Summary of the Weekend Plus: July 7 - 11, 2006
The last five days in sports has brought many exciting games and some surprising decisions.
In the men’s Wimbledon singles finals, Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive title. In what was expected to be a great match up of the top two men’s players, Federer stepped up his play against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who had beaten him in the French Open, to take an easy 3 sets to 1 win. The only disappointment for Federer was seeing his win streak end at forty consecutive sets after losing the third set 6-7.
In the World Cup final, Italy beat France with a 5 goal to 3 penalty kick win after laying to a tie through regulation and extra time. The highly anticipated match up between European Soccer Super powers lived up to its expectations. The match was tied at one going into the penalty kick stage, where Italy came out on top. The only blemish on the final was the actions of French captain Zinédine Zidane, who was ejected from the final after a blatant head butt into the chest of Italy’s Marco Materazzi. You have to wonder if game would have had a different conclusion with out the actions of Zidane.
Lebron James and Dwayne Wade may be be setting a new trend when it comes to signing maximum extensions after the initial rookie contract. Both players are expected to sign three year contracts with a player option for the fourth season. The usual contract is for five year of maximum salaries. The logic behind this move, one where the players are agreeing to less guaranteed money than they could receive, is that both players will be in position to sign a new extension at a time when the Collective Bargaining Agreement has expired and a new, possibly more favorable, one will be in place. John Hollinger of ESPN.com has written a piece that brings the strengths and risks of these deals to the forefront.
In the Major League Baseball All-Star Game last night, the American League continued a decade of dominance with a 3-2 come from behind victory in the ninth inning. Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young hit a 2 out, 2-run triple off of San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman for the game-winning hit. Yankee ace closer Mariano Rivera came in to shut the door in the ninth for his third career All-Star Game save. Young’s game winning hit entitled the American League World Series participant to home field advantage in the 2006 Fall Classic. It may end up being irrelevant, since five of the top six teams in baseball come from the American League, but it is still ludicrous that one exhibition game determines which league representative gets an advantage in the World Series.
In the men’s Wimbledon singles finals, Roger Federer won his fourth consecutive title. In what was expected to be a great match up of the top two men’s players, Federer stepped up his play against Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who had beaten him in the French Open, to take an easy 3 sets to 1 win. The only disappointment for Federer was seeing his win streak end at forty consecutive sets after losing the third set 6-7.
In the World Cup final, Italy beat France with a 5 goal to 3 penalty kick win after laying to a tie through regulation and extra time. The highly anticipated match up between European Soccer Super powers lived up to its expectations. The match was tied at one going into the penalty kick stage, where Italy came out on top. The only blemish on the final was the actions of French captain Zinédine Zidane, who was ejected from the final after a blatant head butt into the chest of Italy’s Marco Materazzi. You have to wonder if game would have had a different conclusion with out the actions of Zidane.
Lebron James and Dwayne Wade may be be setting a new trend when it comes to signing maximum extensions after the initial rookie contract. Both players are expected to sign three year contracts with a player option for the fourth season. The usual contract is for five year of maximum salaries. The logic behind this move, one where the players are agreeing to less guaranteed money than they could receive, is that both players will be in position to sign a new extension at a time when the Collective Bargaining Agreement has expired and a new, possibly more favorable, one will be in place. John Hollinger of ESPN.com has written a piece that brings the strengths and risks of these deals to the forefront.
In the Major League Baseball All-Star Game last night, the American League continued a decade of dominance with a 3-2 come from behind victory in the ninth inning. Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young hit a 2 out, 2-run triple off of San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman for the game-winning hit. Yankee ace closer Mariano Rivera came in to shut the door in the ninth for his third career All-Star Game save. Young’s game winning hit entitled the American League World Series participant to home field advantage in the 2006 Fall Classic. It may end up being irrelevant, since five of the top six teams in baseball come from the American League, but it is still ludicrous that one exhibition game determines which league representative gets an advantage in the World Series.
posted by marinjos at 12:29 PM
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