I saw the press conference last night, and I'm watching the match right now. But I still find it hard to believe. Andy Roddick is retiring after the US Open. While I'm not entirely surprised, I am shocked. Mainly because we didn't see this coming.
It couldn't have been easy for Roddick to make this decision. And it certainly seems like he's at peace with it. He's 30. His body wasn't going to let him do it much longer. He's been the top ranked American for years. He's not anymore. He's been in the Top 10 for years. He's not anymore. Roddick said during the press conference that he's not interested in simply "existing" on tour. He also said that if he can't commit everything mentally and physically, he's not going to disrespect the game by going through the motions. So, he's going out on his own terms instead. How can you not respect that?
So now we're left looking at the legacy of a man who had the impossible burden of carrying the banner for American tennis in the era after the greatest generation. Roddick was up to the task. He's been criticized by some (ignorant all) for "only" winning one Grand Slam title, the 2003 US Open. It's not his fault that he's only won one. He played in the same era as three of the greatest players of all time. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic haven't left many Grand Slam titles for anybody else. And if not for a certain Swiss fella, Roddick would have more than one Grand Slam title. He made three other finals, losing to Roger each time, including that epic at Wimbledon that went 16-14 in the fifth.
More importantly, Roddick did something that hadn't been done since the height of the Sampras/Agassi/Courier Era. He led the United States to the Davis Cup in 2007. The U.S. hadn't won since 1995, and Roddick made it his goal to change that. His committment to playing for his country is one of the things I'll remember the most about Andy Roddick. Winning the Davis Cup was important to him. In an era where a lot of the top players were finding ways out of playing Davis Cup matches, Roddick never missed. That dedication rubbed off on everybody. James Blake, Mardy Fish, the Bryan brothers. They all wanted to play. They all wanted to join Andy Roddick in winning the Davis Cup for the United States. That's why they eventually did.
Roddick had two goals for his career: win a Grand Slam and win the Davis Cup. He did them both. He also spent 10 consecutive years ranked in the Top 10. He was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, becoming just the 12th player ever to achieve that distinction. He held that ranking for 13 weeks before Roger took over for the next four and a half years. No. 1 has been the exculsive territory of the Big Three ever since.
In a vacuum, Andy Roddick had the career of a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He's not Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. That's an impossible standard that it would be unfair to hold anybody to. Sure, he'd like to have another Grand Slam title or two, but he's got one. You know how many other active players can say that? Six. The Big Three, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martin Del Potro and Juan Carlos Ferrero. (When Roddick won the US Open, Federer had just won Wimbledon for his first Grand Slam title.)
And is there any better place for him to say farewell? When you think of the US Open, you think Andy Roddick. Night sessions at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the crowd going nuts. Showing up for Arthur Ashe Kid's Day every single year. Incredible matches. Deep runs. The top American at America's Grand Slam. A showman perfectly suited for the New York stage. And he was adored for it. Hopefully it ends with one last run deep into the second week of the US Open.
While this is his final tournament, I'm sure this won't be the last we see of Andy Roddick. He won't pull one of those retirement, comeback, second retirement things the women do, but he's not going away either. He's said that he wants to do some work with his foundation, but I think he'll be back on the scene sooner rather than later. Andy Roddick is hilarious. He already has a radio show and, if he wants, would be a very successful commentator. But I can envision him in a larger role. A guy who's shown tremendous dedication to his country, Roddick would be the perfect Davis Cup captain.
He'll hand off the role of "Face of American Men's Tennis," probably to star-in-waiting John Isner. With the likes of Isner and Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey and Donald Young and Brian Baker and Bobby Reynolds, Andy Roddick leaves American tennis in good hands. For that, and for all he's done, I say "Thank You, Andy Roddick." Thank you.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Random Baseball Stuff
It's been a while since I've done a blog where I just randomly spouted out some stuff that's on my mind. Football season is fast approaching, but right now my main focus is still on baseball. And, let's face it, with the final month almost upon us and seemingly everybody (except the Mets) in contention, there's a lot of baseball worth talking about. And if last year is any indication, the month of September is going to be crazy.
- Minor league teams are allowed to change their affiliation every other year. They have to declare whether or not they want to continue with their current parent team within the next few weeks, and it looks like there aren't going to be that many changes, at least in Triple-A. But there is going to be one change, and it will be major. After four years, the Buffalo Bisons are firing the Mets. The Blue Jays have been looking to get out of Las Vegas ever since they got stuck out there, so it looks like the Bisons will be Toronto's Triple-A affiliate next season. And since no other International League teams are switching, the Mets are going to have to go to the Pacific Coast League no matter what. It looks like they're going to be the ones affiliated with Las Vegas. Now, the Toronto-Buffalo connection makes sense from both a baseball and geographic perspective. The three Major League cities that are actually near Buffalo are Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto. The Bisons have been the affiliate of both the Pirates and Indians before. And, let's face it, Toronto, a city 90 miles away where the Bills play a home game every year, makes a lot more sense for Buffalo than New York, which is 450 miles away. Of course, that's a lot closer than the distance between New York and Las Vegas, though. (Before Buffalo, the Mets' Triple-A team was New Orleans.)
- Speaking of the International League, how about the season the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have put together? Scranton hasn't played a home game all year. They're rebuilding their stadium from the ground-up, and they weren't able to find a suitable temporary home for this season. As a result, all of their "home" games are on the field of their opponent, with the occasional neutral-site series thrown in. Despite this, they made the playoffs.
- If the Major League version of the Yankees wins the AL East, Joe Girardi's got to be the frontrunner for Manager of the Year. With all due respect to Robin Ventura, Buck Showalter and Bob Melvin, Girardi's done a remarkable job this season (and I'm not just speaking as a Yankees fan here). Sure, the Yankees have a high payroll and a lot of superstar players, but consider the injuries they've had to overcome this season: Mariano Rivera (out for the year), Alex Rodriguez (missed two months), CC Sabathia (two DL stints), Andy Pettitte (out since June), Brett Gardner (out for the year), David Robertson (missed a month), Mark Teixeira (missed multiple games a few times). All those man games lost, yet they're in position to win the division. Girardi deserves a lot of the credit.
- Want more proof that rushing into the second wild card this season was a bad idea? We're looking at potential ties for the wild card, which will have to be broken before the wild card games. And if, for example, the Yankees and Rays tie for the AL East, they've got to break that tie first. The schedule has only one day built in for tiebreakers (Thursday) before the wild card games on Friday, which means no September rainouts. And if the same team would be involved in a division and wild card tiebreaker before the wild card game, that's a nightmare that I'm sure nobody even wants to think about. That's not even mentioning the fact that a team could potentially play three games in three different cities over the span of four days. (The Giants end the season in LA, could theoretically fly to Atlanta for the wild card game, then, if they win, fly cross-country again to start the Division Series at home.) Or that the No. 1 seed in each league will have no idea where it's playing until Friday night, then has to fly to the wild card team and play on Sunday. (Say the Yankees end up with the best record in the AL. They might end up playing Oakland and have to fly cross-country last minute. Some advantage for finishing with the best record.)
- The AL wild card race is going to be nuts. First of all, how are Baltimore and Oakland the two teams holding down those spots right now? Oakland especially. The A's aren't good. I don't understand it. I think they'll both fall out of the race in September, though. Over the last couple weeks, the Tigers have remembered that they're supposed to be good, and the Rays will do their typical September thing. I don't know what's going on with the Angels. They're five games out of the wild card! They still have enough time to contend for a playoff spot, but they need to take their heads out of their asses first.
- It's ridiculous that LA's other team was able to pull off that trade with the Red Sox. Boston officially waived the white flag on this season and got rid of some clubhouse cancers in the process. And it's totally amazing that they somehow managed to dump all that salary in one felt swoop. I also think it was an acknowledgement that Gonzalez and Crawford were mistakes. Beckett, meanwhile, had simply worn out his welcome, and evidently, once you wear out your welcome with the Red Sox, you get traded to the Dodgers (see: Ramirez, Manny).
- As for the trade itself, I definitely think the Dodgers got the better end of the deal. Gonzalez is from San Diego, which is why he would never let the Padres trade him. Maybe being back in Southern California will be good for him. It could be good for Beckett, too. He's not under that ridiculous microscope of Red Sox Nation and only has to be a decent No. 2 starter behind Clayton Kershaw. I have no idea why they took on Crawford's salary, though. Even if he was able to play, are you really going to mess with that awesome outfield of Victorino, Kemp and Ethier? My only guess is that they're treating Victorino as a rental and planning on having Crawford play left field next year. Regardless, taking on all of that salary is a pretty clear indication that Magic and Co. are willing to do whatever it takes to win now. They're three games behind the Giants, but I think everyone would agree that, especially now, the Dodgers are the better team. I expect LA to win the NL West.
- I know it's gotten to the point of being a broken record at this point, but it's embarrassing how bad Houston is. Now that they've finally liberated Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee, there's not a single guy on that team you've heard of. Outside of Jose Alutve, there's not a Major Leaguer on the roster. They might as well be an expansion team. They certainly look like one. And it's only going to get worse in the American League next year. On the bright side, the Astros already have 40 wins, so at least the '62 Mets are safe.
- ESPN and MLB re-upped their deal today until 2021 for double the amount ESPN's paying now. For the most part, ESPN's coverage is going to be exactly the same, but with several key changes, all of which are good. The Monday and Wednesday night games won't be blacked out anymore and the nationally-televised games on the four baseball holidays (Opening Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day) are back. They're also going to have one of the wild card games and two Division Series games each year. (The TBS exclusivity of the Division Series games hasn't been bad, but it also kind of defeats the purpose when there are two games at the same time and one gets bumped to TNT. Four games in one day is too much for only one network to have the TV rights.)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
2012 U.S. Open Preview
It's the last week in August, which means it's U.S. Open time! I get to go for free this year because my session got rained out last year, but that really has nothing to do with why I'm excited about this year's U.S. Open. Since it's the last Grand Slam, the unofficial Player of the Year is often decided at the U.S. Open. That's certainly the case this year. There have been six different winners in the first three Grand Slam tournaments this year, and Andy Murray entered the discussion on the men's side with his Olympic gold medal. Throw in the back-to-back semi and final, exclusive to the U.S. Open, and you've got one tough tournament to win. And who knows, maybe this year it'll actually be over on Sunday. (I jokingly said last year, "Do you think the Monday final will become permanent?" After complaints by the men's players got it pushed back for the fourth straight year in 2011, there actually is talk that they will make it permanent.)
On the women's side, there's a clear favorite. Serena Williams pulled off the double at the All-England Club, winning Wimbledon, then taking Olympic gold (two of them, in fact) a month later. In the Olympic final, she absolutely crushed Maria Sharapova. It was like we were seeing the Serena of old. If she plays like that again over the next two weeks, another U.S. Open title could definitely be in the cards. However, Vintage Serena also means some epic U.S. Open meltdowns. There was the incident with the lineswoman in the semifinal against Kim Clijsters two years ago, and I'm still not really sure what happened against Samantha Stosur in last year's final. Will Good Serena or Bad Serena show up?
The other two Grand Slam winners this year happen to be the other two Olympic medalists. Maria Sharapova won the French Open, then won the silver in London. But she, too, has been a study of contrasts at the Open. Sharapova won the title in 2008, but has a number of early-round exists. A lot of those early losses came before she was back in top form, though, so I'd be shocked to see one this year. Olympic bronze medalist and world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka also has to be considered a contender, even though she's never been past the fourth round here.
This U.S. Open is also the swan song for Kim Clijsters. The three-time U.S. Open champ will call it a career after the tournament. This has been, by far, the best Grand Slam for the former world No. 1. In fact, Clijsters hasn't lost a U.S. Open match since losing in the 2003 final (although this will only be her fourth appearance since then). While I don't think she'll win, I'd love to see Clijsters make a deep run and get the sendoff she deserves.
As for my prediction, a quick scan of the draw looks more favorable for Serena Williams than the other top contenders. Azarenka and Clijsters would have to meet each other in the quaters, with Maria waiting in the semis. Defending champ Sam Stosur is also in that section of the draw. On the bottom half, meanwhile, the only players who can scare Serena are Venus, who I don't think is capable of winning seven straight Grand Slam matches anymore, and Caroline Wozniacki, who she beat in the semis last year. On paper, Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska has the easiest road to the semis, but I just have a feeling she's going to get upset. I've got Angelique Kerber claiming that semifinal spot opposite Serena, while Azarenka beats Sharapova in the other semi. Serena didn't get it done last year. But this is a different Serena Williams. The Summer of Serena continues.
On the men's side, the Big Four has been reduced to the Big Three because a certain Spanish pansy is still "nursing" a knee injury. I won't miss him, but I was looking forward to seeing that little 3 next to his name. His absence also means that somebody not named Federer, Djokovic, Nadal or Murray will actually be allowed to play in a Grand Slam semifinal. And it won't be David Ferrer, who moves up to the 4-seed. (Sadly, fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in Murray's quarter, not Tsonga's.)
Regardless, this year has been defined by three guys, one of whom is going to win the U.S. Open. Roger's back! He won Wimbledon and regained the No. 1 ranking. After that loss to Del Potro in the 2009 final, then the back-to-back semifinal losses to Djokovic, he's determined to win another U.S. Open. If he does, it further cements that No. 1 ranking (doesn't it just seem right to have the little 1 next to Federer?) and further proves to everyone that Roger isn't going anywhere any time soon. Last year was the Year of Novak. Djokovic won three Grand Slam titles last year, capped by one here. He can't get back to No. 1 if he defends his title, but Djokovic would be the only guy to win two Grand Slams this year if he does.
But I think both Roger and Novak need to be on the lookout. The Olympics were Andy Murray's coming-out party, and that gold medal may have awakened a sleeping giant. Remember what happened with Djokovic last year? This has a very similar feel. He's always played well at the U.S. Open, and the Olympic gold took a lot of that burden off his chest. Andy Murray's first Grand Slam title is coming sooner rather than later. And when it comes, it'll be the first of many. Don't be surprised if it's on the blue court in two weeks.
It's been nine years since Andy Roddick won this thing for what is, and sadly will probably remain, his only Grand Slam title. Roddick's reign as the King of American Tennis is ending. That doesn't mean he doesn't have another U.S. Open run in him. The future King of American Tennis is John Isner. Isner's desperate to be known for something other than that 70-68 match at Wimbledon. He's in that section of the draw without one of the Big Three. Isner's never going to have a better chance at his Grand Slam breakthrough.
I'd also keep my eye on Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro won in 2009, becoming the first player ever to beat Nadal and Federer back-to-back at a Slam, but has been limited by injuries ever since. Del Potro is back, though. He lost that incredible Olympic semifinal to Roger, then came back the following day to beat Djokovic for the bronze. If form holds, Djokovic-Del Potro will be the can't-miss quarterfinal. Same goes for the Andy Murray-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga semifinal. I'd like Tsonga's chances a little better if he wasn't in Murray's quarter.
Who are we kidding here? Even though there's only three instead of four, you can still typecast the semifinalists. The fourth one is the question, though. Again, this is Isner's best chance to finally make that Grand Slam breakthrough. I'm taking him, although I also like Mikhail Youzhy in that section of the draw. Djokovic lucks out by avoiding all of the other heavy hitters, which means anything less than the finals would be a disappointment. As for the other semi, it'll be more competitive than the Olympic final, but I think the result will be the same. Murray over Federer. And, like I said, 2012 just might be the Year of Murray. Making the Wimbledon final was the hard part. Winning the U.S. Open? Child's play. We might not have to wait much longer for Andy Murray's first Grand Slam title. Maybe just two more weeks.
On the women's side, there's a clear favorite. Serena Williams pulled off the double at the All-England Club, winning Wimbledon, then taking Olympic gold (two of them, in fact) a month later. In the Olympic final, she absolutely crushed Maria Sharapova. It was like we were seeing the Serena of old. If she plays like that again over the next two weeks, another U.S. Open title could definitely be in the cards. However, Vintage Serena also means some epic U.S. Open meltdowns. There was the incident with the lineswoman in the semifinal against Kim Clijsters two years ago, and I'm still not really sure what happened against Samantha Stosur in last year's final. Will Good Serena or Bad Serena show up?
The other two Grand Slam winners this year happen to be the other two Olympic medalists. Maria Sharapova won the French Open, then won the silver in London. But she, too, has been a study of contrasts at the Open. Sharapova won the title in 2008, but has a number of early-round exists. A lot of those early losses came before she was back in top form, though, so I'd be shocked to see one this year. Olympic bronze medalist and world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka also has to be considered a contender, even though she's never been past the fourth round here.
This U.S. Open is also the swan song for Kim Clijsters. The three-time U.S. Open champ will call it a career after the tournament. This has been, by far, the best Grand Slam for the former world No. 1. In fact, Clijsters hasn't lost a U.S. Open match since losing in the 2003 final (although this will only be her fourth appearance since then). While I don't think she'll win, I'd love to see Clijsters make a deep run and get the sendoff she deserves.
As for my prediction, a quick scan of the draw looks more favorable for Serena Williams than the other top contenders. Azarenka and Clijsters would have to meet each other in the quaters, with Maria waiting in the semis. Defending champ Sam Stosur is also in that section of the draw. On the bottom half, meanwhile, the only players who can scare Serena are Venus, who I don't think is capable of winning seven straight Grand Slam matches anymore, and Caroline Wozniacki, who she beat in the semis last year. On paper, Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska has the easiest road to the semis, but I just have a feeling she's going to get upset. I've got Angelique Kerber claiming that semifinal spot opposite Serena, while Azarenka beats Sharapova in the other semi. Serena didn't get it done last year. But this is a different Serena Williams. The Summer of Serena continues.
On the men's side, the Big Four has been reduced to the Big Three because a certain Spanish pansy is still "nursing" a knee injury. I won't miss him, but I was looking forward to seeing that little 3 next to his name. His absence also means that somebody not named Federer, Djokovic, Nadal or Murray will actually be allowed to play in a Grand Slam semifinal. And it won't be David Ferrer, who moves up to the 4-seed. (Sadly, fifth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is in Murray's quarter, not Tsonga's.)
Regardless, this year has been defined by three guys, one of whom is going to win the U.S. Open. Roger's back! He won Wimbledon and regained the No. 1 ranking. After that loss to Del Potro in the 2009 final, then the back-to-back semifinal losses to Djokovic, he's determined to win another U.S. Open. If he does, it further cements that No. 1 ranking (doesn't it just seem right to have the little 1 next to Federer?) and further proves to everyone that Roger isn't going anywhere any time soon. Last year was the Year of Novak. Djokovic won three Grand Slam titles last year, capped by one here. He can't get back to No. 1 if he defends his title, but Djokovic would be the only guy to win two Grand Slams this year if he does.
But I think both Roger and Novak need to be on the lookout. The Olympics were Andy Murray's coming-out party, and that gold medal may have awakened a sleeping giant. Remember what happened with Djokovic last year? This has a very similar feel. He's always played well at the U.S. Open, and the Olympic gold took a lot of that burden off his chest. Andy Murray's first Grand Slam title is coming sooner rather than later. And when it comes, it'll be the first of many. Don't be surprised if it's on the blue court in two weeks.
It's been nine years since Andy Roddick won this thing for what is, and sadly will probably remain, his only Grand Slam title. Roddick's reign as the King of American Tennis is ending. That doesn't mean he doesn't have another U.S. Open run in him. The future King of American Tennis is John Isner. Isner's desperate to be known for something other than that 70-68 match at Wimbledon. He's in that section of the draw without one of the Big Three. Isner's never going to have a better chance at his Grand Slam breakthrough.
I'd also keep my eye on Juan Martin Del Potro. Del Potro won in 2009, becoming the first player ever to beat Nadal and Federer back-to-back at a Slam, but has been limited by injuries ever since. Del Potro is back, though. He lost that incredible Olympic semifinal to Roger, then came back the following day to beat Djokovic for the bronze. If form holds, Djokovic-Del Potro will be the can't-miss quarterfinal. Same goes for the Andy Murray-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga semifinal. I'd like Tsonga's chances a little better if he wasn't in Murray's quarter.
Who are we kidding here? Even though there's only three instead of four, you can still typecast the semifinalists. The fourth one is the question, though. Again, this is Isner's best chance to finally make that Grand Slam breakthrough. I'm taking him, although I also like Mikhail Youzhy in that section of the draw. Djokovic lucks out by avoiding all of the other heavy hitters, which means anything less than the finals would be a disappointment. As for the other semi, it'll be more competitive than the Olympic final, but I think the result will be the same. Murray over Federer. And, like I said, 2012 just might be the Year of Murray. Making the Wimbledon final was the hard part. Winning the U.S. Open? Child's play. We might not have to wait much longer for Andy Murray's first Grand Slam title. Maybe just two more weeks.
Friday, August 24, 2012
It's Not the Tour de USA
Congratulations USADA. You've finally hooked your white whale. After striking out miserably against Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, you did it. You got the big fish. You got your "victory." You "took down" Lance Armstrong. Except, did you really?
The USADA is taking Armstrong's decision not to fight their charges against him as an admission of guilt. It's too bad this isn't the U.S. judicial system, where people are actually innocent until proven guilty. That's why the federal case against Armstrong that was based on almost the exact same "evidence" the USADA has (which includes a lot of hearsay) was dropped after two years.
Armstrong's actual reason for not taking on the USADA seems simple enough. He's been fighting doping allegations for 15 years. He's tired of it. He doesn't want to continue the same fight for another two-plus years when it's not going to make any difference. The court of public opinion, for the most part, has decided he's guilty of something. Never mind the fact that he never failed a test in his entire cycling career. That's not going to change. There are also a number of people who will continue to be on Armstrong's side. That's not going to change, either.
There are a number of things about this situation that bother me. None moreso than the USADA's announcement that they'll strip Armstrong of his seven consecutive Tour de France titles. Let me get this straight, the UNITED STATES Anti-Doping Agency is going to "take away" his Tour de FRANCE titles. Somebody should let them know that they have no jurisdiction over the race and thus absolutely no authority to do that. I hate it that the best example I can think of to prove my point is golf, but that's like the people who run the course at Pebble Beach "stripping" Tiger Woods of his Masters titles. I think there would be some people at Augusta National who had something to say about that. Just like I bet there are probably some people at the International Cycling Union and the Amaury Sport Organization (the people who actually run the Tour de France) who have an opinion on the USADA's "decision." They might agree with it and strip him of his titles. But it's their decision, not the USADA's. (Do they want all of his ESPYs and his 2002 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, too?)
Furthermore, would removing Armstrong's name from the record books actually prove anything? People will still remember him making those grueling climbs through the Alps and Pyrenees each July. They'll still remember those victory rides down the Champs Elysees and "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing as he put on the yellow jersey one last time. Does anybody know who finished second to Armstrong in any of those years? Exactly. (Jan Ullrich, who actually has failed a drug test, stands to gain four Tour de France victories. There's some sort of twisted irony in that.)
This is like when the NCAA tries to rewrite history by vacating wins. So, since Memphis was never there, Kansas beat nobody in the 2008 championship game? And does that also mean 112 teams now didn't lose to Penn State? But I digress.
I'm also not exactly sure what the USADA was trying to prove here. They handed a lifetime ban to a guy who hasn't competed in two years. Wow, that'll show him! Who next? Joe Paterno? They also went after somebody for something he may or may not have done 15 years ago. Does it really matter anymore? Most people don't even care whether or not he did anything. Of all the Armstrong articles I've read in the past two days, the best was by ESPN.com's Jim Caple. His conclusion summed up the whole situation perfectly:
We must test. But we also must draw a line somewhere. And going after athletes for something they might have done seven to 13 years ago clearly crosses that line. Stripping Armstrong of his titles does far more harm than good. USADA should have let this one go. The agency exists to police sports, not destroy them.
Rather than investing so much money and effort chasing an athlete from the previous decade, perhaps we should be more focused on catching the current cheats.
The most disgusting part of the Lance Armstrong-USADA saga is that they went after him for no good reason. It was 100 percent a witch hunt. Even the judge that threw out Armstrong's countersuit against the USADA said so, questioning the organization's timing and motives. Maybe they were simply out to make a name for themselves. Mission accomplished. People have actually heard of the USADA now.
Think what you want about Lance Armstrong and his cycling career, but his legacy is, and always will be, about so much more than cycling anyway. It's about his courageous battle with, and ultimately overcoming, cancer. It's about the hope he's given to hundreds of thousands of other cancer patients. It's about his Livestrong Foundation. It's about the $500 million he's raised for cancer research. Lance Armstrong still is, and will remain, a hero to thousands. He knows that.
Maybe that's why he gave up a fight he was never going to "win" anyway. Like he said, he's tired of fighting it. And maybe that will finally bring Lance Armstrong some peace. Regardless of what you think about him, you have to agree that, at the very least, Lance Armstrong deserves that.
P.S.-Did it ever occur to anyone that one of these positive tests the USADA has among its "evidence" might be from a drug that he was given as a part of his cancer treatment?
The USADA is taking Armstrong's decision not to fight their charges against him as an admission of guilt. It's too bad this isn't the U.S. judicial system, where people are actually innocent until proven guilty. That's why the federal case against Armstrong that was based on almost the exact same "evidence" the USADA has (which includes a lot of hearsay) was dropped after two years.
Armstrong's actual reason for not taking on the USADA seems simple enough. He's been fighting doping allegations for 15 years. He's tired of it. He doesn't want to continue the same fight for another two-plus years when it's not going to make any difference. The court of public opinion, for the most part, has decided he's guilty of something. Never mind the fact that he never failed a test in his entire cycling career. That's not going to change. There are also a number of people who will continue to be on Armstrong's side. That's not going to change, either.
There are a number of things about this situation that bother me. None moreso than the USADA's announcement that they'll strip Armstrong of his seven consecutive Tour de France titles. Let me get this straight, the UNITED STATES Anti-Doping Agency is going to "take away" his Tour de FRANCE titles. Somebody should let them know that they have no jurisdiction over the race and thus absolutely no authority to do that. I hate it that the best example I can think of to prove my point is golf, but that's like the people who run the course at Pebble Beach "stripping" Tiger Woods of his Masters titles. I think there would be some people at Augusta National who had something to say about that. Just like I bet there are probably some people at the International Cycling Union and the Amaury Sport Organization (the people who actually run the Tour de France) who have an opinion on the USADA's "decision." They might agree with it and strip him of his titles. But it's their decision, not the USADA's. (Do they want all of his ESPYs and his 2002 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, too?)
Furthermore, would removing Armstrong's name from the record books actually prove anything? People will still remember him making those grueling climbs through the Alps and Pyrenees each July. They'll still remember those victory rides down the Champs Elysees and "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing as he put on the yellow jersey one last time. Does anybody know who finished second to Armstrong in any of those years? Exactly. (Jan Ullrich, who actually has failed a drug test, stands to gain four Tour de France victories. There's some sort of twisted irony in that.)
This is like when the NCAA tries to rewrite history by vacating wins. So, since Memphis was never there, Kansas beat nobody in the 2008 championship game? And does that also mean 112 teams now didn't lose to Penn State? But I digress.
I'm also not exactly sure what the USADA was trying to prove here. They handed a lifetime ban to a guy who hasn't competed in two years. Wow, that'll show him! Who next? Joe Paterno? They also went after somebody for something he may or may not have done 15 years ago. Does it really matter anymore? Most people don't even care whether or not he did anything. Of all the Armstrong articles I've read in the past two days, the best was by ESPN.com's Jim Caple. His conclusion summed up the whole situation perfectly:
We must test. But we also must draw a line somewhere. And going after athletes for something they might have done seven to 13 years ago clearly crosses that line. Stripping Armstrong of his titles does far more harm than good. USADA should have let this one go. The agency exists to police sports, not destroy them.
Rather than investing so much money and effort chasing an athlete from the previous decade, perhaps we should be more focused on catching the current cheats.
The most disgusting part of the Lance Armstrong-USADA saga is that they went after him for no good reason. It was 100 percent a witch hunt. Even the judge that threw out Armstrong's countersuit against the USADA said so, questioning the organization's timing and motives. Maybe they were simply out to make a name for themselves. Mission accomplished. People have actually heard of the USADA now.
Think what you want about Lance Armstrong and his cycling career, but his legacy is, and always will be, about so much more than cycling anyway. It's about his courageous battle with, and ultimately overcoming, cancer. It's about the hope he's given to hundreds of thousands of other cancer patients. It's about his Livestrong Foundation. It's about the $500 million he's raised for cancer research. Lance Armstrong still is, and will remain, a hero to thousands. He knows that.
Maybe that's why he gave up a fight he was never going to "win" anyway. Like he said, he's tired of fighting it. And maybe that will finally bring Lance Armstrong some peace. Regardless of what you think about him, you have to agree that, at the very least, Lance Armstrong deserves that.
P.S.-Did it ever occur to anyone that one of these positive tests the USADA has among its "evidence" might be from a drug that he was given as a part of his cancer treatment?
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Dissecting the Deadline Deals (NL)
The other day I offered my opinion on the moves made (or, in some cases, not made) at the trade deadline by the various American League contenders. All of the headline-making transactions seemed to involve National League clubs, though. For the most part, it seemed like those NL teams that did make moves were the ones doing the selling. With a few exceptions, the main playoff contenders pretty much stood pat. This could make for an interesting month of September.
The bottom-dwelling team that was the most active at the trade deadline was the Philadelphia Phillies. After four straight NL East titles, this has been a lost year for the Phillies. They've acknowledged that, and they pretty much waived the white flag on July 31. In the span of a few hours on deadline day, the Phillies traded 2/3 of their starting outfield. And as a result of those deals, the NL West race is going to be a lot more interesting.
Hunter Pence, who was Philadelphia's big trade deadline prize just a year ago, is now a member of the San Francisco Giants. As usual, the Giants have been offensively challenged so far this season. Swapping Nate Schierholtz for Pence, who can at least provide some power behind Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, should help a little. San Francisco also added Marco Scutaro, formerly of the division-rival Rockies, who's been on a tear since he joined the Giants. Of course, that whole Melky Cabrera failed drug test, fake website, 50-game suspension thing really screwed up any master plans the Giants might've had. I wouldn't be surprised if they made another move before rosters freeze on September 1.
I think the big winners in the Phillies-to-NL West fire sale was the Dodgers, though. Their big push was for Ryan Dempster, who ended up going to Texas. But the LA rotation is good enough to hold its own, and the pitching staff was also bolstered by the addition of a former Phillie--Joe Blanton. But Victorino was the big prize. The Dodgers needed a leadoff hitter. Problem solved. Their outfield defense was also incredibly improved by adding a third Gold Glover to go along with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier (their two best players). Of course, the addition of Victorino meant Bobby Abreu was jettisoned by his second LA-based club this season, but Abreu's not the player he once was. It also means less playing time for another former Angel, Juan Rivera. I'll take Shane Victorino over either of those guys any day.
The Dodgers actually struck first a couple days before the deadline by picking up Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate from the Marlins. You knew that Ramirez and Jose Reyes weren't going to coexist in Miami for very long, and with the investment the Marlins made in Reyes, it certainly looked like Hanley was going to be the one to go. He needed a change of scenery, and the Dodgers are a perfect fit. Choate was a nice throw-in, giving them a veteran lefty in the bullpen. The bigger bullpen move they made, though, was getting former Mariners closer Brandon League. With League setting up for Chad Billingsley, that Dodgers bullpen is formidable. I think these moves made the Dodgers a legitimate World Series contender.
Another surprising buyer, and it's great to see them adding rather than subtracting at the deadline, was the Pittsburgh Pirates. They got Travis Snider from the Blue Jays, which doesn't make much sense since they already had Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Jose Tabata in the outfield, and Gaby Sanchez from the Marlins. I like the Sanchez move. Pittsburgh can plug him in at first base, a position that opened up when Casey McGehee was traded to the Yankees, who seem to be the Pirates' new favorite trading partner. Perhaps their biggest move, though, was the addition of Wandy Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the most coveted guy at the dedline last year, but ended up staying in Houston. He finally got out of that purgatory and bolstered a Pittsburgh rotation that might actually be good enough for the Pirates to play in October.
Aside from the Phillies, the biggest seller in the National League was the Cubs. Dempster and Geovany Soto both went to Texas, and their other big move was sending Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to the Braves. Atlanta's leading the wild card race (just like they were at this time last year) and is looking to avoid another September collapse. The rotation's going to be a key in making sure that doesn't happen, and Maholm's a good back of the rotation guy. I don't quite get the appeal of Reed Johnson. He's a veteran who can play almost anywhere, but I've never thought he was that good.
Cincinnati didn't do much and didn't need to. The Reds, amazingly, have used only five starters all year, and they have perhaps the most dominant closer in baseball in Aroldis Chapman. Even without Chapman, the bullpen is very, very good, and they only made it better by picking up Jonathan Broxton from the Royals. Making Broxton, the former Dodgers closer, Chapman's setup guy could shorten games the way the Yankees used to during their 1998-2000 dynasty (or like the Nasty Boys did on Cincinnati's last championship team in 1990). And we all know they can hit.
The next team worth mentioning made some very confusing moves at the deadline. I'm talking about the Miami Marlins. I'm among those who thought the Marlins would be a contender at the start of the season. But, like the Phillies, they've disappointed. For some reason, they picked up 65-year-old Carlos Lee from Houston (the Astros no longer have a DH on the roster for that move to the American League next season), but then took on the role of sellers. First they traded Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to Detroit, then they made that aforementioned Ramirez and Choate to the Dodgers trade. Finally, Gaby Sanchez, who lost his first base job to Lee, was sent to the Pirates. The Marlins certainly look like they gave up on this season. But what makes these trades even more confusing is that Miami didn't get much in return, so has some major holes to fill next season. However, they've still got Jose Reyes, Giancarlo Stanton, Logan Morrison and a good pitching staff, so they probably don't need to do much in the offseason.
Finally we have the Washington Nationals. Washington, which has the best record in baseball, was surprisingly quiet. The Nationals, probably wisely, believed that the lineup that's been taking the field all season wasn't going to get any better at the trade deadline. I still would've done something, though. The Nationals' starting lineup is very good. The bench isn't. It also wouldn't have hurt if they'd bolstered their bullpen. But Washington's biggest problem is that no one has any clue how this whole shutting down Strasburg this is going to work out. If that backfires, it doesn't matter how good the Nationals' lineup is. Because they might not be around that long come October.
The bottom-dwelling team that was the most active at the trade deadline was the Philadelphia Phillies. After four straight NL East titles, this has been a lost year for the Phillies. They've acknowledged that, and they pretty much waived the white flag on July 31. In the span of a few hours on deadline day, the Phillies traded 2/3 of their starting outfield. And as a result of those deals, the NL West race is going to be a lot more interesting.
Hunter Pence, who was Philadelphia's big trade deadline prize just a year ago, is now a member of the San Francisco Giants. As usual, the Giants have been offensively challenged so far this season. Swapping Nate Schierholtz for Pence, who can at least provide some power behind Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval, should help a little. San Francisco also added Marco Scutaro, formerly of the division-rival Rockies, who's been on a tear since he joined the Giants. Of course, that whole Melky Cabrera failed drug test, fake website, 50-game suspension thing really screwed up any master plans the Giants might've had. I wouldn't be surprised if they made another move before rosters freeze on September 1.
I think the big winners in the Phillies-to-NL West fire sale was the Dodgers, though. Their big push was for Ryan Dempster, who ended up going to Texas. But the LA rotation is good enough to hold its own, and the pitching staff was also bolstered by the addition of a former Phillie--Joe Blanton. But Victorino was the big prize. The Dodgers needed a leadoff hitter. Problem solved. Their outfield defense was also incredibly improved by adding a third Gold Glover to go along with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier (their two best players). Of course, the addition of Victorino meant Bobby Abreu was jettisoned by his second LA-based club this season, but Abreu's not the player he once was. It also means less playing time for another former Angel, Juan Rivera. I'll take Shane Victorino over either of those guys any day.
The Dodgers actually struck first a couple days before the deadline by picking up Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate from the Marlins. You knew that Ramirez and Jose Reyes weren't going to coexist in Miami for very long, and with the investment the Marlins made in Reyes, it certainly looked like Hanley was going to be the one to go. He needed a change of scenery, and the Dodgers are a perfect fit. Choate was a nice throw-in, giving them a veteran lefty in the bullpen. The bigger bullpen move they made, though, was getting former Mariners closer Brandon League. With League setting up for Chad Billingsley, that Dodgers bullpen is formidable. I think these moves made the Dodgers a legitimate World Series contender.
Another surprising buyer, and it's great to see them adding rather than subtracting at the deadline, was the Pittsburgh Pirates. They got Travis Snider from the Blue Jays, which doesn't make much sense since they already had Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Jose Tabata in the outfield, and Gaby Sanchez from the Marlins. I like the Sanchez move. Pittsburgh can plug him in at first base, a position that opened up when Casey McGehee was traded to the Yankees, who seem to be the Pirates' new favorite trading partner. Perhaps their biggest move, though, was the addition of Wandy Rodriguez. Rodriguez was the most coveted guy at the dedline last year, but ended up staying in Houston. He finally got out of that purgatory and bolstered a Pittsburgh rotation that might actually be good enough for the Pirates to play in October.
Aside from the Phillies, the biggest seller in the National League was the Cubs. Dempster and Geovany Soto both went to Texas, and their other big move was sending Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to the Braves. Atlanta's leading the wild card race (just like they were at this time last year) and is looking to avoid another September collapse. The rotation's going to be a key in making sure that doesn't happen, and Maholm's a good back of the rotation guy. I don't quite get the appeal of Reed Johnson. He's a veteran who can play almost anywhere, but I've never thought he was that good.
Cincinnati didn't do much and didn't need to. The Reds, amazingly, have used only five starters all year, and they have perhaps the most dominant closer in baseball in Aroldis Chapman. Even without Chapman, the bullpen is very, very good, and they only made it better by picking up Jonathan Broxton from the Royals. Making Broxton, the former Dodgers closer, Chapman's setup guy could shorten games the way the Yankees used to during their 1998-2000 dynasty (or like the Nasty Boys did on Cincinnati's last championship team in 1990). And we all know they can hit.
The next team worth mentioning made some very confusing moves at the deadline. I'm talking about the Miami Marlins. I'm among those who thought the Marlins would be a contender at the start of the season. But, like the Phillies, they've disappointed. For some reason, they picked up 65-year-old Carlos Lee from Houston (the Astros no longer have a DH on the roster for that move to the American League next season), but then took on the role of sellers. First they traded Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to Detroit, then they made that aforementioned Ramirez and Choate to the Dodgers trade. Finally, Gaby Sanchez, who lost his first base job to Lee, was sent to the Pirates. The Marlins certainly look like they gave up on this season. But what makes these trades even more confusing is that Miami didn't get much in return, so has some major holes to fill next season. However, they've still got Jose Reyes, Giancarlo Stanton, Logan Morrison and a good pitching staff, so they probably don't need to do much in the offseason.
Finally we have the Washington Nationals. Washington, which has the best record in baseball, was surprisingly quiet. The Nationals, probably wisely, believed that the lineup that's been taking the field all season wasn't going to get any better at the trade deadline. I still would've done something, though. The Nationals' starting lineup is very good. The bench isn't. It also wouldn't have hurt if they'd bolstered their bullpen. But Washington's biggest problem is that no one has any clue how this whole shutting down Strasburg this is going to work out. If that backfires, it doesn't matter how good the Nationals' lineup is. Because they might not be around that long come October.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Dissecting the Deadline Deals (AL)
As you know, I've spent a majority of the past month preoccupied with the goings on in London. As a result, I completely missed the MLB trade deadline. Now that I've finally gotten back into baseball mode and had some time to dissect the deals, I've found that some have worked out better than others.
The most obvious thing that you immediately notice when looking at this year's trade deadline moves is that there were a lot more teams looking to buy and not really that many sellers. With the second wild card now in play and last season's collapses by the Red Sox and Braves, there are only a handful of teams that don't consider themselves contenders. It'll be interesting to see if there are any significant moves made in August as teams start to sort themselves out a little bit more. I'm not entirely sure there will be, but I also wouldn't be surprised if a team like the Phillies tries to dump more salary or a cheap reliever can be found somewhere like San Diego.
There are two teams in the American League that look like they have their tickets to October already punched--the Yankees and Rangers. Both made moves at the deadline, but for different reasons. The Yankees, of course, most notably added Ichiro. Ichiro's not the same player he was five years ago, but he fits in perfectly on a veteran team like the Yankees. And I don't think it's a coincidence that his numbers have been significantly more Ichiro-like since he joined the Yankees. He needed a change of scenery. That, more than anything, explains his dropoff in production over his last few seasons in Seattle.
The Raul Ibanez/Andruw Jones platoon in left field was working and probably would've continued to work for the rest of the season, but the Yankees really missed Brett Gardner at the bottom of the lineup. Ichiro and Gardner are similar players. He's also versatile. Ichiro has already started games at all three outfield positions, allowing Curtis Granderson to actually get a day off here and there or Nick Swisher to play first while Teixeira's wrist has bothered him. And how badly did he want to get out of Seattle and actually play for a good team? He's agreed to play left field (something he'd never done regularly) and hit at the bottom of the order (after being a career leadoff man).
Then, after Alex Rodriguez got hurt, the Yankees pulled the trigger on a deal for Casey McGehee. I'd never heard of Casey McGehee until actually seeing him play twice last year, but I actually think this is a good addition also. Losing A-Rod made Eric Chavez the starter at third base. But Chavez is left-handed and they needed somebody to play third against lefties. McGehee is also competent at first base. But most importantly, he's a nice right-handed option off the bench. That will continue to be true when A-Rod comes back. Lack of depth off the bench has been one of the Yankees' biggest problems over the last two years. This year, the bench can be viewed as a strength.
The third guy the Yankees picked up is Derek Lowe. I'm not really sure what purpose Lowe is designed to serve. My guess is that he's supposed to temporarily fill Freddy Garcia's long-relief role while Freddy takes Andy Pettitte's place in the rotation. With Pedro Feliciano supposedly in the September/October plans (I'll believe it when I see it), that Yankee bullpen is going to be awfully crowded. I doubt Lowe's on the playoff roster.
The team that has represented the American League in each of the last two World Series is the Rangers. Texas was also dealing at the deadline, most notably picking up Ryan Dempster. Along with Roy Oswalt, Dempster was supposed to strengthen the Rangers' most glaring weakness--the starting rotation. However, both pitchers have struggled. I doubt Oswalt is even a consideration come the postseason. Right now, it looks like the Rangers' postseason rotation will be Dempster, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. I'm not saying they can't return to the World Series with that rotation, but I do think they had better pitching staffs in both 2010 and 2011.
The Rangers also got another former Cub, catcher Geovany Soto. Yorvit Torrealba wasn't doing much of anything, but they couldn't get rid of him without getting another catcher. Soto had lost his starting job in Chicago, so he's now Mike Napoli's backup in Texas. It's a slight upgrade over Torrealba, but, for the most part, they're the same player.
The only other significant buyers in the American League were the Los Angeles Angels of Albert Pujols. The Angels managed to snag Zack Greinke, who won the Cy Young a couple years ago in Kansas City and was the ace of the staff on a Milwaukee team that reached the NLCS last season. Greinke hasn't really been what the Angles had hoped, as they continue to move the wrong way in the standings. I thought this team was a favorite for the World Series in the preseason. It's looking more and more everyday like they won't even make the playoffs. Anaheim also activated Vernon Wells from the 60-day disabled list, but I'm not exactly sure what purpose he'll serve since Mike Trout effectively took his job. They can probably get away with putting Trumbo at third, but I'm not sure that makes the Angels better.
In a minor move, the White Sox picked up Francisco Liriano from the Twins, as they try to hold off a Tigers team that's much better than them in the AL Central.
Baltimore and Tampa Bay, interestingly, were quiet. The Rays have a lot of players on the DL, most significantly Evan Longoria, so I can understand why they wouldn't pull the trigger, but the Orioles are a bit of a surprise. Baltimore is actually contending for the first time in years, but has no starting rotation to speak of. I would've thought the Orioles would at least see what's out there in their price range. They likely weren't willing to give up the farm system for what might be a one-year thing, but to have any sort of extended October stay, the Orioles had to upgrade that rotation.
Likewise, Oakland needed to do something. I don't understand how Oakland is this good. Should the A's somehow get to the postseason, I would expect it to be a short stay for them, as well.
So, in the grand scheme of things, I think the Yankees got better and the Rangers pretty much stayed exactly where they were. The big losers, though, were the Angels. Greinke's not the pitcher they were expecting, and that could cost them any chance they had at getting back in the race. Although, with all the talent on that team, I wouldn't be surprised if Anaheim is the American League club that makes a September run.
The most obvious thing that you immediately notice when looking at this year's trade deadline moves is that there were a lot more teams looking to buy and not really that many sellers. With the second wild card now in play and last season's collapses by the Red Sox and Braves, there are only a handful of teams that don't consider themselves contenders. It'll be interesting to see if there are any significant moves made in August as teams start to sort themselves out a little bit more. I'm not entirely sure there will be, but I also wouldn't be surprised if a team like the Phillies tries to dump more salary or a cheap reliever can be found somewhere like San Diego.
There are two teams in the American League that look like they have their tickets to October already punched--the Yankees and Rangers. Both made moves at the deadline, but for different reasons. The Yankees, of course, most notably added Ichiro. Ichiro's not the same player he was five years ago, but he fits in perfectly on a veteran team like the Yankees. And I don't think it's a coincidence that his numbers have been significantly more Ichiro-like since he joined the Yankees. He needed a change of scenery. That, more than anything, explains his dropoff in production over his last few seasons in Seattle.
The Raul Ibanez/Andruw Jones platoon in left field was working and probably would've continued to work for the rest of the season, but the Yankees really missed Brett Gardner at the bottom of the lineup. Ichiro and Gardner are similar players. He's also versatile. Ichiro has already started games at all three outfield positions, allowing Curtis Granderson to actually get a day off here and there or Nick Swisher to play first while Teixeira's wrist has bothered him. And how badly did he want to get out of Seattle and actually play for a good team? He's agreed to play left field (something he'd never done regularly) and hit at the bottom of the order (after being a career leadoff man).
Then, after Alex Rodriguez got hurt, the Yankees pulled the trigger on a deal for Casey McGehee. I'd never heard of Casey McGehee until actually seeing him play twice last year, but I actually think this is a good addition also. Losing A-Rod made Eric Chavez the starter at third base. But Chavez is left-handed and they needed somebody to play third against lefties. McGehee is also competent at first base. But most importantly, he's a nice right-handed option off the bench. That will continue to be true when A-Rod comes back. Lack of depth off the bench has been one of the Yankees' biggest problems over the last two years. This year, the bench can be viewed as a strength.
The third guy the Yankees picked up is Derek Lowe. I'm not really sure what purpose Lowe is designed to serve. My guess is that he's supposed to temporarily fill Freddy Garcia's long-relief role while Freddy takes Andy Pettitte's place in the rotation. With Pedro Feliciano supposedly in the September/October plans (I'll believe it when I see it), that Yankee bullpen is going to be awfully crowded. I doubt Lowe's on the playoff roster.
The team that has represented the American League in each of the last two World Series is the Rangers. Texas was also dealing at the deadline, most notably picking up Ryan Dempster. Along with Roy Oswalt, Dempster was supposed to strengthen the Rangers' most glaring weakness--the starting rotation. However, both pitchers have struggled. I doubt Oswalt is even a consideration come the postseason. Right now, it looks like the Rangers' postseason rotation will be Dempster, Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. I'm not saying they can't return to the World Series with that rotation, but I do think they had better pitching staffs in both 2010 and 2011.
The Rangers also got another former Cub, catcher Geovany Soto. Yorvit Torrealba wasn't doing much of anything, but they couldn't get rid of him without getting another catcher. Soto had lost his starting job in Chicago, so he's now Mike Napoli's backup in Texas. It's a slight upgrade over Torrealba, but, for the most part, they're the same player.
The only other significant buyers in the American League were the Los Angeles Angels of Albert Pujols. The Angels managed to snag Zack Greinke, who won the Cy Young a couple years ago in Kansas City and was the ace of the staff on a Milwaukee team that reached the NLCS last season. Greinke hasn't really been what the Angles had hoped, as they continue to move the wrong way in the standings. I thought this team was a favorite for the World Series in the preseason. It's looking more and more everyday like they won't even make the playoffs. Anaheim also activated Vernon Wells from the 60-day disabled list, but I'm not exactly sure what purpose he'll serve since Mike Trout effectively took his job. They can probably get away with putting Trumbo at third, but I'm not sure that makes the Angels better.
In a minor move, the White Sox picked up Francisco Liriano from the Twins, as they try to hold off a Tigers team that's much better than them in the AL Central.
Baltimore and Tampa Bay, interestingly, were quiet. The Rays have a lot of players on the DL, most significantly Evan Longoria, so I can understand why they wouldn't pull the trigger, but the Orioles are a bit of a surprise. Baltimore is actually contending for the first time in years, but has no starting rotation to speak of. I would've thought the Orioles would at least see what's out there in their price range. They likely weren't willing to give up the farm system for what might be a one-year thing, but to have any sort of extended October stay, the Orioles had to upgrade that rotation.
Likewise, Oakland needed to do something. I don't understand how Oakland is this good. Should the A's somehow get to the postseason, I would expect it to be a short stay for them, as well.
So, in the grand scheme of things, I think the Yankees got better and the Rangers pretty much stayed exactly where they were. The big losers, though, were the Angels. Greinke's not the pitcher they were expecting, and that could cost them any chance they had at getting back in the race. Although, with all the talent on that team, I wouldn't be surprised if Anaheim is the American League club that makes a September run.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The Strasburg Dilemma
Now that the Olympics are over, my focus in the sports world is once again baseball. At least for a few weeks until football season starts (sidebar: Cablevision randomly picked up NFL Network yesterday). Anyway, the trade deadline has come and gone, and the pennant races are starting to heat up. As stupid as I think it is, the second wild card has added a whole new level of intrigue to the final six weeks of the season, since so many more teams consider themselves "in the race" than even last year. The most interesting of those teams is the Washington Nationals.
As impossible as it seems, the Nationals have the best record in baseball. Yet Washington still plans to shut down Stephen Strasburg when he reaches his club-imposed innings limit, which should be sometime in early September. This is one of the stupidest ideas by any team that I've ever heard. There isn't a single person who thinks this is a good idea oustide of about four people within the Nationals organization.
On the surface, you can't entirely blame the Nationals for wanting to protect Strasburg. They spent a lot of money on him and want to make sure he'll still be able to play 10 years down the road. He's a year removed from Tommy John surgery and he's never thrown this many innings before. They've seen guys like Mark Prior and Kerry Wood break down because they threw too many innings too early in their careers and they don't want that to happen to Strasburg.
But common sense has to come into play here. Strasburg is Washington's best pitcher. Why would any team voluntarily shut down its best pitcher, while healthy, in the middle of a pennant race? Especially since winning the division has taken on such greater importance this season. It's not as if the Nationals are running away with the NL East. They might get caught by the Braves even if Strasburg were to make all of his remaining starts. And they might be able to shut him down and still hold off Atlanta. But why take the chance? Likewise, do you want to go into a one-game playoff without Strasburg available? That wild card game is a do-or-die situation. I want the best guy available pitching.
Nothing against Gio Gonzalez or any other Nationals starter, but I think even they would agree that the most intimidating pitcher on that staff is Stephen Strasburg. Should Washington get stuck in the wild card game, whoever they're playing has to be thrilled about the prospect of facing any other Nationals pitcher. Especially if that team's a San Francisco throwing Matt Cain or the Pirates and A.J. Burnett.
Of course, the Nationals would argue that there isn't much of a dropoff between starters 1-5 in their rotation. Washington has the best team ERA in baseball, and the starting rotation is considered the team's strength. Gio Gonzalez joined Strasburg on the All-Star team, and Jordan Zimmermann's 2.38 ERA is the best in the National League. They've also got Edwin Jackson, who won a ring with the Cardinals last year. I'd feel really good with those three and Strasburg going into a playoff series.
If you take Strasburg out of the equation, Washington's rotation becomes very different. You're left with Ross Detwiler or John Lannan as the fourth starter (Chien-Ming Wang's been on the DL since the end of June and only made seven starts all year). Lannan was a regular in that rotation for the last four years and was even considered the ace of Washington's staff a few years ago, but he was relegated to Triple-A this season (probably only as a casualty of having minor league options the other guys didn't have) and has only made two starts in the Majors. That speaks to the Nationals' pitching depth, but it's also risky to go with a guy who hasn't pitched in the Majors all year as one of your playoff starters. I'd still go with Lannan over Detwiler, though.
The Nationals probably think they're good enough to shut down Strasburg and survive the stretch run. They might be. But it's a risk to say the least. And it's one that might not be worth taking. Furthermore, they owe it to their fans. This is the first time since they moved to Washington that the Nationals have been good. (The franchise hasn't been this good since the ill-fated 1994 season that was the beginning of the end for the Expos.) There hasn't been playoff baseball at all in Washington since the Senators were in the 1933 World Series. That's 40 years of losing before 35 more of not even having a team.
It certainly looks like the Nationals are going to end that drought this season. But who knows if it's going to happen again? You know the Phillies are going to be back next season, and the Marlins certainly have the look of a contender. This could very well be a one-year thing. And if it is, why not go for broke? Baseball fans in Washington deserve it. With Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals are a World Series contender. Without him, they're out in the first round.
As impossible as it seems, the Nationals have the best record in baseball. Yet Washington still plans to shut down Stephen Strasburg when he reaches his club-imposed innings limit, which should be sometime in early September. This is one of the stupidest ideas by any team that I've ever heard. There isn't a single person who thinks this is a good idea oustide of about four people within the Nationals organization.
On the surface, you can't entirely blame the Nationals for wanting to protect Strasburg. They spent a lot of money on him and want to make sure he'll still be able to play 10 years down the road. He's a year removed from Tommy John surgery and he's never thrown this many innings before. They've seen guys like Mark Prior and Kerry Wood break down because they threw too many innings too early in their careers and they don't want that to happen to Strasburg.
But common sense has to come into play here. Strasburg is Washington's best pitcher. Why would any team voluntarily shut down its best pitcher, while healthy, in the middle of a pennant race? Especially since winning the division has taken on such greater importance this season. It's not as if the Nationals are running away with the NL East. They might get caught by the Braves even if Strasburg were to make all of his remaining starts. And they might be able to shut him down and still hold off Atlanta. But why take the chance? Likewise, do you want to go into a one-game playoff without Strasburg available? That wild card game is a do-or-die situation. I want the best guy available pitching.
Nothing against Gio Gonzalez or any other Nationals starter, but I think even they would agree that the most intimidating pitcher on that staff is Stephen Strasburg. Should Washington get stuck in the wild card game, whoever they're playing has to be thrilled about the prospect of facing any other Nationals pitcher. Especially if that team's a San Francisco throwing Matt Cain or the Pirates and A.J. Burnett.
Of course, the Nationals would argue that there isn't much of a dropoff between starters 1-5 in their rotation. Washington has the best team ERA in baseball, and the starting rotation is considered the team's strength. Gio Gonzalez joined Strasburg on the All-Star team, and Jordan Zimmermann's 2.38 ERA is the best in the National League. They've also got Edwin Jackson, who won a ring with the Cardinals last year. I'd feel really good with those three and Strasburg going into a playoff series.
If you take Strasburg out of the equation, Washington's rotation becomes very different. You're left with Ross Detwiler or John Lannan as the fourth starter (Chien-Ming Wang's been on the DL since the end of June and only made seven starts all year). Lannan was a regular in that rotation for the last four years and was even considered the ace of Washington's staff a few years ago, but he was relegated to Triple-A this season (probably only as a casualty of having minor league options the other guys didn't have) and has only made two starts in the Majors. That speaks to the Nationals' pitching depth, but it's also risky to go with a guy who hasn't pitched in the Majors all year as one of your playoff starters. I'd still go with Lannan over Detwiler, though.
The Nationals probably think they're good enough to shut down Strasburg and survive the stretch run. They might be. But it's a risk to say the least. And it's one that might not be worth taking. Furthermore, they owe it to their fans. This is the first time since they moved to Washington that the Nationals have been good. (The franchise hasn't been this good since the ill-fated 1994 season that was the beginning of the end for the Expos.) There hasn't been playoff baseball at all in Washington since the Senators were in the 1933 World Series. That's 40 years of losing before 35 more of not even having a team.
It certainly looks like the Nationals are going to end that drought this season. But who knows if it's going to happen again? You know the Phillies are going to be back next season, and the Marlins certainly have the look of a contender. This could very well be a one-year thing. And if it is, why not go for broke? Baseball fans in Washington deserve it. With Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals are a World Series contender. Without him, they're out in the first round.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Best of the Olympics (British Edition)
Today I'll finally put the London Olympics to rest with Part III of the "Best Of..." series. These Games were wonderful and the Brits proved to be gracious hosts. After some early worries, the home team ended up doing quite well for themselves, too. Enough moments to provide memories for a lifetime. And with that, here are my 10 favourites...
Best Day: Day 8
Without question. This was almost immediately dubbed the "Greatest Day In British Sports History." "God Save the Queen" was played six times that day, capped by an incredible 45 minutes at Olympic Stadium where Great Britain won three gold medals in track & field. The British gold medalists on Day 8 were Jessica Ennis (heptathlon), Mo Farah (10,000 meters), Greg Rutherford (long jump), as well as teams in the women's team pursuit (cycling), where they threw in a world record to boot, women's lightweight double sculls (rowing) and men's four (rowing).
Most Impressive Double: Mo Farah
He had a lot of pressure on him to win the 10,000 meters, especially after taking silver in the event at the 2011 World Championships. In an epic race, Farah got it done, outkicking training partner Galen Rupp to win the gold in front of 60,000 screaming fans. That was the perfect capper to that perfect day for the Brits on the track. Then a week later, in an even better race, Farah stormed from behind down the final stretch to take the 5000 and complete the double.
Best Performance Under Pressure: Jessica Ennis
If there was more pressure on any British athlete other than Mo Farah, it was Jessica Ennis. Anything less than gold in the heptathlon for Ennis, one of the Faces of the Games leading into London, would've been considered a major disappointment. Instead of cracking under the pressure, Ennis thrived under it. She set a heptathlon world record in the first event, the 100 meter hurdles, and had a 200-point lead after day one. Ennis basically just had to finish the 800 to clinch the gold, but she put an exclamation point on the victory by winning the event and setting a national record.
Biggest Breakthrough: Andy Murray
A month after playing in the Wimbledon final, Murray and Roger Federer returned to Centre Court with Olympic gold on the line. Roger won Wimbledon, but this was the Olympics. Thousands of enthusiastic fans waving the British flag gave Murray the boost he needed to post the most impressive victory of his career (as I predicted back in January). It wasn't even close. It wasn't Murray winning Wimbledon. But it was close enough. Later that day, he picked up a silver in mixed doubles with Laura Robson.
Best Royal Sighting: Equestrian Team Eventing Medals Ceremony
Will, Kate and Harry were everywhere. The Queen showed up at swimming. And Charles and Camilla greeted the cyclists before the start of the men's road race. But the top royal moment has to be the team eventing competition in equestrian. The entire royal family was there to support Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter. She won a silver as a part of the British team. The coolest part, though, was the medals ceremony. Zara received her medal from her mother, Princess Anne, who was an Olympian herself in 1976. I can't decide which part of that I think is the coolest. Regardless, it was pretty special.
Biggest Surprise: Men's Gymnastics Team
The Brits have been rapidly improving in gymnastics over the past few years, but there's no way that even they could've seen this coming. China and Japan went 1-2 in the men's team final. No surprise there. But the bronze didn't go to one of the normal powerhouses like Russia or Ukraine or the United States. Nope, it went to Great Britain. Then Louis Smith and Max Whitlock added individual medals by going 2-3 in the pommel horse. These guys had the O2 Arena rocking. With good reason.
Biggest Disappointment: Mark Cavendish
It seems cruel to call anybody on the British team the "Biggest Disappointment," but they had to wait four days for a gold medal and didn't medal at all on Day 1. However, they thought they'd get a gold in one of the first events of the Games--the men's road race. Everything was set up for Mark Cavendish, who dominates these type of stages in the Tour de France. But he didn't get it done. Of course, that was quickly forgotten.
Biggest Redemption: Tom Daley
I think Tom Daley was unfairly treated after he and Peter Waterfield finished fourth in the synchronized platform diving event. I guess that's what happens when the fans are expecting nothing short of gold from you. How satisfying was it then, to watch the individual platform final? Daley, the 2009 world champion, was one of the favorites. He entered the final dive in the lead, just .15 poitns ahead of American David Boudia and China's Qiu Bo. Daley nailed his final dive, but Boudia and Qiu passed him because of greater degree of difficulty. Daley got the bronze, and celebrated as if it was gold in his eyes. More importantly, it was gold in the crowd's eyes, too.
Hottest: Zara Dampney
Once again, we end with the most important award, and it goes to somebody who played at Horse Guards Parade. When the British press found out that the FIVB changed the rules and the women weren't required to wear only bikinis anymore, they started freaking out. They even asked the British team to promise they'd wear bikinis. (This is the same team that made headlines last year when they sold advertising space on their bikini bottoms.) Now I know why they were so worried. Zara Dampney is HOT!!!! I made it a point to watch their first match because the British team had never before qualified for Olympic beach volleyball. I then made it a point to watch their three remaining matches. Unlike the international hottest award that went to Czech beach volleyball player Marketa Slukova, this one wasn't even close. Dampney had it locked up the second I saw her. To top it off, she's smart. She has a law degree from the University of Sheffield.
Best Day: Day 8
Without question. This was almost immediately dubbed the "Greatest Day In British Sports History." "God Save the Queen" was played six times that day, capped by an incredible 45 minutes at Olympic Stadium where Great Britain won three gold medals in track & field. The British gold medalists on Day 8 were Jessica Ennis (heptathlon), Mo Farah (10,000 meters), Greg Rutherford (long jump), as well as teams in the women's team pursuit (cycling), where they threw in a world record to boot, women's lightweight double sculls (rowing) and men's four (rowing).
Most Impressive Double: Mo Farah
He had a lot of pressure on him to win the 10,000 meters, especially after taking silver in the event at the 2011 World Championships. In an epic race, Farah got it done, outkicking training partner Galen Rupp to win the gold in front of 60,000 screaming fans. That was the perfect capper to that perfect day for the Brits on the track. Then a week later, in an even better race, Farah stormed from behind down the final stretch to take the 5000 and complete the double.
Best Performance Under Pressure: Jessica Ennis
If there was more pressure on any British athlete other than Mo Farah, it was Jessica Ennis. Anything less than gold in the heptathlon for Ennis, one of the Faces of the Games leading into London, would've been considered a major disappointment. Instead of cracking under the pressure, Ennis thrived under it. She set a heptathlon world record in the first event, the 100 meter hurdles, and had a 200-point lead after day one. Ennis basically just had to finish the 800 to clinch the gold, but she put an exclamation point on the victory by winning the event and setting a national record.
Biggest Breakthrough: Andy Murray
A month after playing in the Wimbledon final, Murray and Roger Federer returned to Centre Court with Olympic gold on the line. Roger won Wimbledon, but this was the Olympics. Thousands of enthusiastic fans waving the British flag gave Murray the boost he needed to post the most impressive victory of his career (as I predicted back in January). It wasn't even close. It wasn't Murray winning Wimbledon. But it was close enough. Later that day, he picked up a silver in mixed doubles with Laura Robson.
Best Royal Sighting: Equestrian Team Eventing Medals Ceremony
Will, Kate and Harry were everywhere. The Queen showed up at swimming. And Charles and Camilla greeted the cyclists before the start of the men's road race. But the top royal moment has to be the team eventing competition in equestrian. The entire royal family was there to support Zara Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter. She won a silver as a part of the British team. The coolest part, though, was the medals ceremony. Zara received her medal from her mother, Princess Anne, who was an Olympian herself in 1976. I can't decide which part of that I think is the coolest. Regardless, it was pretty special.
Biggest Surprise: Men's Gymnastics Team
The Brits have been rapidly improving in gymnastics over the past few years, but there's no way that even they could've seen this coming. China and Japan went 1-2 in the men's team final. No surprise there. But the bronze didn't go to one of the normal powerhouses like Russia or Ukraine or the United States. Nope, it went to Great Britain. Then Louis Smith and Max Whitlock added individual medals by going 2-3 in the pommel horse. These guys had the O2 Arena rocking. With good reason.
Biggest Disappointment: Mark Cavendish
It seems cruel to call anybody on the British team the "Biggest Disappointment," but they had to wait four days for a gold medal and didn't medal at all on Day 1. However, they thought they'd get a gold in one of the first events of the Games--the men's road race. Everything was set up for Mark Cavendish, who dominates these type of stages in the Tour de France. But he didn't get it done. Of course, that was quickly forgotten.
Biggest Redemption: Tom Daley
I think Tom Daley was unfairly treated after he and Peter Waterfield finished fourth in the synchronized platform diving event. I guess that's what happens when the fans are expecting nothing short of gold from you. How satisfying was it then, to watch the individual platform final? Daley, the 2009 world champion, was one of the favorites. He entered the final dive in the lead, just .15 poitns ahead of American David Boudia and China's Qiu Bo. Daley nailed his final dive, but Boudia and Qiu passed him because of greater degree of difficulty. Daley got the bronze, and celebrated as if it was gold in his eyes. More importantly, it was gold in the crowd's eyes, too.
Best Venue: Horse Guards Parade
It was almost unfair to all other Olympic cities that these Games were held in London. No other place is able to utilize historical, legendary venues like Wimbledon and Old Trafford, while also taking advantage of the picturesque, scenic views that only one of the world's great cities can offer. Horse Guards Parade provided both. They built a 15,000-seat beach volleyball stadium in the prime minister's backyard, across the street from Buckingham Palace, with Big Ben and the London Eye in the background. The place was rocking for two weeks and provided one of the most amazing views of London anybody could ever hope to see. (Rio's holding beach volleyball on the historic Copacabana Beach, which, I have a feeling, will be just as breathtaking.)
Hottest: Zara Dampney
Once again, we end with the most important award, and it goes to somebody who played at Horse Guards Parade. When the British press found out that the FIVB changed the rules and the women weren't required to wear only bikinis anymore, they started freaking out. They even asked the British team to promise they'd wear bikinis. (This is the same team that made headlines last year when they sold advertising space on their bikini bottoms.) Now I know why they were so worried. Zara Dampney is HOT!!!! I made it a point to watch their first match because the British team had never before qualified for Olympic beach volleyball. I then made it a point to watch their three remaining matches. Unlike the international hottest award that went to Czech beach volleyball player Marketa Slukova, this one wasn't even close. Dampney had it locked up the second I saw her. To top it off, she's smart. She has a law degree from the University of Sheffield.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Best of the Olympics (International Edition)
Yesterday I revealed my favorite moments from the London Olympics by American athletes. Today it's time for the rest of the world with one exception. Our tremendous British hosts did an amazing job in all aspects during the past two weeks, which makes them worthy of a blog post all their own. As for the non-American, non-British athletes...
Biggest Star: Usain Bolt
Let's start with the easy one. Bolt's celebrity leaped into the stratosphere with what he did in Beijing. There were some questions about whether or not he'd actually be able to provide an encore in London. Especially after losing twice at the Jamaican Olympic Trials. He's still the best. He made that abundantly clear in London. An unprecedented double triple, giving him six career gold medals. As Ato Boldon said on the NBC telecast, "Usain Bolt is, without question, the greatest sprinter of all-time."
Biggest Disappointment: Spanish Men's Soccer Team
Spain has won the last three major championships--Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. This was the under-23 team, not the senior team, but Spain was still considered a gold medal contender in London. Instead, they were eliminated in group play without even scoring a goal. Against Japan, Honduras and Morocco!
Best Performance: David Rudisha
David Rudisha came into the Olympics as one of the biggest favorites in any event. He said his goal was to set a world record in the 800 meters. And he did it! I don't think I've ever seen a more impressive effort by an individual in an Olympic final, including Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson. Even more impressive, he ran an incredible 1:40.91 without a pacesetter. And that was just an appetizer for the people who came to Olympic Stadium to see Bolt in the 200 that night.
Best Moves: Ezekiel Kemboi
Kemboi, Rudisha's Kenyan teammate gets this award for his dance after winning the men's steeplechase. I'm not really sure how to describe the dance, but it was damn entertaining.
Most Impressive Double: Oussama Mellouli
Mellouli won a gold medal in the 1500 meter freestyle in Beijing, and took the bronze in that event in London. As if that wasn't enough, he also entered the 10 kilometer marathon swim a week later...and won the gold. Tunisia won three medals in London. Mellouli grabbed two of them.
Biggest Surprise: French Women's Basketball Team
I would say that, at best, France had the fifth-best women's basketball team in the tournament. Without question, the two best teams in its group were Australia and Russia, the silver and bronze medalists in Beijing. Yet it was France that ended group play undefeated, handing Australia its first Olympic loss to someone other than the United States since 1996 and beating Russia in overtime. (This is the same team that needed a three-pointer at the end of overtime to beat Great Britain!) And the luck continued in the medal round, as France beat the Czech Republic (which I think is a better team) in the quarters, then won a rematch with Russia in the semis. They got slaughtered by Diana Taurasi and Co. in the gold medal game, but they knew that was going to happen and were elated with silver.
Breakout Star: Chad le Clos
A lot of young swimmers had breakthrough performances in London, but le Clos might be the most promising of the bunch. Why? He beat Michael Phelps. In Phelps' signature event. In the final of the 200 meter butterfly, a race Phelps hadn't lost in 10 years, le Clos made a late charge and out-touched Phelps by .05 seconds, doing to Phelps what Phelps had done to Milorad Cavic four years ago. He later added a silver behind Phelps in the 100 butterfly. With Phelps retiring, le Clos might be the next big thing in the butterfly. Sure, he admitted to "cheating" during his gold medal-winning race. But if he dolphin kicked for too long and the judges didn't see it, more power to him. No harm, no foul in my opinion.
Best Finish: French Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay Team
This was the race where Jason Lezak's incredible anchor leg kept alive Michael Phelps's chances to go 8-for-8 in Beijing. In London, the roles were reversed. It was the United States that had the big lead and France doing the chasing. And things played out exactly the same way four years later--except this time it was French anchor Yannick Agnel catching Ryan Lochte on the anchor to bring home the gold. American media got all over Lochte after the race, but I think it was karmic payback. All the stars were aligned for Michael Phelps in 2008. In 2012, the French finally got the gold that they probably should've won four years ago.
Best Comeback: Russian Men's Volleyball
This doubles up as our best game, and it was one of the final events of the Olympics. Brazil won the first two sets in the gold medal match and had three match points in the third. The Russians saved them all, eventually winning the set 29-27 before taking the fourth 25-22 to send the match into a decisive fifth set. By then, the Russians were in complete control. They won the final frame 15-9 to win their first gold medal in the sport since 1980, when they were still the Soviet Union. (In a very similar match, the Russians also came back from 2-0 down to beat the United States in pool play, but the final was a classic.)
And finally, we have the most important category of all. There are so many candidates for this one that the runners-up have to be mentioned. Of course there's gourgeous Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice (the 2008 winner) and all of the usual suspects in tennis (Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Caroline Wozniacki, that Greek goddess Maria Sharapova). Marija Vrsaljko, the Croatian basketball player, also has to be in the discussion. So do Russian gymnasts Aliya Mustafina and Victoria Komova (and Romania's Catalina Ponor for that matter). The beach volleyball players wear bikinis, which automatically puts most of them in the running. And don't even get me started on all the hotties in track & field. It's a tough category, but there can only be one winner. So, without further ado, here we go...
Hottest: Marketa Slukova
I'm going with this 24-year-old Czech cutie. She and her partner, Kristyna Kolocova, authored one of the Olympics' biggest upsets when they beat the Brazilian team of Talita and Maria in the round of 16 before losing to Jen Kessy and April Ross in the quarters. The match against the Brazilians is when I first fell in love with Marketa Slukova. Boy was I late to the party! (I didn't even realize until after the fact that they played Kerri and Misty during pool play.) The unexpected hotness of Marketa Slukova helped put her over the top and give her the gold medal in this very important, if unofficial, Olympic event.
Biggest Star: Usain Bolt
Let's start with the easy one. Bolt's celebrity leaped into the stratosphere with what he did in Beijing. There were some questions about whether or not he'd actually be able to provide an encore in London. Especially after losing twice at the Jamaican Olympic Trials. He's still the best. He made that abundantly clear in London. An unprecedented double triple, giving him six career gold medals. As Ato Boldon said on the NBC telecast, "Usain Bolt is, without question, the greatest sprinter of all-time."
Biggest Disappointment: Spanish Men's Soccer Team
Spain has won the last three major championships--Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. This was the under-23 team, not the senior team, but Spain was still considered a gold medal contender in London. Instead, they were eliminated in group play without even scoring a goal. Against Japan, Honduras and Morocco!
Best Performance: David Rudisha
David Rudisha came into the Olympics as one of the biggest favorites in any event. He said his goal was to set a world record in the 800 meters. And he did it! I don't think I've ever seen a more impressive effort by an individual in an Olympic final, including Usain Bolt and Michael Johnson. Even more impressive, he ran an incredible 1:40.91 without a pacesetter. And that was just an appetizer for the people who came to Olympic Stadium to see Bolt in the 200 that night.
Best Moves: Ezekiel Kemboi
Kemboi, Rudisha's Kenyan teammate gets this award for his dance after winning the men's steeplechase. I'm not really sure how to describe the dance, but it was damn entertaining.
Most Impressive Double: Oussama Mellouli
Mellouli won a gold medal in the 1500 meter freestyle in Beijing, and took the bronze in that event in London. As if that wasn't enough, he also entered the 10 kilometer marathon swim a week later...and won the gold. Tunisia won three medals in London. Mellouli grabbed two of them.
Biggest Surprise: French Women's Basketball Team
I would say that, at best, France had the fifth-best women's basketball team in the tournament. Without question, the two best teams in its group were Australia and Russia, the silver and bronze medalists in Beijing. Yet it was France that ended group play undefeated, handing Australia its first Olympic loss to someone other than the United States since 1996 and beating Russia in overtime. (This is the same team that needed a three-pointer at the end of overtime to beat Great Britain!) And the luck continued in the medal round, as France beat the Czech Republic (which I think is a better team) in the quarters, then won a rematch with Russia in the semis. They got slaughtered by Diana Taurasi and Co. in the gold medal game, but they knew that was going to happen and were elated with silver.
Breakout Star: Chad le Clos
A lot of young swimmers had breakthrough performances in London, but le Clos might be the most promising of the bunch. Why? He beat Michael Phelps. In Phelps' signature event. In the final of the 200 meter butterfly, a race Phelps hadn't lost in 10 years, le Clos made a late charge and out-touched Phelps by .05 seconds, doing to Phelps what Phelps had done to Milorad Cavic four years ago. He later added a silver behind Phelps in the 100 butterfly. With Phelps retiring, le Clos might be the next big thing in the butterfly. Sure, he admitted to "cheating" during his gold medal-winning race. But if he dolphin kicked for too long and the judges didn't see it, more power to him. No harm, no foul in my opinion.
Best Finish: French Men's 4x100 Freestyle Relay Team
This was the race where Jason Lezak's incredible anchor leg kept alive Michael Phelps's chances to go 8-for-8 in Beijing. In London, the roles were reversed. It was the United States that had the big lead and France doing the chasing. And things played out exactly the same way four years later--except this time it was French anchor Yannick Agnel catching Ryan Lochte on the anchor to bring home the gold. American media got all over Lochte after the race, but I think it was karmic payback. All the stars were aligned for Michael Phelps in 2008. In 2012, the French finally got the gold that they probably should've won four years ago.
Best Comeback: Russian Men's Volleyball
This doubles up as our best game, and it was one of the final events of the Olympics. Brazil won the first two sets in the gold medal match and had three match points in the third. The Russians saved them all, eventually winning the set 29-27 before taking the fourth 25-22 to send the match into a decisive fifth set. By then, the Russians were in complete control. They won the final frame 15-9 to win their first gold medal in the sport since 1980, when they were still the Soviet Union. (In a very similar match, the Russians also came back from 2-0 down to beat the United States in pool play, but the final was a classic.)
And finally, we have the most important category of all. There are so many candidates for this one that the runners-up have to be mentioned. Of course there's gourgeous Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice (the 2008 winner) and all of the usual suspects in tennis (Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Caroline Wozniacki, that Greek goddess Maria Sharapova). Marija Vrsaljko, the Croatian basketball player, also has to be in the discussion. So do Russian gymnasts Aliya Mustafina and Victoria Komova (and Romania's Catalina Ponor for that matter). The beach volleyball players wear bikinis, which automatically puts most of them in the running. And don't even get me started on all the hotties in track & field. It's a tough category, but there can only be one winner. So, without further ado, here we go...
Hottest: Marketa Slukova
I'm going with this 24-year-old Czech cutie. She and her partner, Kristyna Kolocova, authored one of the Olympics' biggest upsets when they beat the Brazilian team of Talita and Maria in the round of 16 before losing to Jen Kessy and April Ross in the quarters. The match against the Brazilians is when I first fell in love with Marketa Slukova. Boy was I late to the party! (I didn't even realize until after the fact that they played Kerri and Misty during pool play.) The unexpected hotness of Marketa Slukova helped put her over the top and give her the gold medal in this very important, if unofficial, Olympic event.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Best of the Olympics (American Edition)
Sadly, the Olympics have come to an end. And what a show they were! Well done, London. As I was trying to think of what I should blog about, way too many ideas came to mind. So, instead I decided to do a kind of hodgepodge. These are some my favorite/most memorable/greatest moments of the 2012 Olympics. Today, it's the American edition. The international version comes out tomorrow.
Best Play: Alex Morgan
There were so many candidates for this one: McKayla Maroney's perfect vault in the team final, Kerri Walsh Jennings's ridiculous bump-kill against China in the semifinals, David Boudia's gold medal-clinching final dive, Russell Westbrook's monster dunk against Argentina. But the honor has to go to Alex Morgan for her game-winning header against Canada in the semifinals. The game was a classic and the goal brought back memories of last year's World Cup. Then, of course, the U.S. got redemption against Japan in the gold medal game two days later.
Best Uniform: Aly Raisman
I spent a lot of pre-Olympic time criticizing the various Team USA uniforms, I figured I'd give a shout out to the best one that I actually saw in London. And it goes to Aly Raisman, who won two gold medals that night as far as I'm concerned--one in the floor exercise, one for the best USA leotard since 1996.
Best Reaction: McKayla Maroney
Is anyone else even close? Maroney's reaction on the medals stand after the vault final was classic. She certainly didn't seem satisfied with silver. And the Photoshopped pictures of her with that look in various different historical settings are phenomenal! It's like playing Where's Waldo.
Biggest Redemption: Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross
They both came to London with glaring holes on their resumes. Neither one had an individual Olympic gold. Richards-Ross took care of that when she ran the perfect race in the final of the 400 meters, then Felix finally got her 200-meter gold three days later.
Most Impressive Performance: Women's 4x100 Meter Medley Relay Team
What happens when you put four gold medalists, three of whom are world record-holders, on the same relay team? Well, we saw what happens. Another world record. For all the record-breaking performances by American athletes in London, the one by Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt was the best.
Biggest Clutch Performance: Manteo Mitchell
Again, plenty of candidates. But Manteo Mitchell's performance stands out above the rest. When he ran the opening leg of the 4x400-meter relay heat, his split of 46 seconds seemed terrible at the time. Then we found out he broke his leg halfway through, yet kept running anyway. He was every bit as responsible for that silver medal as the four athletes that ran the final.
Most Heartbreaking Moment: Morgan Uceny
Jordyn Wieber was the clubhouse leader in this category for a while, but how can you not be devastated by what happened to Morgan Uceny? In a position to medal, she fell on the final lap of the women's 1500-meter final. It was reminiscent of Mary Slaney in 1984. What makes it even more heartbreaking is that the exact same thing happened to Uceny in last year's World Championships.
Best Farewell: Michael Phelps
Remember back on Day 1 when Ryan Lochte won the 400 IM, Phelps finished fourth, and we all thought he was "done?" Well, I guess we were wrong, weren't we? Phelps broke the all-time record with his 19th Olympic medal while anchoring the 4x200 freestyle relay team to gold, and that was just the beginning. The final numbers: 22 Olympic medals--18 gold, two silver, two bronze. Fittingly, his final race was a golden conclusion. And as it turns out, with six medals, Phelps was the most decorated Olympian in London. The Greatest Olympic Champion of all-time went out on top. As weird as it will be to not see him in Rio, it's even weirder to think that Michael Phelps is a 27-year-old retiree.
Best Play: Alex Morgan
There were so many candidates for this one: McKayla Maroney's perfect vault in the team final, Kerri Walsh Jennings's ridiculous bump-kill against China in the semifinals, David Boudia's gold medal-clinching final dive, Russell Westbrook's monster dunk against Argentina. But the honor has to go to Alex Morgan for her game-winning header against Canada in the semifinals. The game was a classic and the goal brought back memories of last year's World Cup. Then, of course, the U.S. got redemption against Japan in the gold medal game two days later.
Best Uniform: Aly Raisman
I spent a lot of pre-Olympic time criticizing the various Team USA uniforms, I figured I'd give a shout out to the best one that I actually saw in London. And it goes to Aly Raisman, who won two gold medals that night as far as I'm concerned--one in the floor exercise, one for the best USA leotard since 1996.
Best Reaction: McKayla Maroney
Is anyone else even close? Maroney's reaction on the medals stand after the vault final was classic. She certainly didn't seem satisfied with silver. And the Photoshopped pictures of her with that look in various different historical settings are phenomenal! It's like playing Where's Waldo.
Biggest Redemption: Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross
They both came to London with glaring holes on their resumes. Neither one had an individual Olympic gold. Richards-Ross took care of that when she ran the perfect race in the final of the 400 meters, then Felix finally got her 200-meter gold three days later.
Most Impressive Performance: Women's 4x100 Meter Medley Relay Team
What happens when you put four gold medalists, three of whom are world record-holders, on the same relay team? Well, we saw what happens. Another world record. For all the record-breaking performances by American athletes in London, the one by Missy Franklin, Dana Vollmer, Rebecca Soni and Allison Schmitt was the best.
Biggest Clutch Performance: Manteo Mitchell
Again, plenty of candidates. But Manteo Mitchell's performance stands out above the rest. When he ran the opening leg of the 4x400-meter relay heat, his split of 46 seconds seemed terrible at the time. Then we found out he broke his leg halfway through, yet kept running anyway. He was every bit as responsible for that silver medal as the four athletes that ran the final.
Most Heartbreaking Moment: Morgan Uceny
Jordyn Wieber was the clubhouse leader in this category for a while, but how can you not be devastated by what happened to Morgan Uceny? In a position to medal, she fell on the final lap of the women's 1500-meter final. It was reminiscent of Mary Slaney in 1984. What makes it even more heartbreaking is that the exact same thing happened to Uceny in last year's World Championships.
Best Team: Women's Water Polo
The U.S. won four gold medals in team sports, but three of those teams (men's and women's basketball, women's soccer) always win. The women's water polo team, on the other hand, had medaled in every previous Olympics, but never won gold, going silver-bronze-silver in Sydney, Athens and Beijing. That finally changed in London. I think it's also safe to say that water polo is NBC's new favorite sport, and listening to Doc Emrick doing the games was certainly a treat as well.
Breakout Star: Missy Franklin
Gabby Douglas was tremendous, but I highly doubt we're going to see her in Rio. Missy Franklin, on the other hand, is going to pick up right where Michael Phelps left off. Coming into London, she was supposed to be the next big thing in swimming. And boy did she deliver! Five medals, including four golds, and a world record in the 200 meter backstroke. The most impressive thing is that she won the gold in the 100 backstroke just 15 minutes after her 200 freestyle semi!
Biggest Star You've Never Heard Of: Kim Rhode
Rhode set a world record in the skeet shooting competition, hitting 99 of the 100 targets. It was the fifth straight Olympics in which she won a medal, starting all the way back in Atlanta.
Best Farewell: Michael Phelps
Remember back on Day 1 when Ryan Lochte won the 400 IM, Phelps finished fourth, and we all thought he was "done?" Well, I guess we were wrong, weren't we? Phelps broke the all-time record with his 19th Olympic medal while anchoring the 4x200 freestyle relay team to gold, and that was just the beginning. The final numbers: 22 Olympic medals--18 gold, two silver, two bronze. Fittingly, his final race was a golden conclusion. And as it turns out, with six medals, Phelps was the most decorated Olympian in London. The Greatest Olympic Champion of all-time went out on top. As weird as it will be to not see him in Rio, it's even weirder to think that Michael Phelps is a 27-year-old retiree.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Girl Power
Sorry for the cheesy title, but I couldn't resist. For some reason, I'm really excited about that Spice Girls reunion during the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. But it's also an appropriate description of how these Olympics have gone. Perhaps appropriately in the first Olympics where the women outnumber the men on the U.S. team, the girls have been kicking ass so far...and leaving the boys in their wake.
Let's start in track & field, which is usually the domain of the American team. More specifically, let's go to the sprints. In the three sprint events (100, 200, 400), the U.S. men won a grand total of one medal. Of course, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake had a lot to do with that, but this marked the first time in Olympic history that no American man was in the final of the 400 meters. Shut out in the 400 meter hurdles, too, after sweeping the event in Beijing. Fortunately, Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson salvaged some American diginity by going 1-2 in the 110 hurdles. Those will be the only sprint medals for the American men pending the relays.
Now let's compare that to the women. In the same five events, the women's team won eight medals. Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross got their Olympic gold medals at long last, while Carmelita Jeter won medals in both the 100 (silver) and 200 (bronze). Meanwhile, Dawn Harper (the defending Olympic champion), Kellie Wells and Lolo Jones went 2-3-4 in the 100 hurdles and Lashinda Demus won a silver in the 400 hurdles that would've been gold if the race was five meters longer. (Overall, this has been an incredibly successful Olympics across the board for the entire U.S. track team, but that's a different post for a different day.)
The women were mighty impressive in the pool, too. In 16 events, the U.S. women's swim team won 14 medals, including eight gold. Missy Franklin became a star with four golds and five medals overall, capping it off with a world record in the 200 backstroke. Allison Schmitt, meanwhile, won three golds and a silver, and 15-year-old Katie Ledecky set an Olympic record in the 800 freestyle. Rebecca Soni (200 breaststroke) and Dana Vollmer (100 butterfly) set world records in their gold medal-winning swims, then got together with Franklin and Schmitt to set another in the medley relay.
And how about that gymnastics team! They were supposed to win the team gold medal, and they did. The fact that they were the best team in the world was made even more clear when Jordyn Wieber didn't make the all-around despite finishing fourth in qualifying because Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman were second and third. Douglas then won the all-around and McKayla Maroney was disappointed with a silver medal in the vault. But the star turned out to be Raisman. She left London with three medals, picking up an individual gold in the floor exercise and a bronze on the balance beam.
On the beach, there was no stopping Kerri and Misty's date with destiny. The surprise was that gold medal No. 3 came after an All-American final against the equally awesome Jen Kessy and April Ross, who upset the top-ranked Brazilians in an incredible semifinal. Likewise, Serena Williams continued her dominance at the lawns of Wimbledon. A month after winning her fourth Wimbledon title, Serena won Olympic gold by demolishing Maria Sharapova on Centre Court. She added doubles gold with Venus, their third in as many trips to the Olympics.
The U.S. men's boxing team had its worst performance in history, coming home without a single medal. It's a good thing they added women's boxing to the Olympics this year, then. Because Claressa Shields and Marlen Esparza picked up the slack. Shields won the middleweight title, while Esparza got a bronze in the flyweight division. Meanwhile, Kayla Harrison won the U.S.'s first-ever gold medal in judo.
But the story has really been the team sports. Within a few minutes of each other this afternoon, the U.S. won gold in both women's soccer and women's water polo. The soccer team has captured America's hearts all over again with that thrilling semifinal win over Canada, then getting a measure of revenge for last year's World Cup final by beating Japan for the gold medal. The U.S. has won four of the five Olympic gold medals in women's soccer, including the last three. The theme of these Games is "Inspire a Generation." Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach were in the studio with Dan Patrick yesterday, and Alex agreed with Dan's assessment that her generation was inspired by the 1996-99 team, just like this year's team will do the exact same thing.
The women's water polo team has medaled at every Olympics since the sport was introduced in Sydney, but this was their first gold. (NBC totally needs to create a professional water polo league just so they can have Doc Emrick call the games during the middle of the afternoon.) And the U.S. women are guaranteed to pick up two more medals on Saturday. Diana Taurasi and Co. seem like a lock for the fifth straight U.S. gold in basketball. They've made it look easy while extending the Olympic winning streak to 40. And the top-ranked volleyball team will try to win America's first ever gold in a rematch of the 2008 final against Brazil.
It's fitting that these Olympics fell in Title IX's 40th-anniversary year. American women are dominating the Olympics. Because they've gotten opportunities at home. And it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon.
Let's start in track & field, which is usually the domain of the American team. More specifically, let's go to the sprints. In the three sprint events (100, 200, 400), the U.S. men won a grand total of one medal. Of course, Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake had a lot to do with that, but this marked the first time in Olympic history that no American man was in the final of the 400 meters. Shut out in the 400 meter hurdles, too, after sweeping the event in Beijing. Fortunately, Aries Merritt and Jason Richardson salvaged some American diginity by going 1-2 in the 110 hurdles. Those will be the only sprint medals for the American men pending the relays.
Now let's compare that to the women. In the same five events, the women's team won eight medals. Allyson Felix and Sanya Richards-Ross got their Olympic gold medals at long last, while Carmelita Jeter won medals in both the 100 (silver) and 200 (bronze). Meanwhile, Dawn Harper (the defending Olympic champion), Kellie Wells and Lolo Jones went 2-3-4 in the 100 hurdles and Lashinda Demus won a silver in the 400 hurdles that would've been gold if the race was five meters longer. (Overall, this has been an incredibly successful Olympics across the board for the entire U.S. track team, but that's a different post for a different day.)
The women were mighty impressive in the pool, too. In 16 events, the U.S. women's swim team won 14 medals, including eight gold. Missy Franklin became a star with four golds and five medals overall, capping it off with a world record in the 200 backstroke. Allison Schmitt, meanwhile, won three golds and a silver, and 15-year-old Katie Ledecky set an Olympic record in the 800 freestyle. Rebecca Soni (200 breaststroke) and Dana Vollmer (100 butterfly) set world records in their gold medal-winning swims, then got together with Franklin and Schmitt to set another in the medley relay.
And how about that gymnastics team! They were supposed to win the team gold medal, and they did. The fact that they were the best team in the world was made even more clear when Jordyn Wieber didn't make the all-around despite finishing fourth in qualifying because Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman were second and third. Douglas then won the all-around and McKayla Maroney was disappointed with a silver medal in the vault. But the star turned out to be Raisman. She left London with three medals, picking up an individual gold in the floor exercise and a bronze on the balance beam.
On the beach, there was no stopping Kerri and Misty's date with destiny. The surprise was that gold medal No. 3 came after an All-American final against the equally awesome Jen Kessy and April Ross, who upset the top-ranked Brazilians in an incredible semifinal. Likewise, Serena Williams continued her dominance at the lawns of Wimbledon. A month after winning her fourth Wimbledon title, Serena won Olympic gold by demolishing Maria Sharapova on Centre Court. She added doubles gold with Venus, their third in as many trips to the Olympics.
The U.S. men's boxing team had its worst performance in history, coming home without a single medal. It's a good thing they added women's boxing to the Olympics this year, then. Because Claressa Shields and Marlen Esparza picked up the slack. Shields won the middleweight title, while Esparza got a bronze in the flyweight division. Meanwhile, Kayla Harrison won the U.S.'s first-ever gold medal in judo.
But the story has really been the team sports. Within a few minutes of each other this afternoon, the U.S. won gold in both women's soccer and women's water polo. The soccer team has captured America's hearts all over again with that thrilling semifinal win over Canada, then getting a measure of revenge for last year's World Cup final by beating Japan for the gold medal. The U.S. has won four of the five Olympic gold medals in women's soccer, including the last three. The theme of these Games is "Inspire a Generation." Alex Morgan and Abby Wambach were in the studio with Dan Patrick yesterday, and Alex agreed with Dan's assessment that her generation was inspired by the 1996-99 team, just like this year's team will do the exact same thing.
The women's water polo team has medaled at every Olympics since the sport was introduced in Sydney, but this was their first gold. (NBC totally needs to create a professional water polo league just so they can have Doc Emrick call the games during the middle of the afternoon.) And the U.S. women are guaranteed to pick up two more medals on Saturday. Diana Taurasi and Co. seem like a lock for the fifth straight U.S. gold in basketball. They've made it look easy while extending the Olympic winning streak to 40. And the top-ranked volleyball team will try to win America's first ever gold in a rematch of the 2008 final against Brazil.
It's fitting that these Olympics fell in Title IX's 40th-anniversary year. American women are dominating the Olympics. Because they've gotten opportunities at home. And it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
God Save the Queen
These London Olympics have certainly been memorable, haven't they? And they've been memorable for a number of reasons. It has to be a thrill for the athletes and fans alike for the competitions to be at some of London's most historic venues, and the views of the city at certain events have been breathtaking (how about that view from beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade?). But what I'll remember most is the performance of the home team.
Remember back in the beginning of the Olympics when the British fans were freaking out because they didn't have any gold medals yet? Yeah, well, so much for that. We all knew that the Brits were going to be very successful at their home Olympics, but this is ridiculous. Their goal was to finish fourth in the medal standings. At this point, I'd be shocked if they didn't finish third. (It's eerie how similar this is to Canada's performance in Vancouver.)
Everyone started to panic when Mark Cavendish didn't win the men's road race on the opening day of the Games. In fact, they were shut out entirely on day one. Elizabeth Armitstead won the first medal with a silver in the women's road race, but the floodgates didn't really open until Wednesday, when they were blown off their freakin' hinges. The first gold came in women's rowing (the first in British Olympic history), followed by another from Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins in the men's time trial. Turns out that was just the beginning.
Great Britain has dominated the sports it's traditionally strong at: equestrian (where the Queen's granddaughter won a silver medal that was presented by her mother, Princess Anne), rowing, cycling and sailing (the "sitting down sports" as that guy told Mary Carillo in her piece last night), as well as track & field. But we've also seen breakthroughs in sports like gymnastics and whitewater canoeing (they went 1-2 in men's doubles). And, for the first time in 52 years, we saw a combined British soccer team.
But all of that pales in comparion to Saturday. Saturday is being called the "Greatest Day In British Sporting History." They won six gold medals, more than any other single-day in British Olympic history, which goes all the way back to the first Games in 1896.
Saturday night is one of those magical Olympic days that will be remembered for a long time. I don't recall there ever being an Olympics where one day went so well for the home team. At Olympic Stadium, Great Britain won three gold medals in a span of about 45 minutes. Coming into the Games, no athlete had more pressure on them than Jessica Ennis. She delivered. Big time. Ennis blew out the field in the heptathlon (setting a heptathlon world record in the first event, the 100-meter hurdles) and capped it off by finishing first in the final event, the 800 meters.
That came just before the men's long jump finished. The unexpected winner there was Greg Rutherford, another Brit. Then it was the final of the men's 10,000 meters, featuring Mo Farah, who was under just as much pressure to win gold as Ennis. Well, he came through, too, charging to the lead down the final stretch and holding off the challenge of the Kenyans and Ethiopians. The winner of the silver? Galen Rupp of the United States, Farah's training partner.
As if that wasn't enough, you had Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer at Centre Court Wimbledon on Sunday. I've never heard this much buzz about an Olympic tennis final. (I think it's hilarious how NBC treated it like actual Wimbledon and used their Wimbledon studio, broadcast position and broadcast team, even though they don't have the rights to Wimbledon anymore.) This is the match that proved once and for all that professional tennis players DO belong in the Olympics and DO want to be there.
Anyway, we saw this already. A month ago, Federer beat Murray in the Wimbledon final. But this wasn't Wimbledon. This was the Olympics. The British fans were actually allowed to wildly cheer for Murray, and he used that energy. Not only did he win, he blew Roger out. It wasn't winning Wimbledon, but it was close enough. Andy Murray won Olympic gold for Great Britain on Centre Court (as predicted by this blog in January). A sleeping giant may have been awakened. Oh yeah, he was back on Centre Court a few hours later for the mixed doubles final, taking silver with Laura Robson.
I've also had fun playing the game "Where at the Olympics Is the Royal Family?" I think it's safe to say that Will, Kate and Harry have been enjoying the Games. Seriously, what event haven't they been at? The best part is that they're not being "royals" right now. They're being regular young, sport-loving people who want to cheer on the home team. (Of course, being royals doesn't hurt, since it means they get to go to whatever they want and even hang out with the athletes.) One pressing question continues to bother me, though. Where's Pippa?
Remember back in the beginning of the Olympics when the British fans were freaking out because they didn't have any gold medals yet? Yeah, well, so much for that. We all knew that the Brits were going to be very successful at their home Olympics, but this is ridiculous. Their goal was to finish fourth in the medal standings. At this point, I'd be shocked if they didn't finish third. (It's eerie how similar this is to Canada's performance in Vancouver.)
Everyone started to panic when Mark Cavendish didn't win the men's road race on the opening day of the Games. In fact, they were shut out entirely on day one. Elizabeth Armitstead won the first medal with a silver in the women's road race, but the floodgates didn't really open until Wednesday, when they were blown off their freakin' hinges. The first gold came in women's rowing (the first in British Olympic history), followed by another from Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins in the men's time trial. Turns out that was just the beginning.
Great Britain has dominated the sports it's traditionally strong at: equestrian (where the Queen's granddaughter won a silver medal that was presented by her mother, Princess Anne), rowing, cycling and sailing (the "sitting down sports" as that guy told Mary Carillo in her piece last night), as well as track & field. But we've also seen breakthroughs in sports like gymnastics and whitewater canoeing (they went 1-2 in men's doubles). And, for the first time in 52 years, we saw a combined British soccer team.
But all of that pales in comparion to Saturday. Saturday is being called the "Greatest Day In British Sporting History." They won six gold medals, more than any other single-day in British Olympic history, which goes all the way back to the first Games in 1896.
Saturday night is one of those magical Olympic days that will be remembered for a long time. I don't recall there ever being an Olympics where one day went so well for the home team. At Olympic Stadium, Great Britain won three gold medals in a span of about 45 minutes. Coming into the Games, no athlete had more pressure on them than Jessica Ennis. She delivered. Big time. Ennis blew out the field in the heptathlon (setting a heptathlon world record in the first event, the 100-meter hurdles) and capped it off by finishing first in the final event, the 800 meters.
That came just before the men's long jump finished. The unexpected winner there was Greg Rutherford, another Brit. Then it was the final of the men's 10,000 meters, featuring Mo Farah, who was under just as much pressure to win gold as Ennis. Well, he came through, too, charging to the lead down the final stretch and holding off the challenge of the Kenyans and Ethiopians. The winner of the silver? Galen Rupp of the United States, Farah's training partner.
As if that wasn't enough, you had Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer at Centre Court Wimbledon on Sunday. I've never heard this much buzz about an Olympic tennis final. (I think it's hilarious how NBC treated it like actual Wimbledon and used their Wimbledon studio, broadcast position and broadcast team, even though they don't have the rights to Wimbledon anymore.) This is the match that proved once and for all that professional tennis players DO belong in the Olympics and DO want to be there.
Anyway, we saw this already. A month ago, Federer beat Murray in the Wimbledon final. But this wasn't Wimbledon. This was the Olympics. The British fans were actually allowed to wildly cheer for Murray, and he used that energy. Not only did he win, he blew Roger out. It wasn't winning Wimbledon, but it was close enough. Andy Murray won Olympic gold for Great Britain on Centre Court (as predicted by this blog in January). A sleeping giant may have been awakened. Oh yeah, he was back on Centre Court a few hours later for the mixed doubles final, taking silver with Laura Robson.
I've also had fun playing the game "Where at the Olympics Is the Royal Family?" I think it's safe to say that Will, Kate and Harry have been enjoying the Games. Seriously, what event haven't they been at? The best part is that they're not being "royals" right now. They're being regular young, sport-loving people who want to cheer on the home team. (Of course, being royals doesn't hurt, since it means they get to go to whatever they want and even hang out with the athletes.) One pressing question continues to bother me, though. Where's Pippa?
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