The Week In Sports
The slowest week of the year in sports and sports wagering is upon us but we should have some action by the end of the Week. This traditionally slow time of the year is always highlighted by one of the toughest events to ever wager on ,the MLB All Star game. I usually take a few days off and take time to look at stats like bullpens , home won- loss records and really study Statfox to see how teams are shaping up so far. We will take a look at the voting in this years All Star game and take a look at the other major events of the week, the Tour de France and the British Open.
What surprised me the most this year was the voting for the All Star game. They’ve expanded the rosters again, back to 33 players. The fans vote. The players vote. The managers pick players. There’s even a vote on the Internet to determine a “Final Man” for each team.
What shocked me was a few names that were left off. Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, who had been fixtures in the game for more than a decade – A-Rod for 13 straight seasons and Ramirez for 11 – were both left out of this years game.
Both players missed alot of time. A-Rod missed the first month or so after undergoing hip surgery. Ramirez served a 50-game suspension after testing positive for drugs.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but the entire voting process seemed like a repudiation of the obsession with home runs. Baseball is in a period of transition. The older sluggers, associated with the game’s dark period, are slowly phasing out of the game, giving way to a generation of younger players.
Home runs still count in todays game, They’re actually up slightly this year, though runs are down for the third year in a row. Teams are placing a higher emphasis on pitching, speed and defense. Everyone paying attention to Albert Pujols and wondering if he can maintain his 60-home run pace. But the game is moving away from a period when it was defined by power-hitting and into a different type of game and this years voting reflected that. It’s good to see a slew of first-timers getting their chance to shine, solid but little-known guys like Yadier Molina, Ben Zobrist, Josh Johnson, Jason Bartlett and Brad Hawpe.
Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel gave former Husky Tim Lincecum the nod Monday as a starter for the National League in Tuesday’s 80th All-Star Game at the New Busch Stadium.
Lincecum, is 10-2 with a 2.33 ERA and is making his second All-Star appearance. He has not allowed an earned run in three of his past six starts and has allowed just four homers in 127 2/3 innings.
Ichiro, playing in his ninth consecutive All-Star Game, will bat leadoff and play right field for the American League team, AL manager Joe Maddon announced Monday morning in St. Louis. The AL will go for its 12th win in the past 13 games – the lone blemish was that embarrassing tie in 2002 – on Tuesday night at the new Busch Stadium.
Ichiro is a career .333 hitter in All-Star Games with one home run – an inside-the-park job in San Francisco in 2007 – and four RBIs. He has started in right field in three of the past four years.
Meanwhile, Maddon named Roy Halladay as the AL starter.
Here are the lineups
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Ichiro, RF
Derek Jeter, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Jason Bay, LF
Josh Hamilton, CF
Evan Longoria, 3B
Aaron Hill, 2B,
Roy Halladay, P
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Hanley Ramirez, SS
Chase Utley, 2B
Albert Pujols, 1B
Ryan Braun, RF
Raul Ibanez, LF
David Wright, 3B
Shane Victorino, CF
Yadier Molina, C
Lincecum, P
With the Tour de France taking a day off on Monday, there is time to step back and look at what has gone on so far in the race.
Far and away, the biggest story of this year’s Tour is the return of Lance Armstrong.The legendary rider retired in 2005 after winning seven Tours in a row, a feat no other rider has matched in the history of the race. His achievements were used as the standard to measure other riders’ performances.
Armstrong came out of retirement to race in—and, if at all possible, win—the 2009 Tour. He didn’t return for personal glory, but to increase awareness of the need for cancer research and treatment.
This years Tour certainly has had no shortage of excitement and promises alot more this week as the world watches out to see if this incredible athlete can accomplish the impossible and win the Tour again.
I am going to write a blog later on the British Open but I will post the TV schedule for the tournament which will certainly be influenced by the weather.
British Open TV Schedule:
On TNT:
Thursday, July 16th: Preview – 6:30am / First-round play LIVE – 7am
Friday, July 17: Second-round play LIVE – 7am
Saturday, July 18th:Third-round play LIVE – 7am
Sunday, July 19th:Final-round play LIVE – 6am
On ABC:
Final-round play LIVE – 8am
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