The All Star game last week marked the half way point of the Major League Baseball season and now the race is on for the playoffs. Teams who are serious about winning will fight for every win now and as the season draws closer and closer divisional rivalries will show their true forms when the post season is on the line. The American League West seems to be the hottest division with three of the best teams in baseball, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays. They will fight until the bitter end and then that team will most likely be the favorite to win it all. In the National League West Division, the San Diego Padres are having an outstanding season so far to lead the pack but the Colorado Rockies, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are all biting closely at their heels. It will be a very interesting last half of the season.
Congrats to Louis Oosthuizen who won The Open Championship and in the process won his first major championship in his career. Tiger Woods was again not playing his best and perhaps the stress of everything that’s happened has played a part in it. Who knows, but until he wins something again, those thoughts and concerns will be with everyone. Will he be able to do something this season or will he be tormented by demons even longer?
I’ll be completely honest, it is not the most exciting week in sports but there are a few highlights mixed in there. This is also the kind of week where something completely unexpected could very well be the biggest story. That’s a great thing about sports, you never know who is going to be feeling it for any given time. Will the young unknown suddenly become a a known? Will the superstar get a career ending injury? Will some “unbreakable” record be broken? You never know what could happen so on those nights when nothing else is on, try putting on a ball game because it truly is reality television.
Top Picks
1. NASCAR - Brickyard 400 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – July 25 @ 1 pm
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of the oldest and most fabled tracks in the entire sport. For decades racers have sped their way to victory and earn the right to kiss the bricks that have been driven over all day. It is an honor to do so and these guys would kills for the chance. Kissing the bricks would mean a victory and any one of the drivers could use the points as the Sprint Cup standings get tighter. Kevin Harvick currently is in the lead by 103 points over Jeff Gordon but with Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards all in the mix, a win could could mean the difference between making the final playoffs or not. I know its hard to watch cars go around a track but the coverage that television gets these days is amazing. You get driver views, car views, rear views, overhead views and any other view you can think of and all the information you could could ever want to make it much more entertaining than it was just a few years ago. Watch it just to give your kid the picture of a grown man kissing VERY dirty bricks.
2. MLB – San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers – July 19 – 21
On top of being one of the oldest rivalries in sports it is also one of the fiercest with each team pretty much hating the other. That goes withthe territory of being in the same division and both teams originating on the streets of New York, there is just bad blood. With the National League West Division so close, this series could mean the difference between first or fourth place. Each team also has an outstanding pitching staff that will have each teams ace going against each other. The game on Tuesday the 20th could be a classic pitching duel with the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum going up against the Dodgers’ young star Clayton Kershaw. Lincecum alone is enough to draw an audience but to add this classic rivalry and this situation makes it a great game to watch. Any of these games will be a fun watch and well worth watching.
3. MLB – Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Red – July 21 @ 7:10 pm
The Reds just recently fell out of first place so they are itching to regain their top spot but that isn’t the real reason why your kids should watch this game. Stephen Strasburg, the young phenom, is scheduled to pitch in this game and when he steps on the mound, amazing things happen. He is young but has the control and arm strength of a veteran player and until hitters catch up with him he will continue to astound us. So far he seems to be a good kid who can handle the media and pressure put on him. Will he be able to keep it up or will he crack after a bad loss because a bad loss will happen, it’s only a matter of time. Will it be this time or will he continue to dominate? Only one way to find out, make sure you’re watching.
Quick Picks
- For complete MLB standings click here and see where your team currently sits.
- The NBa free agency period reached it’s climax with Lebron, now it’s time to see what other teams are doing to adapt to the new Miami power. Check out NBA.com to find out
