Mid-July means you wake up from a month-plus of napping by the pool only to realize that the majority of the year is in the lower half of the hourglass (cue MacDonald Carey)... summer reading included "Rawhide Down" (about the Reagan shooting) and "Black Swan Green" (once you get past the British colloquialisms, David Mitchell's writing is dynamic).
Football frenzy-- so I guess after four months of the non-story story... there actually is NFL Labor progress. I'm looking forward to seeing which teams are able to make better snap free agent judgements once the lockout ends. Back in the 70's, the NFL held its draft in late January and the front offices that had their act together (Dallas, Pittsburgh, Oakland) were able to take and maintain their personnel lead over the rest of the sad sacks that couldn't get out of their own way (New Orleans, New York Jets, Kansas City). Let's see if the Redskins make smart or silly moves this July-- Bruce Allen will earn his paycheck this month.
College Corner-- Kudos to Maryland for getting games in Baltimore again-- especially with 7 home games a year now the Terps can play one of their games in their home state's largest city. Sad thing-- it's probably easier for me to get from my home in Arlington, Virginia to M & T than Fed Ex Field... can't wait for Terps-Notre Dame this November. Meanwhile, the ACC has long tried to become "bigtime" in football... as the purging of the Big East last decade brought the conference to 12 schools and an anti-climactic championship game. Another move to bridge the gap between the ACC and the SEC: PROBATION. Because you know, if you aren't cheatin' you aren't tryin'. I'm not saying Georgia Tech's the SMU of 2011... but the Yellowjacket sanctions mean a vacated championship in a league that's always held itself above others when it comes to running clean programs (Clemson football in the 80's and North Carolina State basketball in the 70's notwithstanding).
British Open-- Youth and age were served in round one with 20-year old amateur Tom Lewis and 40-year old Thomas Bjorn capturing the Thursday headlines... followed by Lucas Glover and Darren Clarke surging on Friday. So much for the Rory McIlroy era of extreme dominance(the curly-haired one is 6 shots off the pace entering the weekend). I've always likened the British Open to tennis' French Open-- odd conditions that often steal the headlines from the actual competition... and a slew of clay court/links specialists like Gustavo Kuerten and Paul Lawrie outshine the mainstream elite.
Swing and a miss-- by the prosecution. For twenty-plus years, Roger Clemens intimidated hitters with a blow-by fastball and often caught them swinging while looking for the heater. Yesterday federal prosecutors pulled a hamstring in the first inning while swinging for the fences-- as the ignorance of an evidence ban set in motion the mistrial of Clemens' perjury case. Really? You messed this thing up on day two? Hopefully they'll send those attorneys down to AA Traffic Court in Anchorage.
All Star Blah Blah-- The buzz coming out of Phoenix was as lukewarm as you could get. Lower TV ratings than last year. And the impression that more than a few players would have liked to have been anywhere else. How do you fix this potential July juggernaut? Make the starting position players go at least six innings. Pitchers toss two innings each through the sixth and no dugout dumping of reserves onto the field. Remember how Oscar nominees say just being nominated is an honor? Well just being an All Star reserve should be honor enough. Unless you're Timmy Lupus, as a reserve you don't have an unalienable right to appear in the game. Sorry-- that's what you get when the game is for home field advantage in the World Series. And as far as players skipping the event-- if you have an all star incentive clause and don't show up to the game, you shouldn't pick up the check. Ninety percent of success is just showing up-- and if you can't make it to the All Star Game-- you shouldn't get your All Star Bonus.
Turning off Friday Night Lights-- I don't watch much television... and haven't tuned into NBC's red-haired stepchild since the season two murder plot (coupled with the musician turning into a game-winning wide receiver after 3 weeks of practices) led me astray. But one of TV's best network programs in the last ten years leaves without the mass over celebration that marked Lost's overrated final season. Friday Night Lights had a certain groove and feel that felt genuine-- more so than the three-camera sitcoms and flashy dramas where they actually clean the sets in between takes. From lunatic booster Buddy Garrity (unintentionally funny fake TV ads for his dealership make one scream) to consistent foul-up Tim Riggins (ironically the onetime onscreen boyfriend of Minka Kelly's character racked up the most impressive run of hookups since, um, Derek Jeter), not everybody comes out a winner-- just like the actual games. Well done TV is hard to find-- and the network didn't make it easy for Friday Night Lights to find the audience it deserved. Now there were blemishes... from all the last-second game-winning touchdowns to the coaching carousel (West Dillon had 5 coaching regimes over 4 fictional seasons)... but for the most part like a quality football program this one delivered and leaves the airwaves a winner-- making room for more repeats of "The Marriage Ref". Thanks, NBC...I'm buying another David Mitchell book today.
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