting for the league to fine players who have used anti-gay slurs, and the NFL has so far been silent about Detroit Lions president Matt Millen calling a player a ''faggot. ''
12.16.2003
NFL Exec?s Anti-Gay Slur: Detroit Lions president Matt Millen has caused a controversy by calling a former Lions player a ?faggot? on Sunday. Check out our report on the issue.
12.15.2003
Phone Home: NFL players are caught in a version of the old Soviet Union/United States arms race, but instead of nuclear weapons, it's celebrations after scoring touchdowns that is being contested. Sunday, Joe Horn of the New Orleans Saints tipped this silly trend over in to the absurd. After scoring against the New York Giants, the Saints receiver went to the pads that cover the goal posts and pulled out a cell phone. He said he called his family.
"I had told my kids to be at home, watching the game, and I told my momma, `Mom, if I score the second one, I'm going to get my cell phone out,' '' Horn said.
He was promptly flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. We're sure that a big fine from the National Football League will be forthcoming. Even his coach, Jim Haslett, said that Horn should be fined. Against Atlanta, Horn pissed off Haslett when he pretended to machine gun two teammates after scoring. "It was the same thing in Atlanta,'' Haslett said. "He'll learn. He's only 32."
NFL Week 15: Sunday was another wild day in the NFL that saw coaches dressing badly. Check out our weekly look at all the doings in the league.
12.14.2003
Heisman winner: It was a close vote, but despite playing poorly last week in a loss to Kansas State, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Jason White won the coveted Heisman Trophy Saturday. The Heisman is voted on by writers to attempt to come to some consensus about who the best player in college football is. This year, the vote was close as White beat out Pittsburgh's excellent receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Eli Manning of Ole Miss, the cute brother of the Indianapolis Colts QB Petyon Manning, finished third.
By winning, Jason White capped a somewhat amazing comeback from injury. He blew out both knees before his senior season, but still lead Oklahoma to a controversial place in the Bowl Championship Series title game against LSU. We don't know what White's pro prospects are; the recent trend for Heisman-winning QB's in the pros is poor at best. Chris Weinke (2000) is a second-string player for the Carolina Panthers and Eric Crouch (2001) is out of the NFL altogether. Congratulations to Jason White of the small town of Tuttle, Okla.
12.13.2003
A "free farm system"?: Imagine our surprise when, after yesterday's comments about the relationship of student-athletes to the university they play for, we see an item on the newswire about that very issue. Maurice Clarett is a stud running back that helped Ohio State win the national football championship in 2002. He wanted to leave school to play in the National Football League but there's a catch: NCAA rules prohibit him from doing so as he hasn't been out of high school for three years. In a legal case that is making it's way through the U.S. District Court, Clarett is suing so that he can leave early. On Friday, his attorney's filed papers claiming that the NFL uses the college game as a "minor league, for which [it] incurs no expenses". While this is not technically true (there's scouting costs and so on), the point is well taken. The lawyers also took a shot at the colleges, saying they were willing participants in the system as they make millions of dollars from major college football but don't have to pay the players anything, though scholarships are a form of payment. It?s legal posturing, sure, but there is more than a grain of truth in the basic premise.
Maurice Clarett, meanwhile, remains in limbo, suspended for the season by the NCAA for accepting cash and lying about it to NCAA investigators but unable to offer his services to the National Football League. The whole system is in dire need of a major overhaul but with both sides of the fence seemingly happy with the status quo, that's not very likely.
12.12.2003
Trouble at Mizzou: The University of Missouri's men's basketball team is in a heap of trouble. Two of hottie coach Quin Snyder's assistants were accused by a player of giving him and two other Tigers players cash, a clear violation of NCAA rules. What makes this story different is that the player made that accusation while in jail, serving a sentence for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. The player, Ricky Clemons, is out of jail now and attending school, but while in jail, his conversations were taped; the accusations arise from those tapes. The two assistant coaches, Tony Harvey and Lane Odom, deny the charges, which were also refuted by the two players still on the team, Arthur Johnson and Rickey Paulding.
What takes this beyond another common tale of breaking one of the seemingly endless NCAA rules that govern college athletics is that the "scandal" also threatens to bring down the University of Missouri's president Elson Floyd. At the request of Coach Snyder, Mr. Floyd had befriended the troubled Clemons. After wrecking a vehicle at a party at Floyd's home on the Fourth of July, Mr. Floyd ended contact with Mr. Clemons. However, Mr. Floyd's wife continued to stay in contact with him by taking collect calls from jail without Mr. Floyd's knowledge. She has apologized for hurting her husband but is steadfast that she did nothing wrong in helping a young man in trouble.
A noble idea, to be sure, but this is just another in the long line of depressing stories concerning college sports. Football and men's basketball act as development leagues for their pro sports and with the players not being allowed to earn anything but a paltry amount of spending money, they are prime targets for people with an angle. The NCAA veers from being oblivious to being a nightmarish bureaucracy out of Kafka, the rules book so complex that even they don't know it all. It's a mess, but don't expect it change any time soon as there's a lot of money at stake.
12.11.2003
Reeves Out in Atlanta: Michael Vick?s broken leg cost Dan Reeves his job. Reeves was fired Wednesday as coach of the Atlanta Falcons, mired in a 3-10 season. His fate was sealed in the preseason when Vick, his quarterback and pro football?s most exciting player, broke his leg. He missed the team?s first 12 games as the team went 2-10.
Reeves may be known to a new generation of sports fans as an old guy who does commercials for the anti-cholesterol drug Zocor. But he has been a very successful winning coach, taking four teams to the Super Bowl, including the Falcons in 1998. He was never to win the big one, losing the four Super Bowls by an average score of 42-15.
Sports Illustrated?s Peter King, speaking on HBO?s ?Inside the NFL? said the Falcons would focus very hard on hiring a minority. King mentioned St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith as a leading candidate.
12.10.2003
Lakers Keep on Rolling: So much for the idea that Kobe Bryant?s sex assault charge would distract the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant had 21 points as the Lakers beat the Knicks, 98-90, for their 10th straight win and 27th in a row at home. The Lakers are now 18-3 and threatening to run away with the NBA West.
The Lakers? biggest challenge once again appears to be coming from the Sacramento Kings, which is only three games behind the Lakers in the Pacific Division. In an odd scheduling move, the two teams won?t face each other for the first time until Jan. 16.
Fight on for SC: Daily Oklahoman writer Ryan McGhee is urging Oklahoma Sooner fans to root for USC to beat Michigan in the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl. That would seem like an odd thing considering that a Michigan win and an OU win three days later in the Sugar Bowl over LSU would make the Sooners the undisputed national champion in college football. But McGhee has a larger goal: destruction of the Bowl Championship Series, used to determine who plays for the title.
"OU fans should be willing to sacrifice half of a national championship for the greater good of college football, " McGhee writes. ?Half a national title won't diminish OU's accomplishments this season. The T-shirts will still say ?national champs,? not ?co-national champs.?
"If there is another split national title, the BCS might just go away. Our long national nightmare would be over. The college football big wigs would have to come up with something better. Maybe even a playoff.
"If Michigan wins, so does the BCS and so do the people behind the BCS. It's a lose-lose situation for college football if Michigan wins. So root for the Trojans. Learn to share, even if it is a national title."
12.9.2003
Magic Wins! Magic Wins!: The Orlando Magic won an NBA game on Monday night, a big deal in that the Magic had lost 19 in a row in a streak that saw Coach Doc Rivers get fired. The Magic beat Phoenix, 105-98 to raise their mark to 2-19. Rivers got the best of the deal?he will be the lead analyst on ABC?s NBA telecasts and gets to play a ton of golf instead of coaching this sorry bunch.
Baseball Doings: The GregMaddux Era is coming to a close. The Atlanta Braves cut ties with Maddux after he had given them 11 great years and 198 wins. In an era of constant player movement, it was rare to see a player stay so long with the same team, and Maddux always conducted himself with class. ? The Anaheim Angels are said to be close to landing star free agent pitcher Bartolo Colon, who pitched last season for the Chicago White Sox. The Angels are offering Colon $48 million over four years. Where can we sign up?
Rams Clinch Playoff Spot: The St. Louis Rams clinched at least a wild card spot in the NFL playoffs by beating the Cleveland Browns, 26-20. The Rams (10-3) clinch the NFC West by beating Seattle (8-5) on Sunday. Against the Browns, Rams defensive back Aenas Williams had two interceptions, one for a score and another setting up a touchdown. Of course, in the post-game comments, Williams praised God, as if God had taken the Rams and laid the points.
12.8.2003
BCS BS: By now, all college football fans have heard how the Bowl Championship Series, designed to have the Top 2 teams play for the national title, screwed up again. This time, the crime was excluding Southern Cal from the Sugar Bowl, despite the Trojans being ranked #1 in both the AP writers? poll and USA Today/ESPN coaches? poll. Instead, the BCS computers determined that #2 LSU will play #3 Oklahoma. This is the same Oklahoma team that got waxed by 28 on Saturday and didn?t even win its conference.
The only good thing about this travesty is that is may hasten the demise of this system. We can only hope USC beats Michigan in the Rose Bowl and thereby wins the AP half of the national title. The coaches are contractually bound to award their #1 spot to the BCS title game winner. This would bring college football full circle, since the BCS was designed to prevent a split title.
The only real remedy is an 8- or 16-team playoff, but don?t hold your breath. Big-time college football is too much in the pockets of the major bowls to make such a logical switch.
We have to give credit to LSU coach Nick Saban, who didn?t try to argue that the Sugar Bowl winner is the national champion. ''I don't think anyone will know who the legitimate national champion is unless all three teams in consideration get the opportunity to play one another,'' Saban said. Oklahoma?s Bob Stoops, though, put his best political spin on it: ''At the end of the year, we're No. 1 in the system,'' Stoops said. ''There's nothing to apologize for.'' Had Stoops been the stand-up guy everyone says he is, he would have replied: ''No team that loses by four touchdowns in its last game deserves to play for any title, but it?s a system we have to live with for now. ''
NFL Week 14: Sunday was another wild day in the NFL that saw the playoff picture clear. Check out our weekly look.
12.6.2003
Frontier Justice: As a follow up to a story we mentioned previously, the trial of two members of the committee that was formed to help bring the 2002 Winter Olympics to Salt Lake City, Utah, who were accused of bribery ended in stunning fashion on Friday.
The two men, Tom Welch and David Johnson, had been accused of bestowing lavish gifts on members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in a bid to win the Winter Games for Salt Lake City. Earlier in the proceedings, the men had basically admitted that the charges were true, but were basing their defense on the fact that bribery of IOC selection committee members with wine, women and college scholarships for their kids was the accepted way of doing business.
U.S. District Court judge David Sam threw the prosecution's case out of court, saying the case "offends my sense of justice." The prosecution were heavily criticized Friday for presenting shoddy evidence and generally bungling the case. By throwing out the case, Welch and Johnson can't be charged with this "crime" again because of US laws against being prosecuted for the same crime twice.
Is this the end of the matter? Not by a long shot. Rep. Chris Cannon, (R-Utah), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, said the panel might hold hearings next year to examine the government's handling of the case. There are myriad problems with the Olympics and one of the major problems is how host cities are selected. On a smaller scale, the Gay Games are experiencing problems with host cities too, so this is a case that has ramifications around the world. We haven't heard the last of this and we'll be following it to see how it plays out.
12.5.2003
Hate Mail: It was revealed on Thursday that African-American players in the National Football League have recently received threatening hate mail from postmarks in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Letters were also sent to prominent black citizens in other professions. The letters said, in part:
'African-Americans shouldn't be allowed to play professional sports and shouldn't be allowed to make the money that football players make and entertainers make.'
Somehow, we doubt that the letters said "African-American", but in any case, the letters also contained the usual nonsense about racial mixing. They contained violent threats as well. The revelation of the letters is a depressing reminder of the racial undercurrents in pro sports, especially in the NFL, where a decided majority of the players are black. African-American players have talked about how, despite the fame and money, they are not isolated from incidences of racial profiling by police, cab drivers and shop clerks. We hope the FBI are able to find out who sent the letters and prosecute them, though that will probably be a small consolation to the players who received the letters. The NFL said it would have "no comment on the matter" which is baffling. The real NFL looks more and more like a Playmakers episode with each passing day.
12.4.2003
Kerney Apologizes for Comments: Atlanta Falcons lineman Patrick Kerney has apologized for insensitive remarks he made on the radio Monday about World AIDS Day. The story was broken by the Southern Voice.
Voice reporter Christopher Seeley that Kerney, appearing on a sports talk radio show, said he was bummed by the Falcons loss the previous day and his Monday was made worse by realizing it was AIDS day. He made sarcastic remarks that made fun on having a day for people with AIDS, with the inference that they deserve their fate, unlike people with cancer. The hosts told him to be careful and to remember what happened to Jeremy Shockey (who was forced to apologize after issuing homophobic comments in both 2002 and 2003). Kearney then shut up about it.
On Wednesday, Kerney issued the following statement through the team: "During a recent radio program, I made some comments which may have offended some of the listeners. It was never my intent to do so. I did not mean to make light of any life threatening illnesses. I apologize if anyone was upset."
Again, someone apologizes only after complaints are made and only to the people upset, not to the fact that what he said was wrong in the first place. This is the new trend in public apologies.
Kerney, a favorite for many Outsports readers for his hunky appearance, took this hit on our Discussion Board: ?I was so hoping there was a brain, high couth factor, and some semblance of tolerance and acceptance of an alternative lifestyle inside that beautiful, beautiful body but obviously not. So unfortunate.?
12.3.2003
Tiger Is Upset:Golfer Tiger Woods is upset with a South African game warden for telling the world about his engagement to Elin Nordegren.
''It was such a great moment in our lives, and he cheapened the experience because he was so self-serving,'' Woods said in his monthly newsletter. ''The only positive out of the whole trip is that Elin didn't say no.''
Woods was upset that Adrian Gardiner, founder of the Shamwari Game Reserve, alerted the media and local residents to the engagement and took pictures to promote his business. Woods said Gardiner had promised to keep his visit private. The Associated Press could not reach him for comment. We can sympathize with Woods. While famous people give up a lot of their privacy in return for fame and fortune, even they are allowed some degree of being left alone.
Corporations, Uber Alles: Tennis star Kim Clijsters picked Fila over Belgium. She announced that she will not play for Belgium in next year?s Olympics because she will be forced to wear adidas clothing, not Fila, her sponsor.
Clijsters has a deal with the manufacturer Fila which stipulates she can only play in the company's clothing, AP reported. ''I want to remain loyal to the people with whom I have closed a contract,'' said Clijsters, ranked second in the world behind countrywoman Justine Henin-Hardenne. ''They were the only ones interested in me two years ago.''
Clijsters? actions only verify what we already knew?corporations run things these days, and in many cases are more powerful than nationality. The IOC should allow Nike, Reebok, Fila and adidas to field their own teams; they would probably win more medals than most nations.
12.2.2003
Jets Upset Titans: The AFC playoff race got a lot clearer following the New York Jets? 24-17 Monday night football win against the Tennessee Titans. The loss dropped the Titans into a division tie with the Indianapolis Colts at 9-3, and the two teams play later this week.
The loss was a huge boon to the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) and New England Patriots (10-2) in the quest for a first-round playoff bye. It would be a shock if the Patriots and Chiefs are not seeded 1-2 (in whatever order). The Tennessee-Indy winner will likely get the No. 3 seed, while the fourth slot goes to the AFC North champ, either Baltimore or Cincinnati, who are tied and play this week. The Tennessee-Indy loser will likely be a wild card, with Miami, Denver and the AFC North runnerup fighting for the last spot.
Sexson a Snake: The Arizona Diamonsbacks picked up a terrific hitter when they acquired 6-7 Richie Sexson from the Milwaukee Brewers in a nine-player trade. Sexson?s 45 home runs this season were 19 more than any Diamondback and his signing helps take some of the sting out of Arizona losing pitcher Curt Schilling to Boston in free agency.
12.1.2003
Solich Out at Nebraska: At Nebraska, winning 58 games against only 19 losses is not good enough. So football coach Frank Solich was fired after six seasons. Showing where his priorities are, athletic director Steve Pederson summed up the reasons why Solich was canned: ''I refuse to let the program gravitate into mediocrity,'' Pederson said. ''We won't surrender the Big 12 to Oklahoma and Texas.'' At the same time, Pederson not so convincingly said that he wasn?t trying to build a win-at-all-costs program.
In other coaching news, Mississippi State offered its head job to Green Bay Packers Sylvester Crooms. What?s special about this is that Crooms will become the first African-American coach in Southeastern Conference history.
Annika Plays With the Big Boys: Golfer Annika Sorenstam earned $225,000 by finishing in second place at the Skins Game in the California desert. Sorenstam played against three men?Fred Couples (won $605,000); Phil Mickelson ($170,000); and Mark O'Meara ($0).
What?s encouraging about this story is how routine is was covered. There was no huge debate about whether Sorenstam belonged and no threat of player protest; the play on the course was all that mattered. ?I think she played terrific golf,'' Couples said. ''I certainly didn't play better than Annika. I just made a few more putts and a couple of lucky shots.''
NFL Week 13: Sunday was another wild day in the NFL that saw some great endings. Check out our weekly look at all the doings in the league.
11.29.2003
The Rich Get....Poorer?: The economics of pro sports can be mind-boggling at times. While major league baseball owners continue to claim that they're one step away from financial ruin because of player's salaries, it doesn't stop them splashing out huge sums of money for top-line players. Case in point: the Boston Red Sox, losers of a heart-breaking series to the Yankees in the 2003 playoffs, traded three pitchers and the ever-popular Player To Be Named Later to the Arizona Diamondbacks for the rights to Curt Schilling. Schilling will make $12 million in 2004, with bumps up the pay scale afterwards, for a total of four years.
For the Diamondbacks, this was mainly a cost-cutting move, helping to lower their $94 million payroll. There's also the fact that Schilling is 37 years old and thus on the possible downside of his career. Theo Epstein, the Red Sox' hot young general manager was very happy to have landed Schilling, believing that he is one of the components that will allow the Red Sox to win their first World Series since 1918. Schilling will be the #2 man in the BoSox rotation, behind Pedro Martinez. It could be a move that helps the Red Sox reach the Promised Land of a World Series win or it could be a huge waste of money. Stay tuned.
11.28.2003
Turkey Day: We hope all of our readers in the United States had a nice Thanksgiving. We ate too much, as usual, and, as usual, watched the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play football. The Lions shocked the Green Bay Packers 22-14 to put a big dent in the Packers playoff hopes. Down in Dallas, the Miami Dolphins routed the Boys 40-21 to round off the Thanksgiving Day games.
Royalty: The way some pro athletes act, you'd think they thought they were royalty. The Miami Dolphins Adewale Oguhleye really is royalty. Though born and raised in the United States, his uncle is the King of a town/region in Nigeria. Oguhleye is the next in line to the throne. How many athletes can say they'll be King some day?
11.27.2003
For everyone in our American audience, Happy Thanksgiving!
11.26.2003
The Sexist Pigs at Fox: Fox is pandering to its heterosexual male audience with its Thanksgiving NFL pregame show featuring "The making of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader."
Fox suit Scott Ackerson denies this is a blatant grab for viewers, telling USA Today: "The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders are the most famous cheerleaders in the world. This isn't a hard-core football audience we are going to. We thought it would be interesting to show what young women go through to become a Cowboys cheerleader. In our first couple of years, a segment on what the Cowboys cheerleaders did out of uniform was our second-highest-rated show in history." Yeah, right, though if they really showed them out of uniform, the ratings would go through the roof.
We are raising this issue to make a point?Outsports and those in the gay sports audience are sometimes accused of liking sports just for the eye candy, and are asked to justify ourselves. Yet, a major network can show soft porn like the Cowboys cheerleaders on a national holiday and few blink an eye. It?s the double standard that bothers us.
11.25.2003
Bro vs. Bro: A bit of NHL history was made Monday when Mathieu Biron (pictured) of the Florida Panthers scored a goal against his brother Martin Biron, the Buffalo Sabres? goalie. It was the first time in 23 years that an NHL player scored against his brother. Phil Esposito of the New York Rangers did it on Nov. 5, 1980, against brother Tony.
?The Esposito brothers probably have been fighting for the last 23 years,'' Martin Biron said. ?We'll probably be fighting for the next 23 years, my brother and I.''
Mourning Retires:New Jersey Nets center Alonzo Mourning ended his comeback attempt because his kidney disease has worsened to the point where he needs a transplant. Mourning sat out the 2002 season because of the disease.
A doctor said that it was medically unsafe for Mourning, a 12-year veteran, to continue to play. "I don't think any of our players understood the type of risk that he was taking," Nets coach Byrin Scott told the New York Times. "I'm just happy that he's OK, hoping that he'll get better. You stayed hopeful every time you saw him. He'd come to practice and put in an unbelievable day of work. I miss his heart. I miss his courage. I miss his enthusiasm. I miss his intensity. I just miss him as a person. I had a lot of respect for Zo before I met him, playing against him, coaching against him. And I have much more respect now.?
11.24.2003
Glory in England: England has gone crazy in celebrating its national team?s stunning 20-17 extra time win over Australia this weekend in the final of the Rugby World Cup in Sydney; one newspaper said public celebrations would last through Christmas. It is the first time a team from the Northern Hemisphere won the event and experts are calling it a win for the ages.
England?s star was Jonny Wilkinson, who had earlier the tournament disclosed an interesting way he used to focus near the goal, according to the Daily Mirror. Wilkinson said ?that he pictured an imaginary woman behind the goalposts and focused on trying to hit her.? The English even gave the imaginary woman a name?Doris.
The English certainly know how to celebrate, with the team reportedly having gone on a ?15-hour celebration bender? after the win.
A Tie Is the Perfect Ending: There was a great display of sportsmanship in South Africa at the end of the President?s Cup golf event between the U.S. and an international team.
As darkness fell, Tiger Woods of the U.S. and Ernie Els of the internationals were still tied after the third playoff hole with the series tied at 17 matches apiece. That?s when U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus stepped in and offered to call it a tie and share the cup; International captain Gary Player agreed. Under the rules, the U.S. could have kept the cup since it is defending champion but a gracious Nicklaus said ?I have never seen two teams that played harder or played better. I did not find a team that deserved to lose.''
NFL Week 12: Sunday was another wild day in the NFL that saw eight games come down to the wire. Check out our weekly look at all the doings in the league.
