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BUCKY FOX |
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SOME BOLD OPINIONS FORCEFULLY EXPRESSED |
 MARIA SHARAPOVA ...Would you carry her picture in your billfold? |
The Buckster goes out
on a limb once again
By BUCKY FOX
of TheColumnists.com
Novel ideas:
Maria Sharapova is no Anna Kournikova.
Yes, Sharapova wears the Wimbledon crown. She’s a 17-year-old superstar.
She unleashed something against Serena Williams at the Wimbledon final that no one had the last two years: a deep shot with pace and confidence.
Williams looked helpless. Before Sharapova, Serena would stand two feet inside the line while lining up a return of serve. It was her signature arrogance. Sharapova’s rockets were so humbling, Williams stayed back. The American was suddenly one of the masses.
And yes, Sharapova owns what her fellow Russian doesn’t: a singles championship. Kournikova catches ridicule for failing on the court, which is silly since she has 16 doubles titles, including two in Grand Slam tourneys.
Now you can bet Sharapova’s big-buck handlers will try to sell her as a Kournikova with results.
Results she has--with an exclamation mark.
And she is a pretty Russian blonde.
But in that looks arena, Sharapova can’t compete with Kournikova.
Anna is simply the most beautiful athlete in history. She’s stunning. My wife and I shook our heads at her beauty as soon as we saw Kournikova on TV. She was 15 and just had it. More than Gabriela Sabatini. More than Florence Griffith Joyner.
Kournikova is 23 now. And more gorgeous than ever.
Sharapova’s shots are better looking. Just don’t compare her face with her fellow Russian, who’s still the queen.
Three cheers for steroids.
While so many whine about the juice, I like it.
Thanks to steroids, athletes look powerful and perform that way. The dope leads to 70 home runs, under-10-second 100-meter dashes, serious weightlifting records.
That’s entertainment, not 32 homers leading the league, slow runners and weak lifters.
Big is better. Check out the players on ESPN Classic. They were so thin just a decade ago, they could’ve been anorexic. Even Barry Bonds looked skinny.
I’ll take Bonds now. He carries a lousy attitude, but also packs a Hall of Fame frame while producing record numbers. He’s a Giant, upper and lower case.
I caught his act the other night at Dodger Stadium. The packed crowd couldn’t get enough of Bonds, even while he idled in left field. The organ would pound out a beat, and we would yell a non sequitur “Barry sucks!” The only player who trumped him was Eric Gagne, whose millionth-straight save was the perfect setup for the post-game pre-Fourth of July fireworks.
It was a big game with big players. Who knows how many were on steroids? But who cares? It’s all about the action. If juice boosts it, good.
Mike Scioscia will manage the Dodgers next year.
He starred as the Dodgers’ catcher for over a decade. He lives closer to Los Angeles than Anaheim.
He belongs back in Dodger blue.
OK, he won the World Series title as Anaheim’s skipper in 2002. And his loaded Angels look like title contenders again.
Only they’re drifting despite the mega-presence of Vladimir Guerrero and Garrett Anderson. One reason is fundamentals. The Angels have blown a number of games because of little-league rundowns and base running.
Scioscia is at fault there. And Arte Moreno won’t put up with that long. He spent mega-bucks on talent to win it all, not to have his players get caught off base.
So, Scioscia will leave Anaheim after this season. And head straight to the Dodger dugout. He’ll replace Jim Tracy, who teaches fine fundamentals but can’t win in an easy division.
The Texas Rangers are no surprise.
Hey, I picked them to win their division.
I’m tired of reading and hearing about how no one saw this Ranger turnaround.
Because in TheColumnists.com of March 15, 2004, I proclaimed: I’m picking the Rangers to win the American League West.
©2004 by Bucky Fox. The photo of Maria Sharapova is courtesy her fan website.
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