Beach Volleyball

Along with the natural conflicts that are part of competition, women's beach volleyball pros are experiencing conflicted feelings this season. For example, Elaine Youngs has been careful to navigate questions from fans and reporters about the void created by two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh. May-Treanor's injured Achilles tendon and Walsh's pregnancy have left them indefinitely sidelined for the 2009 season.

The results for Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor leading to the Beijing Olympics in August are beginning to look eerily similar to those during the run-up to their gold-medal run in Athens in 2004. Walsh and May-Treanor dominated the Hermosa Beach Open, losing only one game in six matches and finishing with a 21-16, 21-14 victory over Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan in Saturday's final.

Kerri Walsh and her partner Misty May-Treanor were ahead, 12-6, in their second game against Ashley Ivy and Heather Lowe when Walsh took a break to wipe some sand and sweat from her sunglasses. Ivy and Lowe probably wished she hadn't. May-Treanor and Walsh wasted little time afterward, finishing off Ivy and Lowe, 21-10, 21-12, in a 31-minute second-round match Friday at the AVP's Long Beach Open.

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh have done just about everything a beach volleyball team could do: They won an Olympic gold medal in 2004 and are ranked No. 1 in the world. May-Treanor has 102 championships in her career, a record among women, while Walsh has 99. But ask what they'll be doing a year from now, and the answer has little to do with beach volleyball. "Hopefully, we'll both be pregnant," Walsh said. "Pregnant, but with two gold medals."

Badminton: Eva Lee of Orange was eliminated in the first round of the women's singles competition by Canada's Anna Rice, 21-15, 21-19, 21-19. She still has a chance in today's doubles with U.S. teammate Mesinee Mangkalakiri against Senegal's Yanmei Jiang and Yujia Li. Basketball: It wasn't much of a game, but the U.S. women, led by Diana Taurasi's 17 points, scored a 97-57 win over the Czech Republic. Sylvia Fowles had 16 points and 14 rebounds in a game that was over in the second quarter.

BEIJING -- With Kid Rock blaring on the loudspeakers early this morning, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh could've been playing anywhere from Chicago's North Avenue Beach to Manhattan Beach. Which seemed fitting, since the defending gold-medal winners in beach volleyball keep winning with metronomic regularity, no matter the venue, no matter the stakes.

It's riveting watching Michael Phelps leave the great Olympians in history in his wake. It was poignant seeing Alicia Sacramone fall from the pedestal she has pursued for so long. And it's entertaining to view Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh maintaining their hold on perfection. But aren't we missing something here? Have the Olympics been whittled down to just swimming, gymnastics, beach volleyball and some diving? Whatever happened to that Kobe guy?

The Islamic preacher slipped on a pair of shorts and talked about the Koran while playing beach volleyball, eating barbecue and joking about hot cars and palaces in paradise. If the West were to dream up its version of an ideal imam, he might look and sound like Mostafa Hosni, a 30-year-old former Nestle accountant who's comfortable in argyle sweaters and hip to self-help.

In a decision that dissenters say sets a precarious precedent, the California Coastal Commission approved a proposal by the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour that will allow the AVP to charge admission for 90% of spectators at the Hermosa Beach Open. The proposal, which passed by a 6-5 margin Wednesday, will generate additional revenue for the financially struggling tour, and help keep the sport on Southern California sands, instead of moving the tournaments to venues that allow admission fees.

It doesn't happen often, but Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh will be underdogs when the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour's Huntington Beach Open starts today. Maybe not to win the title -- the 2004 Olympic gold medalists are the favorites to win just about every time they step on the sand. But they are on the outside looking in at the largest check ever presented at an AVP tournament, the $100,000 bonus given to the team with the most points through the first three tournaments.