Who Would Have Predicted This?

In light of the Major League's All Star Break upon us, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where we stand at the midpoint of the season, and the surprises of the 2008 season.

Through 90 games, at 55-35, the Tampa Bay Rays boast the best record in Major League Baseball. Yep, the same the franchise, who just a year ago from today, was 19 games below .500, the worst amongst the Majors. Since dropping the "Devil" from "Devil Rays," the team's offense has outdueled the Bronx Bombers this season, averaging nearly 5 runs per game. But what is perhaps even more impressive is their pitching staff, who's allowed 356 runs, which equates to 3.95 runs per contest, second best in the entire League. If they keep up their current pace, the club will reach their first postseason since the franchise was established back in 1998. Since then, their best finish was in 2004, when the club was 70-91 overall.

Texas Rangers' 2nd baseman, Ian Kinsler, leads the American League in batting average (.337), runs (81) and hits (126), which is pretty impressive considering a year ago, the Arizona native finished his 2007 campaign with 127 hits in 130 games, and batted a measly .263 from the plate. Too bad his Rangers are 7 1/2 games back of Anaheim in the AL West.

Just over a year ago, San Francisco Giants' starting pitcher, Tim Lincecum, was pitching for the organization's triple A club, the Fresno Grizzlies. Today, Lincecum ranks second in the NL with an ERA of 2.66, while he leads the league with 126 strikeouts, which is why he is headed to his first All-Star game of his young career. The 24-year-old right hander played with former Stallion, Tyler Graham, at Salem-Keizer during the Summer of 2007.

After struggling with several minor injuries over the past several years, many analysts believed that Atlanta's 3rd baseman, Chipper Jones, was nearing the end of his career. But since hte beginning of the 2008 season, Jones has flirted with a .400 batting average. Through his first 80 games, the 36 year old is hitting a league-best .376. Last year, he hit a career-best, .337. Who says you can't get better with age?

Those are just several stories that have headlined the first half of the Major League baseball season. It only makes you wonder what we'll be talking about come October.

Taking Us On A Voyage!

If you haven't been to a Pioneer League baseball game at Centene Stadium yet this season, then you are frankly, missing out! The Great Falls Voyagers have been nothing short of entertaining this Summer. The team is off to a 10-4 start where 8 of their wins can be credited to their ability to come from behind late in games. And it's not like they're destroying their opponents, either. The club has won 6 games by 2 runs or less, which has provided plenty of entertainment for Voyager fans early on this Summer. Of course, with high school sports taking a break from the action, most of us turn our attention to Centene Stadium during the hot months of the year. And if you're a baseball fan here in Great Falls, then you're in luck. Not only are the Voyagers tied for the best record in the Pioneer League, but the Electric City is hosting this year's American Legion AA baseball tournament, which will be held in early August, which follows the annual Big Sky Rodeo. So, for most of us who consider ourselves sports fans here in Great Falls, this Summer is shaping up to be one wild ride!

Eye Of The Tiger

I'll be the first to admit that Tiger Woods has done more for the game of golf than probably any other athlete in history, but watching yesterday's U.S. Open Playoff round, I couldn't help but chear for Rocco Mediate.

I'm not a Tiger fan. Never have been, and probably, never will be. Of course, coming from a city like Seattle that hasn't won a major championship since 1979 when the Sonics defeated Philadelphia in the NBA Finals, I tend to root for the underdawg. Tiger has already won his fair share of championships. Coming into the weekend, he had 13 major championships under his belt including two U.S. Open titles. But that seems to never be good enough for Tiger, which is a testament to a true champion.

Unless you're a golf fanatic, chances are, you probably never had heard of Rocco Mediate before this past weekend. Mediate wasn't even ranked in the top 150 golfers of the world. You have to go back to 2002's Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic to find the last tournament Mediate has won since joining the PGA Tour back in 1985. He entered this past weekend's U.S. Open tournament as a 45-year-old 'nobody' with back problems. But after four rounds, he held everyone's attention.

But Tiger Woods never seems to fade in major tournaments. The guy is bulletproof on a golf course. You just can't bring him down. Heading into the final 18th hole on Sunday, Woods needed a birdie to tie Rocco and force a playoff. On Saturday, Tiger had worked his usual magic, and produced an eagle on the 18th. Sunday, all he needed was a birdie.

The 18th hole along Torrey Pines' South Course measures 571 yards, and is considered to be a par 5 for professionals. Woods only needed 4, rimming in a 12 foot putt on his final shot to set up an 18 hole playoff with Rocco on Monday.

Mediate fell behind early, dropping to a 3 shot deficit through 10 holes, but he followed with three straight birdies to pull even with Tiger, and eventually took the lead heading into the final hole of their playoff. But once again, Woods was up to the challenge, needing a birdie on the par 5, 18th. Meanwhile, Rocco set himself up again with a chance to win it, a makeable 20 foot birdie putt on the 18th, but Mediate failed to close out the tournament, hooking his shot to the right and around the cup. That allowed Tiger to once again seize the moment, and eventually another major tournament, defeating Rocco on the 19th hole by one shot.

One major theme heading into this past weekend's U.S. Open was Tiger's return following his third knee surgery, which he underwent just several days after the Masters Tournament last April. Woods hadn't even walked a full 18-hole course leading up to Thursday's opening round, but it didn't seem to affect Tiger's game all that much. Woods expressed frustration and even showed glimpses of pain throughout the five rounds, but in the end, the result was the same.

When Tiger turned pro in 1996 at the age of 20 years old, golf was in desperate need of a new hero, one that could recapture the magic that Jack Nicklaus had delivered for so many years. And Tiger did not disappoint. With this weekend's win, he's now just four major victories away from tying Nicklaus with the most by any player in history. But Woods did it with a surgically repaired knee, one that wasn't even ready to get back on the greens. And despite one of his least impressive performances, Tiger still beat the field, even on one leg.

Golf needed a hero, and Tiger delivered. But Woods is no longer a fan favorite. The 'underdawg' has taken over. On Monday, "Rocco" chants thundered over Tiger's applause. More people were pulling for Mediate, rather than for Woods. But they didn't get their wish. Is Tiger just that good? Or is the rest of the field that bad? We may never know. But for golf to continue to grow, it must find a worthy challenger to Tiger. One that can defeat him on a continual basis, even when Woods is at full strength.

Break Point

Hello My Friends,

I apologize for my lack of entries over the past several weeks. This last week has been incredibly busy, at least nationally. The NBA Finals just tipped off, while the NHL season just wrapped up. Speaking of the Stanley Cup Finals, what a treat! Pittsburgh and Detroit were spectacular! Even if you're not a hockey fan, you have to admit that the series was exciting. With elimination on the brink in game 5, down 3-2, the Penguins forced overtime by scoring with just 35 seconds left in regulation, spawning two and a half overtimes, which Pittsburgh eventually scored the sudden death goal to force game 6. Two days later, down 3-1 with less than 2 minutes to play, the Penguins rallied one final time. Marian Hossa scored on a powerplay with just 1:27 to go in regulation to pull the Pens within 1 goal. Hossa would get one final chance, an unbelievable shot as the buzzer rang. Hossa somehow got his stick around Red Wings' goalie, Chris Osgood, sliding the puck along the goaline, but it never crossed into the net.

As I watched game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, I wondered to myself why the NHL is one of the least watched sports here in America. The game is fast and exciting, especially during playoff time. It's a combination of football and soccer on ice. And then it came to me. Hockey is the only sport to request two breaks within a game. Football, basketball and soccer all require just one halftime, generally 15-20 minutes long, while baseball has its seventh inning stretch. But hockey has a break following each period, consisting of 20 minutes. While I understand the sport is very physically demanding, multiple breaks just slow the game down. Hockey is a very intense sport, and once it ends, most fans need time to wind down. But after 20 minutes, it's hard to regain your attention. Maybe if hockey could at least shorten their breaks to just 10 minutes, it would help retain many of the fans that change the channel in between periods, and never turn it back.

In light of this weekend's state softball tournaments here in Great Falls, I've decided to preview the Class AA by issuing my predictions. As you may know, CMR has been a powerhouse across the state over the past decade. Between 1997-2001, the Lady Rustlers won a state record, 5 consecutive state championships. This past year, CMR reclaimed the title for the sixth time in their school history, which ranks only second to Billings Senior, who has won eight.

The Favorite: I think it's safe to say that CMR is the favorite once again this year. Despite seeing their four year run as Eastern AA Conference champions come to an end, the Lady Rustlers have one advantage on their side that no other team shares: home field. CMR will get to play each game in front of their entire fan base, which can make a difference even in softball. The Lady Rustlers also have the state's most potent offense who can score at will. In their final six games, the club scored 76 runs while holding their opponents to just 9. From top to bottom, their lineup is lethal. They also have a solid pitching staff which includes Kira Bigler and Brittany Allen which composes a nice 1-2 punch. And don't forget about their sophomore, Ashley Keeler, who was untouchable in the team's second crosstown game. The team has hit their stride at just the right time, and if they can continue their momentum through the state tournament, they should have no problems in winning their seventh state championship.

Don't Count Out: Billings West and Helena Capital are respectable considerations in this category. West beat out CMR for the Eastern AA's conference crown, and defeated the Lady Rustlers in two of their three meetings this year including an 8-0 shutout right here in the Electric City. Meanwhile, Capital garnered the Western AA's top seed for the second consecutive year. They are also all too familiar with CMR who beat the Lady Bengals in last year's state championship game, 15-8. Capital has reached the championship series of the state tournament in three of the last four years, a feat no other AA team has done. However, in order to reach the state championship series, they'll most likely have to go thru CMR in the semifinals.

The Dark Horse: Helena High is a very dangerous team. In order to reach the state tournament, they were forced to win the final two games of a best of three series with Flathead this past week, which ended on an emotional walk-off home run by Ashten Colvin in the bottom of the 8th inning of game 3. The Lady Bengals have about as much momentum as any of the other seven teams heading into the state tournament. Look for them to ride their starting pitcher, Josie Grotbo, who is one of the best in the state this year. She's coming off an 18 inning, 30 strikeout performance against Flathead. Helena's greatest nemesis will be getting past the first round. They have a very tough test against CMR. If the Lady Bengals do prevail, it should set up a very interesting matchup against their crosstown rival, Capital, whom they split their regular season series with this year.

Statisticians Beware!

Sometimes in television, we don't get enough time to run every story, which is why I guess I set up a blog in order to write down my thoughts and provide some of you with stories you don't hear about every day.

This past week in baseball, the Cleveland Indians' pitching staff has been unbelievable. In their seven game homestand, their entire staff combined has allowed just 4 runs in 64 innings. Those of you trying to do the math, that's 1 run every 16 innings. What's even more impressive is that their starting pitching staff pitched 44 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing a run until that streak came to an end on Thursday when their starter, Aaron Laffey made a poor throw to first on a ground ball which resulted in an unearned run. Laffey went on to shut out the Oakland A's hitters before his relief gave up a meaningless run in the top of the 9th. The Indians' starting staff is now at 50 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, while they finished their seven game homestand with a stifling ERA of 0.16! And after all of that, the club finished their homestand with a 6-1 record. Their only loss came this past Monday when their closer, Rafael Betancourt gave up 3 runs in the top of the 10th inning after their starter, Cliff Lee, pitched nine scoreless innings. We shall see in the coming days if Cleveland's starting pitching staff is able to continue their dominance on the mound.

A History Of Violence

In light of this past weekend's tragedy at Churchill Downs, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the rare calamities in sports. If you're not aware by now of the story, last Saturday during the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, the filly known as Eight Belles was euthanized on the track immediately following the race. As the horse crossed the finish line at full speed, her jockey, Gabriel Saez, used his whip in order to slow down the filly as he feared her momentum would carry her into the outside barrier of the track. However, Saez' action forced Eight Belles to immediately pull up by using her front legs as a break, and in that instant, the filly broke both of her ankles. The horse never made it off the track alive, as she had to be put to sleep by trainers after finishing second in the annual Run for the Roses.

Since then, animal rights activists from organizations such as PETA and the U.S. Humane Society have been protesting for change in the sport, including banning the use of a whip as well as instituting a minimum age requirement for race horses to four years old.

While I agree that it was a tragic event, we must move on. This is nothing new in the horse racing industry. In fact, this past year here in Great Falls I watched a horse be euthanized on the ExpoPark's racetrack right before my very eyes after it broke one of its legs. While it's a sad reality, it is part of the sport. Sure, there are rules and regulations that have been institutionalized within the sport to provide race horses with protection. However, there are freak accidents.

Take football for example. Over the past decade, there have been numerous accounts of high school and collegiate athletes who have died due to dehydration as well as an excessive amount of exposure to heat. Since then, the NCAA as well as state high school athletic governing bodies have imposed additional rules allowing for players to receive more water breaks during practices. They've also regulated the number of practices and hours each team is allowed per week. However, these accidental fatalities still occur.

These accidents happen in every sport. This past year, a hockey player almost died after his throat was sliced open by one of his teammate's skate during an NHL game. The gash was measured up to an inch and a half deep calling for immediate medical attention. By the time Richard Zednik had arrived at the hospital, he had already lost five pints of blood. Luckily, Zednik is alive today.

The list goes on. Buffalo Bills tight end, Kevin Everett, was nearly paralyzed after sustaining a fracture and dislocation of his cervical spine during the NFL's opening weekend this past season when Everett lowered his head to make a tackle on a kickoff. Everett spent the next several days on a respirator before he was able to regain voluntary movement in his arms and legs. Today, he is able to walk on his own again.

In 2001, former NASCAR driver, Dale Earnhardt died after crashing into wall while rounding turn 3 of the final lap of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt had become the fourth fatality amongst NASCAR drivers during a nine month span. Since then, the sport has instituted new rules in order to protect drivers.

Sports aren't always safe. Tragedies and even fatalities of animals and even humans may occur. It's the risk one takes when driving a race car over 200 miles per hour around a two mile track amongst fourty other cars. It's realistic to assume that injuries will occur when two human bodies amassing 250 pounds collide at full speed, even with padding. And if you push horses to their maximum performance enough times, sooner or later, one will take a bad step and break its limb. While there are rules that are applied to protect athletes and animals within each sport, they can't prevent all injuries from occuring. And while this past weekend's accident was a tragedy, it also serves as a reminder. Sports are a source of entertainment, but they can also be very dangerous.