Chocolate Grey

Rio de Janeiro wins 2016 Olympic bid

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COPENHAGEN - The 2016 Olympics are going to Rio de Janeiro, putting the games in South America for the first time.

Rio beat surprise finalist Madrid in the last round of voting.

Chicago was knocked out in the first round — in one of the most shocking defeats ever handed down by the International Olympic Committee— and Tokyo was eliminated in the second round.

Rio had played heavily on the fact that South America has never previously hosted the games, while Europe, Asia and North America have done so repeatedly. Now, only Africa and Antarctica remain as continents that have not been awarded an Olympics. Full Story

Male or Female? But, is that Really the Question?

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LONDON - South African runner Mokgadi Caster Semenya has been ordered to undergo a gender verification test, to prove she rightfully won the gold medal in the women's 800 meters at the world championships in Berlin on Wednesday.

Proving one's gender isn't always so easy. Aside from the obvious physical signs, chromosomes usually determine whether a person is male or female. Males are born with XY chromosomes while females have two X chromosomes.

About 1 percent of people are born with some kind of sexual ambiguity, sometimes referred to as intersexuality. These people may have the physical characteristics of both genders, a chromosomal disorder, or simply have ambiguous features. People who have both male and female organs are hermaphrodites.

Until 1999, the International Olympic Committee analyzed chromosomes from saliva samples to confirm the gender of female competitors and prevent men from masquerading as women. Other sports organizations have called the tests unreliable. The tests were scrapped before the 2000 Sydney Games.

The most common cause of sexual ambiguity is congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an endocrine disorder where the adrenal glands produce abnormally high levels of hormones.

In women, this means a masculine appearance. They may have female sexual organs, but the ovaries may be unable to produce estrogen, preventing the growth of breasts or pubic hair.

There are also several rare chromosomal disorders where women may have some male characteristics. Women with Turner syndrome, which affects about 1 in 2,000 babies, typically have broad chests and very small breasts. Their ovaries do not develop normally and they cannot ovulate.

About 1 in 1,000 women are also born with three X chromosomes. They tend to be exceptionally tall, with long legs and slender torsos. They usually have female sexual organs and are fertile.

A handful of athletes have typically dropped out or been thrown out of the Olympics for failing gender tests over the years. But no evidence supports the idea that such competitors have an unfair athletic advantage. Source

Welcome Back Tiger!

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Tiger Woods had not felt such an adrenaline rush in nine months, especially when he stood over a 12-foot birdie putt Sunday at Bay Hill with only enough sunlight remaining for one last shot.

It made Woods forget that it had been nine months since he played under so much pressure.

And then he made golf remember the magic it had been missing.

With cameras flashing in the approaching darkness, Woods delivered another rock-star moment by making a birdie on the final hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one shot and match the largest comeback in his PGA Tour career.

“It feels good to be back in contention, to feel the rush,” Woods said. “It’s been awhile, but God, it felt good.”

It sure looked that way.

Just like last year, when Woods made a 25-foot birdie on the final hole at Bay Hill to win by one, he crouched and backpedaled as the putt rolled toward the cup. But instead of slamming his cap to the ground, he gave a roundhouse fist pump and ran into the arms of caddie Steve Williams, who lifted him off the ground in celebration.

Welcome back, Tiger.

“Last year ... there wasn’t any big comeback or anything. I was out there just competing as usual,” Woods said. “This time, it was a little bit different. I hadn’t been in the mix since the U.S. Open, so it was neat to feel the heat on the back nine again.”

Starting the final round five shots behind, Woods closed with a 3-under 67 for a one-shot victory over hard-luck Sean O’Hair. It was the third time he won at Bay Hill with a birdie putt on the 18th hole, and this uphill putt was the easiest of all.

But it was just as sweet, especially walking off the green to see a beaming tournament host.

“What was it I told you last year?” Palmer said as he grabbed Woods by the shoulder. Full Story

Sitting on a Pot of Gold

Some luxuries are ok to have, and then there are some that you can never use. I could go into detail about why my $800 Marin bike has never seen the light of day since I bought it five-years ago, but I won't. This post is not about my procrastination, but excessive spending (or I sould say, "needless").

Case in point is the $118,000 Gold Bike Crystal Edition bicycle from Aurumania. That's the correct price, for which you will receive a bicycle with every visible inch plated in gold, signed, numbered, and delivered to anywhere on earth by White Glove Service.

The Aurumania website describes the company and collections with superb flourishes, such as the fact that the bike comes "adorned" with over 600 crystalized Swarovski elements, and boasts a "ten-year, no-question" guarantee. Hey, how can you go wrong with a guarantee (or rhetoric) like that?

So, if you have spare cash just lying around the house, you might as well go ahead and buy it, and add it to your already outlandish collection of beautiful, useless things! You can count on me keeping silent about you buying it with the "bailout" money.

The $23 Million Dollar Woman

MELBOURNE, Australia - All those winner’s checks Serena Williams collects add up: By reaching two finals at the Australian Open, she broke golf star Annika Sorenstam’s record for career prize money by a female athlete with nearly $23 million.

Williams was busy Thursday, first beating Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-3, 6-4 in the singles semifinals, then pairing with older sister Venus for a victory in the doubles semifinals.

Even if the American were to lose both title matches, she would leave Australia with career earnings of about $22.7 million, according to the WTA Tour, eclipsing Lindsay Davenport’s women’s tennis prize record by more than $500,000, and Sorenstam’s total by more than $150,000.

If Williams wins two Australian Open championships this week, she’ll push her haul above $23.5 million.

Told of the news, the 27-year-old Williams recalled her first check of $240 in prize money from an event in Canada in 1995.

“It’s amazing how much women’s tennis has grown since I joined the tour 14 years ago,” she said. “I am very proud to have reached this milestone for me, my family and all women athletes out there.”

Williams will play Dinara Safina of Russia in the Australian Open singles final Saturday, bidding for a 10th Grand Slam singles championship, most among active players. She and her sister will be seeking their eighth Grand Slam women’s doubles title when they face Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Ai Sugiyama of Japan in that final.

Overall, the younger Williams has won 32 singles titles and 14 doubles titles. Full Story

O.J. Simpson: Guilty

Thirteen years after the world witnessed the most controversial murder trial in history, O.J. Simpson was found guilty on 12-counts of kidnapping and armed robbery. The details of the crime, and the history of the defendant, are sketchy to me (I am not a sports fan), so I will not give my views on the circumstance, or psychological traits leading up to the trial.

It was ironic though, that the verdict happened exactly 13 years after his aquittal of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman. As I said before, it was ironic. Or was it?

If I were in the same position as O.J., after that much-publicized murder trial, the only headline of me would be "O.J. was seen walking down the street", or "O.J. was seen buying gasoline". No interviews, no public appearances, and no celebrity photos, ever! I would live as a recluse, knowing I was lucky enough to scathe the death penalty; but, O.J. needs the spotlight.

However, the question still remains: "Was there a covert plan to make the span of years a significant event, using an unlucky number? " If so, didn't O.J. expect something like this would eventually happen by craving so much attention? If not, why was it that the jury, according to various news sources, "took more than 13 hours to deliberate"; not 12 hours, or even 14?

We may never really find out the answer to why the pieces fell as they did, but I do know one thing: O.J. Simpson lost his smile when they handcuffed him (on camera), right after the jury read their decision. He is now temporarily incarcerated until December 5, at which time he will face the Judge's final verdict on whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison, or not.

As I told a friend, "We should cherish the rare moments when we are lucky; believing that luck is always in our favor is simply foolish."

Thanks for a Great Human Story Mr. Ostler

Posted by Wes Powell : Chocolate Grey Associate Editor

Good Morning Mr. Ostler,

Just wanted to give you praise for a story well told. Your article “Dead fan and Pistons both come back to life” was what I thought to be the best sporting story of the year.

For some reason I chose to read your article before checking out some of the top sports stories of the day like; 105th U.S. Open leaders, Schmidt pitching like his old ace self, Philly finishes A’s with big 7th.

You took a potentially grave medical emergency story at a major sporting event and molded it into a graceful human story. Granted, all the pieces were in place for a wonderful story there at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but you reported it with simplicity and a smile that turned tragedy into triumph. There was no tabloid-type feeling to your story, which I myself am truly thankful to you for.

Somehow I knew that the story would have a happy ending even before I finished the article. We as Sporting Fans as well as the entire Sporting Community should feel proud to witness such an outpouring of love and concern for a fellow fan. And to see it reported on in such a humanly way is what community and fellowship are all about.

Those doctors deserve some type of commendation from the NBA as well as the Auburn Hills community for saving a life, and your article deserves recognition for reporting the positive human side of sports. Too often the darker side of sports is reported on and gives events such as these a bad reputation. Dare I say, remember the Ron Artest fiasco?

When I first began reading the article I thought, “Is this some kind of joke?” You can’t make up better stories than this and the fact that both the Pistons fan and his team “Came Back to Life” was a sports metaphor for the ages.

If I may recap the scenario for a minute:
Pistons down 2 games in the series
Stevie Wonder plays national anthem on harmonica
Highlight video with song “This is how a heart breaks”
Pistons down by five points in this game
Fan checks out, literally
4 days before fans 79th birthday, 5 days before father’s day
Two doctors, who happen to be old long lost high school buddies, come to the fans rescue
Fan begins breathing on his own
Stretcher/Cheering/aisle to exit tunnel/rescued fan/ ripped shirt/raised thumbs-up sign
Dead Man Cheering
Pistons go on to win this game and the next, tying the series at 2-2

Again, you can't make up a story like this. Move over Hoosiers, here comes Ed Szumowicz. And please, if your in touch with Ed at all let him know I give my prayers and blessings for a strong recovery.

So again, Many Thanks go out to you Mr. Scott Ostler. For reporting in a style that is more heart grabbing and less headline shocking or ratings grabbing. You’ve got my vote for “Sports Article” of the year.

O.J. Simpson: Not Guilty

In the beginning it was a double murder, and then it was a criminal trial that dominated America’s interest and attention as the law tried its hardest to convict a man. A man who became perhaps the most famous criminal defendant in American history and so easily recognizable that people referred to him by his initials only. It went on and on for nine months. There were eleven lawyers representing the man in the dock and twenty five working around the clock for the largest prosecutors office in the land.

It became the most publicized case in United States history. It was the longest trial ever held in California, costing over $20,000,000 to fight and defend, running up 50,000 pages of trial transcript in the process. There were 150 witnesses called to give evidence before a jury that was sequestered at the Hotel Intercontinental in downtown Los Angeles from January until October. Half way through the trial, the presiding judge, who could so easily have wandered into the whole thing from Alice in Wonderland, decided they needed some recreation and arranged for them to go sightseeing in a Goodyear blimp. Full Story