Posted on June 18th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The end came right from the start for Tiger Woods on Sunday as his promising prospects at the U.S. Open began disintegrating on the final round’s initial hole. The carnage went like this: bogey, bogey, double bogey, par, bogey, bogey. Just like that, Woods played himself out of contentionafter sharing the lead midway through the tournament.
“The first six [holes], I just didn’t play well at all,” he said after finishing tied for 21st. “I just could never get anything going positively, and I missed the ball in the wrong side a couple times, and that’s all it takes.”
Woods’ final two rounds (75 and 73) were in stark contrast with his opening rounds of 69 and 70, when he really looked like his old self again. He wasn’t the only big-name golfer who struggled to tame San Francisco’s Olympic Club course, but he was the only one shooting for a 15th major championship. He’ll have to wait until the British Open next month for another opportunity, but he wasn’t overly discouraged by his performance.
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Posted on June 15th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Yes, LeBron James’ foul on Kevin Durant wasn’t called Thursday night in the waning seconds of Game 2. Yes, the Miami Heat barely held on to win against the hard-charging Oklahoma City Thunder. And yes, folks who adhere to NBA conspiracy theories have more “evidence” to pair with New Orleans winning the draft lottery last month.
But the real story as the NBA Finals takes a break before resuming in Miami doesn’t involve questionable non-calls. It’s not the frequent flopping by defenders or the bitter disappointment in the Thunder’s former home.
It’s the ongoing battle between King James and KD Trey, the best two players in the league.
Both have been spectacular through the first two games, each man leading his team to a victory. James is averaging 31 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals, displaying the all-around game that just earned him a third Most Valuable Player award. Durant, a three-time scoring champion, has been a stone-cold killer. He’s averaging 34 points and 5.5 rebounds, doing most of his damage in the second half.
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Posted on June 14th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
My 13-year-old daughter was confused Tuesday night when she came into the room and saw the Nationals on TV instead of Heat-Thunder.
“How many games do they play in baseball?” she asked. “One hundred and sixty-two,” I replied. “The NBA finals are on,” she said. “That’s more important than a regular baseball game.”
Of course they are. The basketball game was in a commercial break. But truth be told, I’ve missed several minutes of NBA action this postseason because the Nats are so compelling. Even though 3 1/2 months remain in the regular season and plenty can change in that time — namely, Washington’s hold on first place in the NL East — the Nats’ allure is hard to resist.
And now the red-hot New York Yankees are here, creating the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere since Nationals Park opened. The Nats will have exactly 100 games left after Friday’s opener, and there couldn’t be a more exciting opponent to launch that countdown.
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Posted on June 13th, 2012
LaVar Arrington
By DERON SNYDER
Two things can be said of virtually anyone you meet: Either they have been a victim of sexual abuse or they know someone who’s been a victim, although they might be unaware of the latter.
Many people would be like former Penn State linebacker LaVar Arrington, who was shocked to discover an acquaintance among Jerry Sandusky’s alleged victims. Arrington was mentioned multiple times by the witness identified as Victim No. 4 as Sandusky’s trial got under way this week.
“My sadness and disappointment are growing as I realize that I knew this young man fairly well but didn’t grasp the full extent of what he was going through,” Arrington wrote in his Washington Post column. “So it’s mind-blowing to realize that a kid I took an active interest in during my time at school was suffering right in front of me and I had no idea that the pain allegedly came from someone in my own football program.”
Prosecutors state that Sandusky, a former Penn State defensive coordinator, sexually assaulted 10 boys from 1995 to 2008. Testimony thus far from the alleged victims — now ranging in age from 18 to 28 — has been graphic and heartbreaking.
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Posted on June 12th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Former Georgetown guard Jason Clark dribbled down the middle of the Wizards’ practice court Tuesday and delivered a pass to former Syracuse guard Scoop Jardine, who pulled up for a mid-range jumper. A Wizards assistant retrieved the rebound and passed to Clark, who started toward the other end as his running mate switched sides. Jardine pulled up for another jumper and the process was repeated, again and again and again.
Such is life for players such as Clark and Jardine, criss-crossing the country for team workouts in the final weeks before the NBA draft. The Wizards were the third and seventh stop, respectively, for Clark and Jardine, who were joined by Matt Gatens (Iowa), Bernard James (Florida State) and Darius Miller (Kentucky).
“I have eight more [workouts],” said Jardine, who as a fifth-year senor led Syracuse to the Elite Eight this year. “I just got in from Memphis last night and I’ve got Detroit tomorrow. You’re on the road a lot, living out of a suitcase, but I cherish this time because there’s nothing like it.”
That’s the proper attitude and really the only approach for players in his position, fighting for a shot to be drafted June 28. Perhaps one of them will be selected by the Wizards, who hold the third, 32nd and 46th picks. But none of them is a candidate for No. 3 overall, which would make life so much sweeter and easier. Instead, they’re forced to scratch and claw if they make it into the draft at all.
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Posted on June 12th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis offered the perfect summary of Saturday night’s controversial welterweight match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley.
“Pac won the fight. Bradley won the decision. Aurum won another payday. Boxing lost its integrity and the fans lost confidence,” Lewis tweeted.
Bradley indeed was declared the winner in a 12-round split decision. But the two judges who had him ahead were arguably the only people who felt that way. Most everyone else — from other boxers to media to fans — believed that Pacquiao won the fight handily.
“The decision will go down as one of the worst, most bogus calls in the whole history of boxing,” wrote ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “It was a disgrace. Shameful. Pathetic. We are not talking about a fight that was really close with several tight rounds that could have gone either way, so reasonable people can have a different opinion. No, we’re talking about a fight that Pacquiao dominated.”
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Posted on June 9th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
In addition to trophies and rings for their efforts, champions also get a cherry in the form of a customary White House visit. They get a tour and a visit with the commander in chief, adding another lifelong memory to the athletic exploits that made them No. 1.
For the second time in four years, the New York Giants took a trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and were honored for winning the Super Bowl. Coach Tom Coughlin used the occasion to poke Congress in the ribs, which drew some applause from President Obama.
The Giants were the epitome of teamwork last season, pulling together when their season was on the brink and supporting one another during the turnaround. Coughlin said he was proud of his players’ unity and he wondered why there’s so little in Washington.
“Offense, defense and special teams doing their job, each group having different objectives and motives but playing in harmony for each other for the good of everyone,” Coughlin said Friday during his remarks on the South Lawn. “Wouldn’t it be nice if Congress operated the same way?” A grinning Obama joined in as the crowd laughed and cheered.
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Posted on June 8th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Two weeks ago, we asked why the Washington Nationals couldn’t complete a series sweep, as the team was 0-7 when the opportunity presented itself. The Nats promptly put that matter to rest by going on the road and brooming the Atlanta Braves.
Washington failed in its first chance to repeat the feat, dropping Thursday’s series finale against the New York Mets. But after watching R.A. Dickey’s masterful performance in a 3-1 victory, another question came to mind:
Why don’t more pitchers give the knuckleball a try?
Dickey allowed just three balls out of the infield in his 7 1/3 shutout innings, constantly confounding batters with his frustrating knuckler. It was a continuation of his stellar start as he improved to 9-1 and lowered his ERA to 2.44. He has a scoreless streak of 24 2/3 innings.
“When you get in that batter’s box against him,” Mets manager Terry Collins said, “you better be ready to hit something that’s fluttering.”
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Posted on June 6th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Add Wade Davis to the list. He’s the latest man to reveal his homosexualityafter playing major team sports.
Unlike John Amaechi, who in 2007 became the first former NBA player to come out, Davis isn’t a pioneer. In 2002 Esera Tuaolo announced on HBO’s Real Sports that he’s gay, making him the third former NFL player to come out after David Kopay (1975) and Roy Simmons (1992).
Former Major League Baseball player Glen Burke shared his secret with coaches and teammates but didn’t come out fully until 1982 — three years after his retirement. The same amount of time passed between former MLB player Billy Bean’s retirement and revelation.
Davis has been out of the league since 2003 and didn’t accomplish much the four seasons he was there. A cornerback, he attended training camps and played preseason games with the Tennessee Titans, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, but he never made a regular-season roster. He did, however, enjoy stints in NFL Europe with Berlin Thunder and the Barcelona Dragons.
So he’s as anonymous as an ex-NFL player can be. Yet a star player’s admission wouldn’t resonate much louder. Davis was in the fraternity and in the closet; he surely wasn’t alone and certainly stands as an example to those in that position today. He knows why they choose to remain silent, as he did.
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Posted on June 6th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Champion boxers can age in a hurry, with no perceptible warning signs. They can show great vim and vigor as the bout approaches and maintain that energy through the early rounds. But then they can lose it, suddenly, in the middle of the fight, looking old, tired and worn out compared to the young, spry and energetic contender.
That’s what we’re seeing in the Western Conference finals with the seasoned San Antonio Spurs and the up-and-coming Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Spurs very well might rebound from their first three-game losing streak this season and advance to the NBA finals. But the dynamics in this series have shifted, swift enough to cause whiplash and quicker than a Thunder fast break. San Antonio, which appeared to fluctuate between invincible and perfection in winning the first two games, now appears overwhelmed and outmatched against reinvigorated OKC.
The transformation has been startling. Commentators were musing about the Spurs going undefeated in the playoffs after ending the regular season with 10 consecutive victories. San Antonio had won 20 straight after going up 2-0 on the Thunder, with no evidence of trouble looming once the series shifted to OKC.
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