Sports people 6/19/02

Ouch, that hurts!

Kansas City Star columnist JoePosnanski didn't appreciate the opinions of KC shared by St. Louis Post-Dispatch scribe Bernie Miklsz after the Royals-Cardinals series last week. Writes Joe:

"Bernie decided to spend a few hundred words mocking the Royals, calling them a minor-league team and taking a fun little shot at the Chiefs. He did this to prove that there is no rivalry between St. Louis and Kansas City.

"'The Cardinals," he writes. 'The real baseball royalty in this state.'

"Now, you could argue that it's just a tad excessive to call the Cardinals 'baseball royalty' when they have won one World Series in 35 years. It's true the Cardinals were once a powerful force. So, however, was the Irish potato famine. It has been a few years since either.

"Bern, pal, three words: Let ... it ... go.

"Then, St. Louis can't let go of anything, including roads built for the 1904 World's Fair. It's hard when your city peaked back when Roosevelt was in office. Teddy, I mean. To be fair, this is a city steeped in tradition. For instance, there are signs all through downtown bragging that they have been making 'Tums' in St. Louis for more than 70 years.

"If St. Louis was a person, it would be one of those sad guys you see all the time in bars still talking about some touchdown he scored in high school."

More verbatem

From Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle, on golfer Sergio Garcia's habit of endlessly re-gripping his club before a shot:"Good Lord, Garcia, get a grip! You're like a baseball pitcher throwing to first base 12 times before every pitch. And there's no runner on base."

On a related note ...

From T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times: "Is there any athlete more annoying in all of sports than Sergio preparing to hit a golf shot? Jack Haley talking basketball on Fox doesn't count. He's an ex-athlete."

From Michael Russo of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on the Lakers' celebration of their third straight NBA championship:

"I've demonstrated more emotion than Shaq and Kobe when I've made it through airport security without getting the wand."

To voters, Anton is Oh-kay

Apolo Anton Ohno was a resounding No. 1 among online voters in a Sports Illustrated for Women survey, which sought nominations for the magazine's "Sexiest Men in Sports" feature.

More than 15,000 pledged their online support for the U.S. speedskater, ensuring him a place with 74 other athletes in the magazine's third annual swimsuit issue. After Apolo skated laps around the field, figure skater Alexei Yagudin (2,308 votes) picked up the silver and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter (756) the bronze.

Just like death and taxes

One thing you can count on, according to Greg Cote of The Miami Herald, is Tiger Woods holding on at the U.S. Open:

"Tiger with a four-shot cushion entering the final round of a major? That's not money in the bank. That is the bank.

"That's Randy Johnson with an 0-2 count against a guy in a blindfold. That's Barry Bonds, swinging at Little League fences. A Williams sister, with a dozen match points. Michael Johnson, with a head start.

"That's Shaq. Only bigger."

-- Compiled by Jamie Hall