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5.31.2005
Suns Get Hope: An old college roommate of mine used to say that the worst thing you can give a loser is hope. Without hope, the loser loses gracefully and unemotionally, quietly sinking into the sunset.
The San Antonio Spurs must be cruel. They have let the Phoenix Suns see the beginning of daylight in their Western Conference Finals with a 111-106 Suns victory.
Make no mistake about this one - the Western Conference Finals are over. The San Antonio Spurs will advance, courtesty of two road wins at Phoenix. This is not the 2004 Red Sox-Yankees revisited. What this is, we call in the profession, a "tease." You see, some people have a sick sense of humor. They revel in people getting all worked up, tormenting themselves over the possibility of victory, all the while knowing that their demise is imminent.
Yes, the Spurs have a sick sense of humor. Hopefully, they'll let the Phoenix Suns and their fans off the hook in Game 5.
Darth Vader - gay athlete? For those of you sci-fi geeks like me (well, I'm really just a Star Wars geek), here's an observation a straight friend of mine, sports radio host Chuck Booms, made to me today. We saw Revenge of the Sith together last week, and just today he told me that he thinks the love story of Anakin and Padme is an allegory for gay relationships, and that Anakin is the ultimate metaphor for the gay athlete.
Crazy, I know - but, consider these thoughts: Anakin's relationship isn't tolerated by his religion; he needs to sneak around, keeping his relationship away from his teammates. Yeah, maybe it's taking the analogy a bit far; but, it seems to fit. And, it adds a whole new dimension to the Star Wars saga. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.30.2005
ESPN?s Does Gay Story: As mentioned previously, ESPN on its Sunday SportsCenter ran an eight-minute segment on Andrew Goldstein, the All-American Dartmouth lacrosse goalie who came out to his team after the 2003 season.
Reported by Greg Garber, the segment was moving as it told of Goldstein?s journey of acceptance of himself and of his teammates? acceptance of him. While I could have done with less of the syrupy soft piano music, the piece was effective in conveying what gay athletes face.
The coolest part was footage of Goldstein scoring a goal against Syracuse in the 2003 NCAA playoffs, the first by a goalie in tournament play in 30 years. His teammates remarked that the feat marked Goldstein as a different kind of player, something they soon discovered was more true than they had ever realized. Hats off to ESPN for airing the segment but especially to Goldstein for sharing his story. He proved that a jock can come out in a team sport in a positive fashion.
Indy Drama: The Indy 500 got more attention than in years, all because of 23-year-old Danica Patrick, a woman breaking into a man?s world. Patrick became the first woman to ever lead the race, and she was in first with only eight laps to go. But she was passed by eventual winner Dan Wheldon and finished fourth.
Patrick managed to avoid going out of the race after being hit and showed great skill in climbing back into the lead. She is the story everyone will remember about this race.
As for Wheldon, 26, he is a very well-groomed Englishman who is said to have a fetish for buying shoes. Hmmm. And he was in tears in the victory circle before drinking the traditional bottle of milk. "I've loved the Indianapolis 500 since I was a kid,? he said. "The best drivers, the best teams in the world. I'm having an emotional moment."
5.28.2005
American French Open woes continue: Venus Willaims summed up the experience of most American tennis players at the Paris Open when she was quoted after her loss to 15-year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva: "I want to leave. I have nothing more to do here. I just want to go". With her defeat in three sets, Williams left Lindsay Davenport and Marissa Irvin as the only American?s still playing singles on the brutal clay courts of Roland Garros.
More bad news for the NHL: Remember the NHL? The only major sports league in North America to cancel a season due to labor strife? While the labor negotiations between the league and the players drag on with little concrete news, ESPN has reportedly thrown a big wrench in to the negotiations by indicating that they will not televise the 2005-06 NHL season?still theoretical at this point. Disney/ESPN will save some $60 million, but this leaves the NHL without a television contract in a market glutted with sports programming and unsure advertising rates.
Even though the NHL on ESPN never had much impact on TV ratings?poker matches were drawing better ratings when the NHL last broadcast an NHL game?it?s another blow to a once proud league. I love hockey as a sport but the tenure of Gary Bettman as commissioner has to be considered a disaster. Rapid expansion in the number of teams leading to a diluted product, the labor woes, the pitiful television contract, all of them will be his legacy. How did a league that at one time was arguably more popular than the NBA come to such dire straits? That?s for future historians to sort out, really, but in the here and now, it seems like the NHL is a dinosaur, left behind at the sports world moves on. Even if the league and players agree to a new contract in time to salvage the 2005-06 season, there are no guarantees that the fans will retun in sufficient numbers. The NHL might find out the hard the law of the entertainment jungle: when you dispear, for whatever reason, people find that they can live without your product after all and that spending the money that would have been spent on $95 seats elsewhere is a viable option. How sad.
I hate Liverpool FC: I recently wrote about being a fan of a team that is considered second best in a city, comparing the Angels to the Dodgers. Oddly, I face the same dilemma with my favorite sports team, Everton Football Club of Liverpool. Although they have had some amazing success in their own right, Everton is defintely second-fiddle to Liverpool FC on Merseyside. Liverpool has won the most league titles in England (18 to Manchester United?s 14) and numerous other trophies. So, it was with some angst that I watched Liverpool pull off one of the great comebacks in recent sports history. The Champions League is the big prize of football clubs in Europe, the way the World Cup is for nations.
Trailing 3-0 to AC Milan in the Champions League final on Wednesday, I was cackling with joy at the thought of Liverpool being humiliated in this important competition. Instead, in one of the great choke jobs I?ve ever seen, Milan gave up three goals in the second half to a very poor Liverpool side to send the game in to extra time. I know most American sports fans hate the idea of a championship being decided by penalty kicks but that?s rubbish; I see no complaints about NBA titles being decided by free-throws or the Super Bowl being decided by a scrawny place kicker. I love penalty shoot-outs: the tension is great, the pressure on the players enourmous. Sadly, AC Milan continued to choke and Liverpool converted 3 penalties to Milan?s 2 to win their fifth European Cup (the name until the early 90's)/Champions League title. The pictures of Liverpool hoisting the cup that symbolizes their win in front of 500,000 people in Liverpool was like a punch to the gut. Sometimes I hate being a sports fan.--Jim Allen
5.27.2005
No American men in Paris: Maybe I should set up a boilerplate story about how American men fare in the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris. For the second year in a row, no American men made it out of the second round of matches on the tricky clay surface. Outsports favorite Andy Roddick couldn?t close out #62 ranked Jose Acasuso of Argentina after winning the first two sets, losing the next three sets, including the fifth one 8-6. As a #2 seed, Roddick also became the highest seeded player to be bounced so far. At least he went down swingin, unlike Novak Djokovic of Serbia & Montenegro, who had to abandon his match against last year?s runner-up Guillermo Coria due to a sinus condition that the clay courts made unbearable. What a way to be sent packing from a Grand Slam tournament.
How not to conduct your career, Kellen Winslow Jr. edition: The Cleveland Browns chose tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. with the sixth pick in the 2004 draft. They were hoping he was going to help their anemic offense improve. Instead, he broke his leg so badly in the second week of the season that he was done for the rest of the year. On May 1, Winslow did something that not only dealt a set back to his chances of coming back for the upcoming 2005 season, but likely will cost him millions. Having just bought a new motorcycle, Winslow somehow thought it was a good idea for an inexperienced rider like himself to go to a parking lot and pop wheelies. The outcome was predictable, really: he hit a curb, was thrown from the bike and ended up tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Additionally, he suffered internal injuries, to add to the existing problems with his still-healing broken leg.
That bit of insanity by Mr. Winslow could end costing him a large portion of the $5 million in bonuses that he?s received since signing for the Browns. Like almost all pro athletes, there?s a clause in his contract forbidding "dangerous activities". Popping wheelies on a high-powered motorcycle when you?ve barely learned to ride a motorcycle certainly qualifies for that. Maybe Kellen Winslow Jr. should have read up on baseball player Jeff Kent, then of the San Francisco Giants, who broke his wrist during spring training doing wheelies on his motorcycle. At least Winslow was smart enough not to lie about his accident, unlike Kent. However, his honesty doesn?t help the Browns, who by the end of the 2005 season, will have gotten exactly two regular season games from their number six draft pick in two seasons with the team. --Jim Allen
5.26.2005
Conference Finals live up to billing: After two rounds of NBA playoffs that many felt were boring and suspenseless, the four conference finals games have lived up to the billing of the excitement that should pit the best teams against one another.
The four conference final games have been decided by a total of 25 points and none by double digits. Both Suns-Spurs games have seen Phoenix leading heading into the fourth quarter and San Antonio stealing the game; and Wednesday night's Pistons-Heat game saw the Pistons leading into the final frame and the Heat pulling away for a 92-86 win to even their series.
While the Western Conference Finals are simply a matter of which game the Spurs will lock up another trip to the NBA Finals, the Eastern Conference is wide open heading to Detroit. While the Pistons will be tough to beat at home, the Heat are just the team that can do it, as long as center Shaquille O'Neal can stay healthy.
Shaq on the hunt for sexual predators: Shaq has joined a Department of Justice task force to help track down sexual predators of children, according to the Associated Press. He has been spending time with Miami Beach investigators, and at home on his computer, learning the ropes. Shaq has often mentioned that he would like to become a police officer when he retires from the NBA. Afterall, who's going to mess with the 7-foot-1 325-pound mountain of muscle? -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.25.2005
A.I. wants to make out with his coach: Oft-maligned 76er Allen Iverson finally got the head coach he wanted: former Sixer star and assistant coach Maurice Cheeks. In fact, "The Answer" was so happy with the selection of Cheeks that he wanted to get a little jiggy with him.
"Bringing in Mo was icing on the cake," Iverson said at a press conference Tuesday. "I didn't want to do it in front of all the cameras, but I wanted to take him in the back and kiss him on the mouth."
An odd comment from Iverson, who is still remembered for making some nasty comments about gay people on an album that was never released a couple years ago. I guess that "City of Brotherly Love" thing is getting to him.
If you happened to be "in the back" and caught a picture of A.I. making out with Maurice Cheeks, please e-mail it to us here and we'll . . . destroy it immediately, of course.
Suns setting on Phoenix: Staying with overdone headlines, time is now running out if the Phoenix Suns are going to make it to the 2005 NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs won their third straight road playoff game in taking a 2-0 series advantage over the Phoenix Suns with a 111-108 win Tuesday night.
For the second straight game, the Spurs entered the fourth quarter with a deficit; however, they rallied in the final frame to top the fading Suns. The Spurs are +11 and +8 in each of the fourth quarters in this series.
And why is it that Robert Horry is always making a difference in big games down the stretch? Horry has won championships with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers and is now with the Spurs. Horry shot 3-4 from downtown in helping the Spurs to their win that probably sealed a trip to the NBA Finals for them: no team has ever won two road games to start a conference finals and lost the series in NBA history. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.24.2005
Heat get burned: Or, "Heat go up in flames." Or, "Heat cool off." I guarantee you the press will be having a field day this morning, trying to outdo each other with puns after the Miami Heat took exactly one game to give up homecourt advantage to the Detroit Pistons with a 90-81 loss Monday night.
While the Heat had run off two straight sweeps in the first two rounds of these playoffs, they were the same old Heat Monday night - the same old ones that lost year after year in the playoffs in embarrassing fashion. In this edition of "The Heat lose their fire," the Pistons used a balanced attack, with six players scoring in the double digits, to overcome a hobbled Shaquille O'Neal's 20 points.
With O'Neal playing at around 70%, it will be tough for them to win even a single game against a superior team with a superior defense. And with the San Antonio Spurs looking hot in the West, we may be looking at an NBA Final that doesn't see a team score over 70 in a single game.
5.23.2005
Northwestern ladies lax finishes undefeated: The Northwestern women's lacrosse team won the national title on Sunday, capping off their undefeated season with a 13-10 win over Virginia. According to the Associated Press, it was Northwestern's first Division I national championship in any sport since they won the men's fencing championship in 1941: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his third term, the United States hadn't even entered World War II and movies were still in black & white.
Spurs take the first frame: You know the old addage: defense wins championships. After a season that saw the Phoenix Suns mount an incredible tournaround and dominate the league with the highest-scoring playoff team since Magic Johnson's Los Angeles Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs took homecourt advantage with a 121-114 victory.
The Spurs capped the game with an incredible 43-point fourth quarter on 16-for-22 shooting.
Personally, I've had trouble buying the Suns all season. Sure, they're flashy. But, I never got that this was the team to carry on the legacies of Bird's Celtics and Magic's Lakers. All season, it just seemed like the Suns were operating on borrowed time. If they don't find a way to stop Tim Duncan and score even more (without a defense, this team will need 120-plus to win games), time will be up.
5.21.2005
Dodgers suck: I became an Angels of Wherever fan in 1974. My dad was stationed at an Air Force base in New Jersey and one Saturday, a bunch of us took a bus up to Yankee Stadium. The Stadium was about to be closed for renovations and the Yankees were in the midst of their CBS-era doldrums. As a result, we got fifth row seats behind the third base dugout. Who should be pitching for the Angels but Nolan Ryan, in all his glory. I was hooked; since I was a 14-year old Air Force brat that moved around, I hadn?t formed an attachment to a team yet.
When my dad retired from the Air Force in 1975, we moved to his hometown of North Hollywood, California. I learned very quickly that the Angels were sad sack jokes, that the Dodgers ruled the roost in LA sports, along with UCLA basketball and USC football (the Lakers were in decline after their great 1972 team and Showtime was years away). I soon developed the underdog tone of many a fan of teams playing in the shadow of a much more successful franchise. Once I lived in Los Angeles, I really grew to despise the Dodgers. Their perfect ballpark, their perfect players (yes, Steve Garvey and your sexy as all hell forearms, I?m looking right at you), their celebrity fans, the vile charlatan that is Tommy Lasorda: it was easy to wish the Dodgers nothing but ill will.
Those crushing playoff/World Series defeats in the late 70?s? Hahahahahaha. The Dodgers unjustly being allowed in the playoffs in the strike-shortened 1981 season only added fuel to the fire. Fast forward to 2005 and the roles are reversed for the Angels and Dodgers. The Angels, despite owner Arte Moreno?s ludicrous insistence on calling them the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, are on the up and up, a solid contending team that has a real chance to win it all this year. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are in transition yet again, having cleared out most of the players that got them to the playoffs last year. It was with much anticipation that I went to the first of the regular season Freeway Series games Friday at Dodger Stadium.
The game itself was a laugher, the Angels stomping the Dodgers 9-0 (and it wasn?t even that close really). The Angels are simply a superior team to the Dodgers right now; it?s true I ignore the Dodgers as best as I can, but I still didn?t recognize half of their cut-rate lineup. The only down note was that American League MVP Vladimir Gurrero left the game with a jammed shoulder after stupidly sliding head first on a bang-bang play at the plate. The Dodgers are an experiment in the Moneyball approach to baseball and I?d like nothing better than to see it fail. It?s the triumph of the stats geeks for me, a penny-pinching approach to team building that emphasizes obscure stats at the expense of scouting with your eyes. So, go Angels and your old-fashioned approach; drive the stats geek underground!
One final bit of Dodgers bashing: they remodeled their stadium over the winter and Friday was the first time I?ve seen it since then. It looks awful: the added seats on the field look terrible, there?s now ads on every flat surface (they used to be sparse), they?ve replaced the great organist Nancy B. Heffley with an awful soundtrack provided by Yahoo! and the concession lines are longer than ever. The Dodgers, those once-paragons of wholesome family entertainment are now so plagued by security problems with their fans that they hand out cards to all who go through the turnstiles to tell them how to behave. There?s definitely a gangbanger presence now that wasn?t there, say, 10 years ago. As my friend that I've been going to Angels games with since 1978 remarked, "Well, the Raiders fans had to go somewhere, didn?t they?". The best part of the whole evening was having the chucklehead Dodger fan behind me start up a chant of "Angels suck! Angels suck!".....just before Juan Rivera hit a grand slam to make it 9-0 Angels. Hahahaha. --Jim Allen
5.20.2005
No Whizzinator, No Smith: According to two sources, Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith will be suspended for a year for violating the NFL's drug policy. As Cyd noted on his 5/12/05 entry, a failed third drug test means an automatic one-year suspension. Apart from the comedy value of getting caught with the fake-penis Whizzinator, there?s no good news about this for either the Vikings or Onterrio Smith. It appears that Smith failed to show up for a mandatory drug test, which is the same as being caught under the NFL's policy.
Hey Ricky, you?re so fine: Speaking of NFL running backs who like to spark up a joint now and then, there?s been talk by Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban that the Dolphins have had discussions with Ricky Williams about returning to the team. Williams stunned the Dolphins by retiring just before training camp started last year, saying his heart wasn?t in it any more. The fact that he?d just failed his third drug test probably had a lot to do with that lack of enthusiasm, but as we?ve seen with athletes before, it?s really hard to walk away from a career if you physically still have the skills. There?s a raft of issues that need to be worked out before Ricky Williams can return?there?s the NFL drugs policy that needs to be dealt with, a settlement about the $8.6 million Williams owes the Dolphins for breaking his contract needs to be negotiated and perhaps most importantly, the ability of his teammates to forgive him for leaving them in the lurch just before the start of camp last year needs to be addressed. I hope this works out for both parties, as the NFL desperately needs a man who is willing to wear a wedding dress on the cover of a magazine in its ranks again.
Reggie?s done: Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers announced earlier this season that this would be his 18th and final year in the NBA. He went out in style on Thursday, scoring 27 points in a losing effort for the Pacers, who were bounced from the playoffs by the Detroit Pistons after losing 88-79, giving the Pistons a 4-2 series win. The Pacers pulled Miller with 16 seconds left and he got a standing ovation from the Pacers crowd, his teammates and the Pistons as well. If he does stay retired (see the Ricky Williams item above), he?ll leave as the 12th ranked scorer in NBA history. In the other NBA playoff game Thursday, Tim Duncan hit a shot with .5 seconds to go to lead the San Antonio Spurs past the Seattle SuperSonics 98-96. The Spurs won the series 4-2 and now face the winner of the Suns vs. Mavericks matchup for a chance to win the Western Conference. The Pistons will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Final. --Jim Allen
5.19.2005
Winners wear red: At least, that's what a group of British anthropologists have found. In the upcoming issue of the journal Nature, the group claims to have studied four sports at the Athens Olympics and found that people who wore red performed better than those who did not. The sports studied: boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
They also studied the Euro 2004 soccer tournament and found that five teams scored more goals when they wore red uniforms as opposed to white or blue.
It's an interesting theory. They discuss how the color could have an intimidating effect on opponents. But, if they were right, the Arizona Cardinals would have won a Super Bowl or two and Harvard would be a sports powerhouse.
5.18.2005
High school gay football play draws fire: It's amazing what a little one-act play can stir up in high school. Sabrina Audrey Jess, a high school student in Ashburn, Va., has had quite a couple of months since her plays, "Offsides," about a high school football player who comes out of the closet, was produced at Stone Bridge High in February.
"I had a lot of senior friends last year who went through a really hard time," Jess told the Washington Post. "Some of them didn't tell anybody because of how scared they were. There were some who told people, and their parents said they were going to get kicked out of their house, or they had to go to counseling, and if they didn't go to counseling they would be forced to leave the house -- it was just a lot of stuff. And it didn't make sense to me."
So Jess wrote the play. According to the Washington Post, after it was performed, parents approached the county school board about keeping the play from being performed again and began to distribute leaflets in protest of the play.
"I try to promote tolerance in a school where there is not enough among teenagers and am in turn flooded with the intolerance of their parents," Jess told the Post. "People who are negatively commenting on my play are proving my point."
While many parents in Ashburn are freaking out, Jess is becoming quite the little celebrity. According to the Post, she has been honored by the Human Rights Campaign and PFLAG for her work.
It's just amazing how strong kids are today. Some people may look at that as a bad thing - that they are unnecessarily defiant. Sometimes, maybe that's true. But, that defiance also has really positive outcomes - like this one. With any luck, more towns like Ashburn will start putting on more plays like "Offsides," and more high school quarterbacks, point guards and goalies will feel just a little more comfortable with their feelings about other men.
5.17.2005
U.S. Open goes blue: First Boise State, now Flushing Meadows. The U.S. Open this year will feature blue courts that the U.S. Tennis Association says will make the balls easier to follow for the players and TV viewers.
It may help players see the ball, but it will still look strange to watch. Just like the football games on the blue turf of Boise State, the U.S. Open risks becoming an odd spectacle this year by venturing away from the traditional green playing surface. Still, with time, the blue surface should fade away from an oddity to a charming shift from the green.
Tennis fans who may frown at the change should take heart that the Queer Eye guys didn't get a hold of it - or it would surely be some odd earth-tone checked court with a lacy frill.
Nicklaus to end at St. Andrews: Golfing legend Jack Nicklaus will end his pro tournament career at this year's British Open at St. Andrews, he has announced. Nicklaus last played in the British Open in 2000 when it was at St. Andrews. Nicklaus won two of his 18 Majors at St. Andrews in 1970 and '78.
It's good to see that a great champion will go out on his own terms and with some fanfare. By announcing his retirement, the press and fans will get the chance to give him a fitting send-off at his last tournament. I'll be cheering for him making the cut one last time. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.16.2005
Woods' streak one for the ages: I must take issue with Jim Allen's post of May 14 that scoffs at the notion that Tiger Woods' incredible streak of made cuts doesn't rank among the greatest records in sports. I would go a step further and say, matter-of-fact, that it is one of THE greatest record in sports.
Tiger Woods made 142 straight tournament cuts. That means that, for 142 consecutive tournaments, he played four rounds. It hasn't been since 1998 that Woods missed a cut - and even that one was a technicality, when a tournament was finished seven months after it started because of a rain-out. The last time Woods did not make a cut because of his performance was 1997. The closest someone has ever come to that number has been Byron Nelson at 113. The closest Jack Nicklaus ever got was 105. Nelson's number is under 80% of what Woods' was. That's a big gap.
To me, it blows Cal Ripken's streak of showing up on the field out of the water because Ripken simply had to show up. Same thing with Green Bay Packers' quarterback Brett Favre's streak of games he has started. As for Joe DiMaggio's streak of games with a hit, that lasted a whopping two months.
It's always hard to compare records in different sports. They just take different skills. But, Woods' incredible record of excellence that spanned seven years has to be recognized as one of the greats.
Syracuse lax streak ends: Speaking of long streaks, the Syracuse Orangemen had not missed a collegiate lacross Final Four since 1982. That was 23 years ago. I was nine. Alas, a 16-15 loss at Massachusetts this weekend ended the longest streak of excellence in collegiate lacrosse. During that time, Syracuse won nine national titles. Pretty impressive. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.14.2005
Firday quick hits: Tiger Woods had one of the lesser-known streaks in sports ended on Friday. If you follow golf at all, you know that even the best players sometimes miss the cut in a tournament and get to go home after two days of play, instead of four. For only the third time in his ten-year career, Woods missed a cut (and one of those was because he withdrew after a tournament that was rained out after two days was finished seven months later), the last time in 1998. That means he had a chance to win a tournament an astounding 142 consecutive times that he entered one, by far the record. It's a great accomplishment, but some of the wire stories I read about this went a little overboard, claiming it was on the level of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak and the ULCA men's basketball team winning an almost unthinkable 88 games in a row (damn you Notre Dame). Um, no, it?s not.
To follow up on the item about Malcolm Glazer's probable takeover of Manchester United from yesterday, I noticed something in the reports I read today that I'd missed when writing that story last night. What really has the United supporters up in arms is that Glazer will have to borrow heavily to own the team, to the tune of roughly $300 million. If his bid is indeed successful, Manchester United will go overnight from have one of the largest profit margins in world football to have one of the largest amounts of debt of any team in any sport. Everything has to go right for Glazer's tenure to be successful and that rarely happens in sports. A few bad years of results (and that?s not unthinkable; United has some big holes to fill in their squad, especially the crucial goalkeeper slot where American Tim Howard has been a bust), fans not buying as many expensive replica jersey?s, TV money drying up and so on and Manchester United could really be in trouble.
NBA MVP Steve Nash had 27 points and 17 assists to lead his Phoenix Suns to a 119-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, allowing the Suns to take a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference semi-final. Expect this one to go the full seven games. Reggie Miller, who has said he?ll retire after this season, continues to make clutch plays for the Indiana Pacers, as his fourth quarter free throws and a crucial jumper?to be fair, he probably pushed off to get that jumper off, but hey, Michael Jordan did that his entire career?to help the Pacers beat their dreaded rivals the Detroit Pistons 79-74 in Indianapolis, giving the Pacers a 2-1 series lead. As a huge UCLA basketball fan, it?s great to see Reggie Miller going out in fine style. Both series resume Sunday.
I wrote a few weeks ago about how up and down baseball fans and the media can be when teams are on streaks, good and bad, using my favorite team, the Angels of Wherever, as an example. Another case in point: the New York Yankees. When the Yankees fell in to last place in the American League East recently, I read more than one obituary for the aging, veteran team. They?ve won six in a row, are only 5 οΎ½ games behind an early surprise team, the Baltimore Orioles, and now some of the media stuff I?ve read today is predicting they?ll be in first place by June. There doesn?t seem to be any middle ground, it?s either full-on panic time or boundless optimism. --Jim Allen
5.13.2005
Glazer to take over Manchester United: Manchester United of England?s Premier League are probably the most recognized sports team in the world. Back away from the e-mail Yankees and Cowboys fans, it?s true, your teams are virtually unknown outside of North America. Manchester United are one of the truly great clubs of English football, second only to Liverpool in terms of success. One of the great days of my life was going to their stadium, Old Trafford, for an FA Cup match against a good Chelsea side. So, when bazillionaire Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced plans to buy the team last year, Man U. supporters were not impressed, nor was I. After all, they?d prevented Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox TV among many media properties, from buying the team years earlier. To the horror of the doubters, though, it looks like Glazer has pulled it off.
Manchester United is a PLC, with shares traded on the London Stock Exchange. By purchasing a 28.7% stake in the club from Irish race horse owners J.P. McManus and John Magnier, Glazer now owns roughly 57% of the club and he?s well on his way to getting the 75% needed for a takeover. Since launching his $1.47 billion takeover bid, Glazer has done nothing to endear himself to Manchester United supporters. Reports of his dodgy business dealings in Florida have been fodder for the notoriously brutal English tabloids, as has his total lack of interest in sports. He basically lets his sons run the sports businesses, but he really seems to have a tin ear for what fans want. The sporting cultures in England and the U.S. are vastly different; if Glazer ends up owning the team, I?d strongly advise him against showing his face at Old Trafford. He will be greeted with 68,000 people very loudly chanting "Glazer is a wanker" and much worse; his mother?s sexuality will definitely be mentioned. The English tabloids will be brutal with him, looking to expose every flaw in he and his son?s personal lives. I honestly don?t think that the Glazer?s know what they?re getting in to, as the picture included hints; the English have a deserved reputation for being xenophobic and Malcolm Glazer will find that out first hand.
What?s even odder is that Glazer, routinely touted as an astute businessman, is proposing things that simply aren?t going to happen. He?s somehow convinced that he?s going to help Manchester United break open the U.S. market for soccer. Sure, people will come see them play an exhibition, but the real football will always, always, always be a minority sport here. I?m baffled about how he thinks his plans in that area are going to work. There?s not much he can do to expand the Manchester United brand name in the rest of the world; when you?re already the most famous club on the planet, where else is there to go? Plus, when I read stories suggesting that he?s going to sell the land that Old Trafford sits on for a luxury real estate development, I strongly suspect that he?s insane. The city of Manchester would never in a thousand million milleniums let that happen, they?d tie him up in court for decades. Old Trafford was heavily damaged by a Lufftwaffe bombing raid in World War II; it?s highly unlikely that a major symbol of Manchester?s post-war revival is going to be torn down by a silly Yank businessman so that he can build luxury condos in a working class area of Manchester. It would be different if Malcolm Glazer showed the slightest bit of interest or knowledge of the emotional and political issues involved in his takeover, but it?s very hard to sympathize with someone who is treating a team with an amazing tradition, a passionate world-wide fan base and an incredible stadium as something no different than his investment in Florida trailer parks. I, for one, look forward to hearing those chants of "Glazer is a wanker" led by the hardcore fans in the Stretford End at Old Trafford. --Jim Allen
5.12.2005
Onterrio Smith's "Original Whizzinator": You'd think that with Randy Moss gone, the Minnesota Vikings might be able to go a couple of months without a controversy. First, head coach Mike Tice filled the void with his ticket-scalping scandal. Now, running back Onterrio Smith was caught in Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport with a prosthetic penis known as "The Original Whizzinator," designed to cheat in drug tests.
The prosthetic penis is attached to a jockstrap and a plastic bag. The person trying to get around the drug test mixes clean, dried urine with water, puts it into the bag and PRESTO! Instant negative drug test.
While Smith said he was taking the device to his cousin, it looks awefully suspicious for the running back, who has two "strikes" in the NFL's anti-drug program. A third "strike" would mean a mandatory one-year suspension for Smith.
Marquette is 'Gold' no more: A week after Marquette changed its nickname to, simply, "Gold," the board of trustees has voted to remove the nickname and let students, alumni and faculty vote on the new nickname.
Many alumni had wanted the university to return to the "Warriors," but the university refuses to do so because some Native Americans think the nickname is a slap in their face. Warriors will not be one of the choices voted on. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.11.2005
No Steroids = Lower Numbers for MLB: When Jason Giambi was taking steroids, he was the American League MVP. Now that he's been caught and he's off them (ostensibly), Giambi is 0-for-his-last-15 with a batting average of .195 and is probably headed for the minor leagues.
The Associated Press is reporting that the New York Yankees have asked Giambi to take an assignment in the minor leagues. No word yet on the answer.
Plus, Major League Baseball is experiencing the third lowest rate of home runs in the last 10 years and is almost nine percent below last year's rate. This year, only 1.97 home runs per game are being hit; that is 24% down from the sky-high 2.59 home runs per game in 2000, before the steroid talk took off. Giambi won his AL MVP Award in 2000.
What a difference illegal drugs make.
Bellamy Road goes from favorite to flame out: Kentucky Derby favorite Bellamy Road may miss the next two legs of the Triple Crown after suffering a foot injury. The Derby's seventh-place finisher, owned by Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, may not see any action until August, according to storied trainer Nick Zito, who discovered a "popped splint" on Bellamy Road at Churchill Downs.
It's just wild that every time a horse comes along whom people start talking about as the next Triple Crown winner, something happens to burst everyone's bubble. Bellamy Road is just the latest. I think all of the expectation of this horse is just a reflection of the need in this sport for a completely dominating performance in the Triple Crown. When that happens, be it next year or 20 years from now, the newspapers will be falling over themselves to outdo one another with accolades. I can't wait. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.10.2005
Open Mouth, Insert Fine: Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy has retracted parts of his comments that league referees told him that they were purposely targeting his center, Yao Ming, with their on-court calls.
"When I referred to an NBA official, people inferred that I was talking about a working NBA referee, instead of an official with the league," Van Gundy said in a statement released by the Rockets. "I was purposely vague because I had given my word that I would keep his name out of it."
NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik followed up Van Gundy's statement by saying a league representative had confirmed that the Rockets coach had not spoken to any league representatives and therefore could not have received the sensitive information he claimed he was privy to.
It all seems like everyone involved was very quick to put this issue to bed. Sudden apologies, dismissal of investigation by the league - no doubt NBA commissioner David Stern's threat of no more work in the NBA got to Van Gundy. Not that we can blame him.
Pats lock up Brady: While the Super Bowl loser Philadelphia Eagles are embroiled in a contract dispute with their star receiver and just released their loud-mouth receiver who riled up their opponent's secondary, the New England Patriots have locked up quarterback Tom Brady for the next six years.
Many observers were wondering if the Patriots - who have become notoriously cheap as their team mentality has focused less and less on "stars" - would pony up enough money to keep the two-time Super Bowl MVP. But, Patriots coach Bill Belichick sees Brady as his son and the one player who will continue his legacy even after he leaves the team or coaching. There was no way he would let Brady go anywhere.
It is left to be seen whether the six-year, $60-million contract will ruffle any feathers after the team has failed to come close to that for any of their other veterans. Though, it's awefully hard to argue with a 9-0 playoff record and two Super bowl MVPs. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.9.2005
The NBA Playoffz-z-z-z-z: It?s hard to remember an NBA playoffs with so many blowouts and so few close games. Of the 45 games played through Sunday, 25 have been decided by 10 or more points. This weekend, the margins of victory were 27, 40, 19 and 22 and two of these were decisive Game 7s. Let?s hope the later rounds will be more dramatic. -- Jim Buzinski
Girl Talk:Amid all the flurry around the boys, a girl was making her own mark at Churchill Downs. The seventh race was the CompUSA Turf Mile for fillies and mares. Miss Terrible, ridden by Alex Solis, led all the way and won easily. One of the TVG commentators described this tough 6-year-old mare, with awe in his voice, as a "running machine."
An Argentine-bred, Miss Terrible won seven consecutive Grade 1 starts south of the equator. Brought to the U.S., she stumbled briefly when two big-name trainers evidently didn't know what to do with her -- she lost her first two races here. Then a former horseshoer named Bradley Ross took her on. She won the Las Flores Handicap at Santa Anita for Ross, and instantly put him on the map as a trainer. To date she has won 10 of 13 lifetime starts. I'll hope to see the "terror" at the Breeder's Cup turf mile on Oct. 29, where she may give the boys a run for their money. -- Patricia Nell Warren
5.8.2005
Long Shots: Giacomo on Saturday won the Kentucky Derby at 50-1 odds, the second-biggest longshot to ever win the race. If you had a spare $2 and bet Giacomo and Closing Argument in an exacta (pick the 1-2 finish), you would have won an astounding $9,814.80. If you had pared them with third-place horse Alfeet Alex for a trifecta, a $2 bet would have yielded a North American record $133,134.80.
Seven tickets had the $1 superfecta (horses 1-4: Giacomo; Closing Argument; Afleet Alex; Don?t Get Mad) and paid $864,253.50. With these kinds of payouts, maybe we'll start paying attention to horse racing.
-- Jim Buzinski
5.7.2005
Hahaha, Freddie Mitchell edition: I'm always amazed when a pro athlete shoots his mouth off without having much in the way of a career to back that talk up. Case in point: former UCLA receiver Freddie Mitchell. To the casual NFL fan, Mitchell has done one thing of note on the field in his career thus far, which was to catch a crucial fourth-and-26 pass for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game. Other than that, he?s spent more time coming up with stupid nicknames for himself than making headlines for his play. Before the Super Bowl last year, Freddie Mitchell gave the New England Patriots bulletin board fodder by mocking their secondary, in particular Rodney Harrison. The final Super Bowl stats read "Eagles passes caught by Freddie Mitchell: one; by Rodney Harrison: two". On Friday, the Eagles released Mitchell, Coach Andy Reid tersely saying "I told him I did not want him here". Ouch. I loved this bit from a column by Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "In his way, Mitchell was almost like a performance artist - a note-perfect parody of the ultimate trash-talking, self-glorifying, look-at-me-me-me professional athlete. He made the fictional Leon of TV commercial fame look tame by comparison". Hahaha.
Wizards win: It only took them 23 years, but the Washington Wizards (formerly the Bullets, of course) finally won an NBA playoff series Friday. By beating the Chicago Bulls 94-91, the Wizards won their series four games to two and get the chance to play the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat, starting Sunday. How long has it been since the Washington team was in the playoffs? The man instrumental in their series win, Gilbert Arenas, was born the same year the Bullets swept New Jersey in an opening round series in 1982. After the long decline that was the post-Michael Jordan years, the Bulls seem to be on the upswing, with a good core of young players and a good coach in Scott Skiles. Still, the Bulls became only the ninth team in NBA history to lose a seven game series after winning the first two games.
Las Vegas, here we come?: One of the great scams in sports is a team threatening to move if their current city (and by extension, state) don?t come up with money to help build a new stadium. The latest example: the state of Florida rejected the allocation of $60 million to help the Florida Marlins build a much-needed baseball-only stadium in Miami, next to the Orange Bowl. The two-time World Series champion Marlins have agreed to put up $192 million of the projected $420 million cost for a 38,000 seater retractable-roof stadium but that didn?t fly in the state capital, Tallahassee. So, predictably, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said the team "would explore our options". Translation: we had informal talks with representatives from Las Vegas earlier in the year and we?re going to move if you don?t give us the financial help. I?m generally against using tax money to fund stadium projects, but Marlins third baseman Mike Lowell has a point when he said "I think it's a major mistake. We're one of the few teams that has proven we can win a championship in this state, and it just seems not everyone is a big fan of us". --Jim Allen
5.6.2005
Employed, for now: Following up on one of Cyd?s items from 5/3, former Oklahoma quarterback Jason White will *not* have to bag groceries for a living, at least not yet. On Thursday, the Tennessee Titans threw White a professional lifeline, offering him a contract and a chance to be the third string backup behind Steve McNair and Billy Volek. The rap on Jason White is that he doesn?t have sufficient arm strength for an NFL quarterback and that he?s had major surgery on each knee. Our friend J.P. is a big Titans fan and he has to be hoping that McNair and Volek stay healthy. Of course, if White gets a chance and doesn?t suck, I?ll be able to write a Jock Talk item about him, lauding him for overcoming the odds and being gritty and all that.
The Tree: Memo to Cyd: if it weren?t for Stanford changing their team name from the Indians to the Cardinal all those years ago, the best mascot in all of sports, hands down, the Stanford Tree, wouldn?t exist. For helping bring The Tree to life, the name change was worth it. Just sayin?.
Sons of Red Sox: What is it with the sons of former Boston Red Sox players? A few years ago, the son of hitting great Ted Williams was involved in a bizarre series of events that ended up with the elder Williams being frozen for possible re-animation at some point when humans have conquered death. Now news reports suggest that the deceased son of former Sox great Carl Yastrzemski engaged in identity theft with his own father. Michael Yastrzemski had the same name as his father but went by his middle name. That didn?t stop him from running up huge credit card debts and having an IRS lien of $46,000 attached to his dad?s name.
Rockets, Celtics survive: The Houston Rockets rode 38 points from Tracy McGrady to stave off elimination in their NBA playoff series with the Dallas Mavericks, winning 101-83 in Houston. The Rockets prevented the humiliation of being eliminated from the NBA playoffs after blowing a 20-point fourth quarter lead in Game 3 of the series that would have seen them take a 3-0 series lead had they held on. The Boston Celtics also avoided elimination, beating the Indiana Pacers 92-89 in overtime at Indianapolis to send the series back to Boston for Game 7. The Celtics won despite having Paul Pierce bounced for his second technical foul just as regulation was ending. Both series conclude on Saturday.
-- Jim Allen
5.5.2005
Johnny Damon Gay-Positive: In next week's Newsweek, Red Sox slugger Johnny Damon has a positive perspective on a gay teammate: "If someone came out on the baseball field, I don't think it would be a big deal...If I had a gay teammate, I'm sure we'd keep slapping each other on the butt."
If only more athletes had the self-confidence Damon obviously has, we could probably find a few hundred thousand volunteers.
Mascot Stupidity: This may be the official end of any sanity regarding college mascots. Marquette has decided to change its nickname to the fearsome Marquette Gold.
Since 1994, they had been known as the Golden Eagles. Before that, they were the Marquette Warriors. But, with the long line of Native American PC Warriors, Marquette was pushed and pulled until they abandoned the offensive "Warriors" monicker for "Golden Eagles."
Like so many schools that have gone this route, alumni have pushed ever since 1994 to return the Warriors nickname. Last May, two trustees even offered to donate $1 million apiece to the school if they would return to the Warriors. The school turned them down.
Now, they're stuck without a fearsome warrior and without even a fearsome bird (might offend bird enthusiasts, you know). Now, like Stanford 40 years before them, they are left with a color.
I just don't get all this nonsense about Native American nicknames being offensive. I would LOVE a team to name themselves after gay people. How about the Marquette Pansies? I'd be the biggest fan of the Atlanta Faggots. I'd buy out the NFL shop for the Washington Queers.
Instead of taking pride in being recognized for their excellence, some (not all, mind you) Native American groups see it as a constant PR move to badger every team that dares pay them homage by nicknaming their mascot in their image.
The Green Bay Fudgepackers. Heck, even I'd cheer for Brett Favre then! -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.4.2005
John Rocker, Part XXVII - Return of the Jackass: John Rocker, the former Atlanta Braves pitcher who made headlines in 1999 by offending gays, Asians, single moms, people with HIV and every New Yorker in the five boros, took another verbal jab at a fan after a sorry outing Tuesday night.
Trying to make a comeback with the minor league Long Island Ducks, Rocker followed up his poor initial outing a few days ago with a one-third-inning performance Tuesday night against the Atlantic City Surf in which he gave up two runs, two hits and two walks.
According to the Associated Press, as Rocker left the field in Atlantic City, Dave Macken, a Surf fan, told him that he was a long way form Atlanta. According to Macken, Rocker replied, "I'm still a millionaire and you're a piece of shit."
Ho-hum. Just another game featuring baseball's latest poster child for bad behavior.
Is Kellen Winslow Jr. Illiterate? Cleveland Browns fans have to be asking themselves that question after their top draft pick in 2004 went sailing over the handlebars of his new motorcycle - riding a motorcycle, according to reports, is in violation of his contract. Winslow may now have to repay a $4.4 million signing bonus he received in March.
NFL fans have not had the chance to become too acquainted with Winslow yet. A rookie last year, Winslow broke his leg during an onside kick in week 2 and never returned to action. He was still recovering from the injury when he sustained other injuries while flying over his bike's handlebars and crashing to the ground.
Genius. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.3.2005
Beck's beauty tips: Soccer star and Posh-Spice-hubby David Beckham has revealed his deepest, darkets beauty tips after People magazine named him the world's most beautiful sports icon.
"I've learned a lot. Being out in the cold and rain doesn't help your skin, so moisturiser in the morning is a big thing. And at night it's the eye cream. A manicure is probably my favourite pampering splurge."
Beckham also told the mag that his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, is a big fan of his firm butt, but that his feet leave much to be desired. Time for a pedicure, I guess.
N-word sinks Sooner coach: Oklahoma Sooners head baseball coach Larry Cochell has resigned after some of his semi-private statements about a black player hit the airwaves. Cochell apparently commented that Oklahoma freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan had "no n***** in him." Dunigan is black.
Cochell was in good standing with the university's athletic department, having won the national championship in 1994.
Can you imagine what would happen if every coach was fired for saying "fag" or "queer"?
More bad Sooner news: Oklahoma quarterback Jason White was arguably one of the two or three best college football players over the last two years. He played in two National Championship games, won several national awards both seasons and was a Heisman finalist both years, winning it one of those years. Now, he's looking at a future bagging groceries.
White was not drafted in this year's NFL draft, but was given a chance at the Kansas City Chief's three-day rookie camp. The Chiefs decided to not give him a shot on their lineup. They were hoping that the quarterback could fit onto their team as a backup, but he just didn't cut the mustard. There have been rumblings of White possibly fitting onto a team in another position, but it now looks like his best bet is in the Arena League. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.2.2005
NJ town lifts Speedo ban: For the last 30 years, the coastal town of Cape May, N.J., has had an oft-ignored law banning any male over the age of 12 from wearing a Speedo or any other brief-style bathing suit. This past week, the town voted to repeal the law.
While Speedo fans may now put Cape May on their list of must-dos this summer, one 19-year-old resident, Maggie Creighton, told the Associated Press that there may be reason to pause those plans: "The people you want to see in the Speedos, you don't."
Despite the package-a-phobia that many straight men have, it's still surprising that anywhere would have an actual ban on the swimsuits that so many swimmers and gay men find so comfortable and attractive.
While the 19-year-old's warning is heard, we're more in line with Cape May resident Joann Quinn: "I haven't been to the beach in years, but now I'm thinking I'll go down there this year. The beach ought to be interesting this year." -Cyd Zeigler jr.
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
