Sports Then and Now

It was summer, in the late 1950s. I was a young kid about to enter the “Sandblasters”, an intermediate baseball league, just a step below Little League.

My old hand-me-down ball glove was feeling it’s age, so I was saving my money for a new one. The fact that all my friends were sporting new gloves may have fueled my motives as well…

Finally the day arrived when I had enough cash to plunk down $8.95 at the Montgomery Wards store and buy my very own mitt. I didn’t care that it was a Hawthorne, Wards’ economy “house brand”.

It had a great new-leather smell and it was a Stan Musial signature model.

After the initial thrill began to wear off, I noticed it was rather stiff and felt awkward in my hand. It had no “pocket”, like my old glove.

A pocket is important in a baseball mitt. It is the very heart of the glove—a vague, but tangible “sweet spot” inside the webbing, where every hit or thrown ball would ideally be captured.

In the mind of a yet unspoiled and innocent lad, the pocket held a certain mystique—a magnetic attraction to any spherical horsehide object in motion.

My older brother told me how I could quickly form a pocket in my new glove: oil the mitt generously with goose grease, place a ball in the web of the glove, then close the glove around the ball and tie it tightly with a rawhide shoelace.

For some yet unknown reason, it was also important to place the bundle under my pillow and sleep on it. Read the rest of this entry →

Chicago Red Star and Illini alum Ella Masar earned her first national cap with the U.S. National Team on October 29 in Augsburg, Germany.

The following is a post from Ella Masar’s blog at the Illini Women’s Soccer site.

Chicago Red Star and Illini alum Ella Masar earned her first national cap with the U.S. National Team on October 29 in Augsburg, Germany, subbing into the U.S.-Germany match in the 73rd minute for Amy Rodriguez. The U.S. won 1-0 in a battle of the top two teams in the world. Below, Ella shares her thoughts and experiences on playing for the U.S.

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My First Cap

The silence is something I will never forget.

It is something that will be stored in my mind more than any other. More than walking into the locker room and seeing for the first time Masar on the back of a red, white and blue Jersey. More than coming out of the tunnel to hearing boos to a sold-out arena. Even more than Pia Sundage patting me on the back asking me if I was ready, me simply smiling, and telling her thank you. Read the rest of this entry →

WPS has unveiled their uniforms for 2010.

2010 is THE year for soccer. Last night in Philadelphia, PUMA and Women’s Professional Soccer unveiled the new 2010 WPS Home and Away Uniforms, including the official kit debut of the newest franchises, the Atlanta Beat and Philadelphia Independence.

Fusing fashion with sport, PUMA launched the newly-designed uniforms from the Power collection, keeping both style and performance in mind and giving players the courage to be awesome on and off the field.  The launch event, which took place hours after the 2010 WPS Draft, highlighted veteran players from the league’s nine teams and nine newly-drafted professional players who proudly wore their team colors for the first time. Read the rest of this entry →

UNC star Tobin Heath: The first pick in the WPS draft

As many had expected but the Atlanta Beat had yet to confirm until Draft Day, North Carolina’s Tobin Heath (Basking Ridge, NJ) was the first player selected in the 2010 WPS Draft on Friday by Atlanta at the Philadelphia Convention Center.

Heath was the first of four North Carolina Tarheels selected during the first round including defender Whitney Engen at No. 4 (Sky Blue FC/Rolling Hills Estates, CA), forward Nikki Washington at No. 5 (Los Angeles Sol/Mesquite, TX), and forward Casey Nogueira at No. 8 (Los Angeles Sol/Raleigh, NC).

The first round included 11 selections for the nine WPS teams with expansion teams Philadelphia Independence and Atlanta Beat both receiving additional picks at the end of the first round, which they traded away prior to the draft.

The first overall four picks went largely how the experts had predicted with Heath going first, the Boston Breakers then selecting attacking forward and 2008 Olympics gold medalist Lauren Cheney (UCLA/Indianapolis, IN), and 2009 MAC Hermann Trophy winner Kelley O’Hara (Fayetteville, GA) of Stanford going to FC Gold Pride with the third pick. Read the rest of this entry →

The 2010 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 18th.

In tennis, the offseason between the outgoing year’s World Tour Finals (or the previous other names by which the year’s final ATP tournament was called) and the upcoming year’s first tournament is never too long.

It seems even shorter in the last few years with the advent of the Internet, which meant increased participation by fans; it went like a blitz this year as the decade came to a close. Pages worth of analysis were written, and tons of best and worst lists were formed, discussed, and argued upon.

In no time, Christmas and New Year’s Eve passed by…and suddenly Nikolay Davydenko had defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on back-to-back days, Robin Soderling got the 13th time luck against Federer (albeit in an exhibition match), Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters played a nerve-wracking thriller that was absent almost all of the last year in the WTA circuit, and—lo!—the draws of the year’s (rather, decade’s) first major have been released.

Australia, the Land Down Under, may be thinly populated, but it is probably the most dominant country in sports. Be it cricket, rugby, hockey, or football, they can teach the world a thing or two in each sport. In tennis, they boast of an unparalleled legacy. With legends like Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, and Roy Emerson, to name a few, they have fielded some of the finest tennis players ever to grace the game.

But despite this fine sporting history, their native Grand Slam tournament took time to establish itself. The Australian Open was constantly in a state of flux after the Aussie legends faded down the scene. Read the rest of this entry →

Saint Louis selected Ashlyn Harris with the 19th pick in the WPS draft

Not having a pick until the second round of the 2010 WPS Draft didn’t phase the St. Louis Athletica this morning. With the 17 pick overall, Athletica began their day by selecting UCLA midfielder Kristina Larsen, then finished out their second round with the choice of University of North Carolina goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris as their #19 selection.

Following the second round, Assistant General Manager Tim Owens stated, “We feel that we have gotten two first round caliber players at the end of the second round. We are extremely satisfied thus far.”

Kristina Larsen, in training with the U-23 National Team in Carson, California, followed the draft online.  “Each time another pick was made I got more and more nervous,” she told WPS press. “I have heard that Athletica is a great environment to come to, and I hear that the fans are really welcoming. I am also excited to be moving out of California, I am ready to branch out.” Read the rest of this entry →