Fast Break

WNBA

It’s Mother’s Day from afar

Mother’s Day will be a day off for WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes, who plans to spend it with 9-year-old son Jordan.

Swoopes’ son was born four days after the league’s first game, and has been a fixture around the Comets, accompanying his mother throughout the season.

Other WNBA players are not as fortunate. San Antonio’s Helen Darling (above left) and Los Angeles’ Taj McWilliams-Franklin will be playing in preseason games far from their families. Darling’s 5-year-old triplets and her daughter are with their father in the home in Memphis, Tenn.

“Their father has to work,” she said, “and it’s so expensive. If we were closer, they could drive. A flight is almost $350-$400 per child. Mother’s Day is nice, but call me. Save me a couple of dollars.”

McWilliams-Franklin’s 4-year-old daughter Maia will be home with her father in Los Angeles.

“I’m not around most Mother’s Days because of the WNBA season, so it’s normally not a big deal,” McWilliams-Franklin said. “I never think about it. For me, every day is Mother’s Day.”

Football

New meaning to NFL Europe

American expatriates who also happen to be NFL fans could be in store for an unexpected treat.

The professional football league is in early stages of planning a setup that would add a 17th game to each team’s regular-season schedule – with a caveat: The games would be played outside the United States, though not likely by next year.

Possible venues for a series of games would appear to be London, Spain and Germany – which fields several teams for NFL Europe.

Baseball

The writing is on the ball

Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Vernon Wells responded to a heckler at Cleveland’s Jacobs Field by flipping him a ball. An inscribed ball.

It said: “Dear Mr. Dork, Here is your ball! Can you please tell me what gas station you work at, so when you are pumping my gas, I can yell at you!!! Now sit down, shut up and enjoy the game. Your favorite center fielder.”