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2B Daily News – Friday, July 13, 2012 Jordan laughs off Kobe on 1992 Dream Team claim Jordan told The Associated Press Thursday that he laughed — ''I absolutely laughed'' — when hearing Bryant's comments that the squad training in Las Vegas could take Jordan and company. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan said there's no way Kobe Bryant and this year's USA Olympic basketball team could've beaten the 1992 Dream Team. parison'' which team is better. ''For him to compare those Jordan said there's ''no com- two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done,'' Jordan said prior playing in a celebrity golf tour- nament in Charlotte. Jordan said the 1992 team, which included 11 future Hall of Famers and won its six Olympic games by an average of more than 43 points en route to captur- ing the gold medal, was a better overall team largely because of the experience it put on the floor. ''I heard Kobe say we were not athletic,'' said a smiling Jor- dan as he sat in a golf cart puff- ing on his cigar while waiting to tee off. ''But we were smart. He said we were too old, but I was 29 and in the prime of my career. Pip (Scottie Pippen) was 26 or 27, (Charles) Barkley was 29, Patrick (Ewing) was 29 and Chris Mullin was 29. Almost everybody was still in their twenties.'' Jordan's response came after Bryant told reporters in Las Vegas that this year's team could pull out a win against the Dream Team if they faced each other in their primes. Bryant said this year's team has a bunch of race- horses, players who are incredi- bly athletic while the Dream Team consisted mainly of play- ers at the tail end of their careers.'' Bryant's comments received immediate and sharp rebuttal from some members of the Dream Team, including Barkley. Jordan joined in on Thursday. ''Most of us were in the prime of our careers, at a point where athleticism doesn't really mat- ter,'' said Jordan, the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. ''You have to know how to play the game.'' asked why he thinks Bryant made the comments. ''I imagine he's trying to say Jordan shook his head when it to legitimize his own Dream Team,'' Jordan said. ''But to me it's not even a question what team is better.'' Jordan said Bryant is certainly entitled to his opinion — even though he said it's just plain wrong. ''For him to make that com- parison, it's one of those things where it creates conversation,'' Jordan said. ''I guess we'll never know. had 11 Hall of Famers on that team and whenever they get 11 Hall of Famers you call and ask me who had the better Dream Team. Remember now, they learned from us. We didn't learn from them.'' I'd like to think that we Horse racing oversight debated — Top horse racing indus- try figures took different sides before Congress on Thursday over whether the sport needs federal over- sight to ban doping. ''We need a new and tougher federal law,'' said Barry Irwin, whose Team Valor ownership group won last year's Kentucky Derby with Animal King- dom. He said at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing that states don't do an adequate job regulating horse racing, and that a national law is needed so that ''all states will be on a level playing field.'' But Kent Stirling, chairman of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association's medication committee, said in prepared remarks submitted for the record that uniform rules should be implemented by a national compact of states, rather than ''imposed by the federal government, which has no experience or expertise in horse rac- ing.'' Stirling's group rep- resents thoroughbred WASHINGTON (AP) PROBE major investment in the player nicknamed ''Kung Fu Panda'' for his power- ful swing and portly presence. (Continued from page 1B) The Giants have a received a $17.15 mil- lion, three-year contract last winter. He lost about 40 pounds through a strict workout regimen two offseasons ago to bring him down to around 240 pounds, then batted .315 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs in 2011. The switch-hitter horse owners and trainers. Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who chaired the Senate Com- merce committee hearing, has proposed legislation to ban race-day medication in horse racing. ''The chronic abuse of horses with painkillers and other drugs is just plain wrong,'' Udall said. ''And it is dangerous. An injured horse, feeling no pain, continues to charge down the track. This endangers every horse. It endangers every rider. And, in the long run, it endangers the sport itself ... Congress should not tolerate doping and cheating in interstate horse racing.'' Udall said Congress considered legislation reg- ulating the sport in the 1980s. ''And industry groups insisted that congressional action was not needed,'' he said. ''Well, it was needed then. And over 30 years later, the need has only increased.'' Ed Martin, president and CEO of the Associa- tion of Racing Commis- hamate bone in his left hand. He is batting .307 with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. Sandoval also made his second straight All- Star appearance and first as a starter this week. He hit the first bases- loaded triple in All-Star history off Detroit ace Justin Verlander to high- light a five-run first inning that propelled the National League to an 8- 0 victory over the Amer- ican League on Tuesday night. Sandoval missed more than a month this season after he had surgery May 4 to remove a broken GRIFFIN (Continued from page 1B) players that was training against the Americans, in case an injury popped up. He was in Los Angeles on Wednesday for the ESPY Awards, but traveled back to Las Vegas on Thursday. If Griffin is unable to return, Davis' rebounding and shot-blocking would be a welcome addition on a U.S. team that has New York's Tyson Chandler as its only remaining center. Play- ers can be replaced on the roster in case of injury any time up to 48 hours before the start of the Olympics. San Francisco is a half-game behind the rival Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the NL West. The Giants return to play Friday at home against the Hous- ton Astros. Griffin was hurt during the playoffs and struggled through the pain before the Clippers were ousted in the second round by San Anto- nio. After taking a couple of weeks off, he was back on the court and had been play- ing well for the Americans, who planned to use him at center. The Americans lost two centers, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, to injuries before camp, along with Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade. Chris Paul, Griffin's Clippers teammate, sprained his right thumb on the first day of camp and has been sitting out scrim- mages. sioners International, criti- cized the legislation. ''It doesn't address the problem or the need,'' he said. Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey, said that short of an interstate com- pact, ''the next logical thing would be for the fed- eral government to take this over so that the rules are the same in every state.'' He said that offend- ers should be banned after one violation, and suggest- ed that scofflaw trainers be hauled off in handcuffs to serve as a deterrent. Jim Gagliano, president of the Jockey Club, the breed registry for thor- oughbreds, said that his group could support feder- al legislation to oversee horse racing, but he criti- cized several aspects of Udall's proposal. He said the bill's definition for per- formance-enhancing drugs was too vague, that the ban on ''knowingly'' provid- ing such drugs to horses set too high a bar for pros- ecution, and that the penal- ties might not go far Jeff Gural, who runs the enough. Dr. Sheila Lyons, founder and director of the American College of Vet- erinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, urged Congress to pass the bill. ''We need this legisla- tion to compel compliance with veterinary board reg- ulations,'' she said. Udall's bill would ban substances such as Lasix, a diuretic that can enhance performance. Race-day use of Lasix is banned in most other countries. Stirling, of the National Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, defended the use of Lasix during his actual testimo- ny. The medication is used commonly to stop bleed- ing in the throat and lungs of racehorses. He said it was necessary to keep horses healthy and it would be inhumane to withhold it. ''Lasix is not perfor- mance-enhancing,'' he argued. Lyons had the opposite conclusion: ''Lasix is per- formance-enhancing.'' Seau's brain tissue released for study SAN DIEGO (AP) — Junior Seau's family has donated some of his brain tissue for research amid questions about whether damage from his football career contributed to his decision to commit suicide, officials said Thursday. The San Diego County medical examiner's office recently released preserved brain tissue to the National Institutes of Health, coro- ner's spokeswoman Sarah Gordon said. ''We have no informa- tion about the type of study that will be done,'' she said. The tissue was released at the request of Seau's family, she added. She declined to disclose whether Seau's entire brain was released. The 43-year-old for- mer NFL linebacker shot himself in the chest at his MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA San Jose 11 4 4 37 36 24 Real S.L. 11 6 3 36 31 21 Seattle 8 5 6 30 23 19 Vancouver 8 5 6 30 21 22 Los Angeles 7 10 2 23 28 29 Colorado 7 10 1 22 25 24 Chivas USA 5 7 5 20 11 18 Portland 5 8 4 19 16 24 FC Dallas 3 9 7 16 17 27 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Sport. K.C. 10 5 3 33 23 17 D.C. 10 5 3 33 34 22 New York 9 5 4 31 32 27 Chicago 8 6 4 28 21 21 Houston 6 5 7 25 22 24 New England6 7 4 22 24 22 Columbus 6 6 4 22 17 17 Montreal 6 11 3 21 27 36 Philadelphia 5 9 2 17 18 18 Toronto FC 3 11 4 13 21 35 Seau's death echoed last year's suicide of for- mer Chicago Bears defen- sive back Dave Duerson. Duerson left a note asking for his brain to be studied for signs of brain trauma. That raised anew questions about whether brain dam- age from repeated concus- sions on the field lead to long-term problems such as depression. To date, however, no link has been found between Seau's death and his football days. Although is death was ruled a suicide, a final autopsy report and results of drug-screening tests are pending. Oceanside home in May, less than 2 1/2 years after ending his Pro Bowl career. WNBA WESTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Minnesota 15 4 .789 — San Antonio12 5 .706 2 Los Angeles14 6 .700 1.5 Seattle 8 10 .444 6.5 Phoenix 4 14 .222 10.5 Tulsa Lawmakers angry over US uniforms made in China WASHINGTON (AP) — Uniforms for U.S. Olympic athletes are American red, white and blue — but made in China. That has members of Con- gress fuming. Republicans and Democrats railed Thursday about the U.S. Olympic Committee's decision to dress the U.S. team in Chi- nese manufactured berets, blazers and pants while the American textile industry struggles economically with many U.S. workers desperate for jobs. ''I am so upset. I think the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves. I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again,'' Sen- ate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference on taxes. ''If they have to wear nothing but a singlet that says USA on it, painted by hand, then that's what they should wear,'' he said, referring to an athletic jer- sey. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference that she's proud of the nation's Olympic athletes, but ''they should be wearing uniforms that are made in America.'' Boehner, R-Ohio, said simply of the USOC, ''You'd think they'd know better.'' House Speaker John made-in-China uniforms nonsense. The designer, Sandusky wrote, ''finan- cially supports our team. An American company that supports American athletes.'' ny declined to comment on the criticism. In fact, this is not the Ralph Lauren's compa- first time that Ralph Lau- ren has designed the Olympic uniforms. Yet that did little to quell the anger on Capitol Hill. ''It is not just a label, it's an economic solution,'' said Rep. Steve Israel, D- N.Y. ''Today there are 600,000 vacant manufac- turing jobs in this country and the Olympic commit- tee is outsourcing the man- ufacturing of uniforms to China? That is not just out- rageous, it's just plain dumb. It is self-defeating.'' Israel urged the USOC to reverse the decision and ensure U.S. athletes wear uniforms that are made in America. In a statement, the U.S. Olympic Committee defended the choice of designer Ralph Lauren for the clothing at the London Games, which begin later this month. ''Unlike most Olympic teams around the world, the U.S. Olympic Team is privately funded and we're grateful for the support of our sponsors,'' USOC spokesman Patrick San- dusky said in a statement. ''We're proud of our part- nership with Ralph Lauren, an iconic American com- pany, and excited to watch America's finest athletes compete at the upcoming Games in London.'' Ralph Lauren also is dressing the Olympic and Paralympic teams for the closing ceremony and pro- viding casual clothes to be worn around the Olympic Village. Nike has made many of the competition uniforms for the U.S. and outfits for the medal stand. On Twitter, Sandusky called the outrage over the MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 48 38 .558 4 A's 52 34 .605 — 43 43 .500 9 Seattle 36 51 .4141 6.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 52 33 .612 — Baltimore 45 40 .529 7 Tampa Bay 45 41 .523 7.5 Boston 43 43 .500 9.5 Toronto 43 43 .500 9.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Chicago 47 38 .553 — Cleveland 44 41 .518 3 Detroit 44 42 .512 3.5 Kansas C. 37 47 .440 9.5 Minnesota 36 49 .424 11 ------------------------------------------------------- Thursday's results No games scheduled Today's games Detroit (Fister 2-6) at Baltimore (Hammel 8-5), 4:05 p.m. L.A. Angels (Undecided) at N.Y.Yankees (Kuroda 8-7), 4:05 p.m. Cleveland (Masterson 5-8) at Toronto (R.Romero 8-4), 4:07 p.m. Boston (F.Morales 1-2) at Tampa Bay (Hellickson 4-5), 4:10 p.m. 3 15 .167 11.5 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL Pct GB Connecticut 14 4 .778 — Indiana 10 6 .625 3 Atlanta 9 9 .500 5 Chicago 8 8 .500 5 New York 6 11 .353 7.5 Washington 3 14 .176 10.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Thursday's results Minnesota 89, Tulsa 74 Los Angeles at Indiana, late Today's games Washington at New York, 8 a.m. Atlanta at San Antonio, 5 p.m. Connecticut at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Seattle at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Quintana 4-1) at Kansas City (B.Chen 7-8), 5:10 p.m. Oakland (Griffin 0-0) at Minnesota (Liri- ano 3-7), 5:10 p.m. Texas (D.Holland 5-4) at Seattle (Mill- wood 3-6), 7:10 p.m. Saturday's games L.A. Angels at N.Y.Yankees, 10:05 a.m. Cleveland at Toronto, 10:07 a.m. Detroit at Baltimore, 1:05 p.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, 4:10 p.m. Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 4:10 p.m. Oakland at Minnesota, 4:10 p.m. Texas at Seattle, 6:10 p.m. Sunday's games L.A. Angels at N.Y.Yankees, 10:05 a.m. Cleveland at Toronto, 10:07 a.m. Detroit at Baltimore, 10:35 a.m. Boston at Tampa Bay, 10:40 a.m. Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 11:10 a.m. Oakland at Minnesota, 11:10 a.m. Texas at Seattle, 1:10 p.m. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Kirsten Gilli- brand, D-N.Y., separately sent letters to Lawrence Probst III, chairman of the USOC, complaining about the made-in-China uni- forms. Brown suggested that the USOC find a man- ufacturer with a facility in the United States, suggest- ing the Hugo Boss plant in Cleveland. ''There is no com- pelling reason why all of the uniforms cannot be made here on U.S. soil at the same price, at better quality,'' Gillibrand wrote along with Israel. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D- Vt., said that while mil- lions of Americans are unemployed, ''there is no reason why U.S. Olympic uniforms are not being manufactured in the U.S. This action on the part of the U.S. Olympic Commit- tee is symbolic of a disas- trous trade policy which has cost us millions of decent-paying jobs and must be changed.'' and field Olympian Nick Symmonds, who will com- pete in the 800-meter run at the London Games, wrote: ''Our Ralph Lauren outfits for the Olympic opening ceremonies were made in China. So, um, thanks China.'' In a tweet, U.S. track MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Dodgers 47 40 .540 — Giants 46 40 .535 .5 Arizona 42 43 .494 4 San Diego 34 53 .391 13 Colorado 33 52 .388 13 East Division WL Pct GB Washington 49 34 .590 — Atlanta 46 39 .541 4 New York 46 40 .535 4.5 Miami Phila. 41 44 .482 9 37 50 .425 14 Central Division WL Pct GB Pittsburgh 48 37 .565 — Cincinnati 47 38 .553 1 St. Louis 46 40 .535 2.5 Milwaukee 40 45 .471 8 Chicago 33 52 .388 15 Houston 33 53 .384 15.5 ------------------------------------------------------- Thursday's results No games scheduled Today's games Arizona (I.Kennedy 6-7) at Chicago Cubs (Maholm 6-6), 11:20 a.m. St. Louis (Wainwright 7-8) at Cincinnati (Latos 7-2), 4:10 p.m. Washington (Zimmermann 5-6) at Miami (Jo.Johnson 5-5), 4:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets (C.Young 2-2) at Atlanta (T.Hudson 7-4), 4:35 p.m. Pittsburgh (Ja.McDonald 9-3) at Milwau- kee (Greinke 9-3), 5:10 p.m. Philadelphia (Cl.Lee 1-5) at Colorado (Friedrich 4-6), 5:40 p.m. San Diego (Richard 6-9) at L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 6-5), 7:10 p.m. Houston (Lyles 2-5) at San Francisco (Bumgarner 10-5), 7:15 p.m. Saturday's games Arizona at Chicago Cubs, 10:05 a.m. N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 1:05 p.m. St. Louis at Cincinnati, 1:05 p.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 4:10 p.m. Washington at Miami, 4:10 p.m. Philadelphia at Colorado, 5:10 p.m. Houston at San Francisco, 6:05 p.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, 6:10 p.m. Sunday's games Washington at Miami, 10:10 a.m. N.Y. Mets at Atlanta, 10:35 a.m. Pittsburgh at Milwaukee, 11:10 a.m. Arizona at Chicago Cubs, 11:20 a.m. Philadelphia at Colorado, 12:10 p.m. Houston at San Francisco, 1:05 p.m. San Diego at L.A. Dodgers, 1:10 p.m. St. Louis at Cincinnati, 5:05 p.m.