D2 Thursday, July 16, 2009
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ThursdayMorning
NEWS & NOTES
Suggs, Ravens Agree to Deal
Suggs
The Ravens have agreed to a six-year contract with Terrell Suggs, their standout defensive end and outside linebacker, the team announced yesterday.
The deal is worth approximately $63 million, according to several reports.
The 26-year-old Suggs is one of the sport’s top pass-rushers. He had 12 sacks last season and has 53 sacks in his six seasons with Baltimore. . . . The deadline for the Panthers to
strike a long-term deal with franchise defensive end Julius Peppers passed without an agreement. Peppers will play under a one-year contract worth at least $16.7 million, creating the prospect for another offseason of uncertainty. . . . A federal judge sentenced former
NFL player Travis Henry to three years in prison for financing a drug trafficking operation that moved cocaine between Colorado and Montana.
Henry has said that at the time of his arrest last October, he was struggling to keep up with child support payments after fathering at least nine children with nine women.
AUTO RACING
Mayfield Positive Again
NASCAR says Jeremy Mayfield has again tested positive for methamphetamine and wants the federal judge who lifted the driver’s drug suspension to reinstate the ban. The positive result from a July 6 random test was included in a U.S. District Court filing.
The filing includes an affidavit from Mayfield’s stepmother, who claims she personally witnessed the driver using methamphetamine at least 30 times over seven years.
TENNIS
Kiss Unseals Fate
Gasquet
Richard Gasquet
escaped a lengthy doping ban when the International Tennis Federation’s tribunal panel ruled that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a
woman in a nightclub. The 23-year-old Frenchman, who
was cleared to resume playing after completing a 21
⁄2
-month ban,
convinced the independent anti-doping tribunal that he ingested cocaine with the kiss with the woman he had just met.
The tribunal panel of three lawyers said Gasquet consumed no more than “a grain of salt” of the drug, and a long ban would be an injustice in a case which was “unusual to the point of being probably unique.”
HORSE RACING
Dutrow Appeals Ban
The trainer of Big Brown, last
year’s Kentucky Derby winner, is appealing a 30-day suspension issued by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for violating doping rules.
Rick Dutrowwas suspended last
week after tests revealed that one of his horses, Salute the Count, had an excessive amount of Clenbuterol in his blood after finishing second in a 2008 race at Churchill Downs. Dutrow has also been ordered to return the purse money won by the horse.
LACROSSE
Hoyas Coach Leads U.S.
Georgetown women’s lacrosse
coach Ricky Fried has been named head coach of the U.S. women’s national team. Fried will oversee the team for a four-year term leading up to the 2013 World Cup. The Hoyas have compiled a 62-30 record and earned four NCAA tournament berths in Fried’s five years at Georgetown.
— From News Services and Staff Reports
TOUR DE FRANCE
Armstrong Still 3rd Overall
SAINT-FARGEAU, France, July 15 — Mark Cavendish won the 11th stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday, while Rinaldo Nocentini of Italy held on to the yellow jersey and Lance Armstrong remained third overall.
Armstrong finished safely in the main pack, with his Astana teammate Alberto Contador narrowly ahead of him in second place overall after Wednesday’s 119-mile trek from Vatan to Saint-Fargeau.
Nocentini leads Contador by six seconds and Armstrong trails by eight. “I feel in very good shape,” Nocentini said. “I hope to keep the yellow jersey.” Nocentini was among the riders who fell in two early crashes, giving Belgian rider Johan Van Summeren and Marcin Sapa of Poland the opportunity to break away after 18.7 miles. “I was in a fall, but nothing too serious. I didn’t hurt myself,” Nocentini said. “I managed to get back up and finish calmly.” Cavendish sealed his second straight stage win and fourth of the Tour. The British cyclist finished about half a bike length ahead of American Tyler Farrar in a sprint finish on a flat stage. The 24-year-old Cavendish finished in 4 hours 17 minutes 55 seconds.
Armstrong, who did not stop for reporters after the stage, finished in 54th place. Contador was 43rd. “Fast start, crashes a plenty, then a
breakaway,” Armstrong wrote on his Twitter feed. “Ended up being pretty relaxed. Cav wins again. . . . Congrats to him.” Cavendish took the green jersey from Thor Hushovd of Norway, who finished fifth, and equaled British rider Barry Hoban’s career tally of eight Tour stage wins.
“I was able to get the jump on Thor and win, so it was perfect,” Cavendish said. “It was just beautiful the way the guys could adapt to the situation and deliver me to the sprint.” Cavendish will defend the green jersey on another flat stage Thursday, a 131-mile trek from Tonnerre to Vittel featuring six small hills. The course again favors sprinters, and time differences are unlikely to be significant among the top three. Armstrong’s rivalry with Contador could be reignited Friday, with a small
BY JASPER JUINEN — GETTY IMAGES
Mark Cavendish of Britain celebrates after winning the 11th stage. Cavendish finished the 119-mile trek in 4 hours 17 minutes 55 seconds, his fourth stage win of the Tour.
opportunity for an attack on one tough climb up the Col du Platzerwasel. However, such an attack likely be more effective in Sunday’s 15th stage — which features a tough uphill ride to Verbier. The early leaders were eventually caught by the chasing pack, led by the
Team Columbia-High Road riders, some three miles from the finish. The Columbia team worked well together at the front, just as they did Tuesday, to get Cavendish in the best position to attack in the closing stages.
—From News Services
WHAT’S ON TAP | WASHINGTONPOST.COM
TODAY’S POLL
CHAT SCHEDULES
Soccer Insider asks, what’s your favorite MLS nonleague competition?
» CONCACAF Champions League
» SuperLiga » U.S. Open Cup
» International friendlies » All-star game » None » Other
washingtonpost.com/ soccerinsider
Today, 11 a.m.: Columnist
Thomas Boswell takes questions on the Nats, the All-Star Game and the latest sports news.
Tomorrow, 2 p.m.: Barry
Svrluga checks in from Scotland, where he’s covering the British Open.
Monday, 1 p.m.: Sally Jenkins
will be online to discuss the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong’s performance.
washingtonpost.com/ discussions
Video: Under the header “Lauer Loves Becks,” Soccer Insider has a clip of the “Today Show” interview with the Los Angeles Galaxy’s David Beckham.
washingtonpost.com/ soccerinsider
MULTIMEDIA BLOGS AND OPINION
The League: Does the “Black Olympics” video cross the line?
NFL News Feed: Ravens
franchise player Terrell Suggs signs a six-year deal.
D.C. Sports Bog: The Wizards’
Andray Blatche explains why he switched jersey numbers.
Capitals Insider: Former star center Dale Hunter gives his impressions of prospect John Carlson and the Kettler Capitals Iceplex.
DAN STEINBERG
WASHINGTONPOST.COM/ D.C. SPORTS BOG
If Wizards’ Young
Is Happy, He Shows It
out, wasn’t known for his happy-go-lucky good cheer. It was an irresistible topic, because Young smiles more than Jack Nicholson’s Joker, and because his earnest response to the criticism was delivered with a five-alarm smile. “I feel like I’m serious,” Young argued, “I just happen to smile all the time.” Word of his alleged excessive happiness, of course, trickled back to his parents, Mae and Charles. Now, I’ve heard of plenty of parents who wished their children acted happier (Hi, Mom and Dad!), but you don’t often hear of parents who wish their children frowned more. The Youngs are no exception, so I asked them about Washington’s second Smiley-gate of this sports year. “But that’s what we do,” Charles
L
said.
“How can you change someone when he’s born with that?” Mae asked.
In fact, the Youngs said, Nick was born with a little tooth in the front of his mouth, which sort of turned his infant face into a smile. His dad said Nick has smiled his whole life, but his mom brought up the family’s tragedies, including the death of Nick’s older brother, Charles Jr., in a drive-by shooting. “You’ve got to remember, a smile is just a frown turned upside down,” Charles said. “We joke and jive about our pain,” Mae said. “We joke and jive about a lot of things. We make fun of it after we went through the process. Okay, that’s how we deal with it. That’s how we move on.” “If you don’t laugh, you’ll go crazy,” Charles said.
“That’s not happiness,” Mae said. “That’s just a cover up for not wanting [people] to get into your world. That is not a real smile. Look at me, I’m doing this,” she said with a fake grin, “but [people] don’t know what’s behind it.”
They admitted that their son has a basically happy personality, but they also explained that there are different angles to his facial expressions. His mom, for example, said Nick doesn’t smile when people treat him badly.
“If he didn’t smile, you was gonna
have to get out of the way; he’s gonna seriously do something wrong, okay?” she said with a chuckle. “So when he stops smiling, know that it’s time — Nick’s gonna do something real bad. As long as he’s got that fake smile on his face, that means that you’re all right, he’ll still tolerate you.”
MUST READS | FROM WASHINGTONPOST.COM
MYSTICS INSIDER
Beard Named a WNBA All-Star
Her entire career, Mystics guard Alana Beard has been drawing the attention of opposing teams.
Coaches try to develop schemes to shut down the fiery and explosive guard, and players double-team her. Yesterday it was announced that the fans have noticed her, too. Beard, in her sixth season out of Duke, was named as a starter for the WNBA All-Star Game, to be played July 25 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. It will be the fourth appearance for Beard, who before yesterday’s loss to San Antonio was averaging 19.1 points per game, but the first time she has been voted a starter by the fans.
— Bill Oram
CAPITALS INSIDER
Bullis Grad Skates in Development Camp
[Rockville native Nick] Sorkin grew up with season tickets to Capitals games and still has a stick
from Peter Bondra, which the former Washington star gave to him after a game eight years ago. . . . Going from lifelong fan to participant in developmental camp is nothing short of a thrill for Sorkin, 18.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “It’s what you dream about when you’re growing up playing here.”
The center’s biggest challenge thus far has been coping with the speed and size of the other players. “Most of the guys are a lot older than me, so I just have to keep up physically,” he said.
— Ishita Singh
D.C. SPORTS BOG
Too Concerned About the Bench?
“I like to play as much as possible,” [Antawn] Jamison said. “Sometimes they say we’re gonna bring
guys in so you don’t have to play that many minutes, and it sounds good, but when you’ve got guys like myself and Gilbert and Caron, we like to play. I think the most important thing is just to be fresh and energetic for the end of the season going into the playoffs.” So are the team’s four or five bigs enough?
“It doesn’t matter how many minutes I play. As long as I’m playing the game of basketball, I’m happy. You don’t know how the minutes are gonna get divided up or who’s gonna get what, but I know I’m starting.”
— Dan Steinberg
Both parents also noted that other NBA greats have been smilers. “Magic Johnson, nobody could touch him, and he kept that big Kool-Aid smile,” Mae said. “Wait a minute, have you ever heard of this guy called LeBron James?” Charles asked. “You see the antics he do on the sideline? If Nick did that, y’all would run him out of Washington.”
It’s true. I’m no coach, but I don’t
want a preening, grimacing superstar in my city. And just so no one gets any wrong ideas, the Youngs were just having fun with this whole topic. “When he smiles at somebody, that means he’s taunting you,” Mae said after her son erupted for 36 points in Tuesday’s NBA Summer League opener. “Like, ‘You can’t deal with me, you can’t handle me, I can terrorize you.’ That’s what he’s doing. He’s not really smiling. See, if he’s laughing out loud, that’s when he’s happy. Like that,” she concluded, pointing to her son, who was surrounded by friends and doubled up in laughter.
LAS VEGAS
ast week, Wizards Coach Flip Saunders said that Nick Young needs to smile less. Michael Jordan, he pointed
The Washington Post
TELEVISION AND RADIO LISTINGS
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
7 p.m. Chicago Cubs at Washington » MASN, WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM); Spanish WXTR (730 AM)
SOFTBALL 8 p.m. World Cup, Netherlands vs. United States » ESPN
GOLF
7 a.m. British Open » TNT
PROFESSIONAL LACROSSE
10 p.m. MLL All-Star Game » ESPN2
CYCLING 8:30 a.m. Tour de France » Versus
WASHINGTON POST LIVE WITH IVAN CARTER
TODAY AT 5 P.M. ON COMCAST SPORTSNET
Washington Post sportswriters Mark Maske and Paul Tenorio will be live in-studio to discuss the day’s sports news during the one-hour show. Also on the program, D.C. United goalie Josh Wicks, former U.S. women’s soccer star Brandi Chastain, and a live guest from the Cubs-Nationals game. If you’re not near a TV, you can watch the broadcast live at washingtonpost.com/sports
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