Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/149455
2B Daily News – Saturday, August 10, 2013 MLB ATHLETICS Bolt is always the show A-Rod draws when he steps on the track boobirds from MOSCOW (AP) — Anytime Usain Bolt steps into the blocks he makes for compelling theater. And track and field these days can use some drama that has nothing to do with drug tests. Doping scandals have left a cloud on the sport that Bolt can help lift with a run for gold at the world championships, which begin Saturday. Track's showcase event will be without plenty of headline names: Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, Sherone Simpson and Veronica Campbell-Brown have recently tested positive for banned substances. Yohan Blake, Bolt's top rival in the 100 meters and the defending champion, is out because of a hamstring injury. Granted, in the best of circumstances, there aren't many threats to Bolt in the 100. And about now the Jamaican's biggest challenger may be the clock. ''After the 2012 Olympics, I was telling people who weren't into track and field, 'Hold onto your popcorn because next year is going to be even more exciting. We're going to have the same people,''' American sprinter Justin Gatlin said. ''Never in a million years would I think it would end up like this. I still think it's going to be exciting.'' In any case, it's not as if Bolt won't be pushed. After all, Gatlin beat him in Rome two months ago and is eager to show that wasn't a fluke and he's closing the gap on the world-record holder. These two aren't exactly best of friends. They don't really talk much off the track, but there's definitely a measure of respect. Hard not to respect the sprinter who has captured six Olympic titles and shattered world records in the 100 (his current mark is 9.58 seconds) and the 200 (19.19). ''He's done so much for the sport and in the sport,'' Gatlin said. ''People either want to see Bolt get beat or don't want to see him lose. There's pressure of always being perfect.'' Blake fleetingly stole Bolt's stage last year by beating his teammate in the 100 and 200 at the Olympic trials and by winning the world 100 title in 2011 when Bolt false-started. Had Blake been healthy, this would have been a good rematch. Gay would have been a worthy opponent, too, especially since he was healthy for the first time in quite a while. But the American, who won the 100 and 200 at nationals, failed an out-of-competition doping test. NCAA (Continued from page 1B) demonstrate to the infractions committee what they did to create a culture of compliance on campus. But Duncan wants his staff members to get a firsthand look at the new normal. Details of the plan are still being worked out. ''In the coming weeks and months, we will continue working and communicating with NCAA staff and the members,'' he wrote Friday in an email to the AP. ''The program will place different levels of enforcement staff members on campus for varying amounts of time to provide a greater understanding of the campus experience.'' That's not the only change Duncan has planned. ''There are those who believe in the membership that our staff members could benefit from better training in investigative techniques and interviewing techniques,'' Duncan said. ''We are going to provide that training so that a good investigation will be done timely and professionally, though I'm not suggesting that doesn't happen now.'' This new way of thinking is part of Duncan's broad plan to rebuild the enforcement staff's tattered reputation. In January, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced a rogue enforcement official ignored the governing body's own policies and the advice of higher-ups to improperly collect evi- PGA (Continued from page 1B) behind. Woods couldn't get anything going, exchanging birdies with bogeys during a poor putting round that led to an evenpar 70. He was at 1-over 141 and 10 shots back going into the weekend. Woods went to the range with his swing coach, trying to find answers. He has only one score in the 60s in 14 rounds at the majors this year. ''Obviously, I'm going to have to put together a really good weekend,'' Woods said. ''This golf course is pretty soft. It's definitely gettable. Got to hit the ball in play and keep the ball near the hole so I can be aggressive with my putts.'' Mickelson's swing apparently went missing in the three weeks since he won the British Open. He was all over Oak Hill and still managed a 34 on the back nine until his wild shots caught up with him. Powell won't be in Moscow, either, after testing positive along with Simpson for a banned stimulant. ''I want to line up against Yohan. I want to line up against Tyson. I want to line up against Asafa,'' Gatlin said. ''This kind of takes a spark out of it a little bit.'' He paused, contemplating his impending showdown with Bolt. ''But now it's like a real heavyweight bout, where you have two guys who aren't the best of friends, ready to run against each other and rumble,'' Gatlin said. Lately, Bolt has been the undisputed champion, captivating the crowd with his bravado and clowning around. When the gun sounds, he's all business for less than 10 seconds before returning to his light-hearted ways. This race, with the final Sunday, has his full attention. He's not overlooking anything — or anyone. ''I am fit and ready to go!'' Bolt wrote in a recent email. ''Right now my only focus is winning three gold medals at worlds.'' Besides the 100, there are other intriguing plot lines: —Two-time Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia wrapping up her career after the meet. Leaving on top won't be easy with reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr of Churchville, N.Y., in the field. —Decathlete Trey Hardee attempting to defend his world title against Olympic champion and worldrecord holder Ashton Eaton, who was married last month in Eugene, Ore. —Brianna Rollins taking on Sally Pearson of Australia in the 100 hurdles. Rollins set an American record of 12.26 at the U.S. championships last month. —Mo Farah trying to capture the 5,000 and 10,000 by holding off training partner Galen Rupp. —Carmelita Jeter defending her title in the women's 100. —Allyson Felix attempting to recapture her 200 world title. Of course, anytime Bolt steps on the track, whether it's in the prelims or the final or even for a curtain call, he is the undisputed star. ''He realized what value he still adds to the sport. He realizes what an icon he is for us,'' former sprinter Frank Fredericks said. ''This is how he makes his living. I hope he continues to sprint and sees how far he can push his body. I hope he can push it a bit farther.'' dence against the University of Miami. Emmert promised to scrub the investigation of any evidence obtained improperly. In February, after releasing details of an external review into what happened, Julie Roe Lach was ousted as the NCAA's top cop and Duncan was appointed as interim chief. He's been given an 18-month trial run. It certainly hasn't been an easy transition for the former Kansas City attorney, who took over a department that needed a morale boost in mid-March. ''Certainly it's been a difficult time in enforcement,'' he said. ''They are tough, hard-working, good people but they are human. I think morale is good and I think it will continue to improve.'' There are plenty of questions, too. Some wonder whether an NCAA outsider can be an effective enforcement leader during the turmoil, while others suggest the exodus of experienced staff members leaves the staff short-handed at a time rules violations appear to be increasing. Duncan discounts both arguments, pointing out he has been doing NCAA work for years and that even at less than full staff, the enforcement division can function at full capacity. In fact, he's planning to bring in more staff members from campuses. He's also planning to hire a director of quality control, a newly-created position that will help the NCAA provide better service to schools. Another 71 left him 11 shots out of the lead. Dufner was in prime position to win the PGA Championship two years ago when he had a fourshot lead with four holes to play, only to be tracked down by Keegan Bradley and then beaten in a playoff. Dufner said that day he would only be disappointed ''if I never get another chance.'' And here he is, in record fashion. Dufner's popularity has grown the last two years because of his zombie state. He was responsible for the craze known as ''Dufnering'' in April when someone took a photo of him slumped against a classroom wall, eyes in a daze, during a charity event at an elementary school as the teacher taught children how to relax and concentrate. But there were nerves, no doubt, and Dufner showed them at the very end. A 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole put him at 7 under for the round, and ''Of course it will be nice when we're fully staffed, but we are working hard,'' Duncan said, explaining he hopes to have all the replacements hired by the end of the year. ''We work on cases as a team, and the work does continue. I know there are critics who doubt that, but they don't know what we're doing.'' What Duncan has attempted to do is change the way the enforcement staff operates. He has asked schools for suggestions, used technological advances to improve the process and update forms and attempted to give schools better ''customer service.'' What else? Well, he's had investigators combing through rulebooks. ''They do receive training on that, but it needs to be more intense and they have to have better access to real-time, more in-depth information about the bylaws,'' Duncan said. ''Our staff is charged with enforcing all of the rules in the book, times three, because of Division I, Division II and Division III. That's a lot. The rules are different, and I don't think sometimes that people understand the breadth of the bylaws in all three divisions.'' But the overall goal has not changed, and getting staff members back on campus could help. ''I think what membership wants,'' Duncan said, ''is a strong, aggressive enforcement department that operates within the NCAA's beliefs.'' his 15-foot birdie putt on the next hole grazed the cup. He followed with two flawless swings on the tough 18th hole, which had yielded only four birdies at that point. That left him about 12 feet below the hole. And he left it short by about 18 inches. There even was a nervous moment on the tap-in, when the ball came off the putter weakly and dove in the right corner of the cup. ''It's tough when you're chasing history,'' Dufner said. ''You will be the first one to do something. I don't think I've been the first to do anything in my life. So it was a little nerve-racking for a Friday. It's usually the pressure you might feel toward the end of the tournament.'' That part is still to come. Low scores were available to anyone. Even after Dufner finished his round, K.J. Choi had an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to reach 7 under. It narrowly missed, and Choi made bogey on the next hole to end that threat. Scott is swinging the club beautifully, and his only flaw Friday was not holing enough birdie chances when the rain stopped. Even so, he was in the hunt on the weekend for the fourth time in the last six majors. He will be in the final group with Dufner on Saturday. Henrik Stenson, a runner-up at Muirfield, had a 66 and joined Rose at 6under 134, only three shots behind. Stricker and Robert Garrigus were another shot behind. Dufner is a student of golf history and was thrilled to part of it. But while that 63 put him in the record book, it doesn't guarantee the trophy. Of the 25 previous times that someone shot 63 in a major, only five players went on to win — Nicklaus and Johnny Miller in the U.S. Open, Norman in the British Open and Woods in the PGA Championship. Now that's some elite company. home fans NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez got booed in pregame introductions, booed when his picture was put up on the video board and booed again when came to bat in the first inning. And when he struck out? Booed even more. Loudly, too. Same thing when he fanned the next time up. The crowd at Yankee Stadium had its say Friday night when Rodriguez played at home for the first time since last October. While some people stood to cheer, jeers mostly echoed around the ballpark. With his 211-game suspension on appeal, New York fans rendered their verdict on the man at the center of baseball's latest drug scandal. Before the game against Detroit, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he couldn't predict whether his star third baseman would draw a Bronx cheer or big ovation. ''I'm not so sure how it's going to go,'' Girardi said, adding he hoped ''it's not personal.'' Daniel Correa was in Rodriguez's corner. A Yankees fan from Hartford, Conn., Correa stood in line to get into the stadium before the gates opened. Wearing a pinstriped No. 13 jersey, too. ''Hopefully, it's a positive reaction for him,'' Correa said. ''But New York is a rough crowd.'' Correa said he also owns a Derek Jeter jersey, and decided to go to wear Rodriguez's number. ''I'm disappointed in him, but he plays for my team, the Yankees, and you've got to support him,'' he said. The game was delayed at the beginning by 47 minutes, and then it was time for Rodriguez's first home game since the AL championship series against the Tigers last fall. The three-time AL MVP was met with mixed boos and cheers when the lineups were read over the public-address system. The boos started to get louder when the Bleacher Creatures in right-center during their daily roll call, chanting each player's name. Batting fifth, Rodriguez came up in the first inning with two outs, a runner on second and the Yankees ahead 1-0. He struck out swinging against Rick Porcello, and the boobirds sounded off. Rodriguez came up with a runner on third base in the third inning and again swung and missed for strike three. Three hours before the scheduled start, Rodriguez stepped into the batting cage. A coaching assistant pitched to him, a bullpen catcher retrieved the balls. Other than that, he was all alone. Not a single teammate was on the field as A-Rod started to swing away. He was by himself, once again. Rodriguez didn't speak to the media before the game. He rearranged two boxes in his locker before heading out the clubhouse door, not pausing to talk with any of the Yankees, and quickly got to work. Rodriguez later kidded with star second baseman Robinson Cano near the indoor batting cage and stretched with the rest of the team in the outfield. Done his workout, he signed a couple dozen autographs, posed for pictures and chatted with fans. CUP (Continued from page 1B) seven series Saturday on San Francisco Bay and earn a berth in the Louis Vuitton Cup final against the Kiwis. ''Today was a great start,'' Luna Rossa skipper Max Sirena said. ''Chris really showed what he's able to do. After the start we sailed probably our best race on the water as a team, which is good because tomorrow's going to be tough. Artemis Racing is getting quicker and quicker every day and it's not finished yet. We need to keep focused and race well tomorrow.'' Luna Rossa led at every mark and won by 1 minute, 18 seconds, the closest margin in the challenger series so far. Artemis Racing sailed better, including doing a better job of getting its boat up on hydrofoils. ''We upped our game hugely today, but the bad news for Artemis Racing was so did Luna Rossa,'' said Artemis skipper Iain Percy. ''They sailed excellently from start to finish. Now it's sudden death tomorrow and we like that. We look forward to that pressure.'' Artemis was going through a slow tack during prestart maneuvers when Draper tucked the chromehulled Italian catamaran underneath the Swedish boat and into control. Artemis protested but the on-thewater umpires waved it off. It was the first time in three races that Draper won the starter. Even though the Italian boat trailed at the start in the first two races, it quickly overhauled Artemis Racing. Artemis Racing sailed with a new daggerboard in the port hull. Percy said that the board coupled with new winglets on the rudders helped the team get foiling. Foiling is when the boat is going fast enough to pop up onto the daggerboard in the leeward hull and winglets on the bottom of the rudders and ride over the tops of the waves, its hulls out of the water. That reduces drag and increases speed. ''The winglets seem to give it a little more lift when the rudders are being worked hard in the gybes, and seem to have made it a little easier pulling off the foiling gybes,'' Percy said. A foiling gybe is when a boat changes direction while sailing downwind and stays on the foils, without the hulls touching the water. Luna Rossa gradually increased its lead at every mark on the course that stretches from just inside the Golden Gate Bridge to just beyond Alcatraz Island. The finish line is right off America's Cup Park on Piers 2729. Artemis helmsman Nathan Outteridge said the boat's performance was 30 percent better than in Race 2. ''We're looking for another improvement tomorrow, and honestly, we'd love to take a race from Luna Rossa and keep this going past Saturday,'' Outteridge said. Artemis Racing didn't sail in the Louis Vuitton Cup round-robins because its new boat wasn't finished. Emirates Team New Zealand earned the right to advance straight to the Louis Vuitton Cup final based on its performance in the roundrobins, including a 5-0 record against Luna Rossa. The Louis Vuitton Cup final starts Aug. 17. The winner faces defending champion Oracle Team USA in the 34th America's Cup starting Sept. 7.