For our money this is the best time of the year to be a sports fan: College and pro football have begun, baseball's in its stretch drive, the U.S. Open tennis tournament is in its final stages and the nip in the air says basketball and hockey aren't too far off..
BOTTOM OF THE WEEK
MISPLACED PRIORITIES
Some people need to get a clue and put their money to better use.
An anonymous donor gave Texas Christian University $90,000 to spend on marketing the Heisman Trophy candidacy of tailback LaDainian Tomlinson.
Well, they do say football is religion in Texas, so maybe this guy (can't imagine a woman would waste her money this way) thinks of this as tithing.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
SHE'S ONE MEAN
MOMMA
Mother Nature took a toll on recent sporting events.
Inclement weather is to be expected-but rarely has it affected so many sporting events in so many different places.
First, the BCA Classic college football game between Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech was canceled due to rain and lightning. Then the U.S. Open made like Wimbledon and was repeated delayed by rain. In the Midwest, football fans and players suffered games played in 100+ temperatures. And during the NFL's first week, the Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants game was momentarily halted as lightning sent players scurrying to their
locker rooms.
IN A PICKLE
It may happen that the phrase for an
athlete to ``be on the juice,'' may not mean they take steroids. The newest fad in football training is ... pickle juice.
The Philadelphia Eagles credited the stuff, which contains a combination of salt and nutrients which are believed to help prevent cramps, with helping them get past 109 degree temperatures Sunday at Texas Stadium.
The Eagles' success caused the University of Georgia to start using the stuff this week. We're not sure if it does or doesn't work, but the fad reminds of the nasal strips that became trendy among athletes a few years ago. Players credited the strips with opening their nasal passages and bringing in more oxygen. But a recent study found no athletic benefit from the devices, which just looked plain silly on anyone.
We can see the pickle juice becoming a hit at gay circuit parties, as druggies pack some Vlasic to ward off dehydration.
TENNIS
It seems that endorsement deals are now pervading every sport. Gustavo Kuerten has decided not to play in the Olympics for his native Brazil after a dispute as to what uniform he would wear at the Games: Brazil wants him to wear their official team uniform from Olympikus, while Diadora, with whom he has a deal, wouldn't let him sport the Olympikus logo.
This week in tennis was marked by some marathon matches at the U.S. Open, especially on the men's side. The thriller was Todd Martin's victory in the fourth round over Carlos Moya, 6-7, 6-7, 6-1, 7-6, 6-2, that took four hours and 17 minutes to complete . . . at 1:22am ET.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Football is back, and so are the hottie quarterbacks of three big Big Ten schools. Drew Brees led his Purdue Boilermakers to a 48-0 win over Central Michigan; Brooks Bollinger led the mostly suspended Wisconsin Badgers over Western Michigan, 19-7; and an injured Drew Henson watched from the sidelines as his Michigan Wolverines topped Bowling Green, 42-7.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, UCLA shocked then-#3 Alabama, 35-24. But, the stunner came Monday when the two major polls were released . . . and both had Alabama ahead of UCLA. Apparently, the game never actually happened.
BASEBALL
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies spent much of August flirting with a .400 batting average, something not accomplished during a season by anyone since Ted Williams in 1941. But a rough last week put Helton at .387, still amazing, but he'll need a September to remember to make history.