Back Porch FanHouse

New Mexico Women's Soccer Suspends Elizabeth Lambert

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST

Elizabeth Lambert has been suspended from the New Mexico women's soccer program after a stunning series of cheap shots in a game against BYU that included hitting, kicking, shoving and pulling the hair of opposing players.

University of New Mexico head women's soccer coach Kit Vela announced that Lambert, a junior defender, has been suspended indefinitely and prohibited from participating in practices, games and team workouts. In a statement released by the school, Lambert offered the following apology:

"I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions. My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."

Vela referred to Lambert as "a quality student-athlete," but added that the suspension was necessary because "her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship."

Lambert's cheap shots took place in a Mountain West Conference Tournament game that BYU won, 1-0. The game was televised, and Lambert's highlights (or lowlights) were shown on SportsCenter and went viral on YouTube.

Follow sports? Follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

New Mexico Women's Soccer Suspends Elizabeth Lambert originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elizabeth Lambert, New Mexico Women's Soccer Player, Plays Dirty vs. BYU

Michael David Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

Elizabeth Lambert is a New Mexico women's soccer player who turned the BYU vs. New Mexico game in the Mountain West Conference Tournament this week into a brawl.

Lambert was seen elbowing, pushing, pulling hair and kicking BYU players in one of the most shocking displays of dirty play you'll ever see. BYU won the game 1-0, and BYU freshman forward Carlee Payne, who scored the only goal, said afterward that it was a rough game:

"It was a very tough game, very physical," Payne said. "They wanted it as badly as we did but we were able to get the goal. It was a close game but no one thought that would be the only score to go in."

There's been no word from the Mountain West Conference about what action will be taken against Lambert, but it should be substantial.This was some of the dirtiest play you'll ever see, in any sport.

UPDATE: Lambert has been suspended.

Follow sports? Follow me on Twitter @MichaelDavSmith.

Elizabeth Lambert, New Mexico Women's Soccer Player, Plays Dirty vs. BYU originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Women's Soccer Game Ends in Brawl

Michael David Smith — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

You don't need to speak Portuguese to understand what this news report is about:

No English-language accounts explaining the incident are available, but suffice to say, a major brawl broke out at the end of a women's soccer game in Brazil. A rough translation of a Brazilian article indicates that the brawl took place after Alagoano defeated Cesmac 2-1. One woman was apparently injured when she was kicked in the face. The fight has been condemned by the local sports authority.

Women's Soccer Game Ends in Brawl originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ms. Olympia Results 2009: Iris Kyle Reclaims Title

Ryan Wilson — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

Iris Kyle won the Ms. Olympia bodybuilding competition on Friday, earning professional bodybuilding's highest honor for the fifth time in her career.

More Coverage: 2009 Mr. Olympia Results

As a five-time overall winner, Kyle is now third all-time behind Lenda Murray (eight titles) and Cory Everson (six) in the competition's 30-year history.

In the 2009 competition, Heather Armbrust finished second, followed by Debbie Laszewski. Full Ms. Olympia results are here.

Ms. Olympia Results 2009: Iris Kyle Reclaims Title originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WSJ: What's the Point of Cheerleading?

Ryan Wilson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: High School, Women's Sports

Here's what I got out of this Wall Street Journal article titled, "What's the Point of Cheerleading?": Nobody knows how many cheerleaders there are in part because the NCAA doesn't track participation (because it doesn't consider it a sport).

I think that answers the "what's the point?" question, although the cheerleading lobby might feel differently. But the crux of the piece wasn't to denigrate the after-school activity (although, frankly, I'm fine with calling it a sport even if there aren't winners or losers), it was to investigate whether "... cheerleading has wandered too far from its original purpose, firing up crowds at football games."

And the reason anybody cares about this is because cheerleading now accounts for "65 percent of all female catastrophic injuries in high school and college, according to the University of North Carolina's National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research."

Much like* the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop debates of the mid-'90s, this is cheerleading's old school vs. its new school. On one side, the new schoolers are all about stunts -- the more technical, and tougher to pull off, the better. The old-schoolers prefer getting the crowd going by more traditional means: pom-poms, megaphones, cheers.

"The emphasis on stunting had detracted from the major purpose," says John Saddlemire, Connecticut's vice president for student affairs told the WSJ. "The focus, he says, should be on 'fan interaction and truly on cheering and cheerleading.'"

Exactly.

* Nothing like it, really.

WSJ: What's the Point of Cheerleading? originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tests Allegedly Reveal Runner Caster Semenya Is a Hermaphrodite

Mark Hasty — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Track and Field, Women's Sports

After easily winning gold in the women's 800 meter race at August's World Championships in Berlin, South Africa's Caster Semenya found herself the target of allegations that she was not actually a woman. At the time, International Amateur Athletics Federation officials were quick to note that Semenya was undergoing gender testing, but the results would take a while.

Well, it's been a while, and the results are now in. Semenya is reportedly intersexed, possessing both male and female genital organs.

The New York Daily News reports that Semenya lacks both a uterus and ovaries but has undescended testicles instead. While the Daily News article doesn't mention anything about Semenya's external organs, the fact that she was raised as a woman suggests that her external genitals are female.

(The results of the tests have not been released by the IAAF, and the report of the results appears to be based on a single anonymous source. That doesn't mean the report is false; it just means that it's based on one person's word, and we don't know who that person is.)

If true, Semenya might lose her gold medal. She might lose even more than that, in fact.

Australia's Daily Telegraph was the first to report the findings, citing an unidentified source with close ties to the investigation. The Telegraph reports that the source believes South African athletics officials knew the nature of Semenya's situation but chose not to investigate.

The UK newspaper The Telegraph reported this quote from IAAF Secretary General Pierre Weiss: "It is clear that she is a woman, but maybe not 100 percent. We have to see if she has an advantage from her possibly being between two sexes compared to the others." The Telegraph also speculates that Semenya will be allowed to keep her medal, but will be disqualified from future women's races.

All sources agree that Semenya's testosterone levels are at least three times what is considered normal in a female. However, before you jump to the conclusion that these levels prove Semenya is a man, bear in mind that the range of normal testosterone levels in a man is roughly 10 to 12 times that of a woman. If Semenya's level is three times that of the highest level usually considered normal in a woman (80 nanograms per liter of blood), her level would still fall well below the lowest level considered normal in a man (300 ng/L).

Semenya's family and South African officials are strongly dismissive of the reports. Semenya's mother claims jealousy is the motive behind the allegations; the South African officials correctly note that the IAAF has not officially released the test results and are urging everyone to back off from Semenya until the next IAAF Council meeting in November.

The saddest thing in all of this is the effect it's having and will continue to have on Caster Semenya. It would be one thing if her elevated testosterone levels were the result of, say, steroid use. Testosterone is considered a performance enhancing substance, after all. If the reports of Semenya's physiology are true, however, then her elevated testosterone level is not the result of anything she has done and is entirely outside her control. She may lose her chance to run competitively over something which is no one's fault at all, least of all her own.

Tests Allegedly Reveal Runner Caster Semenya Is a Hermaphrodite originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Christina Kim to Appear in ESPN the Mag's Body Issue

Ryan Wilson — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

(Photos courtesy of Getty Images)

Last month, rumors had Danica Patrick appearing in ESPN the Magazine's Oct. Body Issue, which would feature male and female athletes is various stages of undress. According to Danica's people (via CNBC.com's Darren Rovell), she's "NOT confirmed to appear in the issue, nor has she even been approached."

Still no word on Patrick's intentions, but yesterday, Golf Digest's Ron Sirak wrote that three LPGA players will appear in the magazine and, shockingly, one of them isn't Anna Rawson.

An LPGA executive said Sunday that Sandra Gal, a second year player from Germany by way of the University of Florida, Anna Grzebien, a second year player from Duke, and Christina Kim, who is in her seventh year on tour, will appear in the Oct. 19 "Bodies" issue...

The three LPGA players will appear with golf-themed items -- carts, clubs etc. -- covering strategic parts. But as always happens in these cases, more attention will fall on the female athletes and they will somehow be seen as undermining the credibility of their sports, a charge never leveled at male athletes in beefcake poses.

Ah, yes, sports-themed photography, almost as artistic as those Olan Mills backdrops we all survived in the '70s and '80s.

Forgetting for the moment the three LPGA players who have agreed to appear in the magazine (two women I've never heard of and another who is better known for on-course ebullience*), no way there's a credibility backlash after the issue comes out.

Rawson has been criticized for her inability to think before opening her mouth, but not for modeling career. At least not to the point where it has been bad for the LPGA. And I suspect it'll be similar once Gal, Grzebien and Kim grace the pages of The Mag.

That doesn't mean other LPGA Tour players might disagree with the decision, but they'll get over it. I don't remember a lot of hemming and hawing when David Toms appeared with his bikini-wearing wife in Sports Illustrated. In fact, I'm guessing Kim's antics at the Solheim Cup will have garnered more attention than a couple "golf-themed" pics in a weekly magazine when we look back on the last few months. (Depending on where the photographers "strategically" place the golf carts, anyway.)

* I'll be honest: I seldom follow the LPGA. Maybe Gal and Grzebien are well known, I just don't, well, know them.

via Geoff Shackleford

Christina Kim to Appear in ESPN the Mag's Body Issue originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Misty May-Treanor: People Don't Recognize Me With Clothes

Elie Seckbach — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:12:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor has won more career tournaments than any other player. She's also brought home the gold at Olympics twice. FanHouse recently caught up with Misty at the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards, where she was one of the presenters. In this video, Misty tells what athletes have in common with superheroes.

Check out the video after the jump.

Misty May-Treanor: People Don't Recognize Me With Clothes originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Elena Keldibekoba Makes the Volleyball Highlight of the Year

Michael David Smith — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:25:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

If you're like 99.9% of American sports fans, you're not much going to care when I tell you that Peru beat Argentina in women's volleyball over the weekend to advance to the World Championships. But you should watch the video below anyway.

That was Elena Keldiibekoba running way, way, way back and then showing off her soccer skills, saving a point by kicking the ball over her shoulder, over the net and in bounds. An absolutely incredible show of hustle and on-court awareness by Keldibekoba, and some awfully good play by her teammates, too.

I'm part of that 99.9% of American sports fans who doesn't know anything about international women's volleyball, so maybe I'm not qualified to say this. But I feel comfortable calling that the volleyball highlight of the year.

Elena Keldibekoba Makes the Volleyball Highlight of the Year originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cash Is Money as West Claims WNBA All-Star Game Victory

FanHouse Newswire — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) -- Swin Cash and Nicole Powell helped the Western Conference get back on the winning track at the WNBA All-Star game.

Cash set an All-Star game record with 22 points, Powell had 21, and the West beat the East 130-118 on Saturday. Diana Taurasi had 18 points, and Sue Bird added 16 to help the West snap a two-game losing streak.

Cash, who starred at nearby UConn along with Taurasi and Bird, was selected the game's MVP after shooting 10 for 16 from the field and adding six rebounds and four assists.

"We always wanted to win from the start," Cash said after receiving the award at midcourt. "I came here to have a lot of fun, play really hard."

Sylvia Fowles scored 16 points, Jia Perkins had 16, and Alana Beard 14 for the East. Shameka Christon, Erika DeSouza and Candice Dupree added 12 each.

The West, which won the first six midseason contests before losing the last two, shot 52 percent, including 18 for 39 (46 percent) on 3-pointers.

Fowles had a crowd-pleasing dunk with 15 seconds left. The teams cleared the way for her with about 30 seconds to go but she missed her first attempt.

The score was close until the final minute of the third quarter when the West began to pull away. Cash made two free throws, Charde Houston -- another former UConn star -- added two more and Bird hit a 3-pointer in a 34-second span for a 99-92 lead.

Sophia Young had a jumper, and Houston made a driving layup in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to stretch the West's advantage to 103-93.

Dupree hit a 3, and Beard had a layup to pull the East to 105-100 with 7:51 to go, but that was as close as it got.

Powell, a late roster addition in place of the injured Lisa Leslie, made consecutive 3s to push the West's lead to 113-102 with 4:10 left.

After DeSouza's layup pulled the East within eight 34 seconds later, Cash had a layup with 3:15 left to restore the West's double-digit lead for good. The margin grew to 14 twice in the final minutes.

Leslie (2001), Tina Thompson (2002) and Deanna Nolan (2005) shared the previous All-Star game record of 20 points.

Both teams had their highest-scoring outputs, combining to break the record set in the West's 122-99 victory in 2005 -- also at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The East's previous high was 103 points in 2007.

Cash scored 14 points in the first half to help the West take a 63-60 lead at the break. Beard led the East with 12.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Cash Is Money as West Claims WNBA All-Star Game Victory originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Softball Game Breaks Out at Girl Fight

Ryan Wilson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: Action Sports, Women's Sports, Youth Sports

Here's something you don't see everyday. Or at least I don't (primarily because, other than the occasions when it's on my television, I've lost the remote, and I'm too lazy to change the channel, I happily admit to not following softball.): a fight breaking out during a game after a player was hit by a pitch.

But that's what happened yesterday at a girls high school game in Colorado Springs.

As police headed to the complex more calls poured in describing up to 30 people, some armed with bats, fighting, the blotter said.

The combatants were members of the Cheyenne Mountain and Wasson High School girls softball teams, police said. The basebrawl started after a player was hit by a pitch and charged the mound, police said.

The player who charged the mound was ejected, a coach began ranting and the game was stopped by an umpire, police said.

It gets weirder:

Police say the brawl spilled into a parking lot and involved as many as 30 people. Two adults and two minors were arrested, and two people hospitalized. It wasn't immediately clear how badly the victims were hurt or if one of them was the girl hit by a pitch.

No idea anybody took softball that seriously. On the upside, it's one way to raise the sport's visibility: girl fights. Hmm, somebody should tweet this idea to Carolyn Bivens.

Oh, and sadly, there was no photo evidence. But when I searched Getty Images for "softball fight," I got this fantastic picture of Nick Lachey and Goose Gossage wrasslin' during a celebrity event. Via the photo caption:

HOUSTON - JULY 11, 2004: Singer/Actor Nick Lachey wrestles Rich 'Goose' Gossage, former All-Star Pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees to the ground in a play fight during the Major League Baseball Legends and Celebrity Softball Game at Minute Maid Park on July 11, 2004 in Houston, Texas.

Seemed oddly fitting.

Softball Game Breaks Out at Girl Fight originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cheerleading Is Extremely Dangerous

Ryan Wilson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:55:00 EST

Filed under: College Sports, High School, Women's Sports, Gymnastics

There's a small but determined faction of fans who refuse to concede that certain "activities" are sports. Golf is a favorite, presumably because it doesn't involve much in the way of physical activity, and a typical round can involve a pony keg and a pack of Reds.

Cheerleading is another example. Perhaps the zealots have an argument here since there aren't typically winners and losers, just a group of people in fancy polyester get-ups who clap, dance and chant for another group of people who are actually competing.

Whatever, I am much more liberal in my "what's a sport and what isn't" views, and I'll happily include just about anything: golf, cheerleading, poker, horseshoes ... you get the point. But no matter what you call it -- a sport, a hobby, something the guys who couldn't make the JV basketball team do -- cheerleading is extremely dangerous.

In fact, for the purposes of this discussion, it's the most dangerous "sport" in colleges and high schools, according to LiveScience.com.

... [C]heerleading continues to cause more serious and deadly injuries by far than other sports.

Researchers have long known how dangerous cheerleading is, but records were poorly kept until recently. An update to the record-keeping system last year found that between 1982 and 2007, there were 103 fatal, disabling or serious injuries recorded among female high school athletes, with the vast majority (67) occurring in cheerleading. The next most dangerous sports: gymnastics (nine such injuries) and track (seven).

That's shocking, frankly, although I suppose it makes sense: bad things are bound to happen when you launch someone 20 feet in the air without a safety net, no matter how much training you may (or may not) have.

Related: three years ago, LiveScience.com cited a U.S. Consumer Produce Safety Commission study that listed the most dangerous sports in the America, and cheerleading wasn't among the top 15 (maybe the folks at commission didn't think it qualified). And football was ranked third behind basketball (really?) and bicycling.

The commission study looked at emergency room visits (the UNC study focused on fatalities), and that could skew the results. There's also the issue of more people playing basketball, or riding bikes, than playing football, which would mean more injuries. Just to be safe, though, steer your kids towards chess.

Latest Cheerleaders Images

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis (6th L) and AirAsia Group Chief Executive Tony Fernandes (5th L) poses with other AsiaAsia officials and the Raiderettes cheerleaders, in front of the newly unveiled AirAsia-Oakland Raiders aircraft at the International Airport's low cost carrier terminal in Sepang on June 26, 2009. The Oakland Raiders announced an unprecedented sponsorship with AirAsia, a leading low-fare airline in Asia. AFP PHOTO / Saeed KHAN (Photo credit should read SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Cheerleaders dance before the German basketball championship final between Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn in Bonn June 23, 2009. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY SPORT BASKETBALL SOCIETY IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Reuters

Cheerleaders dance before the German basketball championship final between Baskets Oldenburg and Telekom Baskets Bonn in Bonn June 23, 2009. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender (GERMANY SPORT BASKETBALL SOCIETY)

Reuters

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A Orlando Magic dancer performs against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Five of the 2009 NBA Finals at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Credit: 2009 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE/Getty Images

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 14: A cheerleader is lowered from the rafters during pregame festivities during Game Five of the 2009 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Credit: 2009 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE/Getty Images

New York Jets cheerleaders greet some of the hundreds of New Jersey National Guard soldiers waiting to march in a parade through downtown Trenton, N.J., Friday, June 12, 2009, to honor their return from Iraq. The mobilization last year of roughly 2, 900 soldiers- roughly half of the state's entire guard unit-marked the largest deployment of New Jersey National Guard troops to a combat zone since World War II. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

A cheerleader performs during the women's basketball European Championship qualifying round game between Slovakia and Poland in Riga June 11, 2009. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins (LATVIA SPORT BASKETBALL)

Reuters

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 09: An Orlando Magic dancer performs during a break in the fourth quarter in Game Three of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on June 9, 2009 at Amway Arena in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Getty Images

ORLANDO, FL - JUNE 9: Cheerleaders for the Orlando Magic repell down from the rafters prior to Game Three of the 2009 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers at Amway Arena on June 9, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Credit: 2009 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE/Getty Images

Cheerleaders from the Los Angeles Lakers team dance during game two of the NBA finals against the Orlando Magic at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 7, 2009. The Lakers won 101-96 and now lead the series 2-0. AFP PHOTO / Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

AFP/Getty Images

Cheerleading Is Extremely Dangerous originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can Bodybuilders Fight?

Elie Seckbach — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:20:00 EST

Filed under: Random Acts of Sport, Outdoor Sports, Women's Sports

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was discovered because of it, and millions around the world are into it big-time: Bodybuilding. It's one of the most popular sports around the world, but what's the point of working out if you can't show it off? In this video we visit a bodybuilding (and bikini) contest and try to find out if the bodybuilders are really strong, or if their muscles are just for flossing. (After all, MMA stars such as Fedor and Rampage are far from being cut.)

Check out the video after the jump.

Can Bodybuilders Fight? originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U.S. Olympians: Michael Phelps, Manny Ramirez Got Off Easy

Elie Seckbach — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:10:00 EST

Filed under: Track and Field, Women's Sports, Swimming

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Track and field star James Carter, a member of two U.S. Olympic teams, has very strong opinions about pro athletes who get busted for substance abuse or have their pictures taken with bongs.

In this video we talk to Carter about his thoughts on the subject. We also hear from track legend Maurice Greene, who tells us what he thinks about Manny Ramirez, while Olympic gold medal winner Dee Dee Trotter tells us who her idol is and why baseball will never change its policy when it comes to substance abuse.

Check out the video after the jump.

U.S. Olympians: Michael Phelps, Manny Ramirez Got Off Easy originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sun, 07 Jun 2009 20:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brawl Breaks Out at Russian Women's Handball Game

Michael David Smith — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

Today's bizarre sports video of the day comes from a women's handball game in Russia, where some hard fouls led to a full-scale brawl between the two teams, Dynamo Volgograd and Zvezda.

Handball is a very popular sport in Eastern Europe, and although it doesn't look like there was a very big crowd, according to Russia Today, this was a very big game: Dynamo Volgograd vs. Zvezda was for the Russian women's championship. So you can understand why tensions were high.

But when players started knocking each other to the floor, tensions got too high, and by the end there was a full-on fight, chock full of hair pulling and slapping. Incidentally, Dynamo Volgograd won the game and the championship.

Brawl Breaks Out at Russian Women's Handball Game originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Candice Davis, the Beyoncé of Track

Elie Seckbach — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Outdoor Sports, Track and Field, Women's Sports

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

Candice Davis has been a track star her entire life, but she started getting national attention when she went to USC and won the Pac-10 Championship for 100 meter hurdles. Along with being super fast (her best time for 100m hurdles is just over 13 seconds), she has a one of a kind personality. In this video, Candice shows us how she moves like Beyoncé, why athletes are not allowed to eat popcorn and lets us know where she get her athletic skills from.

Check out the video after the jump.

Candice Davis, the Beyoncé of Track originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting at Point Guard: Tiffara Steward, 4-Foot-6 and Blind in One Eye

Michael David Smith — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:45:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports

The starting point guard for the women's basketball team at Farmingdale State College on Long Island, N.Y. is 4-foot-6, blind in one eye, and doesn't seem to think there's any reason that should keep her off the floor.

Tiffara Steward calls herself "a secret weapon," and that sounds about right. She was recently named the ABC News Person of the Week, and Farmingdale State College's coach, Chris Mooney, says she's constantly shocking people on the court:

"The other fans just can't believe how little she is, and the next thing you know she's knocking down shots or making a steal, or going in for a layup," said Mooney.

Steward is believed to be the shortest college basketball player ever. Twenty years ago, she was born premature and weighing less than three pounds, and her list of ailments included not having a cornea in one eye, being partly deaf, having vertebrae that didn't develop properly and having one leg shorter than the other.

But that didn't make much of a difference in Steward's life. Her mother, Vanessa Jones-Steward, told the New York Times:

"We never thought of her as disabled; we never said there was something she couldn't do. And once she started to play sports, we've never thought she was any different than anyone else."

Steward calls the New York Knicks' 5-foot-9 Nate Robinson and the 5-foot-3 former Charlotte Hornets guard Muggsy Bogues her favorite players, and she says her attitude has always been simple: "If you want to do it, go out and try it. If you try it and you can't do it, try it again."

Starting at Point Guard: Tiffara Steward, 4-Foot-6 and Blind in One Eye originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brittney Griner, Dunking High-Schooler, Can't Attend All-American Game

Shane Bacon — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:11:00 EST

Filed under: High School, Women's Sports

Sometimes you can watch so much basketball you forget how hard it really is to dunk. Guys like LeBron James and Dwight Howard make highlight reels for dunking on a daily basis, and any college basketball player worth his weight in Nikes can throw it down when given the chance.

That is where Brittney Griner comes in. See, we've never had a female basketball player that made dunking look easy. Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker have both flushed it before, but it looked more like they were trying to avoid ripping their arm out of socket than to dunk. Griner is 6-foot-8 and can dunk on the run, in traffic and even, as the video after the jump will show, in a girl's grill.

Griner is heading to Baylor next season with the expectations of the world on her shoulders. That will probably be the first time you see Griner, though, because though she's a McDonald All-American this season, her high school won't let her miss class. To go to an All-American game. Yes, shaking your head at this point is acceptable.

Reliable sources have informed Full Court that the Griner family has attributed her decision to forgo the game to the Nimitz High School administration's refusal to grant Griner the time away from school to play in the game.

This is the second incident this high school season where Griner, whom many have dubbed "the future of the game," will not appear to play at a scheduled game as the result of her school administration.

FanHouse reached out to Nimitz High School but have yet to get a call back. For now it seems that Griner is out of the biggest high school basketball spectacle of the year, and that is really a travesty. Look at these videos (with one we posted a year ago) and you will see the incredible talent. Hopefully she'll get the opportunity to showcase it before heading to Waco, Texas.

h/t Deadspin

Brittney Griner, Dunking High-Schooler, Can't Attend All-American Game originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jordyn Wieber, 13, Soars to Rare Heights

Tom Herrera — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:10:00 EST

Filed under: Women's Sports, Gymnastics

When you're just 13 years old and your name is already mentioned among the likes of Mary Lou Retton and Nastia Liukin, there's no doubt you're a rising star. On Saturday, Jordyn Wieber of DeWitt, Mich., became the second-youngest Tyson American Cup women's champion, scoring 60.2 to beat fellow American Bridget Sloan.

Wieber, who will turn 14 in July, is the reigning junior national all-around champion, but won't be eligible for her first world championships until 2011. And while the road to the London Games will be a long one, her nationally televised performance drew some tremendous praise from other gymnasts.

"Truly amazing" remarked Liukin.

"She's a machine," Sloan said.

"I didn't start doing that vault [Yurchenko mount with 2 1/2 twists] until I was 18 or 19," men's runner-up David Sender said. "She's obviously a very talented little girl. I'm excited to see how she'll do in the next four years."

The future is certainly bright for the youngest American Cup champion since 1980.

Gymnastics Snapshots

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL - FEBRUARY 21: Mary Lou Retton, former Olympic Gold Medalist in Women's Gymnastics, looks on during the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Centre on February 21, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Mary Lou Retton

Getty Images

Joey Hagerty of the USA flies in the air during his Floor Exercise during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Koko Tsunmi of Japan performs her routine on the Uneven Bars during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Bridget Sloan of the USA concentrates before her Uneven Bars routine during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Youna Dufournet of France performs on the Balance Beam during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

The hand of Romanian Adrian Bucur powders the bar as he prepares for his Parallel Bars routine during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

David Sender of the USA performs his routine on the Pommell Horse during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Kristina Goryunova of Russia performs on the Vault exercise during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Jordyn Wieber of the USA performs her routine on the balance beam during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Bridget Sloan of the USA performs on the Balance Beam during the American Cup gymnastics invitational on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

Jordyn Wieber, 13, Soars to Rare Heights originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Erin Andrews Voted Sexiest Sportscaster

Will Brinson — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:07:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, ESPN, Women's Sports, Sports Media, Current Events

To compensate for the runaway train that was Erin Andrews in 2008's edition of "America's Sexiest Sportscaster", Playboy ramped up the difficulty this year, adding an additional round and expanding the candidates (as previously noted, there was quite a conglomerate of sexy upside potential.)

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

But in the end, none of it mattered, as Andrews, champion of Wordpress (read: "blog") photo galleries worldwide, walked away with the 2009 crown as Playboy's sexiest sportscaster (link leads to Playboy.com; NSFW warnings do apply.)

The contest came down to five finalists and the final round featured, in no particular order: Andrews, Charissa Thompson, Molly Sullivan, Lauren Shehadi and Bonnie Bernstein (??)

Sullivan and Thompson, out of the final group, seemed like the only real contenders to EA's crown. In the end, they obviously weren't strong enough to beat out Andrews' love-riddled legion of online fans. Additionally, ESPN's reach typically outweighs most of the other networks, and when you consider that Andrews gets abundantly more coverage than anyone else in the sports blogosphere, this shouldn't come as a big surprise.

What is somewhat shocking (aside from me actually taking time to analyze how this competition broke down) is the lack of appearance by Lindsay Soto and Alex Flanagan, whom I previously mentioned as two darkhorse candidates. By no means am I saying the voting was rigged, but if you replace Shehadi and Bernstein with those two, there's a decent chance of a "third party" vote that could have netted a closer finish.

But that's not to take away from Andrews. She is gorgeous and she is a great sideline reporter, so big ups -- or whatever the kids are saying -- to EA for repeating as champ in 2009.

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.

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.

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.

Herbert Knosowski, AP

Yoshikazu Tsuno, AFP/Getty Images

Erin Andrews Voted Sexiest Sportscaster originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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