Tales From The Inbox - July 29, 2008

Golf: It’s that time of year again. My inbox has been dominated by summer sale flyers from various golf equipment companies. This is when everyone blows everything out and makes way for the new stuff. If you’re in the market for clubs, it’s coming up on a great time to buy since the new models will be out soon. That means the old ones have got to go – just like cars. The old models are on sale, the new ones are arriving! Technology keeps getting more interesting and it seems like drivers get bigger and bigger. In fact, I almost fell into the trap over the weekend. My driver is 454cc and I tried a 460cc out. At first, I thought I would trade up. After hitting about 50 range balls I discovered I knew what I was doing when I bought my original driver. My woods also - I love them all and they are staying in my bag! I just might upgrade my irons…

Futbol/Soccer: Apparently a scout from England’s West Ham football club, Tony Carr, is in the States scouting talent. This is a growing trend with European clubs as Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, and Portugal's Benfica have all started scouting in America. They are all very interested in kids from the United States. It’s nice to know that we may be catching up with the rest of the world in this sport! Seriously, I’ve said it before: the rest of the planet is absolutely absorbed in the sport so we must be missing something.

Baseball: Alright Dodgers…sending your mailing list recipients a chance to bid on already overpriced tickets…seriously!


Today in Sports History

1988 - Baltimore trades Mike Boddicker to the Red Sox for Brady Anderson and Curt Schilling

1995 - Monica Seles defeats Martina Navratilova in her return to tennis

1995 - Carolina Panthers defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in each team’s 1st NFL exhibition game by a score of 20-14

1996 - Tommy Lasorda calls it quits after twenty seasons as manager of the Dodgers following a heart attack and an angioplasty procedure in June. Bill Russell takes over for the man who won two World Series, four National League pennants and seven division titles. (By the way, I’ve never fully gotten over this.)

2003 - Boston Red Sox batter Bill Mueller became the first player in MLB history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game in a 14-7 win at Texas.