Professional Athletics

Was Michael Jordan born to be a great pressure player? Is there something in his genetic blueprint that makes him more dependable in times of duress? Are athletes predisposed to success or failure? Can you test your 10-year-old Jimmy to see if he is cut out to be a relief pitcher? More important, does Laker phenom Kobe Bryant have what it takes between the ears to become the next Jordan? The answers, according to Jonathan P. Niednagel, are yes, yes, yes, yes and, um, no.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is calling for the elimination of college athletic scholarships, saying the move is necessary to "de-professionalize" college athletes. "As we near the exciting conclusion of March Madness ? which would more accurately be described as the 2011 NCAA Professional Basketball Championships ? it's time we step back and finally address the myth of amateurism surrounding big-time college football and basketball in this country," said Nader, whose League of Fans is proposing that the scholarships be replaced with need-based financial aid. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the proposal Thursday, ahead of its official release.

Move over bobble-heads, the matryoshkas are coming! In the U.S. sports memorabilia market, bobble-heads are starting to lose their bounce. Some in the business are betting that the next promotional hit in stadiums around the country will be Russian nesting dolls, more formally called matryoshkas.

As the carefully constructed public image of Tiger Woods continued its excruciating free fall last week, one question perplexed those who think there should have been hints of trouble: How was it possible for Woods, among the world's most scrutinized professional athletes, to keep his infidelity secret for so long? Just about everyone is at a loss: the golf writers who banter with Woods (when he allows it), golf fanatics who can tell you which way his golf ball's Nike logo was facing when Woods chipped it into the 16th hole in the final round of the 2005 Masters, paparazzi whose paid informants can sniff out a straying spouse a mile away.

Flanked by former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro, the Rev. Jesse Jackson continued his attack on racism in professional athletics Saturday, decrying the lack of African-American and Latino managers and play-by-play announcers and repeating his call for a baseball boycott if nothing changes by the season's opener in April. Speaking to about 200 Los Angeles labor leaders at their annual salute to Martin Luther King Jr.

Lee Zeidman has just one request. As the Staples Center official responsible for changing the arena from a basketball court to a hockey rink to a concert stage, he choreographs an intricate production that is scheduled so tightly that there is little room for error. Hardwood floors are pieced together atop the hockey rink. Hydraulic systems lift or pull down seats. Twenty-four-second clocks are wired into place. Everything must fit quickly and cleanly. Hence his request: Please, no rodeos.

It started in 1996, with the Olympics in Atlanta. The U.S. basketball team, filled with modest, honest, talented and hard-working women, easily won a gold medal while charming fans all along the way. Nearby, the U.S. women's softball team, led by Dot Richardson, a charismatic orthopedic resident who had juggled team workouts with medical school, won gold and drew crowds that jammed traffic on the roads of Columbus, Ga.

Another wrestler has died young and Melanie King is not surprised. She recalls her reaction 5 1/2 years ago when authorities informed her by telephone that her husband, professional wrestling star Brian Pillman, was dead. "I'm not saying I expected it," King said, "but I was not as surprised as the wife of a 35-year-old should be." Pillman's body was discovered Oct. 5, 1997, inside his hotel room in Minneapolis, a World Wrestling Federation stop.

He was the most persistent job seeker the firm had ever seen. He telephoned continually, had friends and family send unsolicited letters of praise and underscored his determination by writing a mock Sports Illustrated story -- his smiling face on the cover -- predicting his success. More than anything, Brian G. Murphy wanted to be a sports agent.

Is this a great country or what? In six years, Scott Brooks has gone from Horned Frog to Anteater to Patroon to Philadelphia 76er. Me? Oh I'm staying with a teammate of mine, perhaps you've heard of him. Charles Barkley . One moment a guy is too small to play in the National Basketball Assn. and is happy to find work in the Continental Basketball Assn.; the next he's the starting point guard for the team of his dreams, the 76ers, and in so doing develops something of a cult following.

It dominated this year's sports scene like a black-tasseled whip. Athletes were embarrassed by it, executives were crushed under it, and at least one former Notre Dame football coach tripped over it and fell on his big fat face. FOR THE RECORD: Athletes' transgressions: A column by Bill Plaschke in the Dec. 9 Sports section about media coverage of the many transgressions of sports figures this year said we were treated to reports about allegations made in court that basketball star Dwyane Wade had given his wife a sexually transmitted disease.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia strides to the plate and begins his ritual. Tap the bat twice on the ground. Circle it overhead. Adjust the gloves. Stand straight, bat upright, awaiting the pitch. A voice interrupts: "And cut!" Pedroia is in a Sony Corp. studio in San Diego, suited up in a spandex bodysuit studded with 55 white sensors.

As Brett Favre is reminding us, retirement doesn't really mean retirement anymore. It's just a brief break before you make your comeback. Here are some other greats we'd like to see "un-retire. " Michael Jordan: The king of comebacks is overdue for another one. Besides, couldn't he still start for the Clippers? Dick Butkus: Another Chicagoan who's still got game. Bad wheels? Just prop him up behind the line of scrimmage and let him gnaw the heads off rookie running backs. I'd watch that.

Commissioners and union leaders of the four major professional sports leagues sat side by side before a House subcommittee Wednesday, debating whether drug testing recommended in the Mitchell Report should be enforced through federal legislation or remain a collective bargaining issue. But it wasn't MLB Commissioner Bud Selig spurring the charge against congressional involvement, nor was it baseball union leader Donald Fehr.

Re "Clemens, former trainer face tough crowd on Hill," Feb. 14 Can someone explain why our congressional leaders have called an investigation into steroid use in professional athletics when we're waging an asinine war, unemployment is on the rise, families are losing their homes, our healthcare system is a shambles, our borders are not secure and our nation's educational system and infrastructure are falling apart? Maybe if Americans cared more about their country than their favorite team, Capitol Hill would have no choice but to deal with real problems.

Recently, Mia Hamm was about to leave home for an interview at a TV station. But it was a reluctant departure. Hamm, once the world's best-known female soccer player, is now a homebody, content to spend her time in her Manhattan Beach house with her husband, Dodgers infielder Nomar Garciaparra, and their 10-month-old twin girls, Ava and Grace. "I was looking at him sitting there, with Grace on his chest asleep, and that to me was perfect," Hamm said.

First came the precedent- setting rookie contract, followed by a blockbuster $42-million pact with the New England Patriots -- at the time the largest player contract in National Football League history. But the relationship between super-agent Leigh Steinberg and Super Bowl quarterback Drew Bledsoe was about more than money.

Quinton Knight has wanted to be a professional football player since his Pop Warner days. The dream became even stronger when he entered Clearwater High School in Clearwater, Fla. Knight was part of a Clearwater team that included Hassan Jones, now with the Minnesota Vikings, and Ron Moten, a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1987. They had grown up together, hung out together and helped each other.

DENVER -- Sports officials from across the nation ended a three-day summit Tuesday determined to rebuild their credibility, despite the industry being shadowed by what one official described as "the dark cloud of Donaghy." The sports community gathered less than two weeks after reports that veteran NBA official Tim Donaghy gambled and provided inside information on league games he worked. "We should feel ashamed by what happened, but not ashamed of our effort," National Assn.

Time to take a deep breath, folks. Yes, the world of pro sports had a scandalous week. Yes, we have a famous NFL quarterback accused of having dogs fight for his amusement and killed for his disdain. Yes, we have an NBA referee accused of wagering on games he worked and making calls favorable to the line he bet. And yes, if true, any and all of that is disgusting and stupid.