Oh Canada

Oh Canada.  Who do you think you are scoring 3 goals against the U.S.?  You are not supposed to do that.  Thank God the referee came to her senses and gave the U.S. a nice penalty kick to tie the game at 3.  How dare you Canada scare us Americans like that. How Dare You!  The U.S. is the best at everything, don't you know that!

I hate how cocky Americans are.  I hate it!  You have the women's soccer team celebrating like they already won the gold and the USA Basketball team comparing themselves to the "Dream Team" of the 1990's.  Shut your mouths and play the game.  I was kind of rooting against the Men's Basketball team.  They were so full of themselves after winning by 83 points against Nigeria. Nigeria! That is supposed to happen.  Then they barely beat Lithuania.  I was kind of hoping they would have lost that game to bring them back to reality. 

Luckily, in the Women's Semifinal Game the U.S. came back to win.  After coming back three times in the game, in the 3 stoppage minutes of extra time in the second half of overtime, the one and only Alex Morgan headed home the game winner.  This was an amazing game to watch.  Back and forth, back and forth.  Unbelievable!  I had Al Michaels' voice in my head screaming "Do you believe in miracles?" 

The great thing about sports is that anything can happen at anytime.  Nothing is ever an easy, definite win.  People love underdogs.  Most of the time, the hardest opponents to play against are underdogs.  So stop being cocky and just play the game.  To Quote the great Herm Edwards, "You play to win the game. Hello?!"

Usain Bolt Makes It Look So Easy

Usain Bolt is an absolute monster!  He is freakishly fast.  He added his second straight Gold Medal in the 100 meter Men's race yesterday.  He missed breaking his own record in this race by only 0.05 seconds.  He ran the race in 9.63 seconds.  He makes it look so effortless.  Tyson Gay, of the U.S. team,  was asked right after the race about his effort and that of Usian Bolt.  All he could say was "I tried". 

Michael Phelps Waves Goodbye to the Olympics

First off, I hope you love the how clever the title is.  More importantly, Michael Phelps will swim his last Olympic race today in London.  Two races as a matter of fact.  He has 20 total Olympic medals, 16 being gold.  He has two chances to add some medals to his illustrious Olympic career. 

Phelps started off slow during this year's Olympics.  He just qualified for his first race by a few seconds.  After having a big lead, fellow countryman Ryan Lochte, and Phelps came up short in one of their team events.  Then things started to click.  Phelps started racking in the gold and breaking the all time Medal record.  His achievements have turned many heads and have sparked controversy as to whether or not his is the best Olympic athlete ever.

I am not really one to judge.  I haven't been alive long enough to know most of the great Olympians.  However, Phelps is amazing.  20 medals, 16 gold! That is pretty unbelievable.  And he is not finished just yet.  To have that many medals in only three Olympics is just remarkable.   I guess Phelps just got tired of training.  He will pass he torch to Ryan Lochte and other future U.S. Olympians.  (See what I did there with "torch")

Chelsea No Match for the MLS All-Stars

Yesterday, the 2012 MLS All-Star Game was held in Pennsylvania.  PPL Park (home of the Philadelphia Union) was electric.  The English Premiere League (EPL) powerhouse Chelsea was invited to play against the 2012 MLS All-Star team for the second time.  Chelsea lost it's first game against the All-Stars a few years back.  They went on to lose this game as well.

The past two years were not easy for the MLS All-Stars.  They were beaten pretty badly by another EPL  
team, Manchester United.  Yesterday, the MLS team struck first with a goal from Wondolowski.  John Terry of Chelsea connected for a goal next.  Frank Lampard would later score for Chelsea.  Chris Pontius and Eddie Johnson scored for the MLS sealing the victory.

This game might not have changed Americans minds about the sport right away, but it sure does help for the long run.  The sport has taken off in recent years with the Euro Cup and the World Cup.  Americans are being intrigues by soccer more and more each year.  The MLS is growing rapidly with help from teams like the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls.  Those who once grew up on soccer are now passing their love for the game onto their children.  In the next decade or so I think soccer will be just as popular as the four other major sports in America.

                                   

A-Boo Boo for A-Rod

The rough West Coast trip for the Yankees continued yesterday as they dropped the 2nd game of the series to the Seattle Mariners.  In the loss, three Yankees were hit by a pitch.  All were thrown by Felix Hernandez in late innings.  He first hit Ichiro on the foot in the 7th inning, then Jeter and A-Rod in the 8th inning.  Ultimately, Hernandez broke A-Rod's hand which will land him on the DL for at least 6-8 weeks.  The Yankees can expect their high paid third baseman to return to the lineup, without and future complications, around late September.

First I will get into how the Yankees might replace the opening at 3rd base.  Eric Chavez will most likely get the majority of starts over at third.  However, he and Joe Girardi have both said that he doesn't want to and will not play everyday.  Chavez has been prone to injuries throughout his entire career.  Joe Girardi likes Eduardo Nunez who is in the minors.  Nunez is a good to great hitter but his fielding is holding him back from keeping a spot on the Yankees roster.  I would not be surprised to see Nunez called up today.

The Yankees, of course, could trade for back up third baseman.  Who they could get isn't clear.  Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres is on the market.  However, the Padres have a high asking price.  The Colorado Rockies have third baseman Ian Stewart on the block, but it is a similar deal as the Padres.  The Yankees aren't looking for a full-time replacement for A-Rod.  They don't need a replacement.  That is why I think the Yanks should just stick with Chavez and Nunez unless they can make a quick, cheap for a back up third baseman.

To my second point. Where and what was Joe Girardi doing when Hernandez hit your captain and superstar third baseman?! He hit three total guys and two of your key guys in the lineup and he didn't retaliate of make a fuss with the umpire.  I know you were losing but come on.  Ichiro, Jeter and A-Rod! You lost A-Rod for 8 weeks and it didn't light a spark in Girardi.  I was surprised he had little to no words for anyone.

The Yanks still have plenty of firepower but don't be surprised if the 7 1/2 game lead starts to slowly dwindle.

Likely Yankees lineup without A-Rod

1. Jeter
2. Granderson
3. Teixeira
4. Cano
5. Ibanez
6. Jones
7.Chavez/Nunez
8. Ichiro
9. Martin

Just when we thought things were all good and nothing could bring us down, we get swept by the A's in four games, can barely score against the Mariners and lose A-Rod for 8 weeks.  

Nashville Matches Flyers Offer to Weber

Shea Weber is staying in Nashville.  The All-Star signed an offer sheet with the Philadelphia Flyers worth $110 million over 14 years.  The Nashville Predators had the ability to match this offer.  That is exactly what they did.

This is great news for Atlantic Division teams; except for the Flyers of course.  As a Rangers fan this is great news.  The Flyers would have been a very strong team if they landed number 6.  Imagine him defending and being on the same line as Hartnell and Giroux.

The Predators needed to keep Weber.  They have been making some runs lately.  With Pekka Rinne in goal and Weber in the back, they have a strong core to build around.

With this news, it seems as though every team has gotten weaker, except for the New York Rangers.  The Islanders had a strong draft class.  But the lack of confidence and skill in goal is a big problem.  The Islanders can't just rely on John Tavares to win them games alone, even though he is one of the best scorers in the league.

It is going to be a fun season, for some.  The off-season is finally starting to pick up.  I know all Rangers fans and other Atlantic Division fans are thanking the Predators for keeping Weber over the Flyers.

Whats Next Mr. Sather?

Yesterday the New York Rangers GM pulled off an unbelievable steal of a deal from the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The long wait from the beginning of the Off-season until now had many wondering if the Rangers were after Nash, Doan, both or neither of them.  After acquiring Nash on Monday, the question now is "Are the Rangers done?"

Shane Doan, the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes, hasn't budged on whether or not he wants to leave Phoenix.  He met with the Flyers and Rangers and said he liked New York better but does not want to lead anyone in a direction that he wants to leave.  Doan is just exploring options but is very comfortable with the idea of staying where he is. 

If Sather could land Doan, the Rangers would acquire a great teammate and mentor in the locker room.  Not only that, but Doan is one hell of a player.  He definitely seems like a John Tortarella type of player.  One who will do anything to win. 

Of course I would love for the Rangers to have Doan.  A part of me thinks he will end up staying in Phoenix.  However, with his career coming to an end in a few years, Doan may be looking at his last chance at the Cup.  The Nash deal might have intrigued the veteran center into leaving Phoenix and signing with the Rangers.  If Doan really wants to win, then I think he should sign in New York.