D2 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, AUGUST 5 , 2019
TELEVISION AND RADIO
MLB
4 p.m. Miami at New York Mets » MLB Network
7 p.m. New York Yankees at Baltimore » MASN, WTEM (980 AM)
8 p.m. Oakland at Chicago Cubs » ESPN
9:30 p.m. Washington at San Francisco » MASN2, WJFK (106.7 FM), WFED (1500 AM)
TENNIS
11 a.m. ATP/WTA: Canadian Open, early rounds » Tennis Channel
BASEBALL
7 p.m. Little League: Southeast Regional, semifinal, Virginia vs. Georgia » ESPN2
9 p.m. Little League: Southwest Regional, semifinal » ESPN2
ATHLETICS
11 a.m. Pan American Games: Day 13 » ESPNU
7:30 p.m. Pan American Games: Day 13 » ESPNU
There are no vacations from the unanswerable questions of the sports universe
When I take a
column vacation
each summer —
which often
coincides with a
reality vacation in
Las Vegas — I am
soothed by the extended break
from the noxious nuttiness that
usually provides my wake-up call
every weekday afternoon the rest
of the year.
(Yes, I said “my wake-up call
every weekday afternoon .” That’s
right — I sleep in. Why wouldn’t
I? They can’t do as much damage
to you when you’re not awake,
and if there’s a lot of bad swirling
around out there, well,
ignorance is bliss; I’ll take my
nightmares over their nastiness.)
Alas, when I wandered back
into Sports Nation the other day,
I immediately got a cold splash
of verisimilitude.
Let’s go to the videotape to
review three of these
transgressions:
l Maryland will cancel
afternoon classes Sept. 27
because the football team is
playing Penn State that evening.
My beleaguered, misguided alma
mater continues to make
decisions that compel sober-
minded people to scratch their
heads and go, “Really?”
Maryland Provost Mary Ann
Rankin said that canceling
classes in advance of the 8 p.m.
game was to “ensure that
visitors, students, faculty and
staff are not inordinately
inconvenienced by the inevitable
traffic issues.”
Really?
For starters, “inevitable traffic
issues” are such a constant in the
Washington, D.C., area, the
federal government should shut
down daily at 10:30 a.m. Plus, if I
were the university, I might
consider nixing all classes during
football season because nothing
athletic should ever be
“inordinately inconvenienced”
by anything academic.
Then again, I remain an
outlier proponent of folding the
school’s athletic department; toreplace the revenue loss, simply
ticket every seventh car on
campus on a daily basis.
Heck, when I matriculated at
College Park, I was not allowed
to graduate until I settled all my
parking violation fees, which, in
those simpler days, exceeded my
annual tuition costs.
l Carnegie Mellon and
Facebook A.I. have developed a
poker bot called Pluribus that
solves six-player no limit Texas
hold ’em. Big deal. Show me
some type of A.I. device that can
beat keno and sidestep casino
resort fees, and then I will be
impressed.
I am tired of these computer
science research mavens
spending untold hours sipping
Coke Zeros while devising
useless algorithms to topple
games of skill that mean little in
our complex, ever-darkening
cosmos.
And I will still take Doyle
Brunson over a Dell desktop
anytime, particularly in a Laredo
roadhouse.Besides, if computers solve
EVERYTHING, the only thing
left for humankind will be
Rubik’s cubes, the Sunday New
York Times crossword puzzle
and figuring out how to open a
jar of kosher pickles in under
45 seconds.
l A Louisiana judge ruled that
a state lawsuit can continue
against the NFL over the Rams-
Saints no-call in January. Nicole
Sheppard also ruled that
attorney Antonio LeMon can
request documents and ask
questions of three NFL game
officials in depositions over the
lack of a pass-interference
penalty against Rams
cornerback Nickell Robey-
Coleman when he hit the Saints’
To mmylee Lewis near the end of
the NFC championship game.
The suit alleges fraud by NFL
officials.
I don’t know if we have lost
our minds, but something tells
me they won’t be found anytime
soon.
“The purpose of the lawsuit isnot to get some minuscule
amount of money,” LeMon said.
“It’s to get at the truth.”
Uh, you want the truth?
The officials made a bad call.
End of story.
Yes, it probably changed the
winner of the game. But there
was no corruption or conspiracy
to uncover, no toxins were
discovered on the premises, and
no animals were harmed in the
making of this result.
Hey, I didn’t like the call
either. What did I do? I waved
my hand dismissively at the TV
screen, then took Daisy out for a
walk. We both took a nap when
we got back and slept in the
following morning.
Sometimes there’s nothing
better than a dog’s life.Ask The Slouch
Q. Your summer hiatus keeps
getting lengthier. Frankly, it’s
more of a leave of absence, no?
(Alex Ta lbot; Spokane, Wash.)
A. The plan is to increase
vacation by one week annuallyso that, by age 95, I will be down
to four columns per year.
Q. Your vacations come earlier
every year and last longer. Are
you sneaking into retirement?
(Don Pollins; Hyattsville, Md.)
A. Johnny Carson — one of my
heroes — was working a three-
day week on “The To night Show”
over his last decade hosting it.
Q. Who waters your Chia Pet
when you vacate the premises
for several fortnights? (Bill
Hayes; Carmel, Ind.)
A. Why is everyone obsessed
with the amount of time I take
off? Just follow the lead of my
wife, To ni — when I leave the
house, she never asks when I am
coming back.
Q. What exactly are you
taking vacation from? (Chris
McCormick; Houston)
A. Pay the man, Shirley.Yo u, too, can enter the $1.25 Ask The
Slouch Cash Giveaway. Just email
[email protected], and if your
question is used, you win $1.25 in
cash!Couch
Slouch
NORMAN
CHAD
ROUNDUPBY STEVEN GOFFpasadena, calif. — With corre-
sponding videos, the giant stars
were unfurled on the Rose Bowl
grounds, one at a time, each sym-
bolizing U.S. women’s soccer ex-
cellence.
First came the red 1991 banner,
then the white 1999 insignia and
a blue 2015 star. Finally came the
gold one, splashed with “19” to
salute this summer’s World Cup
trophy.
Four weeks after their French
fete, the champions arrived here
Saturday to launch a five-match
victory tour. It was a celebration
of not only the seven-game sweep
at the World Cup but a salute to
the elite endurance of the
U.S. program, with past heroes
such as Mia Hamm in attendance
and current stars such as Carli
Lloyd on the field.
When the smoke from the pre-
game pyrotechnics cleared, the
Americans resumed their victory
march with a 3-0 decision over
Ireland in front of 37,040, includ-
ing FIFA President Gianni Infan-
tino, who has come under pres-
sure to provide greater support
for the women’s game.
“This last World Cup in France
has really marked the before and
after for women’s football,” he
said. “Now it’s up to us to build
something sustainable and
meaningful for the future.”
Infantino watched To bin
Heath, Lindsey Horan and Lloyd
score in the first half as the
winning streak grew to 14 a nd the
unbeaten run to 17 (15-0-2). The
top-ranked United States has
beaten No. 33 Ireland in all
13 meetings.
The tour will continue with
two matches against No. 30 Por-
tugal (Aug. 29 in Philadelphia
and Sept. 3 in St. Paul, Minn.) and
conclude with a pair against
No. 20 South Korea (Oct. 3 in
Charlotte and Oct. 6 in Chicago).
Two dates in early November,
which are not part of the victory
tour, are in the process of being
finalized. Washington’s Audi
Field is expected to host a Nov. 7
match.
The tour comes amid change,
most notably the departure of
Coach Jill Ellis after the October
games. Her successor cannot be
chosen until a general manager —
a new position — is in place,
though people close to the selec-
tion process said former defender
Kate Markgraf, an ESPN com-
mentator, is expected to take the
job.
During ESPN’s pregame show,she said she is interested.
With the Olympics a year away,
the new coach will need to begin
considering team composition.
The United States was the oldest
and most experienced unit in
France, and with the need to
infuse fresh talent into a smaller
roster (18 instead of 23), some
current players face the end of the
road.
All of this will unfold in front of
a legal backdrop: The players and
U.S. Soccer Federation will enter
mediation over a gender-discrim-
ination lawsuit seeking fairer
compensation with the men’s
program.
Late in Saturday’s match, many
in the crowd chanted, “Equal
pay!”
The push for greater support
for women’s soccer also has
gained momentum. Infantino ac-
knowledged it, saying: “The last
couple weeks I have been in Afri-
ca and the Middle East, and peo-
ple not from football were talking
to me about the Women’s World
Cup. And they would say to me
this is the first time they’ve even
heard about women’s football.
These are small examples of the
impact this World Cup has had.
“Of course, the U.S. team, the
way they performed, the way they
won, they have contributed great-
ly to the success.”Infantino also said FIFA is pre-
pared to more than double the
prize money for the Women’s
World Cup, a proposal first raised
on the eve of the World Cup final.
“I am very confident we can go
higher than double,” he said Sat-
urday. “We have to be optimistic.”
Recognition of women’s soccer
has taken greater hold in the
United States. Comparing the
feeling now with four years ago
after winning the title in Canada,
outspoken forward Megan Rapi-
noe said: “Everything is different.
The tournament [this summer]
was so much bigger, and the
tournament then transcended
sport. It feels like so much more
high stakes.”
As t he championship buzz con-
tinues, those involved in the game
are seeking ways to expand gener-
al interest beyond the national
team. On a weekly basis, the
vehicle is the National Women’s
Soccer League, which features all
23 national team players, as well
as several international stand-
outs.
The USSF, which underwrites
the NWSL, did not do the league
any favors this weekend by sched-
uling the Ireland friendly during
a full slate of regular season
matches. Consequently, six
U.S. players missed Saturday’s
North Carolina Courage-Wash-ington Spirit encounter in Cary,
N.C. The Spirit fell to the defend-
ing champions, 1-0.
The rest of the victory tour falls
during official FIFA windows for
international matches, limiting
the impact on NWSL matches.
As for Saturday’s game, super-
stars Rapinoe and Alex Morgan
did not play because of minor
injuries. Mallory Pugh (Spirit)
was a late scratch because of a
muscle ailment.
Heath, Pugh’s replacement in
the starting lineup, opened the
scoring in the 16th minute by
heading in Christen Press’s cross
to the back side.
In the 31st, Sam Mewis drove a
low ball into the penalty area.
Press appeared to nick it before it
reached Horan for the one-touch
finish.
Te n minutes later, Kelley
O’Hara swung a cross into the
heart of the box to Lloyd for a
12-yard header and her 114th ca-
reer goal.
In the second half, Ellis used
the maximum six subs, including
Rose Lavelle, the Spirit midfield-
er who scored in the World Cup
final against the Netherlands.
“It was a lot of fun to just
celebrate together,” Lavelle said,
“and enjoy it and not have the
pressure of winning.”
[email protected]Back with a win — and a big to-do list
Amid backdrop of impending coaching change and a fight for equal pay, U.S. women blank Ireland
Another win
for Man. City
After completing a
clean sweep of
domestic trophies
last season,
Manchester City
opened the new
campaign by lifting
the Community
Shield following a
shootout victory over
Liverpool on Sunday.City netted all five
penalties — the last
by Gabriel Jesus —
and goalkeeper
Claudio Bravo made
a key save to deny
GeorginioWi jnaldum’s attempt
in a 5-4 shootout win
after the traditional
curtain-raiser to the
English season ended
1-1 in regulation time.City opened last
season by lifting the
Shield and went on to
win the FA Cup,
League Cup and
Premier League —
edging Liverpool to
gain that title by a
point.Liverpool, which won
the Champions
League for a sixth
time last season, won
only one of sevenpreseason games
before losing to City
at Wembley Stadium.Raheem Sterling took
12 minutes to pick up
where he left off for
City at Wembley in
May when he
completed a 5-0
victory over Watford
in the FA Cup final.Afterward,
Manchester City
Manager Pep
Guardiola said he left
Riyad Mahrez out of
the match over
concerns the player
could have breacheddoping rules as the
club lacked full
details of medication
he used for a sinus
issue.The Algeria
intentional only
returned to training
Fr iday after leading
his country to victory
in the Africa Cup of
Nations final last
month.MLS shutout
Ethan Finlay scored
on a penalty kick in
stoppage time, Vito
Mannone had five
saves for his secondconsecutive shutout,
and Minnesota
United beat the
Portland Timbers,
1-0, in St. Paul, Minn.Mannone has
shutouts in three of
his past four games.Portland’s Larrys
Mabiala was called
for a hand ball in the
area late. After video
review confirmed the
call, Finlay converted
from the spot in the
second minute of
stoppage time.The Timbers had their
six-game unbeatenstreak snapped....Felipe Gutierrez
scored two first-half
goals to lead visiting
Sporting Kansas City
to a 3-2 victory over
the Seattle
Sounders....FC Cincinnati hired
Ron Jans as its third
head coach in its first
MLS season. The
expansion team fired
Alan Koch in May.
Yoann Damet
directed the club as
interim head coach
and will remain as an
assistant.
— Associated PressALEX GALLARDO/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Forward Carli Lloyd capped the U.S. scoring Saturday night against Ireland with her 114th career goal.soccer insider
SWIMMING
Lochte wins a U.S. title
for first time since 2014
Ryan Lochte , fresh off a 14-
month ban, won the 200-meter
individual medley at the U.S.
national championships Sunday
in Stanford, Calif.
The 12-time Olympic medalist
touched in 1 minute 57.76
seconds — 1 .07 ahead of runner-
up Shaine Casas — to earn his
first national title since 2014.
Lochte’s time was quicker than
his time-trial effort of 1:57.88
that didn’t count toward
qualifying for the national team.
It was the lone victory and
only final of the five-day meet for
Lochte, who turned 35 a day
earlier. He finished 37th in the
200 freestyle preliminaries, was
fourth in the C final of the
100 butterfly and scratched the
B final of the 100 backstroke.
Lochte was competing for the
first time since the recent end of
a suspension for receiving an
infusion of vitamin B-12 above
the allowable limit.
AUTO RACING
More used to other drivers
chasing him, Lewis Hamilton
turned predator to hunt down
Max Verstappen and win the
Hungarian Grand Prix in
Budapest.
After Hamilton tried and failed
to get past Verstappen midway
through the race on the
Hungaroring — one of Formula
One’s hardest tracks on which to
pass — it seemed Verstappen
would secure a victory from his
first pole position for an eighth
career win and third in four races.
But then Mercedes made a
risky but ultimately brilliant
move to bring in Hamilton for a
second tire change on Lap 49 of
- Verstappen could not hold off
Hamilton, who moved
menacingly alongside by Lap 67
and flew to the 81st victory of his
F1 career.
Earlier, Mick Schumacher
earned his first Formula Two
victory at the event.
The son of Formula One great
Michael Schumacher started
from the pole position for the
Prema Racing team and finished
the 28-lap race ahead of
Nobuharu Matsushita and
Sergio Sette Camara....
John Force raced to his
record-extending 150th Funny
Car victory in the NHRA
Northwest Nationals in Kent,
Wash.
The 70-year-old Force won for
the first time in 25 races, beating
Ron Capps in the final with a
3.971-second run at 320.58 mph
in his Peak Auto Lighting
Chevrolet.
“I got the monkey on my back,
and it drives you nuts,” Force
said. “... But the monkey taught
me so much, that you need to
focus on your car if you want to
do good.”
The 16-time season champion
won for the ninth time at Pacific
Raceways. Austin Prock won in
To p Fuel and Matt Hartford in
Pro Stock.
SURFING
Sage Erickson of the United
States and Yago Dora of Brazil
won the women’s and men’s
divisions of the US Open of
Surfing in Huntington Beach,
Calif. It was the first time the
event paid equal prize money,
with Erickson and Dora each
receiving $30,000.
In a 3- to 5-foot swell,
Erickson topped defending
champion and fellow Californian
Courtney Conlogue with a 15.43
out of a possible 20.
Dora beat Liam O’Brien of
Australia, coming out strong
with the day’s top single-scoring
wave of a near-perfect 9.27....
Host Peru dominated at the
Pan American Games, with
Lucca Mesinas and Daniella
Rosas winning their shortboard
finals and potential tickets to the
2020 To kyo Olympics.
International Surfing
Association longboard world
champion Benoit “Piccolo”
Clemente , also from Peru, won
the men’s l ongboard final.
Hundreds of people braved
cold and damp weather to cheer
on the surfers, who competed on
a reef break about 38 miles south
of the Peruvian capital of Lima.
They included Peru President
Martín Vizcarra , who presented
medals to the surfers.VOLLEYBALL
The U.S. women’s team
secured its berth to the To kyo
Olympics by beating Argentina
in straight sets at a qualification
tournament in Bossier City, La.
Coach Karch Kiraly ’s third-
ranked Americans went
unbeaten in Pool C of qualifying
during the weekend, rallying
from a set down and again from
a 2-1 deficit Saturday night to
beat 16th-ranked Bulgaria before
a 25-22, 25-17, 25-13 victory over
No. 11 Argentina.MISC.
The Washington Valor’s Arena
Football League title defense
officially ended with a 48-41 loss
to the host Philadelphia Soul.
The Soul won the two-game
playoff clash on aggregate, 117-74,
and advanced to Arena Bowl 32
on Sunday at the Albany Empire,
which routed the Baltimore
Brigade in the other
semifinals....
Zheng Saisai of China used
steady, looping groundstrokes
and patience to capture her first
career WTA To ur singles
championship, beating Aryna
Sabalenka of Belarus, 6-3, 7-6 (7-
3), in the Silicon Valley Classic in
San Jose.
Saisai, ranked 55th, topped
three seeded players on the way
to her second career final and
first title at age 25....
Former Central Michigan
offensive coordinator Chris
Ostrowsky joined new Georgia
Te ch coach Geoff Collins ’s staff
as a senior offensive adviser.
Central Michigan quarterback
Shane Morris threw for
27 touchdowns, second most in
school history, and 3,237 yards
under Ostrowsky in 2017.
— From news servicesDIGEST