We call these the “dog days” of summer in the sports world. Beyond the daily grind of baseball, there’s not much going on except anticipation for the start of NFL training camps (more on that in my musings) and this year- the impending summer Olympics (I’ll address that, too). As for now, some random thoughts for you:

- Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is one of the top stories of the year in baseball. He’s an All-Star leading the Major Leagues in run production after a four-year battle with hard-core drug addiction. I had a chance to meet him in the Rangers clubhouse prior to an Orioles game. First of all, what an imposing, rawboned athlete.
Hamilton’s an imposing presence, complete with a southern drawl out of central casting. He told me that one of the turning points in his rehab came when he was playing for

Hudson
Valley in the New York-Penn League and he visited the Aberdeen Ironbirds. Cal Ripken owns the Ironbirds and was working with some players when the

Hudson
Valley bus pulled up. Hamilton tells me that
Cal is the only player in baseball, past or present, that makes him nervous- he’s in awe of Ripken. They spoke for about 15 minutes and Cal was encouraging to
Hamilton about his comeback.
Hamilton told me it was the most meaningful baseball conversation he had to help him in his return.

- The summer Olympics in Beijing are about a month away, and I have to say it:
Baltimore swimmer Michael Phelps is TOO good. Seriously. He’s so good, that it’s nearly impossible for the average observer to appreciate his greatness. He breaks a world record every other time he swims an event, and his constant excellence and dominance make his achievements seem mundane. There are few remaining superlatives to describe Phelps, and it’s causing some to yawn at the news that he’s broken yet another record. Too bad Phelps is so good!

- Orioles fans, buckle your seatbelts: that turbulence I warned you about is beginning and it’s going to be a very bumpy ride. Adam Loewen is the 8th pitcher to join the legion of tattered shoulders and elbows on the disabled list and you’re seeing the results of the erosion of a once dependable bullpen. It’s sad because this team did so much with so little for half a season, but there’s no hiding from subpar pitching in the big leagues. No knock on any of those guys being called on to rescue games from inconsistent starters, but NO team in baseball wins sending Alberto Castillo, Greg Aquino, Lance Cormier, and Fernando Cabrera out there. And when Dave Trembley tells me Chad Bradford is being held together by scotch tape and band aids, I’d say there’s more pain than gain in the near future. Ouch.

- I enjoy NFL football plenty, but not so much that I find it necessary to talk about NFL football during the only three weeks of the year when there’s little or no NFL football to talk about (it’s a period of time from late June to mid-July). Somehow, ESPN sees the need and uses the time to talk about NFL football during this period in which there’s nothing to talk about. What is ESPN saying? Just listen, and you’ll hear nothing of substance. And it’s not just ESPN (sorry to pick on the Worldwide Leader) but it’s all of the sports gabbers, too. Sizing up off-season acquisitions and going over rosters, drawing up training camp competitions, going over the schedule ahead and actually making predictions about which team is going to win which games (even though we’re yet to know who the starters are and who will be healthy when the games are played!). Please, it’s already a year-round league. Give me three weeks of NFL silence. Please!

- I love the summertime in
Baltimore. Traffic is light, most folks flock to the shore, the days and nights are warm and the occasional rain shower is refreshing. The pace of life is slowed and the grass and trees smell good, even in the city. I’ll have another iced tea. Have a great summer.

Posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 10:55 pm.
Categories: Opinion.
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