Tom Goldman

Down To The Putt: Golf Analytics Gain Traction

Tom Goldman — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:02:00 +0000

Numbers crunching has become a big deal in sports. Analytics have been slower to take hold in the tradition-bound game of golf, but it is happening. NPR's Tom Goldman reports on the phenomenon from the tournament most steeped in tradition, the Masters.

Giant-Killing Louisville Women Look To Keep Charmed Run Alive

Tom Goldman — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:44:00 +0000

Tonight, there's a chance for a rare double in NCAA Division I college basketball.

As we reported earlier, if the University of Louisville scores a victory in the women's championship game, it will be only the second school to capture both the men's and women's titles in the same year.

Connecticut did it in 2004. Coincidentally, it's the Connecticut women who'll try to deny Louisville's bid for a twofer.

Old Guard And Fresh Faces Square Off At Women's Final Four

Tom Goldman — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 09:16:00 +0000

A women's Final Four without Baylor, Stanford or Tennessee? That's happened only one other time in the last dozen years. We've become so used to it being a power party, that it's downright disorienting.

Or maybe that's just vertigo from trying to track the movements of the Final Four's breakout star, Louisville guard Shoni Schimmel.

Oregon's Arsalan Kazemi: From Iran To NCAA Hoopla

Tom Goldman — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:13:00 +0000

San Jose, Calif., is just a piece of a very big March Madness pie.

World Baseball Classic's All-Caribbean Showdown Is A Winner Either Way

Tom Goldman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:57:00 +0000

NPR's Tom Goldman is covering the World Baseball Classic tournament and sends along this report:

Tonight's championship game of the World Baseball Classic is certain to produce a dramatic image after the last out.

Lawsuit, Investigation Loom Over Lance Armstrong

Tom Goldman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 05:04:00 +0000

There are more troubles for disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong.

A Texas-based promotions company sued the former cycling champion Thursday for more than $12 million, which was paid to Armstrong for several of his record seven Tour de France wins. Armstrong publicly admitted last month that those herculean victories were aided by doping.

The lawsuit is part of a flurry of activity: Armstrong still is in talks with the U.S.

Film: Sam Bowie Insists NBA Career Wasn't A Bust

Tom Goldman — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 12:58:00 +0000

In 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers chose Sam Bowie, a 7-foot-1 center from the University of Kentucky, with the second pick in the college draft. The Chicago Bulls then took Michael Jordan.

The words "Bowie over Jordan" are part of pro basketball lore, and are still a source of pain for many fans of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Bowie's tenure in Portland was marred by leg injuries; Jordan became a legend. ESPN recounts it all in a documentary about Bowie on Thursday night.

Moments after he was drafted on June 19, 1984, Bowie did his first TV interview as a Trail Blazer.

Lance Armstrong And The Business Of Doping

Tom Goldman — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:05:00 +0000

The story of Lance Armstrong's alleged doping is, in part, the story of an astonishing business enterprise — an enterprise that drove what the U.S. anti-doping agency called "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program" cycling has ever seen.

The story of that enterprise starts in 1998, when the Festina cycling team was caught at the Tour de France with a car full of banned drugs.

World Cycling Body Upholds U.S. Ruling On Armstrong

Tom Goldman — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 12:11:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Lance Armstrong became a bicycle racing legend when he won every Tour de France from 1999 to 2005. But after what happened today, there will be no official record of all those victories. Cycling's international governing body announced it will not appeal sanctions by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

The effect of all this, Armstrong is banned from cycling and stripped of his titles. All this comes after a scathing report from the Anti-Doping Agency 12 days ago that linked Armstrong and others on his cycling teams to a massive doping program.

Head Injuries Rattle Even Devout Football Parents

Tom Goldman — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:26:00 +0000

It's Monday after another football weekend in America. From the Friday night drama on high school fields to the multibillion-dollar juggernaut NFL, the game seems as popular as ever.

But in fact, amid the cheering, there's concern — a growing anxiety about head injuries in the sport, from the NFL all the way down to the pee-wee leagues. Some say kids shouldn't be playing until their teenage years.

Doping Agency Outlines Evidence Against Armstrong

Tom Goldman — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:47:00 +0000

The United States Anti Doping Agency has released its report on Lance Armstrong. It outlines the evidence the agency used to strip Armstrong of his Tour de France titles and banned him from cycling.

Gaming The Games: The Rules That Got Bent In London

Tom Goldman — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 21:47:00 +0000

The London Summer Olympics are winding down, and by most accounts, the games have been a success. There were plenty of "thrill of victory, agony of defeat" moments; big, enthusiastic crowds — although there were too many blocks of empty seats; and for those who like a helping of scandal served up at their Olympics, there was that, too.

It wasn't the usual scourge of doping.

Field For Women's 200 Meters Is Loaded With Talent, And Speed

Tom Goldman — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Allyson Felix has won the women's 200 meter race in London's Olympic Stadium, running a time of 21.88. Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce took the silver medal at 22.09, as she wasn't able to track Felix down in the closing stretch.

The four center lanes were stacked with speed, with Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce and defending gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown in lanes 4 and 5, respectively. Just outside of them were Americans Sanya Richards-Ross and Felix, in lanes 6 and 7.

U.S. Gymnast Raisman Wins Gold, Bronze Medals

Tom Goldman — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:24:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Good morning.

The Fierce Five have finished their run at the London Summer Olympics. Fierce Five is the nickname given to America's whiz-kid female gymnasts - average age just a bit over 16. They started the Games by winning the most important gold medal, in the team event. They finished yesterday with their team captain finally getting a break that seemed elusive.

U.S. Judo Athlete Delpopolo Disqualified Over Failed Drug Test

Tom Goldman — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:02:00 +0000

American judo athlete Nick Delpopolo has been disqualified from the London 2012 Games after failing a drug test, according to the International Olympic Committee. The 23-year-old Delpopolo tested positive for the substance THC, found in marijuana.

Delpopolo finished seventh in the 73 kg — or 160.5 pound — judo event. After the competition, his urine sample showed the presence of THC, a prohibited substance in Olympic sport.

In a statement, Delpopolo says he inadvertently ate food that he didn't realize had been baked with marijuana. He says he ate it before he left for the Olympics.

Jamaica's Bolt Retains Title As 'World's Fastest Man'

Tom Goldman — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:44:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Usain Bolt remains the world's fastest man. Last night at the London Summer Games, the Jamaican superstar successfully defended his Olympic 100-meter title. Bolt ran his second-fastest time ever, an Olympic record: 9.63 seconds. He joins American Carl Lewis as the only other man to win consecutive Olympic 100s.

NPR's Tom Goldman is in London.

TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: We watched in awe four years ago as Usain Bolt established a new reality in elite sprinting. Coming into these games, the invincible Bolt looked less so.

British Elbow Into An Exclusive Medals Podium

Tom Goldman — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:34:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

There is still a week to go at the Olympics, but it's a good bet that after all the drama ends, Britons will look back on last night as the moment the Games turned in their favor - maybe not in the overall medal count but the host country got a huge psychological lift as Team Great Britain snagged three track and field gold medals on the Games' biggest stage.

Olympic Swimming Records Smashed, Hopes Dashed

Tom Goldman — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:05:00 +0000

The opening weekend of the Summer Olympics was marked by highs and lows, of course, and the swimming pool had its share of both.

'Tremendous Honor:' Opening Ceremony Dancer To Perform For The World

Tom Goldman — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 05:13:00 +0000

The London Summer Olympics officially begin today with the opening ceremony. Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire has put together the latest Olympic kickoff spectacle. As NPR's Philip Reeves reported yesterday, a preview video has been released.

The ceremony is a wide-ranging ode to British history and culture called "Isles of Wonder," which features music, dancing, live farm animals and 10,000 volunteers.

The Olympics Meet A Mall, And Make A Nightmare

Tom Goldman — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:26:00 +0000

Y'know your local mall? The one you drive to whenever, or just as easily drive past? What would happen if you didn't have a choice — if you couldn't avoid going there? Would you walk right through without stopping and shopping? Or, a darker question: What if you could never get out?

Welcome to my Olympic nightmare.

The behemoth mall known as Westfield Stratford City looms — not sits, but looms — on the edge of Olympic Park. It's the gateway to the London Games.