KCRW's The Score
Twenty-four hours a day in every city in America, you can hear shock jock radio types screaming their outrage at the latest sports scandal. The din has become so loud and so steady that I, for one, am thirsting for the poetry, the sociology, the philosophy of sports. On "The Score," I hope to tell poignantly inspirational stories, cover the broad spectrum of characters who play parts in the sports world and lift listeners to feel a passion for sports, as I do.
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Pacquaio Gold
Boxing used to be a passion of mine. But it's been twenty years since I was constantly immersed in the fight game, since the glory days of Hagler, Hearns, Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard. I've missed traveling or tuning in to the big bouts that drew worldwide interest beyond boxing purists. And …
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Agassi Confesses
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Rivera a Wonder
As of last night, on a clear, chilly fall night in the Bronx, the Yankees became World Series champs for the 27th time in their storied history. How grand it was to see Mr. November, Derek Jeter, win his fifth ring. To stop worrying about Alex Rodriguez as he smashed his past of fading post-season. …
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New York City Marathon for the Masses
New Yorkers are abuzz with their Yankees back in the thick of the World Series here at the end of October. The annual first of November New York City Marathon is also running its 40th edition on Sunday and New York is as crazy for the event as it was in its early frenzy days of the 1970's. For the s …
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Baseball Replay
I'm joining the chorus that has long been begging for instant replay in baseball. There are examples of blown calls at crucial moments that made the difference in a team's winning or losing. For me, it was Tuesday night's Yankees/Angels American League Championship Series game that pushed me over th …
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Billie Jean's Night
There are dozens upon dozens of black-tie fundraiser dinners throughout each year, usually backing worthwhile causes while offering special guests and entertainment. Tuesday night was the annual night for Billie Jean King's Women's Sports Foundation and it has been reported consistently throughout t …
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Ironman Memory
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Football a Danger Work Zone
Mothers across America are either mandating or pleading that their sons don't play football, and if you read the weekly gridiron injury reports, moms' fears are well-founded. The NFL season is a mere three weeks old, yet the list of players already lost for the whole year is long...
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Cowboys Stadium a Wonder
Architects, journalists, and fans have toured various sports stadia to compare and comment on their myriad cozy charms and spectacular vistas. One of my favorites is Camden Yards, technically called Oriole Park, home of the Baltimore Orioles. Fairly new, finished in 1992, its intimacy, nestled withi …
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Serena, Classless
Serena Williams' outburst of angry obscenities has been cause for comment and debate all week, but I feel one major point has been missing from the discussion...
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Jeter, Center of New York
The U.S. Open Tennis Championships are nearing the end of their two-week run in New York at the moment and, off-hand, I can?t think of another sporting event whereby the gravitas of the event is so huge in so many measurable ways and yet the television audience is so minimal. Thanks to the 17-yea …
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Home Run Stats
Any sport played outdoors presents variables. Snow on a football field, strong wind on a golf course, late afternoon shadows creeping across a tennis court. Weather and varying conditions are usually equal for two opponents on any given day, but there are athletes whose entire careers can fall …
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Semenya, Girl or Boy?
Usain Bolt may be the most electric athlete on the planet today. His two new world records at the just-finished World Track Championships in Berlin blow the mind. The 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, the 200 meters in 19.19 seconds?.even his closest rivals admit they struggle to fathom the talent of this …
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Bronson Arroyo
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Suit Madness
One of Olympic swimming's all-time greats Janet Evans states that her beloved sport is in grave danger of becoming a mockery. Long-time U.S. head swim coach Mark Schubert fears the gravitas of the sport has been threatened to the point of losing its status as the cornerstone of the Olympic Games. Mi …
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Lance More Likeable
I watched Lance win those historic seven Tours de France, 1998 to 2005, and each time, with the rest of the world, I shook my head that this almost miracle cancer survivor could dominate this, the most grueling of endurance events. Each time I found this Lance Armstrong awe-inspiring, especially in …
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Tech Catch-22
Technology is changing our world in exponential ways and that certainly includes the world of sports. In some instances, I'm honestly not sure where I stand on the wizardrous advances. It's not like we can revert back to wooden tennis racquets when Teflon and boron are the materials du jour. As they …
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LPGA in Crisis
For women, golf was the fist successful professional sport in this country. Just on the heels of World War II, former track Olympian Babe Didrickson Zaharias, Patty Berg, and Louise Suggs may have had to organize their tournaments themselves, but they became household names and set the stage for the …
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T.O. Payback
Let's start with Lance Armstrong. The cycling giant is two tenths of a second off the lead in the Tour de France. And his strong suit, climbing, starts in the Pyrenees tomorrow. Back in February, when I said here on The Score that, whether you cringe at the Armstrong colossal ego or not, you have to …
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Lou Gehrig Farewell 70 Years Ago
KCRW's The Score
