Well, it's better than finding out posthumously

I'd like to introduce you to Evonne Goolagong, a tennis player from the 1970s.

You don't hear much about her these days, but boy, she went on a tear in 1976, winning six tournaments, including the Australian Open.

But she never quite summited the top of the WTA rankings -- until now.

Some stathead for the WTA plugged all the numbers into a computer (rumor has it they relied heavily on the abacus until the early 1990s), and determined that Goolagong rightfully deserved the #1 ranking for a two-week period.

Two weeks. Thirty years ago. And they sent her a trophy for it. I'm glad credit has been given where credit was due, but I'm plagued by a burning question on the subject.

Who was the geek digging around in 30-year-old stats that found this?

Meaninglessness brought to the masses

If you're dying to watch the New England Patriots make history Saturday night -- but can't afford NFL Network -- you're in luck.

But now that the NFL has made an allowance for CBS and NBC to simulcast the game, it begs the question: how many of us care?

Patriots fans have plenty of reason to watch, but not in the same way we all gathered around the talking box when Big Mac went for 62. History will unfold before our eyes, to be sure, but it all seems like such a foregone conclusion.

In addition to the perfect 16-0 season, New England has a couple of opportunities to make its mark on the record book.

• With two TD passes, Tom Brady will pass Peyton Manning for the single-season TD record (currently at 49).
  
  
• With two TD catches, Randy Moss would eclipse Jerry Rice for the all-time mark (currently 22, set in a strike-shortened season of 12 games).
  


• And with a mere touchdown, the Patriots will pass the '98 Vikings as the most prolific scoring team in history (the current points record is 556).

But are these records you need to see broken? Could you have picked the NFL's highest scoring team on a multiple choice test? Even the perfect season doesn't seem as big a deal, since we all figured out about Week 9 that the Patriots couldn't be beaten.

Furthermore, the game is of no consequence to the Giants, who have already clinched a Wild Card berth and stand to gain nothing by winning. So basically, it will be a regular season game for the Patriots and a preseason game for New York. Riveting!

I'm as much a fan of history as anyone else, and normally the opportunity to watch a record-setting sports event would make my hair stand on end. Saturday will be different, though. I'll probably flip on the game and watch a quarter or two, but if my wife asks me to accompany her to the grocery store, I won't object.

Vote Now (in poll to the right): Will you watch the Patriots go for 16-0?

If you're going to a bowl game, Watch your back

Chalk it up to filler on a slow news day, if you like, but I find this AP piece about terrorism at sporting events more than a little unnerving.

The story points out that while professional sports have stepped up their security measures, NCAA events have security barely superior to than a junior league soccer game at the park. Numbers aren't necessarily the problem, however.

Because most college and universities outsource its security and ushering duties, the types of personnel available in the event of an emergency aren't always top drawer. Picture the saggy-cheeked grandpa or the pimply-faced teenager. Are those the guys you want watching your back while you watch the game?

I've often thought when I walked into a stadium (college or professional) that this could be a prime target for terrorist action. At least 30,000 -- sometimes up to 100,000 -- people in one confined space. How hard would it be for one individual with weapons or explosives to make it past security and carry out a suicide mission? How vulnerable would fans be with no easy exits and no plans for evacuation?

It's sad we've come to need this, but Southern Miss has developed a center for Spectator Sports Security Management, which is charged with the task of training security professionals across the country for just this type of scenario.

I just hope it isn't too late.

Security experts worry about safety at college stadiums (AP, via Yahoo! sports)

Bizarre behavior from the Flying Tomato

If you're a fan of winter sports, you may remember Shaun White as a gold medal winner.

If you're a pop culture junkie, you may recall White as the Flying Tomato in this issue of Rolling Stone.

But if you're a Summit County (Colorado) sheriff, you probably know White as the punk who set off the fire alarm and looks suspicious in the theft of a 2000 Audi.

A security camera caught someone who looked very much like White setting off the alarm in the game room at Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge, and a little sleuthing showed White's boot prints tracking away from the scene of the crime.

White was questioned in the theft of the Audi, which took place the same day, but later ruled out as a suspect for reasons unclear. Just guessing here, but perhaps it had to do with the fact that White probably has more than enough endorsement money to buy his own 2000 Audi.

White is still only 21, and besides his second-degree criminal tampering citation will probably be dismissed or otherwise forgotten. But you have to wonder, after White's bizarre and disappointing behavior, who will all the young, pasty white, freckled red-headed snowboarders look up to now?

White cited with criminal tampering (AP, via si.com)
"Flying Tomato" cited in Breckenridge (Denver Post)

Zo Long: Mourning the end of a great career

In all likelihood, Alonzo Mourning's 16-season NBA career is over.

Mourning came down wrong while trying to block a shot on transition defense Wednesday night, and you could tell by his writhing and pounding on the floor that it probably wasn't just a twisted ankle. The bottom line was a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

And as someone who's dislocated a knee before, I can tell you that's about the worst kind of pain to have. Typical recovery period is three months, but for a 37-year old to recover and get back in playing shape within the confines of this season seems highly unlikely.

So with that, I want to thank Alonzo Mourning for a great career, one in which there were many highlights:

• Mourning would have been the #1 pick out of Georgetown, if it wasn't for some big ogre named Shaquille. With 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game, he would have been Rookie of the Year, too -- except Shaq was better.
  
  
• Zo was the top dog on a fierce '94-95 Charlotte team, one that won 50 games and finished second in the Atlantic Conference Central Division. But then he ran into the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the first round of the playoffs.
  
  
• Mourning amassed over 2,800 blocks, good for a career average of 2.8 per game. In his best seasons, Zo would get 3.5 a game, and in '98-98, he almost got four.
  
  
• Zo was never an MVP, but he was a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Despite six seasons in which he averaged 20 points or more, you could always tell that defense was most important. Especially when he bellered or scowled at an opponent after blocking a shot.
  
  
• Mourning got the Holy Grail of basketball when the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship in 2006. Zo was a role player, to be sure, averaging 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in just over 20 minutes a game. But you know what? Role players get rings, too, and with Shaq missing over 40 games that season, the Heat probably couldn't have done it without him.
  
  
• Perhaps the most impressive feat at all was accomplished off the basketball court, when Mourning battled kidney disease and came back from a transplant surgery. No way would he allow himself to become the sad story of an NBA star whose career ended far too early. After missing the '02-03 season for the surgery and recovery period, Zo returned a different player. Less stamina, less strength, perhaps, but more hustle. Less flash, more heart. And while he would never again be a star, he got the NBA championship that is the envy of every player who's never won one.

If Zo can beat kidney disease, he may be man enough to speed through a recovery and help the Heat in the playoffs. I suspect not, but if so I will gladly suspend my eulogy at that time. But if this is it -- and Mourning has stated that this will be his last season -- we owe him thanks for a phenomenal career.

Atlanta 117, Miami 111 (AP, via Yahoo! sports)
Alonzo Mourning player profile (Yahoo! sports)
Alonzo Mourning (Wikipedia)

Separated at Birth: Mike Mussina and Mark Prior

ESPN.com is reporting in its Rumor Central section that the Yankees and Mets are among 11 teams eyeing Mark Prior (left). Which got me thinking: is New York big enough for two people who look like this? Mike Mussina (right) was unavailable for comment.

Is Dodgers' Kuroda the next Kei Igawa?

You may recall that amidst all the hype about Daisuke Matsuzaka last off season, the Yankees paid for what they thought was a consolation prize in the Dice-K sweepstakes.

Kei Igawa.

Between the posting fee and a five-year contract, Igawa turned out to be a $46 million dollar bust. When the dust had settled, Igawa 2-3 with a 6.25 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP.

Why the late-breaking news, though? As is the case with most Japanese imports, we don't know much about the Dodgers' new signee, Hirokee Kuroda; without having seen him play, we can only go on stats. And if stats is what we're going on, the Dodgers may have signed another Kei Igawa.

The similarities are startling, and if you had to choose one based on their Japanese league stats alone, it would have to be Igawa. In six plus seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, Igawa was 89-60 (.589 winning percentage) with a 3.15 ERA. He consistently struck out 170-200 batters per season, and in 2003, he won the Central League MVP award and the Sawamura Award, the Japanese equivalent to the Cy Young.

In 11 seasons with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, facing the same hitters in the same league, Kuroda was 103-89 (.536 winning percentage) with a 3.69 ERA. Kuroda averaged between 130 and 160 strikeouts per season.

It's worth pointing out, however, that the two pitchers pitch with different styles. Igawa is a lefty who uses more finesse than power, and it may have been his inability to locate the offspeed stuff that led to his demise here in the states. Kuroda, by contrast, is a right-handed power pitcher whose fastball reportedly peaks at 96 mph, and who also features a slider and a forkball. Also, his nickname in Japan is "Mr. Complete Game."

Igawa is 28, and since the Yankees have him under contract anyway, they may as well continue to work with him. And who knows, maybe he'll regain his Sawamura Award form and become a bargain. Kuroda, though, is 32, so it's more likely that what the Dodgers see this season is what they'll get for the length of the three-year, $35.2 million deal.

Japanese pitcher Kuroda, Dodgers agree to 3-year deal (ESPN)
Kei Igawa (Japanesebaseball.com ~ Wikipedia)
Hiroki Kuroda (Japanesebaseball.com ~ Wikipedia)