I'm baaack. Sorry for the extended absence, a move and summer classes will do that to anyone. Plus, I've been so shook up over the steroid allegations against David Ortiz that my will to blog has been crippled... ok maybe not. Besides, was there anything in the past week worth blogging about? (Besides the Yankees pulling away from the BoSox, but I've picked on them enough recently!)
But today, we begin anew in the sports world. Today marks a transitional day on the sports calendar.
Football.
Is.
Back.
Thank God.
I don't know about you, but I've reached the summer doldrums as far as baseball is concerned, the news out of the NBA has slowed to a trickle (unless you count the LeBron saga), and training camp doesn't excite me like it used to. However, that ends with the Hall of Fame Game tonight featuring TO's debut with the Bills against the Titans. Let's hope for TO's sake that his stint with the Bills goes better than his reality show (reportedly doing worse ratings than the British House of Commons on C-Span (which is actually interesting stuff) (and yes I just put two parentheses inside of a parentheses, I told you we are a groundbreaking blog)). Thankfully, the sporting Gods have blessed us with a fantastic Sunday of sports as we slowly transition into the Fall. Today, there have been, are, and will be three sporting events that will keep RSS's attention throughout the day.
-First, this morning saw another football league open their season as the curtain raiser to the English Premier League season saw Manchester United face off against Chelsea from Wembley Stadium to play for the ceremonial Community Shield. Usually these games are dull affairs, but this game was a great one to watch. Potential Ronaldo replacement Nani impressed by scoring a great goal in the first 10 minutes. Ricardo Carvahlo and Frank Lampard then scored for Chelsea before Wayne Rooney equalized in extra time, before Chelsea finally claimed victory in a penalty shootout.
The verdict from this game has to focus on how United will deal with the losses of Carlos Tevez and Ronaldo. Summer signings Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen came on in the 2nd half but failed to impress. Can Rooney and Berbatov shoulder the load up front on their own? Guys like Park, Nani, and Fletcher played good games, but will these players be able to step up there games to replace all those missing goals? Over the course of the season, it might not look likely. Chelsea on the other hand looked in mid-season form in the second half and could be the favorites to reclaim the Prem Crown.
-Next, Firestone CC hosts the annual Tiger Woods Wins Another WGC Title Tourney this afternoon as the prelude to next week's PGA Championsihp. Tiger is in the midst of a duel with Irish pitbull Paddy Harrington as they are currently tied after 13 holes. Good to see Harrington competing again after some swing changes had derailed his game for the bulk of this season. Winning two majors last year, and perhaps coming back to beat Tiger on one of his favorite courses would be great for golf heading into the PGA. Oh, and the reports of Tiger's demise may have been greatly exaggerated as he is looking for his second straight win. Could Paddy Harrington rise up as a legit rival to Tiger? Probably not, but it's nice to dream, and nice to enjoy a riveting tourney on a scorching Sunday.
-Finally, the Hall of Fame Game is tonight from Canton, Ohio. While the Bills/Titans matchup isn't terribly intriguing, it will be interesting to see if TO does any of the following:
1) Incessantly plugs his own reality show. Let's hope he can move beyond the popcorn and do something creative. Your show and the ratings are terrible, will you pull out all the stops?
2) Starts ripping Trent Edwards midway through the 1st Quarter for not throwing him the ball, before crying after the game saying, "That's my quarterback, sniff."
(By the way, that was the Best Damn Sports Show Period's #1 most emotional moment in sports... no wonder that show's off the air)
3) Somehow gets Dick Jauron to show some emotion.
Ok, so the Hall of Fame game on its own doesn't mean much. But at least it means that the NFL is back, and the college kids aren't that far behind. We've come through the darkness people, I can see the light ahead. Enjoy your sporting Sunday, I know I will.
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