LITTLE ROCK — Pippen still willing to take shots
Former Chicago Bulls star and Central Arkansas standout Scottie Pippen had his sights locked onto something other than an open basket last weekend.
An ESPN.com Page 2 commentary noted Thursday that Pippen was in northern Maine to watch the World Cup biathlon races, which combine crosscountry skiing and shooting. Later, the Hamburg native gave the threefoot biathlon rifle a shot.
Pippen, a guest of Russian Biathlon Union CEO Sergey Kushchenko, missed five shots before hitting the target with the next five rounds.
Pippen, however, did not try the skiing portion. When asked during a news conference what it would take for him to try skiing, Pippen said, “A guaranteed contract.”
NBA going to India
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the U.S. StateDepartment and the NBA will make their first joint trip to India this year as part of a sports envoy program.
The trip will include clinics, meetings with students and the finals of the Mahindra NBA Challenge, a basketball league run by the NBA and the country’s basketball league.
More than 40 NBA and WNBA players have visited 19 countries since 2004 through the SportsUnited program. Hall of Fame player George Gervin and two-time WNBA champion Katie Smith are among those scheduledto visit Mumbai and New Delhi on Feb. 22-March 2.
Perhaps if the NBA plays its cards right, they’ll leave the Cleveland Cavaliers there.
Don’t lose
Cassy Herkelman became the first girl to ever win a match at Iowa’s state high school wrestling tournament Thursday - kind of.
ESPN noted Friday that Herkelman won the match after her opponent, Joel Northrup, refused to compete with the 14-year-old Thursday because she is a girl.
Northrup, a favorite to win the 112-pound weight class, cited religious beliefs and said he didn’t think it was appropriate to wrestle a girl.
Cassy’s father, Bill Herkelman, said the home-schooled sophomore Northrup should not be judged for his decision.
“That’s their belief, and I praise them for sticking to it,” he said. “This is the biggest stage in wrestling in the state, I would say, and they stuck to their beliefs when it probably tested it the most.”
“As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner,” Northrup said in a statement. “It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most other high school sports in Iowa.”
Herkelman had a 20-13 record entering the tournament. She and Northrup were eliminated later that day.
You know what else many 14-year-old boys hold to religiously?
Not getting beaten by a girl.
They said it
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times on New York Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia saying he lost 25 pounds by not eating Cap’n Crunch cereal: “Now comes the real test: How will he perform at crunchtime ?”Quote of the day
“That’s what we do.
We’re a defensive team, the best defensive team in the SEC right now.” Alabama guard Trevor Releford
Sports, Pages 20 on 02/19/2011