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4.30.2003
Pacers Blank Celts In Overtime: For the first time in NBA history, a team was held scoreless in a playoff overtime. The Indiana Pacers couldn't have picked a better time to blank the Boston Celtics, pulling within one game of the team in green, 3-2. The game had ended regulation with the teams tied at 88. The Pacers scored five in the overtime to win the game, 93-88.
Pincay Rides Off Into the Proverbial Sunset: The winningest jockey in horse racing history has announced his retirement. Laffit Pincay, 56, broke his neck during a race in March. He had been hoping to recover from the injury, but has opted to call it quits instead. Pincay ends his 39 year riding career with a record 9,530 victories.
4.29.2003
Kings Rally Kills Jazz: The Utah Jazz had a ten point lead in the second quarter on their home court, and the crowd was rocking. Just an hour later, they were handed a 17-point defeat, 99-82, that all but sealed the coffin on the dynamic duo of Stockton and Mallone. The Jazz now trail the Sacramento Kings, three games to one.
Two Teams Get Big First Wins: The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the New Jersey Devils, 4-3, while the Dallas Starts beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 2-1, on Monday night. It was the first win of their respective playoff series for the two teams.
4.28.2003
The Good Times Coach: Iowa State University men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy seems to have had a little too much fun, or so say some photos that have been leaked to The Des Moines Register. Eustachy went to a student party with a player from the Missouri Tigers just hours after a loss to the Tigers on Jan. 23. The photos show Eustachy with beer-in-hand, kissing women. Eustachy has apologized to the Iowa State athletic director - hopefully for attending a party with a Missouri player and kissing women.
The Race to be the Miami QB: Derrick Crudup Jr., who this last week lost the Miami Hurricane starting quarterback job to Brock Berlin, said that race played a major factor in the coaches' decision. Crudup is black; Berlin is white. Crudup claims that quarterbacks coach Dan Werner made comments, like referring to himself as a "redneck" and a "cracker," that made Crudup feel uncomfortable. When Crudup and his father, former NFL player Derrick Crudup Sr., asked Werner to not make those comments, Werner said he would stop; but, the comments did not. Crudup Sr. said that he is taking this public now to create a "fair" competition in the autumn for the starter position.
4.25.2003
Ducks At It Again: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks played the longest game in franchise history and won their fifth playoff game in a row - another franchise record. Just 48 seconds into the fifth overtime of their playoff game against the #1-seeded Dallas Stars, Petr Sykora scored the game-winning goal that gave the Ducks a 4-3 win and home ice advantage in this series.
Thrillers in NBA Playoffs: While the Boston Celtics were handling the Indiana Pacers, 101-83, four other teams locked up for buzzer-beaters. The New Jersey Nets topped the Milwaukee Bucks, 103-101, with a controversial finish that sent Bucks coach George Karl reeling, which will surely send him a League fine. The Minnesota Timberwolves stunned the Lakers in overtime, 114-110, in Los Angeles to take back homecourt advantage in that series.
4.24.2003
Two Heisman Trophy Winners Heading North: The last time a Pac-10 quarterback was taken by the Bengals with their first pick, Oregon's Akili Smith became the bust of the draft. With a seven-year agreement, worth anywhere from $22M to $58M, arrived at between the Bengals and USC's Carson Palmer on Wednesday, we will get a good glimpse over the next 18 months as to whether new Bengals coach Marvin Lewis really has brought in a new winning attitude - or if it'll be more of the same Bengals.
In Green Bay, the Packers claimed former Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch (above) off of waivers. The former St. Louis Ram, who left the team because he'd rather retire than not play quarterback last year, is expected to be given a shot at quarterback with the Pack.
4.23.2003
Twin Wins for the Twin Cities: Minnesota had a great night in the NBA and NHL playoffs. First, the Minnesota Timberwolves blew by the Los Angeles Lakers 119-91 to tie their NBA playoff series at 1-1. Kevin Garnett was the man, scoring 35 and hauling 20 rebounds for the T?Wolves.
The big shocker, though, came in Denver, when the Minnesota Wild stunned the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, in overtime to win their NHL series, 4-3. The Wild was down 3 games to 1; beating Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy in three straight games is an amazing feat.
Streaking: The Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees continued their torrid streaks. The Royals won their fourth in a row and now stand 15-3, not bad for a team many expected to lose 100 games. And what can you say about the Yankees, now 17-3 and off to their best start in their history? Money can?t buy you love but maybe a World Series ring.
4.22.2003
Drug Use Rampant in Baseball: A New York Times study released Monday night shows rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball. The Times interviewed 40 current and past pro ballplayers, including former San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn, who said that the growing problem is the use of amphetamines, or "greenies."
NFL Draft Prospect Shot: Just days before he is projected to be selected in the NFL draft, Oregon State cornerback Dennis Weathersby was shot in a suspected gang related shootout. Weathersby was in his hometown of Duarte, a suburb of Los Angeles, when he was getting into his car. A white vehicle approached and opened fire on him. He was hit by one bullet, which went through his torso and hit his arm. He was in stable condition Monday, and is expected to make a full recovery.
4.21.2003
The Answer Has Spoken: With so much emphasis on the dominance of the Western Conference, most seem to have forgotten that the East has a couple superstars of its own. Allen Iverson, "The Answer," probably the biggest star in the East, spoke loudly Sunday, scoring 55 points in the Sixers first-round victory over the New Orleans Hornets (still sounds funny) - the sixth most points scored in a playoff game in NBA history, and the most in nine years. It was also Iverson's third 50-point playoff performance, the third most in NBA history behind Michael Jordan (8) and Wilt Chamberlain (4).
Lightning Strike Four Times: After losing their first two playoff games at home, and being outscored 9-3 in those two games, the Tampa Bay Lightning have come roaring back, winning four straight playoff games to eliminate the Washington Capitals. It is Tampa Bay's first playoff series victory in their 11 year history and was capped off with a 2-1 victory on the road in the third overtime on Sunday.
4.20.2003
Comebacks or Chokes?: The NBA Playoffs got interesting off the bat, when two home teams lost in shocking fashion in their openers.
The biggest shocker was in San Antonio, where the #1-seeded Spurs lost a double-digit second half lead and fell to the Phoenix Suns in overtime, 96-95, on a desperation 3-pointer by Stephon Marbury (left) at the buzzer. Seconds earlier, MVP candidate Tim Duncan missed two free throws that would have iced the game for San Antonio. The game was sent into OT by amazing 3-point bank shot by Phoenix?s Amare Stoudemire as time was running out.
In Indianapolis, the Pacers lost the home court after falling to the Boston Celtics, 103-100. Paul Pierce of the Celtics was amazing, scoring 21 fourth-quarter points and setting a playoff record with 21 free throws without a miss. The Celtics overcame a 13-point lead with seven minutes to go.
4.19.2003
Politics and the Hall of Fame: Dale Petroskey, the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame and former Reagan administration official, apologized for not talking directly to Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon before cancelling a planned celebration of the 15th anniversary of the baseball film Bull Durham. Instead of calling, Petroskey had written a letter to the two actors stating that the celebration would be cancelled due to their criticism of the war against Iraq. In apologizing, Petroskey said, "politics has no place in the Hall of Fame," Petroskey.
Unless your name is Pete Rose.
WNBA Reaches Deal in Principle: On the final day, the WNBA and its players association reached an agreement in principle that will allow the League to play its 2003 season. WNBA officials had given the players association until Friday to reach an agreement with the League or face a lock-out. The new agreement translates into a five-year contract.
4.18.2003
Wilkens is Out: Toronto Raptors head coach Lenny Wilkens has been let go after his team went 24-58 this season: his worst season record of his 30-year NBA career. Wilkens holds the NBA coaching record for victories (1,292) and losses (1,114).
NCAA Punishes More Athletes for Adults' Mistakes: The almighty NCAA has handed down another probation, this time to the entire athletics department at the University of Arkansas. Because a booster overpaid 20 Arkansas student-athletes by an average of $215 each during the mid-to-late-1990s, the athletes of today will hav to pay the price.
4.17.2003
Exit, Stage Right: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, with all the hockey tradition of Albania, beat the Detroit Red Wings?NHL royalty?on Wednesday to sweep their first-round playoff series. It was only the third time in 50 years that a defending Stanley Cup champ was swept in the first round the following year. The Ducks clearly deserved the win and this was no fluke. For Detroit, which loves its Wings with a passion, today will be a time of depression.
Exit, Stage Left: Michael Jordan has retired ? again. Enough with the media idol worship. We could care less.
4.16.2003
What's Up with the White Sox Fans? There must be something in the water. Last year, when the Kansas City Royals came to town, a father and son raced onto the field and attacked a Royals coach. On Tuesday, the Royals were back in Chicago - with a similar result. A fan raced onto the field and tried to tackle umpire Laz Diaz in the eighth inning. Diaz, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, used his training from the Reserve to defend himself. The fan was quickly surrounded by players and staff and taken away. Tom Gamboa, who was attacked in the incident last year, said, "I think people just have too much to drink. I can't imagine what causes it."
The Royals went on to win the game and improve their record to 11-1.
Yanks Set Club Record: With all those World Series titles, the New York Yankees had never started 11-2. Until now. With their 5-0 blanking of the Toronto Blue Jays, the 2003 Yankees have the best start of any Yankees team through 13 games. Mike Mussina (3-0) struck out nine batters in the shutout.
4.15.2003
Wings Have But a Prayer: Last year, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup after losing their first two playoff games to Vancouver. This year, they again lost their first two playoff games at home - but followed them with another loss on the road at Anaheim. Now, the Ducks lead the Red Wings, 3-0, in their best-of-seven series and the road back to the Stanley Cup Finals for Detroit looks bleak.
Roy Goes Home: Roy Williams was named the new head men's basketball coach at the University of North Carolina on Monday. He takes over a program that has failed to make the NCAA tournament two years in a row. He also leaves in his wake a group of four recruits who had just signed to go to Kansas because Roy Williams was the coach there. Couple these losses with the firing last week of the athletic director at Kansas, and you suddenly have a mess of a program seven days after their appearance in the National Championship game. Bet you won't hear Dickie V saying what a disgrace Roy Williams is, the way he and the rest of the press raked the kids at St. Bonaventure through the coals for quitting on their team.
4.14.2003
A Streak Ends, I: News flash?Tiger Woods did not win the Masters golf championship Sunday. That honor went to Mike Weir who bested Len Mattice in a playoff. Woods shot (for him) a horrid 75 and finished 9 strokes off the pace. It?s a testament to Woods? dominance in golf that when he can?t come back from 4 strokes down entering the final round that it?s seen as big news. It?s understandable considering he won the last two Masters and remains the sport?s dominant player. It was nice to see Weir win?he is the first Canadian to win the Masters and the first left-hander to win a major since 1963.
A Streak Ends, II: Alas, the plucky Kansas City Royals will not go 162-0 in this Major League Baseball season. The Royals lost for the first time this season on Sunday after starting 9-0. It?s still quite an accomplishment for a team of no-names that picked its Opening Day pitcher with a coin flip.
A Streak Ends, III: Serena Williams can?t win them all. Williams, who had not lost since November, fell to Justine Henin-Hardenne in the finals of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C. But a loss may be bad news for Williams? next opponents: ``Sometimes you need to lose,'' Williams said. ``I'm so motivated now. I can just feel it coming on again. So you've got to watch out.''
4.13.2003
MJ Pointing Fingers: When have you ever heard Michael Jordan say, "I screwed up"? Of course, he doesn't very often. But, the Washington Wizards were, at the end of the day, his responsibility, as their biggest star and, at one point, one of their front office guys. It was a front office decision made by MJ himself that brought him back onto the court and away from the office. Yet, two years later, the Wizards will again be watching the NBA playoffs on TV.
With another lost season for MJ and the Wizards, Michael blamed their failure to make the playoffs on a lack of passion by the younger players. Yet, some are finally saying that maybe it was MJ's decision to play again that undermined the development of those very players. Whatever the reason MJ failed as a Wizard player, we can safely say that his last game as a Wizard will come next week. For good. Until the next time he decides to come back.
Ford Breaks Ground For Texas: TJ Ford was named the John Wooden Player of the Year on Saturday, becoming the first player from Texas, and only the second from the Big XII, to win the award. Ford, a sophomore, who also won the Naismith Award last month, beat out three seniors and a junior.
A Repeat for Minnesota: The Minnesota Gophers beat the University of New Hampshire Wildcats, 5-1, to win their second consecutive hockey national championship.
Et Tu, Pedro?: Just days after receiving a whopper of a contract extension from the Boston Red Sox, Pedro Martinez got shelled at home by the Baltimore Orioles, 13-6. It was the worst game of his career, allowing 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Two Storm the Masters: Jeff Maggert and Tiger Woods both shot 6-under Saturday to take their positions in the Top 5 for the final round on Sunday. Maggert sits atop the field at 5-under while Tiger is tied for fifth at 1-under.
4.12.2003
NFL Mourns Loss of Butler: San Diego Chargers General Manager John Butler, who had guided the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances, died of cancer Friday. He was 56. One of the most respected football executives, Butler was an imposing man, at 300 pounds, with a sense of humor that was well intact right up until the end. Considered one of the very best at evaluating talent coming into the NFL, he had been meeting with head coach Marty Schottenheimer earlier this week regarding the upcoming draft. "We were sure he had it beat," his wife, Alice Butler, said. "When he was feeling ill again he said, 'Sometimes you just underestimate the strength of your opponent.'"
Stars Shine Again: The Dallas Stars took a loss in their opening playoff game, then took it out on the Edmonton Oilers Friday night. Their 6-1 victory in Game 2 didn't make up for their loss in Game 1; but, it put them back on the track that brought them to the #1 seed in the West during the regular season.
Weir Streaks Ahead: Mike Weir was one of only four players who finished Friday's Masters under par, leading the tournament with a score of 6-under. Darren Clarke, the leader after one round, slipped to 4-under with a two-over performance in the second round. Phil Mickelson is third while Tiger Woods is tied for 23rd at 2-over.
4.11.2003
Mother Nature Is a Feminist: Martha Burk has tried for a year to stop the Master's tournament at August. On Thursday, she got some help from Mother Nature, who dropped pouring rain on the tournament and forced its first postponement since 1939. If weather permits, play will begin on Friday with each golfer playing 36 holes.
One King Atop the Mountain: One team remains undefeated in Major League Baseball. And the last time they made the MLB playoffs - well, let's just say it was a while ago. The Kansas City Royals, at 7-0, have swept series from the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. Their next seven games are on the road against the White Sox and Indians.
4.10.2003
Number 1 Seeds Start on the Wrong Skate: The two top seeds in the NHL playoffs both lost home ice advanatage after their first playoff games on Wednesday. The Ottawa Senators got blanked by the New York Islanders, 3-0, while the Edmonton Oilers surprised the Dallas Stars, 2-1, in the West. The Maple Leafs and Devils also won their opening games.
4.9.2003
College Basketball's Newest Dynasty: While the men's championships are chased after, and won, by a new team every year, the women's game has the only real present dynasty in Division I college basketball: the Connecticut Huskies. For the fourth time in seven years, UConn won the National Championship; and, for the third time in seven years, they beat Tennessee in the final. Their 73-68 victory on Tuesday over the Lady Vols capped a one-loss season that would have been perfect, if it wasn't for their lone loss to Villanova in the Big East Championship.
4.8.2003
Big Orange Tops in the Big Easy: Syracuse beat Kansas, 81-78, to win the NCAA men?s college basketball championship in New Orleans. Syracuse led in the first half by 18 points thanks to six 3-pointers from clutch freshman Gerry McNamara (left). But Kansas rallied to cut the lead to two late, but could never come back all the way. Kansas had two chances to tie the game in the final 10 seconds, but had one 3-pointer blocked and another go long.
Kansas will be looking at this one stat as the key reason they lost: 12 for 30 from the free throw line. In addition, the Jayhawks made only 4 of 20 from behind the 3-point arc compared to 11 of 18 for the Orangemen. Super freshman Carmelo Anthony?s 20 points led Syracuse to its first title under coach Jim Boeheim. For Kansas coach Roy Williams it was another bitter disappointment to any otherwise fine season. A class coach who just can?t seem to get over the hump.
After the game in a postgame interview, Williams faced CBS reporter Bonnie Bernstein. She asked Williams about his interest in the North Carolina job. Fair enough, Williams replied, and he gave a brief answer. But Bernstein persisted with another question and the usually unflappable Williams came as close as he could to losing it. With tears welling in his eyes, he glared at Bernstein and said: "I could give a shit about North Carolina right now. I've got 13 kids back in that locker room that I love." For us, it was one shining moment.
4.7.2003
Royalty Wins Out in Women?s Semis: Diana Taurasi would not let UConn lose and as a result the Lady Huskies are back in the NCAA women?s college basketball final. Taurasi battled a bad back and ankle but led all scorers as Uconn came back from nine points down to beat Texas, 81-79. ``I say it over and over again,'' UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. ``We have Dee and they don't. That's probably the biggest reason we won.''
In the other women?s semi, Laura Jackson scored 25 points as Tennessee beat Duke, 66-56. It sets up a terrific final Tuesday night as Uconn seeks to repeat as champs and, fittingly, has Tennessee in the way. This will be the third time these two teams meet in the final.
4.6.2003
One Streak Will End: When you talk about men's college basketball coaches who haven't won it all, two names immediately come up: Kansas' Roy Williams and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim. One of those two men will get their first National Championship this year, as Kansas and Syracuse won their Final Four match-ups against Marquette and Texas, respectively. While Kansas won by 33 points on Saturday, Syracuse's Carmelo Anthony scored 33 points on Saturday.
4.5.2003
Sixth Grader Suspended for Gay Slur: They're not tolerating homophobia in Grand Junction, Colo. West Middle School student Ben Madison was suspended for two days after saying that a referee's out-of-bounds call during a basketball game was "gay." Madison, 12, said that he thought the word meant "dumb" until his mother later told him what it really means. Principal Jody Mimmack said that Madison would have been suspended for saying the call was "dumb" as well, due to a national curriculum the school has instituted called, "Bullyproofing Your Schools."
Lakers Get Shocking Win: Most of the NBA fans who turned off the Lakers-Grizzlies game with a quarter remaning will be shocked to see here that the Lakers won the game. Down 23 to start the fourth quarter, the Lakers staged the third greatest fourth quarter rally in NBA history to win the game, 102-101, outscoring the Grizzlies, 36-12, in the last 12 minutes. The second greatest fourth quarter comeback was also made by the Lakers this season - 27 points against Dallas in December.
Sammy Joins the 500 Club: The Chicago Cubs' Sammy Sosa hit his 500th career home run on Friday, becoming the fourth fastest, and fourth youngest, player to acheive that milestone. He is the 18th player overall to hit 500.
4.4.2003
Lakers Win A Big One: Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers' new strategy should be to finish eighth in their division. For the third time this season, the defending NBA Champions beat the Dallas Mavericks, who will almost surely be the #1 seed in the West going into the playoffs, 100-89 in Dallas. The Lakers are presently four games ahead of the Suns for the 7th seed.
NFL Schedule Is Released: The NFL clearly wants to get the season jump-started in Week 1, as their 2003 schedule was released on Thursday. Featured are a couple matches featuring players with new teams (New England at Buffalo; St. Louis at NY Giants; New York Jets at Washington), grudge matches (Oakland at Tennessee; Tampa Bay at Philadelphia) and good old rivalries (Minnesota at Green Bay; Baltimore at Pittsburgh). Green Bay and Tampa Bay both get three Monday night appearances.
4.3.2003
Outsports Invades Playboy: No surprise it took a straight guy to bring this to our attention. In Playboy magazine's annual baseball preview, they feature an interview with St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jim Edmonds. The last question of the interview refers to this Web site: "Were you aware that the gay sports website Outsports.com gave you the 2002 Brass Balls awards as the game's most watchable center fielder? Here's a quote from Outsports: 'While he verges on being too pretty, he is quite the physical specimen. And he has stopped doing stupid things with his hair. (Those highlights he had last year we were a little too 1998, weren't they?)" Edmonds' response: "I didn't know [laughs heartily]. I guess it's flattering that people like me. But I'm more into ladies, I have to say." We wonder why he felt the need to throw that last bit in there?
Giambi Weighs In, Too: The Playboy MLB preview also features an interview with New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi. Giambi tells the magazine that his favorite superhero is Superman. Playboy follows up: "Does your superhuman eyesight enable you to find girls in the stands?" Giambi's reply: "That's a skill I share with everybody in the big leagues."
Not everybody, Jason. Not everybody.
Same A-Rod; Same Angels; Same Rangers: A year later, not much has changed. Texas Ranger Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 300 career homers and the Angels beat the Rangers, 11-5.
4.2.2003
Chapel Hill Getting a New Preacher Man: There will be a new head coach next year in North Carolina. The Tar Heels sent Matt Doherty packing on Tuesday after just his third year as head coach. Doherty's team had missed the NCAA tournament the last two years, and only made it three years ago as an eight-seed, before marching to the Final Four. Doherty leaves UNC with the worst head coaching win-loss record of any Tar Heel men's basketball head coach (.552).
The Longest Loss: The Boston Red Sox avenged last night's collapse by beating the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 16 innings - the most ever played by a Devil Rays team - 9-8. The Red Sox nearly let another one get away Tuesday night as they led, 8-6, going into the bottom of the eighth inning before allowing two runs. The game, the 2nd of 162 they'll play this season, lasted five hours, 16 minutes.
4.1.2003
NCAA May Remove Lady Vols from Final Four: The NCAA is considering action against the Tennessee Lady Vols for "rubbing in" their 73-49 victory over Villanova on Monday. "Running up the score like that is not necessary in the tournament and should be condemned," an anonymous NCAA insider said. If the Lady Vols are removed from the tourney, it is most likely that Villanova will get the bid.
Half of Yankees Starting Line-Up Injured Opening Day: The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays Monday, but suffered a tremendous loss that could send the team into a downward spiral. Derek Jeter, Alfonso Soriano, Jose Posada and Raul Mondesi all fell victim to injuries that will keep them all out at least two weeks and, in Soriano's case, potentially the whole season. "Oh well - I guess I'll get extra golf in this year," Soriano said of the injury to his big toe.
UCLA Trades Lavin to Pitt: In a unique move on Monday, the UCLA Bruins rehired Steve Lavin, only to trade him to Pittsburgh for Panthers head coach Ben Howland. Both Lavin and Howland have success at the head coaching position, but have failed to get past the Sweet 16.
3.31.2003
Final Four Set: The NCAA men's basketball tournament has their Final Four contestants after Sunday's games. The #1 seed from the South, the Texas Longhorns, held off a dogged Michigan State Spartans team 85-76 in a virtual home game in San Antonio to advance to the coveted Final Four spot while in another virtual home game, the Syracuse Orangemen upended the #1 East seed Oklahoma Sooners 63-47 in Albany to advance.
Neither game was ever really in doubt and after the scintillating Kansas games of the last few days, they seemed a bit dull in comparison. The Final Four looks like this:
Kansas v. Marquette
Texas v. Syracuse
An unfortunate side note to today's games is that police had to be called in to quell disturbances in the home of Michigan State, East Lansing, Michigan, after fans got unruly. Fans going nuts after sporting events seem less a function of fans being elated or pissed off as it's something that's expected of fans no matter what. How boring.
Baseball's back, is there gonna be trouble?: Although some members of the Jock Talk editorial staff consider baseball to be as about exciting as watching paint dry, some of us love it. The 2003 season got underway Sunday with the World Champion Anaheim Angels losing to the improved Texas Rangers, 6-3. Although there is labor peace for at least for more seasons, baseball is so poorly run that we fully expect Bud "Beezlebud" Selig to mismanage things at some point during the season. One big issue is: what to do about the Montreal Expos? They'll be drawing small crowds for most of the season and are supposed to move to either Portland, OR or the Washington, DC area but who really knows? We suspect that The Powers That Be at MBL HQ don't. Other storylines: Will the Cubs continue to suck? Can the Giants contend? Twins: Contenders or frauds? Can a buyer be found for both the Dodgers and the Angels? Will anyone dare pitch to Barry Bonds? Stay tuned.
3.30.2003
Cardiac Kids Strike Again: The Kansas Jayhawks seem to have the look of a team that could win the NCAA men's basketball tournament this year. Of course, Coach Roy Williams' teams have had that look in the past and it's usually ended up with Coach Roy crying at a press conference. But the vibe is different with this year's Jayhawks. Led by Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich, they play a solid team game and don't seem to crack under pressure. Hinrich was huge Saturday in KU's thrilling 78-75 victory over the #1 seed in the West, the Arizona Wildcats. He scored 28 points, had 5 assists and had a timely block of the Cats great guard Jason Gardner, who was attempting a game-tying 3 point shot with seconds left. After throwing away a 14-point lead in the second half, Kansas hung on to win to send them to the Final Four, the fourth in Coach Williams' 15 years in Lawrence.
That's two thrillers in a row for the storied Kansas basketball program who figure to have an easier time of it in the Final Four against the only real contender for "Cinderella" team (a term Cyd hates) left, The Golden Eagles of Marquette. Marquette humiliated the storied Kentucky Wildcats 83-69 in Minneapolis to book their first trip to the Final Four since their legendary coach Al McGuire led them to the title in 1977. Star guard Keith Bogans was hurt for Kentucky but to honest they didn't bother to show up on Saturday. The pressure on 'Cats coach Tubby Smith will be incredible now after seeing his team's 26-game winning streak disintegrate. The other two regional finals are on Sunday.
SARS in the NHL?: Two Buffalo Sabres players were ordered quarantined for 10 days, ending their seasons, after it was feared that they might have been exposed to the SARS virus, a flu-like virus that has swept through Asia. The players, Rhett Warrener and Brian Campbell, might have been exposed through a relative of Campbell's, who is a nurse in Toronto. We hope they are OK.
3.29.2003
Elite Eight Set: The NCAA men's basketball tournament picture got clearer on Friday as the Elite Eight was set after a round of games during the day.
There will be a new champion this year as defending champs Maryland lost a heartbreaker to Michigan State, 60-58 in San Antonio. Syracuse held off a furious rally by Auburn to pull out a 79-98 win in Albany, practically a home game for the Orangemen. While there's no true Cinderella team this year, Butler came closest to fitting the bill but they got bounced out of the tourney in convincing fashion by the East Region's #1 seed, Oklahoma. The #1 seed in the South, Texas, stayed the course by beating Connecticut by a score of 82-78.
The marquee game on Saturday will be Arizona vs. Kansas at the Pond in Anaheim. The 'Cats are the #1 seed in the West but Kansas is coming off an emotional win over Duke, so they could have the mo' going in to the game. Kentucky should easily beat Marquette in Minneapolis, but they play the games for a reason: anything can happen.
No Yankees On TV In The Bronx:The details are too boring and depressing to go in to here (it's about the money, of course) but approximately 3 million New York City area Yankee fans will not be able to watch their team on cable TV this year after a deal brokered by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg between YES Network (the Yankees media arm) and Cablevision collapsed amid charges of "reneging" on deals and other invective.
Baseball seems to have a death wish and this is another example of something that the arguably best run sports league in the world, the NFL, would never allow to happen. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and something can be worked out but with George Steinbrenner involved, who knows? It's hard to believe we're typing this but we actually feel a little sorry for Yankee fans tonight.
3.28.2003
Form Mostly Holds: Three of the four favorites won their Sweet 16 games Thursday at the NCAA men?s basketball tournament. Top seeds Arizona (over Notre Dame) and Kentucky (over Wisconsin), along with #2 seed Kansas (over Duke) advanced to the regional finals. The only upset was a mild one, as #3 seed Marquette held off #2 Pittsburgh.
3.27.2003
Queer as Kent: Jeff Kent of the Houston Astros showed what he?s made of last year when as a member of the San Francisco Giants he hesitated before taking his towel off in the locker room one day by asking the assembled media if there were any ?queers? or ?women'?among them.
Kent?s comments went largely unnoticed, but he defended himself in the current issue of ESPN the Magazine. Here is Kent?s explanation of the incident:
"I'm not John Rocker. I made a joke. I'd just come out of the shower. I'm about to drop my towel and I've got 30 media people around me. So I asked, 'Did you talk to Barry yet?' They said 'Barry gave us the bird.' I said, 'Then let me give you this.' I didn't see any women, so I dropped my towel and quickly pulled on my underwear. Everyone laughed. Then I said, 'I hope I didn't offend any women or queers in here.' Is it bad to say queer? Hell, there's a Showtime series called Queer as Folk. I went to Berkeley. I don't have a problem with homosexuals."
We?re not buying Kent?s reasoning. In his context, ?queer? was not said as a term of empowerment but rather as a putdown. He remains a jerk.
3.26.2003
Another Burkism: Martha Burk declared that broadcasting the Masters would be an insult to women in the armed forces. Maybe Martha Burk is an insult to women in the armed forces - she's worrying about CBS broadcasting a golf tournament when the quarter million women she's trying to stand behind are putting their lives at risk. Maybe she should protest all of the broadcast networks - afterall, the military has had a long history of promoting men over women and, since all the networks are broadcasting the war, they're supporting the military's oppression of women.
Cyd's Rant on Stanford: This may be completely uninteresting to anyone else, but I need to rip Stanford's Matt Lottich a - well, you get the picture. Before the Pac-10 tournament, I told a member of our discussion board that Lottich would be undone in the NCAA tournament by Lottich - who shoots with reckless abandon. In the Pac-10 tournament, a 1-7 stretch of his - shooting carelessly from beyond the arc - sent his team to a loss to USC. In the first round against San Diego, he shot 6-15 - not great, but not terrible. Then, against, UConn, the fool took 11 shots - eight from threepoint land - and hit only three. And, as I had predicted, he cost them their season. The two players who took as many shots as Lottich - Julius Barnes and Justin Davis - shot 15-26. I'm afraid Stanford coach Mike Montgomery had his great run in the late '90s and just doesn't have what it takes to win in the postseason. His postseason tourney record the last two years: 2-4.
3.25.2003
Don't Lose in Baghdad: Uday Hussein, eldest son of Saddam Hussein, has been accused of the brutal torture of Iraqi athletes who fail to do well in International competitions. Latif Yahia, a former body double for Uday, tells Sports Illustrated graphic details of athletes being electrocuted, beaten, and killed. Uday, known as "The Butcher's Boy," has been the head of Iraq's Olympic committee since 1984.
3.24.2003
NHL Playoffs Are Finally Wild: The Minnesota Wild clinched their first-ever franchise playoff berth with a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are tied for first in the West with Dallas; Minnesota is currently sixth in the West, but are just four points out of fourth.
Tiger . . . Again: Ernie Els was supposed to be the second-best player in the world. Tiger Woods left no doubt who #1 still is. At the Bay Hill Invitational final round on Sunday, Woods shot a 4-under 68 to finish the event 19 under par, 11 strokes ahead of second place. Els, who was in contention after the second day, finished with a +5 on Sunday, even for the tournament, 19 shots behind Tiger and light years from catching #1.
