Trout leaving an impression on Angels

The Angels were still talking Wednesday about Mike Trout's two-home run game from the night before.

"I don't believe he's only 20," said pitcher Jerome Williams.  "How the [heck] did he do that? He hit a pitch that was on the ground."

Two of them actually, with Trout reaching out to lift two low breaking pitches from Anthony Vasquez well over the left-field wall. At 20 years and 23 days, he is the youngest player in franchise history to have a multi-homer game.

Trout, the youngest player in the majors, was back in the lineup again Wednesday against reigning Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez.

"He's got an idea in the batter's box," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said.

More than an idea, apparently, with the Angels winning 14 of 17 games Trout has started.

"He's definitely contributed," Scioscia said.

Meanwhile the Texas Rangers, the team the Angels are chasing in the American League West race, made a couple of moves just hours before the deadline to set playoff rosters, acquiring left-handed reliever Mike Gonzalez from the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later and picking up catcher Matt Treanor from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations.

In the last month the Rangers have added three premium relievers while the Angels, whose biggest question now is the bullpen according to Scioscia, have stood pat.

"We can't have our time consumed with thinking about what clubs are doing," Scioscia said. "Our team right here still has the opportunity to reach our goals. And that's what we're going to focus on. That's the long and short of it. Right now we're the best team we've been all year. And we'll see where we end when we get through this pennant race."

The lineups:

Angels

SS -- Erick Aybar

2B -- Howie Kendrick

DH -- Bobby Abreu

RF -- Torii Hunter

1B -- Mark Trumbo

3B -- Alberto Callaspo

CF -- Peter Bourjos

LF -- Mike Trout

C -- Jeff Mathis

P -- Dan Haren

Seattle Mariners

DH -- Ichiro Suzuki

CF -- Franklin Gutierrez

2B -- Dustin Ackley

1B -- Mike Carp

C -- Miguel Olivo

3B -- Kyle Seager

RF -- Casper Wells

SS -- Brendan Ryan

LF -- Trayvon Robinson

P -- Felix Hernandez

-- Kevin Baxter reporting from Seattle

 

Three pennies for their thoughts as Kings prepare for season

Where better to spend a warm summer day than in a hockey rink?

The Kings gave media and a few season-ticket holders a chance to get into the cold Wednesday at Staples Center and witness the red and blue lines being painted onto the newly laid ice surface. The ice looked clean and bigger without the usual advertisements painted on — those will come later — and it was fun to watch workers fill in the lines and extend the red and blue stripes.

The process of rebuilding the ice surface began at about 6 a.m. Wednesday and was expected to be finished Wednesday night. It will then require a few days to set before anyone can skate on it.

While that was going on, Bailey, the Kings’ mascot, planted three pennies at center ice for good luck. Luc Robitaille, the Kings’ president of business operations, said one was an 1893 penny to commemorate the year the Stanley Cup was donated by Lord Stanley of Preston. Robitaille said the second penny was placed by Bailey and had personal meaning to the costumed mascot.

“I talked to Bailey’s handler, because Bailey doesn’t talk,” Robitaille said. “And I heard they were putting in a 1993 penny. I asked why and they said that’s the year we went to the finals, and I said, ‘That doesn’t make sense. We lost. We’ve got to put something that means something to us that we’ve won.’ So he put something that was personal to him that was meaningful about a championship, and I did too.”

What was Robitaille’s choice? A penny from 2002, the year he won the Cup with the Detroit Red Wings.

I also had a chance to ask Chris McGowan, the Kings’ chief operating officer, whether they plan to change their marketing/promotional/advertising strategies if the NBA lockout idles the Lakers and Clippers for a while. Will the Kings try to win over basketball fans? Can they?

NBA, union wrap up Wednesday meeting

The NBA and representatives of the players’ union ended six hours of talks Wednesday with Commissioner David Stern promising more “meetings and meetings” through September to resolve the lockout that threatens the upcoming season.

The meeting in Manhattan was just the second between the sides since the lockout took effect July 1.

Player representative Derek Fisher of the Lakers told reporters afterward that the union had not changed its “philosophical stance” on issues and added that “both sides [are] feeling a sense of urgency” to strike a deal, with training camp just more than a month away.

Basketball officials declined to say when the next meeting would occur.

Stern told Sports Illustrated, “We don’t have any deadlines in mind. We just have meetings in mind.”

The sides are divided on how to distribute revenue, with the owners last formally pitching a $2-billion salary pool that would shrink last season’s $2.15-billion pot.

The players have asked the National Labor Relations Board to intervene, complaining the league has not engaged in sincere negotiations, but the NLRB has not yet ruled.

-- Lance Pugmire

U.S. Open: Venus Williams withdraws with viral illness

 

Venus Williams, who won the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001 and was a semifinalist last year, withdraw from this year's tournament about an hour before her scheduled second-round match Wednesday against Germany's Sabine Lisicki, citing an unspecified viral illness.

Lisicki, 21, who was a semifinalist at Wimbledon, was expected to give Williams an interesting test. Instead Williams will see her ranking drop to outside the top 100. Before the U.S. Open Williams hadn't played a match since her fourth-round loss at Wimbledon, citing a viral illness, and she has played in only four tournament in the last 12 months because of an assortment of injuries.

Williams, 31, won her 60th U.S. Open match Monday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, in straight sets over Russian Vesna Dolonts, Williams, until this year, had reached at least the fourth round here every time she has played and is a six-time semifinalist.

Williams has won seven major titles in her career and, after winning here Monday night, she spoke of her eagerness to get back to playing. She said she would have played in a $50,000 challenger event if that's all that had been available.

She also spoke of her summer-long illness, calling it "energy-sucking," though when asked directly, Williams would not name the illness. It had not kept her from making sponsor appearances or designing her black, white and pink dress for her first-round appearance.

MORE:

U.S. Open: Venus Williams wins first match since Wimbledon

U.S. Open: Carolina Wozniacki wins one, talks Rory McIlroy too

U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic wins easy opener; Donald Young too

-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Venus Williams. Credit: Eduardo Munoz / Reuters.

Sam Farmer previews NFL season, discusses Chargers (video)

Sam Farmer tells you the things to watch out for in the upcoming NFL season:

 

 

And he takes a closer look at the San Diego Chargers:

 

 

Did boxer Jack Dempsey use loaded gloves when he won his first heavyweight title?

BOXING URBAN LEGEND: Jack Dempsey's gloves were "loaded" when he first won the world heavyweight championship.

On the Fourth of July, 1919, 24-year-old William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey defeated Jess Willard and won the world heavyweight championship title. Dempsey would hold the title for the next seven years before losing it to Gene Tunney in September of 1926. Dempsey was an underdog going into the match against the champ, as the 37-year-old Willard had five inches and a good fifty pounds on Dempsey. The match clearly was not a "David versus Goliath" set-up (while an underdog, most papers gave Dempsey decent odds - the New York Times reported betting was 5-4 against Dempsey), but some members of the press still sold it as such. Therefore, there was a great deal of surprise when Dempsey not only defeated Willard, but he brutalized him, winning in three rounds as Willard's corner could not let the champ come out for the fourth round. Dempsey knocked him down seven times in the first round and after the match, the story was that Willard lost six teeth and suffered a broken jaw, as well as other fractures in his facial bones (plus some broken ribs).

Confusion over how Dempsey could cause all of those injuries soon turned to suspicion that Dempsey was cheating, using some sort of "loaded" glove, that is to say a glove that was treated with a hardening substance or, in the alternative, hiding a heavy object (like a tire iron) in his glove, to increase the force of his blows. When Dempsey's then-manager Jack "Doc" Kearns confessed that the gloves were loaded in a Sports Illustrated excerpt of Kearns' biography in 1964 (it was published posthumously, as Kearns died in 1963), the suspicions from 1919 became a hot topic and have remained a contested subject ever since. So, did Dempsey use loaded gloves to win the title?

Read on to find out!

Is it good or bad PR for Dolphins to be honoring the Gators?

Writers from the Tribune Co. weigh in on the topic. Check back throughout the day for more responses and feel free to weigh in with a comment of your own.

Dave Hyde, Florida Sun Sentinel

Miami Dolphins CEO Mike Dee is trying to sell tickets in a season that's going to be difficult to sell tickets considering the obstacles (awful economy, successive 7-9 seasons, the money the Heat sucked out of the sports-buying budget, etc ...) But a reunion of the 2008-09 Florida team during the Oct. 23 game with Denver at Sun Life Stadium is a really dumb idea. There is a small connection with Mike Pouncey and Tim Tebow on the pro field together. And the Dolphins will bring in Urban Meyer. But don't they understand this is the University of Miami's home field? Can't they see how this is a slap at Canes fans? And that's not even getting into what Florida State fans think. There's nothing wrong with taking chances to sell tickets -- but this is an embarrassing mis-read of the market. Not only will this not sell tickets. It's going to backfire into looking like another front-office faux pas.

Baxter Holmes, Los Angeles Times

Anyone in sports has received the laughable press release that make you wonder if the flak on the other end really thought the pitch was a good idea.  Sometimes, like journalists and everyone else, these people just don’t think, but because it’s PUBLIC relations, these dim-witted mishaps are just that: Public.  With a rotten squad and a deserted stadium, the Miami Dolphins were desperate to make a buck and tried to be creative. Swing and a miss. Now, for them to honor a player who happens to be on the opposing team (Denver’s Tim Tebow) is forgivable, but if you’re broke, don’t tick off a tenant (the Miami Hurricanes) by hosting an arch-rival (the Florida Gators). Then again, if you’re plan was to gain attention, well done and touché.

Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune

It is good public relations for the Dolphins to honor the 2008 Florida Gators when they host Tim Tebow and the Broncos on Oct. 23.  It would be better public relations, given the outcry of Hurricanes fans, if the Dolphins were to honor the 2001 Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 18 when they host Andre Johnson and the Texans. What the Dolphins are doing by honoring the Gators is all about reaching out to another fan base and selling themselves.  They hardly can be blamed for that.  The Dolphins may share a city with the Hurricanes, but their loyalty to their closest neighbor isn’t going to overcome their interest in making a more attractive bottom line.  The way to assuage those angry Hurricanes fans, and maybe even help themselves in the process too, is to give them their day as well.

George Diaz, Orlando Sentinel

Brilliant! (Insert as much sarcasm as possible).

I know the Dolphins are hurting to fill seats, but this reeks of a desperate ploy to snag a few Orange and Blue fans to blend in with the fading number of Aqua jerseys in the stands.

You simply never honor a rival on your home turf. And even though the Hurricanes don’t have an on-campus stadium, Sun Life Stadium is as good as it gets.

For South Florida, it should always be about the U. That obvious point has slipped by the pro team trying to suck up to legions of other fans.

Apparently Chad Henne and Tony Sparano aren’t enough of a draw these days. Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer are, according to the Dolphins’ marketing experts.

Worst idea ever.

MORE:

Brandon Willis plans to return to UCLA

It's change or else for the Bruins and Neuheisel

Texas A&M says it's leaving the Big 12 Conference

Photo: Florida Gators. Credit: Al Messerschmidt / Getty Images.

Giants Trim Roster; Jets Stick With Folk

GIANTS TRIM ROSTER TO 85 The Giants placed wide receiver Ramses Barden and center Adam Koets on the physically unable to perform list, meaning neither player will be eligible until at least Week 7 of the season.

The Giants also put defensive tackle Marvin Austin (torn pectoral muscle) on injured reserve and waived wide receiver Duke Calhoun, bringing their roster to 85 players. SAM BORDEN

JETS SPECIAL TEAMS IN PLACE Two of the Jets’ special-teams competitions ended when Coach Rex Ryan retained Nick Folk as their kicker and tabbed T. J. Conley as the team’s punter. The incumbent Folk, who has converted 4 of 5 field goals this preseason, beat out Nick Novak, who was released. Conley has no N.F.L. experience, but he outshined Chris Bryan, averaging 46.4 yards per punt.
BEN SHPIGEL

Fantasy Football: Preseason Week 3 Recap

Jason and Justin Sablich are here to help you with your fantasy football draft. The Sablich brothers will provide fantasy football advice throughout the season on this blog and on Twitter (@5thDownFantasy).

Complete fantasy football ranking for all positions, including PPR formats, updated throughout the preseason.

A look back at the week that was in preseason football, and the fantasy football implications.

Jets 17, Giants 3 – 

Eli Manning’s preseason struggles continued against the Jets. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if losing Steve Smith and Kevin Boss is going to be more of an issue than previously thought. Both Giants running backs looked excellent, outside of the Brandon Jacobs ejection. If he can resist the urge to toss his helmet into the stands and keep his fists from flying, he’s going to have a very good year. Consider him a rock-solid RB3 with the possibility of starting a handful of games thanks to Ahmad Bradshaw’s fragility.

Just when we were getting comfortable with Mark Sanchez as a QB2 he regresses in a major way. Poor pass protection and lackluster play from Plaxico Burress and Derrick Mason did not help, but he was clearly off Tuesday night, completing just four passes to his intended wideouts.



Lions 34, Patriots 10

 – Mathew Stafford was the star, finishing 12-for-14 with 200 yards and 2 touchdowns. It would have been an even better statline if Nate Burleson didn’t drop a 15-yard touchdown pass. Speaking of Burleson, he’s creeping up draft boards with Stafford relying on him heavily throughout the preseason. Targeting the Lions WR2 in the later rounds of your draft is a very good idea, while getting over Stafford’s injury tag and selecting him with a pick in the 7th round is an outstanding one.

Chad Ochocinco (4 targets) was unable to record a catch during the Lions thorough routing of Tom Brady and the Patriots. Clearly, the two have a ways to go as far as chemistry is concerned, but the all-out onslaught of the Lions defensive line didn’t help matters either. Brady thinks its only a matter of time before Ochocinco gets the offense under his belt, and that’s good enough to still believe in him as a quality WR3 option.



Chargers 34, Cardinals 31 – 

Kevin Kolb’s 80 yard touchdown hookup with Larry Fitzgerald was the first score for Kolb this preseason and a welcome sight for those of us who believe in him as a solid QB2 with upside.

Make that three consecutive weeks now that Beanie Wells has shown good speed and power. He’s averaging 4.8 yards a carry and has yet to fumble this preseason.

Ryan Mathews flashed big play ability with a 48-yard burst up the middle, but don’t get too excited. Mike Tolbert isn’t going away any time soon and will still get the majority of passing downs and goal line looks. Vincent Jackson continues to shine this preseason with 5 catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. We’ll take him ahead of Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace as our No. 6 ranked receiver in standard formats.

Buccaneers 17, Dolphins 13

 – Brandon Marshall took in two balls for 90 yards and a touchdown from a surprisingly solid Chad Henne, but its hard to get too excited considering his quarterback’s inconsistent track record. We do expect a better year from Marshall, especially in the touchdown department, but Henne will have to string together a few more of these outings to be considered draft-able as a QB2.

After his outstanding Dolphins debut last week, Reggie Bush’s stock came back down to earth with 5 carries for negative 1 yard. He’s still miles ahead of rookie Daniel Thomas, who actually lost a goal-line carry to Bush and didn’t get on the field until the middle of the second quarter. Thomas is not a draft-able option in re-draft leagues unless you are handcuffing Bush. Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman continues to struggle, going 12 of 23 for 149 yards with 2 near interceptions. Relying on him as your QB1 this year is not advisable. 



Steelers 34, Falcons 16

 – Matt Ryan threw a whopping 42 passes in the first half to the tune of 22-for-42 for 220 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. While you can’t expect that kind of dedication to the passing game on a weekly basis, it’s a good indication that the Falcons are getting away from riding Michael Turner, who saw just seven carries on the night. Roddy White reminds Julio Jones that this is still his show with 8 receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets. The rookie finished with 5 catches for 59 yards despite only one less target than White received.

Ben Roethlisberger continues to favor Antonio Brown as the two burned Atlanta’s secondary for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns. Things will get interesting when Emmanuel Sanders, who was touted all offseason as the receiver to own in Pittsburgh next to Mike Wallace, returns to action from a broken foot. But right now, you have to give the edge to Brown as the late round flier as Sanders will likely get off to a slow start. 



Cowboys 23, Vikings 17

 – Dez Bryant was the focal point in the passing game, leading the team in targets and receptions with Miles Austin sitting due to a hamstring issue. Make it a point to land him as your WR2 this season. Tony Romo’s 15-20, 141 statline was better than it looked, considering he was under heavy pressure most of the night. Felix Jones continued his outstanding preseason with 38 total yards, 3 receptions, and a touchdown.

Adrian Peterson was in mid-season form, totaling 81 yards on 14 carries. There’s been talk that he will be more involved in the passing game this year, but we heard the same thing last season and he actually finished with seven-less receptions from the previous year (36). It definitely wasn’t the case during this game, as Peterson had zero targets on the night with Lorenzo Booker handling the passing-down duties. 



Saints 40, Raiders 20 

– Saints tight end Jimmy Graham was featured in the passing game, totaling 5 catches for 73 yards on 8 targets. It’s going to be much harder to land him after the 6th round following this performance. Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas both scored rushing touchdowns out of the rotation, but it’s Ingram who figures to be the favorite for goal-line duties.

Jason Campbell turned in a solid outing, minus his number one option Jacoby Ford (12-for-17, 150 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception). Darren McFadden didn’t suit up, giving rookie Taiwan Jones the opportunity to rack up yards on the Saints backup defense (81 yards, 1 touchdown). Obviously, he doesn’t garner much fantasy consideration with McFadden and Michael Bush on the roster. 



Broncos 23, Seahawks 20 

– Tavaris Jackson continues to look terrible as the Seahawks starting quarterback (13-22, 93 yards, 1 touchdown, 5 sacks). Sidney Rice managed just 2 catches for 11 yards during three quarters of action. It should be no surprise by now that his fantasy numbers are going to suffer big time thanks to Seattle’s inept options at the quarterback position. 



Ravens 34, Redskins 31 

– Tim Hightower racks up 56 yards and a score in another impressive performance. He can be safely considered as an RB2 option worth taking as early as round five in standard leagues. Santana Moss fans can only hope Rex Grossman wins the starting quarterback job over John Beck (16 targets, 120 yards, 2 touchdowns with Grossman starting this preseason).

Ray Rice converted on 1 of 2 goal line carries, which is further evidence he will be the man at the big white line this season. Lee Evans is looking like a bargain W 3 pick (3 receptions, 60 yards, 1 touchdown) as he is quickly building a nice rapport with Joe Flacco. He actually has a decent chance of out-producing Anquan Boldin in standard scoring leagues this season. 



Eagles 24, Browns 14 

– The Eagles offensive line struggled mightily to protect Michael Vick (9 targets, 7 receptions, 69 yards), which took away his downfield targets and turned the passing game into the LeSean McCoy show. This unit should eventually get it together under Howard Mudd’s guidance, but if you own McCoy, you’re certainly in no hurry as he will be the obvious benefactor with Vick under pressure. Peyton Hillis started for the Browns and looked strong, totaling 53 yards on 5 touches. 



Bills 35, Jaguars 32 

– Ryan Fitzpatrick turned in his first positive performance of the preseason and was more than solid, finishing 11-for-12 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns. It’s not too surprising, considering the Jaguars defense couldn’t generate any pressure for the second consecutive week and have been a punching bag for the position over the last few seasons (4th best QB matchup in 2010). Steve Johnson’s solid preseason continued, reeling in 4 catches for 76 yards and a score (52-yard touchdown reception). He definitely deserves a bump up in our rankings. Fred Jackson is apparently back to the featured role but that can always change the way Buffalo’s backfield has been handled this preseason. 



Packers 24, Colts 21 

– Our love for Jermichael Finley hasn’t waned, (we took him with a fifth pick in our first draft). He looked fully healthy in this one, totaling 41 yards and touchdown. Donald Driver is healthy as well and has received a lot of attention from Aaron Rodgers this preseason. If you still think Greg Jennings is going to repeat last year’s statline, think again. James Starks caught 5 balls for 38 yards and continues to look better than Ryan Grant. Expect at least an even timeshare between the two, with Starks eventually edging him out for the featured role.

Reggie Wayne had a great game, catching 6 balls for 105 yards and a score despite missing Peyton Manning, who was recently taken off the PUP list and will begin practicing on a limited basis. 



Rams 14, Chiefs 10 – 

Rookie tight end Lance Hendricks was Sam Bradford’s favorite target with 2 catches for 26 yards and a score. 
He’s shaping up to be a great TE2 option to be had in the later rounds. While Mike Sims-Walker showed up in the box score with a 6-yard touchdown catch, it was his only target on the night. The rest of the Rams receivers have yet to establish themselves as Bradford’s go-to option.

Titans 14, Bears 13

 – While Jay Cutler has enjoyed better pass protection the last couple of weeks, his receivers still have a lot of improving to do. Roy Williams’s lackluster play continues as Cutler’s lone interception was completely on him. We’re not in love with Johnny Knox after last year’s disappointing season, but he could be getting his starting job back soon if Williams doesn’t perk up.

Chris Johnson was obviously missing here, but a deal is expected to be reached as soon as this weekend. The days of getting him in the back-end of the first round are over. 



Bengals 24, Panthers 13

 — Cedric Benson was on, rushing for 68 yards and a score. He isn’t expected to miss any playing time after pleading guilty Monday to assault. We’ve never been the biggest Benson fans, but he should produce decent RB2 totals since the Bengals will lean on him heavily with a rookie quarterback under center. A.J. Green was Andy Dalton’s favorite wideout, but most his damage came on a 40-yard touchdown pass. He’ll remain a low-end WR3 until his quarterback play improves.

Oscar De La Hoya tells of drug use, cheating, thinking of suicide

 

Oscar De La Hoya says he has struggled with cocaine, alcohol and infidelity -- and has even contemplated suicide.

"Rock bottom was recently," the boxing great said in an interview with Spanish-language broadcaster Univision, according to an English-language transcript it provided. "Within a couple of years, just thinking if my life was even worth it. I don't have the strength, I don't have the courage to take my own life but I was thinking about it."

De La Hoya, who retired in 2009 after winning 10 world titles in six divisions, said he has been sober for three months.

"There were drugs. My drug of choice was cocaine and alcohol, hmm. Cocaine was recent. The last 2 years, last 2½ years and I depended more on the alcohol than the cocaine," he said. "It took me to a place where I felt safe. It took me to a place where I felt as if nobody can say anything to me. It took me to a place where I just can reach out and grab my mom."

Before his mother, Cecilia, died of breast cancer in 1990, De La Hoya promised her he would win an Olympic gold medal. He made good on his word in the 1992 Barcelona Games.

De La Hoya won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154-pound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts.

MORE:

Q&A: The return (again) of Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. on blood tests: He's for them

Abner Mares beats Joseph Agbeko for bantamweight world title

-- Melissa Rohlin

Photo: Oscar De La Hoya. Credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

US Open 2011 diary: ups and downs

Rafael Nadal berating himself against Andrey Golubev

YESTERDAY

What’s happened to Rafa?

The overwhelming sigh of relief emanating from every corridor inside Arthur Ashe said it all. Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, the former world No 1, is still in the US Open. Why such a worry? After all, he’s never lost a Grand Slam first round. And he won in straight sets. But his 6-3, 7-6(1), 7-5 win over world No 98 Andrey Golubev was tighter than the world’s greatest washing line. Nadal just does not look himself. He let Golubev crunch 41 winners past him, struggled to hold serve, and even admitted he was “lucky” to win in straight sets. Vamos Rafa. We need you.

The opposite was true of Serena Williams, who wasted no time at all in crushing Bojana Jovanovski 6-1, 6-1. Watch out.

Passing through

Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Francesca Schiavone (in three sets), Ana Ivanovic (in emotional fashion after revealing her grandfather had died over the weekend), Novak Djokovic, James Blake (re-born?), Jelena Jankovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Sabine Lisicki.



Over and out

Li Na (with 54 unforced errors), Mikhail Youzhny, Anne Keothavong, Conor Niland.

Special mention to Niland, who retired trailing Djokovic 0-6, 1-5 – his body chose the biggest match of his career to inflict food poisoning on him. Sometimes life is just cruel.

Not just a mean girls’ game

Elena Baltacha proved that tennis players may snarl at each other, but actually, underneath it all they are pretty nice people. Suffering the ignonimy of being a set down against a young American, one she had struggled to beat in Australia no less, you might think that the Brit would have breathed a sigh of her relief when her opponent began to cramp. Other players have done it. But not Bally. She crossed her side of the net and went to offer poor Hampton, in the most horrible-looking pain, some help.

“It’s really difficult because over the clay court season we got to know Jamie and her coach because they were at a lot of tournaments,” Baltacha said. “We got pretty friendly. It was quite difficult because I wanted to beat her, but it’s kind of like playing a friend, and she’s going through all that.”

Despite the retirement, Baltacha’s win gave GB two women in the second round at Flushing Meadows for the first time since 1991. She also became the first British woman to reach the second round at all four Grand Slams since Jo Durie in 1983. Pat on the back.

Soundbite

“I mean, normally I like hard court a lot.  But I think these two years I just doing s–t.”

Li Na on what was behind her dismal first-round defeat to Simona Halep. Saying it like it is.

Somewhat opposite was Caroline Wozniacki’s rather bizarre update on her new coaching situation.

“If he wants to be in the background and not have his name out, I have to respect that,” the world No 1 said, explaining that her new coach does not want anyone to know who he is. Very odd.

Stat attack

1971

The last time that the reigning women’s champions at the first three Grand Slams of the year did not reach the second round at Flushing Meadows. AO champ Kim Clijsters (injured), RG champ Li Na (lost 1R), Wimby champ Petra Kvitova (lost 1R). Oh well.



On the grapevine

Adam Scott and Ana Ivanovic back together? Maybe.

Tweet of the day

Fyi I asked Wozza if her green leggings had been inspired by her recent link with Ireland.She said “haha. No. Very funny”. I like 2 think so

@judmoo on the ball as always

TODAY

Ones to watch

Andy Murray v Somdev Devvarman (second match, Arthur Ashe)

Two days after the 2011 US Open officially kicked off, Britain’s best, Andy Murray begins his campaign against Mr Devvarman. It seems to be Murray’s luck that he’s generally the last of the Big Four to get going, Mr Federer getting a whole extra two days grace, but there we go. Som-Dev is no pushover at No 64 in the world, and he likes to take the fluff off the ball, but in the end it will come down to Mr Murray.

Venus Williams v Sabine Lisicki (third match, Arthur Ashe)

Venus’s unseeded status means we get this clash far earlier than we might have liked. Miss ‘Boom Boom’ Lisicki has catapulted her way from Wimbledon wild card to 22nd seed, so the odds are heavily in her favour. But then Venus is Venus. Could be a corker. Could not be.

Laura Robson v Anabel Medina Garrigues

The young Miss Robson made it into her first Grand Slam second round at Wimbledon this summer. And now here she is in a second-consecutive Slam second round. Not bad for a teen considered to be slumping. Can she turn it into a third round? Her Spanish foe has a tricksy, unexplosive style, so Laura will need to do the hard work. And prepare to retrieve a lot of drop shots.

Louk Sorensen v Robin Soderling

After the stomach woes that befell his compatriot Conor Niland, Ireland’s hopes rest on fellow qualifier Sorensen, who will be little to Soderling’s large. But the Swede has not been firing on many cylinders lately. So opportunity knocks, perhaps.

Also look out for: Marion Bartoli v Christina McHale (Marion v Mini Marion), John Isner v Marcos Baghdatis (thundercruncher), Juan Martin Del Potro v Filippo Volandri (Is DelPo back?), Andy Roddick (past it?), Maria Sharapova, Gilles Simon, Feliciano Lopez, Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska.

The daily click

If you needed evidence, Serena’s back

Owen Hargreaves: A romantic fairytale or the start of more Manchester misery?

There is a cruel joke doing the rounds on Twitter suggesting that the deal to take former Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves to Manchester City has hit a snag due to an injury caused by him falling out of the transfer window.

After more than three years of injury misery, Hargreaves probably doesn’t find the wisecrack too funny, but the consolation for the 30-year-old is that he now has an incredible opportunity to prove his doubters wrong at City.

In terms of surprise moves, Hargreaves to City ranks up there with Eric Cantona from Leeds to Manchester United — on both occasions, news of the impending move was greeted with a reaction of incredulity, bewilderment and disbelief.

Nobody at City is suggesting for one minute that Hargreaves will perform for them as Cantona performed for United. The comparison between the two players ends with the initial response to their respective moves.

But while the shock of Cantona was due to Sir Alex Ferguson’s audacity and Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson’s readiness to sell to his club’s biggest rival, the wow factor of City’s move for Hargreaves relates purely to their belief that he can contribute to a team challenging for Premier League and Champions League honours.

By releasing him at the end of his contract in May, United clearly felt that a sum total of six minutes on the pitch (plus 45 minutes in the reserves) since Sept 2008 was proof enough that Hargreaves, sidelined for so long following double knee surgery, was not capable of measuring up to the demands of life at Old Trafford.

City, obviously, are planning a heavily-incentivised contract which is as good as a no-lose situation for the club.

If Hargreaves succeeds, it would be viewed as a real coup by City, plus a huge embarrassment for United, who would be perceived as having allowed a top-class player to walk out of the club for nothing.

Yet if Hargreaves fails, it will have been a gamble worth taking as nobody can doubt the player’s credentials.

When fit, he is, or was, one of the world’s best defensive midfielders, but there is a danger that romantic recollections of a player who peaked five years ago are simply teeing Hargreaves up for another fall.

The gamble of moving to City is surely all on Hargreaves’s part.

Having insisted recently that he can play 40 games a season and break into England’s Euro 2012 squad, moving to City almost certainly rules out the prospect of 40 games a season.

Had he moved to West Bromwich Albion following talks with the club last month, Hargreaves could have become a central figure at The Hawthorns — fitness permitting — and ensured that he walked into the England squad.

He simply will not play enough games at City to do that, so does he want to play every week or is he happy to play maybe 10-15 games for a club challenging for honours, but perhaps sacrificing his international ambitions at the same time?

It is a tough dilemma and there are arguments for accepting either challenge.

But maybe the biggest challenge facing Hargreaves is the one that the fans will not see — his ability to train every day and cope with the demanding regime imposed at City by Roberto Mancini, which Craig Bellamy found to be totally unsuitable to his needs following knee problems.

Getting Hargreaves on the pitch at Eastlands is one thing, ensuring he trains sufficiently, day to day, is another, as one of the cruel ironies of his time at United was the setbacks suffered on the training pitch, away from the glare of the cameras.

So more than three years since being considered a fully-fit member of Ferguson’s first-team squad, Hargreaves must now start all over again.

He has a point to prove and many will hope he succeeds. At 30, he is too young to walk away from the game and England certainly miss his contribution.

But Hargreaves at his best was all about high-energy, forceful tackles and never giving less than 100 per cent.

Three years away is a long time, however. He has missed another pre-season and has not played for almost ten months, so he is already facing an uphill battle to turn out for City in the near future.

He is at least a month away from fitness — a statement we have heard far too often about Owen Hargreaves in the last few years.

New App Taps Into Running Commentary on Football Games

Football fans who have added Twitter to their weekend routines may want to check out Sportcaster, a new app that provides a look into what Twitter users are saying about each N.F.L. and N.C.A.A. football game in real time.

The app, which is expected to be available for free for iOS and Android devices on Wednesday, shows scoreboards and schedules for professional and college football. When a user clicks into a game, he can follow the conversation taking place on Twitter from influential accounts that pay attention to each team– local sports reporters, avid fans and players themselves. (Of course, anyone who follows sports knows that athletes have way too much common sense to tweet during an actual game, but the conversations in the hours and days beforehand can be entertaining).

Like many social media projects, Sportcaster’s utility is not in creating new information, but in managing the deluge of data available online. Sportcaster does so by using an algorithm that calculates the popularity and focus of every Twitter account, choosing the most relevant for each time. Several employees supplement that by adding other accounts manually. The app follows about 30 to 40 accounts for each N.F.L. team, and slightly less for each college team. The ability to dip into any game and get a sense of what people are talking about at that moment has the potential to be very satisfying.

“It’s what you might be able to do for your hometown team if you made the effort,” said Evan Conway, the president of OneLouder, which makes the app. “It’s not that easy even for one team, but it’s a real pain to do for the team you’re playing this week, and the week after that.”

OneLouder is best known for making Tweetcaster, a popular mobile application for Twitter users. The technology for Tweetcaster serves as the technical basis for the new app.

A test run of Sportcaster during Monday’s Jets-Giants game proved entertaining — or as entertaining as anything related to a lackluster preseason game in a nearly empty stadium can be. There was practically no irrelevant content in the feed — which anyone who uses Twitter knows is a minor miracle in and of itself. There was nearly play-by-play commentary, as well as a healthy dose of sarcastic remarks about how the national anthem was sung, or the relative brick-handedness of various running backs.

There are still some bugs to be worked out, particularly with the app’s box scores and recaps. And several obvious features have not yet been added. The most notable shortcoming is the absence of a mechanism that allows users to add their own friends, so they can see what their buddies from high school are saying about the game. Conway said that the kinks would be ironed out as the season progresses. The company is also building more fantasy football integration.

“The season was coming and we ran out of time,” he said.

World Athletics Championships: the Curse of the Olympic Gold Medal

Shock: the curse of the Olympic Gold Medal struck Christine Ohuruogu (Photo: GETTY IMAGES)

So the ‘Curse of the Cover’ has finally been broken after Russian Olympic champion Olga Kaniskina won the women’s 20km race walk on Wednesday despite being pictured on the front cover of the daily programme at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu.

The previous day, newspapers and television stations had been abuzz after Russian pole-vault great Yelena Isinbayeva became the fourth athlete to bomb out of the Championships after appearing on the front cover.

First it was Australian pole-vaulter Steve Hooker, who failed to make it through the men’s pole vault qualifying round, followed by Usain Bolt, red-carded on the second day for a false start, and Dayron Robles, who was stripped off his gold on the third day for man-handling an opponent mid-race.

It is the kind of silly-season story that is so beloved by media outlets (remember Paul, the result-predicting Octopus, at the football World Cup in South Africa?) but the coincidence of under performing cover stars has a more interesting explanation.

All four of the affected athletes were Olympic champions in Beijing three years ago, which is clearly the required qualification for being given cover-picture status, and all four are part of a far

bigger trend in South Korea that would be better described as the Curse of the Olympic Gold Medal.

So far, the World Championships have been a graveyard for Olympic winners. After Hooker’s surprise departure on the opening morning, Britain’s only defending Olympic champion, Christine Ohuruogu, became the next high-profile casualty without even getting the chance to run in her 400m heat.

Since then the stream of Olympic medallists heading for the exit door has turned into a flood.

The statistics are extraordinary. Of the 17 Olympic champions from 2008 who have competed on the opening five days, just three of them have won gold in Daegu.

Step forward Kaniskina and the two ‘Valeries’ – New Zealander Valerie Vili, winner of the women’s shot put, and Russian Valery Borchin, who triumphed in the men’s 20km race walk.

The other 14 have all failed to add to their gold medal collections, some through freak circumstances (Ohuruogu, Bolt and Robles), some because of their injury histories (Hooker, Keninisa

Bekele) and others because they were simply not good enough (Isinbayeva, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Nancy Jebet Lagat, Natalyia Dobrynska).

For the record, the other fallen heroes are Maurren Higa Maggi (Brazil, long jump), LaShawn Merritt (US, 400m), Stephanie Brown Trafton (US, long jump), Primoz Kozmus (Slovenia, hammer) and Gerd Kanter (Estonia, discus).

What is happening has nothing to do with programme covers but is nothing more than a changing of the guard – proof that success in athletics is temporary and that, with just 11 months remaining until the London Olympics, the intensity of competition is cranking up.

Before the championships, UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee drew a distinction between winning a track and field gold medal and triumphing in the Star class in sailing or in archery.

The struggles of the British team so far reinforces his point that medals in athletics are fiendishly difficult to win. Of all the Olympic sports, track and field is the most global. Even Botswana has been celebrating its first ever world gold medal this week.

This is not to make excuses for Britain’s disappointments in Daegu. As recipients of £25 million of Lottery funding over the current Olympic cycle, UK Athletics are rightly expected to deliver at the highest level.

But a measure of realism is also required. If 14 out of 17 Olympic champions have found the going tough, then Britain’s athletes need to be cut a bit of slack.

And besides, the team still have plenty of medal opportunities to come, beginning with a chance of gold for hurdler Dai Greene on Thursday.

The Olympic champion, American Angelo Taylor, is also in the final line-up. And quite possibly on the programme cover, too.

U.S. Open: Serena Williams, no smiles, 22 winners, easy victory

Serena Williams, a three-time U.S. Open champion playing the tournament for the first time since she had left Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2009 after unleashing an obscenity-filled tirade against a lineswoman who called a foot fault that resulted in Williams losing a semifinal match to Kim Clijsters, took a decisive 6-1, 6-1 win over Serbian teenager Bojana Jovanovski Tuesday night.

It was the final first-round match of the women's draw and Williams dominated from the start. She won 54 total points to 27 by Jovanovski and was ahead 3-0 within the first 10 minutes.

Williams is only seeded 28th because her ranking had dropped so low during her absence from tennis for nearly 12 months beginning in July of 2010 because of, first, a toe injury and then from a pulmonary embolism. But since her return to the pro circuit in an event just before Wimbledon, Williams has gone 17-2 and she is undefeated on hard courts this summer after losing in the first round on the grass at Wimbledon to Marion Bartoli.

In the second round Williams, 29, will play 183rd-ranked qualifier Michaella Krajicek and seems headed for a third-round meeting with fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka, who beat Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3 in Tuesday's very first day match on Ashe Stadium.

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

U.S. Open: Rafael Nadal struggles but beats Andrey Golubev

Rafael Nadal, the defending U.S. Open champion and this year's second-seeded player, didn't turn in a starring performance Tuesday night, but he did enough.

Nadal struggled some Andrey Golubev, who was ranked 98^thin the world and who had gone through a stretch of losing 17 straight matches this season. Golubev overpowered the Spaniard in parts of this first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium before losing to Nadal, 6-3, 7-6 (1), 7-5.

Golubev, who is from Kazakhstan, was leading Nadal, 4-2, in the second set after breaking the Spaniard at love and was making Nadal cranky by pounding winners from both sides and bringing Nadal forward with tricky drop shots.

And even when it seemed Nadal was safely ahead, Golubev struck a service return so hard that Nadal didn’t seem to see the ball. That shot gave Golubev an unexpected early service break in the third set that put him ahead, 2-1, and he eventually was up a double break, 5-2, in the third before errors started happening.

Finally, Nadal finished off the tricky first-rounding with an authoritative passing shot.

“I was a little lucky to win in straight sets,” Nadal said. “He was a very difficult player to play. He played very fast.”

RELATED:

U.S. Open: Li Na, French Open winner, first-round loser in New York

U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic wins easy opener; Donald Young too

U.S. Open: Carolina Wozniacki wins one, talks Rory McIlroy too

U.S. Open: Venus Williams wins first match since Wimbledon

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Rafael Nadal returns a shot during his first-round match at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke / MCT

Angels face a learning curve in Seattle

The Angels have lost four of their last five games but things won't get easier for them Tuesday in Seattle since they'll be facing a pitcher in Mariners rookie Anthony Vasquez whom they've never seen before.

"We have video on him. We know what he likes to do," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "There's a little bit of a learning curve when you get in the batter's box. But you don't have time to think about too much. You've got to go up there, see a good pitch to hit and square it up.

"This is definitely a guy you don't want to do too much with. We're going to have to really stay centered on this guy."

Vasquez, a left-hander, is a soft tosser who changes speed. He was 9-10 with a 3.57 earned-run average in the minors, splitting his time between double A and triple A. He beat Cleveland in his big league debut last week, going 5 1/3 innings and giving up five earned runs on nine hits. But familiarity doesn't always bring comfort or success for a hitter, Scioscia said. The Mariners are starting Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez on Wednesday and even through the right-hander is 4-9 against the Angels lifetime, Scioscia said it's not a matchup many hitters are looking forward to.

U.S. Open: Novak Djokovic wins easy opener; Donald Young too

Novak Djokovic, owner of a 58-2 record this year, was able to get in and out of the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday with little trouble. His Irish opponent, Conor Niland, was ill with food poisoning and the precision shots of top-seeded Djokovic did not make Niland feel any better.

After losing 11 of 12 games,  Niland bent over and then shook his head and Djokovic's hand and retired, a 6-0, 5-1 loser. Djokovic  spent only 44 minutes on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, a circumstance that did not bother the world's No. 1.

"I don't think I'm lacking any time on the court or matches. This year has been a very long year. So I really don't mind that I spend less time on the court," the 24-year-old Djokovic said.

"I think I played well for these [44] minutes that we had.... I felt great on the court and that's something that's really important for the start of the tournament."

Djokovic had withdrawn from the final of the last tournament he played before the Open, complaining of a sore shoulder. "After that," Djokovic said, "I took some time off and I did everything in order to recover. Today I didn't feel any pain. I served well and I played well so I have no concern."

Donald Young, the 22-year-old American who had gotten in some trouble earlier this year when he sent an obscenity-filled Twitter message expressing displeasure when he didn't get the U.S. wild-card berth into the French Open, played his way into the second round of the U.S. Open. Young achieved a tidy and confident 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Lukas Lacko, a 23-year-old from Slovakia who had gotten into the main draw as a lucky loser (the highest-ranked loser in the final round of qualifying who earns a berth when someone withdraws after the main draw is made).

Young had lost in the first round here the past three years, a trend he said was troubling. "This is my favorite event," he said. Young said he arrived here with more confidence after he advanced this summer to his first ATP Tour-level semifinal, in Washington, D.C.

"To win four matches at that level was great," Young said. "It made me really feel like after all this time that I really belonged and could beat the guys on a consistent basis."

Young will likely get a much tougher test in the second round when he meets 14th-seeded Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland.

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

UCLA football: Neuheisel to name starting QB Tuesday afternoon

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel said he will name a starting quarterback late Tuesday, though the Bruins are likely to play both Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut against Houston on Saturday.

Neuheisel said that he wanted “to talk to those kids this afternoon and tell them what my plan is.”

Asked why he didn’t keep Houston guessing up until game time, Neuheisel said, “I wasn’t doing it to befuddle Houston. I was doing to get the most out of these kids and I don’t want it to be a distraction as we get closer to game time.”

Houston, though, was a bit befuddled.

“They have us practicing a lot of different things with the two quarterbacks,” Houston Coach Kevin Sumlin said. “It keeps us guessing.”

Sumlin will get to stop guessing sometime Tuesday.

“You know, whoever lines up, we’re going to have to go out and defend against them,” Sumlin said.

MORE:

Brandon Willis working on returning to the Bruins

Commentary: College football turns itself in to authorities

USC football: NCAA President Mark Emmert addresses questions about Trojans

-- Chris Foster

Photo: Rick Neuheisel. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times.

U.S. Open: Caroline Wozniacki wins one, talks Rory McIlroy too

Caroline Wozniacki has won six tournaments this year, is ranked No. 1 in the world and is the top-seeded women's player at the U.S. Open.

But after she won her first-round match Tuesday, with no trouble, 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour, 20 minutes, over Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain, Wozniacki had to deal, as usual, with explaining why it is she is No. 1 yet hasn't won a single major championship, even in the last couple of years when Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters, have been mostly injured.

"I won six tournaments this year already," she said. "I should definitely not be complaining. I'm in a good position, I'm in a good spot. I'm happy, healthy and I can go out there and compete. That's what's most important.

"You know, I know that everyone has to write their stories but I think ... we should move on. Ask me about something else, something more interesting."

Well, then, there is her new boyfriend, the Irish golfer Rory McIlroy. It was pointed out to Wozniacki that McIlroy has won a U.S. Open.

"I'm definitely trying to keep up," the 21-year-old Wozniacki said. "I'll do my best but I have six tough matches to go. You know, he has something I'm looking for. He wants to be No. 1. So it's good to have something on each other."

MORE:

U.S. Open: Sabine Lisicki wins way to play Venus Williams

U.S. Open: Venus Williams wins first match since Wimbledon

U.S. Open: Serena Williams on '09 blowup: 'I don't think about'

-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Caroline Wozniacki. Credit: Mike Groll / Associated Press.

U.S. Open: Sabine Lisicki wins way to play Venus Williams

Sabine Lisicki, the 21-year-old German who made it to the Wimbledon semifinals this year, almost didn't make it to the U.S. Open. Lisicki, seeded 22nd, won her second title of the year in Dallas over the weekend and couldn't get into New York until 4 p.m. Monday afternoon because of lingering flight delays in the wake of Hurricane Irene.

But Lisicki, playing on the new Court 17, an intimate show court with great noise potential and right in the middle of U.S. Open hubbub, adapted to the circumstances of her late arrival and new surroundings and easily beat 125th-ranked Alona Bondarenko, a 27-year-old from Ukraine, 6-3, 6-3.

Next up for Lisicki is Venus Williams, a two-time champion here. Williams had a straight-set victory Monday night in her first match since losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Williams, 31, is unseeded.

Lisicki enjoys crushing big serves, same as Williams. And the two have played only twice. Lisicki beat Williams, 6-4, 7-6 (5), on clay in 2009 and Williams beat Lisicki on hard courts in Dubai in 2010, 6-2, 6-3.

"We played twice and twice we had a very, very good match," Lisicki said. "I think it depends who's better that given day and that person will win, I think. That's how it was the last two times. I played better the first time and she played a little bit better the second time."

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Kings unveil new uniform and colors

 

The Kings announced Tuesday that they will make the following changes to their team colors and uniforms:

--The Kings’ official team colors change to black, silver and white.

--The Kings’ primary home uniform switches to the black-silver-and-white uniform the club has worn as an alternate jersey the last two seasons.

-- The Kings will wear a newly created white version of this jersey for all road games this season. 

"There was an overwhelming sentiment from our fans and from our players that has led us to this change," said Luc Robitaille, Kings president of business operations.  "Our fans really like the late '80s and early '90s-era Kings uniforms which are very similar to this uniform. As a player, the colors give you an attitude and an edge."

The Kings’ primary home jersey -- which prominently features “LA” on the jersey crest, has not been altered and will now be worn for most Kings home games –- also reflects the club’s primary logo going forward. The black-silver-and-white uniform is also the sweater that Kings players wore during home games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the last two seasons, and a silver stripe has been added to the player’s pants.

As part of the switch, the Kings’ former primary mark, a crown featuring the color purple, now becomes the club’s alternate logo with one change –- the crown is now black and silver and features no purple.  The Kings will wear these jerseys (unaltered from a year ago) for select home games.

 

-- Houston Mitchell

Photos: The new uniform, logo, crown and colors of the Kings. Credit: the Kings

 

Bill Plaschke: Cam Newton and the tattoo controversy

 

I love watching Cam Newton. I love watching his pure ability, his unfiltered excitement, the blank slate of his potential.

And I’ll admit it, I love that we can watch his football artistry without being distracted by any skin artistry. I love it that the Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback and Heisman Trophy-winner does not have any tattoos or body piercings.

Yet this love makes me a hater?

That is how Panthers owner Jerry Richardson is being painted these days after he conducted an interview on the "Charlie Rose" show and noted that he had asked his No. 1  overall draft pick whether his body contained any ink or trinkets.

Newton reportedly told Richardson, "No sir, I don’t have any."

Richardson then reportedly replied, "Good. We want to keep it that way. We want to keep no tattoos, no piercings and I think you’ve got a very nice haircut."

And boom went the racially charged dynamite, critics everywhere ripping Richardson for acting like some sort of overstuffed plantation owner demanding control of the bodies of his largely African American team.

Seriously? This entire debate is as silly as that drawing on the side of Mike Tyson’s face.

Jerry Richardson is a business owner who was simply making a dress code request of his highest-profile, million-dollar employee. It happens every day in the real world; why can’t it happen in sports?

In many places, it is expected that the new vice president of finance won’t suddenly show up with a set of lips tattooed on his neck, or the new marketing manager won't suddenly put a ring through his lip. It's not about culture. It's not about restraint. It's about business.

The owner of any company has a right to monitor the appearance of his employees, and how is Jerry Richardson any different? All he’s doing here is asking Newton to refrain from altering his body in a way that the owner obviously dislikes.

He’s not ordering Newton. He’s not threatening Newton. Heck, Richardson’s team is filled with players bearing tattoos, and he’ll certainly hire players who are famous for tattoos, witness his off-season signing of tight end Jeremy Shockey.

The owner is just hoping that his clean new star will remain that way, and what’s wrong with that? When asked about the Richardson quotes, Newton reportedly shrugged and said the incident was overblown, and he’s right.

Upon being named the Panthers' opening day starting quarterback, Newton has every right to run out and get "I Love Jerry" tattooed across his chest.

And Jerry Richardson has every right to hate it.

MORE:

Toughness runs in the family of Chargers safety Bob Sanders

Michael Vick agrees to six-year, $100-million contract with Eagles

Analyst casts doubt on economic benefit of downtown L.A. stadium

-- Bill Plaschke

Photo: Cam Newton. Credit: Andrew Weber / U.S. Presswire

US Open 2011: Diary – What a way to begin

Opening night at the 2011 US Open in New York

The bright lights and creaking subways of New York have welcomed the tennis-playing family to their annual party in a great big park in the heart of Queens, and, although Hurricane-turned-Tropical-Storm-Irene rattled a few cages, there weren’t too many hiccups on the opening day. Other than slightly fewer crowds.

Here’s a few highlights from what happened yesterday at Flushing Meadows, and what to look out for today:

The upset

Petra Kvitova may have been the first left-hander to win Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova, but sadly she notched up another ‘first to do’ next to her name yesterday…the first Wimbledon champion to exit the US Open in the first round. The 21 year-old looked like she didn’t know where the court was during her first-round defeat to Alexandra Dulgheru, that powerful forehand that had wreaked such havoc on grass homing in on the backboards and fences rather than the lines.

But she is young, she will learn. Let’s not be too harsh.

Passing through

The first day of a Grand Slam ends with a lot of winners – here are ones to take a note of:

Roger Federer (tying Andre Agassi for the second most singles Grand Slam victories on 224, nine behind Jimmy Connors), Venus Williams (encouraging), Gael Monfils (entertaining), Marin Cilic (is he back?), Tommy Haas, Mardy Fish, Tomas Berdych, Vera Zvonareva, Richard Gasquet (on the new Court 17). And many more.

Long way home for…

Viktor Troicki. The hot-headed Serb, who threw away a dead-cert lead against an ankle-stricken Andy Murray at the French Open in Paris this year, before swearing his way out of Wimbledon, was on the wrong side of a fifth-set scoreline yet again. And it was to none other than Alejandro Falla, the brave Colombian who so nearly sent Roger Federer home in five sets at Wimbledon last year. What goes around and all that.

Close second to the Japanese trio of Kei Nishikori, Ayumi Morita and Misaki Doi, who all retired. Ouch.

Brit-ometer

High. And there are still three British players to compete! Forgive the over-enthusiasm, but yesterday witnessed two very heartening performances from two very different but similar players. Laura Robson, who had overcome her qualifying heebie jeebies in New York at the third time of asking, on the same Court 4 that had been her downfall for two years running, was paired up against Ayumi Morita in her first main draw Grand Slam match outside of Wimbledon.

If you’re getting a sense of pressure that’s because it was a huge event. And, Robson, perhaps owed a little something from the Flushing Meadows gods, was given a free pass. Hanging in there, Morita retired with a sore shoulder. Through to Round 2, Miss Robson.

The other red, white and blue competitor did not end up in Round 2. But she did make what Americans are reporting as a ‘helluva’ debut. Heather Watson, the current British No 3, was competing in the first main draw Grand Slam match she had earned on ranking. Also a pretty big deal. She was playing Maria Sharapova. A bigger deal. And she was playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 22,500 seat goliath that is THE largest venue in tennis. An even bigger deal.

Quaking in her boots? Not so much. Young Hev took it to Sharapova from the very first point, won the opening set, narrowly lost the second, and narrowly lost the third. If this year has been about Heather Watson finding her feet on the WTA, the US Open announced her arrival well and proper.

Andy Murray, Anne Keothavong and Elena Baltacha are still to come…

Soundbite

Serena Williams has never been one to shy away from a press conference controversy. And, given that her last appearance in New York featured some rather demonstrative actions on her part, to her peril, and that of a diminutive lineswoman, it is no surprise really that it was going to come up when she did her pre-tournament presser yesterday.

And this was her response…

“I don’t know. I don’t think about it. Are you still thinking about it? Oh, my God, that was like two years ago. This is like two years later.”

Trivial? Maybe. But then again, she paid her penance. And remember, we’re happy she’s back. No more thoughts of shove-a-ball-down-your-throat-gate. Please. Unless she does it again.

Ones to watch

Enough, you may rightly think of yesterday. Today brings another host of storylines, even if we do have to wait until tomorrow to watch Andy Murray.

Caroline Wozniacki v Nuria Llagostera Vives (second match, Arthur Ashe)

On the back of the New Haven title last week, Caro should be feeling confident. No Rory in her box (he’s playing golf) but still. The pressure is very much on the world No 1.

Novak Djokoic v Conor Niland (third match, Arthur Ashe)

As it is on the other No 1, but in a very different way. There is little doubt in anyone’s mind that we’re going to continue to see some extraordinary things from Novak Djokovic. His first challenger, one of Ireland’s two finest, Conor Niland, who came through his second consecutive Grand Slam qualifying to earn this opportunity.

Rafael Nadal v Andrey Golubev (first night match, Arthur Ashe)

How really is Rafa feeling? Not too good, seems to be the pervading sense. But we won’t really know until we see the defending champion hit a ball in anger. Golubev can give it some welly, so by no means an easy peasy one.

Serena Williams v Bojana Jovanovski (second night match, Arthur Ashe)

She’s baaaack. Let’s see how that run of 12 match wins continues against the talented young Serb.

Elena Baltacha v Jamie Hampton

I’ve never seen anyone quite so moody as young Hampton was against Baltacha in the first round of the Australian Open. She snarled and generally looked like a thunder cloud, but she did push the British No 1, so not an easy one for Bally. But she is in great shape and good form, so think positive.

Also in action

Anne Keothavong, Victoria Azarenka, Li Na, Ana Ivanovic, Sabine Lisicki, Jelena Jankovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Ferrer, David Nalbandian.

The daily click

How to keep up with the US Open from your desk (thanks to Courtney Nguyen of Sports Illustrated’s Beyond the Baseline)

Good luck staying up. And Happy Birthday to Andy Roddick. Only 29.

Joel Pineiro takes mound for Angels in familiar surroundings

Joel Pineiro started his big-league career with the Mariners and he still has friends in Seattle. But there's little love lost when the right-hander takes the mound against his former team.

Pineiro had won three consecutive starts against the Mariners before Monday's game. And with 34 wins in his career at Safeco Field, he has won there nearly three times as often as he has at any other park.

"There's some ballparks the mound -- whether it's the visual, whether it's  just the dimensions, the infield grass -- there are things that affect the pitcher's comfort level," Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. "Some guys sometimes struggle with a ballpark until they slay that dragon; go in there and get that one good start and all of sudden they say, 'Hey, I can do this.' And they gain confidence.

"There are some guys who can actually feel at home in certain parks. There is a comfort level that develops. The good pitchers that are going to be around a long time and pitch well eventually get that comfort level in any park they are in, to varying degrees."

U.S. Open: Venus Williams wins first match since Wimbledon

Venus Williams started slowly, going down a break to unheralded Russian Vesna Dolonts, who had only arrived in the United States Monday morning after experiencing a visa problem and flight delays  related to Hurricane Irene. Yet it was Dolonts hitting all the lines and Williams barely finding the court.

But as the first night match of the 2011 U.S. Open progressed, Williams began to work the kinks out of her game. The 31-year-old, after all, hadn't played since losing in the fourth round at Wimbledon, citing a viral illness as she continually withdrew from summer hard-court prep events.

And after the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd wished singer Tony Bennett a happy 85th birthday, it was also able to congratulate Williams on her 6-4, 6-3 first-round victory over the 91st-ranked Dolonts, 22, who was playing only her second U.S. Open match.

Williams, now 51-3 in first-round matches at major tournaments, has won two titles at the U.S. Open, where she has never lost before the fourth round.

"It's great to be back in New York," Williams told the crowd. "It's tough because this is my first match since Wimbledon. I tried my best to be on the ball tonight. My serve is a huge part of my game, my game is built on my serve, and I want to follow that up with a up lot of aggressive play and it was great to see those balls land in."

MORE:

Mardy Fish wins, Ryan Harrison loses

Serena Williams on '09 blowup: 'I don't think about'

Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova loses in first round

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Venus Williams volleys a return to Vesna Dolonts during their U.S. Open match on Monday. Credit: Andrew Gombert / EPA

U.S. Open: Maria Sharapova survives in first round

Maria Sharapova, seeded third and one of the few women other than Serena Williams given a chance to win this U.S. Open, needed to find her full survival mode Monday in the first round.

Sharapova, 24, needed three sets and 2 hours 34 minutes to oust 19-year-old Heather Watson of  Britain, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Watson, ranked 104th in the world, was making her U.S. Open debut and it was in Arthur Ashe Stadium. By the final set, fans had embraced Watson's quietly powerful game, chanting "Hea-ther Wat-son," often as a noise counterpunch to Sharapova's achingly loud shrieking.

The last of Sharapova's three major titles was at the 2006 U.S. Open and her seeding here is her highest at a Grand Slam since she was third at the 2008 Wimbledon.

Sharapova overcame 58 unforced errors and eight double faults

This season Sharapova is 12-0 in three-set matches. She said her best explanation for that is, "I guess no matter how tired I am, I keep going for it, keep fighting for it.

"I knew I wasn't playing my best," Sharapova said. "The goal on a day like this is just to get through."

As for her opponent, Sharapova said, "I think she showed some of her best tennis today. She played really smart, especially in the first set when I was making so many errors."

MORE:

Mardy Fish wins, Ryan Harrison loses

Serena Williams on '09 blowup: 'I don't think about'

Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova loses in first round

-- Diane Pucin, reporting from New York

Photo: Maria Sharapova returns a backhand shot to Heather Watson during her first-round match at the U.S. Open on Monday. Credit: Mike Groll / Associated Press

NBA, players to meet Wednesday

Trying to bridge a great divide, a small group of NBA and players' union representatives are expected to gather for a Wednesday meeting in New York, league sources said Monday.

League owners and players are far apart in their efforts to address reports that as many as 23 teams are losing money. The players are willing to accept less than their 57% of 2010-11 basketball-related income (about $2.15 billion), but they don't want to accept a hard $2-billion salary cap for several years.

Owners have locked out the players and are willing to ultimately miss games and cost the players paychecks should there not be some more significant bargaining.

League owners are scheduled to gather Sept. 15 at a board of governors' meeting to establish how to move forward based on the tone of the negotiations.

The players have asked the National Labor Relations Board to consider a complaint that the owners haven't bargained in good faith, but there's no guarantee the NLRB will act soon on that matter.

--Lance Pugmire

UCLA football: Brandon Willis working on returning to the Bruins

  Defensive tackle Brandon Willis is crisscrossing the country one more time, saying he intends to return to UCLA this fall.

Willis, who left North Carolina last month, was at the Bruins' practice Monday, observing. He said he will complete administrative requirements this week so he can return to school.

He said he will also request a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play this season. Willis, who has four years of eligibility remaining, was to meet with Coach Rick Neuheisel on Monday about the waiver.

"I'm planting roots now," Willis said. "This is where I want to be. Coach Neuheisel has welcomed me back with open arms."

Willis has made the rounds during a college career in which he has yet to play a down. If he can cover the field as well as well as he has covered the country, he will end up an all-American.

As a senior at Byrnes High School in Duncan, S.C., Willis was ranked as the seventh-best defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com. He committed to Tennessee, then signed with North Carolina and was to be part of the Tar Heels 2010 recruiting class.

But Willis transferred to UCLA last summer and sat out as a redshirt. He left UCLA prior to spring practice, saying he wanted to return to North Carolina to be near his grandmother, who was facing surgery.

"My grandmother is fine now; she has had her surgeries," Willis said. "This move is for me. Not even my dad is coming out here."

Willis said that he did not leave North Carolina the second time because Coach Butch Davis was fired.

"I had some differences with my position coach," Willis said. "I couldn't see staying there."

Willis said that "North Carolina would not allow me to transfer to another Atlantic Coast Conference school or any school in the South." But he said he was already considering UCLA.

"I thought about playing at an I-AA school, where I could be eligible," Willis said. "But I think I belong on this level."

MORE:

Commentary: College football turns itself in to authorities

USC football: NCAA President Mark Emmert addresses questions about Trojans

 -- Chris Foster

Photo: UCLA Logo

U.S. Open: Mardy Fish wins, Ryan Harrison loses

Ryan Harrison, hoping to keep progressing in his summer play which has brought his ranking to No. 67 in the world, said he was confident before his opening U.S. Open match Monday against 27th-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia.

And then the 19-year-old American started playing. He said his shots didn't feel good. His mood became less upbeat as he'd get ahead with service breaks and then give them back. He started playing faster and faster as his temper became hotter and hotter and when it was over, Harrison was a cranky 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (6) loser.

Another American, Mardy Fish, had a much more enjoyable day. The 29-year-old from Beverly Hills, who is seeded eighth, felt comfortable enough to hit a between-the-legs shot because he was always ahead of his 25-year-old German opponent, Tobias Kamke, playing only his second-ever U.S. Open match. Fish won, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, in 1 hour and 43 minutes.

MORE:

Kim Clijsters will not defend title at U.S. Open

Serena Williams rolls eyes at mention of '09 tirade

Vera Zvonareva forgets double faults, remembers winners

-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Mardy Fish Credit: Mike Segar/Reuters

U.S. Open: Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova loses in first round

  Petra Kvitova, who had seemed ready to become the next big women's tennis star after her poised and athletic win at Wimbledon, Monday became the first reigning women's Wimbledon champion to lose before the third round in the open era of tennis.

Kvitova, seeded fifth in the tournament and ranked sixth in the world, moved slowly on the court Monday against Alexandra Dulgheru, a 22-year-old from Romania who is ranked 49th in the world. Kvitova's lackluster performance ended in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 first-round loss.

MORE:

Kim Clijsters will not defend title at U.S Open

U.S. Open: Mardy Fish wins, Ryan Harrison loses

Serena WIlliams rolls eyes at mention of '09 tirade

-- Diane Pucin in New York

Photo: Petra Kvitova Credit: Jason Szenes/European Press Agency.

Floyd Mayweather @*^%$$%£** attack on father – not his trainer

Who knows if this is genuine… ? I suspect it is. Emotions running high in the Mayweather family.

Tiger Woods to play in Frys.com Open

Tiger Woods, usually winding down at this time of year, has committed to play in the Frys.com Open in October, tournament director Ian Knight announced. The event, at CordeValle in San Martin, Calif., is part of the Fall Series calendar.

Fall Series events are often filled with players trying to improve their standing to keep their tour cards for the next year. They're held at a time when many of the top players take a break from the game. But Woods, who has played in only two events since withdrawing from the Players championship in May, needs some serious work on his game and has not consistently played like a top player in almost two years.

Fred Couples recently announced he wanted Woods to play on the U.S. Presidents Cup team, which will play an international team in Australia in November. Woods, who missed the cut at the PGA Championship after finishing tied for 37th at the WGC Bridgestone, obviously has some things to work on. 

One interesting note: The defending champion at CordeValle is Rocco Mediate, the player Woods beat in a riveting U.S. Open final at Torrey Pines in 2009. That was Woods' last win in a major.

MORE:

Tiger Woods misses the cut at PGA Championship

Tiger Woods falls apart with a 77 at PGA Championship

Tiger Woods keeps low profile on Steve Williams controversy

-- Mike James

Photo: Tiger Woods. Credit: Tim Shaffer / Reuters

Oscar Pistorius: Paralympic traitor with Olympic desire ?

Blade Runner: Oscar Pistorius will be the star of the Paralympics (Photo: REUTERS)

Oscar Pistorius on the main stage. Seven years of effort. Twenty-four years with no shins and feet. A lifetime’s ambition to compete against the fastest men on earth at 400m. At the IAAF World Championships, ‘Blade Runner’ went out at the semi-final stage today. In exactly one year’s time, there will be talk of the young South African again at the Paralympics in London, when the flame is lit. He will be centre stage. What an advert he has been this week for the Paralympics…while a debate has raged around him.

Judging by some of the comments today … there are many people in this world who believe that being born without shin bones and bones in your feet is not a disadvantage in life. Plus ca change.

There are those who say – nay, insist – he has an advantage. There are those who suggest his competing at both Olympics and Paralympics blur the edges between the two sporting festivals and create illogical conundrums for Paralympic organisers.

Even single-amputees competing against Pistorius whisper that he has an advantage. Yet start to pick apart the Paralympic Games, and take a good, hard look at the classification system, and holes appear everywhere. In many ways, it has its advantages for those at the top and bottom end of the classification bands put in place and then decided by IPC classifiers.

In Beijing, 1 in 4 of the competitors in athletics were re-classified by IPC officials into higher or lower (more able or less able physical groupings). In short, every country was looking for the advantages they can get.

In Paralympic terms, muscle groups in different parts of the body are balanced out. It is an inexact science. Ellie Simmonds, the British swimmer who was born with dwarfism, competes against other athletes who have minimal use of two legs. Look deeply enough, and the Paralympic classifying system is a can of worms.

I’ve been one of the strongest supporters of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson for five Paralympic Games. The Baroness, 11 gold medals to the good as a wheelchair sprinter, is THE stand-out British athlete of all-time. It was with some surprise to me that her views are that should Pistorius compete in the 400m at the Olympics, Paralympic officials should consider precluding him from that event at the Paralympic Games.

Baroness Grey-Thompson was quoted on a BBC website this week as saying that she does not have a problem with Pistorius competing at the World Championships or Olympic Games. She believes, however, that it could turn the 400m Paralympics event into a B final. It is an interesting argument. “It is blurring the edges, and maybe it is time either before London, or between London, for the IPC to take a look at this situation, as more athletes begin to compete in both,” she told me earlier today.

Two things: knowing Baroness Grey-Thompson as I do, my belief is that she is so competitive, had she been in the same position, she would have done the same as Pistorius (she concurred on that). Secondly, never has one athlete done as much to bring so much attention to the Paralympic Games as the South African, and he has never veered from the view that it is the Paralympic Games which put him on the map.

Even Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, is fully supportive of Pistorius’s ambition and desire to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Pistorius has carried himself with dignity in Daegu, and has had the world watching. The Paralympic Games has a great ambassador in the sprinter, who will be in Trafalgar Square next week when the tickets go on sale for the second sporting festival of next summer.

There are others who are on the cusp of crossing over into both, or have already done so. Sarah Storey, born without a hand, may cycle for GB next summer in both Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, she would compete in different events at the two Games. Natalie Du Toit, the South African swimmer, a single-leg amputee, competed in the open water swimming event at the Olympics in Beijing, before winning a clutch of gold medals a few weeks later at the Water Cube in the Paralympics. Again, different events.

It could be argued that she has less weight to carry through the water, yet she will most likely compete in both Games. Natalia Partyka, a table-tennis player from Poland, born without a hand, competed in both Games in Beijing.

They are stand-outs. They can, because they are good enough. And, significantly, because they can cross over. Some athletes cannot cross over. Wheelchair events are not included in the Olympic Games, but have been included as demonstration events at World Championships and Olympics. Indeed, Baroness Grey-Thompson competed in some of them.

The Paralympic Games are one year away. Between now and then, there are many things to debate, many of them ideological. The British public will need educating on many of the intricacies of Paralympic sport, some of which are complex. Pistorius will be at the heart of that…but we will all emerge enriched. Or maybe just confused.