Sports Columns

Turn the Expos around

By Bruce Martinez

Sports Editor

An open letter to my readers: After roughly a year of writing almost weekly columns for this section in my capacity as the editor, I can say it has been a fairly good time and a great experience. I've been able to write about firefighters, jai alai, Rickey Henderson and many Santa Clara sports. I've tried to bring levity and insight to the things I've written about and to this section.

I couldn't have done this without the staff assembled around me. They have been my saving grace on many occasions and have been a pleasure to work with. Thanks guys. Beyond the TSC staff I also want to thank all the people who have supported me this year and who have offered me criticism and ideas for this section.

Going into Josh Griffin's tenure I would like to push two last ideas. Please continue to attend and support as many Bronco games as possible. The athletic program here is stronger now then it ever has been before and the coaches and athletes deserve all the support we can give. A loud crowd can make all the difference in the world.

On the national scene I strongly encourage each of you to go online and purchase Montreal Expos tickets. They are a scrappy team and if we all buy up tickets to their games, it will be harder for Major League Baseball to contract the team. This is a travesty we can avert. Invest 10 bucks and turn the Expos into America's Team. If all of us buy one ticket that would be 300 million tickets. Let's make this happen. Dial up the Internet and send some mass emails. This is my final request.

That's about it for this columnist. It has been fun but it is time to retire the truck driver photo and turn things over to the Griff. See you tomorrow.

Doing the right thing

By Erin Chambers

Ass't Sports Editor

In a time of signing bonus and endorsement deals, it's refreshing to hear that some principles still exist in the world of sports.

World No. 2 Jennifer Capriati was dismissed from the U.S. Fed Cup team last week when she wanted to fit in an extra practice session with her private coach and father. The session violated a team-only practice policy set in place by captain and tennis legend Billie Jean King. Capriati objected, and King swiftly dismissed the world No. 2 and former child star whom she has known and worked with for over a decade.

The U.S. team then lost in the first round for the first time since 1997 after forfeiting Capriati's first match on Saturday, and replacing her with Megan Shaughnessy on Sunday in the No. 1 spot, who lost to Austria's Barbara Swartz.

Many of the team members, including former No. 1 Monica Seles, blame Capriati's exit for the team's poor showing in the first round.

Who is to blame here? Capriati's request for a last-minute private session wasn't terribly unreasonable, but it was in violation of King's rules, rules that she was well aware of and that every other member had followed from the beginning.

Part of joining a team is putting aside individual practices for the betterment of the whole. As captain, King set the team-only practice policy as a means to build team unity, and she is one of the most winning women in tennis. She's made history in the sport and remains one of its most respected athletes. Capriati should have picked another coach's rules to violate.

While some may criticize King's decision, claiming it caused the team to suffer for one player's immaturity, I see it as a victory. In sports today, fame and money don't just talk, they yell. I admire King's old-school flavor, her ability to decipher the right thing from the winning thing or the easy thing. Its keeps the sport pure in a sense. You break the rules, you don't play, no matter your last name or your bank account.