Features on the Oct. 7 (7pm ET) edition of ESPN’s prime-time sports newsmagazine E:60:
Ugueth Urbina He was one of the best relievers in baseball, a two-time All-Star and World Series champion. But his actions one night in October 2005 cost Ugueth Urbina everything, including his freedom. On his ranch in rural Venezuela, Urbina accused several men working as day laborers of stealing a gun. He attacked them with a machete, poured gasoline on them and lit them on fire. He was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 14 years in a Venezuelan prison. Now, after nearly three years behind bars, Urbina speaks to E:60’s Jeremy Schaap in an interview from his prison 150 miles outside of Caracas, Venezuela. He talks about his mistakes, his 10’ x 6’ living quarters, an appeal scheduled to be heard this fall and his chances of pitching again.
Sean Avery Some call him ‘the most hated man in hockey’ and as the NHL season opens, the Dallas Stars Sean Avery persists in making his name well known by being the league’s biggest agitator rather than by scoring goals. Whether fighting, trash talking, or inventing whole new ways to annoy his opponents, Avery is the NHL’s public enemy number one. E:60’s Rachel Nichols reports that the bad boy persona just scrapes the surface of Avery, who off the ice is one of sports’ biggest fashionistas. From his internship at Vogue Magazine to the front rows at the biggest shows of New York’s fashion week, E:60 explores all sides of one of sports’ biggest contradictions and how easily he goes from cutting edge to just plain cutting.
Homeless Hoops While most of us are worried about the economic crisis and how we are going to pay our bills, there are many whose biggest daily concern is finding something to eat in a trash bin and not being knifed in your sleep. This is the reality for thousands of homeless people, who have lost hope and are living a nightmare all around the so-called “city of dreams” of downtown Los Angeles’ skid row. But inside the madness and mayhem, there is the Union Rescue Mission. It is a mission where the homeless can come and learn how to repair their lives with basketball providing a framework for progress and a means of reshaping their outlook through team work and hard work. The men who play on the Union Rescue teams must first commit to an intense 12-month program where they take computer classes, have Bible study, work jobs like scrubbing toilets for minimum wage and have constant supervision. E:60 changes pace with this stark and gritty piece highlighted by original music written and performed by violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and narrated by “The Wire” actor Reg E. Cathey.
Jaime Nared At only 13 years old, basketball phenom Jaime Nared of Beaverton, Oregon, is over six feet tall, has the skills of a high school all-star and has already captured the attention of top division one basketball programs across the country. She is so dominant against other girls in her age group, her coach says “it’s like playing Shaq against Junior High School boys,” so she doesn’t play for her school’s seventh grade team. Instead, she plays for ‘Team Concept’ in a training league that preps kids that have potential to be elite players. To keep Jaime challenged within her own age group, Jaime’s coach placed her on a boys’ team. It seemed to be a perfect fit until this past spring when mid-season controversy began and Jaime was kicked off her team. Her story made headlines nationwide, sparked social commentary and resulted in surprising consequences. E:60’s Lisa Salters reports on the teenager who has already been asked to star in a commercial with LeBron James.
