I spent much of my afternoon visiting my grandmother, as she had a speaking role in her residence’s Memorial Day service. I will spare you the details, but I’m glad I got a chance to spend some time with people who take Memorial Day so seriously, remembering those who have laid down their lives for us, rather than spending it merely mowing thier lawn or drinking beer on a lake osmewhere. Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
ITEM ONE: One of the greatest of all Memorial Day traditions in the sports world is the Indianapolis 500. Indy car racing will not be as popular in the U.S. since the sport is dominated by drivers from foreign countries and we Americans haven’t cared to compete against foreigners since we become the leading powers of the world and no longer the under dog. (This is different than the problem with hockey. Americans don’t care to compete against foreigners, and they especially don’t want to cheer for foreigners). The cars move quickly in Indy racing, and it requires a different kind of talent, so the allure of the race hasn’t gone down around the world, and it remains the crown jewel of open wheel racing, this side of Monaco. Indianapolis too, is extremely proud of the race, showing highlights all week long and basking in the worldwide attention. So, naturally, ABC blacked the race out in Indianapolis. That’s right. The Indianapolis 500 was not shown in Indianapolis. (Thanks to Steve from Is It Sports?)
ITEM TWO: The White Sox and Twins seem to be itching for a fight, don’t they? Todays game, the first after a contentious series here in Minneapolis a couple weeks ago, featured A.J. Pierzynski running on the inside of the bag after Justin Morneau’s ankles, a clear and dubious cheap shot attempt, as well as Torii Hunter stealing third with a 4 run lead, which is generally frowned upon as well. The Sox pulled Pierzynski before his final at bat in the 9th, fearing retribtion, indicating that Ozzie knew that he was guilty of something, so tomorrow’s game may be the most interesting since Ron Gardenhire’s famous hat kicking incident.
That is, of course, if the Twins band together and do anything about it. As I’ve mentioned, this current squad of Twins seem rather soft. Likely, we’ll see Ozzie instruct his pitcher to nail Morneau in the ribs, we’ll be treated to the Morneau frowny face, and nothing will come of it.
Sometimes, I depress myself with my cynicism. I shouldn’t harp on this. The team seems to be coming together nicely for a run through the second half of the year. Ramon Ortiz is moving to the bullpen, showing that Ron Gardenhire, Terry Ryan and co. didn’t trust their first impressions, something completely out of character. So, there’s that. And here’s to a wild game tomorrow. Especially since I’ll be home to watch it.
ITEM THREE: Not that anyone knows about it, but the Stanley Cup Finals start tonight between Ottawa and Anaheim. This should be a very good series between a pair of physical, scrappy teams. Ottawa has a better set of scorers, but Anaheim has more proven goalies, and frankly, goaltending wins championships, so I’m picking Anaheim to win.
ITEM FOUR: Speaking of hockey, and discussing two teams that were economic failures just a few years ago, another team that hasn’t been doing so well lately is the Nashville Predators. The Preds were recently sold to the Ontario businessman who owns the company that makes Blackberries. That being said, the team is likely to be moved to Canada, which isn’t necessarily bad for hockey, but it is sad for Nashvillians who have only had a team for a time shorter than Barry Trotz’s neck.
ITEM FIVE: I’ve been thinking doing some tweaking with the site here, revamping the links on the left there, for example, and making other subtle changes. If anyone has any thoughts on other things you think I should do, let me know.
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