Posted on July 4th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Independence Day undoubtedly stirs sadness in many folks, including loved ones of former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair and former Northwestern University men’s basketball coach Ricky Byrdsong.
McNair, who led the Titans to within one yard of potentially tying or winning Super Bowl XXXIV, was shot and killed by his girlfriend July 4, 2009. Ten years earlier, Byrdsong — who in 1994 took Northwestern to its second postseason appearance in school history — was the initial victim of a white supremacist’s shooting spree during Fourth of July weekend.
Of course, such crimes aren’t limited to early July or sports figures. But the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence released a new report this week that features more than 100 cases of high-profile and no-profile sports figures, in an effort to educate and spark conversation.
“Guns In Sports: How Guns Have Affected the Athletic Community & What It Tells Us About America’s Gun Violence Crisis,” is an expose that highlights cases from high school athletes to icons such as Michael Jordan, Junior Seau and former Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor, among others.
“Looking at how guns affect the sports world provides a window into America’s gun epidemic, in general,” said Jon Lowy, one of the report’s authors. “As a sports fan, I know how much we care about athletes. Unfortunately, when we read about ordinary people who have been injured or killed or lost loved ones to gun violence every day, as a society, we often don’t care enough about those people.”
Continue reading….
Posted on July 2nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Locked in a fierce battle to win the AT&T National, the tournament he founded in 2007, Tiger Woods stood at the eighth tee Sunday at Congressional Country Club, just outside Washington, D.C. Although he enjoyed overwhelming support from the majority of fans on the storm-ravaged course, littered with toppled trees and fallen foliage, the well-wishers weren’t unanimous.
“Shank it, Tiger, into the trees!” someone fake-shouted under his breath after Woods teed off.
Much to that fan’s chagrin, Woods didn’t oblige. In fact, Woods went on to win the tournament, which gives him three victories in his last seven starts and moves him to No. 1 in PGA Tour points for the first time in 100 weeks.
“There was a time when people were saying I could never win again,” Woods said afterward. “That was, I think, what, six months ago? Here we are … It was just a matter of time. ”
Continue reading…
Posted on July 2nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
History and tradition are like precious heirlooms to Major League Baseball, which is replete with longstanding questions in those areas.
Should the DH exist in both leagues or neither one? Should certain statistical milestones guarantee entry into the Hall of Fame? Should fan appeal and career achievement be factors into selections for the All-Star Game?
In terms of the latter, reputations often have been key to players’ participation in the Midsummer Classic. Willie Mays was selected 24 times (second to Hank Aaron’s 25), including his final, pitiful two seasons. Cal Ripken Jr. was chosen for 19 games, even as he tailed off toward the end of his career. Ozzie Smith made the team in 15 of his 19 seasons, the penultimate being 1995, when he batted .199.
So with all due respect to Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson, I disagree with his assessment of the All-Star process, especially as it pertains to rookie sensations Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.
“This is not a popularity contest or based on media hype,” Johnson told Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “They should make it only if they deserve it, not because of name recognition and youth.”
Trout’s inclusion on the American League roster was a no-doubt-about-it. Entering Monday, he led the AL in batting average (.339) and stolen bases (22) and ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.395), ninth in slugging (.542). With numbers like that, he belongs on ballots for Most Valuable Player, let alone the All-Star Game.
Harper, whose fate rests with the fans as a Final Vote entry, doesn’t have the same clear-cut case as the Los Angeles Angels’ 20-year-old outfielder. But the Nats’ teenage phenom is just as worthy and deserving of being in Kansas City next week.
Continue reading…
Posted on July 2nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The sixth AT&T National is in the books, yet we still don’t feel well-acquainted with the tournament or its host.
That’s partly because Tiger Woods didn’t come to town in three of the previous five years (though to be fair, the National was held in Pennsylvania twice in that span). Partly because Woods didn’t wow us in the tournament’s prior three years at Congressional Country Club, with a sixth-place finish in 2007, a did-not-play in 2008 and a one-stroke victory in 2009.
And it’s partly because Woods’ star power, while electrifying, is less-than-magnetic, failing to draw some of golf’s biggest names. It doesn’t help that his invitation-only tournament occupies a tough spot on the PGA Tour schedule, but it also doesn’t help that he’s Tiger Woods — the fierce competitor with little time for pleasantries and no room for personality.
So when Woods does battle for the title, it’s not against the likes of Phil Mickelson (one National appearance) and Ernie Els (zero). It’s against guys such as up-and-coming Hunter Mahan, the 2009 runner-up, and Bo Van Pelt, who had one win in 309 tournaments entering this week.
Continue reading…
Posted on July 1st, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Forget about whether a tree falling at Congressional Country Club makes a sound if nobody is around to hear it. There was another musing to ponder after violent thunderstorms battered the metro area Friday night, leading tournament officials to ban spectators and volunteers Saturday morning:
If a golfer plays the AT&T National and there’s nobody around to watch him, does it affect his game?
I suspect the answer to both questions is “yes.” But there’s no telling exactly how, or to what extent, the absence of galleries factors into performance. The only certainty is you can’t shake the weirdness when a course hosting Tiger Woods’ tournament is a virtual ghost town.
“In some ways it was nice and in some ways it was not nice,” said Billy Hurley III, who’s tied for fifth place after shooting the day’s best round, 5 under. “It was a different experience.”
Continue reading…
Posted on June 29th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Standing on the seventh green Friday while waiting his turn to putt, Jason Day shook his shoulder-length hair and poured water into his cap. The temperature was rising and Day’s score was threatening to do likewise.
After scoring 69 in the opening round of the AT&T National, good for a fifth-place tie, he was 2 over for the day with just three holes remaining. Meanwhile, playing partner Robert Garrigus was as hot as the weather, charging up the leader board with six birdies to three bogeys. Day went par-birdie-par to finish his round and minimize the damage, leaving him tied for 15th-place at 1 under.
“I haven’t played great, but I haven’t played that bad,” said the 24-year-old Australian, summing up his year and his week. “It’s good to be back here and last year was great. I’ve still got two more days to go, and I feel like I’m in pretty good position.”
He’s actually in better shape this year after two rounds at Congressional. Last year, when he wound up second behind runaway winner Rory McIlroy in the U.S. Open, Day sat at 1 over entering Saturday.
Continue reading…
Posted on June 29th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Unless you normally pose in the nude or star in porn films, it’s probably a bad idea to circulate pictures of yourself naked. And it’s a really, really bad idea if you’re a celebrity or public figure of any kind. Just ask former Rep. Anthony Weiner.
So we have to ask Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson: “What were you thinking?”
It’s one thing to have an affair. But it’s something else altogether to send your mistress naked pictures of yourself, especially when she’s a former stripper with an acquaintance who spent 12 years in prison and they decide to blackmail you.
“My family and I were the victims of an extortion scheme,” Jackson said Thursday in a statement Thursday, after Alexis Adams and Marcus Shaw were arrested on federal charges. According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, Jackson paid Shaw $5,000 earlier this year. But — surprise, surprise — Shaw later demanded more money, prompting Jackson to contact the FBI.
Continue reading…
Posted on June 28th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Tiger Woods was back Thursday afternoon, playing at Congressional Country Club for the first time in three years. He was back in March, winning an official PGA Tour event for the first time in 932 days. He also was back earlier this month, becoming a multiple-winner on the Tour for the first time since 2009.
Of course, none of those feats answered the humongous question that hangs over golf: “When will Tiger be back?” However, each small step makes the query less relevant.
The further we move away from Thanksgiving 2009, the more we realize that, in many ways, Woods never left.
Sure, the results in his 2010 and 2011 seasons were largely forgettable, with unheard of finishes such as tied for 78th, tied for 44th and missed cuts. But he managed to compete in three of six Grand Slam tournaments, arguably the only events that matter at this point, validating his position as ratings candy for TV networks.
His game has suffered ups and down, but interest hasn’t waned one bit.
Continue reading…
Posted on June 27th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Ever since last summer, New York Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire has displayed an uncanny knack for doing the wrong thing. Even worse than being a leading candidate for the Bad Judgment Award, he’s also a favorite for the Bad Timing Award.
He attempted a fancy dunk and injured his back during warmups, leading him to miss the second half of a game … in the 2011 playoffs. He punched a glass case surrounding a fire extinguisher and suffered lacerations on his left hand, leading him to miss a game … in the playoffs last month.
Now Stoudemire has caused himself more grief — and cost himself $50,000 — by unleashing a homophobic slur at a fan on Twitter … during Gay Pride weekend.
The insult wasn’t intended for public consumption, sent instead as a direct message. But the fan, Brian Ferrelli, re-tweeted a screen shot of Stoudemire’s response to a suggestion that he come back “a lot stronger and quicker” next season.
“F— you,” reads the direct message. “I don’t have to do any thing fag.”
Continue reading…
Posted on June 26th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
I imagine everyone has things in their past that they don’t want folks to know about. Whether it’s youthful indiscretions or regrettable choices in adulthood, we’re thankful that our lives aren’t open books for all the world to see.
Not that there’s overwhelming interest in every Tom, Dick and Harry (unless they have surnames like Cruise, Cheney and Potter). But we’d hate it if our secrets were revealed and caused disappointment among our family, friends and associates.
On the flip side, we don’t mind hearing about other people’s dirt, especially public figures. TMZ and the National Enquirer play leading roles in an industry devoted to uncovering celebrities’ veiled truths … or passing along juicy rumors.
So it’s likely that Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is the subject of some frantic, furious research efforts at this very moment. And to be completely honest, I’m curious about what might turn up.
Continue reading…
Follow
By DERON SNYDER
