Phillies’ phailings
The Philadelphia Phillies are on the verge of becoming the first professional sports franchise to lose 10,000 games – and the final countdown to the ignominious mark is being, well, celebrated in Philadelphia. “Magical Misery Tour” is what the Philadelphia Daily News called its retrospective of a 124-year history that includes only one World Series title, in 1980. “Phabulous Phutility,” the Inquirer called it. The Phillies played their first game in 1883 – and lost, naturally. They lost 23 in a row in 1961, a major-league record. Fourteen times, they have lost at least 100 games in a season, finishing an astonishing 62 1/2 games out of first place in 1942. And perhaps worst of all, in 1964, they had a 6 1/2-game lead in the National League standings with 12 games to play, then lost the pennant by losing 10 in a row. But don’t say they don’t love their sports in Philly. Folks are selling T-shirts to commemorate the milestone.
Taking a different course
“One thing I also tease Tiger about is that I did graduate with my degree. He didn’t, but he got his Masters a lot earlier than I have.”
Notah Begay III, a teammate of Woods at Stanford, made the future star carry his bags the first semester of his freshman year.
All-star security at McCovey Cove
If you’re thinking McCovey Cove is where you want to be during the all-star festivities at AT&T Park in San Francisco, read the fine print before you load up the kayak. Extra security measures will be in force. The U.S. Coast Guard and the San Francisco police will enforce a security zone Saturday through Tuesday, with public access confined to a limited number of human-powered watercrafts, such as kayaks or canoes, that must be pre-registered through the Giants and launched from official access points. Boaters must also consent to a search before they enter the security zone and are required to have a life jacket and a device, such as a whistle or horn, as well as a flashlight after dark. Besides all that, they’ll have to watch out for ESPN’s Kenny Mayne during the Home Run Derby on Monday. He’ll be in the “Scuba Cam” kayak.
