Score Board

MAN OF THE MOMENT

Some call Allen Iverson "A.I." Others refer to him as "Bubba Chuck." He's known as "The Little Kid," and, of course, "The Answer."

Add "MVP" to the list.

Iverson was honored by the NBA Tuesday after leading the Philadelphia 76ers to the best record in the East and their best season in 16 years. Iverson received 1,121 points to beat out San Antonio's Tim Duncan (706 points). Los Angeles's Shaquille O'Neal, last season's MVP, had 578 points from the panel of sportswriters and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

The award caps an amazing turnaround for Iverson, who was nearly traded last summer because of his contentious relationship with coach Larry Brown. "Now I can look in his [Brown's] eyes and he can look in my eyes, and we see the same things," Iverson says.

Young golfer QUALIFIES

For 12-year-old Morgan Pressel, qualifying for the US Women's Open was as easy as a two-foot putt.

Pressel shot a 2-under par 70 at a tournament Monday at Bear Lakes Country Club in North Palm Beach, Fla., and the seventh-grader qualified for the US Women's Open May 31 at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C.

She is among the youngest ever to qualify. Pressel, of Boca Raton, Fla., said she was nervous on the first tee, but settled down. "Sitting there, shaking over my driver on the first tee, it was like 'Yikes!' '' said Pressel, who stand 5 ft., 3 in., and averages about 230 yards off the tee.

Record counts after all

Arizona Diamondback Randy Johnson's 20 strikeouts in a game last week against the Cincinnati Reds will be listed as a record after all.

The Elias Sports Bureau, baseball's official statistician, will list Johnson's 20-strikeout performance below the two by Roger Clemens and one by Kerry Wood in next year's record book. There will be a notation showing that Johnson pitched nine innings in an 11-inning game.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor