A Not So Good Day in Sports

A couple of weeks ago when Ben Roethlisberger was involved in his motorcycle accident and the US failed to show against the Czechs in the World Cup, I thought that was a pretty bad sports day. Today made my statement from a couple of weeks ago look silly. One of the first things I saw when I got up was the news that former Miami and current Northwestern football coach Randy Walker died due to a reported heart attack. Walker coached at Miami for the majority of the 90s before going to Evanston, he's originally from Troy, OH. I did not get to meet him, but I did meet one of his kids at Miami, so I feel for her and the rest of the family. Everyone that knew Coach has only the best to say about him, he will be sorely missed. On top of that, in more of a disappoint to me, nothing as tragic as the passing of Coach Walker, the Tour de France has found itself in the middle of another doping scandal. As of this moment, 13 riders have been kicked out, among those being Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich, two of the big favorites. No one man is bigger than the Tour, it will still be a great Tour, but it won't be as good as it could've been.

So, who's left that can win? Americans naturally haha:

• Levi Leipheimer is now the top returning finisher from last year's race that will be competing this year. He is solid in the time trial and in the mountains and now has good Tour experience. His team historically hasn't been strong, can they help him in the mountains? He won the Dauphine Libere, one of the big Tour tuneups, so he appears to be on form.
• Floyd Landis is unquestionably the leader of his Phonak team. This year, he won the Tour of California, Tour de Georgia, and Paris-Nice. He's had great days in the Tour before, can he have 3 great weeks.
• George Hincapie takes over for Lance as leader of Discovery. Known more for his high finishes in the spring classics, he has gradually gotten better at time trialing and climbing during his service for Armstrong. His win in the Pyrennes last year showed he could climb. Can he pull it off while dealing with the pressure of being the team leader?
• Alejandro Valverde could be the next big cycling star. He outsprinted Lance to the top of Courchevel last year before pulling out of the race as planned. Now he'll try and go all the way to Paris. Can he win in his first try at completion?
• Another name being thrown out there is Cadel Evans. A better climber than time trialer, you have to be wary of him getting in a breakaway and stealing time because he's just a great bike rider, period.
• Christophe Moreau is now 35 (seems a lot older now), and this is his last real shot at winning. With no clear favorite, can he give the French their first victor since Hinault in 1985?

It should be an exciting Tour, no one really knows what's going to happen. But the plan to win is still the same. Don't crash during week 1, ride a good time trial, get into position in the Pyrennes, then attack in the Alps.

Tomorrow is a solid summer sports day, the beginning of the Tour, World Cup quarterfinals, US Women's Open 2nd round (Annika, Michelle, and Paula are all there after round 1), and Agassi-Nadal at Wimbledon.

The fireworks were impressive Wed. night and everyone at our barbecue had a great time. The best fireworks show I've seen (and I forgot until the other night that I went) were the Cincinnati Labor Day fireworks on the Ohio River. I'm looking forward to a 4-day weekend to rest up, get a little break.

"You're only furniture makers!!!"

Tomorrow is the Windsor-Detroit fireworks show on the Detroit riverfront. It's supposed to be pretty spectacular, the fireworks originating from barges in the Detroit River between the two cities, set to music, accompanied by lasers. We'll have a pretty good view at the Fed, so we've invited employees, retirees, and their families to come down for a barbecue, some fun and games, then the fireworks. I'm excited, I've never been to a fireworks show this big, hopefully the weather holds up, there's a 60% chance of rain.

I haven't complained about Michigan roads in awhile, so I'm going to make up for lost time. In most states, there are the little blinkers that help you distinguish lanes, roads, etc. during rain and darkness. Well, there aren't any of those on Detroit roads. Add to it the filthyness of the roads, and during a hard shower, you can't tell one lane from another, you have to guess. You can get in the far left lane and get next to the yellow line, which still stands out, but the white dashes that divide the other lanes, blend in with the wet concrete, asphalt, and the rain. It's like driving blindfolded, it's very scary.

Time for sports:

• Today, the Booz Allen Classic in Washington D.C. ended with Ben Curtis winning for the 1st time since the 2003 British Open. But the strange part of it was they made him come back today and play one more hole, despite holding a 7 shot lead. He had to finish 17 and play 18, but the tournament was all but over. I don't think it was televised today (or yesterday), so no TV money was up for grabs. So, why?!?!? Plus, I'm sure the volunteers and other people involved had more important things to do, like make sure their own homes weren't underwater from all the rain that part of the country has gotten.
• Wimbledon is underway with no real surprises today. James Blake and Andre Agassi both dropped a set, but won. Agassi is looking at a possible 3rd round match with Rafael Nadal, which would be huge. An intriguing 2nd round match pits Roger Federer against home favorite Tim Henman. What would England get more excited about: a Henman upset or an England win over Portugal in the World Cup quarters? I'm guessing Henman since it seems the English expect the worst with every match.
• There's talk the NCAA Tournament may expand to 128 teams. I'm not in favor of this at all. The only reason behind this is $$$$$$$. This would basically eliminate the NIT, and would allow more mediocre major conference teams to get in. There would be a few more little guys, but not as many as you would think. It would also allow for a more lucrative TV contract, which the bigger schools would get a bigger piece of. I don't want March Madness to become March/April Madness. It's perfect as it is right now, as evidenced this year. The majors and "mid-majors" were both well represented, it's not too long, and the basketball is at a high level. Allowing more teams in allows for more mediocre basketball in March and a decrease in intensity that would be seen in the regular season and conference tournament.

Here are guys I'd take in tomorrow's NBA Draft:

• LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas. I think the Bulls would be crazy not to take him at #2. He's proven he can score with his back to the basket and was a pretty good rebounder. He was out all year 2 years ago with an injury, so last year was his 1st year at the college level, and he was very good.
• Brandon Roy, Washington. Maybe the most complete player in the draft, he'd get more respect if he played on the East Coast. Can shoot the 3, the mid-range jumper, take you off the dribble, and defend. With UW short on outside weapons last year, he had a huge year although he was keyed on.
• Adam Morrison, Gonzaga. Not the greatest athlete or defender, he can score and knows how to do it with what ability he has. His diabetes didn't affect him at Gonzaga, he played major minutes, I don't think it will affect him in the pros.
• Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry, Villanova. Villanova was my team, and these two guys were two main cogs. Foye can elevate on his shot and defend; Lowry can run the show and defend as well. Both are tough as nails and refuse to lose.
• Quincy Douby, Rutgers. He's Brandon Roy, but shorter. He didn't play on a great team while playing in a tough conference, but he still put up huge numbers against everybody. He can fill it up in a hurry. He probably won't go until the last half of the 2nd round, but whoever gets him will get a steal.

And here are guys I'd pass on:

• Tyrus Thomas, LSU. I love him as a defender, I love his work ethic, and I love his potential. But he needed another year to work on his offensive game. He missed a good chunk of the year due to injury, so his durability is a question.
• Rudy Gay, UConn. By now, I think you know I don't like guys who take possessions off. This kid can be a world-beater sometimes, other times he looks like he doesn't care. He's got the skills, no doubt, but does he have the desire?
• JJ Redick, Duke. I was a big fan of Redick, but after the DWI, and now his back trouble, I'm not so sure. He hasn't failed any physicals yet, but arguably the 2nd most important body part for a shooter is his lower back. After the legs get into the shot, your lower back has to be there to support the lift, if not, you start leaving everything short.
• Josh Boone, UConn. Why did he come out early? Brian Cardinal can contribute more than him.
• Rajon Rondo, UK. Can't shoot and was a team cancer last year. The word has been, "Oh, his poor shooting won't matter, he'll just beat everybody off the dribble." That won't happen when teams play 10 feet off of him, daring him to shoot. Is Wayne Turner playing in the NBA? Didn't think so.

Full analysis will come probably not tomorrow, but Thurs. night.

The title of tonight's blog refers to what the Germans were chanting at Sweden during their World Cup game. That may be the best sports chant of all time. It shows you can be creative without being derogatory.

Twenty-five

The first day of summer of course means another birthday and today I hit the big 2-5. At work, there was a little party thrown for me which was very nice of them. I received a "bumpy cake". It's like a big HoHo, chocolate icing, chocolate cake with white cream filling. It is native to Michigan and is very good. My favorite part of my day is hearing from all of my family members on the phone. It's nice of them to think of me. At any instant when I start to feel the least bit lonely, I quickly remind myself of my support system of family and friends. Then I no longer feel alone. Thank you family and friends.

Anyway, in honor of my 25th birthday, I thought I'd give 25 unknown facts about me, and I think I'll stump most of you with these.

• My parents believe that my fascination with sports, specifically ESPN, began with the 1983 America's Cup. The America's Cup is the world championship of yacht racing, held every 4 years or so, an event that the US won every time from 1851 to 1983. I believe it's the oldest existing sports trophy. In the summer of 1983, I got sick and my dad stayed up with me while I couldn't sleep. During those summer nights, I guess we watched the America's Cup. Oddly enough, Australia defeated the US, making history as the 1st country other than the US to win the Cup.
• The 1st thing I can remember doing was watching Da Bears, no joke. I think I liked Da Bears because my room's wallpaper was made of bears, and I had the stuffed animal Paddington Bear. I remember watching Da Bears lose the NFC Championship to the 49ers. Of course, we know what happened the next year.
• Staying with Da Bears, the next year was when my middle uncle got married. One of his groomsmen's first names was Steve. So of course, being the 4-year old that I was, I thought he was related to Steve Fuller, who was Da Bears backup quarterback. During the wedding events, he pretended that he knew him, humoring me. I must have been really annoying haha.
• My first time on a plane was when another uncle of mine got married in Omaha, Nebraska. It took place during the fall, so I thought it was a huge deal getting to fly somewhere during school. We had to stop in Chicago, which I thought was great. In the hotel, we got HBO, and I got to see the Tyson/Bruno fight. I kept calling my aunt's parents, again annoying me haha.
• I apologize to some of you because I've lied about something. The first movie I saw in the theater was not Follow That Bird. It was An American Tail, Fievel, "Somewhere Out There."
• The first music tape I owned was the single, "Kokomo". First whole album, MC Hammer "2 Legit 2 Quit".
• I was in a split 2nd/3rd grade class, and I happened to always be ahead in my work. If I didn't feel like reading, I would take the restroom pass and slowly make my way down and back, multiple times during the day, even if I didn't have to go to the restroom.
• I went to my first basketball camp after 4th grade, and my first pair of bball shoes were Chuck Taylors. It's fair to say I quickly learned they weren't in haha. My first coach was Spud Collins, great guy. I hope he's doing well wherever he is.
• In 5th grade, in the school spelling bee, I misspelled the word "knottiness" (left out one t).
• That was also the year I dressed up as Steve Urkel for Halloween. Sadly enough, my voice can no longer go that high.
• At my first junior high dance, I was so shy I refused to dance with a single girl. At the spring dance, I danced with basically the whole girls cross-country team. Boy, did I think I was hot stuff.
• In the same 7th grade bball game, I hit 2 free throws with 4 seconds left to send the game to overtime. But in overtime, I crossed the inbound line before throwing in the ball, costing my team possession. Talk about going from high to low.
• I ran for Freshman Class President, and lost.
• I had a good freshman year, except for one thing. During a concert, I got a measure ahead during one of the songs. So for one section of a piece, the band was like a runaway train. I was so embarrassed. The director didn't yell at me, but I could tell he knew it was me, his stare was not good. We had another concert the next night, and he moved us Bass Clarinets to the back so we wouldn't be heard as much (another sign he knew it was me). Luckily for the band and me, I came back strong during that concert, and we were moved back to our original spot near the front.
• For junior year homecoming dance, I was turned down by three girls that I regularly hung out with. I have the feeling they thought I'd be too much of a stiff. So what did I do. Naturally, I went stag, hung out with them, since they were my main group of friends and danced circles around their dates. I felt pretty satisfied with my performance afterward haha.
• In my last basketball game, I hit two free throws late in the game, which were received by a standing ovation from the Northmont crowd, something I'll never forget.
• On our family vacation to Yellowstone National Park, I made my first videotape depicting stupid things people did. These ranged from people stopping in the middle of the road blocking both lanes of traffic to look at a deer to getting too close to a black bear and other assorted things.
• On the first day of freshman year at Miami, one of my roommates showed up in capri pants. Not the best way to make a good first impression.
• After Miami beat Temple that year in basketball, my friends and I saw ourselves on every local newscast and SportsCenter.
• Also that year, I volunteered at a soup kitchen in Over-The-Rhine in Cincinnati, where later that year, riots would break out. I'll never forget the impression that was made on me.
• My three final choices for schools were Miami, Notre Dame, and Indiana.
• In elementary school, I scraped my knee badly enough one day I had a small rock stuck in my knee. That was not fun.
• When I first went to my dad's football games when he coached, I did play-by-play in the stands, then if the game was a blowout in the 4th quarter, he'd let me come down on the sideline, which I thought was the greatest thing in the world. In his last year when I was in 3rd grade, I was the team's ball boy. I thought I was hot stuff.
• After I save enough money, I would like to begin a scholarship at Northmont or Miami or both if possible that I would give to someone like me. Involved, spirited, good student, caring, someone who does the little things without fanfare and carries a good attitude with them.
• Wow, I'm 25 years old, ahhhh!

Alright, gotta finish folding laundry before bed, talk to you later.

Reunion

This past weekend, I met with up my dad's side of the family again for a family reunion in Cleveland. Cleveland is actually closer than Dayton, and believe it or not, it was my 1st time on the Ohio Turnpike. With that, I am very close to have been on every mile of Ohio interstate highway. I haven't been on the Turnpike west of Toledo, I-90 west of Cleveland, and most of I-77. Maybe one day, I'll decide to travel those stretches just to say I've done it. Anyway, the reunion was fun, the suburbs of Cleveland have really grown.

Well, a lot has taken place in sports, let's see if I can cover it all:

• I'm just getting over the shock of what happened in the last 30 minutes of the US Open. It looked like the Mickelslam would be 3/4 complete with Phil 2 up with 3 to play. But Phil's wayward driver caught up with him, and a short time later, he was tied for the lead with Colin Montgomerie, who made a birdie bomb on 17. With Phil leaking some oil, and Monty finding the 18th fairway, it became Monty's tournament to lose. Well, he lost it. After waiting for 10 minutes to hit his approach, Monty at the last minute changed clubs and left his approach short and right in the deep rough. A double bogey took him out of it, leaving Geoff Ogilvie and Phil. Ogilvie, after chipping in for a miraculous par on 17 to stay one behind, found the 18th fairway, but his ball rolled into a sand-filled divot, basically leaving him with a 160 yard bunker shot. He left it short, but got up and down with a great chip and 5-foot putt for par. Phil just needed to find the 18th fairway, but instead of playing it safe with his 4-wood or 3 iron, Phil hit his driver again, and found the souvenir tent/kitchen on the left. Then, he tried to play a miraculous slice 3 iron on the green when he could've chipped back in the fairway and played for a Monday playoff. His shot hit a tree, and the ball only went 25 yards. Still in trouble, he went for it again, hitting an iron up and over the trees, but into the left greenside bunker, plugging in the sand. With a plugged lie, the only way Phil could get his bunker shot to stay on the green was to somehow hit the hole. He didn't, and his ball rolled into the rough. He failed to chip in, and settled for a double, giving the championship to Ogilvie. Ogilvie will now be mentioned in the same breath as '99 British Open Champ Paul Lawrie, who was the beneficiary of some crazy Frenchman named Jean Van de Velde (Remember him?). All that was missing from this championship, was a creek and Phil taking his shoes off and getting in to try and hit some incredible shot.
• Because of the reunion, I missed the US/Italy soccer game. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to watch the US/Ghana match, which starts at 10am Thurs. A US win and an Italy win over the Czechs puts the US in the 2nd round, a great achievement in such a tough group, and especially after they played against the Czechs last week.
• No real comment on the NBA Finals, they start too late for me. I'm in bed by halftime, I just can't stay up that late.
• The Tigers are battling the Brewers tonight, and are still in 1st place with the best overall record in baseball. People here are starting to get excited.
• It looks like the Steelers may have made a mistake in drafting Santonio Holmes. First he was arrested in South Beach for misconduct, now he's been arrested in Columbus for domestic violence. Someone said a great line, "Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye, on and off the field haha."
• I can't argue with the Top 10 Most Inspiring Movies, although I think Hoosiers could've been in there.
• Le Tour begins in a couple of weeks, and the title might stay in the USA. Levi Leipheimer won the Dauphine, which goes over the high Alps. This is the race Lance used to get ready, it appears Levi is ready to follow in his former teammate's footsteps. Ivan Basso has to be the favorite after winning the Tour of Italy, he was very strong in that race.

I better get my laundry folded. Wednesday, a special birthday edition, my silver birthday, #25, can you believe it?!?!?

The Wedding Singers

This past weekend, one of my cousins got married down in Dearborn, so I was reunited with my dad's side of the family, some of which I hadn't seen in over 10 years. It was great seeing them and we had a lot of fun at the wedding reception. I'll be able to see some of them again next weekend in Cleveland at a family reunion, which will be nice.

Now the wedding and reception itself were interesting because, well here you can find out for yourself:

• After the wedding, there was no receiving line. And during the reception, the newlyweds didn't go around and introduce themselves. Luckily, I was able to see my cousin before the wedding, but I never got to meet the bride. So I really can't tell you anything about her, except she had blond hair and I liked her dress.
• At the reception, after the bridal party was introduced was the toast. This usually doesn't occur until a little later on. Also, there was no bridal party table, everyone was mixed in with everyone else.
• I never saw the bouquet or garter thrown. In fact, the bridal party disappeared for a couple of hours.
• Then there were the wedding singers. They basically covered every song you couldn't dance to. They even sang songs that were played off of their original CDs earlier. It was so bad, we had to go up and ask for the Electric Slide to be played. But, they didn't have it!!!!! So they played some song I hadn't heard of, and we did the Electric Slide. No Electric Slide, YMCA, Hokey Pokey, or any other line dance. The most contemporary song that was played was I believe Prince's "You don't have to be rich to be my girl". I like oldies, and they played some Motown stuff, but you've got to play some new stuff also. Jesse's Girl is a good song for an 80s Party, not a Wedding. The most fun I had on the floor was when a group of us danced to the original versions of "Build Me Up Buttercup" and "I Can't Help Myself" when they were played on CD while the singers took a break. When they came back, they tried to sing "I'll Be There" and "Livin On A Prayer". In a word: pathetic.

At my wedding, there will be a DJ, and we will tell the DJ what songs to play. There will be dancing of all kinds, all night long. Just as the rappers say, "you'll be dancin til 6 in the morning".

Alright, let's get caught up on sports:

• I've enjoyed watching the World Cup so far, there's been some good action. I'll be taking a long lunch tomorrow to watch the US/Czech Republic game.
• Today's Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal French Open final was a little bit of a letdown. It's weird seeing Federer not dominate his opponent. Nadal is the definition of tenacious, he wants to rip your heart out on the court. His game is tailor-made for the clay, it will be interesting to see how good he can become on the other surfaces.
• I know she's only 16, and this was only her 10th major tournament, but that was Michelle Wie's tournament. Tee to green, she is the best woman in the world right now, better than Annika Sorenstam. But on the greens, she's got a long way to go. She should be in the field for the Men's US Open also if she would've made those 2 2-footers she missed. I'm rooting for her, but the way she's failing in the clutch is a little troubling. Today, 16th hole, she missed the green with a wedge from the middle of the fairway. 17th hole, missed 10-footer for birdie. 18th hole, missed the fairway off the tee, misjudged her approach, 3-putted for bogey. I know she's young, I'm just saying Tiger Woods was pulling off some of these shots in US Amateurs to win.
• The Tigers are hanging onto 1st place, and I find myself rooting for them. I've watched some of their games, and they play hard, harder than the normal pro sports team. It will be interesting to see how long they can stay in it, they might be a year away. They've got some very good young players.

It's US Open week also. Phil is the favorite, as he's halfway to the Mickel-Slam. Tiger might become the sentimental favorite as he's playing for his dad. Tiger winning on Father's Day would be very emotional.