LITTLE ROCK — Makeup call for Nationals
Here’s guessing the real Miss Iowa will not be booed when she takes the mound at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Pageant winner Katherine Connors accepted an invitation to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Washington Nationals’ home game against the Philadelphia Phillies tonight, a few days after Nationals pitcher Miguel Batista made reference to Miss Iowa as part of a joke.
Batista, a 39-year-old journeyman reliever, was pressed into starting Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves when rookie sensation Stephen Strasburg was scratched at the last minute because his right shoulder felt stiff while he warmed up in the bullpen.
Many in the sellout crowd of more than 40,000 booed when an announcement over the loudspeakers made fans awareof the switch from Strasburg to Batista.
After pitching five scoreless innings and striking out six in a 3-0 victory for the Nationals, Batista said he understood why fans had jeered.
“Imagine,” Batista said, “if yougo there to see Miss Universe and you end up having Miss Iowa - you might get those kind of boos.”
He later made clear he hadn’t intended to insult the real Miss Iowa, calling Connors “gorgeous” and sending her flowers.
“Hopefully by the end of the day, when she goes back to Iowa, she’ll say something good about us,” he said. “Hopefully, like, ‘Oh, he was a cool guy. He looks like a low-budget Vin Diesel, but he’s nice.’ ” Runner’s delay
Pace-setter Eric Strabel’s hopes of winning Alaska’s 27th annual Crow Pass Crossing wilderness marathon last Saturday were eventually dashed, the Anchorage Daily News reported, when:
A bear on the trail delayed him for maybe 30 seconds.
A moose and calf refused to move, forcing him to take a detour.
An ensuing tumble left an ear, a shin and his hands bloodied.
Scouting technique
Former Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Ben Davidson, who never played high school football, took up the sport at East Los Angeles College and woundup at Washington, where he played on the Huskies’ 1960 and 1961 Rose Bowl winners.
“I think there was a lot of word of mouth back then,” Davidson said, “and I think the coach would say, ‘This guy’s really stupid, but he works hard and he’ll do what you tell him.’ ”
French connection
After France’s new coach suspended the entire national soccer squad for one game after its embarrassing World Cup showing, Len Berman of ThatsSports.com wrote: “This could be the start of something.
“Mariners? Lions? Nets?” They said it
CJ Currie of SportsDeke.com, after former Seton Hall basketball Coach Bobby Gonzalez pleaded innocent to shoplifting a $1,400 satchel: “After checking his stats as a player at Buffalo State, I’m thinking maybe Gonzalez just didn’t know how to put it in the basket.”
Comedy writer Alan Ray, on concerns that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might have lost a step: “At his age, he can no longer outrun a jealous boyfriend.”Quote of the day “Rather than spending
time worrying about terminology or blocking schemes, we have a
chance to perfect what we’ve already learned.” Auburn offensive tackle Lee Ziemba of Rogers
Sports, Pages 20 on 07/30/2010