With the Mid-Summer Classic upon us, the unofficial halfway point of the season is here. Some great stories have arisen in the first half of the season, from the Texas Rangers to the Milwaukee Brewers to Lew Ford to the stomach parasite that has wreaked havoc throughout Kevin Brown, Jason Giambi and the Yankees. With the season half-over, here are my awards for the first-half and predictions for the rest of the way.
Brock Lesner is trading in his wrestling boots for a pair of football cleats. An agile and athletic monster of a man, Lesner turned down a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract with the WWE to try his hand at a sport he hasn’t played since high school. Who is to say that the former NCAA wrestling champion can’t do it? For one, I hope that he does succeed. Not because I’m a Brock Lesner fan, but because maybe this would lead to many wrestlers crossing over to mainstream sports. Here are some examples that I’d love to see…
Tom Brady has it all, movie star good-looks, rocket-launcher right arm, $50,000 worth of diamonds on his fingers, 2 Super Bowl MVPs, and if the rumors are true, a very attractive young lady with whom he is now engaged. Okay, let me start this article by stating that I have nothing against the sacrament of marriage. I’m “Pro-Marriage” and I love weddings. Open bar, the “chicken dance”, Aunt Sue and Uncle Frank doing the limbo, the whole shebang. I hope in the near-future that I get married. But now I’m speaking as a Patriots’ fan… Tom, please tell me WHY?
With the trade deadline roughly a month-and-a-half away, the rumor floodgates will soon open up. As contenders scramble for starting pitchers, left-handed relievers, and another bat, basement-dwellers become sellers, pawning off their more expensive talent to the highest bidder. It’s a fun time of year.
As a lifelong Red Sox fan, I’ve been fortunate enough to see them in contention most years and July 31st is an important day. Jeff Suppan, Scott Sauerbeck (or “Sauer-suck” as he was known as in these parts), Byung-hyun Kim, Cliff Floyd, Ed Sprague, and Larry Anderson have all donned the Sox uniform through mid-season deals. Boy, we have a lot to show for it too.
So, with the deadline fast approaching, here are five deals that I would love to see happen over the next month-and-a-half…
Now that the Pistons have finished off the Lakers, I figure now is as good a time as any to make my big announcement. I would like to inform all of the NBA General Managers that I’m declaring myself eligible for the NBA Draft. Sure, I might not be a lottery pick, but judging by this draft class that is not a good enough reason not to go for it.
Tuning into sports talk radio and hearing all of the complaints, you would think that the Sox are a 2nd rate team owned by Bud Selig’s daughter. The 11 or 12 fans in Milwaukee or Montreal would give up their first born to watch a team like the Sox night-in and night-out. Believe me, it’s true. Nobody there cares. I have a friend who’s a Brewers’ “fan” and I asked him the other day how his team looks this year. He answered with, “I like the Packers chances in the NFC North.”