Category: Sports

Commentary and news about sports and sports teams — and media coverage of them.

Pac-10 Suspends Officials, Apologizes to Oklahoma

“The Pacific-10 Conference, finding merit in Oklahoma’s complaints about the officiating in its loss to Oregon, on Monday suspended for one game the officiating crew and the instant replay officials who worked the game and issued an apology to the Sooners.”

— SI.com

If you aren’t familiar with the incident, officials awarded the ball to Oregon on an onside kick when the replay clearly showed that an Oregon player had touched the ball before it went 10 yards. Helped by yet another bad call and blown review, Oregon went on to score their second touchdown in 72 seconds and made the extra point. That put the Ducks ahead 34-33 after being down 33-20. They won the game when a last second Oklahoma field goal was blocked.

A Perfect Game

1. The Redskins lost 27-10 to the Cowboys.

2. Terrell Owens of the Cowboys had negative yardage — three catches for 19 yards and two penalties for negative 20. (This before breaking a finger, which is unfortunate, but at least it will reduce the noise for two-to-four weeks.)

Money and Other Subjects

Warren Buffet gave $100,000 in order to caddy for Tiger Woods at a charity golf event. “It wasn’t the hardest job,” Buffet told the Omaha World-Herald. “I mostly rode in the cart.” Woods suggested making a wager for “serious money” on the 18th hole, to which Buffet replied, “All money is serious, Tiger.” The bet was for $5.00, and Woods had to play the hole from his knees. Woods made bogey, and won the hole and the bet. After Buffet gave Woods the $5.00, he cleared his throat and said, “Aren’t you forgetting something?” Woods couldn’t imagine what it was. “My [caddy’s] 10%. You owe me 50¢.”

From Rick Reilly’s Who’s Your Caddy? via Andrew Tobias.

The MLB Ballparks Ranked 1-30

In a survey on SI.com, we asked readers to rank their hometown parks on a variety of criteria, from parking prices to the availability of restrooms to the quality of concessions. We also asked for opinions on what makes the park special — or disappointing.

Number One: Angel Stadium (which was an even better deal back when we used to go for $2.50, $1.25 for the kids).

30th: RFK.

SI.com

Double Header of Chatter

These two items are from NewMexiKen’s “first thing in the morning” daily read, Sideline Chatter:

Pay raises for everyone!

“The Yankees have a $200 million payroll,” exclaimed Twins outfielder Torii Hunter, “and we play for minimum wage.”

Responded Reggie Hayes of the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel, pointing out that Hunter is getting by on $10.75 million this season: “Employees at Taco Bell were surprised and thrilled to learn the minimum wage has been raised to $5,168.27 per hour.”

Leave it to Tiger Woods to turn an errant shot at the Bridgestone Classic — a 9-iron that sailed over the green, bounced off the clubhouse roof and landed in a caterer’s cart of cream pies on the other side — into nothing worse than a bogey.

“In fact,” wrote Dan Daly of the Washington Times, “I’m surprised McDonald’s hasn’t gotten him to do one of those ‘nothing but net’-type commercials — a la Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.

“Picture Tiger standing over his tee ball and saying to Phil Mickelson: ‘Off the fan’s hand … around the tree … over the clubhouse roof … in the hole’ (possibly via a drainpipe).”

Tin Cup could make it.

This May Explain Ford’s Problems

From a report on new Ford chief executive Alan Mulally in The New York Times:

Company insiders say [Chairman William] Ford views the relationship as owner and manager, akin to a sports team such as his family’s Detroit Lions, where neither can be successful without the other.

The Lions are one of the least successful franchises in NFL history. They last played in an NFL championship game in 1957. Since then they have been in the post-season only nine times (in 48 seasons) and won just one post-season game out of ten.

William Clay Ford Sr. became president of the Lions in 1961 and purchased the team outright in 1963.

William Clay Ford Jr. is the chairman of the Ford Motor Company.

Other than putts, drives and short game, how’d she do?

Wie struggled around the Alpine layout and failed to make many putts — particularly on the crucial par-3s.

“I had trouble on the par 3s today,” Wie said. “That’s what really killed me — 5 over on the par 3s. I didn’t play that bad the rest of the round. I felt like I played pretty solidly.”

Wie consistently hooked shots to the left, leaving tough second shots around the hilly course.

“My tee shots were a little erratic,” she said. “And I’ll work on a few more bunker shots. I didn’t really have my rhythm today in my short game. Hopefully it will come back to me tomorrow.”

— SI.com

This sounds amazingly like Functional Ambivalent’s Hillbilly Golf Best Line of the Day: “After taking an eight on a par four my friend Pat said: ‘You know, except for that one I put in the water I had six great shots on that hole.'”

Wie shot a first-round 78 in the European Masters, a men’s event.

Charlie Brown Has Never Knowingly Taken Steroids

From McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. Funny stuff. A couple of excerpts:

DISTRICT ATTORNEY OTHMAR: Wah wah-wah wah, wah, wah wah-wah-wah wah?

CHARLIE BROWN: I’m sorry, sir, but I didn’t knowingly lie to the grand jury.

D.A.: Wah-wah-wah-wah?

BROWN: I did not knowingly take steroids, sir. Period. Snoopy gave me something to make me throw harder, but he said it was flaxseed oil and vitamin drops. I was tired of having the ball hit back up the middle and all my clothes torn off.

BROWN: My head’s always been this big. Ask Sally. And I’m not going bald; I’ve never had more than three hairs, sir.

NCAA Redux

Malcolm Gladwell continues the discussion about the NCAA; an excerpt:

I made this point before, briefly. But it’s worth restating in more detail. McElrathbey is an athlete. He is also a student, a brother and, now the legal guardian of his younger brother. The NCAA’s formal mandate is to govern students in their capacity as athletes. But here, in forbidding McElrathbey from accepting outside donations to help him take care of his little brother, the NCAA has extended its jurisdiction to govern McElrathbey in his capacity as a brother and legal guardian.

I think that’s outrageous.

Worthy of your consideration

J.A. Adande on why we lost:

The United States will regain dominance in international basketball about the same time Americans bypass “Talladega Nights” to go see some foreign art-house film. In other words, no time soon.

Louis Menand, with an excellent essay about Bob Dylan:

Still, as an interview subject, Dylan probably ranks a few notches above Elvis, who was one of the all-time worst. The trouble with Elvis was that he had very little to say; he was mainly concerned about sounding polite. Dylan is rarely concerned about sounding polite, and he says things, but he sometimes makes them up.

Peter J. Boyer takes a thoughtful look at the Duke lacrosse scandal (it appears they’re innocent):

At the police station, the three young men offered to take a polygraph test. The police declined the offer, but questioned them extensively about the night of the party and sent them to the hospital to have DNA samples collected. The boys had no legal representation during this visit with police.

And then there’s this retail therapy from Overheard in New York:

Upper-East-Side lady on cell: I know, but I was at a funeral all day…Yeah, it was sad, but I really didn’t know him at all…This saddest thing was seeing his daughters upset. They’re the same ages as–Wow! This shirt is only $19!! You can’t even buy a freaking Frappuccino for $19! I’m getting it in blue.

–Banana Republic, 86th & 3rd

Why is it?

Why is it that I hear so much talk about the baseball wild card race when there’s still 20 percent of the season (32-33 games) to play?

Except in the NL East, no second place team is more than 6½ back. Aren’t any of the second (or third) place teams capable of making a September run? The 1951 Giants won 37 of their last 45 to come from more than 13 back.

And are none of the first place teams sure not to fold? The ’64 Phillies blew a six game lead with 10 to play.

Tiger and Jack

According to SI.com, Tiger Woods has won more money at just the Bridgestone International ($6.6 million, including five wins) than Jack Nicklaus won in his entire career ($5.7 million).