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Week at a Glance
Baseball pioneer Borders retires from minor leagues
Posted: Wednesday July 05, 2000 04:09 PM
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Ila Borders made the jump from the University of Southern Cal to the minors, the first woman ever to do so. J.D. Cuban/Allsport |
By Patricia Heys, CNNSI.com
Twenty-five is not old for a baseball player, but after more than three years in the minor leagues, Ila Borders has retired, ironically, leaving the Zion Pioneerzz.
Borders made her professional debut on May 31, 1997, when she entered the game in the sixth inning for the St. Paul Saints.
The left-handed pitcher was the only woman in men's professional baseball and one of only a handful of women to compete in one of the four major men's sports.
She says she wasn't out to champion women's rights -- just to play the game she loves.
But Borders was a pioneer, dealing with harassing fans and doubting coaches, players and reporters. She convinced many in the minor leagues that a woman could be competitive against men, and she has made the path easier for another woman to play America's favorite pastime.
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Misty May and Holly McPeak --The American beach volleyball duo won their first international gold medal by upsetting top-seeded Brazilians Adriana Behar and Shelda Bede at the Chicago Grand Slam tournament.
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Merlene Ottey -- The Jamaican sprinter had her two-year ban for steroid use lifted after an international track panel said the lab improperly tested her urine sample. The former world champion is immediately allowed to compete.
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Martina Navratilova -- With doubles partner Mariaan de Swardt, the former Wimbledon champion advanced to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before losing to Venus and Serena Williams in three sets.
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Tiffeny Milbrett -- The U.S. player scored in the 44th minute of play as the Americans defeated Brazil 1-0 in the final of the Gold Cup. It was the fifth title of the year for the U.S.
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Tari Phillips -- The New York Liberty forward was named the WNBA Player of the Week. Phillips leads the league in scoring (24.3 pts). In a win over the Fever, Phillips had her third straight double-double and sixth of the year.
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Trine Solberg-Hattestad -- The Norweigan set a world record of 68.22 meters in the women's javelin at the IAAF Golden Gala Meet in Rome. She improved by 1.13 meters the previous mark.
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Mary Pierce -- The winner of the French Open lost in the second round at Wimbledon, falling to Magui Serna 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).
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Janice Moodie -- The Scot made five short par-saving putts on the back nine to preserve her first win on the LPGA Tour, capturing the ShopRite Classic by two shots. Moodie joins Kathryn Marshall, who won in Toledo in 1995, as the only Scots to win on the LPGA Tour.
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As part of the Women's Pro Football League, three teams - the Minnesota Vixens, Lake Michigan Minx and New York Sharks -- competed in a Barnstorming Tour last year to test the marketability and fan interest in women's football.
The league had planned to grow to six to eight teams for the 2000 season, which will begin play on Oct. 14, but now plans on featuring 14 teams.
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Cleveland takes a hit
The Cleveland Rockers' leading scorer, Eva Nemcova, is out for the season after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in Saturday's game against Los Angeles. Nemcova averaged 13.2 points a game for the Rockers, who are 8-7.
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Ready for retirement
Houston Comets guard Cynthia Cooper announced she will retire at the end of the season. Cooper, 37, has been named the MVP of the finals each of the three years the WNBA has been in existence and has emerged as one of the league's biggest stars. Not only will Houston have to find a replacement for her, but the WNBA will as well.
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Basketball: Washington at Portland, July 9, 10 p.m.
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Tennis: Wimbledon, London, England, June 26-July 9
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Golf: Jamie Farr Classic, Sylvania, Ohio, July 6-9
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