Cheap Seats
Went to a baseball game and …
In a shocking development, violence broke out in New York City.
When the Mets and Yankees clashed Saturday at Shea Stadium in an interleague game, so did their fans. It got so bad during an afternoon when police issued 93 summonses for violations along the lines of disorderly conduct and drinking in public, but made no arrests, that players left the dugout to watch brawls that broke out in the upper deck.
Said Mets catcher Mike Piazza: “There were a couple of good fights out there.”
Beauty doesn’t get bad rap here
Aaron Heifetz, press officer for the U.S. women’s soccer team, concedes that sex appeal has “no doubt played a factor” in Team USA’s popularity.
“We don’t want to sell our sport on sex,” Heifetz says, “but their being attractive is a nice offshoot. What’s the line - `Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.’?
“They are modern women. They can do it all. They can have it all.”
Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times said Brandi Chastain, she of the risque in-the-buff photo and jersey-shedding, was once asked after practice:
“If you were all ugly, if you were not wholesome, attractive, whatever - words that have been attached to you - would this team be as popular?”
Somewhat surprisingly, Chastain didn’t stomp away. She made a rational response - but, then, Penner wrote, that’s another difference between the U.S. women’s soccer team and, say, the New York Knicks.
“I’m not really good at predicting scores or predicting behavior or feelings or beliefs,” Chastain said. “I think people are attracted to this team for different reasons. Let me just say that.
“There are those people who come purely for the soccer. There are those people who come purely for the event. And there are those people who come because they like us, to look at us.
“Those are three great reasons to come. I don’t think I need to go any further than that.”
Missing that home cooking
While in America, China’s soccer team was hungry for some home cooking.
“The food is too simple, the variety is too limited, so we always have orders delivered from Chinese restaurants,” coach Ma Yanen said in the days leading up to the World Cup title match with the United States.
The Chinese are accustomed to having a spread of many dishes with a variety of tastes at each meal, unlike the simplicity of basic American fare.
Even well-meaning Chinese-Americans haven’t been of much help.
“We have met many warmhearted Chinese people,” Ma said. “You meet Chinese people, you take at least two hours to chat; it’s a cultural thing.
“We just want the food.”< This guy’s a real comic
Next year’s B.C. Open golf tournament will be in July, opposite the British Open. For 25 years, it has been in the fall.
“I don’t think we’re going to hurt them too much,” B.C. Open chairman Alex Alexander said.
The last word …
“There was never a guy I went to the first tee with who didn’t think he could beat me.” - PGA Senior Tour rookie Allen Doyle, he of the slapshot swing that has earned him three wins and $1,062,831 in his first year.