War clouds temper athletes' excitement

Oakland pitcher Tim Hudson knows he's supposed to be excited about opening the major league baseball season in Japan. And if the world situation were less precarious, he probably would be.

Instead, with the United States preparing for war, Hudson is worried about the March 25-26 games against Seattle.

"We may as well have big targets on our backs saying, 'We're Americans, come bomb us,"' Hudson said Monday. "I'm definitely going if the team goes, but I wouldn't want my family to come along. It's too dangerous."

Signs of concern over a possible war with Iraq are spreading in the world of sports: Tiger Woods withdraws from a tournament in the Mideast, passing up a $2 million appearance fee; two college basketball players turn their backs on the U.S. flag during the national anthem; NFL Europe players worry about traveling.

Teammate Scott Hatteberg understands Hudson's concern about their trip to Tokyo.

"When your country is about to go to war, it could cause problems," Hatteberg said. "I'm still excited about going; it's just bad timing."

Mariners pitcher Joel Paneiro, the team's player representative, has his own misgivings.

"We just have to hope for the best," he said. "I've got to worry about throwing strikes. I can't let it affect me. None of us can let it affect us."

Plenty of athletes have been thinking more about safety than wins or losses -- or paydays.

Woods gave up the big check from the Dubai Desert Classic because he knows the United Arab Emirates is 900 miles from Iraq.

"It's just not a safe environment over there right now," the world's No. 1 golfer said. "I don't think it would be wise for me to go over there at this particular time."

Wide receiver Eugene Baker, trying to establish himself in pro football, has fewer options. He is heading for Berlin, where the NFL Europe season starts April 5.

"The danger is in the back of your mind," he said. "But Europe is supposed to be pretty safe if there's war. This is my first time going over. My mom's more nervous than me. But she doesn't want to scare me so she keeps it to herself."

The A's and Mariners are headed for Japan, but Kevin Millar is not. He pulled out of a $6.2 million, two-year deal with Japan's Chunichi Dragons, citing concerns about playing overseas if there is a war. It helped that the Boston Red Sox offered him a $5.3 million deal.

The head of Japan's soccer federation said that two matches scheduled for late March in the United States would be canceled because of worry about a war.

"Even if no war breaks out, there is no telling how things will turn out," Saburo Kawabuchi said. "It's not worth taking unnecessary risks."

The next major event on America's sports calendar is the NCAA men's basketball tournament. CBS is in the first year of an 11-year, $6 billion deal with the NCAA -- but the network also is preparing to shift coverage to cable networks in the event of war.

Two female basketball players, Toni Smith of Manhattanville and Deidra Chatman of Virginia, protested U.S. foreign policy by turning their backs to the flag during the national anthem.

Two weeks ago, Purdue coach Gene Keady was angry after his team lost to Ohio State and someone suggested the players were down.

"Why would they be down on themselves?" he said. "Send them off to Afghanistan and they'll get fired up real quick.

"They should be up every second. We've got soldiers who are getting ready to go to war. It's ridiculous that they be down. What are they down about?"

Terror jitters shook the America's Cup yacht races in New Zealand when a group calling itself "September 11" threatened the U.S., Australian and British embassies in New Zealand, warning it has 55 pounds of cyanide.

In November, former East German soccer coach Bernd Stange signed a four-year contract to coach soccer in Iraq, with a clause allowing him to withdraw in case of war. On Thursday, he left the country after the German Foreign Ministry warned about 20 of its citizens about the danger of being there.

Stange wrote a letter to each of his players, saying: "I pray to God that he guards you and your family."

Hall of Famer Bob Feller arrived at the Cleveland Indians' spring training camp Monday. Feller enlisted in the Navy two days after Pearl Harbor and spent 45 months on the battleship Alabama during World War II.

He joked with reporters about who would have a good year and who would not.

"I'll tell you right now who's in for a bad year: Saddam Hussein," Feller said. "Forget his season. His career is going to be over in a couple weeks."