As the baseball pennant races continue toward their climax in the final weeks of September, fans have seen some surprising and extraordinary results. After coming out of the gates so quickly and essentially winning their divisional race by June, the Mariners have not let up. They have the best record in the major leagues since the All-Star break, and you have to go back to last August to find a series that they have lost on the road. Their continued dominance clearly is a sign of what to expect in the playoffs. With a team that is as strong on the road as they are at home, the Mariners may not even need the home field advantage.
The Phillies are currently battling the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East, a position that even the most loyal fan wouldn't expect the Phillies to be in. With a pitching staff that is only slightly above average, the Phillies have been led by an offense sparked by young players. Bobby Abreu leads the Phils in most of their offensive categories, but the most important piece of the puzzle has been rookie shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Rollins has used his speed to jumpstart the offense from the leadoff spot, and if not for the superlative season put up by St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, Rollins would be the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award.
And again we are seeing some amazing seasons out of individual players. The NL MVP race is neck and neck right now with Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez leading the way. All three of these players have had seasons for the record books, and each one would be a deserving victor. Roger Clemens-the Texas Con Man-is seemingly incapable of losing, and is on the road to his sixth Cy Young award. While these are only a few of the great stories this year, we are bound to see much more unfold over the next month.
The bigger competition off the field
At a time of year when many schools-if not most-have not started their fall semesters, big time college football has already started, which raises questions about the priorities of universities and of the players.
Weather in August is generally not considered football weather, and with the recent deaths of football players across the country it is clear that we are risking players lives. Second, by starting the season now it greatly extends the duration. Already a marathon, the college football season stretches from the last week of August until the first week in January, and this does not even include extensive preseason practices. Unfortunately, both of these compelling reasons to push back the start of the season are trumped by the dollar sign. Early season games can mean great exposure for a program, and with that comes money. All of the early season games are televised on national television, and the schools receive large amounts of money in exchange for their participation. When faced with the choice between the ever-important dollar sign and the best interests of their players, colleges and universities all around the country sell out.
Has Tiger lost his bite?
At times, I feel bad for Tiger Woods. Sure, he is rich and famous. Sure, he has everything that a 25-year-old could possibly desire. But the pressure that comes with his sustained excellence is unbelievable. Over the course of the summer, Tiger went through what many analysts, writers and fans considered an enormous dry spell. He finished out of the top 10 in five straight events, and he failed to win in three straight majors. For any other player in the world-including other elite players like David Duval, Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els-a streak like this would be routine.
But for Tiger the impossible has become expected. Golf is a game that involves a great deal of skill, but in tournament play luck also comes into the equation. Sometimes a player dominates the game in such a way that he doesn't need any luck to win, but most of the time it takes the right combination of these two elements to make a champion.
Right now Tiger is the best player in the world, and he has little competition for that title. Before his win last weekend, Woods hadn't won a tournament since early June. For all but a handful of golfers in the world, two wins in three months would make a great career. For Tiger it is a slump. Tiger has already proven that he is one of the greatest golfers in the history of the game. Undoubtedly he will win more major tournaments in his career, and it is just as likely that he will go into another "slump" like this one.
Roughs in the diamond
Baseball has always been a little different from other sports, due to the extensive list of unwritten rules that govern the game. Never intentionally try to injure another player, and never show up another player or team. But as baseball changes, the rules are changing. This summer we have seen incidents on the field that stem directly from breaches of these unwritten rules.
The first, and most publicized incident, occurred when Rickey Henderson stole second base when his team was leading by seven runs late in a game. This clearly shows up the other team, but in an age when offense dominates the game, is even a seven-run lead safe? Over the course of the season it has been seen time and time again that no lead is insurmountable, so Rickey's actions-although selfish-can at least be understood.
Two recent brawls were also started by these breaches in the code of conduct. The brawl between Kansas City and Detroit-one of the best in years by my accounts-was started when Jeff Weaver made a derogatory comment to Mike Sweeney. Sweeney charged the mound, and a real free-for-all started. In a contest between St. Louis and Chicago, Michael Tucker clearly came after Fernando Vina with a slide. The benches cleared, but that was the extent of the fracas.
My point in bringing up these incidents is to show that the way baseball is played is changing. Some of the rules regarding conduct on the field are changing, but these changes are being resisted by some of the older players and by managers and coaches. Baseball must continue to adapt, otherwise incidents like these will be come all too familiar.
Who's afraid of the bogeyman?
The U.S. Amateur may be the most grueling championship in all of sports. The mental and physical strain that is placed upon the contestants is enormous.
This past weekend the 101st amateur championship concluded with Bubba Dickerson from the University of Florida adding the title to his already impressive individual and team accomplishments this year. Dickerson lost four of the first five holes in the match, but he was able to mount an impressive comeback and win with a birdie putt on the final hole. The mental toughness needed to do this is extraordinary. In past amateurs comebacks like this have been documented, most notably by Tiger Woods in his three straight wins, but they are still very impressive feats.
Adding to the difficulty, match play itself is so mentally taxing, and stringing together six straight wins in match play is never easy, no matter how good your competition is.