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8.31.2004
Roddick on Dating Men: A big thanks to author Patricia Nell Warren for this:
Check this out. I happened to stumble across it on AOL Sports. It was "20 questions with Andy Roddick" with Jeff Atkinson. The questions came during an online interview, and included routine stuff like who his role models are, and whether there are steroids in tennis, and what his dream girl is like (his response: "I have no idea, but I'll let you know when I find her."
"The last question in the series came from BEven98@aol.com, who asked: "If you were attracted to men, which pro tennis player would you want to date?"
Roddick was clearly taken by surprise, and seemed more flustered than uptight. He hemmed and hawed a bit, then laughed and responded:
[laugh] "That's a big if. [laugh] I don't know if I can ... I ... I ... that's too big of an if."
8.30.2004
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Curacao?? A little-known Caribbean island will be in sports headlines all across America today - and not because of the Olympics. Curacau knocked off California, 5-2, to win the Little League World Series title Sunday. It is the first time that a team from the Caribbean has won the Little League World Series.
Curacao went undefeated in the LLWS and never trailed in the championship game, scoring one run in the bottom of the first.
The island of Curacao is located just 44 miles north of South America. It has a population of a whopping 150,000, which represent 40 to 50 different nationalities. That population is .5 percent of California's population.
First the US loses to a South American country in basketball; now they lose to a Caribbean island in baseball. Next up will be a team from Panama beating the Super Bowl champs in an exhibition match. Nah.
8.27.2004
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Village People idiots: The Atlantic City Surf are not on many sports fan's radars. A reader sent us a link to a story that had us both laughing and shaking our heads. During a game last week, the between-innings song was the Village People's classic gay anthem YMCA. Nothing wrong with playing the song, of course; we've been in stadiums where the crowd is happily singing and making the YMCA semaphore signals, largely clueless to the meaning of the lyrics. What got PA announcer Greg Maiuro fired was for dedicating the song to (soon to be ex-) New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, a reference to the recent statement by McGreevey as he was resigning that he was "a gay American". The song was played the next night and the scoreboard operator then ensured his own trip to the unemployment office by posting the message "Sponsored by Governor Jim McGreevey" on the stadium scoreboard.
Some will complain of "PC hysteria" and a lack of a sense of humor on the part of the Surf's management, but this is just the sort of casual homophobia that makes team sports such a minefield for closeted players. The team's co-owner, Frank Boulton, said that as team representatives, the pair shouldn't have brought politics in to the ballpark. We heartily agree with that, but unless it just wasn't included in the article we were linked to, it's disappointing that the issue of the homophobia involved was not addressed.
UPDATE: Since the story we were working off was a few days old, we only just learned that Jim McGreevey interceded on announcer Greg Maurio's behalf and as a result, the Surf rehired him. The disgraced McGreevey didn't need to do that, but it was a nice gesture.
8.26.2004
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The Anaheim Angry Mice? The Associated Press is reporting that the NFL has approached Anaheim city officials about building a stadium and possibly starting an NFL franchise there to play as early as 2008. The Los Angeles area has been without an NFL team since the Raiders and Rams both left in 1995.
"We're evaluating a possible stadium project in Anaheim with city officials along with the three sites in the Los Angeles area," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told AP. "The discussions are exploratory and preliminary at this point."
The Los Angeles Coliseum in Downtown, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and a new stadium in Carson have all been bandied about as potential sites for a new franchise. The San Diego Chargers have also been rumored to be moving north to Los Angeles in the last couple years, though that talk has quieted of late.
8.25.2004
Mulder Wins No. 17: Mark Mulder became the majors' first 17-game winner as the Oakland A's beat the Baltimore Orioles. The A's are making their traditional late-season run, but still lead the American League West by only one-half game. September should be fun.
Carter a Jet: Quincy Carter, dropped by the Dallas Cowboys after rumors he failed a drug test, joined the New York Jets as backup quarterback. The irony is that the Cowboys' new quarterback is former Jet Vinny Testaverde.
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8.24.2004
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Naked Basketball Lives in Wyoming:Two 14-year-old boys of undisclosed age in Powell, Wyo., were arrested after they were found late at night playing one-on-one basketball in the street and in the nude. The incident happened Aug. 7; the two boys were cited for indecent exposure.
According to CourtTV.com, Deputy City Attorney Scott Kath said likely penalties include supervised probation, a monetary fine and a tongue lashing.
"They probably got a good talking to from their parents already," Kath told CourtTV.com.
No reason for the contest has been given by the boys, but we can only guess at what the consequences for losing a game of "horse" might have been.
8.23.2004
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Angels Make it Interesting: Just when it looked like some things were falling into place in the baseball playoffs race, the Anaheim Angels go and sweep the New York Yankees. The Angels are now just a half game behind Oakland in the AL West race; Texas is also a half game behind.
The Yankees' lead in the AL East has been trimmed to just six games with the Yankees losing three straight and the Boston Red Sox winning five in a row. But, don't worry - the Red Sox have six weeks to blow it.
8.21.2004
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Wrigley Field is Disintegrating: A friend of ours works for a company owned by the Tribune Company of Chicago. Tribune owns, among its vast holdings, the Chicago Cubs and their beloved ballpark, Wrigley Field. Our friend should be afraid of getting hurt just by stepping in to the stadium these days. No, not by a drunken fan, but by an 88-year old ballpark that is falling apart. On at least three occasions since June, chunks of concrete have come loose, one of them almost beaning a 5-year old boy. On Thursday, the city of Chicago ordered further inspections on the repair work the Cubs had done to correct the problem, calling the work "shoddy". They said that unless the aging stadium passes this inspection, the game Monday night will be postponed.
Chicago city politics often resemble a blood sport and this incident is no exception. Mayor Richard M. Daley criticized the Tribune newspaper, a longtime critic, and the Tribune fired back in articles and editorials. It can't help that Daley, who grew up near Comiskey Park--or whatever they're calling it based on a corporation paying to have their name slapped on it these days--has openly favored the South Side's White Sox over the Cubs. While the Boston Red Sox are trying to renovate Fenway Park to increase capacity, it might be time to seriously think about either a drastic overhaul of Wrigely Field (Disney spent over $100 million to renovate Anaheim Stadium for the Angels) or, the unthinkable, build a new ballpark. Hopefully, a solution will be found before someone gets seriously hurt or killed.
8.20.2004
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Selig Gets a Triple: Despite being battered in the media over and over for the last few years, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig received a three-year contract extension through 2009 as owners praised his 12-year reign.
Selig will forever be remembered by many diehard fans as the commissioner who called off the 2002 All-Star game in extra innings when the game was tied, starting interleague play and expanding the playoffs to eight teams. But many owners consider him first-rate, saying that he could be commissioner for life if he chose to.
"At this point, yes," the New York Mets' Fred Wilpon told the Associated Press. "God willing, Bud's health will be good. His own interest may change. But right now I'd say yes."
We're thinking someone should institute term limits in baseball.
8.19.2004
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UConn Coaching Prostitution: An assistant coach with the defending national champion University of Connecticut's men's basketball team has been arrested for participation in a prostitution sting, according to the Associated Press.
Clyde Vaughan, who formerly coached at the University of South Florida and Long Beach State, was released on $2,500 bail.
Apparently, once some people become coaches, they don't leave the professional athlete within themselves behind.
8.18.2004
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USC in Trouble for SEX: Just eight months after winning a share of college football's national championship, at least one member of the Southern California football team is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for sexual assault, according to the Associated Press.
The assault allegedly occurred Monday morning, Aug. 16. The police have not released the identity of the player.
NCAA Is Sticking to Hurtful Rule: Jeremy Bloom can't catch a break with the NCAA. The University of Colorado football player who gained notoriety in the 2002 Winter Olympics for his skiing has been told he cannot compete in the NCAA after accepting sponsorship money. Bloom says he needs that money to train for the 2006 Olympics to be held in Italy.
So, here is the NCAA telling yet another kid he can't compete because he has dreams that go beyond college sports. He's good enough to represent the United States in the Olympics, but not good enough to play football in college. They can't get the BCS right and can't get the issue of compensation and sponsorships for needy athletes right. It is so time for the NCAA to go away.
8.17.2004
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Steelers Coach Sued for Anti-Gay Remarks: Pittsburgh Steelers former assistant equipment manager Paul Gallagher is suing coach Jeff Cowher and the team for allegedly spreading falls rumors in the NFL that he is a gay pedophile.
Cowher allegedly told Gallagher at an Aug. 2, 2002 practice that he should leave immediately because he was hitting on the ballboys. Cowher then allegedly spread the rumor around the league, preventing Gallagher from getting a job with the Detroit Lions.
Gallagher is "neither a homosexual, nor has he any homosexual tendencies, nor is he a pedophile or pervert," the suit says.
Pat is Back: Pat Summerall came back to prime time Monday night with the ESPN crew that called the Monday Night Football preseason game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers.
Certainly the odd man out - Joe Theisman and Paul McGuire have been buffoons together on Sunday Night Football for a few years - Summerall stumbled through much of the game, with the two Chuckleheads more interested in poking fun at each other than calling the game.
He only made one misstep that we saw, calling out a completion to Seattle wide receiver Darren Jackson (his name is Darrell).
The Seahawk starters outplayed the Packer starters, 7-3, as Seattle went on to win the game, 21-3.
8.16.2004
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Florida Flames Raise Eyebrows: At least one person is wondering about the choice of nickname for the National Basketball Development League's Florida-based franchise. Clearly playing off of the Miami Heat's nickname, the NBA announced that the "Florida Flame" will begin play this year.
The name was chosen from the nicknames sent into a local "name the team" contest; Connie Gegen, a fifth-grade teacher at Hancock Creek Elementary School, submitted the lucky winner (which meant she happened to submit the same nickname as the one team organizers wanted).
At least one columnist, Brent Batten of the Naples Daily News, pointed out in a column last week that "according to the Web site Outsports.com, Team Flame is a group of openly gay professional athletes competing in track meets and triathlons. Not that there's anything wrong with that."
Our bigger problem: if they're trying to mimic the Heat, how good could the team possibly be?
Is Vijay the New Tiger? Vijay Singh won his second PGA Championship on Sunday despite shooting a four-over-par 76 on his final round. He held off Chris DiMarco and Justin Leonard in a three-way playoff.
Despite barely making the cut, Tiger Woods finished the tournament tied for 24th just six shots back from the leaders. Phil Mickelson faded in the final round (reminiscent of the pre-2004 Mickelson) with a 74.
8.15.2004
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8.14.2004
It's All Greek To Us and Everyone Else: Despite the annoying fact that there's already been some sports played, thus rendering the name of tonight?s event moot, the Opening Ceremonies of the XXVIII Olympiad took place in Athens, Greece on Friday. Security was very tight, of course, but the event came off with few glitches. The Opening Ceremonies are tres gay, serving as a designers Olympics. Each one has theme; this year, the choice was obvious: Greek mythology. Centaurs, gods and other mythological beasts cavorted in the vast Olympic Stadium. Despite a steady stream of media reports saying it woudn't happen, the Greeks have built the venues and infrastructure needed for this massive undertaking largely on time.
The US team received a warm welcome, despite fears that they would be booed heavily for the Iraqi war. In fact, a lot of the US team was not even there, as a large contingent of athletes sat out the opening ceremonies either because it requires almost 11 hours of standing and waiting or because they competition on Saturday (such as the men gymnasts). There really is nothing like the Olympics in all of sports and we hope that there are no security problems, few doping scandals and, most of all, some incredible athletic feats.
8.13.2004
Tiger's Done: Outsports hereby officially declares Tiger Woods done--toast--finished--kaput--as the dominating force on the men's golf tour. By the end of the 2002 season, Woods seemed to be unstoppable: quickest to seven titles in the four majors of any player in history, only player to ever be the reigning champion in all four majors at the same time, destroyer of opponents, endorser of more products than Michael Jordan possibly and so on. Now, the wheels seem to have come off. At Thursday's first round of the PGA Championship at Whistling Straights CC in Kohler, Wisconsin, Tiger Woods shot a mediocre 75, finding himself already 10 strokes behind leader Darren Clarke. It doesn't look good in terms of a comeback, either.
All of Woods' eight major titles--and a majority of his other victories--came when he at least shared a lead going in to the final round. What made him different from others in those seemingly long-ago days is that he didn't choke in the final round. Those days seem to be gone as he struggles to regain the form and confidence that made him one of the dominant figures in all of sports. The PGA certainly benefited from that dominance as "Tiger Woods leads [insert name of major tournament here]" headlines guaranteed a spike in TV ratings and revenue. The coverage was getting out of hand though; Tiger could be completely out of the running of a tournament by the third day and he'd still get more coverage than all the other players, something that understandably caused some resentment for a few of the other players. It was an amazing six year run, but now reaching the records set by Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead seem in doubt. While Nicklaus' astonishing record of 18 major title wins or Snead's 82 tour victories seemed reachable only two years ago, now both seem unlikely for Tiger Woods.
8.12.2004
USC in Trouble: The University of Southern California is coming off a share of the college football national championship loaded for a repeat, featuring a terrific coach (Pete Caroll) and Heisman Trophy favorite (quarterback Matt Leinart). So what could be wrong? This iswhat.
Making the cover of Sports Illustrated is a sure-fire bet that all sorts of calamities will strike the Trojans, the magazine?s preseason choice for #1. To be fair, while USC is the top pick, Leinart?s picture shares the cover with players from Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma and LSU. Maybe this season, SI is trying to spread the misery around.
8.11.2004
T.O. on Jeff Garcia: Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens will do doing anything to draw attention to himself. He showed this in the current issue of Playboy when he was asked about rumors that his former San Francisco 49er teammate, quarterback Jeff Garcia, is gay.
"Like my boy tells me: If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat," Owens said.
Garcia has denied he?s gay, though his attempt does have a ?he doth protest too much? tinge to it. Yet who is T.O to talk? He certainly fits enough gay stereotypes himself?he?s single, flamboyant and obsessed with his body, wearing incredibly tight workout gear that highlights every contour of his physique. And I stand by what I wrote in 2002: Terrell Owens did the gayest thing I?ve ever seen in the NFL. After catching a touchdown pass, Owens handed the ball to a 49ers cheerleader and grabbed her gold-lame pompons.
He then shook them and his booty in unison. ?I think in my next life I'll probably be a cheerleader,? he said after.
In the Playboy interview, Owens also had this to say about playing with a gay teammate: "I probably wouldn't say anything right off the bat. I'd just see what everyone else has to say. I'd probably keep my distance and, hopefully, he would keep his. If it was a guy who was helping us win ball games, hey, I'd have no problem with it. He can do what he wants to do outside of my everyday life."
What a namby-pamby answer. He wouldn?t react until he saw how his teammates did; that?s spineless. And he wouldn?t have a problem if the player were good, implying that his tolerance was conditional. On Tuesday, he tried to weasel out, saying, "I'm not sure if Jeff is gay or not." A lame answer from a lame person.
8.10.2004
Burrell Out for the Year: It was the second Gay Day at the Philadelphia Phillies new ballpark and more than 1,400 tickets were sold in an event created by longtime Outsports champion Larry Felzer. Everyone went home a bit bummed, not only because of the 4-2 loss to Colorado, but because of some terrible injury news about a Phillies star.
It was announced that Pat Burrell will miss the rest of the season because of a wrist injury. ''It's terrible,'' Burrell said Monday. ''The timing is awful because we are playing good at this time. The guys are starting to come together in the last six days and things have been going pretty good. To not be a part of it is tough, but you have to deal with it, take care of the problem and hopefully be ready for spring training.''
Burrell has long been a fave of gay fans because of his great looks and bod. And he never minded showing it off, posing shirtless for a Phillies computer wallpaper series. He?ll be missed.
8.9.2004
The Weekend That Was: Cleaning out the sports desk on the last weekend prior to the start of the Olympics:
Jeff Gordon makes history with his fourth victory at the Brickyard 400:
What?s interesting to us is that there?s a Yahoo group for gay fans of Gordon (groups.yahoo.com/group/gayfansofnascarsjeffgordon/ ). And there?s this famous joke from a while back when Gordon was winning race after race??What do you call 33 cars chasing a gay guy in a car?? ?NASCAR.?
Greg Maddux wins his 300th career game:
Good guys do finish first.
The Toronto Blue Jays fire manager Carlos Tosca:
We thought ?Carlos Tosca? was the Friday lunch special at Olive Garden.
France's Amelie Mauresmo beat Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-1 6-0 to win the Montreal Cup, her third title of the year.
A nice win for ?our? side.
From the Toronto Star: ?The Greeks loved the male form, were in thrall to washboard abs and rippling pecs, indeed had no hang-ups about homosexuality ... the older partner exacting carnal pleasures in a quid pro quo exchange for introducing the younger stud to society and advancing the youth's career aspirations. Thus the blatant homoeroticism of the Olympics."
Anyone got a problem with that?
8.7.2004
The Rich Get Richer, Maybe: A bill pending before the US Congress could have a profound affect on pro sports in this country. As is typical, a bill that's ostensibly about settling a trade dispute with the European Union has become a pork-fest, as addendums for everything under the sun are added to get those potentially unpopular items through without people noticing much. One sentence would allow owners of teams to write off the value of their team over a space of fifteen years. As the rules currently stand, only player contracts are allowed to be written off; the new rules would allow big-ticket items such as television and radio contracts to be expunged from the books. For teams in small markets, this will not have a much of an effect but for teams in major media markets, this is huge.
A breakdown of average TV revenues was conducted by the New York Times and it reveals that NFL teams get $77 million a year, the NBA gets $26 million, baseball $12 million and the NHL a paltry $5 million per team on average. It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a CPA to see how passage of this legislation will be a boon to leagues and owners. Considering how many of them plead poverty without the tiny detail of opening their books for a thorough inspection, it will be hard to sustain that line of thinking. With some teams pushing for public funding of stadiums, most prominently the New York Yankees, New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings and Twins and the NFL (to allow an NFL team to return to the second largest TV market in the country, Los Angeles), it might be a tough sell if opponents can point out the financial windfall that the respective teams will enjoy due to the legislation. Of course, anything that can help the beleaguered NHL will be a plus, but we suspect that owners will be more apt to pocket the money, rather than strengthen their teams.
8.6.2004
Selig to stay?: How a sport is run by its administrators is crucial. There is no doubt whatsoever that the astute leadership of the late Pete Rozell is a major factor why the NFL is the most popular sport in America. On the other hand, baseball provides an example of where poor leadership can hurt a sport. Bud Selig was the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers when he was tapped by his fellow owners to become "acting commissioner" in 1992--a title which lasted for six years. Often seen as a mere mouthpiece for the owners, Selig has presided over some of the most calamitous events in recent baseball history: a catastrophic strike in 1994 that forced the cancellation of the sports premier event, the World Series; another potential strike that was only averted at the last minute in 2002; a weak drug testing policy that has cast doubt on the validity of some records; deciding that the home field advantage in the World Series would be decided by the meaningless All-Star game, the only major sport we know of where records don't decide that crucial thing; letting a recent All-Star game end in a tie and worst of all by far, turning the Montreal Expos in to a joke, playing games in both Montreal and Puerto Rico while the owners try to find a buyer in the US.
Imagine our surprise to read wire reports that baseball owners are considering extending Bud Selig's contract, not look for someone who is less tainted with accusations of bias in labor negotiations. While baseball is fairly stable these days, the next labor negotiations (due in 2006) will be really ugly, with drug testing and revenue sharing sure to be bitterly divisive issues. Bud Selig is an easy target for the players union, so it wouldn't be surprising if there was another work stoppage. Purists have their own reasons for disliking Selig: expanding the playoffs to include the awful wild-card concept, something best left to hockey and its "almost every team makes the playoffs" concept.
8.5.2004
Carter Out in Dallas: In a surprise move, the NFL?s Dallas Cowboys cut quarterback Quincy Carter, who led the team to the playoffs a year ago. The team gave no reason, simply using the ?we?re moving in another direction? dodge.
Media reports said Carter had flunked drug test for cocaine, but he strongly denied it. "I'm shocked. I'm at a loss for words," Carter told the Dallas Morning News. "The one thing I know and the people who have been around me all my life know is that cocaine has never been an issue for me. It never will be. And it's disturbing that a rumor like that would come out. "
For now, the Cowboys are left with 40-year-old Vinny Testaverde or rookie Drew Henson behind center. As for Carter, expect him to land with another team as a backup. League sources told ESPN.com that despite the alleged positive test, Carter is not under suspension by the league.
Team USA Escapes: For the second game in a row, the U.S. men?s basketball team struggled, but this time they won. Allen Iverson hit a dramatic 3-pointer as time expired to lift the U.S. to an 80-77 exhibition win over Germany in a pre-Olympic tuneup. The Americans survived a day after they were blown out by Italy. The best player on the floor Wednesday was Germany?s Dirk Nowitzski, the Dallas Mavericks star, who had 32 points for his homeland.
8.4.2004
Sex and the Olympics, Cont. While at the bookstore the other day, we saw this amazing Australian photography magazine, ?Black+White.? The issue was ?The Athens Dream? and it featured nude images of 20 or so Aussie male and female jocks who were going to the Olympics. Some of the pics were breathtaking (especially pole vaulter Viktor Chistiakov, who wound up not making the team), yet we didn?t feel like parting with $45. But that didn?t stop fans in Seattle of Lauren Jackson of the WNBA?s Storm.
About 200 fans lined up this weekend to have Jackson autograph their copy. Fan Debbie Gorman was asked by Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Jim Moore why she bought the mag: ?She's in great physical condition and absolutely gorgeous to look at. She's got a beautiful body and I love her as a basketball player. ... "You're not buying the magazine because you're gay. You're doing it because you're a fan. You do it because you love Lauren Jackson. She worked hard to get like that." Said another fan: "There's not drool spots all over it."
Our favorite line, though, was from another fan, who said: "It's a coffee-table book, not a bathroom magazine." Maybe in her household.
Serves Them Right: The embarrassing 95-78 exhibition loss to Italy by the U.S. men?s Olympic team is probably a good thing. For U.S. coach Larry Brown, it shows his players that just showing up with ?USA? emblazoned across their chest is not enough to win.
Still, losing to lightly regarded Italy is a warning sign. It is also the first loss for the U.S. when using professional players, dating back to 1992. ''This is a wakeup call for us,'' Philadelphia 76ers star Allen Iverson said. ``I think we need something like this to understand it's not going to be easy.'' Iverson is one of the players Brown disciplined for blowing off a team meeting.
8.3.2004
Sex and the Olympic Athlete: Athletes competing in the upcoming Athens Games will be going for the gold on the field and in the bedroom. U.S. sprinter Maurice Greene told the London Guardian that serious athletes are not easily distracted but the "Olympic tourists," who are there simply for the experience, embark on a sex-fest once knocked out of their event. This is one reason Durex is suppling 130,000 condoms. But this may not be enough, the Guardian says: ?In Sydney four years ago organizers optimistically arranged for a delivery of 70,000 condoms which were snapped up so quickly that they had to order 20,000 more. Three days before the end of the Olympics supplies had run out.?
As for who is most likely to do some bedroom gymnastics? ?According to a report in this month's Men's Journal magazine, an informal poll of summer Olympians past and present reveals that swimmers have the best bodies and the most insatiable sexual appetites. The French win gold for being the most promiscuous, although they only dabble among themselves. In 2000 it was the Cuban team who got off to a flying start by using up their entire allocation of condoms before any of the rest had unpacked their kit-bags,? the Guardian wrote.
As for us, we?re kind of partial to the Italian water polo team.
Act Your Age: Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens got tossed from a youth baseball game after arguing a call that went against his 10-year-old son.
This delicious tale happened in Craig, Colo., when Clemens was tossed by a 20-year-old umpire who said the future Hall of Famer spit a sunflower seed on his pants cuff. "It wasn't like he was shouting or came storming on the field, like a Mike Piazza moment," Ron Stapp, whose son made the phantom tag on Kacy Clemens on a steal attempt, told the AP. But Clemens was tossed and watched the rest of the game from on top of his car in the parking lot.
8.2.2004
Hungarian Wrestler Banned for Gay-Porn Role: Hungarian wrestler Gergo Szabo
has reportedly been banned from the Olympics for his role in several gay-porn movies. This story was broken in February by Gaypornblog.com, but is resurfacing now as athletes begin final preparations for the Olympics.
Szab has appeared in several movies directed by Csaba Borbely under the psuedonym Sergio Foster. Included in his videography are two movies in the "Secrets of a Wrestler" series. Many of his movies - at least a half dozen - are available for order online.
Szab had a legitimate shot at an Olympic medal. He competed in the 130 pound weight class and placed ninth at the 2003 World Wrestling Championships held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It's not surprising that someone like Szab would seek some personal revenue from gay porn. With the gay-porn industry in Eastern Europe exploding, many straight men turn to gay porn for some easy cash. Given Szab's good looks and great body, he could make around $1,000 for a couple days of work - in Hungary, that can go far.
According to Jim Provenzano, who writes "The Sports Complex," Mai Lap magazine interviewed Szab's coach who said that the wrestler needed the money but is not gay.
While Szab was officially let go in May, the seeds were planted at the beginning of the year with the Mai Lap article in January, in which Tamas Gaspar, secretary general of the Hungarian Wrestling Federation, said, ?We have never had such a scandalous affair in our sport. A public figure must keep certain rules. It is not our business if somebody were gay. But if he did gay porn, that is a quite another story.?
With the growing acceptance of gay-porn roles among straight Hungarian men, it's hard to believe this is the last Gaspar and other high-ranking Hungarian sports officials will hear of this.
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.
