Serena sounds off on French pacifists

Women's tennis star Serena Williams may be a novice in the field of international relations, but that didn't stop the defending French Open champion from echoing sentiments many Americans share towards our alleged European allies.

During a press conference held after Williams captured her second straight Nasdaq-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Fla., Williams was asked about growing anti-French sentiment in America.

"Well, we don't want to play in the war," Williams responded in a mock French accent, "We want to make clothes, we don't want the war."

Serena, whose father Richard once called fellow pro Irina Spirlea a "tall white turkey", has proven more outspoken than older sister Venus, also a star on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).



Fashion mogul Klein restrained at game



During a Knick-Raptor game Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, acclaimed fashion designer Calvin Klein had to be escorted back to his front-row seat after he stumbled across the floor during a time-out to speak with Knick guard Latrell Sprewell.

Klein, who has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction over the past decade, grabbed the popular Knick by the arm and attempted to strike up a conversation him.

Fortunately for the intoxicated fashion icon, Sprewell has toned down his act since arriving in New York three years ago. In 1999, an enraged Sprewell strangled then Golden State Warriors coach P.J. Carlesimo after the two were involved in a heated dispute during practice.

Since the Knicks acquired him that off-season, Sprewell's only trangression involved a scuffle on his yacht in Milwaukee that resulted in a broken left wrist and forced the two-guard to miss the first month of the '03 season.



Blue Jays brass tell fans to heckle Matsui



Michael Moore step aside. Yesterday Jim Bloom was officially anointed Candada's most obnoxious human being.

In a bizarre public relations move that can only be chalked up to Canadian stupidity, the Toronto Blue Jays took out numerous ads in the city's Sunday newspapers encouraging fans who attend the Yankee-Blue Jay season-opening series to verbally abuse Japanese import Hideki Matsui.

Toronto, desperate to reverse a damaging attendance slide that has cut their fan base from four million a decade ago to just over 1.6 million last year, asked consumer marketing director Bloom to create a "lighthearted" ad campaign that would draw fans to Skydome.

The ad, which shows a Yankees cap smothered in bird droppings, urges fans to boo Matsui in both English and Japanese.

Matsui, who will earn a whopping $7 million this season, wasn't fazed by the PR stunt. "I don't have anything special to say," he remarked through an interpreter, "I'm a little happy that the fans are aware of my name."

Bloom's misguided attempt at friendly humor won't come as a surprise to athletes used to the country's sports faithful jeering the American national anthem. Oh Canada!

Puckett maintains he did not harm woman



Baseball great Kirby Puckett, whose reputation has taken the type of beating of late that O.J. Simpson's did during the glory days of Lance Ito and neighbor-from-hell Kato Kaelin, denies that he groped a woman inside the bathroom of a Minneapolis-area bar and grill.

The case, in which Puckett is charged with false imprisonment and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct, is slated to go to jury Wednesday.