They say July is the hottest month of the year, and whoever “they”
are, were not kidding. While the weather may have been unbearable for those of us in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), just imagine what it’s been like for the average sports fan this week. Another weekend has arrived and the sports world has had more suspense, drama and tragedy than an episode of All My Children. From star quarterbacks facing dog fighting allegations, to NBA refs’ betting scandals, to WNBA scoring records being tied to the untimely loss of a college basketball coach, the news has been nothing other than breaking this week. So with no further ado, here are the top five stories of the week:
The Magical Mystics Slay Goliath
While some other story really should be crowned with the No. 1 spot,
it’s only right we keep it local. On Tuesday night the Washington
Mystics engaged in the epic battle of David vs Goliath as they took
on the Seattle Storm. Alana Beard and the Mystics defeated the 6’5
Australian sensation Lauren Jackson and the Storm in a 97-96 overtime
thriller. While Washington for the first time in a long time managed
to successfully play a complete game, the real story of the game was
the dominating performance of Jackson who tied a WNBA record of 47
points on 18-0f-28 shooting. “No one told me we were playing Dirk
Nowitzki”, joked Mystics coach Wayne “Tree”Rollins after his team’s
10th win of the season. Beard led the Mystics with 27 points,
followed by Monique Currie’s 23 points and 11 rebounds and Delisha
Milton-Jones’ 22 points. Despite Jackson’s impressive performance, it
was the Mystics offense and defense that held them together for the
five quarters. “We didn’t have to dig ourselves out of a hole”,
Rollins said. With their latest win, the Mystics are just three games
from .500, and pushing forward to making a run for the playoffs.
Since hosting the All-Star Game, having Milton-Jones and Beard be
apart of that winning Eastern Conference team, as well as Laurie
Koehn winning the three point shootout, Washington has continued to
surge in the second half the season, and looks to defeat the Detroit
Shock, whom they fell to last Saturday 66-58. This Saturday’s rematch
at the Verizon Center should be less of a defensive struggle as Shock
All-Star Cheryl Ford has a season ending knee injury.
As Vick’s World Turns
Virginia Tech has unfortunately found itself as part of another scandal. After the
tragic massacre in April that left 22 members of the University’s
family dead, and a campus and nation in mourning, the Hokie community
has struggled to regain some sense of normalcy. To add to the
program’s misfortune is the latest drama surrounding former star
quarterback turned Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick, who yesterday pleaded
not guilty to dog fighting charges. Vick and three others were
indicted on July 18 after federal authorities’ investigation found
Vick and his Virginia home, responsible for illegal dog fighting,
gambling on the fights and acts of animal cruelty. This week, Vick
was banned from attending the Falcon’s training camp by NFL
commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell felt his presence at camp wasn’t
a wise idea given the current allegations. This is why I have a
problem with Goodell and his wannabe calls for justice. When did
banning players from training camp due to problems off the field,
become a solution to a team’s progress on the field? There are two
sides to this soap opera—the football lovers’, who are awaiting the
start of the season, not November, the start of the trial. While the
other side is the animal lovers’ who want to see him behind bars. If
there are over 30,000 plus dog fighters in the country, why is Vick
the first to make nationwide coverage and possibly face jail time?
It’s another case of unequal opportunity, where unfortunately race
and popularity once again play a factor. Goodell and the many animal
rights activist are the slave owners and Vick is the property to be
badly beaten and put on display for the world to see. While Vick has
insisted that he knew nothing of the fights taking place in his home,
others close to him say otherwise. Vick’s trial is scheduled to being
Nov. 26, four days before the Falcons take on the defending champion
Indianapolis Colts.
The Loss of Skip Prosser
On the same day in which Michael Vick submitted his not guilty plea
to the court, the college basketball world took a low blow to the
chest, with the sudden passing of Wake Forest men’s basketball coach
Skip Prosser. Prosser died Thursday of a heart attack after returning
from jogging on campus. Prosser had been the Demon Deacons’ coach
since 2001, and played a critical role in the progress of former NBA
Rookie of the Year, New Orleans Hornet Chris Paul. Paul and Dallas
Maverick Josh Howard. Before coaching in North Carolina, Prosser
coached at Xavier for seven years and Loyola (MD) for one season. He
was the only coach to lead three different institutions to the NCAA
Tournament in his first year. Prosser put Wake Forest back on the
map, as he led the program to its first No. 1 ranking in the 2004-
2005 season. The last two years, the Demon Deacons haven’t had much
success in the ACC or NCAA Tournaments, nevertheless, Prosser was
seen as a good and respectable coach. ACC rival coach, Mike
Krzyzewski of Duke said, Prosser was “ultimately respected for his
coaching ability, his quick humor and, most importantly, for being a
quality person.” Skip Prosser was 56, and left behind his wife, Nancy
and sons Scott and Mark, who is an assistant for Bucknell’s
basketball program. Behind every good rivalvry in a conference like
the ACC, there’s a great coach. For the Demon Deacons, Prosser was
that coach.
The Ref Whose Whistle Was Blown
It’s one thing to have a player like Pete Rose get caught up in a
betting scandal, where the end result is possibly costing him a spot
in the MLB’s Hall of Fame. It’s another thing to have an NBA referee
get caught up in gambling scandals, but should you really be
surprised? Sports gambling is nothing new to the avid sports fan,
because if you check your bank statements and highlight those
transactions that occurred in January or March, you know you too are
like Rose and former NBA ref Tim Donaghy, except your reputation
isn’t at stake. Donaghy is under investigation by the FBI, after
allegations came under way that he had placed wagers on games,
including the ones he officiated from 2005-2007. NBA commish David
Stern, explained during a news conference, “This is something that is
the worst that could happen to a professional sports league.” It
rightfully could be, but it isn’t. If Stern has seen the outcomes of
some of the basketball games last season, including a few in the
playoffs, he wouldn’t seem so clueless or shocked. Flashback for a
moment to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Detroit Pistons
taking on King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers with only seconds
remaining in the game, and ‘Bron getting a no-call foul that resulted
in a heartbreaking one point loss. The next day on every bus and in
every office, the same point was being made: LeBron was fouled. So if
everyone else saw it, why didn’t the refs call it? Conspiracy theory
or betting at it’s best? Donaghy’s confession has left a stale taste
in the mouth of Stern, other NBA execs, coaches players and most
importantly the fans. The NBA, like the NFL and MLB has had its
recent share of disturbing headlines, and this latest incident only
adds fuel to the fire. Is Donaghy the only ref in the league to bet
on games? Probably not, but it will be hard for players, coaches,
owners and fans to trust the men with the whistles.
The Beyonce Tumble
I must warn you, this last story is not sports related, however
everyone and their grandmother has been talking about the Beyonce
fall. Tuesday night, while performing her hit single Ring the Alarm
in Orlando Florida, Grammy award winning R&B singer Beyonce missed a
set of stairs and fell face first.Some say it might have been the
long pink coat she was wearing, others say it was due to her heels,
and the rest say it could have happened to anyone. However,
immediately after the fall, B got back up and continued performing
like the soldier she really is, or is she? Later in the concert
before doing another song, she pleaded for the audience not to put
any captured footage on the notorious YouTube website. C’mon B, this
is 2007, the year of the camera phone and an internet addicted
generation, where no one is safe, not matter if you find yourself
begging harder than Keith Sweat. Of course the fall was briefly
available on YouTube until it was yanked. While Beyonce may have been
embarrassed for a moment or two, she’ll definitely have the last
laugh as her tour is selling out at every stop she hits, including DC.
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