SportsTalk

INSIDE THE ROPES: CHAMPIONSHIP DAY AT THE U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

David Decker (left) of Bethlehem is a rules official for the USGA. He has achieved the highest rating at PGA/USGA rules workshops and has officiated at 14 USGA Championships, including six U.S. Opens, three Senior Opens, and now a Women’s Open.

This week David is serving as a rules official at the US Women’s Open at Saucon Valley Country Club. Each day he and the other officials are assigned to escort a group of players around the course, being available to answer rules questions that arise during play.

In our SportsTalk blog, he will write through the championship about his experiences.

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What a great finish. We all thought for sure that we would have a playoff.

Eun Hee Ji (at left) dropped a great putt on the 18th green to win the Championship.

For those who were reading, Eun Hee Ji was one of my players during round one -- and a nicer person couldn't have won.

Clearly, the golf course stood up to the players. When even par is the winning score, you know it was a tough test.

I only had one ruling all day when a ball found the water on the third hole up near the green.

And the course was set up for the women to have the potential to make birdies. In the end, the greens were the deciding factor and the strongest defense day in and day out.

I hope you enjoyed these reports. If anyone is looking to see tomorrow's next great golfers, check out the USGA Boys and Girls Junior Championships that it will be conducting at Trump National near Far Hills, N.J., in eight days. Admission is free. It's one of the championships that Tiger Woods won three times.

Look for me next year at Pebble Beach for the Men's Open.

Signing off,

Dave Decker

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(Posted earlier) At 3:09 while playing the 12th hole, we looked up and saw them changing the scoreboard.

There are no red numbers anymore. No one is under par even though we are playing from some forward tee positions.

Evidently, the rain didn't soften up the greens much.

More later.

Dave Decker

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(Posted earlier) I've got about 45 minutes before I will be out on the course.

Trying to do some last-minute things before "show time."

I've got my rules books, picked up my radio and the paperwork that I'll need if we have a problem on the course. The trick is getting some lunch just before heading out, since I won't be back to the clubhouse until about 6 tonight.

Two fun holes to watch today will be numbers 10 and 15. Both are close to each other and both are being played from their short tee locations. I don't remember the exact yardage but both are playing just about 250 yards -- and a player going for the green with her driver can expect a lot of trouble from a shot that is off just a little bit.

Yesterday, Paula Creamer tried to drive the green on 10 and walked off the green with a triple bogey. That's a lot of strokes to try to make up. I hope she does because she is really nice and great to work with. She's one of the players who will sign autographs for the kids until the sun goes down.

One fun rules situation from yesterday was Laura Davies hit a shot that came to rest in the basket of one of those little scooters that people use to get around the course.

It's no problem, of course. You just move the scooter and drop the ball right below the location of the basket. If that spot is a good location ... great! It's your lucky day! If not ... if the scooter was sitting at the edge of a bush or a creek or something nasty ... well, play hard. As one of my instructors used to like to say, "bad luck has to start somewhere."

Of course, it wasn't a problem for Laura. She dropped her ball without penalty and finished the hole.

I've got the 12:30 group today. Two Korean women who are playing very well, Song-Hee Kim and Sun Young Yoo. Probably not a lot of conversation on the course today as my Korean is a little rusty.

Let's hope today is a nice quiet walk in the park with no rulings.

See you all when I'm finished. It's just breezy enough to cause trouble again today.

Dave Decker

INSIDE THE ROPES: SATURDAY AT THE WOMEN'S OPEN

In our SportsTalk blog, he will write through the championship about his experiences.

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The weather has already played a factor today, and we haven't had a drop of rain. They expect that to come in later but probably not until we are off the course.

The easy way to tell if there is bad weather in the area is to look up into the sky. If you see the blimp, then everything is calm. I can hear the blimp behind me while I sit in the grandstand at the 17th green, so all is well.

The wind is the big factor today. There are a number of tees that we have been playing "up" today because of the wind.

It helped us on the fifth hole (both my players hit there drives about 270 yards) and then we turned into the wind. The sixth and seventh holes are monsters.

The wind seems to be swirling around, and it is very difficult to pull the right club at 17. This may be the hardest green on the entire property.

A little bit of rain tonight might soften up the greens, but don't expect the course to play easy. I expect that we will play the tees back and have some very difficult hole locations.

Even par could still be a winning target for tomorrow at 6 p.m.

See you all tomorrow.

Dave Decker

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(Posted earlier today) Another great day.

Two players that hit the ball great and long AND played quickly! What a joy!

Jessica Korda (at left) is only 16 and playing like a champ. She went around in 3-over par and should really be happy. Her father Petr Korda is on her bag this week. You may remember Petr from the tennis circuit in the '80s and '90s. I'm pretty sure he was in a Wimbledon final and maybe won the Australian Open. In any event, he has some very talented children at both golf and tennis.

He told me while we were in the scoring area that is hoping to keep her flying under the radar for awhile longer so that she doesn't have the same levels of pressure that the other young players have to go through.

My other player was Ai (pronounced like the letter I) Miyazato from Japan, and she made up a lot of strokes on the field by shooting an even par round of 71.

The tees are up a little on the 14th hole, and she drove her ball all the way to the end of the fairway just shy of the creek. It was a dangerous drive because it flirted with both the trees and the creek on the left, but she pulled it off.

Again, the course is set up so well that there are very few rulings each day. I didn't have anything again ... and that's just fine with me. I had more rulings at Bethpage (for the men's U.S. Open) this year than anyone would care for. I'm happy the course is playing up to everyone's expectations.

Dave Decker

INSIDE THE ROPES: DAY 2 AT THE WOMEN'S OPEN

In our SportsTalk blog, he will write through the championship about his experiences.

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Had a another great day out on the course.

Christina Kim was great to be with even though she felt like she struggled. As we were walking to the scoring tent, she said to me, "this course kicked my butt today."

My favorite quote of the day came when one of my players on 12 said, after a mighty swipe through the rough, "They don't let the players use steroids. They shouldn't be able to feed them to the grass!"

Of course this was said in jest!

Brittany Lang hits the ball harder than just about anyone here this week. She just kills it!

And last but certainly not least: Ji Young Oh from Korea played very solid, very strong golf. I'm pretty sure she was 1-under for the day and hit the ball out with Brittany most of the day.

Right now we are trying to figure out if the cut will be +8 or +9. The top 60 move on to the weekend.

I only had one ruling today, Christina Kim hit the ball into the lateral water hazard on 14 and then proceeded to put her next shot on the green over the trees.

It was a crazy shot. A hole later, she said her caddie persuaded her to hit it rather than just chipping out.

See you all tomorrow.

Dave Decker

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(Posted earlier today) Good morning.

A couple points as we start Day 2.

First, the weather is perfect again. Blue skies and a slight breeze are making for just the right conditions for a tough test of golf. The greens will be the main defence for the course, just like usual.

And second, at 11:04 they updated the scoreboard where we are watching play on the 14th hole, and at this point there is not one red score for anyone on the course. There are a few people under par that haven't started their round yet, but it wouldn't shock me at all if no one was under par going to the weekend.

That is good news for the field, of course, because anyone within 10 strokes of the leader will play this weekend.

I don't go out until this afternoon. Today my group will have only two players because we had a player withdraw in the middle of her round yesterday.

I will be with Christina Kim from California (who is at +1) and Ji Yun Oh from Korea (who is at +5).

This is one of the groups that will be on TV a bunch today, so if you don't see me ... that's a good thing. That means that there are no rulings.

I'll pass on an update later when I get a chance.

-- Dave Decker

INSIDE THE ROPES AT THE U.S. WOMEN'S OPEN

In our SportsTalk blog, he will write through the championship about his experiences.
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Hi Everyone!

Welcome to Saucon Valley … home for the next week to the U.S. Women's Open.

The course is in just perfect shape. It's playing very long because of the rain we have had for the last two months, and the rough is very thick.

I'll be inside the ropes with the players each day, and we thought it might be fun to show you how things work "behind the scenes," and also show you where the players make mistakes from a "rules of golf" perspective.

I hope you enjoy it!

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From a rules perspective, there are two holes on the front nine that could cause trouble for the players.

First, the green of the third hole is cut very close to Saucon Creek. It's not a very long hole, and the players will be throwing some very high shots with short irons into this green. I won't be surprised if some of those shots spin right back off the green and into that water.

The conditions should be just right … a little bit of moisture on the greens, the green slopes toward the water, lots of spin. This would be a fun place to watch from the grandstands.

The other "trouble area" that the players won't expect is to the left of the fifth green.

Once again, the Saucon Creek meanders close to the green -- except this time, the creek is the boundary for the property line. A ball hit to the left of the green that finds the water will be out of bounds, and the player will have to hit another shot from a long way back rather than just pitch something from close to the hole.

-- Dave Decker

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I went out early this morning, and my players really played great.

Mika Miyazato has her entire family here from Japan this week. It's fun to watch them all charge along and cheer for her.

Stacy Prammanasudh from Oklahoma is probably the most famous of the group. Again, she played really well, and it was interesting to watch how she (with the most experience in the group) "thinks" her way around the course.

She didn't just blast her drives. She would put the ball on the correct side of the fairway. She would give up some distance for a better angle to the green. Things like that.

And then the best score of the day came from Eun-Hee Ji (at left). The reason she scored better than the others is she hit some great rescue clubs (in the 210-yard range) into the very long holes such as 18 and 7.

We didn't have any rulings today. The girls were playing so well that we never had any trouble to deal with.

The only time they needed me at all was to confirm that Mika's ball was in fact on the putting green and not on the fringe (so she could mark and clean her ball without penalty) when we played the 15th hole.

-- Dave Decker

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We're just winding down play for the day, and with about an hour or so left, it looks like the course held up just fine.

A couple good scores from women who dropped some huge putts (I'm thinking of that putt from Choi on the third green that could have run itself right into the water just as easily as find the bottom of the cup) ... and that's great.

There are a bunch of bogey holes. And I suspect they will be bogey holes for the entire week, such as 2 and 7 from the front -- and the back is no picnic with 13, 16 and 18.

The only hole that was playing under par today was the par 5 12th-hole, and don't expect that to happen again. They picked the easiest hole location on the green (right down front) to let them have a birdie opportunity.

If anyone hit the par 5s in two today, I didn't hear about it.

Let's just hope we get three more days of weather just like this!

See you tomorrow.

-- Dave Decker

More with Debbie Massey and Gloria Ehret

Debbie Massey won't be rooting against any particular players when the U.S. Open begins today.

Instead, she will be rooting FOR the Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course.

No one in the field this week knows the course better than Massey, who was born in Gross Pointe, Mich., but moved to Bethlehem with her family when she was just 15. She called Bethlehem home for 13 years before moving to Hilton Head, S.C., in 1979 in order to have better year-round conditions for keeping in shape for the LPGA Tour.

But even when she lived elsewhere, she liked coming back "home" to Saucon Valley. And that didn't always mean playing 18 holes on one of the club's three courses.

She remembers sneaking out onto the Old Course when no one was around and playing four or five holes as a form of relaxation. It's not as though anyone was going to throw her out. After all, her mother's uncle was the late Eugene Grace, the Bethlehem Steel executive for whom one of Saucon Valley's courses is named.

"But I really love the Old Course," Massey said. "It has such character and so many nuances. You can hit every club in the bag on that course. She's a great old lady, and I hope she shows her teeth this week. I am rooting for the course. You can't believe how hard I tried to get a Women's Open there."

Massey and the United States Golf Association were the best of friends. Debbie made perhaps her biggest marks in the game as an amateur. She won three Canadian Amateur titles, two Western Amateur crowns and one Eastern Amateur championship. She played on two Curtis Cup and two World Cup teams. She was the low amateur in the 1974 U.S. Women's Open.

A kind of poster child for amateur golf, along with her friend Carol Semple Thompson, Massey really agonized over a decision to turn pro after the 1976 season. People told her she'd love the travel, and earning money would be better than tapping her parents for the funds necessary to allow her to continue to play as an amateur. Hollis Stacy and Amy Alcott, both of whom made the move earlier, were big influences on Debbie's final decision.

"I had a wonderful life, skiing in the winter and playing amateur golf in the summer," Debbie said. She had to give up the skiing to devote herself to golf, but she'll never forget her first victory, in which she had to win a playoff against Betsy King. "It started to snow during the playoff, and I felt right at home when I saw those snowflakes," Massey said. Stacy, who had come out to watch the playoff, wasn't so at home. "It was so cold, and we tied the first hole," Massey said. "Hollis said, 'I didn't come out here to freeze my (butt) off; you'd better win this thing. I did, on the next hole."

Her amateur experience is part of the reason Massey took such a liking to the Women's Open. "I was comfortable with USGA courses and how their tournaments were run," Debbie said. "The Open was my favorite event.

In doing some research for the sotry in the daily paper today, I came across an interesting story that appears in Sports Illustrated in 1974, when Massey was the low-scoring amateur. Here's what SI reported.

Even for the best golfers there is more than just hard work. Early in the week, on a particularly balmy evening, Bob Ihlanfeldt, the tournament chairman, and his wife Edean, a former amateur competitor and now a USGA committeewoman, gave a dinner on the terrace of their waterside house on Lake Washington for some 50 people, including the members of the U.S. and British Curtis Cup teams. The guests were transported on club members' boats from the Seattle Yacht Club to the Ihlanfeldt home. On the return trip Debbie Massey, a bright, easygoing 23-year-old who was the tournament's medalist with a two-under-par 70, and P. J. Boatwright, the long, lean and patrician-looking executive director of the USGA, were kidding each other on the stern deck of their craft, Boatwright gesturing as if he intended to toss Debbie overboard. Massey, who is 5'8", lifted P. J., who is approximately 6'2", and held him aloft until he pleaded to be set down, saying she might hurt her back. "I could just see the headline," said Boatwright the next day. CURTIS CUPPER FORCED TO WITHDRAW! INJURED WHILE HORSING AROUND WITH USGA EXEC.

Massey wouldn't predict a winner or a winning score for the Open, but she said, I wish I had played more with some of these kids to get a better feel for it. Golf is such a power game now. If you can shoot under par for four days in the Open you'll be a happy camper. One of my favorite holes is No. 16 -- 13 for the tournament. There'snot a single bunker on it, but it's a hard up-and-down because of some dramatic drops. Also, No. 6, which has a lot of bunkers, is a wonderful hole."

Debbie last played the Old Course in 2006 when she came back to the Valley for her induction into the Hall of Fame. vIt was rainy, cool day, and she was accompanied by her mother, her brother and Carol Thompson. "It was great to see the changes; what a difference from when I had played it before. It needed more length, and they did that. It will be interesting to see how it plays this week."

AN OLD-TIMERS REUNION

They're walking around the Old Course without so much as a look from the spectators who are scurrying around from one green to the next tee to watch the young bombers of the 21st century LPGA bomb away. Gloria Ehret. Joann Washam. Kathy McMullen. Hollis Stacy. Even Judy Rankin doesn't raise many eyebrows.

These are some of the women of U.S. Opens Past. Women whose games were at their peak in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Some of them don't get around well any more. Others, like Ehret, are still plenty active. Ehret, in fact, is so active that, when she arrived in Allentown to visit her sister, Elaine Hanley, and Elaine's husband, Warren, the first thing on Gloria's agenda was some hedge trimming in the Hanley yard.

"That pays for the board," Gloria said she told her sister.

It seems hard to believe that Gloria had never been on the Saucon Valley course. But, then, when she was in the Valley, women at Saucon Valley were a no-no. And by the time that changed, Gloria was living in Texas and had already completed her LPGA career.

The number of players from the "old days" of the LPGA -- in 1973, for example, the winner's check for the U.S. Women's Open was a whopping $6,000 -- is dwindling. Only five of the 13 original founders of the group are still living. It was the death of one of them in 2007 that got Gloria to thinking about her former tour buddies.

"A lot of people hadn't seen each other since we quit the tour," Gloria told me Wednesday. "I heard that Sandra Post was interested in trying to put together a reunion of players from the 50s, 60s and 70s, so I called her. She said she had lots of ideas, but needed someone to do the legwork. I said, here I am."

Beginning with a small number of email addresses, Ehret began getting the word out. It spread quickly, and the players loved the idea. So in April of 2008, early in the week leading up to the Kraft Nabisco Championship (formerly the Dinah Shore), 79 of them turned up to swap memories. Founders Marlene Hagge, Louise Suggs, Marilyn Smith and Shirley Spork were among them.

They aprited one night at the palatial estate of former golfer Susie McAllister and her husband, Gary Morton and the next night at the Hawaii-style place of former player H.B. Duntz and James MacArthur -- Danno from the old "Hawaii 5-0" series.

"It was incredible," Ehret said. "Some players from the 80s wanted to come, too, but we told them no; this was just for the 50s, 60s and 70s. Marlene spoke; Shirley talked for the 50s, Carol Mann for the 60s and Beth Daniel for the 70s.

"When is this going to happen again? Maybe never. But now everybody has everybody else's email addresses, and they can keep iun touch if they want to. In my whole career, this is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. To see it was amazing. Some of the girls used to be size 6 and now they a little bigger and older. Some would go up to a player and had to look at her name badge to recognize her.

One of the players on hand was Chako Higuchi, who is now commissioner of Japan's LPGA, Ehret remembers when Higuchi was the only foreign player on the tour, afar cry from the way things are today.

WRAPPING UP DAY ONE

   Better-than-expected crowds arrived at Saucon Valley Country Club for Monday’s first practice session. Though official attendance figures weren’t available, estimates were between 6,000 and 7,000, a good number considering it's so early in the week.
   The Old Course is in meticulous condition, with the greens rolling around 13 on the Stimpmeter (very fast for a Monday) and the outside cut of rough approaching 5-6 inches in some spots. The fairways are still soft, however, meaning the rough isn’t much of a factor – yet.
   It was interesting to watch players hit from the back tees at the 210-yard, par-3 ninth hole on Monday. Most hit 3-wood, a few hit driver and yet a good number stuck those clubs with 15 feet of the front hole location. The hole will play that length for two days of the championship, making it a potential turning point.
   Player registration ends at 10 a.m. Tuesday, meaning the entire 156-player field will be on the course. Here’s a tentative look at some of Tuesday’s practice-round groupings (all times and groups are subject to change).
   Starting on No. 1
7:11 a.m.: Jiyai Shin, Cristie Kerr, Irene Cho, Anna Grzebien.
   7:22: Alexis Thompson, Jessica Korda, Helen Alfredsson, Kris Tschetter.
7:44: Nicole Castrale, Ani Gulugian, Kaitlin Drolson, Laura Diaz.
   8:06 a.m.: Sophie Gustafson, Laura Davies, Suzann Pettersen, Alli White.
8:50: Brittany Lincicome, Angela Stanford, Kristy McPherson, Sarah Lee.
   12:30 p.m.: Paula Creamer, Mariko Tumangan, Ashleigh Albrecht, Mika Miyazato.

Starting on No. 10
7 a.m.: Morgan Pressel, Meaghan Francella, Nicole Hage, Christina Kim
8:17: Lorena Ochoa, Sophia Sheridan, Marina Alex, Amanda Blumenherst.
12:30: Karrie Webb, Meg Mallon, Juli Inkster, Pat Hurst.

CHESTNUT ROASTING – AS IN, JOEY WAS ON FIRE

American Joey Chestnut from San Jose, Calif., chomped his way to a third consecutive championship this afternoon in the 2009 Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest from Coney Island, N.Y.

The competition was super -- and Chestnut set a new world record with 68 dogs and buns in 10 minutes to whip arch-rival Kobayashi of Japan, who downed 64 ½ to also beat Chestnut’s record of 59 set last year.

But the over-the-top commentary by the emcee (George Shea) and TV announcers (Paul Page, Rich Shea and Rob Stone on ESPN) was even better.

A sampling:

-- “His stomach is a cauldron in which food is cooked by the heat of his liver.” -- The emcee when introducing a competitor.

-- The David Blaine of the Bowel – The emcee when introducing another competitor.

-- The leader of the Four Horsemen of the Esophagus. – The emcee when introducing competitor Sonya Thomas.

-- “Once in every 10 generations a hero arises to lead a broken nation to victory.” -- The emcee when introducing Chestnut.

-- “We are on consecrated ground.” – The emcee when standing next to Chestnut on stage.

-- "Bite for bite, swallow for swallow.” – TV in describing the competition.

-- “This is Lakers-Celtics. I’d put it up there with Borg vs. Connors.” – TV in referring to Chestnut-Kobayashi.

-- “This is the golden age of competitive eating” – TV in another reference to the Chestnut-Kobayashi rivalry.

-- “Look at Kobayashi chewing on the right side of the jaw, that side is no longer weak.” – TV (paraphrasing) in a reference to Kobayashi’s recovery from jaw arthritis that supposedly limited his performance two years ago at the Nathan’s contest.

-- “Chestnut is a blue collar eater, a power eater. Kobayashi is like watching ballet, he’s so smooth.” – TV.

-- “Others might relax (in the final 60 seconds) but not Chestnut. He will push through it, with a sense of urgency.” – TV (paraphrasing) on the final minute of the contest.

-- “The Bill Belichick of the belly, this kid. He just banged three titles in short order.” – TV on Chestnut.

But there was much more enjoyable about the contest and show, including:

-- The nicknames such as Eater X, Wing Kong and the Italian Scallion.

-- The Mustard Yellow Belt that goes to the champion.

-- Some of the TV commercials that played off competitive eating. One of them used this phrase: “Gustatory athletes.”

-- How sideline reporter Stone was stationed on stage in the “spit pit” or “spray zone.” (Stone said he would be cleaning his shoes at the end of the day.)

-- How TV compared Kobe Bryant with Kobayashi using a full-screen graphic tale-of-the-tape (Superstar vs. Supper Star) of the two. The graphic compared age, height, weight, annual earnings and titles (NBA vs. Nathan’s).

-- How they swore in the judges, having them raise their right hands in taking the “Oath of Judgeship.”

-- How TV compared last year’s dramatic dog-off between Chestnut and Kobayashi (a six-year champion) to some of the great overtimes in history (such as the Stanley Cup playoffs and the 2000 U.S. presidential election.)

-- “Ready for Some Mixed Martial Eats” – an on-screen promo as ESPN went to commercial after the competitor intros.

-- The “Chew View” Camera, slammed right up to the face of competitor Micah “Wing Kong” Collins of Drexel Hill near Philadelphia.

-- How the TV commentator got very emotional afterward about how an American has now won the title three years in a row on the Fourth of July.

-- How, like at the Olympics, the National Anthem was played after Chestnut received his winning hardware.

-- How tonight, Chestnut said, he would celebrate by eating a cobb salad with ranch dressing.

So, ESPN, Nathan’s and the gastro-athletes themselves – and like how I like my burgers and hot dogs – well done.

Time to eat.

-- Bill Kline

(Note: This entry also appears in The Morning Call's TV Watchers blog.)

'BEST' LAID TO REST

FOX has canceled the Best Damn Sports Show Period, which was launched in 2001. The show will continue with its Top 50-themed shows through the fall, but the panel show is kaput.

I enjoyed the show, which appealed to the worst in men and sports fans. Unfortunately, I had targeted Best Damn as regular replacement viewing after Jay Leno left late-night TV. Maybe now I'll actually go to bed at a reasonable hour.

ELSEWHERE ...

-- A broken down bicycle rusting in my garage goes to the person who can name the winner of last year's Tour de France.

-- The NBA Championship was weeks ago, but I am still wondering if Pao Gasol is Howard Stern’s brother. I’d bet a free year of Sirius satellite radio that they’re at least cousins.

-- That Flomax TV commercial "flooding" sports broadcasts is entirely believable except for one thing. Golfers don't use the outhouse or the pro shop bathroom, as the commercial depicts. If you're on the golf course and need to go -- much like my tee shots -- you're heading for the woods.

-- Don't call me un-American, but I'm taking Takeru Kobayashi on Saturday to regain the most important title in competitive eating: The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship.

-- And finally, don’t forget the World Potato Peeling Championships from Great Falls, Idaho, this weekend. (We understand that Denny’s All-Star Hash-Brown Crew is having quite a year.)

-- Bill Kline

GIVE (INTERNATIONAL) SOCCER A CHANCE

I never thought I would type these words: It is neat to watch the precise passing, authoritative kicking and skillful dribbling in international soccer, the best of the best.

The national teams just move the ball seamlessly from Point A to Point B to Point C to Point D and whoosh, there’s a threat on goal.

Yes, I admit it. I am into international soccer when national teams go at it. Sure, I'm cheering for the U.S., which stunned Spain (at left) on Wednesday in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. But it's more than that. It's the skill. It's the athleticism. It's the creativity. It's even the damn geometry of the passing game.

Now, if Major League Soccer were like that …

ELSEWHERE

-- For years, international soccer TV announcers have incorrectly used the plural of a verb when the singular is required. Examples: “Spain are in trouble” or “Brazil have the best attackers." Unfortunately, this has spread to American TV announcers doing international soccer.

-- EA Sports has introduced Fight Night Round 4 in which Ali and Tyson square off. Listen, if Ali doesn’t whup Tyson's butt every time, then I'm George Foreman VI.

-- Can you name any active heavyweight boxers outside of that big Russian dude? Can you even name him?

-- No need to worry just yet about the Phillies. It’s only June, and I really didn’t expect them to run away from the Mets. Just like the previous three years, this should be going down to the final week.

-- Bill Kline

Forecast: An orange and black Winter (Classic)

Unless you've been to the NHL Winter Classic, it's hard to describe the atmosphere in a way that actually does it any justice, but I'm going to try.

Are you ready?

Take 40,818 crazed fans. Tell them it's going to be about -8 degrees Farenheit (with the wind chill factored in) and there's a chance of snow and sleet in the forecast. Then watch them arrive en masse at the crack of dawn for a 1:00pm game, spend about six hours tailgating in the freezing cold, then pile into one of the most revered sports venues in the world. Finally, listen to them make enough noise to drown out the guy singing the national anthem, then scream themselves hoarse for the next three hours regardless of who's winning or losing.

That game, which has been played at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium and Chicago's Wrigley Field the last two years, is headed to Boston on January 1, 2010. The likely participants? The Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers, according to multiple reports that have yet to be confirmed by the NHL. (Though we're hearing July 15 for an official announcement).

Excited Flyers fans? You should be. NBC apparently lobbied hard to put the Orange & Black in the visitor's locker room come January, casting aside the Washington Capitals and some little guy named Alexander Ovechkin in order to get them there. The reasoning had a lot to do with television ratings and ad revenue, though it also combines two great hockey teams within a six-hour drive of one another (including one Original Six club and a Philly squad that has done its best in recent seasons to carry on the legacy of the "Broad Street Bullies," playing the type of ready-to-rumble style hockey meant for the great outdoors).

Check out some of my photos from the Winter Classic in Chicago, then vote in our poll to tell us where you plan to be on New Year's Day!

- Stephanie Sigafoos, MCall Community Manager, Sports

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