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7.30.2005
Dynasty: One of the hardest things for a team to do in sports is to win titles consistently. The New England Patriots have a done a good job of it recently, having won three of the last four Super Bowls. The first signs that the Pats might possibly be done with their run of success have been cropping up recently: linebacker Tedy Brusci announcing he would sit out the 2005 season due to health issues; fellow linebacker Ted Johnson retiring suddenly due a series of concussions that might have caused more series damage had he continued playing and now, three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour missing the first day of training camp because he wants a contract extension.
One possible beneficiary of the disarray in the Patriots defense is Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, who in addition to not being as cute as his brother Eli of the New York Giants, has been awful against the Pats the last few seasons. The Colts and Pats play on Monday night, Nov. 7th in Foxboro and Manning has to hope that disarray continues until then.
Baseball zen: A friend of mine e-mailed me yesterday to mock my favorite baseball team, the Angels of Wherever. The Angels hit a dry patch this week, losing four straight games, including a brutal 18-inning loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday. The Angels blogs I frequent have been in panic mode as well ("Why can?t they hit the ball all of a sudden?" is the general tone). However, one of the things that baseball haters always focus on?the season lasts seemingly forever?is also its strength. Unlike the NFL, where every loss is catastrophic, baseball teams can count on at least two or three slumps throughout the year and still be contenders.
When I looked at the schedule last night to see who the Angels played next, I knew all would be well: they were playing the Yankees. Amazingly, the Angels are the only major league team to have a winning record against the Bronx Bombers since Joe Torre has been the manger. Sure enough, the Halos got a great pitching performance from rookie Ervin "Magic" Santana on Friday and beat the Yankees in New York, 4-1. It?s a marathon, people, not a sprint; it?s the end result, not how you get there that matters. --Jim Allen
7.29.2005
Stop me if you think that you?ve heard this one before: Larry Brown said all the right things at the press conference introducing him as the new coach of the NBA?s New York Knicks: I love New York (he?s from there), it?s a tough job but someone?s gotta do it, it?s going to be bad before it gets better etc. The Knicks have been sad sacks for ages and that?s not something the NBA wants for the team that plays in the largest media market in the country; they need the Knicks making the playoffs and getting to the finals, not going home after only winning 33 games last season. Brown could be an inspired choice for the Knicks; in his career as a team fixer-upper, he?s repeatedly come in to bad situations and turned things around in a few years. I had to laugh when I read this quote though:
"I know this will be my last stop. Basketball started for me in this city, and I want to be here when it's finally time for me to stop". He apparently said that while chuckling and well he should: he?s had eight NBA coaching jobs and two in college, in a coaching career that started in 1972. Brown is being paid a reputed $8 million a year, but it will be worth it for the Knicks if he can turn things around for them. One thing is for sure: with money like that, Larry Brown will be able to afford better outfits than this monstrosity. Yikes! Luckily, that photo isn?t in color.. --Jim Allen
7.28.2005
Edge loves Benihana: Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James doesn't expect to accompany the Indianapolis Colts to Tokyo for their Aug. 6 preseason American Bowl game with the Atlanta Falcons.
In a Sports Illustrated storythis week, James confirmed he will be on time for training camp but added, "The closest I'm going to get to Tokyo is Benihana."
James does not like traveling by airplane, the Indianapolis Star reports. He also dislikes preseason games and is miffed over his contract. -Jim Buzinski
Out from the shadows: Aussie swimmer Grant Hackett isn't the household name that Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe are. But, he's now the best 800m freestyle swimmer ever. Hackett broke Thorpe's world record in the event at the World Swimming Championships with a time of 7:38.65.
"That was a fast world record, and Ian is one of the greatest swimmers of all time," Hackett said after setting the mark. "Any record is great, but to get one of Ian's records is a little more satisfying."
He still may not become a household name, but we're hoping he makes the magazine covers that Phelps and Thorpe have been featured on. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.27.2005
Phelps, finally, makes a splash: It must be hard getting up for a lowly World Swimming Championship after winning a truckload of gold medals at the Olympics. You would have thought so after Michael Phelps finished seventh - and that was just in his heat! - in the 400m freestyle. It was the first time in five years he failed to advance to the finals of an individual event at a major meet.
But, Phelps bounced back at the championships in Montreal on Tuesday, winning the 200m freestyle and setting an American record with a time of 1:45.20. It was his second gold medal of the meet after winning the 4X100m freestyle relay.
As long as Phelps' handsome face and bare torso keep gracing the covers of magazines, I'm all for him winning more and medals any way he can. - Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.26.2005
Ricky's Back: After announcing his "retirement" from the NFL about a year ago, running back Ricky Williams arrived at Miami Dolphins camp ready to put the last year of wacky headlines behind him.
"There were things about life that I wanted to explore outside of football, and I had never had the chance," Williams said after a team meeting on Monday. "I realize by making that decision, I affected the team in a negative way and upset a lot of fans. I'm very regretful that people were hurt in the process of me doing that. I do realize that to a lot of people it comes off as being very selfish. So I do offer an apology to all the people who were negatively impacted."
When he quit the team before last season, many of his teammates called him a traitor and said that they would never welcome him back. But, the franchise's worst season (4-12) in 40 years cost coach Dave Wannstedt his job and sobered up many of Williams' once-former now-present teammates who are now singing a different tune.
"In the team meeting, he did what he had to do," center Seth McKinney, who last year called Williams a "quitter," said. "He's a man about it. We're all being men about it. Nobody is holding any grudges. We all want him back. He's a great player."
What will Williams' impact be this season? It's impossible to say at this point. Last year's Dolphins were quite possibly a Ricky Williams away from making the playoffs. This season, they won't have him for the first four games as he serves a suspension for drug use. Still, with a backfield of Williams and Ronnie Brown out of Auburn, it's hard to believe that the Dolphins won't be much better this year.
Williams could end up with another team before the Dolphins have their bye week, as trade rumors abound. But, it will be interesting to see if Williams can will the Dolphins to a strong turn-around from last year's dreadful season. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.25.2005
Lance rides off into the sunset: Few of the great ones leave on top. John Elway retired from the NFL right after his second consecutive Super Bowl championship. Michael Jordan left the game TWICE after threepeating (before coming back for a bad stint with the Washington Wizards). Now Lance Armstrong is the latest on a short list of elite athletes to retire while still at the peak of his athletic ability.
On Sunday, Armstrong raced to his seventh consecutive Tour de France victory. The next closest string of victories is five, posted by Spain's Miguel Indurain from 1991 to 1996. No one else has won it six times, consecutively or otherwise. It's an incredible acheivement that Armstrong has accomplished. As much of the world knows, he battled back from cancer to now be regarded as possibly the most dominant athlete in the world.
I had cheered for him in his previous six Tour victories. But, this one was tarnished a bit for me. While we'll probably never know what exactly happened, the allegations of steroid abuse ring too true to me to ignore. I've heard the stories about how this vein in his body is four times as wide as the average persons, or his lungs can hold twice as much air. The mythical stories of how well-built for cycling his body is rival the rumors and myths of ancient Greece.
Still, with so much steroid abuse in cycling, it's hard to believe he was the most dominant person in the sport for seven years and did it without "help" (and I'm not talking about his teammates). I want to believe he did it all through just hard work - but, it's a tough story to believe. I suppose, even if he did, it didn't really give him an advantage; if he did use steroids, it just kept him on par with all of the other cyclists who do it.
Either way, what Armstrong has done - and what he'll be remembered for - is truly amazing. I can't imagine getting through ONE Tour de France, let alone winning seven in a row. To Armstrong and his teammates, I take my hat off to you. Yours is, at this moment, arguably the greatest present "dynasty" in all of sports. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.23.2005
Friday quick hits: How nice of Stephon Marbury, a guard with the hapless New York Knicks, to provide pundits with plenty of potential snark come NBA playoff time next season. "We're making the playoffs," Marbury said in a radio interview. "I'm guaranteeing that. We're going to make the playoffs." This from a man whose team was 33-49 last year. Sure, the Knicks made some off-season moves; sure, they might get Larry Brown to make another stop on his personal attempt to coach every basketball team that ever was at some point. It does seem foolhardy, however, to make such a bold claim in the tabloid capital of the United States.
* The NHL players lockout officially ended when the owners ratified the new labor contract 30-0. What a shock! They totally took the players union to the cleaners, but at least it means I?ll get to see my beloved Vancouver Canucks be good enough to make the playoffs but not good enough to get past the first round when the season starts October 5th.
A few rule changes should be interesting. The elimination of the red line means that passing should be more wide open and lessen the impact of defenses clogging the center ice area. Also, goalies pad were mandated to be 11% smaller and the glove and blocker will be smaller too. I?m glad they didn?t increase the size of the nets, however. I did laugh when the league announced that really, honestly, we mean it this time! that they were going to crack down on obstruction, which translates as "grabbing the faster player as he zips by you". Yeah, right.
* I?ve been accused of being a hater of the New York Yankees more than a few times. Not true?I love their history, had a huge crush on Mickey Mantle when I was a kid and had fun the few times I?ve been at Yankee Stadium. It?s amazing how they energize road crowds when they come in to a town. The Yanks are playing my favorite baseball team, the Angels of Wherever, this weekend and the atmosphere in Anaheim last night was electric. It was a great game too; the Angels trailed 5-2 but won 6-5 when Vladimir Gurrero hit a grand slam in the 8th inning off of Tom Gordon. Watching on TV, you?d have thought it was October, 2002; the Angels fans in the crowd?when the Yankees come to town, half the crowd is mooks in exile from Queens?went berserk when Vlad?s ball cleared the fence. I?m going to Sunday?s game and I?m really looking forward to it. --Jim Allen
7.22.2005
Active pro athlete in a team sport comes out of closet!: Well, no, not really; we?d all be dead because the earth would have already spun off its axis if someone did, obviously. However, Cyd briefly mentioning Queer as Folk below reminded me of something I?ve been meaning to write about for a few weeks.
I love Queer as Folk (QaF hereafter). I fully admit it: the US version, for long stretches of its five year run, has sucked more than any television show has a right to suck. Awful writing, hideous directors, bad acting, an almost total lack of queer people of color as anything other than sex objects, Toronto doubling as Pittsburgh, the works. However, something happened at the end of season four: the show became consistently alright. Maybe it?s just a coincidence, but around the same time, the show introduced a closeted football player named Drew Boyd, played by Matt Battaglia. Drew plays quarterback for a fictional team that I think is an Arena League team (definitely not the Steelers). Drew hooked up with series regular Emmett Honeycutt (the wonderful Peter Paige) for anonymous sex, but ran off when Emmett pushed him to come out publicly after finding out who he was.
Now, when QaF has tried to be "relevant" and "topical" and "controversial" in the past, that?s where a lot of the suckage has come in; the writers have the subtlety of a train wreck usually. Lo and behold, however, they?ve handled the Drew Boyd coming out story pretty well. Earlier this season, Drew reappeared and told Emmett that he was being blackmailed about being gay but wanted to be with him, he was tired of the closet. A few episodes ago, Drew came out to the public and it actually showed what I suspect will actually happen when an active pro athlete finally does the same in about 2819: the media frenzy, the "Ohmygawd, that guy I cheer is a fag?!?!" from redneck fans, the clueless-about-sports gay boys going nuts over something they really don?t understand, the angst of the athlete about endorsements, his new role in society and his safety.
In the bad old days of QaF, Drew would have come roaring out of the closet sounding like a fully formed gay activist, spouting the latest queer talking points; but they show his doubts, his fears, his apprehension about his place in the gay community and best of all, don?t chide the character for that. While I?m utterly cynical about the possibility of an active team sport pro athlete coming out without being arrested in Fire Island Pines and having it splashed all over the tabloids, QaF, in its own gawky way, shows a bit of the human side of that potential story. Queer as Folk is ending after this season and I hope that in the Final Episode Ever Emmett and Drew end up together, madly in love. Now if they could only make the few football scenes they?ve shown more realistic. --Jim Allen
7.21.2005
Martina settles with sponsor: Martina Navratilova has settled her lawsuit against Rainbow Card, the gay-targeted credit card for which Navratilova was a spokesperson from 1995 to 2004.
The lesbian champion tennis player had withdrawn her support for Rainbow Card when the company began associating with gay-themed TV shows "The L Word" and "Queer As Folk," which Navratilova has allegedly called "depraved."
It had always seemed like a strange tiff. My vision had been Martina jumping up and down, stomping her feet and screaming about a relationship that had apparently brought her a paycheck for 10 waning years of her career. For both parties, I'm glad it's over and that they can move on. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
Bruschi sidelined for the season: The rest of the AFC just got even hungrier, as the New England Patriots' star linebacker Tedy Bruschi has decided to sit out the 2005 season after suffering a stroke earlier this year.
Despite the reports of some (ahem - Peter King), it would have been a surprise to me if he had decided to play. Heck, it would have been surprising if he had been allowed to play. A stroke is a serious issue, and I'm glad he decided to put his health first instead of forcing the issue and trying to play. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.20.2005
Hewitt calls ref a "poof": The world's No. 2 tennis player, Lleyton Hewitt, had some apologizing to do on Tuesday after calling an official a "poof" during a Davis Cup match against Argentina's Guillermo Coria. Calling someone a "poof" is like calling someone a "fag."
"Numerous times he said, 'Allez, come on', the whole day as well. He grabbed his private parts at one stage, three times in a row, and I'm about to serve and I asked him if he had an issue - or if he could find it [his penis]," Coria told the Associated Press following the match.
Hewitt at first denied making the "poof" comment, but videotape has shown otherwise. On Tuesday, Hewitt apologized for his comments.
"I regret having said what I said in the heat of the match," Hewitt said. "I apologize for any offense I may have caused to any individual or groups."
In other words: "My manager says I should just apologize, so here's the weakest apology I can make."
To me, this comment doesn't sting as much as those of so many others. A big part of that is probably because the word "poof" just doesn't mean what it does to so many overseas. Still, I think it's good that the International Tennis Federation has fined Hewitt for his off-color remarks to the official. Hopefully he actually learned a lesson from this, other than that it's a smart thing to apologize, whether you mean it or not. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.19.2005
Look who's in first: A familiar face has resurfaced atop the hotly contested AL East as the New York Yankees have a 1/2 game lead in the division over both the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. They hadn't been in first place since the opening day of the season, April 3, when they beat the Red Sox, 9-2. Since then, they had slipped as far back as last place in the division and have trailed the division leader by as many as nine games. But, the MLB season is 162 games long, and despite being six games back on July 2, they're now in first place again. They have won series against Baltimore, Cleveland and Boston in the last three weeks (all over .500) and now face a stretch in which they don't face a team presently with a losing record for three weeks.
All that talk in June of the end of a "dynasty" may have been a bit premature; just as talk of another blown Red Sox season that time last year was proven to be folly. With over 70 games still to go, we'll soon find out if Joe Torre will get another shot at managing the Yankees next year.
-Cyd Zeigler jr.
Kenny Rogers headed to jail? Not likely, but the Texas Rangers pitcher did surrender to authorities Monday on misdemeanor assault charges stemming from his attack on a cameraman, Larry Rodriguez, last month that sent Rodriguez to the hospital. Rogers was released on $1,500 bond. Major League Baseball slapped him hard as well, leveling a 20-game suspension and $50,000 fine on Rogers; he has appealed the sanctions.
It was good to see Rogers suck at the All-Star game (in one inning he had an ERA of 18.00). And I hope he gets a harsh sentence from a court. Just because he's a professional baseball player, it doesn't give him the right to attack people unprovoked. The egos of the pro athletes have to learn that sooner than later. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.18.2005
British Open, day 4: Not even the Curse of Jock Talk?wherein if one of us writes something complimentary about an athlete or team, they choke?couldn?t stop Tiger Woods on Sunday at the British Open. After a poor third round, he played magnificently Sunday to win his 10th major title and second British Open Claret Jug trophy. Although Colin Montgomerie, Fred Couples and Jose Maria Olazabal got close at one point, Woods simply wasn?t going to lose.
With his win, Tiger Woods comes one major closer to equaling Jack Nicklaus? record of winning 18 major titles. One of the things that?s amazing about Woods is how strong of a closer he is. He?s 32-3 on the regular tour and 10-0 in the majors with a lead after three rounds. That?s why his win on Sunday seemed inevitible; even though he played fairly conservatively, why shouldn?t he have? It was his tournament to lose and he wasn?t going to let that happen. With the weather cooperating?man is Scotland lovely when it?s not pouring rain?Woods had no trouble holding off the field.
For his toil and troubles, Tiger Woods won $1,261,587, certainly not a bad payday. He?s won almost $6 ﾽ million bucks this year alone; he tops the moneyboard and he?s done it by playing seven fewer tournaments than the man in the second slot, Vijay Singh. Woods is also ranked #1 in the world, but that seems only fitting. The next major is the PGA Championship at Baltusrol in New Jersey in mid-August. I won?t jinx Tiger Woods by heaping too much praise on him. --Jim Allen
7.16.2005
British Open, day 2: The second day of the British Open at St. Andrews in Scotland was similar to the first day: Tiger Woods is leading and TNT?s television coverage focused on Jack Nicklaus. TNT?s decision wasn?t a bad one, actually. Nicklaus finished his glorious career in major tournaments in style, sinking a 15 foot putt on the 18th hole in front of a cheering gallery. Unfortunately, it wasn?t enough, as he missed the cut, but no matter; it doesn?t detract from the career of Nicklaus, who along with Arnold Palmer, helped make golf a major sport in the U.S. (at least during the four majors).
I wish I had a large amount of money every time that TNT mentioned the phrase "Passing of the torch" in regards to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. It?s easy to see why they?re resorted to such hyperbole though: Woods continues to lead the Open by four strokes over native Scotsman Colin Montgomerie and five strokes over a gaggle of players, including the very handsome Trevor Immelman of South Africa. The weather has been fine so far and barring a major collapse by Tiger Woods?..well, no, no predictions from me; I? e jinxed enough players and teams by doing that.
No major fashion crimes were seen on Friday, though Sergio Garica of Spain sure seems to like fluorescent red pants.
Rafael rules: Sometimes in sports, there?s athletes that just go about their business quietly, without a lot of publicity, but who after they retire, people say "Wow, s/he was a good player, wasn?t s/he?" One of those types is Rafael Palmeiro, now playing first base for the Baltimore Orioles. Palmeiro joined a very exclusive club on Friday when he stroked a double down the line against the Seattle Mariners Joel Pinero at Safeco Field in Seattle for his 3,000th career hit.
He becomes the 26th player in baseball history with 3,000 career hits and one of only four player with 3,000 hits and 500 homers in their careers (the others are Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murphy, who had most of his success with the Orioles). The Seattle fans were really cool, giving Palmeiro a nice ovation after his hit. And best of all for Rafael Palmeiro? The Orioles won 6-3, staying a game behind the Boston Red Sox in the American League East. Rafael Palmeiro will surely be a first ballot Hall of Fame selection five years after he retires. However, at the age of 40, he shows no signs of slowing down, so if he stays healthy and motivated, Mr. Palmeiro can set his sights on another milestone: 600 career home runs. He?s at 566, so he should be able reach 600 sometime next season. --Jim Allen
7.15.2005
British Open, day 1: Maybe those experts that Cyd mentioned yesterday?the ones that had already given Tiger Woods the British Open title before play even began?were on to something. On a day at the great St. Andrews course on the eastern coast of Scotland that alternated sunshine, rain and gusty cloudiness, Woods shot a six under 66 to take the lead in a tournament that he won five years on the same course. Australian Mark Hensby trails by a shot and a clump of players, including the man who choked at the U.S. Open last month, Retief Goosen, are two back. Included in the clump is the gorgeous Trevor Immelman of South Africa, a new addition to my list of lust objects.
I love the St. Andrews course: instead of the smooth, wide, generic American courses the pros usually play on, it?s a course that defines quirky. The course is next to a city street, the fairways and greens are rolling waves instead of flat prairies, there?s public roads and bridges in the middle of fairways and most famously of all, on the 17th, you have to tee off over a building that juts in to the course of play to reach the fairway. And bunkers! They?re so deep that you often can?t see the head of the player when they?re stuck in one; it?s not unusual to take 3 or 4 shots to get out of one of the 112 of them that dot the course.
TNT laid on the nostalgia thick during their coverage on Thursday and with good reason. Jack Nicklaus is playing the final major of his storied career and there were tons of vintage clips from the 60?s and 70?s to be seen. What an amazing career he?s had: 18 majors wins, a slew of other tournament wins, a major star for almost four decades and a class act to the end. Unfortunately, he played really poorly on Thursday and will probably not make the cut.
Fashion update: most of the players wore very subdued earth tones, but Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland was having none of that. He combined a lime green shirt with a pair of white slacks that had fuschia, plum and lime green stripes that had me laughing at his audacity. Clarke has set a very high bar for fashion crimes this week.
"Best looking guy in sports": In the middle of a story about the settled NHL strike, Sean Avery of the Los Angeles Kings was mentioning that the NHL needs to do a better job of marketing its players. "We have some amazing players. Dany Heatley, Vincent Lacavalier. Figure it out, Vincent Lecavalier is the best-looking guy in sports". Hmmm?.that?s a pretty grand claim. You can decide for yourself, though I?ll still take Trevor Immelman. --Jim Allen
7.14.2005
NHL ends lockout - too late: When we last left the National Hockey League, it was ending the 2004 playoffs en route to a 301 day player lockout due to an inability to get a labor deal done. It was by far the least-watched league of the "big four" and had been far-surpassed by auto racing. Since then, the league has taken a season off. Now, fans are threatening to take this season off - and every one after that.
Whether you blame the owners or the players, it's hard not to be turned off by a few hundred men, most of whom are making standard deviations over the average U.S. income, who have been arguing over making even more money while so many of their fans struggle to put dinner on the table or pay the rent.
Before Major League Baseball players went on strike, I went to games in both Boston and the Bay Area, watched all of the playoffs, and even collected baseball trading cards. Since the strike ended, I've been a huge detractor of baseball and I have avoided any of my hard-earned money making it into the pockets of any of the greedy players or owners who temporarily put a halt to a season over 10 years ago.
I have been secretly hoping that the NHL had played its last game. I don't blame one side or the other - I blame them both. And I hope NHL fans in the U.S. and Canada all abandon the league the way the players and owners abandoned them; the college game is just as exciting, anyway. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
British Open follies: How can a professional golfer not have a passport? That's what Sean O'Hair must have been asking himself SUnday night, upon winning the John Deere Classic and snatching a spot in the British Open just four days before the golf tournament started.
Monday was his 23rd birthday, and he had to spend much of it on the phone trying to secure a passport and airline ticket. Luckily for him, someone at John Deere has a strong contact at the White House, and that contact got him his passport before his Tuesday-night flight.
Meanwhile, it seems everyone has already anointed Tiger Woods as the 205 British Open champion. All four CNNSI.com "experts" picked Tiger to win, and he is garnering prohibitive odds in Vegas to win his 10th major. All of this just a few months after many were ready to signal the end of his career. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.13.2005
AL wins another one: The National League hadn't won an All-Star game since 1995. And the streak goes on. The American League posted its ninth win in the last 10 All-Star games (and remember - there was that infamous tie) Tuesday night in Detroit, holding off the NL, 7-5.
The AL had been up 7-0 before the second and third striggers came in. Texas Ranger Kenny Rogers, who was suspended for 20 games for attacking a reporter two weeks ago (the suspension has been appealed), gave up two of the American League's runs in just one inning, earning himself an ERA of 18.0 for the game.
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada was named the games' MVP. Tejada hit a solo home run in the second inning to open the game's scoring and had an RBI groundout in the third.
7.12.2005
Gay Ruggers on TV: The documentary ?Go Dragons,? airing on the new gay cable channel Logo, is an entertaining look at the Chicago Dragons gay rugby team and their quest to win their first game. The documentary examines how the team was formed and the motivations for the various players. The team, which competes in a mainstream league, is very green and raw, with only a handful of guys who have played before. Nevertheless, they give it the old college try and win a measure of self-respect.
The best segments involve the team playing in rural Illinois against teams who have ?redneck? written all over them. Yet, we hear several expressions of tolerance and acceptance from the opposing players, who seem to care less that their opponents are gay. This is evidenced by a post-game party featuring lots of beer and some nudity (following a rugby tradition of some sort).
The Dragons comes across as a mostly likeable bunch, though there is a jarring meanness as some of the players diss the looks of players from the Atlanta Bucks, a gay club that has invited the Dragons down to Hotlanta for a match. One Atlanta player is especially singled out for ridicule and one hopes he never sees the documentary; this left a bad taste in my mouth.
There is also an off-putting scene where the Dragons express shock at losing to the Bucks. They can accept being whipped by straight guys but losing to another bunch of gay guys seems to really bug them. During the team?s halftime speech, two Dragons refer to the Bucks as ?pussies.? It had me rooting for the Bucks.
It?s a shame that some of the Dragons buy into the myth that gay jocks are somehow less than and use the same language to belittle their opponents that straight guys have used forever. I would have thought a gay team was beyond that. The Dragons were unsuccessful on the field not because they are gay but because they aren?t yet very good; I would assume success will come as the team matures both in its abilities and attitudes. --Jim Buzinski
7.11.2005
Lance has some things to worry about: Six-time defending Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong has some things to think about as he enters the tour's first day off. Not only has he surrendered the yellow jersey and given up a two-plus minute gap to the leader, Jens Voigt, but his team faltered on Saturday, potentially costing him some championship-ending ground.
Most people will probably discount any talk of problems on Team Lance. On Tuesday, the tour will resume in the Alps, where Lance's stamina has been the difference in each of his previous tour titles. And he is still certainly the favorite to do so again this year. But, something tells me that the bad performance of the rest of his team on Saturday could be indicative of things to come. And, if that's the case, Lance could be headed for a big let-down in his final Tour de France. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
AL East ups and downs: As Major League Baseball enters its All-Star Break, I was surprised to see the New York Yankees just 2.5 games behing the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. I live in New York, and, if you went by some of the headlines the Post and Daily News have thrown at us in the last few months, you'd think the Yanks were in the cellar of the entire American League. Instead, they're one of the hottest teams in the AL, closing in on the division lead. And, what might be just as important, despite those same headlines, they're three games up on the Mets.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Afterall, few papers could be bigger "homers" than the Post and Daily News. And, as one who hasn't been a big fan of MLB since the strike, I'm kind of looking forward to the last half of the season and the three-way race for the AL East crown (yes, I'm counting the Blue Jays out). -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.9.2005
Baseball, softball dumped: Londoners will not have to worry about baseball and softball being played at the famous Lords cricket ground after the International Olympic Committee announced on Friday that baseball and softball have been dropped from the list of sports taking place at the 2012 London Olympics. The two sports are the first to be dropped since water polo in 1936, but they can still be asked back for the 2016 Games. Both were dropped, the reasoning goes, because of a lack of global appeal, though that seems a bit odd since something like the luge, for example, isn?t exactly a favorite sport in Africa or South America.
Baseball was probably dropped due to the refusal of Major League Baseball to allow players to form an All-Star team every four years. MLB is hyping its World Baseball Classic tournament, to take place next March; the Classic will take place before the regular season starts and will include major leaguers. Cuba must be pissed at the decision to drop baseball; they?ve won three of the four titles since the sport gained medal status in 1992 at Barcelona. The loss of softball will be a disappointment to lesbians, who make up a healthy percentage of players and fans of the sport.
Possible replacement sports: golf, rugby, squash, karate and roller sports. Golf? The heck? I love golf but that would be bizarre to see golf, which is still sometimes derided as not even being a sport, more a leisure activity, in an event that contains track and field. Rugby, squash and karate seem like good ideas, while it would seem that "roller sports" would be handled by the X Games. Why don?t they drop the awful?though totally gay, gay, gay, gay, GAY?syncronized swimming?
No NHL deal: I was hoping to write about a settlement of the labor dispute in the NHL this week after the Los Angeles Times reported that a settlement had been reached. Unfortunately, both sides are adamant that no deal has been reached, which would have ensured that a 2005-06 season happened. From the preliminary analysis of the so-called deal, the players got their ass kicked: a salary cap will be put in place, which the players claimed they would never agree to, and the initial salary cap will be so low that it will likely force players to take pay cuts.
Sean Avery of the Los Angeles Kings was clear about the alleged deal: "We burned a year for nothing. We didn't win anything. We didn't prove anything. We didn't get anything. We wasted an entire season". There?s still time for the players to save some face, as negotiations are ongoing, but it doesn?t look good for the NHL Players Association and it especially looks bleak for the job security of players union head Bob Goodenow, who will likely walk the plank after negotiations are wrapped up. --Jim Allen
7.8.2005
London: What a world we live in. A day after raucous scenes in Central London were brought about because Britain was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics, it was all tears Thursday as four bomb attacks rocked the British capital. In an attempt to salvage some good knews from this: in what is thought to be a first, a city bidding to host the Olympics reached out the gay/lesbian/bi/trans community for support. It was nice to see openly gay hurdler Rob Newton of Britain involved in the winning London celebrations. If more GLBT people get involved in sports, that can only be a good thing. --Jim Allen
7.7.2005
Horses on the Fourth of July:All you horse lovers in Outsports land, I know what you were doing over the Fourth of July. You did just like me. You managed to keep an eye on the racetracks...even as you were also keeping an eye on Andy and Tiger. You almost wore out your remote. This is how you got lucky and saw the American Oaks.
For the non-horse lovers, this is a $750,000 mile and a quarter over turf for the top 3-year-old fillies in the world. Horse racing has gone global, so the best fillies in each country are invited to the U.S. to hoof it out for world honors. It's the female equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. Thirteen entries from 6 countries showed up at Hollywood Park this weekend.
TVG spent long hours analyzing the works and the prospects of each girl. And here was where it got interesting. Each filly got long minutes on camera, galloping through her works or just standing there getting a bath or eating hay...and I was struck by something. Each of them was the most feminine, most girly thing you can imagine. All but one.
My Toronto racehorse-owning buddy Heather agrees with me that, in all the animal world, there is nothing more femme than a 3-year-old Thoroughbred filly. There is no confusing her with a 3-year-old colt, especially when he's trying to be "the big stud." She knows how pretty and feminine she is. The show tune "There is Nothing Like a Dame" was really written for her. If these fillies were human, they would look like the female runners you can see at any track meet. You know, the ones who are wearing all the bling, the 3-inch fake nails and little gold earrings and necklaces, sending a message to everybody on the planet that the wearer isn't a dyke.
The heavy favorite was the U.S.'s Melhor Ainda. Some handicappers gave a chance to the British-bred Singhalese. The Irish entries were solid -- Sweet Firebird, Luas Line and Silk and Scarlet. And the Italian entry, Silver Cup, who won the Italian Oaks.
Most U.S. experts didn't pay much attention to the one glaring tomboy in the bunch. This was Cesario, a Japanese-bred owned by a Japanese partnership with the improbable name of Carrot Farm. She's a granddaughter of Kentucky Derby winner Sunday Silence. In May she had won the Japanese Oaks over a mile and a half, and was five for six in career wins. Cesario looked magnificent in her works, and she wasn't wearing any red fingernails. She is black, and built like a diesel engine, rippling with muscle all over.
During the post parade, she was so hot and on her toes that she almost ran away with jockey Yuichi Fukunaga. The crowd wondered if she had blown her shot. But no... when it was all over, Cesario had demolished the 12 other grrrls. She had sat off the pace in third, then made a big charge at the top of the home stretch. Romping to a 4-length lead, she set a new stakes record and looked like she still had energy to burn. Melhor Ainda ran second, and Singhalese was third.
In the winner's circle, several dozen of the 230 Japanese owners of Carrot Farm were crowded together, all smiles. Their magnificent tomboy filly was now wearing the only bling that counts -- a victory blanket of red, white and blue flowers. The owners had paid the equivalent of $350 apiece to own a part of Cesario, and some had blown a few more yen to fly to L.A. for the big race. MSNBC commented drily, "Cesario became the first Japanese-bred to win a Grade 1 race in the United States, triggering a huge winner's circle celebration that featured the Japanese flag waving on a most American holiday weekend."
I hope Cesario is back for the Breeders Cup in the fall. These tomboy fillies sometimes have a habit of making history. So keep an eye on her, horse lovers -- she could be one of the good ones.
London gets the Olympics: It was quite humorous to read the reactions of many New Yorkers today upon hearing that the 2012 Olympics are headed to London. The writing has been on the wall for over a year now: New York had virtually no chance of getting the Games. While a last-minute effort by Mayor Bloomberg to secure a new Olympic Stadium in Queens was noble, there was no way it was going to sway an international voting body that had already decided the Games were going to be in Europe. In the end, New York was only preferrable to the IOC when compared with Moscow, which had as good of a chance of winning the bid as several cities that didn't even bid.
One interesting note: London was the highest vote-getter in each round of voting except for the second round, in which third-place Madrid was the highest vote-getter with 32 votes. That was the same round that eliminated New York. I'm sure many of the Europeans who really wanted to vote for London or Paris switched their votes to Madrid in that round so that New York would be eliminated earlier than Madrid. Typical politics that always govern votes like these.
It was also funny to read the reactions of many Parisians upon hearing that, though they were the "front runner" heading into today's vote, London beat them out in the end. French-born Tony Parker, of the San Antonio Spurs, said it proved that the International Olympic Committee is Anglo-Saxon and anti-French by nature. His thoughts were echoed by others quoted in the press. Sounds like sour grapes to me.
And so, we're left with London. Right now, it sounds like an expensive trip, given the strength of the pound. In seven years, who knows what the world economy will look like. London has hosted the Olympics twice before, and I'm sure they'll do a bang-up job en route to losing millions of dollars.-Cyd Zeigler jr.
A snoozy time of year: There are certain times of the year that are complete snoozers in sports. February comes to mind, right after the Super Bowl ends and before college basketball tourneys start. We're at the beginning of possibly the worst one of the year right now. The NBA Finals are over, Wimbledon has ended its fortnight and every NFL head coach is off on some island, getting in the last fishing of his offseason before hitting camp.
Just about all that's left is baseball, the WNBA and the occassional NASCAR race. Until football camps open, the British Open and the MLB All-Star Game are simply brief interludes from the snoozer that is July in the sports world. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.5.2005
Roddick just doesn't have it: Watching the Wimbledon men's final on Sunday morning between #1 Roger Federer and #2 Andy Roddick was like watching one of the first-round matches almost two weeks earlier. From the first couple games, it was obvious that Roddick was outclassed in the match. The only question was whether the young American would be able to eek out a set; in the end, he couldn't even do that, losing to Federer, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-4, for the second straigt year in the Wimbledon finals.
While Roddick certainly has an impressive serve - one of the most dominant in men's tennis history - it was Federer whose serve outclassed his opponent on Sunday. Federer committed fewer errors. He hit more winners. Whether it was approaching the net or hanging back and running down balls, there wasn't an aspect of the game that Federer did not dominate Roddick in on Sunday.
While it was his first Major victory of the year, Federer has a dominant lead in the yearlong rankings, with over 33% more points than No. 2 Rafael Nadal and over double the points of No. 3 Roddick.
While the rest of the players on the tour have improved slowly, Roddick seems to have taken a huge leap in his play in just the last 52 weeks. Even if his improvement dramatically slows over the next year, Federer, who is only 23, should be looking to make history in the next five years.
As for Roddick, the guy's a very good tennis player. You just can't take that away from him. But, he's not great. Lots of people have won one major. The problem facing him is that he's just about the same age as a player who is not only a class above him, but also seems determined to assert his place in history. For Roddick to climb to Federer's level, he's going to have to stop doing so many Saturday Night Live gigs and photo shoots and start practicing more. I don't see the hunger in him that I see in Federer, so I doubt that's going to happen. -Cyd Zeigler jr.
7.2.2005
Friday quick hits: I?m not going to jinx Roger Federer of Switzerland ahead of his Wimbledon men?s final on Sunday, as I?ve done to other athletes/teams, by hyping them. I will just note that he completely dominated Leyton Hewitt of Australia, routing Hewitt 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (4) in their semifinal match on Friday. He has a chance to join Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras as the only men to win three singles titles in a row at Wimbledon since World War II. His opponent is still to be determined, as rain wiped out the Andy Roddick v. Thomas Johansson match in the first set, with Roddick leading 6-5. That?s too bad for them as they won?t have the benefit of the day of rest; they?ll play before the women?s final between Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport. Weather permitting, of course.
* Kenny Rogers outburst against members of the media on Wednesday was costly in two ways: he was suspended for 20 games, which hurts his team, and he was fined $50,000, which hurts his bank account. It was the longest suspension in baseball since Pete Rose shoved openly gay umpire (though he wasn?t out at the time) Dave Pallone in 1988 and was benched for 30 days. The suspension is subject to appeal, and is deceptive in any case. Since Rogers is a starting pitcher for the Texas Rangers who only plays roughly every fourth game, the suspension is really more like five games. He still faces criminal and civil proceedings for his meltdown.
Another Rangers player resolved his own legal problems this week. Frank Francisco, a Rangers pitcher, was suspended and fined last season for throwing a chair at an Oakland A?s fan. He plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to community service and anger management classes by the court. The Rangers clubhouse sure sounds like an interesting place to be.
* I love the Tour de France cycling race. It has high drama, gorgeous hotties in tight lyrcra shorts that often leave little to the imagination, stunning scenery in France (and this year, a little bit of Germany) and controversy over doping that threatens to overshadow what incredible athletes these guys are. Texan Lance Armstrong has dominated this event in recent years, but not without controversy. There are persistent, unfounded rumors of drug enhancement and he?s often derided for concentrating only on the Tour and ignoring the other big cycling events.
Starting today though, Armstrong has a chance to go out in a blaze of glory. For the 92nd edition of the Tour de France?take that Super Bowl XXXwhatever?the story line is simple: at 34, years past the age when past cycling greats have hung it up, Lance Armstrong has said that this will be his last Tour. If he wins, he?ll have won an astounding seven Tours in a row, a record. Again, I refuse to jinx him or anyone else by predicting the outcome, but luckily, there is extensive TV coverage for the event, which ends July 24th with a sprint down the incredible Champs-Elysees in Paris. --Jim Allen
7.1.2005
Show me the bling: I love this story. Robert Kraft is the owner of the New England Patriots of the NFL, among his various businesses. He was in Moscow with other American business executives to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin about business matters. Putin is supposedly a big sports fan, so when Kraft pulled out the Super Bowl ring commemorating the Patriots win against Philadelphia, Putin was impressed.
As well he should have been: it?s the largest Super Bowl ring ever, at 4 ounces, and it contains a staggering 124 diamonds. President Putin took this as a sign that Mr. Kraft was giving the ring as a gift and put it in his pocket. Unfortunately for Mr. Kraft, he wasn?t dealing with a lackey in his office but the President of Russia; understandably, he didn?t press the issue of whether the ring was a gift or not. Net result: President Putin is now the proud owner of a massive piece of bling. Way to go, Vladimir!
Venus rising: She hasn?t won a major title since 2001, but Venus Williams took a large step towards changing that on Thursday. By beating the defending Wimbledon women?s single champion Maria Sharapova 7-6 (2), 6-1, Williams has booked a place at Centre Court on Saturday morning with a chance to win her third bit of silverware at Wimbledon (she also won in 2000 and 2001).
Her opponent is still to be determined: the match between Lindsay Davenport and out lesbian Amerlie Mauresmo didn?t finish because of the legendary English rain. It?s tied at one set apiece, with Davenport leading in the third and deciding set, 5-3. Weather permitting, they?ll be able to finish out their match and decide who?ll meet Venus in the final. The All England Lawn and Tennis Club is supposed to have a retractable roof over Centre Court by 2009 and it can?t come soon enough. --Jim Allen
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
