"I still feel like I'm a kid in that car, maybe that has something to do with it," the 34-year-old Johnson told All Things Considered co-host Melissa Block a short time ago:
During their conversation, Melissa asked Johnson about reports that he wanted to push to win yesterday's race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, even though all he needed to do was finish safely to guarantee another championship season. There was a race trophy to win, Johnson explains (he ended up finishing fifth in Sunday's race):
Johnson also talked about he prepares for races -- by visualizing the track and the "marks" he needs to hit as he races:
Much more from Melissa's conversation with Johnson is scheduled for tonight's edition of ATC. Click here to find an NPR station near you.
Moved quickly to dash hopes of a replay of the Republic of Ireland's controversial World Cup play-off exit to France in Paris. ... (Irish Football) chief executive John Delaney had formally requested a replay after Thierry Henry's clear handball in the build-up to William Gallas's decisive goal. The world governing body ruled that the result cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed.
FIFA has today, 20 November 2009, replied to the request made by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to replay the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa play-off match held on 18 November 2009 between France and the Republic of Ireland in Paris.
In the reply, FIFA states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed. As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final.
We asked yesterday whether Two-Way readers thought the match should be replayed. AS of 7:15 a.m. ET this morning, 59% of those who responded had said yes. There's still time to express your opinion:
Update at 8:55 a.m. ET:The BBC reports that Henry said today that a replay would "be the fairest solution."
There's an even bigger story in sports today, at least for fans of the world's most popular game.
Henry and his coach confer. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images)
French soccer ... er, football ... player Thierry Henry "has admitted handling a ball before a crucial goal that sent his team to the World Cup at the expense of Ireland." Henry's touch, by the way, is known now as "the Hand of Gaul" -- a nice homage to the "Hand of God" score by Argentina's Diego Maradona during the 1986 World Cup quarter final against England. Henry didn't score the French goal in Wednesday's match 1-1, but one of his teammates did soon after. The Irish argue that play should have stopped when Henry's hand touched the ball.
Now the Irish want a rematch: "The Football Association of Ireland has called on FIFA (soccer's ruling body) to replay last night's World Cup play-off after Thierry Henry's handball denied the Republic of Ireland a place in the finals," The Irish Times reports.
What should happen?
Update at 6:55 a.m. ET, Nov. 20. There will be no rematch, FIFA has ruled. The AP reports that:
"In the reply, FIFA states that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed," FIFA said in a statement. "As is clearly mentioned in the Laws of the Game, during matches, decisions are taken by the referee and these decisions are final."
South African runner Caster Semenya, who went through gender verification testing after the World Championships in Berlin this summer, will be keeping her gold medal.
Results of the testing will be kept confidential.
Semenya won the 800 meters race. The International Associated of Athletics Federations announced its decision this morning, Reuters reports.
According to Reuters:
South Africa's government, Semenya's lawyers and the IAAF had reached total agreement that she will retain her gold medal, title and prize money because she has been found "innocent of any wrong," the ministry said in a statement.
Agreement was also reached with the IAAF that scientific gender tests conducted on Semenya will be treated as confidential and there will be no public announcement of the results.
The International Olympic Committee's announcement today that it is stripping the 2008 Games' 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal from Bahraini runner Rashid Ramzi is grabbing headlines around the world.
As NPR's Tom Goldman reports, "the 1,500 meters is one of the highest-profile events at an Olympics" and Ramzi's punishment because he tested positive for the banned oxygen-booster CERA is a huge story in the sports world.
But four other 2008 competitors had their results wiped from the records today as well, and one of them is a former gold medalist.
Greek race walker Athanasia Tsoumeleka took the gold in the 20K women's race walk at the 2004 Olympics in Athens -- one of six golds she and other Greek athletes won in their home nation. She has told a Greek radio network that she didn't knowingly use the banned substance. Tsoumeleka finished ninth at the Beijing Games. Her 2004 medal is not affected by today's decision.
One other 2008 medalist had his award stripped today. Italian cyclist Davide Rebellin won the silver medal in the men's individual road race.
The other two athletes who had their 2008 results erased -- cyclist Stefan Schumacher and Croatian runner Vanja Perisic have not won Olympic medals in any Games.
The Buffalo Bills Dick Jauron, making him the first NFL head coach to lose his job this season. (Jared Wickerham / Getty Images)
It took ten weeks into the NFL season but we finally have our first fired head coach, Dick Jauron of the Buffalo Bills whose team has slogged its way to 3 wins and 6 losses.
This was Jauron's fourth season with the Bills and not one of them was a winning one, unfortunately for him and Buffalo fans.
Fortunately for the 59-year old Jauron, however, he signed a guaranteed three-year extension to his contract last year for about $3 million a year, according to the Buffalo News. So his lifestyle shouldn't change much, save for all the new free time he now has.
Jauron fate was no doubt sealed by the Bills' Sunday 41-17 loss to the equally feckless Tennessee Titans who are now 3 and 6 themselves.
As NPR's Mike Pesca reports, Jauron holds a dubious NFL record:
Jauron's previous coaching experience included a five year stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears in which he had only one winning season. In fact, no one in NFL history who's coached as many games as Jauron has had as few winning seasons
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning greets vanquished New England Patriots rival Tom Brady (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
By Frank James
Silly me. After Randy Moss scored the New England Patriots' fifth touchdown of the evening Sunday night, giving the Patriots a 31-14 lead over the Indianapolis Colts at the start of the fourth quarter, I turned off the TV, believing the game to be over with quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Moss firmly in control.
Of course, it wasn't. Why I counted out a team led by Peyton Manning, one of the best come-from-behind quarterbacks in football since Joe Montana hung up his cleats, I'll never know.
Anyway, I didn't get to see the improbable Colts win. But I've read a lot of the Monday morning quarterbacking, especially as it relates to Patriots coach Bill Belichick's gutsy and controversial decision to go for a first down in a fourth-and-two situation from his own 28th yard line.
As virtually everyone knows by now, the Patriots didn't get the first down which is why most teams in this situation would punt the ball away; even kids know this situation is called "a punting down" for a reason.
The Colts got the ball back almost in the red zone with the score 34-28 and scored a touchdown with 31 seconds left. Final score: 35-34.
Native American critics and others who find the Washington Redskins name racially offensive lost their chance Monday to have the U.S. Supreme Court elevate the case to the nation's highest judicial stage.
The high court declined to take up the case, essentially letting stand a lower court decision that was favorable to the team.
The court without comment refused to get involved in the long-running dispute. The decision essentially lets stand a lower court ruling that the activists waited too long to bring the challenge.
The team has been known as the Redskins since 1933, when the name was changed from the Boston Braves. It became the Washington Redskins in 1937, when the team moved south.
The lawsuit was filed in 1992, when seven activists challenged a Redskins trademark issued in 1967. They won seven years later in a decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, which said the name could be interpreted as offensive to Native Americans. The case is Harjo v. Pro-Football, Inc.
Trademark law prohibits registration of a name that "may disparage . . . persons, living or dead, . . . or bring them into contempt, or disrepute."
The team appealed to federal court.
Judges at the district and circuit levels said the activists' trademark cancellation claim was barred by the doctrine of laches, which serves as a defense against claims that should have been made long ago.
The Supreme Court decision was good news for an organization that has had very little of it in recent seasons. The hapless Redskins, with an owner Daniel Snyder widely despised by fans, are now at the bottom of the NFC East with 3-6 record after beating Denver 27-10.
LeBron James has sold a lot of jerseys bearing his number 23 to his legion of fans.
But next year, if those fans want to stay current, they'll have to buy new LeBron jerseys, likely with the number 6. The Cleveland Cavaliers superstar announced last night he'll personally retire his use of the number 23 next year as a tribute to Michael Jordan.
James thinks the entire league should retire the number Jordan famously wore out of respect to Jordan who attended Thursday night's game between Cleveland and the Miami Heat. The Cavaliers won on the road and spoiled Miami superstar Dwayne Wade's debut of his new "Air Jordan" line of basketball shoes.
By the way, the 6' 4" Wade had one of the all-time nastiest dunks during Thursday night's game, jumping over Cleveland's 6' 11" Anderson Varejao who was sent flying backwards from Wade's momentum.
Anyway, James wants to see the NBA to do what the National Hockey League did with Wayne Gretzky's number 99, which was retired by all the teams in the NHL. So far, only the Chicago Bulls, the team Jordan won six championships with, and the Miami Heat have retired His Airness' jersey.
A federal appeals court said Michael Vick gets to keep his $16 million bonus from the Atlanta Falcons. (Michael Perez / AP Photo)
By Frank James
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick scored another legal victory over the NFL Tuesday when a federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision that Vick was entitled to keep more than $16 million in bonuses he received from the Atlanta Falcons, his former team.
The NFL had argued that Vick had forfeited his roster bonuses after his federal conviction for bankrolling a dogfighting operation.
A roster bonus is paid when a player is on a team's roster as of a certain date. It differs from a signing bonus which is paid at the time a player signs a contract to play with a particular team.
But the eighth circuit federal appeals court sided with U.S. District Judge David Doty who oversees collective bargaining issues involving the NFL. Doty ruled that the bonuses were earned before the dogfighting conviction and thus Vick was owed the money.
Affording the district court a measure of deference as the court that entered the
consent decree and has overseen each of the subsequent amendments, we conclude that it properly rejected the League's argument that Vick's roster bonuses were signing bonus allocations subject to the years-performed test. Accordingly, the district court did not err in determining that the bonuses were earned when Vick met the roster provisions in his contract, and thus not subject to forfeiture.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar has rare form of leukemia. (Damian Dovarganes / AP Photo)
The news that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the basketball legend, has a rare form of blood cancer, is certainly dispiriting for roundball fans everywhere. But many of us who came of age watching the player affectionately known as "The Big Guy" during his playing days will take heart at Abdul-Jabbar's attitude towards having the disease.
A deeply introspective and private man who has generally kept the world at arm's length (and at 7'2" he has very long arms) he has gone public with his diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia to publicize the need for recognition and treatment of the disorder.
The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn't give any guarantees, but informed him: "You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle."
Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease. He is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness.
Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated.
"I've never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives," he said at a midtown Manhattan conference room. "It's incumbent on someone like me to talk about this."
On the morning after the morning after the analysis continues about what, if anything, Tuesday's elections say about the mood of the country, the president's popularity and what will happen on Election Day in 2010.
Politico says the results have congressional Democrats "focused like never before on jobs -- their own."
The Boston Globestrikes a similar theme: " Democratic moderates who will determine the fate of much of President Obama's domestic agenda heard an early warning from this week's off-year elections: Congress had better do something about the economy, or sitting lawmakers will lose their jobs in 2010."
The Wall Street Journal says the votes have "left Democrats scrambling to renew the coalition that elected President Barack Obama after independent voters, whose power to determine U.S. elections is rising with their numbers, broke heavily toward Republicans."
And USA TODAY is looking well down the road. It's top political story is headlined "Huckabee Leads Republican Prospects In Poll." Those prospects would be the Republican Party's 2012 presidential hopefuls.
Also on Morning Edition Andrew Exum of the Center for a New American Security told host Renee Montagne that Obama should use the possibility of sending more troops to Afghanistan as leverage to push President Hamid Karzai to clean up government corruption:
Later today, All Things Considered is planning to spend an hour on Afghanistan and the issues Obama is considering as he debates whether to send more U.S. troops there. Click here to find an NPR station near you.
Other news:
-- The Associated Press -- AARP To Endorse House Health Care Plan: "The House is steaming toward a historic vote on President Barack Obama's remake of the U.S. health care system, with Democratic leaders increasingly confident and the powerful seniors' lobby AARP about to get on board. A debate and vote are expected Saturday on the 10-year, $1.2 trillion bill that would extend coverage to 96 percent of Americans, require employers to insure their employees and bar such insurance company practices as dropping coverage for sick people."
-- The Guardian's Greenslade blog -- Reporter For French News Service Detained In Iran: "An Iranian journalist working for the international news agency Agence France Presse has been detained by Iran's security forces. Farhad Pouladi was taken into custody while on his way to cover a state-sanctioned rally to mark the 30th anniversary of the US embassy takeover. AFP's acting bureau chief in Tehran, Jay Deshmukh, says the reporter's whereabouts are unknown."
As NPR's Mike Pesca said on Morning Edition, the Yankees got some clutch performances from some big stars and proved they are "once again the toughest out in baseball":
One of the nation's largest cities, as we just reported, is having some mixed emotions today.
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Yankees 8-6 last night to extend the World Series to a game six on Wednesday. The Yankees lead three-games-to-two in the best-of-seven championship.
There's much more than that going on today, of course.
NPR's Dave Mattingly and Isaac-Davy Aronson of NPR member station WNYC report on the voting today in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and elsewhere:
The contests are being closely watched to see what, if anything, they may reveal about voters' attitudes toward President Barack Obama and his fellow Democrats.
Looking ahead to next year, by the way, Politico says that "in what could be a nightmare scenario for Republican Party officials, conservative activists are gearing up to challenge leading GOP candidates in more than a dozen key House and Senate races in 2010." They're looking at today's special election in New York's 23rd Congressional district, where Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman pressured the GOP nominee to drop out, as something of a template for 2010.
We'll be combining forces with Ken Rudin of the Political Junkie tonight to "live-blog" election results. So check both The Two-Way and Political Junkie for updates.
Other stories making headlines include:
-- BBC News -- "Karzai Vows To Battle Corruption": "Afghan President Hamid Karzai has vowed to remove the 'stigma' of corruption, a day after winning a new five-year term.
In his first remarks since being declared winner on Monday of August's fraud-marred poll, he also pledged to lead an inclusive government."
Related conversation on Morning Edition "Karzai's Team Needs To Establish Strong Government." Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad tells host Renee Montagne that he has no doubt Karzai will try to reach out to his critics, but that putting together an effective government will be difficult:
Related story by NPR.org -- "Karzai 'Victory' Puts Spotlight On U.S. Troop Decision": "Afghan President Hamid Karzai's victory by default in the contested election may resolve the country's immediate political crisis, but it could complicate the outcome of the Obama administration's much-anticipated decision on sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan."
-- The New York Times -- "Gore's Dual Role In Spotlight: Advocate And Investor": "Critics, mostly on the political right and among global warming skeptics, say (former vice president Al) Gore is poised to become the world's first 'carbon billionaire,' profiteering from government policies he supports that would direct billions of dollars to the business ventures he has invested in. ... Mr. Gore says that he is simply putting his money where his mouth is. 'Do you think there is something wrong with being active in business in this country?' Mr. Gore said. 'I am proud of it. I am proud of it.' "
The Series resumes tomorrow night in New York, with the Yankees ahead three games to two.
The bad news for folks in Philly this morning is that the transit system's biggest union went on strike at 3 a.m. ET. As the Inquirer says, the walk out is "crippling a transit system that averages more than 928,000 trips every weekday in the city."
Sarah Whites-Koditschek of NPR member station WHYY says the strike shuts down all bus, subway and trolley services in Philadelphia. Among the major issues: Wages, naturally, and pension contributions. The transit system had offered no pay hikes for two years. The union wants 4% increases immediately.
As for the Series, here is a report on last night's game from NPR's Mike Pesca. It's introduced by Morning Edition's Steve Inskeep:
But they're headed to New York. (David J. Phillip/AP)
Macy's probably has Yankees ads ready too. (David J. Phillip/AP)
By Mark Memmott
At least it was an ad -- not a story in the sports section:
Editions of The Philadelphia Inquirer today include a Macy's ad that congratulates the hometown Phillies on being "Back to Back World Series Champions."
The only problem, of course, is that the Phillies trail the New York Yankees three-games-to-one in the fall classic. Game five -- which could give the Yankees the championship -- is scheduled for tonight in Philadelphia.
The three-quarter page ad on the back of Tuesday's front section features a T-shirt emblazoned with the Phillies logo, the Commissioner's Trophy and the phrase "Back To Back World Series Champions." ... Confident fans still anticipating a Phillies win may need to temper their purchasing expectations, however. The ad contains a small disclaimer at the bottom: "Advertised items may not be at your local Macy's."
Bartman, in hat and headphones, is welcome back. (Morry Gash/AP)
By Mark Memmott
Curse? What curse?
Tom Ricketts, who's taking over as chairman of baseball's Chicago Cubs now that his family has completed its $845 million purchase of the franchise, isn't one to subscribe to the many, many reasons that many, many Cubs fans think their team is cursed.
Though the team once again is not playing in a World Series, Ricketts tells NPR's Scott Simon that all the supposed curses are just myths. And as far as he's concerned, the infamous Steve Bartman (a fan who some blame for the Cubs not getting into the 2003 Series) is welcome back at Wrigley Field:
The interview is Ricketts' first such conversation since his family took control of the team. It will air on Saturday morning's Weekend Edition. Click here to find an NPR station near you that broadcasts the show.
Ricketts also says that the family wants Cubs manager Lou Piniella and general manager Jim Hendry to stay in their jobs:
He says the Ricketts family has no plan to replace Wrigley Field -- but is going to use adjacent land to give fans and players some new amenities:
Game 1 of the 2009 World Series is scheduled to get going at 7:57 p.m. ET this evening. The games between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies will be broadcast by the Fox Network.
As NPR's Mike Pesca said on Morning Edition, each team's "closer" will be key to what happens:
While all you fans wait for the game to get going, how about a little Phillies-Yankees World Series trivia? We've got nine questions, one for each inning:
Defending champion Philadelphia Phillies celebrate winning their second National League pennant after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers and returning to the World Series. (David J. Phillip / AP Photo)
By Frank James
The Philadelphia Phillies are returning to the World Series a year after winning the Major League Baseball championship.
It is the first time in the team's 126-history the Phillies will make back-to-back appearances in the Fall Classic. Meanwhile, there hasn't been a repeat champion since the 1975-1976 season.
By beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-4 in Philadelphia Wednesday evening, the defending champions thwarted the hopes of those who wanted a rematch between historic rivals, the New York Yankees (assuming they beat the Los Angeles Angels today. This Bronx-bred bloggers writes with fingers crossed) and the Dodgers.
If the Phillies wind up going against the Yankees, there'll be a lot of nervous Yank fans since the Phillies are looking mighty formidable. In fact, a lot of baseball writers think the Phillies are better this year than last.
In non-Balloon Boy news, conservative radio superstar Rush Limbaugh on Thursday took after his adversaries who killed his chances to be a minority owner of the National Football League's St. Louis Rams.
Rush Limbaugh used his Thursday show to settle some scores. (Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)
And he doesn't leave unscorched Dave Checketts, the leader of the investment group seeking to buy the NFL team, who invited Limbaugh to come along for the ride, only to throw him under the bus when the controversy erupted.
At the start of Thursday's show, Limbaugh said Checketts came to his house and offered him an ownership stake earlier this year. Limbaugh recalls asking Checketts at their second meeting if he and the other investors were ready to take the heat sure to come once it became public knowledge that Limbaugh was part of the group. Checketts assured him they were.
And adding to the sense that he was doublecrossed by Checketts, Limbaugh says he was never told noted liberal philanthropist George Soros was one of Checketts' partners.
"Are you aware of the firestorm this --" "Oh, yes, totally aware, Rush, and believe me, I wouldn't have approached you if I hadn't taken care of that. I would not have even come and asked you to be part of the group if I had not cleared your involvement with people at the highest levels of the National Football League."
And my mistake at that point was not asking him, "All right, do you really mean it, and who did you speak to?" He gave me a couple of names that are pretty high up and led me to believe that it was all handled and that he was fully prepared for what was going to happen. When the whole thing started to unravel last week, whenever this thing leaked -- and, by the way, I learned yesterday that George Soros might be in this group. Reuters had a story that George Soros is one of Dave Checketts's partners. I did not know that. I wasn't told that. Mr. Checketts is not the primary partner here. The NFL has a rule that the primary owner has to have 30% equity in the team, and our group lost our 30% equity guy, and we had to scramble and find a new one, and I was told who it was, but now I'm wondering if it was Soros and I wasn't told. Soros and Checketts did, I have learned, partner together previously to try to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mr. Soros, of course, is well known politically for his left-wing slants, his politics fit in perfectly, apparently, with what the National Football League is becoming. But I wonder if they know that he is also involved in the movement to legalize marijuana and how that will play as the owners decide whether or not he's fit. This is all speculative because I don't know that he's in the group. Reuters reported it yesterday.
Yesterday, Rush went after the "scum" in the news media who have used a quote about slavery that's been attributed to him when reporting about the Rams bid. Rush says he never said it (the gist of the alleged quote was that slavery had its "merits").
Let's go along for the full ride and believe that it was all a horrible "fabrication."
So what are we left with?
Well, essentially, I think we just threw a deck chair off the Titanic.
There is still a huge pile of polarizing, bigoted debris stacked up on the deck of the good ship Limbaugh that he can't deny or even remotely distance himself from.
Rev. Al Sharpton has written to National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell to urge that controversial conservative radio show host Rush Limbaugh not be allowed to join in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams.
According to Politico, Sharpton tells Goodell that Limbaugh is "anti-NFL" and that some things Rush has said over the years -- including a comparison of NFL teams to the Crips and Bloods gangs -- are "disturbing."
Limbaugh confirmed last week that he's part of a group that hopes to buy the football club.
St. Louis Post-Dispatchcolumnist Bryan Burwell wrote that the league should think twice before approving such a deal. Bryan pointed to what he said are some of Limbaugh's own words, such as:
"I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."
Limbaugh, by the way, is getting extensive coverage on NBC's Today Show this week. Today, he said that most of his critics "don't even listen to me; they are clueless":
They didn't get close to a World Series (again), but the Chicago Cubs are making some post season noise.
The team filed for Chapter 11 protection today, the Associated Press reports. As the AP adds, "the move was anticipated as the Tribune Co. looks to complete an $845 million sale of the team, Wrigley Field and related properties to the family of billionaire Joe Ricketts."
Frank wrote in July that the Cubs "may be known for failures of legendary proportions on the playing field, but they are thought to be doing pretty well financially." The move, again, is to help get the sale completed by untangling the club from the Tribune Co.'s misfortunes.
Golf and rugby are officially new Olympic Games new sports, voted in by International Olympic Committee members on Friday.
Is there an Olympic gold medal in Tiger Woods' future? At a London golf clinic in November 2000, Woods tried on the Olympic gold medal belonging to Great Britain's Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent. (Anthony Harvey / PA/AP Photo, File)
The sports will make their first appearances at the 2016 summer games which last week were awarded to Brazil and will be held in Rio de Janeiro.
"Both golf and rugby are very popular sports with global appeal and a strong ethic," said IOC President Jacques Rogge. "They will be great additions to the Games." The two sports, voted on separately in alphabetical order of the sports, golf then rugby, received a simple majority of votes cast by the members of the Session. The result of the first vote was not revealed to the Session until the vote for the second sport had taken place.
The summer games have 28 sports. To make room for the two new sports, the IOC earlier jettisoned baseball and softball.
In an interview on the IOC site, Rogge said the IOC intends to hold the number of sports in the summer games at 28. Thus, when a new sport is added, another sport will be booted from the games.
You can find a list of all the summer Olympics sports here on the IOC website. You're guess is as good as mine in terms of which sport will be ousted next. Badminton, maybe?
Rush Limbaugh wants to own the St. Louis Rams. (Bill Pugliano / Getty Images)
The radio and conservative icon has teamed up with Dave Checketts, owner of the national Hockey League's St. Louis Blues, to try and purchase an ownership stake in the team.
It's difficult to determine from reports if they are trying to purchase the whole team or the 60 percent owned by the children of the late Georgia Frontiere, the long-time owner of the franchise who died last year.
Limbaugh couldn't give details, citing a confidentiality agreement with the Goldman Sachs investment bank which was retained to shop the team around.
Yes, quarterback Brett Favre -- now of the Minnesota Vikings -- led his new buddies to a 30-23 victory over his old teammates on the Green Bay Packers last night in a game that captivated football fans, especially in the always polite arch-rival states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As NPR's Tom Goldman says, Favre was "razor sharp" in this much-hyped match-up, the first time Favre has faced the Packers since leaving that team before last season (Favre was with the New York Jets last year):
Now, everybody can relax -- until the Vikings pay their first Favre-led visit to Green Bay on Nov. 1.
If any work gets done in Minneapolis-St. Paul and much of Minnesota and Wisconsin today and tomorrow, it's most likely going to be done by the basketball and hockey fans.
Tonight (8:30 p.m. ET), there's the match-up between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. It's the first time since legendary quarterback Brett Favre left the Pack before last season that he'll be facing Green Bay as a member of the arch-rival Vikings. As commentator John Ridley lamented on Morning Edition, this game has many Packers fans in a quandary.
But it also has many Packer fans finally convinced that their former hero is no different than most other sports starts, Green Bay Press-Gazette sports editor Tom Pelissero said on Minneapolis' KARE-TV this morning:
Sports nuts in the Twin Cities won't be able to rest much after tonight's football game. They've got an all-or-nothing baseball game to get ready for. Tomorrow afternoon (5 p.m. ET), also in Minneapolis at the Metrodome, the Twins face off against the Detroit Tigers to see which team gets to be the "wildcard" in the American League playoffs.
Chris Paul, the all-star point guard for the New Orleans Hornets, often amazes with his ball-handling skills.
But he also may be the NBA's king of the trick shot based on the shot he took at a recent practice. He worked the angles like a pool hustler, bouncing a basketball off the facility's ceiling so it hit the floor at just the right angle, bounced up and off the backboard then into the basket. Seeing is believing.
Paul's shot is reminiscent of the 1993 McDonald's commercial with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in which the two legends challenge each other with a series of ever more improbable trick shots which will always end, they say, with "nothing but net." Except Paul did it for real.
For the first time in the Modern Games' history, the Olympics are going to be held in South America. That announcement was just made in Copenhagen, where the International Olympic Committee has been meeting.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was awarded the 2016 Summer Games.
Chicago, as we've been reporting, failed to make the IOC's cut -- despite a last-minute, unprecedented push from President Barack Obama.
Update at 2:05 p.m. ET. NPR's Tom Goldman files this report:
Disappointment in the Second City. (M. Spencer Green / AP)
By Mark Memmott
Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics has been turned down by the International Olympic Committee, Reuters and the Associated Press just reported.
We'll have more as the news comes in. Scroll down to see what's happening -- and hit your "refresh" button to make sure you're seeing our latest updates.
Update at 2:15 p.m. ET. For those who like their news in a radio format, here's a short report from NPR's Tom Goldman:
Update at 12:50 p.m. ET: And the winner is -- Rio de Janeiro. The IOC just announced the news.
Update at 12:40 p.m. ET: The announcement ceremony is underway in Copenhagen, so the news about which of the remaining two cities -- Madrid or Rio de Janeiro -- has won the games is going to be coming shortly.
Update at 12:05 p.m. ET. While we wait to hear about which city did win the Olympics, here's a trivia test:
Update at 11:55 a.m. ET: The IOC is supposed to announce the 2016 host city -- which now will be either Madrid or Rio de Janeiro -- around 12:30 p.m. ET.
Update at 11:45 a.m. ET. Since President Barack Obama made such a high-profile pitch for Chicago's bid, we wonder:
Update at 11:40 a.m. ET. From Chicago, the AP reports that:
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Chicago stood in stunned silence Friday after watching the International Olympic Committee choose someone else for the 2016 Summer Olympics. ...
The vote in Copenhagen was carried on huge television screens in the Daley Center. ...
(When the news was announced) an audible gasp could be heard from the crowd. Many stood for a few minutes, staring at the screen, and at least one flung his hands into the air in a crude gesture toward the TV screen.
Within seconds, people began filing out of the plaza.
Update at 11:33 a.m. ET: This comes, of course, after President Barack Obama's unprecedented trip to Copenhagen today. An American president had never before personally lobbied the IOC on behalf of a U.S. bid.
First lady Michelle Obama spent the better part of three days in Copenhagen making Chicago's case.
Rio de Janeiro has this going for it -- the Olympics have never been held in South America. Madrid has been boosted by the efforts of former IOC head Juan Antonio Samaranch, 89, who told IOC members today that "I know that I am very near the end on my time. ... May I ask you to consider granting my country the honor and also the duty to organize the games and Paralympics in 2016?"
Update at 11:30 a.m. ET: AP now adds that Tokyo's bid has also been rejected, leaving Madrid and Rio de Janeiro as the two cities still in the competition.
President Barack Obama has made the first direct pitch ever by a U.S. leader to the Internationl Olympic Committee on behalf of an American city's effort to host the Summer Games.
Now all that's left to do is await the IOC's announcement about which city will get the 2016 games. That news is expected at 12:30 p.m. ET.
In Copenhagen, Obama told IOC leaders that "the city of Chicago and the United States of America will make the world proud":
Update at 11:10 a.m. ET: Our original headline on this post was "Michael Vick Lands New Deal With Nike, Agent Says".
Now, Reuters reports:
Nike Inc. on Thursday denied it has an endorsement deal with Michael Vick more than two years after dumping the National Football League quarterback following his arrest for bankrolling a dog-fighting ring.
Nike said it was only supplying gear for Vick as it does with many athletes. In such deals, Nike does not pay the athlete.
"Nike does not have a contractual relationship with Michael Vick," Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said in a statement. "We have agreed to supply product to Michael Vick as we do a number of athletes who are not under contract with Nike."
Two years ago, after Vick's conviction on charges stemming from his involvement in a dogfighting ring, Nike cut its ties with him. Now that he's out of prison and back on an NFL roster with the Philadelphia Eagles, they're apparently partners again.
Consider that Vick's jersey is the NFL's fourth highest-selling since he returned to the league last month (via CNBC). Protests at Eagles games have been minimal, and the Eagles sponsors largely stayed loyal to the team after they announced the Vick signing last month.
But ultimately, the it could be Nike that's putting an early stamp of approval on Vick's vow that he'll be a starter again in the NFL. The shoe giant wouldn't be lining itself up with a backup quarterback.
President Barack Obama will go to Copenhagen on Thursday to make a personal pitch to the International Olympic Committee on behalf of his hometown Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Games, White House adviser Valerie Jarrett told the Associated Press this morning.
The White House had previously announced that first lady Michelle Obama would be there, but that the president would likely remain in Washington to focus on legislation aimed at overhauling the nation's health care system. But it always left open the possibility that the president would join her.
According to the AP, Obama will be the first U.S. president to make such a pitch to the IOC.
Wayne Gretzy coaching the Phoenix Coyotes in a game against the Los Angeles Kings in December. The NHL Hall of Famer stepped down from that post.(Ross D. Franklin / AP Photo)
By Frank James
Wayne Gretzky, in the opinion of many the greatest hockey player to ever strap on a pair of skates, is stepping down from his role as coach and director of hockey operations for the Phoenix Coyotes, the result of the franchises confused ownership situation.
"This was a difficult decision that I've thought long and hard about," said Gretzky. "We all hoped there would be a resolution earlier this month to the Coyotes ownership situation, but the decision is taking longer than expected. Since both remaining bidders have made it clear that I don't fit into their future plans, I approached General Manger Don Maloney and suggested he begin looking for someone to replace me as coach. Don has worked hard and explored many options. I think he has made an excellent choice, and so now it's time for me to step aside.
Gretzky continued the long line of superstars in his sport who failed to achieve anywhere near the comparable success as a coach. Ted Williams in baseball, Michael Jordan in basketball, Diego Maradona in soccer, Bart Starr in football.
The only superstar coach Mark and I could think of was Bill Russell who was a player-coach for the Boston Celtics between 1966 and 1969. But since he was still a player, we're not sure if we should really count him.
Here's a Two-Way challenge: If anyone can think of any other exceptions to the "great players make bad coaches" rule which is starting to look like an iron law of the universe, please weigh in.
Mark throws out the name of Dan Gable, the great Iowa State University wrestler who won Olympic gold and had many NCAA championships as head coach at the University of Iowa. But that wasn't the pro level, of course.
Delonte West of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers is apparently serious about his role as a shooting guard. Too serious. The Washington Post reports that the NBA star Delonte West was arrested Thursday night in a Washington, D.C. suburb after a traffic stop and found to have three guns on him -- two handguns and a shotgun. You really can't make up stories like this.
Cleveland Cavaliers' Delonte West puts true firepower in the term "shooting guard."(Paul Sancya / AP Photo)
As the WaPo reports:
Delonte West, a guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, was driving a three-wheeled motorcycle north on Interstate 95 near Route 214 in the Largo area when he cut off a Prince George's County police officer, authorities said. The officer pulled him over, and West told the officer that he was carrying a handgun in his waistband.
That prompted the officer to call for backup, and investigators found that West was actually carrying three guns: a Beretta 9mm in his waistband, a Ruger .357 strapped to his leg and a shotgun in a guitar case slung over his back, said Maj. Andy Ellis, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Police Department.
West, who is 26 and lives in Brandywine, was arrested and charged with speeding and two counts of carrying a handgun, Ellis said. He was released today on personal recognizance, according to Ellis and online court records.
Shawon Dunston, the former Chicago Cubs all-star shortstop, has offered an interesting reason why the Tribune Co. now in bankruptcy court, shouldn't be allowed by the judge to sell his old team: it still owes him scholarship money he was promised so that he could obtain a college degree.
Former Chicago Cubs shortstop wants a bankruptcy judge to stop his old team's sale by Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family until the Cubs pay him promised college scholarship money. (Michael Poche / AP Photo)
According to Reuters, the 46-year old Dunston wrote the bankruptcy court judge:
"I, Shawon Dunston, being a former player of the Chicago Cubs from 4-9-85 - 10-5-95/4-5-97 - 10-4-97 am entitled to college scholarship funds obligated to me by the Chicago Cubs," said the three-sentence handwritten letter.
"To date, these scholarship funds have not been paid to me."
The two-time All-Star was the first overall draft pick in 1982, selected straight out of high school. Major League Baseball's website lists his college as "N/A."
Dunston, who retired in 2002 and currently works for the San Francisco Giants, could not be reached for comment. The signature on the letter appeared to match Dunston's signature on sports memorabilia.
The Tribune Co., which is operating under bankruptcy protection, has agreed to sell the Cubs for $845 million to the Ricketts family whose patriarch founded TD Ameritrade.
For Dunston's sake, his commitment had better be in writing. And he'd better hope the the team promised to give him the equivalent of an Ivy League school's costs as opposed to a community college's. The team might also decide to pay him what a college education cost in 1997, his last year with the Cubs.
According to www.baseball-reference.com Dunston shouldn't need the scholarship money. Over the course of his 17-year Major League Baseball career with the Cubs, the Cleveland Indians, the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, he earned at least $24.5 million.
A jury acquitted the former Kentucky high school football coach who was charged with reckless homicide and wanton endangerment for the death of a 15-year old player.
Former high school football coach David Jason Stinson before his acquittal in Louisville, Ky. on charges of causing the death of one of his football players. (Ed Reinke / AP Photo)
David Jason Stinson was the Pleasure Ridge High School football coach in suburban Louisville who who was charged with running a particularly demanding practice in August 2008 during which he denied his players water. Max Gilpin, the teenager, collapsed and died at a hospital several days later.
The case drew wide attention in a nation where it seems nearly every parent with a child who has played youth sports has a story about an over-the-top coach who seemed to forget that he was dealing with children, not adults.
Serena and Venus Williams won the U.S. Open women's doubles championship Monday, their 10th Grand Slam doubles championship, beating defending champs Cara Black and Liezel Huber. Serena was on her best behavior, and apologized on her web site for her ribald Saturday night outburst at the end of her singles semifinal match(Charles Krupa / AP Photo)
By Frank James
Tennis star Serena Williams has finally given an unequivocal apology for her outlandish behavior Saturday night at the U.S. Open women's semifinals where she used profanity laced language to let a line judge know how fortunate the official was that Williams didn't force a tennis ball down her throat.
Her apology came after a day in which people criticized her not only for the original outburst but for the failure to apologize profusely afterwards.
I want to amend my press statement of yesterday, and want to make it clear as possible - I want to sincerely apologize FIRST to the lines woman, Kim Clijsters, the USTA, and tennis fans everywhere for my inappropriate outburst. I'm a woman of great pride, faith and integrity, and I admit when I'm wrong.
I need to make it clear to all young people that I handled myself inappropriately and it's not the way to act -- win or lose, good call or bad call in any sport, in any manner.
I like to lead by example. We all learn from experiences both good and bad. I will learn and grow from this, and be a better person as a result.
We can't quote verbatim from what tennis star Serena Williams had to say to a courtside judge Saturday at the U.S. Open. Too many obscenities. Suffice to say that Williams threatened to shove a tennis ball down the judge's throat.
But this AP video report does a good family-friendly job of summing up the story:
So far, Williams has been fined $10,500. Now, there's talk of a possible suspension and a bigger fine.
Michael Jordan, the man many believe was the greatest basketball player ever (He was. Sorry Kobe and LeBron boosters) is being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Friday.
Jordan, who in his heyday transcended sports to become an iconic global marketing powerhouse, may be slightly thicker than during his playing days, but he retained all the confident charm we remember from the glory years with the Chicago Bulls, the team he led to six NBA championships.
At a press conference in Springfield, Mass. filled with journalists still clearly awed by his presence, His Airness who Larry Bird once described as "God in basketball shoes" admitted that he was often tough on his teammates.
But that was only because, unlike his fellow Bulls of the championship runs who joined the team after its ascent began, he recalled how bad things were in 1984 when he was drafted.
"I came there when it was 6,000 people in the stands. And most of the people that were coming towards the end of my career (were) there when the building was being sold out every single night. So I didn't want them (his teammates) to misunderstand where the Bulls came from and where we were and how hard the fight was to get there.
So I was a little bit more animated, a little more strong-voiced and strong-handed if you want to say it that way, too. But at the end of the day, my team mates, if they can every say anything about me, you know, we won.
Everytime I have a conversation with Tex Winters (then a Bulls assistant coach) who is an unbelievable coach, Tex, I remember one game coming off the floor and I scored 20 points in a row to win the game. Tex reminded me that there's no "I" in team. And I looked back at Tex and said "There's "I" in win. So, whichever way you want it."
The White House is sending a heavy hitter to the 121st International Olympic Committee Session in Copenhagen next month.
First Lady Michelle Obama. (Kimberly White / Getty Images)
First lady Michelle Obama will be there to tout her hometown Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games, the Obama team just announced.
"There is no doubt in my mind that Chicago would offer the world a fantastic setting for these historic games and I hope that the Olympic torch will have the chance to burn brightly in my hometown," she says in a statement.
The Windy City is competing against Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janerio. The Chicago Tribune says there's still a chance the president might go to Denmark as well -- but haggling over health care legislation might keep him too busy. The White House, in its statement, says that the president "informed IOC President Count Jacques Rogge today that the fight to pass health insurance reform keeps him from committing at this time to travel to Copenhagen." The Copenhagen meeting is set for Oct. 2.
Semenya won the women's 800m at last month's world championships. (Olivier Morin / AFP/Getty Images)
By Mark Memmott
There's no comment this morning from officials at the International Association of Athletics Federations about a report from Australia's The Daily Telegraph that gender tests of South African runner Caster Semenya show the presence of male and female organs. But, the Associated Press writes from Monaco, IAAF says the test results are in and that it will issue a final decision in November about Semenya's eligility to compete. Semenya is the current women's world 800-meter champion.
The Guardian writes that "the South African government today renewed its attack on the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) over its handing of the Caster Semenya affair, saying that the athlete's human rights have been violated."
Michael Vick tells Philadelphia students to resist peer pressure of the sort he blamed for his descent into the dog-fighting world. (Joseph Kaczmarek / AP Photo)
By Frank James
As part of his continuing penance for underwriting a dog-fighting ring Michael Vick, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, appeared at a Philadelphia charter school to tell students to resist peer pressure.
Appearing with Wayne Pacelle, head of the Humane Society, Vick blamed his inability to fend off bad outside influences for his involvement in the dog fighting ring leading to his federal conviction and prison sentence for participating in a dog-fighting ring. It was a one-man version of "Scared Straight"
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback addressed a rapt audience of 200 freshmen on their first day at Nueva Esperanza Academy, a North Philadelphia charter school. He urged students to make the right choices and to resist the temptation to follow the crowd.
Vick used his conviction for operating a dogfighting ring as an example of the result of bowing to peer pressure. Speaking without notes, Vick told the students his decisions imperiled the goals he had set for himself since childhood.
In the visiting team locker-room, University of Oregon football player LeGarrette Blount, who landed the sucker punch seen around the world on Boise State player Byron Hout, was remorseful when he told reporters his eye-popping action wouldn't happen again. He had no idea at the time how true that was.
Oregon has suspended the tailback for the rest of the season and since he is a senior his college football career is essentially history.
Considering the great success Blount had last year, rushing for 1,002 yards and scoring a school-record 17 rushing touchdowns, the punishment could have fairly negative consequences for the team.
The day before, they were hailed as returning heroes when they got to Hilltop Middle School in their home town. Reporter Ana Tintocalis of KPBS-radio was there:
Tonight, they get a parade in Chula Vista. KPBS' Tintocalis will be on All Things Considered later to report more on the boys' sudden fame and the joy they've brought to their mostly working-class, heavily immigrant home town.
Here's how ESPN's SportsCenter wrapped up the All-Stars' win:
Update at 4:45 p.m. ET. Here's how Ana begins her report on today's ATC:
Will the Games be here in 2016?. (Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images)
By Mark Memmott
Chicago and the other three cities vying to host the 2016 Summer Olympics all could handle the Games, but "there are risks and opportunities to each project," the International Olympics Committee says in a report it just posted online.
It praises the "quality of all four candidates." But as with any such evaluation, the report also points to some problems.
Chicago's competition comes from Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Regarding the Windy City, the IOC has some concerns:
-- "Emphasis on major temporary or scaled down venues increases the risk to the OCOG (Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games) in regard to the planning, costing and delivery of the venues."
-- "Transport efficiency" could be a major challenge. Translation: Getting around Chicago could be difficult during the Games.
-- "A clearer delineation of roles and responsibilities between the city and the OCOG would be required to ensure that the OCOG would not be overburdened operationally and financially."
-- "Chicago would need an extensive sponsorship program to generate $1.83 billion in revenue." The budget is "ambitious but achievable."
-- "Chicago 2016 has not provided a full guarantee covering a potential economic shortfall of the OCOG, as requested by the IOC."
The IOC is scheduled to select the 2016 host city on Oct. 2.
Update at 10:30 a.m. ET. NPR's Howard Berkes has filed a report. He says that the "glaring" difference between the cities is what the IOC says about the lack of a financial guarantee from the Chicago organizers:
The NFL has a come up with a low-tech way to deal with a high-tech problem. The problem is the high-definition scoreboard above the field at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium that's within the proven range of footballs kicked by punters.
A good view of the high-definition TV screens at the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium kickers across the NFL will be aiming for. (Tom Pennington / Getty Images)
The solution will be familiar to every grade schooler and golfing duffer. It's called a do-over.
NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports on the decision arrived at by some of the greatest minds in professional sports:
Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones wasn't happy when Tennessee Titan punter A.J. Trapasso nailed his brand new $30 million high def scoreboard.
The giant TV screens are 160 feet long and hang 90 feet above the field. Jones blamed the Titans's punter accusing him of hitting it on purpose and there was much speculation that the 10 and a half million pixel LED high def screen would have to be raised.
But today the NFL sent every team a memo announcing a do-over rule if a punt hits the screen. The clock will be reset, the down replayed and if there's any doubt about whether the ball touched the scoreboard the referees can go to the instant replay booth. If the refs didn't see it but the coach thinks he did, he can throw his instant replay flag and demand a review.
The Cowboy punter, Mat McBriar has wisely said that his punts won't be bothered by the boss' new TV.
At noon today, Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez announced the draw for the Grand Slam tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Monday. Because the Williams sisters are ranked second and third, respectively, there is no way they could both land in the championship match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
On Straight Sets, Lynn Zinser notes that this is the first year that the U.S. Open is truly "a packaged-for-TV event."
The pulling of names and placing them in the bracket was done Wednesday night, so everything could be printed and ready for the noon broadcast. The ESPN analysts -- Patrick McEnroe and Mary Joe Fernandez -- did not have to do any on-the-spot analysis because everything was known ahead of time. Not that there is much mystery to the draw in the era of 32 seeds in each bracket, but now it seemed just to be an excuse to put more pictures of the Williams sisters, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the screen.
"You got some video clips, a bull rush through the two fields by McEnroe and Fernandez, and it was all over," Zinser writes. "If you were looking for depth, it was hard to find. If you were looking for ESPN's thumbprint, it was everywhere."
There is no chance Andy Roddick, who is the tournament's fifth seed, would face Roger Federer in the men's final. That news is certain to disappoint fans who wanted to see a rematch of the Wimbledon championship final.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick arrives at federal court in Newport News, Va., with his fiance, Kijfa Frink, for a bankruptcy hearing, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009. (Steve Helber / AP Photo)
By Frank James
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick got more good news today; a bankruptcy judge approved his plan to repay creditors owed $20 million a lot less than that, allowing him to clear himself of his crushing debts.
The discharge of Vick's huge debts comes on the same day he's scheduled to debut for the Eagles in their pre-season game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, an important way station in his redemption after his conviction and federal prison time for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring.
The Associated Press story notes that all but one of Vick's creditors agreed to the plan.
The plan approved by Santoro was supported by all creditors or representatives in court, save for one creditor owed $13,000. It hinges on Vick liquidating an estimated $9 million in assets, including houses, boats and high-end sport utility vehicles. He would not have to pay creditors during the first year with the Eagles.
Alex Rodriguez, admitted one-time steroid user, swings and misses against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, Aug. 21, 2009. (Charles Krupa / AP Photo)
By Frank James
If Wednesday hadn't been so overshadowed by Sen. Ted Kennedy's death, a few more stories would've gotten more attention, certainly on The Two-Way.
Certainly one of those would have been the Federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision that law enforcement erred in its investigation of the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball when it seized the entire list of the league's 2003 drug-testing results.
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that agents had no right to seize baseball's anonymous drug-testing results from 2003. The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for the players' union, which has argued for years to have the results of the 104 players who allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 returned.
"This was an obvious case of deliberate overreaching by the government in an effort to seize data as to which it lacked probable cause," Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote in the 9-2 decision.
Barring a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the test results and samples will be destroyed, and prosecutors cannot use the information. Union lawyers said the government returned the evidence shortly after earlier trial court rulings.
Philadelphia Phillies' second baseman Eric Bruntlett, right, completes an unassisted triple play to end the game against the Mets at Citi Field in New York, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009.(Henny Ray Abrams / AP Photo)
By David Gura
In New York yesterday, at Citi Field, Eric Bruntlett, the second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, made a game-ending unassisted triple play, what The Philadelphia Inquirer called "one of the rarest occurrences in the wacky game of baseball."
It was the second time in the cockeyed history of the major leagues that a game ended on an unassisted triple play. The first was May 31, 1927, when Detroit Tigers first baseman Johnny Neun ended a game against Cleveland, but it's not likely Neun got the same sense of satisfaction as Bruntlett.
So, what exactly is an unassisted triple play? The Straight Dope has the answer, buried in its archives:
You've got men on first and second. The batter hits a hard shot to either (a) the shortstop or second baseman, who catches it to put out the batter, touches second, retiring the lead runner, and then tags out the runner arriving from first, or (b) the first baseman, who tags out the first base runner and then runs to second before the lead runner can return.
Yesterday afternoon, the Phillies beat the New York Mets 9-7.
The Chicago Cubs baseball team, one of the most storied franchises in American sports and the team for which the phrase "there's always next year" seems to have been coined, was officially sold by the Tribune Co. on Friday more than two years after it was put up for sale.
The team and Wrigley Field, it's beloved ancient ballpark, were sold to the Ricketts family whose wealth comes from TD Ameritrade, the online discount broker, for $845 million in a deal that still must be approved by Major League Baseball.
Tribune, the media giant which is currently being reorganized in bankruptcy court, announced earlier this year that the Ricketts family was the successful bidder for the team.
Tribune will keep a five percent interest in the Cubs.
Tom Ricketts, CEO of Incapital LLC, a Chicago investment bank, led his family's side of the deal. He reportedly met his wife at Wrigley Field and is a true-Cubs blue fan of the North Side Chicago team, which, considering how disappointing the Cubs perennially are, you'd pretty much have to be to stick with them over the decades.
From catching the game-winning touchdown pass in the 2008 Super Bowl to shooting himself in the leg and now to pleading guilty to a weapons charge and heading off to prison for two years.
That's the career arc of former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress.
The Associated Press recaps what happened to Burress this way:
The football star and former teammate Antonio Pierce were at the Latin Quarter nightclub in late November when a gun tucked into Burress' waistband slipped down his leg and fired, shooting him in the right thigh. The bullet narrowly missed a nightclub security guard who was standing inches away, prosecutors said, lodged in the floor and was recovered by a bartender.
The gun was not licensed in New York or in New Jersey, where Burress lived, prosecutors said. His license to carry a concealed weapon in the state of Florida had expired in May 2008.
Burress could be out of prison in 20 months if he behaves, the AP adds. Now, 32, he played nine seasons -- beginning with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That would be future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre and the field would be at the practice facility of the Minnesota Vikings, where the former Packer (and, for one year, a New York Jet) is joining a team that his old fans in Green Bay will just hate to see him with.
According to the Star Tribune, the guy who was wearing No. 4 (Favre's number) has already given it up. Backup quarterback John David Booty probably wasn't going to be seeing much action anyway, so No. 9 will be fine for him.
The day's big moment was the shot of Yang's life, when he chipped in from 60 feet on the 14th hole.
On Morning Edition, host Steve Inskeep talked with commentator John Feinstein, who said Yang played "remarkable golf," while Woods "had a human day as a putter":
And then there was the new men's world record in the 100-meter dash, set by Jamaica's Usain Bolt at the IAAF World Championships in Berlin. He crossed the finish line in 9.58 seconds, a huge -- by that event's standards -- 0.11 seconds below the record he had set at last year's Olympic Games in Beijing. According to the Associated Press, "it was the biggest increase in the record since electronic time was introduced in 1968."
Try this experiment:
Start reading out loud. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going. Stay with it. Trust us, this won't take long. Just a couple more lines. You're almost there. OK, you can stop.
That's about how long it took Bolt to go from start to finish.
The world's fastest man. (Mark Dadswell / Getty Images)
Closing the loop on a story I blogged on yesterday, the Chicago Cubs fan who threw a beer on Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino Wednesday night turned himself in Thursday and apologized. Johnny Macchione, 21, who lives in a Chicago suburb, was charged with battery and illegal conduct.
The Chicago Tribune reported:
"Chicago Cubs, I'm sorry I disgraced you," Macchione said as he left Belmont Area police headquarters after being charged.
Macchione, like any true Cubs fan, should know that the Cubs are quite capable of disgracing themselves and really don't need the help.
He says he now knows why so many were so upset. (Matt Rourke / AP)
By Mark Memmott
Quarterback Michael Vick, who is returning to the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles after spending 18 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring, just told reporters that while he was behind bars he "plenty of time to think about what I did" and now understands why his actions upset so many people:
So my family and I were watching the Chicago Cubs get shellacked by World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies last night (12-1 in the fifth inning) when a Cubs fan decided to give his beleaguered team a hand by throwing a beer on Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino as he caught a sacrifice fly.
"What an idiot" I said, along with tens of thousands of others watching the game, as the TV camera zoomed in on a fan being yanked from Wrigley Field's left-center field bleachers by ballpark security.
Turns out, the guy security rousted out of the stands may very well be an idiot (he taunted the beer-soaked Phillies outfielder) but he's the wrong idiot. The actual beer thrower appears to have escaped.
Now there's a manhunt on, or more precisely, a doofus hunt.
The Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia outfielder Shane Victorino have filed a formal complaint with the Chicago Police Department over Wednesday night's beer-tossing incident, and now the search is on for the unknown culprit.
"It's in their hands," Cubs Chairman Crane Kenney said, referring to the CPD.
If the fan is found, he will be charged with assault, Kenney said. The CPD is interviewing some of the fans who sat near the beer tosser in left-centerfield, in hopes of having him identified. The fan managed to escape when another fan who taunted Victorino was mistakenly fingered by Cubs security and taken to a holding room for interrogation.
The National Football League today suspended Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte' Stallworth for the entire 2009 regular season because of his conviction on a DUI manslaughter charge, The Plain Dealer writes.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell notified Donte' Stallworth of the Cleveland Browns today that he is suspended without pay for the 2009 season for violating both the NFL's policy on substances of abuse and the personal conduct policy.
On June 16, Stallworth pled (sic) guilty to DUI/Manslaughter, a second degree felony in Florida, resulting from a March 14 incident in which he struck and killed a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol.
Stallworth will be reinstated after the Super Bowl in February 2010. He may not participate in any team activity during the 2009 season.
Who's he calling bourgeois? In 2005, Chavez teed it up in India. (AP photo)
By Mark Memmott
It was "out of bounds" for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to label golf a "bourgeois sport," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley declared today in a pun-filled shot at one of the American government's least-favorite foreign leaders.
At the opening of State's daily news briefing, Crowley said he "wished to protest" Chavez's "unwarranted attack" on the game.
Golf, Crowley argued, is a "truly global sport." Here's his full statement:
According to The New York Times, Chavez' recent "brief tirade" about golf prompted officials "to shut down two of the country's best-known golf courses, in Maracay, a city of military garrisons near here, and in the coastal city of Caraballeda."
Our thanks to NPR's Michele Kelemen for the tip about Crowley's comments.
That would be Rick Pitino, the current b-ball coach at the University of Louisville and a former head coach at the University of Kentucky. The Courier-Journal's story begins this way:
University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police that he had consensual sex with Karen Cunagin Sypher at a Louisville restaurant where he'd been drinking on Aug. 1, 2003.
He also told police that he later gave Sypher $3,000 to have an abortion, according to Louisville Metro Police reports The Courier-Journal obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
But Pitino denied Sypher's allegations that he raped her at Porcini, after the restaurant closed, and again a few weeks later at a different location, police records show. And prosecutors who have reviewed Sypher's claims say Pitino won't be charged.
Sypher has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly trying to extort money from Pitino.
The Courier-Journal has extensive excerpts from the police interviews with Pitino and Sypher.
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning celebrates after his team scored a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers on December 21, 2008. (Henny Ray Abrams / AP Photo)
By Frank James
Eli Manning, the New York Giants Super Bowl-winning quarterback, has signed a six-year contract, $97.5 million contract extension, about $16.3 million a year, to make him the highest paid NFL player, according to reports on both the Associated Press and ESPN.
According to the AP:
A person close to the talks who asked not to be identified says Manning is guaranteed $35 million under the deal that will keep him with the Giants through the 2015 season. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not signed and had not been announced.
There is a chance the deal could be signed Wednesday, but both sides wanted to review the contract, the person said.
Former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress exits Manhattan criminal court, Wednesday, July 29, 2009, in New York. (Louis Lanzano / AP Photo)
By Frank James
If a New York grand jury could've indicted former New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress for stupidity it probably would have. But dumbness, while it can get you in trouble with the law, isn't against the law.
Having an unregistered handgun and bringing into a public place like a nightclub is against the law, however. So that's what a Manhattan grand jury indicted him on.
The jury apparently didn't feel as though Burress, who shot himself in the right thigh with the gun during his nightclub visit, has suffered enough. The 31-year old athlete faces a minimum of 3-1/2 years in state prison if convicted.
Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, then with the Boston Red Sox, "were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003," The New York Times is reporting.
The Times says it got that information from "lawyers with knowledge of the results." NPR has not independently confirmed the news.
The Times adds that:
Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, would not comment Thursday.
Asked about the 2003 drug test on Thursday in Boston, Ortiz shrugged. "I'm not talking about that anymore," he said. "I have no comment."
It was in 2004 when the Red Sox, fueled in part by slugging heroics of Ramirez and Ortiz, broke an 86-year jinx and won the World Series. The team won it again in 2007. Ramirez is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This year, he served a 50-day suspension for violating baseball's drug policy.
Update at 3 p.m. ET. NPR's Tom Goldman sums up the news in this report:
For this blogger, I didn't have any one team I was completely committed to growing up. In western New York state we were in something of a no-man's land baseball-wise.
But as a kid it was a daily ritual to check to see how some of my favorite players had done the night before. Reggie Jackson. Rod Carew. Roberto Clemente.
Apparently, I have Chadwick to thank for being able to do that.
A reminder of how much a world-class athlete depends on a steady diet of practice and competition in order to maintain his or her competitive edge came in Rome today with Michael Phelps's loss in the 200 m freestyle at the swimming FINA World Championships.
Phelps lost to Paul Biedermann of Germany who not only beat Phelps but broke the American gold medalist's world record. Biedermann's time was 1:42:00 with Phelps coming in 1:22 seconds behind him. Phelps's prior record was 1:42:96 which he set during the Beijing Olympics where he won a record eight gold medals.
After the Beijing games, Phelps took a break from competition to celebrate his historic achievement, a time period that included the party where he was famously caught by a camera holding a bong. That downtime cost him, Phelps indicated.
The path is clear for ex-National Football League quarterback Michael Vick to take snaps once again, with his reinstatement on a conditional basis today by league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Unfortunately for Vick and whatever team decides to sign him, Vick won't be able to take those snaps in regular season NFL games, at least not until Goodell decides that Vick has been sufficiently rehabilitated to be on the field for the regular-season games that count towards the playoffs.
That gives Goodell some control over one thing that likely keeps him up at night, the thought of Vick leading a team to the Super Bowl in his first season back.
Goodell will consider Vick for full reinstatement in week six of the season which arrives in October.
Not surprisingly, Vick won't be allowed to own a dog, according to the NFL. It does look like he's at least allowed to pet a dog, under the rules of his reinstatement, a good thing since Vick has proposed working with the Humane Society as one way to further show his remorse for bankrolling the infamous Bad Newz Kennels dogfighting business. Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, served 23 months in federal prison on a dogfighting conviction.
Vick, who's an unrestricted free agent, can now participate in preseason practices, workouts and meetings and may play in the final two preseason games. During the regular season, Vick can participate in all team activities other than games. Vick also will be periodically evaluated by Goodell during his suspension and will be mentored by former Colts coach Tony Dungy.
For those of us in the USA, the equivalent might be hearing on the same day that actress Lindsay Lohan and football's Plaxico Burress had been cleared of their latest wrong-doings.
In Britain today, "a judge has acquitted Amy Winehouse of assaulting a fan who asked to take her picture," the Associated Press writes. And, Reuters adds, " Liverpool (soccer) captain Steven Gerrard was cleared on Friday of attacking a businessman in a bar brawl, the Press Association reported."
The two stars had remarkably similar defenses:
On the Winehouse case, The Daily Telegraphwrites that:
The 25-year-old singer was accused of hitting burlesque dancer Sherene Flash in the face while backstage at the Prince's Trust Ball in Berkeley Square, central London, last September. ... But Winehouse denied assaulting the dancer and insisted she was intimidated and scared by the drunken Miss Flash, who was demanding a photograph with the star.
Liverpool crown court heard that Marcus McGee, 34, was punched in the face by the footballer in a brawl at a bar in Southport last December. Gerrard admitted hitting McGee three times but denied affray, saying he had been acting in self-defence as he thought the other man was about to strike him.
Merriam-Webster, by the way, defines affray as "a fight between two or more people in a public place that disturbs the peace."
Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle is embraced by teammate Josh Fields as catcher Ramon Castro joins in the celebration after Buehrle threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Thursday, July 23, 2009, in Chicago. AP Photo/Jim Prisching
By Mark Memmott
For only the 18th time in Major League history, a pitcher has thrown a perfect game.
The Chicago White Sox' Mark Buehrle retired all 27 batters he faced in a 5-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon in Chicago.
According to MLB.com it's the first perfect game since 2004.
A few moments ago, All Things Considered co-host Robert Siegel spoke with Watson's caddie, Neil Oxman.
As Oxman says, he and Watson knew something special was happening (Robert speaks first):
There will be much more from Robert's conversation with Oxman on today's ATC. Click here to find an NPR station near you.
Some folks with sharp ears may recognize Oxman's voice. He's a well-known Democratic political consultant and part-time movie critic for WHYY-FM in Philadelphia. Oxman tells Robert that he defines himself, though, as a caddie.
On Morning Edition, one of the sharpest observers of the sport -- journalist John Feinstein -- told Steve Inskeep that if Watson had pulled off the victory it would have been "one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports."
How did Watson come within one putt of winning before being bested by Stewart Cink in a playoff? "He thought his way around the golf course," Feinstein says:
You'd be dancing a jig, too. Andrew Redington/Getty Images Sport
By Laura Conaway
Tom Watson, the 59-year-old golfer, finds himself heading into Saturday's round at the British Open tied with Steve Marino at five strokes under par. (Oh, and Tiger Woods failed to make the cut by one stroke.) AP captures the scene in Scotland:
In one unforgettable hour, as nostalgia gave way to disbelief, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods walked off the 18th green at Turnberry headed in opposite directions few could have imagined.
The oldest player at the British Open was leading.
People often crowd right up to the course at the Tour de France. Pascal Pavani/AFP/Getty Images
By Laura Conaway
Two cyclists in the Tour de France suffered minor injuries today when they were shot with air guns during the race today. Julian Dean of New Zealand and Oscar Freire of Spain were hit on the 13th stage, from Vittel to Colmar, Reuters reports.
"Julian was shot by an air rifle or BB gun at the top of a climb during the stage. He has a minor injury on his finger but he was able to finish," Garmin-Slipstream spokeswoman Marya Pongrace told the news service.
"Oscar heard three shots and then felt a sting. A small shot was removed [from his leg]," said a spokesman for Freire's Rabobank team.
By crouching forward, jockeys allow their limbs to act as pistons and take stress off the horses. Equine Action Images
By Laura Conaway
Jockeys are changing the way they ride. A research team in the U.K. put motion sensors on riders and their mounts, and discovered that modern jockeys remain steadier through the natural jostling of a race. That helps the horses run faster. The team's findings appear in study published this week in the journal Science.
Alan Wilson, a professor of locomotor biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College, tells NPR's Jon Hamilton on today's All Things Considered that jockeys are using their arms and legs like shock absorbers. The horses still have to carry the riders, Wilson explains, but they don't also have to move them up and down with each stride. He compares the motion to that of a skier moving down a mogul field:
"Their feet are going up and down, but their body is following a smooth path," he says.
It's hard work for the jockeys, whose hearts sometimes hit 180 beats per minute.
Presidents probably shouldn't be judged by how well they do on throwing out ceremonial first pitches -- but, hey, aren't sports meant to be argued about?
Check out Fox Sports' video of President Barack Obama's performance before last night's Major League Baseball All-Star Game:
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=ff2bc9d6-2886-401d-93f2-1578f95171d0&from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral" target="_new" title="First Presidential pitch">Video: First Presidential pitch</a>
What do you think?
On Morning Edition today, by the way, Renee Montagne reported about the president's pitch and commentator Frank Deford noted the conspicuous absence from the game of two baseball stars:
The Chicago Cubs could be the first baseball team to seek bankruptcy protection since 1970 but not because the organization's debts exceed its assets. Instead, it would be so the storied franchise could be more easily sold.
Chicago Cubs' Wrigley Field. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Bloomberg News is reporting that a bankruptcy filing would clear the team of liabilities linked to its parent company, Tribune Co., which filed for bankruptcy protection in December.
As Bloomberg reports:
Tribune sought Chapter 11 protection in December. It is contemplating a separate filing for the Cubs to expedite the team's estimated $900 million sale to interested bidders, including Incapital LLC Chairman Tom Ricketts, according to four people familiar with the plan.
A brief Cubs bankruptcy would be a legal maneuver to clear the team from any future liability in the Tribune bankruptcy, according to two of the people familiar with the matter. Sam Zell, chief executive officer of Chicago-based Tribune, pledged the company's interest in the Cubs as collateral when he negotiated the deal to take the publisher private in 2007, according to one of those people.
Kazemi in an undated booking photo from the Davidson County (Tenn.) Sheriff's office. Associated Press
By Mark Memmott
While the Associated Press is only going so far as to say that police are not looking for any suspects, the local newspaper in Nashville is reporting that former NFL star Steve McNair was killed Saturday in an "apparent murder-suicide."
The Tennesseansays McNair, 36, was found at a condominium he rented with "several gunshot wounds, including one to the head." A 20-year-old woman, Sahel Kazemi, "was found on the floor near him with a single gunshot wound to her head," the newspaper adds. "A pistol was found near her body."
The Tennessean also writes that McNair, who is married, and Kazemi had been "dating ... for months" and that:
Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said investigators were not actively looking for suspects Saturday night but had not ruled out any scenarios. He stopped short of calling the deaths a murder-suicide, but said the police should be able to classify the deaths today after autopsies and forensic work.
At Nashville Public Radio, correspondent Blake Farmer also reports that "Metro Police are investigating what appears to be a murder-suicide involving former NFL quarterback Steve McNair."
McNair and Kazemi had been together Thursday when she was arrested on a DUI charge, the AP says. She was reportedly driving a Cadillac Escalade registered to her and McNair, the Tennessean reports. McNair was a passenger in the vehicle at that time.
Update at 4 p.m. ET. Police rule McNair's death a homicide. The AP now reports that:
Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair's shooting death was a homicide, police said Sunday, but authorities stopped short of saying it was a murder-suicide committed by the 20-year-old girlfriend found dead by his side.
McNair, 36, was shot four times, twice in the head, by a semiautomatic pistol, Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. The woman, Sahel Kazemi, was killed by a single gunshot wound and the pistol was found under her body, Aaron said.
Police said they need to do more interviews with friends of Kazemi and McNair before they rule on whether her death was a suicide, Aaron said.
The Tennessean reports that Aaron also also said that police "can't be close-minded. ... All scenarios are on the table."
And, the newspaper quotes Kazemi's niece -- who says they were raised as sisters -- as saying Kazemi "would never kill anyone, ever."
From our original post: The AP recaps the highlights of McNair's NFL career this way:
Ready to take on all comers? LeBron James, left, and Shaquille O'Neal clown around during a practice before the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. Kevork Djansezian/AP
By Mark Memmott
He brought championships to Los Angeles when he was teamed on the Lakers with Kobe Bryant.
Now Shaquille O'Neal is headed to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers hope he and superstar LeBron James will bring a title to the city on lake.
The Arizona Republicsays it's a done deal. In Cleveland,The Plain Dealer says there's been an "agreement in principle" to a trade of O'Neal from the Phoenix Sun to the Cavs. It says Cleveland "will send the Suns veterans Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic in a deal plus the 46th overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft."
Add another baseball superstar who's extraordinary exploits on the baseball field stand to be forever tarnished by reports that he was "juiced;" the New York Times is reporting that Sammy Sosa tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003.
Barry Bonds, left, and Sammy Sosa shared a laugh before a game on Feb. 28, 2002 in Mesa, Ariz. AP Photo/Paul Connors
The Times attributes the information to lawyers familiar with the test results.
An excerpt:
Sammy Sosa, who joined with Mark McGwire in 1998 in a celebrated pursuit of baseball's single-season home run record, is among the players who tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2003, according to lawyers with knowledge of the drug-testing results from that year.
The disclosure that Sosa tested positive makes him the latest baseball star of the last two decades to be linked to performance-enhancers, a group that now includes McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez and Rafael Palmeiro.
Sosa, who is sixth on Major League Baseball's career home run list and last played in 2007, had long been suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs but until now had never been publicly linked to a positive test.
In a recent interview with ESPN Deportes, Sosa, 40, said he would "calmly wait" for his induction into baseball's Hall of Fame, for which he will become eligible for induction in 2013. But his 2003 positive test, when he played for the Chicago Cubs, may seriously damage his chances of gaining entry to the Hall, a fate encountered by McGwire, who has attracted relatively little support from voters in his first three years on the ballot.
The 2003 positive test could also create legal troubles for Sosa because he testified under oath before Congress at a public hearing in 2005 that he had "never taken illegal performance-enhancing drugs...
... A lawyer for Sosa, Jay Reisinger, declined comment, as did an official with Major League Baseball."
The only good thing about this latest disclosure is that so many people suspected Sosa of using steroids, there is likely little shock value in the latest revelations. While it's certainly not good news for baseball, it probably doesn't inflict much if any new damage on the sport either.
Pittsburgh Penguins players celebrate with the Stanley Cup after beating the Detroit Red Wings, Friday, June 12, 2009. AP Photo/Carlos Osorio
By Frank James
There's no joy in Hockeytown tonight as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings 2 to 1 to win the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup.
For much of the game, the Penguins appeared to want the championship more than the Wings who were favored by many to win. Detroit did seem to rouse itself at several points in the game, including late in the third period. But the Wings ultimately ran out of time.
The Penguins not only beat the Red Wings but they beat history. They are the first visiting team in either the NBA, MLB or NHL since 1980 to win a decisive game seven.
The Penguins' Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player.
Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury makes a stop against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals in Pittsburgh, June 9, 2009. AP Photo/Jim McIsaac, Pool)
By Frank James
It's game seven tonight in the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins and if you believe in the power of history, the Wings, the defending champions, appear poised to win another championship.
John Kreiss, an NHL.com columnist, provides a sense of the challenge facing the Penguins who will be on the Wings' ice at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena.
Home teams are 12-2 in Game 7 of the Final and have won the last six. The most recent team to win the Cup with a road win in Game 7 was the 1971 Montreal Canadiens, who rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit for a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium.
But Kreiss offers the Penguins a slim reed based on precedence with the emphasis on slim:
One glimmer of hope for the Penguins: Detroit is one of the two teams to lose a Game 7 in the Final at home -- though it happened 64 years ago, when Toronto came to the Olympia and left with a 2-1 win and the Cup. However, the Pens are just 1-5 at Joe Louis Arena in the last two Finals.
Meanwhile, Mitch Albom makes game 7 mostly about the Wings' all-star goalie, Chris Osgood. A win tonight, according to Albom, would clinch Osgood's rightful place in the hockey pantheon.
Because it's not a stretch to think that a victory tonight, with a good performance by Osgood, secures him: 1) a fourth Stanley Cup, 2) a Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs, 3) a historic footnote as the goalie who stymied Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and 4) the Hockey Hall of Fame.
And if the Wings lose, he might not get any of that.
The Los Angeles Lakers are just one game away today from winning what would be their 15th NBA championship with their 90-91 overtime win away from home last night against the Orlando Magic.
The Lakers now lead the Magic 3 to 1. And despite Orlando's name, it was the Lakers who seemed to have most of the magic.
Kobe Bryant continues to amaze. His driving, double-spin move and assist to Pau Gasol (at 1:05 in the highlight video) will have many fans hitting the review control on their Tivos for days. And many basketball will wonder why Orlando's Jameer Nelson didn't foul Derek Fisher as soon as he touched the ball at the end of the regulation time, letting Fisher take two free throws instead of shoot the game-tying three.
But most of these street ball legends never made it to the NBA. Sometimes personal problems beset them. Or there were doubts about critical parts of their games, like whether they could consistently sink long jumpers.
That's what makes Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston of the Orlando Magic so unusual. He broke through where so many others didn't.
An excerpt from an All Things Consideredreport by NPR's Tom Goldman:
GOLDMAN: But even as he played the role of streetball superman, Skip understood, with guidance from (his high school coach Ron) Naclerio and other adults who cared that his ultimate goal in basketball would require a Clark Kent approach and so Rafer Alston did the work.
ALSTON: I was always breaking down film on players, going back in the gym and the park workin' on things and every time they said I couldn't do this, do that, I went and worked on those things.
2007 file photo of the Stanley Cup. Mike Stobe/Getty Images
By Mark Memmott
The "Ilanders," "Leaes" and "Bqstqn" have all won the National Hockey League's famed Stanley Cup -- if you trust the spelling on that historic trophy.
On today's All Things Considered, co-host Michele Norris speaks with The Wall Street Journal's Reed Albergotti, who reported recently about the numberous ... er ... numerous misspellings on hockey's most coveted trophy.
The mistakes may be troublesome to those players who see their names wrongly etched, but Albergotti says many hockey fans kind of like the fact that imperfections are part of the Cup's heritage. After all, it's a game where the best players are proud to of their gap-toothed smiles.
Misspellings are only part of the Cup's legend.
There are the stories of what players have done with it each summer, when the winners get to take it home with them.
As the Hockey Hall of Fame website reports, the Cup has drop-kicked into Ottawa's Rideau Canal, left by the side of the road in a snow bank, stolen, used as a baptismal font -- and had more than its share of beer and champagne.
Before finishing, we should note that fans of some teams would be more than happy to have a typo or two on the Cup if it meant their favorite boys had finally captured the league title. Right, fellow Sabers ... I mean, Sabres ... fans?
Game six of the Stanley Cup finals between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins is tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Detroit leads the series 3-2.
To find an NPR station near you that broadcasts ATC, click here.
Last night's opening of the NBA championship wasn't the Kobe vs. LeBron matchup that many had drooled over. Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers are in the finals but LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers are gone. Gone, courtesy of Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.
And while last night's result -- a blowout Lakers victory -- may have caused some to turn off the TV earlier than expected, it still could prove to be an exciting series, especially if Kobe and Howard have spectacular performances.
But before L.A. had its Kobe, and before Cleveland had its LeBron -- well before, in fact -- there was a basketball love affair between the city of Buffalo, N.Y., and Randy Smith.
Smith was a brilliant point guard who played college ball at Buffalo State and then went to the Buffalo Braves -- a team that became the San Diego Clippers in 1978. Under Coach Jack Ramsay, Smith played on a team with Bob McAdoo, Gar Heard and Jim McMillian. They never came close to winning a championship, but they were embraced by Buffalo in the early '70s. But as the team lost coaches and players, they also lost fans -- and by the late '70s, the team was desperately looking to escape Buffalo.
Randy Smith died yesterday, of a heart attack while working out on his treadmill. He was 60 years old. He never made it to the Hall of Fame, or the NBA finals, and he really can't be mentioned in the same breath as Kobe or LeBron or Michael or Magic or Larry.
But to the city of Buffalo, he was everything. And he played his heart out for them.
Tim Wendel, writing on the Braves' World blog, noted that
Nobody loved the Braves and nobody loved Buffalo more than Smith. After starring as a soccer player at Buffalo State, the basketball Braves drafted him in the seventh round of 1971 draft. After working on his jump shot and then thrilling fans with his two-handed slam dunks in the preseason, he surprisingly made the NBA team.
From there he continued to raise his game until he became an All-Star. Randy came off the bench to score 27 points in the 1978 NBA All-Star Game (the Braves' last year in Buffalo) and took home the MVP award. He played 12 seasons in the NBA -- a record 906 games -- and never missed a game.
Derrick Rose of the University of Memphis drives on the University of Kansas' Sherrod Collins during the 2008 NCAA men's basketball championship game. Brett Wilhelm/NCAA Photos
By Frank James
When college basketball fans watched the thrilling NCAA 2008 men's basketball championship between the University of Kansas Jayhawks and the University of Memphis Tigers (Kansas won 75 to 68 in overtime) were they seeing a Memphis team with a star player who may have cheated to get around collegiate eligibility requirements?
That question is on the table given a report in the Memphis Commercial Appeal today that the NCAA is investigating the school for athletic violations, including the charge that a member of the basketball team who played in that championship game cheated on his SATs by allowing someone else to take the college entrance test in his place.
The Commercial Appeal published a Jan. 16, 2009 letter from the NCAA to Memphis' president Shirley Raines stating the charges and requesting the university send representatives to answer them in June.
As the Memphis Appeal reports:
The University of Memphis is responding to an NCAA notice of allegations charging the men's basketball program with major violations during the 2007-08 season under John Calipari.
The allegations include "knowing fraudulence or misconduct" on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.
The NCAA alleged the prospective player became eligible after an "unknown individual" completed his SAT. The player, said the NCAA, "subsequently competed for the men's basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship."
The player's name was redacted in the report, obtained by The Commercial Appeal on Wednesday through the Freedom of Information Act, because of privacy laws.
The player has subsequently denied the charge, according to university personnel.
The only player on the roster who competed only during that season was Derrick Rose, who subsequently was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft last June.
Former Tiger Jeff Robinson was, like Rose, a freshman in the 2007-08 season. But Robinson continued with the team into the 2008-09 season before transferring.
If the allegations are proven to be true, the Tigers could be forced to forfeit their NCAA-record 38 victories and Final Four appearance.
NPR's Mike Pesca had the following audio report:
Here's the NCAA letter. You have to read past all the interesting but irrelevant alleged women's golf team violations to get to the men's basketball charges:
The last Thursday in May is shaping up to be pretty newsy.
President Barack Obama meets at the White House with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. On Morning Edition, NPR's Michele Kelemen and Lourdes Garcia-Navarro previewed the meeting with reports about what people in the Middle East want to hear from the two leaders and about the West Bank "boom town" of Ramallah:
Also on Morning Edition, NPR's Frank Langfitt talked with host Steve Inskeep about the likely-to-happen-soon bankruptcy filing by General Motors. Frank says it's unlikely American taxpayers will ever get back all the billions of dollars they've given to the automaker:
As the Detroit Free Press puts it, GM's bankruptcy is "all but inevitable."
And sticking with the theme of stories that aren't going away anytime soon, NPR's Nina Totenberg filed an inside look at how Obama came to select federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor to be his Supreme Court nominee. Nina's Morning Edition, report included behind-the-scenes details about the head fakes Sotomayor gave to the news media -- highlighted by a dead-of-the-night drive from New York to Washington:
As for some of the other stories making headlines, they include:
In Seoul today, a man reads the news about U.S. and South Korean forces being put on alert. Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images
-- The New York Times -- "South Korea And U.S. Raise Alert Level": "One day after North Korea warned of a possible attack against the South, the United States and South Korea ordered their forces here to their highest alert for three years, increasing surveillance flights and satellite reconnaissance to counter what officials termed a 'grave threat.' "
-- CNN.com -- Tsunami Alert Raised, Then Lifted, After Quake Near Honduras: "A powerful earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.1, was reported off the coast of Honduras early Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The National Weather Service placed Honduras, Belize and Guatemala under a tsunami watch, but later lifted it. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
-- USA TODAY -- "Stimulus Projects Bypass Hard-Hit States": "States hit hardest by the recession received only a few of the government's first stimulus contracts, even though the glut of new federal spending was meant to target places where the economic pain has been particularly severe. Nationwide, federal agencies have awarded nearly $4 billion in contracts to help jump-start the economy since President Obama signed the massive stimulus package in February. But, with few exceptions, that money has not reached states where the unemployment rate is highest, according to a USA TODAY review of contracts disclosed through the Federal Procurement Data System."
-- The Guardian -- "United Undone By Brilliant Barca": For those who love soccer, but might have missed the news ... Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0 yesterday to win Europe's Champions League.
Finally, looking ahead to something we'll have later today: A reminder that NPR's interview with journalist Roxana Saberi, who was held in an Iranian prison for four months, is set to be online around 1 p.m. ET and then to air this afternoon on All Things Considered. Here's a preview from ATC host Melissa Block, who spoke with Saberi yesterday:
Contributing: Chinita Anderson of Morning Edition.
We know you want the latest news. We also know there are other important things going on the world.
Like that sport that's so huge just about everywhere except in the USA -- soccer.
So for those of you who aren't near a TV but are anxious to keep track of today's big game -- the UEFA Champions League final between England's Manchester United and Spain's FC Barcelona that gets started at 2:45 p.m. ET -- here are some places on the Web that might be of help:
-- The Wall Street Journal's Daily Fix blog, which promises "minute-by-minute analysis."
All we ask is that you not destroy your keyboard if your team doesn't win. We do want you to be able to come back to us.
Manchester United's Christiano Ronaldo, left, and Barcelona's Lionel Messi are thought by many experts to be the best players in the world today. Francisco Leong/AFPGetty Images
According to the Associated Press "last season, an estimated 150 million people in 230 countries and territories tuned in to watch Manchester United defeat Premier League rival Chelsea" in the Champions final.
(Some of you, by the way, may be able to watch the game at ESPN360.com. Be careful, though, if the boss is nearby.)
One of the day's top stories is former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's release from federal prison for his conviction for bankrolling the defunct Bad Newz Kennels dog-fighting operation.
The question on many minds is whether Vick will be allowed to return to the NFL and when. We'd love to hear from you: should NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell approve Vick's return to the NFL this season? Has Vick paid his debt to society? Register your opinion through our poll below.
Update at 5:30 p.m. ET.All Things Considered's Melissa Block spoke today with Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (click here to find an NPR station near you). He said he has some doubts, but hopes Vick will prove to be one of the organization's most effective voices. Here's a short clip from the interview:
Growing up a New York Knicks fan during the golden era of the late 1960s, early 1970s, I used to detest Jerry West, the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame guard who would bedevil the Knicks whenever they played. Him and Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. Hated them both.
West is still making mischief. In a report by Tom Goldman on Morning Edition we heard that West said in an interview that Cleveland Cavalier stars LeBron James has eclipsed the Lakers' Kobe Bryant as the league's best player.
Seems to me that West, once a long time executive with the Lakers until he joined the Memphis Grizzlies organization, might have been trying to motivate his old employee.
Anyway, the Great Debate over who's the best player in the NBA, Kobe or LeBron, is a lot of fun, spawning as it has the Nike TV ad above which Tom mentions in his report.
Former NFL star Michael Vick was released from the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan., early this morning and is headed to Virginia. He'll spend the last two months of his nearly two-year sentence for financing a dogfighting rink in home confinement.
Vick on Aug. 27, 2007, after entering his guilty plea. Win McNamee/Getty Images
The Daily Press of Virginia Beach (Vick's hometown newspaper) reports that according to sources at the scene:
A large media contingent was waiting outside the federal prison ... (but) Vick avoided reporters and emerged from a different entrance to the facility, wearing brown slacks and a white button-up jacket.
Vick is currently suspended by the NFL, and the Falcons are seeking to trade his contractual rights. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that Vick's potential re-instatement will depend on his level of remorsefulness.
Atlanta's WSB-TV says that a crowd is growing outside Vick's Hampton, Va., home.
Update at 5:05 p.m. ET.All Things Considered's Melissa Block spoke today with Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States (click here to find an NPR station near you). He said he has some doubts, but hopes Vick will prove to be one of the organization's most effective voices. Here's a short clip from the interview:
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