Dan Bickley has some very weird news today out of Beijing. The ARIZONA REPUBLIC columnist (via AZ SPORTS HUB) reports that Jason Kidd told him he will give his (sure) Gold Medal away to the wife of a Vegas casino owner.
(Joumana Be Kiddin’ Me!)
More specifically, Elaine Wynn. She’s the wife of billionaire Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn.
Now, if this were Charles Barkley, I think we’d all know the reason why. With Kidd, it’s going to hard to pin down.
So does Kidd own the Wynns money? Is Mrs. Wynn the sufferer of a terminal disease? Is Kidd paying off a debt incurred by some NBA Wives Charity event? No, no and no (apparently).
Kidd: “No, it’s not a (gambling) marker or anything like that. She’s just a great friend and a really great person.”
Right, uh-huh. Why do I have a feeling more of this story will come out at some point?
After folding in the face of the tyrannical Chinese government on everything under the (blocked out Beijing) sun, IOC President Jacques Rogge finally took a stand on something. Yesterday, he ripped into Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt for his postrace, spontaneous celebrations - after the Jamaican claimed Gold in the 100 and 200M sprints. Media reax to Rogge’s comments:
YAHOO’s Dan Wetzel: “one of the most ill-timed and gutless acts in the modern history of the Olympics.”
Philip Hersh of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE: “Rogge look[s] like a coward.”
Liz Clarke of the WASHINGTON POST: “Rogge’s language in condemning Bolt’s celebration was offensive and patronizing.”
Rush & Molloy of the NYDN report, “Buzz is building that the Yankees are cooking up a musical extravaganza for the Stadium’s closing ceremony in November. Word is George Steinbrenner and son Hank want something to rival the sayonara shows that the Mets got Billy Joel to do at Shea. Mentioned to perform at the House That Ruth Built are Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney, though sources close to both rockers weren’t aware of any discussions. A Steinbrenner rep had no details.”
I’d rather see a deflated Joe Piscopo doing Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” than Paul McCartney close out Yankee Stadium. That’s a snub McCartney deserves. But as for this list, I’m not so sure.
The OTTAWA CITIZEN reports Ottawa Sens Center Jason Spezza “is buying ‘Stone Manor,’ a copper-roofed mansion” in Ottawa. Pricetag? $6 million (Canadian). The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom residence is “the most expensive property on the Ottawa market.”
MSNBC.com reports IOC Director of Communications Giselle Davies said the Oly governing body has requested the International Gymnastics Federation investigate the ages of the Gold Medal-winning Chinese women’s gymnastics team, thanks to “a number of questions and apparent discrepancies.”
Davies: “We believe the matter will be put to rest and there’s no question … on the eligibility.”
Based on Davies comment, I’m sure the issue will be thoroughly vetted.
A report from the LONDON TIMES prompted the investigation, when a U.S. computer geek “claimed yesterday to have uncovered Chinese government documents that he says prove” Gold Medal-winning gymnast He Kexin is 14.
Nothing will come of this, because who says the Chinese can’t merely fudge their own documents? And why the big deal over this anyway? Why is anyone pretending to try to maintain integrity in these modern Olympics? The Games have so many hypocritical, nonsensical elements present, we all need to, as Bob Knight would put it, just relax and enjoy it.
Tripp Mickle of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL has the news that Oprah “is trying to book all of the medalists from the Beijing Games for a special in September.
“Agents said it is highly unlikely Winfrey would be able to get every medalist to appear, but added that the show does appear intent on hosting an Olympic special next month. When asked if the show will do an Olympics special, a spokesperson said, ‘It’s not confirmed.’”
Time to buy up some GM stock, as the U.S. has scored 102 Oly Medals to date. That’s a whole lotta Pontiac Vibes.
Remember that awkward moment after Wimbledon, when NBC analyst John McEnroe tried to hug Roger Federer (who turned away)?
McEnroe to Best: “It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and I’m happy I did it, because I really felt for him. It’s taken on a life of its own . . . I feel sort of proud of it, anyway. … I have gotten people in the stands when I play now going, ‘Give me a hug, Mac!’”
So just how many have offered J-Mac a hug in the aftermath of the world’s most uncomfortable moment? The same number that watched his talk show on CNBC, I’m guessing.
The rarest of all sports sightings happened this week in the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Columnist Drew Sharp pens a piece defending the BCS Bowl System:
Those demanding a clear path toward an indisputable champion as though it were a constitutional entitlement are the ones buying into The Great Lie. The grossest misconception is that an actual NCAA-sponsored playoff format automatically would make college football more money from television than the current system.
So where does the Sharp get his objective, empirical data to form that opinion? Why NCAA President and BCS proponent Myles Brand, of course!
Sharp cites this Brand comment from a May interview with the HOUSTON CHRONICLE: “I don’t think there is as much money (in a football playoff) as people think. A lot of the revenues are coming in through ticket sales and TV contracts on the regular season. I think you’re going to continue to see good TV contracts in the regular season. If you had a playoff, what would the size of those contracts be?”
March Madness singlehandedly made college basketball the second biggest sporting event in the United States, behind the Super Bowl. College football, which enjoys every bit the audience of college basketball, has our attention through December, then suddenly goes flaccid for the championship game. While the Final Four is now permanently burned into our sports-loving brains, college football is the Joe Borowski of high profile sports: can’t close the deal.
It makes me sad to see people care so much about a game that has no ultimate winner (or loser). The BCS, much like other Orwellian-inspired endeavors, will eventually crumble. And some day, we’ll look back at this time as the dark ages of college football. I actually predicted that ten years or so ago when co-hosting Kirk Herbstreit’s daily radio show in Columbus. I was pooh-poohed at the time by main media types, including Herbstreit, who is now, as he should be, one of the BCS’ most vocal critics.
So, it looks like we just found the Last of the Mohicans.
Like everyone else in L.A., I watched the U.S. men’s basketball team slog through a win over Argentina on the ‘net this morning. Apparently those who subscribed locally to the cable Olympic basketball channel also had it live in SoCal. Both of them.
I find it fascinating that NBC has yet to come out and explain publicly why it’s tape-delaying the games. The fallout is much worse than the faux-publicity garnered by shows like “Today.” As if Al Roker doesn’t have enough problems in his life.
On the subject of my favorite NBC personalities, have you seen Tom Hammond do a stand-up at the Olympics? Saw him last night and he looks primed and ready for the lead role of “Maude: The Movie.”
Bob Raissman of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS reports that when Brett Favre joined the Jets, “a rule was immediately set: He would give no one-on-one interviews.”
The Jets have since backed off the policy, delivering Favre to WFAN for a visit with Mike Francesa and ESPN Radio 1050 with Michael Kay. Meanwhile, the print media has been shut out, as has the team’s local TV partner SNY.
Jets Senior Director of Media Relations Bruce Speight: “Adding Brett Favre two weeks into training camp has been a unique situation. We have made every effort to be honest and transparent.”
Rather ironic that Favre would end up doing sitdowns with radio first, considering that in most markets, the NFL team P.R. leans to giving print the most access. I have no doubt that’s because of the tabloid nature of outlets like the Post and Daily News. Print will be the last to get a Jets-sanctioned Favre interview.
One thing I learned when dealing with NFL PR people - they’re job is not to facilitate the media’s access to players and coaches. Their job is to keep the media away from the players. That’s why you rarely see serious reporters being buddy-buddy with PR guys, because they know the relationship will do nothing to help them do their job properly.
New photo of new SbB Girl Allie:
