Tiger’s still on track to be greatest, but not best

Tiger Woods stepped up to the tee a few days ago and finally split the fairway with a straight and true shot regarding his wayward ways off the course. The problem with his mea culpa disclosure is that he wouldn’t have made it if the smoking gun on the matter hadn’t already been fired. Though strong and fearless when chasing golf’s immortals during his already brilliant career, Woods looms weak and flawed as a husband and role model. Most of us are. He is the latest of a never ending string of fallen superheroes (Martin Luther King, JFK, Jesse Jackson, Gov. Mark Sanford, Kobe Bryant, ad nauseam) to betray marital vows. Woods will use his money to keep others from talking and he’ll use his blog to say whatever he has to say, as he enters the image rebuilding/recovery process.

But all Tiger’s fortune and all his titles won’t restore that squeaky clean image that helped make him the sports world’s first billion-dollar athlete. The sordid affairs that prompted that sad and soiled image of him lying on a neighbor’s lawn after driving his car into a fire hydrant and a tree has left an indelible stain on his brand. Once Woods breaks Jack Nicklaus record of 19 major titles, the world will accept him as one of the greatest athletes, but he’s lost his chance to be considered among the most beloved. Read Full Article

College tennis coach honored at Hampton, deserves USTA recognition too

A few days ago, Dr. Robert M. (Bob) Screen became one of 15 people inducted into the Hampton University (VA) Athletics Hall of Fame. Let us hope that his extraordinary record of achievement as a college coach soon will be recognized by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the nation's governing body of tennis.

Bob Screen worked his way into the hall of fame in my heart nearly 50 years ago in a gesture of kindness and generosity that probably saved my life. Years later, it became clear to me that that 50-year-old gesture epitomized the goodness of the man, long before he became a giant among college tennis coaches. Consider his achievements:

* Now 75, he enters his 41st season with an extraordinary record of achievement as head coach of Hampton's men's and women's teams (The women's squad was formed in 1996).

* He's the only African American coach to lead a Historically Black College/ University to a national tennis title. Hampton won the NCAA-II Championships (1976 and 1988) and was ranked No. 2 in the NCAA-II six times.

* While playing in Division II, Screen led Hampton to 22 consecutive Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) conference titles. Several of his players from that era, including Ya Ya Doumbia, Bruce Foxworth and Roger Guedes , competed as pros on the ATP Tour.

* When Hampton moved up to NCAA-I in 1996, Screen's teams continued to excel. He has led the men's team to eight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles. The women have won five MEAC titles.

*He is one of only six college coaches to win more than 1,000 team matches.
The racial barriers and other barriers that he overcame make his success all the more remarkable.

Consider these obstacles:

* Racism -- During the early years of Screen's head coaching career, which began in 1968, most of the local colleges refused to play Hampton because of racial bias. Those who did put Hampton on their schedule took them off when it became clear that they couldn't beat the predominantly-black small college power. However, several northern colleges, including Colgate and Rider College, played Hampton during spring break trips.

* Limited talent pool -- Once integration took a foothold in the south, black colleges no longer could attract the best black athletes, even in tennis. The top black athletes in football and basketball were gobbled up by white college's, even in the south. The nation's best black scholastic junior tennis players followed suit. Determined to maintain a program marked by excellence, Screen extended his search for top juniors beyond U.S. boundaries. He recruited juniors from South America, Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and Europe. Grateful for the education and opportunities received, those who came during those early years encouraged other talented players from their respective countries to Hampton. Thus a tennis dynasty took root at this small black college. In recent years, most college programs, including tennis powers, such as UCLA, USC and Georgia, have recruited juniors from foreign countries, a practice Screen found successful in the '70s.

* Funds slashed: Recent budget cuts at colleges and universities across the country crippled or shut down sports programs at every level, but especially among non-fund producing team sports. Screen no longer offers full scholarships at every position, but he continues to field competitive men and women's tennis teams.

In his acceptance of his Hall of Fame plaque last Friday, Screen attributed this honor and special moment in his life to one word - Love.
"Love of my God, my family, friends and players and love of this great institution," he said.

I was a recipient of Screen's selfless brand of love in 1960 when he was Hampton's assistant coach and I was a freshman with a medical problem that worried him far more than it did me. Years before, as a young teen, I lost several of my teeth when a brick slammed into my mouth during a teens-gone-mad brick-fight. (Don't ask.)

After a few weeks at home, my mouth returned to its normal size and I returned to school. I noticed, however, that a soft spot had formed in my palate and when I pressed my tongue against it, pus would ooze from tissue just above my front teeth. It wasn't painful, so I never told my parents about it. Besides, it didn't make sense to burden them with a doctor's bill sans pain. For years, I let it fester. Screen noticed me wiping the gum-line above my front teeth one day, so I told him about it and why I had never sought treatment.

At his expense, Screen sent me to an oral surgeon, who took x-rays and told me that I had an enormous cyst in my palate that might be malignant and should be removed immediately. Again at Screen's expense, the surgeon removed the cyst, which was benign. Screen, no doubt, showed the same level of generosity and concern for hundreds of other Doug Smiths throughout his illustrious career. His primary goal, of course, was to make us all better players. By example, he made us more caring, better human beings.

Dr. Screen is high among the list of unsung tennis heroes who have made contributions worthy of recognition not only by the African American community but by the tennis community at large. The USTA should examine his record and recognize his legacy. Read Full Article

Are Big Brother Speed Traps Protecting or Bilking the Public?

Bear with me for awhile as I break away from the wide world of sports and plunge into the increasingly callous world of local governments, which seem to be more interested in establishing laws to bilk their tax-paying residents, not to protect them.

Got any traffic tickets lately?

Thus far, speed cameras in the Washington, D.C. area have caused my wife and I to cough up $200 for four traffic violations. That's quite a bit for questionable violations. We received two $50 per violation tickets this summer for traveling 56 mph in 45 mph zones. That's 1 mph over the allotted 10 mph no-fine-zone.
Like most senior citizens, my wife and I are experienced, conscientious drivers. We obey the rules of the road and are defensive drivers. Shouldn't traffic enforcement be more concerned about real speeders and reckless drivers, rather than those going 1 mph over the accepted limit? Does it make sense to fine drivers with speedometers that might show 55 mph in a speed trap that registers a 1 mph higher rate of travel? Wouldn't it be fairer if law enforcement officials accepted the reality that even the best technical equipment should allow for a 1 to 3 mph margin of error? Or wouldn't it be fairer to issue speeding violations to drivers exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph or more?

Thus far, the speed trap trend seems to have taken root in metropolitan areas, but hey, if it proves to be an easy way to collect easy money from the driving public, don't be shocked when folks living in small towns receive letters with candid shots of their cars caught at the scene of an alleged speed crime. The public becomes an easy target when unchecked governments - big or small - are on the hunt for additional revenues.

The Washington Post recently reported that a speed trap in Rockville, Md. has generated more than $500,000 in fines since it was installed last December. The District of Columbia, which installed its first speed traps years ago, undoubtedly collects much, much more in annual fines. The Post, Washington Times or other media should find out precisely how much D.C. residents, commuters and other visitors pay each year and determine whether the speed traps are designed to improve safety or to swell unfairly DC coffers. A thorough investigation, not a feature story is needed.

I joined Newsday (Long Island, NY) as a news reporter in the 1970s at a time when the best newspapers in these United States were on a mission to protect the public by exposing corrupt politicians, businessmen and government officials. My respect for my profession and my newspaper grew stronger each time it won Pulitzer Prizes for discrediting dishonest/corrupt politicians, businessmen and law enforcement officials in various real estate, drug scandals, etc. People like Bernie Madoff might have been exposed sooner if investigative reporting was still an integral part of the newspaper business.

However, today's big media, which for the most part are owned by powerful conglomerates, aren't as eager to follow money trails wherever they lead or see seedy politicians, law enforcement officials, et al,brought to justice. A public outcry helped launched those investigations years ago. Such an outcry sorely is needed now. Then again, having Big Brother speed traps installed throughout the country might not be a bad idea. But it would be useful, I believe, to have the fourth estate do its job of protecting the public's interest by checking it out. Read Full Article

Tennis Pioneers honored from Coast to Coast

Tennis fans on both coasts spent time last Saturday remembering their roots in ceremonies recognizing Jack Kramer, a man who helped shape the pro tours, and Baltimore's Druid Hill Park, a place where the American Tennis Association (ATA), an organization that changed the face of tennis in these United States, was formed.

In Los Angeles, several hundred people gathered at UCLA's Tennis Center to pay tribute to Kramer, who died two weeks ago. Kramer, who was 88, won the U.S. Open in 1946-47 and Wimbledon in 1947 and soon afterwards formed the first pro tour. Later, he became a prime mover in developing the existing men's ATP Tour. Tennis historian and ESPN analyst Bud Collins has called Kramer, "the most important man in the history of tennis." Former pro and commentator Barry MacKay said Kramer was "the best promoter the game of tennis ever has had and ever will have." Former pro and fellow promoter Charlie Pasarell concluded the presentations describing Kramer as "a good man, a champion in life."

During my 25-year career covering tennis for three daily newspapers, I always felt confident that I had strengthened my profiles, features or commentaries whenever Kramer's insight was included. During several interviews with Kramer, I often wanted to mention to him how much he had influenced my love for the game as a junior player. Like many youngsters drawn to the game during the 1950s, I learned to play with a Jack Kramer endorsed wooden racket and at the time, it was my most precious possession.

In Baltimore, a couple hundred people assembled at the Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens - the site where the ATA held its first National Championships (1917) - to honor Baltimore's African American tennis pioneers who played and promoted the game despite racial barriers before, during and after the Civil Rights Era. Ann Koger, Haverford College (Pa.) women's coach for the last 29 years, was the event's mistress of ceremonies and Robert C. (Bob) Davis, Director of Adult Programs for IMG, the sports firm that owns Nick Bollettieri's Academies, was the keynote speaker.

Davis, a lifelong friend of the late Arthur Ashe, was a top ATA junior in the 1950s and later, as a young adult in the 1960s. Founded in 1916 in Washington, D.C. by a group of African American businessmen, college professors and physicians, the ATA was the counterpart to the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), which barred minorities from its events during most of the 20th century. Among other impressive accomplishments , Davis also owned and managed a private tennis academy in upstate New York and was co-founder of the Arthur Ashe Safe Passage Foundation (1987-96).

Davis reflected on his early years in tennis and praised the late Dr. R. Walter (Whirlwind) Johnson, who was recently inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and the late Dr. Reginald Weir, the first male to win the ATA national title three consecutive years (1931-33). Davis mentioned that Baltimore's two ATA tournaments - the Baltimore Tennis Club & the Netmen Coed Tennis Club - were among his favorite events. Davis closed his remarks with warm appreciation and gratitude to Baltimore's pioneers who were cited during Saturday's celebration.
"You saved my life," Davis said. "And there are hundreds of thousands of other kids out there who also owe you a debt of gratitude."

I, too, am among those who benefited from the efforts of Baltimore's tennis pioneers: Joseph Boston, Leon Bowser, Nellie Briscoe Garner, Lelia Lucille F. Davage, Llewellyn Davage, Franklin Fitzgerald, Myrtle Koger, Joseph P. Parham, Sr., Jean Powell, Dr. Alfred Sutton, Warren W. Weaver, Irvington 'Rip' Williams and John 'Junky' Wood. Read Full Article

Tennis Leaders must take next steps in Serena foot-fault controversy

Serena Williams stepped back from the firestorm she created during her loss to Kim Clijsters in the U.S. Open semifinal last weekend and apologized for her outburst against the linesperson whose foot-fault call compelled the three-time champion to lose her cool.

Now it's time for the governing bodies of tennis to apologize to the sports public for fostering a system that gives a peripheral official the power to decide who wears the game's most prestigious crowns, and to examine whether racial bias was a factor. In the Williams-Clijsters match the linesperson's decision to call a foot-fault at a critical moment resulted in a penalty point against Williams that gave Clijsters the victory. Immediately after seeing television replays, former pro and CBS analyst John McEnroe, no choirboy during his playing days, questioned the linesperson's decision to call a foot-fault.

What should be a scary reality for the tennis world is that at match-point of any major championship final a service line person, not the chair umpire, can make a second-serve, foot-fault call that would decide who gets the $1 million plus title.

In no other sport is this the case. NBA referees rarely call hand-check fouls and NFL officials rarely cite players for incidental contact during crunch time for the same reason: the emphasis, rightfully, is on allowing athletes, not officials, to decide who wins or loses. In tennis, players can lose career changing matches and million-dollar purses at the whim of a service line person. The sport needs to do more to protect the integrity of the game. Today's players have Williams to thank for a recently-installed instant replay system that allows them to challenge some calls through the chair umpire. However, foot-faults are not challengeable.

Indeed the tennis world's instant replay was installed at major tennis championships because of a chair umpire's -let's say incompetence and/or unprofessionalism - during a 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinal between Williams and Jennifer Capriati. During that match, which was won by Capriati, chair umpire Mariana Aves of Portugal, made four blatantly bad calls against Williams, who at the time remained serene and acted professionally, despite the circumstances.

In a commentary written after the match NBC's Tracy Austin wrote, "I thought it was incredible how Serena kept her composure in the final set. While you could tell she was upset, she behaved very well considering the significance of the moment. After the match Serena said she thought the umpire was temporarily insane. I think the umpire was temporarily blind if she couldn't see the mistakes she was making on those calls."

But Williams reached her snapping point after the linesperson's call Saturday. She reacted emotionally but normally when pushed to the brink. Some might have wondered why Serena and her sister, Venus, top pros for more than 12 years, were cited more than a half dozen times for rarely called foot-fault violations at his year's U.S. Open. Did U.S. Open linespersons give other top pros playing on Arthur Ashe Stadium comparable attention/penalties? Not by a long shot. Over the course of my career as a tennis journalist I've covered tens of thousands of matches and can say without a doubt that foot-faults occasionally occur during most tournaments but rarely are called, especially against top pros.

Understanding the history might help explain why Serena, who had shown calm under fire in other provocative moments during her career, lost it this time. That's the part of the story that many in the media have ignored. Consider the jeering of the Williams family 10 years ago at Indian Wells, CA. during another Clijsters vs Serena final. For nearly two hours fans booed Serena mercilessly during the match, but she never reacted. Against Capriati five years ago, Serena again showed remarkable restraint in a match that she, and most people watching, knew she should have won. A chair umpire decided that outcome and last Saturday a linesperson's call shut the door on Serena's bid for a fourth U.S. Open crown.

Those who know the history of race relations in this country prefer to believe that the cruelty, insensitivity and unfairness that once prevailed no longer exist. Conditions surely are not what they used to be, but there are signs race relations in these United State are moving in the wrong direction.

We still see flashes of hatefulness in the words and eyes of those who want so desperately for Barack Obama, our first African American president, to fail. Conservative pundits stoke the flames daily. A Congressman calls the President a liar as he addresses a joint session of Congress. Fellow Americans call for his death at town hall meetings. Still, the President calls for bipartisan support and accepts apologies from his attackers without conditions.

We see an esteemed Harvard college professor, worn out after returning from a trip abroad, arrested because he reacted verbally to being treated like a criminal in his home.

And we see Serena Williams, fighting to win a match that would have moved her a step closer to her goal of becoming this nation's most dominant woman pro, losing her cool under the most dubious circumstances. Let us hope that tennis' governing bodies do whatever is necessary to help the Serenas of the world satisfy their career dreams --- on a level playing field. Which means they must first acknowledge that the tennis world is not a racial-bias-free zone. If some of our fellow Americans can openly and angrily admit that they don't want a black person to be President, it shouldn't be a stretch to realize that there might be others who don't want a black woman to be the best tennis player in the world. Tennis, too, must continue to strive to overcome a troublesome history.

At the turn of the 20th century, W.E.B. DuBois, an African American educator, predicted that "the problem of the 20th century would be the problem of the color line."

It is clear that the problem lingers still, as we move into the 21st century. Read Full Article

Williams sisters’ arsenal at U.S. Open includes secret weapon: their father

Young players striving to be great tennis champions often are told that having at least one big weapon enhances their chances. And, of course, if any rising-teen-star is fortunate enough to have, not just a single weapon but an arsenal similar to that displayed by either Serena or Venus Williams, than his or her odds for success become increasingly better.

The Williams sisters, however, also came to the game armed with a secret weapon: their father, Richard, who saw them as superstars long before either understood what the game was all about. With a firm, steady and loving hand, Richard Williams planned and structured a path for his daughters that circumvented several potential, career-ending barriers.

He saw examples of top teen pro stars leaving the game early because of burnout and chronic injuries and decided that his girls wouldn’t travel that route. He saw the cutthroat tactics and petty politics in junior competition and bypassed it without regret. Neither of the sisters, however, was thrilled with dad’s decisions at the time, but in hindsight they’ve acknowledged the wisdom of his actions.

Segments of the media have yet to tip their hats to Richard in a significant way, nor have they expressed any mea culpas for the hostility and meanness they sometimes showed toward the family during those early years. For several years sports analysts/commentaries routinely urged Richard to remove himself from his daughters’ lives, seemingly oblivious to the role he played in their development as strong intelligent, young women, as well as world class competitors. Richard often was accused of “fixing” matches between the daughters and of unfairly condemning Indian Wells (CA) fans for boorish, if not racist behavior, during a final match between Serena and Kim Clijsters nearly 10 years ago. For more than two hours Serena was booed on the court and her father and Venus were booed and jeered in the stands. Richard said some fans used racial slurs.

“I realized that if I could win that match, I could win under any conditions,” said Serena after her victory at Indian Wells. “It made me tougher.” Neither sister has competed at that southern California event since that incident. They’ve continued, however, to be the women tour’s most successful and dynamic sisters duo.

No. 2 Serena and No. 3 Venus hope to stay on course for a highly anticipated U.S. Open semifinal showdown later this week by defeating opponents in the fourth round Sunday. Serena faces Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova and Venus plays Belgium’s Clijsters, the 2005 U.S. Open champion. Clijsters beat Venus in their last meeting, played here in the quarterfinals four years ago. Clijsters left the tour shortly afterwards, and is now married with a baby. She returned to the tour earlier this year.

On facing Venus, Clijsters said, “It’s something I already look forward to. It’s these kinds of matches that make it very special. Overall, when she has to bring it, she’s been able to bring it. That’s what they’ve both been really good at, Venus and Serena. They can really lift their level when they’re struggling. That’s a big talent to have.”

Obviously slowed with a sore knee, Venus described the former No. 1 Clijsters as a very determined and talented woman. “She’s living her dream on and off the court,” Venus said. “It’s great that she’s playing well.”

Addressing their last meeting, Venus said, “I was too hard on myself during the match. I was winning. I was thinking, ‘you’re not playing great.’ I lost. After that, I learned it doesn’t matter how you play, as long as you get the ball on the court. So it was a powerful lesson.”

The sisters might soon learn another potent lesson should their father decide to let them fend for themselves next year. He fulfilled his prophecy of guiding his daughters to No. 1 and No. 2 in the world years ago. When their careers faltered a few years ago after he moved on, Richard agreed last year to return to help his former wife, Oracene, guide their careers. They’ve climbed back to Nos. 2 and 3 since his return. Throughout the U.S. Open, he’s pulled double duty, overseeing Serena’s practice sessions and sometimes hours later, overseeing Venus’s practice sessions. He’s followed the same routine at tournaments throughout the world many times this year.

“It’s wearing me out,” Richard says. “I have some things I’d like to get done.”

You’ve got to wonder if Richard Williams would dare step away now, when his daughters clearly have become tennis’s most influential icons. Read Full Article