First off, a big congratulations to Spain for winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The match with the Netherlands was tough with both sides playing hard to keep scoring at a minimum. But when all was said and done, Andres Iniesta scored in extra time to overcome the Dutch. It will be another four years before the World Cup returns and with the U.S. making a fairly early exit, Soccer Fever will be short lived once again. Perhaps one of these days the U.S. will see what the rest of the world does. Until then, give me baseball and American Football.
This week brings the half-way point of the Major League Baseball season and the 2010 All Star Game. After Monday’s Home Run Derby and Tuesday’s game, the players will take a little break to recharge and get ready for the push to the playoffs. This is when baseball gets exciting because the next level is in site and teams realize that every win could be the difference between a short season and a trip to the post season. The first half is just a warm-up and then the truly good teams show their stuff when everything is on the line.
This is also one of the slowest times of year in sports. Baseball, NASCAR and golf are really the only major sports in season and those aren’t exactly the most exciting things to sit and watch on TV. The NBA is on hiatus after Lebron James made his decision and now it is up to the rest of the league to adjust. Pretty soon Brett Favre will have his time in the spotlight when he decides to come back (trust me, he’s coming back) and other NFL teams will be in training camps and we will start to see how well the new rookies are adjusting and which teams are in the right mindset to make a push to the Super Bowl. So just get through the rest of the summer and the promised land of football will be at hand. Enjoy baseball though because before you know it we will be gone.
Top 3
1. MLB – 2010 All Star Home Run Derby Contest – July 12 @ 8 p.m.
The Home Run Derby happens before the actual All Star game but it is probably the more popular of the events. Seeing some of the biggest power hitters in the game swing their hardest to hit home runs is really cool. To tell just how cool it is pay attention to the players sitting on the field as they watch. Their reactions are like little kids, they marvel at their fellow players hitting displays and you should too. I remember watching Ken Griffey Jr. in 1998 and 1999 swing his beautiful swing over and over again, knocking that ball over the wall to win. Often times the biggest and most memorable moments don’t involve the eventual winner at all. In 2008 Josh Hamilton provided one of the biggest moments in the history of the event when he hit 28 (28!!!!) in the first round to set a record but then eventually lost in the final rounds. Ask anyone who watched that event and they will tell you about Hamilton and not about Justin Morneau who won but even he admitted it wasn’t his night. Moments like that go down in legend for decades and watching them unfold before you is really something to behold.
2. Golf – The Open Championship – July 15-18
This is the 150th anniversary of one of the greatest sporting traditions ever, The Open Championship played at St. Andrews golf course in Scotland which is the games oldest and most historic course. It is basically where the game originated. The field is wide open this year with Tiger Woods slumping and many players taking the opportunity to step up and win. But on this course with the entire golf world and more watching, who will be the one to claim victory on hallowed ground? Will Stewart Cink be able to repeat this year? Will Phil Mikelson finally take his place at the top of the world rankings with a win? Will Tiger Woods finally show everyone that he is just as dominant after all the hoopla in his personal life? The course is rish with tradition and the tournament will be worth watching just to see the beauty the course presents. Watch simply because Tiger Woods is in it and you never know when his greatness will show again.
3. MLB – 2010 MLB All Star Game in Anaheim, CA - July 13 @ 8 p.m.
The reason the Home Run derby is listed at the top is because the game itself is really only interesting for the first few innings when the stars who are voted to start the game are playing. After that other players are brought in for their time. Not to take away from the other replacement players but really the only people who want to see them are the fans of the teams they play on. But for the first few innings you get to see the biggest and most talented stars of the game play with each other. It is one of the few times you will see a Yankees and Red Sox player or Dodgers and Giants player talking and enjoying each other’s company. Rivalry’s are set aside and a fun game is played with players acting like they are on the sandlot as kids. The game does have an actual reward though, the winning league secures home-field advantage for whichever of their teams makes it to the World Series. So when it comes down to the final innings you will see some actual baseball being played when winning or losing looms closer and pride more than anything comes into play.
Quick Picks
- NASCAR is not racing this week but you can check out the current standings, schedules and more at the official NASCAR website.
- For all the information you could ever want about the MLB All Star game visit the official site and click around. Some pretty cool stuff.
