Summer 2010 Wrap-Up

First, I must apologize for being derelict in not posting on my blog for quite some time. It is not because there haven't been interesting sports stories on which to comment. I have just been lazy. Nevertheless, it is time to get back on the bandwagon since fall is here, which means that there are many sporting events either in progress or ready to commence. However, before moving on to the present day sports stories, I have an obligation to comment on some of the headlines that occurred this summer.

The Passing of George Steinbrenner It was only fitting that a man who was born on July 4th left this world the day before the mid-summer classic known as the All-Star Game. Mr. Steinbrenner was someone that you either loved or hated. However, no matter how you personally felt about him, I must pay him homage for revolutionizing baseball as we know it today. Mr. Steinbrenner's controversial comments, high payroll, and do whatever it takes attitude to produce a championship caliber team has forced other major league teams to invest in their minor league players and offer outrageous million dollar contracts to the most desirable free agent players each off season. I must admit that I will miss Mr. Steinbrenner throwing the occasional insult at the Boston Red Sox. Mr. Steinbrenner left this world on top with the Yankees winning their 27th championship last fall.

LeBron James joining the Miami Heat In my lifetime I have never witnessed so much hype surrounding where an NBA player will be the following season. The self-proclaimed "King" of basketball had teams "courting" him for months. In the end, LeBron decided to ditch Cleveland, whom made him the star he is today, and decided to head to South Beach where he felt he could legitimately win a championship with his compadres Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. LeBron claims that he will be a team player and share the ball with his fellow superstars. While this rhetoric sounds good, I will be keeping a close eye on LeBron to see if he will actually walk the walk. Furthermore, the Heat will need a coach who can put egos in check if they want to be legitimate contenders for an NBA title.

Tiger Woods. Two words: train wreck. Everyone loves a train wreck so golf ratings should be shooting through the roof.

The Perfect Game That Wasn't. On June 3, 2010, Armando Galarraga, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, was on his way to being the third pitcher this season to pitch a perfect game. On what should have been the last play of the game, and Galarraga's coronation into the perfect game club, umpire Jim Joyce called Jason Donald of the Cleveland Indians safe at first base. Imagine the shock in the ball park at that moment. Jim Joyce immediately became the most hated umpire in Major League Baseball. Later on that evening, Jim Joyce admitted that he messed up the call and denied a young player such a prestigious honor. The following day Jim Joyce was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd. However, a poised Galarraga came out onto the field and handed Joyce Detroit's lineup card. That simple gesture of forgiveness brought Joyce to tears. There are some baseball fans that are insisting that instant replay be instituted into Major League Baseball for all questionable plays. Yet if you are a true pure baseball fan, such as me, instant replay will take away human error and remove moments such as the one just described.

Stephen Strasburg Will he be known as the new Nolan Ryan or is his career already over due to injury?

So there's my wrap-up of this summer's most interesting sports stories. Some of you may not agree with me so feel free to post what you believe I should have mentioned.

Let the fall sports season begin!