Happy Canada Day

Two positive things I'd like to say about Canada. First, I loved the fact the entire Edmonton crowd sang the national anthems during the Stanley Cup playoffs, both in fact. If that doesn't give you goosebumps, nothing will. Second, another advantage of living so close to Canada is being able to watch Canadian football!!! Hey, it's something, especially during the dog days of summer.

Now that the Tour has started, I'll probably update more regularly:

• Thor Hushovd, the Norwegian sprinter, is the leader after the Prologue. George Hincapie is a close 2nd, less than a second behind. Hincapie was the last man to start, a spot usually reserved to the defending champion. But, with no Lance, Lance's 1st Lieutenant got the call and he almost pulled it off. Floyd Landis missed his starting time due to a mechanical problem, but still finished 9th. Levi Leipheimer was disappointing today, finishing out of the top 30. The sprinters will have their day tomorrow as Stage 1 goes clockwise around Strasbourg, going into Germany for awhile before finishing back in the city.
• It wasn't a good day for the Americans at Wimbledon. Andre Agassi ended his Wimbledon career, losing in straight sets to Rafael Nadal. The 1st set was classic tennis, with Agassi up 5-2 in the 1st tiebreaker. But Andre missed a couple of forehands, letting Nadal back in the breaker, which spurred him on to win the match. Also, Venus Williams and Andy Roddick lost, Roddick losing in straight sets to Brit Andy Murray, who salvaged an otherwise horrible sports day for England.
• Speaking of England, they lost to Portugal in the World Cup quarters in penalty kicks. I think the English would play a lot better if their fans didn't put so much pressure on them. It's only a game people!!!!
• Annika Sorenstam is a co-leader after 36 holes at the US Women's Open. Michelle Wie is in a group 2 behind. Wie made an all-world par on the 7th hole, her 16th. She pulled her tee shot into an unplayable lie, took a drop, then played an incredible shot from a muddy lie that just cleared the water hazard in front of the green. The ball checked 12 feet from the hole, and she made the putt for par. Also, Paula Creamer is in a group 3 behind the leaders. They will all play 36 holes tomorrow.

Halfway through the year, it's been a good one so far.