Updated:
June 21, 2000
TOP
OF THE WEEK TIGER WOODS
It was ridiculous.
Tiger Woods shot a record for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in his opening round and never looked back, capturing the 100th U.S. Open title.
Tiger broke five records in his victory (he also tied four records):
-Largest Major Championship winning margin - 15.
-Largest U.S. Open winning margin - 15.
-Largest 36 hole lead in the U.S. Open - 6 strokes.
-Largest 54 hole lead in the U.S. Open - 10 strokes.
-Lowest U.S. Open winning score in relation to par - 12 under.
"We've been talking about him for two years," Ernie Els said. "I guess we'll be talking about him for the next 20. When he's on, we don't have much of a chance."
BOTTOM OF THE WEEK
HOOLIGANS EAST AND WEST
It's become all too commonplace to see fans-all men, we might add-riot after their team wins a title. The sight is always depressing and it occurred again Monday night when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA Title.
By riot standards, this one was fairly tame, confined to a few blocks near downtown. No injuries and only 11 arrests. But this is no small comfort for the businesses in the area that were trashed. Young men in packs, all boozed up always spells trouble.
But the LA rioters were pikers compared to the seasoned vets known as English soccer hooligans. They rampaged throughout Belgium during the Euro 2000 soccer tournament, causing such revulsion that they threatened to have England banned from future European matches.
Columnist David Thomas of the Daily Mail in London was unsparing in his description of his idiotic countrymen:
``Other countries are not like this. As a matter of fact, young Britons of both sexes are the most drunken, drug-taking, promiscuous, criminal, pregnant, fattest and least-educated people in Europe.
``It's all very well politicians preventing hooligans leaving this country, but what are we going to do with them while they're here? And what are we going to do to save the country and the culture that spawned them.''
To everyone's delight and relief, England was eliminated on Tuesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
THERE IS CRYING IN
BASEBALL
Matt Herges,
LA Dodger pitcher (left), took the trade of teammate Alan Mills
(right) to Baltimore badly:
"I didn't realize how much he meant to me until yesterday," Herges told the LA Times. "When I heard, I just went into the bathroom, locked myself into a stall and bawled.
"I guess that's pretty sad, a 30-year-old bawling like a baby, but that's just a testament to the kind of guy he is".
PARTY ON, DUDE
Sebastian Janikowski is a 250-pound kicker with a cannon for a leg and was taken in the first round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders. He could be an enormous weapon for the Raiders ... provided he's not deported to Poland first.
Florida State University Police said Janikowski and two friends were found with GHB, also known as the ``date-rape drug,'' during a police sweep looking for underage drinkers, the Associated Press reported.
Janikowski, 22, and his two friends were charged with one count of felony possession of a controlled substance. If convicted, he could be ordered deported back to his native Poland.
Last week, Janikowski, an All-American kicker for the national champion Florida State Seminoles, was acquitted on charges of trying to bribe a police officer outside another Tallahassee nightspot.
SHAQ GETS HIS RING
The one knock on Shaquille O'Neal was that, allegedly, he wasn't good enough to win a title. Shaq put that nonsense to rest in Game 6 with an amazing 41-point performance as the Lakers beat the Pacers, 116-111, to win the NBA Finals, 4 games to 2.
It was one of the great NBA Finals games of all time with back-and-forth action, runs by both teams and clutch performances. But the difference was Shaq, the 7-1, 350-pounder, who dominated poor Rik Smits. And it was touching to see tears come to Shaq's eyes after the win. Shaq's partner in crime, Kobe Bryant, was stellar down the stretch against a gritty Pacer team that was just too overmatched in the middle. Reggie Miller failed to come up big; he scored 25 points but was only 2 of 10 from 3-point range.
The best line of the night was uttered by NBC's Bob Costas, who said as the clock wound down and fans were getting ready to celebrate: ``The fans are rimming the court."
The most disgusting sight was Jack Nicholson, rushing like some groupie to shake Larry Bird's hand. What a phony.
LARRY WOULD STAND
BY HIS MAN
Laker forward Glen Rice was pissed about his lack of playing time in the NBA Finals, causing his wife to threaten to "Latrell Sprewell" coach Phil Jackson. Pacers coach Larry Bird told the LA Times he knew what that was all about:
"....These wives sit back and they think their husband is taking a beating. They're going to try to protect them. Whatever they have to do, they do. It doesn't bother me.
"I've seen wives hit writers on top of their heads with their pocketbooks in Boston. I've seen them swear at officials walking by, I've seen it all. It really doesn't faze me.
``They're just trying to protect their man. If my man was making $12 million, $15 million a year, I'd be trying to protect him too".
Is there some secret you've been hiding Larry?
RETURN
OF THE HOMOPHOBE?
Reggie White was an NFL All-Pro defensive lineman for Philadelphia and Green Bay and a certain Hall of Fame selection. He's also a first-class homophobe and Bible-thumper, who has been very public in his condemnation of homosexuality.
We thought we had seen the last of a high-profile White, who retired following the 1998 season. Now comes word that White is considering coming back to the league for another year. Tennessee, Carolina and Jacksonville are reportedly interested. Let's hope this all just a trial balloon that goes flat.
Matt Herges,
LA Dodger pitcher (left), took the trade of teammate Alan Mills
(right) to Baltimore badly: