Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
June 14, 2002, Washington Post

In Case You Missed It . . .

The sports section has been full of big news the last few weeks. The World Cup is heating up. Shaq and Kobe led the Los Angeles Lakers to a third straight NBA title. Lennox Lewis is still the heavyweight champ because he beat up on washed-up Mike Tyson. And Tiger Woods won another major championship in golf.

But if you have just been reading the headlines, you may have missed some cool stories about other teams, stars and surprises in sports. What stories? Well, stories like these . . .

The Team. How about those Mystics? Washington's WNBA team always has had lots of fans and their games have always been lots of fun. But this year the Mystics are doing something a bit different. They're winning.

Why the big change? First, Chamique Holdsclaw is playing like the superstar people expected her to be after the Mystics made her the No. 1 pick three years ago. Holdsclaw is putting up more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

And she's not alone. Rookie Stacey Dales-Schuman often is lighting up the scoreboard. These two scorers give the Mystics a dynamic duo that is a tough match for any team in the league. The Mystics are heading into a tough part of their schedule, but don't worry -- this year the Mystics are for real.

The Star. Everybody is talking about Tiger Woods. This year Tiger has won three PGA Tour events, including two major tournaments, the Masters and the U.S. Open. But there is a professional golfer who has won more tournaments than Tiger this year. In fact, this golfer has won more tournaments than Tiger since 1996, the year Tiger burst on to the PGA Tour.

Who's the mystery golfer? Annika Sorenstam.

Sorenstam plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour, and that could be why you don't hear much about her. The men's tour is more popular than the women's tour -- and played on bigger courses, in front of bigger crowds and for much bigger prizes. But, believe me, Annika Sorenstam can play. She shot a 59 during a tournament last year. Even Tiger Woods has never shot a 59 in tournament play.

The Surprise. The Baltimore Orioles are having a ho-hum season. The Birds lose more games than they win and have slipped well behind the red-hot Boston Red Sox. But Baltimore is home to one of the real feel-good stories in baseball. Travis Driskill is a 30-year-old rookie pitcher who bounced around the minor leagues with teams such as the Watertown Indians, Akron Aeros and Yakult Swallows (in Japan) before the Orioles gave him a chance to pitch in the majors. Driskill has made the most of his chance. He is 4-0 this season, including a win against the mighty New York Yankees.

Too bad Disney already has made the movie "The Rookie," because Driskill's tale of a decade of dedication would make a pretty good film. Driskill may not be big news, but he is just the kind of story that makes sports fun and gives hope to anyone who has spent time working on a dream.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company