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5.31.2003
Player Utters the ?F? Word: Shea Hillenbrand, traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday, taunted his boss, General Manager Theo Epstein, on WAAF radio last week saying ``Trade me, [bleep].'' But what the bleep stood for is in dispute; we just know it begins with ?F.?
Hillenbrand, an All-Star infielder hitting .303 this season, was traded to Arizona for reliever Byung-Hyun Kim. He was talking with Greg Hill on WAAF when he made the quote about Epstein, according to the Boston Herald. The paper wrote that, ?And by ?bleep? we mean a not-so-nice word for a homosexual!? An Outsports reader said he heard Hillenbrand say ?faggot.? ?I heard it myself and was talking with a co-worker about it,? this reader said.
However, another Outsports reader said the player used ?fucker.? ?I happened to be listening last week to the show referred to in the Boston Herald article,? the second reader wrote. ?At no time did Hillenbrand use "faggot." What he said (and I think this was pretty clear) was "fucker." It's hard to say for sure, but the word used was bleeped by WAAF.?
The word, whatever it was, ?was said in jest,'' the DJ Greg Hill told the Herald. Either way, one can imagine that Epstein and Hillenbrand won?t be exchanging Christmas cards. We will try and track down what actually was said.
5.30.2003
Spurs Reach Finals: It looked like 1998 for Steve Kerr and it was bad news for the Dallas Mavericks. Kerr, a onetime starter for the Chicago Bulls? dynasty of the 1990s and now a benchwarmer for the San Antonio Spurs, was magnificent in Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals. Kerr entered the game with the Spurs down by 13 early in the fourth quarter and by the time he sat down they had gone on a 23-0 run to whip the Mavs, 90-78, and reach the NBA Finals. Kerr shot 4 for 4 from the 3-point line as the Spurs outscored Dallas, 34-9, in the fourth. ?This is one of best nights of my career, ranks right up there with anything that happened in Chicago. There?s always a chance to have one moment, and tonight was one of those nights,? said Kerr, who had scored only 2 points prior in the series. San Antonio takes on the New Jersey Nets in the Finals starting Wednesday.
Devils Post Another Shutout: Martin Brodeur posted his second Stanley Cup Finals shutout in a row as the New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 3-0, to take a 2-0 series lead. It would take a total hockey diehard to find much interest in this series. The Ducks had only 16 shots on goal and seem totally outclassed. Wake us when it?s over.
5.29.2003
Agassi Rallies for Win: Andre Agassi barely survived against Croatian teen Mario Ancic to reach the third round of the French Open. Agassi fell behind two sets before rallying for a 5-7, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win. ?Sometimes, you just have to find a way. You have to dig deep and come up with the goods,'' said Agassi.
Braves? Three-Peat: Rafael Furcal, Mark DeRosa and Gary Sheffield are the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 hitters for the Atlanta Braves and they did something for only the second time in Major League Baseball history?start a game with consecutive home runs. It was a nightmare game for Jeff Austin of the Cincinnati Reds, who gave up the home runs. Austin also became the first pitcher in 11 years to get knocked out of two straight starts without making it through the first inning. Ouch.
5.28.2003
Roy Retires: Colorado Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy will announce his retirement on Wednesday, ending an 18-year career that ends with Roy perhaps being the game?s all-time greatest. Get a hold of his career accomplishments: A four-time Stanley Cup champion. The NHL's career leader in victories with 551 and games played with 1,029. The all-time leader in playoff victories, games played and shutouts. Roy won two Stanley Cup titles each with the Montreal Canadians and the Avalanche.
Devils Take Opener: The New Jersey Devils beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, 3-0, to take Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Ducks had been off for 11 days since clinching a spot in the finals and it showed. On the other side, Devil goalie Martin Brodeur was superb, recording his fifth shutout of the playoffs.
Mavs Stay Alive: Well, knock us over with a feather. Trailing by 19 at one point and missing their star Dirk Nowitzki, the Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 103-91 win over the Spurs in San Antonio. The Spurs still lead the series, 3-2. Dallas looked at but dead before outscoring the Spurs, 29-10, in the final period. ?I saw blue shirts on the floor, I saw blue shirts ripping rebounds from guys in white shirts. They wanted it more and they deserved it,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
5.27.2003
Brown Out: Larry Brown has always been an enigma. A terrific basketball coach, Brown has had as many addresses as Starbucks. He took UCLA to the NCAA men?s finals, then left. He won an NCAA title with Kansas, then left. The pattern is familiar and he has taken a record six NBA teams to the playoffs. And it continued on Monday, when Brown resigned as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. For Brown, his Philly tenure was epoch?six years and one trip to the NBA Finals. But Brown sensed it was time to go. "This has been coming for a long time,'' Brown said at a news conference. ?I kind of thought in the middle of the season that we needed a change, a fresh look. And that's been on my mind awhile." Expect Brown to be coaching somewhere in the NBA next season.
Ducks vs. Devils: The Stanley Cup Finals start Tuesday and we can wager that few people care, which is too bad for hockey. Having teams in suburban Anaheim and New Jersey will do little to stir the pulse of anyone except the true puck diehards. And the brand of hockey practiced by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and New Jersey Devils is less than scintillating. A lot of dumping the puck into the zone and terrific goal tending; expect a lot of 1-0 or 2-1 games. Yawn. The incredibly exciting hockey we saw during the 2002 Winter Olympics shows the sport?s potential for reaching a larger audience. We only hope the powers that be in the NHL realize they have a game that needs fixing. Nonetheless, Devils in six.
5.26.2003
NBA Finals All But Set: Two teams from the old ABA are very close to meeting for the NBA Finals. The New Jersey Nets are in, by virtue of their four-game sweep of Detroit. And the San Antonio Spurs are one game away, taking a 3-1 Western Conference series lead with a 102-95 win Sunday at Dallas. The Mavericks, missing star Dirk Nowitzki, could not handle a strong second-half rush by the Spurs, led by Emanuel Ginobili (pictured), who had 21 points.
No Three-Peat at Indy: Gil de Ferran held off Helio Castroneves at the end to win the Indianapolis 500 and deprive Castroneves of his third straight win at the Brickyard. Castroneves was thisclose to a win, finishing 0.299-seconds behind, the third closest finish in Indy history.
5.24.2003
Spurs Win, Nowitzki Hurt: The San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks, 96-83, to take a 2-1 lead in their NBA Western Conference Finals series. But the biggest news was the knee injury suffered by the Mavs? terrific scorer Dirk Nowitzki. The blond German went down hard in the fourth quarter and may miss the rest of the series.
?The news is not good,? Dallas coach Don Nelson said. ?His knee is very sore. I don?t expect he?ll play and I?m not sure if he?ll play in this series. We should not take a gamble or a chance on Dirk Nowitzki. I told Dirk he must feel he?s totally 100 percent for me to play him again this series.?
If Nowitzki is out, then Dallas is likely done. His injury will have an effect similar to that of Chris Webber, the Sacramento Kings star who got hurt in Game 2 of the Western semis against Dallas. The Kings had a hard time overcoming Webber?s loss, and Dallas will have the same problem minus Nowitzki.
The Devils Do It: The Stanley Cup Finals are set following the New Jersey Devils? 3-2 Game 7 thriller over the Ottawa Senators. For the third time in the series, Jeff Friesen of the Devils scored the game-winner, this time with 2:14 remaining in the third period. The Devils now face the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for the league title.
5.23.2003
The Lady Can Play: Annika Sorenstam proved she belonged playing with the men. Sorenstam, the top female player in the world, overcame pressure from enormous media attention to shoot a 1-over-par 71 in the first round of the Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas.
Sorenstam became the first woman to play in a men's PGA event in 58 years. The respect she earned was best summed up by Phil Mickelson, who shot a 67: ``It looked like the way she's playing, she could easily compete on this level.
Cavs Win Lottery: The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery and will get the first pick, almost certainly to be hometown favorite LeBron James, a high school player who is skipping college and going straight to the pros. James is not only the virtually certain top pick, he?s already extremely rich. He just signed a $90 million endorsement deal with Nike. Who needs an education?
5.22.2003
Going the Distance: Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators scored 15:51 into the first overtime, to give his team a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils and tie the NHL Eastern Conference Finals at 3-3, setting up a deciding Game 7. This is the furthest the Senators have gone in the playoffs. Game 7 is in Ottawa on Friday and the winner plays the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Spurs Even Series: It wasn?t pretty, but the San Antonio Spurs dominated the Dallas Mavericks, 119-106, to even their NBA Western Conference Finals at 1-1. The game saw seven technical fouls called in the first half during stretches when we saw more of the coaches than the players. Mavs head man Don Nelson and assistant Del Harris were both tossed by referee Joey Crawford.
In case you?re wondering what goes on between coaches and refs, here?s how Crawford described throwing out Nelson and Harris: ``Don walked up to half court. I never told him to sit down because that's not my job to tell him to sit down. I told him to go coach his team, and he said 'No, I'm not going to.' So I hit him with one. ``I said 'Go coach your team.' He said 'I'm staying right here.' So, bang, I threw him.
``Del Harris was different,'' Crawford said. ``Del Harris came to my partner (Ted Bernhardt) at a timeout and said that he was going to get ejected, and to eject him on one (technical) which isn't unusual. This has happened in the history of the NBA where a coach has walked up to a referee and said eject me. So we eject him.''
5.21.2003
Piazza May Miss Season: Mike Piazza, the New York Mets catcher, will miss at least six weeks and maybe the season after tearing his right groin muscle. Piazza, the team?s leading hitter, said he will have to be careful not to come back too quickly. ``You can only go as fast as your engine permits,'' he said. ``If you hit the gas and nothing is there you can't go. It's baby steps. You have to crawl before you walk. You have to take extra time because if you don't, you could reaggravate it and it's back to step one.''
Nets Win Again: The New Jersey Nets beat the Detroit Pistons, 88-86, on the road to take a 2-0 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons were done in by poor free throw shooting, missing 11 shots. The Nets are well on their way to a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals.
French Seeds: The seedings for this month?s French Open were announced and its little surprise that Lleyton Hewitt and Serena Williams were top seeds in their respective brackets.
5.20.2003
Sehorn a Ram: Jason Sehorn, our favorite shirtless, pants-dropping, 2xist-modeling NFL cornerback has a new home in St. Louis. Sehorn, cut by the New York Giants in the offseason, signed a one-year deal with the Rams.
Sehorn joins a Ram team coached by Mike Martz, who said after a win over the Giants in 2001: ``We threw the ball all over the lot against the Giants. I'd like to line up against Jason Sehorn every day of the week.'' On Monday, though, it was a different Martz speaking: ``I think Jason will be a tremendous addition to our defense,'' he said.
Mavs Take Game 1: Free throws should be the easiest shot to make in basketball?15 feet from the basket and no one guarding you. But even the pros struggle to make them and the ability to shoot free throws?or not?was crucial in Game 1 of the NBA?s Western Conference Finals, won by the visiting Dallas Mavericks, 113-110, over the San Antonio Spurs.
Dallas was astonishing from the charity stripe?49 of 50! San Antonio, meanwhile, was a mediocre 31 of 48 and therein lies the tale of Game 1. The Spurs made eight more shots from the floor, but still blew an 18-point lead.
5.19.2003
Nets Win Opener: The New Jersey Nets beat the Detroit Pistons, 76-74, to win Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Nets won on a 20-foot fade-away jumper by Jason Kidd (left) with 1.4 seconds left. Face it?the game was a dog and neither team deserves to still be playing. The Pistons (save for the amazing rebounder Ben Wallace) were truly dreadful in the fourth quarter, scoring only 11 points and going nearly 7 minutes at one stretch without a field goal. Even so, they came to within a last-second shot rolling off the rim of forcing an overtime. If the NBA reseeded its teams for the playoffs, there?s little doubt that the final four would be San Antonio, Dallas, Sacramento and the Lakers, all Western teams. The East is least, as it has been since the Bulls? reign ended following the 1998 playoffs.
Yankees Struggling: The New York Yankees are still tied for the fourth-best record in baseball and it?s only May, but they have been struggling of late, giving hope to the rest of the league. After being swept this weekend by lowly Texas, the Yanks are now 3-7 in their last 10 games and tied for first with the Boston Red Sox. "We're reeling in all aspects," general manager Brian Cashman said, meaning an outburst from owner George Steinbrenner can?t be far behind.
5.17.2003
Free Willy: An Australian Football League player has won a cash settlement from the The West Australian newspaper after an action picture was published that showed his penis protruding from his shorts.
Paul Hasleby, (left) a player with Fremantle, had threatened to sue the paper, which said it had not noticed his member sticking out when it compiled a photo graphic of AFL action. A newsroom employee noticed the penis during the press run and it was airbrushed out of later editions. It is believed that about 175,000 copies of the paper went out minus the air-brushing (1,000 copies are probably already available on eBay).
"He's embarrassed and annoyed by it, and upset," Hasleby?s agent Wayne Loxley said. "As this issue has gained momentum ... he's become increasingly embarrassed because now he feels he's under the spotlight for some other reason than his football ability."
An alert reader sent us the photo and Hasleby can be seen in all his glory. But, alas, we won't print it since we don't want to incur his wrath; that thing might be dangerous.
5.16.2003
Purple Reign Ends: The NBA will have a new champ for the first time since 1999. The San Antonio Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 110-82, Thursday night to win their playoff series, 4-2. The Lakers, champs the past three years, had no answer for league MVP Tim Duncan, who scored 37 points in Game 6. There can be no excuses for the Lakers?they simply were beaten by a better team.
In the other West semifinal, the Sacramento Kings stayed alive with a thrilling 115-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks, setting up a deciding Game 7 in Big D. One of the best parts of this series is the respective owners?Dallas? Mark Cuban and the Maloof Brothers of Sacramento. All three look like schlubs dressed in their team replica jerseys, not zillionaires, and are a refreshing change from more imperial owners we see. These guys actually look like they both understand and enjoy the game. Their teams play basketball the way its meant?fast-paced, up and down the court.
5.15.2003
More Goose Eggs in Anaheim: There?s no doubt that this year?s Stanley Cup playoffs have drawn little interest. With teams such as Detroit eliminated, and lesser-known squads like Anaheim, Minnesota and Ottawa around, few people outside of those cities really care. But they are missing an amazing story involving Anaheim Mighty Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Playing in his first postseason, Giguere has been nothing short of amazing. On Wednesday he shut out the Minnesota Wild, 4-0, to give Anaheim a 4-0 series lead. In three games Minnesota has scored zero goals, a record for a next-to-last playoff series.
500 for Palmeiro: Thanks to a reader for letting us know we missed this: Earlier in the week, Rafael Palmeiro of the Texas Rangers hit his 500th career home run, becoming the 19th player in history to reach this level. Palmeiro has played for mostly bad teams in Texas and Baltimore, so his public profile is not that high. Nonetheless, he?s averaged more than 40 home runs a year for the past five years.
5.14.2003
All is Now Different in LA: This time, Robert Horry's magical last-second shot didn't go in. This time, the Lakers are facing a team that isn't afraid of them. This time, the run may end before the Finals. The NBA defending Champion Los Angeles Lakers lost a crucial Game 5 at San Antonio on Tuesday, 96-94, after trailing by as much as 25 in the second half. The Spurs' near meltdown came one game after they gave up a 16 point lead in Game 4. Game 6 will be in Los Angeles on Thursday.
In the other Western Conference semifinal, the Sacramento Kings led by as much as 15 points in the first half before losing to the Dallas Mavericks, 112-93.
5.13.2003
Vijay Doesn't Want Annika to Play: Next week at the Colonial, Annika Sorenstam will be the first woman to play in a men's PGA tournament in 58 years. Vijay Singh, who finished second at the Wachovia Championship this past weekend, doesn't like it.
"I hope she misses the cut," he said. "Why? Because she doesn't belong out here."
He also added, "if I'm drawn with her, which I won't be, I won't play."
Nick Price, the defending champion at the Colonial, has also voiced his disapproval, saying it "reeks of publicity" and that, if she wanted to be a part of the tournament, she should have to qualify.
Nets Look Impressive: Virtually everyone has discounted the possibility that a team from the East could win the NBA Championship. But, as three series sit tied at 2-2, the New Jersey Nets are already sitting on an invitation to the Eastern Conference Finals. After their 110-101 double-overtime victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday, they await the winner of Detroit - Philadelphia.
5.12.2003
Young Cowboy Dies: Dallas Cowboys running back Ennis Haywood died Sunday at the age of 23. He had participated in the team's three-day minicamp last week and was admitted to Medical Center of Arlington Saturday morning after waking up feeling ill and vomitting. He had been expected to compete for a roster spot at halfback after spending last year on the team's practice squad. Haywood was a stud running back at Iowa State from 1998 - 2001.
Three Series Tied Up: Three NBA playoff series continue on Sunday, with the hometeam, all trailing 2-1 in their respective series, coming up with key victories. The Los Angeles Lakers started the day by beating the San Antonio Spurs, 99-95. The Philadelphia 76ers topped the Detroit Pistons, 95-82. And the Sacramento Kings outlasted the tired Dallas Mavericks, 99-83, after just one night of rest.
5.11.2003
Mighty Ducks Do It Again: They're not the Cinderellas of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they're the Drama Queens. The Anaheim Mighty Ducks won their fifth overtime game of the playoffs, 1-0 in double overtime against the Minnesota Wild. Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere made 39 saves and ran his shutout streak to 160 minutes, 49 seconds in the playoffs - just over two minutes short of Patrick Roy's record from the 1997 playoffs.
The Ottawa Senators also won in overtime over the visiting New Jersey Devils, 3-2.
Mavs Take Key Road Win: The Dallas Mavericks didn't take long to take advantage of the suddenly Chris Webber-less Sacramento Kings, taking back homecourt advantage in Game 3 on Saturday in double overtime, 141-137. Even without Webber, oddly, the Kings won the battle of the boards collecting 60 rebounds to the Mavericks' 47.
The Philadelphia 76ers finally notched a win against the Detroit Pistons, winning at home, 93-83. They now trail in the best-of-7 series, 2-1.
5.10.2003
Webber Done for the Year: The Sacramento Kings seemed aimed at the NBA Finals. Then, with their loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2, they suffered a much bigger loss than that one game: Chris Webber is done for the playoffs. Webber, who was averaging 23.7 points per game in the playoffs, suffered torn cartiledge in his left knee in Thursday night's loss. Last year, the Kings lost Peja Stojakovic during their series with the Mavericks, and still won the series. Game 3 of the series is Saturday.
John Rocker's Return is Dubious (at Best): Maybe the Tampa Bay Devil Rays shouldn't have given him another chance. John Rocker took the mound in the Majors Friday for Tampa Bay against the Detroit Tigers. He managed to walk the first two batters he faced, before being pulled. The Devil Rays went on to win the game, 2-0.
5.9.2003
Mavericks Respond: After quickly losing home court advantage in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal game against the Sacramento Kings, the Dallas Mavericks responded in Game 2 with the most points ever by a team in the first half of a playoff game, going on to win, 132-110. The series is now tied, 1-1, as it moves to Sacramento. In addition to losing the game, the Kings also lost Chris Webber in the third quarter to a knee injury. His status for Game 3 is uncertain.
In Detroit, the Pistons took a 2-0 series lead after beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 104-97 in overtime. The 76ers had a two point lead in the waning seconds of regulation before Detroit's Tayshaun Prince scored a basket on a random toss of the ball toward the basket.
Ducks Vs. Wild: We can only imagine the odds you could have gotten in Vegas before the season started on an Anaheim-Minnesota Western Conference Final. But, thanks to a 4-2 victory by the Wild over the Canucks in Game 7 of their series, that's exactly what we've got. The Wild won their sixth straight playoff game facing elimination, which is the second most in a single season in NHL history.
5.8.2003
Spurs Roll Again: NBA MVP Tim Duncan scored only 12 points for the San Antonio Spurs in their Game 2 playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers. Normally, that would be a major sign of trouble for the Spurs but not on this night. Bruce Bowen (left), who averaged seven points a game during the season, was unconscious in Game 2. He scored 27 points and hit 7 of 8 3-pointers as the Spurs crushed the Lakers, 114-95, to take a 2-0 series lead. The Spurs were also paced by the play of Emanuel Ginobili, who has blossomed in the first two games of the series; he scored 17 in Game 2.
MJ Out in Washington: Michael Jordan was fired as president of the Washington Bullets after two years where he helped sell tickets but failed to have the team make the playoffs.
The meeting between Jordan, 40, and team owner Abe Pollin, 79, was bitter, according to the Washington Post. ?Pollin began the meeting by informing [Jordan] of his dismissal, sources told the Post. ?From there, the discussion quickly escalated into shouting and invective that one person familiar with the meeting described as being as bad as it could get without fists flying.? Gee, somebody finally stood up to Michael Jordan; about time!
We lost what little respect we had for Jordan after reading in Sports Illustrated this week that he regularly harangued and brow-beat forward Kwane Brown, calling him a ?flaming faggot,?? according to the Post.
5.7.2003
Syracuse, Boston College Moving to ACC?: Coaches at Boston College and Syracuse have been told by administrators to begin considering themselves a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), a source at an ACC school has told Outsports.com. The rumor has been going around for years that various schools in the Big East may jump ship and join the ACC. In the last week, the rumor has been fueled by a reluctance by another Big East school, Miami, to discuss the matter. The move is expected to happen "within the next two years," a source has said.
Kings Get Key Road Win: The Dallas Mavericks struggled to put away the Portland Trailblazers. Now, they must face an uphill battle, having lost homecourt advantage in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal to the Sacramento Kings, 124-113. The Kings were led by 26 points from Peja Stojakovic and 24 from Chris Webber.
5.6.2003
Ducks Are Mighty: After knocking off the second-seeded Detroit Red Wings, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks have now moved past the Western Conference's top-seeded Dallas Stars with their 4-3 victory Monday. The winning goal came from defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, who scored with just 1:06 left in regulation. The Ducks will be playing in their first Western Conference final, facing either Vancouver or Minnesota. Lightning seems to be poised to strike Anaheim twice this year.
Home Teams Outlast Visitors in NBA Game 1's: The New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs beat the two teams who were fixtures in the NBA Championships of the 1980s. The Nets topped the Boston Celtics, 97-93, despite Boston's Paul Pierce scoring 34 points. The Spurs sent the Los Angeles Lakers to an 0-1 hole in their series, winning 87-82 behind League MVP Tim Duncan's 28 points.
5.5.2003
Zito Beats the Rocket: We?ve been big fans of Oakland A?s pitcher Barry Zito (left) since he told ESPN the Magazine that his favorite cartoon characters were Gary and Ace, the animated gay dynamic duo from Saturday Night Live. We cheered when he won last year?s American League Cy Young award. And we were thrilled Sunday when he won a classic pitching duel, 2-0, over the New York Yankees? Roger Clemens (the 2001 Cy Young winner). An Oakland teammate had called the pitching matchup Cy Young (Zito is 24) vs, Cy Old (Clemens is 40).
Mavs Move On: The Dallas Mavericks came back in the fourth period to beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 107-95, and win their NBA playoff series, 4 games to 3. The win kept the Mavs from being the first NBA team to ever lose a playoff series while leading 3-0. The fourth-quarter heroes were Dirk Nowitzki (31 points), who scored seven straight points in a crucial stretch late, and Nick Van Exel (26 points), who got hot when it mattered. The Mavs move on to play the Sacramento Kings.
5.4.2003
Gelding Wins Derby: Funny Cide raced to victory in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, becoming the first gelding to win the Run for the Roses since 1929. For those of you in the dark, a gelding is a horse that, ummm, is missing some of his equipment and is worthless at stud. But Funny Cide showed he was just as much horse as all the rest, becoming the first New York-bred horse to win the race.
Price Is Not Right: Mike Price?s night in a topless bar cost him his new job as Alabama head college football coach. Price was fired Saturday after reports that he spent hundreds of dollars at a topless bar and a woman ordered about $1,000 of room service and charged it to his hotel bill.
``I don't think the punishment fits the crime,'' Price said. ``I strongly feel that I was the man that could have put this behind us. I think President [Robert] Witt is making a mistake. He's not breaking the law, but he's making an error in judgment.'' But Witt defended his decision, saying, Price failed to conduct his ?personal and professional life in a manner consistent with university policies.''
Price was hired in December from Washington State. No replacement was named.
5.3.2003
Duncan MVP Again: Shaquille O'Neal is considered by many to be the most dominant center in the League. Except, for the second straight year, he wasn't even the most valuable person at his position. San Antonio's Tim Duncan was named the NBA's MVP, for the second straight year. The last player to win the award in consecutive years was Michael Jordan in 1991 and 1992. In addition to scoring 23.3 points per game, Duncan notched career-high numbers in rebounds (12.9), assists (3.9) and blocks (2.92).
5.2.2003
WNBA's Only Open Lesbian Quits: New York Liberty forward Sue Wicks has called it quits after six years with the team. Wicks was the Liberty's first player selected in the League's first draft in 1997 and leaves the team as its all-time leader blocked shots (155) and rebounds (788). Wicks' departure also means that the WNBA is again without an openly lesbian player. Wicks became the only open lesbian last summer when she told a local newspaper she was gay.
MLB All-Star Game Now Has Meaning: The MLB players union has accepted a two year proposal to grant homefield advantage in the World Series to the league that wins the All-Star game. The new plan is hoped to boost the steadily declining ratings for the game, which brought in an all-time low of 9.5 in last year's tie.
5.1.2003
Kings First To Advance: The Sacramento Kings have put an end to the Jazz's latest playoff hopes, and have probably put an end to an era. With their 111-91 victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, the Kings became the first team this year to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs. The dynamic duo of John Stockton and Karl Malone will probably be put to rest now, given Stockton's hints of retirement and Malone's wishes to play elsewhere.
The Ducks Strike Back: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks scored with just 1:47 left in regulation to beat the Dallas Stars and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Ducks, seeded seventh in the West, had suffered their first playoff loss this year in a loss to the Stars on Monday, but rebounded to beat the #2-seed.
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.
