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Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing

Posted: Oct 30th 2008 12:28PM by Sportz Assassin (author feed)
Filed under: China, USA

USA Today is reporting that the Chinese government listed nine United States athletes and one assistant coach as potential troublemakers during the recent Beijing Olympics. Chinese officials felt this group of people posed a threat to ignite demonstrations against the country during the Games.

The names included softball players Jennie Finch and Jessica Mendoza and soccer player Abby Wambach, who broke her leg and missed the Olympic Games. It also included two Paralympians, one athlete who wasn't a member of the 2008 softball team and a top female collegiate golfer. Golf is not an Olympic sport.

"We viewed these concerns as being entirely unjustified and unwarranted," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said in an e-mail Wednesday. "As such, we rejected the request to address this with our athletes or transmit the letter to them. We saw absolutely no need to burden the athletes with this."

Did You See That?

The field clears a fence during the New Season Handicap Steeplechase during the at Ludlow Racecourse on September 16, 2008 in Ludlow, England.

Emanuele Canonica of Italy helps his caddie in the rescue of a pigeon from the water around the 18th green during the first round of the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 16, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

A multiexposure image showing Britain's Andy Murray returning to Croatian Marin Cilic during a last sixteen tennis match at the Madrid Masters in Madrid on October 16, 2008. Andy Murray won 7-5, 7-6.

English football fans dressed in armours and tunics play in a friendly match against Belarus fans in Minsk on October 15, 2008 before the start of the Belarus vs. England 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier of European group 6 match.

Travis Brigley (R) of Hamburg fights with Matt Keith (L) of Ingolstadt during the DEL match between Hamburg Freezers and ERC Ingolstadt at the Color Line Arena on October 14, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko returns a ball to US Robby Ginepri during a second round tennis match at the Masters in Madrid on October 15, 2008.

A golf ball which has been enveloped by the tree over many years is pictured during the pro-am for the Portugal Masters at the Oceanico Victoria Golf Course on October 15, 2008 in Vilamoura, Portugal.

Andy Murray of Great Britain plays football during his training session prior to his thrid round match tomorrow at the Madrid Masters tennis tournament at the Madrid Arena on October 15, 2008 in Madrid, Spain.

Samuel Peter from Nigeria gets a punch from Vitali Klitschko of Ukraine during their WBC heavyweight boxing world championship fight in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. Klitschko won the fight after round nine due to technical knock out.

Herbert Knosowski, AP

Japan's Kyoko Hamaguchi (lower) fights with China's Hong Yan (red) during the semi-final of the 72kg class of the Women's Wrestling World Championships in Tokyo on October 13, 2008. Hong defeated Hamaguchi and will face Bulgaria's Stanka Zlateva in the final.

Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Here is the entire list: Softball players Finch, Mendoza, Natasha Watley, Amanda Freed, assistant softball coach Karen Johns, women's soccer player Abby Wambach, cyclist Jonathan Page, paralympic basketball player Jen Howitt, paralympic wheelchair racer Cheri Blauwet and golfer Laura Goodwin.

Continue Reading Chinese Officials Listed Nine US Athletes As Potential Troublemakers In Beijing

Synchronized 'Homies' and Other Fun Memories From an Olympic Insomniac

Posted: Aug 25th 2008 3:20PM by Tom Herrera (author feed)
Filed under: Beijing, China, USA, Attractive Olympians

2 COMMENTS

For most people, the dust is already settling on all the extravagant Olympic action, but this sports graveyard desk editor is still riding high from sixteen sleepless days of swimming, more swimming, and the occasional taekwondo kick to the face. You want a unique perspective on the Beijing Games? This is the place to be. Just don't expect there to be any fresh coffee.

Michael Phelps is signing an endorsement deal for IHOP somewhere in exchange for free 5,000-calorie breakfasts for life.

Usain Bolt is concocting new ways to hot dog and high-step so he'll have some records left to break in 2012.

And I'm somehow still awake watching NBC replay the closing ceremony and Turkish oil wrestling highlights (now there's the next event!)

Spending the majority of the past sixteen days engulfed in Olympic coverage wasn't always a treat, but the memories I'll take with me will last a lifetime ... or at least four more years.

The visual treasures embedded in my mind aren't what you'd expect them to be. Phelps' record-breaking eight gold medals? Definitely wasn't a cakewalk, but we saw it coming. Bolt's ridonkulous sprints to history? Dude, his last name is Bolt.

Spanish synchronized swimmers dressed in 'gangsta' outfits, on the other hand? Now there's something I'm never going to forget, or hopefully see again for the rest of my life.

So let's toss the "memorable performances" and "winners and losers" aside for now. Here are my selections for the "Sweet 16" -- the lasting images that are off the beaten path ...

Continue Reading Synchronized 'Homies' and Other Fun Memories From an Olympic Insomniac

Attractive Olympian: Team USA Pitcher and Legendary Hottie Jennie Finch

Posted: Jun 20th 2008 5:01PM by Matt Ufford (author feed)
Filed under: Women's Sports, Beijing, USA, Attractive Olympians

61 COMMENTS

Olympic athletes often don't get paid to do anything other than look good. In that vein, Attractive Olympians handicaps which athletes may rake in endorsement deals after the Olympics.

Get to Know Jennie Finch

Jennie Finch struck out 10 en route to a perfect game April 19 against Louisiana-Lafayette in a pre-Olympic exhibition tour. It's just the latest feat for Finch, who many consider the most famous softball player of all time.

Crystal LoGiudice, US Presswire

Finch had a 2-0 record in the 2004 Summer Olympics at Athens, Greece. She struck out 13 batters over eight innings in that tournament while only giving up one hit, leading the American team to the gold medal.

Dustin Snipes, Icon SMI/ZUMA Press

She appeared on the July 2005 cover of Sports Illustrated as part of the SI Summer Party edition, but turned down a lucrative contract to appear nude for Playboy, saying that she would "rather be a role model for young girls."

Sports Illustrated

Finch has also made a few reality TV performances, appearing in an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County and as a contestant on the new celebrity edition of The Apprentice.

Tommy Baynard, NBC

Finch lasted until the fourth episode of Celebrity Apprentice, competing against other stars like country singer Trace Adkins, but she was fired in the fourth episode on January 24.

Jim Spellman, WireImage.com

Finch has made her presence felt in the big leagues, participating on the Legends Team at the 2005 Legends/Celebrity Game as part of the All-Star festivities at Comerica Park.

Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

Finch regularly hosts TV segments for "This Week In Baseball" where she's seen pitching to major league baseball players, throwing from the same distance she would in a softball game.

Christian Petersen, Getty Images

Finch defeated Anna Kournikova in an ESPN online poll in 2003 as the most attractive female athlete. Like Kournikova, she has modeled swimwear for the SI Swimsuit Edition in 2005-06.

Albert L. Ortega, WireImage.com

Along with teammate Lisa Fernandez, left, Finch received an award for Best Female Olympic Performance at the 13th Annual ESPY Awards in 2005.

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

At the 2002 ESPY Awards, Finch was considered the "best dressed" at the show. She wore a black and rhinestone evening gown she helped design, which upstaged the likes of Vivica A. Fox and supermodel Carol Alt.

Robert Mora, Getty Images

No discussion of attractive Olympians could be complete -- or perhaps even started -- without adequate mention of Team USA pitcher Jennie Finch. The former Arizona great (her number 27 was retired there in 2003) posted a 2-0 record and allowed only one hit in 13 innings during the U.S.'s gold medal run in Athens in 2004, and she'll look to duplicate that success in Beijing.

The rest you probably know: an appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, her marriage to Twins pitcher Casey Daigle, a son named Ace born in 2006, TV appearances on Pros vs Joes and the celebrity edition of The Apprentice (she got fired), and regular on-camera work for ESPN.

But is she attractive? Well, yes. Definitively so. But that won't stop us from encouraging you to vote in our poll after the jump, where pleasant things like photos of her in evening wear reside. Thanks, Getty Images!

Continue Reading Attractive Olympian: Team USA Pitcher and Legendary Hottie Jennie Finch

David Wright Buys Hot Dogs for Jennie Finch

Posted: Jan 4th 2008 4:25AM by Mullet (author feed)
Filed under: New York, Mets, NL East, MLB Video

2 COMMENTS

Wondering what David Wright has been doing with his time off? Buying a cart full of hot dogs, of course!

Don't worry, he didn't eat them and grow to Cecil Fielder proportions. Wright came to the aid of his friend, USA softball star Jennie Finch (who just happened to have Wright's number in her cell phone) and helped Finch's team sell their remaining hot dogs by buying out the whole cart in the first installment of NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. Wright, Finch and co. then proceeded to give out the hot dogs to passers-by on the streets of Manhattan. Unfortunately, Wright's generous purchase (proceeds all going to charity of course) was not enough to send Finch's team to victory, as the competing team sold their hot dogs for about $40,000 more. David Wright on a losing team? It's like late September all over again.

Ashley Force Is the Hottest Female Athlete

Posted: Sep 6th 2007 11:22AM by Larry Brown (author feed)

0 COMMENTS

PostmanE already told you that funny car drag racer Ashley Force massacred softball hottie Jennie Finch to win the crown as AOL Sports' hottest athlete. So what is it that makes Ashley so hot? Is it her looks? Her fame? Her driving prowess? Is it her accessibility to her fans? The fact that she races for a family mom-and-pop style operation? I think her dominance throughout the tournament, including mop-up jobs of Danica Patrick, Anna Rawson, Gretchen Bleiler, Paula Creamer, and Jennie Finch, indicates it was probably a combination of all the aforementioned factors.

Let me make a suggestion for you: take a look at some of the comments from previous rounds of the tournament and you'll get a sense of Force's fervent fan base. Most voters seemed to be taken by Force's natural beauty. Additionally, many of the voters seemed to be particularly intrigued and awe-stricken by Ashley's athletic ability. There aren't many people in the world, much less beautiful women, who can handle an automobile at speeds upwards of 300mph.

Also do yourself a favor and check out the interview Ashley gave to Dave Hollander in response to being crowned the hottest female athlete. You truly get the sense that Ashley knows her fans have recognized her success and have helped her gain popularity:

Continue Reading Ashley Force Is the Hottest Female Athlete

Ladies and Gents (But Mostly Gents), Your 2007 Hottest Female Athlete: Ashley Force

Posted: Aug 29th 2007 6:00AM by Eamonn Brennan (author feed)
Filed under: The Word

60 COMMENTS

And it wasn't even close: Ashley Force, she of the funny car drag racing -- which isn't exactly a sport that sends men into dreamy thoughts of female beauty -- has decisively taken down the field in the AOL Sports Hot Female Athlete Contest, rolling Jennie Finch in the final 79%-21%.

That's a really impressive victory, given Finch's established status as one of the most beautiful women in sports, and high name-recognition among most people. Finch and Force are both in fringe sports, but Finch is by far the more famous of the two, rendering Force's win that much more unlikely.

But the fun doesn't end there. Force will now face off against Tom Brady, who took home an equally decisive title over Andy Roddick in the Hot Male Athlete bracket. How exactly these two people will graded against one another is beyond me. As a guy, I'm fully willing to admit that Tom Brady is a handsome fellow -- and he certainly has an enviable life -- but when it comes to "hotness," is any straight guy going to take Brady over Force? Likewise, is any straight gal going to vote against Brady? Who will hit the polls harder: men or women? Not to mention homosexual voting patterns and the key bisexual swing vote. The politics are mind-boggling.

I do know this, though: Ashley Force is your female champ. And no amount of sexual confusion in the final round can rob her of her hotness.

Handicapping the Hottest Female Athletes: From Four to Two

Posted: Aug 22nd 2007 5:30AM by Eamonn Brennan (author feed)
Filed under: Women's Sports

140 COMMENTS

It's that time of the week again, the time when we overanalyze female appearance and feel slightly uneasy about it, all in the name of healthy competition and a grand old time. We're getting down to the nitty gritty, so before we take a look at the final matchup, let's go to last week's results:

The Surprises: It's hard to claim a "surprise" when you're talking about the Final Four, but surprises still ruled the day in the semifinals. On one side of the bracket, upstart Ashley Force won the battle of the attractive drivers by a relatively wide margin, beating Danica Patrick 67%-33%. Patrick had barely skated by in all of the previous rounds, and was by far the shakiest of the top seeds, even though she lasted longer than the vastly overrated Amanda Beard. Plus, when placed side-to-side, it's pretty clear that Ashely Force is a less famous, better looking, slightly less successful version of Patrick, and since we're not supposed to be weighing success and relevance -- this isn't Who's Now?, or even Who's Erstwhile? -- Force rightfully won this one. Sorry, No Photos
The Stalwarts: Jennie Finch and Maria Sharapova are about stalwarty as you can get, as both have been crowned the queen of hot female athletes in the past with varying degrees of quasi-cultural importance. Sharapova remains more famous thanks the popularity of tennis, but Finch is decidedly better looking. In the end, this was by far the most even vote in the competition; the final raw percentage was 50%-50%, and Finch won by 913 votes. Like I said above, in terms of hotness, the voters made the right choice here.

The Final Round: This is it, the matchup for all the marbles. And as good looking as Ashley Force is, it's hard for me to see her toppling Finch in the final. Not only is Finch her relative equal in looks, but Finch remains more famous, more relevant, more Now-ish, more zeitgeisty ... Ashley Force just isn't there yet. Yes, it's a hotness competition, but like any vote, it's also a popularity contest. Final prediction: Finch wins in a close final, and takes home the world's most vaguely degrading competition. And I put myself through a little masochistic reading assignment to atone for my sins.

Handicapping the Hottest Female Athletes: Racecar Drivers Everywhere

Posted: Aug 15th 2007 7:37AM by Larry Brown (author feed)

78 COMMENTS

Well, the man sitting here typing all this doesn't have a whole lot of credibility left after his pick to win it all made a first round tournament exit like it were a Kansas Jayhawks team in March. Shortly after that, everyone's favorite Playboy poser, Amanda Beard, was eliminated. Which now brings us to the Fab Four that's open to your vote.

Remaining are hotties Maria Sharapova, Jennie Finch, Ashley Force, and Danica Patrick. Gone are the golfers, Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer, as well as Karina Petroni, and Heather Mitts.

Sharapova vs. Finch: If this isn't a marquee matchup between two heavyweights in the female sports world, then I don't know what is. Their similarities are endless -- tall, hot, athletic, blond ... it's hard to find anything bad to say about either of them. Sharapova is more in the public eye these days, as she's still doing well in the tennis world -- in between her trips to Chernobyl. Finch has settled in as a married woman, that is, when she's not analyzing fantasy baseball. Since both of them have pretty much run through their competition up until this point, it will be a tough call. If pressed, I'd have to say Sharapova gets the nod for her immediate presence on the sports scene. Now, if I were in a room with the two of them and only had one choice, I'd probably go with Jennie. Should we all be so blessed to have such a "decision" on our hands.

Continue Reading Handicapping the Hottest Female Athletes: Racecar Drivers Everywhere

Handicapping the Hottest Female Athletes

Posted: Jul 16th 2007 5:30AM by Larry Brown (author feed)

39 COMMENTS

The geniuses at AOL Sports came up with an idea to hold a hottest athlete in sports tournament. On one side of the draw are the hottest males, and on the other are the hottest females. That's where I come in. I'm going to look into my crystal ball and tell you some of the sleepers, predict the final four and then crown who I think will be the champion. So, without further ado ...

Sleeper Picks

(8) Allison Stokke - An eight-seed for this hottie is an utter joke. With her tan and muscle tone, she'll run through opponents like the 2005 Steelers in the playoffs. Stokke might not enjoy all the publicity she's received, but over a million YouTube views of a high school interview says she'll be tough to beat no matter what.

(10) Candace Parker - She's already tested well on the Would You Do ... scale, making me think she could have some legs in this tourney. Plain and simple, she's super girl-next-door cute, and her ballin' skills make her even hotter (I don't care who she's dating).

(13) Tanith Belbin - Just look to your right and think of all the possibilities. You simply cannot beat that type of flexibility.

(16) Cassie Johnson - She gives you a reason to tune into curling. Need I say more?

Continue Reading Handicapping the Hottest Female Athletes

Jennie Finch Wants to Be Your Fantasy Girl

Posted: Mar 7th 2007 9:20AM by Larry Brown (author feed)
Filed under: Fantasy Baseball, MLB Gossip, MLB Media Watch

2 COMMENTS

Yesterday I was watching ESPNEWS and when I heard the words "fantasy baseball" uttered, I immediately perked up. Afterall, only the combination of Mean Girls, Newcastle, Kelly Kapowski, and a nut flush get me as excited as a fantasy baseball draft (and not necessarily in that order). As you could imagine, I quickly grabbed a pen and paper, ready to take copious notes on the latest projections. HOWEVA, where I expected to see fantasy baseball expert Tristan Cockroft seated next to my man Josh Elliott, I was startled at what was next to pop up on my screen.

There she was...all six feet of her bodaciously blond and unfortunately no-longer-single body...America's strike out queen...Jennie Finch.

After my brief Squints/Wendy Peffercorn moment was over, I was surprised to see...how little she knew about fantasy baseball!!! Despite a full-on production crew supplying graphics packed with stats, and Elliott serving up softballs one after another (no pun intended), Finch couldn't even manage to move the runner over with a weak grounder to the right side. Amongst her name-dropping gems pulled from notes on a crumpled piece of yellow notebook paper was this analysis of Randy Johnson (Casey refers to Finch's husband Casey Daigle who pitches for Arizona):

"Casey's been hanging out with Randy, he's working harder than ever. He's going to have a great season next year. He's moving from the NL to the AL he'll get to face pitchers this year. I'm looking for a good strong year from Randy Johnson."

Funny, I didn't know the Yankees were in the AL, where apparently pitchers also bat now. Yes, yes, I know it was just a slip-up, nothing major. Bottom line, regardless of how bad she may have been in her first fantasy baseball segment, she can always improve as the season goes on, and she is guaranteed to always, ALWAYS, look more attractive, than Eric Karabell. And in my book, that's just fine.