Sunday Sports Wrap - June 14, 2008

As most every sports fan knows, today’s big event is the U.S. Open. Tiger Woods is in a good place in spite of his recent knee surgery. He’s been spotted wincing after hitting the ball a few times, but those were particularly good shots. We'll know at the end of the day whether he pulls it off.

Yes, I know the NBA Finals are on tonight. I am electing not to say much. I do have one request: could Boston fans think up a new chant please? “Beat L.A.” is tired and unimaginative. Oh well, if the home team doesn’t pull it out then I guess I’ll have to somehow console myself with the year-round perfect weather, excellent surf and ski conditions, top-quality shopping and dining, and more overall sports titles to name a few. Bummer.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are still close to the top. As of this morning, they are merely 1.5 games back from the Red Sox while the Yankees are 6 games back. The Rays host the Marlins today at the Trop. The Dodgers are also in second in their division. They are just a mere 5.5 games behind Arizona. Nice. This is that time of year where I miss a few games and get that sinking, nauseous feeling about the team. Yeah, I knew that simply signing Joe Torre wasn’t going to mean the team would start winning. It’s a great start and I’m really happy to have him. I just wish the team ownership was thinking more about building a winning team and not the plans for the new mall at the stadium. Being here in Los Angeles has its advantages, doesn’t it? With the large population you don’t have to really try to please the fans. When one of us gets disgusted by the team and doesn’t buy a ticket another simply takes their place. Thanks for nothing Frank McCourt. The Dodgers are in Detroit today by the way.


Today in Sports History

1926 – Don “Newk” Newcombe is born in Madison, NJ. Newk was the right-handed pitcher and lefty batter that played for the Dodgers, Reds, and Indians.

1980 - Jack Nicklaus wins the U.S. Open by shooting a 272