Uganda's Moment In The Sun

Uganda at the Opening Ceremonies
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This year's Little League's most inspiring and possibly best story just happened. It wasn't in an elimination game or a championship game. It didn't feature a powerhouse like a Japan or Chinese Taipei or a team from the US.  No, it featured a team from Lugazi, Uganda in a crossover game. 

This is the 1st ever team from Africa to compete at the Little League World Series. Last year, a team from Kampala, Uganda qualified for the tournament in Williamsport, PA. However, there were not allowed to play due to their visas being denied. In their spot, a team from Saudi Arabia represented the Middle East-Africa Region. 

To get to the Little League World Series, Uganda had to win the Middle East-Africa Regional Tournament. The tournament was held in Kutno, Poland. In the 1st game of the tournament, Uganda lost to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 1-2. That didn't faze them as the next day they defeated the team from Dubai, UAE, 6-0. On the 3rd day of the tournament, Uganda flattened Doha, Qatar, 13-1, and then beat the team from Kuwait City, Kuwait, 8-0. Their 3-1 record tied them with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for 1st place. Tie-breaking rules put Uganda and Kuwait in the finals. In the finals, Uganda defeated Kuwait, 5-2, 

In the 1st game in Williamsport vs. a team from Aguadulce, Panama representing Latin America, Uganda lost 9-3. Justine Makisimu got Africa's 1st hit in the 1st at-bat of the game. In the 6th inning, Daniel Alio hit a 2-run homer. The loss sent the team to face Mexico, who also lost their 1st game. In Game 2, Mexico 10 run-ruled Uganda 12-0. That eliminated Uganda from the tournament. But, teams that go 0-2 get to play in the a 3rd game that doesn't effect the tournament.

Daniel Alio tags out the runner trying to steal home
on a wild pitch
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In the crossover game, Uganda faced off against the representative from the Northwest Region of the US, Gresham, Oregon. Oregon lost their games to New Castle, Indiana from the Great Lakes Region, 0-4, and to the Mid-Atlantic's representative from Parsippany, NJ, 10-4. No one scored through the 3rd inning. Oregon broke that in the top of the 4th when they drove across 2 runs on a Hunter Hemenway triple. Uganda answered in their half of the inning when Alio scored on a wild pitch and then Felix Enzama scored on a passed ball. Oregon couldn't break the tie in their half of the inning. Uganda had runners on 1st and 2nd when Enzama hit a ground ball to 2nd base. The 2nd baseman threw the ball to the shortstop, who got the out at 2nd, and then made a wild throw to 1st. Due to the bad throw, the runner from 2nd scored. Uganda had the lead. Oregon rallied in the 6th, but they couldn't get a run across. Alio pitched a great game going 5.1 innings with 8 strikeouts. 

In my opinion, the play of the game happened in the top of the 6th with a runner on 1st. With a 3-1  count a strike was called on the batter. The batter tosses his bat, thinking that the pitch was ball four. The runner on 1st base was half way between bases, unsure of what happened. Uganda's catcher Makisimu was heads up and walked out to in front of the plate and then fired it to 2nd base who then threw it to 1st base where they got the runner. That play showed how far baseball has come in Africa. Not every player would know what to do in this game situation. 

This might be a sign of what is coming. Soon players from Uganda may be signed by major league clubs, maybe some will make it to the major leagues.  Uganda has never been a top sports country. At the 2012 Olympics, Uganda has won 2 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals. Stephen Kiprotich won the men's marathon at the 2012 Olympics. At the Commonwealth Games, they had 12 golds, 15 silvers, and 17 bronze medals. Their soccer team, the Cranes, has never been to a FIFA World Cup and the best they have done at the Africa Cup of Nations is 2nd. This is the start of something that might make Uganda more active. Every athlete would want to go play in front of the world in a world-class facility. Athletes, and others who want to be successful in life from Uganda can know believe that it is possible to be a factor in the world. This win might end up being bigger then baseball. 

2012 London Olympics Legacies

Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt
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Bolt has put himself into the All-Time Greats category in both athletics and Olympics history. He is my MVP of the Games. After a great performance in Beijing where he won Gold in his only 3 events, the 100, 200 and 4x100 meters, many people were selecting fellow countryman and partner in workouts, Yohan Blake, to defeat him in the 100 meters and 200 meters. At the Jamaican trials, Blake beat Bolt in both events. His 1st event at Olympic Stadium was the 100 meters. In the final, he defeated Blake by .12 of a second and got the Olympic Record at 9.63. The 200 meters was much the same, defeating Blake by .12th of a second and was .02 seconds of an Olympic Record. His last event he partnered with Blake, the 4x100 meter relay. Bolt got the baton from Blake in the final and sprinted to the World Record and 1st time ever a relay team ran the 4x100 in go under 37 seconds. He is definitely one of the best of all-time.

Michael Phelps 

Michael Phelps was looking to become the most decorated Olympian. He did that, by getting 6 more medals to make his career total of 22. He has 18 gold medals, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals. But, the Olympics showed the Phelps isn't who he once was. He didn't medal n the 200 meter IM, no Olympic or World Records, and got his 1st 2 ever silver medals. But, he still got 4 golds to prove, he wasn't going to leave quietly. 

Ryan Lochte 

This was Ryan Lochte chance to prove he is, at the moment, better then Phelps and best in the world. However, he underachieved in London. He won 2 gold medals, 2 silver medals, and 1 bronze medal. He went 1-1 when up against Phelps, winning the 200 meter IM and Phelps winning the 400 meter IM. He won his other gold in a relay. If he wanted to be better then Phelps, he needed to medal in every event and have more golds then silvers and bronze combined.

The Fab Five (US Women's Gymnastics Team)

The Fab Five: Wieber, Douglas, Maroney, Raisman,
and Ross
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The Fab Five is a tale of many different stories. We will start with the team in the team competition. That is the big success story, where the US win by more then 5 points and their 2nd ever gold. The most successful individual is, to many people's surprise, Aly Raisman. In addition to the team gold, she won floor gold, bronze in the balance beam, and tied for 3rd in the individual all-around, but was pushed back to 4th due to the tiebreaker. Jordyn Wieber was a favorite for the individual all-around. However, she did not even make the final, despite becoming 4th overall. Due to only one country being allowed 2 participants per gymnastics final, Wieber was bumped out because Raisman and Gabby Douglas got higher scores. She was devestaed. One of the biggest shock of the games. Douglas won the individual all-around gold, but didn't medal in uneven bars and balance beam. McKayla Maroney's silver medal in the vault might have been even more surprising then Wieber. She was the heavy favorite, especially after a fantastic vault in the team final. Kyla Ross only  final was the team final. 

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings

Misty and Kerri solidified themselves as the best beach volleyball team ever. They only lost one set on their way to gold, against sisters Doris and Stephanie Schwaiger of Austria. In the gold medal match, they defeated fellow countrywomen Jen Kessy and April Ross 21-16 and 21-16 to get their 3rd gold in 3 Olympics. They put beach volleyball on the map in the United States and made it one of the sports to watch every 4 years. 

US Men's Basketball Team

The US men's basketball team will be remembered for LeBron James triple-double, Kevin Durant's tournament scoring record, and Kobe Bryant and Coach K's final game. But, it was more of the role players that made the team successful. Kevin Love was the big man who played his heart out to win. Chris Paul was clutch in the last few minutes of the gold medal match vs Spain. Carmelo Anthony was a good 6th man coming off the bench. Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams provided good energy.

The Games of the XXX Olympiad 

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
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This Olympics' slogan fits how the Games turned out. The slogan was "Inspire A Generation". I think these games will inspire a generation. What will inspire people the most will be women participants from every country for the first time. That will inspire more women to do sports. Also, Oscar Pistorious, the 1st double amputee to participate in athletics, will inspire people to believe that anything is possible. This Olympics also has the 1st ever athlete from South Sudan. It's athlete, Guor Marial, participated as an Independent Olympian because South Sudan does not have an Olympic Committee yet. I think the biggest legacy of the 30th Olympics will be the beginning of the China-US rivalry. The medal race was very close until the US pulled away in the final days. China wants to beat the US and US always wants to be 1st. The next few Olympics will be intense.

Notable Names Through The Olympics 1st Week

Kim Ha Na, Meiliana Jauhari, Ha Jung En, Jung Kyung Eun, Kim Min Jung, Greysia Polii, Wang Xiaoli, and Yu Yang

Wang, Yu, Jung, and Kim hear it from Torsten Berg
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These 8 badminton participants were disqualified from the women's doubles tournament. Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang were the 2011 World Champs and number 1 seed from China. Jung Kyung Eun and Kim Ha Na of South Korea faced the Chinese duo in the last match of the Group A. Both were 2-0. The winner might have to face the number 2 seed of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei, who lost a day earlier, in the semi-finals instead of the finals. So they wouldn't have to face the 2 seed until the finals, Wang and Yu deliberately tried to loose the match. They faltered on many serves and missed easy shots. The South Koreans also performed poorly. Later in the day, Ha Jung En and Kim Min Jung of South Korea faced Indonesia's Meiliana Jauhari and Greysia Polii. All 4 players were told to play hard and after they were not, tournament referee and umpire Torsten Berg disqualified them all by giving them black cards. They were taken back after the players promised they would play harder. They Indonesia's ended up losing the match. The 2 other teams in their group made the quarters due to the DQ's.

Torsten Berg Talks To Ha, Kim, Jauhari, and Polii
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The defending men's singles gold medalist and number 2 seed in this years competition, China's Lin Dan said about the controversy that, "This situation really is not in the Olympic sporting spirt," and "I think it will definitely bring a negative impact." He also said that having a round-robin style preliminary round is also at blame, saying, "If they just had a knockout round it would all be fine. You lose and that's it," and "Why would the tournament rules people have (a format) like this?" This is the 1st time the competition has a preliminary round. In the past, it was just a regular single-elimination tournament.

Ruta Meilutyte

Ruta Meilutyte, the 15 year old swimmer from Lithuania, surprised many at the London Aquatics Centre. It all started when, in the 4th Heat for the women's 100 meter breaststroke, she came in 1st in not only the heat that include olympic record holder Leisel Jones from Australia, but also 1st of all participants. In the semi-finals, she set a European record in the event with a time of 1:05.21 and was, again, 1st overall. Swimming in Lane 4 in the finals, she won the gold medal with a time 1:05.47. In the 50 meter freestyle, she was 1st in her heat, but did not qualify for the semi's and in the 100 meter freestyle,she finished 5th in her heat and didn't make the semi's.

Natalia Partyka

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Natalia Partyka

Poland's Natalia Partyka is not your average table tennis player. She has no right forearm. That does not stop her from playing in not only the Paralympics, but the Olympics, too. The 68th ranked women's player is participating in both the women's singles and women team tournaments. For the women's singles, she had a preliminary round and 1st round byes. Partyka started play in round 2. She started by playing Mie Skov of Denmark. Partyka won 4 sets to 3. In the 3rd round, she lost to Jie Li of the Netherlands, 4-2 after being up by 2 sets. She will be playing on Denmark's women's team for the team competition. They will face Singapore in the 1st Round.

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson 

Mikkel Hanson and Aron Palmarson have been playing great in the men's handball tournament. Hanson, the 2011 Men's IHF World Handball Player of the Year, has been lighting it up for Denmark. He is tied for 6th in goals with 22 and 4th in assists with 17. The Left Back has led Denmark to a 3-1 record in Group B with 1 game to go, securing a spot in the quarterfinals. His best match so far was against Serbia when he scored 7 goals and dished out 5 assists. Palmarson has been a leader for 4-0 Iceland. He has 25 goals, which puts him 4th in goals, and 15 assists, which puts him at 6th for assists. When Iceland faced Tunsia, Palmarson scored 8 goals and had 4 assists. 

Elisa De Francisca, Arrianna Errigo, Valentina Vezzali

Ilara Salvatori, Errigo, Vezzali, and De Francisca celebrate
a gold medal in women's team foil
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Women's foil fencing was dominated this year by the Italians. Elisa De Francisca, Arriana Errigo, and Valentina Vezzali all won 2 medals and all only participated in 2 events. It all started on July 28th when the women's foil competition started. It started with a round of 64 and then dwindled down to 4. De Francisca made it to face South Korea's Nam Hyun Hee, who see defeated 11-10. Fellow countrywomen Errigo and Vezzali faced off in the other semi-finals. The 22 year old, Errigo, defeated the 3 time women's foil gold medalist (2000-2008) in Vezzali, 15-12. That set up a DeFrancisca-Errigo final. In the bronze medal match, Vezzali won to secure the bronze medal. In the final, DeFrancisca edged Errigo 12-11. In the women's team foil, Italy cruised to the final by blowing out Great Britain, 42-14, and France, 45-22. The final was better for Italy's opponent, Russia, as Italy won 45-32. 

MLB Trade Deadline Deals

Arizona Diamondbacks trade 3B Ryan Roberts to Tampa Bay Rays for IF Tyler Bortnick 
Arizona Diamondbacks trade IF Bobby Borchering and OF Mark Krauss to Houston Astros for 3B Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson on the Astros
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In two different deals occuring a few days before deadline, Arizona gets and gets rid of a 3rd baseman. Roberts had 6 homers, 34 RBIs, .250 average .309 OBP, .353 Slugging Percentage, .206 Secondary Average, .107 Isolated Power, and a 0.4 WAR for the D-Backs. Johnson had 8 home runs, 41 ribbies, 21 two-baggers, .279 average, .329 OBP, .428 Slugging Percentage, .226 Secondary Average, .150 Isolated Power, and a 0.5 WAR. The Diamondbacks get younger by getting Johnson, who is 27 and Roberts is 31. As for the contracts, both are up for arbitration after the year. Tyler Bortnick is good player. He's a big doubles hitter (35 in 2010 while playing in A and Advanced-A and 34 in 2011 while playing in Advanced-A). The D-Backs put him at Triple-A Reno. I think that Arizona made the right move in getting Johnson, who could provide to be a very good 3rd baseman for the next few years. 

Seattle Mairners trade P Brandon League to the Los Angeles Dodgers for P Logan Bawcom and OF Leon Landry

I like this pick-up for the Dodgers. League is a very good pitcher out of the pen. He was an All-Star last year as the M's closer. He was the set-up man this year. League is going to bolster an already solid bullpen. Kenley Jansen has 20 saves as the closers, and Josh Lindblom and Ronald Belisario both have 15 holds. Bawcom has played with the Dodgers Advanced-A, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Double-A, Chattanooga Lookouts, this year, racking up 20 saves. Landry was playing in Advanced-A (Rancho Cucamonga) and is batting .328 with 15 triples this year. 

Miami Marlins trade 1B Gabby Sanchez and P Kyle Kaminska to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Gorkys Hernandez and a Draft Pick

Gaby Sanchez as a Marlin
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Sanchez has been struggling this year. He has hit 3 homers, 17 RBIs, .202 batting average, .250 OBP, and .306 slugging. He has even spent time in the minors. Last year, he was an All-Star. He hit 19 homers, 78+ RBIs, 35+ doubles, and 152+hits in the 2010-11 season. Even though he has been struggling, I like the pick-up for Pittsburgh. Their 1st baseman to this point has been Casey McGehee, who hasn't been much better, was sent to the Yankees before the Deadline. What I like about having Sanchez, instead of McGehee, he has been much more consitant, more power, and has more potential. McGehee had 1 great season (2010) and that is it. Sanchez will get back to his old form very soon. 

Chicago Cubs trade C Geovany Soto to the Texas Rangers for P Jacob Brigham

The Rangers have picked up a catcher as a back-up to Mike Napoli. But, Soto isn't your ordinary back up catcher. He is a former All-Star and NL Rookie of the Year in 2008. Soto hasn't had a season like 2008 since. He is hitting under .200 and has only 35 hits in 52 games. However, in Texas he doesn't have to be a star or even a main piece. He can be the back-up who plays well when he gets the chance. And, in case Napoli leaves in free agency, they have someone who wouldn't be a bad starter. Brigham was 5-5 with Texas' Double-A affiliate, Frisco Roughriders.

2012 Summer Olympics in London Preview

2012 London Summer Olympic Logos
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The 2012 Summer Olympics are being held in London. This is going to be London's 3rd ever Olympics. The 1st was held in 1908 and the 2nd in 1948. The 1908 Olympics were supposed to be held in Rome, but due to a volcano eruption, London got to host the Olympics. The 1948 Olympics were the 1st held after World War II and the 1st in 12 years since the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. 

The selection process for the 2012 Olympics started in 2003 when London announced they were bidding for the 2012 Olympics. In 2005, they won the vote to become the host of the Olympics. Then, in 2008, the Olympic Flag went to London from Beijing. Then, from 2011 to a few months ago, test events called London Prepares were held to prepare London for the Games. 

Now, it is time for London to be on the Worlds Biggest Stage. It has been 9 years in the making  with ups and downs, highs and lows. London will shine with the light on them. Here is the Olympics Preview of sports and a look at some of Olympics uniqueness.

Basketball

The United States basketball team, for both men and women, are the favorites for both tournaments. The women's team hasn't loss an Olympic game since 1992, making them the large favorite to win. The men's team has some challengers that believe they can beat them. These teams include 2008 runner-ups Spain, Brazil, Argentina, and France. Russia also has a chance, led by former NBA Forward Andrei Kirilenko, but I don't believe they will be much of a threat to the US team. 

The US will most likely face Spain in the final. Spain has what the US doesn't, big men. They have the Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, and Serge Ibaka coming off the bench. Their backcourt features Raptors' Jose Calderon and former NBA player and currently on Barcelona's basketball team Juan Carlos Navarro. Also in the backcourt is former NBA player Sergio Rodriguez. Rudy Fernandez, who just left the Denver Nuggets to play for Real Madrid, is also on the team. Ricky Rubio, who is out with a torn ACL, is going to missed a point guard to be a back-up or even a starter. 

Brazil also has good big men. The Wizards' Nene, Cavilers' Anderson Varejao, and Spurs' Tiago Splitter. Leandro Barbosa of the Pacers is going to be a key player in the backcourt for them. Argentina is going to be led by the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, Bucks' Carlos Delfino, and Suns' Luis Scola. Guard Pablo Prigioni, who recently signed with the Knicks, will be a key to success for the team. France is not just Tony Parker. They have Nicolas Batum at small forward, Boris Diaw, Kevin Seraphin, and Ronny Turiaf as the big men. These teams look to be very good.

The US Team Pumped Up
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I predict that the US will win. They have the best all-around roster, even with 1 true center (Tyson Chandler) and 1 power forward who has played in NBA (Kevin Love, the other PF, Anthony Davis, was drafted 1st overall in the 2012 Draft). All 3 of the big men need to be strong off the glass and be a force in the post on defense. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are the leader for this team and are going to perform very well. Those 2, and Kevin Durant, need to be consistent scorers. Carmelo Anthony needs to bring scoring as the 6th man off the bench. Andre Iguadala is going to be a big help to the team. He is probably the 2nd most veristale player on defense in the NBA, 1st is LeBron. He going to be a big help on the team. Chris Paul is going to be a great distributor. Deron Williams will do a good job also at the point. 

Football (Soccer)

The Olympic Football Tournaments for the men and women are different, but somewhat the same. For the men's tournament, each team has a minimum of 15 players that must be born before January 1st, 1989 and can have 3 overaged players play on the team. For the women's team, they can send the national team. The US women look to their 3rd consecutive Gold Medal and 4th in the last 5 Olympics (This is the 5th Women's Soccer Tournament in the Olympics history). Japan is looking to win the Olympics after winning the Women's World Cup. The Men's tournament has many good team's looking to win, like Brazil, Spain, and Great Britain.

Alexandre Pato (Wearing 17, not 9, for the Olympics) and Neymar
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Brazil is my pick to win the Men's Olympics Football Tournament. They have won 5 FIFA World Cups, but never an Olympic Gold Medal. Brazil has some of the best forwards in the world. AC Milan's Alexandre Pato, Santos' Neymar, 1 of the 3 overaged players Porto's Hulk, and Internacional's Leandro Damiao. The other 2 overaged players are Defenders Real Madrid's Marcelo and Thiago Silva, who just moved from AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain. The front line are going to score a lot of goals and all have experience on the Brazil national team. 

Spain has won the last 2 European Championships and the last FIFA World Cup. Adding an Olympic Gold Medal would be very. 2 goal-scorers in the 2012 Euro Final are on the team, defender Jordi Alba, who recently was moved to Barcelona, and striker Juan Mata of Chelsea. In net, for the team is Manchester United's David De Gea. The 21 year old started 29 games in the English Premier League and 39 games in all of the competitions Man U competed.

Great Britain is uniting to compete in the Olympics for the 1st time since 1960. However, no players from Scotland and Northern Ireland made the sqaud. There are 13 players from England and 5 players from Wales on the team. Manchester United and Wales' Midfielder Ryan Giggs is playing in his 1st major tournament. Giggs is a Man U legend (He's 38 years old and 1st played for Manchester United in 1991 and hasn't ever left) and is well deserving of being a member of the team. Other notables on the include Man U and England's Tom Cleverly, Man City and England's Micah Richards, another overaged players, Liverpool and Wales' Craig Bellamy, the other overaged player, and Chelsea and England Ryan Bertland

Athletics

Yohan Blake and Usain Bolt
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The big debate going into the athletics portion of the Olympics is the growing rivalry between Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake. Usain Bolt won the gold medal for the 100 meters, 200 meters, and was a member of the gold medal winning 4x100 relay at the 2008 Olympics. He currently has the 100 meter Olympic Record (9.69 seconds) and World Record (9.58 seconds) and the 200 meter Olympic Record (19.30 seconds) and World Record (19.19 seconds). Bolt is trying to become the 1st sprinter ever to win two Gold Medals in both the 100 meters and 200 meters in back-to-back Olympics. Yohan Blake beat Bolt at the Jamaican trials in both events. These 2 are the favorites for the the 100 and 200 meters. They will also be on the Jamaican team competing in the 4x100 meters, also making Jamaica the favorites in that event. 

Going from the shorter track events to the longer events, Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele has 1 the last 2 Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters and won Gold in Beijing and Silver in Athens in the 5,000 meters. He has the World Record (26:17.53) and Olympic Record (27:01.17) for the 10,000 meters and the World Record (12:37.35) and Olympic Record (12:57.82) for the 5,000 meters. Bekele is looking to become the 1st person ever to win 3 straight Gold Medal in the 10,000 meters

The Men's Decathlon has 10 events that are going to be held over 2 days. On the 1st day, 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400 meters. On day 2, 110 meters hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and 1,500 meters. Ashton Eaton is the current World Record holder, breaking the previous record this year with 9039 points. In the Women's Heptathlon,  the 7 events will be also be held over 2 days. The events include 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, and the 200 meters, which will be held on day 1. The long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meters will be held on day 2. Jackie Joyner-Kersee has both the Olympic and World Record  with 7291 points from the 1988 Olympics. Defending gold medalist, Natalyia Dobrynska of Ukraine, is back to defend her title. 

Swimming 

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte
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Swimming is going to be about Michael Phelps vs. fellow American Ryan Lochte. Phelps won Gold Medal in all of his 8 events at the 2008 Olympics, and is 3 medals away from having the most medals in Olympics history. However, Lochte has beaten Phelps many times and could be in his way of more Gold Medals to add to his collection. Michael Phelps is swimming the 200 meter IM (individual medley), 400 meter IM, 100 meter butterfly, 200 meter butterfly, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, 4x100 meter medley relay, and the 4x200 freestyle. Ryan Lochte is in the 200 meter IM, 400 meter IM, 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter backstroke, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, 4x100 meter medley relay, and the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. That means there are 2 events where they go head-to-head and 3 where they team up. That means that every race is going to count to see who is the best. 

The US women are going to be led by 17 year old Missy Franklin. Franklin is going to be swimming in 7 events, 100 meter freestyle, 200 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke, 200 meter backstroke, 4x100 meter medley relay, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, and 4x200 meter freestyle relay. Franklin has never been in an Olympics, but she is expected to do really well. If the women want to do really well in swimming, they need to follow the lead of Franklin. 

The longest swimming competition is the marathon, which is 10km and is held in open water. There are no heats, just a finals in which 25 competitors compete. This is only the 2nd time the marathon is going to be held at an Olympics. It was 1st held in Beijing, where Maarten van der Weijden of the Netherlands won with a time of 1:51:51.6. He has retired from swimming. For the women, Russia's Lara Ilchenko won with a time of 1:59:27.7 at the '08 Olympics. She is not going to defend her title. 

Gymnastics 

At the 2008 Olympics, China was the top team in gymnastics. The men's team dominated by winning 7 of the 8 artistic gymnastics gold medals . The women's team won 2 of the 6 gold medals for artistic gymnastics. For the trampoline events, China won the gold for both men and women. The US has a chance to do some damage this year in London. 

The US Women's Gymnastics Team
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The US women's team is being called the best gymnastics team that the United States has ever sent to the Olympics. The team is lead by Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglass. Both are expect to perform very well and battle each other for the gold medals. Wieber won 2 gold medals at the 2011 World Championships. Douglass defeated Weiber at the Olympic Trials. For the US to do well, these 2 need to be leaders and win.

The Men's gymnastics team will be led by Danell Leyva and John Orozco. Leyva is a world champ on the parallel bars, making him the favorite for that event. Orozco won gold in the All-Around at the US National Championships. The US team won the bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships, as they will try to improve on that in London. The 2011 World Champion on the All-Around portion was Japan's Kohei Uchimura, who is gold medal threat in that event and a few others. 

Water Polo

Water Polo for both men and women started at the beginning of a century. Men's water polo began in 1900 in Paris, women water polo was fist held at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The United States were the runner-up in both the men and the women's competition. The United States have never won a Gold Medal in Water Polo.

Hungary in 2008 Receiving Their Gold Medals
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The US men's team is looking to win it's 1st gold medal after coming so close in 2008. It was the 1st time they medaled since 1988. The men's team have to watch out for Hungary. Hungary is the returning Gold Medalist, having won the last 3 gold medals. Hungary has 9 Gold Medals in total and 15 medals overall. Since 2008, however, they haven't finished higher then 3rd in major tournaments. In the European Championships, they finished 4th in 2010 and 3rd in 2012. In the World Championships, they finished 5th in 2009 and 4th in 2011. Peter Biros, Zoltan Szecsi, Gergely Kiss, and Tamas Kasas are looking to win their 4th gold medal, which would make them have the most gold medals in water polo history. All 4 are going to have to be very good to win the 4th gold medal. 

The women are the favorites to win the women's tournament. They have medaled in every Olympics, 2 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. They came in 1st in 2009 and 6th in 2011 in the World Championships. They won the World Cup in 2010. At the 2011 Pan American Game, they came in 1st place. In the FINA World League, they came in 1st place in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. They are looking for the lead. Heather Petri and Brenda Villa are looking to win their 1st gold medal and 4th medal overall.

Badminton 

Badminton has 5 events, men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Badminton was 1st held in Barcelona at the 1992 Summer Olympics. All of the events, except for mixed doubles, were 1st played in 1992, mixed doubles were 1st held in 1996. This year looks to be a very good year for badminton. 

Wang Yihan
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The men's singles number 1 seed is Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia. The Beijing sliver medalist is trying to get his 1st gold medal and Malaysia's 1st gold medal in badminton. His silver medal in 2008 was Malaysia's 1st since medal 1996. Lin Dan is the 2 seed and reigning Gold Medalist. "Super Dan" has won 4 World Championships, including the most recent championship in 2011, won Gold at the Asian Championships in 2010, and won 2 Asian Championships. Lin Dan is married to 2008 Olympics Women's Singles Silver Medlaist Xie Xingfang. These 2 players are my picks to be in the final. 

For women singles, the top 3 seeds are from China. They are Wang Yihan, Wang Xin, and Li Xuerui. Wang Yihan won the 2011 World Championship in London. Wang Xin has won a silver and bronze medal at the World Championship. The 4th seed is India's Saina Nehwal, winner of the 2010 Commonwealth Games women's singles. She went to the Quarterfinals in the 2008 Summer Olympics and in the last 3 World Championships. She has a good chance of making a run to the finals. 

For men's doubles, China's Cai Yun and Fu Haifeng are the number 1 seed. They were the runner-up's in the 2008 Olympics. They have 4 Gold Medals from the World Championships for doubles. The women's doubles favorite are Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang from China. Yang won a Gold Medal in Beijing with Du Jing for doubles. The Wang Xiaoli and Yu Yang won the 2011 World Championship. Mixed Doubles 1 seed and 2011 World Champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei are looking to win their 1st Gold Medal. 

Olympic Stadium
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Olympic Stadium 

The Olympic Stadium is a new stadium made for the Olympics. It is in Olympic Park in Stratford, London.  It has an 80,000 seat capacity, but only 25,000 of the capacity is permanent. A temporary upper tier hold 55,000 people. The permanent lower tier hold the other 25,000 spectators. The temporary and permanent mix of a stadium has never been attempted before for an Olympic Stadium. It is going to the host Athletics, the Opening Ceremony, and the Closing Ceremony. The Stadium is surrounded by water on 3 of it's side. 

Wenlock and Mandeville
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Mascot

The mascot for the 2012 Olympics is Wenlock. His partner and 2012 Paralympics mascot is Mandeville. Wenlock is named after the town of Much Wenlock which held and still holds the Wenlock Olympian Society, a forebear of the modern Olympics. Mandeville is named after the Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which was where the Paralympics were created. The two are drops of steel from mills in Britain. To tribute London taxi's, each has a taxi light on their forehead and have their initial in it. The mascots also have their own Facebook and Twitter accounts.  

NBA Summer League 2012 Top Players

The NBA's Summer League's have returned after not happening last year due to the lockout. There are two leagues. The Orlando Summer League and the Las Vegas Summer League. The Orlando League played from July 9th to July 13, while Las Vegas played from the 13th to the 22nd. Here are 3 players that played very well in the Summer Leagues. 


Austin Daye


The Pistons 6'11 forward had a really good summer season. In the Orlando Summer League, he averaged 15.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 2 bpg. His best game was against the Orlando Magic, in which he scored 24 points, grabbed 6 boards, and had 1 stuff. He went 8-10 from the field, 3-3 from behind the arc, and 5-5 from the line. He also had 5 blocks against Boston and 11 rebounds against Philadelphia. He was tied for 1st in rejections, 4th in rebounds, and 4th in points in the Orlando Summer League. 

Damian Lillard
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Damian Lillard 


Damian Lillard, the 6th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, played excellent in the Las Vegas Summer League for Portland. Lillard's per game averages were 26.5 points, 5.3 assists, 4 rebounds, and 0.5 steals per game. He only played in 4 out of the 5 games, though. He shot 43.8% from the field, 37,9% from distance, and 89.3% form the line. When the Trail Blazers faced the Hawks, Lillard scored dropped 31 points, dished out 7 assists, and had 3 bounds. He was 1st in points and 7th in assists in the Las Vegas League. 


Markeiff Morris


Markeiff Morris played very well in Las Vegas. The 6'10 bigman from Kansas averaged 19.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.8 offensive rebounds, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He had a great percentage from the charity strike, a 89.7%. Aganist Cleveland, Morris was a monster on the boards, picking up 17 rebounds and scoring 24 points. In the game, he also went 9-10 from the free throw line. He was tied for 2nd in rebounds, tied for 7th in blocks, and and 10th in points for the per game averages in the Las Vegas Summer League. 

Minor League and Independent League Baseball All Star Games

Triple A


The Triple-A All-Star Game was celebrating it's 25th anniversary at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, NY, where, in 1988, the 1st Triple-A All-Star Game was held. This is also Coca-Cola Field's 25th anniversary. A Home Run Derby and Celebrity Home Run Derby was held with the festivities. In the Celebrity All Star Game, New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski hit a homer over the left field wall. For the Celebrity Contest, there was a wall that was much closer to home plate. He hit 12 jacks to win the contest.


In the Triple-A Home Run Derby, 6 players competed to be called champion. Those players are the Round Rock Express' Joey Butler, the Oklahoma City RedHawks' Mike Hessman, the Tacoma Rainers' Luis Jimenez, the Charlotte Knights' Dan Johnson, the Columbus Clippers' Matt LaPorta, and the Buffalo Bisons' Valentino Pascucci. In the 1st round, Hessman hit 9 homeruns and Jimenez hit 5 shots to make it to the 2nd round. Butler, Johnson, and Pascucci all hit 3 homers, so they went into a playoff where the top 2 make the next round. Johnson, who won the 2010 Triple-A Home Run Derby, and Pascucci made the next round. The 2nd Round had both of the contestants in the playoff hit 13 home runs to make the finals. In the finals, Johnson went 1st and hit 5 homers. The hometown favorite, Pascucci, hit 6 big flys to win the Derby to the delight of the crowd.

Wil Myers won the game's MVP
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The Triple-A All-Star Game is between the International League and the Pacific Coast League. The Pacific Coast League had lost the last 3 All-Star Games coming into the match-up on Wednesday night.  However, from the start, it looked like it would be their night. They got on the board in the top of the 1st when Hessman hit a sacrifice fly to bring in the Reno Aces' Adam Eaton. Later in the inning, Omaha Storm Chasers' Wil Myers singled to bring in Reno Aces' Jake Elmore. The Albuquerque Isotopes' Tim Federowicz doubled home Myers in the 4th to put the lead at 3-0. No other runs were scored for the rest of the game and the PCL won. Myers won the game's MVP and was named the PCL's Star of Stars. He went 2 for 3 including an RBI and a double with a run scored. This performance was just 3 days after he went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI's in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Matt Harvey won the International League's Star of Stars award. He pitched 2 innings, gave up no hits, and had 2 strikeouts. 


Eastern League 

Eastern League Home Run Derby
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The Eastern League is a Double-A baseball league. It had both an All-Star Game and a Home Run Derby, the latter being held the day before. Both were held at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, PA. The Home Run Derby was a very unique derby style. There were targets around the stadium where the 31 contestants must hit to get points in a 2 minute span. The system for the Derby was not it's only interesting aspect. There was a screen protecting fans from a "party" on the infield dirt and a screen protecting live music on the infield grass. The Harrisburg Senators' Chris Rahl won the event, highlighted by hitting a crane on one of his longballs, giving him 100 points. He won with a score of 340, only 6 points ahead the Richmond Flying Squirrels' Daniel Mayora.


Eastern Division beat the Western League 5-4 in a thriller that ended with a walkoff.
Binghamton Mets' Eric Campbell, with a 3-1 count in the bottom of the 9th and 2 outs on the board, hit a groundball single into left field. Reading's Tony Hanzawa scored to win the game for the Eastern Division. Campbell won the MVP with that clutch hit and for going 2 for 3, including a double and scoring a run. Campbell got into the game in the bottom of the 5th when he pinch hit for Darin RufFor the West, the Erie SeaWolves' Jordan Lennerton went 2 for 3 with a dinger and 3 RBIs. New Britain's Daniel Trupen got the winning by pitching the last 1/3 of the top of the ninth for the Eastern Division.


Atlantic League 


The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is known as one of the most competitive and has some of the best players in independent baseball. Their All-Star Game was held at Campbell's Field in Camden, NJ. A Celebrity All-Star Game was held before the game. The Freedom Division features the Lancaster Barnstormers, the Somerset Patriots, the Sugar Land Skeeters, and the York Revolution. The Liberty Division's teams are the Bridgeport Bluefish, the Camden Riversharks, the Long Island Ducks, and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. There were 8 players from Lancaster, 7 players from Bridgeport Bluefish, 6 players from the Camden Riversharks and Long Island Ducks, 5 players from Somerset and York, 4 players from Sugar Land Skeeters and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.


The game was won by the Freedom Division, 9-5, over the Liberty Division. The Liberty Division was up when the top of the 9th inning. The Liberty Division's Manager, and Long Island's Manager, Kevin Baez put in hometown player, Zach Hammes. He gave up 6 runs as the Liberty All-Stars went from up 4-3 to down 9-4. They could get a comeback as the Freedom Division won. Somerset's Jeff Nettles played in his 8th All-Star Game as he is coming close the the league's all-time home run record. He has the Atlantic League's record for game played, at bats, RBIs, and doubles. The MVP of the game was the Barnstormers' Fehlandt Lentini, who went 2 for 3 and scored the go-ahead run in the 8th inning for the Liberty Division. 


Frontier League 


The Frontier League is an independent league in the midwest. It is the oldest independent league still currently around. The All-Star Festivities included a Home Run Derby and an 
All-Star Game. 14 players were in the Home Run Derby, held July 10th, the day before their All-Star Game. From the 14 that started the 1st Round, only 4 made the 2nd Round. Those players are the Florence Freedoms Jim Jacquot with 9, the Lake Erie Crushers Russell Moldenhauer hit 7, the London Rippers' Joash Brodin had 5, and the Traverse City Beach Bums' Jeff Flagg, who won a tiebreaker to get in. Both Flagg and Brodin couldn't get enough homers to tie or get past the 1st round totals of Jacquot and Moldenhauer so those 2 automatically made the finals. In the finals, Moldenhauer went 1st and set the bar at 5 round-trippers. Jacquot couldn't beat that and the Crusher Mouldenhauer won.


The All-Star Game was a slugfest. A total of 7 homers were hit in the 9 inning ball game. The East defeated the West 9-6 at the Corn Crib in Normal, Illinois. Traverse City had 3 players hit home runs, Jose Vargas, Jeff Flagg, and Brain Heere. Southern Illinois also had 2 players hit longballs, Chad Maddox and Jake Kaase. Crushers' Paul Fagan pick up the victory for the East Joash Brodin may have lost the Home Run Derby but he did get MVP honors, by going 4 for 5 with a four-bagger. 


Pecos League


The Pecos League has 6 teams in the states of New Mexico (Las Cruces Vaqueros, Roswell Invaders, Santa Fe Fuego, White Sand Pupfish), Colorado (Trinidad Triggers), and Texas (Alpine Cowboys). It is also an independent league. For the All-Star Game, players from the Invaders, Pupfish, and Triggers will be on a team called the Mountaineers. Players from the Cowboys, Fuegos, and the Vaqueros will be on the Desert Plainsmen. Before the game, there was a Home Run Derby, won by the Triggers Daniel Pembroke. He has 11 diggers on the season and, in the contest, he had 4 homers in the 1st round and then 4 in the final. 

Both teams line up before the game
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The game was a high-scoring affair. The Mountaineers scored at least a run in the 1st 5 innings. 3 runs in the 1st, 1 in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and 2 in the 5th. They added 3 more runs in the 8th. The Desert Plainsmen scored 3 runs in the 4th and 4 in the 8th. The Mountaineers won 11-7. The Desert Plainsmen had 4 errors in the game. Trinidad's OF Jacob Fabry went 2 for 2 off the bench for the Mountaineers with a run and an RBI. Roswell's Nathan Johnson struck out the side in the top of the 1st for Mountaineers. 

Mascot Put On The DL

The Potomac Nationals are currently 8-8 in the 2nd half standings and 39-47 overall. That has them 2nd in the Carolina League's (An Advanced-A League) Northern Division. However, a major injury has happened to the Franchise. Not to the team's leading power hitter Justin Bloxon, speedster Blake Kelso, or the team's leader in wins, Trevor Holder. No, it is the team's mascot, Uncle Slam.

Uncle Slam
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Uncle Slam is the only mascot of the P-Nats. He has been with the ball club since it became the Potomac Nationals in 2005. He is the team's Director of Fun and, their #1 fan. He was born on July 4th. Uncle Slam is a switch-hitter and throws righty. He likes to watch Potomac's games, help with contests with at Pfitzner Stadium (Home of the Potomac Nationals), meeting fans, participating in local events, signing autographs for fans, and playing baseball. He even has a facebook and a myspace page. 


Uncle Slam was injured in a fire at Pfitzner Stadium that happened on June 29th. The Nationals have put him on the 60 Day DL, retroactive to July 4th. He is going to return at the start of the 2013 season.


Not only is this a big loss for the team, but it also puts them under the minimum for mascots per team in the Carolina League. They need to have at least 1 mascot according to league rules. They are looking to sign a mascot to fill the void. The deal would be for two months and they would receive baseball bucks, Chili's lemonade, Chick-fil-a sandwiches, and the opportunity to see fireworks every Saturday night. 


This is a very unique situation. I have never heard of a mascot going on the DL. I've never heard of signing a mascot to a baseball franchise for two months. However, it would be a good opportunity for an experienced mascot in the area who is available for the next two months. I do wonder what it will be like when Uncle Slam comes back next year. 

MLB All-Stars

The MLB All-Star Game is on next Tuesday. As usual, there are many players that may surprise people that they are heading to the All-Star Game. Maybe it is because of the small market or they have been putting up great numbers under the radar. Here are some of the players. 

Andrew McCutchen 

Andrew McCutchen
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McCutchen has been on the rise for many years. This year, he has begun to become the best of the best. He is 1st in Majors with a .356 average, 16 homers, 54 ribbies, 53 runs, 2nd in the NL with a .603 slugging percentage, and a 1.014 OPS, which puts him 3rd in that department in the NL. He has a 9.33 runs created per 27 outs and a .247 isolated power average. His fielding has been outstanding. 1 error in 78 games, a .995 fielding percentage and a 2.51 range factor. He is also the leader for the surprising NL Central leading Pittsburgh Pirates, who have a 46-36 record. 

Melky Cabrera 

Melky had a very good season last year for the Kansas City Royals and is proving it was no fluke by having an even better year this year. He is about tenth of a point behind McCutchen for the batting crown. The "Melk Man" has 18 two-baggers, 7 three-baggers, 7 home runs, and 42 RBIs, and 54 runs. He also has a .395 OBP, a .518 slugging percentage, and a .913 OPS. He has always been a good fielder and this year is no different. In LF, where he has mostly started, he has a .978 fielding percentage.  

Joel Hanrahan 

We have another Pirate on the list. This is Hanrahan's 2nd consecutive All-Star Game. He has 22 saves and has 4 wins. In the 34 games he has appeared in, the Bucs have only lost 2 of the games. In both of the losses, Pittsburgh was down when he came into pitch. He has a 1.12 WHIP, a 2.45 ERA, 35 strikeouts, 9.55 Strikeouts per 9 Innings. Whenever Hanrahan pitches, it will most likely be a win.

Billy Butler
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Billy Butler

The lone representative (so far) from the Kansas City Royals, who are hosting the 2012 All-Star Game and the 3rd ASG in Kansas City, is their Designative Hitter Billy Butler. Butler has been a good player for the last few years and this year he has finally gotten the recognition he deserves. He has 16 home runs, 49 runs batted in, a .296 average, 360 OBP, .492 slugging percentage, and a .852 OPS. He also has 85 hits, 31 runs, a .306 secondary average, and a .205 isolated power.

Jim Johnson 

In Jim Johnson's 1st year as a closer, he has performed very well. He has 25 saves, which is 1st in the Majors. The Orioles 9th inning man has a 0.77 WHIP, 1.24 ERA, 22 strikeouts, and 3

In the 36 games he has pitched, they have lost only 6 of them. In the 6 loses, 1 of the games was tied when he pitched and in the 5 games, they were losing when he came into pitch.