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7.31.2004
Quote of the Year, so far: Boxer Mike Tyson is always good for an off-the-wall remark that makes sports writers (and Jock Talk writers) lives easier. He was at it again at the last press conference before he fought British tomato can Danny Williams. Asked why he got whupped by Lennox Lewis in 2002, Tyson replied "I don't know what [bleep] happened. I may have smoked too much weed but I wasn't doing any drugs or anything". Okay, Mike, whatever. The Drug Enforcement Agency might disagree with that statement, but Tyson has far bigger problems: he got knocked out in the fourth round by the untouted Brit Williams on Friday and his plan to fight his way out of massive debt problems is in tatters. Mike Tyson was once the most feared boxer on the planet, a byword for destruction of his opponents. Now he's just a freak. Sad, sad, sad.
Jason Giambi is benign: As we've reported previously, the New York Yankees All-Star first baseman has had some medical issues recently, related to an internal parasite. On Friday, the team announced that Giambi has been diagnosed with a benign cancerous tumor. Acting more like the Kremlin than a team playing in the media capital of the universe, the Yankees refused to disclose much more information than that. Mr. Giambi has been sick for most of the year, as reflected by his anemic .221 batting average. We wish him a speedy recovery and a healthy future.
7.30.2004
Yankees, Red Sox suspended, fined: In the wake of a bench-clearing brawl between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox last week, fines and suspensions were handed out by Bob Watson, major league baseball's discipline chief. Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees and Jason Varitek of the Red Sox were suspended for four games, while a bunch of other players, including journeyman pretty boy Outsports favorite Gabe Kapler, were fined and suspended. While we think the whole "Yankees vs. Red Sox is the greatest rivalry in sports" thing is just typical East Coast media bias navel gazing, the two teams genuinely seem to dislike each other. With the Red Sox being toyed with by the Yankees, who have a 7 1/2 game lead in the East, it's all a lot of hot air in the end.
The Drugs Don't Work:The Ricky Williams Quits NFL To Go Smoke Pot In Asia story took another turn on Thursday. It was revealed that Williams failed a third drug test after he basically decided to not use the masking agent that had prevented detection before. After failing a second test in May, Ricky faced massive fines and a suspension. He claims that by the time the third test rolled around he'd already made the decision to quit playing pro football and didn't bother to go through the process of covering up his marijuana use. "I didn't quit football because I failed a drug test," he told the Miami Herald. "I failed a drug test because I was ready to quit football." This story just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.
7.29.2004
Athletes Can Get Lucky in Athens: What do you get when you put 10,000
twentysomethings from 200 countries together in one little village? 130,000
condoms.
That's what condom manufacturer Durex is sending to the Olympic village in Athens next
month to supply athletes with the tools to reach all of their Olympic goals. They're even
throwing in 30,000 packets of lubricant.
"As the official condom and lubricant supplier to Athens 2004, we hope this substantial
donation will allow athletes to enhance their performance between the sheets and go for
gold without worrying about the dangers of unprotected sex," Durex Marketing Manager
Mark Critchley said in a statement.
According to Reuters, each athlete competing in the Sydney 2000 Games was given 51
condoms on arrival at the Olympic Village, but another 20,000 had to be shipped in when
supplies began to run low.
Maybe the athletes are onto something: sex does enhance athletic performance.
GMC Thinks Gays are Clothes-Obsessed: In accepting the Arthur Ashe Courage
Award given at the ESPYs last week, GMC CEO Rick Wagoner spoke on behalf of the
company - and ostensibly came out of the closet.
"Standing in front of an A-List of Hollywood celebrities, as well as Jamie Foxx, was
something I?ll never forget. I can?t wait to go home and tell all my friends what their
favorite celebrities and sports stars were wearing. That?s how gay I am," Wagoner said in
accepting the award in front of an appreciative crowd.
GMC beat out UNICEF Ambassador George Weah, Africa?s all-time greatest soccer star; Pat
Tillman, NFL player who lost his life serving in Afghanistan; and Lance Armstrong,
then-five-time Tour De France winner.
7.28.2004
Spark in Playboy: The WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks contacted Playboy to discuss buying an ad in an upcoming issue. Instead, one of their marketing executives will appear wearing nothing more than a basketball.
Thirty-two year old Heather La Bella can be seen as the magazine's "employee of the month" in the August issue on newsstands now.
"Part of my job is to try to increase ticket sales and I think this will work," La Bella told Sports Business News.
And why not? Despite Outsports being under constant fire from straight people pointing to the "sex-obsessed" gay men in our readership, straight guys are no different. One of the main appeals to them of women playing sports is the sex factor: Beautiful, fit women bumping into each other while they exercise.
The Sparks have tried many different avenues to drive ticket sales, including a trip by many of the players to a West Hollywood-based lesbian bar a couple years ago.
Now, if we can only get the Los Angeles Lakers to appear in Playgirl.
7.27.2004
Giambi May Have 'Gay' Disease: New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi has been battling a parasite problem that could prove to be a lot more serious than first thought. The Newark Star Ledger is reporting that Giambi is returning to New York on Tuesday to be tested for the parasite Entamoeba histolytica.
According to Yahoo's Health Encyclopedia, the parasite is usually harmless. "However, sometimes, it invades the colon wall causing colitis, acute dysentery, or chronic diarrhea. The infection can also spread through the blood to the liver and rarely, to the lungs, brain or other organs."
Medical experts say that the disease is most commonly found in the US "among gay men and residents of institutions."
Aidsmap.com says the parasite "is found in about 5% to 10% of the population, but around 20% to 30% of gay men. It is transmitted by oral-fecal contact when food or water supplies are contaminated, or during oral-anal sexual contact (rimming)."
Giambi's wife, Kristian Giambi, and fellow Yankee Kevin Brown have also been diagnosed with the parasites.
"We were wracking our brains. We don't eat dinner together," Giambi told CNNSI.com in regards to both his teammate and he having the parasite. "Brownie doesn't live in the city. There is nothing exotic that I eat at the ballpark."
7.26.2004
The New Jordan: Other people had won six NBA Championships. More than one had scored more career points. A bunch could hit the three better or could steal the ball more proficiently. Jordan is considered by many the greatest NBA player ever, if not the greatest athlete ever.
No one has won more than Lance Armstrong. The star-American cyclist won his sixth straight Tour de France on Sunday, setting a record for championships in the sport's premier event. Three other cyclists - including Miguel Indurain from 1991 to 1995 - had won it five times.
Now the debate will begin to rage - how does Armstrong rank among the greatest athletes in history? Can he be compared with Jordan, who was ESPN's top American athletes of the 20th century? Does he rival former San Francisco 49ers coach Joe Montana, who was their No. 25? How about No. 50 Chris Evert?
Our answer: it's impossible to tell. How do you compare athletes who played different sports, which each emphasize different skills and abilities? No, Lance Armstrong can't dunk a ball. But, Michael Jordan can't ride through the French Alps in three months, let alone three weeks.
The greatest athlete? It's impossible to tell. But, we can safely say he's one of the 50 greatest athletes of the last century. Chrissy was great and all, but seven Tour de Frances? That's tough to beat.
7.24.2004
Buy our merchandise: Football (soccer to Americans) is by far the most popular sport in the world. While the U.S. will never be a hotbed of soccer fanaticism like Europe or South America are, the American sports consumer has something most teams will understand, no matter the sport: money to spend. So, on Saturday in Seattle, Celtic of Glasgow and Chelsea of London will kick off the third annual ChampionsWorld soccer tournament. The so-called tournament is bogus as a competitive sporting event, as the teams participating are using the U.S.-based games as pre-season training. The teams usually play the smaller teams in Europe at this time of year, but when they are almost guranteed 60,000 + crowds and the attendant publicity, the elite teams of Europe like Manchester United, Real Madrid and Liverpool are more than happy to play in the U.S. as a marketing "brand building" excercise.
A majority of the fans are expatriots from soccer-crazy countries, people glad to have a chance to root their favorite English or Scottish team in the flesh. While the accountants are happy with this situation, there are whispers that the all the travel and hype take a toll on teams when it comes to their regular league seasons. The prime example is Real Madrid and their "galacticos" (roughly meaning stars). They faded badly in the Spanish La Liga last season and even though they have the three most recognizable soccer players on the planet in David Beckham, Ronaldo and Zinidine Zidane, they spurned the lucrative money that participating in the ChampionsWorld tournament would all bring to allow their players a rest.
7.23.2004
Doldrums: This time of year is pretty dang boring in terms of sports. The NBA is on hiatus. Midnight Madness hasn't jump-started the college basketball season. The NHL is in hibernation, and with a players strike possible this year, that hibernation could last a while. The NFL and college football don't start in earnest for another few weeks. The European soccer season hasn't started yet, while the MLS is going through their paces in mid-season. In tennis, the U.S. Open isn't for a while, while golf just completed one of the four majors in Scotland. The college lacrosse season has ended, as have a lot of regional-popularity sports. Baseball ambles along, just past the half-way point in a season that sometimes seems it lasts an eternity (especially for non-fans). The Olympics don't start until August.
Sure, there's the Tour de France, but American Lance Armstrong has pretty much removed any doubt that he's going to win his record setting sixth consecutive Tour by steamrolling the field in the mountain stages. OK, there's NASCAR, but we don't mention that acronym around here, as the popularity of that "sport" completely baffles us. The Formula One racing season is underway, but German Michael Schumacher and Ferrari are dominating again, so that's kind of dull. Compare and contrast this with late September/early October, when baseball is in the postseason, football and soccer are in full swing, the NBA has started, college hoops are gearing up, hockey, both pro and college is well along and so forth. Right now, the sports pages of the Los Angeles Times, which can run to about 25 pages in the fall, is down to about 10. Yep, it's slow on the sports scene now, that's for sure.
7.22.2004
One Guy Stays...: Despite being an unrestricted free agent, forward Rasheed Wallace will return to the Detroit Pistons next season. Wallace was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, who had just gotten him from the Portland Trailblazers, in February. After adding him, the Pistons went 20-6 to finish out the regular season and won the NBA Championship.
'Sheed had a long history of outbursts in Portland and was considered one of the bad boys of the league. When he got to Detroit, he seemed to fit in perfectly with coach Larry Brown's system, he quieted down and he made one of the league's best defenses even better.
...One Guy Goes: Eddie George was once the most potent player on the Tennessee Titans' offense. Now, he isn't on the offense at all.
After an inability to renegotiate his contract, the Titans cut George at the player's request.
While he was popular for his work ethic with Titans fans, some are glad to see him go. He never had very good per-carry yardage, slipping all the way to 3.3 yards per carry last season in amassing just over 1,000 yards. And, with the Titans' offense now focusing more on quarterback Steve McNair, the opportunity for George to again shine had dimmed.
7.21.2004
Promises, Promises: The world of pro sports is littered with guarantees, whether it's by Joe Namath or Chad Johnson. Some are kept while others are not. The NBA has a new guarantee to toss around for the next few years, courtesy of the League's biggest big mouth of them all.
"Remember this," Shaquille O'Neal told a group of fans in his new home of Miami. "I'm going to bring a championship to Miami. I promise."
Yawn.
Him and what army? Remember, it was Shaquille O'Neal's teams that got swept out of the playoffs in a series a few straight years until Phil Jackson came along and changed all that. In Miami, though, there's not more Phil; no more Kobe. Shaq will have some back-up, but the Heat, who have had a long history of playoff woes themselves, are no Lakers.
CNNSI.com did report something encouraging, though: O'Neal said that, when he retires from the NBA, he's going to be a chief of police somewhere.
With that kind of protection, we want to live in that neighborhood!
7.20.2004
Thorpe Says He Isn't Gay: Australian swimming sensation Ian Thorpe is so adamant that he's not gay, he has threatened a lawsuit against two artists who have intimated as much.
Natalie Starr and Alexandra Sanderson, both of Melbourne, Australia, created a collage poking fun at several celebrities, including Aussie-born Nicole Kidman and Thorpe. The work is called "Not Only But Also." The small part of the collage featuring Thorpe is no larger than a person's head. It features him pumping his fist in the air in victory with the words "Live the Olympics" below him. Above him is the word "Gay" with an arrow pointing to him.
Thorpe's management company has said it is awaiting an investigation into the piece. His management will consider legal action once they hear the results of the investigation.
"It borders on criminality to attack somebody that way," Australian Families Association spokesman Brian Handley told the Sunday Herald Sun in Victoria.
The artists, though, have a different perspective on their work.
"We are not saying Ian Thorpe is gay," Starr told the Sunday Herald Sun. "I don't know Ian Thorpe. I have never met Ian Thorpe. I don't know if he is gay and, anyway, who cares? What we are commenting on is the speculation that surrounds him and the trashy interest in it."
While we certainly don't know if Thorpe is gay or not, we have heard the rumors like everyone else and know that it is quite the talk in Australia. Two years ago, Thorpe, a lover of fashion who has his own jewelry line, denied rumors that he is gay. "You know I'm a little bit different to what most people would consider being an Australian male. That doesn't make me gay," he said. "I mean, I'm straight."
7.19.2004
Big Misses One of the great things about sports is its universal appeal, how emotions are the same regardless of the sport or the size of the crowd. I was reminded of this Saturday in covering the FINA Water Polo World League Super Final in Long Beach, Calif., a major tuneup prior to the Olympics.
In the fifth-place game, Spain defeated the U.S., 11-10, in sudden death before a crowd of 5,085, the largest ever to see a non-Olympic Games water polo match in North America. The action was riveting, the players were amazingly skilled and the crowd was stoked. But in the end, the game was most memorable for two mistakes made by a local boy made good.
Tony Azevedo attended Long Beach Wilson High School and has gone on to become one of the world?s elite players. His dad is assistant coach on the U.S. team and he had many well-wishers in the crowd.
In the overtime shootout, though, four of the six U.S. shooters made their shots. The two misses were by Azevedo, including one in sudden death. Afterwards, with apparent tears in his eyes (which he said was the result of chlorine), he showed his disappointment.
"I hurt my shooting (right) elbow (in the final seconds of regulation) but I'm not making excuses,' Azevedo told me afterward. "It was an awesome experience playing in front of our home crowd. I just wish we could have shown them a better game.?
It was hard not to feel for him, in essence striking out before the home crowd he so wanted to impress. But for Azevedo and his team comes another one of sports? great lessons: There?s always tomorrow.
Medical Miracle: Azevedo actually has a lot to be thankful for. Check out this story on how he nearly died in a freak accident as a kid.
--Jim Buzinski
7.17.2004
Sad: In a story that made headlines all over the country--including on this very website--the NHL's St. Louis Blues Mike Danton was accused of hiring a hitman for.....well, the reasons changed almost daily. We ran with the gay angle that was rumored: Danton had been having a gay relationship, his agent pressured him to stop the affair, so Danton tried to have the agent bumped off because he was afraid the agent would tell the team and ruin his career.
On Friday, his career was ruined for sure.
In court in San Jose, California, Danton pleaded guilty to a federal murder-for-hire conspiracy charge. He faces seven to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced October 22. His attorneys are seeking for him to be transferred to a Canadian prison, a request that is likely to be granted. By doing that, Danton probably will not be allowed back in to the United States, effectively ending his career, even if he were to resume it after getting out of prison.
The whole Mike Danton saga is just sad. There was talk of childhood abuse, manipulative agents, a naive girlfriend who was drafted to find the hitman and so on.
The Canadian Junior hockey system that Danton came from (roughly the equivalent of the US college athletics system) has long been controversial and one of the things that stood out in this story was how ripe for exploitation naive young teenage boys were as they would often leave home to join teams in other cities. It would be nice if this case caused a thorough rethink of the Juniors system, but color us cynical when we say we don't think something that entrenched is going to undergo radical change without a bitter fight.
7.16.2004
Kobe to stay: While Shaquille O'Neal heads off to Florida to play for the Miami Heat, Kobe Bryant isn't moving to another NBA team after signing a 7-year deal for over $136 million dollars with the Los Angeles Lakers. He bristled at suggestions that he had helped engineer the departures of O'Neal and departed coach Phil "Zen Master" Jackson, but he has bigger problems to worry about. His media-circus felony sexual assault case goes to trail on August 27th and, if convicted, he most likely won't be playing basketball anywhere for a while. The Lakers soap opera continues.
Big Unit Sweepstakes: Left-hander Randy Johnson is one of the best pitchers in baseball, a perfect game against the Braves this season being a career highlight. This is the time of the year where teams that are involved in pennant races rent players for the stretch drive. Johnson is easily the prize this year, with either the Yankees (of course!), Angels, White Sox and Red Sox being the rumored destination. Only three years removed from an upset World Series win against the Yankees, Johnson's current team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, have sunk to the point that they had the worst record in the major leagues at the All-Star break. They are clearly in rebuild mode and will demand an attractive package of proven major leaguers and prospects for their star pitcher. While the Yankees can use sheer financial muscle to get a deal done, the other teams must weigh possibly winning now versus giving up players that can help for years to come. The Angels have one of the two or three highest ranked minor league systems in the majors and after a history of horrible trades that gave away young prospects (who then flourished with their new teams) for older players, they are not anxious to let history repeat. The Red Sox might throw a truck of cash and players at the D'backs just to foil the Yankees. Some General Managers are on the hot seat now, that's for sure.
7.15.2004
What a Tease: We at Outsports were crushed today when Mike Ditka announced that he would not run for Illinois' Senate seat, mostly because we were looking for a couple good months of plenty of fodder for this column.
"There was a moment when I said, `God, I'd like to take this and run with it', and then I said, `You know, put your head on straight and think about what you're getting into,'" the pro football Hall of Famer told the Associated Press outside his Chicago restaurant.
Ditka had been mulling the Republican nomination that is now up in the air with the departure of Jack Ryan from the race.
Florida Fans: Shaq is Back: It's official: Shaquille O'Neal will return to Florida for the 2004-05 NBA season. The former League MVP has been traded to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round draft pick.
Shaq began his career playing for the Orlando Magic where he made a four-game appearance in the NBA Finals.
NBA Commish David Stern must be sending Kobe Bryant love letters in hopes of getting him to head to New York - the thought of the two now-former teammates matching up four times a year has to be inviting for TV ratings.
7.14.2004
Rocket Gets Rocked: Roger "The Rocket" Clemens got embarrassed in the first inning of his over-hyped MLB All-Star appearance, giving up a record six runs in the inning from which the National League never recovered.
It was great to watch the National League go down. All the talk for the last week was the National League having "the greatest outfield in All-Star history" and "the greatest pitcher-catcher combo in All-Star history." None of that mattered Tuesday night as the American League ran away with the game, 9-4.
The American League also set a record against Clemes, becoming the first All-Star team to hit for the cycle in one inning.
Much had been made of the Clemens-Piazza duo that started the game. The tandem was famous for Clemens throwing a broken bat at Piazza in the 1999 World Series. Clemens whined about the hype about the incident leading up to the game.
?He?s not the only guy I hit," Clemens said in reference to his pitch that hit Piazza earlier that year. "And everybody makes a big deal of it. And it drives me crazy, as well as my family, and it does disrespect to the World Series and everything else when you talk about and they show it over and over again.?
Disrespect? How about disrespecting the game by throwing a bat at a base runner in the first place, then claiming you thought it was a ball - like throwing a ball at a base runner is any better.
Clemens got everything he was due on Tuesday. Let's just hope it continues into the second half of the season.
7.13.2004
I (heart) Billy Koch: Proof positive that one baseball player can love another.
ESPN the Magazine is chock full of photo spreads for their July 19, 2004, issue. No doubt a summer respite for the reporters. One of the two-page spreads features Blue Jays pitcher Justin Miller and his 62 tattoos. They range from a large "LA" on his back, in tribute to where he grew up, to his son Joseph's name tattooed over his heart.
He also, according to the magazine, has a rather appropriate tattoo on his butt. Apparently, he lost a $1,000 dare to his off-season workout partner, and former Blue Jay, Billy Koch. So, his right butt cheek now reads, "I [heart] Billy Koch."
Just in case anyone else was thinking about making their mark on his butt, they'll know it's taken.
All Those Homers Don't Get a Win: The talk going into the All-Star Home Run Derby was about three of the four active players with 500 or more career homers. Instead, it was another guy getting the win.
Miguel Tejada hit a record 15 balls out of the park in the second of three rounds en route to his first home run derby title. He only had to hit five home runs in the final round to beat Lance Beckman's four homers. He did it with five outs remaining.
7.12.2004
Griffey Out Again: Baseball's All-Star Game was supposed to feature the most prolific group of homerun hitters on one team in the game's history. Instead, one-third of the National League's powerful trio will be watching from the sidelines. Again.
Cincinnati Red Ken Griffey Jr., whose career has hit the skids the last couple seasons due to recurring health problems, pulled his hamstring on Sunday in a 5-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. He has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
It was his hamstring that game him his first problems in 2001, setting off a string of three consecutive seasons that left Cincinnati Reds fans as frustrated as the "future Hall of Famer." The 2004 season started off with a bang, sending Griffey to his 12th All Star Game and re-energizing whispers of his chase of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron in the career homerun race.
All four active players with 500 homers had been scheduled to compete in Monday's Home Run Derby: Barry Bonds (681), Sammy Sosa (553), Rafael Palmeiro (540) and Griffey (501). Instead, three-fourths of the super slammers will entertain the crowds in Houston on Monday.
Shaq Headed to the Heat: The end of the "Lakers dynasty" is upon us. It now appears that Shaquille O'Neal is headed to the Miami Heat. With Kobe Bryant potentially on his way to the New York Knicks, we could see these two soon-to-be-former teammates playing against one another four times a year. But, they've essentially been doing that for the last two years already.
7.10.2004
D'oh!: So, here we were, commenting on Lance Armstrong playing it rather safe in the Tour de France cycling race while others were crashing all around him (see yesterday's entry) and what does he go and do Friday? Yep, he crashed about 20 minutes in to Friday's 6th stage. Way to mock us Lance! He did avoid, however, a major pileup near the finish line that involved a large portion of the riders in the stage. Armstrong blamed the layout of the course, saying "Coming in, they've got the barriers really tight, and you've got 200 guys racing through there at 40 miles an hour. ... You're going to have crashes".
Phelps v. The Thorpedo: Michael Phelps (see 7/8--hey, we're not recycling stuff here!) booked a possible matchup with Austrailia's Ian Thorpe in the upcoming Athens Oympics swimming events when he won the 200 metre freestyle race at the U.S. Olympic Trials Friday in Long Beach, California. Unfortunately, Phelps poured a bit of cold water on the idea of a dream 200 metre freestyle race with Thorpe by implying that he might skip the event if it interferes with his stated goal of breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at Munich in 1972. Phelps will be racing in three team events, and with his others events, will potentially race 9 times, giving him a chance to win eight medals, eclipsing Spitz. The 200 free might be his least winnable race, so he might sit it out. It's a punishing schedule he'd have to work through in Athens, but one of the great things about sports is seeing athletes at the peak of their games, so we hope he works it out.
7.9.2004
Tour de France thrills and spills: For good reason this year, all eyes are on American Lance Amstrong in the great cycling race, the Tour de France. Going for a record sixth title, all in a row, he is heavily favored to win. On Thursday, the weather played a major part as rain caused a change in strategy for some teams. With the gruelling mountain stages still to come, Armstrong and other riders felt that going balls-out in such poor conditions wasn't worth it. At least 11 riders were treated for scrapes and there were a couple of pile-ups as the rain turned the course in to a skating. It's amazing to watch these guys ride at top speed on wheels thinner than a guy's wrist. Friday's weather: more rain and high winds, to boot. Lance Armstrong is 9 1/2 minutes behind the leader, Thomas Voeckler of France but in his media chat, was happy with his position as he knows he can make it up in the Pyrenees and French Alps. Stage 16 of the Tour features a death-climb, almost 4,000 feet in only about 9 miles. What incredible athletes these guys are.
No Olmpics for Armstrong: In related news, Lance Amstrong said he would skip the Olympics, due to start only about a month after the end of the Tour de France. He simply wants to spend more time with his young children, which the long training sessions necessary for the Tour haven't allowed. Armstrong is sometimes criticized in cycling circles for only riding in the Tour de France and not the other two big cycling events, the Giro in Italy and the Vuelta in Spain. It's felt by some that his record at the Tour de France is "tainted" because it's about the only thing he rides, that it's easy to win when you're only focused on the one major race. That's for purists to debate, but good for him for putting his family ahead of his career.
7.8.2004
Phelps Sets the Pace: American swimmer Michael Phelps is attempting to win eight gold medals at next month?s Olympics, which would beat the mark set in 1972 by Mark Spitz. Phelps served notice that he will be ready for Athens by setting a world record in the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympics Swimming Trials in Long Beach, Calif.
''I wanted to go into the Olympics with the fastest time in the world,'' said Phelps, 19, whose time of 4 minutes, 8.41 seconds broke his old mark. Phelps will receive $1 million from Speedo if he matches Spitz?s mark, which would be an amazing feat considering all the talent that will be in Athens.
The Yankees' Stumble Continues: After the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox in 13 innings a week ago to pull 8 ﾽ games in front in the American League East, the race seemed all but over. The Red Sox were declared dead and seemed to only have a shot at a baseball wild card. But just a week later, the Sox have picked up 2 ﾽ games as the Yankees have lost five of six, including a 10-8 decision to Detroit on Wednesday. With the win, the Tigers claimed their first series win at Yankee Stadium since 1996. It just confirms that at 162 games, baseball?s season is a marathon not a sprint, and that nothing is ever decided in June.
7.7.2004
Lakers Plan B: Now that Mike Krzyzewski turned them down, the Los Angeles Lakers apparently have offered their head coaching job to Rudy Tomjanovich, the former Houston Rockets coach. The Lakers are facing an off-season of turmoil, with the status of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O?Neal in doubt. Rudy T would bring a veteran presence to the Lakers? bench and having won two NBA titles won?t hurt either.
Here Come the Mets: With the Yankees getting all the ink after their three-game sweep of the Red Sox last week, New York?s other baseball team was quietly getting into contention in the N.L. East. First the Mets swept the Yanks this past weekend, and on Tuesday they beat the division-leading Philadelphia Phillies.
The Mets have won five of six to pull to withing two games of the Phils. On Tuesday, the Mets were led by Al Leiter, whose 2.05 ERA is baseball?s best. The race in the East?with four teams within 2 ﾽ games of each other?will be tight all summer.
7.6.2004
Greece Gets Monstrous Upset: All you had to do to win $800 was to place a $10 bet on Greece to win the 2004 European Championship. Despite playing in Portugal, the Greeks knocked off the hosts, 1-0, in one of the most stunning upsets in soccer history Sunday.
Greece had never even won a game in a major soccer tournament before Euro 2004. Reuters' preview of Group A round-robin play barely mentioned Greece, focusing entirely on Spain, Portugal and Russia. However, they beat Portugal twice in the tournament and round robin and ousted defending-champion France in the quarterfinals.
Greece will get to play host in August when they welcome the world to the Olympics at the next major soccer tournament.
7.5.2004
Americans O-fer in Wimby Finals: Andy Roddick won the first set of his Wimbledon final on Sunday, then lost three straight as he fell to Roger Federer, -6, 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
It was the first time since 1982 that the two top seeds met in the Wimbledon men's final. Federer won the match with superior defense and a shift to a more aggressive strategy after a 40-minute rain delay during which he was trailing Roddick, 4-2, in the third set.
Coach K Stays: Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has turned down the offer from the Los Angeles Lakers to be their head coach, CNNSI.com has reported. Krzyzewski met with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak on Thursday and took the weekend to decide.
7.4.2004
Happy Fourth: Happy 4th of July to our American readers.
No Williams Win at Wimbledon: For the first time in four years, one of the Williams' sisters, Venus or Serena, didn't win the Ladies singles at the storied Wimbledon tennis championships. This year, it was the turn of a 17-year old Russian, Maria Sharapova, who soundly defeated Serena 6-1, 6-4 to capture her first Grand Slam title. By defeating two-time champ Williams, Sharapova became the "It" girl of women's tennis. She's being compared to the silly Anna Kournikova, who's more famous for her cars and fashion layouts than tennis; unlike the absurdly overhyped straight guy JO fantasy Kournikova, Sharapova actually seems to be able to play tennis at a high level. Serena Williams had been 6-1 in Grand Slam finals, so her loss is notable for the ease in which Maria Sharapova achieved her win.
And for the men.... Gay male fantasy boy Andy Roddick, an Outsports favorite, pencilled in a date in the men's final, beating Croatian Mario Ancic in four sets. Defending champ Roger Federer of Switzerland beat Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean in three sets to set up an intriguing men's final. One thing we noticed about Mr. Federer is that he plays without the benefit of either a coach and/or trainer, an anomaly in the sport. He says he'll continue to do so "as long as he's winning". Imagine that, an athlete that doesn't need an entourage.
7.3.2004
Lance: American Lance Armstrong has won five Tour de France bicycle races and he'll go for number six when the three-week competition starts on Saturday in Liege, Belgium. Despite the feel-good nature of his story, including beating testicular cancer, questions remain about him and his sport. At the 1998 Tour, there was a massive doping/performance-enhancing drug scandal, with roughly 20 teams being caught up in the kerfluffle. In the last 18 months, the sport has been hazardous to men's lives; the following deaths have occured under extremely suspicious circumstances:
Italian Denis Zanette dies of a heart attack at the dentist (!!!) at age 32
Spaniard Jose Maria Jimenez, also 32, dies of a heart attack.
Italian legend Marco Pantani OD's on cocaine in Rimini, Italy. He had been caught with performance-enhancing drugs earlier in his career.
Less than a day later, 21-year-old Belgian Johan Sermon is found dead from apparent heart failure in his sleep.
We're not conspiracy theorist-types, but it doesn't take Inspector Clouseau to put 2 + 2 together and figure out that something other than sheer coincidence must be behind a gaggle of men in their 20's and 30's, some of the fittest people on the planet, dropping dead of heart attacks in close succession.
Lance Armstrong has vehemently denied using banned substances, especially after Briton David Walsh's new book alleging that Armstrong doped in the 1998 and 1999 cycling seasons was announced. Armstrong has sued to block publication of the book, which seems like a poor tactical choice. If he has nothing to hide, then he should just shrug off the accusations. If the suit ever gets to trial, it could get nasty for the Austin-based rider, as his former masseusse has ratted him out. It's really sad that a great sport is being dragged through the mud (see also: track) but with the amounts of money to be made, people will cheat for a small advantage. How sad.
7.2.2004
Coach K to L.A.?: Now that the Zen Master Phil Jackson has left, the Los Angeles Lakers are looking for a coach. The usual retread, failed-elsewhere suspects have been mentioned for the job, of course, but a name that few expected is in the mix: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski. It seems odd that Coach K would consider this. He's got pretty much a free hand at Duke, with no question who's in charge. In Los Angeles he would defiintely be secondary to the players, who hold all the power in the NBA. Plus, with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant both likely to leave over the summer, it's not as if the team is without issues of its own. Maybe Krzyzewski figures that with elite players leaving college after a year or two to turn pro these days, it's become close enough to the NBA to be lured by the hype and big money that would be available to him in Los Angeles. Don't do it, Coach K, stay at Duke.
No Out Lesbians in Wimbledon final: Out and proud lesbian tennis player Amelie Mauresmo came close to make the Wimbledon Ladies final, but she ran in to the force named Serena Williams. Williams is trying to become the third woman in 35 years to win three consecutive singles titles and it looks like she'll probably do it on Saturday (weather permitting in London, of course). In beating Mauresmo in four sets, Williams also played some of the match with a cracked racket, which happened when she whacked the ground with it in anger. Serena will play 17-yeard old Maria Sharapova, who beat Lindsay Davenport in four sets to claim her first spot in a Wimbledon final. It was probably Davenport's last hurrah at Centre Court as it's likely that she'll retire after this season.
7.1.2004
Oh What a Difference the English Channel Makes: The French Open was a disaster for American tennis players. None of the men made past the second round and the women's best shot, Jennifer Capriati, flamed out in the semifinals.
A month later, two Americans have made it to the semifinals of Wimbledon and are poised to make another Independence Day sweep of the Major.
Serena Williams crushed Jennifer Capriati in their women's quarterfinal match, 6-1, 6-1, in just 45 minutes. The victory avenges Williams' loss to Capriati in the quarters of the French Open.
Meanwhile, Andy Roddick continued his streak of 15 straight sets at Wimbledon, beating Sjeng Schalken 7-6 (4), 7-6 (9), 6-3. He will next face Croatia's 20-year-old Mario Ancic.
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.
