What I’ll be watching this week is the comeback attempt of Pedro Martinez. Pedro signed a one year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this month, and is currently on the 15 day disabled list, throwing in minor league games as he works his way back to the big leagues.
Pedro is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, so it’s easy to see the Phillies attraction. He has given numerous virtuoso performances, with my personal favorite being his dismantling of the Cleveland Indians, as he heroically trotted out of the bullpen in the 1999 playoffs.
While he won’t be pitching at that level anymore, he still brings a wealth of pitching knowledge to Philadelphia’s staff. Imparting his wisdom on young pitchers like Cole Hamels and J. A. Happ could be an invaluable contribution for the fightin’ Phils.
The real question however, is whether or not Pedro has enough left in the gas tank to be an effective major league starter. There have been multiple cases in which a once great starter failed spectacularly in a comeback attempt. See Tom Seaver, David Cone…and (gulp) John Smoltz. Whether Pedro can succeed where so many other great pitchers have failed remains to be seen.
Regardless of how it all shakes out, I’m glad he is back. Pedro is nothing if not entertaining. He is a showman through and through, whether he is threatening to wake up the Bambino and drill him in the backside, or opining about his days underneath the Mango tree. His starts are no longer appointment viewing, but that doesn’t matter. Baseball is more fun with Pedro involved.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Vick Dillemma
What I’ll be watching this week is the Michael Vick soap opera as it continues to unfold. Vick’s federal sentence for dog-fighting ends this Monday, clearing him of a major hurdle in his attempt to be re-instated into the NFL. Another roadblock remains however, as he still needs to get the approval of football’s new dean of discipline, Roger Goodell. No easy feat considering earlier this week Goodell went on record saying “Not everyone deserves a second chance.” (Did you catch that Pacman?)
What Vick did was incredibly wrong, and he suffered the appropriate consequences. 18 months in Leavenworth is hardly the Club Med type treatment most celebrities in this country get when they break the law. Now that he’s paid his debt to society, it’s up to Goodell to decide whether or not Vick’s punishment is up to NFL standards. Both Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson faced additional punishment at the hands of the NFL after completing their punishment from the authorities.
Ironically, considering he committed a crime against dogs, it’s the Wild-Cat formation that makes Vick such an intriguing player for a lot of teams. The formation was made for a man of his talents, but before he gets that chance, he has to convince the tough as nails Goodell that he has remorse for his actions. The fact that he worked a construction job and has vowed to work with animal groups will win him no favor in Goodell’s eyes. He will have to do it in a yet to be scheduled face to face meeting with the commish. Vick has spent his whole career dodging oncoming rushers, but this may be the one sack he simply can’t avoid.
What Vick did was incredibly wrong, and he suffered the appropriate consequences. 18 months in Leavenworth is hardly the Club Med type treatment most celebrities in this country get when they break the law. Now that he’s paid his debt to society, it’s up to Goodell to decide whether or not Vick’s punishment is up to NFL standards. Both Pacman Jones and Tank Johnson faced additional punishment at the hands of the NFL after completing their punishment from the authorities.
Ironically, considering he committed a crime against dogs, it’s the Wild-Cat formation that makes Vick such an intriguing player for a lot of teams. The formation was made for a man of his talents, but before he gets that chance, he has to convince the tough as nails Goodell that he has remorse for his actions. The fact that he worked a construction job and has vowed to work with animal groups will win him no favor in Goodell’s eyes. He will have to do it in a yet to be scheduled face to face meeting with the commish. Vick has spent his whole career dodging oncoming rushers, but this may be the one sack he simply can’t avoid.
Roger Federer
What I’ll be watching this week is Roger Federer on his quest to become the undisputed greatest tennis player of all time. He is currently rolling through the Raphael Nadal-less Wimbledon field, and a win will give him his record breaking 15th Grand Slam title.
Federer has been as dominant as any athlete this decade, including Tiger Woods. He currently owns three Australian Open Titles, five Wimbledon titles, five consecutive U.S. Open titles, and capped off the career Grand Slam earlier this year with his first French Open title.
His dominance is not limited only to major tournaments, however. He has 59 career victories on the professional tour, and a career winning percentage of an eye popping 80.7 percent. He is the tours leading money winner of all time with over 48 million dollars in career earnings. He held the number one ranking in the world for 237 consecutive weeks before finally losing it to Raphael Nadal.
Federer detractors will point to his struggles against Nadal, who has a 13-7 career record against Federer, including a 5-2 mark in Grand Slam finals. Most of these losses came on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where Nadal is nearly unbeatable. There is no denying Federer’s consistency however, as he has reached at least the semi-finals in 20 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, which is a span of almost 5 years.
Federer is going to win this week, and it will be his 6th Wimbledon title in 7 years. He will do it without much fanfare, but make no mistake. He is a once in a generation athlete, climbing to heights that nobody has ever reached in his sport. Quite simply, he is the best ever.
Federer has been as dominant as any athlete this decade, including Tiger Woods. He currently owns three Australian Open Titles, five Wimbledon titles, five consecutive U.S. Open titles, and capped off the career Grand Slam earlier this year with his first French Open title.
His dominance is not limited only to major tournaments, however. He has 59 career victories on the professional tour, and a career winning percentage of an eye popping 80.7 percent. He is the tours leading money winner of all time with over 48 million dollars in career earnings. He held the number one ranking in the world for 237 consecutive weeks before finally losing it to Raphael Nadal.
Federer detractors will point to his struggles against Nadal, who has a 13-7 career record against Federer, including a 5-2 mark in Grand Slam finals. Most of these losses came on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where Nadal is nearly unbeatable. There is no denying Federer’s consistency however, as he has reached at least the semi-finals in 20 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, which is a span of almost 5 years.
Federer is going to win this week, and it will be his 6th Wimbledon title in 7 years. He will do it without much fanfare, but make no mistake. He is a once in a generation athlete, climbing to heights that nobody has ever reached in his sport. Quite simply, he is the best ever.
Monday, July 27, 2009
The British Open at Turnberry
What I’ll be watching this week is the 149th British Open Championship, taking place on the Turnberry course, located on the Atlantic coast of Scotland. This will be the fourth time the Open Championship has been held at Turnberry, the last coming in 1994 with Nick Faldo emerging victorious. The course is steeped in rich history, with the signature 9th hole, a 449 yard par 4, overlooking the ruins of Robert the Bruce’s castle.
This time around, Padraig Harrington looks to hold off Tiger Woods and the rest of the field (minus Phil Mickelson) as he attempts to win his third straight Claret Jug.
While the history and potential three-peat are great story lines, I’ll be watching for an entirely different reason. The Open Championship is not just the oldest major tournament, it is also arguably the hardest. Call me sadistic, but my favorite part of this tournament will be watching some of the best golfers in the world look like weekend duffers. Turnberry will use razor thin fairways, ridiculously deep rough and even deeper bunkers to frustrate the field into failure. And in case you thought the golfers didn’t have enough to worry about, the weather forecast this week calls for strong winds and rain, much to my twisted delight.
A little known fact about Turnberry- It was temporarily used as an airfield during World War II. While a fighter plane can take off from that rough, a golf ball certainly can’t. The only thing coming out of the deep stuff this week will be clubs thrown from bewildered golfers who just can’t take it anymore. Be still my heart.
Some lucky golfer will conquer Turnberry this week, winning a major championship and creating a career milestone in the process. And that’s all well and good. But me? I’ll be hoping for Christmas in July, complete with a snowman on every scorecard. Birdies are great, but triple bogeys are better.
This time around, Padraig Harrington looks to hold off Tiger Woods and the rest of the field (minus Phil Mickelson) as he attempts to win his third straight Claret Jug.
While the history and potential three-peat are great story lines, I’ll be watching for an entirely different reason. The Open Championship is not just the oldest major tournament, it is also arguably the hardest. Call me sadistic, but my favorite part of this tournament will be watching some of the best golfers in the world look like weekend duffers. Turnberry will use razor thin fairways, ridiculously deep rough and even deeper bunkers to frustrate the field into failure. And in case you thought the golfers didn’t have enough to worry about, the weather forecast this week calls for strong winds and rain, much to my twisted delight.
A little known fact about Turnberry- It was temporarily used as an airfield during World War II. While a fighter plane can take off from that rough, a golf ball certainly can’t. The only thing coming out of the deep stuff this week will be clubs thrown from bewildered golfers who just can’t take it anymore. Be still my heart.
Some lucky golfer will conquer Turnberry this week, winning a major championship and creating a career milestone in the process. And that’s all well and good. But me? I’ll be hoping for Christmas in July, complete with a snowman on every scorecard. Birdies are great, but triple bogeys are better.
Why America Hates Greatness
Why does everybody hate Lance Armstrong? What the guy has done is amazing. I think it boils down to this- America hates greatness. Let me explain.
We are now a country that loves the underdog. I'll use the Patriots as my test case. When they won the Super Bowl in 2001 as 14 point underdogs, they were America's darlings. They were lauded for being blue collar, gritty, and playing the game the the right way. They were the epitome of team work. When they kept winning, people begain to tire of them, to the point where the whole country was perfectly happy (even eager) to turn their back on them by the time Spygate rolled around.
Back to Lance. When he beat cancer, started the Livestrong bracelet trend that refuses to go away (I'm guilty of wearing them), and started winning the Tour de France, he was the biggest thing since sliced bread. He was coronated as a larger than life American hero, and became the poster boy for courage. He was perserverance personified, a testament to the heights you can climb with a new give up attitude.
Flash forward to present day. Now arrogant is just as likely the adjective being used to describe Armstrong as amazing. His achievements haven't changed, but people are now bored of him. They want the next story. He was crucified for divorcing his first wife (she left him, by the way). They say he can't give up racing. Why should he!? He is still among the best in the world (finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France). The fact is, we hate Lance for the same reason we hate the Yankees, Patriots, Lakers, Bulls and Cowboys (of the 90's). He had the audacity to win too much. He killed the precious underdogs that we as a nation now cherish. It's just too bad we can't root for the underdog while still appreciating true greatness, which is considerably more rare. Maybe someday we will find that happy medium, but that day is not today.
We are now a country that loves the underdog. I'll use the Patriots as my test case. When they won the Super Bowl in 2001 as 14 point underdogs, they were America's darlings. They were lauded for being blue collar, gritty, and playing the game the the right way. They were the epitome of team work. When they kept winning, people begain to tire of them, to the point where the whole country was perfectly happy (even eager) to turn their back on them by the time Spygate rolled around.
Back to Lance. When he beat cancer, started the Livestrong bracelet trend that refuses to go away (I'm guilty of wearing them), and started winning the Tour de France, he was the biggest thing since sliced bread. He was coronated as a larger than life American hero, and became the poster boy for courage. He was perserverance personified, a testament to the heights you can climb with a new give up attitude.
Flash forward to present day. Now arrogant is just as likely the adjective being used to describe Armstrong as amazing. His achievements haven't changed, but people are now bored of him. They want the next story. He was crucified for divorcing his first wife (she left him, by the way). They say he can't give up racing. Why should he!? He is still among the best in the world (finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France). The fact is, we hate Lance for the same reason we hate the Yankees, Patriots, Lakers, Bulls and Cowboys (of the 90's). He had the audacity to win too much. He killed the precious underdogs that we as a nation now cherish. It's just too bad we can't root for the underdog while still appreciating true greatness, which is considerably more rare. Maybe someday we will find that happy medium, but that day is not today.
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