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6.30.2005
Kenny Rogers, idiot: No, not the country crooner Kenny Rogers, but the pitcher for the Texas Rangers. In full view of the media on Wednesday, Rogers went nuts and attacked a photographer and a cameraman, sending one to the hospital. Rogers has boycotted the media all season, and apparently was really ticked off that the cameramen *gasp* dared to film him going to the outfield to stretch. Rogers first shoved photographer David Mammeli of Fox Sports, telling him "I told you to get those cameras out of my face". He then went over to Larry Rodriguez, who?s a cameraman for the TV station KDFW. Rogers grabbed the camera, wrestling with Rodriguez, before getting it and throwing it to the ground. Amazingly, he saw two other people filming this and then threatened them too.
This comes a few weeks after Rogers broke the pinky in his non-pitching hand after slapping around some mean water coolers in the Rangers dugout during a game. I think this quote from Rogers is interesting: "I didn't handle this right. I'm frustrated. My integrity and toughness is being called into question". Translation: people think I?m a pussy because I won?t pitch with a broken finger. Baseball players are some of the most macho athletes around, though why is a mystery; it?s not like their sport has any contact inherent in it. Aussie Rules football players, now those guys have a deserved reputation for being tough. I half-expected to see a quote from Rogers like this: "My manhood was being questioned".
The Rangers organization made all the right noises, saying Rogers? situation will be handled internally etc. I particularly liked this quote from owner Tom Hicks: "Kenny has had a short fuse dealing with the media. I've heard stories about what may or may not have happened. He has issues. It's directed at the media and I don't know why". Wow, he has issues? You think? The Rangers and Rogers better have some good lawyers, because Kenny Rogers is sure to be sued by Larry Rodriguez, who required medical treatment after the incident.
Interesting Wimbledon men?s semis: For the first time since 1993, all of the men in the Wimbledon?s men?s semifinal will have won a major title before. The matchup between Roger Federer and Leyton Hewitt matches the #1 and #2 ranked players in the world. Federer has to feel confident, as he?s won the last seven times he?s played Hewitt, in addition to having won 34 straight matches on grass*. American Andy Roddick continued his fine play, beating Sebastien Grosjean in five sets to book a place in the semifinals against Sweden?s Thomas Johansson.
However, Roddick said something that always makes me roll my eyes. Whenever I hear an athlete complain about a lack of respect, as Roddick did on Wednesday, I just laugh. Respect is earned, not given, so when Roddick starts winning a few more tournaments, he?ll get it.
* I apologize in advance for jinxing Mr. Federer. --Jim Allen
6.29.2005
Jeremy Roenick, idiot: The National Hockey League still hasn?t resolved its labor dispute with their players, though rumors persist that a deal is imminent that would allow the 2005-06 season to actually take place. One player that is sure to get a frosty reception from fans is the Philadelphia Flyer?s Jeremy Roenick. During an interview, he said the following things:
"Pro athletes are not cocky. Pro athletes care about the game. Everybody out there who calls us spoiled because we play a game -- they can kiss my ass".
"I will say personally, personally, to everybody who calls us spoiled -- you guys are just jealous. . . . We're trying to get this thing back on the ice and make it better for the fans. If you don't realize that, then don't come. We don't want you in the rink, we don't want you in the stadium, we don't want you to watch hockey".
"If people are going to chastise professional athletes who are making a lot of money, they need to look at the deal we are probably going to end up signing in the next three weeks".
Okey dokey, Jeremy! Roenick, of course, claims that his remarks were taken out of context. Actually, I?m grateful he said those things. A lot of sports fans suspect that?s what pro athletes think, but rarely has it been so blatantly stated.
Andrew Bogut, #1 pick: As expected, Australian Andrew Bogut, who played his college ball at Utah, was made the top pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, which prompted this question from Bogut: "Is Milwaukee colder in the winter than Utah?". Yes, Andrew, Milwaukee in January is nothing like the Gold Coast in Australia at any time of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
Draft day must have a case of "What if?" for North Carolina TarHeels fans. Four players from coach Roy Williams team that still had college eligibility left were taken within the top 14 picks. The woeful Atlanta Hawks took freshman forward Marvin Williams with the 2nd pick, junior guard Raymond Felton and junior forward Sean May stayed close to home by being picked 5th and 13th, respectively, by the Charlotte Bobcats and, to complete the quartet, junior guard Rashad McCants was the 14th overall pick, by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to replace the departed Shaquille O?Neal by taking Andrew Bynum straight out of high school with the 10th pick. Bynum has at least one similarity to Shaq already: there?s been talk that he needs to lose weight and doubts were expressed about his desire to do so, or he would have gone higher in the draft. The New York Knicks, who have fallen on hard times since the retirement of center Patrick Ewing, also took a center with their top pick, taking the wonderfully named Channing Frye from Arizona. Possible red flag: Frye has been labeled "soft", which could be a liability in the rough and tumble Eastern Conference. Drafting players in any sport is an inexact science, so it?ll be a few years before people will be able to assess the quality of this draft. --Jim Allen
6.28.2005
Rocker Cut: From AP: ?John Rocker was released Monday by the Long Island Ducks after the pitcher told the Atlantic League team he wanted to reassess his future. Rocker joined the Ducks in April and went 0-2 with a 6.50 ERA in 23 games, striking out 19 and walking 28 in 18 innings.? Cue Nelson Muntz laugh.
When You Gotta Go: Relief pitchers for the Seattle Mariners were chagrined to discover that the bullpen at San Diego?s Petco Park does not have a bathroom. This forced Matt Thornton on Friday to climb a fence and use a public restroom, the Seattle Times reported. Thornton was forced to wait in line with the fans, which set up at least one interesting encounter.
"I met a guy named Stan, who invented a baseball cap with a handle so you can take it off fast to catch foul balls," Thornton said. "He said he tested it at a batting cage on pitches at 75 mph and caught five before the seams started to give out."
We?re not sure if the Padres deliberately omitted a restroom in the bullpen so as to possibly have an opposing pitcher trapped in the public bathroom during a crucial stretch of the game. Gives a new meaning to ?reliever.? --Jim Buzinski
6.27.2005
Hook 'Em Horns: Texas came into the College World Series unseeded and came out champs. The Longhorns beat the Florida Gators, 6-2, to sweep the final and go 5-0 over the course of the tournament. "We got hot at the right time. It was hard to stop us. It all came together at the end for us," said pitcher J. Brent Cox.
A Winning Birdie for Birdie: South Korea's Birdie Kim made an awesome 30-yard birdie on the 18th hole to beat 17-year-old Morgan Pressel and win the U.S. Women?s Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.
Annika Sorenstam came into the tournament hoping to win another major but finished 23rd. Intsead, the weekend belonged to Kim, who changed her name to Birdie Kim from Ju-Yun Kim last year. ?The LPGA has a lot of last names Kim,? she said. ?Everybody can?t remember the names. I wanted to make a special name.?
The Los Angeles Times called Kim's dramatic 18th hole shot "the greatest bunker shot to win a major since Bob Tway holed a shot from the sand to beat Greg Norman in the 1986 PGA Championship." Pressel was stunned by her opponent's shot, which kept the American teen from a possible playoff.
Prior Dominant: The images of Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior clutching his elbow after it was broken by a line drive on May 27 were sickening to watch. Prior went down like he had been shot and a first reaction was that he's be lucky to ever use the arm again, let alone pitch.
But the Cubs' ace was back on the mound Sunday and looked terrific in pitching six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. "I felt pretty good," Prior said. "Most athletes know if they're ready or not." --Jim Buzinski
6.25.2005
Roddick advances: One of Outsports favorite lust objects, American tennis player Andy Roddick, kept his hopes of a Wimbledon singles title alive on Thursday/Friday. His match against Italian Daniele Bracciali was halted after three sets on Thursday due to darkness, with Roddick ahead 2 sets to 1. Bracciali thought that the match could have continued for about another half hour but Roddick pointed out that it?s tough to return "a 135 mph serve when you can kind of see the ball". There was also the first hint of rain this Wimbledon fortnight, but it didn?t prevent Roddick from winning 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 4-6, 6-3.
The number 5 seed, Marat Safin was sent packing, losing in four sets to Feliciano Lopez of Spain. Roger Federer, the defending champion, had his match wiped out by rain, as did the woman?s #1 seed, Lindsay Davenport. Out lesbian Amelie Mauresmo booked a place in the Round of 16 by defeating American Shenay Perry 6-0, 6-2, as did French Open champion Anastasia Myskina.
Dodgers suck, revisited: I love seeing the Los Angeles Dodgers struggle. Going in to Friday?s game against my favorite baseball team, the Angels of Wherever, they were 2-8 in their last 10 games, the Los Angeles Times is cranking up the criticism of General Manager Paul DePodesta (who dismantled a division winning team last offseason to go with a mostly AAA-quality team to save money) and Dodgers fans are settling in for another season of mediocrity. Ah, life is good! Apart from the schadenfreude at the current state of the Dodgers, however, it was nice to see the Angels beat the team with the real claim to the name Los Angeles, the Dodgers, 7-0 while their division rivals, the Texas Rangers, continued their recent slump by losing to inter-state rivals Houston 5-2. The Angels are 5 ﾽ games ahead, but, despite the 2002 World Series win, I still have too memories of past Angel collapses to get overly excited yet.
In other baseball news, the World Champion Boston Red Sox regained first place in the Eastern Division as they whacked the Philadelphia Phillies 8-0. This, combined with the Baltimore Orioles losing to the Atlanta Braves 7-5, means that the Red Sox are in first place for the first time since April 23. The Chicago White Sox are the first team to record 50 wins in the major leagues this year as they smoked their North Side rivals the Cubs 12-2. There?s some good pennant races shaping up in the Eastern and Western divisions of both leagues, but unless the White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals somehow collapse?not likely, they?re not the Angels?the Central division in both leagues are pretty much wrapped up. There?s still a loooonnnngggg way to go, however.
College World Series: Today sees the first game in a best of three series to determine who will be the college baseball champs this year. My money, were I a betting man, would be firmly on the Texas Longhorns, who have won five previous titles, the most recent in 2002. They?re playing the Florida Gators, who are trying to win their first title. I love baseball, but the use of aluminum bats in the college game is just......wrong. That awful "ping" noise when a hitter makes contact has me wincing.
However, their is a lot of serious eye-candy at the CWS; if you like in-shape late teens/early 20-something guys, this is your series to tune in to. It?s kind of strange how the NCAA has scheduled the three games though: if the series goes to the full three games, game 3 will be on Monday. I can see that the NCAA would want at least a guaranteed two games on the weekend, but it still seems a bit odd to have the potential championship decided on a Monday. --Jim Allen
6.24.2005
We are the Champions, NBA style: For a series that started out kind of poorly, the NBA Finals series between the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons sure turned out to be a thriller (sorry, that?s not an unintentional Michael Jackson reference). In a tense Game Seven in San Antonio, the Spurs used a brief run early in the fourth quarter to propel themselves to their third NBA title in seven years. There is no reason to think that this team can?t win a few more titles in the upcoming seasons: they?ve got a great center/point guard combo in Tim Duncan and the gorgeous Tony Parker; a fantastic two-guard in hottie Manu Ginobli and a roster of role players that play their hearts and compliment the skill players. Add in a solid coach in Greg Popovich who won?t allow any ego problems, a stable ownership that leaves the basketball to the basketball people and there?s no reason that a still young Spurs team can?t reel off a string of titles. The Los Angeles Lakers, take note.
One of the class guys in the NBA is Robert Horry. I loved him when he was a Laker; so many clutch shots! He?s a consummate team player and for that, he has six NBA Championship rings. Memo to NBA GM?s: want to win a title when you?re missing that final piece of the puzzle? Get Robert Horry. He?s now won titles in Houston (x2), Los Angeles (x3) and San Antonio (x1).
After the Spurs lost two in a row in Detroit to even the series at 2-2, including a game they lost by 31, I started to read a lot of rubbish about how this series is a referendum on whether Tim Duncan is a winner or not. Forgetting the obvious stupidity of singling out someone in a team sport to decide that fatuous question, the man is easily one of the two or three best players in the NBA; he?d won two MVP?s in the NBA finals already and so on. I know we sports pundits need crap to write about, but really, that was really grasping for material. So what did Duncan do in Game 7? Scored 17 of his 25 points in the second half, made some key passes in triple coverage to open teammates who buried their threes and grabbed 11 rebounds.
I?d like to thank ABC for going in to the Pistons locker room after the game. The camera got kind of lost for something to focus on after an interview with coach Larry Brown and who should walk by in the background wearing only a towel but Ben Wallace. To say that Wallace has an amazing body is an understatement. Unfortunately for the Pistons, I knew they were going to lose when, at the tip-off, I saw that Big Ben had his great afro in corn rows. I wonder if some stats geeks at ESPN has done a stat on the Pistons record when Wallace has a ?fro vs. the corn rows.
So, another NBA season is put to bed. With the recent signing of a long-term labor contract, some great young players and some really good teams both in the East and West, it should be another very interesting year for the league in 2005-06. --Jim Allen
6.23.2005
Wimbledon Ain't Clay: And so the debate rages on as to whether the French Open, the only claycourt Major on the tennis circuit, should be considered amongst the greatest. Yet another French Open champion, this time fourth seed Rafael Nadal, has gone down in flames, losing in the second round Thursday to 69th-ranked Gilles Muller of Luxembourg, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Nadal had won 25-straight matches at one point this year, but they were all on clay. He has now lost two of his three grasscourt matches since winning the French Open.
Crowd favorite Tim Henman had his earliest Wimbledon exit in 10 years, losing in the second round to 152nd-ranked Russian Dmitry Tursunov, 3-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 8-6.
While they were two of the most embarrassing losses in the careers of the two favorites, they were also the biggest career victories by far for the two underdogs. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Safe Sex: The German city of Dortmund is installing a series of wooden "sex garages" in time for next year's soccer World Cup to meet an expected demand in prostitution, Reuters reports. "The World Cup has put us under added time pressure, as we don't want a situation where prostitutes and their clients disturb residential areas," an official said. Germany allows prostitution in certain areas.
Reuters says an estimated 40,000 hookers are expected to descend on Germany for next summer's World Cup. Dortmund plans to arrange the Dutch-designed wooden huts in an area with condom machines and snack bar.
"Men have to get used to them of course, but a high percentage accept them because they can protect their anonymity," the official said. "That said, there will always be those who want to go behind a bush, under a bridge or into the woods."
I always love the rather practical approach most of Europe takes to things like this. I especially like the snack bar idea; it reminds me of the "Seinfeld" episode where George took food to bed with his girlfriend during sex and Jerry dubbed him the "Fornicating Gourmet."
An Idiot Speaks: Formula One racing boss Bernie Ecclestone apparently repeated his sexist remarks he made about Indy car driver Danica Patrick. In calling Patrick to explain himself, the 74-year-old Ecclestone repeated his comment, "Women should be dressed in white like all other domestic appliances."
"I couldn't believe he would say that to me," Patrick said Wednesday during a conference call with reporters. "He told me those things and I was like, it didn't make sense. I was surprised somebody would say that to me directly."
There?s no need to be surprised. Ecclestone is a misogynistic old coot who still thinks it?s the 1940s (he is married to a former Armani model who is 28 years younger than he is). Patrick should simply ignore him since she doesn?t even race in his circuit. --Jim Buzinski
6.22.2005
On to Game 7: The Detroit Pistons beat the San Antonio Spurs, 95-86, to force a deciding Game 7 in the NBA Finals, the first time the finals have gone the distance since 1994.
After losing a last-second overtime heartbreaker to the Spurs in Game 5, the Pistons went on the road and dominated the second half to get the win. Guards Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton made several key shots as they seek to become the first team to ever win Games 6 and 7 on the road. Detroit scored the last eight points as the Spurs stars faded down the stretch. It is always hard for the road team to close out a series, but after winning three of the last four games, the Pistons are playing better basketball. --Jim Buzinski
6.21.2005
Homophobic Coach Out: We admit to a bit of schaudenfreud upon hearing that the University of Florida decided not to renew the contract of women's softball coach Karen Johns. It was Johns who kicked senior Andrea Zimbardi
off the team in 2003 after learning she was a lesbian. Zimbardi had alleged that Johns created an atmosphere of alienation for anyone not sharing her Christian beliefs, outed other coaches and players as lesbians, and reneged on an agreement not to retaliate against Zimbardi when she took her concerns to the university's athletic administration.
Zimbardi fought her dismissal and the result was that the University of Florida agreed to provide diversity training dealing with homophobia to all its coaches, athletic directors and staff. It was too late to save Zimbardi's career, but not too late to help set a precedent.
Johns was fired after her Gators were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in May. Her teams went 192-131 overall but were only 3-10 in the Southeast Conference tournament and won only three NCAA tourney games. She also had a lot of turnover on her staff. Athletic Director Jeremy Foley said, "It became evident that this program was not achieving the success that we envisioned."
I suspect that the Zimbardi incident also played a role. The university received a lot of negative press about Johns' behavior and I wonder whether it affected recruiting. I'm not naive enough to think that Johns would have been fired if she had more on-field success, but by making the atmosphere of homophobia public, Zimbardi cast an unwelcome light on the high-profile university where image is important. --Jim Buzinski
6.20.2005
U.S. Open, day 4: The Curse of Jock Talk struck again on Sunday afternoon in Pinehurst, North Carolina. If I went through the Jock Talk archives, I?m sure I?d find dozen of examples of this sort of thing: "Unless Retief Goosen completely falls apart, he?ll bag the title Sunday". Well, what do you know? Goosen *did* completely fall apart Sunday, throwing away a good chance to win his third U.S. Open title since 2001. In one the great meltdowns in majors history, the usually unflappable South African had a nightmare final round, shooting 11 over par to finish with the also rans. He double bogeyed the second hole and it went downhill from there. He bogeyed 10 of the 18 holes, including 5 in a row on the back nine. I apologize for writing what I did yesterday, Mr. Goosen.
While Retief Goosen was falling apart, Michael Campbell of New Zealand made some clutch putts and didn?t crack under the pressure of a Tiger Woods charge to win his first major title. Campbell has toiled in the minor leagues of pro golf for years, but he showed great poise on Sunday, coming from four strokes behind at the start of play to win. Woods was in good shape to force at least a playoff but bogeys on 16 and 17 ended any hopes of that. Campbell sunk a nice 20-foot putt on 17 to clinch the title, becoming the first Kiwi to win a major since 1963, when a gentleman named Bob Charles won the British Open. After he won, it was great to see Mr. Campbell overcome by emotion; he knew how big this was for his career. How big? Here?s a list of some of the perks he gets as a U.S. Open winner:
* Five year exemption for having to qualify for the PGA tour; also gets five year exemption for entry in to the other majors and the Players Championship.
* Gets ten year exemption for entry in to the U.S. Open.
Not bad for a nice days work. Overall, this U.S. Open was less about great golf than the difficulty of the players to play consistently on the ice-slick putting greens, leading to some truly bad shots. Additionally, there were no fashion crimes that I saw, a great disappointment. The next major is the British Open, coming to legendary St. Andrews in Scotland in mid-July.
Final-ly: Although the NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs was tied 2-2 going in to Sunday?s Game 5, the previous four games have been pretty dull, mostly blowouts (including one by 31 points). Fortunately, Game 5 was a good one, with the Spurs winning in overtime at Detroit 96-95 to take control of the series. Lakers fans still remember how clutch Robert Horry was for them during their championship run and he helped the Spurs possibly win another title, his three-pointer with 5.8 seconds left in the overtime period being the margin of victory. Detroit wasted 34 points from Chauncey Billups and are in trouble?.oh wait, I don?t want to predict anything. Retief Goosen is proof of what happens when I do that. Game six is in San Antonio on Tuesday. --Jim Allen
6.19.2005
U.S. Open, day 3: Steady. Robotic. Boring. Unemotional. Those are some of the words I?ve seen that are used to describe Retief Goosen on the golf course. They might not make him the most exciting player out there but those qualities are probably going to net Goosen his third U.S. Open title in five years unless he collapses in the final round. Ending the third round with three late birdies, including a great 25 foot shot on 18 that rolled uphill and settled in the cup, he?s the only player under par, at one under, and leads the field by three shots.
Relative unknowns Olin Browne and Jason Gore are still hanging tough, both shooting two over for the day to stay within shouting distance of Retief Goosen. Cute geeky Australian Mark Hensby is in that group as well. I didn?t know until yesterday that David Toms appeared with his wife in the Sports Illustrated softcore porn issue, er, Swimsuit issue; sadly, like all the men in that silly issue he kept his clothes on. Discrimination! Male flesh in the SI Swimsuit issue now! In any case, fully clothed, Toms is five shots back, probably too much to overcome. Tiger Woods is six back but NBC flashed this stat on Saturday: Woods has never won one of his majors while trailing after three rounds. Vijay Singh and Sergio Garcia are among the notables in the also ran category. Unless Retief Goosen completely falls apart, he?ll bag the title Sunday.
I neglected to mention any fashion crimes in yesterday?s entry, probably because all the players have been on their best satorial behavior. So it was on Saturday, with not even Luke Donald stepping up. The demur white slacks/blue shirt with white pinstripes he was wearing was not enough to make the color on my TV freak out. --Jim Allen
6.18.2005
U.S. Open, day 2: As I was watching the U.S. Open today, I kept thinking "Well, at some point Olin Browne has to choke". The #300 ranked player in the world lead after the first round at Pinehurst in North Carolina but dozens upon dozens of unknowns have lead one of the four majors after the first round, only to implode in the second. However, that potential implosion will have to wait another day as Browne shot a one over par 71 to stay tied for the lead. Retief Goosen continued his steady play, making par to stay in the group of three at the top of the leaderboard.
We can add another unknown to the three co-leaders: Jason Gore. It was funny to see him interviewed after his 3 under par round that put him in contention. He used the standard sports clich￩ that a lot of athletes use at big events: "I?m just treating this just like any other tournament". I barely had time to start rolling my eyes when he smiled and added "But I know it?s not". Considering the perks that one gets for winning one of the majors?exemptions from having to qualify for years etc.?he?s right: this tournament is a big deal.
Friday was a big deal for Phil Mickelson, but for the wrong reason: he stunk up the joint. At one point he bogeyed six out of seven holes to drop out of contention; he?s eight strokes off the lead and unless he can mount an amazing charge, he?s toast. Vijay Singh and one of my favorite lust objects, Sergio Garcia?what great teeth he has!--are right in the thick of things, two strokes off the lead, while Tiger Woods is lurking at three back. Some big names didn?t make the cut. Two of my other favorite lust objects, Padraig Harrington and David Duval, will sadly not be gracing my television screen this weekend, while the 2003 PGA winner Shaun Micheel is also going home.
The course is tough as the weather is so hot that the greens are dry, making them slick and fast. More than once on Friday I thought a putt by someone was going in but instead it would roll 20 feet past the hole. Accuracy, not brute strength, will be at a premium for the final two rounds and hopefully there?ll be a bunch of players at the top of the leaderboard fighting it out.
Welcome back, my friend: In news that was almost as predictable as knowing that the sun will rise and set every day, Ricky Williams agreed to be punished by the NFL for drugs transgressions and will rejoin the Miami Dolphins for training camp at the end of July. Williams, of course, is the running back that walked away from millions last year so he could smoke pot and travel the world. He probably discovered what so many professional athletes have: it?s really, really hard to simply walk away from the rush of playing and the huge paychecks.
Once the season starts, he?ll have to serve a four game suspension (although his agent is trying to get that reduced to two games) for a third failed drug test, plus he?ll lose the relevant chunk of money, but at least the Dolphins will have him back for at least the final 12 games of the season. It will be interesting to see how his teammates react to his return after his stunning departure a year ago. Needless to say, Ricky Williams is going to need to lay off the weed during the rest of his playing career. A few of the articles I looked at researching this seemed to indicate that even when he was "passing" NFL drug tests, it was more due to excellent masking agents, not because he was clean. He?ll be under intense scrutiny this go-round, so those might not work this time. --Jim Allen
6.17.2005
U.S. Open, day 1: I love the four major men?s golf tournaments. Each one is rich in history and great finishes (see: the 2005 Masters). This year?s U.S. Open at Pinehurst in North Carolina has a somewhat sadder backstory than most. In 1999, Payne Stewart, the hottie who wore tam o?shanters and capri pants, won the last U.S. Open played at Pinehurst in dramatic fashion on the last hole, beating Phil Mickelson. A month later, Stewart was dead when the private jet he was traveling in lost its cabin pressure, killing all aboard before crashing in swampland in South Dakota. I watched most of the coverage on Thursday and Payne Stewart was mentioned often, especially in connection with Mickelson.
The first round set up an interesting next three rounds. As is usual in the majors, an unknown duffer has the lead after the first round. At Pinehurst, that duffer is one Olin Browne. Browne is 46, has two career PGA wins and is currently ranked #300 but he managed to navigate the narrow fairways and slick putting surfaces to shoot a 3 under 67 to take the lead. Other notables in the hunt include defending U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen of South Africa, who is a shot back; the aforementioned Phil Mickelson is two off the pace, Masters champ Tiger Woods is three behind, as is steady Vijay Singh, who appeared to be playing through some knee pain.
Fashion notes: I was very disappointed in Luke Donald, who had a serious of fashion disasters at the Masters. He was in a comparatively sedate white pants/blue striped shirt. The only others who made my TV freak out with loud colors were Spanish cutie Sergio Garcia, who had a bright red pants/ball cap combo working and Jose-Filipe Lima of Portugal, who looked like he was dressed in Minnesota Vikings gear with a bright purple shirt with bits of white on it. C?mon guys, you can do better.
NBA Finals back and forth: After the first two games of the NBA Finals, it seemed like the San Antonio Spurs were going to romp to their third title in their history. The Detroit Pistons have other ideas though. In the fourth straight blow out win in the Finals, the Pistons thoroughly schooled the Spurs 102-71 at Detroit (ok, Auburn Hills) to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2. The Pistons used a balanced attack to win, with 7 players scoring in double figures, whereas the Spurs looked pretty much lost the whole game. The only trend I can see is the home court advantage. I don?t like the way this series is scheduled: 2 games at home, 3 away, 2 home. I much prefer the 2-2-1-1-1 format. While it?s obvious that TV calls the tune in terms of when the games are played, the next game isn?t until Sunday, which seems like too long a break when there?s no travel involved. --Jim Allen
6.16.2005
?I Don?t Believe in Being Gay?: Chicago White Sox player Carl Everett doesn?t believe in dinosaurs (they?re not in the Bible) and he doesn?t believe in gays.
"Gays being gay is wrong. Two women can't produce a baby, two men can't produce a baby, so it's not how it's supposed to be. . . . I don't believe in gay marriages. I don't believe in being gay," Everett told Maxim magazine, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Everett made these comments despite telling the Tribune that he had gay teammates whom he accepted. Evertt also told Maxim that ?It's proven that 99 percent of baseball fans have no idea what they're watching;" and that ?If everybody in the world got on steroids, we'll still lose more kids to a war than we will from steroids."
My first instinct is to rip Everett but that is modified if in fact he had gay teammates and was accepting. Make no mistake: What he said was offensive and unacceptable. Words can be powerful but actions often speak louder. I would like to know more about this before totally condemning him. His ravings about gays and marriage and babies seem more formed from religious ignorance than hatred. He has a reputation for being, as someone said, 51 cards shy of a full deck. --Jim Buzinski
6.15.2005
Pistons Get a Win: The Detroit Pistons (and ABC) got just what they needed in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, a 96-79 win over the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs still have a 2-1 series lead, but Detroit showed life and also showed they can make some shots after averaging 73 points in the first two games.
Richard Hamilton, who had been mediocre the first two games, led all scorers with 24 points, while the Spurs? aces, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli, had a combined 21 points.
Phil back in L.A.: There are $10 million reasons Phil Jackson went back to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, a year after he left the team. Jackson will become the NBA?s highest-paid coach as he joins a team with only one star (Kobe Bryant) and no money under the salary cap. But Jeanie Buss,, daughter of the Lakers? owner Jerry Buss, is Jackson?s longtime girlfriend, so he?ll at least he?ll have someone to keep him warm on those cold L.A. nights.
Jackson has won nine NBA titles and never had a losing season. One knock on him is that he?s never gone to a team that wasn?t loaded with talent. With this Laker team, Jackson?s coaching mettle will be tested like never before. --Jim Buzinski
6.14.2005
Rugby Sevens a ?Joke:? The rugby sevens world is all atwitter after an official with the International Olympic Committee called rugby sevens ?something of a joke.? Rugby sevens use seven players on each team playing two seven-minute halves (regular rugby is played with 15-man teams contesting two 40-minute halves.)
IOC executive board member Denis Oswald made the comment against the backdrop of getting the sport recognized for the 2012 Olympics. Oswald said he did not make clear that he was talking only in the context of what is the better form of rugby. Captains from 16 sevens? teams around the world sent a letter protesting his comments.
It seems as if sevens is to regular rugby what Arena League Football is to regular American football, sort of a paler version but requiring no less athleticism. It is popular and has a wide following. There are certainly more countries competitive than in women?s softball, which is a joke in the sense that the U.S. has won all three Olympic golds and is barely challenged. And don?t get me started on synchronized swimming. --Jim Buzinski
6.13.2005
Spurs Go Up, 2-0: There has not been an NBA Finals that has gone seven games since 1994, and after Game 2 ended Sunday, it seems as if the streak will continue. The San Antonio Spurs led from the tip in routing the Detroit Pistons, 97-76, to take a 2-0 lead. Only three teams have ever rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win a Finals.
Detroit, which has always relied on a great defense to bail out a weak offense, gave up 58 points the first half Sunday and were behind by 16 at the break. The Pistons only scored 69 in Game 1 and did little better on Sunday. Manu Ginobli led the Spurs with 27 points and had the home crowd chanting ?M-V-P!? '' Of course you appreciate it, it's beautiful, but it's something none of us should be thinking,'' Ginobili said. --Jim Buzinski
6.11.2005
Homosexuality and sports, again: Being a fan of team is usually a somewhat passive experience. You watch a game on TV or in person and then get on with your life. Sometimes though, supporting a team can turn dangerous, as was shown in London earlier this year.
Tottenham Hotspur (also known as Spurs) of the English Football (soccer) League were founded in 1882; a few miles away in North London, Arsenal was doing the same in 1886. The teams have a sometimes bitter and violent history of fan ruckuses and it possible that this history contributed to Mark Goldstein getting brutally beaten. Mr. Goldstein was taking a class at the University of East London with John Campbell, brother of Arsenal defender Sol Campbell. Sol Campbell came up through the Spurs system and was a star on their early 90?s teams. In 2001 however, he transferred to Arsenal amid much media publicity and outcry from Spurs fans, outraged that he?d sign with archrivals Arsenal.
The class Mark Goldstein, a Tottenham Hotspur fan, and John Campbell were taking together was about sports and the teacher asked what things could hold a player back in their career. The class was asked specifically about homosexuality in English football. Goldstein replied that he knew of two players that had come out after their careers were over (sound familiar?): ex-Manchester United player Laurent Blanc and journeyman Justin Fashanu (who later committed suicide). He also mentioned hearing gay rumors about Sol Campbell. Sol Campbell was so bothered by those rumors that like baseball player Mike Piazza, he called a press conference to deny he was gay. Those gay rumors, coincidentally enough, started after he transferred from Spurs to Arsenal. The rumors are thought to have come from disgruntled Spurs fans.
Mark Goldstein later showed up to train for a team coached by John Campbell, who had not forgotten the classroom mention of the gay rumors about his brother. It's still unclear what really started the incident (did Goldstein continue to taunt Campbell about his famous footballer brother being gay? The three stories I read about this didn?t seem to confirm it one way or the other), but it's certain that John Campbell attacked Mark Goldstein and beat him so badly that Goldstein required the insertion of a metal plate in his face to keep his jaw together. His face was stamped so badly by Campbell?s boot that it left stud marks on his skin.
Last Friday, John Campbell was sentenced by a judge to a year in prison for the attack. During the trial, Campbell used the "I snapped because of the gay taunts about my brother" defense but the judge was clear that John Campbell could have used words, not kicks to the head, to resolve the situation. How sad that a man is in jail and another is still in physical pain because being openly gay in professional sports is still so unthinkable and is used as a source of homophobic taunting. The first Spurs vs. Arsenal matching next season could be very interesting and also a possible chance to further discussion about gays in sports. --Jim Allen
6.10.2005
Advantage Spurs: The NBA Finals got underway on Thursday and defense, as is usual at this time of year, proved to be key. In one of the lowest scoring Finals games since the introduction of the shot clock, the San Antonio Spurs held home court advantage by beating the Detroit Pistons 84-69. The Spurs were lead by hottie Manu Ginobili, who had a great second half, scoring 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting. Ginobili lit it up in the second half after scoring only 4 points in the first half. Tim Duncan was his usual solid self, scoring 24 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.
Former Bulls/Lakers coach Phil Jackson calls the title the Spurs won during the strike shortened 1998-99 season an "asterisk title" but he?s just being bitter. In any case, it?s nice to see a team that seems to play without much ego and is pretty scandal free do so well.
Meathead: One of my favorite kind of sports story is the Bizarre Ways That Athletes Get Hurt While Not Playing. Accidents like players missing two months because they almost slice a finger off while opening a can of pears, that kind of thing. To this great tradition I can now add rookie shortstop Clint Barmes of the Colorado Rockies. Barmes was leading major league rookies in almost every stats category when he broke his collarbone Sunday night. The story was Bizarre enough when it first came out: he claimed that he was carrying some groceries on the stairs at his house when he took a header. Fine, that?s a good start for me.
However, I was happy to see the story get even more Bizarre on Thursday when Barmes ?fessed up: he?d been at teammate Todd Helton?s ranch riding around on an ATV, looking for deer. It turns out that Barmes was carrying deer meat given to him by Helton when he slipped and fell, pretty much ending his rookie season. His reason for the initial lie? He didn?t want Helton to get in trouble, even though there?s nothing in Barmes contract prohibiting him from riding an ATV. He probably told the fib because he thought that people would think he whacked himself on the ATV. As my parents always told me though, it?s the lie that will get you in trouble, not necessarily what you did. I hope Clint Barmes really enjoys that deer meat. --Jim Allen
6.9.2005
U.S. Closer to World Cup Bid: The U.S. men?s soccer team beat Panama, 3-0, to move to within two wins of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. The U.S. plays two of the weakest teams in their group coming up, so a fifth straight Cup berth looks like a lock.
In the marquee match on a day of worldwide Cup qualifiers, Argentina beat Brazil, 3-1, to qualify for next year?s tournament in Germany. The Brazilians will also no doubt qualify. In their stories rivalry, the series between the two now stands at 33-33-24.
Nats Keep Rolling: That experiment in bringing baseball back to Washington D.C. looks pretty good right now as the Nationals beat the Oakland A?s, 7-2, for their sixth straight win. The Nationals now lead the National League East by 1.5 games, the first time since 1933 that a D.C. major league team is in first place this late in the season (of course, there was no team in the area for more than 30 years until this season.). --Jim Buzinski
6.8.2005
Queer Eye for the Red Sox Guy: In another sign that we have turned some sort of cultural corner, Tuesday?s ?Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? had its season premier with its much-ballyhooed makeover of Boston Red Sox players Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek, Kevin Millar, Tim Wakefield, and Doug Mirabelli. For an hour viewers heard the word ?gay? said comfortably in the context of sports, along with paraffin waxing, manicures, pumpkin facials and micro-dermabrasion.
The segment began with an intro by sportscaster Bob Costas, another sign ?Queer Eye? is firmly accepted in the mainstream. The Red Sox players, shown almost all the time in the presence of their wives, had no problem primping and preening as they got their makeovers. ?Who said gay was bad?? Millar asked, clad in a fluffy cotton robe and soaking his feet in water mixed with rose petals. ?I am now gay.? After Varitek arrived by helicopter for his treatment, one ?Queer Eye? member quipped, ?You flew all the way in a helicopter to get your back waxed?that is gay.?
Along with the makeover (which took up much less of the show than most episodes) was a feel-good story about helping a Florida Little League rebuild its stadium that was badly damaged in last year?s hurricanes. This part was cloying (of course) and allowed an easy way for the gays and jocks to come together.
In a terrific column about the episode and gays and sports in general, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Gwen Knapp quotes Damon saying, "If there's a gay guy in baseball, we have to help him out. I'd smack him on the butt, just like I do everybody else.'' It will be attitudes like Damon?s (a star whose jock credentials can?t be questioned) that will go a long way with helping gays being accepted in sports; that and a pumpkin facial. --Jim Buzinski
6.7.2005
Pistons Reach NBA Finals: The Detroit Pistons, showing more poise down the stretch, rallied to beat the host Miami Heat, 88-82, and win Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons will play the San Antonio Spurs starting Thursday.
The Pistons scored 10 of the last 13 points against the Heat, which did not play smart basketball down the stretch with a series of bad shots, turnovers and missed free throws. In contrast, the defending champion Pistons showed great poise when it counted most. The Heat was hampered by the rib injury to star Dwayne Wade, who scored 20 points but shot 0 for 6 in the final period.
Two predictions for the Finals: 1. San Antonio in 6. The Spurs can play defense and also shoot better than the Pistons. 2. This will be a very low-rated series on TV. There are excellent players in the series but no ?stars? in the sense that the public can?t wait to see them. ABC, which will show the Finals, has seen its playoffs ratings drop 30%. It?s a fitting end to what Mark Heisler of the L.A. Times called the ?playoffs from hell.? --Jim Buzinski
6.6.2005
Hail the French Champion: Rafael Nadal is the best thing to happen to men?s tennis in years. The 19-year-old Spaniard is dynamic and exciting, has a charismatic personality and isn?t a jerk. He also is setting fashion trends and loves to flex his biceps. After Sunday, he is also a champion.
Nadal defeated fellow left-hander Mariano Puerta in a hard-fought four-set match to win the French Open, the youngest man to win a Grand Slam event since 1990. "He's going to become a legend," Puerta said of Nadal.
"For the first time, I cried after winning a match," Nadal said. "For me, this trophy means that I am now at the same level as the other great players who won the French Open, the ones I watched on television. To be on the same list as they are is a dream." How cool to see someone, especially so young, honor tennis? tradition and not trash it with boorish behavior as some other past champions have. Here?s hoping he has a long successful run.--Jim Buzinski
6.4.2005
Friday quick hits: Lesbian sports icon Martina Navratilova came up a little short at the French Open and as a result her quest to get closer to the record for most majors titles was put on hold. Martina only plays doubles these days, with a variety of playing partners. On Friday in Paris, she played in the mixed doubles final with Leander Paes (what a great name) but they lost to Fabrice Santoro and Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 3-6, 2-6. Navratilova has won an amazing 58 majors titles in her incredible career, but she still needs four more to tie Margaret Court?s record of 62.
In the other major news from the French Open, Roger Federer was denied a chance at winning a career Grand Slam (that is, winning the four majors in different years) when the hot young Spaniard Rafael Nadal beat him in the semi-final in four sets. Nadal is being hyped as The Next Big Thing in men?s tennis but I?m more worried about his fashion sense: he was wearing pants that looked like something a 14-year old skate punk would be wearing, cutoffs below the knee and a bright green sleeveless shirt. Rafael Nadal will play unseeded Argentine Mariano Puerta on Sunday for the men?s singles title.
He played way before my time, but George Mikan was a dominant figure in the early days of the NBA. It?s rare that a player makes a league change the rules of their sport to stop them from dominating it, but Mikan brought upon two such changes during his time in the NBA: the institution of the goaltending rule (because he was taller than everyone else, he was blocking too many shots) and the widening of the lane so that he couldn?t camp out three feet from the basket. Although he was "only" 6?10", which would make him a power forward today, at the time he was playing, most centers were in the 6?6" range and Mikan took full advantage of that. As a longtime Los Angeles Lakers fan, George Mikan was always a name I?d heard about, especially since the Lakers don?t hesitate to count the five NBA titles they won in the 1950's thanks to Mikan when they were in Minneapolis. The team has done a pretty good job of honoring him and that continued on Friday when former Laker Shaquille O?Neal agreed to pay for Mikan?s funeral. In a city and a sport that acts like things that happened five years ago is ancient history, it?s a nice gesture.--Jim Allen
6.3.2005
Jenkins to Sapp: your breath stinks: I didn?t know who Kris Jenkins was until today, but he got off a zinger that makes me glad I found out. Jenkins plays for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL as a defensive tackle. He spent most of last season out with a shoulder injury. He didn?t handle his time off well: after burning out on DVD?s, video games and other distractions, he started drinking. A lot. After watching the Panthers lose to the Oakland Raiders last year, Jenkins stopped going to games, another factor in his increased drinking. What happened at the Raiders game? Warren Sapp.
The Raiders blowhard defensive lineman really got in to Kris Jenkins head in a big way. Mr. Jenkins had this to say about Mr. Sapp: "I hate him. Everybody says I'm supposed to be polite when I talk to you all, but I hate him. He talks too much, he doesn't make sense, he's fat, he's sloppy, he acts like he's the best thing since sliced bread. He's ugly, he stinks, his mouth stinks, his breath stinks, and basically his soul stinks, too. Not too many people have personalities like that and survive in life. I don't know how he does it". Unfortunately, the Panthers don?t play the Raiders in the upcoming NFL season. However, if I ever meet Kris Jenkins, I'm buying him a non-alcoholic beer.
Heat have injury scare: It looks like it's going to be the Spurs vs. the Heat for the NBA title this year. Miami came ready to play and outclassed the defending champion Detroit Pistons in a 88-76 win at Miami that gave them a 3-2 series lead. Unfortunately for the Heat, just as they get a less than 100% Shaquille O'Neal back, they might have lost the player largely responsible for getting them to this spot, Dwayne Wade. Wade strained a rib muscle early in the fourth quarter and is highly doubtful for Game Six on Saturday in Motown. The omens are not good for the Pistons: in NBA history, the winner of Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 has gone on to win it 106 of 126 times. The game Saturday could be the final one as coach of the Pistons for Larry Brown. The coach who just can?t stay still acknowledged that he?s had talks with the woeful Cleveland Cavaliers about becoming their team president --Jim Allen
6.2.2005
Spurs in championship form: So it took one more game than it should have. Big deal. It'll just help the Spurs to stay sharp for the Finals. San Antonio put the finishing touches on the Phoenix Suns in their Western Conference Finals Wednesday night, winning Game 5 in Phoenix, 101-95. They now await the winner of the Heat-Pistons series.
The Spurs won all three of their playoff games at Phoenix in the series; in their 41 regular-season home games, the Suns had only lost 10. The Spurs will now bring the NBA's best home record, 38-3, along with momentum on the road into the Finals.
My prediction: Spurs take the Finals in five or six games; despite Shaq's presence and the Pistons' resilience in the playoffs, neither of the teams remaining will be able to match the Spurs' incredible understanding of how to win big games.
5.31.2005
Suns Get Hope: An old college roommate of mine used to say that the worst thing you can give a loser is hope. Without hope, the loser loses gracefully and unemotionally, quietly sinking into the sunset.
The San Antonio Spurs must be cruel. They have let the Phoenix Suns see the beginning of daylight in their Western Conference Finals with a 111-106 Suns victory.
Make no mistake about this one - the Western Conference Finals are over. The San Antonio Spurs will advance, courtesty of two road wins at Phoenix. This is not the 2004 Red Sox-Yankees revisited. What this is, we call in the profession, a "tease." You see, some people have a sick sense of humor. They revel in people getting all worked up, tormenting themselves over the possibility of victory, all the while knowing that their demise is imminent.
Yes, the Spurs have a sick sense of humor. Hopefully, they'll let the Phoenix Suns and their fans off the hook in Game 5.
Darth Vader - gay athlete? For those of you sci-fi geeks like me (well, I'm really just a Star Wars geek), here's an observation a straight friend of mine, sports radio host Chuck Booms, made to me today. We saw Revenge of the Sith together last week, and just today he told me that he thinks the love story of Anakin and Padme is an allegory for gay relationships, and that Anakin is the ultimate metaphor for the gay athlete.
Crazy, I know - but, consider these thoughts: Anakin's relationship isn't tolerated by his religion; he needs to sneak around, keeping his relationship away from his teammates. Yeah, maybe it's taking the analogy a bit far; but, it seems to fit. And, it adds a whole new dimension to the Star Wars saga. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.30.2005
ESPN?s Does Gay Story: As mentioned previously, ESPN on its Sunday SportsCenter ran an eight-minute segment on Andrew Goldstein, the All-American Dartmouth lacrosse goalie who came out to his team after the 2003 season.
Reported by Greg Garber, the segment was moving as it told of Goldstein?s journey of acceptance of himself and of his teammates? acceptance of him. While I could have done with less of the syrupy soft piano music, the piece was effective in conveying what gay athletes face.
The coolest part was footage of Goldstein scoring a goal against Syracuse in the 2003 NCAA playoffs, the first by a goalie in tournament play in 30 years. His teammates remarked that the feat marked Goldstein as a different kind of player, something they soon discovered was more true than they had ever realized. Hats off to ESPN for airing the segment but especially to Goldstein for sharing his story. He proved that a jock can come out in a team sport in a positive fashion.
Indy Drama: The Indy 500 got more attention than in years, all because of 23-year-old Danica Patrick, a woman breaking into a man?s world. Patrick became the first woman to ever lead the race, and she was in first with only eight laps to go. But she was passed by eventual winner Dan Wheldon and finished fourth.
Patrick managed to avoid going out of the race after being hit and showed great skill in climbing back into the lead. She is the story everyone will remember about this race.
As for Wheldon, 26, he is a very well-groomed Englishman who is said to have a fetish for buying shoes. Hmmm. And he was in tears in the victory circle before drinking the traditional bottle of milk. "I've loved the Indianapolis 500 since I was a kid,? he said. "The best drivers, the best teams in the world. I'm having an emotional moment."
5.28.2005
American French Open woes continue: Venus Willaims summed up the experience of most American tennis players at the Paris Open when she was quoted after her loss to 15-year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva: "I want to leave. I have nothing more to do here. I just want to go". With her defeat in three sets, Williams left Lindsay Davenport and Marissa Irvin as the only American?s still playing singles on the brutal clay courts of Roland Garros.
More bad news for the NHL: Remember the NHL? The only major sports league in North America to cancel a season due to labor strife? While the labor negotiations between the league and the players drag on with little concrete news, ESPN has reportedly thrown a big wrench in to the negotiations by indicating that they will not televise the 2005-06 NHL season?still theoretical at this point. Disney/ESPN will save some $60 million, but this leaves the NHL without a television contract in a market glutted with sports programming and unsure advertising rates.
Even though the NHL on ESPN never had much impact on TV ratings?poker matches were drawing better ratings when the NHL last broadcast an NHL game?it?s another blow to a once proud league. I love hockey as a sport but the tenure of Gary Bettman as commissioner has to be considered a disaster. Rapid expansion in the number of teams leading to a diluted product, the labor woes, the pitiful television contract, all of them will be his legacy. How did a league that at one time was arguably more popular than the NBA come to such dire straits? That?s for future historians to sort out, really, but in the here and now, it seems like the NHL is a dinosaur, left behind at the sports world moves on. Even if the league and players agree to a new contract in time to salvage the 2005-06 season, there are no guarantees that the fans will retun in sufficient numbers. The NHL might find out the hard the law of the entertainment jungle: when you dispear, for whatever reason, people find that they can live without your product after all and that spending the money that would have been spent on $95 seats elsewhere is a viable option. How sad.
I hate Liverpool FC: I recently wrote about being a fan of a team that is considered second best in a city, comparing the Angels to the Dodgers. Oddly, I face the same dilemma with my favorite sports team, Everton Football Club of Liverpool. Although they have had some amazing success in their own right, Everton is defintely second-fiddle to Liverpool FC on Merseyside. Liverpool has won the most league titles in England (18 to Manchester United?s 14) and numerous other trophies. So, it was with some angst that I watched Liverpool pull off one of the great comebacks in recent sports history. The Champions League is the big prize of football clubs in Europe, the way the World Cup is for nations.
Trailing 3-0 to AC Milan in the Champions League final on Wednesday, I was cackling with joy at the thought of Liverpool being humiliated in this important competition. Instead, in one of the great choke jobs I?ve ever seen, Milan gave up three goals in the second half to a very poor Liverpool side to send the game in to extra time. I know most American sports fans hate the idea of a championship being decided by penalty kicks but that?s rubbish; I see no complaints about NBA titles being decided by free-throws or the Super Bowl being decided by a scrawny place kicker. I love penalty shoot-outs: the tension is great, the pressure on the players enourmous. Sadly, AC Milan continued to choke and Liverpool converted 3 penalties to Milan?s 2 to win their fifth European Cup (the name until the early 90's)/Champions League title. The pictures of Liverpool hoisting the cup that symbolizes their win in front of 500,000 people in Liverpool was like a punch to the gut. Sometimes I hate being a sports fan.--Jim Allen
5.27.2005
No American men in Paris: Maybe I should set up a boilerplate story about how American men fare in the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris. For the second year in a row, no American men made it out of the second round of matches on the tricky clay surface. Outsports favorite Andy Roddick couldn?t close out #62 ranked Jose Acasuso of Argentina after winning the first two sets, losing the next three sets, including the fifth one 8-6. As a #2 seed, Roddick also became the highest seeded player to be bounced so far. At least he went down swingin, unlike Novak Djokovic of Serbia & Montenegro, who had to abandon his match against last year?s runner-up Guillermo Coria due to a sinus condition that the clay courts made unbearable. What a way to be sent packing from a Grand Slam tournament.
How not to conduct your career, Kellen Winslow Jr. edition: The Cleveland Browns chose tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. with the sixth pick in the 2004 draft. They were hoping he was going to help their anemic offense improve. Instead, he broke his leg so badly in the second week of the season that he was done for the rest of the year. On May 1, Winslow did something that not only dealt a set back to his chances of coming back for the upcoming 2005 season, but likely will cost him millions. Having just bought a new motorcycle, Winslow somehow thought it was a good idea for an inexperienced rider like himself to go to a parking lot and pop wheelies. The outcome was predictable, really: he hit a curb, was thrown from the bike and ended up tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Additionally, he suffered internal injuries, to add to the existing problems with his still-healing broken leg.
That bit of insanity by Mr. Winslow could end costing him a large portion of the $5 million in bonuses that he?s received since signing for the Browns. Like almost all pro athletes, there?s a clause in his contract forbidding "dangerous activities". Popping wheelies on a high-powered motorcycle when you?ve barely learned to ride a motorcycle certainly qualifies for that. Maybe Kellen Winslow Jr. should have read up on baseball player Jeff Kent, then of the San Francisco Giants, who broke his wrist during spring training doing wheelies on his motorcycle. At least Winslow was smart enough not to lie about his accident, unlike Kent. However, his honesty doesn?t help the Browns, who by the end of the 2005 season, will have gotten exactly two regular season games from their number six draft pick in two seasons with the team. --Jim Allen
5.26.2005
Conference Finals live up to billing: After two rounds of NBA playoffs that many felt were boring and suspenseless, the four conference finals games have lived up to the billing of the excitement that should pit the best teams against one another.
The four conference final games have been decided by a total of 25 points and none by double digits. Both Suns-Spurs games have seen Phoenix leading heading into the fourth quarter and San Antonio stealing the game; and Wednesday night's Pistons-Heat game saw the Pistons leading into the final frame and the Heat pulling away for a 92-86 win to even their series.
While the Western Conference Finals are simply a matter of which game the Spurs will lock up another trip to the NBA Finals, the Eastern Conference is wide open heading to Detroit. While the Pistons will be tough to beat at home, the Heat are just the team that can do it, as long as center Shaquille O'Neal can stay healthy.
Shaq on the hunt for sexual predators: Shaq has joined a Department of Justice task force to help track down sexual predators of children, according to the Associated Press. He has been spending time with Miami Beach investigators, and at home on his computer, learning the ropes. Shaq has often mentioned that he would like to become a police officer when he retires from the NBA. Afterall, who's going to mess with the 7-foot-1 325-pound mountain of muscle? -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.25.2005
A.I. wants to make out with his coach: Oft-maligned 76er Allen Iverson finally got the head coach he wanted: former Sixer star and assistant coach Maurice Cheeks. In fact, "The Answer" was so happy with the selection of Cheeks that he wanted to get a little jiggy with him.
"Bringing in Mo was icing on the cake," Iverson said at a press conference Tuesday. "I didn't want to do it in front of all the cameras, but I wanted to take him in the back and kiss him on the mouth."
An odd comment from Iverson, who is still remembered for making some nasty comments about gay people on an album that was never released a couple years ago. I guess that "City of Brotherly Love" thing is getting to him.
If you happened to be "in the back" and caught a picture of A.I. making out with Maurice Cheeks, please e-mail it to us here and we'll . . . destroy it immediately, of course.
Suns setting on Phoenix: Staying with overdone headlines, time is now running out if the Phoenix Suns are going to make it to the 2005 NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs won their third straight road playoff game in taking a 2-0 series advantage over the Phoenix Suns with a 111-108 win Tuesday night.
For the second straight game, the Spurs entered the fourth quarter with a deficit; however, they rallied in the final frame to top the fading Suns. The Spurs are +11 and +8 in each of the fourth quarters in this series.
And why is it that Robert Horry is always making a difference in big games down the stretch? Horry has won championships with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers and is now with the Spurs. Horry shot 3-4 from downtown in helping the Spurs to their win that probably sealed a trip to the NBA Finals for them: no team has ever won two road games to start a conference finals and lost the series in NBA history. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
5.24.2005
Heat get burned: Or, "Heat go up in flames." Or, "Heat cool off." I guarantee you the press will be having a field day this morning, trying to outdo each other with puns after the Miami Heat took exactly one game to give up homecourt advantage to the Detroit Pistons with a 90-81 loss Monday night.
While the Heat had run off two straight sweeps in the first two rounds of these playoffs, they were the same old Heat Monday night - the same old ones that lost year after year in the playoffs in embarrassing fashion. In this edition of "The Heat lose their fire," the Pistons used a balanced attack, with six players scoring in the double digits, to overcome a hobbled Shaquille O'Neal's 20 points.
With O'Neal playing at around 70%, it will be tough for them to win even a single game against a superior team with a superior defense. And with the San Antonio Spurs looking hot in the West, we may be looking at an NBA Final that doesn't see a team score over 70 in a single game.
