This and That
Each week I'll give my thoughts on the world of sports:
• Don't put too much stock into the early exits at the Rogers Cup in Toronto for the Williams sisters. When the U.S. Open rolls around, you will see a big difference. Venus and Serena are so fired up for the grand slam events. They turn it up a notch, as you saw at Wimbledon earlier this year. Yes, there is competition in the women's tennis, aided by the return of Kim Clijsters, the improved health of Maria Sharapova and the progress of Elena Dementieva, who beat Serena en route to winning in Toronto. When it is all said and done in a few weeks, don't be surprised if one of the Williams sisters wins in Flushing Meadows at the Open.
• Roger Federer is gearing up for another grand slam too. He has been on quite a roll, winning 30 of his last 32 matches. The proud papa won the tournament in Cincinnati, beating Andy Murray in the semifinals and Novak Djokovic in the championship match. Murray had won four straight against Federer before this weekend's result. You can see confidence in Federer, who won the French and Wimbledon earlier this year to become the all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles. Rafael Nadal, still bothered by sore knees, lost to Djokovic in the semis at Cincinnati and his confidence level can't be nearly as high as Mr. Federer.
• Congratulations to the University of Indiana administration for deciding to put Bob Knight in its Hall of Fame. Are you kidding me? This is so long overdue. He won three national championship with the Hoosiers. He set the record for wins in Division I. Knight graduated his players during his great run in Bloomington from 1971-2000. He had a career record of 662-239 with the Hoosiers and coached teams that won 11 Big Ten Championships. One of Knight's former players, Steve Downing, was also selected to the Indiana Hall of Fame; he should have been in a long time ago too. Downing was the Big Ten MVP in 1973 after leading the Hoosiers to the Final Four.
• Can anyone believe what happened in the first two games of the Yankees-Red Sox series? What happened to the pitching? 31 runs in the first game, then blowout city for Boston on Saturday. Talk about offensive outbursts. Then it was supposed to be a pitching duel with C.C. Sabathia against Josh Beckett on Sunday night. The Yankees got the win thanks to the long ball. Hideki Matsui has been on a real roll as of late. It looks more and more like the Red Sox will battle for the wild card with the Yankees dominating the AL East.
• Pedro Martinez had to be emotional facing the Mets on Sunday. He was at Citi Field against a team that he probably felt gave him a raw deal. They didn't give him a chance when he felt like he could contribute this season. He had to be happy to start the game with a six-run lead as Oliver Perez didn't make it out of the first inning after giving up a pair of three-run homers. Martinez gives manager Charlie Manuel a dilemma most skippers would love to have. Jamie Moyer showed he belongs back in the rotation with six brilliant innings of relief recently. To have five good starters, plus Moyer, who belongs in the rotation in my mind, is a good situation to be in.
• The United States retained the Solheim Cup, the ladies equivalent to the Ryder Cup. It was nice to see Michelle Wie playing well. The American squad entered Sunday tied, but the U.S. teams pulled away to secure a 16-12 victory. Morgan Pressel delivered the clinching point and she has a very bright future ahead of her.
• Usain Bolt showed why he is a very special athlete. At age 23, he is the fastest human and he can shatter even more world records. He won golds in the 100 and 200-meter races in record times, then added a relay victory. Bolt is so explosive and he should get even better. Will we see him in a football uniform one day?
• Detroit rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford really struggled in an exhibition game loss to the Cleveland Browns. He didn't look like the number one overall pick in the draft. Will he be ready to handle the pressure at the start of the season? Will this be another very long year for the Lions? I will predict they will not go with a zero in the win column. New coach Jim Schwartz is very organized.
