The Open Championship, Pennant Races Heat Up, Letting go of Lin, Dream Team vs. New Kids on the Block, What was Dez thinking?

Bunkers, Bunkers Everywhere:  The 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham in St. Annes  offers the players a smorgasbord of sand by way of 206 bunkers. The first hole, a par 3, has 10 bunkers surrounding the green.  When Tiger ran away from the field at St. Andrews in 2000, he didn’t hit into one bunker all week.  I would be surprised to see anyone go through one round without a ball in the bunker.  As Brian Katreck said on his show on PGA Tour Radio this morning, the Open Championship can be random in terms of the results.  Particularly random is the weather.  A player’s place in the draw can have a huge bearing on the outcome of the tournament.  Is it fair, is it just, is it the way a major tournament should be decided? Perhaps not, but it is the birthplace of golf, it’s a links course, and the weather is what it is. And most importantly, the players seem to embrace it and buy into the experience.  And as a fan, it’s the one time of year we get to see the world’s greatest golfers brought to their knees, literally, in bunkers and gorst. In a practice round this week, Vijay Singh lost two balls on the 14^th hole.  Imagine if that happens on Sunday. You have to love it, don’t you?

Can the Yankees be caught? And can the Pirates hang on?  The Yankees are 9 games up in a division that most consider the toughest in baseball. True, the Red Sox have been decimated by injury and they’re only a game out of the wildcard race. But don’t get me started on the wild card race. The real question is can the Pirates ride McCutcheon all the way to a playoff berth. Will PNC Park finally host a post-season game?  What a story if it would happen.  No Bonds, no Van Slyke, no Bonilla, no Parker, no Stargell, no Clemente, no Mazeroski, no Kiner…….Okay, I grew up a Pirate fan, even went to the ’79 World Series at Three Rivers Stadium. It would be terrific to see them back there again. Go Pirates!!

Lin the Rocket Man: The Knicks faced a difficult decision with Jeremy Lin.  And the Rockets  ended up beating them at a game of salary cap chess.  The Knicks mistake was letting the bidding get up to where he would be luxury tax liability. But how good is Jeremy Lin, really? And how good will he be, really?  He scored 38 in a game last season, which is a pretty good accomplishment in the NBA. But I guess time will tell if the Knicks made a good move and can move on, or if they erred and will have to answer for it for quite some time.  At least we’re talking about the Knicks. As the season progresses, they may not even be the most interesting team in their own city…..

Magic and Bird, or Lebron and Kobe? There is a lot of debate about which is the better team, the 1992 Dream Team or the current Olympic Team. Without Dwight Howard, Dewayne Wade and Derrick Rose, the current team is at a bit of a disadvantage.  A lot of people, including both Mike’s of Mike and Mike, give the nod to the Dream Team based on a couple of factors: Robinson and Ewing at center, and of course, Michael Jordan in his prime.  I would have to agree, even though Magic and Bird were, well, retired and almost retired. Lebron would have played on either team, along with Durant and Kobe. After that, I’m not so sure, with the exception of one of the point guards, maybe Chris Paul or Brian Westbrook.  It will never be resolved, of course, but it’s a fun topic of conversation, especially here in the dog days…

Dez, Dez, Dez….What were you thinking? Assaulting your mother? Really Dez? Roger Goodell is going to have a field day with this one.  Next time you want to do something like that, you might want to call Ben Roethlisberger for some advice.  It astounds me that these guys that have great athletic gifts and are compensated handsomely for them, just can’t seem to get out of their own way.  It’s distressing and sad.  But in reality, football is a violent game and it takes a certain amount of violence within to excel, especially when running pass routes over the middle against equally or more violent men waiting for you.  Hopefully Dez can get some help that sticks. Otherwise, all that talent will be wasted, and waste is never a good thing.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Baseball Hits the Halfway Point: Although next week's All Star Game is considered the hafway point in the baseball season, most teams will play their 81st game, if they haven't already, before the weekend. It's probably time to start paying attention to the pennant races, which mean a little more this year since the two wild card teams in each league will have to meet in a one-game playoff to determine who advances to the post-season. I think the format is ridiculous and will probably be short-lived.  I think it could be especially unfair if one team is battling for a division crown while the other team is comfortably in the playoff game and can set up their pitching staff to their advantage.  I haven't heard that scenario discussed, but it's a real possibility.  That could give the team with the worse record an advantage, and that just isn't fair.  There are a lot of things wrong with this format and I certainly hope it goes away quickly.

Congrats to Chipper: I have been a long-time Braves fan and it is hard to believe that Chipper Jones is retiring after this season.  He was named to the All Star Game yesterday as a replacement for the injured Matt Kemp.  Chipper is sure to receive a rousing ovation during his introduction Tuesday night in Pittsburgh.  He has already celebrated the event with a 5 for 5, 4 RBI game last night in a 10-3 win against the Cubs. The veteran is batting .313 and certainly doesn't look like a player that should be retiring.  I would love to see him retire as a Brave, but it seems as if his bat could help an AL team as a DH.

Whatever happened to Serve and Volley Tennis? As I watch Murray play Ferrer in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, it appears that they either put player repellent on the net or they painted the clay green.  Someone needs to tell these guys that you're allowed to play inside the service line. I mean really, one rally had 26 shots...on grass!! I remember McEnroe and Borg in that historic 1980 tie break.  Oh wait, that really was long time ago. That's when American men were making it past the round of 16.  Here it is July 4 and there is only one American, Serena Williams, alive in singles play.

Tiger Watch at The Greenbrier Classic:  The newly named PGA Tour Player of the Month will make his debut appearance at the Greenbrier this week.  Let's see, he's won three times this year, held the 36 hole lead at the US Open and he's still facing questions about whether he is "back". Why? Becasue his three victories came at courses he has won on before and in a couple of cases has dominated over the years. So if he is just doing what he used to do, then why is that not back? We'll see this week, and no matter what he does, the Tiger doubters will find a reason for criticism.  It appears the criticism and doubt are only providing him with more internal fuel to excel.  Like he really needs that. Go Tiger!

AND THE DOG DAYS DRAG ON..........

Federer continues an incredible streak: Federer continued an unbelievable, and perhaps unbeatable streak this week by getting to his 33rd consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.  That is an unheard of level of consistency in any sport.  That is over eight years of winning at least his first 4 matches in every Grand Slam tournament.  The amazing thing is that these tournaments are played on three different surfaces in four different countries on three different contintents.  He has avoided injury, overcome two set deficits and managed bad bounces to achieve this incredible feat.  Tiger Woods had a similar streak of made cuts early in his career, but eventually an injury and the inevitable bad round did him in.  Federer deserves to be recognized as one of the all time great athletes and great champions in all of sports.

The Greenbrier hosts the PGA this week: My only memory of the Greenbrier resort has nothing to do with golf.  It was early in my career and I was on a business trip that took me and a colleague to Lewisburg, West Virginia, a short distance from The Greenbrier.  It was the mid 80's and our daily per diem for food was probably around $23.  Janice decided that we should have dinner at the dining room at the resort.  I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but I do remember the incredible service, wonderful atmosphere and outstanding food.  I also remember the bill was $35 per person plus tip for a seven course dinner.  At the time it was a hardship and I think we ate at McDonalds for two days to make up for it, but over 27 years later, it is still one of the highlights of all of my extensive business travel memories.  It is no wonder that the touring pros are flocking to The Greenbrier this week to play in the event.  However, I'll challenge them to find anything to eat on the property today for $35..........

Independence Day....How lucky are we?: I would say incredibly lucky.  In spite of economic issues, political turmoil, Obamacare debates, etc. etc., we still enjoy the most freedom and opportunity in the world. God bless our forefathers for their wisdom and courage to carve out a constitution and form of government that has survived for the last 225 years. When I hear athletes whining about anything, it makes me sick.  The rest of us use our gifts and accept what our employers pay us.  Pro athletes today, for the most part, seem to lack perspective relative to their fan base.  I know there are a lot of athletes that give back a tremendous amount to charities within their communities.  Perhaps these leaders should get in the ears of their less understanding peers and tell them to STOP IT.  Dwight Howard, are you listening?  Your selfish behavior resulted in two people losing their jobs and you won't even be in the organization ten days from now. If I remember correctly, Lebron did not hold a franchise hostage, he just wanted to be given the opportunity to go somewhere to win a championship. Freedom. Independence. Opportunity. USA.

IF TIGER ISN'T BACK IT'S NEWS TO PGA TOUR PLAYERS

Three Wins, FedEx Cup Points Lead: If Tiger isn't back, I'd sure like to know what he needs to do to convince anyone.  Is he back like 2000 - 2001 back? No, but he's 36, not 25. Is he back like 2009 back? Probably so.  He won six times in 2009 with no majors.  Sound familiar? We still have half a season left, including two majors. He's climbed to fourth in the World Golf Rankings, and has a great chance to move higher considering he doesn't have a lot of points from last year that will decrease or drop off as the season progresses. What was impressive yesterday was how he controlled the last two holes.  On the 17th, he played it safe with a shot to the front left of the green after Bo Van Pelt had hit it long.  And then on 18, he really put the pressure on his opponent by hitting a perfect 345 yard tee shot, making Van Pelt's second shot from 220 yards all that more difficult.  The nine iron from 190 yards was a thing of beauty.  I'v been watching golf since the early sixties, so I grew up watching Palmer, Nicklaus, Casper, Snead, Trevino, Player, Weiskopf, Watson and Miller.  No one plays or has played the game like Woods does when he is on.  It's not just me.  Ratings more than double when he is in contention.  To paraphrase ESPN's Colin Cowherd, "When you outdraw your sport, you're doing something special."

At Least it Didn't End in a Shootout:  Unfortunately, in the EURO 2012 final Spain eliminated any drama early by taking Italy out of its game and showing why they have won three consecutive major soccer titles.  I'm not a soccer expert by any means, but I know a good butt-kicking when I see one.  It didn't appear Italy had a clue all day, which I would imagine is more a tribute to Spain than a knock on an  Italian side that clearly overacheived to get to the final.  Now we have almost two years of qualifying matches to see if the United States squad can avoid a bad draw in the 2014 World Cup.

Less Than a Month Until London: Now that the trials are all but over, our attention can turn to the London Olympic Games which begin July 27.  Michael Phelps has decided to compete in seven events, giving him the potential to leave his last Games with 21 gold medals.  I think five would be a great accomplishment, but you never know.  Phelps is amazing and always seems to peak at the right time.  His most stellar competition is probably on his own team, Ryan Lochte.  However, by foregoing the 200 meter freestyle, he avoids one of those matchups. 

Major League Baseball All-Star Teams Announced: Before inter-league play, I was much more interested in seeing the All-Star Game.  Now, however, you don't have to wait for the midsummer classic or the World Series to see matchups that you wouldn't see in the regular season.  In addition, players move around a lot more, so over the course of time they all end up facing each other at one time or another.  There are two long-time stars, first ballot Hall of Famers, who have played for only one team. One, Chipper Jones, will retire after this season.  Hopefully he can make it in as the fans' choice from the National League. And Derek Jeter, only a Yankee, will play again and we won't know if this will be his last chance.  My guess is he'll be back at least one more year.

THEY SAY MONEY CORRUPTS, BUT POWER MUST BE A CLOSE SECOND........


Sad State of Affairs in Happy Valley: Reports that Joe Paterno may have bee involved in the cover up of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal is troublesome, but in the scheme of things, not all that surprising. A legacy that as recently as 9 months ago was solid and secure, is now in shambles.  It's hard to believe that if he were still alive, there would be a possibility of Joe Peterno facing crimnal charges.  That is a moot point now, but still a sad turn to an already shameful story for Penn State University.  It is a lesson in  the need for oversight, accountability and transparency in these big budget athletic programs, fueled primarily by the football teams.  Perhaps it's time for fans to look at themselves in the mirror and rethink what is really important.  At the end of the day, has the price for winning college football games become too high? What are we really valuing? Where will it end?

Is it my imagination, or does Tiger Woods seem to contending every week?: Okay, Tiger didn't close the deal at the US Open despite leading heading into the weekend. But after his very tidy bogey -free 67 yesterday, the best player of his generation sits just one shot off the lead.  Long putts, chip-ins, precise iron shots....Wait, is it 2000 or 2012?  After two wins already this year, another win by Woods on a major championship caliber golf course could signal some really big things for the 14-time major tournament winner.  I still think 19 majors may be out of reach, but it should be exciting to see if Tiger can make a run at Jack's seemingly unattainable record.

Speaking of money, what should college football do with the playoff windfall?:  On ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" this morning, Bob Ryan said that it was too complicated to come up with a way to compensate college athletes beyond scholarships. I don't agree.  The big complaint I have about the system and the reason so-called student athletes resort to selling items and committing petty theft, is to provide themselves some spending money.  I don't believe the players should be "paid", thus making them professional athletes.  I just believe that these kids, many of whom do not come from families with significant fanancial means, should be able to have some discretionary money.  It doesn't seem complicated to me. If any student-athlete is on scholarship, then part of that benefit is a monthly cash stipend.  Will that eliminate all of the problems? No. But I think it's a fair way to distribute part of the money to the people actually playing the games, matches, etc. If we can pay coaches seven-figure salaries, provide them with cars and club memberships, then it's time to acknowledge the student-athletes.

50/50 with Bob Ryan: Bob Ryan opened this morning's show pleading for the EURO 2012 Championship not to be decided by a penalty kick shootout.  I couldn't agree more.  My hope is these two teams opent it up and play an exciting match worthy of this prestigious championship, second only to the World Cup. I know I'll be watching!

How important is Matt Kemp to the Dodgers?: Matt Kemp is on the DL and the Dodgers have been  shut out in 5 of their last six games.  I can understand if these are the 1960's era Mets or Senators.  But this is a team that before the past week was the story of the season in Major League Baseball.  Seven consecutive losses later they don't even lead their division.  Kemp is making minor league rehab starts and for the Dodgers I'm certain his return can't happen soon enough.

WIMBLEDON, OLYMPIC TIRALS, EURO FINAL, ERIN ANDREWS BIG SPORTS NEWS: THE DOG DAYS CONTINUE

Four American Men Still Alive at Wimbledon: As I sat watching Breakfast at Wimbledon, there were still four Americans alive in the men's draw.  Andy Roddick was seeded a very low 30th and Mardy fish is seeded 10th, but all of the Americans are in the same half of the draw.  If one could at least get to the semis it would be a big boost the fortunes of American tennis.  With Nadal out and Federer struggling a little bit, perhaps there could be a surprise or two come week two at the All England club. Unfortunately, Roddick couldn't sustain a fast start and Querrey couldn't make it all the way back after dropping the first two sets and extending Cilic to a 32 game fifth set. So now only two American men remain. On the women's side, Serena looked good while surviving a tough three set match.  Venus looked tired just sitting in the stands.  Hopefully she can bounce back and play more competitive tennis in the future.

Phelps, Lochte rivalry: The Olympics are a month away and I'm beginning to look forward to the swimming drama that is sure to unfold in London.  The competitive nature of the American trials should give the Americans some momentum heading into the key races against the Australians.  It would be a great story if Michael Phelps can close out his Olympic career by adding to his record gold medal haul.

Excited About Soccer, Really? I hate to admit that I have been closely following the EURO 2012 soccer tournament. While I'm not pleased with the penalty kicks deciding matches, I have been impressed with the level of play, with the exception of France's performance in the quarterfinals.  I was particularly suprised by Italy's win over Germany and the way they raced off to a 2-0 lead and held on to get to the final.  Since I don't have a dog in this hunt, about all I can hope for is an exciting match that doesn't go down to penalty kicks. I'll feel a little cheated if it does.

I remember Erin when....: The announcement that Erin Andrews is leaving ESPN reminds me that I used to watch both she and Jay Crawford on local television in Tampa early in the new millenium.  To see what both have accomplished is fascinating to me.  As a huge sports enthusiast, I question the value of a reporter like Erin Andrews to ratings.  I can't ever remember deciding to watch an actual sporting event based on the announcer or sideline reporter.  It is rumored that Fox is pursuing Erin, and since they are trying to dent ESPN's hold on college football, it's probably a good move.  But just because Erin Andrews is on the sideline, I doubt I'll tune to a Baylor - Texas Tech game I would not otherwise be interested in wayching.

Weekly Baseball Comment: The Yankees may come back to the pack with the injuries to Sabathia and Pettite, but their hitting will still carry them deep into the season.  The AL East is so deep both Wild Card teams could come out of the division.  I'm impressed with the way the Orioles are hanging in there, but like the Pirates and Indians last year, it's only a matter of time until they drop behind the rest of the power teams in that division.  And speaking of the Indians, it looks like deja vu all over again.  The Kevin Youkalis trade has bolstered the White Sox at third base and the Tigers are poised to play better ball the second half of the season. In the west, the Rangers continue to cruise.  The senior circuit finds the upstart Nationals in first place in the east, showing no signs of letting up. The Giants, finally finding their pitching, have caught and passed the Dodgers on heels of a sweep with shutouts of their rivals to the south.  Meanwhile, the Central is shaping up as another battle, similar to last year.  The Pirates, a sentimental favorite, will hard pressed to keep pace with the Reds and the Cardinals.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCMENT BRINGS NEWS TO THE DOG DAYS

Bye, Bye BCS: The announcement that college football’s national championship will be decided by a four team tournament will not satisfy everyone, but it is a great improvement over what we have had for the last fifteen years.  The chances of a third undefeated team getting left out of the championship will be greatly diminished, although the criteria for selection have not been determined.  Even though the FCS has a full-blown tournament to decide its champion, I have never been in favor of that method for what has been called the FBS.  The regular season and conference championships need to stay relevant.  This will certainly maintain that. All in all, it may have taken a couple of decades, but they got it mostly right.

Bye, Bye Bird: Larry Bird’s departure, at least for now, from the Indiana Pacers doesn’t really surprise me all that much.  He looked tired during the playoffs, despite building a tough and solid team that appeared ready to de-rail the Heat in the second round.  Bird cited health reasons for leaving and I hope it isn’t anything serious that is forcing him out of the game at age 55.  Bird’s Indiana State team beat Virginia Tech, my alma mater, in my senior year on their way to a matchup with Michigan State in the NCAA championship game.  The Sycamores scored 25 consecutive points in that win over my Hokies to put the game away early. Larry Bird’s success at every level, including college player, NBA player, coach and front office executive is incredibly impressive and I certainly hope he can get healthy and come back to contribute to the game again in the future.

Howard’s Hostage: Otherwise known as the Orlando Magic, who hope to get some value for Dwight Howard.  The Houston Rockets are gearing up to make a run at Howard by stockpiling draft picks. Not a bad deal for the Magic if they want to rebuild.  The only problem is Houston may not be an attractive destination for Howard.  And without draft picks, will the Rockets be able to surround Howard with enough talent to compete for a championship?  Lebron was severely criticized for his actions two years ago, but I believe Dwight Howard’s manipulation of the Magic is far worse.  I’m interested to see how this plays out and if fans will be as critical of Howard as they were of James.

Penalty Kicks Again for Spain? Really?:  This just in: the college presidents have decided that any ties in the Football Playoffs will be decided by a field goal kicking contest……from the 10 yard line…..I’m sorry, but I’m going to repeat myself: I have a very difficult time following a sport that uses something as arbitrary as the penalty kick to decide a game as important as a EURO semifinal or a World Cup knockout game, up to and including the final.  So players are tired?  Allow two more substitutes per overtime period. Or do what they do for hockey and have a full intermission between periods.  But what do you expect for an organization that still won’t use replay to verify or nullify a goal.  I mean really, it’s the lowest scoring sport on the planet.  How many times would you have to use it?  Once or twice in an entire tournament? Oh, brother, if I’m spending this much time on a soccer tournament that doesn’t even include the U.S., then I really am ready for football.

OLYMPIC DRAMA ALREADY

Coin Flip? Really?: As if it isn’t bad enough that we choose a team for the Olympics that are held every four years with the results from one race, now we will potentially be using a coin flip to break a tie for third.  It has always seemed a bit absurd to me that we pick an Olympic team based not on an athlete’s body of work over a period of time, but instead on the results from the Olympic trials held over the course of a couple of weeks.  I know it's a tough call and a difficult decision on the part of USOC officials, but it seems to me that there is some kind of middle ground.

Penalty Kicks? Really? If soccer is ever going to take hold as a spectator sport in the United States, whether live or on TV, using penalty kicks to decide a match in the World Cup ad other international tournaments will have to be changed.  Don't get me wrong, I get the beauty of the game and appreciate the movement and strategy. But for most Americans, it's like using a game of HORSE or a free throw shooting contest to decide the NBA championship.  In a country where the game clocks measure tenths of a second, it is hard to accept a sport where the officials seemingly arbitrarily decide the amount of stoppage time, have no obligation to explain controversial calls and limit the game because the players may be getting exhausted.  Try telling that to the NHL players who go 3 or 4 overtimes in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Isn't conditioning part of the sport? if a team is fatigued, then they will be at a competitive disadvantage.  Let the game be decided by playing until a team scores.  That's right, a team, through utilizing strategy and execution. Not because a goalie guesses the wrong way 4 out of 5 times. Might as well flip a coin..........

Where have all of the Yanks Gone?: Not Wimbledon, that's for sure, at least inthe locker room.  And if there weren't many there to begin the tournament, there are a lot less after the first round.  Whatever the USTA is doing is really not working.  I'm beginning to think I dreamed the whole Courier, Chang, Sampras and Agassi era.  And the Williams sisters may have come to the end of their run.  But there really hasn't been much depth for a long time on either side of the draw. I mean, if the Dallas TV series is back after all these years, maybe those guys didn't really retire or lose steam and they'll show up at the US Open, just as good as they used to be.  That's the deal, it was all just a dream.

NBA Draft: Otherwise known as the University of Kentucky freshman graduation ceremony.  Why don't we just give the Bobcats the UK championship team and see how quickly Michael Jordan can screw it up?  Can there ever have been a better player and a worse front office exec?  He'd be better off putting the faces of players on a Roulette wheel and taking the first five that hit.  The NBA can stop a legitimate trade that would have made the Lakers a true championship competitor, but it can't run a guy out of the game whose incompetency is ruining a franchise.  If this was a major market team, the story may be a lot different.

AND THE DOG DAYS GO ON

Gamecocks Again? South Carolina, after beating Arkansas in consecutive one-run games, is back in the College World Series championship for the third straight year.  That is quite a feat. The format is grueling and even though their record of 22 consecutive tournament and 12 consecutive College World Seres wins was snapped earlier in the week, they regrouped, pitched amazingly and had just enough timely hitting to advance. However, they've played four games in the time that Arizona has played one, so they face a big challenge the next two or three days. Am I betting against them? No chance.

Pedophilia in Pennsylvania: Jerry Sandusky's attorneys are preparing for an appeal on the grounds that they didn't have enough time to prepare a proper defense. The attorneys are just doing their jobs in providing Sandusky responsible legal representation. While that may be legally sound and justified, it still doesn't change the horrific nature of this case. The most distressing aspects of this are the breadth of the alleged activities and the arrogance displayed by Sandusky to use university facilities to perpetrate the acts.  The university is trying to avoid further embarrassment, but I certainly hope they are also initiating policies and procedures that will save future young men from the same fate.

How do I make a right turn?: Twice a year NASCAR takes its show to road courses.  First this week in Sonoma and then in Watkins Glen on August 12.  I'm not a big fan of the road courses and as a NASCAR Fantasy owner, it poses a challenge to me. But just think of making nothing but left turns for 34 weeks and then having to turn a 4000 pound sports car in the opposite direction. Just think if your wife or husband all of a sudden decided they were going to switch sides of the bed. OMGSH! Not only that, all of the shifting and braking they have to do that isn't necessarily required on what is increasingly a 1.5 mile tri-oval track sport poses problems.  I may watch, I may not, but if I do it will be because it can be fun to watch the drivers try to adapt to a very different style of track and driving.

Junior finally wins, but....: We know it's a slow sports weekend when I have consecutive NASCAR topics. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finally won last week at Michigan, but will have to wait until next week to build on his momentum at an oval. Although Junior had not won in a almost four years, he has driven with great consistency over the last two.  The points system, although revamped a bit, still rewards
consitency over the occasional win.  And when you enjoy the off-track income that Junior has, his only goal is to win a first Sprint Cup championship.

The French on Holiday?: It looked yesterday as if the French soccer team missed the memo and thought the EURO quarterfinal match against Spain was a friendly.  Or maybe they were just warming up and thought the game was today.  I'm certainly not an expert of soccer, but I can tell when a team doesn't even get off the bus.  Down by only a goal with less than ten minutes left, the French side appeared to have no sense of urgency.  Maybe they had reservations on the French Riviera that couldn't be moved a week. I hope they're enjoying themselves, becasue we sure didn't while watching their performance yesterday.

Okay, how about some baseball?: After roughly 44% of the season, we have following teams in first place: the Yankees, a bit surprising, but they've actually been able to get some solid pitching; the Indians, here we go again to see if they can keep it going; the Rangers, on a roll and outscoring their opponents by more than 90 runs; the Nationals, pretty impressive by an organization that has bult this team the right way, but they play in a tough division where the Phillies haven't woken up yet; the Reds, really, the Reds?; and the Dodgers, who somehow have been able to use Magic Johnson as a utility infielder...........

Unil tomorrow..........

HERE COME THE DOG DAYS

For sports fans, this begins the dry season.  The NBA playoffs are over, football is still two months away and once the College World Series ends on Tuesday we're left with nothing but the Euro soccer championships, a couple of major golf tournaments, a cycling race no one cares about anymore, Wimbledon and more baseball and NASCAR than most people can bear.....and of course the London Olympics beginning on July 27!  That should give us some excitement to get us closer to football season!

Lebron, Lebron, Lebron: There has been so much said and written about Lebron James, the way he left the Cavaliers and the so-called arrogance of the Big Three in Miami.  I guess I have a somewhat different opinion. Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, had seven years to surround Lebron James with another quality player or two.  He did nothing. He was naive or arrogant enough to think that a world class athlete, arguably the best in his sport, would stay with his organization out of some kind of team or civic loyalty.  Really? In 2010?  After seven years in the league with time running out? Sure, Lebron made a spectacle out of the exercise of leaving for South Florida.  But how many 25 year olds do you know that do everything absolutely right? He fulfilled his contract, he told the Cavaliers what it would take to keep him and when they didn't come through, he left to fulfill the dream every team sport athlete has from the time they step onto the field, court or ice: Win a championship. So good for Lebron, good for DWade, good for Bosh. They won when almost every  expert and commentator was calling the Oklahoma City Thunder the second coming of the 1990's Chicago Bulls.  They won despite the criticism of fans.  They won despite Bosh missing 10 games due to injury in the playoffs.  They won despite falling behind to Indiana, Boston and OKC. They won despite the incredible self imposed pressure to win. And they won because it is a team game, and the Miami Heat played as a team to win their second NBA Championship.

Who cares?:  There was a time not too long ago when the Tour de France was front page sports news.  Lance Armstrong was winning 7 consecutive races.  The Europeans were furious that the Americans had become dominant in a sport they considered their own.  Sure, Greg Lemonde won couple of times two decades ago.  But the Europeans countered that with a scandalous display of PED's and blood doping that turned the tide back in their favor for a while.  Whether Armstrong participated in those activities or not, I find it preposterous and somewhat hypocritical that after so many years of no evidence against Lance, the battle continues to be waged against the 7-time champion.   We all know it was a mess and I doubt many serious sports fans, despite Armstrong's repeated pleas of ignorance, would be shocked if he was found to have been involved in some way. My advice to the cycling community is to shut up and clean up the sport now, not worry about the past.

Wimbledon: What ever happened to tennis?  Do Americans even play professional tennis? If so, I can't seem to find them anywhere.  Oh sure, the Williams sisters are still around, designing clothes between sets. And Roddick is still around, getting to the quarters and then getting pummeled by the Nadal's, the Federer's, the Murray's and the Djokovic's.  Oh, and there's this big guy Isner who seems destined to play in matches that last longer than it takes Kevin Na to hit a golf shot. I think I'm going to hire Roger Goodell to launch and investigation.  At least that way it won't take very long and we'll have a decision based on a bunch of evidence we'll never see but will be told to take his word on it. At least that way we'll have someone to blame and punish.

College Football Playoff: It doesn't happen very often, but it appears someone may have been listening to me.  For quite some time I've been advocating a four-team college playoff that incorporates the current bowl structure and produces a champion from a matchup that essentially replaces the BCS championship game.  The advantages are that at least every other year it makes two of the four former BCS bowl games relevant, it doesn't require any additional time out of the classroom (like this matters but for some reason the university presidents have convinced themselves, and only themselves, that it does) and it will allow the regular season games to stay relevant. My only complaint is that we'll have to wait to two more years to see it.


Tiger Tease: Tiger Woods teased us again last week at the 112th US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.  Is he back?  Not quite. Is there improvement? Absolutely.  Will he win another major or two? Probably. Can he win five more to pass Jack? Doubtful.  I think the most surprising thing about last week was not his collapse on the weekend, but that he was even on top after two rounds at a golf course that demands such accuracy off the tee.  I really didn't think Tiger would be a factor last week.  Not because he isn't back, but because the golf course doesn't suit his game, even when he was on top.  I'm not sure if he would have completed the The Tiger Slam in 2000 -2001 if the 200 US Open had been at Olympic instead of Pebble Beach, although his 15 shot victory there was perhaps the highlight of his career.