NCAA Double-A Zone: Shooting 60, Lawsuits Involving Swimwear and Outdoor Basketball Game July 11, 2008

Shooting 60, Lawsuits Involving Swimwear and Outdoor Basketball Game - Jul 11, 2008

posted by: Howard

In yesterday's Morning Coffee, we mentioned Candace Parker's 40-point,16-rebound performance on Wednesday night. Well she might have been one-upped by another female superstar yesterday when LPGA golfer Paula Creamer shot a 60 in the first round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. No, this tournament wasn't being played on your local par 58 executive golf course. This was a legitimate par 71 course, and the round is tied for the second lowest all-time in LPGA history. While golf gets little attention as far as professional prospects skipping college or leaving school early, Creamer is a prime example of a younger generation of LPGA Tour players that has decided to go straight to the professional ranks out of high school. It has obviously proved to be successful for the 21-year-old, but do you think there should be some kind of minimum age requirement in professional golf that forces players to go to college for at least a year, similar to what we see in the NBA or NFL?

Last week during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, we discussed many of the issues involving Speedo's new LZR Racer swimsuit, which has been worn in 47 of the 51 world record swims that have been broken or equaled since it debuted in February. I interviewed Skip Foster, the chair of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Committtee, and he talked about how the high cost and short life span could create a financial issue on the collegiate level. We are already seeing controversy appear with regard to the swimsuit, as Olympian Erik Vendt filed a countersuit against TYR Sport after the company sued Vendt for breaking their contract and wearing the LZR Racer in competition. This is the first of many potential problems that we could see involving this swimsuit. Intercollegiate swimming decision-makers are going to need to take a serious look at this issue and figure out if these suits are really in the best interest of the sport.

In case you missed the Top Post from Wednesday, the National Transportation and Safety Board released its report on the March 2007 Bluffton bus crash that resulted in the death of five baseball players. It is sad that seatbelts were not available on the bus, which might have been a lifesaver for some of these student-athletes.

Dan Guerrero, the athletics director at UCLA, has been named the chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. His term will begin on September 1, 2009, replacing Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive.

Did you know that the first ever outdoor regular-season professional basketball game will be played on July 19? Similar to what we saw in the NHL last year with the outdoor contest between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres, the WNBA's Indiana Fever and New York Sparks will matchup at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, the home of the U.S. Open Tennis Championship. Do you think this trend of playing indoor sports at outdoor venues will ever make it to the collegiate level?

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