Lisa Olson FanHouse http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com Lisa Olson FanHouse http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/media/feedlogo.gif Lisa Olson FanHouse http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Heartbreak Doesn't Lessen Love of 'Jazz'http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/heartbreak-doesnt-diminish-love-of-jazz/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/heartbreak-doesnt-diminish-love-of-jazz/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/10/31/heartbreak-doesnt-diminish-love-of-jazz/#commentsFiled under: ,


EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- No, way. The universe isn't meant to be this cruel. Time was supposed to stop with 38 seconds remaining on the clock, just this once. Just for Jazz. It wouldn't have healed the broken hearts stretching from Connecticut to South Florida, but it sure would have inspired an outbreak of happy hugs and welcome smiles.

But the ripples generated by the murder of UConn cornerback Jasper "Jazz" Howard travel far beyond a mere game of football, so perhaps this is how it was destined to end, with the scoreboard flashing Rutgers 28, Connecticut 24, with Tim Brown, Howard's best friend from childhood, choking back tears after scoring an improbable, last-second touchdown for the winning side. As much as it hurt the crowd on hand for the Huskies' first home game since Howard was killed -- and "hurt" is a gentle description, because the emotions that overtook Rentschler Field were funereal and raw following Brown's stunning 81-yard TD with 22 seconds left -- there is beauty in how it ended.

And love.

And a friendship that will live forever.

Brown, the Rutgers wide receiver, wears No. 2, a number intended to be a symmetrical shout-out to Howard's No. 6. The two became buddies from the day they met as young kids growing up in Liberty City, a hard section of Miami, where they lived two houses apart. More than just a major boulevard in Liberty City, NW 62nd Street served as a reminder to Brown and Howard of the rough neighborhood they hoped to escape. Classes and practice kept Brown from attending Howard's funeral last Monday, but Brown's family went, and Brown spent the week in a daze, still hoping maybe his old friend might return the text message Brown sent the morning of Oct. 18, upon learning Howard had been killed.

Jazz, let me know you're good. -- Deuce

So imagine what Brown was thinking Saturday afternoon as he sliced through a string of Huskies playing a cover 2 defense, the clock winding down, fans at the stadium known as "The Rent" experiencing simultaneous lock-jaw. The Huskies had scored with 38 seconds remaining, taking a 24-21 lead after a 15-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with Jordan Todman's 2-yard run. Euphoria saturated The Rent.

Then came Brown, breaking through swirling winds and hauling in a catch-and-run pass from Rutgers freshman quarterback Tom Savage that was mostly all run. Brown zipped past cornerback Robert McClain, turned on the jets, slipped by the rest of the UConn secondary, raced 81 yards and crushed tens of thousands of hearts that were only just beginning to mend.

It was the second straight last-gasp loss for the Huskies since Howard's death, again by the same wicked score, and here's where the football gods and goddesses are just plain devious: Howard, more than any other defensive back, might have tackled Brown before he reached the end zone.

"He was the one guy who had the speed, but we'll never know," said Brown, with a bittersweet smile. In a game where he'd finish with 162 yards receiving and two touchdowns, Brown wore both numbers -- his deuce, Howard's 6 -- and had "R.I.P. Jazz" stenciled in eye black.

"I almost felt like his angel wings reached down and flew me to the end zone for a touchdown," Brown said.

"I just went out there and played that game for my friend. He was a special guy to me and I just went out there and dedicated that game to him."

Howard was murdered two weeks ago, only hours after UConn celebrated a Big East victory over Louisville. He was attending a student-sponsored, alcohol-free dance at the campus student union when someone pulled a fire alarm and the crowd poured outside. People began fighting, and Howard, by all accounts a bystander, was stabbed in the abdomen. Some of Howard's teammates held him as he lay dying; he was declared dead a few hours later, after being airlifted to a nearby hospital.

The week that followed turned the UConn campus and community into a puddle of anger and fear. Messages were posted on the Internet, threatening potential witnesses; a UConn student now faces a host of charges relating to those comments. Howard's uncle, a former Miami police detective, helped alleviate the cries for revenge and eventually three suspects were arrested last Monday, fittingly on the day of Howard's funeral.

"We never stop feeling like Jazz is with us, trying to get us through this emotional time," said Kashif Moore, the UConn wide receiver who cradled the dying Howard in his arms that night in Storrs. "His spirit is always with us."


This was meant to be a day to officially pay tribute to Jazz. Signs are normally banned from The Rent but on Saturday every fan received a placard with Howard's No. 6 on it. Thousands of fans dressed in navy blue jerseys with his number, UConn players had a decal with his initials stuck to their helmets and Rutgers players wore a "6" on their headgear. During the pregame celebration, the marching band, also dressed in the ubiquitous No. 6, changed the "O" in the word UConn into a snaking "6." As they led the team onto the field, Moore and running back Andre Dixon carried Howard's jersey and helmet.

Joy and tears engulfed The Rent.

"All we were talking about before the game was how we wanted to win this for Jazz," Dixon said. "We didn't want it to be like last week."

That's when UConn lost on the road, by the same score, 28-24, to West Virginia after a late 56-yard touchdown run by Noel Devine. No matter how it ended, it was a game that reminded you of everything wonderful about sports, beginning with players from both teams embracing before kickoff. Emotion tugged every time the gracious West Virginia crowd cheered for the Huskies, which they never stopped doing. They built a huge poster board that read, "Today We Are All Huskies," which was signed by thousands.

But there was Devine's terrific TD run with 2:10 remaining. And there were the two missed field goals by UConn's Dave Teggart, one of Howard's roommates. What does it mean for one team to twice experience such hard luck on the field, after losing one of their brothers in such awful circumstances?

"I don't know, but I hope I'm never part of something this tragic again. My heart really goes out to those guys," said Savage, the Rutgers quarterback who passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns in his first Big East road game, the final TD one nobody will ever forget. "I know [Brown] was down all week, and he was down during the game, but he just made the play and I'm sure Jazz is proud of him."

If a member of the winning side calls what just transpired "tragic" -- and it was, albeit only in how it relates to the bigger picture of death and loss, which both teams recognize - imagine how the Huskies feel.

They pulled to within 21-17 on Zach Frazer's 32-yard pass to Marcus Easley with just over 10 minutes left. Frazer, the backup quarterback who took over in the first quarter after Cody Endres went down with an injury to his left shoulder, led the Huskies on a pair of fourth-quarter TD drives after they trailed 21-10. (UConn later announced that Endres is likely done for the season.)

At times Frazer looked as if was throwing balls on the wings of a prayer, but he finished with 333 yards and a touchdown, and directed the Huskies on the drive in the last few minutes that appeared to be blessed. It included a stunning fourth-down, 32-yard catch by Moore that brought the Huskies within scoring distance; Todman's scamper from two yards out on another fourth down, with 38 seconds to go, sent The Rent into rapturous bliss.

Brown, Howard's pal from the neighborhood near NW 62nd Street in Liberty City, changed everything, in the seconds it takes to blink six times. They used to talk about escaping the mean streets. Other kids in the 'hood would get lost in self-destructive spirals, or disappear on stretchers, but things were going to be different for Brown and Howard. They would receive scholarships to good universities up north, play ball, earn their degrees and return to a parade of hugs and celebrations in Miami.

There would also be a certain football game on Halloween 2009, between Howard's Huskies and Brown's Scarlet Knights. No. 6 and No. 2, together again. They couldn't wait for the date.

"It would have been a great game for me if I'd had my other friend on the other side," Brown said.

Randy Edsall, the UConn coach whose team has now lost four games by a total of 13 points, all of them after holding second-half leads, admitted he wasn't sure how much adversity one team could take. "We'll just keep fighting," Edsall said. "That's all I know to do."

Perhaps that's the lesson the universe has in mind.

Heartbreak Doesn't Lessen Love of 'Jazz' originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Andre Dixonjasper howardKashif MooreLisa OlsonSat, 31 Oct 2009 22:00:00 EST Son in Fight of Alexis Arguello's Lifehttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/son-in-fight-of-alexis-arguellos-life/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/son-in-fight-of-alexis-arguellos-life/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/08/31/son-in-fight-of-alexis-arguellos-life/#commentsFiled under:


More than eight weeks have passed since boxing legend Alexis Arguello allegedly shot himself in the chest with a 9mm pistol. It was a suicide, declared Nicaraguan government officials, and they closed the case almost as quickly as they shut his casket.

But in an exclusive interview with FanHouse, Alexis Arguello, Jr., the son of the Hall of Fame great, says he plans to fight the government's findings and prove that his father was the victim of foul play.

"This was not a suicide. My dad had been through so much in his life, but he did not kill himself," the younger Arguello (pictured above in the black shirt) says. "My dad had been through three failed marriages, alcoholism, crack, the worst things someone could go through. But he would not do this."

******

Arguello, 57, was found dead July 1 in his home just outside of Managua, where he was the mayor. His life had been filled with adventures and paradox: he was a triple crown champion and one of the world's most acclaimed boxers in the 1970s and 1980s; he was a soldier, a freedom fighter for the Contras who dodged bullets from the Sandinista National Liberation Front, before later running for public office on the Sandinista ticket; he was a loving father and grandfather, a womanizer, a millionaire born into abject poverty who blew his fortune and nearly went bankrupt, a drug addict who was forever writing checks to charity and using his celebrity platform to crusade against injustices in his homeland and in Miami, his adopted city. He was El Caballero del Ring -- "The Gentleman of the Ring" -- incapable of belittling an opponent. Outside the ropes, Nicaragua's most acclaimed athlete never quit battling demons.

But take his own life by shoving the barrel of a gun against his heart -- the same gun he told his family was always jamming, and as far as they know, he never bothered to fix? Arguello Jr., a 37-year-old producer for CBS College Sports Network and the oldest of the boxing champ's seven children, was at his home in New York when he received a call from Carla, his father's latest wife.

"She said, 'Your dad shot himself in the chest.' She said she found him. I told her, 'Don't touch my dad. Don't do any autopsies,' " he says. "When I got to Nicaragua a couple days later, my dad's body had already been processed. He was already in his tuxedo, he was already in a coffin, he was already placed at a wake at the National Palace of Culture. He was already being viewed by the people.

"In reality, what I should have done is ask for privacy and brought him into a room and taken his shirt off to see if there were more bullet holes or marks. But during that time I wasn't thinking."

The son remembers noticing a cut on the bridge of his father's nose. Carla told him "it happened when dad fell forward." Arguello Jr. -- "A.J." to his father and family -- shakes his head. "How could someone fall forward if they shoot themselves in the chest? Wouldn't it propel you backward?" he asks. "No one with answers was available to talk to us. Not the doctors who supposedly did the autopsy, not the police commissioner, not the investigators.

"I put some rosary beads in the coffin and that was the last time I saw him. I guess they expected my questions would go with my dad into the ground."

Dora, his sister, is still in Nicaragua, and the family fears for her safety, so Arguello Jr. must tiptoe around some of the uncertainties regarding their father's death, and the circumstances that preceded it. Dora was an employee in the mayoral office, but hasn't returned to work since her father died.

Media reports from Nicaragua are vague, noting only that Dr. Zacarias Duarte, Director of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, declared Arguello committed suicide by shooting himself. When did investigators have access to the Arguello house? Who cleaned up after Carla supposedly discovered her husband hunched forward? What did the lieutenant to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega tell Arguello when he visited the mayor's house a few hours before Arguello was found dead? Barely six months after winning an election tainted by allegations of fraud, had Arguello's power stretched beyond the designs of the Sandinista government? Was he being manipulated by nefarious, feuding political forces, some who feared Arguello's celebrity status, others who hoped he'd one day run for president?


"If the pieces fall into place like we think they will, we might never be able to return to Nicaragua," says the son, born in Managua and raised in Miami. "I'll do whatever I need to do to prove my dad didn't commit suicide. Like dad used to always say, 'Tough times don't last but tough guys do.' " He reaches for a napkin and dabs at his eyes. Once they know that Dora is safe, the family plans to hire lawyers who can help them exhume Arguello's body and, hopefully, solve the mysteries surrounding his death. A spokesman for Dr. Duarte would not comment.

The weekend before Arguello died, he attended ceremonies in Puerto Rico. There was the naming of a boxing academy in Arguello's honor, and a tribute honoring Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rico's Hall of Fame baseball player who perished in an airplane crash while trying to deliver relief aid to victims of a horrendous earthquake in Nicaragua in 1972. Arguello Jr. spoke to his father three days before he died, after he returned from the festivities.

While he was in Puerto Rico, Managua's city council, dominated by the Sandinistas, voted to "restructure" the mayoral office, thus diluting Arguello's powers. If he was worried or dismayed about these developments, Arguello did not say so during that last telephone conversation with his son.

"He was in great spirits, like always," Arguello Jr. says. "There wasn't the slightest hint of worry in his voice. If he were upset about something, he would tell me. He was always working to help the poor people of Nicaragua, that was his main objective. He was so proud to be honored with Clemente.

"I spoke to people who were with him in Puerto Rico to see if they sensed anything. They all said he was joking and in a good mood. No one believes he killed himself, no one. If he were going to do it, he would've called me and said, 'Look I'm thinking of doing this.' He never hid his emotions, he always spoke his mind. That's why the government didn't like him."

******

Sports Illustrated ran a fabulous profile of Arguello in 1985, when the boxer was on the verge of making a comeback. There is an anecdote that describes Arguello, fighting off the black dog of depression, sitting on a boat with his son A.J., then 12, and "staring down the black shaft of a loaded automatic pistol."

The story continues:
A.J. sat across from him, crying, begging him not to do it. Arguello cried too, saying that he must. There was no other sound except the ocean lapping at the boat, on which was painted THE CHAMP.

Arguello ached from the contradiction of his life, the way it lurched between opposites. Could it be that the distance between opposites was-nothing? So much seemed incomprehensible. No cause was pure, no motive clean, no external thing could be trusted. Everything a man needed to believe in in order to feel secure, life could rub his face again and again until he understood its opposite might also be true.

No resolution is possible in this life, a voice suggested. No, he cried-as long as he held this gun to his head, one resolution was possible.

"Don't do it, Dad!" pleaded A.J.
"That never happened," the son says now. "When that article came out, my mother and I looked at each other and were like, 'What? That never happened.' My dad is one of those people who maybe exaggerated a little to tell the story. He was a little lost during those years. But I know that never happened on the boat. "

Obituaries and media tributes cite the SI anecdote as an example of Arguello's troubled mind. Supposedly, he left a suicide note -- a single page, typed, unsigned letter brought forth by government officials to prove Arguello shot himself. The son scoffs at the note's tone and veracity.

"There were so many inconsistencies in it. It wasn't his voice," says Arguello Jr. "It says, I'm tired of politics, I've been cheated and lied to and used. It says he went back to drugs, that he did drugs the Monday or Tuesday before he supposedly killed himself. But in Nicaragua, once they did the autopsy, there was no drugs or alcohol found in the body.

"He passed on a Tuesday, I got to Nicaragua on Thursday. When I arrived I listened on the radio to the police giving a press conference about the ballistics, the autopsy report and their conclusions. In one day they had all that?"

Arguello Jr. and his siblings joined the thousands of mourners jamming the streets to honor the boxer during Friday's services. The man who was born and learned to fight in Managua's tough barrio was heralded by supporters as an athletic hero and political leader, the procession of his coffin to Sandinista-chosen burial grounds taking on a chaotic furor. He was an idol to the Nicaraguan people, a symbolic puppet to certain politicians.

At the journey's end, officials draped the red and black Sandinista flag over Arguello's coffin. Arguello Jr. pushed aside the flag, replacing it with the country's blue and white colors. Furious, he turned to the officials ringing his father's box and told them, "My dad is not going to be seen with this flag. He was a Nicaraguan first. He is going to be seen with the blue and white. This is not an event to stage political views. This has nothing to do with you guys and your views."

The government could not wait to usher Arguello's children out of the country. The son returned to his hotel, to discover his flight to the U.S. had been moved up from Monday to Saturday. Before he left, he wanted a memento that belonged to his father, preferably the belt Arguello had dedicated to his oldest son after beating lightweight champion Jim Watt in a fight that made Arguello only the sixth boxer to win world titles in three divisions. The son says Carla, his father's 31-year-old wife, made him wait for 90 minutes outside the gates of the mayor's house. Carla did not return phone calls from FanHouse.

"When she finally let us in, she opened up a closet and said, 'Take any suit or shirt or shoes you want.' Are you kidding me? You expect me to walk out with a pair of shoes?" Arguello Jr. says. "The last words I told her as I walked out of my father's house were, 'God sees everything and god knows everything. You will be punished someday.' "

He blots his eyes again, then purses his lips as if to halt more details from pouring forth. A.J. fought 15 amateur fights, winning 14 by knockouts. He says he was a decent body puncher with power in both hands, just like his dad. "But he sat me down and said, 'A.J., I support you, but I fought so you didn't have to.' That was the end of my boxing days," says the son, a smile chasing away the tears.

******

The memories of his father's transcendent career and wild escapades are as clear as the baubles on Arguello's championship belts. A sinewy 5 feet 10 inches, Arguello was known around the globe as El Flaco Explosivo, the Explosive Thin Man. With a brutal left jab and an elusive overhand right, Arguello knocked out Ray Mancini in 1981, a delicious prelude to his first fight with Aaron Pryor in front of more than 23,000 fans packed into Miami's Orange Bowl. Arguello stepped up in weight class, with the hopes he'd become the only man ever to win a fourth division title.

One of the sport's most legendary slugfests ended in the 14th round, with Pryor knocking out Arguello with a flurry of blows to the head. Arguello was left unconscious for several minutes, a doctor poking his eyelids. "Fight of the Decade," declared Ring Magazine. As he did with most of his father's fights, Arguello Jr. sat near the ropes, viewing every blow up close.

"After the fight, my dad told me he was sorry. I was like, 'Why?' " recalls the son. "He felt horrible. He wanted so desperately to win the title for the people."

Later, it was revealed that Pryor's trainer, Panama Lewis, gave his boxer a water bottle after round 13, prompting speculation that the black container was filled with illegal, unsanctioned material. The Florida State Boxing Commission failed to administer a post-fight urine test; while Pryor told Arguello there wasn't anything "suspicious" in the bottle, it was eventually discovered that Lewis broke apart antihistamine pills and poured the medicine into the water, giving Pryor greater lung capacity in the later rounds of a fight.

"I spoke to my dad about that years later. I pressed him about why he didn't ever make a big deal about it or go to the commission and have them test things," Arguello Jr. says. "He told me he wanted to win the championship fair and square. He wanted to win it in the ring. That shows a lot about who he was. He was by the books, everything had to be done the right way."

One day in 1983, A.J. accompanied his father to an Army-Navy surplus store in Miami. Arguello had decided to leave his mansion and yacht and wife and four children in South Florida and join the war against the Sandinistas in the hills of Nicaragua, after the Sandinista government seized his property and bank account. "He went into the store and bought fatigues and all these things he needed to be a soldier," Arguello Jr. says. "I didn't really think he was going to be on the front lines but he actually was. He shot some guns and he got shot at and he saw some people die. It was real war.

"He was only gone three weeks. I don't think my mom was going to let him stay too long."

In '92, Arguello regained some of the property that had been taken from him, and he returned to Nicaragua to start another of his many lives. "He was picking up the pieces," says his son. "That's when he battled his addictions. He had some bad times and dark days. It was something he had to go through because he didn't really know what to do with his life. I think that's where he came into experimenting with drugs and alcohol. The fighter that he is, he was able to fight back and pretty much reinvent himself. It's part of the cycle he goes through."

The final year of his life was as tumultuous as those that came before it. In the midst of his mayoral campaign last November, Arguello was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons. Since his death, the Nicaraguan media has speculated Arguello was felled by another bout of depression, but his son insists the real cause is far less mysterious. "My dad had a minor stroke, chest pains," he says.

Arguello won the mayoralty of the country's largest city with 51.3 percent of the vote, amidst allegations of voter fraud and illegal methods of intimidation employed by Sandinista supporters attempting to manipulate the election. It has since been reported that Arguello, in his short time as mayor, was accused of misappropriating 180 million cordobas (approximately $9 million) from public works projects and misusing municipal funds for personal travel.


"There were never reports of that before he passed," Arguello Jr. says. "To be honest, I think that's something they made up to help further the idea he committed suicide. I once told my dad his political career would end in two ways: You'll be president or you'll end up dead."

As a Los Angeles Times reporter writing from Nicaragua noted, the blighted, corrupt city of Managua is, "Cursed because recent mayors have had a tendency to drop dead, or drop into jail or, at best, drop off the political map." The city's new mayor was appointed July 2, barely 24 hours after Arguello died and one day before his funeral.

Arguello won 65 of his 90 bouts by knockout, took another 17 decisions and lost eight. There is a proven link between brain damage and depression, but Arguello Jr. doesn't believe the connection applies to his father. "Luckily he was in great shape. He never showed any signs of deterioration in his brain due to punches he accumulated and absorbed over the years. Nothing. No slurred speech, nothing," he says.

"He was finally wearing glasses but he was 57 years old. It's unbelievable the shape he was in but besides the cuts you'd see on his eyebrows and maybe his flat nose you could never tell he was a boxer. I don't know if he was lucky or if it's his defensive skills but he never took that much punishment, besides the Pryor fights."

******

On the night of Dec. 23, 1972, Alexis Arguello had a premonition. A.J. was a baby, about to go to sleep in his room of the family's small house in Managua. "Just by chance, he decided I should sleep with him and my mom instead," says the son. Just after midnight, a massive earthquake decimated the city, killing approximately 5,000, injuring 20,000 and leaving more than 250,000 homeless.

"My crib was crushed. My parents' room was the only one left standing," he says. "There must be a reason I survived that night."

"No," Alexis Arguello Jr. says again, "My father did not kill himself. He was just starting to become the father we all wanted." The son's eyes shine with clarity and resolve, as he prepares for the fight ahead.
Follow Us on Twitter Friend Us on Facebook

Son in Fight of Alexis Arguello's Life originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>alexis arguelloLisa OlsonMon, 31 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST Dazzled by Fame and Money, Women Face Harsh Realitieshttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/13/dazzled-by-fame-and-money-women-face-harsh-realities/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/13/dazzled-by-fame-and-money-women-face-harsh-realities/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/13/dazzled-by-fame-and-money-women-face-harsh-realities/#commentsFiled under:

At some point, both women must have figured happiness was tangled up in the bling, the fame and the muscles. When Sahel Kazemi looked at Steve McNair, she probably saw kindness and generosity, toughness and security. Were those the same qualities Amanda Rodrigues detected in Arturo Gatti?

The fine print in the lives of McNair and Gatti are eerily similar: McNair, an All-Pro quarterback, overcame injuries to his calf and ankle to earn NFL co-MVP honors in 2003, retired in 2007, was murdered at the age of 36. Gatti, a champion boxer, fought nearly one-handed for several rounds yet still won an epic match in 2003, retired in 2007, was murdered at the age of 37.

But more than that: McNair and Gatti, two millionaire athletes, were killed by their young female lovers, according to police reports. On the day McNair was buried in Hattiesburg, Miss., Gatti was found dead in a rented apartment in the posh seaside resort of Porto de Galinhas, Brazil. Police have "formally accused" Rodrigues, Gatti's 23-year-old wife, saying she strangled him with her purse strap while he slept in a drunken haze. Investigators have until July 22 to deliver their findings to the prosecutor's office, which can then charge Rodrigues. She denies any involvement in Gatti's death.

Perhaps these two cases are a rare convergence of athletic celebrities meeting untimely, horrific endings in the same month. Perhaps they may eventually lead to a broader discussion about domestic violence and the increasing rate of female perpetrators. Perhaps Kazemi and Rodrigues have nothing in common but good looks and the love of a sports star.

But I do know one thing. After reporting and writing about athletes for two decades, one of the saddest trends (if you can call it that) I've witnessed is the expanding parade of young girls who wrap their hopes and dreams around snagging a man. And not just any man. A man who can bat .300, catch a spiral in traffic, notch the winning goal, score the knockout, drive through the paint ... I'd continue, but the sports dialect is long, and for every play in every game, bout, event or match, there seems to be a female willing to compromise her self-worth.

From all accounts, Kazemi, the 20-year-old who killed McNair on July 4 and then committed suicide, wasn't the typical sports groupie. She wasn't born into the American dream, but once she discovered its allure, she dove in headfirst. In interviews with her friends and family across the last few days, I asked about her aspirations, her goals. She was still a teenager when she met McNair and, according to Kazemi's relatives, already she had lost both her parents (her mother was murdered when Sahel was 9, during a robbery), moved with relatives from Iran (fleeing religious persecution for their Baha'i faith) to Turkey to Florida, dropped out of high school and relocated at age 16 with a boyfriend to Nashville.

Call her descent madness, a slice of evil. But there must have been a time when Kazemi had dreams that went beyond hanging off the arm of a famous athlete. As a child did she hope to be a doctor, a teacher, a mother?Some say circumstances forced her to jump hurriedly from childhood into adulthood; others paint her as a naïve soul forever looking for someone to take care of her.

"She had to grow up fast," says Farzin Abdi, Kazemi's nephew. "She was always working two or three jobs at a time, when all the other teenagers were out having fun. But then she met Steve and it was like, finally maybe she can relax and let him handle everything. Then she was like a little girl again, always happy."

Kazemi, known as Jenny, didn't have much of a sports background, but from the moment she met McNair at Dave & Busters, a restaurant where she was a waitress, she understood he had wealth and fame. Phone numbers were exchanged, and soon Kazemi and McNair were whizzing around Nashville in his Bentley. He helped her move into a new apartment, gave her lavish gifts, took her on exotic vacations.

"Hawaii, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Key West, his farm in Mississippi," says Sepideh Salmani, counting off the locales her aunt visited with McNair. "She'd show us the pictures and tell us what a great time they had. She didn't mind when people recognized him because she didn't have anything to hide.

"She liked being with someone famous. She really wanted to be famous herself. She told us he was getting a divorce ... and when that happened, they'd get married."

No divorce papers were ever filed between McNair and Mechelle, his wife of 12 years; she reportedly did not know about the affair.

Kazemi called McNair "my daddy." Who was that hauling expensive furniture into her new pad? "My daddy," she'd say, proudly. Shortly before she turned 20 in May, McNair made the down payment on a 2007 Cadillac Escalade, which Kazemi described to friends as a "a birthday gift from my daddy." Kazemi was behind the wheel of that black Escalade July 2, when police stopped her for allegedly driving under the influence. In the arrest affidavit, Kazemi tells police "she was not drunk, she was high," while in a video, McNair is seen getting out of the passenger side. He hailed a cab and later posted Kazemi's bail.

A few hours later, on the same day she was jailed after being stopped on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, the barely-out-of-her-teens waitress who had no record bought a 9mm semiautomatic pistol from a man in the parking lot near the restaurant where she worked. She paid him $100.

On July 4, in a Nashville condo McNair rented, he was found shot, execution style, with his young girlfriend of eight months slumped dead nearby. Police say Kazemi shot him in the right temple, then twice in the chest, then another time in the left temple before positioning herself so she'd fall in his lap and shooting herself in the right temple. Five shell casings found beneath her body matched the weapon Kazemi purchased two days earlier. Investigators say Kazemi was distraught over money problems, and a growing suspicion she wasn't McNair's only mistress.

Call her descent madness, a slice of evil. But there must have been a time when Kazemi had dreams that went beyond hanging off the arm of a famous athlete. As a child did she hope to be a doctor, a teacher, a mother? Did she ever want to raise children of her own, maybe teach them that self-worth is brighter than the shadow of the man by their side? Her friends and family, distraught and confused, don't really seem to know; all she talked about was McNair, and the future they supposedly planned together.

This is in no way excusing McNair for the destruction he left behind. He made choices that will forever haunt his wife and four boys. But if this tragedy is meant to serve as a reminder to athletes (and musicians, actors, and anybody with fat wallets and fleeting fame) of the risks that infidelity might bring, shouldn't we also draw young girls into the conversation?

If there are male athletes who treat women as chattel, there are equal amounts of women who act as willing participants. The dance can be traced to Maximus' bedsheets, but the hop from dreamer to predator seems swifter than ever. Too many young girls consider bedding a top athlete a noble achievement.

"It also seems to be related, in some cases, to socioeconomics -- girls from privileged cultures or backgrounds aren't looking to secure themselves with other athletes' money -- they have had the resources provided them to be (or at least dream of being) athletes themselves and to make their own fortunes," Carrie Donahue, a clinical social worker who specializes in adolescent and early adult development and has a private therapy practice in Rye, N.Y., writes in an e-mail.

"When we are talking about young women with far fewer financial resources, their dreams/realities are just so much more limited on a societal level, and so they are grabbing on to the coattails of whomever they can find to lift them out of poverty, depression, complex family dynamics, etc. Of course, there are many athletes in relationships based on mutual respect and a deep sense of connection with their partners, but we can't ignore the realities of a culture that rewards (mostly male) athletes with large amounts of wealth, fame and prestige and at the same time still misses the mark in terms of nurturing young women in the way that we should."

In the days to come, the marriage between Gatti and Rodrigues will be dissected as closely as McNair and Kazemi's affair. Rodrigues was a former exotic dancer from an impoverished background, and the mother of their 1-year-old son. Depending on who is talking, Gatti and Rodrigues either met when she was working the pole at a New Jersey strip club, or when she was studying international relations at a New Jersey college.

Carl Moretti, a promoter of many of Gatti's fights, tells reporters the former junior-welterweight champ spent too much time in strip clubs, picking up the wrong women. Flavia Rodrigues, Amanda's sister, tells reporters her sibling is very religious, incapable of killing anyone. Amanda found her husband already dead, says Flavia, and thought maybe Gatti had committed suicide.

Gatti and Rodrigues seemingly had a passionate, volatile connection. "Among friends who knew him, no one felt that this was a good relationship," Moretti is quoted as saying. "The relationship was not based on love. It could get violent at times." He tells the story, heard second-hand, of Rodrigues throwing a lamp at Gatti on a recent trip to Montreal. The couple reportedly fought in a bar Friday night; Rodrigues told police a drunken Gatti hit her and pushed her to the floor. In pictures of her arrest, she has a bruise on her chin.

"Sure, they had fights," Flavia says. "But he was crazy about her."

"They were always fighting," Moretti says. "It never stopped. But clearly, you didn't think that it would lead to this."

How could this whisper of a woman strangle such a buff, tough boxer? With her purse strap, no less? The mysteries surrounding Gatti's death are curious and complex. We thought the same about McNair's murder, and then it was revealed he was killed by a deeply troubled young woman -- a young woman whose self-worth apparently was caught in the reflection of the rich and well-known athlete everyone seemed to adore.

Kazemi, aka Jenny, was laid to rest last Friday in Jacksonville, Fla., with some 30 friends and family in attendance. In death, she is famous. In her short life, she either wasn't taught or didn't know how to dream really big.

Dazzled by Fame and Money, Women Face Harsh Realities originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Amanda RodriguesArturo GattiSahel KazemiSteve McNairLisa OlsonMon, 13 Jul 2009 23:05:00 EST Plaxico Burress Case a Window Into World of Privilege, Influencehttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/02/special-treatment-sources-confirm-division-over-plaxico-burress/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/02/special-treatment-sources-confirm-division-over-plaxico-burress/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/07/02/special-treatment-sources-confirm-division-over-plaxico-burress/#commentsFiled under: ,

NEW YORK - Sycophants have Plaxico Burress' back, no matter where he turns. It's as if he has transported a gang of 300-pound offensive linemen, stuffed them in power suits, swapped their playbooks for legal briefs and mesmerized them with his shiny Super Bowl ring.

That some of these wannabe teammates draw paychecks from the Manhattan District Attorney's office is hardly surprising. Burress was, after all, on the receiving end of one of the greatest touchdowns in New York Giants' history. His fans are omnipotent, to the point where there have been serious internal disagreements within the DA's office over how to handle the criminal charges pending against the wide receiver, prompting NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to explore punishing Burress even while the case against him meanders along.

According to several sources close to the District Attorney, a few heavy hitters have lobbied hard on behalf of Burress, insisting he deserved special treatment because of his superstar athletic status. His crime -- accidentally shooting himself in the leg with an unlicensed gun, in a crowded New York nightclub - was luckily relatively harmless, they argued. And as ludicrous as that sounds, their voices were strong enough to slow the proceedings to a pace where it looked like Burress might actually play football this season, before he did any meaningful time before a jury.

Thankfully, common sense and public outrage have prevailed. More than seven months after a bullet from the illegal handgun Burress stashed in the waist of his sweatpants ripped a hole into his thigh, nearly hitting bystanders, a grand jury is finally being seated. Why it took this long is a mystery to many who do business in or around City Hall.

Leslie Crocker Snyder, who is running for Manhattan DA, calls the slow-motion offense, "just bizarre." Richard Aborn, on leave from his position as president of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City and another candidate for the DA's office, said, "This shouldn't be a complicated case. There is no reason for it to move so slowly. There should not be one standard for the rich and famous and another standard for everyone else."

Robert M. Morgenthau, the longtime DA who is retiring in January, did not return telephone calls for comment. But in a letter to the New York Post, he wrote, "Should the grand jury return an indictment in July, the defendant will immediately be arraigned and the case will then take its normal course." This was in response to columnist Andrea Peyser, who wrote: "One faction inside DA Robert Morgenthau's lair wants to give Plax a break ... A conflicting faction wants Plaxico, who faces felony gun-possession charges, 'to be treated like everybody else,' said one source."

Who needs television scriptwriters when the scenes rip so easily from the headlines? Yes, big-city politics can be as nefarious and dirty as any generated by Small Town, USA. The characters with starring roles in Burress' case are colorful, captivating and very powerful. They eat lunch at Michael's in midtown with Manhattan's legal elite, drink martinis at Elaine's amongst media shakers. There is Burress' lawyer Benjamin Brafman, a loquacious charmer who has defended big-time mobsters and baby-faced killers. There is Drew Rosenhaus, the twittering agent who has convinced a few teams that his client "will be able to play unobstructed" this season, presumably because of the delays orchestrated by Burress' legal team.

On the edge of this tangled mess stands Goodell, the commissioner who is becoming a considerable player on the New York social scene. I am told he, too, is bewildered over the case's sluggish proceedings through the court system, and alarmed at reports of a war within the DA's office concerning how Burress should be handled. Burress has refused plea bargains that would mandate jail time, which is certainly his right, but the longer it took for a grand jury to be impaneled, the more it appeared as if the TV show Law and Order had invaded real life.

Goodell has thus started contemplating suspending Burress indefinitely through the league's Personal Conduct Policy, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Burress' next court date isn't until Sept. 23 (a formality unrelated to any grand jury indictment), and though it would be unusual for the commissioner to take action before the closure of legal proceedings, the NFL isn't hesitant to throw around its weight.

Yes, the league can play judge and jury with regard to its employees, just like most any other corporation. If Burress worked for Wal-Mart (or AOL, or the corner bodega) and he was charged with a Class C felony that carries a sentence ranging from 3 1/2 to 15 years in prison, his employer probably wouldn't keep his cubicle vacant. (The Giants did suspend Plaxico for four games following his gun mishap, before releasing him.) The DA's office probably wouldn't be bickering over whether bad judgment should equal jail time and the possible eradication of one's career, either.

"The discussions here have been wild," said a person close to the Manhattan DA's office. "Some people [in the DA's office] believe Plaxico should get a break. They argue he didn't hurt anyone but himself. They are football fans, but then there are other football fans that are tired of athletes getting special treatment. It's like conversations you'd have at the local bar. Like I said, it's been wild."

In another life, Goodell must have made a fine prosecutor. His tenure at the top of the NFL food chain has been highlighted by his get-tough stance with miscreants and law abusers. Goodell recently ordered the indefinite suspension of Cleveland receiver Donte' Stallworth following Stallworth's guilty plea to DUI manslaughter in the accidental death of a Miami man in March."Some people [in the DA's office] believe Plaxico should get a break. They argue he didn't hurt anyone but himself."
-- Source

Again, and Michael Vick surely knows this by now, the right to be employed is never mentioned in the United States Constitution. Our founding fathers must not have been football fans.

So, say the grand jury indicts Burress for felony gun possession, Burress continues to eschew any plea agreement and a trial date is set for some time next year. Brafman and Rosenhaus still insist the timing means their client will be able to play for whichever team dares to sign him. After sniffing around the possibility, the Jets have soured on bringing aboard Burress and all his baggage. Rosenhaus claims "several teams" are nonetheless interested, but the more Burress' agent and his lawyer play to the cameras, the more you wonder if their hubris might be hurting their client.

Goodell is backed by the NFL's collectively bargained playbook. Though it states under the Personal Conduct Policy "a first offense will generally not result in discipline until there has been a disposition of the proceeding," the exception to this provision is if the offense results in "bodily injury." The language does not specify if "bodily injury" includes self-infliction via mishandling an illegal firearm in a crowded nightclub.

This is where the lawyers will probably step in, again. Ripped from the headlines indeed.

Plaxico Burress Case a Window Into World of Privilege, Influence originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>plaxico burressRoger GoodellLisa OlsonThu, 02 Jul 2009 21:15:00 EST Brandon Jennings' Long Strange Triphttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brandon-jennings-long-strange-trip/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brandon-jennings-long-strange-trip/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/brandon-jennings-long-strange-trip/#commentsFiled under: ,

NEW YORK -- The numbers lie. They belittle his game, put question marks next to his future. They are scrawny numbers, single digits that can't begin to explain the trials and tribulations that rode shotgun in Brandon Jennings' season abroad.

Some blips were minor, the kind every expatriate learns to abide. The rich food, the exotic chants shouted in the gym with an adjoining trailer concession stand. The lack of dryers. Jennings still laughs at how the Italians, such a civilized society, live blissfully without machines that hasten one's ability to wear fresh undershirts every day. And don't even get him started on the crazy drivers who turn the streets of Rome into death traps.

"Oh, everything was different," says Jennings, in a quiet moment after the horde of cameras and notebooks have departed. The afternoon went by in a whirl, beginning with a TV crew trailing him from his midtown hotel to Wednesday's NBA media meet-and-greets, where Jennings was peppered with questions about his season playing pro ball in Italy, his harsh (and now retracted) comments concerning Spanish guard Ricky Rubio, and the one subject that turns Jennings' perpetual smile into a sneer:
Also See: Final 2009 NBA Mock Draft
Talking With Blake Griffin | NBA Draft Coverage

His plummeting draft stock.

There was a time when the 19-year-old Jennings was considered the No. 2 point guard prospect in Thursday's NBA Draft, trailing only Rubio. While Jennings has backed away from his claim that Rubio is overrated, he still insists he's the best available point guard in the 2009 class, a debatable assertion. People who study these things for a living say he is certainly a top three talent, but then they add words like "mystery" and "enigma" and "bad attitude" to his dossier, and nobody knows quite where Jennings will land. The Sacramento Kings, with the fourth pick, were once considered his likely home, but then Jennings skipped a couple of pre-draft camps, and once again people wondered what was going on his head. More than a few scouts and draftniks have Jennings projected to be selected anywhere from No. 7 on down.

"It's not the first time my choices have been questioned," says Jennings. "Everything I've decided to do in my life for the last year has been done with the idea that I'll be playing in the NBA. And now here I am. Now I'm almost there."

A year ago today, Jennings was the best high school point guard in the country, a sure-bet to crack the top five in this year's draft after polishing his skills in the requisite year of college. A 6-foot-2 playmaker at Compton Dominguez High and then Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, Jennings committed to play at the University of Arizona but failed to meet academic standards. He thought about going the JUCO route, to satisfy the NBA's three-year-old rule that requires high school seniors wait a year before entering the draft. Then he heard Sonny Vaccaro's grand idea about prep stars spending the 12-month waiting period overseas, playing against professionals, for big bucks, and soon Jennings was reading Lonely Planet travel books and worrying about the value of the American dollar.

Jennings became the first American to skip college and play professionally in Europe since the NBA's age restriction rule was implemented. He signed with Lottomatica Roma, a top professional team, for $1.2 million, plus a $2 million endorsement deal with Under Armour. Surely a season spent banging against seasoned veterans would increase his own value back home. He'd have a few laughs, learn a new language, showcase his phenomenal speed and court savvy. His mother and brother joined him on the adventure, in case he yearned for a bit of SoCal savvy.

When Jennings left our shores for Europe he was a vibrant player known for creating shots out of nothing. As a senior, he averaged a dominating 32 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and almost 4 steals a game. In Italy, his practice time far exceeded his playing time. European style revolves around the entire team getting involved, rather than exploiting individual skills. Jennings felt as if he were playing in a different universe, an alien floating on the periphery of the game he once dominated. He was ordered to play defense, to take shots only if he was open. He was one of three Yanks on a roster that included five Italians, two Slovenians, a Spaniard and a Bulgarian. Some games, he was on the court for just a few minutes, an anonymous role player. He claimed the team treated him "like a little kid," and couldn't understand why the coach insisted on getting every player into the game. What was this, the YMCA?

Two-a-day practices drove him crazy. He yearned for the creative freedom on the courts back home, the respect he demanded and earned from men twice his age. He missed the food, his friends, the sane drivers in LA. Around Christmas, he seriously considered quitting. "It took such a toll on me mentally," he says. "I didn't like how I was being used. I thought I should be playing more. It just all kind of built up and got to me.

"But then I thought about how that would look, if I quit. I'm not a quitter. I wanted to prove everyone wrong."

More self-doubt came in March, when Jennings watched his peers back in the states playing in the NCAA Tournament. Their joy was transparent clear across the Atlantic. He questioned his choices, wondered if any NBA teams would even remember him. "It was tough," he says. "But I made a decision and I stuck with it. I like to think I matured as a man and as a player."

He played in 27 of 30 games for Lottomatica Roma, which went 20-10 and reached the Italian League semifinals. The ostensibly best point guard American high schools had to offer averaged 5.1 points and 2.1 assists.

There are those darn numbers, mocking him, possibly reducing his value in the draft. He went to Europe to polish his skills, to bide time until the moment he fantasized about finally materialized. He's imagined for years what it will feel like standing in the Madison Square Garden green room, as some team calls out his name and selects him in what he presumes should be the top five.

Will his dream prove true? Was his year living dangerously as an expat worth it? Jennings doesn't immediately answer, but then he nods his head and says, "It didn't break me, man. So yeah, no regrets."

2009 NBA Draft

    NEW YORK - JUNE 24: Jordan Hill, NBA Draft Prospect poses for a portrait during media availability for the 2009 NBA Draft at The Westin Hotel in Times Square on June 24, 2009 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jordan Hill

    NBAE/Getty Images

    Kolby Smith (L) and Blake Griffin attend the 2009 NBA Pre-Draft party at the New Era flagship store on June 23, 2009 in New York City. New Era 2009 NBA Pre-Draft Party New Era Flagship Store New York, NY United States June 23, 2009 Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com To license this image (57765103), contact WireImage.com

    Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com

    Blake Griffin (L) and Tyler Hansbrough attend the 2009 NBA Pre-Draft party at the New Era flagship store on June 23, 2009 in New York City. New Era 2009 NBA Pre-Draft Party New Era Flagship Store New York, NY United States June 23, 2009 Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com To license this image (57765099), contact WireImage.com

    Johnny Nunez/WireImage.com

    Likely first round draft pick Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma is interviewed at the NBA store, where Panini America announced five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    (L-R)Jordan Hill from the University of Arizona, Tyler Hansbrough of the University of North Carolina, Brandon Jennings from Lottomatica Virtus Roma, Italy, Hasheem Thabeet from the University of Connecticut and Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma pose for photographers at the NBA store, where Panini America announced five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    (L-R) Jordan Hill from the University of Arizona, Tyler Hansbrough of the University of North Carolina, Brandon Jennings from Lottomatica Virtus Roma, Italy, Hasheem Thabeet from the University of Connecticut and Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma pose for photographers at the NBA store, where Panini America announced five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    Tyler Hansbrough of the University of North Carolina poses for photographers at the NBA store where Panini America announced the five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma tosses a ball while Tyler Hansbrough of the University of North Carolina (L) watches at the NBA store, where Panini America announced five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    Blake Griffin from the University of Oklahoma stands at the NBA store, where Panini America announced five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

    Jordan Hill from the University of Arizona poses for photographers at the NBA store where Panini America announced the five draft prospects who signed an exclusive trading card agreement, in New York, June 24, 2009. The NBA draft will be held Thursday at Madison Square Garden, with the Los Angles Clippers picking first, Memphis Grizzlies picking second and Oklahoma City Thunder picking third. REUTERS/Chip East (UNITED STATES SPORT BASKETBALL)

    Reuters

Brandon Jennings' Long Strange Trip originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Brandon JenningsLisa OlsonThu, 25 Jun 2009 00:15:00 EST Hopes, Dreams Riding on Mine That Birdhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/hopes-dreams-riding-on-mine-that-bird/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/hopes-dreams-riding-on-mine-that-bird/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/05/hopes-dreams-riding-on-mine-that-bird/#commentsFiled under:


NEW YORK -- Chip Woolley sometimes looks like he wants to dart out of a room as fast as he can. He fidgets with his welterweight-sized belt buckle, adjusts his 10-gallon black hat, scuffs his cowboy boats on the marble floor and nervously smoothes the mustache that frames his mouth like parentheses. Put the cowboy on the track, training horses and bucking giant odds, and Woolley's as calm as a yogi.

But standing here in front of these slick, fast-talking traders at the New York Stock Exchange? Woolley hunches his 6-foot-something frame deep into his crutches until he's practically hiding behind jockey Calvin Borel, who's about to ring the morning bell. Borel is all gap-toothed charm and cockiness, not backing away from his guarantee that Mine That Bird will win Saturday's Belmont and create all kinds of history. The traders cheer him as if he's responsible for a huge stock market rise.

Woolley, the gelding's trainer, might look like he's stepped out of a John Wayne movie, and the script he's co-starring in is nearly Hollywood-perfect, but something about his body language suggests he can't wait to escape all this East Coast fuss and blather. He'd much rather be back home in Bloomfield, a tiny blot in the northwest corner of New Mexico, rather than being treated like racing royalty.

"It's OK, but I don't really belong here," Woolley says before leaving downtown Manhattan and heading for Belmont, the race track on the edge of Long Island that in a couple of days will be swarming with close to 100,000 folks who want to see if Woolley and Borel can team up for a feat that's never been done before.

If Mine That Bird wins the one-mile-and-a-half race -- and he's a 2-1 favorite to do just that -- Borel will be the first jockey to capture the Triple Crown on two different horses. He guided Mine That Bird in a spectacular run along the rail the first Saturday in May, going from last to first to win the Derby by six lengths and bringing mindless delirium to betters who had the 50-1 longshot. Honoring a previous commitment, Borel jumped horses and rode the filly Rachel Alexandra to victory two weeks later in the Preakness, with the hard-charging Mine That Bird coming in second.

Now Borel is back on Mine That Bird, and with Rachel Alexandra off getting her mane done or whatever it is fillies do when they aren't beating the boys (yeah, yeah, we know, girls almost never beat the boys, and not running Rachel is the wise, healthy option), Borel is channeling Patrick Ewing.

"No, sir," Borel says at a press conference when someone asks if he cares to temper his guarantee. "I'm going to ride him with so much confidence. I think that's why I win races, because I ride horses with confidence. And this is going good right now."

"And believe me, he's the greatest -- he's as great as her," adds Borel, refusing to play the game of who's better, the gelding who won the Derby or the filly who took the Preakness. "I want to win the race for Chip and the owners because I owe it to them for giving me the opportunity to ride this colt and make my dream true. Winning the Triple Crown, might not be on the same horse, but it's very good to me and my career. And it's another milestone. And I'm very, very high on the horse because I love him. He's bred to go all day long."

Bennie (Chip) Woolley, 45, is hardly an accidental tourist newly sprung on the sport, despite his hardscrabble background and middling pre-2009 record. He comes from a long line of Southwest horsemen, and for awhile he rode bareback on the rodeo circuit. But a bad spill off a bucking bronco when he was 19 tore up his shoulder, causing Woolley to gravitate to the racetrack. He spent years on the bush tracks, training quarter horses before moving to thoroughbreds in 1991, and until 2007 he won only nine of 183 races.

Woolley had victories in eight career stakes before the Derby; some trainers win that many stakes in a year. Then along came Mine That Bird, a little gelding out of Canada whose father, Birdstone, won the Belmont in 2004, denying Smarty Jones a Triple Crown. Mark Allen, now the horse's co-owner, asked Woolley to go up north and take a look. (Woolley had once come to Allen's aid in a bar fight, another script page from Woolley's colorful past). Know how dogs tend to look like their owners? Here was a horse that resembled Woolley, crooked and awkward, but it took some time for the trainer to fall.

"His legs went left and right was the first thing I noticed and he kind of turned me off, to be honest," says Woolley, who still has a few more weeks before he can shed the crutches he must use after his right leg was broken in a motorcycle accident."When I first went and looked at him, he's kind of a pretty colt. When they let him out and I looked at his legs, I kind of stepped back and eased away from him and called Mark and said, 'Man, this horse
is kind of crooked. I don't know. That's a lot of money.'

"But I stayed and watched him train and when you watch him train and get over the racetrack, it kind of changed, all you're looking at is him. He just moves so, so well. And we decided to take the gamble."

It has led to a whirl of social changes, of mixing amongst sheikhs and oil barons with million dollar pinky rings and tricked-out limos. Sheikh Mohammad, ruler of UAE, sends horses around the world in fancy jets. To get Mine That Bird from New Mexico to Churchill Downs, Woolley hitched a van behind his Ford truck and drove nearly 1,500 miles. After winning the Derby, he hauled the horse from Louisville to Baltimore, with a police escort
joining them for the last few miles.

"Cops are usually the ones chasing me, so that was kind of nice," Woolley jokes.

In their parallel worlds, the trainer and the horse are quite alike. Mine That Bird starts slow and comes home fast, the perfect closer with a lightning turn of the foot. He has an easy gait that makes it look as if he's floating above the ground, as calm as can be. He's also never run more than a mile-and-a-quarter, leading some railbirds to think if the pace isn't honest, the favorite out of the No. 7 post might be compromised.

"With this horse we kept him exactly the way we trained him in, the Derby to the Preakness," Woolley says. "You're not going to get him any fitter than he is already. His main thing, we're big on long, long open gallops and that gives him that cruising speed.

"And the main thing we waited up was a little bit of finishing to help him finish, because this extra quarter of mile test's there. Don't think it won't. The main thing we worked on between the Preakness and here is that finishing down the lane."

A mile-and-a-half is all that stands between the gregarious jockey and history, between Woolley adjusting his black hat and hobbling on his crutches into the winner's circle again.

Hopes, Dreams Riding on Mine That Bird originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>belmontChip WoolleyChipWoolleyderbymine that birdMineThatBirdpreaknessrachel alexandraRachelAlexandraLisa OlsonFri, 05 Jun 2009 00:15:00 EST NY Politician to MMA: Not in My Statehttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/ny-politician-to-mma-not-in-my-state/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/ny-politician-to-mma-not-in-my-state/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/06/01/ny-politician-to-mma-not-in-my-state/#commentsFiled under:

NEW YORK -- Bob Reilly remembers the kid's body being put in a coffin, and the coffin getting hoisted into a beat-up van, and the van driving 150 miles on a dirt road until it reached the family's mud hut in an East Africa village. It was ages ago, in the 1970s, and the kid's name was John.

"He dropped dead running a 10,000-meter race," Reilly says now. "These tragedies happen in every sport. You can go out jogging and drop dead of a heart attack. But the purpose of sports is not to inflict injury. We can't ever forget that or what do we become? We become barbaric."

From a high school track coach in Uganda to New York State Assemblyman, Reilly's passion about sports and the role they play in society is unwavering. Depending who you talk to, he's either the voice of common sense and civility or a whimpering loser and coward who has his panties in a knotted bunch.

This Wednesday, Reilly, a Democrat representing Albany and Saratoga counties, will be the lead voice arguing against a bill that would regulate the sport of mixed martial arts in New York. Bill 2009-B needs 11 votes out of 21 members to make it out of the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports; if it passes, the bill then winds through two more committees before reaching the Assembly floor for a general vote. If Reilly has his way, MMA will remain banned in NY, no different than dog fighting or dialing-while-driving.

It's the government's job to protect the people -- that's why there are yellow lines down the road, and use-by-dates on milk cartons -- and Reilly is adamant MMA fosters "a culture of violence that is harmful to society." In an interview with FanHouse, Reilly repeated the questions he posed to his fellow committee members last June, when a bill to legalize combative sports such as MMA was rejected by the assembly. "Should we endorse cockfighting?" he asks. "Should we allow humans in a cage to knee, kick and punch each other for entertainment?"

Answers to these emotionally charged questions are varied and complex. Assemblyman Steven Englebright, the bill's chief sponsor, says it behooves the tourism committee to explore all aspects of the new sport, especially if it leads to revenue opportunities for a state wobbling under the weight of a recession. (New York's share of the gate has increased from 3 percent to 10 percent off last year's proposed bill.) Lawrence Epstein, Ultimate Fighting Championship's general counsel, notes that 37 states have passed rules regulating MMA, and the media capital of the world is the sport's logical, inevitable destination. Lobbyists point to a study that suggests fights located in Manhattan or Buffalo would bring New York millions of dollars.

High-profile fighters such as Matt Serra, the former UFC welterweight champion, say competing in a cage is a personal choice, with fighters assuming all risks. Even family and friends of Zack Kirk, the MMA fighter who recently suffered a broken neck and paralysis after crashing head-first into a mat during a takedown attempt, say it was a freak accident and the sport is not to blame.

Reilly, a high school teacher for a decade and a track coach for 26 years, understands he's up against powerful figures, in every sense of the word. But he insists New Yorkers have his back, citing a poll he commissioned amongst members of his district in which 67 percent of New York residents said they opposed legalizing MMA while 18 percent of the 468 participants said they favored bringing it to the state.

"There is overwhelming, widespread opposition to [MMA]," Reilly says. "Many of my constituents come up to say, 'You're doing the right thing. How can we have this?' It's a violent sport that is harmful and damaging. Violence begets violence. It helps create a culture in our society of domestic violence, of bullying, of violence against gays, of illegal gun use. It's the job of state legislatures to pass laws against that sort of stuff, and then we put something like ultimate fighting as our form of entertainment?"

He spins anecdotes like a basketball coach calling out plays, all fervor and gung-ho commitment. He tells the sad story of a man in his district who killed his wife, then committed suicide, another tale of violence begetting violence, though he offers no direct link to MMA. He says in Albany's city schools and on its streets, "the fights among young people, half the time it's girls, which I find a little more disturbing. That might sound sexist, excuse me. But it's no different than ultimate fighting, when I see one woman grab another woman by the head and knee her in the stomach."

"I find that even more offensive than man doing that to man. I don't think we should show that to kids," Reilly says. "We don't want that in our schools. We legislate bullying and domestic violence all the time, but how can kids tell the difference when they're seeing it on TV, as a legitimate sport?"

"Economically, this is very bad for our state. We're constantly turning to gambling to fund our state," he adds. "I dispute what the UFC people say about why we should have this, that it would be a money maker. I think it will cost us more economically than it would help us."

Reilly's outspokenness has led to death threats, worrisome enough that the state police have stepped in. He won't go into detail, saying such hazards come with the business of being an elected official. "I have come across fighters who have been very respectful," Reilly says. "There are those who want to demonstrate their skills in the sport and there are fans who are basically over the top."

He has an athlete's heart, a runner's discipline. A man who coached cross country at Siena College for 17 years and is a member of the college's Hall of Fame is not a man who hates sports or fears competition. He sees a clear divide between mixed martial arts and full-contact sports such as boxing, football and wrestling. (As a boxing fan, he wishes it were forced to operate under amateur rules.) His only gripe is with the MMA, the sport "where damaging your opponent is one of the main goals."

"Are there any rule changes that would make it acceptable? Yes, there are, but from what I've read they're far away. Four or five years from now can we start moving this in a different direction ... and offer an alternative to sheer violence? I say yes."

Headgear and a scoring system that doesn't result in fighters getting whipped into a bloody pulp would be a start, Reilly says. And yes, to hardcore fans, he knows such rules make him a wimp. Still, he shows no signs of retreating against deep-pocketed lobbyists and Las Vegas-based tough guys such as Dana White, president of the UFC.

"Dana White is a ruthless person. I don't think that's the type of person we should do business with," Reilly says. "People still say that about Don King, with good reason. These types are very effective promoters. Don King left in his wake Mike Tyson and people like that, people cast aside."

Brave voice or out-of-touch sissy? To sideline observers, one thing is sure: Reilly is one politician not afraid to rattle the cage.

NY Politician to MMA: Not in My State originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>Lisa OlsonMon, 01 Jun 2009 23:55:00 EST Yankees, Phillies Deliver October Feelhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/24/yankees-phillies-deliver-october-feel/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/24/yankees-phillies-deliver-october-feel/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/24/yankees-phillies-deliver-october-feel/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jimmy RollinsNEW YORK - Jimmy Rollins swears he isn't obsessed with teams from New York. He doesn't spend late nights worrying about whether the Mets might finally shake the choke collars from around their necks, doesn't wake up thinking the Yankees just might be built for October.

So why does it seem Rollins is forever talking about the Mets and the Yankees? Two seasons ago he made a remark that proved to be pretty prophetic, saying his Philadelphia Phillies were the team to beat in the NL East, and Mets fans reacted as if Rollins personally removed the frontal lobe from Jose Reyes' brain. Now from Rollins' crystal ball comes this enticing prediction: the Phillies will play the Yankees in the World Series this October.

Rollins didn't elaborate on his forecast Sunday, after the Phillies beat the Yankees, 4-3, on Carlos Ruiz's two-out, run-scoring double in the 11th inning. It had been a rollicking weekend filled with dramatic comebacks and sky-rocket home runs and blown saves and pies in the face, and if Rollins wasn't exactly handing out "save the date" cards as he left Yankee Stadium, he sure sounded like a man who planned to return at summer's end.

"How great would that be? A World Series here, us against the Yankees?" Rollins said with a grin. "We've proved we can put on a pretty good show."

The Phillies took two out of three games from the Yankees, but such basic numbers can hardly define this interleague series. Along the way a few truths were revealed. Away from home the reigning world champions are lunch-pail tough, finishing their 10-day, three-city road trip with an 8-2 mark for a league-best 16-6 on the road. They were just a dead-red hit away from sweeping the Yankees, and their starting rotation might not be as brutal as everyone thinks. But the Brad Lidge problem is a legitimate worry. He had two save opportunities in two days, blew them both, couldn't stop the Yankees from stealing behind him and looks nothing like the closer who last season was only perfect.

Over on the home team's side, the weekend confirmed the Yankees have indeed had the sticks surgically removed, allowing them to rediscover some of the feel-good karma that used to bounce off the walls of the old Stadium. This is a team with chemistry and a will to fight, two traits that defined the champion Yankee teams of the 1990s and mesh well with a payroll stretching past $200 million.

"We have a belief we can win games late, even if we've been down all day," said Johnny Damon.

The Yankees had four walk-off wins during a homestand in which they went 8-2, and though Sunday ended without anyone being pelted with a pie in the face during a giddy post-game interview, the Yankees departed for Texas feeling, as Damon said, "like Little Leaguers playing in the state tournament."

Melky CabreraClubhouse attendants rushed to ready the crème pies in the bottom of the ninth when Lidge started to crumble. One day earlier Lidge gave up a ninth-inning homer to Alex Rodriguez that tied the game, then lost it when Melky Cabrera smashed a single for the 5-4 Yankee win. Now it was Robinson Cano leading off the ninth with a single to center, and pinch-runner Ramiro Pena stealing second, and Cabrera, the walk-off king, slapping a single that danced under the glove of a diving Rollins, and Pena racing around to tie the game, and Cabrera stealing a base, and all those Phillie fans who had invaded Yankee Stadium suddenly felt their throats clutch.

Lidge recovered, getting Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner on groundouts, but you could already hear the rumble down the turnpike. What's wrong with Lidge? How long will manager Charlie Manuel continue to have faith in a closer who turns most every inning he pitches into a power walk on a tightrope?

The questions lingered well after the Phillies worked a little comeback magic of their own, starting when Yankee reliever Brett Tomko walked Chase Utley with two outs in the top of the 11th. That mistake proved pivotal when, after Utley stole second, Ruiz smashed a 3-2 slider that skimmed the third-base line and scooted into the corner, scoring Utley and igniting fires under the large pockets of red-shirted fans.

The Yankees have built a moat that divides the $2,500 seats from the poor folks who pay $400 or less to watch a game. There were no barriers between the invading Philly fans and the home team supporters, always a hospitable bunch. (The amount of fights in the stands matched the intensity of boos directed at Lidge.) When the bottom of the 11th ended with a whoosh, with reliever Clay Condrey retiring three straight for the win, it sounded as if Citizens Bank Park had been dropped in the Bronx.

Brad LidgeLidge is probably lucky he didn't cross paths with any of the thousands of Philly faithful as they left the Stadium. It was his fourth blown save in 12 opportunities this season, his third on the 10-game road trip, his second against the Yankees, but Lidge insists there is no linear issue binding them together.

"Man, today was totally different than yesterday. I felt great," Lidge said. "I was throwing the ball where I wanted to. They got two ground balls that weren't necessarily hit that well, and a stolen base in there and that was a recipe for a run. The things I was in control of today I feel real good about. I'm disappointed with the result and I know that I've got to start -- no matter what it is -- I've got to start getting them down."

Manuel said his confidence in Lidge hadn't wavered. He liked his closer's fastball and slider, said Lidge still has plenty of talent. "You know what he needs? Just to get 'em out one more time. That's what he needs. He's fine," Manuel said.

Regarding his shortstop's prediction of a Phillies-Yankees World Series, Manuel was only slightly more guarded.

"You know Jimmy, he's pretty confident," Manuel said. "And he's not often wrong."

Yankees, Phillies Deliver October Feel originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sun, 24 May 2009 22:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>brad lidgeBradLidgecharlie manuelCharlieManueljimmy rollinsJimmyRollinsjohnny damonJohnnyDamonLisa OlsonSun, 24 May 2009 22:41:00 EST MLB Targets Agents in Steroid Probehttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/11/mlb-targeting-agents-in-doping-scandal/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/11/mlb-targeting-agents-in-doping-scandal/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/05/11/mlb-targeting-agents-in-doping-scandal/#commentsFiled under: ,

Manny RamirezMajor League Baseball is in the early stages of investigating player agents who may be connected to the sport's steroid scandal.

"It's a whole new territory we're looking into," a person with direct knowledge of the investigation told FanHouse. "Our information has led us to believe there are some [agents] worth going after."

The 50-game suspension of Manny Ramirez last week proves MLB's intention to rid the game of performance-enhancing drugs is expansive in its scope and aggressive in its tactics.

Now that nearly 30 players have been suspended for using PEDs since the penalty phase of testing began in 2004, the natural progression, say people familiar with baseball's Department of Investigations, is to target the suppliers, as well as users.

"We don't comment on our investigations," said league spokesman Pat Courtney.

The department, created in the wake of baseball's Mitchell Report, is made up of former police officers and FBI agents, some of whom have extensive experience in investigating the illegal drug trade. While MLB does not have the authority to directly punish or ban any player agent who is discovered to be trafficking in steroids or other banned substances, state and federal courts have upheld the authority of players' associations to regulate agents.

In other words, no matter what baseball investigators discover, it will be up to the union to punish rogue agents, and law enforcement agencies to prosecute them. Could there be the equivalent of a drug lord or cartel procuring and providing illegal PEDs to players so they might fatten their contracts and extend their careers, with the money trickling up to agents?

"Nothing would surprise us," said the source, who requested anonymity because of the nature of the investigations. "There are some very principled agents. There are some agents who don't have principles. Do I believe there are some agents who facilitate getting players PEDs? Absolutely."

Ramirez, the Dodger slugger, was not snared by a failed drug test. Rather, baseball investigators followed a trail of documentary evidence, including medical files, to prove he was using HCG, a fertility drug for women that men sometimes use to produce testosterone after they have cycled off steroids. Last spring, Jordan Schafer, a minor-league player in the Atlanta Braves system, was suspended 50 games for suspected use of human growth hormone.

Baseball investigators snared Schafer, now the Braves' center fielder, not because he didn't pass a drug test (baseball doesn't test for HGH), but because of the company he kept.

Neither Ramirez nor Schafer appealed their suspensions, though Schafer denies he ever used HGH. Both cases illustrate the creative, proactive means baseball is using to finally tackle the drug problem. Schafer, in fact, was caught because someone tattled on him via baseball's anonymous telephone hotline.

Agents are the logical next step. Investigators are listening to specific complaints against player representatives.

"Every agent has a disgruntled client," said the source. "You could get one agent trying to rat out another agent. There are agents who have signed hundreds of players who never made it or who washed out. There are different ways to look at this."

An agent could be directly providing clients with undetectable cutting edge drugs and foolproof masking agents. Or the agent's role could be as nebulous as pointing a player in the direction of a doctor or anti-aging clinic that dispenses PEDs.

According to the Mitchell Report, reliever Scott Schoeneweis received shipments of steroids from Signature Pharmacy, while pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel was alleged to have received HGH from the same Internet pharmacy. Both are clients of uber-agent Scott Boras.

Boras has represented a slew of drug cheats, including Kevin Brown, the pitcher who used Boras' headquarters as a return address when he sent cash for PEDs to steroid supplier Kirk Radomski, as detailed in the Mitchell Report. Was Boras naive or complicit? Ramirez is a relatively new addition to the Boras group. Other Boras clients who were fingered as users in the Mitchell Report include former Dodgers, Rangers, Red Sox and Brewers reliever Eric Gagne and pitcher Ron Villone. Another Boras client, catcher Ivan Rodriguez, was tabbed as a steroid user in Jose Canseco's book Juiced.

The agent's crown jewel is, of course, Alex Rodriguez, who has admitted to using banned substances for three seasons. Barry Bonds, under investigation for lying to a California grand jury about steroids, and Gary Sheffield, who told the same grand jury he unknowingly used steroids, both are former clients of Boras.

Considered to be baseball's most powerful agent, Boras also has the largest stable of clients, so the law of statistics suggests he'd have more guys connected to PEDs. If Toyota Camry is the world's most stolen car, it's also likely to be the car that is purchased the most. One clause doesn't necessarily qualify (or disqualify) the other. While Boras' empire is more vast than the Sultan of Brunei's, it is entirely possible Boras' only connection with PEDs is circumstantial.

To his credit, as far as we know, Boras, who has a law degree and a Ph.D in industrial pharmacology, never asked a team to drop all references to steroids in a player's contract. That's what agent Arn Tellem did before Jason Giambi signed a free agent deal worth $120 million with the New York Yankees. The Yankees agreed to redact the word "steroid," and we all know how that worked out.

In an interview due to appear in the June issue of Playboy, Boras talks openly about his attention to detail with his clients. He counsels young players on using birth control and safe sex, warns them about unscrupulous groupies and gadflies. But he declines to say whether he knew about Rodriguez's drug use, deftly turning the conversation into an eloquent, albeit evasive, soliloquy about the game's fluctuating morals.

"The Hall of Fame is for players who distinguished themselves in their day," Boras tells Playboy. "Each era has distinctive features - from equipment and rules to pharmacology, surgical advancements, labor agreements, federal and state laws that impact performance. The game is always changing. The Hall's scroll of admission must be drafted with a fluid and broad pen. Only then can it recognize excellence from every age."

Baseball's rules are indeed changing. It's too easy to scream about how commissioner Bud Selig, the owners, players and media looked away for decades while illegal PEDs ravaged the sport. At least baseball is aggressively working to clean up the mess. The question now is, where else does the trail lead?

DYST V3 test

    LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

    David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

    Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

    Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

    A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

    Lucas Jackson, Reuters

    Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

    Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

    Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

    Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

    West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

    Don Wright, AP

    Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

    Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

    David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

    Al Bello, Getty Images

    Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

    Darryl Graham, AP

    Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

    Petr Josek, Reuters

MLB Targets Agents in Steroid Probe originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Mon, 11 May 2009 19:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>alex rodriguezAlexRodriguezbud seligBudSeligeric gagneEricGagnegary sheffieldGarySheffieldivan rodriguezIvanRodriguezjason giambiJasonGiambijordan schaferJordanSchaferkevin brownKevinBrownkirk radomskiKirkRadomskimanny ramirezMannyRamirezpat courtneyPatCourtneyrick ankielRickAnkielron villoneRonVillonescott borasscott schoeneweisScottBorasScottSchoeneweisLisa OlsonMon, 11 May 2009 19:08:00 EST UConn Leaves Tigers, and Nets, Behindhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/29/uconn-leaves-tigers-and-nets-behind/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/29/uconn-leaves-tigers-and-nets-behind/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/29/uconn-leaves-tigers-and-nets-behind/#commentsFiled under: ,


GLENDALE, Ariz. - They steered clear of the net. A ladder rested underneath the basket, waiting for someone to climb it. The twine dangled, waiting for someone to snip it. Instead, the University of Connecticut players and coaches purposely walked on by, as if the traditional removal of the net and wearing it around the neck might jinx the journey.

"It was a team decision because we've got bigger goals," UConn guard A.J. Price was saying after the Huskies beat Missouri, 82-75, in Saturday's Elite Eight West Regional Final and advanced to the Final Four. "We can cut down a net in Detroit."

No doubt, scaling a ladder and lifting scissors would have required some effort, and every drop of energy had been squeezed out of the Huskies across 40 frantic, manic minutes by Mizzou. The Tigers are a team born to run, press, drive, pester and frustrate, and that's just in warmups. If a few more of their shots had dropped, if Connecticut hadn't been so hot at the line and if freshman guard Kemba Walker hadn't decided this was a fine stage to remind the country what ballers from the Bronx can do, Mizzou's delightful romp through the NCAA tourney might not yet be over.

"I thought I could get them to that magical place, and we just came up probably a couple of buckets (short), a stop here, a stop there," said Missouri coach Mike Anderson. "Maybe we just ran out of time, a couple minutes."

The Huskies were simply a little too much of everything -- too long, too composed, too Big East tough, too overwhelming on the boards, too stingy with the second shots. And too determined to carry their coach to perhaps his last Final Four and prove how tightly they've bonded despite (and maybe because of) a recruiting scandal that has nothing to do with the current cast of players.

Jim CalhounThe post-game celebration was subdued, and not just because Mizzou had stripped the Huskies of strength to do much of anything. One by one they went out of their way to find coach Jim Calhoun on the University of Phoenix floor, to hug him and thank him. Sweat mixed with tears, and it was difficult to tell where sobs ended and laughter began.

"I can't lie to you, after the game I actually -- I kind of did cry," admitted Walker, the smallest guy on the court who'd had the biggest of games, going 7-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free throw line for a game-high 23 points. "I know tears came out of my eyes because I never thought I would get this far."

By the time Calhoun made it to the interview room, he had wiped away any trace of emotion except for a smile. A couple of his players swear he was close to breaking down in the locker room after praising his team for its grit, for refusing to allow Mizzou to run them off the floor. A spot in the Final Four next weekend assures Calhoun will face more public grueling over allegations of recruiting violations, but it's a tradeoff he accepts. Both of UConn's national title runs gained steam through regionals in Phoenix in 1999 and 2004. Calhoun joked about buying a house in the Valley of the Sun, made cracks about how playing in the desert sure beat playing at the Meadowlands. He was jovial and charming and clearly relieved to be talking rebounds and stops instead of NCAA rules and regulations.

"I'm as happy as I possibly can be about the basketball situation. I mean, I feel like busting out just because I think they are really special," Calhoun said. "Here we are going to the Final Four and, once again, I'm just elated."

The manner in which his team handled Mizzou's press and forced the game into half-court ball warmed Calhoun's heart. But it was Walker, the freshman, who stole the show, after Mizzou's double teams slowed 7-3 UConn center Hasheem Thabeet and forced the Huskies to kick the ball outside.

Thabeet, limited by a couple fouls and four hands in his face throughout the first half, went down with a thud early in the second following a loose ball scramble. He landed hard on his right hand, an injury he later called "very painful," but said he doubted it would prevent him from playing in Detroit.

Trailing from the start, Missouri charged back ferociously, and went up 50-49 on Keith Ramsey's layup off a feed from J.T. Tiller, capping a 9-0 run. "We could sense they were on their heels," said Tiller. "We are used to that, you know what I mean?"

But the Huskies had promised they'd never admit to being tired, wouldn't be caught tugging on their shorts for breathers like Memphis had two nights earlier against Missouri. "It really was 40 minutes of hell but we weren't going to show any weakness," said UConn guard Craig Austrie. They didn't have any, not with Walker, 6-1 in lifts, grabbing rebounds, scrambling for loose balls, acing his foul shots. He was everywhere, dribbling around Tigers and driving in for a layup to put UConn ahead, 63-59. Seconds later there was Walker on the other end, snagging a defensive rebound and feeding it to Thabeet, a play that propelled Calhoun out of his seat like a rocket. But it was Walker's off-balance bank shot with the shot clock nearing :00 that broke Mizzou, turning another Tiger comeback into a six-point deficit with less than two minutes in the season.

"Time was running down. The ball was in my hands and Jeff (Adrien) was there about to set a screen," Walker said, sounding like a play-by-play announcer at Madison Square Garden. "I told him to get out of the way. I kind of just took over. The guy actually played me kind of well. I was turning and turning and I had to get it up.

"I just threw it up, God help me, and it went in."

Price had 18 points and was named most outstanding player of the West Regional, but what he'll remember is Walker, growing up in front of 18,000 fans. "He played like a man among boys. There were times he dominated the game," Price said. "He was breaking the press and dribbling through two or three guys and still had enough in him to do down and finish the play."

The flow was supposed to go through Thabeet, the monster junior center headed for the NBA. But Missouri did a fine job taming the Beast, as Thabeet is known, limiting the Big East co-player of the year to 13 rebounds and only five points. "We had eight blocks and I don't even have one," Thabeet said as he leaned against his locker and held a bloody napkin to his injured hand. He let loose a deep chuckle and dropped one of his cutting one-liners. "They said they want to run on us. I guess we're running now all the way to Detroit."

NCAA Tournament Action

    GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 21: Wayne Ellington #22 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives against Garrett Temple #14 of the Louisiana State University Tigers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 21, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Wayne Ellington;Garrett Temple

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: A Washington Huskies cheerleader performs during a break in the action against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Manny Harris #3 of the Michigan Wolverines jumps to the basket for a lay up against Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Harris

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Zack Novan #0 and Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for the loose ball with Blake Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Gibson;Zack Novak;Blake Griffin

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Willie Warren #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners makes contact as he goes to the basket with Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first hafl during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Willie Warren

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the short jump shot against DeShawn Sims #34 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Taylor Griffin;DeShawn Sims

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: JaJuan Johnson #25 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a shot over Jon Brockman #40 of the Washington Huskies in the second half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** JaJuan Johnson;Jon Brockman

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners and Zack Novak #0 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for position to the loose ball in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Novak;Taylor Griffin

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Head Coach Jeff Capel of the Michigan Wolverines yells from the sideline during their game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Capel

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: Lewis Jackson #23 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a layup as Quincy Pondexter #20 of the Washington Huskies looks on during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lewis Jackson;Quincy Pondexter

    Getty Images



His story will be told and told again this week, and oh my, what a story it is. Thabeet journeyed into the stands once the final buzzer sounded Saturday, heading straight for the Tanzanian flag, which was flying just below a sign that read, "Jim Calhoun is underpaid." Thabeet fell into the arms of his mother Rukia, here from Dar Es Salaam. She shares her son's dry wit, joking that he might still grow some if he'd eat more of her food.

Later, I ask him what he used to dream when he was 12, before he played basketball, before he knew of life outside Tanzania. "I used to say, one day I'll be an architect like my dad, but then my dad passed away and I was the oldest son, so I thought, OK, I'm going to have to provide," Thabeet said. Before he reached 16, he worked as a bouncer, a model and a backup singer/rapper, and in between he sprouted to six feet, six inches. An internet search led him to UConn and a coach he calls The Teacher.

"I used to think he picked on me," Thabeet said of Calhoun. "Sometimes I would say, `Why me?' He knew I was capable of doing great things."

The flow found Thabeet on the last shot of the West Regional Final, with Missouri hanging onto its dream, for more time. Zaire Taylor went straight at Thabeet, who faked a block. It was an odd look, considering, but it caused Taylor to miss the layup. Thabeet pulled down the rebound, his Huskies destined for Detroit. Thabeet never let go of the ball through the ceremony, through his trip into the stands, through the team's deliberate avoidance of nets waiting to be cut down.

Hours later, the ball rested behind Thabeet in his locker. The blood on his finger had dried into a dark red stain. Calhoun wandered over, for another hug.

"I'll keep that until I get old," Thabeet said, gesturing toward the ball, a memento worth carrying home.

UConn Leaves Tigers, and Nets, Behind originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 00:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>A.J. PriceA.j.Priceaj priceAjPricecraig austrieCraigAustrieHasheem ThabeetHasheemThabeetJ.T. TillerJ.t.TillerJim CalhounJimCalhounKeith RamseyKeithRamseyKemba WalkerKembaWalkerLisa OlsonSun, 29 Mar 2009 00:15:00 EST Clock Ticking on Missouri's Inspired Stayhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/28/clock-ticking-on-missouris-inspired-stay/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/28/clock-ticking-on-missouris-inspired-stay/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/28/clock-ticking-on-missouris-inspired-stay/#commentsFiled under: ,

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Marcus Denmon already had his one shining moment, that freeze-frame picture to keep for a lifetime, long after the highlights of this NCAA tournament fade.

The Missouri freshman snagged an inbounds pass Thursday night, sidestepped to avoid a hand waving in his face, and let history fly. From three-quarters out, with the halftime buzzer about to blare, Denmon's fling dropped flawlessly through the twine to put his team up by 13, and from that second on Mizzou knew it had been touched by something special, something only a handful of teams get to experience as March rushes to a close.

Saturday's Action: Schedule | Bracket | Pitt Can't Match Villanova

But how long will the magic last? Until Hasheem Thabeet rises from deep in the paint and crushes a Missouri shot attempt like an SUV smashing into a bug? Until the University of Connecticut smartly refuses to go where Memphis went and refrains from getting lured into Missouri's crazed, wicked-paced tempo?

Practical intuition says Mizzou's blessed run expires at the hands of UConn in Saturday's West Regional Elite Eight game, the winner earning a trip to the Final Four in Detroit. Lightning rarely strikes twice, and though Denmon's incredible basket launched a striking chain of events against Memphis -- Mizzou's eye-widening 102 points against one of the nation's stingiest defenses, John Calipari's inability to coach his team out of such a deep hole -- UConn is a whole other nightmare.

The top-seeded Huskies haven't many flaws. They are battle-tested survivors of the Big East, a conference that chews and spits out plenty of good teams, and seem to have grown stronger despite a recruiting scandal that continues to produce new, more worrisome allegations every day. It's highly unlikely the Huskies will be spotted leaning over and clutching the hems of their shorts, begging for whistle breaks to slow Missouri's press and fast-breaks and re-branded version of "40 Minutes in Hell."

Memphis never caught its breath against Mizzou, losing 102-91, in Thursday's semifinal, and on Friday the Missouri players, looking as if they'd race to the top of South Mountain if it would make coach Mike Anderson happy, talked in tag-team staccato about the challenge that lay before them, and how they planned to attack it.

It, of course, is the Beast, the 7-3 Thabeet who blocks and scores and snags rebounds and generally makes opponents regret entering his airspace. The Tigers mentioned they've ridden big men before, monsters like Blake Griffin and Cole Aldrich in the Big 12. Ideally, Missouri's maniacal press could keep the ball from flowing to Thabeet on one end of the court, while guards Zaire Taylor and J.T. Tiller dare to drive through the lane at the other end. But "ideally" hardly ever works as planned.

"Personally, I love challenges," Taylor said with a laugh. "Seven foot, I think that makes the lane a little more enticing. But I don't know. He is 7-3. Blocks shots. He is one of the Players of the Year from the Big East for a reason. It will be fun. I think it makes it that much more fun personally."

Tiller smiled bright and admitted, "It is just the layups that might be a little tougher. It means Zaire is going to attack like we normally do but it might be a lot of driving and kicking to get our other teammates open for us tomorrow."

Calipari, Memphis coach, spent so much time pushing the idea that his team had been robbed of a top seed, he seemed to have been caught off guard at Missouri's depth and speed. "We kind of got punched in the mouth right from the beginning of the game," Calipari said.

Jim Calhoun, UConn coach, has had a few diversions of his own over the past week, but promises the Huskies are acutely aware of the pace the Tigers set from the first tip-off. Missouri, said Calhoun, "advertise it as the 40 fastest minutes in basketball, and I'm a believer. Usually I don't like slogans, but that one is true and we really are facing an opponent that we are going to have to walk a very delicate balance with. Memphis wanted to run with them purely for 40 minutes and that is not Connecticut's desire to run 40 minutes with Missouri."

The Huskies' largest hurdle might be in ignoring the urge to prove they can run with the best. An athlete's ego can't always be corralled. But Craig Austrie and A.J. Price, heart and soul of UConn, promise to heed Calhoun's advice and stifle the urge to compete with Missouri in full-court sprints.

"We love playing fast, but we saw what happened to Memphis. They really fell into the trap of playing too fast. With A.J. and myself, we have the ability to kind of control the game and see what's going on out there, play with poise. So we feel like we are going to have to do that tomorrow," Austrie said.

"You definitely don't want to get caught up with that type of game with this team. We like to play fast, but we don't want to play as fast as I think they want to play. That's kind of a different situation for us because we usually want to play faster than most teams. But this team wants to go up and down all game long," Price said. "For us to do that I don't think would be smart."

It was exhausting just listening to the two teams talk about going full-throttle for 40 minutes. And of course, the conversation had to take a detour down the dark side of college sports, as Calhoun was asked to explain what he meant when he told two reporters after the Huskies' semifinal win over Purdue Thursday night that "someone could've made a mistake" during the recruitment of former Huskies guard Nate Miles. The burgeoning scandal has clearly hit Calhoun hard, and could lead this proud, honorable man to retire once the Huskies' romp through the tournament finally ends. Calhoun, his words dripping with sadness, told a story about traveling with Dean Smith a few years ago. "I asked him very simply, 'Coach, why did you get out?' He said, 'I got out at 67 years of age.' I will turn 67 in May, by the way," Calhoun said. Smith told Calhoun he never stopped loving being a coach; it was the stuff on the periphery of the game that led to his retirement.

Calhoun's torment comes in the form of allegations, first reported by Yahoo! Sports, of recruiting wrongdoings. The claims are broad -- add to the list reports of former UConn student manager turned sports agent Josh Nochimson paying several thousand dollars for Miles to have surgery -- but Calhoun, for the moment, has narrowed his role to perhaps not diligently reading the NCAA rule book.

"My quote was, 'in a 508-page manual, a mistake could have been made.' Do I know if any has been made? No, I'm not making judgment one way or the other. I said there could have been a mistake made," Calhoun said. "I have done this for 37 years. I truly believe that everything I have tried to do I have done with a good, clean conscious and if we made a mistake, we'll find out about it. If we didn't, we will also find out about that."

Anderson, coach down the hall, had to navigate a sticky situation of his own last season after a group of Missouri players were arrested following a fight in a local nightclub. Anderson suspended the "Athena Five," got criticized by some for being too soft on discipline and ripped by others for coming down too hard. The Tigers fell out of Big 12 contention but Anderson never stopped repeating to his players the line he first uttered three years ago, when he traded a fine program he built at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for a chance to do the same at Mizzou.

"When he first got there," recalled senior forward Leo Lyons, "we had a meeting in the locker room and the first thing he said was, 'we are playing for a national championship.' Everybody probably didn't believe it at that point, but all the hard work we put in, we slowly but surely became winners."

Missouri got its shining moment, and proved "40 fastest minutes in basketball" is more than just a slogan. Floating over or through the Beast from the Big East could be where the magic trail ends.

NCAA Tournament Action

    GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 21: Wayne Ellington #22 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives against Garrett Temple #14 of the Louisiana State University Tigers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 21, 2009 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Wayne Ellington;Garrett Temple

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: A Washington Huskies cheerleader performs during a break in the action against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Manny Harris #3 of the Michigan Wolverines jumps to the basket for a lay up against Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Manny Harris

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Zack Novan #0 and Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for the loose ball with Blake Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Gibson;Zack Novak;Blake Griffin

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Willie Warren #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners makes contact as he goes to the basket with Zack Gibson #32 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first hafl during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Willie Warren

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #32 of the Oklahoma Sooners goes up for the short jump shot against DeShawn Sims #34 of the Michigan Wolverines in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Taylor Griffin;DeShawn Sims

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: JaJuan Johnson #25 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a shot over Jon Brockman #40 of the Washington Huskies in the second half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** JaJuan Johnson;Jon Brockman

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Taylor Griffin #23 of the Oklahoma Sooners and Zack Novak #0 of the Michigan Wolverines vie for position to the loose ball in the first half during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Zack Novak;Taylor Griffin

    Getty Images

    KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 21: Head Coach Jeff Capel of the Michigan Wolverines yells from the sideline during their game against the Oklahoma Sooners in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center on March 21, 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeff Capel

    Getty Images

    PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 21: Lewis Jackson #23 of the Purdue Boilermakers goes up for a layup as Quincy Pondexter #20 of the Washington Huskies looks on during the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Rose Garden on March 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Lewis Jackson;Quincy Pondexter

    Getty Images

Clock Ticking on Missouri's Inspired Stay originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>a.j. priceA.j.Pricecraig austrieCraigAustriedean smithDeanSmithhasheem thabeetHasheemThabeetj.t. tillerJ.t.Tillerjim calhounJimCalhounjosh nochimsonJoshNochimsonleo lyansLeoLyansmarcus denmonMarcusDenmonmike andersonMikeAndersonnate milesNateMileszaire taylorZaireTaylorLisa OlsonSat, 28 Mar 2009 02:00:00 EST 'Wa' Reigns Supreme at WBChttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/24/wa-reigns-supreme-at-wbc/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/24/wa-reigns-supreme-at-wbc/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/24/wa-reigns-supreme-at-wbc/#commentsFiled under: ,


LOS ANGELES -- It's all about the Wa, the forfeiture of self for the unity and harmony of the greater good, or team. You could sense Wa all around Monday night, as Japan and South Korea engaged in one of the finest back-to-basics baseball games you might ever see.

Wa was there in the sacrifice flies bringing home runners, in beautifully positioned bunts, in terrific pitching duels that caused 54,846 fans at Dodger Stadium to stand and sing for 10 fantastic innings. Fittingly, the World Baseball Classic final lasted a perfect four hours, ending with Japan beating Korea, 5-3, for the championship.

Make that the world championship, for only the most xenophobic would consider Team Japan not worthy. Team Samurai defended its WBC title from 2006, thanks to Ichiro Suzuki's finely placed single that sliced Korea's gut and scored two runs in the top of the 10th. But really, as often happens in Japanese baseball, the beauty was carved out in Ichiro's eight-pitch at-bat against reliever Chang Yong Lim, with two outs, with runners on second and third, with millions upon millions of fans in the Far East holding their breath.

"Today we were able to greet the day, and the fact that we were able to remain one of the best two was within myself, wonderful," said Japan's manager Tatsunori Hara, long after his team offered gracious bows to their longtime rivals and paraded around Dodger Stadium with the Rising Sun flag and shared the trophy with fans who didn't want to leave.

Here, baseball purists, was the game at its prime, extra innings packed with smallball, dazzling defense, daring baserunning. It was a test of which country best mastered the fundamentals, a passion play leading up to the ninth inning when Yu Darvish, the closer who one night earlier finished off Team USA, erratically sandwiched two walks inside a pair of nasty strikeouts. But like nearly every young child who learned to play baseball in Asia, Korea's Bum Ho Lee has the patience of a nun, and he waited for the right pitch to slap through the hole at short, tying the game, 3-3. The Dodger Stadium scoreboard came alive with pictures of crowds packed tight into Seoul's Jamsil Stadium, partying hard 6,000 miles away.

And then Darvish returned for the 10th, Hara taking a risk that highlighted the terrible importance of this game, and Darvish made sure Ichiro's efforts weren't wasted. After a leadoff walk, Darvish cooly retired the side. Pandemonium in Dodger Stadium, delirium in the streets of Tokyo.

That, baseball lovers, is why the Classic matters.

"Well, in the bullpen, the pitcher who was the best is the one I picked," said Hara, making his decision sound so easy, so enlightened. And of Ichiro's epic, game-winning at-bat, Hara admitted, "it's an image that will forever be imprinted in my mind."

Ichiro insisted he was in a far more rocky zone while wiggling at the plate. "I really wish I could be in the state of Zen but ... I kept thinking of all these things that I shouldn't think about," he said. "But I was able to hit, so I felt like maybe I surpassed something myself."

One night earlier, Japan blew away Team USA, 9-4, in the semifinals, a loss that flushed out another round of snide remarks by Americans who can't see beyond their own belts, who are stunned, absolutely stunned, that other nations play a better, smarter brand of baseball than the country which invented it. How could this happen?

Really, the answer is quite obvious to anyone who's been paying attention to the sport's expansion across the past decade. Teams from Asia and elsewhere have this odd habit of racing down the line as soon as the ball is put into play, of circling the bases following home runs like they'll never again hit a ball so far, of treating strike outs as a curse that shames the entire group.

"Little things," Jeter, captain of Team USA, was saying late Sunday night, in the gloom of Dodger Stadium. "Somewhere along the way Americans lost the idea of practicing and teaching fundamentals. We need to figure out how to get back to that."

The contrast first struck Jeter in 2004, when the New York Yankees traveled to Japan for Opening Day, with a series against Tampa Bay. I covered the Yankees on that journey (and was with the New York Mets when they ushered in the 2000 season in Tokyo). Each trip included exhibition games against Japanese teams, providing ample opportunities to observe the militaristic manner in which the Japanese prepared.

The sport was first introduced to the Japanese masses in 1878, by a Boston engineer who had his players run the bases in geta, or wooden sandals. It was a painful exercise, designed to build or break the spirit (typical masochistic Red Sox fan, even then). Modern pre-game warmups are still a blend of martial arts and worker bee ethos, the players fielding more ground balls and pop ups than some Little League teams do in a year.

The fierce dedication trickles down to school children, many who routinely train for six hours a day. Little Leaguers are taught defensive skills and the art of playing catch long before they master hitting; Americans do it in reverse. And if those children lose a big game, they scoop up the infield dirt, pack it in plastic bags and display it prominently at home, a reminder of lessons to be learned.

The South Koreans are similarly nurtured, before facing one more obstacle: a mandatory stint in the military. That's one of the major hurdles MLB teams have to navigate before more Koreans land on this side of the pond.

Jung-Keun Bong, Korea's starting pitcher Monday, cut a rare path across baseball's landscape, spending time with the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds before returning to Korea to finish his career. He pitched splendidly in the title game, but Japanese starter Hisaski Iwakuma was even better, and after Michihiro Ogasawara's third-inning RBI single gave Japan a 1-0 lead, Bong was removed in the fifth, with no outs and runners on the corners.

A few hours earlier, manager Hara had predicted the championship would "feel like it's the game of the century." That's how fierce the Korea-Japan rivalry is, far more intense than Yankees-Red Sox, gloriously existing without the ESPN hoopla.

How many tens of millions of office workers choked on their mid-morning coffee Tuesday when Hyun Wook Jong came in for Bong and promptly blew away the side, the inning ending with Ogasawara striking out and Norichika Aoki, so firefly quick, caught stealing?

Shin-Soo Choo, one of four Koreans in the major leagues, tied the game, 1-1, in the bottom of the fifth with a leadoff home run, spinning Dodger Stadium into a sweet cacophony of bands and whistles and dancing children and national chants and controlled madness.

That's the other thing about international baseball. Fans enjoy games without worrying about foul-mouthed thugs destroying the experience. If Koreans and Japanese can share a stadium peacefully, without fights in the stands and curse words polluting the air, perhaps there is hope for us still.


No doubt, the WBC has inspired its share of positive moments: competitive, entertaining games, good sportsmanship, lessons for the Americans. There are plans to expand the tournament in 2013 beyond the scope of this year's carnival, which featured 16 teams playing 38 games across seven cities, from Tokyo to L.A. Paul Archey, senior VP of MLB International and architect of the WBC, stood near the Dodger dugout before Monday's game and said the idea is to keep dreaming big, beyond borders.

"We like March as a time to do this tournament," Archey said, reminding reporters that MLB owners approved the timing, the travel and other inconveniences that have prompted American players and fans to either whine or yawn. Archey wouldn't rule out the possibility of the semifinals and final being played in Tokyo, where TV ratings and attendance are Super Bowl-sized. (Total attendance for this year's WBC was 801,408, and if organizers counted fans who attended Team Japan's practices, the number would have cleared 1 million.)

Yes, it appears Team USA will again be handicapped next time around, by the format and, if lessons aren't learned, by their own style of play. Appearances by A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia and Joba Chamberlain -- just three of the American pitchers who couldn't be bothered, though there were others -- might have saved Team USA from being knocked around by Japan's line drives in Sunday's semifinal.

It may be too late for the US to ever retrieve a version of Wa. Generations have passed, glorifying power hitters over basic fundamentals. "Little things," as Jeter said, though he knows the cultural divide cuts much deeper.

Ichiro and fellow major leaguer Daisuke Matsuzaka joined Team Japan for training in early February, enduring two-a-days when they could have been sipping Mai Tais on the beach. It was all for the Wa, group harmony over self. Ichiro's bat scored the winning run, Dice-K's arm was a perfect 3-0 and earned him tournament MVP honors.

So offer a tip of the Kabuto, helmet of the samurai, toward Team Japan, world champions who can teach us a thing or three.

Latest World Baseball Classic Images

    Team Japan's pitcher Yu Darvish (L) and catcher Kenji Johjima celebrate their team's win over Team Korea in the tenth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL)

    Reuters

    Team Japan's (L-R) pitcher Yu Darvish, catcher Kenji Johjima, and Munenori Kawasaki celebrate defeating Team Korea after their World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California, March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL)

    Reuters

    Team Japan holds up their manager Tatsunori Harar after they defeated Team Korea in the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

    Reuters

    Team Japan's pitcher Yu Darvish (R) and catcher Kenji Johjima celebrate their team's win over Team Korea in the tenth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL)

    Reuters

    Team Japan's pitcher Yu Darvish (R) and catcher Kenji Johjima celebrate their team's win over Team Korea in the tenth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL)

    Reuters

    Japan's Ichiro Suzuki hits a line drive single past South Korea's Lim Chang Yong driving in two runs in the tenth inning of Japan's 5-3 victory in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic Monday, March 23, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

    AP

    Team Japan's Ichiro Suzuki (L) hits a two RBI double in front of Team Korea catcher Park Kyung-Oan (R) during the tenth inning of play in the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Fred Greaves (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

    Reuters

    LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 23: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of Japan hits a single to center to score Seiichi Uchikawa #24 and Akinori Iwamura #8 in the tenth inning of the finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic on March 23, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ichiro Suzuki

    Getty Images

    LOS ANGELES - MARCH 23: Ichiro Suzuki #51 of Japan hits a single to center to score Seiichi Uchikawa #24 and Akinori Iwamura #8 in the tenth inning the finals of the 2009 World Baseball Classic on March 23, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ichiro Suzuki

    Getty Images

    Team Japan's pitcher Yu Darvish (R) celebrates his team's win over Team Korea in the tenth inning of the World Baseball Classic championship game in Los Angeles, California March 23, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)

    Reuters

'Wa' Reigns Supreme at WBC originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:21:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>ichiro suzukiIchiroSuzukishin-soo chooShin-sooChooworld baseball classicWorldBaseballClassicyu darvishYuDarvishLisa OlsonTue, 24 Mar 2009 04:21:00 EST Team USA Stumbles From Top to Bottomhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/23/team-usa-stumbles-from-top-to-bottom/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/23/team-usa-stumbles-from-top-to-bottom/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/23/team-usa-stumbles-from-top-to-bottom/#commentsFiled under: ,

LOS ANGELES -- Davey Johnson spent the past week eloquently explaining how desperately he wanted Team USA to win the World Baseball Classic, figuring a title would sooth America's sense of entitlement over the sport and silence some of the tournament's grumbling naysayers.

So how to explain Johnson's head-scratching managerial moves Sunday night, decisions that led to Japan beating the U.S., 9-4, in an elimination semifinal game? Why did Johnson keep starter Roy Oswalt in for a brutal pounding even after it became clear the Japanese had his number? Has the bumbling Adam Dunn mastered the vagaries of Dodger Stadium's right field yet? And any regrets over starting Captain America at shortstop, leaving Jimmy Rollins to DH?

Yikes. This wasn't a very important international contest against the defending WBC champions, with America's presumed dominance of baseball at stake; this was a bad imitation of someone tinkering with strategy and lineups in a Cactus League game.

"Some of our pitchers aren't as far along as some of the Japanese pitchers," said Johnson, as Team USA packed its bags and headed back to spring training camps, while the Japanese advanced to Monday's title game against fierce rival Korea. "When I was in Japan, spring training started January 1. It's a lot of practice. It does give them a head start when you play them in March, but I thought our guys played well."

An all-Asia final is perfectly acceptable for the powers who push the WBC. Millions of viewers from Tokyo to Seoul are expected to tune into a game that will highlight two teams that place collective goals over individual pursuits. Many viewers will purchase baseball paraphernalia, many more will fall in love with the sport. That's the WBC's long-range goal, and if it inconveniences MLB teams on these shores, if it irritates American fans and media, too bad. Bud Selig has made it clear the WBC, with few revisions, plans to expand in 2013, to model itself after soccer's lucrative and entrancing World Cup.

That's all good and fine, but wouldn't it behoove the U.S. to jump fully on board? Johnson was handcuffed from the beginning, first by American players disinterested in playing and MLB teams wary of cooperating, and later by unwritten rules that backed him into dilemmas and decisions that consistently backfired.

Japan's five-run fourth inning off Oswalt offered a blunt example, with recent history gathering like warning clouds around the pitching mound. Major league pitchers who played in the WBC in 2006 either got injured or saw their ERAs balloon once the MLB season began. It's a statistic Johnson kept in his frontal lobe, one that dictated how carefully he had to maneuver arms and egos.

Japan faced the same issue Sunday, but on a much smaller level. Starter Daisuke Matsuzaka's full-time gig might be with Boston, but the Red Sox should have no quarrel with how he was handled across 4 2/3 effective innings. Dice-K made one costly mistake, a fastball down the pipe on just the second pitch of the game that Brian Roberts crushed for a home run, inspiring shouts of "USA! USA!" from the crowd of 43,630.

The euphoria was short lived on this chilly, windy night, at least among the Americans rocking Dodger Stadium. On a field damp from earlier rain, Roberts' critical error keyed Team USA's awful fourth inning, which began with Japan's Atsunori Inaba lead-off single slipping past the glove of the second baseman. Michihiro Ogasawara singled to center field, followed by Kosuke Fukudome hitting into what should have been a double-play ground ball that Roberts muffed, knotting the score, 2-2. Still not much signs of life in the American bullpen, but fear not, MLB managers: there's plenty of time for relievers to get their work in before Opening Day.

Johnson left Oswalt in as the Japanese batted around, teasing the right side of the American defense in particular. A sacrifice fly by Kenji Johjima, a triple from Akinori Iwamura that flummoxed Dunn in right field, an RBI single by Munenori Kawasaki and an RBI double by Hiroyuki Nakajima, on a 3-0 pitch -- finally, Oswalt was done, leaving with Japan up, 6-2.

"I thought he was throwing the ball alright," Johnson said of Oswalt, who lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on six hits. "I tried to get (John) Grabow up. I didn't think it was going to take him so long. It took him longer in the cold weather to get loose. But I still thought he [Oswalt] was throwing good enough to stay in the ballgame."

Johnson was correct to hold back Jake Peavy for the possible championship game and instead start Oswalt, a big-game pitcher who cherishes the buzz from international competition. He was part of the 2000 Olympic gold-medal winning team in Sydney, and 1-0 in two WBC starts before Sunday's battering, when his manager kept him out there three batters too many.



Johnson also can't be faulted for a risky, emergency move that forced Mark DeRosa, a middle infielder, to man first base. Wearing a glove that had been sent via FedEx from the Cleveland Indians, DeRosa twisted into a few awkward contortions at first, but he also proved to be an offensive catalyst. He turned on Takahiro Mahara's fastball in the eighth inning, ripping it down the left-field line and scoring two runs, and once again Dodger Stadium shook with chants of "USA!"

Japanese fans dressed in Samurai costume hung their heads and lowered their red-and-white flags. Legendary Japanese hitter Sadaharu Oh, sitting in a field box, bowed, as if in prayer. Then Johnson decided to give Evan Longoria, just up from the Grapefruit League, a turn at-bat. The pinch hitter struck out, Roberts grounded feebly back to the mound and Oh never stopped grinning.

Johnson bristled before and after the game when reporters questioned why Derek Jeter, aka Captain America, got the start at shortstop. Jeter's two-out throwing error that flew past a stretching DeRosa enabled Japan to tack on three runs in the bottom of the eighth. While the inning wasn't as maddening as the fourth, it did have its share of what-was-that moments. Dunn lost a run-scoring double in the right field lights, Johnson went with reliever Joel Hanrahan before Scot Shields ... but most of the debate revolved around Jeter.

"Derek is the captain. I want him out there," Johnson said before the game. "Jimmy is going to DH. They're both going to get, hopefully, four or five at-bats. So that wasn't really a big decision."

Jeter went 1-for-5, Jimmy Rollins was 4-for-4 with a walk. There was a brief glimpse into the force Team USA could be during the third inning, when Rollins drove a two-out slider off Dice-K to right field, stole second, and scored on David Wright's two-strike double to deep right center.

"A three-week truce," Wright had called his pairing with arch-rival Rollins, a peculiar match of Met and Phillie teaming up for a greater good. That's the purest definition of the WBC, one the Asian teams can fully embrace because the tournament falls when they're out of season. Team USA plays under different restraints, different rules, different expectations.

If all things were equal, there would be plenty of teeth-grinding amongst the Japanese after Yu Darvish, the lanky pitcher being held back for an anticipated start Monday, was summoned to close out the Americans Sunday. Catastrophe was avoided, the Samurai honored, as Darvish breezed through the inning and got Dunn looking at a fastball down the gut for the final out.

The Japanese were subdued in their celebration, reserving emotion and energy for super rivals Korea. On the other side,Team USA's disappointment was muted, for their real seasons haven't even begun.

"We made it to the Final Four at least," Rollins said as he left Dodger Stadium. "But that's probably not good enough, considering what could have been."

Team USA Stumbles From Top to Bottom originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>adam dunnAdamDunnakinori iwamuraAkinoriIwamurabrian robertsBrianRobertsbud seligBudSeligdavey johnsonDaveyJohnsonderek jeterDerekJeterevan longoriaEvanLongoriaichiro suzukiIchiroSuzukijimmy rollinsJimmyRollinskenji johjimaKenjiJohjimakosuke fukudomeKosukeFukudomemark derosaMarkDerosaroy oswaltRoyOswaltworld baseball classicWorldBaseballClassicyu darvishYuDarvishLisa OlsonMon, 23 Mar 2009 04:10:00 EST Surprised? This Classic Has October Feelhttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/22/surprised-this-classic-has-october-feel/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/22/surprised-this-classic-has-october-feel/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/22/surprised-this-classic-has-october-feel/#commentsFiled under: ,



LOS ANGELES -- It's easy to mock the World Baseball Classic, to deride it as nothing but a money-making machine for MLB, a global monstrosity that has little to do with forwarding the game and everything to do with padding a few select wallets.

And then you plop down in section 106 Saturday night in Dodger Stadium and in one tremendous burst of an inning, all the negativity dissipates. Korea's Yong-Kyu Lee opens the WBC semifinal game with a walk off Venezuela pitcher Carlos Silva, a pitcher described in the Korean media as "a mighty, ferocious giant," and just like that, tremors start rocking the ballpark on the hill.

The people who aren't banging ThunderStix together are either tossing confetti in the air, or singing "Daehan Minguk," Korean for Republic of Korea. Keun-Woo Jeong, the next batter, hits a fly ball to right, a fly ball Bobby Abreu usually catches in his sleep (especially when that pesky Yankee Stadium wall doesn't get in the way), but this time the ball inextricably dribbles from Abreu's glove, and from then on, across 20 mind-boggling minutes, all the preconceived pessimism takes a hiatus.

It's not just that Korea, with only one major leaguer on the roster, soundly spanks Venezuela and its All-Stars, though Korea's 10-2 win is as remarkable as the first inning, which features 10 batters, five runs, bloop singles dropping like teardrops and errors the Venezuelans won't soon live down. Dodger Stadium never quite fills up -- attendance grew to 43,378 and should increase Sunday night, when the United States plays Japan in the other semifinal -- but on a sheer atmosphere level, the game feels like baseball in October.

Shocking, I know, considering the mass hysteria circling the WBC, at least in this dot on the planet. MLB teams mostly hate the tournament for daring to impose on Spring Training, and American fans have been widely ambivalent. Sometimes we Yanks need a gentle reminder that not everything is about us, and it was delivered quite nicely on this brisk evening in Chavez Ravine.

WBC officials keep pushing the truth that TV ratings for the event beyond our coasts have been off the charts, reaching Super Bowl levels in some Asian spots, but we can't see past the injuries and awful March timing. Unfortunately for those of us who enjoy the tournament and want to see it succeed, those will be the story lines rehashed Sunday night, when the WBC will finally draw eyeballs away from the NCAAs.

You can't ask for a finer pitching matchup, with Roy Oswalt, the Houston right-hander, facing Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka. Team America expects to feel like visitors in Dodger Stadium, with a Japanese crowd that will equal the Korean's enthusiasm and arrive toting drums and horns and a great thirst for the game. The first time Japan bunts and tests Mark DeRosa at first base, expect a swoosh of "oohs" to lift the stadium. Knowing the Japanese, there could very well be a 10th time.

It wouldn't seem right if Team USA manager Davey Johnson had a smooth lead into a game, and the selection of DeRosa to start at first is only Johnson's latest headache. DeRosa is a fine utility player, but he has manned just 13 of his 785 games at first base over the course of 11 MLB seasons, and the Cleveland Indians, the team that pays his salary, would rather he not play there. Johnson hadn't much choice: Adam Dunn was at the position in the Americans' last game, moving without much grace and throwing widely off mark. Johnson and Dunn agree, he's better off in the outfield where the Japanese can't torture him with bunts and dribblers.

After working out at first base during Team USA's training session Saturday, DeRosa admitted, "I'm probably the least comfortable at that position because of time served over there," but he also noted that Dodger Stadium "has the best infield in the game," and figured his teammates "can hit me in the chest from across
the diamond.

"So we should be fine," said DeRosa, who is subbing for the injured Kevin Youkilis. That's the story of Johnson's March: everyone's hurt, and their big-league managers are not happy. David Wright's toe is the color of death, but he'll start at third base despite Mets manager Jerry Manuel's wishes that Wright be resting in Port St. Lucie. Ryan Braun and his strained right oblique muscle will be in left, Derek Jeter starts at shortstop and Johnson plans to use Jimmy Rollins as the designated hitter.

Latest World Baseball Classic Images

    Team Korea's pitcher Chong Tae-hyon throws against Team Venezuela during the semifinal game at the World Baseball Classic in Los Angeles, California March 21, 2009. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES SPORT BASEBALL)

    Reuters

    After hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning, Venezuela's Carlos Guillen (2), is congratulated by Magglio Ordonez (30) and the bat boy during a semifinal World Baseball Classic game against Venezuela in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

    AP

    South Korea's Lee Jin Young is tagged out by Venezuela's Victor Moreno on a passed ball during the sixth inning of a semifinal World Baseball Classic game in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

    AP

    LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 21: Jeong Choi #2 of Korea hits a sacrifice fly to score Tae Kyun Kim #52 in the sixth inning of the semifinal game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic against Venezuela on March 21, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jeong Choi

    Getty Images

    A South Korean baseball fan holds a national flag as she watches the television live broadcasting the semifinal World Baseball Classic game between South Korea and Venezuela in Los Angeles, at Chamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 22, 2009. South Korea defeated Venezuela 10-2. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

    AP

    South Korean baseball fans cheer their team as they watch the television live broadcasting the semifinal World Baseball Classic game between South Korea and Venezuela in Los Angeles, United States, at Chamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 22, 2009. South Korea defeated Venezuela 10-2. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

    AP

    Venezuela's Victor Zambrano looks out to the field after being removed from the game in which Venezuela lost 10-2 to South Korea in their semifinal game at the World Baseball Classic on Saturday, March 21, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

    AP

    South Korean baseball fans cheer their team as they watch the television live broadcasting the semifinal World Baseball Classic game between South Korea and Venezuela in Los Angeles, at Chamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 22, 2009. South Korea defeated Venezuela 10-2. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

    AP

    South Korean baseball fans cheer their team as they watch the television live broadcasting the semifinal World Baseball Classic game between South Korea and Venezuela in Los Angeles, United States, at Chamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, March 22, 2009. South Korea defeated Venezuela 10-2. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

    AP

    LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 21: Fans of Korea cheer for the team during the semifinal game of the 2009 World Baseball Classic against Venezuela on March 21, 2009 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

    Getty Images


There isn't much reason for the American major leaguers to want to risk their bodies before Opening Day, except for this: They are having as much fun as the Korean and Japanese fans, and even though it might sound corny and trite, playing for their country inspires goosebumps. People who have been around Jeter for the last few days swear the look in his eyes is the same one he gets when the Yankees play the Red Sox, or when the Yankees reach October. Some poor Japanese reporter got a sampling of Jeter's steely side the other day, when he tried to prompt Jeter into revealing his emotions heading into a rematch with Japan, a team that, as Jeter surely recalled, lost to the US in the inaugural WBC three years ago.

Reporter: "For us Japanese people, we got stolen the win. Do you remember that? What was going through your mind at the time? Would you tell us your expectation this time around?"

Jeter, glib as ever: "I don't remember."

But of course he does, because Jeter has a microchip of baseball installed somewhere in his brain, a log of every single pitch no matter if he saw it as a Yankee or while wearing the Team USA logo. Starting Jeter at short in the semifinals against old friend Dice-K is another risky move for Johnson, a decision the manager might have made for sentimental reasons. Or maybe he figures the team will feed off Jeter's genuine love of playing for his country, a passion that cannot be questioned.

Johnson clearly wants to win Sunday and advance to Monday night's title game against Korea. He pushed back Jake Peavy in favor of Oswalt, who pitched four scoreless innings when the US avoided elimination by beating the Netherlands last week. Pitch counts get tossed aside in this Final Four. Oswalt could throw 95-100 pitches against a Japanese team that began practicing for this moment since the day after winning the WBC championship in 2006.

The Asian teams take the WBC oh-so-seriously, holding two-a-days and military-designed drill camps. Melvin Mora, a veteran of Pacific Rim baseball and third baseman for Venezuela, couldn't remind his Venezuelan teammates enough about Korea's unreal practice and prep sessions. They are serious contenders, Mora kept telling them, players who take "in excess of 1,500 swings on a daily basis," but after Saturday night you wonder if any of Mora's teammates bothered to listen.

"When I talk about this to my friends and my team, they said, 'Stop it, because I'm getting tired already!,' " Mora said before the Koreans abused the Venezuelans every which way.

Silva's horrific start was only the beginning, as Korea had far superior offensive power, pitching, situational hitting, defense and general all-around hunger. Painfully, the mercy rule is not in effect for the final round, though it was obvious after the first inning that Korean righty Suk-Min Yoon wasn't intimidated by a Venezuelan offense powered by major leaguers. Shin-Soo Choo and Tae-Kyun Kim both homered for Korea, Kim's coming on Silva's 40th pitch in the second inning to stretch the score to 7-0.

That was it for Silva, pulled after just 1 1/3 innings. He gave up seven runs (six earned) on six hits, then angrily threw his glove against the dugout wall and stomped into the clubhouse. The deluge that began with Abreu's error ended with the Venezuelans admitting to equal parts embarrassment at their own failure and admiration for the Koreans, and the carnival atmosphere they inspired.

"For a moment it felt like we were in Korea," said Venezuela manager Luis Sojo. "They are all over every moment and it was great for them." Someone wondered why there aren't more major league rosters stocked with Koreans and Sojo, who looks as old as the game itself, offered a wise prediction.

"There will be. To see the way this kid (Yoon) threw the ball opened a lot of eyes," Sojo said. "The bullpen was outstanding. Surprises me that there aren't that many Koreans in the major leagues, but I think from now on there will be."

A championship run here atop the gold medal won in the 2008 Olympics solidifies Korea's place as a true player in the sport. The rest of the baseball world understands this. America ought to be catching on.

Surprised? This Classic Has October Feel originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>carlos silvaCarlosSilvadaisuke matsuzakaDaisukeMatsuzakadavey johnsonDaveyJohnsonderek jeterDerekJetermark derosaMarkDerosamelvin moraMelvinMoraroy oswaltRoyOswaltshin-soo chooShin-sooChooworld baseball classicWorldBaseballClassicLisa OlsonSun, 22 Mar 2009 03:20:00 EST WBC Offers Fine Escape From Madnesshttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/20/wbc-offers-fine-escape-from-madness/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/20/wbc-offers-fine-escape-from-madness/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/20/wbc-offers-fine-escape-from-madness/#commentsFiled under: ,

LOS ANGELES -- Weary of the genius one cubicle over who thinks it perfectly acceptable to fill out his bracket in pencil, with liberal use of the eraser? Tired of the friend who swears she follows college basketball but still can't pronounce Gonzaga? Think it's about time someone gagged Dick Vitale with a rosin bag?

Then take a step away from the madness, hit the refresh button and veg out in the dulcet sounds of ball hitting bat. This isn't a slight on the NCAA tournament, always the best three-week stretch in sports. And it isn't a referendum on the sensibility of Bud Selig's moneymaker, because it's abundantly clear the World Baseball Classic doesn't make much sense in many ways.

But considering the semifinals and final are upon us this weekend at Dodger Stadium, and considering a few brain cells might be preserved with well-timed clicks between the sports, here is a reminder of all that is good and right and so very odd with the WBC:

o. The Classic never penetrated the Oval Office, but it did cause quite the international fuss amongst politicians from Japan and Korea. The two sides still haven't any love for each other, much like Duke and North Carolina. A reporter staying at one of the team hotels Friday witnessed officials from the two countries nearly get in a slap-fight as they all tried to board the same elevator.

o. Team Japan is known as The Samurai, possibly the coolest nickname ever. The Samurai won the WBC title in 2006, the event's maiden voyage, and they'll play the United States in Sunday's semifinal. To hear the Japanese players talk solemnly about not just defending their title but their honor (which is everything) is to realize how much this thing matters outside America's borders.

o. Korea, which takes on Venezuela in the other semifinal, features a second baseman who wears a glove the size of a Toyota.

o. Already, 36 games have been played, some of them in front of stands mostly empty (Miami), a sight (and a site) Selig would rather pretend never happened. What lingers, at least in the minds of baseball folks who'd rather bang the drums about the Classic's goal being the development and growth of baseball internationally, is the breathtaking view of some 40,000 folks showing up at what used to be known as The Big Egg (only foreigners call it that now) in Tokyo to watch batting practice. There is no greater national pastime in Japan than Yakyu.

o. Dave Winfield would come out of retirement if only he could figure how to sneak onto Davey Johnson's roster without stealing the spotlight. "Absolutely, I'd have loved to play in a tournament like this if they had it back in the day," Winfield said. Team USA could use an extra body, any body: the Yanks are banged up, with reserves tough to find, and carrying just a two-man bench.

o. And because of the above, America might actually be a legitimate underdog.

o. Nobody wears Armani suits or hair gel. Nobody gets compared to Magic or Bird, either.

o. You don't have to know how to pronounce or spell Mike Krzyzewski, or listen to Mike Krzyzewski expound on what the president of the United States should or should not be doing.

o. It is a joy to type "Bum-Ho Lee hit a homer" again and again.

o. Only in America could David Wright's clutch single in March be celebrated on the New York back pages as if he had just won the World Series. (Mets fans can dream.)

o. Only in New York could David Wright's bruised toe be treated on the city's back pages as if he had just broken his leg in Game 7 of the World Series. (Mets fans can cringe.)

o. There's never a bad time to tease Mets fans, and so it is that we point out that The Samurai are stocked with five members of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Japan's reigning champions who happen to be managed by none other than Bobby Valentine. The best of Valentine's products might just be pitcher Shunsuke Watanabe, aka the SubMarine. He will never be confused with, say, Armando Benitez.



o. Japan's Ichiro Suzuki says things like, "My heart is burning," when he is asked what it would be like to win the WBC title again, and journalists swoon, because it is so refreshing to break free from the one-day-at-a-time drones.

o. What better stage for someone like Pedro Martinez, a guaranteed Hall of Famer still looking for work? He pushed 92 mph on the radar guns while pitching for the Dominican Republic, and then said it would be an insult to play for only $1 million this season plus incentives, though Tommy Glavine doesn't seem to mind. Only in America, folks.

o. K-Rod is looking pretty darn filthy, and then you remember Opening Day is still a few weeks off, and Mets fans, already one step away from the edge of the bridge, don't deserve to be baited like this.

o. China won a game and the Dutch won two. That's an extraordinary sentence in baseball circles, one that deserves to be typed again, right after we write, "Bum-Ho Lee hit a homer" one more time.

o. If you are one of the brilliant geniuses like me who has two separate brackets in two separate pools and are currently trailing in last place in both, the most refreshing escape of all can be found in the thud that follows a ball hitting the sweetest part of a mitt.

WBC Offers Fine Escape From Madness originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>bobby valentineBobbyValentinedavid wrightDavidWrightichiro suzukiIchiroSuzukiworld baseball classicWorldBaseballClassicLisa OlsonFri, 20 Mar 2009 20:40:00 EST No. 1 Seed Belongs to Skyward Cardinalshttp://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/15/no-1-seed-belongs-to-skyward-cardinals/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/15/no-1-seed-belongs-to-skyward-cardinals/http://lisa-olson.fanhouse.com/2009/03/15/no-1-seed-belongs-to-skyward-cardinals/#commentsFiled under: ,

NEW YORK - Terrence Williams curled his body into a crouch, half walking on his tiptoes, half stalking the prey. He was heading toward the Louisville bench, but on the way he made sure to jump-and-bump any Cardinals in sight, to yank on their jerseys and double slap their chests.

In a minute or so Williams would be holding aloft the Big East Conference championship trophy, carting it around Madison Square Garden arena as if it were a newborn, so precious, so beautiful. All across the basketball sphere top seeds kept dropping Saturday, biting the dust and then shrugging it off, as if it were fairly clear the larger prize hadn't yet materialized.

Not Louisville, and its coach who earned his rep on the unforgiving stoops of NYC.

And certainly not here, in front of a crowd that wouldn't hesitate to shred any team that dared not give it all.

The Cardinals beat Syracuse, 76-66, Saturday night to stock the tournament hardware next to their regular-season conference title. The win virtually assured the Cardinals a No. 1 seed when the NCAA selection committee dispenses the magic beans Sunday. The selectors, wise and omnipotent, will take into account one thing above all else: a team does not just win the Big East title as much as it survives it.

"History, we made history tonight," Williams, Louisville's irrepressible senior guard, was saying as he stood on the Garden floor holding the trophy, bedlam all around, describing how the Cardinals were not about to be another No. 1 seed to crash and burn. "The Big East is the toughest league and we won it. I've been in this building three years and I got sent home early three times. It's about time."

Syracuse's romp through the week was about as thrilling as they come, starting with the Orange's epic six-overtime win against Connecticut in the quarterfinals and carrying over to a OT victory over West Virginia in the semis. For days, the Orange staved off exhaustion and dehydration and cramps and the impossible, but the magic came undone early in the second half Saturday, against a team that blends tremendous depth with a full-court press that refuses to let up until its victims are bruised and bloodied.

Rick Pitino might be relatively new to the rough-and-tumble Big East, but he knows how New York ball is meant to be played and has done his best to create a synergy of street sense and collective code. "Give me two new guys," is how he runs his bench, fresh bodies rolling off his assembly line. The word "touches," Pitino said, "infuriates me more than anything in life," and his co-captains, Williams and Andre McGee, seem to have taken to their coach's philosophy.

The Cardinals pressed Syracuse from the opening tip, McGee wasting zero time in getting up close and personal with the Orange's indefatigable guard Jonny Flynn. Later Pitino would joke that McGee "puts more pressure on than any mother-in-law in the country." Flynn had another, equally colorful analogy.

"It's like being chased by eight pit bulls and (you) just got to keep running for your life," said Flynn, who still managed to score 11 points and dish six assists in 34 minutes despite having McGee glued to his side.

Flynn played 67 minutes Thursday night, 45 more Friday, and Saturday he was named the tournament's most valuable player. If Syracuse had pulled off another stunner, if it had held on to an eight-point halftime lead and sent the mostly-Orange crowd of 19,000 into another awestruck tizzy, Flynn probably could strapped the trophy to his back and run with it to the team's hotel across town.

Instead he sat at the podium, forlorn and dejected. Syracuse is still thick in the jumble of Big East teams sure to earn invites to the NCAA Tournament, but from the look on Flynn's face, you'd think he was being ordered to never again pick up a ball. That's how much the Big East title meant to him, a sentiment that appeared to ripple through both teams.

"I would trade the trophy in to win the Big East Tournament any day," Flynn said. "Lot of people are going to remember who won this tournament. They're not going to remember who won the outstanding trophy award."

There was 1:19 on the clock when coach Jim Boeheim pulled Flynn off the Garden court for the final time, Louisville up by nine and the championship trophy getting spit-shined. Flynn collapsed into his courtside seat, flopped his head into this hands and refused to glance up again. He couldn't, wouldn't, even with the action mere inches ahead. Sheer exhaustion hadn't sent him into a depressive spiral; losing was the beast that finally did him in.

The feeling will subside, Boeheim promised Flynn, as long as the games continue to stretch across March.

Latest College Basketball Images

    Cal State Northridge players Mark Hill, top, and Kenny Daniels dance during the celebration after their 71-66 overtime win against Pacific in an NCAA college basketball final game at the Big West men's tournament in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

    AP

    Cal State Northridge players Rodrigue Mels and Tremaine Townsend hug during the celebration after their 71-66 overtime win against Pacific in an NCAA college basketball final game at the Big West men's tournament in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

    AP

    LAS VEGAS - MARCH 14: Billy White #32 of the San Diego State Aztecs drives past Luke Nevill #50 of the Utah Utes during the championship game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center March 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Utes won the title 52-50. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Billy White;Luke Nevill

    Getty Images

    LAS VEGAS - MARCH 14: Head coach Jim Boylen of the Utah Utes watches his team take on the San Diego State Aztecs during the championship game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center March 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Utes won the title 52-50. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jim Boylen

    Getty Images

    LAS VEGAS - MARCH 14: Luke Nevill #50 of the Utah Utes posts up on Ryan Amoroso #43 of the San Diego State Aztecs during the championship game of the Conoco Mountain West Conference tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center March 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Utes won the title 52-50. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Luke Nevill;Ryan Amoroso

    Getty Images

    Nevada's Armon Johnson walks down court in the final moments of Nevada's 72-62 loss to Utah State in a NCAA college basketball game finals at the Western Athletic Conference men's tournament in Reno, Nev., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

    AP

    Utah State's Gary Wilkinson hugs head coach Stew Morrill after defeating Nevada 72-62 in NCAA college basketball game finals at the Western Athletic Conference men's tournament in Reno, Nev., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

    AP

    Pacific guard Terrell Smith, right, commits a foul trying to block Cal State Northridge forward Tremaine Townsend from behind in the first half of an NCAA college basketball final game at the Big West men's tournament in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

    AP

    The Utah State men's basketball team poses with their trophy after beating Nevada 72-62 in a NCAA college basketball game finals at the Western Athletic Conference men's tournament in Reno, Nev., Saturday, March 14, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

    AP

    Utah State's Gary Wilkinson raises his arms in celebration after Utah State beat Nevada 72-62 win in a NCAA college basketball game finals at the Western Athletic Conference men's tournament in Reno, Nev., Saturday, March 14, 2009.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

    AP


"The one last thing I said that I would share with you is that when this is all over, you know, five years from now, there's going to be two things people remember about this Syracuse basketball season. Two and only two," Boeheim said. "They're going to remember the Connecticut-Syracuse (game) here and going to remember what we do in the tournament. That's all they remember."

But will the strain of suiting up four straight nights in the Garden jeopardize Syracuse's push into March? Battle fatigue began to reflect off the players' sweat early in the second half, when Louisville's relentless press forced the Orange into an 0-for-8 stretch from the 3-point line. Williams, meanwhile, sunk back-to-back treys from the same spot on the wing within a minute span, both off McGee passes, building the Cardinals a 10-point lead.

Syracuse blew through its timeouts, exhaustion starting to show. The Orange rushed their passes, dribbled off feet and failed to anticipate angles off rebounds. McGee, a victim of cramps and poor conditioning throughout much of his high-school career, had 10 points and left his DNA all over Syracuse shooters. Williams got his touches in a way that makes all coaches wing, with seven steals and six assists.

Look around you, Pitino had told his players before the championship. You're in an NBA locker room, not some Garden broom closet. Relish it, honor it, said the man who once coached the Knicks. He took his players on a trip down memory lane, then reminded them about the immediate urgency: winning Louisville's first Big East crown since joining the league in 2006, and fulfilling the destiny of a top seed.

The Big East fingerprints will be all over the NCAA bracket, with Pitino's Cardinals the centerpiece. In the span of a week, in a city that eats its own, toughness was amplified, guts and perseverance laid bare. Boys became men on the Garden court, a theory supported by both Williams and McGee as they danced in front of the trophy and traded turns wearing the nets as necklaces.

"Listen to the words!" Williams shouted as the loud speakers blared the familiar strains of Frank Sinatra. "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere!" Williams yelled it again, in case anyone missed the message, then picked up the trophy and cradled it tight. It was a fine way to burst through March.

No. 1 Seed Belongs to Skyward Cardinals originally appeared on Lisa Olson FanHouse on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 03:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

]]>andre mcgeeAndreMcgeejim boeheimJimBoeheimjonny flynnJonnyFlynnrick pitinoRickPitinoterrence williamsTerrenceWilliamsLisa OlsonSun, 15 Mar 2009 03:30:00 EST