|
|
|
The Daily Digest for Wednesday, August 22, 2007 |
|
August 22, 2007 |
≡ Afternoon Bell ≡
 There's a difference between a deer and a dog, Stephon! |
= L.A. Stories =
>> Betting on building: Tim Leiweke does not have enough to do. His Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) is partnering with soon-to-be-bought Harrah’s Entertainment to build and manage a new arena in Las Vegas large enough to host an NBA or NHL team by 2010.
AEG just finished the $276 million, 18,000-seat Sprint Center on eight and a half acres in Kansas City, which is angling for either an NHL or NBA team, but has neither as yet. The envisioned Las Vegas arena would seat 20,000 and will sit on 10 acres of unincorporated land behind the existing Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas hotel-casino properties.
The announcement by Harrah’s and AEG indicated that the new arena will be financed privately and construction would begin in 2008. The Las Vegas Review-Journal noted that it will be the third large arena in the city, in addition to the 16,000-seat MGM Grand Garden and the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center.
AEG is no stranger to taking risks in Las Vegas. It teamed with Caesar’s Palace to build the 4,184 Colosseum performing-arts center that opened in March, 2003 for Celine Dion’s “A New Day” show. In order for that investment to pay off, every one of Dion’s performances for the length of her three-year, 600-show contract had to sell out and according to published sources, more than 82% of them did. No problem, however, as the Colosseum has booked a series of additional blockbuster concerts, notably an annual series with Elton John.
>> Thinking Blue: Long-time Dodger fans remember with fondness the slick-fielding, modest-hitting first baseman Wes Parker of the mid-60s teams that won National League pennants behind the pitching of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale and then faded into obscurity in the late ‘60s and early 1970s.
Perhaps as shocking to him as anyone else, Parker was selected as to an all-time “Gold Glove” team sponsored by Rawlings in a fan vote. His name appears at first base along with eight others who made/will make the Hall of Fame: Johnny Bench (C), Joe Morgan (2B), Ozzie Smith (SS), Brooks Robinson (3B), outfielders Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Ken Griffey, Jr. and pitcher Greg Maddux.
Wes Parker?
Parker, who had a career batting average of .267 but a career fielding percentage of .996 as a first baseman, won six Gold Gloves in his nine-year career from 1964-72 and beat out Keith Hernandez and Don Mattingly in the fan voting, with almost a million votes cast. “I'm thrilled to be recognized as one of those who worked hard at what is an under-appreciated skill,” Parker said in a statement. “I'm particularly pleased to be the lone representative of the Dodgers and the only awardee who is not and will not be in the Hall of Fame. This is my Hall of Fame.”
To be fair, the polling is heavily weighted to the Gold Glove era, which started in 1957. A better choice might have been the Yankees’ Lou Gehrig, who compiled a .991 fielding percentage at first base over 17 seasons from 1923-39, making only 193 errors in 20,790 chances. Still, Parker made just 45 errors in 10,200 chances at first base over his career.
= Panorama =
>> NFL Ticker: Knicks guard Stephon Marbury is the latest to step into the Michael Vick controversy. While appearing to promote his Starbury One shoe line, he told an Albany (N.Y.) television station on Monday, “I think it's tough. I think, you know, we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals. You know, from what I hear, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors.”
Every time Marbury seems to do something brilliant – his value-priced Starbury shoe line, his “Stars on Stars” television interview show – he sticks his foot in his mouth. Since he’s obviously not a hunter, he may not know that hunting for deer and specified other animals is a legal and licensed activity with clearly specified limits while fighting and killing dogs is not legal and not licensed.
>> More Vick: As the suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback gets ready for his guilty plea on Monday, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is ready with the anticipated low blows in print. Two of the best of his top ten:
“9. Does Nike make a Leavenworth jersey?”
“3. NBA Commissioner David Stern probably owes Vick a thank you and maybe a job. Nobody has done more to overshadow possibly the worst scandal to ever hit a sports league – because in the big picture, gambling referees go to the heart of a league’s credibility.”
>> NBA Hoopla: Speaking of the NBA, the league provided a statement yesterday that, according to the New York Post, “did not deny last weekend’s allegations that up to 20 referees gambled in casinos in violation of their contracts.”
The league did say that only ex-referee Tim Donaghy gambled on the NBA, but under the referee contracts, commissioner David Stern could fire all 20 officials who gambled at all. That would be fully a third of the league’s officials and pre-season games start in about two months.
However, the WNBA season will be completed by then . . .
≡ Morning Recess ≡
 Angels go for sweep of Yankees tonight! |
= Tonight’s Menu =
>> The 64-61 Dodgers are in Philadelphia tonight for the second game of their three-game series against the 66-58 Phillies. Derek Lowe (9-11, 3,45 ERA) goes for the Dodgers, who have a 13-12 record in games he starts, against J.D. Durbin (5-2, 5.36) for the Phillies. When Durbin pitched for Philadelphia against the Dodgers and Mark Hendrickson in Los Angeles on July 17, the Phillies won a laugher, 15-3. So the Phillies are favored: it takes $150 to try to win $100 on the home team while $110 on the Blue Crew could return the same $100.
>> The streaking, 74-51 Angels will try for a sweep against the 70-56 Yankees at Angel Stadium with John Lackey (15-7, 3.32) on the hill for the Halos and Andy Pettitte (10-7, 3.80) pitching for the Bombers. The Angels have won six of eight from New York this season, including both of Lackey’s starts (2-1, 4-3). But the game is projected to be tight: it takes $105 to try to win $100 on the Yanks, but $104 to try for the same $100 on the Angels.
= L.A. Stories =
>> What’s Bruin: See our daily blog on UCLA sports at LATimes.com!
>> Talk of Troy: Even with the losses of Emanuel Moody and Jamere Holland, USC continues as a big favorite over Idaho at the Coliseum on September 1. The Troys opened 44 points over the Vandals, but the line has moved . . . the Trojans are now 45-point favorites.
= Panorama =
>> The Halos: The Angels have an unbelievable 42-17 record at home, but just as importantly, have shown over the last week that they can handle both the Red Sox (with whom they have had a terrible time in recent seasons) and the Yankees (against whom they have always done well). Los Angeles has won four of six against the two over the past week and can make it five of seven if they sweep the Bombers tonight. And the Angels took two of three from Boston in Anaheim when they met there earlier this month. If the Halos should find a way to get the best record in the A.L. and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs . . . and remember that the A.L. club will have home-field advantage during the World Series!
>> NBA Hoopla: Remember Latrell Sprewell’s comment after the Minnesota Timberwolves offered him a three-year, $21 million contract after the 2004-05 season? He turned it down saying, "They're not doing anything for me. I'm at risk. I have a lot of risk here. I got my family to feed.”
Well, maybe he should have reconsidered. The bank holding the loan on Sprewell’s 70-foot yacht, “Milwaukee’s Best,” has repossessed the boat and will sell it to recoup its $1.3 million loan. The boat is valued at $1.5 million and Sprewell’s company has missed too many $10,322 monthly payments.
>> Keeping Track: In what can only be called a major victory in international sports for the U.S. took place in Osaka, Japan on Tuesday, with the USA Track & Field representative Bob Hersh being voted in for a four-year term as one of four IAAF Vice Presidents.
Hersh, a retired attorney from New York, may not be familiar to track & field fans, but his voice is, being the announcer of several Olympic Games and World Championships. More importantly, he is one of the most respected experts on track & field rules and records worldwide and while cantankerous at times, can also be quite engaging.
His election was part of a stunning rebuke to some of the IAAF’s old guard. While current President Lamine Diack of Senegal was re-elected for what he promises will be his final term, German Dr. Helmut Digel and popular Puerto Rican official Amadeo Francis both lost bids for re-election. In their place came Sergey Bubka of the Ukraine, a rising star in the IAAF as well as still being the world-record holder in the pole vault, with 167 votes, Hersh with 141, former British star and current London 2012 chair Sebastian Coe (137) and Dahlan Al-Hamad from Qatar (129). Digel was re-elected as an IAAF Council member, but Francis was astonishingly not elected.
With Diack, seen as a capable leader but not the dynamic presence the IAAF needs to expand its popularity, receiving a complimentary final term, the question of succession was on everyone’s mind. Although Coe has been seen as a front-runner, could Bubka be the answer?
It will be interesting to see how the U.S. Olympic Committee chooses to work – if at all – with Hersh, now one of the leading elected officials in Olympic sports from the United States. One thing is for sure: Hersh will be for track and field – that’s his mandate – and not nearly as much for the U.S. “Olympic movement.” Just trying to help track in the U.S. will be a herculean task.
>> Rings & Things: Can China overtake the U.S. in the medal count next year in Beijing? It’s possible, but it won’t be easy.
Track & Field News has come out with its formchart for the World Track & Field Championships starting Saturday in Osaka, Japan. The U.S., not fielding its best team by any stretch of the imagination, is favored to win 28 medals in the meet, compared to four for China.
Moreover, looking at the formchart for the top eight places, the U.S. shows up 53 times compared to 12 for the Chinese.
And putting together the projected results with those of the World Aquatics Championships held earlier this year in Melbourne, the U.S. would have a medals lead of 68-20. Adding in the last world championships (2006) in gymnastics and wrestling and the lead grows to 83-33.
But China’s secret weapon is shooting, where it dominated the 2006 worlds and won 36 medals compared to eight for the U.S. in Olympic events. So in those five sports, the tally is 91-69.
There are 28 sports on the Beijing program so there are a lot of other medals to be awarded. But the U.S. should be right around 100 once again; can China top that . . . legally?
~ Rich Perelman
>> Have an opinion? You can send it using the “Comment” button below!
>> Don’t forget to register for our drawing for free sports memorabilia! Just click on the “Register & Win” tab at left; enter today!
|
|
