August 31st update

Wednesday Spotlight: Michael Vick

• Arguably the most hated man in professional sports a year or two ago, Michael Vick has proven that Americans believe in second chances, signing a six-year, $100 million contract on Tuesday to make him the third highest paid player in the NFL.
• Vick, who missed two seasons while being imprisoned for supporting a dog fighting ring (as well as other animal cruelty charges) came back to football in 2009 but really returned to star status in with a bang last year. The former number one overall pick of the 2001 NFL draft looked uncomfortable and out of shape in 2009 as the Eagles' 3rd string quarterback but a trade an injury and a year of experience back on the field gave him the opportunity to shine again.
• A monster game, under the bright lights of Monday Night Football last year, sealed Vick's status as the comeback player of the year. Jail apparently did not have a lasting effect on his running ability, the facet that set him apart from more traditional pass-only quarterbacks.
• Vick’s comeback from jail has been both hailed and vilified. Many don’t believe he deserves a second chance after the pain he caused animals, while others point to him as an ideal example of what people can do with a second chance. Since being released from jail Vick has worked with PETA and prison organizations to help raise awareness against animal cruelty and try to prevent others from making the same mistakes he did.


Women’s favorites out already in Flushing Meadows

• The final tennis major of the year is underway as the US Open began Monday in New York. On the women’s side, 4th ranked Petra Kvitova (this year’s Wimbledon champion) and 6th ranked Li Na (this year’s French Open champion) have already bit the dust in the first round. Caroline Wozniaki, the number one ranked woman (and recently revealed girlfriend of Sportico favorite Rory McIlroy) cruised into the second round.
• On the mens side, no big names have lost yet although Rafael Nadal had a relatively difficult time for a first round matchup, needing one tiebreaker (and nearly a second) to defeat Andrey Golubev 6-3, 7-5, 7-6.
• Like so much of the country, the U.S. open was also feeling the affects of Hurricane Irene. While the city was relatively unscathed, many players canceled press conferences and practice sessions as tournament officials actually shut down the National Tennis Center


Tigers look to hold off pack in AL Central

*Note: This is part 3 of a 6 part series that will break down the division races in each of baseball's 6 divisions.

• The American League Central has been dominated this past decade by the Minnesota Twins, who have won it in 6 of the past 9 seasons. However, this has been a down year for the Twins who have had each of their big stars (Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau) miss significant time
• Heading into September, the Detroit Tigers are 5 games in front of the Chicago White Sox and 5 1/2 in front of the Cleveland Indians who started the season on fire but have faded of late. The Tigers have been fueled by the phenomenal hitting of Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander's fantastic season during which he's already won 20 games, threw a no-hitter, and almost threw a second.
• There's still a chance for the White Sox and Indians to make up ground though, as each have 14 games remaining against each other/the Tigers.

August 24th update

Winningest NCAA Basketball Coach Diagnosed with Dementia

• University of Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt was diagnosed with early onset dementia early this summer. Summitt has a career record of 1071-199, making her the winningest head coach in NCAA history. She has been a trailblazer in women’s basketball coaching since 1974.
• Summitt, who has been known for her no nonsense style of coaching, has coached some of the greatest players in women’s basketball including Candace Parker, Chamique Holdsclaw and Tamika Catchings. She led the Volunteers to 15 SEC Conference Championships and 8 National Championships.
• Summitt has pledged to continue to coaching through this dementia. She has claimed this year would not be a “pity party.” Her incoming recruiting class has been ranked number 1 in the nation by ESPN and Summitt is looking for her first championship since 2008 before Parker left UT. She will do it while fighting an even bigger battle, but with the same courage and determination that lead her to almost 1100 victories.

Wednesday spotlight: Novak Djokovic

• Novak Djokovic is having a pretty decent season. OK, that's a bit of understated sarcasm; Djokovic is having a historic season, perhaps the greatest ever. Despite having to forfeit and leave the finals of his most recent tournament with a minor injury, he's a mere 57-2 with his only other loss coming in the semifinals of the French Open to Roger Federer.

• With about a week to rest before the U.S. Open the question will be does the 24 year old Djokovic have enough energy to continue to play at this pace when the other top players in the game will be bringing their A game or is he too tired from a year of domination?

• One person who certainly hopes Novak will not be up to par is Rafael Nadal, the man who Novak replaced as the world's #1 player. Djokovic has defeated Nadal is 5 consecutive matches (all in finals) including a 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 victory in the Wimbledon finale.

June 20th update

Rory McIlroy: New King of the Golf World?

22 year old Rory McIlroy’s shattered records left and right at the US Open and became the second youngest player to win one of Golf’s four majors (along with the Masters, PGA Tournament, and British Open) since World War II.
- McIlroy suffered a major blow to his psyche after blowing up at the Masters a few months ago, eventually finishing in 15th place in that tournament, after having a dominant lead ¾ of the way through. He was able to hold onto a large lead this time, at the Congressional Golf Course in Maryland for his first major title.
- McIlroy broke the records for the biggest win and best score in the history of this 112 year old tournament. He also becomes the second Irishman in as many years to win the US Open.
- The success of this universally well-liked player is a boon for fans of golf who want the sport to recover from the hit in popularity that has accompanied the fall from grace, both on and off the course, of Tiger Woods.


125th Wimbledon begins Monday with epic rematch

A year after playing the longest match in the history of professional tennis, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are at it again, matched up to play in the first round of Wimbledon. Isner won the first round matchup that took over 11 hours during parts of 3 different days. In the 5th set, alone they played 138 games.
- Serena Williams also makes her reappearance onto the big stage, playing in only her second tournament since last year's Wimbledon because of a cut on her right foot and a pulmonary embolism. Tournaments are not required to seed by ranking so even though Serena is ranked 26th, she is seeded 7th due in part to her strong performance on the big stage in past years.
- Rafael Nadal is seeded #1 for the men while Caroline Wozniacki was awarded the top spot for the women.
- Second-ranked Kim Clijsters had to withdraw from the tournament due to a right foot injury, and one of the top Americans on the men's side, Sam Querrey, had to drop out due to injury as well.