All World All Sports Blog

Visit "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

News from the world of sports is plentiful this week. There's plenty to talk of from good to bad to sad.

The Good.

Spain won the World Cup in a hard fought 1-0 victory over a gutsy Netherlands team on a 116th minute goal by Andres Iniesta. It was the first time South Africa hosted a World Cup tournament. If you were able to overcome the seemingly disturbing headache induced ear drum piercing sounds coming from vuvuzela's then you were treated to 31 days of exciting soccer action.

Something finally happened in the baseball world for the first time since 1996. The National League won an All Star Game! The NL was on the verge of making it 14 in a row before MVP Brian McCann (Atlanta) lashed a game winning 3 run double in the 7th inning. The last NL MVP was also a catcher. In 1995 Mike Piazza won top nod after NL's 6-0 shutout of AL rivals.

Effects of steroids finally wearing off in Major League Baseball? Apparently so and there's a new breed of ballplayers coming up through the ranks making instant impacts on today's style of play. In a world where everything is anything but normal, baseball is back on track. There's been 4 no hitters (Ubaldo Jiminez, Edwin Jackson) including two perfect games (Dallas Braden, Roy Halladay). Every division is hotly contested. Potential triple crown threats. Now, we head into a potential deadline beating trading frenzy.

The British Open Golf Championship is underway across the pond. The opening rounds have been great to watch. Weather conditions have played havoc as golfer must adjust their game natures vengeance. Only the players who remain calm, cool and collected stand a chance when Mother Nature comes calling. It's anyone's guess as to who will be crowned champ on Sunday.

The Bad

LeBron James needing a nationally televised event on ESPN to announce choosing a new team. LeBron should great disrespect by placing himself above the game. Disrespect for former teammates and management in Cleveland. Disrespect towards those who courted his services. He'll be cheered every night in Miami as Heat fans are deliriously excited day dreaming of future championships with Wade, Bosh & James leading the way. I'd be willing to bet he'll be booed intensely by cities left in the dust without so much as a thank you call.

New York Yankees players did not attend Bob Sheppard's funeral. The 99 year old iconic legendary voice of Yankee Stadium died this week and not one single current Yankee player attended funeral services. Sheppard was a beloved member of the Yankees family. His voice will always be remembered by dedicated Yankees fans. Shep won the praises of generations of players young and old. Upon learning of his passing, Yankees captain Derek Jeter requested from now on there will be a taped recording of Sheppard's voice announcing his name. Ok, great... then why didn't the Yankees captain, one of Shep's most outspoken supporters, attend the funeral service. Shame on Yankees management for not arranging a Yankees style funeral.

A terrorist group linked to al Qaeda is claiming responsibility for two explosions that killed at least 74 people in Uganda as they watched the World Cup finale. The two simultaneous blasts occurred at a rugby club where Ugandans were watching the Finals and at an Ethiopian restaurant.

Rumors are starting to surface claiming Rogers Clemens used steroids extensively during his career. Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette went on the record this week... "I'll just say this...let's let it play out a little bit more, I think there is more information and evidence that will show that Roger used performance enhancing drugs in a significant way." Perhaps this had something to do with Clemens Boston career coming to an abrupt end. Don't forget, Clemens is still under investigation by a grand jury for perjury during a 2008 trial.

The Sad

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, 80, died this week at his home in Tampa. His career as Yankees owner was dedicated, colorful, vocal and with plenty of turmoil. He bought the Yanks from an inept CBS ownership crew for a mere $10 million. Today, the Yankees empire is valued well over $1 Billion. Steinbrenner, "The Boss", spared no costs when it came to building a winning club. He's one of the main owners who turned free agency into a windfall of money for players. Other owners would soon find themselves shelling out big bucks or risk losing baseball's stars to a free spending Steinbrenner. The Boss' career and legacy will be closely scrutinized as not all actions were honorable. Either way, there's no denying Steinbrenner as one of baseball's most flamboyant icons during the past 37 years. RIP Boss.

Visit "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

2010 Major League Baseball's first half was sensational. Standout performances were plentiful from no hitters to 3 homer games, long winning streaks, losing streaks and personal bests. A few surprises in the standings along the way as teams jockey in and out of playoff contention. Many teams remain in the hunt heading into the second half of our baseball season. Anything can happen. If history repeats, then hold on for a wild ride down the stretch. Don't forget about baseball's trading deadline. There will be plenty of buyers and sellers as teams attempt to load up for playoff runs.

All World All Sports All Star Break Power Rankings (top 10):

1) New York Yankees (56-32) - Yanks hanging tough with mlb's best record. They could be looking for catching depth or another starting pitcher after getting burned by Seattle for Cliff Lee. Perhaps a setup man will settle down a somewhat erratic middle relief corps.

2) Tampa Bay Rays (54-34) - Rays hot on Yanks trail while trying to fend of Boston. Tampa will be challenged for wild card honors and will do their best to catch division rival Yanks. Southpaw Price (12-4, 2.42) starts for AL All Stars Tuesday night.

3) Chicago White Sox (49-38) - Hottest team heading into the break winners of 8 in a row to take over AL Central lead. Their bats have come alive. Starting pitching biggest question mark. Especially after losing Jake Peavy who was finally hot. Expect trade rumors seeking out a stud starter.

4) Atlanta Braves (52-36) - Not many gave the Braves a shot at winning the East. Atlanta has NL's best record in Bobby Cox's final season. Solid pitching, good defense and timely hits leading the way for the Braves. They just took 2 of 3 in New York. It'll be interesting to see if the Braves look for CF or LF help down the stretch.

5) San Diego Padres (51-37) - It's been all about pitching and defense (MLB low 304 runs against). Padres would be running away with the NL West if their lineup was able to produce runs. Don't expect deadline deals even though they could use a few bats. Colorado is hot on their trail. Fate rests on pitching staff.

6) Colorado Rockies (49-39) - Guess who's heating up after another slow start out of the gates? Winning 8 of 10 heading into the break lands Colorado in 2nd place 1/2 game ahead of Dodgers. Cy Young Award leading candidate Jiminez leading the way (15-1, 2.20) has been named NL All Star starting pitcher.

7) Texas Rangers (50-38) - Heaving hitting lineup and solid pitching has Texas leading all AL West teams. Rangers finally acquire a top notch starter landing lefty Cliff Lee from Seattle. Can Rangers survive intense summer heat and hold on? Time will tell but this is the best team in the West. One more pitcher could be on the way? Will it be Oswalt?

8) Boston Red Sox (51-37) - Boston remain within striking distance despite numerous injuries to key players all season long. Beckett is rehabbing and will be a welcome addition if arm is sound. Sox could be busy traders in the days to come attempting to fill voids created by injuries (especially on defense). Boston could go either way in 2nd half.

9) Detroit Tigers (48-38) - Trailing Central leading Detroit by 1/2 a game at the break. Detroit has finished terribly in recent seasons. Pitching and middle infield defense need a shot in the arm. Cabrera and Ordonez leading the offense. Tigers could be a busy trade deadline team.

10) Cincinnati Reds (49-41) - Reds were hot until 4 straight losses cooled them off. Dusty Baker has these guys playing inspired baseball. Lack of consistant starting pitching could doom Cincinnati. As of now, it's only a two team Central battle. Lineup needs to keep up clutch hitting to make up for lack of pitching.

Stay tuned for 2nd half predictions.

Visit "All World All Sports"

-Digger's Daily-

Every once in a while fans are treated to a tremendous All Star Home Run Contest. Not too long ago, Josh Hamilton put on one of the most memorable displays blasting 28 long balls at Yankee Stadium (no, he didn't win). This years' contest has a few new names as many sluggers opted not to participate. It's a shot in the dark trying to predict which player will walk away with top honors.

The hackers:

Miguel Cabrera (DET, 22 regular season HR) - Cabrera is one of my favorite current baseball players and has been since his rookie season. Everything he does seems effortless and he continues to be one of the games greats. Miguel might be able to advance out of the opening round but I just don't see him walking away with a win here. His swing is almost too perfect and tends to crack more line drives than deep flies.

Corey Hart (MIL, 21) - Hart is a free swinger which gives him a legit shot at winning this contest.

Vernon Wells (TOR, 19) - Wells is serious about winning. Look for him to nail some deep blasts. I'm thinking he'll hit double digits in the opening round.

David Ortiz (BOS, 18) - Big Papi is my odds on favorite this year. He's no stranger to being in the spotlight and has the perfect upper cut swing to do some serious damage tonight. It wouldn't at all surprise me to watch Ortiz nail a combined 25+.

Matt Holliday (STL, 16) - Similar to Cabrera whereas line drives may not have enough juice to clear the outfield wall. Tremendous hitter but might not be able to turn it up enough to get out of the first round.

Chris Young (AZ, 15) - Free swinging Young might surprise the field tonight. I'm not putting much stock into thinking he'll walk away as 2010 champ. However, he's a serious underdog who might do some major damage.

Nick Swisher (NYY, 15) - I'm hoping Swish doesn't damage his swing after participating. Often times hot hitters enter this contest and emerge powerless during the seasons' second half. Nick will probably hit the least of all contestants.

Hanley Ramirez (FLA, 13) - Marlins super star SS can do it all. But, can he win a home run contest? We'll soon find out.

Projected order of finish:
David Ortiz (winner), Vernon Wells, Corey Hart, Miguel Cabrera, Hanley Ramirez, Matt Holliday, Chris Young, Nick Swisher.