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9.30.2004
More Bull From the Babies: Despite managing to get Shaquille O'Neal shipped out of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant felt the need to send some barbs the big boy's way. Kobaby said that Shaq had paid off women upwards of $1 million to keep quiet about affairs.
On Wednesday, Shaq fired back, dismissing the claims as "ridiculous" and saying it was Kobe who had to buy love. Bryant bought his wife a multi-million-dollar ring within a week of admitting to a sexual encounter that led to a lawsuit against him that was ultimately dropped.
Kobe and Shaq had long been in a power struggle on the Lakers team. While most considered it "Shaq's team," Bryant was ever jealous, angling to push Shaq off the team and claim it as his own. He got his wish in the offseason when Shaq headed back to Florida - this time to play with the Miami Heat.
We're just wondering why Kobe won't let his relationship - or lack thereof - with Shaq die a quiet death. He got what he wanted with the Lakers and got his rape case dropped. The problem he faces, it seems, is that - no matter what happens, you can't escape the demons within.
9.29.2004
The Washington Expos: The Associated Press is reporting that the Montreal Expos will move to Washington, D.C., citing an unnamed source with the city.
A deal reached between baseball and Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos opened the door for the move. Angelos had been whining that he would sue to keep the Expos out of the area, claiming that his team had the rightful ownership of the area.
The nation's capital has been without a baseball team since the Washington Senators fled to Texas 33 years ago. We weren't aware that anyone in Washington missed baseball. While we certainly can't sound the death knell for the team before they even throw the first pitch, we liked the idea of Monterrey, Mexico.
Stop the Insanity: There so many people talking about how the Red Sox are putting heat on the Yankees by closing within 2 1/2 games for the AL East crown. Oooooh. Scary.
It doesn't matter who the Red Sox throw out on the field. They could take Major League Baseball's All-Star team and play them for a year. Somehow, they will find a way to choke it away.
We feel bad for all of these diehard Sox fans. Every year, they get excited in April and their hopes get dashed in September. This year, the cruel team is drawing it out until October. Cruel. That's the best word for it.
So, everyone, calm down. The Yankees will win their division and the Red Sox will lose in the playoffs. Can we move on, now?
9.28.2004
Torry in a Tutu: The new Monday Night Football feature ?You?ve Been Sacked? was the gayest thing we?ve ever seen during a football broadcast. A takeoff of MTV?s ?Punk?d,? the segment featured two St. Louis Rams linemen scamming wide receiver Torry Holt by making him believe he was voted the best-dressed player in the NFL by a magazine that doesn?t exist.
After Holt had makeup applied, a quite effeminate wardrobe guy, labeled a ?Queer Eye Reject? on the screen, watched as a shirtless Holt prepared to put on a tank top. ?How much do you work out?? the guy asked Holt.? Every day,? he replied. ?Well, that?s hot,? the guy cooed.
As his teammates looked on amused from a hidden camera, Holt wore a Village People outfit (?this is so erotica? he said), then a leather Lone Ranger mask. Finally, after mascara, lipstick and eye-liner were applied, Holt donned a pink tutu, and accessorized with fake boobs, a tiara and black feather boa. He posed in this outfit, carrying a football in his arm. It looked hot ? if you?re into cross-dressing muscular jocks.
It was then that the prank was exposed and Holt was a terrific sport about the whole thing, hugging the two teammates who conned him. We found it cleverly done and a funny play on stereotypes rather than being homophobic in any way. And Holt did seem to look pretty comfortable in the tutu.
9.27.2004
Baseball?s Final Week: With one week to go in the regular season, there are still some tight races in baseball. In the American League, the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins have clinched playoff spots and the Boston Red Sox are all but in. In the West, though, the Oakland A?s have a one-game lead over the Anaheim Angels and two over the surprising Texas Rangers. Oakland and Anaheim meet in a three-game series next weekend that might decide the division. Before that, the Angels play Texas in a three-game series.
In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves are in, while the Los Angeles Dodgers look solid with a 2 1/2 ?game lead over the San Francisco Giants. But in the race for the wild card, the Chicago Cubs lead the Giants by only one-half game. The final seven days should be wild.
NFL Week 3: Check out our weekly look at NFL Sunday. Find out which player has the sweatiest butt.
9.25.2004
Give the money back, Ricky: One of the more bizarre sports stories of the year is undoubtedly the sudden shock retirement of Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams. We've detailed the store here in Jock Talk and in a feature story, but the story took another turn Friday. Arbitrator Richard Bloch has ordered Williams to pay back the Dolphins $8,616,353 in bonus money. Bloch ruled that Williams forfeited the money by walking away from his contract. Ricky Williams is the Soviet Union of the NFL: an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Blessed with incredible talent, it's always been the mental part of his game that's let him down. Having to refund the Dolphins over $8 million bucks might put a crimp in to his plans to travel the world and smoke dope. Like a helmeted Michael Jordan, we expect him to be back in the NFL within a year, despite a long suspension for three failed drug tests being in his future if he does. More than one athlete in sports has hung on long after it was wise to do so solely to maintain a lifestyle they'd become accustomed to and while it's nice to think that Ricky Williams walked away from the pressure cooker of pro sports to follow his own personal choices, the judgement against him might precipitate a humiliating about face. When travelling around the world, bills can mount, after all.
9.24.2004
Pennant races heat up: Heading in to the penultimate weekend of the baseball season, let's check on the pennant races.
American League
The Minnesota Twins have already clinched their third straight AL Central title. The New York Yankees have clinched a postseason berth as they head in to a crucial three game series at Fenway Park, Boston. The Red Sox trail the hated Yankees by 4 1/2 games but are six games ahead of the Anaheim Angels for the AL Wild Card spot with 10 games left for either team. The AL West is a complete dogfight: the Oakland A's lead the Angels by two games, the same margin they lead the red hot Texas Rangers. It looks at this point that it will be the Yankees, Twins, Red Sox and whoever wins the West that make the playoffs.
National League
The St. Louis Cardinals have the best record in baseball and have already clinched the NL Central. The Atlanta Braves will clinch their 13th consecutive division title this weekend, while the NL West is a three-way between the fading Los Angeles Dodgers, the San Francisco Giants and the surprising San Diego Padres. The sad-sack Chicago Cubs lead the NL Wild Card chase, with a slim lead over the Giants and Houston Astros, with the Padres, World Champs the Florida Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies mathematically still in contention for the wild card. At this point, the first two NL slots are set, but the other two are wide open, with perhaps the Cubs and Dodgers having slight edges.
The schedule maker must have had a crystal ball as crucial home-and-away series between the Angels v. A's and Dodgers v. Giants take place this weekend and on the final weekend of the season. The Rangers and Padres could benefit in the division races if those teams split their series. The Cubs and Astros have fairly easy schedules and they could benefit from a Dodgers v. Giants split as well, so the NL Wild Card will probably go down to the wire. Play ball!
9.23.2004
Lambda Legal Protests Foot Locker: Lambda Legal is protesting Foot Locker's firing of a gay employee in South Carolina by distributing flyers and postcards to people attending WNBA games in New York City, Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle.
The man, Kevin Dunbar, 26, alleges he was harassed for being gay by his coworkers and some customers at his store before being fired, ultimately, for complaining about the harassment. Foot Locker has a nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation.
Lambda Legal has said it is not protesting the WNBA, despite a recent deal that strengthens the partnership between the professional women's basketball league and Foot Locker.
Lambda Legal has filed a lawsuit on Dunbar's behalf.
CBS Gets Bra-Slapped: The FCC has fined CBS $550,000 for failing to prevent Janet Jackson's breast from falling out of her outfit during the Super Bowl halftime show. Twenty CBS-owned television stations were all slapped with the maximum indecency penalty of $27,500 to total the half-million-plus sum.
And this latebreaking news: CBS is also going to be fined $32,000 for airing the Colts-Titans game last Sunday. The FCC is claiming that Peyton Manning grabbing another man's ass constitutes pornography, and that infraction draws a $1,000 fine per incident.
9.22.2004
Woods Bails: It seems that disastrous Ryder Cup loss was too exhausting for Tiger Woods. Just two weeks after announcing he would play in the two-year-old 84 Lumber Classic in Pennsylvania, Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, announced Tuesday that Woods skip the tournament. The tournament was billing itself as the first face-off between Woods and Vijay Singh since Singh overtook Woods as the No. 1 player in the world.
We can understand why Woods might be tired. He and the other Americans in the Ryder Cup took an ass-whoopin' for four straight days and he needs a weekend off!
Woods is scheduled to play next week in Ireland at the American Express Championship.
9.21.2004
Eagles Win, Some Outsporters Happy: The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings, 27-16, on Monday Night Football and unofficial Outsports night in Philly.
Several regular Outsports readers were at the game,, including at least two brave Viking fans, who went away disappointed as the Vikes repeatedly blew great scoring opportunities. The worst was a fumble by quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who lost the ball 6 inches short of the end zone (it was a play that cost Cyd a win in his Fantasy League.)
The Eagles caught a break when Terrell Owens was given a touchdown on a pass that he clearly was bobbling as he landed out of bounds at the goal line. It gave the Eagles a 24-9 lead in the fourth quarter, and for some reason the play was challenged by the Viking coaching staff; we guess it was not a surprise since the coaches seemed asleep all night any way. The Eagles defense was on the field a lot, but made the plays when they had to, as did quarterback Donovan McNabb.
9.20.2004
EU Crushes US: The United States suffered its worst loss in Ryder Cup history, 18 1/2 to 9 1/2, at the hands of a European team that found motivation in the label, "underdog."
That underdog tag was put on them, despite having now won four of the last five and seven of the last 10 Ryder Cups. The visiting team this year in the tournament, held at Oakland Hills in Michigan, took the course as their own, dominating it and the Americans from start to finish.
Three weeks ago, the U.S. men's basketball team settled for a bronze medal in the Olympics. Last weekend, Americans were shut out of the U.S. Open Final. Now this. What could be next, an Austrian in the presidency?
Yanks Get Jump on Sox: There were many anxious souls in New York City on a rainy Friday night, when the Boston Red Sox took Game 1 of a three game series in dramatic fashion. Just 48 hours later, Yankees fans are breathing a sigh of relief.
The Bronx Bombers took the last two games of the series, building their lead for the division title over the Red Sox to 4 1/2 games. The series culminated Sunday afternoon in an 11-1 victory over the Sox and their star pitcher, Pedro Martinez. That followed a 14-4 blow-out Saturday.
The two teams play another three-game series in Boston next weekend. We'll find out then if this is the beginning of yet another September swoon for the Sox.
NFL Week 2:Check out our weekly look at NFL Sunday from the hottest plays to the hottest players.
9.19.2004
Golden Boy Not So Golden: Boxer Oscar de la Hoya would seem to have it all: great looks (when his face hasn't just been pounded), a sharp business sense, a stellar boxing career. The one thing he's lacked is respect, often so important to athletes. Especially here in Los Angeles, the Latino population, who in general avid boxing fans, have dismissed him as "pretty" and not really down with his Latino roots, too Americanized. So de la Hoya went in to Saturday's middleweight bout seeking respect against Bernard Hopkins, hoping to prove that he was the best fighter around today. It didn't work out that way, as Hopkins KO'd de la Hoya in the ninth round in Las Vegas. Oscar de la Hoya moved up in weight class, and while he's put on 30 pounds, he was probably just overmatched against a bigger and stronger opponent. The Golden Boy's career is in doubt; at 31, he's on the downside of his career and doesn't seem to have the drive, and more importantly the size, to compete at the level he wants to. Still, the estimated $30 million he made for Saturday's fight might help ease the pain.
US Still Not Good Enough: The US made up some ground in Saturday's Ryder Cup golf tournament against Europe, but still face an uphill task to win on Sunday. Europe only needs three points out of the singles play on Sunday to clinch the title. More distressing for the Americans, though, were their shirts on Saturday. Golf has a fairly undeserved reputation for fashion disasters--Jepser Pernavik aside, it's mostly solid color slacks and shirts these days. So whoever designed the bright red shirts with blue horizontal stripes should be fired. They were almost classic examples of what not to wear for television. Play concludes today, and barring a major collapse by the Europeans, they'll win the Ryder Cup again.
9.18.2004
* : We're not a fan of the San Francisco Giants Barry Bonds but we would be remiss as journalists to not note that tonight he joined one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball: players that have hit 700 career home runs. He joins Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only other players to do so. Our question is this: if he's ultimately found to have been using steroids at any point in his career, will he get an * next to his record at Cooperstown, like Roger Maris infamously did when he broke Ruth's single season record of 60 home runs in 1961?
US Schooled by Old Europe: As we noted yesterday, the Ryder Cup tournament between the US and Europe started Friday in Michigan. Based on the results of play, the US must be wishing that they could start from scratch again. On paper, the pairing of arguably the two best golfers in the world, Americans Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, should have given the US a great advantage. Instead it turned in to a disaster as Mickelson had a nightmarish day on the links. At one point he almost beaned his wife with a tee shot and otherwise played abysmally. The other Americans couldn't compensate and the US finds themselves in almost the same spot as the men's basketball team at the recently concluded Olympics: heavily favored against unglamorous opponents but about to suffer a humiliating defeat. The US is behind by the largest first-day margin in the history of the 77-year old competition and unless the European team collapses like the 1986 California Angels did against the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs, the tournament could be clinched by Europe today.
9.17.2004
USA vs. Europe: The biannual Ryder Cup match play golf tournament has been played since 1927. The format was the USA vs. Great Britain. It was lopsided, to say the least: the USA dominated so thoroughly that the tournament was almost invisible as the American's best players skipped the competition. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus changed all that in 1979 with a simple suggestion: open the Great Britain team to players from the Continent. This change has had a profound effect on the tournament. The US has only won 6 of the last 12 Cups (one ended in a tie), and only twice since 1993.
This years edition is being played at Oakland Hills in Michigan and it figures to be a great tournament. The US is loaded with talent, of course: Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods and Davis Love III are part of the US team but the Europeans aren't a bunch of Sunday duffers as their lineup includes PGA tour regulars Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie amongst others. As with any US athletes--yes, we're going to consider these guys athletes, don't e-mail us--playing teams from outside the country these days, the war in Iraq provides a subtext. The Europeans are also still rankled by the embarrassing celebration on the 17th hole by the US team in 1999 that included players wives, all while Jose Maria Olazabal still had a chance to keep Europe's hopes alive with a putt, which he eventually missed. It should be a weekend full of storylines and some great golf.
9.16.2004
NHL Lockout Starts: As has been predicted for months, National Hockey League officials locked out its players from the start of training camp as they fight over a new contract. Basically, the owners claim they?re losing money and need a salary cap; the players are opposed.
Let?s be blunt: Hockey is a terrific sport to watch and its fans are passionate, but few people care that there is a lockout and only a few more would care if there is no season. The NHL has grossly overexpanded in recent years (why is there a team in Columbus, Ohio) and has zero buzz outside of its hard-core audience. Both sides are dreaming if they think public pressure will have an impact. Unless all come to their senses and work out a compromise, the NHL may be forever relegated to minor status.
9.15.2004
Stanford Band Punks BYU: The Stanford band has long been the most notorious in the country. They are banned from the state of Oregon (for creating a band formation on the field of a dead spotted owl), Notre Dame (for blasphemy against the Catholic Church) and an airline (for attempting to tip a plane over).
Now, they've offended the mormons of BYU.
Hosting BYU on Saturday, the Stanford band's five "dollies" - five girls who lead the band along with the drum major - dressed in wedding veils, mocking polygamy. Stanford won the game, 37-10.
"The actions of the Stanford band in Saturday's game were inappropriate, and I wish to apologize to BYU, their team, fans and alumni," Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland said in a statement. "We are committed to being good hosts to our opponents who visit Stanford and anything that doesn't reflect this is regrettable."
Luckily for them, Stanford plays Notre Dame at South Bend this year.
Ranger Arrested: Texas Ranger relief pitcher Frank Francisco was arrested Tuesday in Oakland for throwing a chair into the stands of Oakland Colisseum that hit a female fan at a game Monday night.
The Rangers are claiming that the fans instigated the incident. However, the A's maintain that the fans did not break the league's code of conduct for fans.
If only a thrown chair was the most dangerous thing flying through the air in Oakland Monday night.
Keyshawn Is Crazy: It's official: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson is nuts. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Johnson called former Bucs teammate Ronde Barber an "Uncle Tom," called Bucs coach Jon Gruden "two-faced" and had choice words for Warren Sapp. He also said he will have words with Barber when they meet later this season.
The Bucs must be crushed that they got rid of him now.
9.14.2004
Pack Wins Monday Opener: The Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers, 24-14, in the opening game of Monday Night Football. The game was fairly boring unless you happened to be a Packers fan and enjoy watching an offensive line dominate.
The Packers completely controlled the line of scrimmage, holding the ball 38 minutes to the Panthers? 22, and running the ball 47 times to Carolina?s 13. It was dull but effective. The Panthers suffered huge loss when star returner/receiver Steve Smith broke his left leg; he might be done for the season.
9.13.2004
NFL in full swing: Sunday marked the first full day of NFL action and having the Dish and NFL Sunday Ticket again paid dividends. Instead of being stuck with whatever game Fox and CBS decided to give the rest of the country watching on network TV, we have great fun zipping around from game to game. Added bonus: we don't have to watch commercials. Extra added bonus: we don't have to watch dog games unless we have someone in fantasy that we want to keep track of. Most of the games were routine and went as predicted, but there were still some interesting storylines.
* The return of Joe Gibbs as coach of the Redskins was a success, as the 'Skins beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-10. The game was kind of dull--that's pretty much a given with the Bucs offense involved--but Gibbs won't care about that.
* Weird stat of the day: Pittsburgh's Jerome "The Bus" Bettis' line: 5 carries, 1 yard rushing, 3 TD's. The Steelers beat the Oakland Raiders 24-21 in a matchup of teams with a cumulative seven Super Bowl wins between them. While their glory days are gone for both teams, the Steelers in particular have a chance to be a surprise this year.
* It might be another long year in Buffalo for hottie Drew Bledsoe and the Bills. Ahead 10-6 against Jacksonville, they only had to make a stop in the red zone to get the win, but Byron Leftwitch connected with Ernest Wilford at the back of the end zone to give the Jags the win.
* The Terrell Owens era got under way in Philadelphia as the Eagles trounced the New York Giants 31-17. We won't bother looking, but it's a good guess that the Iggles fans on our message board will be insufferable for the next week.
* Perhaps the best game of the day was the one involving the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, the Jets winning 31-24. Carson Palmer looked impressive for the Bengals in his first official NFL game, throwing for 248 yards and 2 TD's.
9.12.2004
More U.S. Open notes: It was an all-Russian women?s final on Saturday at the U.S. Open tennis championships. Svetlana Kuznetsova is only 19, still has braces on her teeth, but she?s the new women?s singles champion, having defeated countrywoman Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5. Kuznetsova has a sports oriented family: her brother and parents are involved in elite cycling, but she tried it, hated it and now has a Grand Slam title to her name. The rise of Russians in the women?s game has been extraordinary. Four months ago, there was no Russian in the record books of Grand Slam winners. Now there are three: Kuznetsoya, French Open champion Anastasia Myskina and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.
On the men?s side, things ran more to form. Swiss stud Roger Federer simply overpowered Englishman Tim Henman in straight sets to book a place in today?s final. 2001 Open champion Leyton Hewitt Australia beat Joachim Johansson handily to set up an interesting men?s final of Federer, the number 1 ranked player in the world vs. Hewitt.
Pyschodrama at Notre Dame: Notre Dame?s football team is one of those annoying teams that walk around with a sense of entitlement, a sense that as they go, their sport goes (see: New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, Manchester United). So it was great to see them try to work the system to their advantage last week and get whacked for it. The Fighting Irish were supposed to open their season against powerhouse Michigan, but not wanting to start their season against the Wolverines after Michigan had already played, Notre Dame got both Michigan and BYU to reschedule games to Notre Dame?s supposed advantage. Only problem? BYU didn?t get the memo about rolling over and won 20-17. The pressure on the Irish and coach Tyrone Willingham this week has been ferocious. Unfortunately, they beat Michigan 28-20 on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana. It would have been great to see them get stomped for their hubris, but alas.
9.11.2004
Quick hits: Some short items to take us in to the weekend.
The Philadelphia Eagles announced that they have extended the contract of coach Andy Reid through 2010. We guess that means management is content with devastating home playoff losses for another six years.
Mother Nature continues to mess with sports schedules. Hurricane Ivan will likely strike South Florida on Sunday, so the Miami Dolphins have bumped their season opening game against the Tennessee Titans to Saturday. The World Series champion Florida Marlins are in the thick of the National League's Wild Card race, but they have a lot of work to do. Due to Hurricane Frances last week, they had to postpone their 3-game home series against the Chicago Cubs and now Ivan might force them to move their series against the Montreal/San Juan Expos to the White Sox' Comiskey Park (yes, we're aware it's not officially called that).
The NHL is peering in to the abyss after management on Thursday rejected a proposal from the players union aimed at preventing a lockout that would begin at midnight EST on Wednesday. Commissioner Gary Bettman's remark that the two sides "aren't even speaking the same language" coupled with the fact that no new talks are scheduled doesn't leave much hope that a stoppage can be prevented. Most parties feel a strike would be devastating to the sport, but players are understandably unwilling to roll back salary gains and the owners are understandably unwilling to see salaries continue to rise. It's a classic impasse.
9.10.2004
Pats own the Colts: We've seen it happen over and over in sports: an otherwise excellent team just can't beat one particular team that they play, often losing in heartbreaking fashion. Case in point: Thursday night's NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts. The teams played twice last season, the Patriots winning both times, the first by making a goal line stand in the closing seconds and then dominating the AFC title game. The teams showed very little rust in an excellent game on Thursday, the Patriots pulling out a 27-24 victory. In a way, the Colts have themselves to blame for the loss. The Patriots were their usual efficient, slightly anonymous selves, but the Colts Edgerrin James lost a fumble at the 1-yard line with 3:51 left to start the Colts troubles. Quarterback Petyon Manning, who's not as cute as his brother Eli, was sacked for a huge loss when the Colts were at the Patriots 18, forcing kicker Mike Vanderjagt to kick from distance. Vanderjagt, who hadn't missed in 42 tries, shanked the ball right from the 48-yard line and that was that. The teams will probably meet again in the playoffs and it would be smart to lay money on the Patriots to win.
No U.S. Men Left at U.S. Open: For the first time since 1986, no American man will play in the singles quarterfinals of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York. Stud defending champion Andy Roddick lost a slug-fest in five sets to lightly regarded Joachim Johansson and Andre Agassi somewhat predictably lost to number 1 seed Roger Federer, also in five sets. The semifinals will match Johansson against Australian Leyton Hewitt, the 2001 champion, with Federer taking on England's Tim "Can't Win Wimbledon" Henman.
9.9.2004
No Boobgate this year: After all the uproar that surrounded the Justin Timberlake/Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" at last year's Super Bowl, you'd be forgiven for thinking that something important had happened. It didn't, really, but that didn't stop pundits, politicians and other busybodies from tut-tutting about the decline of Western Civilization and so on. The NFL had more basic concerns: they hate scandal and so for tonight's season opening game between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, the pre-game musical entertainment will be carefully controlled. Putting aside the question of why we even need a big pre-game extravaganza--people who aren't football fans who tune in to watch Lenny Kravitz aren't going to stick around--the NFL seems to be taking its notorious control-freak tendencies a little too far. Even so, they might have still miscalculated: they've hired Elton John.
Sir Elton is not only the most famous openly gay man in the world, but he's beholden to no one. He regularly shoots his mouth off in concert and while we suspect he'll be on his best behavior, the NFL is taking no chances, as they've instituted a 10-second delay for the telecast to ensure no one gets offended. Toby Keith, Destiny's Child, Lenny Kravitz and Mary J. Blige (who will sing the National Anthem) will also perform. It'll be nice to get to the real start of the NFL regular season on Sunday, where football will be the sole attraction.
I hereby declare Serena Williams a fashion disaster area.
That denim skirt, those superhero boots, that jacket with SERENA spelled out in rhinestone letters--Conan the Barbarian has finally found a prom date.
Update: Serena's outfit is leading Jennifer Capriati's sluggish metabolism 5-2 first set.
pdate update: Whatever one's aesthetic qualms about Serena's ensemble, there's no question an injustice was done to her on the court tonight. She wuz robbed.
9.7.2004
Boo to the Yankees: The New York Yankees showed once again why they are hated by all baseball fans save for their own. The Yankees had the gall to ask Major League Baseball to award them a forfeit win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, stranded in Florida by Hurricane Frances.
The Yankees argued that the Rays could have left Florida by Saturday to arrive in New York for Monday?s doubleheader. The team did not arrive in time to play both games; in the game that was played, New York won, 7-4.
MLB did not award the Yankees the forfeit, though Tampa could face a penalty pending an investigation.
Devil Rays general manager Chuck LaMar said the team never intended to leave for New York until Sunday night or Monday. ?We decided, and we made the right decision, we'll stick by that decision, to stay with our families,'' he told AP. ''We wanted to stay in the Tampa Bay area, wait out the storm with our families.''
A classy organization would have understood that the right response would have been to sympathize with the Rays and tell them that taking care of their homes and loved ones was the first priority. But then again, these are George Steinbrenner?s Yankees we?re taking about.
9.6.2004
Wild Games Kick Off College Football: Many college teams would be thrilled to score three touchdowns. Fresno State's defense did it themselves. The Bulldogs invaded Seattle Sunday and wrecked havoc on Washington's young quarterbacks, scoring touchdowns on two interceptions and a fumble recovery in a solid 35-16 road win.
Another Pac-10 team took its lumps on Saturday. Oregon State visited defending co-national champ LSU and led late in the game, 15-7, after missing two PATs. LSU scored late and made a two-point conversion, taking the game to overtime. After scoring a touchdown in overtime to pull within 22-21, Oregon State missed their third PAT of the game and lost.
Then there was Texas, the Big XII powerhouse who put the University of North Texas on their schedule. The top 10 team scored the most lopsided victory of any top 25 team over the weekend, 65-0.
9.4.2004
U.S. Open in full swing: Now that the Olympics are over, American sports fans can fully concentrate on the baseball pennant races, the start of the football season (both college and NFL) and the traditional Labor Day tennis tournament, the U.S. Open in New York. To say that American men have been in decline in the Grand Slam events in recent years is an understatement. The trend continued during the first few days of play this week since with the defeat of Vince Spadea by world famous Jurgen Melzer [/sarcasm], there are exactly two American men left in the tournament: Outsports lust object Andy Roddick and the aging, but still competitive Andre Agassi. Roddick, perhaps suffering from post-Olympics letdown, struggled through his match on Friday, finally prevailing over Andreas Egli in straight sets. Last years losing finalist, Juan Carlos Ferrero, got bounced, leaving Wimbledon champ Roger Federer as the favorite.
Serena Williams, she of more fashion police violations earlier in the week, also struggled, making an incredible 42 unforced errors but still prevailing over 30th seed Tatiana Golovin. She's really going to have to step up her game or the two-time Open champion could bounced early on. The women's side is much stronger than the men's, with out lesbian Amelie Mauresmo (who won on Friday), Justine Henin-Hardenne, Lindsay Davenport, Wimbeldon champion Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams all strong contenders. There's plenty of tennis left to go, so expect more upsets, fashion faux pas and hot men and women.
9.3.2004
Heeeeerrrrreeeee's Bobby!: Sometimes, news items come along that are impossible to run through the satire machine. We saw one such item today. CBS is seriously considering going forward with a sitcom based on the life of irascible, cantankerous and slightly overrated college basketball coach Bobby Knight. The same Bobby Knight more famous for throwing a chair across the court during a game; for choking a player in practice and for getting in to police trouble during a tournament in Puerto Rico than winning NCAA men's basketball titles. While the project is still just in the discussion stage--there hasn't even been a head writer assigned to the project yet--it's hard to imagine wringing any comedy out of the life of Bobby Knight. The sitcom has been declared dead for years; if this thing actually gets made and shown on the air, it could provide the coup de grace.
9.2.2004
Bryant Case Dropped: The criminal case against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, charged with sexual assault against a Colorado woman, has been dropped. The prosecutors said the women no longer wanted to participate in the case. Her civil case against Bryant is still pending.
Bryant issued an apology after the charges were dropped. ?Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did,'' Bryant said. ``I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.''
To be honest, I have not been riveted by this case and always felt Bryant would beat the criminal charge, since only the very rich can afford the best defense in these kinds of cases. One would expect Bryant and his accuser to reach some sort of settlement in the civil case.
Jim Buzinski
An All-Time Record: Now, here?s a sports record that we all can be proud of, via the AP:
Ilker Yilmaz might just hold one of the world's most bizarre world records. The Turkish construction worker on Wednesday poured milk into his hand, loudly snorted it up his nose and squirted it 9.2 feet out of his left eye in what he hopes will be recognized as a new world record.
"I'm happy and proud that I can get Turkey in the record book even if it's for milk squirting," said the 28-year-old. He says he is among only a handful of people around the world who can perform the feat because of an anomaly in his tear gland.
The Web site for Guinness World Records says Mike Moraal of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, set the existing record, of 8.745 feet in France in 2001.
9.1.2004
Don't Quit the Day Job: No-necked freak and World Wrestling Entertainment refugee Brock Lesnar got eyes rolling on our message board in June with an ESPN the Magazine interview in which the first pearl of wisdom from the cretin's mouth was something along the lines of "I don't like gays". The feeling certainly seemed to be mutual, so we can only chortle as we note that his lame attempt at making the roster of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings ended Tuesday after a month in camp. The Vikes verdict: big guy, but no real football skills. There's a reason that most pro athletes have been playing constantly since they were in high school: they're dedicated professionals who work hard at what they do, not publicity-seeking dilettantes who take up a roster spot of someone who's actually dedicated their life to the sport. Good riddance.
22-0: Lest we be flooded with e-mails accusing us of anti-Yankees bias in posting this, we feel we must note that the New York Yankees suffered the worst defeat in their storied history on Tuesday, a 22-0 drubbing at the hands of the much-improved Cleveland Indians. The defeat occurred at Yankee Stadium, no less. The New York tabloids should be fun to read tomorrow.
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
Olympic Notes and Photos: Check out our
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hot photo links.
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
Olympic Notes and Photos: Check out our
highly opinionated and always entertaining daily
look at the goings-on at the Olympics, along with
hot photo links.
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
Olympic Notes and Photos: Check out our
highly opinionated and always entertaining daily
look at the goings-on at the Olympics, along with
hot photo links.
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.
Olympic Notes and Photos: Check out our
highly opinionated and always entertaining daily
look at the goings-on at the Olympics, along with
hot photo links.
8.24.2004
Olympic Notes and Photos: Check out our
highly opinionated and always entertaining daily
look at the goings-on at the Olympics, along with
hot photo links.
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.
