Inspiration in Victory and Defeat

This past weekend, champions were crowned in the sports world. PGA golfer Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, age 42, won his first, ever, major tournament on Sunday, finishing three strokes ahead of the field. In Women’s World Cup soccer, Japan defeated the United States for its first ever World Cup championship.

DARREN CLARKE IN THE 2011 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

With Tiger Woods’ absence from the 2011 Open Championship due to injury, golf is in greater need of a compelling story than it usually is during a major tournament. After Rory McIlroy’s dominating run at the U.S. Open in June, many eyes were on him for an encore in the British Open. However, McIlroy never mounted a significant challenge for the lead. Instead, Clarke unexpectedly roared out to an early lead after the first two rounds, and would play a game of cat and mouse with American Phil Mickelson during the next two rounds. On Sunday, Clarke completed the improbable goal of winning the Open Championship, by several strokes.

If Darren Clarke won his first major at age 42, it is possible he may never win another during his career. Still, Clarke gave real-life meaning to the expression, “Better late than never,” Being in my mid-30s, I personally am encouraged by examples of how the best has yet to come for a man competing in a game in which the competitors utilize strength and endurance in addition to skill. Golf is a sport in which older participants can compete, but, like all sports, those possessing youth have an inherent advantage.        



2011 Open Championship Winner Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland 1

THE AMERICAN WOMEN'S WORLD CUP TEAM

A few hundred miles away from the British Open, in Germany, the United States women’s team captured the interest of sports fans all across America during its fantastic run to the finals. The #1 ranked Americans earned a dramatic victory in the World Cup Quarterfinals against Brazil with an Abby Wambach goal in the 122^nd minute of play to force penalty kicks. After a Hope Solo save during the penalty kick phase, the Americans were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, win the match on penalty kicks and outlast the Brazilians.

Similar drama unfolded on Sunday. Securing late one goal leads in regulation and in extra time, the Japanese penetrated the American defense and, twice, tied the score and survived, forcing penalty kicks. The Americans, however, did not have great fortunes during the penalty kick phase, missing their first two shots and digging themselves into a deep hole from which they could not recover.

In spite of the disappointment, the American women, in a country that watches relatively few women’s sporting events and very little soccer, made many casual soccer observers into fans of their team and stimulated interest in their sport. That is not necessarily an easy task, in a nation with an insatiable appetite for the sports that it traditionally follows (such as baseball and golf), played by men. In its run for a third World Cup, the American women inspired soccer fans, provided a rallying point for America and its sports fans, and provided a model that could inspire aspire young female athletes across the country.

Abby Wambach's goal in extra time appeared to seal a World Cup victory for the U.S. 2

AN INSPIRATIONAL WEEKEND

This past weekend offered inspiration to sports fans. It offered inspiration in victory from a salt-and-peppered man in his forties who demonstrated the value of persistence and perseverance. It offered inspiration, in spite of defeat, from a group of vibrant, energetic and dedicated young women who captured the attention of the masses through one of the least likely mediums in women’s soccer. 

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Must See Sports – Third Weekend of June 2011

The drama in the Major League Baseball season is heating up. The 2011 World Cup women's soccer tournament is winding down, and the British Open is underway. And the countdown to football season continues!

Thursday, July 14

MLB

Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
Derek Holland (7-4, 4.68 ERA) - Rangers vs Jason Vargas (6-6, 3.49 ERA) - Mariners

Fresh from the All Star break, these two American League West division rivals begin the second half race with a four game series. The Mariners, and their lights out pitching, have an opportunity to close within three games or less of the AL West lead. This series is somewhat critical for the Mariners because it is the last four game series they will play against the Rangers this season, meaning it is the best chance that they have to pick up multiple games on the Rangers for the rest of this season.

Advantages - Game: Rangers, Series: Rangers


Friday, July 15

MLB

St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
Chris Carpenter (4-7, 3.85 ERA) - Cardinals vs Mike Leake (8-4, 4.28 ERA) - Reds

The race in the NL Central could not get much tighter, with four teams (the Cardinals, Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, and Pittsburgh Pirates) all in a dead heat for the division lead. Cincinnati will be in a perilous position if its pitching, which has ranged everywhere from "touch-and-go" to downright "awful", cannot contain the Cardinals' potentially explosive middle of the lineup bats. In a race this close with this many contenders, I think those four teams are very close to, if not already in, the "every game counts" part of the season, even though it is still July.

Advantages - Game: Cardinals, Series: Cardinals


Saturday, July 16

PGA Tour

The Open Championship (British Open) – Round 3

Rory McIlroy, after his absolute domination of the field at the U.S. Open, has been the talk of the golf media in the days leading up to this event. In the absence of Tiger Woods due to injury, I am sure that the PGA is secretly rooting for McIlroy to have a strong showing in the first two rounds so that casual fans will have a compelling reason to tune in over the weekend, when the big ratings can come.

Rory McIlroy seeks to serve an encore to his U.S. Open performance. 1

Sunday, July 17

MLB

Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays
Josh Beckett (8-3, 2.27 ERA) vs Jeremy Hellickson (8-7, 3.21 ERA)

The Red Sox were on fire heading into the All-Star break, having won 10 of their last 11 games. The Rays were softened up considerably in their series with the Yankees. Perhaps the rush of energy and euphoria surrounding Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit, over the previous weekend, was working against the Rays as much as the Yankee crowd and the Yankees themselves. In this very tight division race, however the Rays are beginning to lose some ground, six games back heading into the break. Taking this best-of-three series against Boston would be a big step in the right direction for the Tampa, but I simply think Boston is too hot and playing to well right now to not take at least two games in this series.

Advantages - Game: Red Sox, Series: Red Sox

2011 World Cup Soccer – Final

United States at Japan from Frankfurt, Germany

Just one more stop on the way for the Unites States women's soccer team. This team, after its dramatic win last Sunday, followed by the domination of France yesterday, is destined, in the opinion of some in the sports media, to wrap up its mission of winning a third World Cup. As I have said, even if you are not into soccer, the action in this tournament has been more than entertaining for the average sports enthusiast.

Let's hope that American goalkeeper Hope Solo has a few more Jedi mind tricks up her sleeve. Bring the Cup home! USA! USA!

Lauren Chaney (12) fires the opening salvo against France in the semi-final game on Wednesday. 2

PGA Tour
The Open Championship (British Open) – Final Round

Will there be high drama in The Open Championship? Or will it be another "Runaway Rory" story? Or will someone new rise to the top of the pack? It will all be decided on Sunday.


Monday, July 18

Cincinnati Reds at Pittsburgh Pirates
Dontrelle Willis (0-0, 3.00 ERA) - Reds vs Paul Maholm (6-9, 2.96 ERA) - Pirates

I believe this is the first time, ever, that the Pirates have made "Must See Sports". If they continue to play better as the season wears on, however, this will not be the last time. Just one game out of first place heading into the All-Star break, the Pirates have an excellent chance to gain some ground on the Cardinals and/or Milwaukee Brewers and, with a three game series sweep, possibly knock the Reds far behind the pack in the NL Central race.

If you have not heard of Andrew McCutchen (.291, 14 HR, 54 RBI), you'd better recognize! The Pirates have some excellent young talent and have pitched very well this season. I personally find it refreshing for this historic franchise to be making waves again.

It would also be refreshing to see Dontrelle Willis make some waves again. The D-Train has struggled during the past 5 years, never fully regaining the promising form he showed with the Florida Marlins. His only start this season, just before the break, was a quality start. The Reds are hoping that Willis can help fill a hole in their starting rotation. Willis, I am sure, is simply aspiring to be a regular starter in the major leagues again.

Advantages - Game: Pirates Series: Pirates

The D-Train is back! 3

Tuesday, July 19

Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks
Yovani Gallardo (10-5, 3.76 ERA) - Brewers vs Zach Duke (2-4, 5.47 ERA)

The Brew Crew is playing as well as any National League team right now. Their pitching also appears to be coming together. The Snakes continue to keep pace with the Giants behind the bats of Justin Upton (.293, 15 HR, 46 RBI) and Chris Young (.262, 16 HR, 50 RBI). I think the Brewers have the pitching advantage in this matchup and that will tip the scales in this second game out of four in Phoenix.

Advantages - Game: Brewers, Series: Diamondbacks

2011 All-Star Game MVP Prince Fielder 4

Wednesday, July 20

New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
Freddy Garcia (7-6, 3.13 ERA) - Yankees vs David Price (8-7, 3.70 ERA) - Rays

There is plenty at stake for both teams in this third game of a four game series. The Rays could potentially play themselves out of the inner circle AL East race by the end of this series. The bat of Evan Longoria (.239, 11 HR, 42 RBI) has to wake up and provide additional support to the batting order. David Price has not had a quality start against an American League opponent since June 6. The Rays must make second half adjustments of they could be the odd man out, in spite of having the 4th best record in the league as of this morning.

The Yankees are on a roll and with a hot and rested Derek Jeter, there is reason to this the momentum will continue. The Yankees will miss the bat of Alex Rodriguez (.295, 13 HR, 52 RBI), who is expected to miss at least a month following surgery to repair a torn meniscus. A-Rod will be replaced by the young and speedy Eduardo Nunez (.279, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 51 GP).

Price has yet to have an impressive outing against the Yankees this season and is in a bit of a funk, as are the Rays. I like the Yankees in this matchup.

Advantages - Game: Yankees, Series: Yankees

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Rising Star

April 13, 1997 – 21 year old Tiger Woods won the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Leading by 9 strokes heading into the final round, Woods expanded his massive lead and won the tournament by 12 strokes ahead of veteran Tom Kite, an astonishing 18 under par.

Tiger with a full head of hair at the 1997 Masters. That was a L..O..N..G time ago! 1

April 10, 2011 – 21 year old Rory McIlroy holds a four stroke lead, at 12 under par, heading into the final round of the Masters. McIlroy would suffer an epic and historic collapse in the final round, shooting 80 and finishing in 15th place. Comparisons were drawn by sports journalists to Greg Norman, who lost a six stroke lead in the final round of the 1996 Masters, not Woods.

June 19, 2011 – 22 year old Rory McIlroy roared to a massive eight stroke lead at a record 14 under par after three rounds. Rory was the story. There were multiple recurring themes in the sports media throughout the day:

1) Would McIlroy win his first, ever, major tournament or would he have a repeat of his Masters meltdown?
2) Is McIlroy the next Tiger Woods?
3) Does he have to potential to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 career majors victories?


RORY'S THE STORY
As you have probably heard, repeatedly, Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open in record fashion, finishing eight strokes ahead of Jason Day at a record 16 under par. This is a defining moment in the young man’s golfing career. His enthusiasm, visible confidence, and strut on the golf course drew comparison after comparison to Tiger Woods during the course of the tournament. His aggressive, powerful swing and absolute domination of the field made him the only headline and turned the tournament at Bethesda, Maryland into a contest for the consolation prize of second place for all of the other competitors in the tournament.

Rory McIlroy enjoyed the sweet kiss of victory in his first major tournament. 2

While McIlroy is only at the beginning of his professional golfing journey, yesterday represented what may have been a significant fork in the road. A win, as expected after Saturday’s third round, placed McIlroy on a road to golfing stardom, very similarly to the road traveled by Woods in the late 1990s. Another epic meltdown would likely have resulted in endless questions ensuing about McIlroy’s ability to join the golfing elite. For every comparison of McIlroy to Woods and Nicklaus, I heard as many comparisons to Greg Norman and 2 time NBA Finals runner up LeBron James, another young superstar athlete who, like McIlroy, has come close to reaching the top of the mountain in his sport, but fell short.

It is my sincere hope that Tiger Woods’ rehabilitation from knee and ankle ailments have been successful and he will be a viable competitor in the British Open in 3 weeks. Since Woods’ string of injuries and personal challenges, dating back to 2008, the golfing world has been in desperate need for an attention grabbing story. Sports talk host Colin Cowherd said, on his show, something to the effect of golf is just golf without Tiger Woods, but when Woods is playing and competitive, “It’s like a SPORT!” With Woods and McIlroy in the British Open field, golf could be an EVENT!

Regardless of Woods' health or participation in the British Open, golf has a badly needed and long coveted asset: another marketable star who can draw the attention of the casual golf fan. Time will tell how successful McIlroy’s career will be. After this past weekend, however, McIlroy rose to the level of the stars, and his star is rising quickly.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy: Get ready to hear both of those names, at the same time, a lot, going forward. 3

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