D2 DIGEST GOLF
Day leads Barclays; Woods is four back TigerWoodswaspoisedtotake
control at the Barclays on Friday. Instead, hewent the otherway. Woods missed a 20-inch putt
for one of his four bogeys over the last eight holes and shot a 2-over- par 73 in Paramus,N.J. The differ- ence from the rest of the year is this only cost him the lead, not a chance ofwinning. Jason Day, the 22-year-old
Australianwhowon his first PGA Tour event earlier this year,made three straight birdies late in his round and finished with a good par for a 4-under 67 that gave him a one-shot lead. Day is at 8-under 134, one shot
ahead of Kevin Streelman (63) and Vaughn Taylor (70). Streelman ran off six birdies in
a seven-hole stretch to make the final group Saturday. Stewart Cink carded a 69 that
put him in a group at 136, while the pack another shot behind in- cludedAdamScott (71) andthree- time major champion Padraig Harrington,who had a 68. Woods, four shots back at 138,
at leastwill keep hisNo. 1 ranking for another week. Phil Mickelson missedthe cut, thenleft througha side door without speaking to re- porters. . . . In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mi-
chelle Wie shot a round of 3-un- der69for a three-stroke leadafter two rounds of the CN Canadian Women’sOpen. She is at 10-under 134 after
openingthe tournamentwitha65 that included a hole-in-one.Wie’s only career victory came last No- vember at the LorenaOchoa Invi- tational. Jiyai Shin shot a 67 and is in
second at 7 under 137. Morgan Pressel shot a 66 and is tied for third at 6 under 138 with defend- ing champion Suzann Pettersen, who carded a second consecutive 69.
HORSERACING The owner of Pimlico Race
Course says it will offer $5.5 mil- lion in shared bonuses to thewin- ningowner andtrainer at the2011 Preakness Stakes. MID Developments Inc. an-
nounced the Preakness 5.5 bonus program. The winning owner would re-
ceive $5 million and the trainer would get $500,000. MID owns Pimlico, Gulfstreak
Park in Florida, Santa Anita and Golden Gate Fields in California andXpressBet, Inc. Theprogramwouldallowboth
EastandWestCoast-based3-year- old colts to qualify by having pre- liminaryracesatGulfstream,San- taAnita andGoldenGate Fields. To qualify for the Preakness
bonus at Santa Anita, a horse mustwin either the Robert Lewis Stakes or the San Felipe Stakes, then go on towin the Santa Anita Derby. At Gulfstream, a horse must
win either theHoly Bull Stakes or the Fountain of Youth, then go on towin the FloridaDerby. The winner of the El Camino
Real atGoldenGatewouldqualify for the Preakness bonus if it goes on towin the SantaAnitaDerby.
TELEVISIONANDRADIO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 4 p.m.
7 p.m. 7 p.m.
9 p.m.
Philadelphia at San Diego » WTTG (Channel 5), WBFF (Channel 45) St. Louis atWashington » MASN, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM) NewYork Yankees at ChicagoWhite Sox » WGN
Baltimore at Los Angeles Angels » MASN2, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)
PRESEASON NFL 7:30 p.m.
8 p.m.
NewYork Giants at Baltimore » WBAL (Channel 11), WZAA (1050 AM) Dallas at Houston » WUSA (Channel 9)
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL Noon
7 p.m. SOCCER
Hoover (Ala.) vs. Byrnes (S.C.) » ESPN Steele (Tex.) vs. Madison (Tex.) » ESPN
LITTLE LEAGUEWORLD SERIES 1 p.m.
4 p.m.
International championship » Tokyo vs. Kaohsiung (Taiwan),WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2)
U.S. championship » Pearland (Tex.) vs.Waipahu (Hawaii),WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2)
WORLD BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS 11 p.m.
WNBA PLAYOFFS 1 p.m.
3 p.m.
GOLF 3 p.m.
3 p.m. 4 p.m.
6:30 p.m.
TENNIS 1 p.m.
7 p.m. Croatia vs. United States (taped) » ESPN2
Phoenix at San Antonio » ESPN2 Seattle at Los Angeles » ESPN2
PGA Tour, the Barclays » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13) LPGA Tour, Canadian Open » Golf Channel
U.S. Amateur Championship » WRC (Channel 4),WBAL (Channel 11) Champions Tour, Boeing Classic » Golf Channel
Pilot Pen » WUSA (Channel 9),WJZ (Channel 13) Pilot Pen » ESPN2
AUTO RACING 5 p.m.
SOCCER 7:30 a.m.
BOXING 9 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series, NAPA Auto Parts 200 qualifying » ESPN2 Arsenal at Blackburn » ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights,” Omri Lowther vs. Hank Lundy » ESPN2 only from Comcast. BY STEVEN GOFF Washington Freedom Presi-
dent Mark Washo didn’t realize the degree of the problems af- flictinghisWomen’sProfessional Soccer teamuntil he was invited to a meeting arranged by the players severalweeks ago. “That is when I sensed things
might be getting out of control,” he recalled. “It struck me that, ‘Wow, we’ve got bigger problems going onhere thanI thought.’ ” Amid a midseason rut that
wouldbecome a 10-gamewinless streak, players spoke of their frustrationwith one another and with Coach Jim Gabarra. Com- municationwas breaking down. Washo contemplated firing
Gabarra, the only head coach in the franchise’s nine-year history through three leagues. “It prettymuch seemed like he
had lost control,” said Washo, whowashiredbeforeWPS’s2009 inaugural season after working forD.C.United,ChicagoandNew York in MLS. “You had a very strong divide [among the players in regard to Gabarra]. The pen- dulum swung pretty strong in
Where: Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds. When: 7 p.m. Records: Freedom 6-8-7, 25 points; Sky Blue 7-9-4, 25.
favor of bringing in someone else.” Asked by Washo to present a
course of action or face termina- tion, Gabarra proposed hiring Emma Hayes, a veteran English coach, as a consultant. Washo agreedto theplananddecidedto retain Gabarra. As part of the turnover, however, longtime as- sistantClydeWatsondeparted. The turmoil and change have
seemed to spark a recovery. The Freedom (6-8-7) takes a
four-game unbeaten streak into Saturday night’s match against defending champion Sky Blue of New Jersey (7-9-4) at Maryland SoccerPlex. With two weeks left in the
regular season, the sides are tied for the fourth and final playoff berthwith 25 points apiece. Sky Blue, though, has played
one fewermatch,meaningWash- ington almost can’t afford to lose Saturday. The Freedom’s final
Change in tone alters Freedom’s season Freedom vs. Sky Blue
two games are against the league’s bottom clubs, Chicago andAtlanta. “It’s beendown,up,down, and
now we are coming into form at the right time,” striker Abby Wambach said. Hayes, fired by the Chicago
Red Stars early this season, is creditedwithimprovingcommu- nication and refining defensive tactics. Hayes provides “the same
message butmaybe in a different voice, maybe a different tone,” Gabarra said. “It also gives the players someone to turn to;may- be they felt that [access] wasn’t there with Clyde and I because wehadbeentogether solong and weregivingthemthesamevoice.” Said Wambach: “She has
brought out a total different side of Jim. She challenges him to be more of a communicator.” Despite agreeing to outside
help, Gabarra said he wasn’t los- ing control of the team, asWasho asserted. “Theywere struggling, getting
frustrated with each other, get- ting frustrated with me and searching for answers,” he said. “A lot of the little problems get
exasperated and blown out of proportion.” With harmony restored,
Gabarra and Hayes worked on thedefensivecoordination.Since conceding 15 goals during a five- game losing streak, Washington has yielded just one in four matches. “We were giving up too many
goals on balls over the top,” said Hayes, who recommended the back line play deeper in order to “keep the play infront of us.” Aside fromthe internal issues
and defensive shortcomings, the Freedomhashadtocontendwith season-ending injuries to its top two goalkeepers, Erin McLeod and Briana Scurry, as well as starting forwardLisaDeVanna. Rookie Ashlyn Harris, signed
midseasonwhenSt.LouisAthlet- ica folded, has made six straight starts in goal. Wambach, a U.S. national team veteran, leads the league inassistswitheight andis tied for third ingoalswith 10. “So far, so good,”Washo saidof
the recent stretch. “Jim is em- bracing the changes and overall it seems liketheplayersarereact- ing ina positiveway.”
goffs@washpost.com
PROBASKETBALL Patrick Ewing Jr. is back with
the teamwhere his father became famous. The New York Knicks said the former Georgetown star signed as a free agent Friday. Terms of the deal were not dis- closed. Ewing, the 43rd pick of the
2008 draft by Sacramento, spent the 2008-09 season in the NBA Development League but missed all of last season because of inju- ries. . . . Brandon Rush of the Indiana
Pacers was suspended for five games by the NBA for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti- Drug Program, while Tyreke Ev- ans of the Sacramento Kings and Kenny Hasbrouck of the Miami Heat drew suspensions for driv- ing offenses. Evans, the NBA’s Rookie of the
Year, was suspended without pay for one game for pleading no con- test to reckless driving in Califor- nia. Hasbrouck was suspended without pay for two games for pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated inNewYork. . . . Former Denver Nuggets inter-
national scout Masai Ujiri has been named the team’s new exec- utive vice president of basketball operations.
COLLEGEFOOTBALL Missouri runningbackDerrick
Washington was accused of sexu- al assault by a former tutor in June and could still face criminal charges related to the incident thatmay be behind his indefinite suspension. . . . Georgia tailbackWashaun Ea-
ley, the team’s leading rusher last season, was arrested early Friday and chargedwith hit and run and driving on a suspended license. UGA Police Chief Jimmy Wil-
liamsonsaidEaleywasdrivinghis roommate’s car when he hit a parked truck in a school parking deck. He was told to stay at the scene until police arrived, but he left.
MISC. The Little LeagueWorld Series
final four is set afterHawaii’s 12-5 win over Georgia in South Wil- liamsport, Pa. The Waipahu, Hawaii, team
rallied from four runs down against Columbus, Ga., then took the lead on Ty DeSa’s RBI double to left center in the fourth. HawaiiwillplayPearland,Tex.,
for the U.S. title Saturday. The international championship fea- tures Japan against Taiwan, and the winners play Sunday for the World Series crown. . . . In Brussels, American Tyson
Gay won the Diamond League trophy as the season’s top per- former in the 100 meters, finish- ing in 9.79 seconds to beat Jamai- canNestaCarter.Gay fell short of his season’s-best of 9.78. . . . Ryan Briscoe won the pole
positionforSaturdaynight’s Indy- Car series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., turning a lap average of 216.346 mph in qualifying. It’s the third straight pole at
Chicagoland for Briscoe, the de- fending racewinner. Dario Franchitti qualified sec-
ond, followedbyWillPower,Helio Castroneves andMarco Andretti. —Fromnews services
EZ SU
KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL
The Durant dichotomy: TeamUSA’s superstar reluctant to be cast as one
BY MICHAEL LEE Given Kevin Durant’s rapid
career trajectory — he’s leaped from rookie of the year to all-star to scoringchampionto second in the NBA’s most valuable player voting in just three seasons — it may come as a surprise to some that he is not too far removed from one of the most humbling experiences of his young profes- sional life. Durant had yet to play a pro- fessional game, but only a few weeks after the Seattle Super- Sonics selected the Washington native second overall in the 2007 NBA draft, he put U.S. men’s national team Chairman Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski in the difficult posi- tion of making him the last player cut from a team that went on to qualify for the Olympics in the FIBA Americas tournament. A year later, Durant had to
deal with what amounted to a demotion, as he was part of a select team asked to scrimmage with the Olympic squad as it prepared for Beijing. Leaning back in a chair, arms folded, and wearing a pair of plush slippers after his task was complete, Du- rant looked around a gym at ValleyHigh in Las Vegas asKobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and the other stars of the eventual 2008 gold medalist loaded up duffle bags with sweats and shoes, get- ting ready for the long flight to China. “I wanted to be a part of it bad.
I prayed every night that they would pick me,” Durant said two years ago. “Only the best guys get picked, so I got to work to be one of them. Hopefully before I’m done, I can be on an Olympic team.” Durant, 21, now finds himself
in a different position: He’s the best player on the team hoping to earn an automatic berth for the 2012 London Olympics by winning a gold medal at the world championships in Turkey. Looking back recently, the Okla- homaCityThunder forward said his rough introduction to inter- national play “added a little morefuel to the fire,” but it didn’t change his ultimate focus. “I’m always hungry,” Durant
said. “I want to be the best.” The Americans haven’t won
the world championships since 1994, but none of the big-name stars from the 2008 Olympic team returned this summer. And with the NBA facing a possible lockout in the summer of 2011— a situation that would keep its players out of next year’s FIBA Americas tournament in Argen- tina — there is a hint of added pressure on the current team to deliver when play opens Satur- day against Croatia. “Of course we want to go over
there and win it,” Durant said. “A lot of the big-name guys aren’t here and people are counting us out. So we have something to prove.” As the only first-team all-NBA
player on a patchwork American team, Durant has been promot- ed as its reluctant face. He has batted away that assertion in the same fashion that he ended a tense, 86-85 exhibition victory
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010
DANIEL OCHOA DE OLZA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kevin Durant, right, shoots over Spain'sRudy Fernandez and FranVazquez, left, during a game in Madrid. Durant is the biggest star on TeamUSAas it heads into the 2010 FIBAWorld Championships.
over Spain by blocking shots by Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernan- dez in the closing seconds. “Everybody says I’m the face.
I’mjust happy to be a part of this team,” said Durant, combating claims he has to serve as this team’s Kobe or LeBron. “It’s not like that on this team. One thing that’s good: Once we step in that locker room on the bus, nobody thinks like that.” Colangelo said that it is unfair
to expect Durant to carry the team by himself, with veterans and NBA champions Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom around to assume leadership and other all-stars, such as Der- rick Rose, capable of assisting. “I don’t think people should
put that kind of pressure on him,” Colangelo said. “That’s not his personality, so to speak. Just let him be Kevin. “No one can change their
stripes, their colors. They are whothey are.AndKevin leads by example. And the more he per- forms the level he’s capable of playing, that’s the leadership
we’ll get out of him.” Durant said winning a gold
medal in Turkey would cap off a productive summer, one in which he signed perhaps the league’s last five-year, maxi- mum-salaried extension under the current collective bargaining agreement — an approximate $85 million deal he quietly an- nounced on his Twitter account. He also saw his $25,000 dona- tion last year finally lead to the completion of Durant’s Den, a gaming room and lounge at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, where he spent countless hours honing the skills that helpedhim become the youngest scoring champion in NBA history. “It’s pretty cool,” Durant said
of his higher profile. “Something I never really dreamed about. All this stuff is kind of surreal to me. . . . I didn’t think I’d be in the league or none of that. It was makingit to college.That’s about it.”
Earlier this month, Durant
was surprisedwhenhe didn’t get an invitation to President
Obama’s infamous White House pickup game featuring James, Bryant, Wade, Anthony, Rose, Billups, Chris Paul, Magic John- son, Grant Hill and former Wiz- ard Etan Thomas. But as evi- dence of his increased status, Durant was recently invited to meet with Obama at the White House after the world champi- onships, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Durant understandshecanno
longer remain under the radar, with the Thunder slated to be on ABC, TNT and ESPN 15 times next season. “They going to come harder,
but I’m looking forward to that. I’m a big competitor,” Durant said, adding he hopes to improve onthe team’s first-round exit last postseason. “Our best years are only ahead
of us, so we got to continue to keep pushing,” he said. “If I continue to just get to the play- offs every year, I guess you could say I arrived, but right now I’m just trying to findmy way.”
leem@washpost.com
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