A picture has surfaced of the Spanish tennis team taking part in a slant-eyed pose during April’s Federation Cup. The Spaniards supposedly took the picture in anticipation of playing the Chinese in the next round.

The Spanish have a strange way of saying “we’re looking forward to playing you” and “thanks for having us in your country”. I thought it was weak for the Spanish hoops team to do the pose and it’s just as dumb for their tennis team. There is obviously a cultural difference because the folks in Spain don’t think it’s a big deal. Jason Kidd disagrees.

Spanish Tennis Team, racist picture, photo

Team Usa cruised to a 92-69 victory over Greece in their third preliminary game in the Beijing Olympics. Dwyane Wade’s ball saving alley-oop to Kobe Bryant was the play of the game, which you can see above if YouTube hasn’t pulled the video yet.

The Greeks were supposed to represent Team USA’s first challenge in Beijing. They were for the first quarter, but the American defense and Chris Bosh pushed Team USA to a 19 point halftime lead. The U.S. shot 35 percent from 3-pt. range (7-20) for the game and continued to miss open three point looks. The poor shooting from distance and the occasional lapse in team play were the only negatives for Coach K’s crew. Next up for the Redeem Team are the racist picture posing ballers from Spain.

Team USA,
Greece,
highlights

Jason Kidd acknowledges Team USA is struggling with the three, but I agree with him when he says at the end of the day the team will enjoy the international line. It’s only a matter of time before the open looks start to go down.

Kidd went on to say that the Redeem Team’s defense is better than Dream Team II’s defense. The 2008 team, which has the most talent since the 1996 team, doesn’t have four guys that can lock it down like Gary Payton, David Robinson, Hakeen Olajuwon, and Scottie Pippen could.

Also, nice subtle slight to Kobe from Kidd when he said the defense begins and ends with LeBron, and then added Kobe a little later. Losing in the NBA finals made it open season on the Mamba. Since the Boston Celtics defeated the Lakers for the championship Shaquille O’Neal, some little kids, Paul Pierce, and Michael Jordan have taken shots at Bryant. If Team USA doesn’t win the gold medal the size of that list could triple.

Jason Kidd, Team USA, interview, youtube

Spain’s Olympic basketball team thought it would be a good idea to pose for a team photo making “slant-eyes”.. While in China.. Not that it would be cool if they did it somewhere else, I’m just pointing out the extra stupidity behind the picture. Strange behavior from such a racially progressive country like Spain.

Spanish sport has been mired in rows over racism in the last few years. In November 2004 black English footballers were subjected to relentless racial barracking from home supporters in a match in Spain. Before the World Cup there were calls for Luis Aragones, then Spain’s football coach, to be sacked after he called Thierry Henry a “black shit”. And last year Lewis Hamilton suffered racist abuse during testing for the Spanish grand prix near Barcelona.

I wonder how much Pau Gasol’s new Los Angeles Laker teammate Sun Yue appreciates this photo.

Spanish Basketball Team, Beijing Olympics, picture, photo

United States Olympic pole vaulter April Steiner took some time off from her workout to dance for the camera. We’ll probably see a similar routine if she wins the gold medal in China. There’s no way April Steiner will be embarrassed by this video because A) she posted it herself in response to Stacy Dragila’s dancing video, and B) she ate maggot mashed potatoes, rotten fish gravy, beetle stuffing and worm green beans on Fear Factor.

April Steiner, pole vault, Beijing Olympics, youtube

Iranian authorities are considering whether or not to allow state television to broadcast women’s events at the upcoming Beijing Olympics. In question is the dress of the female competitors. Iranian women are required to wear an Islamic hijab when participating in sporting events, which must cover the head and hair and hide the female form. Since the other countries don’t follow Iran’s Islamic dress code the events can not be shown on television.

There’s currently a push in Iran to make an exception for this year’s Olympics.

For this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing, however, Iranian authorities might allow state television to broadcast the women’s events. Ali Asghar Purmohammadi, who is responsible for broadcasting sports programs for Iran’s state-run television, has said he is pressing Iranian authorities to give special permission to show women competing in the Olympic Games next month.

There are just three women among the 53 Iranian athletes who will compete in the Beijing Olympics from August 8-24, with one woman each competing in rowing, archery, and tae kwon do.

The Iranian government will probably stick with tradition but rowing, archery, and tae kwon do have to be three of the least sexy sports in the summer games. It could be worse.

Take track for instance.
The first two things you’ll notice about this women’s track meet compilation video are one, it’s NSFW and two, there are a lot of perv cameramen working women’s track events.

Water polo looks hard enough without making the women try to play in a lacrosse mask and long-sleeved sack.

Unless the temperature was around 40 degrees F there’s no excuse for forcing these ladies to put on this gear to play softball.

I’d say there are some philosophical differences between the United States approach to women’s softball and the Iranian approach.

Iranian women should start joining auto racing leagues. They’ll be covered from head to toe at all times. That’s assuming women are allowed to drive in Iran.

Beijing Olympics, Iranian Government, banned from tv

Former MLB manager Davey Johnson is known as a man that will give you an honest answer.. Even when he shouldn’t. Johnson granted the Daily News an interview and talked openly about Dwight Gooden, the death of his daughter, and performance enhancing drugs in baseball. Davey’s thoughts on steroids and users came after a seemingly harmless question about Roger Clemens pitching for the Olympic team.

DN: There has been much speculation that Roger Clemens might pitch for Team USA in the Olympics. Do you see that happening?

DJ: No. No possibility. He’s probably good enough to go out and throw BP and get people out, but for me, you’ve got to be competing. I want guys who are playing their best right now, in a league. I don’t want some guy who has been off for three months.

DN: Did you watch the Clemens-McNamee congressional hearing? Who did you believe?

DJ: You know who I believed. Roger Clemens was a great pitcher. He pitched by intimidating. Try to get an edge, look at you. He’d hit his grandmother if he thought it would help him win a game. You’ve got to admire what he’s done. But he’s in that group where you’ve got to believe that anything he would do to make himself better, he’s going to do. I just think the deal in those hearings – that’s just his personality. He’s going to try to intimidate: “I’m coming through here and you’re not going to get in my way.”

Davey doesn’t sound like he’s to big on The Rocket, but he says one thing that’s true of people, not just Roger Clemens or ballplayers. People are gonna do whatever they can to get to the top. If that means taking roids, cheating on tests, stealing, whatever, human nature is to do that shit.. But if you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, own up to it. It worked out for Jason Giambi.

DJ drops gems all over this interview, and another classic came when he was asked if he was aware of performance enhancing drug use when he was a MLB manager. He says Brady Anderson was a workout fiend, and Rafael Palmiero had a soft body, so he never suspected either of using roids. He apparently didn’t think Jim Leyritz was on anything either even after this incident:

When I was managing the Dodgers, we picked up Jim Leyritz and he was making this concoction in the clubhouse kitchen. I said, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m making a little something to pep the club up.” He had all these powders and cans and stuff. He gave me a shot of it. My heart started jumping out of my damn chest, and I didn’t have but a thimbleful. I was taking medicine for arrhythmia. I asked him what it was, he said mostly Red Bull with some other kickers in there.

Red Bull and kickers? I think Red Bull and amphetamines is the appropriate term. Leyritz must not have put enough ‘kickers’ in the mix because the team’s uninspired play led to Davey Johnson being fired after two seasons.. Weird bit of foreshadowing with Leyritz nearly killing Davey Johnson with a drink.

Davey Johnson tells of Mets days, steroids, and Olympic dreams. Courtesy of the Daily News

Davey Johnson, MLB, Roger Clemens, steroids

Kobe Bryant did a 5 city “Supernatural Tour” through Asia to promote his latest brand of Nikes. Bryant hit Manila, Taipei (where he opened a new Nike store), Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing, spreading the love of basketball, holding clinics, and giving interviews:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcYut5ySPyk[/youtube]

Can anybody tell me why Kobe felt compelled to take his shirt off at the 2 minute mark? That seemed kinda strange.. Highlights of the interview:

Q: An Olympic gold medal or another NBA championship?

KB: Well fortunately I don’t have to choose one or the other.

Of course he doesn’t have to choose.. The Lakers don’t have a chance at winning the championship.

Q: When you come back to the Lakers do you expect to have new teammates?

KB: You know what, I don’t know. I just train really hard and just get ready. Whatever happens happens. I just try to stay healthy, work hard, and go from there.

Translation: I promised Mitch I wouldn’t rip him or the team anymore but you’re f****** straight I expect something to be done. KG went to Boston. Boston?!? Who the hell would choose Boston over L.A.? That’s how screwed up things are with the Lakers.

Q: With the problems haunting athletes like Michael Vick, Barry Bonds and all that..How do you keep yourself an ideal role model for people like my son who skipped school today to see you?

Kobe gave the cookie cutter answer to the question, but I found it funny that Kobe’s in Manila getting asked about Vick and Barry Bonds… And he’s one helluva role model if kids are skipping school to see him.

Ok this next video is kinda long, and the sound quality is trash, but check out Kobe’s Rockstar status entrance at the beginning.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hCp7_gv1zA[/youtube]

Mamba’s the man in Manila. You can get a full recap of his Asian tour here.

NBA star Kobe Bryant in Taiwan on five-stop Asian Tour. Courtesy of Earth Times

A day with Kobe in Manila. Courtesy of KB24.com

Tags: Kobe Bryant, Nike, You Tube, Video, Asian Tour, Supernatural

Photo Courtesy of KB24.com