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(04/14/09 2:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>WASHINGTON – Longtime Philadelphia Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas, who punctuated innumerable home runs with his “Outta Here!” call, died Monday after being found in the broadcast booth before a game against the Washington Nationals. He was 73.“We lost our voice today,” team president David Montgomery said, his voice cracking. “He has loved our game and made just a tremendous contribution to our sport and certainly to our organization.”Kalas was found by the Phillies’ director of broadcasting at about 12:30 p.m. and taken to a local hospital, Montgomery said.Kalas had surgery earlier this year for an undisclosed ailment that the team characterized as minor. He looked somewhat drawn last week as the Phillies opened the season at home.Kalas joined the Phillies in 1971. Before that, he was an original member of the Houston Astros’ broadcast team from 1965-70. He also did voiceover work for NFL Films and for commercials.In 2002, he received the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for his contributions to the game.Kalas joined the Phillies radio and TV broadcast team the year the club moved into their former home, Veterans Stadium, replacing fan favorite Bill Campbell.He wasn’t immediately embraced by Phillies fans, despite being paired with Richie Ashburn, a Hall of Famer as a player and longtime announcer. But Kalas evolved into a beloved sports figure in Philadelphia. He and Ashburn grew into a popular team, and shared the booth until Ashburn’s death in 1997.
(09/04/08 3:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>NEW YORK – Sixth-seeded Dinara Safina overpowered No. 16 Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-3 in the U.S. Open quarterfinals Wednesday, earning the right to play one of the Williams sisters next.Safina, the sister of 2000 U.S. Open men’s champion Marat Safin, reached her first semifinal at Flushing Meadows. The Russian has won 37 of her past 41 matches and made it to the finals at six of her previous seven events.“I’m getting closer to reaching the same thing as my brother,” Safina said.The French Open runner-up and Beijing Olympics silver medalist compiled a 25-13 edge in winners against Pennetta and only was broken once.“She was playing unbelievable, you know,” said Pennetta, from Italy. “She didn’t give me a lot of chance.”Now comes a much harder assignment for Safina: trying to beat Venus or Serena Williams.“It’s going to be a big match. You know, they’re both playing good,” Safina said. “I just want to focus again on myself and to give my 100 percent and see who’s going to be stronger.”The siblings, both two-time Open champions, were to face each other in the last women’s quarterfinal Wednesday night, their 17th matchup as professionals.Safina is 1-3 against Serena and never has faced Venus.The Russian was asked which sister she would rather meet.“I don’t care,” Safina said.Wednesday’s schedule also included the first two men’s quarterfinals, with No. 6 Andy Murray and No. 17 Juan Martin del Potro meeting in the afternoon, and No. 1 Rafael Nadal taking on unseeded American Mardy Fish at night, after Williams vs. Williams.The sisters headed into that match 8-8 in all-Williams encounters, 5-5 at Grand Slam tournaments. Seven of those came in Grand Slam finals, including at Wimbledon in July, when Venus beat Serena in straight sets for her fifth championship at the All England Club.Back when they were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, the siblings only could meet in tournament finals. But because of injuries, inactivity and inconsistency, they dropped in the rankings, and now it’s the luck of the draw that determines at which stage they potentially meet.At the U.S. Open, they wound up in the same section of the bracket, so what many might consider the two top players at the moment were forced to meet in the round of eight.Serena has won eight major titles, and Venus has won seven — and none of the other quarterfinalists owns a single such prize. Before this tournament, Venus had reached the quarterfinals at 28 majors, and Serena at 23, while the six other women to reach that stage this time had made a combined total of 22 previous Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances.For Pennetta, this was her first career major quarterfinal — and it showed, right from the start against Safina.Pennetta came to the U.S. Open with a 21-22 career record in Grand Slam tournaments and a 1-4 mark at Flushing Meadows. She dropped her first service game Wednesday, misjudging an overhead to set up a break point, then flubbing a forehand to end a 15-stroke exchange.That was part of Safina’s run to leads of 3-0 and 4-1. When Pennetta sailed yet another groundstroke long while serving down 5-2, the Russian earned another break and owned the first set.Safina’s one real blip came when she was broken at love to fall behind 2-0 in the second set, as Pennetta smacked a backhand return winner on an 83 mph second serve. But Safina broke right back, then broke again for a 5-2 lead.
(01/10/08 4:07am)
The congressional hearing involving Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and former trainer Brian McNamee was postponed Wednesday until Feb. 13 so lawmakers can gather evidence and coordinate their investigation with the Justice Department.\nPlans are still in place for the Jan. 15 hearing before the same committee about the Mitchell Report on baseball’s Steroids Era. The witnesses scheduled to appear that day are commissioner Bud Selig, union leader Donald Fehr and former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, the report’s author.\nAt the end of last week, Congress asked seven-time Cy Young Award winner Clemens, teammate and friend Pettitte and their trainer, McNamee, to testify under oath. Also invited were former Yankee Chuck Knoblauch and Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse attendant who was one of the main sources of evidence for the Mitchell Report.\nRadomski pleaded guilty in April to federal felony charges of distributing steroids and laundering money, and he is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8.\n“The Justice Department told the committee it would be helpful if we waited until after Radomski is sentenced,” the committee’s minority staff director, David Marin, wrote in an e-mail. “This also gives us more time to delve into more recent developments, gather more information, and depose all witnesses before they testify in public.”\nPlenty has happened since the committee arranged the \nsecond hearing.\nClemens filed a defamation lawsuit Sunday against McNamee, who told Mitchell he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in 1998, 2000 and 2001. A TV interview with Clemens aired, and the pitcher also held a news conference and played a recording of a 17-minute telephone conversation he had with McNamee.\nThat tape could be among the items requested by the committee, the same House panel that brought sluggers Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro to Capitol Hill in March 2005. One of McNamee’s lawyers also said the committee should obtain a recording of a conversation between his client and investigators of Clemens’ law firm. That meeting took place Dec. 12, a day before the Mitchell Report was released.
(07/08/07 11:16pm)
WIMBLEDON, England – Improbable as this Wimbledon title might have seemed, Venus Williams knew it could happen.\nFar away as that trophy might have appeared only last week, Williams knew she had the game and the grit to grab it.\nWith a dominant run through the latter rounds, Williams became the lowest-ranked woman to win Wimbledon, beating Marion Bartoli of France 6-4, 6-1 Saturday for her fourth championship at the All England Club.\n“I was really motivated because no one picked me to win. They didn’t even say, ‘She can’t win.’ They weren’t even talking about me,” said Williams, who reached No. 1 in 2002 but entered Wimbledon ranked No. 31. “I never would doubt myself that way.”\nIt was similar to the performance turned in by Williams’ younger sister Serena in January, when she won the Australian Open while ranked 81st. Clearly, rankings mean nothing when it comes to the Williams siblings. Nor does recent form.\nIf they are in a tournament, they can win it.\n“As long as we’re fit,” the 27-year-old Venus Williams said, “we just have so much more to give on the court.”\nBartoli, who hits two-fisted forehands and backhands, learned that lesson quickly.\nShe hadn’t faced Williams anywhere, let alone on grass – where balls skid more than they bounce – and Bartoli quickly discovered it was like nothing she’d ever experienced on a tennis court.\nBy the end, she was flexing her wrists and shaking her hands, trying to alleviate the sting from Williams’ serves at up to 125 mph.\n“I’m not playing against girls every day hitting the balls like this,” Bartoli said. “I mean, it’s not possible to beat her. She’s just too good.”\nAgainst Bartoli, Willams compiled a whopping 27-9 edge in winners and won 13 of the 18 points that lasted at least 10 strokes.\n“I know how to play this surface,” said Williams, the first woman to receive the same paycheck as the men’s champion at the All England Club. “If there’s a surface to pick, grass at Wimbledon’s not a bad choice.”\nRight from the start, Williams took it to Bartoli, going ahead 3-0. But Bartoli, who upset No. 3 Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round and No. 1 Justine Henin in the semifinals, made things interesting by breaking back with the help of a double-fault and two groundstroke errors by Williams.\nAll the while, Bartoli stuck to her routines. Before each of her serves, she would walk to the baseline and hop high once, then bounce a couple of times, something she said relaxes her legs. Before most of Williams’ serves, Bartoli would turn her back to the court and take two big cuts, a forehand and a backhand, like a batter in the on-deck circle.\nAfter 37 minutes, things were even at 4-4. But Williams held at love, then broke to end the first set with a swinging backhand volley.\nThat pretty much ended the competitive portion of the proceedings.\nPerhaps because the sun finally emerged from the clouds and the temperature was suddenly in the 70s, both finalists needed medical timeouts with Williams up 3-0 in the second set.\nBartoli had her left foot treated, while Williams got down on the court to have her left leg worked on. The American played the rest of the way with a thick bandage under her white spandex shorts, which she began wearing in the second round because the skirt she planned to use was too big.\nWilliams played in her 12th Grand Slam final, sixth at the All England Club, and won her sixth major title. Bartoli was in her sixth tournament final and never before had been beyond the fourth round at a major.\n“You walk into that court,” she said, “and you know you’re a part of history.”\nWhen they walked off that court, the one Williams knows so well, they passed the board that lists the past champions. Already stenciled in, below similar entries for 2000, 2001 and 2005, was Williams’ name, next to 2007. Clutching a bouquet of flowers, Williams stared at it, her mouth agape.\nAt about that time, her father was recalling that when Venus was 9, she would talk about how many Wimbledon titles she wanted to win one day.\n“I think she can win three more,” Richard Williams said, “and I would be disappointed if she didn’t.”
(09/08/06 4:25am)
NEW YORK -- He plays more tennis than anyone around, so a five-set test of wills lasting more than 3 1/2 hours seemed a fitting way for Nikolay Davydenko to work his way into the U.S. Open semifinals.\nMaybe now he'll get some more attention.\nThe seventh-seeded Davydenko dropped the first two sets in a half-empty stadium, then came all the way back to beat No. 14 Tommy Haas 4-6, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals Thursday.\n"It was surprising. I played three hours and was feeling OK," Davydenko said, then acknowledged that he's not all that well-known. "Who cares about Davydenko?" he imagined fans saying. "He didn't win a Grand Slam, was not No. 1."\nMartina Navratilova has accomplished plenty in her career, which she extended for at least one more match by teaming with Bob Bryan to reach the mixed doubles semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Frantisek Cermak. Navratilova even hopped into the stands after chasing one shot.\n"You're only as old as you feel, and I certainly don't feel 49," said Navratilova, who owns 58 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles and is retiring for a second time after this tournament. "I just wanted to inspire people."\nNavratilova and Nadia Petrova were eliminated in women's doubles earlier Thursday, losing to defending champions Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur 7-6 (1), 6-3.\nDavydenko will play his tour-leading 77th match of the season against No. 1 Roger Federer or No. 5 James Blake, whose quarterfinal face-off Thursday was the late match of the night. The other men's semifinal Saturday will be No. 9 Andy Roddick against unseeded Mikhail Youzhny, who upset Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals.\nDavydenko and Youzhny give Russia two men's semifinalists at a Grand Slam tournament for only the second time in the Open era, which began in 1968. Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov lost in the final four at the 2001 U.S. Open.\nThe women's semifinals today feature three women who've been ranked No. 1 and won at least one Grand Slam title. No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo plays No. 3 Maria Sharapova, and No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne plays No. 19 Jelena Jankovic, who never made it beyond the fourth round of a major until this tournament.\nDavydenko had failed to get past the third round at the U.S. Open before, although he did make a major semifinal at the 2005 French Open.\nHe and Haas both looked fatigued as Thursday's match stretched on, and the German might have been feeling the effects of needing to go to fifth-set tiebreakers in each of the previous two rounds. Haas yelled, "Giddyup!" as he emerged from the locker room before the match, but by the end, he was a step slow.\n"In the fifth set, for me, it was probably more physical than anything. My body didn't feel good anymore," Haas said. "I was making too many unforced errors, and I couldn't cover the court as well as I did the first three or four sets."\nDavydenko improved to 3-0 this year in five-setters, but this one could have ended earlier than it did.\nHe held a match point while trying to serve out the victory, leading 5-2 in the fifth, but he sailed a forehand long, and Haas wound up breaking his serve. After that game, Haas called for a trainer, who massaged both of his thighs. Davydenko showed signs of physical distress, too, occasionally limping after lunging for shots.\nDavydenko served for the match again at 5-4 and faced two break points, but he erased the first with a cross-court forehand winner and the second with a 131 mph service winner, and eventually ended the match with a big forehand.\nHaas said Davydenko plays "like a ball machine. Gets every ball back. He doesn't really miss much. When he gets into a groove, he finds a lot of corners and makes the opponent run. That's his game, and that's working for him."\nRoddick's game has featured powerful serves and forehands for quite some time, but he's adding other dimensions with new coach Jimmy Connors.\nAs he demonstrated in beating 2001 Open champion Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets in the quarterfinals Wednesday night, Roddick is playing more aggressively. He's charging the net much more than in the past, including behind some second serves, and using a suddenly effective down-the-line backhand. Those are things other coaches tried in vain to get Roddick to do.\n"It resonates well coming from Jimmy," said John Roddick, Andy's older brother and one of a string of coaches preceding Connors. "Jimmy obviously doesn't need a job. He doesn't need any of the fanfare that goes with it." Andy knows when it comes to Jimmy, it's very straightforward and very matter-of-fact and very simple. It definitely hits home with him."\nBoth Roddicks talked about how Connors, a five-time Open champion who pretty much dropped out of sight after retiring in the early 1990s, gave Andy greater self-belief merely by agreeing to team up. The confidence that began to slide away at Flushing Meadows in 2005, when Roddick lost in the first round, is now restored.\n"Confidence is a fickle thing," John Roddick said, "but then it comes back quickly."\nRoddick and Connors both declined to answer questions as they walked off a practice court Thursday afternoon.\n"I'm taking the rest of the day off," Roddick said, then ducked into the locker room.
(09/04/06 4:14am)
NEW YORK -- Crouched alone in the silence of the locker room, a pro tennis player no more, a red-eyed Andre Agassi twisted his torso in an attempt to conquer the seemingly mundane task of pulling a white shirt over his head.\nNever more than at that moment did Agassi seem so vulnerable, looking far older than his 36 years, wrestling not simply with his bad back but also with two overwhelming and conflicting emotions.\nThere was the concrete sense of departure, of knowing his career came to an end Sunday with a 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5 loss to 112th-ranked Benjamin Becker in the third round at the U.S. Open. And there was the liberating sense of excitement, of knowing he has more time to devote to his wife, Steffi Graf, and their two children; of knowing there are no more flights to catch, no more practice sessions, no more injections to dull the searing pain of an irritated sciatic nerve.\nThat's why, for Agassi himself and the 20,000 or so fans who honored him with a raucous, four-minute standing ovation in Arthur Ashe Stadium after the match, it truly did not matter all that much what Sunday's outcome was. This day and this tournament were all about saying goodbye to an eight-time Grand Slam champion who grew up in front of the world, from cocky kid with the shoulder-length hair and denim shorts to the thoughtful guy with the shaved pate and proper tennis whites.\n"The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn't say is what it is I've found," Agassi told the crowd, tears streaming down his cheeks, his voice cracking with emotion. "Over the last 21 years, I've found loyalty. You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration. You have willed me to succeed sometimes even in my lowest moments."\nHe could have been referring to his losses in his first three major finals, two at the French Open and one at the U.S. Open, setbacks that made him wonder if he'd ever reach the very top. Or, more likely, when, having won Wimbledon and reached No. 1, he sank to 141st in the rankings and resorted to playing in tennis' minor leagues in 1997. Or, most recently, when his back hurt so badly after the first two rounds of this U.S. Open, the tournament he announced this summer would be his last.\nAgassi got a cortisone injection after beating Andre Pavel in 3 1/2 hours, then received three anti-inflammatory shots in the days after beating eighth-seeded Marcos Baghdatis in an even longer encounter. The last injection came Sunday, before facing Becker, a German who won the 2004 NCAA singles title for Baylor University but is so unaccomplished he needed to go through qualifying just to make it into the Open.\nTalk about matching bookends: Agassi played the very first of his record 61 Grand Slam tournaments at the U.S. Open in 1986, losing to Jeremy Bates, who was ranked outside the top 100 at the time. Since then, Agassi was 24-0 at the Open against men rated that low -- until Sunday.\nBut Agassi couldn't conjure up any more magic in his 21st consecutive Open, an event he won in 1994 and 1999. His back -- and Becker -- wouldn't let him. Over and over, Agassi would pull up short, watching a ball fly by instead of chasing it. He winced after serves, clutched his lower back after stretching to reach for shots.\n"I wanted to run on the court and pull him off," said Agassi's trainer, Gil Reyes, "because it shouldn't hurt -- it shouldn't hurt that bad."\nThere were times, as his limp grew more pronounced, when it seemed quite likely that Agassi wouldn't be able to complete the match; his father, who turned him into a tennis player as a tot, had said he hoped Agassi wouldn't try to play Sunday and wasn't in attendance.\n"If I wanted to quit," Agassi said, "I would have done that a long time ago. I didn't come here to quit. ...\n"I just credit the doctors that I was able to get out there today. It's been such a day-by-day battle. Sure enough, it was real early where I wasn't feeling so good," he said, then smiled and added: "That all doesn't matter anymore."\nNot only is Benjamin Becker not related to Boris Becker, they've never even met. Yet the B. Becker that Agassi faced Sunday sure did serve like "Boom Boom," pounding 27 aces at up to 143 mph, the last on match point. He won 13 consecutive points on his serve during one stretch. This was, remember, only the second major of Becker's career. He never had even won a tour-level match anywhere until June.\nHe was steady when he had to be, including saving four break points in the match's third game. When the biggest match of his career finished, Becker joined the crowd in standing and applauding for Agassi.\n"It was a tough moment, an emotional moment for me, too," Becker said. "I was happy, obviously. At the same time, I was sad."\nHis white ballcap turned backward, Becker swung away, aiming for the lines and finding them. He compiled 82 winners, 45 more than Agassi, and played craftily, winning at least a half-dozen points with drop shots that forced the ol' man to run in vain -- and drew boos and whistles from the crowd.\nThe fans did all they could to will Agassi to one more win, rising with arms aloft to celebrate when he'd break serve or fight off a break point. They applauded after Becker's faults, a tennis faux pas. They broke into clap-clap-clap choruses of "Let's go, Andre!" at changeovers.\nAgassi leaves the game as an elder statesman, not merely because he was the oldest man in the field, and not merely because of his wins on the court, but also because of his demeanor and extensive charity work off it. Through all the in-the-public-eye parts of his personal life (Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields, Graf) and ups and downs of his professional life, he's been one of tennis' most dynamic and popular players.\nHe leaves with 60 singles titles, including a career Grand Slam, one of only five men to have won each of the sport's premier events -- something his great rival, Pete Sampras, never did, Roger Federer hasn't managed, and players such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors didn't accomplish, either.\nHe gets praise, too, for raising tens of millions of dollars for at-risk youths in his hometown of Las Vegas. In return, tennis has given Agassi much, too: money, fame, influence, and, of course, Graf, herself a 22-time Grand Slam singles champion.\nAfter Agassi shared a private moment with Graf and their children, he entered the locker room to another standing ovation, this one from his fellow players.\n"Every person in the draw, with the exception of if you're 33 years old, probably idolized Andre at some point," Andy Roddick said. "It's got to be similar to what the NBA rookies were like playing (Michael) Jordan in his last year. I mean, he's just revolutionized the sport. ... He's irreplaceable."\nAfter Agassi changed out of his on-court attire and dressed gingerly, he stretched his back on a locker room bench.\n"I'm going to wake up tomorrow and start with not caring how I feel," Agassi said. That's going to feel great."\nWith fans surrounding his car -- several yelling, "Thank you, Andre!" -- he climbed into the back, joining his brother, trainer and coach. As they pulled away, Agassi turned to wave goodbye, to his tournament, to his fans, to his career.
(06/26/06 2:38am)
Andre Agassi's voice wavered and his eyes welled up. After years of dealing with injuries, after months of contemplation, he finally spoke the words he knew he had to, at the place he knew he had to.\nTurning what was expected to be a routine pre-Wimbledon news conference into something significant, Agassi announced Saturday he will retire after this year's U.S. Open, leaving tennis after two decades during which he collected a career Grand Slam and morphed from an "Image Is Everything" youngster to elder statesman.\n"It's been a lot of sacrifices the last few months, trying to get myself right to come back here and enjoy this tournament for the last time," said Agassi, who has played only one match the past three months because of back trouble.\n"It's been a long road this year for me, and for a lot of reasons. It's great to be here. This Wimbledon will be my last, and the U.S. Open will be my last tournament."\nThe 36-year-old American is seeded 25th at the All England Club, where play begins Monday. He intends to enter as many as four hard-court events between Wimbledon and the Open, in what will amount to a farewell tour for one of the most popular and successful tennis players in history.\n"He'll go down as one of the guys who changed our sport in a lot of ways, not only the way he played the game, but also the way that he conducted himself on and off the court," 2002 Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt said. "There's not too many more recognizable people in tennis. The sport probably owes a lot to him."\nAgassi said he made up his mind a few months ago to leave at the end of 2006, but he wanted to make it public at the All England Club, where he won his first Grand Slam title. So there he sat Saturday, choking up, discussing his decision.\nA magician at the baseline and one of the game's greatest returners, Agassi has won 60 singles titles. That includes eight at Grand Slam tournaments; he's one of only five men with at least one championship at each. His rivalry with Pete Sampras helped boost tennis' popularity in the 1990s; Agassi is the last active player from their tremendous generation of American men, a group that also included major champions Jim Courier and Michael Chang.\n"Andre announcing his retirement is truly the end of an era. He was one of the best players I competed against and, in turn, made me a better player," said Sampras, who went 20-14 against Agassi, including a win in the 2002 U.S. Open final, Sampras' final match. "His longevity and desire to compete at the highest level have been remarkable. He has brought a huge amount to our sport and will be missed."\nAgassi has won more than $30 million in prize money and collected millions more in endorsement deals; his charitable foundation has raised more than $50 million. The Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy is a charter school for at-risk youth in his hometown of Las Vegas.\n"He's probably the biggest crossover star sports has had, with the effect he has had on the game, and off the court, with kids who really don't even know he played tennis," said Andy Roddick, who grew up watching Agassi's matches on TV and then looked to him for advice on tour.\n"When I was first coming up, the way he was a mentor, he really helped me," Roddick said.\nFrom rebel to sage, huh?\n"I don't think there's one bad thing you can say about the guy," said 2004 Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova. "I mean, that guy is just a champion. It's amazing to still have someone around that's achieved so much and that's done so much for the sport"
(05/19/05 12:19am)
WASHINGTON -- The NBA wants to kick players out of the league for a third failed steroid test and double the punishment for a first offense, commissioner David Stern told a House panel Wednesday, the latest example of a professional sport moving to tighten its drug policy in the face of congressional scrutiny.\nIn a rare gathering of some of the most powerful people in American sports, Stern joined fellow commissioners Bud Selig of Major League Baseball, Gary Bettman of the NHL and Don Garber of Major League Soccer in testifying before the House Commerce trade and consumer protection subcommittee about steroid use and testing.\nThe heads of those leagues' player unions and a former chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Association also appeared at a hearing to discuss the Drug Free Sports Act. The legislation proposed last month by subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns, a Florida Republican, would govern drug testing across American professional sports, aiming to bring them in line with the Olympics.\nIt would have the Commerce secretary oversee rules on drug testing and calls for a two-year suspension for a first offense and a lifetime ban for a second. Leagues that don't comply would be fined at least $5 million.\n"This is not an opportunity to direct blame and to try and embarrass anyone," Stearns said in opening the hearing and describing his proposed law.\n"I am not convinced that an effective solution to this problem can be found in a system that allows those with a vested interest in the performance of the players and leagues to simply police themselves," the subcommittee chairman added.\nNot surprisingly, nearly all of the witnesses -- the most glaring exception being Selig -- objected to the bipartisan bill.\n"A policy that is the product of agreement between management and labor will always be superior to one that is imposed from the outside," Stern wrote in his prepared testimony, \nechoing his union counterpart, Billy Hunter.\nSeveral lawmakers praised Selig for proposing tougher penalties in baseball after his sport's drug policy was slammed for being too weak during an 11-hour hearing before the House Government Reform Committee, which is conducting a separate steroids inquiry.\n"Mr. Selig, you've come a long way," said Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.\nTexas Republican Joe Barton, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and other representatives stated their panel has jurisdiction over the steroids issue. Barton predicted "this will result in legislation in the very near future."\nIn his prepared testimony, Stern revealed proposals the NBA made to its players during ongoing negotiations to replace a labor deal that expires June 30. A first steroid offense would draw a 10-game suspension in an 82-game season, a second would draw 25 games, and a third would result in a player being "dismissed and disqualified from the NBA," with the possibility of reinstatement after two years under "exceptional circumstances." Currently, a first offense gets a five-game ban, a second gets 10 games, and a third gets 25.\nStern wants to increase the number of random tests for all players to four per season (only rookies face that many now), add one random offseason test, and add to the list of banned substances.\nWhen its current drug policy was instituted in 1999, Stern told the committee, the NBA "had no evidence of even minimal use of steroids or performance-enhancing drugs by NBA players. Nor are we aware of such evidence today."\nTwo players are believed to have been suspended for steroid use since the NBA implemented its current policy in 1999.\nThe NHL -- which canceled its 2004-05 season in a labor dispute -- doesn't test for performance-enhancing substances at all, but Bettman and union head Bob Goodenow told the committee they plan to add random testing and discipline to a new collective bargaining agreement.\nSelig reiterated that he would support federal legislation unless baseball's union agrees to toughen the sport's drug policy.\n"I will continue to be a supporter of an appropriately tailored, uniform federal standard. I hope that we will have the opportunity to work with Congress in developing that standard," he told the committee.\nUnion leaders were particularly critical of the bill.\nMajor League Players Association executive director Donald Fehr told lawmakers that collective bargaining was the appropriate way to deal with employment issues, "even matters as controversial and politically volatile as random suspicionless employee drug testing."\nFehr lodged several other complaints about the bill, ranging from Fourth Amendment issues to a "problematic and confusing" section on appeals. He joined Stern, Bettman and Goodenow in calling the penalties too harsh, with Fehr saying: "A two-year suspension for a first offense would, as a practical matter, end the player's career in the vast majority of circumstances."\nThe same panel will hear from NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw Thursday.\nAlso that day, Stern, Hunter, Washington Wizards guard Juan Dixon and Houston Rockets trainer Keith Jones are to testify before the House Government Reform Committee. The leaders of that committee plan to jointly announce their own proposed legislation with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.\n"So why in the world did we ever get into a situation where steroids apparently were swallowed like M&Ms and adults winked at each other when baseball players started growing arms as big as tree trunks?" Barton asked. "However it happened, I'm glad that it finally seems to be changing"
(04/13/05 5:48am)
WASHINGTON -- Mike Tyson hunched in his chair and tapped his 9-year-old daughter's hand while she rested her head on Daddy's ample shoulder. Later the heavyweight, once called "the baddest man on the planet," cuddled his napping son.\n"I feel like Mr. Mom," Tyson said, then stomped his foot and smiled at his own joke. Wearing a pin-striped suit, he could have been any family man, albeit one with a tattoo on his face.\nSilent and expressionless for the first 15 minutes of Tuesday's news conference to announce his return to the ring, a scheduled June 11 bout at the MCI Center against journeyman Kevin McBride of Ireland, Tyson lit up and laughed when his foe's manager promised an upset.\nAnd from that point forth, Tyson came close to being the Tyson everyone has come to expect: the curiosity that promoters hope can still sell tickets and pay-per-view buys even though he's 38 and lost two of his past three fights.\nHe talked about sinking into depression, called McBride "real cute," labeled himself "probably the worst husband in the world" and told a PR person running the show to "chill out" when she pointed out it was time for more posed photos.\nYes, "The Mike Tyson Show" is headed to the nation's capital.\n"I just hope these people of Washington, D.C., are prepared to handle this," Tyson said. "It's going to be a train wreck."\nIt will be the former champion's first fight in nearly a year and just his second in 28 months. In his most recent outing July 30 at Louisville, he was stopped in the fourth round by Danny Williams after tearing cartilage in his left knee. Tyson had surgery -- the knee is fine, he said Tuesday -- and he's been training in Phoenix for three weeks.\nHe's been more than $30 million in debt, and when asked how much longer he thinks he'll keep fighting, Tyson answered, "Long enough to take care of my children -- a long time."\nThe 6-foot-6 McBride, who's 32-4-1 with 27 knockouts, was originally supposed to be Tyson's opponent for that July bout. Make no mistake, this fight is entirely about Tyson. McBride's name wasn't even uttered by master of ceremonies Rock Newman until nearly 20 minutes into Tuesday's event.\n"It's a no-win situation for me," said Tyson, 50-5 with two no-contests and 44 knockouts. "If I knock him out in two seconds, he's a bum. If he gives me a shellacking, I'm a bum."\nFor his part, McBride vowed at least three times, "I'm going to shock the world."\nHis manager, Rich Cappiello, was more specific.\n"If people are thinking we're coming to lay down ... we are coming out to knock Mike Tyson out. He had his day. His day's gone. I think Mike Tyson gets knocked out within five rounds," Cappiello said.\nThat's when the first crease crossed Tyson's face as he laughed.\n"We are going to stop Mike Tyson and hopefully end his career," Cappiello added.\nLater, in a classic Freudian slip, Cappiello wrapped up his speech by proclaiming, "We're going to go out there and knock Kevin -- uh, Mike Tyson -- out."\nThat drew loud snickers from the crowd and Tyson's entourage. But Tyson didn't get drawn into a battle of words. And after the fighters stood toe-to-toe for photographers, Tyson shook McBride's hand, patted him on the back and winked.\n"I don't get into the stare-downs and the talking trash. I'm older, so I'm not really too much into that," he said later. "I don't want to punch a guy in the face before the fight starts."\nThis from the man who brawled with Lennox Lewis at a 2002 news conference announcing a bout. Who vowed to eat Lewis' children. Who bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear. Who was convicted of rape in 1992.\nHe sounded downright introspective Tuesday discussing how down he was after knee surgery.\n"I was in that little square-box room, and I was on crutches, and it was a very depressing atmosphere. I just fell into a deep depression," Tyson said. "Once those painkillers wore off, it was horrific. I didn't know what to do. I was just like a little spoiled brat. I was at my worst self."\nHe paused before adding, "I'm just so happy that I'm happy again."\nAnd then he cackled, a high-pitched squeak that reverberated off the walls of the Lincoln Theater.
(09/13/04 5:22am)
NEW YORK -- Roger Federer is at his best against the best, when it counts the most, and he was pretty much perfect in the U.S. Open final.\nFederer became the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a year, thoroughly outclassing Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0 Sunday to add the American Grand Slam title to those he took at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.\nThere hadn't been two shutout sets in the event's championship match since 1884.\n"It was a perfect start," Federer said. "Tough for Lleyton, obviously, but for me, a great start."\nAnd here's what was particularly remarkable: the top-ranked Federer's opponent was no pushover. Federer dominated every facet against pugnacious, backward-cap wearing, "Come on!"-yelling, fist-pumping Hewitt, a former No. 1 and owner of two major titles, including the 2001 U.S. Open.\nFederer led the fourth-seeded Hewitt in winners (40-12), aces (11-1), and service breaks (7-1), and won the point on 31 of 35 trips to the net.\n"It's an incredible effort, what he's done," Hewitt said. "I don't think people probably realize how hard it is."\nWith his fluid, all-court game, cool demeanor and win-the-big-ones determination, Federer already is inspiring talk about whether he can challenge Pete Sampras' record of 14 major titles. Sampras got No. 4 at age 22; Federer turned 23 last month.\n"Roger is a complete player. He has the ability to change his game slightly as to what his opponent's doing to him," said 1946-47 U.S. Open winner Jack Kramer, inducted Sunday into the tournament's Court of Champions.\n"He's so good on the defense and so good at the return of serve that he's forcing the other player mentally to get a little bit of scaredeness: 'I've got to serve a little better or Roger's going to knock it by me.' 'I've got to make a better approach shot or he's going to pass me.' He's getting errors because of the threat of his skills. That's why he's the champ."\nThat's precisely what Federer did against Hewitt, who entered Sunday 2-0 in Slam finals, had won 16 straight matches, and was trying to become the first man to win the Open without dropping a set since Neale Fraser in 1960.\nWell, that vanished quickly.\nFederer raced through the first set in all of 18 minutes, winning 24 of the 29 points, including the final 12. Hewitt needed half an hour just to win a game, and by then he was down a break in the second set, too.\nFederer made only two unforced errors in the first, but his level dropped quite a bit in the second, when he made 20. And then, just like that, Federer turned it back on, winning 14 of the first 16 points in the third set.\nThe Swiss star did a little bit of everything, from powerful forehands to perfectly cut backhands, to feathery drop shots, to stinging volleys. At times, it was almost as if he were hitting certain shots and applying certain strategies just to show he can.\nFederer faced his first break point while serving at 3-2 in the second set, and he dismissed it by closing the game this way: 125 mph ace, 128 mph ace, 124 mph ace. Don't forget: Hewitt, 23, is widely considered the top returner of their generation.\nHewitt finally came through with his lone break on his sixth and final chance, when Federer served for the second set at 5-4. They went into a tiebreaker, which Federer eased through despite not playing his best tennis -- the true mark of a champion.\nBefore this year, Federer never had been past the fourth round at the U.S. Open, losing at that stage each of the past three years. And he's been without a coach since firing Peter Lundgren in December.\nPoor Hewitt. He lost to the eventual champion at each major this year, including to Federer in the fourth round of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Federer lost eight of their first 10 meetings as pros, but he's 4-0 in 2004.\nMats Wilander was the last man to win three majors in a season, in 1988. Before that, Jimmy Connors did it in 1974. The last man to complete the Grand Slam was Rod Laver in 1969.\n"He's a little better than everyone else at everything right now," Wilander said after the match. "Physically and mentally he has the advantage over the other players. At the moment, I don't see anyone who can beat him."\nThe only blemish for Federer this year? A third-round loss at Roland Garros to three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten.\n"He may go down in history -- he's getting there -- as the greatest player who's ever played," John McEnroe said.
(09/08/04 6:04am)
NEW YORK -- Unfairly, unbelievably, Serena Williams was robbed of a point by an umpire's mistake at the U.S. Open, just like her sister was at Wimbledon.\nIt happened in the opening game of the third set between Williams and Jennifer Capriati, who went on to win their Open quarterfinal 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Tuesday night.\n"I'm very angry and bitter right now. I felt cheated. Shall I go on? I just feel robbed," a composed Williams said, laughing a bit. "At first, I thought it was another Wimbledon conspiracy."\nThe match was tight and testy, the way it almost always has been during their 17 matches: contested calls, spiked rackets, some gamesmanship and strokes pounded with power. A lot of power.\nCapriati played superbly, without a doubt, but what always will be remembered is the miscue by chair umpire Mariana Alves of Portugal. She awarded the point to Capriati after Williams hit a backhand that landed in -- and was ruled good by the line judge.\n"I don't need to see the replay. I know my shots. Not only was it in, it wasn't even near the line," said Williams, who couldn't defend her 2002 Open title because of left knee surgery that forced her to miss eight months. "But I'm not making excuses. I didn't lose because of that. I probably should have closed her out in the second set."\nIt was eerily reminiscent of Wimbledon, where Venus Williams lost in the second round after Karolina Sprem was mistakenly awarded an extra point in the final-set tiebreaker. Venus didn't argue at all, saying later she was confused; chair umpire Ted Watts was kicked out of the tournament.
(08/31/04 5:52am)
NEW YORK -- Dressed for a night on the town, Serena Williams was all business in her first match in 4 1/2 weeks.\nWilliams strode into Arthur Ashe Stadium wearing knee-high black boots, a pleated denim miniskirt, a studded black tank top and dangling earrings. A far cry from the tennis attire of days gone by, to be sure, but then again, Williams' powerful strokes bear little resemblance to the way the women's game used to be played.\nShowing little sign of her injury-induced layoff, the two-time U.S. Open champion advanced to the second round with ease, overwhelming Sandra Kleinova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-3 Monday night.\n"I performed at a decent level today. I'm finally getting to a point where I'm actually playing better and focusing better," Williams said.\nA few moments later, asked who her biggest threat in the tournament is, Williams replied: "Myself. I can make it or break it."\nShe might have been dressed for a cocktail party or MTV's Video Music Awards, which she attended last year while skipping the Open shortly after left knee surgery.\nHer play Monday was definitely Grand Slam-caliber, though, a step above what fellow major champions Jennifer Capriati, Roger Federer and Carlos Moya showed in shaky victories earlier on Day 1. At night, 1999 Open runner-up Todd Martin lost the final match of his career, announcing his retirement after being beaten by No. 31 Fabrice Santoro 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.\nOnly one man in the draw is older than Martin, by a matter of months: Andre Agassi, 34, who followed Williams on center court and beat Robby Ginepri 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-2. Agassi is the last of his generation, now that Martin joined Pete Sampras, Michael Chang and Jim Courier in retirement.\n"In some respects, you miss everyone you grew up with," Agassi said. "You do."
(09/03/03 6:21am)
NEW YORK -- Andy Roddick walked down the hallway from the locker room at Arthur Ashe Stadium, then made a left just before the door leading to the court.\nWhere was he headed? To the tournament referee's office, site of the biggest buzz of activity Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Open. Rain postponed matches for a second straight day, and officials said the tournament might not finish on time.\nNo. 1-ranked Kim Clijsters, Amelie Mauresmo and Lleyton Hewitt were among the parade of players tracing the same route as Roddick, trying to get information about when the clouds might clear and when matches might be played.\n"I try to stay pretty calm," said two-time major champion Mary Pierce, whose fourth-round match against No. 7 Anastasia Myskina was halted in the first set Monday night. "Whatever happens, happens. The conditions are difficult, and I was waiting a long time. You're warming up and cooling down, warming up and cooling down."\nClijsters and No. 5 Mauresmo were sent home Tuesday at 5 p.m., when their quarterfinal was postponed. No. 3 Lindsay Davenport's quarterfinal against No. 24 Paola Suarez was also pushed back until Wednesday. Eighty-five of the 95 matches on Tuesday's schedule -- including all doubles, junior and senior draw matches -- were moved to Wednesday.\n"The forecast right now is not all that optimistic," said Arlen Kantarian, U.S. Tennis Association CEO of pro tennis.\nShortly before 6 p.m., top-ranked Andre Agassi and unseeded American Taylor Dent went out on court at Arthur Ashe Stadium to warm up and begin their fourth-round match. They played for 34 minutes, long enough for Agassi to go up a break 5-4 in the first set, before rain returned and they walked off. A little more than hour later, the match resumed, with Dent breaking right back to 5-5 and then winning the first set 7-6 (5) while a misty rain fell.\nDuring the changeover after the set, tournament referee Brian Earley came out to check the court, saying to Agassi and Dent: "If you guys both want to stay out here, we're willing."\nBut eventually it was decided to stop play again.\nSome players wandered out to hit on other courts but were unable to begin their matches.\nUnlike at the Australian Open, there are no covered courts at the National Tennis Center for play or practice. Kantarian said a company that does stadium planning was recently hired to look into whether it would make sense to put a roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium.\nAnd unlike at Wimbledon, no tarps or tents are put on courts when it rains.\n"We've been talking about covers since the '80s," Martina Navratilova said. "Yesterday they spent more time drying the courts than it rained. When are they going to learn? We have no say on it. Yesterday, it was two hours of play, six hours of drying. Fifteen minutes is enough after a drizzle."\nSo organizers were contemplating all sorts of contingency plans to finish the event by Sunday. But with a serious backlog, there is a chance the men's final could be played on a Monday for the first time since 1987.\n"It's obviously driving the players crazy. Everybody wants to see some tennis," John McEnroe said on TV. "The sport is losing out right now. This is the United States Open, and we're sitting here twiddling our thumbs."\nEarley said one option would be to have players who have to finish a suspended match also go out later and play another full match on the same day. Asked whether men could be asked to play two full best-of-five set matches in one day, Early said: "I never say 'Never.' Hard for me to imagine that, but then again, I've never been in this situation."\nATP Player Council president Todd Martin, slated to face French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in the fourth round, said players wouldn't be willing to do that.\nMartin also dismissed the idea of reducing men's matches to best-of-three sets.\n"I don't remember seeing a 72-hole Grand Slam golf tournament condensed," he said. "To my knowledge, this facility is not needed for any other purpose next week. If we need to go to Monday or Tuesday, in my opinion, that's what we need to do"
(08/28/03 6:21am)
NEW YORK -- Lindsay Davenport is replacing thoughts of retirement with hope for a U.S. Open title.\nIf her injured left foot holds up, she just might pull it off.\nDavenport, the only past Open champion in the women's field, didn't play perfectly Wednesday night, but she played well enough to put together a 6-2, 6-4 victory against overmatched Maria Elena Camerin, an Italian ranked 92nd.\n"The main thing is, my foot didn't hurt, and I'm on to the third round. You always want to be doing things better and better at Grand Slams," Davenport said, and she knows what she's talking about, having won three such tournaments.\nRoger Federer, too, now knows what it feels like to take to the court as a Grand Slam champion. Kim Clijsters, still getting used to seeing "No. 1" next to her name, would love to be the proud owner of a major title, too.\nAccustomed to shaky starts at Slams, Federer lost the first set of his U.S. Open, then took control against Jose Acasuso and eventually advanced to the second round when the Argentine quit because of pain in his groin and back. The official score was 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, 2-0, ret.\nClijsters followed in Arthur Ashe Stadium and had a much easier time, beating Laura Granville of Chicago 6-1, 6-1 to get to the third round.\n"If it's in their head they're playing the No. 1, maybe that's a little bit intimidating," Clijsters said. "On the other hand, that could even be also more motivating as well. I think it depends on the character of your opponent."\nOn a day of few surprises, the man Federer beat in the Wimbledon final, No. 20-seeded Mark Philippoussis, won his first-round match, as did 2002 Wimbledon runner-up David Nalbandian, No. 7 Carlos Moya, and No. 10 Jiri Novak. Philippoussis, also the finalist at the 1998 U.S. Open, pounded 20 aces to beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4.\nU.S. Davis Cup player James Blake played later.\nWomen's winners included No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova, French Open semifinalist Nadia Petrova, No. 14 Amanda Coetzer, and No. 13 Vera Zvonareva, who eliminated U.S. teenager Ashley Harkleroad 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 thanks in part to a 37-16 edge in winners.\nIn the second set, Harkleroad screamed at the chair umpire after what she thought was a series of missed calls.\n"You can never be my chair umpire again! That's horrible!" Harkleroad yelled.\nConchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, No. 18 Patty Schnyder and No. 28 Lisa Raymond were beaten. Raymond, Davenport's doubles partner, lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Melinda Czink, who never before had won a Grand Slam match. Czink's next opponent? Davenport, whose quarter of the draw already has seen four seeded players lose.\nOn Wednesday, Davenport won in straight sets again despite putting in just 46 percent of her first serves and making more unforced errors than winners, 23-22. And then there's the nerve problem in her left foot, on which she'll have surgery after the tournament, ending her season.\nThe injury forced her to quit at the French Open, curtailed her at Wimbledon, and caused her to stop during the second set against Jennifer Capriati in the final of a tuneup event Saturday. Davenport got an injection later that day, and now is relying on ice and tape.\n"Hopefully, as more days go by, if it doesn't flare up, I'll be more and more confident of pushing off it and not really worrying about it," she said. \n"More than anything, each day that goes by, I just have to keep ... playing the type of tennis that it's going to take to win the tournament, not necessarily just win matches."\nNot long ago, she was talking about quitting altogether. After losing to Venus Williams at Wimbledon last month, Davenport said: "It definitely ran through my mind when I was out there that that could be my last singles" match at the All England Club.\nIn France and England, Davenport said Wednesday, she was "just really frustrated dealing with another injury, another surgery, another layoff. It takes its toll mentally. But I'm really happy I stuck around this summer."\nSince winning the 2000 Australian Open _ she also won Wimbledon in 1999 _ Davenport hasn't added another major title, but she has fared well, making two finals and three semifinals at Slams.\nThe No. 2-seeded Federer, in contrast, hasn't been consistent at all at the big events. Still, he snapped a run of three first-round losses in five majors when he won Wimbledon last month with spectacular all-court play that drew comparisons to Pete Sampras, who formally retired this week.\n"These are big names retiring right now. It's been taking a long time now, the changing of the guard," Federer said. "I always thought we were a good group of guys, the youngsters. We've proved it now. We've won Grand Slams"
(06/30/03 2:12am)
WIMBLEDON, England -- It was enough to draw double-takes.\nWas that really Andre Agassi charging the net the way a classic grass-courter would? Serve-and-volleying as if he'd done it all his life? And winning the points?\nIt sure was. Hey, this is one ol' guy quite capable of new tricks.\nAdding a wrinkle -- to his game, we mean -- the 33-year-old Agassi moved a step closer to becoming the oldest Wimbledon champion in the Open era by beating Younes El Aynaoui 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) Saturday to reach the fourth round.\nAgassi won the point all 10 times he came in behind his serve, and he was 27-for-30 overall at the net.\n"I don't know what got into me out there," Agassi said, smiling. "I probably won't do that again until about 2010."\nThe first of his eight Grand Slam titles came at the All England Club in 1992, and he could break the Wimbledon record for biggest gap between championships (Bill Tilden won the tournament in 1921 and 1930).\nFirst things first, though.\nAgassi's opponent in the round of 16 will be Mark Philippoussis, a three-time quarterfinalist. The 6-foot-4 Philippoussis can pound serves with the best of 'em, and he compiled 33 aces in beating Radek Stepanek 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (6). The 1998 U.S. Open runner-up was broken once in the opening game when he double-faulted twice.\nAlso into the fourth round: No. 10 Tim Henman, the lone Briton left; 2002 finalist David Nalbandian; French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero; and No. 13 Sebastien Grosjean. Henman faces Nalbandian next. Two seeded players lost: Alexander Popp beat No. 11 Jiri Novak, while Olivier Rochus defeated No. 30 Jarkko Nieminen.\nPhilippoussis is unseeded after a string of left knee operations.\n"I've never doubted my ability," he said. "I've always said: 'If I'm healthy, I'm dangerous.'"\nThat's also the case with two-time major champion Mary Pierce, who had back, shoulder, abdominal, ankle and groin problems since winning the 2000 French Open. Now in better condition, Pierce reached Wimbledon's fourth round for the first time since 1999 by topping No. 23 Lisa Raymond 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.\nAlso advancing: defending champion Serena Williams, French Open champion Justine Henin-Hardenne and Jennifer Capriati. Maria Sharapova knocked off No. 11 Jelena Dokic 6-4, 6-4 to become the fourth wild-card entry ever in the fourth round.\nThe 16-year-old Russian joins No. 10 Anastasia Myskina, No. 15 Elena Dementieva, No. 16 Vera Zvonareva and Svetlana Kuznetsova to give the country five women in the final 16 at a Slam for the first time.\nAgassi, at this stage of a major for the 37th time, built his career from the baseline. As he said before Wimbledon: "If I need my volleys to come through for me to win a match, then I'm hoping for a lot out there."\nYet there he was on Centre Court against the 27th-seeded El Aynaoui, serve-and-volleying to end the match's seventh game. He did it again for the last point of the ninth game. He did it, mainly, to counteract El Aynaoui's slice backhand, which slows points and gives the Moroccan a chance to set up his big forehand.\n"I wanted him to feel that he can't just get away with something floating up there," Agassi said. "I wasn't going to play a match where I have to constantly execute, while he just sort of hacks it around."\nSaid El Aynaoui: "I was hoping I could make him volley. But he volleyed well."\nAgassi also won 15 of the 20 points with 10 or more strokes.\nHe lost his serve only once, in the 11th game of the match, and it cost him the opening set. Then he dropped a total of three points on his serve in the second set, which he won by breaking in the final game.\nImagine that: Agassi, the greatest returner of his generation, needed one and a half hours and two full sets to break serve. He did it in style, though, getting to 0-40 by stretching into the doubles alley with an "Uuuhhh!" to flick a forehand return at a tough angle that El Aynaoui put into the net. An errant forehand by El Aynaoui ended the set.\nThe third-set tiebreaker ended with Agassi smacking a great return, setting up a backhand winner down the line. El Aynaoui's last good chance came leading 6-5 in the fourth, with three set points at 0-40 on Agassi's serve. But Agassi won five straight points, including a second-serve ace.\n"That's why Andre is so good," El Aynaoui said. "At the crucial moments, he puts more and more pressure on you."\nAgassi prides himself on fitness, but the 31-year-old El Aynaoui is no slouch, either. After all, he hung in there with Andy Roddick, a player 11 years his junior, in a 5-hour Australian Open quarterfinal with a 21-19 fifth set.\nStill, late in the fourth set, after more than 3 hours under the sun, Agassi was the fresher man, and he sprinkled drop shots to fluster the tiring El Aynaoui. When El Aynaoui put a forehand in the net to give Agassi a 5-4 lead in the final tiebreaker, the Moroccan chopped his racket on the court, then walked over and flung it into the third row of the stands, where a fan caught a souvenir.\nTwo points later, Agassi's final serve of the day was his fastest, 123 mph, and it set up a forehand winner.\nAgassi is the tournament's oldest entrant, the oldest man to be ranked No. 1, and he's tied for the tour lead with four titles in 2003.\n"Let's face it: People expect him to win," Philippoussis said. "Playing Andre is something I'm looking forward to. Obviously, I know how he's going to play."\nDon't be so sure, Mark.
(06/02/03 1:12am)
PARIS -- Jeers and whistles rained down as Venus Williams brushed past a TV interviewer on her way off the court. She raised a hand to wave stiffly.\nIn the stands above, her sister Serena and mother quickly rose to leave.\nThe family isn't used to such early exits at Grand Slam tournaments.\nTrapped in a rut of 12 double-faults and 75 unforced errors, Williams was stunned by Russian teen Vera Zvonareva 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 Sunday in the French Open's fourth round.\nThe loss ends the run of four straight Williams vs. Williams major finals, all won by Serena.\n"I was really off," Venus said. "I just had a tough time keeping balls in."\nOver and over, she whipped shots that usually produce clean winners, only to see Zvonareva scramble from corner to corner to retrieve the ball. Zvonareva, who lost to Serena in Paris last year, would slide along the baseline to chop a stroke, her racket making contact with the ball then smacking the court.\nSlide and smack. Slide and smack.\nForced to play long points, Williams repeatedly blinked first. Add up the unforced errors and double-faults: Her mistakes accounted for 87 of Zvonareva's 100 points.\n"You just should fight for every ball. Only in that case can you win," said Zvonareva, 18, who began last year ranked 371st. "I just was playing for every ball. And, of course, anyone can miss a ball."\nShe had only 11 groundstroke winners; Williams had 28.\nZvonareva, seeded 22nd, should feel right at home in her first major quarterfinal. Her opponent will be countrywoman Nadia Petrova, who upset 2001 champion Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.\nZvonareva's page in the tour media guide says her most memorable match was a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Petrova at age 8. That needs to be updated.\nTuesday's other quarterfinals are defending champion Serena Williams vs. No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo, who beat her on clay last month; No. 2 Kim Clijsters vs. No. 24 Conchita Martinez, who advanced when Lindsay Davenport stopped with a toe injury; and No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. No. 8 Chanda Rubin.\nAndre Agassi reached the quarterfinals by beating Flavio Saretta 6-2, 6-1, 7-5, and was joined by 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya and Dutch qualifier Martin Verkerk.\n"I knew the first week was going to be crucial for me," Agassi said. "Now it's basically like a new life. I've sort of found my comfort zone out there -- striking the ball well, moving and feeling pretty comfortable."\nVenus Williams never seemed comfortable on this trip to Roland Garros. She was extended to three sets in the second round by a player ranked 110th, and had several poor patches against Zvonareva.\nWilliams started Sunday with a double-fault, one of four in the game. Zvonareva provided some symmetry by double-faulting on the opening set's final point.\nIt would have been easy for such an inexperienced player to be discouraged.\n"I just thought: 'OK, I lost the first set. Maybe I didn't play my best, but I will try to show my best game in the second set because it's the only way I can beat her,'" said Zvonareva, who trains part of the time in College Park, Md.\nShe took a 3-0 lead in the second set with help from four double-faults by Williams. It also helped that Williams never really got the measure of the Russian's serve, repeatedly missing returns.\nBy the last set, the center court crowd was behind Zvonareva, chanting "Veh-rah! Veh-rah!" after she tiptoed through one break point and four deuces to get to 1-1. The players traded breaks, and it was 4-4 when Zvonareva seized control for good. She got to break point when a 12-stroke rally ended with Williams' long backhand, and took a 5-4 lead by snapping a forehand winner off the baseline.\nThe final game was a miniature version of the match: Williams sent a forehand into the net to make it 15-0; she did it again for 30-0; she smacked a forehand winner to get within 30-15; she sent a forehand into the net for 40-15; and, on match point, she sent a backhand wide on a 13-stroke rally.\nAccustomed to being undone at Grand Slams by a Williams, big sis Venus was largely her own undoing this time.\n"I definitely had a lot of opportunities," she said. "Sometimes, I felt like maybe I went for too much or I went for too little."\nBefore the French Open, Williams hadn't played since May 4, when she quit during the final of a clay-court tournament in Poland because of a stomach muscle injury.\nStill, Williams usually plays the big points at the big tournaments brilliantly, which is why she owns four major titles, two each at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. Set aside the losses to Serena, and Williams entered Sunday with a 45-1 record at Slams since Wimbledon in 2001.\n"Each match is tough if it's a loss," she said, "especially if it's a Grand Slam"
(01/28/03 5:51am)
NEW YORK -- This lopsided Super Bowl drew more TV viewers than last year's down-to-the-wire thriller.\nABC Sports' telecast Sunday of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 48-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders for the NFL title registered a preliminary rating of 43.8 -- 3 percent higher than last year and the best since 1998.\nThat means an average of 43.8 percent of the country's homes with televisions were watching at any given moment.\nThe Super Bowl is often the most-watched program of the year; nine of the 15 highest-rated shows ever are NFL championships.\nPreliminary, or overnight, ratings measure the country's 55 largest TV markets, nearly 70 percent of the United States. More complete ratings were expected later Monday.\nLast year, the New England Patriots' 20-17 upset of the St. Louis Rams on a final-play field goal had a 42.5 overnight rating on Fox. The final national rating of 40.4 tied for the fourth-lowest for a Super Bowl since 1972.\nThe 1998 overnight rating was 44.4 for NBC's telecast of Denver's 31-24 victory over Green Bay.\nViewership was consistently high throughout ABC's broadcast Sunday. It started with a 41.7 for the first half hour and rose to 44.5 by the end of the second quarter. Even halftime was a popular show, with a 43.4 rating from 8 to 8:30 p.m. EST.\nThe audience -- which advertisers paid ABC an average of just over $2 million per 30-second commercial to reach -- dipped from 9 to 9:30 p.m. EST, when Tampa Bay enjoyed its biggest lead, 34-3. A mini-rally by Oakland followed, and ratings peaked in the final 15 minutes, with 46.1 of the country tuning in.\n"There was a significant interest in the game: the matchups, the coaching story with Jon Gruden," said Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports and now a consultant. "And the game kind of rescued itself late in the third quarter, when Oakland scored a couple of touchdowns. We were headed for a real blowout"
(09/09/02 6:04am)
Pete Sampras was right all along: He did have a 14th Grand Slam title in him. And just like the first, all those years ago, it came in a U.S. Open final against his old rival Andre Agassi.\nHis serve clicking, his volleys on target, his forehand as fluid as ever, Sampras beat Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 Sunday to win America\'s major for the fifth time. At 31, Sampras is the Open\'s oldest champion since 1970.\nAnd though he stopped short of saying he\'ll quit, Sampras did sound like someone who\'s thinking about retiring on a high.\n\"To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop,\" he said. \"But I still love to compete. I\'ll see in a couple of months where my heart is and my mind. My head is spinning.\"\nSampras\' play faded in the third set and the fourth, and it was hard to tell whether Agassi or time was taking the bigger toll. But Sampras managed to hold on, the rebuke to his doubters as loud as the sound made by his 33 aces as they slapped the walls behind the baselines: Pop!\nSampras hadn\'t won a title since Wimbledon in July 2000, a drought of 33 tournaments, and he was seeded just 17th at the Open. He\'s deflected questions about whether he\'d keep going for some time now, insisting he still could produce on the big stage. After all, he figured, his 13 major titles were a record.\n"This one might take the cake," Sampras said. "The way I\'ve been going this year, to come through this and play the way I did today was awesome. I peaked at the right time."\nWhen the 32-year-old Agassi put a backhand into the net to give Sampras the last break he would need, making it 5-4 in the fourth set, Sampras was so drained he barely lifted a fist, slowly pumping it once as he trudged to the changeover.\nHe then served it out, with an ace to match point, and a volley winner to end it. And he had enough energy to climb the stairs in the stands to kiss and hug his pregnant wife, actress Bridgette Wilson.\nSampras played his best tennis at the U.S. Open the past two years, making it to the championship match before losing in straight sets to a pair of 20-year-old first-time Grand Slam finalists: Lleyton Hewitt in 2001, Marat Safin in 2000.\nOn Sunday, Sampras got to pick on someone his own age: Agassi, winner of seven Grand Slam titles. They've played each other since the junior ranks, before they were 10, and now have met 34 times as pros (Sampras holds a 20-14 edge, including 4-1 in major finals).\n"It was special. You can't get around that," Agassi said.\nIf the match signaled the end of an era, they produced a gorgeous goodbye.\nThe crowd of more than 23,000 in Arthur Ashe Stadium split its rooting evenly, throwing more vocal support to whichever player trailed. Yells of "Pete!" from one corner would be echoed by "Andre!" from another.\n"Pete just played a little too good for me today," Agassi said. "It's great to hear New York cheer again. It was beautiful being here."\nWhat a study in contrasts. Agassi is the baseline slugger, the greatest returner of his generation, and a true showman (he is from Las Vegas, after all). Sampras is a volleyer always looking to get to the net, the greatest server of his generation, and almost always staid on court.\nEach played the assigned role to perfection, Sampras smacking his serves at up to 132 mph, and winning the point on 69 of 105 trips to the net. Agassi ventured to the net just 13 times, but conjured up 19 groundstroke winners to Sampras' 16.\nYet, as though a mirror were at the net, each also showed he can do what the other built a career on. Sampras whipped a backhand return to a corner to set up a service break in the second set; Agassi slammed a service winner at 117 mph to save a break point at 3-3 in the fourth set.\n"I played so well today," Sampras said. "Andre brings out the best in me every time I step out with him."\nAt 4-3 in the first set, Sampras earned the first break point of the match and converted when Agassi's backhand flew wide. Then, serving for the set at 5-3, Sampras faced his first break point. How did he handle it? A second-serve ace at 109 mph.\nThe second set was similar, Agassi not quite handling the speed and movement of Sampras' serving -he held at love four times- and Sampras getting a break.\nAgassi finally was able to measure Sampras' serve with some regularity in the third set, like a hitter who catches up to a tiring pitcher's fastball in late innings.\nWith the crowd cheering Sampras' faults -hey, they wanted to see more than three sets -he obliged with a double to give Agassi set point. And Agassi took advantage, stretching for a sharp backhand return that Sampras volleyed into the net.\nShowing a bit of gamesmanship, Sampras took a bathroom break. Then, during the grind of a fourth set, nearly three hours into the match, Sampras faced a break point with Agassi ahead 4-3. How did he erase it? An ace, of course. Pop!\n"He's a good pressure-point player," Agassi said. "He senses the important times of the match and puts pressure on you and elevates his game."\nThey had walked out as shadows started to creep across the court, and neither looked much like they did in their 1990 U.S. Open final, where Sampras started his collection of majors.\nBack then, Sampras was bushy haired and his arms were as thin as a ball boy's. Agassi was Mr. Image is Everything, with long blond hair and denim shorts. And on Sunday, there was Sampras, his hair thin on top, his bulging right forearm three times thicker than his left. There was Agassi, his head shaved, his outfit downright conventional. Both of their wives were in the crowd- Agassi's, Steffi Graf, watched with their baby son.\nBased on recent play, the showdown seemed improbable. At July's Wimbledon, both lost in the second round to players ranked outside the top 50.\nBut they are in great shape. Agassi was out under the midday sun, swatting shots on a practice court in a black T-shirt. Sampras, headphones on, jogged in the hallway outside the locker room shortly before taking the court.\nThe last time they played on the Grand Slam stage was in last year's U.S. Open quarterfinals, a match Sampras won in four tiebreakers, with neither player breaking serve. It was presumed by many to be their last meeting at a major.\nAfter, Agassi leaned over the net, offering good luck the rest of the way in that tournament by whispering, "Win this thing."\nOne year later, Sampras did.\nYes, the same Sampras who beat Agassi in the 1990 U.S. Open, setting the record for youngest winner, 19.\nNice career bookends, huh?
(09/03/02 5:25am)
NEW YORK -- Lindsay Davenport spent the better part of Monday sitting by a window at the National Tennis Center while rain fell. Once play started, she rose to the occasion.\nPlaying just her fifth tournament since knee surgery, Davenport moved into the U.S. Open quarterfinals by beating 13th-seeded Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 6-3, 6-1 in a match that started more than 7 hours late because of downpours.\n"It was hard for me to get going. I really didn't have a lot of time to" prepare, Davenport said. "I'm so relieved it's over with, but I don't remember going out there too many times with no warmup, not a lot of notice."\nThird-seeded Jennifer Capriati followed Davenport in Arthur Ashe Stadium and also eased into the round of eight, beating fellow American Amy Frazier 6-1, 6-3 despite eight double faults.\nRain that fell through the night continued into Monday, and organizers postponed 60 doubles and junior tournament matches. They were still hoping to be able to fit in a big schedule of main draw singles action, though by 8:45 p.m., only Davenport and Capriati had completed their matches.\n"The bad news is: We're behind in matches, doing the best to make them up," tournament referee Brian Earley said. "We're certainly hopeful to get where we need to be. We know it's a hardship."\nDavenport only had a hard time right at the start against Farina Elia, dropping the first two games. Then she turned it on, winning four straight games and 12 of the remaining 14. Davenport won eight of the last nine points in each set, closing the match by breaking Farina-Elia's serve at love.\n"Once I got back on serve pretty early, I think I felt a lot better out there," Davenport said.\nThe American finished 2001 atop the rankings, but she was out from November until last month because of her knee injury. While Davenport and another former No. 1 player recovering from surgery, Martina Hingis, were sidelined, Serena and Venus Williams met in the last two Grand Slam finals and climbed to 1-2 in the world.\nIn Davenport's comeback, she reached the semifinals in the first two and the finals in the last two. Two losses came against Venus Williams, including the title match Saturday in New Haven, Conn.\nShe spent nine weeks on crutches after her operation in January, then endured months of rehabilitation that included eight hours a day using a machine that repeatedly bent and straightened her right knee.\nDavenport also changed her diet and has appeared fit in her four victories here.\nThe worst potential backlog was in the lower half of the men's draw, which includes four-time U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras, 1997 finalist Greg Rusedski, third-seeded Tommy Haas, and three-time French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten.\nTheir third-round matches got under way Sunday, but they were halted in progress, with Sampras serving down 5-4 to Rusedski, Haas up a set against Thomas Enqvist, and Kuerten a set ahead of Nicolas Massu. Even if all were finished Monday, it meant one men's finalist probably would have to play five matches in seven days.\n"We know best-of-five (set matches) take a lot out of a guy," Earley said. "We know the bottom half of the draw is going to be a struggle for somebody."\nIt certainly wouldn't make things any easier for the 31-year-old Sampras, who has been struggling with his game of late. He hasn't won a tournament since July 2000, when at Wimbledon he claimed his record 13th Grand Slam title.\nOthers have more pressing fitness questions.\nHaas has had pain in his right arm -- though his coach, David Ayme, said Monday it's "not a factor when he gets on the court" -- and another player in that half of the draw, fifth-seeded Tim Henman, has been fighting right shoulder problems.\n"We're not even thinking that far ahead," Ayme said, referring to the chance that there could be a jammed schedule. "If we lose one, Tommy's on a plane, and he watches the rest of the tournament at home on TV."\nWhile pushing the men's final back a day to Sept. 9 could happen, Earley said there are some limits to what his options are as he tries to figure out a way to get all the matches in. No day's action will start before 11 a.m., for example, and players won't have to play more than one singles match in a day, unlike at some lesser tournaments where weather interrupts action.\nUnlike at Wimbledon, there aren't indoor practice courts made available to players during the two weeks of the U.S. Open. Instead, that space is handed over to sponsors and an area called SmashZone, where fans can measure how fast they serve or play the role of sports broadcaster by calling action from a match on tape.
(08/29/02 6:05am)
NEW YORK -- Little was ordinary about the start of the U.S. Open for third-seeded Tommy Haas, from being ordered to change out of a sleeveless shirt to three straight double faults in the fifth set.\nOn a day that past champions Pete Sampras and Serena Williams won, while one-hit wonders Jelena Dokic and David Nalbandian lost -- all in straight sets -- Haas and his foil, David Sanchez, produced enough theater for a round's worth of matches.\nHaas pulled out a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory Wednesday that was a struggle for a player normally most comfortable on hard courts. If he can deal with right arm pain that's been hounding him, Haas could be a title threat.\nJust how close did the 61st-ranked Sanchez come to pulling off the upset? He actually won more points: 156 to 155.\nBut their encounter will be remembered most for a prematch talking-to Haas received that put him in sartorial territory previously occupied by Anne White (remember the skintight nylon leotard at Wimbledon in 1985?) and Andre Agassi (remember the denim shorts and Day-Glo bicycle tights?).\nHaas showed up for Wednesday's first-round match wearing a white muscle shirt, that revealed. . .his shoulders.\nGasp!\nIt wasn't nearly as provocative as the zip-down, stop-at-the-thighs black Lycra outfit Williams is wearing. Nonetheless, it caught the attention of chair umpire Norm Chryst. He alerted tournament referee Brian Earley, who turned on the TV, looked at Haas, and ruled the shirt had to go.\nEarley cited Article III, Section C of the Grand Slam rulebook: "Every player shall dress and present himself for play in a professional manner. Clean and customarily acceptable tennis attire shall be worn as determined by each respective Grand Slam."\n"I was given the job of making a determination on the spot. I decided it wasn't 'customarily acceptable,' " Earley said. "It's a gut reaction."\nHaas -- who said sleeves annoy him -- had polo shirts with him and wore those for the 3-hour, 23-minute match.\n"On the women's tour, you see Serena and all those other ladies wearing tight stuff," Haas said. "It's something new, brings something else to the game."\nRight now, men's tennis could use a bit of that if it's going to compete with a women's game that has more intriguing story lines and more-marketed personalities. The WTA Tour isn't shy about letting sex appeal help sell its product.