Gamblers and juicers blended together into a smoothie of deceit
Integrity of baseball - I would rather pitch a “no no” than a “no-hitter,” it just sounds so much cooler. After watching England own goal its own self out of the World Cup finals Wednesday night against Japan, I was watching Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco a pitch away from a no-hitter against the Tampa Bay Rays. The score was 8-0 and Carrasco had 13 strikeouts. An Indians pitcher hadn’t thrown a no-hitter in 34 years. And with two strikes on the batter with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Joey Butler, a 29-year-old rookie who was batting 2-for-19, poked a hit over the second baseman’s head. I thought, “OK, you’re 3-for-19 now, but at least you ruined the biggest moment in Cleveland since Jan. 17, 1988, when running back Ernest Byner fumbled going into the end zone with 1:17 left in the AFC Championship game to tie Broncos." The play is known in Cleveland as "The Fumble." The Carlos Carrasco one-hitter win over Tampa Bay may forever be known as the no no, not quite no-hitter. By the way, slap hitter Joey Butler has more integrity in his 32-ounce bat than all the gamblers and juicers blended together like a smoothie of deceit trying to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Olé Olé Olé Olé - Soccer professor Gary Montalto surprised me Monday night not by talking about the USA women’s World Cup team and their Tuesday semifinal showdown with Germany, but by asking for suggestions for the best place to watch it where soccer fans would be cheering every pass and sliding tackle. The coach is not a drinker; he is an atmosphere guy. What fun is it watching a big game by yourself? Go to a girls' game in Seaford on a Tuesday night and find out. The championship game versus Japan is Sunday night at 7 p.m. It's Fourth of July weekend, and the chants of USA - USA can be heard from sea to shining outfall pipe. Coach Mont stayed home Tuesday and hosted a barbecue for some neighbors then turned them into soccer fans.
Softball Xplosion - June 27 at the Pyle Center in Roxana, the 16U East Coast Xplosion team won the USSSA state championship. The previous weekend, the travel team won the Ocean City Blast at the Beach. This Fourth of July weekend, Xplosion is one of eight teams selected to participate in the Mini-Tournament in Virginia Beach's Mid-Summer Showcase. Players on the Xplosion roster are from Cape, Sussex Tech, Indian River, Delmar and Lake Forest. Xplosion outscored its opponents 31-1 in the tournament.
Athletes on ice water - Alcohol is legal if you’re already old enough to be beaten down by the drug, and prescription drugs are legal if it’s your name on the script. Then come the arguments from legalization to decriminalization of soft drugs to hard drugs, but as an experienced teacher and writer about youth sports, it is my impression that the best drug for athletes is ice water over integrity. I am offended at “athletes" who get drunk or stoned who then drone on about how good they are, or worse, how good they used to be. Clear head and stone cold sober is the best advice to give young athletes, and you may get filed away as a dork and maybe you are. A good name for a travel team: The Sober Dorks.
Snippets - The U.S. Lifeguard Association Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships are Wednesday night, July 8, in Rehoboth Beach. The common staging area is off the Boardwalk at Baltimore Avenue. There are competitions all summer ending with the USLA Nationals and Worlds. I once side-stroked a mile in an angry ocean with a raging current on my tail in under 8 minutes, which was four times faster than my pool swim. It’s all about game day when you charge into a sea of arms and feet not knowing what the heck is swimming beneath you.
I will soon direct my attention to the Eagles and try to ascertain what Chip Kelly is all about, but I suspect in the end the personnel in football don’t matter as much as the team chemistry. If I’m wrong, it's going to be a fun-filled season of angst for Philly fans. Now on the Fourth of July I need to find a tank.
Go on now, git!
