Worst Sports Day of the Year

Congratulations to the American League for stretching their unbeaten streak in the All-Star game to twelve. It's not a twelve game win streak thanks to Bud Selig. How he let the 2002 All-Star game end in a tie in his own backyard of Milwaukee is beyond me. I give Selig credit for making the game count toward something, because if it hadn't last night, I don't know if the players would have wanted to keep playing into the wee hours of the night. Surprisingly, I stayed up through the 10th inning. I succumbed to the night, but was pleasantly surprised to read that our very own Twin Justin Morneau scored the winning run in the 15th inning. Add that to his Homerun Derby trophy and it was a pretty productive trip to New York for the big Canuck. Although people outside of Minnesota won't remember his Derby win for long as it was second fiddle to the show Josh Hamilton put on. 28 homeruns in one round! Three blasts of over 500 ft.! Yeah, that will probably be remembered for awhile. It was an exciting couple of nights in the Bronx and a fitting send off to a historic ballpark. Next week Laura and I will be lucky enough to take in a game between the Twins and Yankees at Yankee Stadium. I have goosebumps already.

The only negative aspect of the All-Star game is the off day the day after the game. With no baseball, today is often the worst sports day of the year. Hockey and basketball are well into their off season. The top foreign soccer leagues don't start up until August. The British Open begins on Thursday. I would rather watch the Home and Garden channel all day than the Tour de France. I'm sure I could learn some great tips on how to utilize the space in my apartment more efficiently. There is no news of substance today except for the occasional free agent signing in the NBA, NHL, or Premier League. The Premier League is the best soccer league in the world for those not in the know. Even those aren't very noteworthy. The biggest free agent signing today is the Hornets luring James Posey away from the Celtics. Sure, its noteworthy, but it's nothing to get excited about and read the analysis of the move. I guess I'll just have to read all the stories about Brett Favre and his painful, emotional, exhausting inner debate about returning to football. What channel number is the Home and Garden network again?

Thankfully the second half of the MLB season starts tomorrow. There is much to look forward to here in the Midwest with the Twins and Brewers both alive in the playoff races. This is where a bold man would make predictions for the rest of the season. Being the jinx I am, I will slink away and hope for some meaningful baseball late into September. That and a delicious sub from Big Ten tonight for dinner. If the ratio of lettuce to everything else is 50-1, there will be hell to pay! Or I'll just fume inside as I devour the sub.