<h4>Watching a high floater </h4>
Wang Yue Gu of Singapore keeps her eyes on the ball during a match in the first round of the women's singles World Table Tennis championships in Yokohama, Japan, on Thursday.
Three foes had to be subdued by golfer Glen Griffith on Wednesday: himself, Andrew Cochran and the unforgiving desert of The Stone Canyon Club.
He did just that in his 3-and-1 PGA club pro match play title victory.
“I had to stop and tell myself to relax,” said Griffith, the Tucson Golf Schools founder and director, referring to the crucial 15th hole. “I wasn’t doing what I always do. It was scary.
“I think playing in (PGA) Q School (in 2007) prepares me now. I can stay calm.”
Griffith was in the midst of seeing a 4-stroke lead fade during the Southwest Section Southern Chapter final.
“It’s like losing a 15-point lead in basketball in the last three minutes,” tournament director Rick Price said.
Griffith’s 15th-hole shot from the rocks found the fairway, and Cochran, a Stone Canyon assistant, three-putted.
A pair of bogeys all but sealed Cochran’s fate. It ended with Cochran misfiring off the tee on No. 17.
Cochran struggled and bulldogged his way to almost-ville, first going 20 holes Tuesday in the quarterfinals, then almost blowing a five-shot lead in Wednesday’s semifinals against Rich Elias.
Cochran won the semifinal on the 18th hole.
“Too many short putts,” Cochran summed up his foibles. “I missed a few.”
Three alone in the championship match that might well have made things different on a day when each golfer did not exactly light things up.
But that’s match play.
“You have to play smart,” said Griffith, who finished as the runner-up in the same tournament twice. “There’s no explanation for what happens. You don’t necessarily play conservatively because it’s the desert. You have to judge each situation.”
Griffith had to wait out semifinal foe Chris Dompier’s four straight birdies in the early going, 18 in two days. Dompier fell victim to the desert on the second nine of play.
When it’s mano a mano, Griffith is in his glory. He couldn’t care less if it’s not pretty, so long as he stays at least one ahead of the foe. “I love match play,” he said. “I was having fun.”
UA men’s golf finishes 9th
The Wildcats finished ninth at the Pac-10 Championships in Seattle on Wednesday.
UA shot a 43-over 1,483 total for four rounds. Washington (-16) won. Oregon (+2) was second.
UA’s Tarquin MacManus finished sixth among individuals with a 3-under 285. Washington’s Darren Wallace was first at -11.
Citizen Staff Report
MLB attendance down
Major League Baseball recognizes it will probably spend the year “behind in the count” but is pleased April attendance has declined by only 4.4 percent, compared with the same number of home games at each park a year ago.
“The first three weeks have been encouraging,” said Commissioner Bud Selig, who warned teams during the offseason of the impact of the global economic crisis. “I think clubs, overall, have been extremely sensitive to the economic environment in this country, and I’m proud of the way they have reacted.”
Nineteen teams have suffered a decline in attendance through Tuesday, according to Baseball-Reference.com, led by the Nationals at 30.4 percent.
The New York Mets and New York Yankees, each with a new stadium this year, have also had significant attendance drops. The Mets’ attendance is down 23.9 percent and the Yankees’ is down 12.2 percent.
The Mets’ average is skewed because their seating capacity has dipped to 42,000 from 55,601. They are at 91 percent capacity through 11 games at Citi Field compared with 87 percent at Shea Stadium last year.
The Associated Press
Alarm slows N.Y.-Det. game
DETROIT – The New York Yankees-Detroit Tigers game was delayed briefly by a false alarm.
Strobe lights flashed and fans were told to leave their seats Wednesday night during the bottom of the eighth inning.
“Attention, attention, attention,” a voice said over Comerica Park’s speakers. “An emergency has been reported.”
Fans were told to walk to the nearest stairway and to avoid the elevator.
Players on the field held their positions while the umpiring crew figured out it was just a false alarm and fans were later updated with a message on the video board.
The Associated Press
Spirit back in the mix
ATLANTA – ‘Spirit the Hawk’ was back for Game 5. This time, though, the real-life mascot was firmly attached to a trainer’s arm.
The hawk, who got loose during the Game 2 introductions and wound up causing a brief delay, was introduced along with the Atlanta players but wasn’t allowed to take flight.
The fierce-looking bird has become a bit of a celebrity since its April 23 fly-around, getting lots of national TV play and even its own site on Twitter. (We’ll have to assume someone is ghostwriting the animal’s thoughts in 140 characters or less.)
NBA commissioner David Stern even weighed in on the famous bird of prey, which spends most of its time on display at Zoo Atlanta.
“If you live long enough, you’ll see just about anything,” said Stern, who was in Atlanta Wednesday as part of his tour of playoff cities. “I really feel badly for the bird. He was probably frightened. I’m not excited about the Hawks having a bird that’s not well behaved.”
But Spirit looked in good form for this one, even if he was a bit confined.
He was brought out on his trainer’s arm and flapped out around at center court while the starting lineup was introduced. A secure tether ensured he didn’t get loose this time.
During the introduction before Game 2, Spirit was released from the rafters so he could fly to his trainer on the court. But apparently spooked by something, he settled on top of the scoreboard for a few minutes, then flew around the arena while the game went on below him.
The Associated Press
NUMBER OF THE DAY
5,110
Career total bases by Ken Griffey Jr., the most among active players. Other leaders:
Gary Sheffield 4,627
Manny Ramirez 4,560
Alex Rodriguez 4,543
Jim Thome 4,141
Ivan Rodriguez 4,138
Chipper Jones 4,049
QUOTABLE
'We were very insulted by it.'
DWYANE WADE,
Miami Heat player, after the Atlanta Hawks tried a bunch of highlight-reel dunks at the end of their win over Miami on Wednesday
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ON THIS DATE
1961: Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants hits four home runs in a 14-4 victory over the Braves in Milwaukee.
1976: Muhammad Ali wins a unanimous 15-round decision over Jimmy Young in Landover, Md., to retain his world heavyweight title.
1992: The Red Wings and Canucks become the ninth and 10th teams in NHL history to rebound from 3-1 deficits to win playoff series. Detroit beats Minnesota 5-2, while Vancouver defeats Winnipeg 5-0.
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SPORTS SOUND-OFF
Ex-UA hoopster Johnson, Lady Cats praised
Re: Zane Johnson leaving UA basketball team
Good guy. I wish him all the luck. This opens a slot of someone else.
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Re: UA softball team
These gals continue to be the best in Wildcat athletics to be found . . . exciting to watch. Determined to win. Even in an off year for pitchers, they are truly exciting to watch. Candrea is the best Wildcat coach in any sport . . . a teacher, and a leader who prepares them to win. Candrea will guide them into a winner’s bracket, despite their pitching. The Pac-10 may be the toughest it has ever been. One of these teams will be national champion this year.
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