Category: Sports

Strangely enough, NewMexiKen is the first Google pick for “largest college stadiums.” This seemingly is based on one small entry last November. The least I could do is give you the top ten.

Michigan, Michigan Stadium 107,501
Penn State, Beaver Stadium 106,537
Tennessee, Neyland Stadium 104,079
Ohio State, Ohio Stadium 101,568
UCLA, Rose Bowl 95,000
USC, L.A. Memorial Coliseum 92,000
LSU, Tiger Stadium 91,600
Georgia, Sanford Stadium 86,520
Auburn, Jordan-Hare Stadium 86,063
Stanford, Stanford Stadium 85,500

[Update: See here for top 30.]

Source: Official 2003 NCAA Football Records

From The Seattle Times‘ Dwight Perry —

Michael Ventre of MSNBC, on Lakers draft pick Marcus Douthit being charged in an identity-theft and embezzlement scam: “On the plus side, the development gives the club some depth at defendant.”

*****

George O’Leary, the Central Florida football coach, told reporters about a conversation he had with one of his punters, who was continuously shanking kicks during spring practice:

Coach: “Are you on scholarship?”

Punter: “Yes, but I get real nervous when you’re around.”

Coach: “Well, son, I intend on being at all the games.”

*****

Anna Benson, the wife of new Mets pitcher Kris Benson, has gone on record as saying she wants to make love with her husband in every city his team visits, the New York Post reported.

“In a related story,” wrote Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, “Kris Benson has asked for a trade to the Harlem Globetrotters.”

won the fourth of his four Olympic gold medals on this date in 1936. In Berlin, Owens won gold for the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and — on August 9 — the leadoff leg of the 400 meter relay (a world record that lasted for 20 years).

From Larry Stewart’s Morning Briefing in the Los Angeles Times:

When longtime Bay Area play-by-play announcer Lon Simmons was presented with the Ford Frick Award at the recent baseball Hall of Fame inductions, he was introduced by Joe Morgan.

During his acceptance speech, Simmons told a story about a golf match with Morgan. With a bet still on the line going to the 18th hole, Simmons hit his tee shot in the fairway and Morgan hit his deep into the rough.

Simmons said Morgan couldn’t find his ball and had to be reminded that there was a five-minute time limit. Finally, Morgan yelled, “I found it.”

Said Simmons: “He proceeded to hit it out of the rough, through a bunker and right up to the flag.

“Now if you’re me and you’ve got his golf ball in your pocket, what do you say?”

From USA Today —

Mississippi suspended running back Jamal Pittman for at least six games and dismissed linebacker Ken Bournes from the team Friday, two days after they pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in a gun possession case.

Texas senior running back Cedric Benson was sentenced to eight days in jail after pleading no contest Friday to misdemeanor criminal trespassing for forcing his way into an apartment in 2003.

Eight Tulsa players on scholarship will not return when the team reports for preseason camp Aug. 8, coach Steve Kragthorpe said Wednesday. Among the eight are defensive backs Kedrick Alexander and Terrance Thomas, who both recently pleaded guilty to felony burglary charges.

Iowa State defensive end Jason Berryman, the team’s MVP and Big 12 defensive freshman of the year in 2003, was arrested early Tuesday for second-degree robbery after he allegedly took money and a cell phone from two people during an altercation, police said.

Kent State’s quarterback Joshua Cribbs, who set school records for both career total offense last fall, was sentenced to five years probation for marijuana possession.

Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick, suspended for the 2004 season because of run-ins with the law, pleaded guilty Tuesday to reckless driving and no contest to marijuana possession.

Sports Illustrated‘s Rick Reilly tells us about Lance’s victory:

It was pudding, this sixth Tour de France win for Lance Armstrong. Easy as a Sunday ride with your arthritic aunt. He could’ve won it while doing his taxes.

Except when spectators were spitting on him.

Except when they were flipping him off with both hands, cussing him, mooning him, throwing their beer and water at him, slandering his girlfriend, screaming at him, “Dopé!” (Doper) and “Trucier!” (Cheater).

In stage 16, over the most famous mountain in cycling, Alpe d’Huez, the French, Germans and Basques did all that and more, flapping flags in his face, donning grotesque animal masks and daring him to run them over, scrawling four-foot-high insults in chalk on the pavement he had to cover.

“It made me sick,” said Armstrong’s girl, rocker Sheryl Crow, who rode in the chase car directly behind him that day. “I wanted to jump out and spank some of these people. It was just hateful. Here is the greatest athlete of our generation competing in the hardest sporting event in the world, and they act like that?”

They do — more than ever.

*****

But swallowing the Tour de France whole is not why Armstrong will be back for seven, if not eight. He will be back because he beat 14 tumors and 4-in-10 odds of surviving, and now he flies up Alps and gives people hope. He’ll be back because he’s the poster boy for living. He’ll be back because the gift is not his bracelets, the gift is him.

So if you think it’s a damn shame that one of the five greatest athletes in American history performs eye-bulging feats in front of almost none of his countrymen, then go to Alpe d’Huez next summer. Go and line that mountain with 10 times the countrymen Armstrong has ever seen there.

Then we’ll see how much spitting goes on.

The whole column is available, but requires subscription.

Take a look. Think Dick Cheney would recognize any of the words?

The photo is of Lance Armstrong and Filippo Simeoni. Read the story here.

From Morning Briefing in the Los Angeles Times:

Many were surprised by the revelation last week that former Nevada Las Vegas associate basketball coach Glynn Cyprien had followed in the footsteps of George O’Leary.

Seems Cyprien, who left UNLV for Oklahoma State, had stated on his resume that he graduated from Texas San Antonio. Cyprien, who was dismissed from his first head-coaching position at Louisiana Lafayette when the discrepancy was brought to the attention of officials there, actually was sporting a degree from a non-accredited university on the Internet.

“Which leads one to wonder,” wrote Joe Hawk of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “How educated do you have to be to coach?”

More Hawk: “The smartest suggestion we’ve heard with regard to those found to have falsified their resumes: Rather than fire the guilty, make them complete their degrees at the schools where they’re employed. In other words, make them get up and go to class — just like their players — and force them to get their diplomas by walking in graduation. We would follow up by demanding the coaches have the cost of their ‘continuing’ education deducted from their salaries.”

From Dwight Perry at Sideline Chatter (though I wonder if he really wants credit for this):

In one of the more unusual minor-league baseball promotions, Florida Today reported, Will Campbell won a free cremation at the Brevard County (Fla.) Manatees’ game on July 15.

As for the income-tax implications, Campbell must list his $695 prize under future urnings.

From Morning Briefing —

While telling of his mutual admiration society with Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Kobe Bryant told ESPN, “If I had went to college, I would have went to Duke.”

From Dwight Perry’s Sideline Chatter —

Philip Rabinowitz of South Africa shattered the record for the fastest 100-meter run by a 100-year-old by more than 7 seconds, Reuters reported, but his 28.7-second time has been disallowed because a power outage at the stadium in Khayelitsha stopped the official electronic clock.

Complicating matters further, we hear, jealous competitors are spreading rumors that Rabinowitz tested positive for prunes.

T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times, after watching ESPN’s coverage of the All-Star Home Run Derby on Monday: “Whoever came up with the idea of the mute button had to be listening to Chris Berman at the time.”

Via Dwight Perry’s Sideline Chatter

Last night’s All-star Home Run Derby was won by the smallest man competing, 5-9 Miguel Tejada with a record 27 dingers including 15 in the second round (also a record) and one that measured 497 feet. Fourteen 500+ home run hitters present (out of 20 all-time), three of them competing in the Derby, and the little guy out slugs them all.

After not playing golf for more than 35 years, and never playing well, NewMexiKen has rejoined the ranks of the duffers. Sunday, in a round shortened by a thunderstorm, I was faced with a par-three-hole that consisted pretty much of tee boxes, a green and a water hazard the approximate size of Lake Superior (well, it looked that way to me). I figured the smartest move was to just go ahead and dump my supply of golf balls directly into the water.

But I gave it a shot. I hit the ball rather well (for me that means that it actually left the ground at any point). It took off nicely and then skipped across the surface of the water two or three times before landing just on the green.

I figured either the water in Albuquerque is even harder than I thought or the gods of golf were sucking me in.

Reported by Dwight Perry:

Bill Scheft of Sports Illustrated, on impediments to a Shaquille O’Neal trade: “The Lakers are looking for at least two starters whom Kobe Bryant is comfortable not getting the ball to.”

From Dwight Perry at Sideline Chatter in The Seattle Times:

First it’s Krzyzewski, now Tomjanovich.

Are the Lakers really looking for a basketball coach — or simply a maximum Scrabble score?

Colorado Luis knows how to have fun:

We have some friends who live in one of the many mountain subdivisions off of Highway 285 in Jefferson County, and they host a party during 4th of July weekend every year. One of the highlights is the playing of “Mountain Rules Croquet.” It’s croquet, except you’re playing it on a fairly severe slope with rocks, tree roots, and buffalo grass all over the place. They usually come up with some ridiculously difficult course as well. So it ends up being pretty different, and can be damn aggravating sometimes, although because it is also a beer drinking game it is lots of fun.

NewMexiKen can’t speak to its value, but there is a Tour de France blog.

but I’d like to. Can anyone point NewMexiKen to a brief summary of bicycle road racing strategy, tactics, etc., particularly for the Tour de France?

Ken, official oldest son of NewMexiKen, said this: “It’s a team sport where one guy gets all the credit.” Is that a fair statement?

Are the OLN commentators good or bad? (I hope the answer is they’re bad.)

Michael Bradley at SI.com writes that this year’s National League All-Star outfield is not, as it’s being billed, the best ever. He suggests that Bonds, Griffey and Sosa fall short of:

NL 1957: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson
NL 1966: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente

An American League fan, NewMexiKen likes:

AL 1955 & 1956: Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline