Bob Costas plans to honor Israelis

Updated Jul 23, 2012 7:42 PM ET

     

 

NEW YORK (AP)

NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas says he plans his own on-air commemoration this week of the Israelis killed in Munich 40 years ago despite the refusal of Olympic authorities to do so during Friday's opening ceremony for the London Games.

Remembering Munich

View a gallery of images from the 1972 Munich Massacre.

A bid to honor the athletes and coaches killed by Palestinian gunmen during the 1972 games with a moment of silence has gained momentum recently, even drawing President Barack Obama's support.
Costas, who called the International Olympic Committee's decision baffling, told the Hollywood Reporter that he intends to note that denial on Friday when Israeli athletes enter the Olympic Stadium. Costas has been the lead host of NBC's Olympics coverage for 20 years.
''Many people find that denial more than puzzling but insensitive,'' Costas said. ''Here's a minute of silence right now.''
Through a spokesman, Costas denied a request by The Associated Press to speak further about his plans. His comments to the Hollywood Reporter were made more than a month ago and published late last week, and NBC noted that things can change in the interim.
''Our production plans for Opening Ceremony are still being finalized and Bob is part of that planning,'' said NBC Sports Group spokesman Adam Freifeld.

RELIVING THE TERROR

Four decades after our worst fears were realized, the Munich massacre remains seared in our psyche.

IOC President Jacques Rogge offered a moment of silence Monday to the 11 Israelis during an Olympic Village ceremony promoting a United Nations initiative calling on nations to halt armed conflict during the games. It drew about 100 people.
Two days earlier, Rogge said that the opening ceremony ''is an atmosphere that is not fit to remember such a tragic incident.'' The opening ceremony is televised worldwide; in the U.S. alone NBC's telecast of the 2008 Games in Beijing averaged 34.2 million viewers.
Abraham Foxman, national direction of the Anti-Defamation League, said support from Costas would be welcome. Foxman's organization, which promotes Jewish causes, has backed an effort to bring notice to the Munich victims at opening ceremonies for years.
''I think he's right, and I think it will make a difference because of who he is,'' Foxman said. ''It's sad that one has to characterize it as courageous. It's such a common-sense thing to do.''
Criticizing the IOC could be a delicate issue for NBC. In addition to choosing where future Olympic competitions will be held, Rogge's organization also awards exclusive rights to televise the events to networks in different countries. The IOC has awarded NBC those rights in the U.S. through the 2020 Games.

Here comes the science! Els can rule the world again, says his sports scientist

The Open champion's in-house boffin says he'll go on to claim more Major titles now he has addressed his putting deficiencies

Ernie Els will claim more Majors now he can putt again, according to the sports scientist who helped him win The Open.
The Big Easy admitted he felt like an "absolute fool" on the greens earlier this season and TV commentator David Feherty joked he looked like he was "putting with a live rattlesnake".
But since hiring Dr Sherylle Calder - his fellow South African who has worked with the England and Springbok rugby teams - Els has refound his old touch.
And Calder said the 42-year-old is not finished with his fourth Major.
"He was absolutely terrible when we started working together in January," she said. "The way his hands moved, the way he hit the ball - the stroke wasn't fluid.
"We basically started from scratch. Every credit has to go to a guy who has reached the top of the game to do that.
"We're nowhere near where we want to be - we still have a way to go - so this is a big bonus. I'm delighted for him.
"There's always room for improvement and the aim is to win Majors as we get better at what we do."
Els, who last won a Major at the 2002 Open, explained: "Basically it is eye gym. You go to the gym for your body and you do your curls or your cardio or whatever to get your body in shape.
"And it is the same with your eyes. You get your eyes in shape. You can get a bit lazy.
"It's reaction stuff. There will be rugby balls, cricket balls and soccer balls coming up on screen. There's a little up and down arrow so as this happens, you have to react on screen.
"And then there's a number that appears for a split second and you've got to remember the number and type it in.
"Last year I thought I had no chance of winning again. Last year was a pretty big hole.
"But since the start of the year and especially the last month or two, I started seeing some better signs and stared believing in that.
"I had no confidence in my putting. So to win the Open after all that is quite satisfying."

SIZZLING STEYN SINKS ENGLAND

LONDON: South Africa moved to within one victory of becoming the No. 1 Test team in the world after trouncing England by an innings and 12 runs yesterday led by Dale Steyn's five-wicket haul.
Steyn finished with 5-56 and was supported by legspinner Imran Tahir's 3-63 as England slumped from 203-5 to all out for 240 during the afternoon session on the last day of the first Test at The Oval.
South Africa leads 1-0 in the three-match series and will replace England at the top of the ICC world rankings if they win the second Test, which starts on August 2 at Headingley in Leeds.
Ian Bell and Matt Prior had given England hope of saving the match with a stand of 86 after Ravi Bopara (22) was the first batsman out yesterday with 15 added to the overnight total of 102-4.
But England collapsed after Prior fell for 40, caught in the slips by Jacques Kallis trying to sweep Tahir.
Seven runs later, Steyn claimed the key wicket of Bell, who made 55 from 220 balls with six fours.
It was a bruising defeat for England, which had enjoyed the better of the first day to reach 267-3. South Africa dominated from then, however, led by an epic 311 not out by Hashim Amla, an unbeaten 182 from Jacques Kallis and 131 from captain Graeme Smith to give the visitors a daunting 637-2 declared.
England realistically needed to bat through at least two sessions Monday to save the match, but poor shot selection contributed to its first Test defeat at home since going down to Pakistan at this venue in 2010.
Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss had already gifted South Africa their wickets on Sunday with needlessly extravagant shots, and Bopara followed suit just 30 minutes into the morning session. Bopara flashed at a delivery from Steyn that he could have ignored, dragging the ball onto middle stump.
Wicketkeeper AB de Villiers then dropped Bell, who was on 20, after he nicked a delivery from Tahir that he was trying to block.
Bell narrowly avoided being run out in the 62nd over when a direct hit from JP Duminy would have left him stranded by a foot, but he and Matt Prior otherwise batted with discipline to survive 90 minutes to the end of the session.
England whittled away South Africa's lead after lunch until Prior, having batted sensibly for 132 minutes, tried to sweep Tahir and was caught at slip by Jacques Kallis for 40.
The game appeared to be up for England when Steyn removed Bell with his second delivery with the new ball. Bell opened the face of his bat and tried to run the ball to third man, but merely guided it to Kallis at slip.
Stuart Broad was caught behind for 0 off Steyn on referral, while Graeme Swann launched a doomed counterattack and was caught for 7 by Alviro Petersen off Steyn.
The victory was sealed when James Anderson was trapped lbw to Tahir for 4.

Toronto flip-flops on decision to bar teen sports shooters from Ontario Games event

Jake Edmiston  Jul 23, 2012 – 6:58 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 23, 2012 7:07 PM ETChris Baldwin, 18, who's scheduled to compete as a sport shooter at the Ontario Summer Games in Toronto next month.

Bowing to criticism from the sports community on Monday, City of Toronto staff reversed a decision that barred two teen sport shooting champions from speaking at an Ontario Summer Games ceremony.
In the wake of the Scarborough shooting last week, organizers thought it best that national sporting rifle champions Chris Baldwin, 18, and Sabrina Sergeant, 17 be prevented from speaking at a youth promotion event in Toronto on Wednesday ahead of the Ontario Summer Games, which take place in August.

“This is unfortunately something that has been handed down to us out of our control and we deeply apologize,” read an email sent to the two athletes last Tuesday — a day after the Danzig Avenue block party shooting that killed two and injured two dozens others.

Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision

“We realize that gun violence has nothing to do with the sport of Sporting Rifle or any of your Athletes and that your sport promotes the safe and responsible use of rifles.”
City spokesperson Deborah Blackstone said the decision was made “due to the very young audience expected to participate” at Wednesday’s event, that will see over 200 summer camps try out the various sports associated with the Summer Games.
This week, the Canadian Shooting Sports Association released a statement condemning the decision.
“These teens are very disciplined and have refined their craft over many years, and now some faceless anti-gun bureaucrats are associating them with drug dealing, gang member criminals,” said John Evers, who runs the London-area sportsmen’s association that produced both Mr. Baldwin and Ms. Sergeant.
Mr. Baldwin, who’s won a total of six gold medals at previous Summer Games, said he received a call from organizers on Monday afternoon informing him that he’d receive his three minutes of speaking time on Wednesday after all. The city’s change of heart came after the National Post publicized the ban on the two athletes in a column by Matt Gurney on its web site on Monday.
Mr. Baldwin took the city’s flip-flop in stride.
“The message I will be giving the people in the room isn’t going to change,” said the teen, who began shooting at age eight. “As an athlete ambassador, I can’t go and rant for three minutes about the stupidity of the decision that was made earlier. I’m going to talk about the importance of the Summer Games for my sport.”
City staff were unavailable for comment Monday and the statement from the City of Toronto was unclear on who exactly gave the directive to stop the athletes from speaking, and then changed their mind.
“Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision,” wrote Ms. Blackstone in an email to the National Post.
National Post
With files from Matt Gurney

Find below the text of the email sent by an employee of the City of Toronto last week:
RE: Athlete Ambassador Appearances
Sent: Jul 17, 2012 3:31 PM
Unfortunately due to the untimely shootings that have taken place in Scarborough and the City recently, we have received a directive that we can no longer have the Sporting Rifle Athlete Ambassadors present on stage at the World Record Camp Games event.
This is unfortunately something that has been handed down to us out of our control and we deeply apologize. We realize that gun violence has nothing to do with the sport of Sporting Rifle or any of your Athletes and that your sport promotes the safe and responsible use of rifles.
We appreciate your understanding of this matter and apologize to both the CSSA and your Athlete Ambassadors sincerely.
Shortly before 4 p.m. Toronto time on Monday, the city of Toronto sent this statement to the editors of the National Post:
In follow up to Matt Gurney’s article, we wanted to provide you with the following information:
Upon further reflection, and discussion with the Games Organizing Committee, the City of Toronto regrets the decision that was communicated to the Canadian Shooting Sports Association and supports the participation of all athlete ambassadors in the on stage welcoming ceremony of the World Record Camp Games. The athlete ambassadors representing the sport shooting have been invited to participate in the welcoming ceremony at the World Record Camp Games.
The City of Toronto very much values the participation of all Ontario Summer Games athlete ambassadors in the World Record Camp Games event and looks forward to hosting all athletes representing all 28 sporting events at the 2012 Ontario Summer Games.

Innovative Fox Sports Chairman David Hill leaving Fox Sports

By Michael Hiestand, USA TODAY
David Hill, who pioneered putting NFL game clocks continuously onscreen, is leaving Fox Sports.
The Fox Sports chairman, who led the launch of the News Corp. network sports division in 1993, used the continuous onscreen clock at a time when broadcasters across the board rejected the idea out of fear that viewers would quickly change the channel if they could instantly see a game was a blowout.

CAPTION

By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY

Hill's other innovations include baseball coverage with constant camera cross-cuts – they make down times between pitches seem more lively – as well as the so-called glowing puck for NHL action. The puck appeared to glow and left an onscreen "comet tail" in its wake. Occasionally, though, the glowing puck would go awry and appear to pop in and out of the stands.Hill's creations also included putting tiny cameras in baseball fields and (sometimes annoying) animated characters on event coverage – such as a gopher cartoon character tht would pop up from the track during coverage of NASCAR races. Hill also brought UFC MMA programming to Fox in mixed martial arts' first big broadcast network deal.
Hill will continue working for News Corp., focusing on programming and digital initiatives in and out of the U.S. In a restructing, Fox Sports co-presidents Randy Freer and Eric Shanks now will report to Fox Networks Group president Peter Rice.
Hill, a native of Australia, in a statement said he's "immensely proud of the work we've done to revolutionize the television business."

Oakland A's playing 'Moneyball' again

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Moneyball, take two?

Exactly a decade after the Oakland Athletics inspired the book that became a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt last summer, baseball's most frugal franchise is becoming a must-see attraction again. The A's are a majors-best 14-2 in July and coming off a stunning four-game sweep of the high-priced New York Yankees to move into a tie for the final American League wild card spot.
With a little more than two months to play, general manager Billy Beane's new bunch of no-names and up-and-comers are starting to turn the Oakland Coliseum into the real-life ''Moneyball'' sequel.
''I think Billy's really good at finding eager players to be able to produce,'' third baseman Brandon Inge said. ''Kind of the opposite of high-maintenance players. They're not all caught up in selfish stats. They want to come in and they want to be a part of a winning organization, and that makes the difference in everything. We really don't have any high-dollar guys who are prima donnas. That's probably the key. We're more of a blue-collar team.''
And a low-budget team, too.
Still saddled with the same ballpark issues, Oakland traded away its three best pitchers - All-Stars Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, and 2009 Rookie of the Year closer Andrew Bailey - last winter in the latest payroll purge. Oakland began the season with a league-low $53 million payroll.
To put that in perspective: the $200 million Yankees have two stars - slugger Alex Rodriguez ($30 million) and ace CC Sabathia ($24.3) million - making more money combined this year than the entire A's roster.
Sweeping the big, bad Bronx Bombers for the first time in a four-game series at the aging Oakland Coliseum sent a clear message across the American League: Wins aren't coming cheap against the A's anymore.
''It definitely feels good to battle and be victorious against the best teams, on paper, in the game,'' said center fielder Coco Crisp, whose two-out RBI single in the 12th inning Sunday capped Oakland's major-league leading 11th walk-off win. ''You can look up and down a lot of lineups like Detroit, or the Angels, the teams with high payrolls. Obviously, they have high payrolls for a reason, because the players on the team deserve it. When we battle against those guys and come out with wins, it's definitely a great feeling.''
When the season began, nobody figured Oakland could contend. Most thought the A's would lose around 90 games. Some guessed 100.
Instead, a new class of youngsters emerged: outfielder Josh Reddick, catcher Derek Norris and pitchers Tommy Milone, Jarrod Parker and Travis Blackley. The arms have carried the club more than anything, even while Oakland's three best remaining starters in the rotation - Brandon McCarthy, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden - are rehabbing from injuries.
The A's lead the American League with a 3.37 ERA, almost a third of a run better than Tampa Bay and New York, who are bunched in the pack trailing Oakland. Oakland also is on pace to shatter last year's mark of 114 home runs, already having smacked 101 long balls in what is becoming a sudden surge of power at the plate, offsetting a majors-worst .228 batting average.
''It's the same formula when I was here and we were winning,'' said Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez, who played for the A's from 1998-2010.
The comparison to those A's of old might still be premature.
Beane bucked the trend of relying on the common trio of statistics - batting average, home runs and RBIs for hitters; wins, losses and ERA for pitchers - and instead turned to hard numbers over subjective scouting to fuel his team's successful runs in the early 2000s. Every team now uses some level of ''sabermetrics,'' and all with more money than Oakland.
The A's also have only won five straight and 14 of the last 16 games heading into Tuesday's series at Toronto. Those 2002 Athletics chronicled in Michael Lewis' best-selling book won an AL-record 20 consecutive games, with the last coming in September, not late July.
There have still been some thrilling moments, with 10 different players accounting for Oakland's major-league leading 11 wins on a game-ending RBI. And after every one, players toss whipped-cream pies and a sports-drink bath at the hitter in a celebration that has become so routine concession workers behind the dugout already have them prepared in the late innings.
''Those games are hard to win,'' A's manager Bob Melvin said. ''It means you're scrappy and you won't take defeat and you'll battle till the last out.''
The surprising run hasn't washed away Oakland's biggest problem: an aging ballpark the team says drains money and forces the franchise to shed stars for salary relief each offseason.
The latest rebuilding project came as a result of Beane and owner Lew Wolff's insistence that they expected to hear from Commissioner Bud Selig about whether the franchise would be allowed to build a new ballpark some 40 miles south in San Jose, even though the San Francisco Giants own the territorial rights to technology-rich Santa Clara County. More than three years since Selig formed a committee to study the issue, no resolution seems to be coming soon.
No big contracts or proven players, either.
Oakland's only All-Star representative was rookie closer Ryan Cook, who has a 1.70 ERA and 10 saves. Reddick leads the team with 21 home runs and 46 RBIs. The highest-paid player is outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who signed a $36 million, four-year contract after coming over from Cuba.
Cespedes is batting .299 with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs this season, even after he was sidelined for about a month with a strained muscle in his left hand. While his back-loaded contract makes many wonder how long Oakland will be able to afford him, it's clear how much Cespedes has helped the A's latest ''Moneyball'' movement.
Oakland is 39-24 with Cespedes in the lineup and 12-20 without him.
''If the playoffs started tomorrow,'' Cespedes said in Spanish over the weekend, ''you better be careful against the Oakland A's.''

NCAA slams Penn State, fines it $60 million

By MARC LEVY, MICHAEL RUBINKAM and RALPH D. RUSSO (Associated Press) | The Associated Press

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) -- A potential exodus of star athletes. No hope of playing in the postseason. More than a decade of accomplishments erased from the record books. And Joe Paterno's legacy in shreds.

Penn State football, a longtime powerhouse that was once one of the cleanest, most admired programs in college sports, escaped the so-called death penalty from the NCAA on Monday but was dealt a heavy blow that will cripple it for years to come.
The university agreed to an unprecedented $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award - the price it will pay for having looked the other way while Jerry Sandusky brought boys onto campus and molested them.
The NCAA also erased 14 years of victories, wiping out 111 of Paterno's wins and stripping him of his standing as the most successful coach in the history of big-time college football.
''Football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people,'' NCAA President Mark Emmert declared.
Penn State meekly accepted its punishment, pledging to hold itself to high standards of honesty and integrity.
Penn State spokesman David La Torre said university President Rodney Erickson had no choice but to acquiesce, given the threat of a total shutdown of the football program.
''It was clear Penn State faced an alternative - a long-term death penalty and additional sanctions for the program, university and whole community. Given the situation, he believed the sanctions offered and accepted was the appropriate and course of action,'' La Torre said.
At a student union on campus, several dozen alumni and students gasped, groaned and whistled as they watched Emmert's news conference. The news was a crushing blow to many students.
Nicole Lord, a senior, questioned why Penn State's student body, and especially its athletes, should be punished ''for the wrongs of three men and a monster.''
''They keep breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts and breaking our hearts,'' she said.
Sandusky, a former member of Paterno's coaching staff, was found guilty in June of sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years, sometimes on campus. An investigation commissioned by the school and released July 12 found that Paterno, who died of lung cancer in January at age 85, and three other top officials at Penn State concealed accusations against Sandusky for fear of bad publicity.
The NCAA's punishment was announced a day after the school took down a statue of Paterno that stood outside Beaver Stadium.
The sanctions will make it difficult for the Nittany Lions to compete at the sport's highest level. Raising the specter of an exodus of athletes, the NCAA said current or incoming football players are free to immediately transfer and compete at another school.
For a university that always claimed to hold itself to a higher standard - for decades, Paterno preached ''success with honor'' - Monday's announcement completed a stunning fall from grace.
Paterno's family said in a statement that the sanctions ''defame the legacy and contributions of a great coach and educator.''
''This is not a fair or thoughtful action; it is a panicked response to the public's understandable revulsion at what Sandusky did,'' the family said.
Emmert said the penalties reflect ''the magnitude of these terrible acts'' and also ''ensure that Penn State will rebuild an athletic culture that went horribly awry.''
He said the NCAA considered imposing the death penalty, or a complete shutdown of football for a season or more, but worried about the collateral damage.
''Suspension of the football program would bring with it significant unintended harm to many who had nothing to do with this case,'' Emmert said. ''The sanctions we have crafted are more focused and impactful than that blanket penalty.''
Gov. Tom Corbett expressed gratitude that Penn State escaped the death penalty, saying it would have had a ''severe detrimental impact on the citizens of State College, Centre County and the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania.''
A drop-off in attendance and revenue could damage both the university, where the football team is a moneymaker that subsidizes other sports, and much of central Pennsylvania, where Saturday afternoon football at Penn State is an important part of the economy.
But given Penn State's famously ardent fans and generous benefactors, the precise economic impact on Penn State and Happy Valley, as the surrounding area is known, remains unclear.
First-year coach Bill O'Brien, who was hired to replace Paterno, will have the daunting task of trying to keep players from fleeing the program while luring new recruits.
''I knew when I accepted the position that there would be tough times ahead,'' O'Brien said.
Already, at least one recruit, Ross Douglas, a defensive back from Avon, Ohio, backed out of his commitment. Douglas told Rivals.com on Monday: ''We prepared ourselves for it, and today was just the icing on the cake. I love Penn State to death, but I have to do what's best for me, and I'm going to look elsewhere.''
Separately, the Big Ten announced that Penn State will not be allowed to share in the conference's bowl revenue during the NCAA's postseason ban, an estimated loss of about $13 million.
Emmert fast-tracked the penalties rather than go through the usual circuitous series of investigations and hearings.
The NCAA said the $60 million fine is equivalent to the annual gross revenue of the football program. The money will go toward outside programs devoted to preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims.
Penn State said it will pay the fine in five annual installments of $12 million. The governor demanded assurances from Penn State that taxpayer money will not be used to pay the fine; Penn State said it will cover it with its athletics reserve fund and capital maintenance budget and, if necessary, borrow money.
By throwing out all Penn State victories from 1998 to 2011, the NCAA stripped Paterno of the top spot in the record book. The governing body went all the way back to 1998 because, according to the investigative report, that is the year Paterno and other Penn State officials first learned of an allegation against Sandusky.
Former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will replace Paterno with 377 major-college victories, while Paterno will be credited with 298.
''I didn't want it to happen like this,'' Bowden said. ''Wish I could have earned it, but that's the way it is.''
Penn State will also lose 20 scholarships a year for four years. Major college football programs are normally allowed 85 scholarship players per year.
The postseason ban is the longest handed out by the NCAA since it gave a four-year punishment to Indiana football in 1960.
Penn State players left a team meeting on campus in State College without talking to reporters. Penn State's season starts Sept. 1 at home against Ohio University.
''Our heritage, our legacy has been tainted and damaged,'' said Troy Cromwell, a wide receiver on the 1986 team that won the second of Paterno's two national championships. Cromwell said he felt bad for current and incoming players, ''but at the end of the day, there were still those kids, those poor kids, and those victims, and we have to think about them first in everything that we do.''
The harshest penalty handed out to a football program came in the 1980s, when the NCAA shut down Southern Methodist University's team for a year. SMU football has never gotten back to the level of success it had before getting the death penalty.
Jim Delany, commissioner of the Big Ten conference, said he believes Penn State is capable of bouncing back. ''I do have a strong sense that many of the ingredients of success are still at Penn State and will be there in future years,'' he said.
---
Russo reported from New York. Associated Press writers Mark Scolforo in State College, Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh, Tom Coyne in Indianapolis and Brent Kallestad in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this story, along with AP videographer Dan Huff in State College.