Is Michael Phelps the best athlete in the world today?
Each week I'll talk about the world of sports…
• Is Michael Phelps the best athlete in the world today? How many of you really thought he would get eight gold medals in Beijing? Think about the pressure, the fact he went into the pool 17 times, the fatigue of racing that many times. Wow, what an amazing accomplishment to shatter Mark Spitz's mark of seven golds. Over two Olympiads, Phelps has captured 14 gold medals; that is more than many countries have won in that span! It is an amazing story and he may rank among the greatest athletes of all-time, right up there with Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc. He is simply awesome, baby, with a capital A! As a sports fan, I truly appreciate the effort Phelps put in, as well as the way he handled himself under tremendous pressure.
• Dara Torres fell just short of her first Olympic gold, earning a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle. It is an amazing story for a swimmer to excel at the age of 41. You hear about swimmers burning out in their early 20s. Nathalie Coughlin also had a great Olympics, earning six medals.
• Roger Federer, as well as Serena and Venus Williams, were disappointed when they lost in the quarterfinals of the singles. All three of the tennis superstars walked away with gold medals in doubles. Federer and his Swiss partner upset the American duo of the Bryan twins en route to a surprising gold medal. The Williams sisters followed up a Wimbledon doubles championship with an impressive showing in Beijing.
• James Blake played well in Beijing, upsetting Federer. Unfortunately he left without a medal after falling short against Fernando Gonzalez and Novak Djokovic. Now Blake will prepare for the U. S. Open in less than two weeks.
• Brett Favre made his Jets debut in an exhibition game against the Redskins. He had some success and the fans at the Meadowlands had plenty to cheer about. It will take some time to learn the plays, but the addition of Favre will provide a boost the Eric Mangini's squad.
• Are the Yankees hitting the panic mode? The decision to send down Melky Cabrera to the minors may have been a wake-up call. Cabrera is considered a future star, but he has not lived up to billing this season. Even after Sunday's 15-run explosion, the Yankees have a lot of work to do, not only chasing the Rays and Red Sox, but also the team that falls short in the AL Central, be it the White Sox or Twins.
• Trades are great when they work for both clubs. That has been the case for the Rays and Twins. Matt Garza was super in his latest outing, a two-hit shutout against Texas. Jason Bartlett has been steady defensively while coming through with several clutch hits. The deal has worked out for Minnesota as Delmon Young has turned the corner in the second half. He is hitting over .300 since the All-Star break. Young has been a good addition to a lineup which features Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.
• The Cubs look like they won't be stopped in the NL Central. Lou Piniella's team has won its share of close games lately and one guy who has not received enough ink this season is Derrek Lee. Fans in the Windy City could have two playoff teams as the White Sox are battling to make it too.
• Can CC Sabathia make a run at the NL Cy Young? He has been simply brilliant since coming over from the Indians. Brandon Webb is 18-4 with an ERA under three, so he is the favorite right now. What happens if Sabathia wins every game the rest of the season? Something to think about.
