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5.31.2006
Sex and the World Cup: From the terrific World Cup Blog, a must-bookmark for any soccer fan, we learn that the Ukrainian coach has promised his team they can have sex with their wives if they reach the semifinals. "I would personally send my players to see their wives if we reach the semis. Those who don?t feel like it, I?ll just drag to their wives. Take my word for it," Oleg Blokhin told Russian daily Sport-Express on Tuesday.
Big deal. I had the same reaction as World Cup Blog: "But if you think about it, is this really an incentive? If Ukraine loses in the first round its players will get to go home and have all the fun they want anyway." Plus, who's to say these guys wouldn't want to have sex with some hot German fraulein or one of their teammates instead?
The blog also tells us the preparation being made in one town for the religiously strict Saudis: "The team hotel which will remove all alcohol and pay-per-view adult movies from the players? rooms. Also coming down are five art nouveau paintings featuring naked boys wearing wings." In contrast, Luis Felipe Scolaro, the coach of pre-tourney favorite Brazil has a more permissive view: "I don?t think that sex one day before the game will have any harm on the player. Just sex, no problem. The problem is, they don?t eat, they don?t sleep, they smoke and they drink. That is the problem. Sex? No, sex is always very good ? always welcome." No wonder the Brazilians always play with a certain flair. --Jim Buzinski
5.30.2006
Gay Hockey Fans: An old joke goes like this ? why do Canadians have sex doggie style? So they both can watch the hockey game. In Canada, hockey is a national religion, and gays are no less passionate about the game, especially in Edmonton, where the Oilers have reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
Woody's Pub is ground zero for hockey-loving gay fans, the Edmonton Journal reports. "This is like the gay man's Cheers," said Murray Billett, a longtime Edmonton gay activist, in a fun article by Scott McKeen. "Speaking of stereotypes, what's with these gay guys watching hockey? Aren't they supposed to be at the art gallery or at home, decorating?" McKeen writes. "In the past few years I've written extensively in support of gay rights and gay marriage. Yet I'm still a bit guilty of seeing gay men in Will-and-Grace stereotypes. Billett is six-foot-four. He grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, drove trucks and played hockey. He's not so unique, it turns out. Just Google the words gay and hockey and you'll come up with ample evidence that gay men don't just like watching hockey, but playing it.
"Leagues exist all over the world. According to numerous accounts, the gay game of hockey is just as rough, just as likely to feature elbows, high sticks and fighting. 'Hit him -- HIT HIM!' yells the guy next to me. The other reason I'm at Woodys to watch this game? To be honest, I enjoy the company of gay men. Let me rephrase. The gay men I've met over the years were all smart, articulate, well read and damn funny. No doubt, dour and ignorant gay men exist. But I've yet to meet one."
Killed for Wearing Shorts: Religious extremism struck again in Iraq this weekend when a tennis coach and two of his players were shot to death in Baghdad for wearing shorts. Gunmen stopped a car carrying the Sunni Arab coach and two Shiite players, asked them to step out and then shot them, Manham Kubba secretary-general of the Iraqi Tennis Union, told the Associated Press. Extremists had distributed leaflets warning people in the mostly Sunni neighborhoods of Saidiyah and Ghazaliyah not to wear shorts, police said. "Wearing shorts by youth are prohibited because it violates the principles of Islamic religion when showing forbidden parts of the body. Also women should wear the veil," the leaflets said.
A Sunni Muslim cleric denounced the killings, saying, "Islamic religion is an easy religion and it allows wearing sport shorts as long as they don't show the forbidden parts of the body, so the acts that are targeting the sport are criminal." The killings are another disturbing sign of the kind of religious fanaticism gripping the country, that includes attacks on gays. --Jim Buzinski
5.27.2006
Friday quick hits: Ah, the Minnesota Vikings sex boat scandal from last year, a boon to snark merchants everywhere! Of course, for the people involved, it wasn't so funny. Former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, prior to leaving for the warmer climes of Miami, was not charged; former Vikings running back Moe Williams was convicted of disorderly conduct last month. On Friday, the case finished the legal system phase: cornerback Fred Smoot and tackle Bryant McKinnie plead guilty and will pay a fine, do community service and pay court costs. The NFL can still levy penalties against the players; the collective bargaining agreement prohibits the Vikings from piling on too.
The French Open and Wimbledon got a little less interesting on Friday when Serena Williams withdrew from both tournaments this year due to a chronic knee problem. Serena won the ladies singles at Wimbledon in 2002 and 2003 but has played just four matches in the last eight months. Sports like tennis desperately need their big stars to be healthy to keep interest up among casual fans [Jim Allen raises hand] so it's a drag that Serena won't have the chance to possibly curtsy to the Duchess of Kent at Centre Court this year.
You might have heard a cry of anguish in the universe today. It came from England, where football (soccer) fans were waiting anxiously to see whether the broken foot of Wayne Rooney had healed enough to allow him to play in the upcoming World Cup. The answer: sort of. He will definitely miss the group games, and if, as expected, England make it through to the Round of 16, he might be able to play then. Rooney is vital to England's chances but I get a really bad vibe about this. Now, sure, I'm still bitter that he left my beloved Everton to chase the huge pay packet at bloody Manchester United, but this guy is a rare talent, one of those players that can just dominate a game. He's still only 20, so he has at least two more chances at playing in a World Cup; it seems foolish to rush him back so quickly and risk permanent injury. In the end, England is going to flame out in the quarterfinals or something anyways, their fans will clog suicide hotlines for weeks, the press will be braying for all the players to be drawn and quartered in Trafalgar Square for "betraying the country" etc. etc., so it just seems a little shortsighted. --Jim Allen
5.26.2006
Royals blues: A slow day in sports -- OK, the Detroit Pistons won to even up their NBA playoff series with the Miami Heat at 1-1 and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks postponed their inevitible elimination from the Stanley Cup playoffs by beating the Edmonton Oilers to trail 3-1 in that series -- so today's topic will be a really bad team. Really, really bad.
My first boyfriend, Robert, spent part of his childhood in Kansas City and was a huge Kansas City Royals and Chiefs fan. When we were together, in the mid-80's, the Royals were a consistently excellent team, ultimately winning the World Series in 1985. At the time, the Royals were in the same division as my favorite team, the California Angels, so there were some, shall we say, spirited dicussions about baseball between Robert and I. Were he still around today, Robert would be gnashing his teeth at how awful his beloved Royals are.
How bad are the Royals in 2006? After scoring six runs in the first inning at home to the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, the Royals ended up losing 13-8. It was their 13th consecutive loss, driving their record this season to 10-35. If they keep up this pace, they will easily top the 1962 New York Mets (40-120) for the worst record by a team in the modern era (i.e. post-1903); that pace works out to a truly horrific 36-126. Denny McClain won 31 games for the 1968 Tigers, to put that in perspective.
What's gone so horribly wrong in Kansas City? "They're a small market team, they can't compete financially" is the usual cause cited. That's true to an extent, though the fact that the Florida Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks have won titles in the last five seasons while playing in mid-sized markets kind of undercuts that argument. No, it looks like the real reason is something that, as an Angels fan, I'm used to: a bad owner.
Despite all the hoo-hah that surrounded him, I've long thought that Gene Autrey was a terrible owner during his Angels ownership days, and the Royals David Glass seems like a midwest version of Autrey. It's the classic dilemma in a sport with no meaningful revenue sharing: the small-market team can't afford to pay massive salaries for long term contracts with its young stars, who leave or are traded away, causing the team to lose consistently, thus driving away fans and potential free agent signings.
It's a vicious circle and a situation that current Royals ownership seems unwilling or unable to change. It's sad to see once great franchises struggle like the Royals and it's not good for baseball as a whole either. Of course, the team has immortality in its grasp, even if that's pegged to being the biggest bunch of losers ever, so expect them to choke and pull off a 10 game winning streak or two during the course of the season and end up winning 41 games. --Jim Allen
5.25.2006
Pat Robertson, Superman: Televangelist and general all-around homophobic kook Pat Robertson claims he can leg press 2,000 pounds. "Did you know that Pat Robertson can leg press 2,000 pounds?" his website said. "How does he do it? Where does Pat find the time and energy to host a daily, national TV show, head a world-wide ministry, develop visionary scholars, while traveling the globe as a statesman? One of Pat's secrets to keeping his energy high and his vitality soaring is his age-defying protein shake. Pat developed a delicious, refreshing shake, filled with energy-producing nutrients. Discover what kinds of natural ingredients make up Pat's protein shake by registering for your FREE booklet today!"
Clay Travis, writing for CBS Sportsline, called Robertson out. "There is no way on earth Robertson leg presses 2,000 pounds. That would mean a 76-year-old man broke the all-time Florida State University leg press record by 665 pounds over Dan Kendra [who did 1,335 pounds]. 665 pounds. Further, when he set the record, they had to modify the leg press machine to fit 1,335 pounds of weight. Plus, Kendra's capillaries in his eyes burst. Burst. Where in the world did Robertson even find a machine that could hold 2,000 pounds at one time? And how does he still have vision?"
Amazingly, Robertson's spokesman stood by the 2,000-pound claim and insists that Robertson's doctor can leg press 2,700 pounds. Talk about muscular Christianity. The best comment came from a weightlifter posting on Wonkette: "If he comes to my gym and leg presses 2000 pounds, I will **** him. Seriously. If he wants. Or if he prefers, I will pray with him. Holding his actual slimy hands."
This is the same Robertson who said about Orlando holding gay days: "A condition like this will bring about ... earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor." Sounds like a job for Super Pat.
Suns Steal Game 1: Boris Diaw hit the game-winning shot with .5 seconds remaining to give the Phoenix Suns a thrilling 121-118 win over the host Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of their Western Conference finals. If the rest of the series plays out like this, it will be good to the last shot. --Jim Buzinski
5.24.2006
Sports and gay advertising ? a winning combination: The Commercial Closet Association held its annual awards ceremony at the Time Warner Center in New York City Tuesday night, and sports had a definite presence at the event. The Commercial Closet was founded by and is run by Mike Wilke to monitor gay-themed advertising and educate advertisers about gay issues.
Andrew Tagliabue, son of NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, took home an award for the PFLAG "Stay Close" campaign he co-founded. The campaign features famous people (e.g., Cindy Lauper and Ben Affleck) with their gay relatives. Andrew told me that they are working on getting a top NFL personality to appear in the campaign and said that it's not outside the question that he and his father might appear in the campaign at some point. The NFL commissioner is stepping down this year, and his present expected date is Aug. 18.
ESPN also took home an award for their "Sports is my orientation" campaign (left). In accepting the award, the ESPN representative (who was not introduced) painted ESPN as a company that welcomes anyone, "as long as you're a sports fan." The ad ran in Diversity Inc., and was used as a recruiting tool.
Despite all of the problems the sports world has seemed to have with gay issues, it's great to see people and companies associated with sports stepping up and putting gay-positive images in the media. It's something you just wouldn't have seen 10 years ago, and it really reflects the changing attitudes in sports and our culture in general. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.23.2006
Suns, Mavs Win: The Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns won their respective Game 7's in the NBA playoffs and will meet in the conference finals. The Suns took the easy route, winning at home over the pesky Los Angeles Clippers, 127-107. The difference? The Suns outscored the Clippers from the 3-points line, 45-0.
Dallas took the much harder route, winning at defending champion San Antonio, 119-111 in overtime. The last 32 seconds of regulation were amazing. The Spurs battled back from 20 points down to take a 104-101 lead on the 3-pointer by Manu Ginobili, easily the hottest player in the league. On Dallas' next possession, Dirk Nowitzki drove the lane, put up a shot that went in and was fouled; his free throw tied it at 104. Ginobili then had a nice penetration with six seconds left but his shot just missed the mark. Teammate Tim Duncan had a wide-open chance at a layin but he fumbled the rebound and the game went into overtime, where Dallas led from the start.
"I told Dirk, 'Did you see that? It just ran out of the door,' " Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "The monkey that's been on our back for so long, it's gone." The monkey was San Antonio's recent playoff dominance of the Mavs. The Suns-Mavs series will be a real treat, since both teams can score and look for every game to have more than 200 total points scored. In contrast, the Eastern Conference finals between Detroit and Miami will be a much more defensive series. I like Dallas and Detroit to advance.
Swiss Studs: I like the ad campaign by the Swiss tourism board that uses hot Swiss men as a lure to women who will be soccer widows during next month's World Cup. See the video.
"Dear Girls," the ad says, "Why not escape this summer's World Cup to a country where men spend less time on football and more time on you?" BBC TV did a segment on this and it asked Swiss women if the men they knew were as hot as the ones in the ad. "Good luck" finding one, a woman said, though the Swiss tourism group insists the guys shown really do what's depicted in the ads, from milking cows to climbing mountains. A gay guy in London, not to be outdone, posted a video on You Tube "inviting the boys internationally who enjoy man-to-man contact on and off the field" to come to Switzerland themselves. The sights in this video showed a lot of naked butts. I have to say, the guys in the Swiss tourism ad were much hotter, unless you're totally into twinks.--Jim Buzinski
5.22.2006
A 'Little Testosterone' in WNBA: Stacey Dales of the WNBA's Chicago Sky told the Chicago Tribune that stereptypes in women's sports were part of the territory, as annoying as they might be.
"To play in this league, to be one of the best, you have to have a certain swagger, a little testosterone," Dales told the Tribune. "And with that comes the stereotype that we're dudes. But you get me off court, all dressed up, and I turn into a female. There are a lot of gay women in this league. There are a lot of straight women. A lot of straight women may look gay to some people, and vice versa." I never thought I would see the words "testosterone" and "dude" in a WNBA story, especially when spoken by a player.
The league started its news season this past weekend with Sheryl Swoopes in her first action since coming out last fall. WNBA Commissioner Donna Orender told the Tribune it was not surprising that Swoopes felt comfortable discussing her sexuality. "Our league is unique in that one of our fundamental platforms is that we embrace diversity," Orender said. "We just want Sheryl to be happy."
In a good way, the Swoopes disclosure has been treated as a non-story with the league opening. AP mentioned her coming out as part of a season preview, but spent much more space talking about Swoopes' play and her rigorous conditioning program. Swoopes received a standing ovation Sunday at the Houston Comets' home opener after being awarded the MVP trophy from last season. "I think it was great to be recognized at the beginning of the game for something I won last year," Swoopes told the Houston Chronicle. "It was nice, but this is a whole other year, so I honestly didn't think about it that much."
Swoopes showed that it is possible for a major team sport athlete to come out without it being career-ending. I realize there is a big difference between men's and women's sports, but she is still setting an example for others to follow.
An NBA Dud: It's been a thrill ride this postseason in the NBA Playoffs, with 15 games coming down to the wire. But the Game 7 between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers turned out to be a bust, as the Pistons smothered LeBron James in the second half en route to a 79-61 win. How bad was it for Cleveland: "Detroit held Cleveland to the lowest-point total in any Game 7 in NBA history; the third-lowest total in any playoff game since 1955; and 23 points in the second half, which tied the fewest scored in a postseason half since the shot clock was introduced a half-century ago," AP said. In other words, the game was only enjoyable to Detroit Piston fans unless you enjoy watching shots continually clank off the rim. --Jim Buzinski
5.20.2006
Italian football scandal: There's never a good time to have a match-fixing and betting scandal in a sport, but with the football (soccer) World Cup less than a month away from starting, Italy couldn't have picked a worse time for one.
It's joked that football in Italy is more popular than the Catholic church but this latest bit of skullduggery has rocked the government as well. It all starts with the club Juventus, of Turin. Juve are the Yankees of Italian football, having won the scudetto (league title) 29 times. They are owned by the Agnelli family, founders of Fiat. The scandal broke open when wiretaps revealed that the general manager of Juventus, Luciano Moggi, and another official of the club were attempting to bribe Italian football authorities to appoint referees favorable to Juventus in important matches.
The club also faces possible kidnapping charges for an incident in which a referee and his two linesmen were trapped in a locker room by Juventus officials after a match. To top all that, Juve (and the Italian national team) goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and three former players are being investigated for Pete Rose-esque betting incidents. Oh, not to forget that Moggi's son Alessandro is under investigation for shady transfer dealings as he is the head of a huge sports agent firm. Whew!
Italian football has been scandal plagued for a while now: there were blood doping scandals in the 90's, the supporters of teams have rioted/chanted racist abuse/almost hit players with flares/openly sympathized with Mussolini's fascist government, there's been match fixing allegations in Italy for as long as I've followed The Beautiful Game etc. etc.
However, this incident has touched the government as Italian football's governing body has government ties. Recently deposed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns Juve rival AC Milan and he's asking that the last two scudettos be stripped from Juventus and awarded to Milan. If it didn't have such wide implications for the sport, it would actually make a cool movie, sort of a Da Vinci Code set in the locker room.
The scandal also affects the Italian national team's preparations for the upcoming World Cup in Germany. They are sure to be bombarded with media attention while in their northern neighbor and any goalkeeping screwup by Buffon or dodgy refereeing call that goes Italy's way will be heavily scrutinized. It's not the best way to go in to a tournament, but it seems par for the course these days in big international sporting tournaments (see: the Olympics). I can't wait for the World Cup to start.
Oh, and the Angels of Anaheim really suck right now. *Sigh* It's a long season is all I can tell myself. --Jim Allen
5.19.2006
Hazing, again: We at Outsports have been consistent in ripping the practice of hazing, often noting the weird undertow of homoeroticism *and* homophobia that are part of the absurd rituals. Because of BadJocks.com, the issue is getting some national play now. BadJocks usually deals in high school coaches who sleep with their players -- mostly males coaches > female players -- but there's been a series of photo galleries on the site in the last few days of various teams from various schools looking like, well, total idiots and borderline head cases.
BadJocks work made the New York Times Thursday edition and what stuck out for me in the article is the exasperation of college administrators. It's a fine line between young adults having fun and underage drinking which leads to physical or emotional abuses of people that are the objects of the hazing. What's kind of weird for me is, thanks to photo sharing sites like Facebook and Webshots and so on is how eager people are to share their experiences. It used to be that hazing took place behind closed doors, but it seems that the digital camera revolution has rendered that a quaint notion.
Of all the schools that are mentioned on both BadJocks and in the Times article, Northwestern University has the most damage control to deal with. A few days after the women's soccer team was suspended for alleged hazing incidents dating to last year, the swim team and a mascot (!!) were suspended for incidents that happened last year as well. The maroons who play Willie the Wildcat, the school's mascot, were busted for kidnaping potential new Willie's.
The issue of hazing is twofold for me. First off, I don't buy for a nanosecond that it "builds team unity". I despise things that rely on humiliating other people, full stop. The other reason is more mercenary: the schools, and the people in charge, could be liable in lawsuits for these incidents. I'm not naive enough to think that hazing is going away, but with the burst of publicity about it in the last few months, hopefully potential perpetrators will think twice about doing it.
Second fast man in the world: Last week I wrote briefly about Justin Gatlin, who broke the world record time in the 100 metres. Woops! He's now "tied" for that honor after a truly stupefying development this week.
Gatlin ran the 100 in 9.766 seconds last week in Qatar, breaking Jamaican Asafa Powell's record by .01 seconds. Due to rules in track and field, Gatlin's timing should have been rounded up to 9.77, tying Powell's mark. I can't quite figure out why they use rounding up like on a tax form instead of taking it out to however many decimal places, but in any case, the two men now share the record. They're both running at the Prefontaine classic in Eugene on May 28, but due to contractual obligations, they won't race each other (the field will be split in to two 8-man races). That honor goes to an event in June in the North of England; expect the trash talking from Gatlin and Powell to reach boxing title fight levels in the interim. --Jim Allen
5.18.2006
NFL Commish on Gays: As we reported last fall, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his wife Chandler are big supporters of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The Tagliabues have a gay son, Andrew, who lives in New York with his partner Mark. Tagliabue is retiring this summer and in a profile on HBO's "Real Sports," Bob Costas asked him about his support for gay causes.
Costas: You're very supportive [of gay rights] and always have been. Some people might say, 'Boy, it's ironic, because if Andrew was a football player, he'd probably have a hard time in an NFL locker room." Tagliabue: Well, he might and he might not. You know, I think that's an area where attitudes are changing throughout society, including in sports. We've had some players, [New York Giants] Michael Strahan and others, who have been pretty strong advocates to respect the rights of gay and lesbian Americans. There is some irony there, but for [he and his wife], it's a personal issue and we've got a great son and we think that we need to stand by him just the way he stood by us and our values."
Strahan has been a supporter of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, an AIDS advocacy group in New York. The jury is still out on how an openly gay NFL player would be treated, with so much determined by the circumstances. But one thing is clear ?- this player's path to acceptance will be greatly enhanced by support from the NFL office and zero tolerance toward any gay bashing, physical or verbal. Now that Tagliabue is retired, perhaps he can take the lead in getting domestic partner rights for players and be an evangelist in spreading the word that it's OK to be gay and the only thing that should matter is how you play.
More NBA Thrillers: Two more NBA playoff games went down to the wire Wednesday, as Cleveland upset Detroit, 86-84, and San Antonio beat Dallas, 98-97. Cleveland and Dallas each lead their series, 3-2.
The big surprise was the Detroit loss. The Pistons led the series 2-0, and whether it was complacency or what, allowed the Cavs to seize control with Game 6 in Cleveland. San Antonio staved off elimination in what has become an awesome series; the games have been decided by 2, 12, 1, 5 (in overtime) and 1 points. So far in the playoffs, 13 games have been decided by 1 or 2 points, not including the games that went into overtime. Of course, the final two minutes of an NBA game can take 30+ minutes, which does tend to suck a lot of the drama out at times. --Jim Buzinski
5.17.2006
More Portland Allegations: About 15 former players have now come forward with they call negative experiences with Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland, subject of a lawsuit saying she discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation. Penn State University ruled April 18 ((see story) that women's basketball coach Rene Portland created a "hostile, intimidating and offensive environment" based on the perceived sexual orientation of a former player, Jennifer Harris. Portland continues to insist she did nothing wrong and a Monday mediation session failed to reach a resolution.
After Harris' suit was filed, former players came forward to the National Center for Lesbian Rights to add in their incidents of Portland's alleged homophobia, the Centre Daily Times reports. "The amount of publicity has brought athletes forward to talk with us," Helen Carroll, who heads the NCLR's Homophobia in Sports Project, told the paper. Their testimony has "been very important to corroborate Jen's story and to develop a pattern," she said. Last week, USA Today reported that five former players said that Portland did not tolerate lesbians on her team. One revealing anecdote came from Courtney Wicks, who told USA Today:
"I had two separate conversations with (Portland) on the subject. One, I asked her directly why she felt the way she felt. Why she had this stance about not allowing lesbians in the locker rooms, on her team, or in her program. She said that she doesn't want her players to have to make a choice in the locker room. Basically, she almost made it seem, if you have a lesbian on the team, they could be predatorial and force you to make a decision you don't want to have to make, or force you to make a decision that you don't even really want to think about at that point in time, and it can be or is distracting."
"Sexual orientation and race of any person is irrelevant to me, and I don't judge on those kind of (bases)," Portland told USA Today. Nice try. How Portland has been able to keep her job despite her public declaration of anti-gay bias is a sad commentary on homophobia in sports. Had she said she didn't want any Jewish players, there is no doubt she would have been sacked days after stating it. Harris' suit and the NCLR's relentlessness on this case may mean that Portland's days are numbered; another losing season like the last one wouldn't help her either.
Suns Win a Classic: In a game that ended after 2 a.m. Eastern time this morning and likely seen by very few, the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 125-118, in an NBA playoff double-overtime thriller. The Suns blew a 19-point second-half lead and seemed to be done in the first overtime, down 111-108 with only 3.6 seconds left. But, with a foul to give, the Clippers elected to play defense and the Suns' Raja Bell hit the tying 3-pointer that sent the game into the second overtime where Phoenix pulled away. Why the Clippers didn't foul and run some time off is a mystery that was hotly debated by Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley on TNT afterward. Smith: "There are some coaches who don't like to foul." Barkley: "Yeah, they're called fired coaches."
The NBA Playoffs this year have featured several amazing finishes and the Suns-Clippers series has featured four thrillers out of five games. But the games end so late on the East Coast, that only true basketball fanatics are watching. Even out here in LA, the game finished close to 11:15 p.m.--Jim Buzinski
5.16.2006
Ackerman Most Fit: Graham Ackerman, the former University of California gymnast who is openly gay, has been named one the "25 fittest guys" by Men's Fitness magazine.
Ackerman, 23, who won back-to-back national titles in the floor exercise in 2004 and 2005, joined such luminaries on the list as Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, actor Heath Ledger, singer Kayne West and speed skater Shani Davis. The magazine picked one person from various fields or disciplines who have achieved their goals. Ackerman is called "The Acrobat" and is shown in a three-picture series doing handstands.
"Ackerman is one of the few out-and-proud athletes in college sports," MF wrote, unaware that Ackerman has graduated. But hey, it?s the thought that counts. "But while you might think his personal life would be the hottest topic in the locker room, he insists it doesn't come up," the magazine said. "My teammates are like my family," he tells MF. "It's never even been an issue."
It was nice that M&F acknowledges gays (though it never used the word in Ackerman's short bio), who must comprise a large percentage of the magazine's readership, despite its relentless promotion of women and how to get them and have sex with them. It seems as if every article has some heterosexual angle ("Give Her What She Wants," A Bar-Crawler's Guide to Getting the Girl"), and the relentless shoving it in our faces reflects editors who are paranoid that anyone might think some male readers pick up the magazine to look at the male fitness models.
Another Duke Indictment: David Evans, a senior and team captain for the Duke lacrosse team was indicted on charges of first-degree forcible rape, sexual offense and kidnapping, the third player charged in the highly publicized case stemming from a March 13 party involving a stripper who says she was raped. "I am absolutely innocent of all the charges that were brought against me," Evans said at a press conference. "These allegations are lies. Fabricated. And they will be proven wrong. ? "Every member of the Duke lacrosse team is innocent. You have all been told some fantastic lies. I look forward to watching them unravel in the weeks to come -- and they already have in weeks past. The truth will come out."
I still have no idea what to make of this case, which is fraught with racial and class angles. The three players are innocent until proven guilty and defense attorneys say they and all the players at the party have tested negative for DNA evidence. The district attorney keeps insisting he has evidence other than DNA to prove the guilt, and the victim is still sticking to her story. The lack of a DNA match is very troubling, since it has become the gold standard in many cases, with its absence leading to some convictions being overturned. It looks like we're looking at a trial where it will be he said vs. she said.--Jim Buzinski
5.15.2006
Swoopes' Sports Bar: It has long been a tradition among famous male sports jocks to open a bar or restaurant that quickly becomes a hangout in that city. Now, out Houston Comets star Sheryl Swoopes hopes to add to that with her Swoopes 22 Sports Bar & Nightclub in Houston, which opened May 3. It?s one more sign that Swoopes, who came out last fall, is not going to shirk from the limelight.
"I want this club to be a place that will be comfortable for women in particular," Swoopes told the Houston Voice. "So many clubs have a younger crowd, and I want my club to be where mature, professional women can meet up with friends, relax and enjoy themselves." Swoopes is not just targeting lesbians, adding that she wants the club to be straight-friendly as well.
According to the paper, the club's designer describes its look as "South Beach meets funky." (About the only thing that makes me think of "Houston" and "South Beach" in the same sentence is humidity.) "The club?s cavernous 6,500-square foot interior features a warm peach tone and other color accents," the paper adds, saying it will cost $300,000 to renovate and also features a private cigar lounge and salt-water aquarium. Let's hope some drunken fool doesn't put his or her cigar out in the aquarium, or that it's stocked with flesh-eating piranha.
The club is just a few blocks from the Toyota Center, where the Comets play their home games, so it should have no trouble attracting a sporting clientele. I think it's great for Swoopes to be doing this and hope it starts a trend among out gay athletes -? are you listening Billy Bean and Esera Tuaolo?
Nadal Wins Again: The only thing more impressive than Rafael Nadal's biceps is his amazing winning streak on clay ? 53 matches and counting. In beating Roger Federer in five sets Sunday at the Rome Masters, Nadal tied Guillermo Villas' record on clay.
Federer is still the world's top-ranked tennis player but all three of his losses have come to Nadal. "Fifty-three matches is a lot of matches. Every week when I start a tournament I think: this week I'm going to lose," said Nadal. Against anyone but Nadal, Federer is a lock, which makes the upcoming French Open that much more intriguing since it's on clay, the one surface where the Swiss is not the best.--Jim Buzinski
5.13.2006
Beer: Since Barry Bonds didn't hit his 714th career home run to tie Babe Ruth for second on the all-time list and there wasn't much else going on Friday in sports that interested me, I'll write about two of my favorite subjects: beer and the real football, aka soccer.
I love beer but I refuse to drink the colored water that passes for the stuff that's manufactured by *shudder* Coors and Budweiser and their ilk *shudder*. Until the microbrewery explosion of the last 20 years or so, my rabid Eurocentric attitude towards most things even included beer. I've been following the beer saga that's going on connected with the upcoming World Cup football tournament in Germany and it makes for some fun reading.
FIFA, world football's governing body, had originally signed a deal with Anheuser-Busch, makers of the swill known as Budweiser, for exclusive rights to sell beer at World Cup events. Predicatably, Germans, and lovers of good beer worldwide, were outraged. Germans trail only the Czechs and Irish in per capita consumption of beer. There has been much wailing and lamenting in the German press about the fact that a country with the highest number of breweries in the known universe (there's around 1,300 breweries in Germany) couldn't sell homegown product.
Wanting to grow their market outside the United States, where it only accounts for 7% of sales, as a measure of goodwill, Anheuser-Busch finally relented and agreed to give up 30% of the beer rights to Bitburger. This is good news for beer drinkers but possibly bad news for the authorities: the flavored water that is Bud would have surely reduced drunken brawls.
In reading about this issue, I loved this bit of wishful thinking from a Anheuser-Busch PR guy: "As the younger people are traveling and becoming much more of a global society, maybe beer tastes will change" to accomodate the "characteristic lightness, crispness and refreshing taste" of Bud. As Morrissey once crooned, "Oh very nice, very nice/but maybe in the next world/maybe in the next world".
Actual sports content! OK, just so Jim B. and Cyd won't fire me, here is the one notable thing in sports that I noticed Friday. American Justin Gatlin is the new offical Fastest Man in the World, setting a world record in the 100 meters, running them in 9.76 at a meet in Doha, Qatar. He beat the old record, set by Jamaica's Asafa Powell, by a mere .01 seconds. --Jim Allen
5.12.2006
Pink bats in baseball: In 1994, the San Francisco Giants hosted a day at the ballpark called "Until There's a Cure", a fundraiser for AIDS. It was a groundbreaking gesture by a professional sports team towards the gay community (and yes, yes, gay does not = AIDS nor does AIDS = gay) but it also drew criticism and some less than enlightened reactions from some Giants players.
Now, of course, eight baseball teams have Gay Days in some form or the other. It's been a pretty amazing turn of events in the last decade or so: the often homophobic sports world at least has gay fans and athletes on their radars. When I read a story I was sent by a reader, I thought to myself "This simply wouldn't have happened in 1994".
The story is this: there are ribbons denoting support for various causes, such as red for AIDS, yellow for military personnel and so on. Pink is the color of ribbons for breast cancer research support. For this coming Mother's Day, various major leagues players are taking part in a promotion by bat manufacturers Hillerich & Bradsby of Louisville Slugger fame as part of a fundraiser for breast cancer charities. Following the lead of the NHL, which did something similar with hockey sticks in March, the bats will be pink. They will be personalized for the players and after the games, auctioned off to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
It's simply impossible for me to imagine that this could have happened ten or fifteen years ago. For reasons I'll never quite understand, baseball players are really macho and hyper-concerned with masculinity. That attitude is somewhat understandable in bruising contact sports such as football or rugby but baseball? Where they fight over getting hit with a ball? Anyways, I was pleasantly surprised when I read the story to find out that such big names as Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Jim Thome (*SWOON*), Mark Teixeira, Ken Griffey Jr. and Jim Edmonds, among many players, were taking part. --Jim Allen
5.11.2006
Gay Skaters Win Case: Management of a Berkley, Calif., ice rink has apologized to two gay skaters who said they were
discriminated against for skating together while holding hands. Alan Lessik and John Manzon-Santos filed a lawsuit against
East Bay Iceland claiming discrimination against the Berkeley Iceland skating rink and their employee Monte Tiedemann after
two incidents at the rink. The pair had been warned by Tiedemann in April 2005 about skating together, even though
male-female couples were doing just that. The latest incident took place in February, when Tiedemann told them, "I told you
guys before, no skating together, this is a freestyle . . . There are no pairs here, I don't allow it", even though,
according to Lessik, they weren't any other couples holding hands at the time.
Under the settlement reached Wednesday,
East Bay Iceland will:
Require its employees to undergo diversity training.
Prominently display placards in part
stating "[Iceland] undertakes continual efforts to open the world of skating to individuals in an environment free from
intimidation, harassment, or bias."
Issue a public apology and confirm its commitment to equal treatment of all
patrons.
Make donations to the Federation of Gay Games and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (which handled the
case).
Host a Gay/Straight Skate Night on a monthly basis.
Offer weekly ?pairs preferred? freestyle skating
sessions, and give Manzon-Santos and Lessik free admission to the sessions for one year.
"East Bay Iceland is a model
partner," said Karen Doering, senior counsel with NCLR. "They seriously listened to our concerns, recognized discrimination
is damaging, and are taking every step to ensure discrimination does not happen at their establishments, including educating
all of their employees with diversity trainings." Manzon-Santos and Lessik are set to compete at figure skating at the
upcoming Gay Games in Chicago.
Their victory is an example of the importance of state anti-discrimination codes that
included sexual orientation. California has such codes, which provide discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of
sexual orientation. Last year, the California State Supreme Court gave a victory to gay and lesbian couples when it ruled
against a golf country club that had refused to give a lesbian couple the same membership benefits given to married
heterosexual couples.
Cuban Fined $200,000: It's hard not to like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who was fined $200,000 by the NBA for criticizing the officiating. The money is chump change for the billionaire owner who e-mailed AP that "Change in any business never comes cheaply,"
Cuban was fined for two incidents. The first came Sunday when he went onto the court to complain about the refs during a Game 1 playoff loss to San Antonio. The second came for comments on his blog titled "How to improve NBA Playoff Officiating." "(The NBA) doesn't view the playoffs as a place where the very best of the best of officials go to work," he wrote. "It views the playoffs as part of a reward system for officials. ... In fact, if the info I have is correct, there are officials who haven't even been promoted to full-time crew chief who get playoff assignments. How crazy is that?"
I like Cuban because he is amazingly fan-friendly and accessible and answers e-mail. This is not the first time he has gotten into trouble with the league, which has now fined him more than $1 million. --Jim Buzinski
5.10.2006
Ultimately, It's Homoerotic: What has 16 young, athletic, buff men walking around shirtless with nary a woman in sight? What has these same men compete for dominance against each other, with one man each episode coming out on top? No, not the latest from Falcon. It?s "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV and it's hands-down the most homoerotic thing on the tube.
I've become a fan of the third season of this reality show and wonder why every gay man isn't a regular viewer. Each episode features the fighters (now down to 11) training, living together in the same house (tank tops or no shirts with shorts are the uniform) and leading up to an elimination match where the loser goes home. A highlight is the weigh-in, where each of the fighters (skilled in the mixed martial arts) strip down to their briefs, and step on the scale as a member of the Nevada boxing commission peers at them crotch level and announces their weight. It's both hot and a hoot, the latter since the homoeroticism is latent and maybe the last thing Spike would want to be known for; the channel is clearly geared towards the ultramacho heteros among us.
Go to Spike's Ultimate Fighter home page and there's a link to the UFC Ring Girls, but these babes (or any other) aren't to be seen on air; it's guys, guys and more guys. My favorite is Noah (pictured), a 24-year-old light-heavyweight who looks more like an academic with his glasses, but is a terrific fighter with a killer bod, and Rory, a neat freak who flipped out when his housemates left a mess; both won their first elimination matches. Each team is coached by a UFC legend, Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz, who seem to really hate each other (think Yankees vs. Red Sox).
The testosterone level on the show is off the charts, the scenery is terrific and the challenge match at the end is more pure than anything on "Survivor." Lesbians will be bored to tears, but for men who love men and for other men who love watching men beat each other up, "The Ultimate Fighter" is 60 minutes of pure entertainment. --Jim Buzinski
5.9.2006
No to Fem Jocks in Iran: No David Beckhams or other metrosexuals need apply to play sports in Iran, the country's head of physical education has declared. "I will ban athletes with an effeminate look," the head of the country's Physical Education Organization, Mohammad Ali-Abadi, told the Etemad-Melli newspaper. "It is really disgraceful for Iran that young people step onto fields wearing make-up. When a man enters the field with dyed hair and groomed eyebrows he is disrespecting society."
Ali-Abadi focused on soccer in his comments and said that "even though they get away with it now, they will be disqualified in future."
Normally, this kind of an item would be ripe for satire, but the comments reflect the ultra-hardliners still in control in the country; gay rights are non-existent in Iran, where homosexuality is still punishable by death. Last year, a photo widely circulated reportedly showing two Iranian teenagers being hung for homosexual conduct. On its website, the Persian Gay and Lesnian Organization, offered this chilling assessment of gay life in Iran: "The anti-gay pogrom in Iran includes arrests and torture of gay people, executions of gay Iranians on trumped up charges, and a well-organized Internet entrapment campaign by Iran's religious sex police that is ensnaring gay Iranians daily."
In another depressing development from Iran, women will be barred from attending soccer games, which reverses a decision made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The president, in allowing women to sit in separate sections in the stands, thought their presence would "improve soccer-watching manners and promote a healthy atmosphere." But Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - who under the Islamic Republic's constitution has the final say -- opposed the move. Gow tough is it for women in Iran? "They need a male guardian's permission to work or travel, and have rarely been allowed to attend public sports events," AP says.--Jim Buzinski
5.8.2006
A Gay Sports Bar in K.C.: Who knew that Kansas City would support a thriving gay sports bar? "Everyone thought we were nuts opening up a gay sports bar ? people in the gay community didn?t ? but everybody else did," Alan Rogers, co-owner of Outabounds told the Kansas City Star."But on a Chiefs Sunday you can?t get in the door. We?re just shoulder to shoulder." The bar has been open since October, but so far no member of the NFL's Chiefs or baseball's Royals have wandered in. "I mean, if you were an athlete would you go to a known gay sports bar?" Rogers asked.
But when the two teams wanted to promote a vote on a new stadium, things got interesting. "They sent a whole pack of pretty girls to all the sports bars, and we were on the list," co-owner Doug Knetzer says. "And, of course, we were like, ?We love your hair, makeup and nails.? And they stayed the whole night. They were all drop-dead gorgeous, and they were, like, 'We?ve never been to a gay bar before. This is so much fun.' "
"One of the girls was wearing jeans with rhinestones across her butt, and one of the guys said to me, 'Honey, your butt would never fit in those jeans,' bartender James Castle said. "So we went in the bathroom, and I put her jeans on, and she wore my shorts. And when I came out wearing them, everybody in the bar cheered."
The next time the Chiefs want to cater to their gay fan base, Tony Gonzalez or Trent Green would have more impact than some hot babes.
This Fan's Truly Nuts: Fan is derived from fanatic and it describes England soccer supporter Paul Hucker, who has insured his mental health for $1.8 million in case England gets bumped out early of the World Cup. Hucker, 34, told the London Evening Star that he had taken out the policy following years of disappointment when England failed to progress to the final stages of a competition, and the agony of watching them lose through penalty shoot outs.
"The pressure of this World Cup is not just on the players and the managers. I think a lot of supporters are under a lot of pressure and suffer because of England's performance," he told the paper. "I find when it goes to penalty shoot-outs it gets very difficult and I wanted to insure myself against psychological trauma."
Hucker paid Britishinsurance.com about $200 for the policy and it goes into affect if England is knocked out of the first round of the tournament, which starts next month in Germany. A panel of five sports commentators will judge if the elimination was premature. "Hucker will them have to provide medical evidence showing that he has suffered severe mental trauma as a result to get his seven-figure payout," the paper said. "The only thing the policy does not cover is England failing to progress through the tournament as a direct result of players being out due to metatarsal injuries, following news that striker Wayne Rooney may not be fit for the event after breaking his foot."
Hucker said that if he were to be awarded any money, some of it will go to charity. He should use the rest to see a psychiatrist.--Jim Buzinski
5.7.2006
Derby Day: This year I finally managed to pick a Derby winner! But I had lots of company -- Barbaro was the pick for millions of bettors who made him the morning-line favorite, right down to post time, when Sweetnorthernsaint nipped in as favorite. It was a full field of 20, a very interesting field, with 10 or 12 outstanding horses who could have won. But for a couple of months now, fans and handicappers have been captivated by this big strapping energetic colt with his big attitude and his big stride.
Traditionally there is a jinx on Derby favorites, but the gods and goddesses were smiling yesterday. Barbaro and rider Prado had a near perfect trip -- a little stumble at the gate, but then they settled into a comfortable stalking position well into the backside. They made their move in the middle of the far turn. Prado didn't even hit the colt, just waved the stick to let him know it was time to kick. Barbaro left the field behind by 6 1/2 lengths, the biggest margin since Assault's win in 1946.
Now the big question is -- the Triple Crown. The game is long overdue for a Triple winner. Barbaro is a versatile horse -- he can run in the slop, he can run on dirt and grass, he can take dirt in the face and come from behind. But can he stay that mile and a half at Belmont?
What does his pedigree say about this? It's an interesting pedigree -- a big background of English, Irish and Continental winners on both sides that may be unusual for U.S. horses today. "European" means distance -- they go for longer races over there. The European great who dominates Barbaro's genes is Nearco, point stallion of the Northern Dancer and Bold Ruler lines. I'm not an expert on pedigree "dosage", but maybe this background will give Barbaro the vigor and staying power for the long campaign ahead. That and trainer Michael Matz's unconventional program, and Edgar Prado's intelligent riding.
The owners of Lael Stables must have drunk an extra julep yesterday -- this horse is their own breeding.
I sure hope to see Barbaro in the Breeder's Cup this fall. It will be exciting to see how he stacks up against the world's best, including Japanese-bred Deep Impact, who is the toast of Asia after his huge win in the Tenno Sho-Spring a few weeks ago. --Patricia Nell Warren
5.6.2006
Gay figure skaters sue: As much as I gently mock figure skating for being gay gay gay gay GAY, outside of the Gay Games, that gayness is pretty subtle, if invisible. A looming court case in Northern California brings this issue to the forefront.
Alan Lessik and John Manzon-Santos are planning to compete in figure skating at the upcoming Gay Games in Chicago. The pair filed a lawsuit this week claiming discrimination against the Berkeley Iceland skating rink and their employee Monte Tiedemann after two incidents at the rink.
The pair had been warned by Tiedemann in April 2005 about skating together, even though male-female couples were doing just that. The latest incident took place in February of this year, when Tiedemann told them, "I told you guys before, no skating together, this is a freestyle . . . There are no pairs here, I don't allow it", even though, according to Lessik, they weren't any other couples holding hands at the time.
When Lessik indicated that they were going to take the incidents up with the city of Berkeley, Tiedemann replied, "Go ahead, I'd love to take this on." "We were publicly humiliated by having this happen to us, and we feel absolutely clear that Monte has a problem with gay skaters," Lessik, a San Francisco resident, told the Oakland Tribune. The parties will meet for an arbitration meeting to see if the dispute can be settled.
One thing in Mr. Lessik and Manzon-Santos' favor legally is that it wasn't until the pair were leaving the rink after the February 2006 incident that Mr. Tiedemann brought up safety as a reason for his actions. The men aren't buying that explanation at all, thus the suit.
Iceland manager Jay Wescott dismissed the charges of homophobia, he told the Berkeley Daily Planet. "We are open to people of all sexual orientations," he said, underscoring that his employee was simply enforcing safety regulations. "He stopped them from doing tricks. They were doing tricks as a pair ? going in different directions." --Jim Allen
5.5.2006
The Gambler(s): Jim B., Cyd and I have a friend who has a gambling problem. I've lived paycheck-to-paycheck most of my adult life, so blowing $5,000 on blackjack in Vegas is almost beyond comprehension for me. I thought of our friend this week after reading about a couple of people that have dropped some serious change while gambling.
Golfer John Daly is not a guy that most people would think of when the concepts of "restraint" or "clean living" are discussed. He's battled various problems over the years such as his weight and drinking. This week he made a shocking claim: that he's lost $50-$60 million gambling, mostly at casinos. He's since revised that down to $20 million as people pointed out that he's hardly made the larger amount in his career to be able to gamble it away.
Charles Barkely is one of *the* all-time great quote machines, so when he was asked about Daly, he got all confessional, saying that he'd lost in the range of $10 million. Obviously, I don't care how people spend their money, and neither does Sir Charles as he said "I understand that's a lot of money, but it is my money. Nobody has the right to tell me what to do with my money". Daly admitted he had a problem but when it was suggested that he get help by the PGA he said "I'm not really in to that". Well, okay then! You know, dudes, I'd really love to get a Moog synthesizer, how about helping me out with some of your pocket change?
Let's hope John Daly doesn't end up like sad sack Art Schlichter. The former Ohio State and Colts quarterback is a compulsive gambler who has been in something like 30 jails/prisons for fraud and bad checks and so on; he's currently doing a stretch that will see him released in 2008.
It seems that gambling is simply part of the sports culture; certainly, if betting pools and laying some money on the Colts to cover the spread were eliminated (yes, snowballs, hell, I know), the NFL wouldn't be nearly as popular but I'm definitely not a Mary Moralist type, so banning them would be pathetic. What does concern me is the Pete Rose effect, of players/people connected with a sport betting on that sport. It's fairly common for betting scandals to happen in sports (see: the German soccer referee taking bribes from gambling syndicates a few years ago) but if it's widespread but it would render steroids a trivial matter. You can bet on it. --Jim Allen
5.4.2006
Gay Games Executive Director Sacked: The Chicago Gay Games organization continued a Games tradition by firing its executive director 73 days before the July 15 opening ceremonies. Brian McGuinness was booted for an unspecified reason, Chicago media reported. He was replaced by Chicago board member Christee Snell.
"This isn?t really a dramatic difference in what has been happening over the last couple of months as we?ve evolved. To the outside world, this might appear as a significant change that is very close to the (start of) the Games, but, for our purposes, it sort of represents a codification of what we?re already doing and the model that we had almost gotten to," Chicago vice-chair Kevin Boyer told the Windy City Times.
McGuinness' firing this close out to the start is not even a record for a Gay Games. In 1998, amid widespread allegations of financial mismanagement, the Amsterdam Gay Games board fired its executive director just days before the start. The city of Amsterdam had to step in and agreed to pony up $2.5 million to cover debts so the games could go on.
In 2002, Sydney Gay Games dumped its CEO 93 days before the start of the opening ceremonies Down Under, and the event was a financial bust, losing an estimated $2.5 million.
There have been no hints of impropriety in Chicago and the Games announced this week that 11,000 athletes have registered. Boyer told the Chicago Tribune that Chicago Gay Games has $800,000 in the bank and 200 sponsors, so it might be that Chicago escapes the financial woes that have plagued every Games since 1990.
Being named the executive director of a Gay Games is akin to being a baseball manager or coach of the Detroit Lions ? you might as well enjoy your time because eventually you?re going to get fired. --Jim Buzinski
5.3.2006
Mike Danton, Revisited: The Mike Danton murder-for-hire story has always been bizarre. NHL player in 2004 tries to hire hitman to kill his Svengali-like agent. Despite being the target (he still denies it despite all the evidence), the agent still is close to the player, even advising him on a legal strategy as player sits in jail. Player pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and is in federal prison on a seven-year sentence.
Our interest has always been on the possible gay angle between Danton, the former St. Louis Blues player, and the agent, David Frost, but continuing reporting by Canadian media, especially the CBC, makes that angle appear nonexistent. A recent 40-minute report on the CBC's "Fifth Estate" news magazine offered a devastating portrayal of Frost as manipulative, lying and controlling, taking young impressionable players and separating them from their families. Danton is so estranged from his family that he changed his last name from Jefferson to Danton.
The CBC report detailed sex parties with "hockey bunnies," weird "bonding" rituals where Frost would tie up young teenage boys naked to beds (in cases never prosecuted), and phone calls from Danton in prison to Frost, where the agent demanded the player tell him he still loved him. Danton is said to have been "out of control" in his sexcapdes with women, including strippers. But no one has demonstrated there was ever anything sexual between Danton and Frost. "The idea that Danton was trying to murder his gay lover came not from the facts, but from an interpretation, or misinterpretation, of statements made in the criminal complaint," the CBC said in a report late last year, which is a pretty accurate assessment of what we and other media interpreted at the time.
Danton continues to defend Frost, writing a 36-page letter to the Ottawa Citizen last week saying their relationship should be viewed as more "father-son" than "player-agent." He credits Frost with rescuing him at age 11 from what he called a horrible upbringing. "Not once was I ever read a book at night and I can't remember ever receiving a hug or kiss," Danton wrote. He even credited Frost with getting him to brush his teeth every day and use deodorant.
Danton sent a hand-written press release to Outsports two weeks ago through an attorney stating why he thinks he should be transferred from a U.S. prison in New Jersey to one in Canada (which could trigger probation). Danton says he has been a model prisoner who is tutoring other inmates to get their GEDs. He said he wants to go to Canada to get proper "psychological treatment" and be in a "loving, productive family environment." The whole case has many angles -- weird, odd, bizarre and sick, but apparently none that are gay. --Jim Buzinski
5.2.2006
NFL Draft: The Stupid, the Hot, the Mean and the Irrelevant: The Houston Texans passed up nearly everyone''s top pick, USC running back Reggie Bush, and selected NC State defensive end Mario Williams with the first overall pick. I usually love teams that take big risks on draft day, but this seems like a stupid risk to me. Bush was the best player in college football last year, has a great attitude, possesses incredible athleticism and is the first guy since LaDainian Tomlinson who I think could carry a team on his back right out of the draft. That''s good news for the New Orleans Saints, who got Bush, and for the Colts, Titans and Jaguars, who are in the Texans'' division.
Outsports favorite and two-time King of the Hardwood Champion Jeremy Bloom (left) was in fact drafted, taken in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. It was dicey whether Bloom, who hasn''t played football since returning kicks and playing wide receiver for the University of Colorado in 2003, would be drafted at all, and he was ready to make the rounds as a free agent. As a 5-foot-9 wide receiver, it''s questionable whether he''ll make it to the Eagles'' first-week matchup at aforementioned Houston, but it is nice to see a guy who''s willing to show us some skin get into the NFL. I certainly don''t envy him, though, when his teammates start teasing the "model" about his boyish good looks.
I loved this email from Jim on Saturday: "Pats Screw the Colts. They draft the RB the Colts wanted the most. I love this rivalry." The Colts had been somewhat open about their desire to draft Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney; so, the Pats beat them to it. The Colts then selected LSU back Joseph Addai, leaving many Colts fans wondering about the sanity of Colts president Bill Polian (who has had an incredible record with his draftees). I actually have to wonder if the Colts didn''t put Maroney''s name out there to lead the Patriots astray. Probably not, but it makes for great drama!
On Monday, the St. Louis Rams made a bit of a splash, signing Denzel Washington''s son, John David Washington, a free agent running back from Morehouse College. Washington holds the school record for rushing yards in a season with 1,198. If only the son of the "Remember the Titans" star had been drafted by Tennessee....
This year''s Mr. Irrelevant, the last player selected, was Maine''s wide receiver Kevin McMahan, selected at No. 255 by the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders also selected Mr. Irrelevant in 2003 and 2004; neither of those players have seen action in an NFL game. The last Mr. Irrelevant to see any kind of real playing time is Michael Green, a defensive back selected by the Chicago Bears in 2000. He has had 4 interceptions and 6 sacks in his 81 games. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Testicle Grabbing OK, NBA Says: Reggie Evans of the NBA''s Denver Nuggets was fined $10,000 but not suspended after he grabbed the testicles of the Los Angeles Clippers Chris during a playoff game Saturday.
"It just shocked me," Kaman told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "I was like ''Wow!'' It was unbelievable. I mean in a basketball game for someone to grab your (private parts), to reach behind me, grab my (private parts) and try to rip them off basically, I couldn''t believe it. At first,
I was thinking, ''What the heck? What just happened? I just got violated.'' He did it on purpose, dude. How do you reach between someone''s legs from behind him with your left hand and squeeze your hand hard and grab the (private parts)?"
In retaliation, Kaman shoved Evans in the back and was called for a foul by the same refs who somehow missed Evans reaching between Kaman''s legs and yanking (I''ve seen the replay. Ouch!). The league on Monday fined Evans for "unnecessary and excessive contact.." But bizarrely, no suspension, this from a league that has suspended players for a lot less.--Jim Buzinski
5.1.2006
Who's the MVP?: Kobe Bryant's 17-foot jump shot as time expired lifted the Los Angeles Lakers over the Phoenix Suns, 99-98, to give LA a 3-1 lead in their NBA series. It also intensified the debate over who the real league MVP was. Bryant finished second in the voting to Steve Nash of the Suns, but Nash suffered a meltdown at the end Sunday that cost his team the game.
At the end of regulation, with the Suns clinging to a 90-88 lead, Nash took the inbounds pass and only had to hold onto the ball and either be fouled or have time run out. Instead, he somehow let Smush Parker knock the ball away and feed it to Bryant, who hit the tying bucket with .7 seconds left that sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Nash again had the ball and the Suns had a one-point lead as he dribbled up court with seven seconds left. As he crossed midcourt, Nash was trapped by two Lakers and a jump ball was called. The Lakers controlled the tip and Bryant hit the game-winner. In fairness to Nash, it did look like he was fouled by Luke Walton and was calling timeout when the jump ball was called. Nonetheless, these two critical mistakes have put the Suns in a huge hole and caused Staples Center to erupt with chants of "MVP!" as Bryant thumped his chest in victory afterwards.
With the Lakers and Los Clippers each leading their series 3-1, the situation is ripe for the first all-LA playoff series, meaning one team from SoCal will reach the Western Conference finals.--Jim Buzinski
4.29.2006
"Hey, how *you* doin'?": I love this story. Vanderlei Luxemburgo is a futbol coach who mainly works in Brazil; he's also coached Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid for a brief spell, as well as the Brazilian national team. Now coaching Santos in the Brazilian Paulista, he was banned from coaching on the sideline for 60 days by the Brazilian futbol authorities. Why? For accusing a referee of flirting with him.
On Fox Soccer Channel highlights shows, they often show coaches in various countries talking after the game. Mostly, it's the usual bland "Well, we played good enough to get a point..." kind of cliche-mongering, so it's nice to see Luxemburgo break the mold a bit.
He accused the referee, Rodrigo Martins Cintra, of flirting with him as he was mad with Cintra's decisions after Santos lost a match 3-1. "He was flirting with me. He blew his whistle and looked at me with every decision he made....Maybe it was because of my pink shirt". Oh, if attracting the attention of a man was only that easy! You can judge for yourself whether Mr. Luxemburgo is flirt-worthy.
Keep your damn clothes on: Another story from the world of football (i.e. soccer) had me smiling today. To stereotype a bit, the German football authorities are pretty efficient; they seem to be thinking of everything regarding the World Cup that is being played in their country in two months or so (see: the prostitution issue that we've previously discussed). This week came the news that if you're thinking of stripping off your clothes, possibly daubing a message on your chest or back (or elsewhere) and running on to a World Cup venue pitch, running around for a bit and then getting gang tackled by security, don't do it.
Hansa Rostock plays in Germany's top division, the Bundesliega. In a 2003 home match against Hertha Berlin, two different streakers made it past security and did their thing. Apart from how security could miss someone who naked or taking off their clothes at the edge of the pitch, the German footballing authorities were not amused.
They fined Hansa Rostock 20,000 Euros (about $25,000) for the security breaches. Hansa promptly turned around and sued both of the streakers for damages. A court awarded them 10,000 Euros ($12,500) in damages from one of them and the DFB, the German governing body for football, took the opportunity to issue dire warnings against any potential law breakers. I can't wait for the World Cup to begin. --Jim Allen
4.28.2006
Good for Kraft: When I went to the Gay Games in New York City in 1994, there was nary a peep of protest from anti-gay forces. Those days seem long ago, now that homosexuality is a political football in this country like never before.
The giant food maker Kraft -- mmmmmm....Kraft mac and cheese -- had donated $25,000 to the Chicago Gay Games. That's small beans to Kraft, which spent $85 million on charitable activities last year. However, that was more than enough loot to get some board members complaining. One in particular, Dr. Marcella Meyer, used a shareholders meeting to argue that Kraft should not tie itself to events that promote "homosexual activities and lifestyle". Yawn -- it's my freaking life, not a lifestyle, like yachting -- but in any case, her "reasoning" was fairly novel, as these things go.
Because, as we all know that being gay = dying very young of hideous diseases [/sarcasm], Dr. Meyer argued that Kraft could be held liable if someone went to Gay Games and picked up something other than a gold medal. I'm not at all conversant about corporate governance, so while that stance seems somewhat plausible despite the underlying premise (i.e. all gays die are rampant disease carriers) being utter crap, it was rejected by 99% of the voters at the shareholders meeting.
Said a coporate spokesperson, "Diversity makes us a much stronger company and connects us with the diversity that exists among the consumers who buy our products". I'm too cynical to believe in the shiny rhetoric of that statement; the gay and lesbian dollar has a bit of clout in corporate America these days. Still, in an era when companies are terrified of the slightest bit of controversy and run from it at the first signs of trouble, it's nice to see a company like Kraft stick by its decision. --Jim Allen
4.27.2006
Stick It! It's always interesting to see what films studios decide to market to gay people. Disney has decided that it's upcoming women's gymnastics movie "Stick It!" falls into that category. They have been sending us here at Outsports information about the movie for weeks.
It's understandable. The 2000 cult hit "Bring It On," about a high school cheerleading team in Southern California, drew a big gay audience with its wit, hot guys and gay characters. "Stick It!" is written and directed by Jessica Bendinger, the same woman who wrote "Bring It On." And the basic storyline doesn't seem so far off, either: Girl with a rebellious attitude joins an elite women's gymnastics team and it results in ? great teamwork. You just can't write that stuff. Or, rather, you shouldn't write that stuff.
With the same witty cuts and cuties like John Patrick Amedori and Kellan Lutz, "Stick It!" just might do well in Chelsea, West Hollywood and South Beach.
Still, it is pretty sad that it's movies like this that Hollywood thinks it should market to gay men. In recent years, Disney has produced sports movies about overcoming adversity focused on an over-the-hill rookie pitcher, the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and a 20-year-old winning the 1913 U.S. Open. While the theme of overcoming adversity is something every gay man can relate to, these movies have not been targeted to us. Instead, Hollywood tells us to go see campy cheerleading and gymnastics movies. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
4.26.2006
DC judge reopens gay bashing case involving Duke lax player: Accused Duke lacrosse player Collin Finnerty, 19, is in deeper trouble than he had bargained for. Because of the indictment against him for allegedly raping an exotic dancer at a team party, a judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered that he stand trial for the alleged gay bashing of a man who asked Finnerty and two friends to "stop calling him gay and other derogatory names" before they began beating him, according to court documents.
Finnerty could have avoided this. Despite the D.C.-based allegations, all he had to do was perform 25 hours of community service and stay out of trouble and the charges would have been dismissed. Guilty or not of the rape allegations, the kid got himself involved in a party that clearly had some issues, and it's his own damn fault.
Finnerty faces up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Ricky suspended for entire season: If only this guy would get off the weed, he could be one of the most dominant backs in NFL history. Instead, Ricky Williams will be watching the 2006 season on his big-screen TV. He was suspended for the season by the NFL for testing positive for illegal substances. For the fourth time. Doh!
This time, according to the Associated Press, it wasn't marijuana Williams tested positive for, which all three previous tests captured.
It's so sad to see what has become of this guy. To be sure, football isn't everything. But, in 2002, he was at the top of his game, leading the league in rushing for his new team, the Miami Dolphins. Now, he'll miss his second season of the last three after "retiring" in 2004 and serving a suspension the first four games of last season. He played the last 12 games of the season, averaging a respectable 4.4 yards per carry while sharing playing time with rookie back Ronnie Brown. His first two games back, he rushed 11 times for 7 yards. When Williams carried the ball over 12 times, the Dolphins were 5-0; they were 4-7 when he did not.
After winning their last six games, the Dolphins now have to figure out what to do without Ricky. And it's all because he couldn't stay clean despite knowing he would be tested up to 10 times per month. I hope he finds whatever he's looking for on this wild journey of his. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
4.25.2006
A closeted athlete sees 'Brokeback Mountain': The legacy of Brokeback Mountain certainly didn't end at the Academy Awards. Patricia Nell Warren, author of "The Front Runner" and a series of gay-sports history installments on Outsports.com, reminded us of this review we first wrote about in January. It appeared on IMDB, and its powerful words bear repeating.
"I am 29 yrs old, still in the closet, and hiding who I truly am. I grew up in a small town where I was a star athlete, prom king in high school, the all-American boy. I cannot come out to my family or friends for reasons of maybe losing them as well as my job.
"I once had a very special love in my life. He is dead now. He took his own life when he was only 23. He could not accept himself or could not trust others to accept who he was, and I don't blame him for killing himself?I blame society. I miss him and there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of him, and I am trying to hold back the tears as I write this.
"We met in college and our story is very similar to the one in this movie?If Tim were alive, I know he would have fallen in love with this movie as I did and could now see the bit of hope that this film has shown me. I saw this film by myself and sat in the back of the theatre and in a sad beautiful way I felt like Tim was there with me. I hope to God this movie makes it to main street theatres and not only limited ones where I had to drive two hours away from my home to see it.
"If anyone reads this, please spread the word to people and tell them the importance of this film it really could get people to think a little more, and maybe then more gay young men in the world would stop killing themselves, and more gay young men will stop being infected by HIV because they have no self worth or love for themselves to put on a condom. But can you blame them when their own families, churches, friends, society is telling them that they are not to be loved or to love themselves!
"So when this movie finished I walked to my car, drove down a dark alley way, locked the doors and did what any other tough young cowboy did, I cried?some days I'm just barely hanging on, but movies like this want to make me keep fighting. Thank you Brokeback Mountain."
Thank you, our anonymous gay athlete. It is sharing like you've done here that will continue to reach young gay athletes and inspire them. And who knows, they may just have "The Front Runner" movie to inspire them in the coming years. We can hope. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
4.24.2006
Norwegian shooter gives the word "target" a whole new meaning: Why oh why can't more American athletes think like French rugby players and Norwegian shooters? Dieux Du Stade has grabbed our attention for several years now with calendars and DVDs featuring hot naked rugby players (of course, they've expanded to athletes in other sports, but it was rugby that started it all). Now, Are Hanson, a 24-year-old shooting champion from Sarpsborg, Norway, is posing nude in hopes to raise enough money to pay his way to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, according to Aftenposten. (Story and photo found here.) Hanson is selling copies of the photo, which features the nude athlete with a well-placed rifle; it's sales of the photo that he hopes will raise the 150,000 Norwegian Kroner ($23,000) and up that he will need to fund this shooting season and beyond.
Hanson does have a great shot at the Olympics. He participated in the World Cup opening last month in China and finished eighth.
Unfortunately, many of the athletes we'd like to see try this kind of thing already make enough money that they won't need to be selling naked photos of themselves. The trouble with shooting is that the rifle is large enough to cover most ? packages. But if we could get golf's Sergio Garcia to do it, short of using a bucket of balls, we might get a slightly better ? perspective. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Keith Hernandez joins growing list of stupid former athletes: Mets broadcaster Keith Hernandez, who won the World Series with the "Amazin's" in 1986, said on a Mets-Padres broadcast on Saturday that women don?t belong in the dugouts of Major League Baseball teams. The comment came after former Met Mike Piazza homered for the Padres and exchanged a high-five with a female massage therapist for the Padres.
"Who is the girl in the dugout, with the long hair?" Hernandez said of the woman on the receiving end of Piazza's high-five. "What's going on here? You have got to be kidding me. Only player personnel in the dugout."
Hernandez stuck to his guns, even after he found out that the woman has been with the team since 2004. "I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout," he said.
I can only imagine what he would say if there was an openly gay man in the dugout. Something like, "What's that gay guy doing in the dugout? He's supposed to be in the closet." What a jerk. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
