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Show ^^•™ SUMMER UTAH CHRONICLE SPORTS t: : www.dailyutahchronicle.com Wednesday, June 15, 2005 Goodbye, Mr. Tyson 1 This is a guy who once declared that he could sell out Madison Square Garden masturbating, and Bellamy he was probably right. And now, he's finished. His skills have eroded, he's been out of shape for years (out of shape for a boxer—for normal people, better shape than we'll ever be in), and he wants nothing to do with boxing anymore. He doesn't have the "stomach" for it, he said. But no, we won't let him off that easy, will we? Tyson is still one of the biggest names in popular culture. Even without a boxing career, we'll keep calling for more from Tyson, hoping to get that next precious sound bite we can talk about with our friends or on sports talk radio. We'll wait on pins and needles for him to say or do something ridiculous or insane. Dance, Mike, dance. Skip Bayless, that pastelshirt-wearing phony from "Cold Pizza" and ESPN.com, suggested in a recent column that Saturday's fight might have been fixed. Bayless went on to say there's no way Tyson will stay retired. In that regard, Bayless may be right. Tyson still owes millions to the IRS thanks to Don King and all the other gold-diggers and hangers-on that stole all the money Tyson earned. It's relatively safe to say that Tyson will be back evenbarely out of his tually. Personally, I'd like to •yteens" and he was the heavy- see the guy fade away, be w e i g h t champion of the with his kids and find some peace. ; was the most terrifying He's been screwed over j»fl.gpre in sports; every fighter and taken advantage of for *;-was petrified of the guy, and the last two decades, and that ybr- good reason. Even Mu- may even include the very .^nammad Ali would have been possibly bogus rape charge '•thesftant to trash-talk Iron in 1991. What can one say about a '•~Z*O*t Feb. II, 1990, Buster guy who spends 12 hours a £-i)cruglas upset Tyson to claim day on a rooftop in Harlem 'e-&'e championship belt, and it playing with and feeding his Hwas one of those moments pigeons? L ~where I remember exactly American society for the where I was and what I was past decade or so has made doing. I was just a kid at the a mockery of him, while Don • time; I didn't even watch the King and his cohorts make out like bandits. fight live. ' But when news came over But the time has come to 1 the radio that the world's leave him be. His career is pre-eminent athlete had fall- over, and at this point he's en in Tokyo, my family and I nothing but an entertaining all froze. Up was down; black curiosity. For all he's been was white. The Douglas upset through, he deserves to be was such a shock, I can't even left alone. think of a proper comparison. It's time to say goodbye to It was simply unthinkable. the most fascinating sports No other athlete today has figure of our generation. that kind of effect on the cbellamy@ American consciousness. chronicle.utah.edu So this is it. This is how -Iron Mike Tyson goes out— - slumped on his stool in the corner of the ring, refusing Chris to get up to finish off a flabby, unknown Irishman. I realize now that it was just wishful thinking, but I went into last weekend hoping that Tyson would knock out Kevin McBride with one punch like the Tyson of old. I hoped that he would put together a "Cinderella Man"esque run, culminating in a championship rematch with Lennox Lewis (after Lewis' inevitable comeback). I hoped that Tyson would remind people that once he was the most dominant athlete on the planet, not just some madman with a lisp who feasts on ears and other people's children. ' I tried to convince myself he had it in him for one last title run. Instead, we got an exhausted Tyson slumped in a corner, quietly announcing a tentative retirement and sliriking into Bolivian. \ _*W)iat can I say? I just find it hacd.to live in a world where John! Ruiz is the heavyweight champion. ,tMuch like people forget how important a musician Ntichael Jackson was in the ; '8QS, people have also forgot; tierr.just how great a fighter • Mjike- Tyson was. : ^;~With the possible exception-'of Michael Jordan, no athlete in any sport was as '. thoroughly dominant as iy- MWC releases 2005 football TV schedule Joe Beatty Chronicle Sports Editor The Mountain West Conference released the projected TV schedule for the 2005 football season. The conference's teams are currently slated to play 28 games on national or regional television, with more telecast's expected to be added in July. The U will be featured in the first televised game to showcase an MWC team when the Utes square off against the Arizona Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 2 on ESPN. The game will be nationally televised and kicks off at 6 p.m. MDT. Utah will have at least three games televised on ESPN, not only the Arizona tilt, but also a Sept. 15 clash with TCU and the Sept. 22 home game with Air Force. The Utes are 8-0 over the last two seasons when playing on ESPN or ESPN2, including a similar season opening situation last year when they knocked off Texas A&M 41-21 on ESPN. This is the final season of the conference's seven-year contract with ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. Starting in 2006, the MWC will be pairing exclusively with College Sports Television, which will Fri.,Sept.2 Sat, Sept. 3 Sat, Sept. 3 Sat, Sept. 3 Sat, Sept 3 Sat, Sept 3 Mon.,Sept.5 Sat, Sept 10 Thu.,Sept.15 Thu.,Sept.22 Sat, Sept. 24 Sat, Sept 24 Thu.,Sept.29 Sat, Oct. 8 Sat, Oct. 8 Sat, Oct. 15 Sat, Oct. 15 Sat, Oct. 22 Sat, Oct. 22 Sat, Oct. 22 Fri.,Oct28 Sat, Oct. 29 Sat, Nov. 5 Sat, Nov. 12 Sat, Nov. 19 Thu.,Dec.22 Thu.,Dec.22 Thu.,Dec.29 ^ ANGELES—Phil Jack*>|pius returning to the Los An^rgejes. Lakers following a reconciliation with the team that cut ''-him loose last year after three ; NBA championships in five ' seasons. « -Spokesman John Black said ! Tuesday the team has rehired 1 Jackson, who was let go by ; owner Jerry Buss on June 18, ; 2004: j. A news conference was set < for 5 p.m. ET at Staples Center. Jadcson, who turns 60 in , September, has had health issues in the past and underwent ; an angioplasty two years ago. ; He told ABC-TV before the ; opening game of the NBA Fit nals that he underwent a series ; of tests to make sure he was ; healthy. ! Jackson agreed to a three* year contract. Terms were not \ announced, but it's believed I he'll be earning between $7 i million and $10 million per ;• year, which would make him \' the highest-paid NBA coach ;• evet.. •:; Jackson's dismissal a year _4go, set in motion a makeover of massive proportions that proved to be disastrous. Dominant big man Shaquille O'Neal demanded a trade and superstar Kobe Bryant opted out of his contract to become a free agent the same day Jackson's five-year run as coach ended. The futures of O'Neal and Bryant were decided the following month, with O'Neal being traded to Miami and Bryant staying with the Lakers. Rudy Tomjanovich succeeded Jackson, signing a five-year, $30 million contract, but lasted barely half a season, citing health reasons when he suddenly resigned Feb. 2. Jackson's name was mentioned as a possible replacement almost immediately despite his having written a book detailing the 2003-04 season, in which he called Bryant uncoachable and made other disparaging remarks about the franchise. Bryant's reaction to a possible return by Jackson seemed lukewarm at best during the past several months. But Bryant released a more positive statement through his agent, broadcast virtually all conference football games and a much bigger slate of basketball games than past seasons. Even though the MWC won't be fully switched over this year, it will still be playing several games on CSTV, as the fledgling network kicks off its first full season of Division I football. The most high profile game on CSTV this season will be the annual rivalry game between Air Force and Navy. The Falcons travel to Annapolis to face the Middies on Oct. 8. Starting Sept. 24, ESPN+Plus will re- Arizona at Utah TCU at Oklahoma Washington at Air Force** Boston College at BYU Colorado State at Colorado UCLA at San Diego State UNLV at New Mexico* TCU at SMU Utah at TCU* Air Force at Utah* New Mexico at UTEP MWC Game of the Week > Jij; Air Force at Colorado State*,I Air Force at Navy ; MWC Game of the Week MWC Telecast MWC Game of the Week ^,':) BYU at Notre Dame MWC Game of the Week MWC Telecast Colorado State at New Mexico* MWC Game of the Week MWC Game of the Week MWC Game of the Week MWC Game of the Week Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Emerald Bowl ESPN ABC ABC ABC TBS ESPN2 ESPN2 CSTV ESPN ESPN CSTV ESPN+Plus ESPN CSTV :r^ ESPN+Plus ABC ; " ESPN+Plus NBC ESPN+Plus ABC ESPN2 ESPN+Plus ESPN+Plus ESPN+Plus ESPN+Plus ESPN - gionally televise a syndicated MWC Game of the Week. All games will begin at 1 p.m. MDT. The match-ups for the Game of the Week will be decided once the new season draws closer. In addition to the ESPN affiliates and CSTV, the MWC will play games on two other networks, Colorado State and Colorado will stage their yearly rivalry game Sept. 3 on TBS, and BYU will appear on NBC when they meet Notre Dame Oct. 22 in South Bend. jbea try @ chronicle.utah.edu 6 p.m. MDT 11 a.m. CDT 12:30 p.m. PDT 1:30 p.m. MDT 1:30 p.m. MDT 7:15 p.m. PDT 11:00 a.m. MDT 8:30 p.m. CDT 6:30 p.m. CDT 5:30 p.m.MDT -; 8 p.m. CDT N 1 p.m.MDT 5:30 p.m.MDT i:30p.m.EDT " t ] |5 p.m.MDT v 1 p.m.MDT 1:30p.m.EDT 1 p.m.MDT 5 p.m. MDT 6 p.m. MDT 1 p.m. MDT 1 p.m.MST 1p.rn.MST 1 p.m.MST 5 p.m. PST : '"•• National Regional Regional Regional National National National National National National National Regional National National Regional Regional Regional National Regional Regional National Regional Regional Regional Regional National "ij.*-" " 7:30 p.m. PST National ESPN2 1:30 p.m. PST y,: , National ESPN All dates and game times subject to change. **Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash. *Mountain West Conference Game Jackson reunites with Lakers -* The Associated Press MUSS fans rally behind the Utes, who pounded Texas A&M in the first game of last season with a 41-21 win. The Utes will be seen on national TV several times this coming season. Rob Pelinka, shortly after the hiring was announced "When the Lakers began the search for a new head coach, I put my complete trust in Dr. Buss and [general manager] Mitch Kupchak to select the person they thought was best for the Lakers' organization," Bryant said in the statement. "In Phil Jackson, they chose a proven winner. That is something I support." With injuries playing a major role, the Lakers lost 19 of their last 21 games under interim coach Frank Hamblen to finish 34-48 and out of the playoffs for just the second time since 1976. Jackson has coached nine NBA championship teams— six with- the Chicago Bulls and in his first three years with the Lakers. That ties him with former Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach for the most in league history. Jackson also has a record 175 postseason victories and is tied for 10th on the NBA's all-time list with 830 wins in just 14 seasons—nine with the Bulls and See JACKSON Powell breaks 100M record ATHENS, Greece—Asafa Powell broke the world record in the 100 meters Tuesday with a 9.77 clocking at Olympic Stadium, where the Jamaican didn't fare nearly as well during the Athens Games last summer. Powell shaved one hundredth of a second off Tim Montgomery's record of 9.78 set in Paris in 2002—a mark that already was at risk because Montgomery faces doping charges. During the Olympics, Powell finished fifth in 9.94. But nearly a year later, during the Tsiklitiria Super Grand Prix meeting on the same track, he was unbeatable. "I'm very happy that...I achieved this performance," Powell said. "I knew I could break the world record and I am very happy I succeeded." The 22-year-old sprinter already had the world's fastest time this year, a run of 9.84 seconds at the Jamaica International Invitational on May 8. He also ran a 9.85 on June 9 in the Czech Republic. His run Tuesday came with a tailwind of 1.6 meters per second, well below the legal limit of 2.0. Before Montgomery's effort, the previous record was 9.79 set by Maurice Greene on the Athens track in 1999. "It's amazing that, after Maurice Greene, I also achieved a world record in this stadium," Powell said. "If you ask me what I can do more this year, you will just have to wait until the end of this year's season to see." Powell is only the fourth non-American to hold the 100-meter world record since 1912. Donovan Bailey of Canada (1996), Armin Hary of West Germany (i960) and Percy Williams of Canada (1930) are the others. Powell's run removed controversy from the world record. Montgomery's time of 9.78 could be wiped out if the Court of Arbitration for Sport rules that Montgomery was guilty of doping. Montgomery was charged by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency with using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Aziz Zakari of Ghana finished second in 9.99, and Jamaica's Michael Frater was third in 10.03. * n t n e women's 100 at the Tsiklitiria meet, Jamaica's Sherone Simpson won in 11.5, Arend Watkins of the United States won the men's no hurdles in 13.23. Qatar's Saif Shaheen comfortably lead from the start in the men's 3,000 steeplechase but finished three seconds shy of his world mark of 7:53.63. "Amazing race," the Kenyan-born Shaheen said. "I could have done it, but I slowed down since the others didn't follow." Australian world champion Jana Pittman won the women's 400 hurdles in 53.44. She said it was a good result in the lead-up to the world meet this August in Finland. "It was very good training for the world championships in Helsinki," Pittman said. "I am very satisfied that I won the race. I am in very good shape." It was the first major sporting event in Athens since the Aug. 13-29 Olympics. The Associated Press |