What's up with That? MLB Colors

Here’s what I want to know: why does just about every team in the Major Leagues have team colors that incorporate the three boring colors: white, red, and blue. Let’s take a look at teams whose caps do not feature a color other than the aforementioned three: Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays, Twins, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Nationals, Cardinals, Cubs, Reds, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and Padres. That leaves the orange teams (Orioles, Tigers, Mets, Giants), green (Mariners, A’s, Marlins), and gold (Astros, Brewers), then the purple of the Rockies and black and white of the White Sox. So what’s up with the monotony of professional sports dress? In college, there’s the maroon of USC and Alabama, yellow of Michigan and Cal, purple of TCU and Northwestern, orange of Florida and Tennessee—it’s just more interesting in the NCAA. When I go to a game, I want to be able to distinguish the fans of one team versus another. How cool is it to watch a Texas football game and sea a sea of burnt orange, then a segregated fifty or so fans, tucked away in one corner of the stadium wearing Oklahoma red? If I’m at Fenway, and I knock over someone’s beer, I want to be able to anticipate whether I should apologize—‘cause there’s nothing worse than saying “excuse me”, only to realize that it was a Yankee fan you accidentally shoved, and he didn’t deserve an apology. If the Yanks sported the more appropriate color of tickle-me-pink, Sox fans could see ahead of time who was holding up the hot dog line, who the drunk fan trying to hit on the ball girl was, and wouldn’t have to hold off judgment until they got a closer look at his hat. So next time a team decides to change their logo (ehem, Rays, ehem), I hope they don’t go with the flow and make it just like everyone else’s. The next expansion team—no matter what sport or what city—should be called the Supernovae.

People I Hate Most

1. Alex Rodriguez
2. Brett Favre
3. Roger Clemens
4. Eric Mangini
5. Kobe Bryant
6. Joba Chamberlain
7. Joe Morgan
8. Peyton Manning
9. Patrick Roy
10. Harry Frazee
11. Ohio State University
12. Adam Vinatieri
13. Roger Federer
14. Tim Tebow
15. Phil Mickelson
16. NHL Players Association
17. NFL Wide Receivers
18. Grady Little
19. Brock Lesnar
20. Tampa Bay Rays

What's Up With That? Jeter Doesn't Play Basketball

What's up with Derek Jeter's basketball wristband? Wrong sport, dude. The Yankee captain's Nike wristband features the "Air Jordan" Jumpman logo. And it's not like Nike doesn't make wristbands that just have their signature swoosh on them, so why does Jeter wear one that features a silhouette of a dunking Jordan? That's pretty queer if you ask me, even for a Yankee.

Look-a-Likes

Thayer Academy's Sean Fernald and Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassell

Look-a-Likes

Tennis player Andy Roddick and Bradley Cooper as Zack Lodge in "wedding Crashers"

Look-a-Likes

Houston Alexander of the UFC Derek Fisher of the NBA

What's up with That? Mascots

What's up with teams that have mascots as citizens of the city in which the team plays? You know what I mean--Why should I be afraid of natives of Canada? What the hockey team from Montreal needs is a mascot that makes people afraid to play in Canada. The Montral Lynx, The Cougars, the Caribou, something frightening! People indiginous to Canada do not have a reputation as being fierce, agressive, strong, powerful, cunning, or mighty--traits that all mascots should have. Here are some other mascots that have no business being mascots.

Montral Canadiens
Houston Texans
Philadelphia Phillies
Utah Utes
Illinois Fighting Illini

Why I Love Sports

"Mandela used sport as a vehicle to make the impossible possible, sport has the power to unite people in a way that little else can, sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair." Let Barack Obama and Morgan Freeman tell you a story.

What the Mariners and King Leonidas Have in Common

Team chemistry is an often overlooked piece to a team’s success. The New York Yankees would be the classic example of that: George/Hank Steinbrenner shells out boatloads of cash to buy any All-Star he can get his hands on, and then expects them all to coexist in the same locker room. Those hotshots are not used to sharing attention, and their performance often takes a hit. But then look at the Red Sox. This generation of BoSox has been the most fun-loving team in all of sports, I’d say. From Kevin Millar’s “Cowboy Up” to Nomar fastening Pedro to a bullpen pole, to Manny Being Manny, team chemistry has not been a problem at Fenway. Let’s take a peek at how their chemistry has carried over to on-field performance: Red Sox, two World Series; Yankees, zero World Series. Where the importance of team chemistry manifests itself most is undoubtedly in the midst of a playoff run. When teammates can rally around each other, amazing skillsets and superstar talent take a back seat role. Since 2004, Boston has won 28 postseason games, and the Yanks have won 11.

But a novel kind of team chemistry attracted my attention a little while ago when the Sox played against the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners bullpen’s chemistry is something else. Talk about things to rally around! The Red Sox had reversing the curse, and the Mariners bullpen has the movie “300”. Three year veteran reliever Mark Lowe started the tradition of hoisting gladiator-esque warrior helmets above the bullpen before each game. As Lowe explains it, “We all stick together and we’re all there for each other…it kind of symbolizes our mindset. When Lowe and the rest of the ‘pen watched the movie, they fell in love with it, and thought the message of camaraderie was fitting for their bullpen. Since then, they have found a replica of King Leonidas’s warrior mask, and started carrying it out the bullpen with them before each game. Now, they have a number of helmets, including Russell Crowe’s spiked helmet from the movie “Gladiator”. “Being the idiots that we are,” Lowe said, “we’ve taken it to extremes”. A self-proclaimed group of idiots, eh? Well, that worked for the 2004 Red Sox, whom Johnny Damon called “a bunch of idiots”. Having fun and team chemistry is an oft-forgotten-about criterion for a winning team. So far, it’s been working for the Mariners, who have the AL’s third-best bullpen ERA, lead the MLB in saves, and have one of the best closers in the game in former Red-Sock David Aardsma. I wouldn’t be surprised if the lighthearted atmosphere of the Seattle bullpen spills over to the rest of clubhouse, and the Mariners start to make a push in the competitive AL West, where they trail the Angels by 6.5 games.

Say Bye-Bye to EEI

WBCN, 104.1 The Rock of Boston will soon air only live on the internet, coming off the radio for good. Actually, if you have an HD radio receiver, you'll still be able to hear it through the radio on 98.5 HD 2. Replacing WBCN will be Mix 98.5, becoming Mix 104. Now, I don't know the logistics of changing one's frequency on the radio, but I assume 104.1's reception is somehow better than 98.5's. So what will be on 98.5? The first and only FM sports radio in Boston. CBS is launching a new FM sports radio campaign, in Boston under the title of "The Sports Hub", and will air "a wide assortment of sports talk and play-by-play programming", according to CBS. Starting August 13, it will also become the new home of the Patriots and Bruins. It will compete with the AM station WEEI, which, ironically, was owned by CBS up until 1982. It started its sports programming when it was sold to the Boston Celtics in 1991.

I like the move. FM undoubtedly gets better reception in the Boston area, and radios that broadcast on FM and AM frequencies are getting harder to find. I'll love not having to pay an extra 20 bucks for a radio that carries both broadcasting formats, just so I can get my sports radio fix.

AM radio has been around since the 1900s, and not until the 1980s did FM start being widely used, despite being patented in 1931. First it was music, then talk, now sports are all switching over to FM broadcasting. WEEI was really the only reason I ever had to turn to an AM station. Now, with FM radio being more convenient and having higher sound quality, I think sports fans will stop fiddling with their radios to switch to AM, and will instead opt to turn to FM 98.5 The Sports Hub. Unfortunately, unless Red Sox and Patriots play-by-play keeps it around, I don't think WEEI will stick around much longer.

Curse of the HR Derby?

Nowadays, you'll hear players cop out of the HR Derby, claiming that, "it messes up your swing", or something along those lines. I don't see how three rounds of swinging for the fences (essentially a televised round of BP) can pull the plug on the rest of your season, right? Let's find out. Here's what the past nine HR Derby champions have done before and after the Derby.

SAMMY SOSA-2000
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 86 103 23 74 97 .305 .574
post-HR Derby 70 90 27 64 71 .338 .711

LUIS GONZALEZ-2001
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 87 103 26 66 43 .342 .674
Post-HR Derby 75 95 31 76 40 .308 .701

JASON GIAMBI-2002
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 86 100 22 71 63 .318 .602
Post-HR Derby 69 76 19 51 49 .309 .593

GARRET ANDERSON-2003
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 92 117 22 78 48 .316 .597
Post-HR Derby 67 84 7 38 35 .313 0.463

MIGUEL TEJADA-2004
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 85 107 15 75 28 .311 .506
Post-HR Derby 77 96 19 75 45 .311 .566

BOBBY ABREU-2005
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 89 99 18 58 65 .307 .526
Post-HR Derby 73 69 6 44 69 .260 .411

RYAN HOWARD-2006
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 84 88 28 71 97 .278 .582
Post-HR Derby 75 94 30 78 84 .355 .751

VLADIMIR GUERRERO-2007
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 85 101 14 75 32 .325 .548
Post-HR Derby 65 85 13 50 30 .323 .546

JUSTIN MORNEAU-2008
G H HR RBI SO BA SLG
Pre-HR Derby 95 118 14 68 55 .323 .512
Post-HR Derby 68 69 9 61 30 .267 .481

Only three times did a batter's statistics change noticeably following their victory at the Derby (±3 HR ±.20 BA, in the same direction). One of these times (Sammy Sosa), both numbers increased. Furthermore, I wouldn’t give much thought to Morneau’s drop in numbers, since, throughout his 7-year career, his 1st half hitting numbers are far better than his second half numbers—his 1st half HR total nearly doubles his 2nd half’s, and his BA is 32 points higher before the All-Star break compared to after it. That leaves Abreu as the sole culprit; the only proof that superstitious players have that participation in the HR Derby creates glitches in your swing, and ruins the rest of the season. However, by citing Sosa’s improvement after his Derby victory, Abreu’s drop in offense is basically null and void. One player’s numbers shot up, while another’s plummeted—not a very convincing case. So what is it that has influenced notorious HR hitters like Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez to decline a chance to participate in the HR Derby? Probably arrogance. They don’t want to get shown up by someone whom they consider a lesser hitter. This will sound totally off the mark in Manny’s case, but those sluggers who refuse to put on a show on the eve of the All-Star Game must be taking the game way too seriously. In 1999, when Sosa was asked about his poor showing after the Derby’s first round, he told sideline reporter Stuart Scott that he didn’t care, it doesn’t matter since he was just out there to have a good time. Who could forget Big Papi’s role as towel boy, wiping the sweat away from, and bringing Gatorade to whomever is at bat? That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about winning and defining your legacy. Who’s going to remember if Manny got eliminated after round one of the HR Derby, then went 0-2 in the midsummer classic? Probably no one. So, if you look at the data, there’s virtually no reason anyone should refuse a chance to win the HR Derby.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=3183612

Look-a-Likes

Golfer Phil Mickelson and Angels' pitcher John Lackey

What's up with That? ESPNChicago

Chicago has their own ESPN site called espnchicago. It got started last April as ESPN’s first local sports media venture. Let’s juxtapose all the Chicago sports teams with those of Boston and see who has fared better in recent years. Since 2000, Chicago has brought home one championship, and Boston has taken six. And yet, ESPN feels like Chicago deserves its own media outlet, and that it should be advertised every half-hour on SportsCenter. If any city deserves special treatment in the sporting world, it’s Boston.So I ask you, ESPN, what’s up with that?

Bears: Record past five seasons, 45-35, two losing seasons. Since 1995, they’ve made the postseason three times, and two out of three times, they failed to win a single playoff game. Last championship, 1985. Marquis names: Brian Urlacher, Jay Cutler
Patriots: Record past five seasons: 63-17, zero losing seasons. Reached the playoffs six of the past eight years, and have never lost their opening series. Super Bowl champions 2001, 2003, 2004. Last championship: 2004. Marquis names: Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Jerrod Mayo

Bulls: Record past five seasons, 211-199, one losing season (two .500 seasons). Since the days of MJ, they’ve won a single playoff series. Last championship: 1998. Marquis names: Ben Gordon—gone to free agency, Kirk Hinrich—benched, Derrick Rose—sophomore slump, anyone?
Celtics: Record past five seasons, 230-180, two losing seasons. They’ve finished first in the Atlantic division three of the past five years, and have made the playoffs six of the past nine years. Last championship: 2008. Marquis names: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, the list goes on

Cubs: Record past five seasons, 416-393, two losing seasons. Do I need to mention the Curse of the Billy Goat? They haven’t won the World Series in a century! Three managers since 2001, and no postseason wins since 2004. Last championship: 1907. Marquis names: Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Zambrano
White Sox: Record past five seasons, 433-378, one losing season. I do have to give the South Siders some props for their recent years’ success. They won the World Series in 2005, and skipper Ozzie Guillen keeps his squad in the headlines (for good or bad). Last championship: 2005. Marquis names: Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko
Red Sox: Record past five seasons, 470-340, zero losing seasons. Do I need to mention the Curse of the Bambino? It’s been broken! World Series champs in 2004 and 2007. Stuck in the toughest division in baseball, these Sox haven’t had a losing season since 1997. Red Sox Nation is alive and well, and I’d be willing to bet its population equals the total number of Cubs and ChiSox fans. Not to mention, the Fenway Faithful hold the longest streak of consecutive sellouts in baseball history (at well over 500 games). Last championship: 2007 Marquis names: David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Beckett

Blackhawks: Record past five years, 163-186, three losing seasons. They’ve been making some progress in recent years, but they’ve only made the playoffs twice since the 1997-1998 season. They have longest current Stanley Cup draught in the entire NHL, now at 48 years. Last championship: 1961. Marquis names: Martin Havlat, Marian Hossa
Bruins: Record past five seasons: 199-145, two losing seasons. Made the playoffs 29 straight seasons from 1967-1996, and have qualified for the postseason the past two years. Last season, they tied for the most wins of any team in the NHL, and won the Eastern Conference. Last championship: 1972. Marquis names: Zdeno Chara, Tim Thomas, Patrice Bergeron

Miscellaneous: Chicago Fire (soccer) won the MLS Cup in 1998, but haven’t made a trip to the finals since 2003. Chicago Sky (WNBA) have never had a winning season since their debut in 2006.
Miscellaneous: New England Revolution (soccer) made it to the MLS finals three years in a row from 2005-2007, and have qualified for the playoffs the past seven years. Boston Cannons (lax) is one of the original six teams of MLL and have a 9-season record of 60-48.

And so ESPN thinks Chicago sports have what it takes to keep ESPN reporters busy around the clock. Why? Because they have won extra baseball team? Clearly, Boston is where they belong. The only reason I can think of that would steer ESPN away from Boston is that Boston's local sports coverage--the Globe, WEEI, NESN--is probably the best in the country, and ESPN's Steve Phillips doesn't want to get shown up by the local reporters. But really, ESPN, what's up with that? We'd all love a little extra TLC from the national media.

What's Up With That? Wimbledon 2009 Finals

What’s up with Roger’s tote bag that he carried onto Centre Court today? Number 1: It looks like he borrowed his wife’s gym bag. Number 2: What the hell does he need to carry onto the court other than a couple rackets, some Gatorade, and maybe a dry shirt? Number 3: He just looks plain goofy carrying his massive Wilson bag, plus his feminine bag big enough to carry a small child.

What’s up with Roger wearing everything detailed in gold? The Nike swoosh on his shoes and headband, the outline of his collar and sleeves, his warmup jacket, and his tote bag—all are white with a dash of gold. Is it because anything except gold will clash when he holds up the gold Wimbledon trophy? What's up with that arrogance, Roger?

What’s up with Roger’s on-court outfit? Not only does the gold detailing give the impression that he’s full of himself and has no chance of losing, it looks like he either just got drafted to the military or is about to go ballroom dancing. Underneath his military-themed jacket, with cargo pockets galore, he wore a button-down vest that he might as well wear under a tux to go with his Gillette-shaven face and Rolex-covered wrist.

What’s up with seating Roger’s wife directly in front of Roddick’s wife? Can anyone say catfight? Roddick is married to blond supermodel Brooklyn Decker, and Federer recently married his longtime girlfriend, Mirka, who is a bit chubby and has unflattering features. Not only does it make Mirka look even worse, but it won’t do anything to make the Roddicks and the Federers better pals. They already don’t have much respect for each other, as they are always getting in each other’s way on the court, but now the women of the family probably hate each other too. I must say, Brooklyn showed much more respect for Federer than Mirka did for Roddick. Whenever the camera showed the two, Mirka was actively rooting, clapping or yelling for her husband, while Brooklyn sat back, and watched with excitement, wanting Andy to pull off the upset, but not disrespecting Roger by applauding every time he made a mistake. What's up with that?

What's up with Venus barely putting up a fight against sister Serena in the women's final? Serena won in stright sets 7-6, 6-2. The previous three times the Williams' sisters met head-to-head they have battled it out, playing three sets each match. I know at 29, Venus might be on the decline in terms of her career, but what's up with that? That sure wasn't the final it was cracked up to be.

What's up with Serena's fashion this tournament? Are you sure she has her own clothing line? Apparently it's called Aneres...I guess she sometimes does dress pretty backwards. In her post-championship press conference, she sported a T-shirt reading "Are you looking at my titles?" across the chest. I know Serena's really not that arrogant, and it was just a playful shirt, but come on Serena. What's up with that? Then, onto the court, she wore an overcoat that I guess you could call "unique". It was basically a rain jacket that got mixed with a bathrobe, allthewhile it remained super short, hardly longer than her skirt, to show lots of thigh. You're at Wimbledon, for cryin' out loud! I know it's usually cold and wet in London, but what's up with that?

Why I Can't Wait For Federer to Retire

Today, Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the longest Grand Slam match of all time—77 games, 6 more than the previous record set in the 1927 Australian Open. And we thought last year’s encounter between the world’s #1 and #2, Federer and Nadal was the greatest match ever! John McEnroe called it “the greatest match I have ever seen”. ‘08’s final, like this match, could not be decided in just 5 sets; it was won 9-7 in the final set by the underdog Rafael Nadal. In some ways, despite a 30-game fifth set this year, last year’s final was actually better. There was more up-and-down, more service breaks, more comebacks, and the underdog actually won—the first time Roger had ever lost in a Grand Slam final. It wasn’t the server’s battle that was the 2009 final. Not until his 33rd service game was Roddick broken. If you add up only these games, that’s over 5 sets worth of service games won by Roddick. You gotta hand it to the guy. Coming into today, he was 2-18 against Roger. In 11 of those losses, he failed to even win a set, and all of his 18 defeats came in the quarterfinals or later in a tournament. Losing to the same opponent for 9 years in a row must be one of the most frustrating things a human being can go through (except maybe an 86-year World Series drought). And today, after some of the hardest offseason training he’s ever done, to come out in his 21st match against Federer, once again the underdog, and to battle the way he did, takes a whole lot of heart. Playing the final set was undoubtedly grueling for both competitors; however, because Federer just happened to serve the first game of the set (Roddick ended the previous set by winning his service game), the pressure was always on Roddick. Once the match was 5-5, as long as Roger kept winning his own service games (he had a career-best 50 aces in the match—his serve was on), if Roddick lost his serve, he lost the match. From 5-5, Roger won his service game to make it 6-5, and Roddick had to win the next game or the championship is lost. He continued to win his service games with ease, even knowing a loss would mean 2nd place. In the end, Federer was able to break Pete Sampras’s record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

It’s hard to believe Roddick has only won a single Grand Slam (the 2003 U.S. Open). He’s a great player, and a decent backhand short of being the best, and the only American currently on tour who has ever won a Grand Slam. His only crime was being born within a couple years of July 8th, 1981. This is, of course, Roger Federer’s birthday. Since 2004, only 2 Grand Slams have been won by someone not named Federer or Nadal. Frankly, there has never been a time with such dominating players. The 70s and 80s had Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Guillermo Vilas all competing for the world’s #1. In the 90s, it wasn’t all Pete Sampras; there was Agassi, there was Jim Courrier, Patrick Rafter, Stefan Edberg, and Gustavo Kuerten. But for the past half decade, there has been Federer, and, well Federer. 2009 isn’t even over, and Federer has already shattered the record of 12 Grand Slams in a single decade (shared by Sampras and Roy Emerson); keep in mind, Federer didn’t even win his first Grand Slam tournament until 2004.

Personally, I’m sick of the guy. I want to have more anticipation, I want to be able to ask, “Who do you think will win?” without feeling like Nostradamus, being able to predetermine the response. It’s no fun watching Federer stroll to the finals, losing only one set in the whole tournament. What’s entertaining is watching Roddick play five sets against veteran Lleyton Hewitt, because the outcome was so uncertain. I can’t wait until the days of Federer are over and thrilling runs by unexpected players will no longer be crushed by the Federer Express.

The Fashion of Baseball

In hockey, a goalie’s equipment is what distinguishes himself from all the other goalies in the league. Not just colors—all their designs are different and usually have some meaning to them. Some college goaltenders have pads that, when put together, they form their team symbols. A hockey goalie is one of the only positions in sports where a regular player can look different from the rest of the team. But there is one other: baseball catchers. And yet, they adorn themselves like their off to some dinner party: plain, conservative designs, one or two colors (max), and several catchers have the exact same equipment! How lame is that? It’s not like Easton or TPX can’t customize their pads for professional catchers. For the past few years, Jason Varitek has worn festive equipment on certain holidays: camouflage on Memorial Day, and today, he was decked out in some red white and blue pads with several stars around the neck. He even raffles off his equipment and donates the money once he’s used it on that single occasion. I don’t see why he doesn’t wear unique equipment more often. It would add a little something to the sometimes tedious event of watching baseball. He could even change it up depending on the occasion…

“Yankee Hater” when we face NY
A big picture of a clenched fist (knuckles) for Wakefield
“Wally the Green Monster”
A pipe (“right down the pipe!”)
The Earth for Earth Day (April 15)
Georgia Tech logo (his alma mater)

Plus, I know Varitek has been a big help to the Jimmy Fund, raising tons of money through countless fundraisers. What better way to make an everyday statement than to have its slogan “Because it takes more than courage to beat cancer” imprinted right where millions of viewers can see it on an every day basis?

Fines for Philanthropy

Here’s a little known fact for you: all that money professional athletes get fined for bad-mouthing refs, on-field violence, obscene gestures, etc. doesn’t just make its way into the pockets of league executives. It goes to charity. Here’s a question for you: what has this world come to that donating a fraction of one’s salary to charity has become a punishment? Let me get this straight, if Chad Ochocinco has to donate $5,000 to charity, he has to make it worth his while and putt the football with the pylon? Now, I understand that taking away a greedy player’s money is one of the only ways to punish the player himself without punishing his whole team (i.e. don’t suspend him). And I guess it makes sense that league officials don’t tell fans where the money is going. Then superstars wouldn’t feel so bad about their poor conduct. (“Yeah, I gave the entire stadium the middle finger, but I did it for UNICEF!”) That’s the last thing we want to hear.

Here’s an idea: make certain fineable acts out to be some sort of contest, and whoever wins—by doing the most creative touchdown dance, by dishing out the best trash talk, whatever—will have the biggest portion of their salary donated to charity. Superstar athletes should be setting aside part of their salary for charity anyway—this is simply a way to make it more public and more interesting. Then, Ochocinco wouldn’t really be viewed as a cocky jerk, out to make himself look good with his post-TD cavorting; we could appreciate his showboating both for its pure entertainment, and because it will end up benefiting some foundation. (Notice that not included in the ways to “win” is who can be most disrespectful to the referees, or who can charge the mound the most often; these acts are either offensive or set a poor example for children who look up to professional athletes as role models.) Now, some might say that excessive celebrations give children the wrong idea about sportsmanship. But I think that, until they actually get to take part in this altruistic competition, it’s up to youth coaches to steer young athletes in the right direction; to explain that, while dancing in the end zone, T.O. wasn’t just expressing himself, he was being the humanitarian all athletes should be; and unless this enthusiastic Pop Warner kid wants to hand over his wallet to his coach so he can drop it off at the local hospital, he better cut out his skylarking. As long as this idea doesn’t interfere with the way the game is played, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Professional sports is entertainment. There’s no disputing that. Wouldn’t this philanthropic play contribute to making watching sports more entertaining?

Cheyenne Woods Misses Cut

Cheyenne Woods missed the cut at her first LPGA tournament in NY today. When darkness ended play after her tenth hole yesterday, she had moved herself to one over par. However, after completing her round today, she found herself at five shots over par, after shooting a 75 in her second round: four strokes over the 1+ cut line. I've noticed she's getting LOTS of media attention, simply because she's got good genes. I hope that won't mess with her career, like it did for Michelle Wie (who also shot a 75 in her second round of play at the Wegman's LPGA; she is tied for 21st after coming out strong in her opening round).

In the Same Neck of the Woods

Seventeen years ago, a young child named Woods took up an interest in golf. Cheyenne Woods, that is, Tiger's niece. In 1992, when she was a mere 19 months old, she went with her mom to watch the 1992 Nissan Los Angeles Open and cheer on her uncle Tiger. At the time, Tiger was making his Tour Debut, and was heckled at the tee, as the spectators thought the 16 year old amatuer Tiger was far too young to compete. This was the first of two events that sealed Cheyenne Woods' fate of playing golf. When Cheyene was 8, Tiger's dad, the late Earl Woods, brought her to the course and made her chip some balls on the green. Before Earl had died, he was everything to Cheyenne. He listened to her, and she thought he was the wisest person in the world. Tiger has since filled his father's role, listening to everything she says, and mentoring her in the game of golf.

Over the course of Cheyenne's young career she has already won 30 amateur tournaments, as she prepares to enter her sophomore year at Wake Forest, which finished ranked #13 in the NCAA for women's golf. Her first year as a Demon Deacon, her teammates thought she was going to be a prima donna, a diva, but they have since changed their perspectives. They say she is "low maitenance" and has an "explosive laugh", making her easy to get along with. Cheyenne arrived at Wake Forest asking for no special treatment, and saying she has to earn everything.

Now, almost 19 years old, Cheyenne is currently playing her first professional tournament at the Wegmans LPGA in Pittsford, N.Y. In her LPGA debut on Thursday, she shot a 75 (+3), which was good enough to tie for 119th place. In her the second round of the tournament, she moved herself up to 63rd place, shooting -2 for the day. At +1 for the tournament, she sits one stroke above the expected +2 cut line. She's off to a good start, and perhaps one day we will see "Tigress Woods" atop the leaderboards for the LPGA.

R.I.P. the King of Pop, Michael Jackson

USA in FIFA Finals

The FIFA Confederations Cup is held every four years, in the year preceding the World Cup. Considered a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, the tournament is not as significant as the grand-daddy of them all, but it is important in establishing which countries will be the teams to watch in the following year’s World Cup, and is still good for international bragging rights. Whereas 32 teams participate in the World Cup, only eight can qualify for the Confederations Cup. Six spots are held for the winners of the six FIFA confederations: UEFA (Europe), CAF (Africa), CONMEBOL (South America), AFC (Asia), CONCACAF (North and Central America, Caribbean), and OFC (Oceania). The seventh spot is given to the reigning World Cup champion, and the eighth to the tournament’s host country. (The host of Confederations Cup is also the host of the following year’s World Cup).

This year’s Confederations Cup was held in South Africa, and was important for the USA because it was marked by surprising—albeit lucky—upsets on behalf the Americans. After early losses to Brazil and Italy in group play, only under the most unlikely circumstances could the US qualify for the semifinal round. In the third round of group play, the US played Egypt and Brazil faced Italy. The American team could not advance with only a win on their part; they had to win by three goals. They could not advance with only a three-goal victory over Egypt; Brazil had to defeat Italy. They could not advance with only a three-goal victory over Egypt and a Brazilian victory; Brazil had to win by at least three goals. As you can see, the US had their work cut out for them. Often, soccer games see less than three goals between each team!

Considered the underdogs against Egypt, the Americans had a surprising 1-0 lead when Brazil-Italy’s final score flashed on the scoreboard: 3-0, Brazil. If the US could score two more goals and keep Egypt scoreless, they would advance to the semifinals. In the 71st minute, Charlie Davies scored the goal that put USA through to the finals.

But this was just the beginning for the Americans. Spain, riding a 35 game unbeaten streak in international play, was waiting to eat the American team like tapas. The Spaniards had outscored opponents in the tournament 9-0 in three games of group play and controlled the ball for nearly 60% of the game each of the three games. Should, by some stroke of luck, the Americans beat the #1 team in the world, it would be their first finals appearance in a FIFA-sponsored tournament ever. The few, the proud—the soccer fans of America, prayed for a victory, and the FIFA gods listened over the buzz of the vevuzela trumpets that permeated all of South Africa this week. The United States defeated Spain 2-0, and advanced to the Confederations Cup finals.

This Sunday, they will face a deep Brazil team, to whom they lost seven days ago in their second tournament game. Since that match, however, the Americans are 2-0 and have not allowed a single goal. The Brazilians struggled to score against a valiant South Africa team, but finally did in the 88th minute in their semifinal round. Come Sunday, Brazil will have but two days of rest after their grueling match against the hometown favorites, and the US will be coming off a full three days of rest and preparation. That extra day of rest and the newfound confidence after beating the best team in the world could be what America needs to beat Brazil in the finals. I know I talk a lot about soccer and hockey trying to create a broader fanbase in America, but this animated tournament and unexpected success will go a long way in creating interest among casual soccer fans here in America.