RealClearSports: Washington and the West Gain Respect

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- We're all witnesses. Lorenzo Romar said that. After his Washington team upset New Mexico. After he heard Northern Iowa upset Kansas.

After he reminded us in this lunacy of a college basketball tournament "anyone can beat anyone.''

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

RealClearSports: Tennis's Version of March Madness

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The first game of the tournament, and the favorite, Notre Dame is upset, delighting maybe everyone who didn't have the Irish winning in their pool.

Which is why basketball, any team sport, is so different from the tournament now going on here, the BNP Paribas tennis open. 

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

RealClearSports: Roddick Past His Prime But Playing Well

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- He's the best in his sport in America. At one time he was the best in the world. Yet Andy Roddick is no different than the rest of us when someone asks if he has a feeling of what it's like to be Tiger Woods.

"No,'' said Roddick. "Not like that. I'm not going to pretend to understand what it's like to be in that sort of situation. I don't know that any athlete can really relate to what's going on right there.''

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

SF Examiner: Tiger's back in the swing of things

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

It’s not so much how Tiger Woods responds, how he plays when he is again in competitive golf — and yes, the choice of the Masters becomes more sensible by the moment — but how we respond to Tiger Woods.

Already, Sean McManus, the president of CBS news and sports, decreed Tiger’s return “will be the biggest media event other than the Obama inauguration the past 10 or 15 years.”

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Bay Area schools step into the spotlight

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO — Mike Montgomery’s supposition was impossible to argue: “No matter how good you think you are,” the Cal coach said, “you’re playing other people who have won games.”

Then again, those other people are playing you, because you’ve also won games.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company