LITTLE ROCK — Azarenka gets off on wrong foot
Victoria Azarenka has suffered a foot fault
Azarenka, the 23-year-old Belarusian phenom, has shot up the ranks of the tennis world over the past year. She won the Australian Open in 2012, captured the gold medal in mixed doubles at the London Olympics and the bronze in singles. She earned $7.9 million in 2012 to set a single season record in prize money.
She is the world’s top-ranked player and the top overall seed at the Australian Open.
So what’s the only thing that can stop Azarenka?
A bad pedicure.
Azarenka pulled out of the semifinals of the Brisbane International on Friday because of pain from a minor procedure on an ingrown nail that infected her right big toe. She said that after a pedicure about 10 days ago, a piece of her nail was jamming into her toe. The injury became so painful that Azarenka had to have a doctor remove the nail from her toe.
“It just got infected from a bad pedicure experience,” Azarenka said. “They cut a little bit too much, and it got infected. The doctor said it happens a lot. It’s never happened to me before, so it’s something that I am definitely going to prevent for the next time.”
Send in the clowns
Mike Bianchi of The Orlando Sentinel is all for the Jacksonville Jaguars picking up quarterback Tim Tebow.
“For those who say the Jaguars shouldn’t acquire Tim Tebow because he would turn the franchise into a circus, I say what the heck is wrong with the circus?” Bianchi wrote. “People like the circus. People go to the circus. The circus is fun. And that’s more than you can say for the Jaguars during their last decade of mundane irrelevance. Give me a circus over a cemetery.”
South Park
The Chicago Bears are apparently interviewing Montreal Alouettes Coach Marc Trestman for their head coaching job.
Wrote Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com: “So if he fails at getting the team to the postseason, will Bears fans blame Canada?”
Run of good Luck?
Andrew Luck has already won once this week.
A racehorse named after the Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback earned the second victory of his career Friday at The Meadows in western Pennsylvania. Three-year-old gelding pacer Andrew Luck won his season debut by a neck as the 8-5 second pick.
The horse had taken some time off after three consecutive poor performances at Indiana Downs over the summer but now has two victories in six career outings.
Andrew Luck, the quarterback, makes his playoff debut today on the road against the favored Baltimore Ravens.
Quote of the day
“You know, the players get left out on that. It’s not a pretty part of the business.” Interim ASU coach John Thompson on how players are affected when coaches take a new job and leave without fulfilling bowl game obligations
Sports, Pages 20 on 01/06/2013