Fast Break
Basketball
Happy Mother’s Day from Cuban
An unlikely sideshow developed prior to Monday night’s Game 4 of the Mavericks-Nuggets series: Mark Cuban vs. Kenyon Martin’s mother.
The billionaire Mavricks owner and local mom became linked because of a brief confrontation in the heated aftermath of Game 3, when Denver benefited from an NBA-acknowledged officiating mistake and beat Dallas 106-105 for a 3-0 series lead the day before Mother’s Day.
Cuban stalked across the court, blew off steam at the scorer’s table, then headed down a hall leading away from the court. Lydia Moore, wearing a Nuggets jersey, was standing near the base of the section he walked past, clearly in his view.
According to Cuban, a fan called the Nuggets “thugs” and he looked at Moore and said, “That includes your son.” However, Martin’s agent told the Denver Post that Cuban said, “Your son is a punk.”
On Monday, Cuban would only say, “I’m happy to let her sit next to me. I’ve got no problem with Mrs. Martin.”
Martin said during Monday morning’s shootaround he vowed to handle things himself.
“It’s a little personal, and I’m going to take care of it,” he said. “I’m not going to do the whole media thing, back and forth. That’s his thing. I’m more of a face-to-face type of dude.”
League spokesman Tim Frank said Monday that all of the postgame fallout was still under review.
Martin, who grew up in Dallas, already was fined $25,000 by the league for a hard foul on Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki during Game 1.
Football
Vikes admit interest in Favre
The Minnesota Vikings have spoken: Yes, they’re interested in Brett Favre.
The Vikings broke their silence Monday, with president Mark Wilf saying the team is considering the supposedly retired star.
“He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. He’s a great competitor,” Wilf said. “Ultimately, you’ll have to ask Brett what his plans are, but sure there’s interest in Brett Favre.”
Several conflicting and contradictory media reports swirled last week around the possibility of Favre, who retired for the second time at the end of last season, returning to play for the Vikings.
Horse racing
Mine That Bird runs clean
Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby without the help of anabolic steroids, and for the first time in the 135-year history of the race, officials have the proof.
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission announced Monday that blood and urine tests given to the top four finishers of the Derby and Kentucky Oaks were clean of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.