| | | | | GAME
PLAN | | Holy salkow, Batman, Miki’s back! Yes, Japan’s very own Babe on Ice, Miki Ando, roared back to form in the opening event of the Grand Prix figure skating series, not only winning October’s Skate America competition in Connecticut, but overshadowing younger teen star Mao Asada, everybody’s current tip for greatness. Ando, of course, was panned after finishing a disappointing 15th at the Turin Olympics, but she’s lost a bit of chunkiness and taken her skating to a higher level; maybe now she will start to fulfill her promise. Next up on the calendar is the NHK Trophy from November 30 to December 3 in Nagano. Japan’s women skaters are hot right now. Catch them while you can. FV See sports listings for details.
| By
Fred Varcoe American forces  | | Tampa
Bay Buccaneer stars Warren Sapp, right, and linebacker Derrick Brooks |
Tokyo's
football fans once again get a chance to indulge in their favorite sport with
NFL Tokyo 2003-the 11th Tokyo American Bowl-which takes place at
the Tokyo Dome on August 2. This year's event sees Super Bowl champs the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers go up against the New York Jets.
Football has never
quite made the mark it might have hoped to achieve in Japan. Once upon a time-around
15 years ago-NFL games were shown live on national television. Now you
need a satellite dish. For the Japanese, domestic football leagues are only a
minor attraction, played mainly by universities and company teams. It's
hardly captured the imagination of the public at large, partly, perhaps, because
no players have crossed the Atlantic to make it big in the NFL. So when the NFL
comes to town, it's a major event, not only for the Japanese fans but also
for foreign fans in Japan.
And, indeed, for the players themselves. In
many ways, the Japan trip is like the first day back at school for the NFL boys.
It's a chance to chill out with the guys, buy some electrical gizmos in
Akihabara, wear a yukata, and put on a show. Some of the players will provide
clinics for the locals, the cheerleaders will strut their stuff, the fans will
yip and holler, and there'll even be a game.
While the stars will
come out to play, the American Bowl is not an opportunity for the big names to
show all their talents. This is the first pre-season game of the year, and coaches
don't want their players to break anything just quite yet, and certainly
not in Tokyo. It is, however, a chance to see talent of the future; the only problem
is you often have to wait for the future to find out who you saw.
But to
quibble about the playing time of some of the players is to miss the point. This
is an exhibition game, more to do with selling the NFL around the world and promoting
the sport. These guys do a lot of PR here. And this year, they've got a
big helping hand in the form of K1 fighter Bob Sapp, who, despite his own personal
failures as a player, has been made a Japan-based ambassador for the NFL.
But
Big Bob won't be the only Sapp in town that week. One of the stars of the
Super Bowl champions is also called Sapp-Warren Sapp-and while Bob
is all smiles and PR stunts and just occasionally hitting people, Warren is all
business, staying pumped up and hitting as many people as often as he can. To
get a better idea of how serious he is about his trade, just check out what he
calls his web site: www.qbkilla.com.
The "Quarterback Killer" prides himself on being the hardest-hitting
lineman in the league. Ironically, he'll be opposed by the man people are
already calling "the new Warren Sapp"-Dewayne Robertson,
who the Jets took as their top pick (no. 4 overall) in the 2003 NFL draft. And
he'll be the man with something to prove.
As perhaps will another
key player for the Bucs: Keyshawn Johnson, who played for the Jets for four seasons
before moving to Tampa Bay in 2000. The combination of the Bucs' star receiver
and his namesake quarterback, Brad "Mr Accuracy" Johnson, as well
as the team's demon defense, gave Tampa Bay a 12-4 regular-season record
last year under the guidance of highly respected head coach Jon Gruden. The only
thing missing this year is Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson, a defensive back who
left for the Arizona Cardinals.
While the Jets had a winning season, their
9-7 record was nothing to write home about, and six starters used free agency
to move on after the team was eliminated from the playoffs. On top of that, influential
defensive tackle Josh Evans has been suspended indefinitely by the league for
violating its drugs policy for a third time. The Jets hope that they can get him
back on track as the team looks set for a transition year with all the comings
and goings. "We are starting to create a foundation here," coach
Herman Edwards says. "And [we have] a vision that we want to be one of
those top teams." The American Bowl should see Edwards giving plenty of
opportunities to his new boys, while veterans such as linebacker Marvin Jones,
cornerback Aaron Beasley, and star running back Curtis Martin will loosen their
limbs for a quarter or two at most.
After only 26,000 turned up for last
year's NFL game in Osaka, the return to Tokyo and a new kickoff time of
6pm on Saturday should see the American Bowl please the fans, sponsors and players.
Besides, Bob Sapp will be there, so it's guaranteed to sell out. The
American Bowl takes place at the Tokyo Dome Aug 2 at 6pm. See listings for details.
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