Column Archive

Barry Bonds in Context

While the world followed the Bonds saga, and many cheered his professional demise, the real damage to civil liberties was being done. Shamefully underreported throughout the last decade were the stories of hundreds of Arabs and Muslims imprisoned and harassed through the Patriot Act, or the persecution of Sami Al Arian, or the hundreds of Maryland activists, who were spied upon for being environmentalists or anti-death penalty. They were all caught in the same net.

The US v. Barry Bonds

This is a story about garbage. There's the actual garbage overzealous federal investigators examined in their efforts to prosecute a surly sports celebrity. There's the shredding of the Bill of Rights, crudely ignored by the government in the name of obsession and ambition. Finally, there's the thorough trashing of people's reputations, not to mention the game of baseball. Welcome to The US v. Barry Bonds; please disregard the stench.

Obama's Unfortunate Hoop Dreams

Obama's selection of former semi-pro hoopster Arne Duncan as education secretary is no slam dunk for our schools.

A-Rod and More Anabolic Agonistes

Should we pity Alex Rodriguez? The three-time MVP, owed $275 million over the next nine years, has been exposed as a steroid user, the latest in Major League Baseball's endless series of anabolic agonistes. The creative minds at the New York Post summed up the mood of the moment with one blaring headline: "A-Fraud." ESPN senior writer Jayson Stark was no less overwrought; his headline proclaimed, "A- Rod Has Destroyed Game's History."

All Hail the Recession Bowl

In the most jaw-dropping, gut-twisting, Super Bowl ever played, the Pittsburgh Steelers escaped by the skin of their gold and black unis,winning 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals, with two lead changes in the last two minutes and thirty seconds. In normal times, it would be a staggering upset for the actual game to overshadow our annual Mardi Gras for millionaires and carnival of commercialism that attends it. But in penny-pinching 2009, football was at the center of the spectacle. And a good thing, too: otherwise, in living rooms across America, the enormity of America's first Recession Super Bowl would have been just too grim.

When Tiger Woods Came to Washington

Among the many quirky, independent movie stars and suave entertainment icons appearing at the pre-inaugural Lincoln Memorial concert for Barack Obama, Tiger Woods stood out like George Will in the West Village.

Politics on the pitch: When Gaza and Sports Collide

Days before the ceasefire halted the carnage on the Gaza strip, the Israel-Palestinian conflict exploded all over the world of sports.

Alonzo Mourning: The Edge of Sports Interview

".... our world right now is in turmoil, and it starts with our leadership.  You got over 1.2 million Americans this year who've lost jobs; thousands and thousands of people who've lost their homes, education is in total disarray, as well as our health care system.  So, I knew there needed to be some type of change for the better."

No Justice, No Play? Gaza Anger Overwhelms Hoops Contest

We have officially entered uncharted waters. Never before in my years of reporting has a sports team been forced to abandon the field of play due to political protest from fans. Never before have fans become the central actors in turning a sporting event into a political melee.

Breaking New Ground: Politics and Sports in 2008

2008 will be remembered as teh year when the wall between sports and politics, which we are told is as immutable as Gibraltar, was not only challenged, but thoroughly breached.