Fast Break
Tennis
Martina goes out in grand fashion
Even in her final pro match, Martina Navratilova was eager to get going.
“Anytime, darling,” she told the chair umpire before he signaled for play to start.
A month shy of her 50th birthday, Navratilova closed out her competitive career Saturday night in fitting fashion: a mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open for her 59th Grand Slam title.
Navratilova teamed with Bob Bryan to beat Kueta Peschke and Martin Damm 6-2, 6-3 before an appreciative crowd that stood and cheered throughout the final game.
“See, if you play long enough, good things happen,” she told the fans.
“It’s been quite a run.”
Navratilova left the sport in 1994 after winning 167 singles titles. She returned for doubles in 2000, and insisted before this tournament that it would be her last.
Bryan and Navratilova won $150,000 for this final victory. When they were presented the ceremonial check, Bryan handed it to Navratilova.
“All yours,” he said.
NFL
Mannings go at it in prime time
Leave it to the NFL to reward NBC for buying into Sunday night by giving it an opener – the Colts vs. the Giants (5:30 p.m.) – with a twist.
Spend a few billion dollars and you, too, can make a family squirm.
Brother vs. brother, opposing quarterbacks for the first time in NFL history. It’s so big the peacock network devoted part of the “Today” show on Friday just to interview their mother.
Peyton and Eli Manning were destined to meet some time, of course.
That’s one of the occupational hazards of both being starting quarterbacks in the NFL.
Besides, what did you expect? San Francisco vs. Arizona as the marquee pairing of opening weekend?
College football
Turnabout is fair play
Now Montana State knows how Colorado feels.
A week after playing up and beating Colorado, the I-AA Bobcats were beaten by Division II Chadron State 35-24 in Bozeman, Mont.
Danny Woodhead ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns for Chadron State (2-0).
“No matter how you write this thing, this game was a slap in the face,” MSU coach Mike Kramer said.