All Sport Report

Where will the World Cup be in 2014? If all goes well, it might head across the Atlantic to Brazil. The South American country, which is known for its outstanding football team, has officially placed a bid to host the World Cup for the 2014 FIFA Games. The bid was submitted this week in Zurich before a FIFA board. A special Brazilian delegation first spent 30 minutes visually presenting their bid. Then they turned a dossier with further details over to the FIFA board to examine and make a determination on their request.

Now, it is up to FIFA to decide whether they are going to allow Brazil to host the games. Before officials for the primary world football as (more…)

Where will you be in 2031? I am not sure where I’ll be or if I’ll even be around. However, the Michigan Wolverines and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish know where they will be, playing one of the last football games in their newly signed game contract. It seems incredible to think that the teams are planning an annual game so far in advance, but with the contract up between the two teams in 2011, the 20 year extension comes just in time!

In 2031, I will be 50 years old (and turn 51 in December of that year). At 26, I am absolutely terrified thinking about myself at 50. I still have my whole life ahead of me right now, so when I heard about the extension on ESPN’s SportCenter, I couldn’t help but cringe in the thought that I might not be around to see my Wolverines and one of the teams I love watching them play, the Fighting Irish, nearly 30 years from now.

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One of the greatest coaches in the history of the San Francisco 49ers has died. After battling leukemia, the most difficult battle he endured in 75 years, Bill Walsh finally lost his battle on Monday, July 30, 2007. Walsh passed away with his loved ones present by his side at his Woodside home. Leukemia, which apparently runs in the family, took the life of one of his sons, Steve, in 2002. Steve, a reporter for ABC, was only 46 when he died.

Walsh’s career as a coach can only be personified as its Hall of Fame quality. He won three Superbowls and transformed the 49ers into a West Coast football powerhouse, feared and respected by teams across the country. Despite his diligent and articulate coaching style, Walsh was a soft-spoken individual who was a native Californian and quite proud of that fact.

Joe Montana, Walsh and the 49ers’ star quarterback, who earned his own place in the Hall of Fame, was somber when interviewed about the death. To him, Walsh was not only a close friend but a mentor and father figure. Montana told reporters, “For me personally, outside of my dad he was probably the most influential person in my life. I am going to miss him.”

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In Part One of the Best Baseball Players of All Time, I discussed the #1 and #2 Players, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth. This second section discusses baseball players I believe to be in the top five ranked #3-#5. These individuals exhibit exceptional ability to play and legendary status with fans of the game. So, let’s get right into the list and find out which players made it.

#3 – Hank Aaron – This is the man that all the muss and fuss is about. For Barry Bonds to overcome Hank Aaron’s record and be placed in front of him is an absolute travesty. By not admitting or denying the use of steroids while under oath, Bonds has silently admitted guilt. By letting Bonds into the record books for a “steroid-induced” number of homeruns, the record of Hank Aarons, a man who used no supplemental assistance to aid his game, is being spit on.
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With Hank Aaron’s home run record about to be unfairly broken and inductions into the Baseball Hall of Fame being made, there is a lot of discussion about what makes a great baseball player. Keep in mind that this list reflects what I feel makes a great ball player. With that in mind, I have compiled my list of the top five ball players throughout baseball’s history. Feel free to comment to this message and make your own list of five.

First, a good ball player must be an exceptional hitter. If they can’t hit then they are either an exceptional pitcher or they are just good at defense. Second, a good player should be able to handle themselves in their defensive position. There are plenty of power hitters who aren’t so great when they are out on the field. Third, a good baseball player should be loved and/or admired by their fans. The fans know who are the good players and they rally behind them regardless of whether they are personable with the crowd or not. The best of the ball players are legends that are still loved by their fans to this day. That being said, let’s get on to my list.

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The Wake Forest campus honored and grieved the loss of basketball head coach Skip Prosser, who was remembered in the traditional fashion in which his team had been honored after winning basketball games…with toilet paper fluttering from trees. The tradition is common place on campus, especially on the quad where the majority of students hang out between classes. However, this was no celebration, as Prosser died of an apparent heart attack, on July 26.

Prosser was an exceptional basketball coach who was highly respected by students and staff alike. Under his tutelage, the Demon Deacons were ranked #1 for the first time three years ago. Right now, amidst the grieving, the fate of the team is hanging in the balance, as the next season is approaching at a rapid pace. Amidst the questions of who will replace Prusser remains the question of what will happen to his summer recruitment program and preparation for the following basketball season.

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It was 113 years ago when the Viktoria Berlin football club was named the winner by default of the league final they were supposed to play. This was due to the fact that their competitors, the Hanau club was unable to travel to Berlin to play Viktoria due to lack of funds. Hanau, which is located in southwest Germany, was 400 kilometers away from Viktoria Berlin. The results of the 1894 competition meant that Viktoria took home the win and the title for the league by default.

It took just 113 years for the Hanau team to attempt to bring their loss and the Viktoria team to justice. Since the victory went to Viktoria, throughout the years, the Hanau team officials have received multiple complaints. That is why officials decided to find a solution that was not only amicable, but was one fans of both teams could live with, despite the fact that all of them were not even alive 113 years ago.

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When I think about sports, my first thought is that those involved must be criminals. From there I deduce that the most common thing to do if you are in sports is to pull a Winona Ryder and steal something. I’m sure you think the same thing, right? Of course not! In truth, it consistently surprises me when athletes, coaches, and even sports officials (such as referees) get busted. My thought is that these individuals have it made, so why would they jeopardize that?

With that in mind, we need to ask Eric Scott, an assistant coach for UCLA, what the heck he was thinking. When residents of L.A. turned on station KCBS-2 on Wednesday morning, they were greeted with a picture of Scott’s smiling face and the news he had been arrested with two other men on suspicion of burglary. I was thinking, on my off day, I’d go out and break into a few houses, too. Think they’d notice the wheelchair skid marks?

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In what is being called a bizarre accident, a former MLB player and minor league coach died on Sunday, July 22, 2007. The incident happened less than a month after he had taken on coaching duties for the Tulsa Drillers, at the request of his young sons. Mike Coolbaugh was standing in the coaching box at first base when he was struck by a foul ball that was hit by Tino Sanchez in a game played by his Tulsa, Double-A team against the Arkansas Travelers.

After being hit, Coolbaugh was knocked unconscious. CPR was administered and an ambulance was called, which took him to Baptist Medical Center – North Little Rock in Little Rock, Arkansas. As the ambulance was pulling in at the hospital, Coolbaugh stopped breathing. He was officially pronounced dead at the hospital, at 9:47 PM.

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Why is it that anytime anyone in the public eye does something stupid, illegal, or just plain morally wrong they have a “disease”? You just have to look at Hollywood to see that. Mel Gibson goes off on an anti-semantic tirade it wasn’t really his fault. He had a disease called alcoholism. When Lindsay Lohan got arrested, and arrested, and arrested she went to rehab, and another rehab, and another rehab because she was “sick” with an addiction problem. Then there is my favorite, Isaiah Washington. He called T.R. Night a f#@ not once, but twice (including mentioning it on television at the Golden Globes), and when he was facing major heat for it, he suggested he go to “rehab” to get help for his “problem”. He calls discrimination a problem a.k.a. a disease, while I call it ignorance.

Rather than take responsibility for their actions and change, these celebrities found scapegoats including blaming the booze, screaming racism, and hiding in rehab until things blew over. Yet, you know their efforts were insincere considering the fact that Lindsay (for example) has been caught over and over doing the same thing time and again. She never seems to learn. Meanwhile, Isaiah, who wronged T.R., changed the focus by saying his network just hates him because he’s a black man (in so many words) and that’s why he was fired. Great move to get the heat off your actions, Isaiah. Everybody loves a well prepared sob story.

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If there are two things I love, they are sports and food. Sports and food go together quite well. Perhaps that is why my partner, Ashtyn, and I go together, so well. I am the sports enthusiast and resident expert. She is the gourmet chef. She even writes her own blog on the Food Network called Watching Food TV.

Imagine my surprise when I became addicted to the Food Network. A whole network about food is about as exciting for a man as the ESPN network airing non-stop sports 24/7. Of course, I have my favorites like Paula Deen, who is a southern cook after my own heart and Emeril, who cooks kicked up food with a lot of New Orleans flavor.

So, when I get the chance to have my two passions, food and sports mix, I am like a kid in a candy store. After watching Rory lose the Next Food Network Star I realized that the season premiere of one of Ash’s favorite shows, Dinner Impossible, takes Chef Robert Irvine to the ballpark. He was attending a Chicago White Sox versus New York Yankees baseball game where he would find out his mission.

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After a few days break from my daily sports run down due to life really giving me a sharp kick, it’s back to the grind. So, what did we miss during my brief hiatus? Scandals abound like crazy in the sporting world. From Cycling to Basketball, Friday, July 20, 2007 was not a good day in the vast majority of the world’s top sporting organizations.

Baseball

Cleveland and Detroit Battle it Out for First Place – The Central Division of the American League has been heating up. With just a half game lead over the Cleveland Indians going into the second half of regular season, Detroit and Cleveland have been in a constant battle to see who will be number one. While Detroit remains just barely ahead of Cleveland, Detroit’s catastrophic 10-2 loss to Kansas City after a four game winning streak on Friday thrust Cleveland (who beat the Rangers 3-2) one step closer to taking over the top spot and kicking Detroit down to second place. My Tigers better hustle and win their next game if they want to remain in first place not only for the Central Division, but for the American League as a whole.

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Did you ever imagine your grandparents could be running around a track, throwing a javelin, or making the long jump with a better distance than you? In Italy, the Masters Athletic World Championships allows competitors who are up to age 90 to participate in the competition. My grandparents are both in their 80s, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Gramps could run the 100 meter let alone compete at the long jump. Breaking your hip starts to limit your mobility and all.

Yet, we have 85 and 90 year old competitors in the Masters and some of them are pretty dangerous. In fact, if you do not watch out for them, they might hit you with their javelins! The Masters Athletics World Championships are held in September, so competitors are gearing up, preparing to wow the audience and competition judges with their performances. However, one javelin thrower took things too far during a meeting of the Golden League in Rome.

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No sooner had I mentioned that Barry Bonds was in a major slump that he had to go and show me up. So, he was 0 in 21 at bats, which is a pretty bad record for someone who is trying to attain the status of Homerun King. Then he decided to go and get two homers in one game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. These were homers 752 and 753 on his quest to beat Hank Aaron’s record for the most career home runs in the history of baseball.

I have to repeat myself when I say that I think Bonds is highly overrated. I’m not overly thrilled at the implications of what he’s done to become so great and yet I feel that making him the new man to beat over Aaron is a slap in the face to those who were genuine and true to baseball for so many years. Color me imperfect for my view of Bonds, but that’s just how I feel.

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The Minnesota Twins didn’t have a chance with Magglio Ordoñez in the game tonight. The Venezuelan batting wonder is responsible for all three RBIs for the evening (It’s truly no wonder he’s batting .419 against Twins pitcher Santana). Without him, the Tigers would not have won their second game at the Metrodome in Minneapolis with a score of 3-2. In this series, the scores have been close, with just two games played against the Twins. In fact, yesterday’s game was also just one point apart, with the Tigers winning 1-0.

Marcus Thames made an amazing catch which saved the game in the 8th inning. Had Thames not caught the ball, the Tigers might be looking at a different outcome for the game. Of course, nothing comes without sacrifice. Thames was immediately taken out of the game due to an unspecified injury to his left hamstring. Though it is being said it was nothing more than a cramp, there has been no official confirmation on that. Curtis Granderson, baseball’s triple king (he’s got 16 this year, leading all of baseball by six), took over for Rayburn in center who took over for Thames in left field in the 9th inning.

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