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Sports Watch
YOU'VE got to love the wild-card Seattle Mariners, who swept the Chicago White Sox to advance to the ALCS against either New York or Oakland. Mariners doing
it their wayFor one thing, the Mariners did it without Ken Griffey Jr., proving that baseball's not a one-man game.
They finished next to last in the AL West with Junior. With Griffey gone, the Mariners advanced to the ALCS.
Meanwhile, the Reds figured they'd easily win the National League Central Division with Griffey on board.
The addition of Griffey would make a 10-game difference, said Reds manager Jack McKeon, since fired. Instead, the Reds had 11 fewer victories and finished 10 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.
A Seattle fan couldn't resist a dig at Griffey, holding up a sign that said, "Hey, Jr. How's Your Vacation?"
And what goes around, comes around.
The Reds have gone through five managers since winning the 1990 World Series. The manager then? Lou Piniella, now with the Mariners.
Adding to the Mariners' likability was their class act following yesterday's 2-1 victory. They held their winning champagne celebration, not in the clubhouse, but on the field, sharing the special moment with their faithful fans.
That almost makes one want to root for the Mariners to win the AL pennant and go on to the World Series.
The Mariners are certainly deserving, considering they eliminated baseball's most feel-good story of the year -- the White Sox, the majors' highest-scoring team.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay finished dead last in the AL East and deservedly so.
The Devil Rays suffered a public relations disaster off the field as well. They asked the St. Petersburg High School band to play the national anthem before last Sunday's season finale. And to pay for the privilege.
Each of the 75 members of the band was asked to pay $6 to enter Tropicana Field.
The principal was insulted and rightly so. And the band decided not to play.
NO KICKS COMING: Sometimes, the gender-equity issue can be carried too far.
Take the lawsuit of the woman kicker who is suing Duke University because she was cut from the football team because of her gender.
Heather Sue Mercer was a walk-on place-kicker in 1994. The university insists Mercer was cut because she lacked the skills of other kickers.
Former coach Fred Goldsmith, having two girls of his own, gave her an opportunity he would not have given a man with the same skills she had, according to the school's attorney.
Goldsmith might have thought it was a novel idea. But it backfired. Figure on college coaches not taking any chances in the future. If anything, by filing suit, Mercer might have closed the door of opportunity for others of her sex.
LIVE ON MONDAYS: It's nice to know we all can again go to our favorite watering holes to watch "Monday Night Football" on satellite live.
KITV's Mike Rosenberg didn't explain why he decided not to pursue legal action against bars showing NFL games live, hours before the station's delayed telecast.
Maybe ABC's national promo had something to do with it.
During the Olympics, in a dig against NBC, ABC had Regis Philbin saying, "It's ("Monday Night Football") live and the U.S. team always wins."
Well, it wouldn't have been truth in advertising, if KITV had continued to threaten bars from doing just that.
Bill Kwon has been writing about
sports for the Star-Bulletin since 1959.
