Ballers, Gamers and Scoundrels

Would you I rather put a picture of Andy here?

Andy Roddick scored big-time. He beat Roger Federer, too.

And you can’t help but wonder whether the two events are related. On Thursday, Roddick ended a string of 11 straight defeats to the greatest tennis player of this era with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, FL. This momentous feat followed by two days the announcement that Roddick was engaged to swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker.

Coincidence?

I say not. Behind every good man …well, you know the rest.

Roddick has long been good as a tennis player. But I’m one who’s long thought that he could have - should have - been better. Maybe even great. Four years ago, he won the U.S. Open and finished No. 1 in the world - the first American to do so since Andre Agassi in 1999. But I bet you don’t even remember those feats, do you?

Most folks don’t. Not even many tennis fans. What they remember is how he handled it: Like maybe a 21-year-old.

In a sense he became a victim of our over-the-top celebrity age. He started dating starlets (Nothing wrong with that, but maybe practice time suffered?) and began being seen more in the tabloids than in sports mags. He hosted Saturday Night Live. He did the talk-show circuit. He filmed an ESPN commercial.

In short, he enjoyed every minute of his “moment.”

Trouble was, there was this guy named Roger Federer out there. And while Roddick was doin’ Sunset Boulevard, the elegant Swiss was becoming great. Very quickly, Roddick’s good just wasn’t good enough.

Although the American has maintain a respectable top-ten ranking (he’s currently sixth), he’s been eclipsed by Federer’s immense greatness. Roddick has yet to win another Grand Slam. He’s finished runner-up three times, each time losing to you-know-how.

This week, we learned, Roddick is settling down. Man, is he! (Check out his fiance’s SI swimsuit portfolio here).

Anyone who’s got a good woman knows the benefits - on many levels. Most importantly, a good woman allows you to focus on being the best man you can be. Maybe even a great man.

Perhaps Andy Roddick is finally on his way.

She’s only 18.

She’s only 18.

She’s …

If I keep saying it (okay, typing it), maybe I’ll stop thinking that we’ve seen the best of Michelle Wie. Maybe I’ll not acknowledge that feeling in my gut that the young woman TIME magazine once declared as “one of 100 people who would shape our world,” whom Arnold Palmer once said might influence golf as much as Tiger Woods “or more,” may not reshape anything at all - except her already-sizable bank account.

But she’s only …

And yet, it doesn’t look real good right now. Late last week, Wie withdrew from the upcoming Safeway International, citing yet another wrist injury, this one incurred on the range at Stanford, her school and my alma mater. Doctors there subjected her to every alphabet test imaginable - MRI, CAT, etc. - and her handlers tell us it’s nothing serious, just a strain. But after Wie essentially lost much of 2007 over a wrist injury that reportedly first occurred over a year ago, I’m more than a tad concerned that we’ve not heard the last from Wie’s wrist.

And that’s not good. For a golfer, a wrist injury may be the most debilitating injury imaginable, or at least tied with a funky back. At the moment of impact with the ball, it may be the most critical part of the body, certainly an area that absorbs the most shock. A tender wrist, let along an injured one, renders everything else moot - tempo, hip turn, head movement, follow through. None of them matters if the wrist is wrong.

Oh they can certainly heal, just like any other part of the body. And Wie is no doubt in her prime healing years. But an injured wrist makes it difficult to practice. And until fully healed it’s susceptible to being re-injured easily - like by trying to cut the food or your plate or turn the steering wheel.

But let’s face it, my worries for Wie extend beyond her wrist.

It’s not as if she’s dazzled us with her game for quite awhile now. It’s been two years since she was more of a contender than a side show. In 2006, she finished third in two events, including the U.S. Women’s Open. She also took fifth at the LPGA Championship. She was finally starting to show us that she had as much game as flame, that she was as skilled a golfer as she was powerful off the tee.

She was almost making me stop being annoyed at those who managed her career, the people - including her father, B.J. - who steered her to too many men’s events where she only experienced defeat and humiliation by missing cuts. Or who fueled the hype machine that landed her on magazine covers before her time and duped Madison Avenue into making her rich before she earned the right to be so. (At the age of 15, some guessed Wie would pocket earn up to $13 million in endorsements in her first year, which would have placed her third among Forbes’ list of highest paid woman athletes - behind only Marie Sharapova and Serena Williams.)

She was to be a six-foot-tall global marketing machine who could smack a golf ball 300 yards and rock the runway in high heels.

There was buzz of Wie clothing and jewelry lines. Brandon Steiner of Steiner Sports Marketing once told USA Today: “Once the apparel line gets rolling and you have a couple other major endorsements her earning could reach $30-40 million a year.”

Right now, though, there is simply no buzz. There’s no sizzle about Wie and I can’t help blame those who placed greed above the long-term welfare of, yes, a child.

Even worse, there are still lingering negative vibes from 2007 when Wie and her camp were criticized for pulling out of a tournament after 16 holes, citing, duh, a wrist injury when she was playing so badly she was in danger of losing her ability to accept sponsor exemptions -the only way Wie can play in an LPGA event since she is not a member of the LPGA Tour.

I know, she’s only 18. I keep telling myself that and, like others, still give Wie the benefit of the doubt because she is so talented, so engaging, so smart (hey, she is at Stanford!) and, yes, so young.

But I still can’t help but wonder: Have we seen the best of Wie?

The Hollywood writers reached a settlement just when we didn’t need them. You couldn’t a script any more compelling than what you’ll see tomorrow live from Capital Hill! That’s when Roger Clemens will commence to stare down his performance-juice nemesis (and former friend) Brian McNamee before a congressional committee and a curious national audience.

Zap the popcorn, baby, this one will be a show.

Or will it? I can’t imagine hearing thing any more compelling that what we already know - McNamee saying he stabbed Roger in the butt with juice; Clemens saying he’d be growing an ear in the middle of his forehead if he’d used the stuff; McNamee calling his former BFF and almost tearfully wondering what was going on; Clemens recording the whole thing and playing it for us; McNamee showing us seven-year-old syringes and gauze he says contains Roger’s DNA and residue of God knows what; Roger glad-handing with your local Congressmen; and McNamee saying even Mrs. Rogers asked for a juice boost before an SI Swimsuit shoot!

You could not write a better script.

In fact, unless Roger’s head explodes in anger and he tossed a chair leg at a Congressman, the most compelling moments will like come early when the former BFFs are seated in relative proximity to each other and asked to raise their right hand. Otherwise, we’ll hear more of what we’ve already heard: He did, I didn’t, He did, I didn’t, He did …

Frankly, I do not know who’s telling the truth (and I’m coming pretty close to not caring). One man is adament, the other defiant.

Clemens either never took juice, or he’s convinced himself to his soul that the needles that were jabbed into his but contained fruit juice or some such.

But this is what I cannot understand: What would McNamee gain from lying? There’s been no evidence or conjecture that the feds pressured him to give up Clemens or go to jail. Short of that, why would this guy ruing his life by lying? He’s lost a best friend. He’s lost his livelihood. He’s lost his stature within the sports community. His family is suffering.

What’s his gain?

That’s the question that keeps me thinking that this just cannot end well for Roger.

Then again, I have not peeked at the script that will be played out tomorrow.

Pass the popcorn.

Who’s running now? Certainly not the Suns. Not any more. Not like before. Not with half-healthy, soon-to-be-35-year-old Shaquille O’Neal in the middle. These Suns, indeed, have set.

On the other hand, you’ve got to love this move. It’s all balls. It seems the Suns, on the night former all-star Pau Gasol made his debut with the Lakers, have gone for broke - trading in their second-best player, Shawn (The Matrix) Marion (along with 6-2 point guard Marcus Banks) to the Heat for The Diesel and his $20 million salary. They’ve gone all in. Either win this year or become the Heat - old and irrelavent.

One NBA honcho called the move “Fool’s Gold” because it means the Suns have to reap the benefit (win the NBA title) this season, maybe next, or it was all for naught and the franchise is back a Square One.

The move no doubt gives the Suns the low-post presence they need to serious contend for the title that has eluded them during the Steve Hans/Mike D’Antonio Era.

If Shaq’s healthy.

They get one of the most imposing low-post guys in the history of the game.

If Shaq’s healthy.

O’Neal, nursing all sorts of ailments, missed 42 games last season and has already missed 14 this year. As I type he’s supposed to be on his way to Phoenix for a physical. It’ll be interesting to see just what the Suns doctors consider “pass” when they examine this aging frame.

The trade also sets up a delicious potential playoff matchup between Suns/Shaq and Lakers/Kobe. Yum.

But…

If O’Neal’s body doesn’t hold up, the Suns are done. Steve Nash is done. Mike D’Antonio is done. One thought is that this was a trade engineered by Steve Kerr, who assumed D’Antoni’s GM duties less than a year ag, not by the coach. If that’s the case, the move also indicates a subtle shifting of power in the desert - another move that bears watching.

I couldn’t help but think of Martha Stewart as I heard the fate levied against Marion Jones. For pleading guilty to two counts of perjury - Note to all: Lying to the Feds is a major no-no - she was sentenced to six months in prison, two years probation and 800 hours of community service, working with young athletes to warn them against the use of drugs.

Three-and-a-half years ago, Stewart, the media mogul, was given five months in prison and two years’ probation for obstruction of justice and fibbing to federal investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems stock in late 2001. She was also given five months of home confinement after her release and dinged $30,000. The sentence was the minimum allowed under federal guidelines, while the fine was the ma.

As we all know now, Jones’ troubles stem primarily from her decision to use steroids prior to the 2000 Olympics, where she won three gold medals, two bronze and solidified her status as the darling of American sports. She graced the kind of magazine covers that rarely featured female jocks, and she was shot with a stylish elegance that celebrated her beauty, power and grace.

I thought of Martha Stewart for a couple of reasons. I wondered whether someone who had already lost everything had already endured enough. Her medals have been stripped. Once worth millions, her bank accounts are empty. She’s lost three homes, including one occupied by her mother. Her name purged from the Olympic records. And her name? Sullied perhaps beyond recovery. Did she deserve more (even if a mere month more) than a woman who committed the same crime but who was worth a reported $335 million on the day of her conviction and $640 million today?

It doesn’t seem so. Would not six months of house arrest not have sufficed? Especially for a woman, a first-time offender, with two children - one four, the other just seven months old? But I guess all bad choices are not created equal. Both women indeed made bad choices - choices driven by greed and ambition. And as celebrities, both women were partly punished to serve as “examples” to the rest of us - at at least to other celebs, who don’t seem to be getting the message.

But at least Jones can also take solace in this: She’s now at the bottom. She’s now been left only with the essence of who she is as a mother, a wife (looks like she finally chose right in this area) and as a woman. She’s just 32 years old, and has a lifetime left to write a new script.

That is perhaps was she should draw from Stewart, beginning with the thought that her time served can also be a time of renewal. Tomorrow should start the day she turns herself in to federal authorities, not when they release her. No doubt Stewart did deals in prison. She did not stop doing what she does. And neither should Marion Jones.

In our era of Steroid Madness, Jones is just one of many who fell pray to the lure the short-term fix, one that undermanned every moment of hard work she endured en route achieve greatness. But for her at least, that’s done.

All that’s left is for Jones to fold herself back into the starting blocks, bow her head and prepare for the next race. Not as an athlete. That race is over. But she’s just 32 years old. The same power, grace and beauty that made Jones the fastest woman in the world should serve well on another track.

So Marion: On your mark…

If you’ve never visited the gossip site MediaTakeOut, you should. If celebrity gossip is your guilty pleasure, it’s should be part of your diet. Tonight, the site revealed that Venus Williams is engaged to her long-time man-toy, pro golfer Hank Kuehne.

Of course there’s always a risk to these sites. Most are often hit/miss/maybe with their “news.” But Kuehne has been seen volleying with Venus since Wimbledon, so this one seems pretty plausible.

Good for her. Good for them.

At least we know this: Their children will be real swingers.

The one without the clue is on the right.

What is it about Duke? Okay, maybe that’s not fair. But it did make me scratch my head and wonder when I read what Kelly Tilghman, a former Blue Devil golfer, said on the Golf Channel last Friday during her gig as co-lead announcer for the network’s telecast of the Mercedes-Benz Championship, the PGA Tour’s inaugural event of the season.

It’s been widely reported that this is how it went down: As Kelly and her on-air partner Nick Faldo they wrapped up the telecast at the Plantation Course at Kapalua, they engaged in a discussion about young players who possibly could challenge Tiger. Faldo jokingly said perhaps those players should “gang up [on Woods] for a while.” They chuckled then Tilghman (and this is why comedy should be left to the professionals) added, “Lynch him in a back alley.”

The announcers chuckled awkwardly before moving on.

Watch the video:

Had Woods been white, to use one of the most heinous crimes committed in this nation to illustrate God-knows that point would have been egregious. But that he’s not makes the remark unconscionable. And punishable.

It would be a travesty if Tilghman is allowed to broadcast the next event for the Golf Channel. (It speaks volumes already that she was allowed to sit on the air all day Saturday, as if nothing happened. She then offered an on-air apology on Sunday but still did the entire telecast.)

At minimum, a suspension is in order. Some will surely call for a firing. If the network does nothing - just months after the Jena 6 dominated the nation’s airwaves - it would make a significant statement about the network’s tolerance of such actions. A statement that would hurt the sport of golf and rekindle memories of a racist history that Woods’ success has helped diminish.

Doing nothing would remind us of Fuzzy Zoeller.

Doing nothing would remind us of Shoal Creek.

Doing nothing would not be smart.

Okay, so it’s just the Golf Channel. And Kelly Tilghman is simply a hottie that was given an opportunity to anchor a telecast because can swing a golf club.

That is not the point. Tolerance of this sort of talk, at any level in our industry, simply cannot be tolerated.

Your move, GC.

Tilghman says she’s reached out to Woods to apologize. (Interestingly, they are friends.) Here’s hoping, at least for the moment - until the Golf Channel makes its statement - that he does not accept the call. Or the apology.

Roy’s Update: The Golf Channel issued this statement and has linked it on it’s homepage.

Tiger’s representative, Mark Steinberg says the matter is a “non-issue” with the golfer: “Tiger and Kelly are friends and Tiger has a great deal of respect for Kelly,” he said. “Regardless of the choice of words used we know unequivocally that there was no ill-intent in her comments. This story is a non-issue in our eyes.”

Mom and Genarlow Wilson - Free Again!

He’s free! Genarlow Wilson was just 17 years old when committed the “crime” that obliterated what had been a promising future. Until then he was one of the good ones. Not perfect, mind you, but with a 3.2 GPA, solid credentials in high-school football and the admiration of his peers (he was homecoming king), well, Wilson was one black boy who was supposed to get through, despite the odds against him.

But then he committed the “crime,” the “crime” of being a young boy with raging hormones.: He had oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Consensual oral sex. For that “crime,” Wilson was convicted of “child molestation” (by law wasn’t he a child, too?) and sent to a Georgia prison for 10 years without the prospect of parole, the mandatory sentence under state law.(FYI: The jury was not informed of the mandatory sentence until after it rendered its verdict.)

Now, what homie did was dumb. If I’d been the girls daddy, well, never mind. Dumb. But ten years?!

The conviction prompted outcries from many sources, including the sports media - which did so even though Wilson was not a superstar. A solid defensive back, he was getting interest from some schools but not college powerhouses. ESPN.COM wrote a particularly compelling piece called “Outrageous Injustice.”

In 2006, the law was changed to a misdemeanor with a maximum one-year sentence. Yet the law was also specifically designed NOT to be retroactive - thank you, Georgia - and Wilson continued to live being the barbed-wire fence of state custody.

Today, the injustice was finally undone. The George Supreme court ruled Wilson’s sentence was grossly disproportionate” to the “crime” committed, and ordered him released. He was freed this afternoon. Hallelujah. Although Wilson is now 21, perhaps he can regain the track that was ripped from beneath him by an unjust court. maybe he’ll go to college. Maybe he’ll even play ball. But more than anything, now he has a chance again. A chance that should have never been taken away.

But here’s something scary. The Supreme Court vote was 4-to-3. That three members of the George Supreme Court would have kept Genarlow Wilson behind bars - even after the law that sent him away was changed - is truly frightening. Thank you, Georgia.