George Vecsey

Most descriptions make Beijing sound overbuilt: not a blade of grass left. ”

I know, I know - men have that extra hero gene in their foolish makeup; it's part of our charm. But I happen to know some women who have their inner sports hero, too. ”

What is there about basketball that makes Larry Bird or Lenny Wilkens want to coach after their playing careers are done? ”

Yankee caps pop up all over the world, not as a statement of loyalty to that team, but as a symbol of - what? Winning 27 so-called World Series? Much of the world doesn't even play that sport. ”

Youth sports could not exist without millions of volunteers and modestly paid coaches who teach our children how to skate and catch and dribble and also how to get along with others. ”

Sure, there were people from Missouri and Illinois who grew up Cardinals fans and migrated to New York for work or love. Cardinals fans congregate periodically at Foley's near Herald Square to root for the team of their childhood, up there on the TV screen. ”

Some religious guys in sports give the impression, 'I've got something you don't have.' ”

Some people insist that hallowed professional teams should never change their nicknames. ”

Hockey suffers from being compared to itself in ways that other sports are not. Every four years, some of us fawn over Olympic hockey, a great event with bigger rinks, minimal goonishness and national pride in addition to the heightened skills of veritable all-star squads. ”

Television is making sports universal; for the same reason, big-time soccer is growing more popular in the United States. ”