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4.30.2005
Hahaha, Friday edition: For years, I sat on a couch every Sunday from September to January and watched NFL games on the Dish with Outsports co-founders Jim and Cyd. For reasons known only to himself, Cyd hated quarterback Doug Flutie, no matter where he was playing. Of course, every time Flutie completed a three-yard swing pass, Jim and I would woop and cheer just to tick Cyd off. I got a great laugh this morning when I saw that Cyd?s New England Patriots signed?..Doug Flutie as a back-up to Tom Brady. Hahahaha.
Sperm donation on the LPGA: One of the stereotypes that drives women athletes nuts, no matter their orientation, is that all female jocks are lesbians. Not true, of course, as this heartwarming story of family values on the women?s pro golf tour demonstrates. A former male caddie for Jackie Gallagher-Smith filed a lawsuit claiming that she had seduced him, with the sole motivation of getting pregnant. It seems that the married Gallagher-Smith claimed that she was having trouble conceiving with her husband and that the former caddie, Gary Robinson, was drafted to help the process along. So, if someone claims that "all women golfers are lesbians", remind them of this story.
German ref banned: The referee implicated in a betting scandal in Germany?s Bundesliga football (aka soccer) league has been banned for life by the DFA, the German football federation. It?s a bit like closing the barn door after the horses have left, but the DFA has been desperate to get this out of the media before the World Cup in Germany next summer. There seems to be a certain level of cluelessness going around the DFA headquarters though: in the articles I looked at while researching this, it was indicated that the DFA has banned any betting by those involved in games, including players and coaches, while at the same time working to set up their own bookmaking operation in time for the 2006 season. Mixed messages, anyone? --Jim Allen
4.29.2005
Hahaha: One of my favorite public homophobes, the pitcher John Rocker, had an inauspicious return to baseball on Thursday. The former Atlanta Braves player, who caused all sorts of controversy in 1999 by slamming gays, people with AIDS and most damning of all, New York Mets fans, has been on the shelf for the last two years after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. He made his return in about the lowest level of pro baseball that you can, in the Atlantic League, at of all places, Long Island. It didn?t go well: he came on in the ninth for the Ducks and walked four batters, letting the winning run score by walking a batter with the bases loaded. It was nice to read in the reports that some people booed his entrance in to the game.
Heat, Pacers take control: There might actually be a team in the Eastern Conference of the NBA that has a chance against whoever the West Conference sends to the NBA finals. The Miami Heat look like they?re going to sweep the New Jersey Nets out of the playoffs after winning in double overtime on Thursday, 108-105. The Heat are playing well as a team and they?re doing it with an injured Shaquille O?Neal. The Indiana Pacers relied on 39-year old Reggie Miller to score 33 points en route to a 99-76 pasting of the Boston Celtics. The Pacer hold a 2-1 lead in their series lead; it was nice for this UCLA and Los Angeles Lakers fan to see the former UCLA standout help the Celtics lose. The Houston Rockets blew a great chance to take a 3-0 lead in their series against the Dallas Mavericks but instead blew a 20-point fourth quarter lead and ended up losing 106-102.
Baseball blogs: I?m an avid reader of about 5 or 6 blogs devoted to the Angels of wherever. After the Angels got trounced 12-4 on Tuesday by the New York Yankees, the Angels blogs were all doom and gloom. Two consecutive wins in the Bronx and all is well again. The wild mood swings from day-to-day are hilarious to read. --Jim Allen
4.28.2005
Headline of the Week: Thanks to Patricia Nell Warren, who spotted this on AOL: Miller's Big Basket Helps Pacers Pull Even With Celtics.
Out Aussie Gymnast: Trampoline is not a high-profile sport, but we applaud any jock that has the guts to come out. We received this from a reader in Australia:
On Australian TV this week they ran a brief article on the official coming out of 28 year old World Champion gymnast Ji Wallace. Ji said being gay was a condition that sat naturally with him and he was very happy to tell the world about it. Ji said that being honest can make you attractive - and he's particularly hoping to attract a friendly sponsor so he can suitably prepare for the 2006 Olympics in Bejing.
Ji has been competing for Australia since he was 15 (1992) and won the silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympics in the discipline of Trampoline. In 1996 he was World Champion in Double Mini Tramp (DMT). He has consistently figured among the best athletes in his field in the world.
4.27.2005
A-Rod?s Absurd Night: Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees had three home runs and 10 RBIs in the Yanks? 12-4 romp over the Angels. The New York Times sums up its significance:
?They have played baseball on 161st Street in the Bronx since 1923. In all that time, with so many legends having roamed the grounds, no player has ever been responsible for 10 of his team's runs in a game. Not Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. Not Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle. Not Derek Jeter.? -- Jim Buzinski
A-Rod, a Dissenting View: For at least one night, A-Rod was "The Top" of the baseball world. Even the most rabid Yankee haters have to stop to admire a three home run, 10 RBI performance from the "Quarter Billion Dollar Man." It has been while, since any player has come close to tying or breaking the Major League records for most runs batted in a game, or have a chance to hit for the home run cycle. For at least one more night Tony Lazzari's 1936 Yankee and American League record of 11 RBI's in one game, and the Major League record of 12 set by the St. Louis Cardinals' Jim Bottomley in 1924 and tied by fellow Cardinal Mark Whitten in 1993 will stand.
You'll see in your papers, hear from your radios, and watch on your televisions, sports reports and commentators debate whether or not this was Alex Rodriguez's "defining moment" as a player. Was April 26, 2005 the night he became a true Yankee, and not just Derek Jeter's understudy? Even witnessing the event, strike that, the spectacle at Yankee Stadium, we're not so convinced.
Year after year A-Rod has dazzled us with his talent, and overwhelmed us with even greater potential. But how many times has he also underwhelmed us with inconsistency, and at age 29, failed to turn his latent talents into a championship? Until then, we shall just tip our hat, ever so slightly, to Alex Rodriguez: The Reggie Miller of Baseball. --Anton Gorleski
4.26.2005
Open Foot, Insert Mouth: Saturday, during the second quarter of Game 1 of his team?s best-of-seven NBA series against the Indiana Pacers, Boston's Ricky Davis turned to his team's bench and said, "Let's get the broom out." The Celtics had a big lead and won easily, but you knew they were words the Pacers would try and shove down Davis? throat.
Payback took all of 48 hours as Reggie Miller hit a key basket down the stretch and Indiana won Game 2 over Boston, 82-79. With the win, the home court switches to the Pacers. Davis stunk, going 1 of 8 from the field and scoring only six points. Serves him right.
In the West, the Houston Rockets stunned the home Dallas Mavericks for the second straight game, winning 113-11 to take a 2-0 series lead. Rockets center Yao Ming was spectacular, hitting 13 of 14 shots. Tracy McGrady added 28 points for the Rockets. The Mavs had entered the playoffs winning 16 of their last 18 games and were seen as a serious championship contender.
-- Jim Buzinski
4.25.2005
NBA Playoffs: The first games of the first round of the NBA were less the scintillating, but there were some surprises. The biggest came out West, where Denver continued its late-season surge by beating favored San Antonio, 93-87. Tim Duncan returned for the Spurs, but he was only 7 for 22 from the floor. Also out West, in a more mild upset, Houston beat Dallas.
Form held in the East where all four home teams won, with the average margin of victory being 17 points. The playoffs are a death march (four, seven-game series for the eventual finalists), so the first game doesn?t mean a whole lot.
The NFL Draft: The NFL?s annual flesh-fest took place this weekend in New York and ESPN gave its usual gavel-to-gavel coverage. Since it takes five years for a draft to seriously be evaluated, 95% of what was said and written about it was fairly worthless. Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers went from the potential top pick to No. 24 overall, but we won?t know for years whether the Packers got a steal or a bust.
Bleep This: The Chicago White Sox have started the season 15-4, won seven in a row and have baseball?s best record. But the thing about the team getting the most attention is manager Ozzie Guillen?s mouth. Chicago writers told Guillen that Magglio Ordonez, a former player, called him his "enemy. " This prompted this from Guillen:
"He's (Ordonez) a piece of (bleep)," Guillen said. "He's another Venezuelan (bleep). (Bleep) him. He thinks he's got an enemy? No, he's got a big one. He knows I can (bleep) him over in a lot of different ways.
"He better shut the (bleep) up and just play for the Detroit Tigers," Guillen added. "Why do I have to go over and even apologize to him? Who the (bleep) is Magglio Ordonez? What did he ever do for me? . . . He (bleep) with the wrong guy, and he knows that, too. He knows for a fact that he (bleep) with the wrong people."
-- Jim Buzinski
4.24.2005
Inaugral clasico: The real football (aka soccer) is my favorite sport. I grew up on the English game which is fast paced and physical. I've never been a big fan of Major League Soccer; it's a little too sedate for my tastes. On Saturday, however, I went to the Home Depot Center here in Los Angeles for the first match between local rivals the Los Angeles Galaxy and expansion club Chivas USA. The HDC is an extremely nice facility. After playing in the vast Rose Bowl for years, the Galaxy finally got their own purpose built soccer stadium a few years ago and it's a winner. I was near the last row in the top deck and I was still close to the field. It seats about 27,000 and it was sold out, with a lot of good crowd noise from both sets of supporters. There?s plenty of concessions stands, some nice vendors, plenty of clean bathrooms and the concourses are spacious.
The Galaxy toyed with Chivas, with Cobi Jones scoring a particularly nice goal to open the proceedings for Los Angeles. There was a sideline pushing match that got the crowd revved up early in the first half and the Galaxy led at the break 3-0. Chivas closed the gap to 3-1 early in the second half, but a red card to Aaron Lopez of Chivas a few minutes later effectively ended the match. One major complaint is the out of control commercialism: the announcer, who had a smarmy voice that only a game show host could love, would come booming over the PA while play was on babbling about Verizon cell phones and so on. Even worse was the "This corner kick is brought to you by [insert company name here]". Add in the blaring music and it was sensory overload. I know that American sports teams are terrified that even 30 seconds of no music or gaudy visuals will send fans scurrying for the exits, but this was overkill. All in all, a nice experience and if the Galaxy continue to play good football, I?ll be back at the Home Depot Center, maybe with earlplugs. --Jim Allen
4.23.2005
Quick hits: A quick roundup of items from around the sports world.
* Friday was a bad day for Coach Williams and fans of the NCAA men's basketball champions North Carolina Tarheels. Three players--freshman Marvin Williams and juniors Sean May and Raymond Felton?announced that they were making themselves eligible for the NBA draft. With junior Rashad McCants declaring a few weeks ago, and with three seniors graduating, this means that the core of Coach Roy?s championship side is gone in a space of a few weeks. College basketball teams are always in transition, but this is getting ridiculous. More and more the NCAA is seeming like a defacto NBA minor league, a mere waystation for players. I?m not going to get all nostalgic for a time that never existed and moan "But what about their education?" but it seems that the only people who benefit from the current system are the NBA (who don?t have to fund a minor league) and the players talented enough to leave early.
* The winner of the NBA playoff matchup between the Miami Heat and New Jersey Nets could hinge on who has a healthier team. New Jersey?s Richard Hamilton practiced for the first time in four months Friday, while the Heat?s Shaquille O?Neal didn?t practice because of a thigh bruise. If Hamilton is able to play well, he should really help the Nets. Without Shaq, the Heat will probably get bounced in the first round.
* The NHL said this week that either they will finalize a labor deal with the players or the 2005-06 season won?t happen. It?s long been rumored that the NHL would bring in scabs, erm, "replacement players" but they nixed that idea. I don?t believe them for a second, but since the league and players aren?t even close to a deal, it?s entirely possible that the 2005-06 could end up being canceled as well. What a disgraceful position for such a great sport to be in.
4.22.2005
Paxson pays price: There's an old saying in sports when a team doesn't perform up to expectations: it's easier to fire the coach/manager rather than fire the players. That cliche should also include General Managers as Jim Paxson discovered Thursday. A day after his Cleveland Cavaliers missed out on the NBA playoffs in a tie-breaker with the New Jersey Nets, Paxson was fired by new owner Dan Gilbert. The Cavs faded badly down the stretch after a good start to the season and kept the streak alive of not making the playoffs during Paxson's six years as GM. The NBA and Nike can?t be happy that one of their most heavily hyped players, LeBron James, isn?t going to be getting exposure during the playoffs. The NBA playoffs begin Saturday, with the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat the two #1 seeds.
No more Nomar: My favorite baseball team is the Angels, city name to be determined. During the offseason after the 2003 season, the Angels made noises that they weren?t happy with cute shortstop David Eckstein. I was on Angels? boards saying that they should pursue Normar Garciaparra, who had worn out his welcome with the Boston Red Sox. Garciaparra is a Los Angeles native and I thought he?d provide the glove and bat the Angels needed. It now appears that the Angels did the best thing by not pursuing him more than they did and letting Nomah go to the Chicago Cubs: on Thursday Garciaparra was put on the disabled list because of a torn left groin. He?s expected to be out for up to three months and might have to undergo surgery. It looks as if Nomah is on the downside of his career after winning consecutive batting titles in 1999-2000. He only had 83 at-bats in 2001 and was out for two months last year with Achilles tendenitis. Another great sports clich￩ is "The best trades are sometimes the ones you don?t make". The Curse of The Goat continues to stalk the Chicago Cubs. --Jim Allen
4.21.2005
Damon Struts His Stuff: First, some of the Boston Red Sox got a ?Queer Eye? makeover. Now, outfielder Johnny Damon is showing some skin in a new ad for Puma. Click here to view
I can?t stand Damon?s flowing locks?he looks like Grizzley Adams? buffer, younger brother. But it is so rare to see a U.S. pro athlete cavorting in his underwear that we?ll give him a pass. Can Alex Smith or Joey Harrington be next?
-- Jim Buzinski
4.20.2005
Mets, Dodgers Hot: The New York Mets set a team record by hitting seven home runs in a 16-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. It was the most runs scored by the Mets since 1999.
Victor Diaz, who homered twice, said this about batter friendly Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia. ?They say the ball flies here,? Diaz said. ?But you?ve still got to hit it.? What is odd is that two days earlier, the Phillies and Braves played at the same park and went scoreless through nine innings before the Phils won in the 10th.
Out West, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to surprise, winning their seventh in a row, a come-from-behind 8-6 win at Milwaukee.
The Dodgers, who own baseball's best record at 11-2, were down 6-0 before rallying. Only 11,000 watched at Miller Park.
NBA Playoffs: The Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets enter Wednesday's NBA season finale tied for the final playoff spot in the East. If the Nets beat Boston, or Cleveland loses to Toronto, New Jersey gets the final spot.
At 41-40, both teams would be eliminated in the much tougher Western Conference, so the "drama" of their battle is less than overwhelming. Either looks to be easy first-round fodder for Miami, Shaq or no Shaq.
-- Jim Buzinski
4.19.2005
Sam Mills, R.I.P. Sam Mills was only 5-9, but he played larger than that as a linebacker and a man. Mills, 45, lost his struggle with intestinal cancer and died at his home in Charlotte.
Mills, a great linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, went on to be an assistant with the Carolina Panthers in their magical Super Bowl year of 2003. ''During the 2003 season,'' quarterback Jake Delhomme said, ''he told us that the way we played inspired him to keep fighting. I think it was the other way around. We were able to draw a lot more from him than he did from us.'' Mills was philosophical during a pre-Super Bowl interview in 2004. ''You have your good days and your bad days. I am just glad I am having days, you know?''
MNF Moves to ESPN: It will be an end of era in 2006, when NFL Monday Night Football moves to ESPN from ABC, which had been its home since the show?s start in 1970. ESPN will pay a whopping $1.1 billion a year, double what ABC pays. ABC lost money on its contract, but ESPN says it can make it work because of subscriber fees charged to cable operators in addition to advertising. Both networks are owned by Disney.
Also in 2006, NBC will get back into televising the NFL, when it takes over Sunday night games for $600 million a year. The Peacock also gets two Super Bowls (2009 and 2012), two wild card playoff games each year and the Thursday night season opener.
Sox Fans Booted: Boston Red Sox management showed it wasn?t kidding around when it took action against two fans who interfered with New York Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield during a play last week. The fan who appeared to take a swipe at Sheffield as he made a play on a ball had his season tickets revoked for 2005. And a spectator who spilled beer on Sheffield was prohibited from buying tickets for the rest of the season.
-- Jim Buzinski
4.18.2005
Not Ready for Prime Time: A review of Tom Brady?s guest-hosting of ?Saturday Night Live?: The Good: Brady looked great. Nice tight haircut replacing the ?Serbian rock star? look we saw during the playoffs. Pleasant demeanor, looks like he?d be fun to share a beer with. The bad: Everything else. It was pretty dreadful and painful to watch. As a skit comedian, Brady makes a great NFL quarterback. No rhythm or timing and the fact that the skits were lame (this show hasn?t been funny in 20 years) didn?t help. Having Brady miss his passes in a carnival football toss game, while the two limp-wristed gays made theirs was the low point in a series of them. You see, Brady is a pro quarterback, so the writers thought it would be uproariously funny to have him miss while every other lameoid character made their shot. So clever!
If Brady played as poorly as he acts he?d be Spergon Wynn and out of football in six months. Stick to your day job. -- Jim Buzinski
George on the Warpath: Mt. St. Steinbrenner is rumbling and that?s not a good sign for Joe Torre. After the New York Yankees lost Sunday to fall to 4-8, owner George Steinbrenner issued a statement that didn?t mince words: ''Enough is enough. I am bitterly disappointed as I'm sure all Yankee fans are by the lack of performance by our team,'' Steinbrenner said.
''It is unbelievable to me that the highest-paid team in baseball would start the season in such a deep funk. They are not playing like true Yankees. They have the talent to win and they are not winning. I expect Joe Torre, his complete coaching staff and the team to turn this around.''
Expect the Yanks to go on a nice streak as the tabloids are in heaven (Yankee controversy and it?s still only April!) -- Jim Buzinski
4.16.2005
Quick hits: We at Outsports hope all our American readers got their income taxes done on time and that you're getting a big, fat refund check. A few short items:
* Former NFL running Ricky Williams was ordered to pay $4,200 a month in child support during a paternity hearing Thursday. Long a subject of "is he gay or isn't he?" speculation, we know that this doesn't prove anything. Dream on, oh you who lust after Ricky!
* Terrell Owens (see yesterdays item) had a PR firm issue a statement blaming the media for fueling a controversy over his contract. Yawn! How typical?when players need to promote a new shoe contract, the media is their best friend, but when they report accurately on statements the player make that piss them off or make them look bad, it?s the Big Bad Media?s fault.
* Inter Milan, the Italian football (aka soccer) team that embarrassed themselves and the sport when "fans" rained lit flares down on the pitch during a Champions League match this week, got off fairly lightly. UEFA, European football?s governing body, imposed a fine of about $250,000 and ordered the next four matches (and two that are suspended, pending good behavior) that Inter play in the Champions League be played in an empty San Siro stadium, a potential revenue loss of up to $13 million. Italian clubs go through money like no other sports league in the world, so that is just a drop in the bucket. This is the second time that Inter Milan have been fined by UEFA for their fan?s actions at Champions League matches in the last five years and a lot of people were calling for a total ban of the club from European competition for next season. While England has largely curbed the hooligan problem in their domestic game (the English national team is another story), Italy is in bad shape right now and drastic reform is needed. --Jim Allen
4.15.2005
Athletes, what are they good for? I love sports. I'll watch almost anything except the truly awful NASCAR on the tube. The problems start after the games end and I have to read/hear the rubbish athletes say in interviews. One of the biggest teeth-grinders is multi-millionaire athletes complaining about their salaries or even worse, saying stuff like Kevin Garnett?s much-cited "It ain?t about the loot", after he signed a contract for $126 million dollars. The latest case: the Philadelphia Eagles? Terrell Owens. After polishing his heavily tarnished image by coming back from a bad ankle injury to play in the Super Bowl, Owens reverted to form on Thursday, issuing a "Redo my contract or get rid of me" ultimatum.
Owens certainly got less than he was worth when he signed his current contract, a result of the messy process that led him to Philly in the first place. However, to hear him say this kind of stuff: "This is not about me being greedy or selfish" just boggles the mind. Yes, he?s using the "it?s about the respect" line, that his salary should reflect his "stature" in the game, but you have to wonder about the self-absorbed nature of athletes, who in large part are pampered and have rules bent for their benefit from the time they are kids just because they have a talent that is largely dependent on DNA.
I grew up in an era (the 60?s) where the press shielded athletes, where you could read hagiographies of Mickey Mantle that didn?t even begin to hint at the alcoholism and other demons he he dealt with; now, in a more tabloid era, we get more than we ever bargained for, where athletes? every banal utterance is treated like it?s actually important. Somewhere lies a middle ground, but increasingly, I just skim the sports pages for box scores and avoid the athlete profiles. Is it possible to love the games but intensely dislike the public personalities of a lot of the people that play them? --Jim Allen
4.14.2005
Giambi Powers Yanks: Jason Giambi may be off steroids, but he had enough power to lift the New York Yankees over Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox, 5-2.
Giambi hit a two-run home run off Schilling that broke a sixth-inning tie. It was Schilling?s first start since Game 2 of last year?s World Series when he played on despite blood seeping from an ankle injury. But he would not buy talk Wednesday of a moral victory.
''It's a loss,'' Schilling said, dismissing the suggestion that he would be happy to come out of the game healthy. ''These count. I get paid to win, period. I don't take positives out of these.'' --Jim Buzinski
No Place Like Home? As the NBA regular season winds down to its final days (it?s about time!) and we look ahead to the playoffs, one thing stands out about the Phoenix Suns, which have the NBA?s best record: The Suns have more wins on the road than at home, a rarity in the NBA, where home court is a huge advantage. Houston is the only other team with more road wins than home wins.
For the Suns, this means they won?t be intimidated away from home during the playoffs. In contrast, the San Antonio Spurs are an amazing 37-3 at home, but a pedestrian 21-18 away; right now, the Suns hold the home court over the Spurs should they meet in the playoffs. --Jim Buzinski
4.13.2005
Soccer Flare-Up: When it comes to idiotic, vicious fans, the U.S, has nothing on European soccer fans. This was made evident again Tuesday when a match in Milan, Italy, was called after fans threw fireworks on the field, with one flare hitting AC Milan goalkeeper Dida.
AC Milan led rival Inter Milan, 1-0, when the match was stopped in the 73rd minute. Inter fans were upset when an apparent game-tying goal was disallowed.
"After the goal was annulled, the fans' anger was understandable," Inter defender Ivan Cordoba said. "Although the reaction of throwing objects onto the field is not justified. We can't say anything to the fans tonight. We didn't give them the satisfaction they were expecting."
Dida is said to be OK, but the same can?t be said for the morons who think buying a ticket gives them license to do anything. --Jim Buzinski
4.12.2005
New York's New Gay Sports Bar: Before Gym Sportsbar opened in the heart of Chelsea a couple weeks ago, I heard a lot of gay guys laughing off the city's first true gay sports bar as a whim - something that would make attendance at Montreal Expos games look like a sell-out.
Virtually every night since opening, though, Gym has had a line of men out the door. Inside is a real sports bar - complete with nine televisions showing college hockey, ESPN Classic, the NBA, tennis, golf, and anything that revolves around sports. There's also a pool table with more to come once the lower floor opens later this spring.
What makes it a true sports bar and not just a gay bar with a sports motif? I asked patron Tim Hughes, who's been there as much as anyone else in the bar's first two weeks and has made Gym his home away from home: "You can hear the games on the TV, instead of booming techno or club music. You should have heard the crowd roar after each big play of the NCAA tournament. I got goose bumps."
While the bar just opened it's doors, it's hard to believe that the early success will fade anytime soon. With bars in the Lower East Side and Hell's Kitchen attracting gay crowds more and more in Manhattan, no hot spots have opened on the main drag in Chelsea for a while. Plus, the bar is totally unique and attracting a sporty crowd that you're just not going to find anywhere else.
The crowd also seems to leave much of the attitude at the door. Walking up and saying hi is as easy as asking the score of the game, or tapping a New York Jets fan on the shoulder and asking him if he thinks Chad Pennington is the answer.
If you visit, say hi to football and softball players Nick and Rick - they opened the place and can be found running around the bar just about every night. -Cyd Zeigler Jr.
4.11.2005
Masters-ful ending: In a final day of the Masters golf tournament that will be talked about/shown in highlights for years to come, Tiger Woods seemed to be cruising to an amazing come-from-behind win, then seemed to be choking it away and finally, on the sudden-death playoff hole, made a clutch 15-foot putt to win his fourth Masters title. The final six holes were pure sports drama at its best and a lot of the credit for that must go to Chris DiMarco, who certainly played well enough to win. Great athletes make their own luck, but Woods has to feel very fortunate that a quartet of DiMarco?s putts were about 1/8 of inch off the mark, including one on the 18th hole for the win that went halfway down the cup and back out or Chris DiMarco would the one wearing the fabled green winners jacket.
The real drama started at the 16th hole. Putting from the rough to pretty much clinch the win, Woods made one of the most amazing shots we?ve ever seen: reading the green perfectly, the ball took an almost 90 degree turn and rolled and rolled and?stopped at the edge of the cup. It seemed that it would stay there until a butterfly flapped its wings in South America and that little wisp of air propelled the ball in to the cup; it was something out of a bad sports movie. It seemed that DiMarco was done for, but Woods promptly had trouble hitting the ball right and bogeyed on 17 and 18. When DiMarco sank a clutch putt on the 18th hole, it was time for the playoff. What really did DiMarco in was a a very poor tee-shot on the first playoff hole; Woods' tee-shot was perfect and there was really nothing that the luckless Chris DiMarco could do.
We don?t watch golf on a regular basis but the four majors are fantastic sporting events. Next up: the U.S. Open in June at Pinehurst in South Carolina.
While we are still getting over the trauma of the green shirt/orange pants horror that Luke Donald inflicted on us, he was again dressed "normally" on Sunday. Yay!
4.10.2005
More Masters: In the future, keep in mind that if we make absolutist statements such as "Roger Federer will win this tennis tournament, guaranteed" or anything similar, figure that the opposite will end up being true. To wit: we wrote off Tiger Woods' chances of competing for the Masters title this year after a poor showing on the first two days. After an exhausting day of play under sunny skies in Augusta, Georgia, Chris DiMarco still holds a four stroke lead over the rest of the field but Woods hung in there, climbing 31 spots. Most players were on the links from early morning until play was suspended due to darkness; Tiger Woods, for example, played 26 holes on Saturday, a lot of wear and tear on the back and shoulders. He played well enough to climb within six strokes of DiMarco; a tough road to hoe, but he?s done it before.
Defending champion Phil Mickelson fell eight strokes behind due to some spotty putting. Some big names in men's golf played so poorly that they'll be heading home after missing the cut: Sergio Garcia, provider of fashion crimes on the first two days, got bumped as did other notables such as Padraig Harrington, David Duval and most notably, Jack Nicklaus. The golf legend announced afterwards that he's not going to play any more Masters, ending a great run at Augusta, having won the Masters a record six times. Still, the tournament is Chris DiMarco?s to lose; he?s lead the Masters five times since 2001 but has faded each time.
Fashion alert correction: We mentioned yesterday the continuing fashion crimes of Luke Donald, which included wearing bright green slacks during Friday's play. The shot on TV must have been a practice round because he actually ended up playing in a bright green striped shirt and bright orange pants. We can stop imagining the horrors he would conjure up during the final round today as he wore a fairly subdued striped olive and gray shirt and black slacks on Saturday.
4.9.2005
More Masters rain: Rain again wiped out a major portion of the Masters golf tournament on Friday. The first round was completed after the interruption on Thursday, but the second round never reached the back nine as play was suspended. Chris DiMarco is tied for the lead with two Englishmen, Luke Donald and David Howell. Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson never even teed up for their second rounds but are still in the hunt, being one and three strokes behind, respectively. The other two of the hyped Big Four are pretty much out of it with Ernie Els playing really poorly and Tiger Woods not playing much better; both would have to play out of their heads in the last 2+ rounds to have a chance. The forecast is for sun the next two days, but we won?t believe it until we see it.
Fashion alert: We were certain that after yesterday?s fashion crime, Luke Donald would come out for play in muted earth tones. The guy stuck to his guns, however, and again screwed with the color separation on our TV by wearing bright green slacks that were even gaudier than his shirt yesterday. Is he singlehandedly trying to start a 70?s retro-golf fashion craze? He might have some help from Sergio Garcia?him again!--who wore a shirt whose color can only be described as "tangerine". We are firmly against any 70?s retro-fashion trend in golf attire and applaud the restraint of the other players.
Insanity in Texas: Canton, Texas, population 3,292, is in the news because a disgruntled parent of a football player shot the coach of the team. The coach, Gary Joe Kinne Jr., 37, is expected to survive the attack by Jeffrey Robertson, 45. It seems Robertson blamed the team?s coaching staff for not stopping football-related bullying his son had been the recipient of. Another motive might have been displeasure with Kinne allegedly playing favorites by starting his own son at quarterback. That?s insane; it?s only a game. What the hell is wrong with some people?
4.8.2005
The Masters, day 1: The Masters golf tournament, one of the four Grand Slams for men, got under way in less-than-optimal conditions in Augusta, Georgia on Thursday. The start of the round was delayed by rain for over 5 hours, which led to 66 players not being able to finish their round due to darkness. The hype going in to the tournament was about the "Big Four", which would be Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods. Mickelson, the defending champion, had an up and down day in the 11 holes he managed to finish, finishing two strokes behind leader Chris DiMarco. Singh played his usual consistent round, while Els and Woods were not in good form. To show how far Tiger Woods has fallen from seeming to be unbeatable three years ago, he had a putt roll off the green and in to a creek. The look of total disbelief on his face was priceless. He?s already in trouble, being six shots behind. We stuck a fork in Woods as the dominant force in men?s golf some time ago and Chris DiMarco seemed to know that as well, as he commented "He's got a few good breaks over his career. So you know what? Darn. It's golf". Ouch!
At the other end of the spectrum from the leaders was the plight of Billy Casper. He?s won 51 PGA events in a fine a career, but he had a nightmare on the links on Thursday, shooting a staggering 34 over to finish at 106. That?s a recreational-player type score and Casper knew it: he declined to turn in his scorecard, saving himself from going in to the Masters record book for highest score in a round.
Fashion notes: cutie Luke Donald was wearing a shirt that was so bright and so green that it caused havoc with the color separation on our TV. Spanish hottie Sergio Garcia looked like the cape matadors use in a bright red shirt and baseball hat. Someone should tell Scott Verplank that, as a man who has no hint of a six-pack stomach, wearing a salmon colored shirt with horizontal stripes did his figure no favors.
4.7.2005
Locker Room Surprise: The last time we saw French tennis player Michael Llorda it was on TV at the Australian Open, where he was changing between sets (pictured right), revealing a lean, tight body and leaving little to the imagination. So this following story is probably not a surprise: Two weeks ago, at the Nasdaq-100 in Miami, Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic opened his locker and found a naked Llorda awaiting him. Thanks to the BBC, which provided this blow-by-blow description:
Ljubicic: "I saw the door slightly open, so I went to open it and then, shock, complete shock--there was Michael Llodra, naked in my locker! "He was looking at me, I was looking at him. I said, 'What the hell are you doing here?' "He said: 'I'm trying to focus for my match.' "I said: 'It's 10 to 10--you're playing at 10 o'clock!' "He replied: 'I'm trying to get positive energy from you. You're winning a lot of matches this year'."
Ljubicic went on to win his match that day, and he obviously gave Llorda enough energy that he won his doubles match.
Llorda stands 6'3" and Ljubicic was impressed that he fit in the locker. "The locker, it's not a big locker, it's a small locker. It's not easy to get in that locker, I'm telling you," said Ljubicic.
"He is not a small guy but very flexible. Very, very flexible."
How come this never happens to us when we hit the lockers?
4.6.2005
Baylor Wins Women?s Title: Five years ago, the Baylor women?s basketball teams was 7-20. As of Tuesday night, they are NCAA champions.
The Lady Bears jumped over Michigan State early and went on to a relatively easy 84-62 win over the Spartans in the women?s final. Our Carol de Blazer has a complete recap.
Heat Tops in the East: The NBA Playoffs are a death march, but at least the Miami Heat know they?ll have home-court advantage in the East.
Their 104-86 win over Chicago ensured the Heat the East?s best regular-season record. The resurgent Bulls will wrap up a playoff spot sometime in the next week. Overall, the Phoenix Suns still have a slight edge over Miami for best record in the league.
4.5.2005
Carolina's Not Blue: Coach Roy finally has his title.
The University of North Carolina beat Illinois, 75-70, to win the NCAA men?s college basketball title and give Roy Williams his first title, removing his name from the list of great coaches who ?can?t win the big one.?
The Tar Heels, benefiting from Illinois? woeful 27% first-half shooting, took a 40-27 lead into halftime. But the Fighting Illini got hot from the 3-point line and were able to forge a tie at 65 with 5:12 left. With the game tied at 70, Carolina and MVP Sean May (26 points) scored the last five points, holding Illinois scoreless the final 2 ﾽ minutes.
The Illini, which had won 37 games this season, had two chances to tie the game, down 73-70, but missed 3-pointers each time. The game was well-played throughout, and it was more a case of Carolina winning it than Illinois losing.
''I'm speechless,'' Williams said afterwards. ''I usually talk my rear end off, but right now I'm speechless.'' Keeping with tradition, he cried at game?s end, but for the first time they were tears of joy.
On a separate note, we're glad that the tournament is over if only to spare us the inane dronong of CBS' Jim Nantz. He syrupy-ly fawns over the players and coaches in the games and never passes up a chance for a horrible analogy ("It's Monday and everybody loves Raymond," after Carolina's Raymond Felton made a key play.) Nantz even thanked the people of St. Louis (the tournament host) while he was interviewing the winning Tar Heels. Ugh!
4.4.2005
Hoops Table Set: The NCAA Women?s Basketball Tournament final will have two unlikely teams: Michigan State and Baylor. Michigan State rallied back from 16 down in the second half to stun storied Tennessee, 68-64. Baylor came back from 15 down early to beat overall No. 1 seed LSU, 68-57.
''This team has the heart of a lion,'' Michigan State coach Joanne P. McCallie said afterwards and few would argue. ''Wow! That's a good team we just beat,'' Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson said.
The men?s dance card was set Saturday, when Illinois beat Louisville and North Carolina beat Michigan State in games not nearly dramatic as those of a week earlier. This will be the first championship game since 1975 (UCLA-Kentucky) to feature the teams seeded 1-2 before the tournament. Before the tournament, Cyd took Illinois to win it all, Jim too North Carolina and those picks will stand.
Yankees Win Opener: Randy Johnson was solid in his debut as the New York Yankees beat the defending champion Boston Red Sox (how weird does that sound?), 9-2, in the 2005 Major League Baseball opener.
Johnson, picked up in the offseason from Arizona, pitched six innings and allowed only one run. The last time these teams met was in the 2004 playoffs, when the Red Sox rallied from 3-0 down to win the series and go on to win the title. It?s only one game of 162, but baseball fans everywhere are stoked to see ball back once again.
4.2.2005
The ravages of steroids: Courtesy of England's The Independent newspaper comes a really sad story that should serve as a warning to any athlete that thinks steroids have no downside. East Germany won a staggering 384 Olympic medals in the 1970's and 1980's. The former Communist-bloc country was routinely accused of using steroids and even having men masquerade as woman. The charges were vehemently denied, of course, but the case of Andreas Krieger lends weight to those long-ago charges. Krieger started life as Heidi Krieger and at the age of 14 was funneled in to the East German sports system. At 16 she, was handed some blue pills, told they were vitamins and told to take them. And she did: she took massive amounts of the pills, which turned out to be a anabolic steroid. The steroids had the desired effect on her athletic performance when she won the 1986 European shotput championship.
Unfortunately, they also played havoc with her body. She started to develop a more masculine voice, grow facial hair and started looking more masculine. She was called a queer and accused of being a drag queen. It all came crashing down in 1991 when her career ended. Her body was a wreck and she was confused about her gender identity. In the mid-1990's, Heidi Krieger sought medical advice and in 1997 had female-to-male gender reassignment surgery. It's estimated that a scarcely believeable 10,000 athletes have suffered the effects of the massive East German steroids policy; Mr. Krieger and 159 other former East German athletes are now embroiled in a bitter lawsuit with the firm that made the drugs under East German government orders.
Andreas Krieger has had a rough time of it, but a happier note was struck when, three years ago, he married another fellow athlete, Ute Krause, who had suffered at the hands of the East German sports authorities. The full story of the East German athletics machine remains to be told.
4.1.2005
Jets stadium gets a boost: The New York Jets hopes of getting a new stadium on some of the most prized real on the planet got a huge boost Thursday. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that owns the site on the Hudson River, gave the Jets the nod over two other bidders. The stadium, priced at a staggering $720 million, would also host the 2012 Olympics, should New York City get the bid (chances: not good). The stadium is hugely controversial in New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg has put any political capital he might have behind the project; his re-election bid in the fall is expected to be a de-facto referendum on the stadium project.
With the nod from the MTA, the Jets get a chance to start seriously planning the project; they hope to move in for the 2009 season. There are enormous hurdles to be lept over before any ground breaking takes place, however. We're sort of baffled why the Jets are doing this as a lot of people are saying that they should build their stadium in Flushing Meadow, where the Mets are talking about building a much-needed replacement for aged Shea Stadium. The Jets, of course, played at Shea until they moved to Giants Stadium, so it would be a homecoming of sorts.
3.31.2005
Steroids Hit the Panthers: During their 2003 Super Bowl run, at least three Carolina Panthers filled prescriptions for a testosterone cream, a report on "60 Minutes Wednesday" said. Center Jeff Mitchell and former offensive linemand Todd Steussie are both named in the report.
Punter Todd Sauerbrun is the third man named. In addition to the cream, Sauerbrun allegedly also obtained syringes and the steroid Stanozolol. Both of these substances are banned by the NFL.
Now maybe we can all understand how this team made it to the Super Bowl (of course, no other NFL teams are taking steroids).
Texas Bowing Out of BCS? Texas State Senator Jeff Wentworth has filed a bill in the State Senate that would prevent any Texas school from participating in a BCS Bowl. It seems kind of odd, given that the University of Texas was given a gift this past year in being invited to the Rose Bowl. Nonetheless, a few brazen Texans are pushing forward with kicking the BCS out of their state.
Even if the bill passes the State House and State Senate, it would only become law if at least four other states - including the likes of California, Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Utah and Arizona - ratify similar laws by the end of 2005. At least some of those states have been shafted by the BCS recently.
3.30.2005
Marvin Harrison Accused of Strangling Fans: A lawsuit filed in Hawaii accuses Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison and two other men of attacking and strangling three boys when they sought Harrison's autograph the day before the Pro Bowl.
While no one has been charged in the case, police did interview Harrison while he was in Honolulu and forwarded their report to city prosecutors.
The lawsuit will come as a surprise to many Colts fans. The team has a mild-mannered aura and Harrison has never gotten into big trouble in the past. Heck, he barely even gets fouls called on him on the field. Whether there's truth to the accusations are yet to be seen; but, that the accusation is even out there is already a surprise.
Venus Finally Beats Serena: After six consecutive losses, big sis Venus Williams beat little sis Serena in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., 6-1, 7-6 (8).
By all accounts, the match was as messy as their previous meetings. However, this match wasn't lacking in emotion as Serena was visibly upset with her poor play more than once. While it has been Venus who has seemingly lost interest in tennis in the last couple of years, that cool head served her well in beating her hot-headed sister. Did it turn a corner in their professional relationship? We'll find out in the next couple of Majors.
3.29.2005
Openly gay Dartmouth lacrosse goalie Andrew Goldstein has been named College Sports Television Student-Athlete of the Week for his stellar effort in goal against Maryland last Tuesday, leading his team to victory, 7-6. Last fall, Goldstein wrote a first-person column for Outsports about being openly gay and just one of the guys on his team.
It was the first time that Dartmouth (3-1) beat #4 Maryland in eight tries. In the schools' previous meetings, Maryland had won by an average of 10 points. Goldstein had a phenomenal .684 save percentage in the game and stopped two shots on goal in the final 45 seconds to seal the victory.
The preseason All-America is recognized as one of the best goalies in the nation. He's a senior majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and was named second-team All-Ivy last season. You can track some of his games live on Collegesports.com
3.28.2005
Best Elite Eight Ever? After a Saturday that saw two incredible comebacks, it would have been tough for the two Sunday Elite Eight games to be better. They came close.
The North Carolina Tar Heels survived a flurry of deep shooting from the Wisconsin Badgers to earn their 16th Final Four appearance in an 88-82 victory on Sunday. Though Wisconsin did not lead again after their 49-47 advantage with over 17 minutes left in the game, they kept it very exciting, never trailing by more than the final spread - six points - in the second half.
But the weekend ended with the game of games. Neither team led by more than eight points the entire game, most of the game was within five points, and No. 5 Michigan State Spartans pulled the only upset of the Elite Eight by beating No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats in double overtime, 94-88.
The Spartans are just the seventh team in the last 15 years to advance to the Final Four with a seeding worse than No. 4.
It's hard to believe the Final Four could live up to this kind of lead-in.
3.27.2005
NCAA's Stunning Saturday:A 3.7 earthquake hit the Illinois area Saturday night, caused by crazed Illini fans jumping up and down for the better part of a half hour as their team staged one of the most improbable comebacks basketball fans can remember.
With 4:02 left in their regional final, the Arizona Wildcats were beating Illinois, 75-60. Conciliatory phone calls were being made all over the country as the nation?s No. 1 team was exiting the tournament; not even Lute Olsen, known for choking in the tournament until winning it all eight years ago, could blow this one.
Three minutes later, with 1:02 left, Arizona was still up by eight with the ball. Just 11 seconds later, Illinois? Deron Williams hit a three-point jump shot that tied the game and sent it into overtime.
Five minutes later, it was Illinois completing quite possibly the greatest NCAA tournament comeback in history, beating Arizona in overtime, 90-89.
"You look at it now, there are a lot of things that are going to force a lot of sleepless nights for everyone,? Olsen said after the game. For those who had Arizona winning their brackets, in those four minutes of regulation they went from probable champions to out of the competition.
No one in the Outsports pool had West Virginia going further than the Elite Eight. Good thing. Just a couple hours earlier, it was the Louisville Cardinals storming back against the West Virginia Mountaineers to overcome a 19-point first-half deficit and a 10-point hole with six minutes left. The Cardinals won in overtime, 93-85.
It was the first time in NCAA history that two regional finals went into overtime on the same day.
3.26.2005
North Carolina woes: The state of North Carolina had three teams playing in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 second leg on Friday and it was very much a mixed bag of results. The University of North Carolina Tar Heels survived a frantic late run by the Villanova Wildcats to squeak out a 67-66 win but really, the Tar Heels got very lucky. Not so lucky were the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina State Wolfpack, who were both beaten pretty handily. Duke looked out of sorts all night and couldn't find a way to contain Michigan State's Paul Davis. The Spartans simply looked stronger and more focused. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo got his first career win against Duke's Mike Krzyzewski in five tries. North Carolina State had no answers against Wisconsin, the Badgers winning pretty easily 65-56. In the other game on Friday, Kentucky had no problems beating an overmatched Utah, the Wildcats coasting to a 62-52 win. The Utes Andrew Bogut, who's being touted as a Top 5 NBA draft pick if he leaves school early, played poorly despite scoring 20 points. Our advice: stay in school for at least another year. The Elite Eight games take place today and Sunday.
Yanqui?s to win in Mexico?: An intriguing World Cup qualifying match takes place this Sunday as the United States men?s team travel to 100,000 capacity Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to face Mexico. The rvialry goes back to 1934, but to be honest, it?s only in the last decade that the U.S. has been competitive in the games. There was particularly nasty match in the 2002 World Cup, which saw Cobi Jones kicked by two Mexican players at a corner flag. In addition, during a 2004 match in Mexico, the Mexican supporters chanted "Osama, Osama, Osama", which of course didn?t go down well with their northern neighbors. The United States have never won a match in Mexico, but are being tipped to do the trick this Sunday. If the NCAA games are boring on Sunday, this game could be worth a look-in on ESPN2.
3.25.2005
NCAA tourney continues: Despite conflicting opinions among the Outsports editorial staff about whether this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament is a dog or not, one thing is for certain: Arizona and Oklahoma State played a hell of a game on Thursday night. It was nice to see two teams willing to play positive, offense-minded hoops instead of going in to a "Play not to lose" stance. Arizona prevailed 79-78 when Salim Stoudamire hit a jumper with 2.8 seconds left to give the Wildcats the lead. Oklahoma State still had a chance to win it at the buzzer but John Lucas' shot bounced off the rim, giving Arizona the win.
Criticism of tournament officials is sure to rise after Washington, who many felt didn't deserve the number 1 seed in the Midwest Regional, got smoked by a vastly superior Louisville (who had the #4 seed), 93-79. Washington lives and dies by their outside shooting and at one point, the cliche "They couldn't hit the ocean from the end of a pier" came to mind. The Huskies picked a poor time to go cold but full credit to Louisville: they looked strong and together as a team and could easily make the Final Four.
We're loathe to use the word "Cinderella" around here after Cyd's rant below, but one Cinderella team had their dream ended and another continue. Unheralded, except by discussion board member Illini in Milwaukee, Milwaukee-Wisconsin got beaten by a very efficient Illinois to end their great tourney run. On the other hand, if other teams don't start defending against West Virginia's 3-point shooting better than teams so far, the Moutaineers could go far as well. 6-11 center Kevin Pittsnogle (what a great name) has seen his stock rise in the tournament; he's built like a Coke machine but can handle the ball really well and his shooting range extends further than 3 feet from the basket. His free throws with 17.2 seconds left helped clinch a 65-60 win over Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders.
3.24.2005
Super Snow Bowl? New York City's bid to host a Super Bowl got a huge boost Wednesday when the NFL conditionally awarded the Big Apple the right to host the 2010 Super Bowl. That condition is a big if, though, as it depends on whether the New York Jets can get their new stadium built over the trainyards of Manhattan.
Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue has pushed a New York Super Bowl. And while many of the corporate types who buy the tickets for the big game may cringe at the thought, television audiences have tuned in big for recent playoff games played in the snow.
New York City will determine next week which bidder will win the right to build on the trainyards. Presently, the Jets have the highest bid, at $720 million. Add to that the right to host the Super Bowl, and the deal may now be too enticing for the city to reject.
"We're thrilled with the National Football League's decision to award the 2010 Super Bowl to New York City," New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "It is an enormous vote of confidence in our plans to build the New York Sports and Convention Center."
Many in the city oppose the stadium; at the top of the list is Cablevision, which owns Madison Square Garden and stands to lose millions in special-events revenues.
