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6.30.2004
Outsports at the Yankees: Outsports' very own Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler were treated to their first Yankees game in the Bronx Tuesday night. Jim had been to the stadium before for one of the big ceremonies for the 1994 Gay Games, but neither had been to a Yanks game.
Playing host was MunsonMan from the Outsports Discussion Board (who finally filled Cyd in on the origin of his nickname - the Yankees' Thurmon Munson - which sounds like he should have been coming out of a coffin in a certain '60s TV show).
The Yankees put on a show, scoring 11 runs to the Boston Red Sox' pitiful three. Though, Boston slugger Johnny Damon did get some cheers from the Bo'Sox faithful when he hit two of the first three pitches he saw out of the park.
One of the ironies that Jim and Cyd found was how Yankees fans are lauded as die-hards. Halfway through the eighth inning, about 40% of the audience (including Vice-President Dick Cheney, who made an appearance at the game) had filed out of the stadium headed for the D train. They thought they were at Dodgers Stadium.
Despite there being no relish in the entire stadium for Jim's hot dog, the evening was a fun excursion into the Bronx with one of Outsports' most active members.
Plus, the game ended with Gabe Kapler at bat - who's bat, no one is telling.
6.29.2004
Another Athlete Doesn't Like Gays: It probably shouldn't even be news at this point. But, yet another athlete has announced that he doesn't like gay people. This time, though, early indications certainly point to a refusal to apologize.
Not that he's really even an athlete at all, but now-former WWE star Brock Lesnar, known to millions by his wrestling persona, "The Next Big Thing," joined a growing list of athletes - including John Rocker and Jeremy Shockey - who love that they don't like gays.
"I don't like gays. Write that down in your little notebook. I don't like gays," ESPN.com reported Lesnar as saying on Monday. He also, apparently, said some things that would make us vote for John Rocker as HRC president.
The brash Lesnar left the WWE in hopes of chasing his dream in the NFL. But, don't count on seeing him gracing your television screens Sunday afternoons this fall because the 26-year-old hasn't played football since 1995. And that was high school.
It's just too bad that guys like him have to be so insecure in their own sexuality that they need to say such negative things about gay people. So many of us, who have participated in this month's Gay Pride celebrations, have been there - done that. And we're not the ones prancing around on national television and jumping on sweaty men in our bikinis.
Maybe somebody should let this guy know - in the NFL, though he'll get to jump on more guys more often, he'll have to wear pants.
6.28.2004
Fullerton Wins CWS: At one point mid-season, Cal State Fullerton was under .500. On Sunday, they completed a two-game sweep of Texas that gave them the College World Series Championship.
The Titans, who were 15-16, finished the season 47-22, finishing on a scorching 32-6 tear.
The championship was a reunion of sorts, with former Fullerton coach Augie Garrido, who won three national championships there, now helming Texas. But, it was Garrido's former team that got the best of him and sent him home with a 3-2 loss that ended the season.
6.27.2004
The Dodgers still suck: Angels 7, Dodgers 5.
Ohmygawd! It rains in England!: The leadership of the All-England Lawn Tennis Club (aka Wimbledon) in the suburbs of London can't wait for 2009 to roll around. At that point, there should be a roof over the fabled Centre Court, thus preventing what happened Saturday: a rainout of all matches. That makes two days that have been washed out during this years tournament, thus forcing the rare playing of matches on the middle Sunday of the tournament, which is usually a break. This is good news for ordinary tennis fans, as the usually impossible-to-get tickets will now be obtainable simply by queueing up all night in hopes of getting one of the 28,000 non-reserved seats that will be on sale for play on Sunday.
6.26.2004
The Dodgers Suck: Nothing deep or profound to report, just that the Los Angeles Dodgers got ripped by their much-better cross-town rivals the Anaheim Angels 13-0 on Friday at Dodger Stadium. It got so bad for the Dodgers that aging has-been third baseman Robin Ventura came in to pitch the 9th inning and did better than any of the other pitchers.
That's a lot of money: Boxer Mike Tyson has packed more living in to his 38 years than a hundred ordinary humans do in a lifetime. One of the most controversial athletes of the last 20 years, he's been heavyweight champion of the world, convicted rapist, freak show and now, beyond utterly broke. After squandering a hard-to-believe $300 million dollars, he now finds himself $38.4 million in debt. He will get some short term relief from promoter Don King, who will pay him some $14 million to settle claims that the notoriously spiky-haired promoter cheated him out of close to $100 million in purses. To make up the rest, Tyson is going to have to fight, and fight often. While people in his camp are talking utter nonsense about being World Champion again, it's pretty much the ultimate indignity for a boxer: having to fight because you owe people money.
6.25.2004
Bloody Hell, Not Again: The European Football (soccer) championship that happens every four years between the national sides of Europe is a great sporting event. The story lines, fueled by a thousand years of shared history, write themselves: England v. France; Denmark v. Sweden; Spain v. Portugal; Germany v. Everybody. One story line that is constant reads: England should never have to go to penalty kicks in a crucial match.
After crashing out of World Cup '90 to West Germany, the European Championships in 1996 to a unified Germany and Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in penalty kick shootouts, it was almost predictable that England would depart the 2004 European Championships the same way, adding Portugal to the list of their tormentors. Adorable Michael Owen scored a great goal in the 5th minute but that joy turned to worry as England's 18-year old sensation, Wayne Rooney, left the game in the 27th minute with what turned out to be a broken bone in his foot. So England proceeded to do what costs games in a lot of sports: they went in to a defensive shell that allows the other team to apply constant pressure, which invariably results in a score for the other team.
And so it was, as Portugal's Helder Postiga equalized in the 83rd minute. Controversy arose as an England goal in the 90th minute was disallowed due to a foul on the keeper; replays showed that the call was correct. Usually, the 30 minute "extra period" is a non-game, as teams often try simply not to lose; but both teams scored, setting up the penalty shootout. Metrosexual icon David Beckham tarnished his image with a horrible penalty spot kick that flew in to the stands and after further misses on both sides, it came down to a final kick for Portugal. Their keeper, Ricardo, took the penalty and proceeded to bury it in the lower corner and with it, England. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose as they'd say across the English Channel in France.
6.24.2004
The Big 10 are whiners too: When one thinks of hotbeds of baseball, warm-weather climes usually are the first to come to mind. In college baseball, this is no different. The College World Series has its championship best 2-of-3 this coming weekend, with Texas favored to win it all. Fair enough--but apparently that's not good enough for the Big 10. Even though nobody we've ever met would put "Ohio State" and "great baseball program" in the same sentence, the Big 10 is leading a small, but vocal, movement to change the dynamics of college baseball.
In the current format, teams in the Sun Belt start play in early February, but teams in the colder areas usually have to play a long string of away games in warmer areas early in the season due to the weather at home, leading to alleged unfairness. The "cold weather schools" want to move the schedule back until March and implement other rule changes. On the surface this seems like a fair argument, but the irony is that schools like Ohio State have used its football program as a club to prevent smaller football programs from getting a very lucrative cut of the college football Bowl Championship Series pie. Their "logic": teams that make the most money for the sport should earn the most too. Teams from cold weather climates have not done all that badly at the CWS in Omaha in recent years; however, the Big 10 hasn't even been able to get a team to qualify for the CWS since Michigan in 1984. Maybe if the conference devoted more resources to their baseball programs instead of funneling it mostly towards football, basketball and wrestling, they'd have teams making a dent. Until them, they need to pipe down and let the areas of the country where baseball is big have their fun.
6.23.2004
A Fine Russian Whine: Marat Safin showed what a total baby he is by basically giving up at Wimbledon and going home. Safin was toasted by 21-year-old Russian countryman Dmitry Tursunov, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) on Tuesday. Losing is one thing, but losing the way Safin did was unacceptable. As the Los Angeles Times reported it:
?On match point, Tursunov sent a whistling forehand passing shot skimming over the net and easily past an unmoving Safin. He stood and shrugged, then and walked away, a first-round Wimbledon loser where at a place he has been a quarterfinalist.
" ?I didn't feel like playing,? Safin, 24, said. ?I don't like to play on this surface. I don't feel like I'm moving. Every time, I don't know how it's going to bounce. So after a while, just, I get bored. I lost completely motivation and I give up.? " Safin also smashed his racket and swore at the umpire for good measure.
On Monday we have 47-year-old Martina Navratilova showing what being a competitor is all about, going out and winning at Wimbledon for the first time in 10 years. On Tuesday we get a player in the prime of his career simply quitting, then complaining because he?s not motivated by the surface. One showed what?s right about athletes, the other showing what we detest.
6.22.2004
Martina Victorious: Martina Navratilova beat Catalina Casta￱o, 6-0, 6-1, in the first round of Wimbledon, becoming the oldest woman to win a match there since 1922. At 47, Navratilova has won nine titles at Wimbledon, and her accomplishments earned her a wild card entry. Her legend didn?t stop some younger players from bitching that she was depriving some young no-name of a spot. "At least I shut those people up here," Navratilova said.
"When people say, 'Why are you doing it?' I guess the answer is: 'Because I still can.' Bottom line," she added. We?re not sure how long Martina will last, but she will enjoy the ride.
6.21.2004
Tight Time at the Open: Phil Mickelson finally won a major in golf?the Masters in April?so talk of him collapsing ended. Until Sunday. There Mickelson lost a 1-stroke lead on the 16th at the U.S. Open and lost to South African Retief Goosen. It certainly wasn?t a major collapse but it did disappoint the crowd, which was rooting big-time for Mickelson.
?I really thought it was going to be my day,? Mickelson said. The course at Shinnecock Hills in suburban New York was tough, with greens that were fast and unforgiving. For the first time since 1963, no player shot under par during the final round. For Goosen, it is his second U.S. Open win in the past four years.
No. 500 for Griffey: Ken Griffey Jr. has endured many injury-filled seasons of late, but the Cincinnati Reds star finally reached a milestone when his hit the 500th home run of his career Sunday in St. Louis. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever accomplish this,'' Griffey said. "All the aches and pains I've had this year were gone for like two minutes. It was awesome.'' Griffey, who dad Ken was on hand to witness the feat, is the 20th player to reach the milestone.
We Don't Forget: Ex-Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda had a son, Tom Jr. "Spunky," who was gay and died of AIDS. Lasorda has always denied his son either was gay or died from the disease. His silence has always been a sore spot among gay men who followed baseball, since a Lasorda acknowledgment could have gone a long way in personalizing the disease for the public in the late 1980s. In that light, we got this note from a friend of ours, who watched the Yankees-Dodgers game on Sunday: "Tommy 'The Buffoon' Lasorda appeared in the third inning, drumming up baseball, Dodger Blue, family father's day and prostate cancer. PLEASE SPARE US ALL. What did YOUR son die of?"
6.19.2004
Mickelson Breaking Through? Phil Mickelson had gone 0-for-lifetime in majors before he won the Masters in April. Now, he's poised to win his second Major this year as he is tied for the lead with Japan's Shigeki Maruyama after two rounds.
Tiger Woods is seven shots back from the lead, and even his caddie is getting frustrated. The caddie kicked the camera from the hands of New York Daily News photographer John Roca on the 10th hole Friday.
He kicked my camera. I was holding it at eye level and he kicked it to try and knock it down and out of my hands," Roca told CNNSI.com. "He came over and kicked it down and muttered something."
Tiger Woods has not won a Major tournament in eight tries.
WNBA MVP Poses Nude: Seattle Storm star Lauren Jackson has posed nude for an Australian magazine featuring athletes headed to Athens for the 2004 Olympics.
The publication, Black + White, will feature Jackson on the cover and 35 athletes within their pages. Now, if only more American athletes would follow suit. . . .
6.18.2004
Tidbits: Quick sports hits:
Jay Haas, Shigeki Maruyama lead U.S. Open. Yikes! Not exactly household names. But Phil Mickelson?s only 2 shots off, while Tiger Woods is 4 back, so there is hope for drama.
Cubs sweep Astros. Don?t look now, but the Cubbies are making a nice run in the N.L. Central having won six straight on the road for the first time since 1991. Any team that has Dusty Baker as a manager will always contend.
Emmitt Smith named Arizona Cardinals starting running back. What, Thurman Thomas wasn?t available? This is the same Smith who averaged only 2.8 yards a carry last year.
Kevin VanDam leads the Bassmaster Elite 50 finale in Paducah, Ky. VanDam brought in a five-fish limit of smallmouth that weighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces to move into the tournament's top spot and tighten his grasp on the lead in the Elite 50 points standings. Hey, this is a growing sport. The grand prize is worth $150,000 and Sports Illustrated reported this week that there is Fantasy Bass Fishing.
6.17.2004
Drug Rumors and Denials: Two prominent athletes are fiercely fighting reports that they use illegal performance-enhancing drugs. Five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is preparing to sue the authors of a new book that claim he used EPO (a drug that boosts the oxygen-carrying ability of blood). The book, "L.A. Confidential: The Secrets of Lance Armstrong," by David Walsh and Pierre Ballester, also quotes a former trainer who said the cyclist asked her to throw away syringes and that she lent Armstrong makeup to conceal needle marks and bruises. Armstrong, who fought testicular cancer, has never tested positive for drugs and strongly denies ever using them.
"For five or six years, I've ignored it," Armstrong said. "But now with this book coming out over there and realizing the integrity of these guys [the authors] is very questionable, and they have been doing it to me for years. We just say 'enough.' So now we have filed action in England and in France and we are not going to let them up."
Meanwhile, sprinter Marion Jones wants the United States Anti-Doping Agency to hold a public hearing on charges that she used steroids. These allegations threaten to keep her out of the upcoming Summer Olympics. She called the agency a ?kangaroo court? and said she ?never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs.''
''If they're going to try to ban an athlete, then make it public,'' she said. ''That's all I'm asking for. ... I'm hoping to send a message to USADA that I want this done and I want my name cleared. I want to move on.''
Given the prevalent use of drugs in sports, including those that can?t yet be detected, many top athletes are under clouds of suspicion, including those who have done nothing wrong. Both Jones and Armstrong are innocent until conclusive proof is offered as to their guilt.
6.16.2004
Pistons Win! Pistons Win!: During the NBA season, we repeatedly predicted the dominance of the Detroit Pistons come playoff time. We mocked the Los Angeles Lakers, indeed the entire Western Conference's, chances against a vastly superior Eastern Conference.
Longtime readers of this feature will realize that the editorial staff wrote no such things, the exact opposite in fact. But with their commanding 100-87 win in Game 5 Tuesday night which clinched the 2004 NBA title, the Detroit Pistons showed that a team that is unified and playing well as a unit can sometimes beat a team that, on paper at least, has superior talent. Using a relentless rebounding style and a patient offense, the Pistons ripped the Los Angeles Lakers apart (the game wasn't even as close as the score would indicate) to help peripatetic coach Larry Brown win his first NBA title. While congratulations are in store for Brown and his team, the Lakers must be dealt with in a harsher manner.
The vaunted Four Stars concept was a total bust: Karl Malone was hurt most of the season and missed Game 5 due to a bum knee; Gary Payton was atrocious as he kept getting burned by players much younger and quicker after spending most of the season whining; Kobe Bryant's season of games and courthouse appearances ended with a whimper and Shaquille O'Neal looked fat and bored with the whole thing. General Manager Mitch Kupchak has some tough decisions to make as almost every player on the team can either opt out of their contract, like Bryant is expected to do as he tests the free agency market, or their contract is up and won't be renewed. In addition, Zen Master Coach Phil Jackson might bolt, too. At least the season-long soap opera that is/was the Lakers that has dominated Los Angeles sports coverage will be over in about a week and we can concentrate on more important things like the baseball season and the impending start of the NFL.
6.15.2004
Milestones: Our friend Jim Allen is a big fan of the Philadelphia Phillies' stud first baseman, Jim Thome. Some of it has to do with lust, but it's also because Thome is a very good player. That was shown on Monday when Jim Thome became only the 37th player in major league history to hit 400 homers. His first inning shot against the Cincinnati Reds was greeted with a thunderous ovation. Sitting in the Reds dugout was a man who has a chance to hit his 500th career homer, Ken Griffey Jr., who didn't play, meaning that he would remain at 499 home runs in his career. He'll try to hit the 500th at home Tuesday against the Texas Rangers.
Get Well Soon: Toronto Blue Jay's announcer Tom Cheek had been the voice for the team since their formation in 1977. He had called 4,306 consecutive regular-season games (and 41 more in the postseason) but his streak ended on June 3 due to his father's death. The streak is now of little concern as it was revealed that Mr. Cheek had been hospitalized and treated for a brain tumor over the weekend after complaining of illness on Friday. All of our best wishes go his and his loved one's way.
6.14.2004
Pistons Make Lakers Look Bad: The Detroit Pistons came into the NBA Finals as heavy underdogs. They're now one win away from winning it all. The Pistons continued their dominance of the Los Angeles Lakers, beating them 88-80 to take a 3-1 series lead.
Twenty-seven teams have held 3-1 series leads in the NBA Finals; each one has taken the title. For the Lakers to recover and win the title this year, they'll have to start playing like a team and continue to bank on the referees giving them plenty of help, which hasn't seemed to help enough in the last week.
At the beginning of the season, many said the Lakers would make a run at the Chicago Bull's record of 72 regular season wins. Instead, they struggled at times throughout the season, with Karl Malone's age catching up with him - it limited his play time Sunday night.
Game 5 is Tuesday in Detroit.
6.13.2004
We'll Meet in Fenway, Eventually: Two of the most storied franchises in American sports, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, finally met for a game that meant something in one of the great ballparks, Fenway Park, for a series this weekend. Although the teams had played a series in Dodger Stadium via interleague play in 2002, they'd never met in the friendly confines of Fenway. On Friday, despite a potentially disastrous dropped ball by left fielder Manny Ramirez, the Red Sox squeezed out a 2-1 win. On Saturday, it wasn't even close as the Dodgers often anemic offensive light up Sox pitchers en route to 14-5 win. It's nice to see two great franchises get a chance to play during the regular season. Although interleague play has critics who say that it dilutes the World Series and so on, it's nice to see to these two franchises get a chance to play each other.
6.12.2004
Roddick's Rocket: For anyone who has ever tried to serve a tennis ball, this is impressive: Andy Roddick broke his own record by hitting a serve timed at 153 miles per hour. This feat occurred in a win over Paradorn Srichaphan in the Stella Artois Championships in London.
Roddick, who owned the previous mark of 152 mph, downplayed the feat. "I wasn?t trying to hit it that hard," he told the BBC. "I didn?t even realize it was a record until the fans applauded and Paradorn smiled."
We're not sure this should be a great cause for celebration. The men's game too often lacks in sustained rallies and watching guys ace each other isn't the most enjoyable way to watch a match.
6.11.2004
Looking Forward to Athens: Some NBA players are begging off of a trip to Athens for the Summer Games citing security reasons. World-class swimmer Erik Vendt is having none of that. Vendt, who hopes to qualify for the U.S. Olympic swim team next month, said the NBA players are ?using security as an excuse.?
Pro basketball players are not ?true Olympians,? Vendt told us at the opening day of the Janet Evans swim meet in Long Beach, Calif. ?This is our pinnacle. ? [NBA] players ?are just going for fake gold,? said Vendt (pictured left after the 800 meters). Those players not going are using security "as an excuse to not go and take the summer off.? Seeing how most pro players care only about themselves, it?s hard to argue with Vendt.
Pistons Dominate Lakers: That sound you?re hearing may be the Lakers? dynasty crumbling before our eyes. The Detroit Pistons whipped the Lakers, 88-68, in Game 3 of the NBA Finals to take a 2-1 series lead. Had it not been for a miracle 3-pointer by Kobe Bryant in Game 2, the Lakers would be down 0-3.
While there certainly still is time for the Lakers to come back and win the series, there?s no doubt that they have been outplayed all series by the aggressive Pistons, who held L.A. to a franchise-record low points scored in a playoff game.
6.10.2004
Thorpe Defends Female Coach: Superstar Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe said his coach is being unfairly criticized for being a woman.
Thorpe dropped his longtime coach Doug Frost for Tracey Menzies two years ago. Thorpe won four gold medals at last year?s world championships, but has yet to set a world record under his new coach, and that has prompted criticism in swimming-mad Australia.
Thorpe, in Long Beach, Calif., for the major Janet Evans Invitational said Menzies? gender had a lot to do with the criticism. "Yeah, a lot,? he said. ?This is very much like a men's club, basically. Especially in Australia. That's the way it always has been and a lot of people would like to keep it that way." Said Menzies: "It hasn't been an easy journey because there's people who probably don't want me in the positions I have been in.?
6.9.2004
Lakers Tie the Game, then the Series: The Los Angeles Lakers came within inches of laying a goose egg in the first two games of their NBA Finals series against the Detroit Pistons. Kobe Bryant's late three-pointer sent the game into overtime, where the Lakers dominated and won their crucial Game 2, 99-91.
"It's all about rising to the challenge," Bryant said. "High stakes. I know I can rise to that."
The Pistons had led by six points in the final minute of regulation before Shaquille O'Neal scored a three-point play and Bryant hit his jumper.
The Lakers are now 7-0 this season in overtime games, including the postseason. The series resumes in Detroit on Thursday.
6.8.2004
Lord Stanley Gets Some Sun: The Stanley Cup is headed to the Sunshine State as the Tampa Bay Lightning won Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday night, beating the Calgary Flames, 2-1.
Not only will the Cup reside in Florida for the first time, but it was also lifted Monday night for the first time by 40-year-old Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk, who had played a record 1,758 games without winning it.
Tampa Bay has only been in the League for 13 years. It has been about that long that a team from Canada last won the Stanley Cup.
The Tuna has a Nickname he Should have Kept to Himself: Last summer, New York Giant Tight End Jeremy Shockey made headlines with some badly chosen words directed at Dallas Cowboys Coach Bill Parcells. Parcells is kicking off this summer making headlines himself.
At his team's minicamp Monday, Parcells referred to surprise plays as "Jap plays," referring to the surprise attack by the Japanese military at Pearl Harbor.
Parcells said, in referring to assistant coaches Sean Payton and Mike Zimmer, "Mike wants the defense to do well, and Sean, he's going to have a few ... no disrespect for the Orientals, but what we call Jap plays. OK, surprise things."
"I made a very inappropriate reference, and although I prefaced it with the remark, 'no disrespect to anyone intended,' it was still uncalled for and inconsiderate," Parcells said in a statement. "For that I apologize to anyone who may have been offended."
We're wondering what "Oriental" Cowboy Dat Nguyen thinks of the comments . . . .
6.7.2004
Pistons Pull Upset: The Detroit Pistons, heavy underdogs, shocked the Los Angeles Lakers, 87-75, to win Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O?Neal scored 59 of the Lakers? 75 points, as the Pistons? defense held the rest in check. The Lakers are still favored to win the series, but the Pistons' performance showed they won't go quietly.
No Triple Crown: We admit we were rooting for Smarty Jones to win the Triple Crown (who wasn?t?) but it was still weird to see the post-race comments after the horse lost in the stretch to Birdstone. The jockey, trainer and owner fell all over themselves apologizing for winning. It was a touching testimony to how popular Smarty Jones had become and how much his success meant to the struggling sport.
"I'm very sorry, of course," said jockey Edgar Prado. "but I had to do my job, that's what I'm paid for." Said trainer Nick Zito: "It's sad because Smarty is great for racing.? And this from owner Marylou Whitney: "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry Smarty Jones couldn't win."
It was funny to hear some people lament that this is another sign that Philadelphia ?athletes? can?t win the big one, as if it?s possible for a horse to choke. We doubt Smarty Jones drowned his sorrows with a big bucket of whisky-laced oats afterwards. In the horse world, life goes on, win or lose.
French Open Contrasts: What a contrast in the French Open finals. On Saturday, Russian countrywomen Anastasia Myskina and Elena Dementieva played a terrible, mistake-filled match that saw Myskina win in straight sets then cry later. On Sunday, Argentine countrymen Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Coria played a match for the ages, with Gaudio rallying from two sets back to win 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 . Gaudio is the first man in 70 years to win a French Open final after facing match point. No crying for Coria; after his stunning defeat he smashed his racket twice. Men really are from Mars and women from Venus.
6.5.2004
French Open: Lesbian icon Martina Navratilova is, by any measure, an amazing athlete. Long after her contemporaries like Chris Everett have retired, she is still playing selected tournaments and competing at the highest level. After losing in singles in the first round at this year's French Open, she continued to play her preferred doubles well enough only to lose in the semifinals to the seeming female Russian onslaught that is going on at Roland Garros. At 47, Martina has nothing left to prove--she's won 58 Grand Slam tennis titles, 31 in doubles--but she's in incredible shape and is still hungry enough to compete with players half her age or less. It's hard to imagine women's tennis without her.
6.4.2004
Another Slur, Another Apology: By now, there's a total predictability to a pro athlete making an anti-gay remark in a public space. Athlete says something, either in an interview or at a function, it gets reported, a gay group (usually) issues a press release, the athlete apologizes with varying degrees of sincerity and life goes on. It's almost become a ritual, so we'll just note the athlete, the venue and the slur: Junior Seau, of the NFL's Miami Dolphins; the team's annual banquet on Wednesday; here is what Seau said:
"This is a great group of guys we have on this team. ... I would say love and everybody would say you're a faggot, but I'm not. We care in that locker room. My feminine side might come out once in a while, but I'm telling you, there is a lot of love in that locker room."
Seau apologized on Thursday. "A joke that came out last night, due to my stupidity, is something we have to deal with today," Seau said at the team's practice facility. "With that, I am very sad and I apologize. I learned a lesson. The things we say, the words are very powerful and they can be very hurtful." Ironically, Seau was honored Wednesday with the team's leadership award.
We liked the response of Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Dean Trantalis, who told the Miami Herald: "The way I see it, apologies are meant to make the perpetrator feel good about himself. If a person wants to heal a wound, they need to take some action. It is my suggestion he take part in the Gay Pride Parade, and I'd even walk with him if he wanted."
Don't Blame Canada: It's been a while since a team from Canada won hockey's Stanley Cup, but Thursday night, the Calgary Flames took a big step towards changing. By beating the Tampa Bay Lighting 3-2 in a Game 5 overtime thriller in Tampa Bay, the Flames need one more win to become the first team from the cradle of the sport since the 1992-93 Montreal Canadiens to hoist the venerated Stanley Cup trophy.
6.3.2004
Kordell a Raven: June 1 always signals the final run at free agents in the NFL. This year is no different. The latest signing sends former Steeler quarterback Kordell Stewart to the Baltimore Ravens to backup Kyle Boller.
Stewart was the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they hosted the AFC Championship Game for the 2001 season, but fell on hard times when he was replaced by Tommy Maddox as the starting quaterback the following season. Stewart spent the 2003 season with the Chicago Bears where the beleagured slinger completed just over 50 percent of his passes - the worst completion percentage of his career, excluding the 1996 season when he attempted only 30 passes.
Stewart replaces Anthony Wright, who is out with an injury, as the backup quarterback for the Ravens. As a Steeler, Stewart was prodded to hate the division-rival Ravens. Now, he gets the chance to embrace them.
6.2.2004
Pistons Headed for NBA Finals: The NBA got a classic matchup in the NBA Finals. How classic the games will be remains to be seen.
The Detroit Pistons advanced to the NBA Finals Tuesday night, beating the Indiana Pacers, .
With Indiana leading, 33-27, at halftime, the two teams set a new low for points scored in the first half of a playoff game. That half beat out a game in the last round when the Pistons and New Jersey Nets combined for only 62 points in a first half. The Pacers and Pistons had previously set the record for fewest points in any half, combining for 59 points in the second half of Game 2.
The finals will now pit the Pistons against their rivals of the late '80s, the Los Angeles Lakers. It will also give coach Larry Brown another shot at the Lakers, to whom he lost the the NBA Finals as the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.
The NBA Finals start Sunday in Los Angeles.
6.1.2004
Lakers on to the Finals: The Los Angeles Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth time in five seasons Monday night, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 96-90.
The Lakers actually trailed by one at the end of three quarters. But NBA Commissioner David Stern's comments earlier in the season--that he would love to see the Lakers in the finals--awere obviously too much for the Timberwolves to handle. League MVP and Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett even fouled out of the game before it was over, to help secure the Lakers' victory. The Lakers were led by an unlikely star--Kareem Rush--who was 6 for 6 in 3-point attempts. The T'Wolves were sloppy when it mattered most, committing 18 turnovers.
If the Detroit Pistons close out Indiana in the Eastern Conference, the struggling NBA will have a matchup in the Finals that should help sagging television ratings. David Stern got what he wanted.
Stanley Cup Tied: Brad Richards scored in the game's first three minutes and his lone goal held up as the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the host Calgary Flames, 1-0, to even the Stanley Cup Finals at 2-2. Nikolai Khabibulin was clutch in the net for Tampa Bay, recording 29 saves. ''That's good goaltending,'' Calgary's Jarome Iginla said. ''We had some chances, but, unfortunately, we didn't make the best of them.''
5.31.2004
Pistons Win Game 5: The Detroit Pistons
beat the Indiana Pacers, 83-65, to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern
Conference best-of-seven series. Face itonly diehard fans of the two
teams can like this series. It has been terrible basketball, with neither
team able to hit the broad side of a barn. On Sunday, Indiana shot a
miserable 33%, while the Pistons werent much better at 41%, a trend that
has continued all series. Only once has a winning team reached 85 points.
In contrast, the losing team in the Minnesota-Lakers
series has topped 85 points in three of the five
games.
Letterman Wins at Indy:
Buddy Rice won the rain-shortened Indianapolis 500 on Sunday as part of
team owned by talk show host David Letterman and racing legend Bobby
Rahal. Letterman, an Indiana native and racing buff, was thrilled after
Rice won the race. "Was there a stronger driver in the field?"
Letterman said. "Was there a stronger car in the field? It didn't
look that way to me."
5.29.2004
Moon Over Paris: The French Open tennis tournament again gets an entry based solely on skin. In a match that extended over two days due to be suspended because of darkness of Thursday, eccentric Russian Marat Safin pulled his tennis shorts down and mooned the crowd at Roland Garros. To celebrate a shot he hit for a winner, Safin grabbed his shorts and pulled them down to his thighs. He then leaned over and gave the crowd more than they expected. Safin did this out of exuberance, not in protest over a bad call, which perhaps explains why he wasn?t fined for the incident. However, he was penalized a point because of his decision but escaped financial sanctions for dropping his drawers. However, he was fined for "racket abuse". Go figure.
The Leastern Conference: While it?s almost certain that the NBA Eastern Conference playoff series is solely to determine who will be routed by the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals, Detroit?s Pistons or Indiana?s Pacers, at least that series is competitive. Friday night the Pacers came up big, winning 83-68 in Auburn Hills, Michigan to even the series at 2 games apiece.
5.28.2004
Lakers Win NBA Title: Well, they didn't literally win the title yet, but on Thursday night a vast, sinking feeling hit us as we saw the Los Angeles Lakers toy with the scrappy but ultimately outgunned Minneapolis Timberwolves to take an almost insurmountable 3-1 lead in their NBA Western Conference Finals series. By winning 92-85 (the game wasn't as close as the score would indicate), the Lakers pretty much guaranteed another gold championship flag will be hanging at Staples Center at the start of next season. The 'Wolves will probably win Game 5 in front of their fans on Saturday, but even if they do, expect the Lakers to finish them off on Monday night at home. Neither Detroit or Indiana will beat Los Angeles in the finals, so our worst nightmare--the Lakers winning the title this year--will come true. Damn.
Upset City: The French Open tennis tournament has provided plenty of storylines so far. Among the shocks are:
* Andre Agassi was bounced out in the first round in stunning fashion by Jerome Haehnel, ranked #271 in the world. No, we've never heard of him either;
* Outsports favorite Andy Roddick was also bounced early; in fact, all 8 US men's players were eliminated, the first time in more than 30 years that a major tournament won't have at least one American man in the 3rd round;
* Both singles champions from last year, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Justine Henin-Hardenne, are already gone.
On the women's side, the news was much better for US fans as both Williams sisters and perennial contenders Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati won to advance to the next round.
The clay courts of Roland Garros are the great equalizer, it would seem.
5.27.2004
Stifling Pistons: What a difference Larry Brown makes. The Detroit Pistons took a 2-1 series lead with an 85-78 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Rasheed Wallace had his best offensive outpouring in a month in the victory, scoring 20 points. Game 4 will be Friday in Detroit.
Magic Win Again: That is a headline we didn't see much this season. As a result, the Orlando Magic won the NBA Draft Lottery Wednesday night. The Los Angeles Clippers will select second; the Chicago Bulls will draft third.
With a League-low 21 wins last season, it should be no surprise that the Magic will draft first as they had the best chance to do so.
5.26.2004
Lakers Take Series Lead: Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals was anything but artistic, though the Lakers will gladly take their 100-89 win and a 2-1 series lead. Shaquille O?Neal and Kobe Bryant led the way for the Lakers with 22 points each, though Bryant was a mediocre 5 for 12 from the field.
The game was anything but riveting, and the fourth quarter basically was a sequence of the Wolves fouling O?Neal, hoping he would shoot bricks. He did (8 of 22 free throws), but Minnesota did nothing to capitalize. Basketball is all about free-flowing action up and down the court. Watching O?Neal shoot free throws is an affront to the game, kind of like watching a pitcher hit in baseball.
Flames Win Game 1: Martin Gelinas of the Calgary Flames scored on the first shot of the game and the Flames routed host Tampa Bay, 4-1, to win Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Gelinas? goal was the first time since 1989 that a team scored on the first shot of the Finals. Jarome Iginla of the Flames, the most dominant player in the NHL playoffs, scored a short-handed goal and the Flames were never threatened. '' A few of our guys were jittery at the start,'' Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella said. '' We got a little frustrated at times.''
Martina Comes Up Short: Martina Navratilova, 47, lost 6-1, 6-3 to Gisela Dulko in the first round of the French Open, the tennis legend?s first Grand Slam singles match in 10 years.
"The crowd was great; I just wanted to stay out there a bit longer to give them something to cheer about," Navratilova said. "I had some moments of brilliance, but they were few and far between unfortunately."
Dulko, whose mother is the same age as Navratilova, said she got a little nervous playing an idol. "I think she played great," Dulko said. "It was weird because in the beginning I wasn't nervous at all, but then at the end to finish the match, I start to think a little bit that I was playing against her."
5.25.2004
Andre's Early Bow: The rumblings are already coming in. That straight-set loss earlier today may be Andre's last match at the French Open.
Hardly putting up a fight, Andre Agassi lost in straight sets to the player ranked 271 in the world, Jerome Haehnel, a qualifier from France, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-3. It was Haehnel's first victory in a Major.
The sudden loss, following a first-round loss last week to a player ranked even worse, suddenly gives volume to the questions swirling around the tennis world: when Agassi plays the U.S. Open this September, will his retirement announcement be the next time we see him?
Agassi, seeded sixth in the tournament, is 34 and one of the oldest men on the tour.
Detroit Gets Even: Promises, promises. That's what Rasheed Wallace made after losing Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals series to the Indiana Pacers: a promise to win Game 2.
He and the Detroit Pistons upheld that promise, pulling even in their series, 72-67. Game 3 will be played in Detroit on Wednesday.
It was the third-lowest total points scored in a playoff game since the shot clock was introduced. The other two higher games both involved Detroit as well, one of them coming in their last round against the New Jersey Nets.
5.24.2004
An Outsporter Wins a National Championship: Long-time Outsports supporter and 2003 Outsports Convention Director Chip Rogers won a national championship Sunday when his Virginia Cavaliers women's lacrosse team beat two-time defending champion Princeton, 10-4.
The loss ended Princeton's 28-game win streak and took place at Princeton, N.J.
Rogers is in sports information services at Virginia and focuses his efforts on field hockey and women's lacrosse. He is a well-respected member of the NCAA sports world.
From his bio: "Rogers has written histories of the NCAA women's lacrosse and field hockey tournaments and is a frequent contributor to lacrosse and field hockey magazines and NCAA publications, writing articles on current topics in field hockey and lacrosse. Rogers is also the Editor of the Bully, the Collegiate Field Hockey Yearbook and the Draw, the Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Yearbook."
Timberwolves Roar Back: After losing Game 1 and homecourt advantage to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a statement Sunday: they're not going away quietly.
Minnesota tied the series, 1-1, with an 89-71 thrashing of the Lakers in Minnesota on Sunday. Four 'Wolves players scored 15 points or more, led by League MVP Kevin Garnett, who scored 24 points. Only two Lakers scored double-digit points, including Shaquille O'Neal, who was held to 14 points.
