By Aaron M Smith
We are more than a week away from the British Open and it has been an interesting weekend of discussion surrounding one position on the baseball field. So I thought I would keep it light and just comment on a few interesting topics that have happened throughout sports in the past week. Here we go:
– Lance Armstrong has quickly moved up to second place in the 2009 Tour de France. The 37 year old wasn’t expected to contend for the Tour’s championship and has been under heavy scrutiny since he stepped foot in France. There is certainly a long way to go, but if Armstrong was to win his 8th Tour de France – will the French cycling world finally stop the witch hunt? At what point will the French finally just accept Armstrong’s dominance in the sport?
– While I salute Dustin Pedroia for being elected to the All-Star game – I hate to break it to him – Aaron Hill and Ian Kinsler should be starting. In fact, if Kinsler doesn’t make the team, I would consider it a travesty. It is nice to see Tim Wakefield finally be selected to an All-Star team. Personally, Wakefield has been the unspoken MVP for the Red Sox for many years. Wakefield has done just about everything they have asked of him – including being a reliever.
– Joe Sakic is finally calling it quits after a 20 year NHL career. Sakic finished with 625 career goals and 1,016 assists almost guarantees him a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 5 years. Sakic may play for Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics, as they are in his hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Regardless, Sakic will surely be inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame in Toronto.
– The balance of power of the NBA seems to be shifting to the Eastern Conference, as the Cavaliers ( Shaquille O’Neal), Magic (Vince Carter) and the Boston Celtics (Rasheed Wallace) have all made major moves this offseason to upgrade their rosters. The Celtics are certainly looking a 2 year window to compete for another championship and if the C’s can add Grant Hill to their roster – I expect them to be the favorites in the Eastern Conference.
– Someone please explain to me, Trevor Ariza’s and Hedo Turkoglu’s decision process. I can understand Ariza’s desire to start, but Turkoglu’s decision to choose Toronto was questionable at best. First impressions are that Turkoglu’s main focus is money and not the desire to win a championship.
– There should be rule on the PGA Tour – if you host a tournament, you can’t win it – Tiger.
– Rough week in the golf world, as Phil Mickelson’s mother has been diagnosed with breat cancer. As many know, it is the second person in the Mickelson’s family to be diagnosed with cancer in recent weeks. I don’t anticipate seeing Mickelson return to the PGA tour until 2010 at the earliest. Regardless, a speedy recovery to everyone in the Mickelson family.Count me as one golf fan who will be rooting for Kenny Perry at the British Open. With Perry’s mother diagnosed with cancer and placed under hospice care, Perry came under critcism for potentially skipping the British Open for a second year in a row. But after consulting doctors, Perry is going to play. Here is hoping Perry will win the tournament and quiet his critics.
Leave a Reply