A response to:
Opponents carry injured home-run hitter around bases
"There's no crying in baseball!"

Tom Hanks' character Jimmy Dugan pronounced that truism in the great 1992 film A League of Their Own. The film highlights the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, that began play in the spring of 1943. Originally a softball league, the AAGPBL eventually moved to overhand pitching and smaller ball sizes to more closely identify with the word 'baseball' in its name.

I wasn't around in 1943 to watch these games so I only know about the league from the popular film directed by Penny Marshall. I have to tell you though, I still tear up watching it - it's a great film and loaded with talented performers. It's probably the last thing I watched in which I appreciate the performance of Rosie O'Donnell.

Yesterday, Western Oregon University and Central Washington University squared off in a contest between Great Northwest Athletic Conference teams seeking to secure a playoff spot. Sara Tucholsky of WOU took a Cinderella turn by hitting her very first home run - ever - in high school or college competition. Unfortunately for Sara, as she rounded first base, she missed the bag because she had glanced up to watch the ball clear the fence in center field. Turning to go back and tag the bag at first, her knee gave out.

Someone somewhere has probably said, "Rules is rules." In this case, the first base umpire informed the Wolves that if a pinch runner was used for Sara, her homer would be counted as a single. In an unbelievable turn of events, two players from Central Washington, Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace asked the ump if they could carry Sara around the bases. Apparently, there is no rule against the OPPOSING team carrying an injured player, so Mallory and Liz lifted a pain-wracked Tucholsky and helped her complete the required circuit of the bases. As they reached home plate, after gingerly stopping at 2nd and 3rd for Sara to touch the bag with her good left foot, a great cry was had by all.

There's no crying in baseball. But there is in softball and it followed the greatest example of courage, heart and sportsmanship I've heard of since Eugenio Monti and the Italian bobsled team
helped Canada win the 4-man bobsled team gold in the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck. If that wasn't enough, they followed up by helping to repair the damaged sled of Tony Nash and Robin Dixon of Great Britain. Nash and Dixon took home the gold in the 2-man event.

Monti exemplified the ultimate in sportsmanship - he would not compete unless it was on even terms. When his competition - clearly better on the day - ran up against equipment problems, Monti and the Italian team did everything in their power to fix their opponent's sleds. In both events, the teams they helped took the gold and the Italians took the bronze.

Proving that being a good sport is its own reward, Eugenio Monti and the Italian team took gold in 1968.

God bless Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace, their coaches, parents and anyone else who had a hand in shaping their sporting mindset. Thank you ladies for reminding us of what sports is all about.

Men, are you listening?

A response to Horrific injuries: Just part of the game

Poor Nick Webster. He comes out with what I think is a thoughtful, accurate, and insightful editorial on the aftermath of the "Eduardo incident", and largely gets crucified.

One comment wondered at the timing: Why was Nick even talking about this two weeks after the game where Martin Taylor of Birmingham City accidentally broke Eduardo's ankle as the Arsenal player sliced in toward a scoring opportunity? My thought:s:

a) The story is still in the news
b) That's what editorials do - they present a view of events after a time of consideration.

Allow me to share a personal story, much in the same way that Webster was trying to do:

When I was playing in a district final at school, I broke a young attacker's ankle - and until it was pointed out to me, I had no idea.

The young man had beaten our keeper low and the ball was trickling toward the goal line - I can remember it rolling as if in slow motion, each panel turning toward our goal in three-quarter time. As I sprinted in from  my right back position to try and clear it off the line; the attacker's foot reached the ball a split-second before mine, and since he was lunging in from the north and I was sliding in from the east, his ankle ended up where the ball would've been a moment earlier. Despondent at conceding the goal, I rose and walked back to my position ready for the kick-off. It took me a minute to realize that something wasn't right as trainers came on the field, etc. My teammates asked me why I hadn't heard the break - they had heard it, much as Nick said - at the half line.

Frankly, the worse thing about the whole incident, outside of the injury itself, were the comments from a few teammates who thought it was cracker that I had broken a leg. Obviously, these misguided souls believed that as a defender, this should be my aspiration - to dish out injury and strike fear into our bitter rivals.

What I tried to communicate to them - and what fans and players need to remember now is - when you're into the game, you're focusing on the ball and the play - you're not thinking, "If I make this tackle, is there a chance I'm going to injure this guy?" The only thing in my mind and my vision as that ball slowly rotated toward the goal was ... the ball. I'm pretty sure it was the same for my opponent, for Nick, for Eduardo, and for Taylor.

My heart goes out to Eduardo and everyone who has suffered this type of injury. I pray he achieves a full recovery and can return to the game he - and Taylor - loves.

With all due respect to Nick, forget the beers, but take a knee lads and have a heart for both Eduardo and Taylor. These men have the skill and passion to play a tough and beautiful game.

We're all dancing around the same maypole here...

Federer is hoisted as the better athlete because he plays a more physical sport. Hmmm. Have you seen Tiger lately...in a world of pudgy putters - and they're not all that bad (think Scott, Baddely, Villegas, etc.) - Tiger is a freakish specimen.

Now, the idea of training and having a made-for-tv event in each other's sport would be cool. Of course it's been done. Beckham and Bush did it recently. Beckham couldn't be a running back but he was pounding the pigskin - that guy could be an awesome kicker with his power and accuracy.

I like the idea but I wouldn't sell Tiger short - especially if it was skill drills. I play golf and tennis and the skills translate well - body rotation, developing racquet head speed, etc. The problem is, both of these guys are fine-tuned killing machines in their respective sports. Although the skills translate, I'd hate to see Roger throw his back out trying to grip it and rip it like Tiger does...Have you seen that guy crush a drive? The body rotation alone would cripple most weekend golfers.

Tiger DEFINITELY has the greater competition week-in and week-out. And let's not forget how the golf courses - already tough to play - have been Tiger-proofed. At least they have tried. The tennis court is always the same. The balls are always the same. How would R-Fed do if the USTA decided to raise the net, make the service box smaller and shorten the court? Something to think about.

Someone mentioned how Federer wins because he has to play seven matches over two weeks. Whatever. He usually doesn't face anyone even remotely capable of beating him until the quarters. He gets a bye in the first round of most tournaments. That's the equivalent of Tiger playing club pros in the first few rounds of a Match Play tourney and taking a gimme against the first one. Translated to stroke play, that's spotting Tiger a 65 in the first round.

At the end of the day, it's not really a fair comparison. It would be like comparing Barry Bonds and Peyton Manning (Manning wins, of course) or some other cross-sport rivalry. What makes this so interesting are the parallels between them.

My take though, is Tiger. I think they both have natural gifts and prepare well but Tiger has changed his playing style at least twice, suffered through, er, "slumps" and come back better every time. I know Roger has an all-court game but can you imagine him changing his swing style, the plane of his serve and ground strokes? I don't think so.

Finally, name me ten guys who have a realistic chance of beating Roger this week, next week or next year. You can't. But I can name ten to twenty that could win the Players Championship this weekend. And that's with only thirty playing.

Of course it is - it always has been! The list of aged athletes who finally succumbed to age is long and storied: Ali, Bird, Hamm, Agassi, Palmer, Ryan; just to name a few of the thousands.

Fox Sports now has singled out Colin Montgomery as the latest to fall prey to the vagaries of aging. Frankly, if there is any sport (or game, if you prefer) where players can be successful well into their 50's, it's golf. Watson nearly pulled out the Senior Open this past weekend but the wind got the best of him. That's golf - not age. Monty is much younger than Tom Watson although not in the same class as a golfer...but he is a proven winner in Europe and that's where the Open Championship is played. It's even in Scotland this year...how much better can it be for Monty?

Heck, I'm 47 and playing in a 6-a-side soccer league. Sure, I'm not playing against MLS players, but I'm keeping up with high school and college age players. And I'm not doing it to prove anything...I'm doing it because I truly love the game. And that's the key for Monty or any other athlete competing as they age.

Monty may be fragile psychologically, but he has a great game - 8 individual Order of Merit trophies in Europe is not easy to achieve. Golf is a hard game to master and success in professional golf is very rare. Monty has success to prop up his psyche and recent success is the best prop of all.

Is Roger Clemens washed up at 44 (45 in August)? 80% of Major League pitchers probably wish they had Roger's stuff at 25, much less when they reach his age. Sure, older success stories are rare: Nicklaus at the Master's in '86, Agassi in 2003 at the U.S. Open. Take Agassi - he was out of the top 100 in 1997 (141 in the world). He finished 1999 ranked #1 in the world. How? Love of the game and dedication to training. Sadly, even he couldn't overcome the back injury that forced his retirement in 2006 but even with that handicap, he managed to reach the U.S. Open final in 2005, losing to uber-player Roger Federer. Can you imagine how many stories are going to be written writing off Tiger as he grows older? The way Tiger trains, I can see him winning majors well into his 40's.

Of course Tiger is the exception. But remember, it's not that other's "can't" do it; they choose not to. Bjorn Borg walked away at the pinnacle of his tennis career. Mia Hamm was aging but still had game when she retired. You don't think Lance Armstrong could've won another Tour?

Desire is the key! It takes a huge amount of work to remain at the top of any sport, especially as you age. The regimen that Jim Courier used to train would cripple many would-be tennis players. He used to run sprints pulling a sled for Pete's sake! You have to really, really want something to stay within that kind discipline day in and day out for years on end. Marriage, kids, life, stopping to smell the roses...that all takes a back seat to winning. Age isn't the culprit Fox should be focusing on - it's desire.

Ask Monty. Watch him play. I bet he's practicing his rear end off. And I know that his 0-62 record in the majors is adding major fuel to Monty's desire to just win one before he puts the clubs in the closet for the last time. A win at Carnoustie would be the cherry on top for Colin's career. Of course, after a couple of years off, he'll start thinking, "Hey, I've still got game!" and we'll see him on the Champion's Tour. Good Luck next week Monty!

We need a playoff system on Division 1A college football. I know, it's hard for folks to adjust to that as "my" Gators have just dominated the regular season champion Ohio State Buckeyes at the dome in the desert.

I'm over the moon about what the Gators achieved last night. I sat as stunned as many Ohio State fans as Florida completely overpowered the Buckeyes in all facets of the game, less the spectacular opening kickoff return by Ginn. But is this lopsided victory not a cry in the dark for a playoff? Very few people were giving Urban Meyer's men a shot at beating Tressel's nearly-coronated crew.

You can believe what you want but believe this: The SEC is the toughest conference in college football. Florida may have won ugly all year, but they won. And win the chips were on the table and everyone was all-in, Florida had the royal flush. I don't know if one Florida player's statement is true about five or six teams from the SEC being able to spank Ohio State but there was one on Monday night - and it was shocking to watch how completely the Gators dismantled the Buckeyes. All I can say is that those tough games against the likes of Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia et al tempered the steel of the Gator team and prepared them - along with some brilliant coaching by Meyer and his staff - to do what they did to Ohio State.

Why did the Buckeyes lose? One reason; a hundred? I'm picking 50 + days of not playing a football game. Talk to any player. You can practice, practice and practice, but if you don't play, you still get rusty. And rust doesn't work when you're playing in the biggest game of your life. Ohio State was magnificent in the regular season. A regular season that ended in November. And if there was anything unfair about the matchup last night, it was that fact. It was just too long since the Buckeyes had played a game.

So does Florida deserve to be number 1? Absolutely!

Would it have turned out differently if major college football had a playoff system? We'll never know until the system changes.

I do know one thing: The Florida Gators played nearly flawless football for 60 minutes on Monday night and when it counted, they were - and are - the best team in the land.

 

Trecker understands the true meaning of raining on someone's parade. I watched the MLS All-Stars play a hearty game against the admittedly less-than-fit defending Premier League champions Chelsea. In my opinion, he (Trecker) illustrates that a chasm every bit as wide as that between the Premiership and MLS also exists between avid US soccer fans and skilled sports reporters.

What was pleasantly surprising:

- The MLS All-Stars got after Chelsea much more aggresively than I thought they would

- De Rosario's fine shot from outside the box

- The eventual scoreline

What was unpleasant:

- Freddy Adu's ineptness against the Chelsea defense and his annoying tendency to hold onto the ball too long

- Joe Cole going down in the second half...he's a great player and was stellar for England in the WC

- Jose Mourinho's continued pontificating

I suppose if you have a $200 million payroll, that's par for the course; but if I were Chelsea, I wouldn't take being compared to the Yankees all that well. Another unpleasant thing - and this may just be sour grapes - I grew weary of hearing how Chelsea was the biggest and best sports franchise on the planet. That honor still belongs to Manchester United who had difficulties of their own in the LG tournament.

After the poor US performance in the WC, this was a great tonic for US fans. Even though some of the All-Stars aren't US players, several of the home boys looked very sharp.

Adu can be great, but he needs to focus on improving, and not worry so much about how great he thinks he is now. There is a good group of young talent coming up through MLS now and I pray that the new national team coach will dip into this fountain of youth and develop a strong squad that Trecker - and the rest of us - can be proud of.

It's nearing the end of the Netherlands vs. Argentina match and I'm wondering why things can't be this way in American sports. I'm all into a fantasy World Cup contest on, eh-hem, ESPN and I read just before kick-off that the managers of both teams are benching several prolific point scorers in favor of the "We don't want key players disqualified in the round-of-16" strategy. Arrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!!

Not only am I on fire because I'm running out of transfers (if you know anything about fantasy football, you'll understand that) but now the game I was looking forward to the most (besides USA vs. anyone) is going to be exceedingly boring. NOT!

Argentina needs a draw or win to advance out of the stage as group C champions. The Netherlands needs a win. Despite resting players, managerial strategies and thoughts of locking in their next opponents, these guys are getting after it! Every other entry on the match tracker is Foul. I can't say who is lost for the next game or not but man, even when subs are in nothing beats the world cup.

If it were like the Olympics, the players would all be down at the pub with Bode Miller getting hammered.

Tomorrow is the next big day. We all thought USA vs. Italy was the big day. I'd like to buy those guys from Ghana a Coke and teach the world to sing for beating the Czechs 2-nil; unless, of course, they beat us tomorrow morning (afternoon in Germany). And like Landon Donavan said, "Those Italian guys are our best friends now!" Of course, that'll wear off if they lose to the Czechs!

Football (soccer) may not be like war, as Eddie Johnson inferred. At his age, heck, even in high school, soccer was it. But whatever it is, the US team needs to beat Ghana and Italy needs to beat the Czech Republic. In the scope of needs for this world, the world cup is smaller than we make it out to be, but I still might be saying a little prayer for McBride and the men tonight.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Netherlands 0 - Argentina 0. See you both in the knockout stage!

A response to Lawmaker wants equal winnings at Wimbledon:

The solution here is simple. When women play 5-set matches, they get equal winnings. It's called equal pay for equal work. I can't believe this is even an issue. To me not making women play 5 sets is insulting to them. It's saying "We don't think you've got it in you to play at the men's level." If women can play football (uneducated Americans call it soccer, unlike the rest of the world) for an hour and a half, I think women can play 5 sets of tennis. And if they can do that, then they have the right to say, "Show me the money!"