Armchair Weekend in Review (August 18-21, 2006)

by user JB82

First off, you're probably wondering why I stuck the 21st onto the title. Well, with so much that went on this past weekend, I needed an extra day to cover it all!

Actually, let's start with the real method behind the madness:

The Boston Massacre (Version 2.0)

Back in September 1978, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox met in a crucial four-game series with both teams going in opposite directions. The Bronx Bombers whipped out the brooms in what would go down in history as "The Boston Massacre."

This past weekend, history reared its ugly head as these same two teams faced off. Compared to '78, this version of the BM was even bloodier.

Friday Double Dip

Johnny Damon provided the big blow with a two-run shot in the fifth, while Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez put the game away in a 12-4 win.
Game 2 proved to be a high-scoring affair, with Damon striking again (3-6, HR, 3 RBI) and the Yankees coming back with seven runs in the 7th inning. The Yanks swept the twin bill 14-11 in the longest 9-inning game in MLB history, lasting 4 hours and 45 minutes. Not since the game where Barry Bonds hit his 71st home run of the 2001 season did an MLB game last this long.

Saturday

Red Sox fans will remember this game as the one where Josh Beckett gave walks as though he were a department store Santa Claus. The Yanks again were the ones who snatched up the gifts, the biggest one being a 13-5 win and a 4 1/2 game lead in the American League Eastern Division. Robinson Cano put a wrap on this one with a three-eun shot in the eighth.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Finally, there was some drama in this series! Starters Mike Mussina and Curt Schilling both pitched well, but it was the Boston bullpen that imploded. Jonathan Papelbon blew the save opportuntiy in the ninth thanks to Derek Jeter and a two-out game-tying RBI base hit. The Yanks struck again in the 10th with homers by Giambi and Jorge Posada, and the game was theirs, 8-5.

The Light at the End of the Proverbial Tunnel (or The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight Strikes Again)

Today provided the only real nailbiter in the whole series, and the final nail in the proverbial coffin. Bobby Abreu drove in Melky Cabrera in the sixth while Nick Greene came home on a wild pitch two innings later. Wily Mo Pena hit a solo shot in the bottom half of that inning, but that was as close as the Olde Towne Team would ever get. The Yanks left Boston with a previously improbable five-game sweep of the Sox (their first in over 60 years) and an astounding 6 1/2 game lead in the division. It didn't look good when the Yanks came in coming off dropping two of three to the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the week.

Best of the Rest

There was more than Yankees-Red Sox during the weekend:
- Speaking of rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers had fun visiting the San Francisco Giants. Dem Bums took two of three, including a shootout where Greg Maddux got lots of run support in the same place where he got his 300th win two years ago.
- The New York Mets invited the Colorado Rockies to celebrate the 20th anniversary reunion of the 1986 World Series championship team – and sweep them in three games. Replete in their '86 uniforms (racing stripes, 25th anniversary patch and all), the Metropolitans swept the Rox out of Shea Stadium in a series which included a comeback that would have made guys like Keith Hernandez, Darryl Strawberry, Sid Fernandez, Wally Backman and the like proud.

Tiger Claws His Way to the Top Again

In the 1980 golf classic Caddyshack, there is a scene where a pastor plays the course at Bushwood Country Club – in a driving rainstorm, no less! My favorite scene in the film – yes, I have seen it – ends with him on the 18th hole just a near-gimme away from breaking the course record. After his putt to hole out falls short, he raises his putter skyward and shouts, "Oh, rat fart!" Immediately, a lightning bolt hits the driver and, acting like a lightning rod, sends the poor clergyman to the ground.

While nothing of that sort happened at Medinah Golf Course outside Chicago, Englishman Luke Donald and American Tiger Woods were both in the same situation on Saturday. Donald and Woods came close to breaking Medinah's course record, but ended with a 65 and 66, respectively. Donald would go on to utter "Oh, rat fart" to himself as Tiger pulled out the win, his 12th in a major and his 39th overall, with a 68 on Sunday. His 18-under par score equalled a PGA tournament record.

FAPL Opening Weekend from the Transatlantic Armchair

Over 400,000 people attended the inaugural weekend of the 2006-07 Premiership season, a new record for attendance. Here are some notable highlights:
- Manchester United opened a newly renovated Old Trafford to Fulham. The Devils beat the Cottagers 5-1 as Wayne Rooney got over his World Cup injury by scoring one of four goals in a 20-minute span. This match was seen by over 75,000 spectators, a record for one of the venerable cathedrals of football (soccer).
- Meanwhile, archrivals Arsenal opened up their new playpen, Emirates Stadium, with a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa. Gilberto saved the day by scoring the equalizer in the 83rd minute.
- FAPL newcomer Reading got their stay in the top flight off to a exciting start with a 3-2 comeback against Middlesborough.
- Sheffield United returned to the Premiership for the first time since 1994, earning a 1-1 draw against defending FA Cup champion Liverpool.
- Watford played their first League match since 2000, but were denied a draw against Everton on a controversial penalty shot from Mikel Arteta.
- Twice defending league champion Chelsea shut out Manchester City 3-0. Not much to write home about there.
- I am quite adept in British English, BTW. I just happened to put in a little Amerk English, too.

Fast Track

The late Dale Earnhardt did whatever he could to win races during his NASCAR career. During a race at Bristol, Tennessee in 1995, he spun out Terry Labonte on his way to the checkered flag. Eleven years later, his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., did almost the same thing. During a green-white-checkered finish, Little E spun out race leader Carl Edwards in the Carfax 250 at Michigan. Edwards and Junior exchanged pleasantries after the race, but no fight broke out. ;-)
- The next day, Matt Kenseth took the win in the GFS Marketplace 400 NEXTEL Cup Series race.
When last we left the MotoGP, American Nicky Hayden won the event at Laguna Seca in California, his second. This past weekend, Hayden still found himself on top of the riders' standings after the event in Brno, Czech Republic. This event was won by Italian Loris Caprossi, likewise his second. He is also the third Italian to win an event this year (Valentino Rossi and Marco Melandri bring the others.)

Football (on both sides of the Border)

When last we left the CFL, the Montreal Alouettes were undefeated. Nowadays, that is no longer the case. In the CFL's geographic equivalent to the Toronto Maple Leafs-Montreal Canadiens rivalry, the Toronto Argonauts hosted the Als and gave them a shellacking they won't soon forget, 31-6. In the game, Argos quarterback Damon Allen became only the second QB to pass for 70,000 yards. All told, this makes him the Joe Montana of the CFL.
Back in the States, Derrick Blaylock had himself a game Saturday night against the Washington Redskins. The New York Jets' running back put up a Curtis Martin-esque performance with 10 carries for 46 yards, while Brad Smith scored on a reverse early in the second quarter.

Amerk cagers show promise

Team USA blew out Puerto Rico during the practice round, but the Boricuas gave the Amerks a run for their money on Saturday, with the Americans winning 111-100. The next day, the Yankee Doodlers ran roughshod over Yao Ming and the Chinese 121-90.

Horses for Courses

At Saratoga Race Course in the home of AWIR World Headquarters, Pine Island with Javier Castellano up won the 126th Alabama Stakes. This race is important as it is considered the Travers Stakes for fillies. BTW, look out for a Travers review in next week's edition of the AWIR.
Across the continent, Lava Man with Corey Nakatani aboard burned up the track at Del Mar in the Pacific Classic Stakes.

Odds and Sods (emphasis on "Odd")

Back across the Pond for this item. Everything was going well for the Pakistan and England cricket tems during a five-day test at The Oval in London. However, during the fourth test match, the Pakistanis got the finger pointed at them for ball tampering. After much confusion between the two umpires and the two countries' governing bodies, England won the whole schlemoo by way of Pakistan's forfeit by refusing to take the field later on. It was the first time that a match had been won this way. Stay tuned on this one if you live in the UK.
Back in America, another oddity – and maybe an entry into America's Dumbest Criminals: Sports Division. On Friday night, a teenager tried to enter Shea Stadium dressed as a news reporter in order to get a five-finger discount on admission into the Mets game. He used his disguise to success a week and a half earlier, but he didn't succeed this time around. Said teenager, Ryan Leli, was arrested for his caper and is due to return to court late next month.