The NBA fined Philadelphia 76er bad-boy Allen Iverson $5,000 for comments he made Jan. 28 to fans at Indiana. The release from the league did not mention the specific language Iverson used (``faggot''), but said he was fined for ``directing profanity towards fans." Iverson apologized for his actions. It is a measure of progress that action was taken and Iverson was forced or shamed into apologizing. Something similar five or 10 years ago would likely have been greeted with a yawn.
BOTTOM OF THE WEEK
THE XFL
Our view of the XFL? It sucked. When you strip away all the mikes and cameras you have bad football played by guys not good enough for the pros. All the T&A shots did nothing to excite us (the whole thing is designed for young hetero men) and everything was way too loud. Excess was the watchword, from the overstimulated announcers to the microphones that picked up everything, no matter how lame or uninteresting. And there was something corporately creepy about this prattle that the players were doing it more for the love of the game than for the money. You can bet your ass that Vince McMahon and NBC are doing it for the money, and the cheaper their labor costs the more to the bottom line. Can you say exploited? All in all, we have better things to do on Saturday night.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
THE SHOCKING DEATH OF A WOMEN'S LACROSSE COACH
San Francisco has been stunned by the mauling death of Diane Alexis Whipple Jan. 26 by a pair of Presa Canario dogs (``a pit bull of steroids,'' one breeder said) as she was trying to get into her apartment. One of the dogs, Bane, at 120 pounds actually outweighed Whipple. The death scene was so gruesome that police who responded later needed counseling.
The dogs' owners, lawyers Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller, could face second-degree murder charges as the city continues to express its outrage. Since the killing the owners have been linked to White supremacists (they legally adopted one of them) who were trying to run a guard-dog breeding operation from prison.
By all accounts Whipple, 33, a former All-America lacrosse player at Penn State University, was beloved by her friends, neighbors and players on the St. Mary's College women's lacrosse team. Her memorial service drew more than 600 people.
Whipple was a lesbian whose partner of seven years, Sharon Smith, said at the memorial: ``"Alexis taught me to take advantage of every day. Although our time with her was short, we were blessed that God gave her to us for 33 years. I love you, Alexis."
One of her players, Amy Harms, said: ``The first time she saw us play, I thought she would fall over
laughing. Knowledge of the sport got coach her job. But her friendship made us love her."
Smith, a vice president at Charles Schwab, is determined that the dogs' owners pay for her partner's death.
"I want to see the two of them locked up," Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle. "This isn't a
car accident, where it happens, and you grieve and then move on. To me, this isn't, 'They're my nice
neighbors down the hall, and it's a terrible tragedy, and we'll get through it.'
"I believe they knew exactly what they had--what the dogs were capable of -- and they let this happen."
MR. SMITH RETIRES We're sad to see superb Minnesota Vikings running back Robert Smith,
28, retire. Not only is he super-handsome, he is also very bright and articulate, the kind of guy you'd love to bring home to mom. According to AP, Smith may become a medical researcher, saying, ``he is interested in a variety of topics such as calculus, molecular genetics and classical music.'' Not your average jock.
GOLF Davis Love III was 0 for his last 62 PGA events. But he ended that drought on Sunday, with a magnificent comeback from 7 strokes down to win the Pebble Beach event. His 9-under 63 was the best closing score by a winner in the 60-year history of the National Pro-Am.