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June
2002 |
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June 30: Congratulations
to the SF Fog, which won the inaugural Mark Bingham Cup
rugby tournament in San Francisco. King's Cross Steelers
from London took second, while third place went to the
Village Spartans from Manchester. Bingham's mother, Alice
Hoagland, presented the trophy. Bingham was the SF Fog rugby
player who helped fellow passengers bring down Flight 93 on
Sept. 11 after it was hijacked by terrorists.
Congratulations to all the teams, fans and supporters that
took part. ....
Turkey and South Korea played an exciting
third-place game in the World Cup, with the Turks winning
3-2. Hakan Sukur scored
with only 10.8 seconds expired, the fastest goal in Cup
history. The five goals were more than were scored in the
previous four World Cup matches, proving again that loose
teams make for a more exciting match. |
June 30: Jeff Morrison
lost to Sjeng Schalken at Wimbledon. This is notable only
because Morrison was the last American man left in
the tourney. This is the first time since 1922 that no
American man reached the fourth round. |
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June 29: Eric Gagne of
the Los Angeles Dodgers is having a dream season as a relief
pitcher. Gagne closed out the Anaheim Angels in a 7-5 Dodger
win for his 19th consecutive save and 29th of the season. |
June 29: The
Wimbledon's men's draw went from the ridiculous to the
absurd on Friday. Yevgeny Kafelnikov (No. 5 seed) and Andy
Roddick (No. 11) both fell, making it 13 of the top 15 seeds
out of the tournament. At this rate, American TV ratings
will be lower than a test pattern. Upsets once in a while
are fine, but too many cheapen a tournament. |
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June 28: What a feel-good
story: Utah Jazz center Greg Ostertag donated one of
his kidneys to his sister, Amy Hall, whose kidneys had
failed her. The 2 1/2-hour operation went well and doctors
expect Ostertag to be playing at an NBA level coming the
season. |
June 28: The Cleveland
Indians made a baffling trade, sending their ace Bartolo
Colon (10-4) to the Montreal Expos for Lee Stevens in a
six-player trade. It seems to be a sign that the Indians, in
third place, are giving up on 2002 since the move saves them
$6 million next year. For the surprising Expos, five games
above .500, Colon is a great addition. Hope he enjoys
playing before 40,000 empty seats in Montreal, however. |
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June 27: The NBA
is becoming increasingly international and this was
reflected in the draft. The Houston Rockets took 7-5 Yao
Ming with the top pick, marking the first time the No. 1
selection is a foreigner who did not play American college
basketball. |
June 27: The
Wimbledon's men's draw got a lot less interesting after
three of the top seven seeds fell in shocking second-round
upsets. Seven-time champ Pete Sampras lost to a spice,
George Basil (he of one-career win), after being up two
sets. Marat Safin, the second seed, lost to a Belgian,
Oliver Rochus, who is 5-5 tall. And Andre Agassi, seeded
third, lost in straight sets to 67th-ranked Paradom
Srichaphan, who sounds more like a Thai wine ("I'll have a
bottle of the Paradom Srichaphan, please.") |
|
June 26: Germany, which
came in with understated ambitions, is now a game away from
being World Cup champs. Germany beat South Korea, 1-0, to
advance to Sunday's final. It was a typical German
win--efficient and boring yet effective. Germany has allowed
one goal in the tourney and has won its last three games
1-0. |
June 26: One more lament
about juiced up balls, juiced up players and lousy pitching
in Major League Baseball--11 teams scored 7 or more
runs on Tuesday, with four hitting double digits. Tampa Bay
scored 11 ... and lost ... by 9 runs to Toronto. |
June 25: If it's the
start of summer it must mean Wimbledon and it was
great to see the grass at Centre Court on a beautiful day.
All the favorites won opening day, including Pete Sampras,
whose status beforehand was questionable. But London in June
has is like an elixir to Sampras, who won their seven times.
``You step out on Centre Court,
it's like Mecca out there,'' Sampras told AP. ``The U.S.
Open, French Open--those are great events, but Centre Court
at Wimbledon, there's something very special whenever you
step out there." |
June 25: One of the
tragedies of the sudden, early death of Darrly Kile is that
his heart condition was treatable, doctors said. Kile
died at age 33 and an autoposy revealed two of the three
arteries to his heart were 80% to 90% blocked.
Given that his dad died of heart disease in his early 40s,
doctors interviewed by AP said this should have been a
signal that Kile had an increased risk.
``Patients with a strong family
history should get rigorous routine checkups including tests
such as cholesterol screenings, blood work-ups, exercise
stress tests or heart imaging tests, a doctor said.
``Such tests probably would
have detected Kile's narrowed arteries, which could have
been treated with an angioplasty and stent procedure, in
which a balloon-tip catheter unclogs the arteries and a tiny
mesh coil in inserted to keep them propped open.''
Let's hope all of us take this
as a sign to check up aggressively on our own health and on
the health of ones we love. |
|
June 24: It's been a good
month for three of California's Major League Baseball
teams. The Angels and Dodgers each swept their series this
weekend, with the latter moving into first place in the NL
West. And the Oakland A's continue their amazing play,
winning their seventh in a row and going to 18-3 in June. |
June 24: Pete Sampras'
woes continue. The seven-time Wimbledon champ may miss the
tournament that starts today because of a bad rib sprain he
received over the weekend. Wimbledon officials denied his
request to move his first match to Tuesday against Martin
Lee. As they say in team sports, Sampras is a game-time
decision. |
|
June 22: The Texas Longhorns
ended a 19-year drought by winning the College World Series,
12-6, over South Carolina. Huston Street, whose daddy James
was a Longhorn football star in the late '60s/early '70s
collected his CWS-record fourth save. |
June 23: Add Spain to the
list of World Cup teams complaining about questionable
officiating. Spain lost to South Korea, 0-0 (5-3 on
penalty kicks), but not until the Spaniards had three goals
disallowed. The third, in overtime, was ruled no good when
the scorer, Joaquin Sanchez, was ruled out of bounds. But
replays showed the ball had never crossed the end line. ``We
expected the officiating to be better. This was a
quarterfinal match after all,'' Spanish coach Jose Camacho
said. |
|
June 22: The U.S.
soccer team showed it could play with the big boys, even
in defeat. The Americans fell to Germany, 1-0, in the World
Cup quarterfinals, despite generally outplaying their
opponents. The Germans were saved by great
goal-tending by Oliver Kahn. The best U.S. chance came on a
shot by Gregg Berhalter. It went off Kahn and hit the
left arm of defender Torsten Frings, who was standing on the
goal line. Friggs looked like more of a bystander but the
ball hitting his arm saved the day for Germany. ...
Luis Castillo got another
hit and now has a 35-game hitting streak. |
June 22: David Seaman may
be the most miserable man in England. Seaman, who has been a
great goalie for his career, made one big mistake against
Brazil and it cost England big in a 2-1 World Cup loss. With
the score tied 1-1, Seaman misjudged a 40-yard shot by
Ronaldinho that went in
for what proved to be the game-winner.
After the game, Seaman was
near tears as he apologized. "It is very hard to take but
that's just life as a goalkeeper. The main thing is I want
to say sorry to the fans," Seaman said. David Beckham, the
English superstar, was terrific in publicly supporting his
goalie, saying it would be a disgrace if Seaman was made a
scapegoat. |
|
June 21: Jose Theodore,
the terrific Montréal Canadians goalie won the Hart Trophy
as league MVP and the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender. "My
legs are weak,'' Theodore said after he won. "I still can't
believe it.'' ...
Luis Castillo got another
hit and now has a 34-game hitting streak, tied for the 13th
longest of all-time. |
June 21: As we stated
before, we enjoy the
World Cup. But it's getting tiring to read columnists
and hear commentators who say there's something wrong
with Americans who aren't going ga-ga over the US team. Bob
Ryan in the Boston Globe said anyone not interested wasn't
much of a sports fan. To all those who want people to get in
lock-step behind soccer: This is America and freedom of
choice is what it's all about. This includes the freedom to
totally ignore something. |
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June 20: Luis Castillo hit
safely in his 33rd consecutive game on Wednesday. The
Florida Marlin tied Rogers Hornsby for the longest hitting
streak by a second baseman, set in 1922. |
June 20: Talk about sore
losers! Ahn Jung-hwan was cut by the Italian soccer club Perugia.
His crime? Ahn scored the winning goal in South Korea's
shocking win over Italy a day earlier.
"That gentleman will
never set foot in Perugia again," Luciano Gaucci told
sports' daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"He was a phenomenon
only when he played against Italy. I am a nationalist and I
regard such behavior not only as an affront to Italian pride
but also an offense to a country which two years ago opened
its doors to him," Gaucci was quoted as saying.
"I have no intention of
paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian
soccer." |
June 19: Italy became the
latest big dog to bes knocked out of the World Cup, joining
Portugal, Argentina and France. The Italians were stunned by
a ``golden goal" in extra time, 2-1, by co-host South
Korea. Italy was less than gracious after. ``This is
football, but if one of the teams should have advanced to
the quarterfinals it should have been Italy,'' coach
Giovanni Trapattoni said. ``We had more goal chances. Korea
played with their hearts.''
|
June 19: Major League
Baseball said it will likely fine New York Mets pitcher
Shawn Estes for throwing behind Roger Clemens on Saturday.
This seems absurd considering Estes missed (and Clemens' big
butt is hard to miss), but baseball is often absurd in its
rules enforcement. ``I didn't expect a fine,'' New York
general manager Steve Phillips told the AP. ``He didn't hit
him. Clemens didn't get fined for saying he would hit
(Barry) Bonds and then hitting him, so we thought that set a
precedent. |
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June 18: The U.S.
men's soccer team, by beating Mexico 2-0 in the World
Cup, won its first knockout game in history. Hard to believe
that the U.S. is one of the top eight teams while
powerhouses France, Portugal and Argentina are home. The
Yanks played great defense and goalie Brad Friedel may be
the best in the world. |
June 18: Rob Dibble, a
former player and now ESPN baseball ``expert'' is a buffoon.
He makes outrageous remarks solely for their shock value and
contributes little insight to the sport. His comments on the
Mets-Roger Clemens incident is a case in point.
Everyone expected the Mets to
retaliate when Clemens came to bat Saturday, two years after
the pitcher beaned Mike Piazza. Instead, pitcher Shawn Estes
through behind Clemens and--deliberate or not--missed him.
This sent Dibble into a lather and he called Estes a
``clown,'' accused him of lacking toughness and losing the
support of his teammates.
The Mets fired back at
Dibble, an easy thing to do when arguing with an idiot.
"He was the most
unprofessional player to ever play, or one of them," Mets
manager Bobby Valentine told the New York Daily News. "He
threw bats in the stands, threw balls in the stands, fought
with his manager. When he hit people it was because they hit
a home run off him, not protection for his teammates." The
paper added that, "Not one Met agreed with Dibble that Estes
had lost respect or support in the clubhouse, whether they
were asked on or off the record."
A reader wrote in to criticize
us and support Dibble: ``On a recent 'Pardon the
Interruption,' Ron Dibble said that he would openly support
an out baseball player. He flat out said he would be the
first to stand next to the guy.
``Still think he's an idiot? How can a person be an idiot
for one thing and not the other?'' |
June 17: There were three
performances of note on Sunday:
- Tiger Woods won the
US Open, becoming the first golfer since 1972 to win the
first two legs of the Grand Slam (Masters, US Open,
British Open and PGA).
- Iker Casillas,
the Spanish goal keeper, had a day to remember in Spain's
2-1 World Cup win over Ireland on penalty kicks. Casillas
stopped a penalty kick in regulation, and three in the
shootout, an amazing feat. "``It's all a matter of luck,''
he said modestly afterwards.
- Luis Castillo of
the Florida Marlins extended his hitting streak to 31
games. He still has 25 to go to tie the 56-game record of
Joe DiMaggio,
|
June 17: Phil
Mickelson is a terrific golfer who simply can't win the
big one. Mickelson finished second to Tiger Woods at the US
Open, making him 0-40 in majors. |
|
June 16: Mike Piazza and
the New York Mets got a measure of revenge against New York
Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, who beaned Piazza two years
ago. Piazza homered as did starting pitcher Shawn Estes as
the Mets routed Clemens and the Yanks, 8-0. Adhering to
baseball's stupid unwritten rule on retaliation, Estes threw
at Clemens when he came up to bat. But amazingly, Estes'
pitch missed Clemens, who has a butt the size of Kansas.
Nonetheless, a warning was issued to both teams and no other
incidents occurred. |
June 16: USA soccer
defender Jeff Agoos will miss the rest of the World
Cup with a calf injury. Given the horrible tournament Agoos
has had, we don't doubt this is one of those mystery
injuries that allows everyone to save face. Read this AP
report on how awful Agoos has been, then make up your mind:
``He scored an own goal in the opening 3-2 win over Portugal
when he tried to clear the ball, but put it past goalkeeper
Brad Friedel. Then, against South Korea, he was called for a
foul in the penalty area -- Friedel saved the kick -- and
was beaten to a header on the Red Devils' goal in a 1-1 tie.
``In Friday night's defeat,
he missed a header trying to clear a corner kick, leading to
Poland's goal in the third minute, and was beaten to a pass
that led to a score that put Poland ahead 2-0 in the fifth
minute.'' |
|
June 15: The U.S. men's
soccer team owes the South Koreans big time. While
the U.S. was getting beat by previously winless Poland, 3-1,
they still qualified for the next round of the World Cup
when South Korea scored late in the second half to beat
Portugal, 1-0. The loss dropped Portugal to third place in
their group and out of the tournament. South Korea and
Japan, co-hosts of the tournament, both advanced to become
the first Asian nations to reach the Round of 16. |
June 15: Retief Goosen,
the defending U.S. Open champion, didn't come close to
keeping his crown. His miserable 14 over par knocked him out
of this year's tourney, which Tiger Woods threatens to run
away with. |
|
June 14: The Detroit
Red Wings won their third Stanley Cup title in six years
by beating the Carolina Hurricanes, 4 games to 1. Nicklas
Lidstrom won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoffs MVP, the
first for a European. The Red Wings were like the New York
Yankees of the NHL, the best team money can buy. But the
Wings spent wisely and coach Scotty Bowman had his ninth
title; he announced his retirement at game's end. |
June 14: Both the NBA
and NHL Finals were generally disappointing. The
Lakers beat the Nets, 4-0, in the NBA, and while Carolina
gave Detroit a battle, the Hurricanes nonetheless fell in
five to Detroit. In each sport, it can be said that the
Western Conference Finals actually decided the champion
(Lakers over Sacramento and Detroit over Colorado). |
June 13: Hats off
to the Los Angeles Lakers, who won their third
consecutive NBA title with a four-game sweep of the New
Jersey Nets. The Lakers have grown more dominant in the
Finals, winning 4-2 in 2000, 4-1 in 2001 and 4-0 this year.
Coach Phil Jackson has now won nine titles (six with Chicago
and three
with the Lakers), tying Red Auerbach. Jackson's teams have
won 24 consecutive playoff series and it is the third time a
team of his has three-peated. The Lakers stand as the most
dominant team in North American sports. |
June 13: First France,
now Argentina. A day after defending champ France was
bounced from the World Cup, it was Argentina's turn. A
pre-tourney favorite, the Argentines went meekly, scoring
only two goals in three games for their worst World Cup
showing in 40 years. For a country that has fallen apart
economically, Argentines can't even use soccer as a
diversion. |
|
June 12: The Atlanta
Braves have seemingly been good forever (since 1991,
actually) and this year looks like another playoff effort.
The Braves beat the Minnesota Twins for their seventh win in
their last eight games and Tom Glavine moved to 11-2. The
Braves lead the weak NL East by 5 1/2 games. |
June 12: France failed to
qualify for the World Cup's second round, a stunning
development considering they are defending champs. The
became the first titleholder to be knocked out in the first
round since 1966 and the first to fail to score a goal.
Expect the fans back in France
to be merciless. ``I'm disgusted. They are the defending
champions, and for four years they bragged and did
nothing,'' architect Alain Goust told the AP. "When they
arrive back at the Champs-Elysees, they're going to have
tomatoes thrown at them.'' |
|
June 11: It was only
June, but it felt like October when the New York Yankees
and Arizona Diamondbacks met for the first time since their
historic World Series last fall. Their first game was
terrific, with Randy Johnson staking the D'Backs to a lead
before leaving ahead, 4-3, with two men on in the New York
eighth. Enter reliever Bret Prinz, who loaded the bases,
then gave up a dramatic grand slam to Shane Spencer. Final:
Yanks 7, D'Backs 4. |
June 11: Poland's World
Cup team is a joke. The Poles lost to Portugal, 4-0, and was
eliminated from advancing to the next round. It's the first
time the country's team will not advance in six tries at the
Cup. Poland has yet to score a goal. |
|
June 10: Jason Kidd was
magnificent in leading the New Jersey Nets to a
fourth-quarter lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of
the NBA Finals. But in the end it was too much Shaq and too
much Kobe. Kidd has 30 points and 10 assists, but
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 71
in leading the Lakers, 106-103, for a 3-0 lead in the best
of 7 series. |
June 10: Russian soccer fans
in Moscow went on a rampage, setting fire to overturned cars
in a riot after Russia lost to Japan at the World Cup. One
person was killed in 50 injured in the melee blamed on (what
else?) excessive alcohol consumption. |
June 9: Ah, to have bet
$100 on Sarava at the Belmont Stakes. Had anyone done
so, they would be $7,000 rich after the longest longshot in
the race's history won Saturday and denied War Emblem the
Triple Crown. War Emblem faded to finish out of the money.
...
Croatia's 2-1 upset win over Italy at the World Cup
showed that the sport is no longer dominated just by the big
boys like Germany, Italy and Brazil. Along with the
Americans' upset of Portugal and defending champion France's
struggles, this Cup promises to be more wide open than ever.
...
Serena Williams won the battle of the Williams
sisters in straight sets to win the French Open. It was the
second Grand Slam meeting of sisters since 1884. ...
In baseball, Curt Schilling (12-1) had Pedro Martinez
(7-1) his first loss in a gem of a game, won 3-2 by Arizona
over Boston. ...
The Detroit Red Wings beat the Carolina Hurricanes,
3-2, in triple overtime in the third-longest game in Stanley
Cup Finals history. |
June 9: The myth of
Mike Tyson was all but shattered after he was beaten
badly before being knocked out by Lennox Lewis in the 8th
round of their heavyweight championship fight Saturday
night. ``There's no way I could ever beat him,'' Tyson said.
``He's just too big and too strong.''
Tyson was surprisingly
mellow after the fight ended, wiping blood off of Lewis'
cheek. ``He's a magnificent, a prolific fighter, and he
should continue fighting,'' Tyson said. ``I love him and
respect him too much to do something to him.''
Maybe we're seeing a new
Tyson. After all, this was the guy this week who hugged a
gay man protesting past homophobic comments by the boxer,
telling the man he had nothing against gay people. |
June 8: What a weekend
for sports fans of all types and nationalities:
--Stanley Cup Game 3
--NBA Finals Game 3
--French Open Women's Final
--French Open Men's Final
--War Emblem goes for the Triple Crown
--World Cup soccer
--Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis in boxing |
June 8: The New Jersey Nets
are the worst NBA finalist since the barely-above .500
Houston Rockets of 1986. The Nets shot a pathetic 36% in
losing Game 2 to the Los Angeles Lakers, 106-83. The Nets
are so outclassed it reconfirms that they would have been at
best a fifth seed in the NBA's West. Two more (three at the
most) and they're done. |
June 7: The Detroit
Red Wings got even in their Stanley Cup Finals series
with a 3-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. ...
The Williams sisters reached with finals of the
French Open, with Serena knocking off defending champ
Jennifer Capriati in three sets. |
June 7: Andre Agassi went
down hard at the French Open. He committed 87 unforced
errors in losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero in four sets during
the quarterfinals. ...
At the World Cup, France showed that its 1998 title
is becoming a distant memory. The Tricolor tied Uruguay,
0-0, and needs to beat Denmark to have any chance to
advancing to the next round. |
|
June 6: Shaquille O'Neal
showed again why he's the most dominant player in the NBA.
Shaq scored 36 points and hauled in 16 rebounds in leading
the Los Angeles Lakers to a 99-94 win over the gritty but
overmatched New Jersey Nets in Game 1 of the Finals. The
game was generally boring and it looks like the series will
be over in four or five games, with Shaq being the key
difference. |
June 6: It's hard not to
admire Ralph Nader for what he's accomplished as a
consumer advocate, But he seems to have gone off the deep
end in his latest crusade: asking the NBA to review the
officiating in Game 6 of the Lakers' Western Conference
playoff series win over Sacramento. "At a time when the
public's confidence is shaken by headlines reporting the
breach of trust by corporate executives, it is important,
during the public's relaxation time, for there to be
maintained a sense of impartiality and professionalism in
commercial sports performances," Nader wrote in a letter to
commissioner David Stern said. "That sense was severely
broken . . . during Game 6."
Nader is referring to Lakers
shooting 27 free throws to 9 for the Kings in the fourth
quarter. Sure, the officials stunk and basically handed the
Lakers the win. But calling for an investigation seems like
nothing more than a way to grab some headlines. The NBA has
been flogged enough by the media over Game 6, and crappy
refs are part of sports; no investigation will turn up any
conspiracy. |
|
June 5: The Williams' sisters
are making Roland Garros their personal playground, having
reached the French Open semifinals with ease. Venus beat
Monica Seles and Serena drubbed Mary Pierce, each in
straight sets. In the sisters each win their next match they
will meet in the finals. |
June 5: The Carolina
Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings, 3-2, in overtime in
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup, proving once again that home
ice means little in the playoffs. It was the first win
by the Hurricanes franchise at Detroit since 1989, and marks
the third series this playoffs the Wings will have had to
play from behind. |
June 4: Sue Wicks
of the WNBA's New York Liberty
came out as a lesbian in the May 30-June 6 issue of Time Out New
York. Bravo! Wicks was very clear in the interview:
Question:
Are you a lesbian?
Sue Wicks: I am.
Usually I don't like to answer those kinds of questions,
because you worry the issue might be come so much bigger
than the sport. As an athlete, it's a little annoying when
that becomes the point of interest. But I would never avoid
that question. Especially in New York. I think it's
important that if you're gay, you not be afraid to say who
you are. ...
Andre Agassi made a
tremendous comeback to stay alive at the French Open. Agassi
was down two sets to 20-year-old Paul-Henri Mathieu, a
wild-card entrant, before rallying to win 4-6, 3-6, 6-3,
6-3, 6-3. |
June 4: It's early June
and for Chicago Cubs fans the only reason to get
excited the rest of the season is Sammy Sosa, who hit his
20th home run Monday night. The Cubs, naturally, lost and
are 10 1/2 games out of first. Injuries have taken their
toll but this season is looking like too many in Chicago the
past 60 years: long. |
|
June 3: We have never
seen an NBA playoff series as wonderful as the seven-game
thriller won by the Los Angeles Lakers over the
Sacramento Kings. The last four games came down to the
final shot twice, the final 2.4 seconds another time and in
overtime in Game 7. The Lakers showed why they are two-time
defending champions after their 112-106 victory. As usual,
the Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, who
combined for 65 points. The Lakers now play the New Jersey
Nets in the NBA Finals, though in fact the real
Finals ended Sunday. |
June 3: Clank! That's the
sound Sacramento Kings fans will hear all offseason. The
Kings had the Lakers right where they wanted them and easily
could have won Game 7. But these gruesome statistics show
why the Kings will have sleepless nights: 16 of 30 from the
free throw line and a pathetic 2 of 20 from 3-point land.
Doug Christie and Peja Stojakovic were a combined 5 of 23
from the field. |
|
June 2: For the most part
the French Open is going to form, led by Andre Agassi
and Jennifer Capriati, each of whom has made the fourth
round. On Saturday those two advanced along with favorites
Marat Safin, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Serena Williams, Jelena
Dokic and Mary Pierce. |
June 2: Why bother showing up.
Saudi Arabia got trounced, 8-0, by Germany in each team's
opening round World Cup match. In college football terms, it
was like Nebraska pounding Middle Tennessee 73-0. |
|
June
1: The Detroit Red Wings
won Game 7 of their NHL playoff series, 7-0, against
Colorado. It was the most lopsided Game 7 in the history of
the league. ...
The New Jersey Nets, a longtime
NBA joke, beat the Boston Celtics to advance to their first
NBA Finals. ...
In the World Cup opener,
Senegal shocked defending champion France, 1-0. |
June 1:
The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings are playing one
of the most exciting NBA playoff series ever. The series is
tied at 3-3 and comes down to Game 7 after the Lakers'
106-102 win Friday. But one thing that is not first-rate is
the officiating. It has been inconsistent and
generally lousy.
A pattern has emerged--the team
that loses whines about the refs and gets the calls the next
game. It happened Friday when the Lakers shot an astounding
26 free throws in the final period to the Kings' 9. This
despite the Lakers sending Kings' players sprawling on
numerous occasions without a foul being called. Look for the
refs to make it up Sunday in Sacramento. |
