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12.30.2006
Juicing: For my final Jock Talk item of 2006, I'll return to a familiar topic: steroid use in baseball. This week, the baseball player's union was a dealt a rare court loss when a panel of appeals court judges ruled 2-1 that a list of over 100 players that tested positive for 'roids in 2003 can be used by federal agents pursuing various cases.
The circumstances of the court loss are kind of strange. Under an agreement between owners and players, massive testing was undertaken in 2003 to gauge the extent of the problem. Names of players testing positive were to be kept secret because each urine sample was supposed to only have a number attached to it. Somehow, names and numbers were collated, the samples and records were not destroyed as per the agreement and now players, who were promised there would be no punishment, might face problems from the feds. There were seven searches of various labs, an entire forest of dead trees whacked for legal docs and so on.
I'm no legal eagle (hey J.P.), but it seems that the union has a fair claim, especially since it *was* agreed that the names would not be linked to samples, samples that were to be destroyed. They are also claiming "doctor-patient privilege" but that's where they ran aground this week: the federal agents were pursuing a "legitimate law enforcement purpose" according to the majority opinion. There's obviously big privacy issues involved and the union will, of course, file an appeal, to the U.S. Court of Appeals. Welcome to 2007, baseball fans.
I hope everyone has a great 2007 and that your team/favorite athlete rules their sport. Unless you're a Los Angeles Dodgers or Liverpool FC fan, in which case I want your team to go 0-162 and 0-38-0 respectively, their seasons ending in bankruptcy and ruin for your club. Go Angels! Go Everton! --Jim Allen
12.29.2006
No, not yours, not yet: In the day, I couldn't stand Dean
Smith's North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball teams. The leading
proponent of the stall before the shot clock was introduced to college
hoops in 1985, I thought his teams relied on boring people to death, rather than playing, for their success. So, not impressed with Coach
Smith, nope.
I'm no fan of Bobby Knight either, but it'll be
nice when he dislodges Four Corners Stall Smith as the all-time
winningest coach in NCAA men's college basketball history. He's
currently tied with Smith on 879 wins and his Texas Tech team couldn't
get him over the hump on Thursday, losing to UNLV 74-66. Knight's
players will get another chance on New Year's Day to get their
mercurial coach his 880th win, against New Mexico at home in Lubbock. --Jim Allen
12.28.2006
Thank you Jason Taylor. Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor went after San Diego Chargers drug user Shawne Merriman on Wednesday, saying that his rival for NFL Defensive Player of the Year shouldn't even be considered because he tested positive for steroids and served a four-game suspension for it in November.
"You really shouldn't be able to fail a test like that and play in this league, to begin with," Taylor said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. "To make the Pro Bowl and all the other awards, I think you're walking a fine line of sending the wrong message."
While it may sound like sour grapes to some, I say three cheers. It's great to see athletes calling out their fellow athletes who take illegal shortcuts and set the example for young athletes that they should shoot up with harmful steroids if they want to get ahead. If Merriman had any integrity, he would decline his Pro Bowl selection and any other honors he may be handed.
Yes, other players are cheating by using steroids. But Merriman was caught. And if you're caught using illegal substances that others don't stoop to using, you should have the balls (even if they have shrunk) to let somebody have the spotlight. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.27.2006
Is that Jeff Reed's You-Know-What? A picture has suddenly appeared on the internet that is apparently of Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed showing more than his kicking leg. Deadspin has the pic.
Golf dominates AP Players of the Year: It was no big surprise that Tiger Woods won AP Male Athlete of the Year honors. He won two Majors (the British Open and U.S. Open) and ended the year winning six PGA tournaments in a row. But Woods felt he wasn't deserving.
"What he's done in tennis, I think, is far greater than what I've done in golf," he told the Associated Press. His sentiment is understandable. Federer won three Grand Slam tournaments and came in second in the fourth (the French Open). He lost only five matches all year in what is considered one of the greatest years any male tennis player has ever had.
But the sports editors who voted didn't even put Federer second; They voted San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who set an NFL record for touchdowns in a season, second after Woods.
It was a clean sweep for golf, with 24-year-old golfer Lorena Ochoa winning the AP Female Athlete of the Year in a landslide. While most people don't know Ochoa's name, she lit up women's professional golf this year, winning six tournaments and unseating five-year No. 1 Annika Sorenstam atop the LPGA money list for 2006.
According to AP, it was the first time since 1945 (with Babe Zaharias and Byron Nelson) that two golfers topped the lists. And I'm personally a little torn about it all. On the men's side, 10 of the last 13 winners were individual-sport athletes. On the women's side, 73 of the 76 AP Athlete of the Years have been from individual sports. So, while I think guys like Woods and Federer are certainly deserving, I also think that other team-sport athletes like Tomlinson, Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, who lit up both college and professional football this year, and Sports Illustrated's Sportsperson of the Year Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat don't get the consideration they deserve. I'm a huge Woods fan and think he's very deserving of his fourth AP Athlete of the Year. I just wonder if individual-sport athletes get a little more credit than maybe they should. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.26.2006
Jets, Iggles Get Big Wins: Two teams needing wins to help their playoff aspirations both post big victories Christmas night.
The Philadelphia Eagles completely dominated every aspect of their game against the Dallas Cowboys. It was pretty shocking to me. In the last two days I've watched two NFC East teams with playoff hopes lay eggs. While the Cowboys are in the playoffs, they are still chasing a bye. Make that were. Their 7-point output was their lowest of the season by 10 points, and it likely has put them on the road for the entire playoffs. I didn't get to see coach Bill Parcells' post-game interview, but I sure wish I had.
The New York Jets, who are an even bigger surprise to me this season than the New Orleans Saints, beat the Miami Dolphins on a field goal after a 60-yard screen pass. The Jets are in the playoffs if they beat the Raiders in the final week of the season. Before the season, the odds of them making the playoffs were about a 2007-BMW-3-series-to-1. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.23.2006
Another list: It's almost 2007 and the media, including my infinitesimal niche in it, love lists. Sports Illustrated has a photo slideshow of the Best-Looking Male Athletes.
First off, it doesn't include Joey Harrington, so the list, subjective as it is, should be mocked and scorned from the get-go. However, what strikes me is just how safe it is. There's perennial Outsports faves like the inexplicably popular (to me) Jeremy Bloom, usuals like Andy Roddick and Legacy picks like David Beckham.
Credit to SI, it's not all white American guys, but my biggest beef with it, besides the fact that Jim Thome, Brandon Stokely and Peja Stojakovich aren't on it, is that SI seemingly had a straight guy pick the photos of the 20 guys on the list. Matt Leinart should sue for defamation, as should Marat Safin and Freddie Ljunberg. Oh well, lists are meant to be ripped and debated, and this one is no different. But really, no Michael Owen? Scandalous.
Duke rape charges dropped: The three lacrosse players from Duke who were charged with various crimes in March of this year in connection with a team party that got out of control were given a bit of a reprieve on Friday. Prosecutors in Durham, North Carolina, declined to press forcible rape charges against Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans.
The three players are not done with the justice system, however: charges of kidnapping and sexual offense are still pending. In a twist to a case that roiled the Duke campus, the Raleigh-Durham area and attracted much publicity nationwide, the accuser in the case is pregnant and due in February. Math majors will note that's nine months after the alleged incidents took place. A paternity test has been mooted, but the DNA evidence showed no link between the accuser and the players.
A definite loser in the whole mess is Durham County DA Michael Nifong. He faces possible civil suits from the players for his conduct in the case. He's accused of rigging the evidence the accuser saw, tampering with the DNA testing and other not-at-all-upstanding-DA-like behavior. For me, being a total media whore during the initial stages of the case should be added to the list. --Jim Allen
12.22.2006
Favre farewell: Brett Favre has had a great career for the Green Bay Packers and a lot of his heroics have come at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Years
from now, he will probably not reminisce much about Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. In miserable weather at Lambeau --again with the
NFL scheduling a night game outside in December-- Favre and the Packers kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a grim 9-7 win. Minnesota kicked off the
Tarvaris Jackson era at quarterback and it was not a success: their only touchdown came on a 47 yard interception return by Fred Smoot of a Favre
pass.
How weak is the NFC this year? Green Bay, at 7-8, is still in the playoff hunt for a wildcard spot. They'd need to go in to Chicago and beat
the (now) 12-2 Bears to have a chance at all, for one thing; not likely, but possible if Chicago rests its starters for the playoffs. If the Pack pulled
that off, they'd still need a host of other things to fall their way, but it's lame that a team that's 7-8 is even in playoff contention.
Bowl
season begins: The college football bowl season got underway Thursday night, with BYU beating Oregon 38-8 to win the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU, ranked 19th,
finished their season 11-2 and won their first bowl game since 1997. My boss is an Oregon alum and he didn't mince words when I mentioned this game the
other day: "The Ducks should be embarrassed to be playing in a bowl game with a 7-5 record". Actually, they should be embarrassed about their helmets, which
were painted with a bright green reflective surface that was painful to look at. Bring on the Meineke Car Care Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Bowl and the MPC
Computers Bowl! --Jim Allen
12.21.2006
The first NCAA college basketball rain-out: It was a novel idea. For only the second time in NCAA history, a college basketball was to be played outdoors. And it was. The Arizona State women's basketball team hosted the Texas Tech Lady Red Raiders at Chase Field in Phoenix, home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. While it was a frigid 56 degrees at tip-off, it was the rain that started falling with just over four minutes left to play that forced the NCAA's first game to be stopped because of rain.
"A basketball game has never been rained out before, so I think it's really cool to be a part of that," Arizona State's Emily Westerberg told the Associated Press.
While there has never been a rain-out in the NBA, some teams have had to stop games because of ice. The Boston Celtics were forced at least one time in the old Boston Garden to stop games or postpone them entirely because of ice melting below the court. The Boston Bruins and Celtics both played in the Garden, and the ice was left below the parquet floor during basketball games, as it is with many arenas that face the same dilemma, like New York's Madison Square Garden. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.20.2006
Two big cheers for Stanford! Please forgive me for indulging in some news about my alma mater, but Stanford's got a couple of new recruits coming in next year who are definitely worth some attention.
Wunderkind golfer extraordinaire Michelle Wie was accepted into Stanford this month and plans on attending. She won't be able to play golf for the Cardinal, as she's already racked up endorsement deals and over $750,000 in tournament winnings. But even if he doesn't get to compete in the NCAA, the comparisons between her and Tiger Woods, who attended Stanford for two years, just get stronger with her spending some time on The Farm.
It's interesting that she's decided to keep hitting the books. She won't be hurting financially and certainly doesn't need a degree to make millions golfing. But, as Wie told the Associated Press, "Now that I got into Stanford ... it was one of my dreams, and I want to go through with it. I definitely want to go there and really try to graduate."
After one of the worst seasons ever for Stanford football (1-11), the Cardinal is bringing in former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh to right the ship. Harbaugh went to high school in Palo Alto, which is across the street from the stadium he'll be coaching in next autumn.
Harbaugh has spent the last four seasons as the head football coach at Division 1-AA University of San Diego, where he led the Toreros to a 29-6 record. Harbaugh was previously an assistant coach with the Oakland Raiders.
Even if Wie can't take the links for the Cardinal, these two big signings will undoubtedly mean more incredible success for an athletic program that has won the Sears Directors Cup as the best Div. 1 NCAA athletic program each of the last 12 years. Now if Harbaugh can only figure out a way to beat Cal and return to The Axe to Stanford, all will be right with the world. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.19.2006
A fine day: The NBA and NFL handed down some stiff penalties for incidents that took place in games on Friday and Saturday. Seven members of the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks have been suspended for a total of 47 games for a 10-player brawl that erupted in the final two minutes of a blowout win for the Nuggets. The harshest penalty went to NBA leading scorer Carmello Anthony, who will not be eligible to play again until Jan. 20 after he serves a 15-game suspension. The suspension will hit Anthony for over $640,000 in lost salary. Two players Denver's J.R. Smith and New York's Nate Robinson face 10-game suspensions. In addition, each of the teams has been fined $500,000 by the NBA.
NBA commissioner David Stern was harsh in sending a very clear message with the suspensions: "Clearly, we're not getting through or players in certain circumstances just don't want to be restrained. I would suggest that those players will not have long careers in the NBA."
The NFL fined Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens $35,000 for spitting in the face of Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall in the first quarter of the Cowboys' 38-28 victory Saturday night. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two all night, with Owens grabbing two touchdowns and Hall leading the Falcons with eight tackles.
It's good to see both the NBA and NFL take strong action against players who went beyond what is acceptable for on-field behavior. At some point, these leagues are going to start handing out season-ending suspensions like they were the Indianapolis Colts giving up rushing yards. Until then, the players will keep losing their cool and doing things that damage the image of the leagues. But, a 15-game suspension for the league-leading scorer sends a really good message. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.18.2006
Asian Games medalist fails gender test: An Indian runner who competed as a female in the recent Asian Games has failed a gender test and will be stripped of her silver medal in the women's 800 meters.
Shanti Soundarajan, 25, was tested after her medal performance. A gender test, according to the Associated Press, usually consists of examinations by a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist and internal medicine specialist. An unnamed official told the AP that Soundarajan likely had more Y chromosomes than are allowed in Olympic-caliber international competition.
The issue of gender testing continues to haunt many athletes who are not born with typical XX or XY sex chromosomes. While the International Olympic Committee and others have opened many women's competitions to male-to-female transgender athletes, the issues surrounding abnormal chromosomes are still very real. It's not known if Soundarajan knew of her abnormal condition; No report was released detailing if she has male genitalia. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Badminton Anyone?: One of the pleasures of traveling overseas is seeing the sports that other countries go ga-ga over. I am so absorbed in the USA obsessions of football, baseball and basketball that it's easy to forget that other countries have different obsessions. In early December I was in Jakarta, Indonesia, to visit a friend interning with an American company. The city is like L.A. on steroids, with drivers who make up traffic rules as they go along, hawkers selling Playboy (whose Indonesia edition features no nudity -- a no-no in the world's largest Muslim nation) and gay clubs operating somewhat freely within the sound of daily Muslim prayers.
It's also a sports-friendly country, in love with soccer (three channels worth) but also with sports that are barely on the American radar screen. Like badminton. Not the badminton that we play at backyard BBQs, but the elite-level game where the players have to be wondrously athletic and skilled. The sport is huge in Indonesia. I walked into a sporting goods store and saw three tennis rackets, but a dozen badminton rackets and three types of shuttlecocks.
Taufik Hidayat is a superstar in the sport and is known to average Indonesians due to his commercial endorsements. During this month's Asian Games, Hidayat defeated Chinese rival Lin Dan to win the men's singles gold. His picture and story were on the front page of the English language Jakarta Post and Kompas, the biggest paper in Jakarta. Hidayat is a lot like American superstars -- cocky and hot-tempered; he was fined earlier this year for stalking off the court during a match. After beating Lin, before a packed house in Qatar, he threw his racket into the stands; it probably wound up on eBay Indonesia within hours.
Indonesia might be the world's fourth most-populous country, but its athletes didn't exactly light up the Asian Games competition, finishing 17th overall in total medals, behind even North Korea. According to the Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Sports Council gave out cash bonuses to all medalists and houses to gold medalists. The council got off easily on the housing front as only Hidayat and a bowler won golds.
In a non-sports related matter, I can report that pirated DVDs can be found everywhere in Jakarta. One mall had at least 20 stores selling them, including movies like "Babel," "Borat" and "Dreamgirls," which have just hit U.S. theaters. Some of the shops will even preview the DVD so you can gauge the quality. Price? 50 cents, not including the popcorn.--Jim Buzinski
12.16.2006
Quick hits: I've only been interviewed for something once, when I was in a band, and I butchered it: got very nervous, sounded like a drunk etc. So, I appreciate that people in the media glare can sometimes say dumb things. For today's example, let's turn to Atlanta Falcons coach Jim "Hottie" Mora and an appearance on radio. Mora, a Washington Huskies alum, said that if the job opens at U of W, "you'll find me at the head of the line with my resume in hand ready to take that job". D'oh!
This didn't go over well in Atlanta, an underachieving 7-6 as they prepare for a huge game with the Dallas Cowboys this weekend. What cracks me up is how Mora and the Falcons cranked up the damage control machine. Mora used the "Hahaha, only kidding folks" excuse and there were press releases and press conferences and all sorts of scrambling around. You'd think he'd been accused of sexually assaulting onen of his players, like....
Pamela Balogh, a former star basketball player at Temple University, and a former coach at Immaculata High School in Somerville, New Jersey. The rap sheet is long: she's charged with first-degree aggravated sexual assault, second-degree sexual assault, third-degree aggravated criminal sexual contact, fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Yikes.
There's no clue in the article I read via the always excellent Bad Jocks about Balogh's sexuality, but one twist is that she left the school about 15 months ago, apparently on good terms. Sexual assault is always bad news, but I get a bit bummed out if there's a gay/lesbian angle to it as well; it makes fighting the stereotypes about "homosexuals prey on the young to recruit them" and "homosexuals can't be trusted to coach same-gendered players" a little tougher to battle. I'm sure Bad Jocks will update this case as it winds its way through the courts.
Finally, I've lusted after pitcher Brendan Donnelly for years when he was an integral part of the Anaheim Angels bullpen. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox --*them* again-- Friday and in reading the reaction at the Halos Heaven blog, I found out that when he was asked why his nickname was Donkey (as in hung like a...), he told the reporter "That's not a story for television". Wow. Goodbye and good luck in Beantown, Mr. Donnelly, you were awful last year for the Angels, so you're going to need it. --Jim Allen
12.15.2006
We love Alex Smith: Last week, I thought I'd jinxed the San Francisco 49ers by writing that they had a chance at the playoffs. Two days later, they got smoked by a poor Green Bay Packers team, 30-19. Ah, the Jock Talk Curse in full stride. Going into Thursday night's game in Seattle, they looked done. While Jim B. and I were driving to dinner tonight, we found out the Niners were down 7-3 to the Seahawks and it seemed that hottie quarterback Alex Smith was laying another egg.
Imagine our shock when we turned on the radio to find out that the 49ers ended up winning 24-14 and that Alex Smith had passed for two touchdowns and ran for another. Add in running back Frank Gore's 144 yards on 29 carries and being the receiver on one of Smith's TDs, and it was a pretty comprehensive 49ers win. The Seahawks should win their weak division, but they're a shadow of their Super Bowl-losing selves from last year.
Hopefully, the NFL will take more care in scheduling their Thursday night games in December. The weather was awful in Seattle --duh-- with rain and winds lashing the stadium before the game. Warm weather sites or domes might be a better bet. Jim B. brought up another thing in arguing against Thursday night games: there's not enough turnaround time for teams that play on Sunday to heal and prepare. Oh well, the NFL has the golden touch when it comes to their decisions, so they'll figure things out.
Stop it. Now.: He hasn't thrown a major league pitch yet but I'm already sick of the Boston Red Sox new pitcher, Japanese ace Daisuke Matsuzaka. After signing a 6-year, $52 million contract, the Red Sox went so far over the top in introducing him that it bordered on the obscene.
There's not a great history of Japanese pitchers making the transition to American baseball --position players have fared better-- but the way the Sawx ladled on the hype at his arrival at the airport > press conference > dropping a puck at a Bruins game was stomach churning. It was as if Cy Young, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson had been reincarnated in the body of a somewhat pudgy young man all at once. Let the guy win a game before cranking up the hype machine, please. --Jim Allen
12.14.2006
Germany's gay soccer players speak: Spiegel, German's most influential weekly magazine, is running a multipart series on their Web site about gay players in the professional German soccer leagues. And they got some players to talk to them anonymously.
"It is still the greatest possible taboo in the gay-hostile world of soccer," the article reads, "in which it would be more possible for a woman to play on a men's team than for an openly gay man to be accepted on a professional team."
The magazine spoke with a sport psychologist, who asked to not be named, who knows of several German soccer players, among them a very big name, who are gay.
"I know from my role as a psychologist that these players see only the choice of leading a double life and keeping their homosexuality quiet from the coach, the team and the team management," the source told Spiegel.
Spiegel talked with one player who is married to a woman and also living with his same-sex partner.
"I naturally feel shitty," the player said. "My wife knows nothing of it. But what am I to do? Coming out would be my death." His partner is able to travel with him without anyone suspecting because it's not abnormal for players to travel with friends.
They talked with another closeted player who frequents the gay chat rooms looking for sex. He says he's careful to make sure the guy he might meet has not interest in football, reducing the possibility he might be recognized. "Still, each time I meet up with someone I risk my career."
The story asserts many of the things that we have heard over and over: The percentage of gay players in soccer is likely the same as that of gay people in the population; Showering with a gay teammate is a popular reason straight men give for having an issue with a gay teammate; Staying in the closet can seem like the only way but can undermine someone's athletic performance; Gay people represent a strong financially viable clientele. Still, it's always great to see mainstream sports publications, especially national leaders like Spiegel, diving into the issues.
You can catch the story at Spiegel's Web site, if you can read German. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.13.2006
Porter Not Really Sorry: Joey Porter, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, issued a non-apology apology for calling Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow a "fag." "I would just like to say it was a poor choice of words in the comment I made toward Winslow," Porter said Tuesday. "If I offended anybody, I apologize for that." In the locker room following the Steelers' 27-7 win over the Browns last Thursday, Porter said the following about Winslow:
"He's a fag. He tried to dap me up before the game. He's soft though. I don't pay attention to him." And referring to what he thought was a cheap shot from Winslow on Steeler teammate James Farrior, Porter added: "It was late. That's what fags do. He's soft. He wanna be tough but he's really soft. He tried to give me a handshake before the game. He's not my friend, he don't know me. What you trying to shake my hand for? He talk too much and he hadn't done nothing. He threw a cheap shot. He's weak. He's for real weak. He's soft. He might want to play receiver because he don't want to play tight end. He's not gonna block nobody."
In trying to justify his use of language, Porter said it was a common word in his upbringing. "I guess how we used that word freely, me growing up using it, I didn't think nothing of it like that," Porter said. "Like I said, I apologize to anybody I offended on it. I didn't mean to offend nobody but Kellen Winslow. Pretty much, that's it about that."
Winslow took somewhat of the high road, telling the Cleveland Plain Dealer: "If he wants to be a tough guy or whatever, that's fine. But that's a classless act. I see what type of guy he is now and just lost a little respect for him." Steelers coach Bill Cowher called the use of fag "inappropriate," adding "Certainly, there is not reason to use that term." Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said Porter's use of fag wasn't a slam against gays. "That's how the game goes," Townsend told the Beaver County Times. "Joey was just expressing his opinion after someone cheap-shotted one of our guys. Joey was just standing up for one of his teammates." In fact, several of Porter's teammates were still angry at Winslow, calling him soft and weak. It is sad but true that fag is the sports epithet of choice to denigrate an opponent one finds less than a man, and one reason why homophobia is still rampant in the lockerroom. Many jocks still can't equate being gay with being masculine, no matter how many 300-pound nose tackles like Esera Tuaolo come out.
I agree with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook, who wrote this about Porter: "He didn't just embarrass himself. He embarrassed the Steelers. ... His representatives figure to go into full damage control mode over this. They have Porter's image to rescue. There are potential marketing opportunities at stake. Even the NFL's most-feared man -- as some have called Porter -- has to be careful about what lines he crosses. The NFL could weigh in later in the week with a fine for Porter. It should be a whopper." --Jim Buzinski
12.12.2006
NBA Changes Balls, Again. For the second time this season, the NBA is changing the balls they play with.
The NBA decided to switch balls before the start of this season. Apparently not fans of leather, the NBA brass picked a new microfiber composite ball that Spalding said would be more consistent than the leather ball the NBA had used for years. But after complaints from many players that the ball bounced differently than the leather ball they were used to, and that the ball somehow cut their hands, NBA commissioner David Stern has decided to switch the ball back to leather, effective Jan. 1.
While the players generally complained about the ball, there is no mistaking the fact that they played better with it. With the new ball this season, scoring is up, shooting percentage is up, and turnovers are down. But, the players decided they wanted to rebel against the ball, so their improved numbers were irrelevant to them.
Kudos to Stern and NBA management, though. While the ball may have improved the game, it wasn't worth making the players pissy about it. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Waaaaah, Brady finishes third. Waaaaaah. How annoying was it to hear all of the whining from the white commentators over the weekend about how Brady Quinn finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. He should have finished second, and it was an outrage that he didn't, according to some of the talking heads.
Quinn finished third to Darren McFadden, a very good running back at Arkansas. To me, Quinn was only in the final three at all because he's a cute (or so some say) white boy at Notre Dame. They guy who should have been there instead of Quinn was Ray Rice, the running back at Rutgers. With over 1,600 yards rushing and 19 TDs, the guy was the engine behind college football's best story of the year. Quinn was lucky to be included at all.
What was truly outrageous, though, was that Quinn won the Maxwell Award, given every year to the "player of the year." That Troy Smith didn't win that award is absolutely thievery. But I don't hear anyone complaining about the black quarterback getting cheated. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.11.2006
The [expletive] tradition continues: In the long tradition of non-apologies, this may be the king of them all. After last Thursday's Cleveland-Pittsburgh game, Steeler Joey Porter called Brown tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. either a "fag" or a "faggot" (because news reports simply refer to the comment as an "expletive," we can't be sure of which one it was). On Friday, Porter's agent, Jeff Sperbeck, said the Steelers linebacker was sorry for the comment.
"He realizes that he picked the wrong word," Sperbeck told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It was not intended to offend any group or anybody."
Meanwhile, Porter and the Steelers organization aren't commenting on Porter's expletive-fueled outburst. They haven't even acknowledged that the comment was made, instead leaving it up to Porter's agent to do the talking.
People are very forgiving, as long as the offender apologizes sincerely and asks for forgiveness. But that apology shouldn't include sending your agent to do the dirty work.
On Friday, Winslow said of Porter's comment: "That's just Joey being Joey. I'll pray for him. If he wants to be a tough guy, that's fine, but that's a classless act." Whether Winslow was just using it to take another cheap shot is irrelevant. To have athletes saying the use of the word "faggot" is classless is yet another step in the right direction. Hopefully Porter and the Steelers organization will bring it full-circle with a mea culpa in the coming days.
They'd have to be a [expletive] not to do it.-Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.9.2006
Homophobia in sports: Back in March, I wrote about English footballer Ashley Cole, who was involved in speculation that he took part in an orgy with other men. A cellphone was mentioned, but I've kind of blocked that part of it out of my memory due to the "ewwwww" factor. At the time, Cole played left back for North London club Arsenal; he now plays for Chelsea, who play near at Stamford Bridge, near the Thames.
Today, Saturday, is a London derby (pronounced darby), a meeting of the two local teams. Via Towleroad comes news that the football authorities and local police are taking threats of homophobic abuse that might be directed against Cole by Arsenal supporters seriously. I do like the idea of their fans bringing in inflatable plastic cellphones, that's pretty funny really, but still. As I've recounted here, I attended a Manchester United v. Chelsea match in Manchester years ago and the homophobic abuse from United supporters around me was constant and at times, really vile.
That's not acceptable to activist Peter Tatchell of the group Outrage. "There is nothing wrong with a bit of banter by football fans. Much of it is clever, imaginative and very funny. Having moved to a rival club, Ashley Cole has to expect ridicule from Arsenal fans. But taunts involving racism or homophobia are a taunt too far. Racist mockery is wrong, and so is anti-gay mockery". Exactly.
It's hard to imagine clubs taking this seriously ten years ago, but the climate has certainly changed. Part of it, of course, is a bit cynical: football clubs won't be able to attract families and middle-class fans if the stadiums are filled, as they often were in the awful period in the 70's and 80's, by thugs and hooligans (an ongoing problem in Italian football, by the way).
There's no denying that racist abuse is still an issue at English football grounds, but it's reached the point where a majority of supporters of a team are increasingly loathe to be associated with cretins; the problem is nowhere near as bad as it was 10-15 years ago. It's a slow process but it's nice to see The Powers That Be in English football at least address the issue of homophobia and deal with it realistically. Now if only someone as gorgeous as Michael Owen would announce they were gay..... --Jim Allen
12.8.2006
Zzzzzzzzzz: Week two of the NFL's game-on-Thursday-night experiment yielded another dog of a game, this time the hapless Cleveland Browns v.
struggling Super Bowl champs Pittsburgh Steelers. Again, I didn't watch it because my cable provider is in a dispute with the NFL, but it seems the game
lived down to its billing, the Steelers cruising to a 27-7 win behind Willie Parker's record (for the Steelers) 223 rushing yards. Plus, what is the NFL
thinking in scheduling a game in Pittsburgh, in December, at night? Sure, sure, some people like seeing football games played in temperatures in the teens,
but I'm not one of them.
It seems weird to me that the NFL, using its own cable channel, wouldn't use its clout with its other TV partners (CBS, NBC,
Fox and ESPN) to get some choice games in the Thursday slot, but I'd imagine their hands are tied by their labyrinth contracts with the other networks. Next
weeks game could be interesting however, at the surprising San Francisco 49ers, total hottie quarterback Alex Smith in tow, travel to Seattle for an
important division game. How lame is the NFC again this year? The Niners are 5-7 and in the thick of the wild card race, with only a gaggle of 6-6
mediocrities standing between them and a playoff spot. Hey, as long as Alex Smith shaves him sometimes beard, I'd be cool with that.
For the love
of money: Unlike my mom, who rages against the salaries of pro athletes on a regular basis --she seems to think that money would otherwise go to
teachers or nurses or somesuch fantasy-- I have no problem with people taking the money offered them. Apart from that, though, you have to wonder at the
sanity of baseball executives because of a couple of recent deals.
First off, the seemingly bottomless pot of money that exists in the Fenway area of
Boston was tapped in to again when the Red Sox signed injury-prone free agent outfielder J.D. Drew to a five-year, $70 million deal. When I asked on a
message board "This is insane! Do the Red Sox have ANYONE ready in their minor league system?", someone posted back "Only pitching, no position players".
Drew was laid back to the point of comatose last season --and in Los Angeles, that's saying a lot-- so I predict it will take about five spring training
games before Red Sox fans start complaining that he's not "passionate" or something. Ah, what fun it will be!
The other deal involves the pathetic
Chicago Cubs, who with new manager Lou Pinella on board, are making noises about actually making the playoffs again. Why they threw $40 million over four
years at Ted Lilly (career record: 59-58) is a bit of a mystery, but I guess the old adage that the quickest way to the major leagues is to be an average
left-handed pitcher holds true. How long are Cubs fans going to keep showing up in droves at ancient Wrigley Field despite the team being awful every year?
--Jim Allen
12.7.2006
Happy Birthday T.O.! Now listen up. I know, I know. I shouldn't even be writing about this knucklehead. But, it is Terrell Owens' birthday today, so I figured I'd acknowledge it with yet another story of this guy being a raging lunatic.
He apparently threw himself a big birthday party in Los Angeles earlier this week. It came just after a Monday Cowboys team meeting and a speech by coach Bill Parcells on what it takes to win the Super Bowl.
"The championship speech? I must have went to sleep on that one," T.O. said, according to the Associated Press. "I can't remember. I had my mind on the party. & I have no earthly idea of what you are possibly talking about. I don't remember. I was already in L.A. & He'll have to redo it."
I started writing my reaction to his comments, but it's not even worth your time to read them. It's just the same thing over and over again from this guy. So, I'm not going to write the same reaction over and over.
Parcells, by the way, was not invited to the party. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.6.2006
Andre Carter on Jeff Garcia's voice: Washington Redskins defensive end Andre Carter was on NFL Radio on Sirius Tuesday afternoon talking about his team's upcoming matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. The discussion turned to Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia, with whom Carter played in San Francisco. Carter said that he loves playing against Garcia, in part because he can hear some of the plays Jeff calls.
There were lots of laughs, and show host Bob Papa said, "It's hard to mistake that voice." More laughs, and the men got back to talking football.
Garcia has been rumored to be gay for years, not helped by Terrell Owens' infamous comments (when he was an Eagle) not-so-subtly hinting that if Garcia acts gay, then he's gay. Part of that "acting gay" is Garcia's voice, which is a little high and has a lisp. It's interesting that opposing players would notice it during a game, and that it might effect the development of a play.
It didn't hurt Monday night. Garcia was flawless, throwing for 312 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Of course, the Eagles fans booed him at one point when he decided to stay in the game (most of the geniuses in the stands wanted backup quarterback Jay Feely to play). Maybe Jeff's voice was just drowned out by the boos. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.5.2006
Federer Deserverd SI's Sportsman of the Year: The Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade is a very good basketball player. Is he a great player? Check back in five years to see if he's earned that distinction. But one distinction he has gotten is Sports Illustrated's 2006 Sportsman of the Year.
I'm kind of baffled by the choice. Again, Wade is a great athlete. And yes, his team won the NBA championship and he was the best player on that team. But, I just don't understand how the Sportsman of the Year was not Roger Federer. Wade's year ended in the middle of June (unless you count the beginning of this season, in which he has shot only 45% from the field, 26% from three-point range, and his team is a dismal 7-9 and in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
On the flip side, Federer's year was one for the ages. He won three Grand Slams and finished second in the other, becoming only the third man since World War I to win four straight Wimbledon titles. His overall record was 92-5, winning 12 titles. And 2006 ends as the third straight year he was ranked No. 1 in the world when it was all over. No one dominated his sport like Federer in 2006, and it's too bad he was overlooked for the honor. I imagine a big part of it was the fact that Federer isn't American, but I just don't see how SI could ignore his accomplishments this year. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.4.2006
Let the BCS bitching begin: It's proof that politics do have a role in sports. For the last two weeks, University of Florida head football coach Urban Meyer has been demanding that someone other than Michigan be given the chance to play Ohio State in the national championship game. He even said that, if Michigan was selected by the BCS to play the Buckeyes, he would ask his president to convene a conference of university presidents to dismantle the BCS and create a playoff system this year.
The lobbying worked. While Michigan sat idle for the last two weeks, first USC and now Florida leapfrogged them to take the No. 2 spot in the BCS poll. Florida jumped over Michigan this weekend despite being NO. 4 Saturday morning.
"I think the country wants to see the Southeastern Conference champion against the Big Ten conference champion," Meyer said Saturday night after his team beat Arkansas for the SEC championship. "I think that's what this is all about."
Well, Meyer can count me as one who doesn't want to see it. I don't want to see Michigan play Ohio State, either. Or USC or LSU or anyone else from these big-name conferences. I want a championship game between two undefeated teams. And we could have that, if Boise State was given the chance. They are 12-0 and are the only undefeated team in the country, along with Ohio State. They had only three games decided by single digits, and seven of their games were decided by at least three touchdowns. I don't care whom they've played. If a team goes through their entire schedule without losing a game, they should be playing for the national championship. And the Urban Meyers and Charlie Weises and Pete Carrolls of the world can cry all they want. They lost; And in college football, it's one loss and you're done.
Boise State's exclusion from the national championship means that there are a bunch of teams who literally have no chance of winning the national championship before they even take the field in September. And if that isn't the best argument in the world for a playoff system, I don't know what is. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
The absolute best playoff system there is: To me, an eight-team playoff system would be ideal. First, eight teams covers everyone who has a real beef with the present system; Right now, 10-2 Auburn would be the first team left out, and they really can't complain about that.
You'd invite all undeafeated teams, and then you'd round out the field by using teams in the BCS. You'd rank them by record, then by BCS ranking. You'd need just three weekends of games. And you'd use seven bowl games as the playoffs. It'd help the bowl games, because they would actually mean something. You could use the five BCS bowls, and then you'd add two more bowls to host first-round games. Can you imagine an Alamo Bowl between #3 Florida and #6 Wisconsin? A Cotton Bowl between #1 Ohio State and #8 USC? And those would just be first-round matchups!
Every system has its flaws. But this one, to me, 1) includes everyone who has a legitimate reason to want to be included, 2) makes the national championship available to every team in Division 1, 3) Gives fans a reason to watch seven meaningful bowls, 4) once-and-for-all creates a system that, without a doubt, guarantees a unanimous national champion, and 5) does it within the same time period that college football presently takes.
Alas, too many people are making too much money on the present system to change it, so we'll all be throwing out our ideas 52 weeks from now all over again. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
12.2.2006
Nothing But Attorneys: In the "What Took Them So Long" file, NBA players have filed a labor grievance with the National Labor Relations Board over the new basketball they play with and overzealous officiating. The NBA directed officials to slap a technical foul (i.e. fines and ejections) on players who go nuts after a call goes against them, leading me to wonder if the edict was enacted so the league can get all of Rasheed Wallace's salary via fines.
The ball was changed from leather to a microfibre composite -- I think that means plastic-- and it's widely disliked by players. NBA Commssioner David Stern has basically said "Too damn bad if you don't like it", so hey, bring in the lawyers, right? The ever quotable Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban seemed to be almost gleeful when he said "They say the NBA stands for 'Nothing But Attorneys,' so we're going to be great at dealing with those issues". In other words, bring it on. Ah, labor strife in professional sports, does it get any better than that?
Ha ha [/Nelson Muntz]: After reading about the travails of a high school girl's basketball coach in Castro Valley, California, I'm convinced more than ever that parents are a plague on amateur sports. A group of total assholes, erm, I mean parents of players trying out for the squad at Castro Valley High School were so distraught that their obviously talented daughters (read: meal tickets to future riches) didn't make coach Nancy Nibarger's squad that they demanded the squad be picked by a six-person panel.
I love the German word schadenfreude, which describes taking joy in the misfortune of others. The parents who demanded the panel (which included Coach Nibarger and her two assistants, plus three other people chosen from a list submitted by the dumbass parents) got a huge, heaping dose of it when the team rosters were announced: none of their daughters made the team anyway. Ha ha!
Coach Nibarger seems to lack a certain amount of people skills --hello Bobby Knight!-- and last year had a major falling out with a player, who then threatened to sue her for violating her civil rights. The parents wanted Nibarger fired and when all the official channels they used didn't work, they decided to make her life miserable by imposing the panel and an overseer at her practices.
"The bottom line is that the parents got what they wanted, but they didn't like how it turned out" said Clay Kallam, a veteran of the Bay Area women's basketball scene. My favorite quote from the stories I read is this one from Bob Oates, the overseer of the practices: "I think what we will find is that when it is our children that we believe have been treated unfairly, we will go to the ends of the Earth".
Yeah, that's such a great example to set for your kids: when life treats you unfairly --for example, not being good enough to make the high school basketball team-- as the cold, unforgiving, uncaring universe we live in does on a constant basis, whine about it, bitch and moan on the Internet, even threaten legal action to get your way. Man I hate people sometimes. --Jim Allen
12.1.2006
NFL on Thursday: Thanks to the ongoing feud between Time Warner Cable, the incompetents who took over Comast and now are my cable service provider, and the NFL over money, I didn't get to watch the Thursday night NFL game between my "second team", the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL on Thursday is...weird to me. I know the league is trying to expand audiences and all that, but putting the games on a channel that isn't on all cable systems seems fairly shortsighted.
But enough of business. I followed the game on the NFL.com Game Tracker and it seemed like a bit of snoozer, the Bengals winning an important game between AFC North rivals 13-7. I watched the highlights on ESPN later --when they could take time away from replaying the same story about the locker room meltdown of the New York Football Giants for the 839th time, that is-- and it was great to see the Bengals winning score come on a flea-flicker pass. Jim B. has the recipient of that pass, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, on his fantasy team, so he's happy.
Jim and I like the concept of "fraud" teams. Those are teams that have impressive records, but if you scratch below the surface, you find that they've played mostly stiffs or just squeaked by or bribed the refs or something. The Chicago Bears are clearly a fraud team, and we think the Ravens are too. Once seemingly a lock for the division title, they're now 9-3 vs. the Bengals 7-5. However, the Ravens have a somewhat easier schedule for the last four games of the season, so if the Bengals want to make the playoffs, a wild card might be their only hope.
The end is nigh: I had to read this story twice to make sure it wasn't a bit of satire from The Onion. Chess, that most dorky of activities, has a very lively competitive circuit around the world. The governing body for the way cool game that I suck at announced this week that they will begin anti-doping testing at an upcoming tournament. The mind boggles.
Even the official who heads the governing body of world chess had to admit "I would not know which drug could possibly help a chess player to improve his game", the honest Yousuf Ahmad Ali said. Speed, to stay alert? Nah, the teeth grinding would be a dead giveaway. Some good pot, to calm the nerves? Please.
Ah, the seeming absurdity of this makes sense when it was noted that the chess federation is instituting the testing not because of a problem, but because they hope to become an Olympic sport in the future. That's just.....pathetic. If chess becomes a "sport" at the Olympics, the world softball federation, for one, will howl, given that their sport --you know, something actually requiring athletic skill as most people would define it-- will be dropped after the 2008 Beijing Games. What a world we live in. --Jim Allen
11.30.2006
Boyfriends in Hockey? Via After Elton we get this quote from Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortoella on the distractions of being home for a long time: "I think it's good we are getting out on the road for an extended period of time with the Xs and Os and all the teaching we have done and the time we have spent trying to teach our team concept. I think when you go on the road and are together with no wives, no babies, no girlfriends, no boyfriends or whatever it may be, you end up being together, and that's where your chemistry starts coming together in the locker room."
Boyfriends? Does Tortoella know something that's not public about his hockey team? It's hard to tell and the Tampa writer had nothing more on the item. Perhaps it was just a turn of the phrase or else we have a real life example of the upcoming movie about a gay member of the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs.
His comment brings to mind a similar one made a few years ago by Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick about his rules for his NFL team's training camp. Nobody is allowed in a player's dorm room during camp. "No one. Mother, father, agent, girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever," Billick said.
I have always thought that there are some gay players in team sports who are out to a close confidant on the team, but I would not imagine a coach would be among them given the nature of the coach-player relationship at the pro level. But we can always hope. --Jim Buzinski
11.29.2006
Homoerotic Tribute to Brady: Tom Brady, he of the dimpled chin, dreamy eyes and three Super Bowl rings, inspires a lot of passion among football fans, gay and straight. But one of the funniest tributes is a clip making the rounds on YouTube, called "Brady." Click here to watch.
Sung to the tune of Kenny Rogers' "Lady," "Brady" offers up a cornucopia of images of the New England Patriots quarterback, from on-the-field action to his many dreamboat photos for the likes of GQ and other magazines. Among the choicer lyrics:
--"I want to help you reach completion." --"Your balls are the only balls I need. My end zone is where I want you to be." --"You're the starter in my fantasy league for two." --"I'm a tight end but I hope one day to be your wide receiver. How I long for you to hit me in the slot." --"Brady, you're the QB in the tight pants and I love you."
The creator of the song is a Texas lawyer who goes by the You Tube handle of "BF83." He told the Boston Herald that despite the lyrics, he's married and has two kids. "I'm very much hetero," he told the paper. "It's a little bit of a satire on the adoration of athletes. And a little bit on the homoeroticism in sports. It works on many levels." He described the song, which he wrote with a female co-worker as "creepy. But funny, nonetheless."
For a straight guy, BF83 certainly is familiar with every possible football term that is homoerotic. As one poster on YouTube said: "If anyone is willing to believe this was written by a straight guy no matter how many kids he's bred, they need to review the definition of hetero and homosexual and bisexual!" Wrote another: "I'm not gay, but after watching this, I am willing to learn." --Jim Buzinski
11.28.2006
It's official: Joey Harrington is the NFL's newest "It" boy. Until now, that title has been shared by a various players who turned heads from West Hollywood to Chelsea. But Harrington's Thanksgiving Day performance last week has cemented it.
For the last four days, friends have been asking me, "Did you see Joey Harrington on Thanksgiving? He's so hot." Uh, yeah, we've been talking about Harrington since he entered the NFL in 2002. But many football (quote/unquote) "fans" hadn't gotten a good look at Harrington, or even knew who he was, until his throttling of his own team last Thursday. Now, though, he has one of my friends saying, "Move over Jeremy Bloom, Joey Harrington's taken my heart;" and many other gay men who tune into the NFL on Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl suddenly want to know a lot more about the latest Miami Dolphins starting quarterback.
Playing with the Detroit Lions for the first four years of his career, he was somewhat stuck in obscurity. The Lions didn't see many primetime games while he was there, and Lions players don't get a lot of media attention unless their first name is Barry and their last name is Sanders.
But Outsports readers have had an eye on Harrington since he was at the University of Oregon. In 2005, Harrington was in the semifinals of the Outsports King of the Hardwood contest; In 2006, Harrington made it to the Elite Eight in the contest. Anecdotally, I can say that pictures of Joey Harrington have been a popular request from our readers.
But the pics aren't all Harrington is about. He's also got a sensitive and quirky side that is well-documented. Just last month, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said of Harrington, "After the game he listens to Morrisey, writes poetry and tries to cut himself."
Last year, Harrington miffed many gay fans I know when he grew his hair long and a beard sprouted on his face. But, this season he's back to the clean-cut image that made him so popular at Outsports.
And now that he's living and working near South Beach, the tan he has doesn't hurt his image, either. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
11.27.2006
USC Has Title Shot: By virtue of its 44-24 whipping of Notre Dame. USC has moved to the No. 2 spot in college football BCS rankings behind Ohio State. If the Trojans beat UCLA on Saturday, they will face Ohio State in the BCS title game on Jan. 4.
The BCS still sucks, as one-loss Florida or Michigan and unbeaten Boise State will likely be shut out of the title game, but the Trojans are deserving. They dominated a Notre Dame team ranked sixth heading into the game and have also beat Top 25 teams Cal, Nebraska and Arkansas.
I agree with a Sports Illustrated writer who hopes for Florida to finish 12-1 and then be shut out of the title game since this might spur the creation of some sort of meaningful playoff system. SEC fans are still steamed about Auburn getting the shaft two years ago, and if the Gators are left out, the power conference will raise a stink. --Jim Buzinski
