Devers, Isinbayeva star in centennial Millrose Games

NEW YORK -- Five things worth knowing from Friday night's 100th Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden:

1. Gail Devers is 40 years old.

It's right there on page 94 of last year's USA Track and Field media guide: "Born November 19, 1966." It's important to impart this knowledge, because the muscular woman who won the 60-meter hurdles Friday night in the very respectable time of 7.86 seconds looked much, much younger.

But it was Devers, all right. Except for a plodding (8.14 seconds) appearance at Millrose last year, Devers had been virtually retired (not literally retired; "I never said the 'R' word," she says) since the 2004 Olympics, when she fell in the heats of the 100-meter hurdles and was presumed to have left the world track stage for good, with her three Olympic gold medals, four world championship golds and a lasting place in the history of the sport. Except she is apparently not finished.

Devers gave birth to her first child, Karsen Anise Phillips (Devers is married to Mike Phillips) on June 20, 2005, by Caesarean section after 20 hours of labor. She healed and did nothing for six months, trained a little and ran a poor Millrose last year and then shut down for most of the season, while beginning to coach hurdler Danielle Carruthers. "People thought I went away,'' says Devers, "I always knew I could come back.''

Devers has not only been one of the most decorated athletes in history, but also one of the most oft-injured. It was always an unspoken truth among journalists that if you asked Devers how she was feeling you were going to get a medical dictionary in response. So what happened when she didn't compete hard for two years? She got healthier than she had been in a very long time. "The best healing is time off," she said.

Her time was the best in the world for the young 2007 season and not far from the 7.83 that was best in 2006. Clearly, Devers is back in play.

She says she has no plans for the future, "unless people start calling and saying they just have to have me in their meet,'' Devers said. "Then, my husband will see if the price is right.'' Devers currently has no footwear/apparel sponsor and each appearance is an audition for a new one, which she wants to mold in her own line. For now, she will continuing coaching Carruthers and training herself. And not retiring any time soon. "My grandmother lived until she was 98 1/2,'' Devers said. "I'm going to live a long life.''

2. How good is Yelena Isinbayeva?

Follow along here: Insinbayeva, the best women's pole vaulter in history, flies from Moscow to New York and arrives on Wednesday. Shows up at the Garden on Friday night, jet-lagged, vaults 15-9 3/4 to win by nearly a foot over a field of six of the best women in the U.S. Then she takes three very solid attempts at a world record of 16-1 3/4. "The big time difference makes me a little bit sleepy,'' she said afterward. Her every competition is a solo act.

Here's the disappointing part: While Isinbayeva was making her world record attempts as the last event left in action at the Garden, much of the crowd of 14,905 was filing for the exits, like this was the fourth quarter and the Knicks were getting blown out. O.K., she's a Russian pole vaulter. But a Millrose crowd is supposed to be a tracknut crowd. I can name every world record I've seen in about 10 seconds, because they are so memorable. Hard to stomach people walking out on a chance to witness history.

3. Shawn Crawford might be back, but is he ready for the questions?

Crawford, the 2004 Olympic 200-meter gold medalist, was hampered throughout the 2005 and '06 seasons with foot problems. Now he feels better, the result of two years spent learning how to better care for his body. "Now I do the ice,'' he said Friday night. "I used to just go lie on the couch.'' He looked sharp in winning the 60 meters Friday night in 6.56 seconds. Perhaps he is ready to challenge the Kiddie Corps that emerged in his absence: Tyson Gay, Wallace Spearmon and Xavier Carter, all of whom have run faster than Crawford's personal best of 19.79 in the 200.

But Crawford's return casts him in a spotlight which, based on Friday night, he may or may not be ready for. Crawford was formerly trained by Trevor Graham, who is now under indictment for perjury in the BALCO case and banned from coaching USATF athletes; his former training partner was Justin Gatlin, who is appealing his eight-year ban after a positive steroid test last spring.

So Crawford can expect questions, about who he is training with and whether he talks to Gatlin.

On the former issue, Crawford said he is still in Raleigh (where he trained under Graham), now training under Stephen (Smiley) Hayes, who Crawford says, "Used to be our strength coach.'' A cynic might wonder if that means Graham is advising Hayes behind the scenes. Crawford said only that Hayes is coaching him.

Crawford would not name any other athletes in the training group.

When asked if he talks to Gatlin, Crawford said, "I instant messaged him this morning.''

At which point an assistant to Crawford's agent abruptly ended the interview.

It's nice to see Crawford running fast again. Now he needs a plan to handle obvious and pertinent questions, which are going to be posed.

4. Does Maurice Greene have another year in his old legs?

Hard to say from Millrose. Mo ran only 20 meters before stumbling on what he called "a dip in the track,'' and fell. Greene's longtime coach, John Smith, said "Sure, he can run fast again.''

Greene said he's fit and healthy and just needs to get his technique in order and fast times will follow. He'll be 33 this summer, not impossibly old for a sprinter.

Seriously, track could use a healthy Greene, one of the most popular and successful sprinters in history. But he has fought a lot of battles. Mo was only 23 when he won the 100-meter title at the '97 worlds in Athens, the first of his three world championships. From 1998 through 2001, in the words of Ato Boldon, Greene's longtime (and now retired) training partner: "Mo and I could get out of bed and run nine-eight.''

Most people figured that Greene's 9.87 bronze medal in Athens was his farewell. Maybe most people were wrong. But it's still a big hill to climb.

5. Alan Webb got cooked by two major-league runners.

Webb looked rock solid last weekend when he ran 3:55.18 and won the mile at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games. Friday night in New York, he led Bernard Lagat and Craig Mottram of Australia early in the Wanamaker mile, but faded badly to fourth as Lagat outkicked Motgtram 3:54.26 to 3:56.81.

"Mottram brings toughness to the race,'' said Lagat, who won the race for the fifth time. "He is not intimdated by anyone.'' It was a classic and entertaining finish involving a pure miler and tough 5,000-meter specialist. Lagat has two 1,500-meter Olympic medals, Mottram a bronze in the 5,000 at the 2005 worlds in Helsinki.

Webb was way back in 4:04.86. He was tight and unthreatening at the finish, as he is whenever he doesn't run well. The upshot? Eh, don't read too much into it. You lead guys like Lagat and Mottram early, sometimes you're going to pay. It's only February and Webb is still only just 24. This was only one night against two of the best in the world.