SXSW coverage
Home > The M.O. > Archives > Sports category
Sports
February 19, 2010
Tweet thoughts on the robot known as Tiger Woods
For those of you not following me on Twitter, well, you’re probably a lot happier for it. By which I mean to say, follow me. But, if you don’t, below are the real-time thoughts I had on the extremely weird public statement Tiger Woods just made to a collection of sycophants, er, the press, his family and friends.
- Man, this whole Lieger Woods thing, naturally, is going to be so phony and ridiculous and over-managed. 10:02 a.m.
- He’s more awkward than Bobby jindal the last time the republican party let him give the party’s public response to a presidential address 10:05 a.m.
- Creeeeepy, angry robot tiger says elin did not hit him that night or ever. Said in tiger voice: “this. Is. Weird.” 10:07 a.m.
- Tiger sounds like one of those aliens in the 80s TV show “V” trying to sound human. How did this written response take 3 months to write? 10:08 a.m.
- “It’s not what you achieve in life that matters, it’s what you overcome.” tiger then says he’ll chase Nicklaus’s record playing as a lefty 10:10 a.m.
- I wonder if he had printed in bold the words where he is supposed to be showing indignation. Now for Buddhism talk.Tiger is becoming a monk! 10:13 a.m.
- Gary Condit thought that was weird. Seeya at the British open, Tiger. 10:16 a.m.
What follows is Tiger’s complete statement, as provided by CBS News:
Good morning, and thank you for joining me.Many of you in this room are my friends. Many of you in this room know me. Many of you have cheered for me, you worked with me, or you supported me. Now every one of you has good reason to be critical of me. I want to say to each of you, simply and directly, I am deeply sorry for my irresponsible and selfish behavior I engaged in.
I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done these things to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, there are some things I want to say.
Elin and I have started the process of discussing the damage caused by my behavior. As Elin pointed out to me, my real apology to her will not come in the form of words. It will come from my behavior over time. We have a lot to discuss. However, what we say to each other will remain between the two of us.
I am also aware of the pain my behavior has caused to those of you in this room. I have let you down. And I have let down my fans. For many of you, especially my friends, my behavior has been a personal disappointment. To those of you who work for me, I have let you down personally and professionally. My behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners, to everyone involved in my foundation, including my staff, board of directors, sponsors, and most importantly, the young students we reach. Our work is more important than ever. Thirteen years ago, my dad and I envisioned helping young people achieve their dreams through education. This work remains unchanged and will continue to grow. From the Learning Center students in Southern California to the Earl Woods scholars in Washington, D.C., millions of kids have changed their lives and I am dedicated to making sure that continues.
But still, I know I have bitterly disappointed all of you. I have made you question who I am and how I could have done the things I did. I’m embarrassed that I have put you in this position. For all that I have done, I am so sorry. I have a lot to atone for.
But there’s one issue I really want to discuss. Some people have speculated that Elin somehow hurt or attacked me on Thanksgiving night. It angers me that people would fabricate a story like that. Elin never hit me that night or any other night. There has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever. Elin has shown enormous grace and poise throughout this ordeal. Elin deserves praise, not blame. The issue involved here was my repeated irresponsible behavior. I was unfaithful. I had affairs, I cheated. What I did is not acceptable. And I am the only person to blame.
I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in. I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead I thought only about myself. I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have far - I didn’t have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish. I don’t get to play by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me. I brought this shame on myself. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation, and kids all around the world who admired me.
I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’ve done. My failures have made me look at myself in a way I never wanted to before. It’s now up to me to make amends, and that starts by never repeating the mistakes I’ve made. It’s up to me to start living a life of integrity.
I once heard, and I believe it’s true, it’s not what you achieve in life that matters; it’s what you overcome. Achievements on the golf course are only part of setting an example. Character and decency are what really count. Parents used to point at me as a role model for their kids. I owe all those families a special apology. I want to say to them that I am truly sorry.
It’s hard to admit that I need help, but I do. For 45 days, from the end of December to early February, I was in in-patient therapy receiving guidance for the issues I’m facing. I have a long way to go. But I’ve taken my first steps in the right direction.
As I proceed, I understand people have questions. I understand the press wants me to - wants to ask me for the details of the times I was unfaithful. I understand people want to know whether Elin and I will remain together. Please know that as far as I’m concerned, every one of these questions, and answers, is a matter between Elin and me. These are issues between a husband and a wife.
Some people have made up things that never happened. They said I used performance-enhancing drugs. This is completely and utterly false.
Some have written things about my family. Despite the damage I have done, I still believe it is right to shield my family from the public spotlight. They did not do these things; I did. I have always tried to maintain a private space for my wife and children. They have been kept separate from my sponsors, from my commercial endorsements. When my children were born, we only released photographs so that the paparazzi could not chase them. However, my behavior doesn’t make it right for the media to follow my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to school and report the school’s location. They staked out my wife and they pursued my mom. Whatever my wrongdoings, for the sake of my family: Please leave my wife and kids alone.
I recognize I have brought this on myself, and I know, above all, I am the one who needs to change. I owe it to my family to become a better person. I owe it to those closest to me to become a better man. That’s where my focus will be. I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it.
Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age. People probably don’t realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years. Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught.
As I move forward, I will continue to receive help because I’ve learned that’s how people really do change. Starting tomorrow, I will leave for more treatment and more therapy. I would like to thank my friends at Accenture and the players in the field this week for understanding why I’m making these remarks today. In therapy, I’ve learned the importance of looking at my spiritual life and keeping in balance with my professional life. I need to regain my balance and be centered, so I can say the things that are most important to me: My marriage and my children. That also means relying on others for help. I learned to seek support from my peers in therapy, and I hope someday to return that support to others who are seeking help.
I do plan to return to golf one day. I just don’t know when that day will be. I don’t rule out that it will be this year. When I do return, I need to make my behavior more respectful of the game.
In recent weeks, I have received many thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from people expressing good wishes. To everyone who has reached out to me and my family, thank you. Your encouragement means the world to Elin and me. I want to thank the PGA Tour, Commissioner Finchem, and the players for their patience and understanding while I work on my private life. I look forward to seeing my fellow players on the course.
Finally, there are many people in this room, and there are many people at home who believed in me. Today I want to ask for your help. I ask you to find room in your heart to one day believe in me again.
Thank you.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
February 1, 2010
UT BCS Championship gear going to Haiti
Every year when a champion is crowned in college and professional sports, team members are swarmed by staff and immediately adorned in T-shirts and hats declaring the athletes champions. And the next day, or sometimes the same night, fans can line up and buy similar gear.
Obviously those hats and T-shirts are not made on the sidelines in the final seconds of the games. They’ve been made in advance. So, what happens to the thousands of pieces of apparel that get made for the eventual losing team?
Well, this year, the 14,000 BCS Champion Longhorn shirts and hats from the University Co-op are going to the relief efforts in Haiti.
“With the terrible tragedy and loss the Haitian people have suffered and are still experiencing, we do realize this donation may not be very high priority for them. However, we all need clothing and this is a small contribution we can make to assist in their recovery,” George H. Mitchell, Co-op President, said.
From a release:
The University Co-op is working with Fashion Delivers Charitable Foundation, Inc. in association with Kids In Distressed Situations, Inc, (K.I.D.S.) to facilitate the transport of the 14,000 shirts & hats to the Haitian community.The Co-op chose this charitable organization due to the operational efficiency, track record and criteria of the items in need, which are all sizes of new clothes for men, women and children. Along with 100% guaranteed arrival to Haiti, the coordination of the distribution to the individual families is well organized and secured. They were also among the recommendations by the Co-op’s fashion consulting firm, The Doneger Group .
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
December 17, 2009
Go to national championship for FREE ... if you're a hot chick
As Longhorn fans gaze past Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 toward the bigger date, Jan. 7, one Horn fan, full of heartbreak and chutzpah, has posted on Craigslist looking for a (classy) hottie to head to Pasadena with him for the game against the Crimson Tide. (Has Tiger finally hit rock bottom?)
This ticket is for a classy hottie that will accompany me to the game.I have a Suite for the 6th and 7th at the Langham, Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena. http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com/en/
All expenses are paid for: flight, food, alcohol, hotel, and ticket.
The suite is a california king size bed so you must be fine with sharing a bed with me while you are staying in Pasadena.
I’m looking for anyone that is a true orange blood, and knows how to party and have a good time.
Must send pictures and must be a girl. No Guys.
I had reserved this for my girlfriend and I but she recently broke up and with me and I would like to take another girl.
Please only email me if you’re serious and bikini shots are preferred (or something sexier).
Sigfried
So, I take it this dude hasn’t had a date since January 2006.
Best case scenario: “Pretty Woman” meets “Fever Pitch.”
Worst case scenario: I’d rather not let my mind go there. But it would probably involve a 1,400-mile Walk of Shame.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
December 16, 2009
Ron Artest: Gangster savant
Los Angeles Laker (and former Houston Rocket, Sacramento King, Chicago Bull and Indiana Pacer) Ron Artest never ceases to fascinate me. The guy has an unbelievable amount of talent, the ability to play three positions (and would probably be happy to play point guard and center, if asked), and a history as one of the most mercurial players of his generation, both on and off the court. I always want to see what he will do next, and when he was with the Rockets, I would often find myself saying, “No, no, no …. yes!” Eventually, you just have to give in and go along for the Ron Artest ride.
I will never forget the night in 2004 when he went into the stands at The Palace in Auburn Hills, in what has become one of the most infamous nights in NBA history. I remember exactly where I was in my car as I listened to the “The Malice at the Palace” unfold that night. Next to to the time Ralph Sampson hit a series-winning shot in the 1986 NBA Western Conference Finals, it was the most transfixed I’ve ever been to a radio in my lifetime, or ever will be.
Outside of his brawls and buckets, Artest has become known for his predictably unpredictable personality: 1) After becoming a professional basketball player, he applied for a job at Circuit City because he “thought it would be fun. And I had a friend who worked there.” 2) He unknowingly broke two of Michael Jordan’s ribs in a pick-up game. 3) He started a record label, released a rap album and asked for time off to promote his album. 4) He was once suspended one game by the Pacers for smashing a framed picture of himself in Conseco Fieldhouse. 5) In 2006, he told the the New York Post that his New Year’s resolution is to: “Teach math classes in elementary schools throughout the country. And, of course, I want to sell 10 million records.” 6) According to ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons, earlier this year, as a member of the Rockets, he showed up in his underwear late for the last team bus to the Staples Center to play the Lakers in the 2009 playoffs. 7) He has admitted to sipping cognac before his games when he was on the Bulls. 8) He recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in his underwear.
Artest’s comments on his Web site and Twitter feed, much less the quotes he gives to reporters, are often hilarious, insane, touching, ridiculous and priceless all at once. He’s an enigmatic paradox: gentle beast, sensitive gangster, moronic genius, team asset/distraction.
Witness his open “fan letter” to the embattled Tiger Woods.
Dear Tiger, In reading the statements you have made, I can tell you are a stand up guy. Please remember only Jesus is perfect. You made a mistake and you admitted your infidelity. I have made the same mistakes. Before I got married to my wife, I had a baby with another young lady, after I already had two by my girlfriend who is now my wife. We also had another baby which makes three for us and four for me. Two boys and two girls.My wife is a much better wife than I am a husband. We still argue and disagree after being together 16 years. and I still cope with the fact that there are so many women out there and I choose to stay loyal to my wife.
I want to be home every night, but with traveling I can’t, and sometimes I might want to go to a bar or club and be one of the fellas. Most of the time I stay in, because I have my kids and wife.
I cannot sit here and say the thought to have many women has never crossed my mind. If I were Jesus I could. (Ed. note: At first I read this as him saying that if he were Jesus he could have had many women. I was upset when I re-read it.)
I have known my wife for 16 years- since I was 14 years old. She was my first.
On the way to 2010 we had many ups and downs on the way, mostly my fault. But I really choose to work hard and play ball to support her and my kids. The same reason you are building your legacy.
I have been disturbed by this because there are many people who are happy that this bad news has come out.
There are a lot of sports announcers and regular reporters who are not perfect in their own homes, yet they want to bring you down.
You have done so much for people, the sport of golf, and your family and you gave your wife a life that people can’t even dream of.
I thought you were 36 or 37 until I read the news today. A 33-year-old man who has been a model citizen with so much at stake. This is your first publicly known issue since you started your career, compared to my 50 or more publicly known issues and mistakes.
You have been the perfect role model for me and my sons for longer than anyone I have known.With the exception of a few legends.
As your fan, I can’t wait to see you golf again.
And us athletes know how much you personally love your family.
One love,
Ron Artest
This is just a fan mail letter to Tiger Woods fans and indirectly to Tiger himself.
Please, everyone support Tiger in these tough times for his family.Also if you are a sports announcer or regular everyday reporter or blogger please step up like Tiger and tell your wife or husband if you have any skeletons in your closet. Especially if you were one of the few attacking TIGER!!
One Love People
What a legend.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
November 4, 2009
Kansas City Chiefs fans fight for Priest Holmes' record
The Kansas City Chiefs have a great history in the National Football League, and one that dates back to the old American Football League.
But currently they are a bad team. A very, very bad team.
I guess that is why their fans are more concerned about history than the current season. To wit, a group of Chiefs fans have started a petition asking Chiefs management to deactivate running back Larry Johnson before he breaks former Longhorn Priest Holmes’ all-time rushing record of 6,070 yards. Johnson currently has 5,996 yards.
“We are asking you, as fans of this team, this organization, and of the pride that this city has in the Chiefs, please deactivate Larry Johnson. Please do not let his name sit atop the all-time rushing leaders in Kansas City Chiefs history,” the petition says, according to ESPN.com. “He has never represented anything close to the values that we have for our Chiefs and it would be another dagger to the fans that continue to support this proud franchise.
Of course, as fans of the NFL probably realize, the concern of history is not necessarily trivial here.
Johnson has come under increased scrutiny of late, after he used his Twitter account to criticize his head coach and then followed that by using the social media device to deride a fan with a bigoted homosexual slur.
The petition continues, “We are asking you, as fans of this team, this organization, and of the pride that this city has in the Chiefs, please deactivate Larry Johnson. Please do not let his name sit atop the all-time rushing leaders in Kansas City Chiefs history. He has never represented anything close to the values that we have for our Chiefs and it would be another dagger to the fans that continue to support this proud franchise.”
The team suspended Johnson without pay through November 8, but according to ESPN.com, “On Monday, the team reached a settlement with Johnson, reducing the amount of pay he would lose in half, to $315,000.”
Whether the Chiefs bend to the pressure is yet to be seen, but I would imagine if we scrubbed the record books of all players who have acted ignorantly or disrespectfully (which Johnson most definitely did in this case), there would be a few less pages in those proverbial books.
While Johnson stews and the fans grumble, it looks like the person who may benefit the most from this unsettling situation is former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Holmes.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
March 30, 2009
Third Annual The Invitational at Lions 'National' Golf Course
- 1st place (jackets and sword) - Steven “Captain Eagle” Bright and Nick
- 2nd place - The Founders
- 3rd place - Karl and Tommy
- Best dressed (scooter) - Kyle Holden
- Runner up best dressed (special gift card) The Lumber Don
- Honorable mention best dressed (Burt Reynolds belt buckle) - Anthony “The Moose” Lostracco
- Best mustache (scooter) Ian Berryhill
- Runner up mustache (special gift card) - Pat Moran
- Honorable mention mustache (authentic yak bone mustache comb) - Greg Fleming
- Close to the pin (dirty diaper) - Paul Bryant
- Longest drive (wooden gorilla, cursed) - Karl
- First Annual Larry Bird Memorial Mustache Award (signed photo of Larry Bird) - Jim Estes
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
February 27, 2009
Another sign of economic woe
Newspapers are giving employees walking papers at an alarming rate. Banks are begging for money. Thousands of homeowners are underwater on their mortgages. And car companies are shutting down factories like their sports collectible stores.
But, you know the economy is in dire shape when the usually lucrative NBA is on the verge of lowering its salary cap for the second time ever, and players like Shaquille O’Neal and Richard Jefferson are being offered to other teams for free basically in order to clear salaries.
ESPN.com’s prolific Bill Simmons has a great column today about the No Benjamins Association and what the economy is doing to teams. Sure, nobody is going to sit around crying for millionaire athletes and billionaire owners, but it is still an interesting snapshot of the state of economic affairs.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
February 16, 2009
Shane Battier: Moneyballer; Ted Williams and John Updike: Two legends of the game
With the NBA All-Star game this past weekend, The New York Times Magazine took time out to honor a player who will likely never make an All-Star appearance or lead SportsCenter’s highlight package on any given night.
Long known as a cerebral player with an amazingly high basketball IQ, a player who sacrifices his own stats for the sake of the team, Houston Rocket Shane Battier has come to embody a different breed of basketball player, an underrated glue guy who makes his team better every time he steps on the court — one more concerned about weak-side defensive help than slam dunks and shoe contracts.
The article was written by Michael Lewis, who penned the excellent book ‘Moneyball,’ about the rise of the Oakland Athletics through the use of sabermetrics.
The article also examines the rise of Rockets GM Daryl Morey, an M.I.T. graduate who has helped redefine NBA personnel’s views of what makes a valued player. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in basketball, mathematics, strategy, collective psychology or wants to disabuse themselves of the notion that all athletes are overpaid glory-hogs.
On another sports note, I am ashamed to say that it took me 33 years to read this article, but perusing a piece about the late great John Updike over the weekend, I came across this breathtaking piece on Ted Williams final game. Updike, one of the greatest writers in 20th-century America, may not have been a huge fan of sports, but he had a deeply personal relationship with the Boston Red Sox and Williams in particular that led to one of the finest pieces of sports writing you will ever read.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
January 6, 2009
Marat Safin: The Ivan Drago of tennis
He added: “It’s OK, I can survive. Just some small problem that I wasn’t in the right place at the right time. Yes, I won the fight. I’m good, I’m OK.”Safin, 28, arrived on Saturday night and asked for a tournament doctor.
Tournament director, Paul McNamee, said: “I wasn’t sure why he was arriving so late, why he was requesting to play a day later, but now I know why.
“I saw him in the lobby and he didn’t look good. He said, ‘I need two things, I need to see a doctor and I need to practice.’
“So I got the doctor and he gave him some treatment and then Safin went and practiced.”
Despite the bruises, world number 29 Safin combined with his sister, Dinara Safina, to give Russia a win over Italy.
Safin hit 14 aces on his way to a 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 win over Bolelli, after Safina beat Flavia Pennetta 7-5 6-3.
“My serve saved my game today,” said Safin. “I couldn’t ask for a better start than that.”
No word yet on Safin’s alleged reading for the sequel to “Eastern Promises” or about the dust-up Andy Roddick got into outside of a recent Meridian West concert. (For the record, Roddick could kick my ass with his eyes tied behind his back.)
(Photo from AP)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
December 3, 2008
Fifty ways to lose your lover (NHL edition)
Chances are you’ve seen, or at least heard about, this clip that comes to us from the slowly dying NHL. Apparently schoolyard antics aren’t just for the playground anymore.
We all know what it’s like to lose a lover, and sometimes we even know that special pain of losing said to a peer. But rarely are any of us in the position to ridicule the two other people on national television. And rarely would any of us be so juvenile to do so. Apparently the Dallas Star’s Sean Avery does not have the same compunction.
In the locker room before facing the home team Calgary Flames, the notoriously wheels-off Avery blasted his ex-girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert, and her new boyfriend, Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf. Boo yea! I know you are, but what am I?
The obvious premeditation is fairly skittishizing, but the response of his poor teammates is pretty funny, especially considering the Canadian accents.
Apparently Avery does not ascribe to the ol’ “a life well lived is the best revenge” adage.
Not certain if Cuthbert and Phaneuf responded with, “I’m rubber, you’re glue.” But the NHL did respond swiftly, suspending Avery indefinitely. Come on, NHL. You’re sport is struggling on a cable network that nobody can find on their cable box, and you suspend the one dude who is certain to enrage other players and entice them to fight? That reeks of an NBA-level of overcontrolling PR.
(For the record, the visiting Stars won last night’s game 3-1.)
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
October 31, 2008
Bowler rolls 300 game, dies
How many times have you heard someone jokingly say, “If i could just [blank], I would die in peace”?
Presumably, Michigan bowler Don Doane passed this week with a smile on his face, and hopefully a sense of peace. A 45-year member of a bowling team called “Nutt Farm,” Doane this week achieved the dream of all bowlers, bowling a perfect score of 300. As he high-fived his friends minutes after his accomplishment, he fell to the floor, dying immediately of a heart attack.
[From the story on WZZM.com]
“You get nervous shooting a 300,” says teammate Todd Place. “The pressure keeps building,” says bowling alley owner Jim Nutt.Minutes after achieving the life long goal of a perfect game the 62 year old bowler collapsed and died at Ravenna Bowl in Ravenna. “Don just collapsed,” says alley owner Nutt. ” At first we thought he just fainted.” “Then when I rolled him over I realized it wasn’t good,” says teammate Place.
The teammates say he was giving a high-five minutes before. They tried to revive him but Doane never spoke another word. He died of what was apparently a massive heart attack “He looked fine, reached across the table and gave me a high-five and he fell over,” says Place.
“I think he died by the time he hit the floor.” Don Doane was a member of the “Nutt Farm” bowling team at Ravenna Bowl for 45 years. His teammates says its strange not to see him on league nights.
“It was like a book, a final chapter,” says Place. “He threw his 300 game with all of his friends, gave each other high-fives and it’s like the story ended. He died with a smile on his face.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
July 15, 2008
Josh Hamilton reminds us why we love sports
Something amazing happened last night. My fiancé actually watched close to 10 whole minutes of a sporting event. She cares not for sports, and that’s fine with me. I don’t care about fictional cat wars. The only time it becomes slightly problematic is if she wants to watch a little TV while we eat dinner and there is a game on I want to watch. Such was the case last night.
As she prepared an amazing dinner last night, I flipped on the MLB Home Run Derby. With steroids (allegedly) out of the picture in MLB and this being the last All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium, it seemed historic, if mildly so. While some of the big names — Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriquez — unfortunately skipped the event this year, with special shame going to A-Rod for skipping the event in his home park, there was a pretty good list of up-and-coming youngsters and established boppers taking part. I really just thought the Derby would be a diversion for me until dinner was ready. Then Josh Hamilton stepped to the plate.
(For those of you who are not sports fans, let me quickly run down Hamilton’s back-story. The twenty-seven year-old Hamilton was drafted by the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays with the first pick, directly out of high school in North Carolina. Some scouts were quoted at the time as saying Hamilton was the most talented baseball prospect they’d ever seen in their lives. After a brief career in low-level pro ball in 2000 and 2001, Hamilton was involved in a car accident that eventually shelved him for the 2002 season. That is when his problems began. The left-handed phenom ended up getting brutally addicted to booze and drugs, and his life spiraled out of control. Long story short, in October of 2005, he finally kicked drugs and alcohol and got another shot in the big leagues in 2006, after five years without playing professionally. He spent the 2007 season with the Cincinnati Reds before being traded last winter for Edinson Volquez. (Oddly enough, the trade may work out perfectly for both teams, as Volquez is a candidate to win the Cy Young this year and Hamilton the MVP.) You can read here about Hamilton’s struggle in an interview he did with ESPN’s Tim Keown last year.)
After his unbelievable climb back out of the hole of addiction (granted, it was a hole he dug himself), Hamilton has once again taken the baseball world by storm. He is batting .310 (9th in AL) with 21 homers (4th) and an eye-popping 95 RBIs (1st) at the All-Star break.
Anyhoo… his story is widely known among even casual sports fans and is documented all over the internet.
Back to last night: While A-Rod stayed on the shelf to keep from messing with his swing, Hamilton took the opportunity that he called a lifelong dream to bat in front of 54,000 screaming fans at the Derby. And he put on arguably the greatest power hitting spectacle in baseball history. A myth-making performance, that, setup against the backdrop of his story of addiction and recovery, left broadcasters speechless (following their hyperbole), fans breathless (after cheering wildly), and reduced the other competitors to cheerleaders. In a nation of second chances, we were all reduced to the starry-eyed hayseed kids who watched “The Whammer” crush balls outside of a train depot in ‘The Natural’ (before Roy Hobbs struck him out).
Hamilton ended up hitting 28 home runs in the first round, more than the next three players combined, breaking the old record by four. And Hamilton’s home runs were not cheap, not a one. He banged balls 20+ rows into the upper deck. He hit balls to dead center that people didn’t think possible. He banged once off of the facade of the building in right-center. It was the stuff of absolute legend. See ball, kill ball. And, to add to the dramatic backdrop, the man throwing the balls to Hamilton was 71 year-old Claybon Counsil, an old friend and coach from North Carolina who had helped Hamilton get back into the swing of things (literally) during his comeback. Counsil, the lifelong baseball fan who had been to Yankee Stadium only once in his life … the day Don Larson pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, almost 52 years ago.
Between Hamilton’s tragic and heroic back-story and the feat of physical dominance, it was a moment that comes around very rarely in sports. A moment that leaves you with goose bumps and a lump in your throat. A moment that gets even the completely sports-apathetic to well up with tears. Let’s hope Hamilton can stay clean.
Post script: Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins won the Derby. Not that it mattered.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
April 22, 2008
Paging Clutch City
I was in college the last time my Houston Rockets won a playoff game. Trust me, that’s a long time ago. Eleven years and counting to be precise. It was the Utah Jazz who ended the 1997 season for the Rockets in the Western Conference playoffs, and it looks like it will be the Jazz again, for the fourth time in 12 seasons, who send the Rockets packing. Of course, after a season in which they lost their best player, Yao Ming, not much was expected of the Rockets. Despite losing their 7-foot-6 center, they still ended up with a 22-game winning streak, the second-longest in league history, in the second half of the season that rekindled the flames in the fan base, and won more games after Jan. 1 than any other team in the league. Of course, seasons are measured by how a team performs in the spring and early summer, not the winter.
Although it may be a little early to write the team’s obituary, I can only assume they will not win two games in Salt Lake City, where Utah only lost four times all year, albeit once to the Rockets. So, with the inevitable seemingly lurking just around the corner, I will briefly diagnose for you sports fans what I see as the Rockets’ fatal flaw (beyond not having Yao for the entire playoffs or point guard Rafer Alston for at least the first two games).
While Tracy McGrady can not be expected to do every single thing for the Rockets, he needs to be the star when it matters. The primary problem with the Rockets is that they hitched their wagon to a star who is not good enough to eviscerate other teams and be a killer and winner in the clutch — like MJ, Kobe, LeBron, Dwayne Wade, Baron Davis, Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, Carlos Boozer, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, etc. As an aside, keep in mind that Moses Malone (who has Mo Cheeks, Dr. J and Andrew Toney, all better players than anyone besides Yao on the Rockets) and Kobe Bryant (who had Shaq) are the only players who skipped college and won a title as a star, so the track record is not good in terms of a guy ever making the leap to the pros and eventually winning a title as the alpha dog on his team. Of course, it helps to have quality role players to round out a roster (especially ones who can make free throws and lay-ups), and despite the hustle of Shane Battier and the potential of Luis Scola, the Rockets’ starting five is the weakest of the Western Conference playoff teams. For the most part, the Rockets role players are too old (Dikembe Mutombo, Bobby Jackon) or too young (Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry), and that has been the case for most of McGrady’s stay in Houston. That can largely be attributed to the maneuverings of overrated former general manager Carrol Dawson, but stars have to play with the teammates they have. And they have to make them better. Fortunately, new GM Daryl Morey looks to be a managerial star, but it may be too late.
With so much money tied up with T-Mac and Yao, the Rockets cannot make any major moves, and they hardly have the pieces to make a blockbuster trade. But two All-Stars on one team should be enough to at least win a playoff series, but don’t tell the Denver Nuggets that. I think the Rockets simply have to play out the hand they have and realize that they will never win a title (or even a series) without a healthy second star and a stronger supporting cast. Yao is hurt so often, and the Rockets’ offensive scheme under Adelman is not completely conducive to Yao’s style of play, so even with a healthy Yao, the Rockets seemingly don’t have enough to compete in the historically deep Western Conference.
If the Rockets can make a good free agency signing (I say break the bank, take the luxury tax hit and pay Baron Davis, of whom nobody can question his stones) and maybe a trade, they could be OK, but i think the reality is this team will never be able to advance far in the playoffs. T-Mac is not any of the elite players mentioned above. He’s not even Dirk Nowitzki.
Once you hitch your wagon to a star, it’s hard to unhitch it.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
April 8, 2008
John Calipari, you have some 'splaining to do
After cruising through the first 5 1/2 games of the NCAA tournament shooting 70 percent from the free throw line, the Memphis Tigers seemed ready to win the school’s first national championship, up 9 with just over two minutes to play against the Kansas Jayhawks. (Of course, if you use the baseball stats-guru and Jayhwaks fan Bill James’ “Marathon Man”-like “eez it safe” calculator, you’d know that the 9 point lead with 2:19 was anything but safe, only 22 percent, in fact, according to James.) Now, it’s easy to make free throws when you are up 20, not so much when you are up by less than 10 with the pressure of a national title on the line. Despite his self-righteous indignation to reporters in the weeks and months leading up to the tournament, Memphis coach John Calipari’s prophecy that his players would make free throws when they mattered was a bit of a brick, as it were. Memphis, which ranked 339th of the country’s 341 teams with 59 percent free-throw shooting during the regular season, missed four out of five free throws in the final minutes of the title game Monday night, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Maybe he doesn’t know his team as well as he thinks, or maybe his priorities are a little bit off in his recruiting priorities. A couple of months ago, when people were publicly doubting the Tigers’ ability to win close games, Calipari said the following on ESPN:
“My teams historically have not shot great … 62 percent, 58 percent, 63 percent…historically, all my teams. But with four minutes to go in a game, my teams have shot upwards of 80 percent. I really don’t worry about free throw shooting … when I’m evaluating a player, if I’ve evaluated him by 25 things, free throws would be 26,” Calipari said to the guys on “PTI” in February. (Check it out here at the 18-minute mark.)
Oops. Coach, you may want to bump that from 26th to at least the top 15 or so. As if Calipari’s posturing were not enough, his players also seem to have drank the free throw shooting Kool-Aid. Here is what guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, whose bad form and missed free throws cost Memphis the game last night, had to say earlier in the season about the charity stripe, according to Moonodogsports.com:
“Free throws are all mental, it’s not any mechanics; it’s all mental,” Douglas-Roberts said.
Talk about coming back to bite you in the butt. My heart goes out to the Tigers for their horrific collapse, and although I think it’s good coach Calipari tried his best to support his kids, he might want to take a more honest look in the mirror when evaluating his team and the importance of free throw shooting.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
March 26, 2008
Quote of the day: Adam 'Pacman' Jones
From the ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks, or at least new permanent tricks’ file, embattled NFL Pro-Bowl cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones on the possibility of his signing with the Dallas Cowboys and what he can guarantee vis-a-vis staying out of trouble, and by trouble, he is referring to the strip club variety.
According to the Dallas Cowboys Fan Zone blog, Pacman said the following in his recent interview with fellow model citizen and former Cowboy Michael Irvin:
“I cannot say ever, ever, but I can say they won’t see me in the next three, four years in one because this is what I have to do these next three, four years to change.”
Talk about commitment. You’re on the clock, Pacman.
Listen to the full interview here, if you dare.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
March 21, 2008
NCAA Round 1: Texas Longhorns vs. Austin Peay Governors
Hello friends and readers, I am experimenting with some live blogging today and will be here to guide you through the Longhorns’ first game in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament. If you’re stuck at work or just watching along with the game, feel free to comment. The Horns are expected to blow out the Governors, but after #2 Duke’s close call last night against Belmont and the scare my very own American University Eagles gave Tennessee today, you never know what can happen. That’s why it’s March Madness, baby.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Sports
January 25, 2008
Shaquille O'Neal: Paid the cost to be the boss
This story reminds me of the delicious quote by Patrick Ewing during the NBA’s labor strike in the late 90s when he said, “We might make a lot of money but, we also spend a lot of money.” Apparently he wasn’t far off the mark, despite his faulty logic as to the tough times some NBA players were enduring.
Future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is going through a sticky divorce, and some of the details are becoming public. The Miami Herald is reporting that court documents released last week indicate that The Big Aristotle’s monthly expenses are $875,000 of his $1.8 million monthly salary.
Some of the details from that story:
According to court documents, he estimates he has $875,000 in monthly expenses, which includes $110,505 on monthly vacations; $60,417 on gifts; $23,950 on clothes, dry cleaning and laundry; $46,500 on child care; $24,300 on gas and oil for four vehicles; $12,775 on food; and $468,345 on three home mortgages. On top of that, O’Neal pays nearly $500,000 a month in income taxes.
So, do the big fella a favor and go rent “Kazaam” Again.
Permalink | | Categories: Sports
January 24, 2008
'I Am Legend' predicts Super Bowl
Don’t bother going to the store to buy chili fixins or stock up on cold beer and Tito’s, the Super Bowl has apparently already been decided by Hollywood. This screen cap from the film ‘I Am Legend’ shows a scroll at the bottom of the fictional newscast with the information that the Patriots have beaten the Giants for the second time this year, winning the Super Bowl. Way to go, Hollywood, just ruin everything why don’t ya?
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Sports
September 4, 2007
In the stands: Overrated?
I assumed more of the same would be in order as I went to Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday evening to watch the #4-ranked Horns take on lowly Arkansas State. Boy, was I wrong. The Horns looked horrible for more or less the entire game. Had Arkansas State not dropped so many balls that hit them squarely in the hands, Colt McCoy, who looked confused and lost most of the game, could easily have been responsible for four interceptions in the first half alone. And while UT was embarrassed by being refused admission to the end zone repeatedly in a first and goal scenario from the 3-yard line, eventually turning the ball over on downs, it was ASU’s failure in the red zone that decided this game. Two missed field goals and a boneheaded pass into coverage that led to a UT interception, with a wide-open ASU receiver in the corner of the end zone no less, was the difference in this game.
ASU outgained Texas. They looked better on offense (especially their lightning-quick quarterback Corey Leonard, who turned heads all day) and defense. Texas’ secondary looked porous, and their tackling, which was strong in the first half, looked half-hearted at best in the second.
Texas should have lost this game. They did not play well enough to beat a team not even ranked in the top 100 in the nation. They can talk all they want about it being the first game of the year, how they still won as a team and how they expect more of themselves, but if this is the effort and execution they bring to the field this Saturday against TCU, Longhorn nation will be weeping by day’s end.
On the bright side, at least they’re not Michigan.
Highlight of the day: Listening to myopic Longhorn fans boil over with anger each time ASU gained yards, screaming, “Just think what OU will do to ya,” then making a 180 just seconds later and proclaiming Texas’ national championship hopes alive and well thanks to a well-executed screen pass. ‘Horns Football - Catch the Insanity!’
Photo of Colt McCoy by Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Sports
May 7, 2007
Houston Rockets left with more questions than answers
The Utah Jazz is my least-favorite team in the history of the NBA. The Rockets have always been my favorite. So, you can imagine how little I was looking forward to what I saw as an inevitable loss by the Rockets at home against the hard-nosed, dirty style of the Jazz (not to mention their flawless execution).
I was excited when the Rockets got T-Mac four years ago, only because I thought it would provide some fun and excitement (and a name) to the Rockets, but I was also disappointed in that I knew we would not win a championship for another 10 years. T-Mac is probably one of the top 10 talents in the league (at least he was at the time, probably still a top 20 talent) but he is not even in the top 50 in killer instinct or that “it” that winners have. It was obvious when trading for him that he would have to be the one to take the Rockets to the top of the mountain, and there’s no way he can do that. Ever. So, he improved the team, made them more interesting and fun to watch but did not get the Rockets any closer to a title, and he won’t. You don’t find that “it” after a decade in the league.
Only seven times since 2001 has a team lost a series after being up 2-0. T-Mac was a member of three of those seven losing teams. Not a good stat to have on your record.
Of course, all the blame can not rest at T-Mac’s feet. Sure he didn’t drive the basket in the final four minutes of the game, after scoring lay-ups at will earlier, and he dribbled the ball for eight seconds when Houston was down four with only 19 seconds to play and then did not foul after scoring. But he did have 29 points and 13 assists, but those numbers mean nothing when they come in a losing effort. If Yao, who averaged five turnovers a game in the playoffs, could not take an entry pass without turning the ball over (another story in and of itself), then T-Mac needed to refuse to give the ball to Juwan Howard for a weak 18-foot jumper or one of his underperforming guards. Take the ball to the rack, get fouled or score. The Rockets were in the bonus for the last six minutes of the game. There is no other option. Force the issue. Of course, the fact that Jeff Van Gundy could not design an offensive scheme to save his life might have added to T-Mac’s woes. The fact that the Rockets apparently don’t understand the words “box out” also greatly contributed to the collapse.
OK, I said it wasn’t all T-Mac’s fault, so I guess I will focus on a few other problems. If you would have told me that a team whose two best guards were Luther Head and Rafer Alston would win 50+ games, I would have told you to enjoy your next NORML meet-up. Unless the Rockets get an all-star quality point guard who can penetrate and create off of the dribble, and a good power forward who can lock down the Western Conference’s big men and fight for rebounds, the Rockets will not advance during T-Mac’s tenure. I have been amused at how columnists have lauded retiring general manager Carroll Dawson with such praise. Sure, Dawson trimmed some of the roster fat; Howard is a serviceable option at power forward; and I loved the trade for Shane Battier, even though he did not make one three-pointed in the fourth quarter, which Houston needed desperately. But this team is in shambles.
Yao needs a good big man to get his back down low, and the team needs someone who can create offense. I understand the team had its hands tied with limited draft picks and salary cap issues, but that is due to the trades and signings they made. Speaking of signings, didn’t Houston sign some guys named Spanoulis and Snyder? It’s on Van Gundy for never developing any bench talent this year, leaving the Rockets’ bench one of the weakest of any playoff team in the Western Conference.
Watching the Suns and Spurs play Sunday, you could see how truly far away the Rockets are from being not just a great team but even a really good team. There are holes to be filled in the roster, and I imagine the coaching spot will be open soon, maybe by day’s end. I have always appreciated the way Van Gundy has handled his players with respect while demanding the best out of them and not accepting excuses. I think he has a great psychological understanding of players and teamwork, but his offenses have always been a joke. He is a great Eastern Conference coach. The Eastern Conference of the mid-’90s.
I don’t know how to fix the Rockets, exactly. That task will be left to rookie GM Daryl Morey. Bring Chauncey Billups or Mo Williams to run the point? Good idea, but seeing as the Rockets are only able to offer the mid-level exception due to salary cap issues, those guys are not going to head to Houston. Bring back Steve Francis? That could work for both sides, although guessing what Isiah will do with Francis’s contract is a complete waste of time. Overpay the Warriors’ versatile forward Mickael Pietrus? Make a trade to move up in the draft and try and get a forward like Joakim Noah or Brendan Wright, or even the physical freak that is 7-2 Roy Hibbert from Georgetown? Or stay pat and take Glen Davis or Nick Fazekas with the 26th pick (the Rockets’ only pick)? How about trading T-Mac for 75 cents on the dollar? I don’t know. It’s not my job.
There will probably be a coaching change. But who to get? Eric Musselman is probably too young for this team, and his brush with the law this year would probably scare away owner Les Alexander. Hopefully, Alexander does not get tempted by Larry Brown, who is a walking soap opera, despite being one of the best coaches (and Tar Heels) in history. What about former Rocket Mario Elie? He would relate well to the players; the fans already love him; and he could definitely bring back fond memories (and hopefully a motion offense). I suggest hiring Suns’ assistant coach Mike Iavaroni. He won a ring as a rookie, starting for the 76ers, and served as assistant coach/director of player development with Pat Riley from 1999-2002. He also has a 20-year association as a student and instructor under Hall of Fame coach Pete Newell, one of the best coaches of big men in the history of the game. Sounds like someone from whom Yao could learn, and he definitely has experience with offenses that actually know how to move the ball.
So, another season done for the Rockets, and once again they are left to answer questions. Good luck, fellas.
In the meantime, GO WARRIORS.
Speaking of, the Jazz-Warriors series should be very interesting. The Jazz match up very well with Golden State. It will be interesting to see if their aggressive, elbow-throwing defense will rattle the Warriors. I set the over/under on technical fouls for Stephen Jackson in this series at five.
(Photo courtesy Pat Sullivan/AP)
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Sports
May 3, 2007
"Warriors, come out to play..."
Some of my earliest memories come from attending Houston Rockets games with my dad. The memories began around 1980-1981 or so, back when Moses Malone ruled the paint (25ppg, 15rpg that season); Mike Dunleavy captured the hearts of female Houstonians; Allen Leavell proved that you didn’t need a pretty jump shot to have an effective one; Calvin Murphy couldn’t miss a free throw; Billy Joe Paultz was a testament to the fact that you could be overweight and still have game (kind of); Del Harris sat on the bench; and Robert Reid was still wearing No. 50 and styled the high socks and legendary afro. That season, the Rockets upset Kareem, Magic and Wilkes’ Los Angeles Lakers on their way to the first of two NBA Finals whippings from Larry Legend and the Celtics in the ’80s.
Why this stroll down memory lane? Well, many, including ESPN Page 2’s Bill Simmons (with whom I have a shockingly similar history re: the topic of this post, as I am sure myriad guys between 30-38 do), consider the Rockets victory over the Lakers as one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. Tonight, while the Rockets try to beat the hated Utah Jazz on the road and win their first playoff series in 10 years, another legendary upset could be in the making. The No. 8-seed Golden State Warriors (by most accounts, not your typical 8 seed) will play at home against the Dallas Mavericks for a chance to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
Hardaway had the killer crossover, dubbed the UTEP two-step; Richmond gave opposing guards fits; and Mullin was a cold-blooded assassin with a mean streak cultivated growing up in Brooklyn. All three ranked in the top 10 in the league in scoring that season. As a sophomore high school hoopster who lived and breathed basketball, I watched in awe and fell in love with their style of play. Run T-M-C, as they were called, led me, for the only time in my sports fandom, to actively root for another team, testing my hometown allegiance. Of course, it helped that the Rockets did not beat the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs that year or I would have been faced with having to cheer against my newly beloved superheroes.
The Warriors are led by the modern-day equivalent of Run T-M-C: Baron Davis, one of the toughest guard match-ups in the league due to his size, speed, strength and tenacity, along with Jackson and the acrobatic Jason Richardson. Nelson has allowed them to play fast and loose and figured out a way to maximize the talents or Davis and Jackson, two players shunned by many in the league for being too mercurial. The Rockets, meanwhile, will rely on their two-man offense of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming to finish off the Jazz on one of the most difficult courts for an opposing team to win.
I won’t waste time getting into breaking down both of these series any further. If you’re a hoops fan, you know more than I could elucidate. I am just pumped for one of the most exciting nights of basketball for me personally in ages. My hometown Rockets will try and exact revenge on the team who has been their nemesis for the past two decades, while my former basketball mistress Warriors will attempt to shock the basketball world and give Mavericks owner Mark Cuban a heart attack. You can almost hear the nervous silence of Dallas fans from here.
I think.
The only thing left to say is, “Warriors, come out to play…”
Permalink | Comments (7) | Categories: Sports
April 9, 2007
The Masters: As green as it gets
First of all, there is no denying that the Masters is the greatest golf event in the world for my money. The sad thing is that despite golf’s international growth over the years and the impact Tiger Woods has had in taking the sport to a broader demographic, the most important and cherished tournament in the world is still played at the home of a bunch of very rich, very old white men in a state with a spotty civil rights record, to say the least. In the vein of exclusivity, the Masters is also the least inclusive field in golf due to its stringent invitation criteria.
As for the changes made to the course over the past few years, they have taken away a lot of the charm of the course and changed the way the tournament is played. Eagles are almost nonexistent, and even birdies have diminished to the point that a score over par won this year’s tournament. The U.S. Golf Association has already jerked with the Open to a ridiculous degree to make winning scores approach par, so I guess it is only natural that Augusta follow in its footsteps. But shaving off one or two hundred yards would make it much more entertaining to watch. With so many bogeys and so few birdies, rare are the wild cheers from galleries on Saturday and Sunday. As they walked off the 18th green, players looked like they’d just spent five hours getting their butts whipped. Much of that could be attributed to Mother Nature, but the longer course played a role as well.
When play began Sunday I imagine that you couldn’t get anything close to even-money odds that Tiger Woods would win. And for awhile, it seemed as if Tiger would march to a historic 5th green jacket. Tiger began play a few strokes back, but almost on cue, the leaders began to struggle, and Tiger made up ground. The one man who didn’t struggle was eventual winner Zach Johnson. Although I like to cheer for underdogs, I had no interest in seeing this nobody win his second career tournament at Augusta. Just like with the big games in other sports, I want to see the big names win the big events. Sure, I think Tiger is a bit overexposed, but I wanted to see him step up when all of the money is on the line. That is why I watch sports, to see the world’s best athletes competing at the top of their game on the biggest stage. Of course, I also like underdog stories, but this Johnson cat didn’t do anything for me.
And he really didn’t do anything for me at the end of his round. With Tiger still in the hunt (two down with three to play), Johnson celebrated with friends and family on the side of the 18th green. His wife and friends surrounded him, and when Bill McAtee went to ask Johnson how he felt, the golfer went to the Jesus card. I am all for athletes (or anyone for that matter) living a life of faith (any faith), but to parade it in the manner Johnson did was a bit tough to swallow, especially considering the tournament had not been won, and Tiger was still lurking. Johnson conveyed how significant it was for him to win on Easter Sunday and that he felt Jesus was out there with him on the course. Apparently Jesus loves being at Augusta as much as the patrons do.
Before anyone gets all worked up about me taking issue with the thanks he gave or the manner in which he celebrated, understand that my biggest beef was with the fact that he actually broke down into tears while giving an interview surrounded by his family. If Tiger Woods (or any golfer, for that matter) is out on the course with a chance to tie your score, you best be on the driving range staying loose or sitting in the scorer’s tent collecting your thoughts and staying focused. Johnson should be giving thanks that Tiger did not birdie two of the final holes in regulation, because if taken to a playoff, Woods would have made Johnson his champion’s dinner Sunday. I will give the young golfer a pass, because it is a position in which he is not accustomed to being, and he played his butt off, showing nerves of steel unmatched in the field yesterday. But he would be wise to not count his chickens next time, if there is a next time.
But maybe the funniest part of the coverage, and Johnson’s naiveté, was on display when he was presented the green jacket in the Butler Cabin, the holiest of sites for American golf and certainly for Augusta National. Johnson individually thanked each of his sponsors, a move unheard of at sacrosanct Augusta National. You could almost hear the blood boiling in Augusta chairman Billy Payne’s head when the young Johnson began listing his litany of sponsors like a NASCAR driver. The upside of this hilarious moment, however, was the shocked look and repressed laughter of Phil Mickelson as we watched this newbie step in it. Certainly Phil knows that golfers are expected to bow their heads, compliment the course and the members and say thank you at Augusta. That is all. This tournament makes certain that every bit of marketing, branding and image-making they do is done in a very measured way; for example, did you once hear the announcers mention the winning purse? Certainly Johnson’s lack of etiquette and his aw-shucksiness don’t make him a bad guy, but they did reinforce in me the wish that Tiger (or Retief Goosen or Stuart Appleby) could have ruined his one shining moment.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Sports
April 2, 2007
Live Blog: Opening day for the Astros
The Astros begin the season with some question marks in the rotation. After Roy Oswalt, and newly-acquired Woody Williams and Jason Jennings, there will be a platoon of young pitchers, one imagines, battling to shore up the rotation. While the pitching does not appear as strong as in years past, the offense may be its best since the loss of Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran. Power-hitting Carlos Lee came over in free agency and should provide some serious protection for perennial MVP candidate Lance Berkman. Chris Burke and Luke Scott get their first opening day starts in the outfield, and while the Astros definitely lost some speed and all-star caliber defense when they traded Willie Taveras for Jennings, Burke should provide a much needed offensive boost.
The Astros will also need Morgan Ensberg to return to his 2005 form and hope to get more production from Craig Biggio, who batted below .200 after the all-star break last season. If they can get those players to add some more offense, as well as the always shaky Adam Everett and Brad Ausmus, the Astros should be able to contend for the NL Central title.
The cameras just showed a sign in the outfield sponsored (of course it is sponsored) by AT&T that will keep track of Craig Biggio’s pursuit of becoming the first Astro to get 3,000 hits. Biggio, starting in his 19th consecutive Opening Day (14 seasons at 2B), currently stands at 2,930, and many predict he should reach the milestone by late June or early July. Roy Oswalt starts the game for the Astros. It is the 5th consecutive Opening Day start for Oswalt, a feat equaled only by J.R. Richard, Mike Scott and Shane Reynolds.
Top of the 1st Inning
First pitch of the season for Oswalt is a ball. A rare walk for Oswalt to the Pirates’ lead-off man probably indicates that Roy, despite his fifth consecutive Opening Day start is a little affected by the adrenaline.
Burke fielded the first out of the game in a pop fly, but you can already see the drop-off from Taveras to Burke. Surely Burke will improve as the season continues, but he played that first ball rather poorly - a play Taveras would have made with ease
Oswalt seems to have found his groove, but having thrown 22 pitches in the first inning, I wonder if he will be able to go eight full, as he did on Opening Day last year.
Bottom of the 1st
Biggio leads off the game with a weak fly to first base. Oddly, the weak-hitting Everett is batting second tonight. Last season saw way too many pitchers coast through the bottom of the Astros’ order, so maybe Garner is trying to mix it up a bit. And Everett hits a soft pop to second base. Berkman grounds out to the left side of the infield to end the inning. Three up, three down. Hope that is not a sign of things to come this season.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Sports
February 13, 2007
Witness to history
Once in a lifetime a player comes through a program who makes everyone stop and take notice. The kind of player who causes casual fans of a team to make sure they don’t miss a televised game. The kind of player who can even drag some folks off of their couches and to the arena. This year the Longhorns are blessed to have one such baller, freshman sensation Kevin Durant.
At 6’9”, and with the wingspan of 7’5” Yao Ming, Durant is a physical freak of nature. But his gifts extend well beyond his unique frame. Durant, whom at first blush you might assume would do most of his work in the paint, has a silky smooth jumper with NBA range and possesses the ability to take smaller defenders off the dribble. He can score on the low post with his back to the basket, and he can lead a fast break. Experts are projecting that he will be either the first or second player chosen in this spring’s NBA draft, should he choose to leave college after only one season. So if you want to get a good look at this rare talent, you better take the opportunity while you can.
It is with that in mind that last night I headed to my first Horns’ hoops game in six years. I wanted to see this beautiful player who ranks in the Top five in the nation in both scoring and rebounding. The player some experts have compared to Dirk Nowitzki and Tracy McGrady. I wanted to see him for myself, so in 20 years when he enters the NBA Hall of Fame, I can say “I saw him in person when he was just a gangly 18 year old prodigy.”
Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men.
Durant came out of the blocks slowly in the Horns’ 83-54 win over Oklahoma State, hounded by the physical Marcus Dove on defense. He had trouble getting good looks early on, and even when he did, his shooting touch was off. He went 2-6 in the first half, with three turnovers that seemed to indicate that he still needs to work on his hands. On defense he seemed even more out of sorts, often looking completely confused as to where to be. But, you can only keep a great player down for so long. By the second half his touch had returned and he got some good looks coming off screens and even leading a few fast breaks. He scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half and pulled down 12 rebounds.
I have always felt that Rick Barnes has trouble running offenses that move the ball around, get some motion and allow people to get good looks. Durant’s teammates seemed to have trouble getting him the ball in space, and there seemed to be too much dribbling and not enough passing and picking. Then again, this is a very young team, and it would be awesome to see them have another year to jell. That, most likely, will not happen, due to Durant’s expected departure.
Of course, I was not just there to see Durant. I wanted to get a look at a Texas team that, following a couple of losses, seems like it is beginning to find its way with wins over Iowa State and OSU, relying more and more on the speed and energy of freshman point guard D.J. Augustin (19 points, 8 assists). The Big XII Rookie of the Week reminded me of a young T.J. Ford with his quickness and ball handling, but he still needs to learn to play with a bit more control and the realization that not all of his teammates are equipped with hands soft enough to handle is lightning quick entry passes. But his energy and up-tempo play are contagious, and with the Horns playing some of their best defense of the year — holding the Cowboys to only 36.7 percent from the field — there were ample opportunities for fast break points. The Longhorns converted missed shots and OSU turnovers into points, outscoring the Cowboys 24-6 on the break.
The Longhorns seem to be coming together in time to make a nice tournament run, if they can limit their turnovers (a sloppy 15 Monday night) and figure out a way to get the ball in Durant’s hands.
While Durant didn’t put up mind-boggling numbers, as he has done several times in recent weeks, I did get a glimpse of what makes him so special. He took defenders off the dribble, ran coast-to-coast breaks, used his freakish length to grab easy rebounds and swipe balls, stroked jumpers and rallied his teammates throughout. Durant is a special talent, and if the Horns can finish the season strong and win the Big XII Tournament, their otherworldly phenom could very well be the first freshman to ever win the NCAA player of the year.
You have got two more chances to see him play here in Austin this season. Go now, so later you can say “I saw him when.”
Image © Deborah Cannon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Sports
