There is a lot going on in the world of sports...
-Lance Armstrong is going for his sixth straight Tour de France amid allegations that he used performance enhancing drugs. My opinion: Standard line here, Innocent until proven guilty. Isn't kind of odd that we live in a society where steroid scandals are the lead stories, but as soon as the news cuts to commercial, we see an adverstisement for Levitra, a performance enhancing drug?
-Coach K is thinking about the Lakers' offer to be their next head coach. My opinion: The Lakers were done after the Pistons beat them. With Kobe on trial and Shaq wanting out, Coach K would be wise to stay in the college ranks where he can remain a legend.
-Maria Sharapova won the women's singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Serena Williams. People have talked about how Sharapova is another Anna Kournikova, since she also has a modeling contract (she is quite stunning for a 17 year old). My opinion: She is not another Kournikova because she has already one a Grand Slam event.
-Lastly, the Yankees and Red Sox played one for the ages last week. I have always thought, when looking at Derek Jeter's stats, that he was nothing special. Statistically, he is an above-avg. shortstop. ARod, however, is a much, much better defensive and offensive player than Jeter ever will be. ARod hits more homers in one year than Jeter does in two. Then Jeter does something like he did against the Sox. With the game tied in the 12th inning and two runners on, Trot Nixon hit a sinking blooper down the line to short left field. Jeter ran full steam a long way to make a great backhanded catch. His momentum carried him into the stands where he dove head and hands first over the press box and well into the 2nd or 3rd row of seats. He came out with lacerations and bruises on his face, but he made the catch. Unbelievable. That is why he will be in the Hall of Fame. The guy is a true leader, who comes up with huge plays when the Yanks need him most. There are athletes who come up big in clutch situations: Kobe, Elway, Montana, and of course Jordan. Add Jeter to that list.
Posted by Frank Yamada at July 4, 2004 04:11 PM