A Different Ballgame
Rules designed to reward defense and eliminate “Hack-a- Shaq” tactics late in a game were announced recently by the new American Basketball Association.
George Gervin, a star in the original ABA three decades ago and coach of the Detroit Dogs in the new league, helped unveil the new standards at a news conference.
Like the original, the ABA will use a red-white-and-blue ball.
Among the rules: Players can’t foul out. After five fouls committed by one player, the other team will get an extra foul shot.
A `3-D’ rule. If a team forces a turnover in the back court and scores on it, it gets an extra point. A 2-point shot will register three points on the board; a 3-point shot will register four points.
After 10 fouls are committed against one player, each additional foul on that player will result in a free wild-card shot for his team. The team will choose a 3-point shooter to shoot from any spot.
The sport will age you
Norton Davey of Oceanside, Calif., completed the Isuzu Ironman Florida Triathlon in Panama City Beach, Fla., with an unofficial time of 18 hours, 20 minutes. The event consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle and 26.2-mile run.
Even though he didn’t make it under the 17-hour time limit - he missed the bike cutoff by 5 minutes - race officials allowed him to continue the event and he crossed the finish line at 1:20 a.m.
Said Davey, “It seems like I was 28 years old when I started this race.”
He aged considerably because he’s 82.
Their just reward
Paul Lovelace runs a golf ball salvage business in Kansas City, Kan., and has collected plenty of things from golf-course lake bottoms - golf carts, bikes, shoes, bowling balls, flags and spear guns.
“I found a bag of clubs with the guy’s address on the bag,” he told USA Today. “When I called him, he said he didn’t want them. He said they were in the pond for a reason.”
Where’s that panic button
After losing to Oregon and USC in overtime, Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder is presumably on the hot seat - and Arizona Republic columnist Dan Bickley suggests that he should be fired: “Time after time, from the 1997 Rose Bowl (previously undefeated Arizona State lost to Ohio State, 20-17) to the present, Snyder has shown an uncanny knack for losing his wits when chaos is swirling around him.”
The last word …
“Moroccan runner Abdelkhader El Mouaziz won the New York City marathon in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 9 seconds. He could have broken 2 hours if they hadn’t sewn his name on the back of his jersey.”
- Comedy writer Jerry Perisho