This Week in Sports

Written By: Jamie Lazaroff
Edited By: Bob Lazzari

The sports world can be strange in the summer; sometimes it's slow and at other times there can be lots of news. This is one summer where there SURELY has been a lot happening.

*Finally, some good news in sports. Baseball's Hall of Fame inducted two of the greats of the recent era. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr. played with the same teams throughout their entire careers. Mr. Gwynn won an amazing eight batting titles with the San Diego Padres. My best Tony Gwynn moment was at the 1999 All-Star Game in Boston when Ted Williams made an appearance and, in the middle of a slew of All-Stars congregating on the field, there are Ted and Tony sharing a special moment. Then Ted asked for Tony’s help to throw out the first pitch. I cried that night; yes, I remember it like it was yesterday. My best Cal Ripken Jr. moment was the night he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak at 2,131. Again, I cried and remember it very well. For Ripken to play 2,632 consecutive games with one team, the Baltimore Orioles, is just unbelievable/.

*I’m a big soccer fan, so when David Beckham signed with Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy, I was very excited at first. The more MLS talked about him changing the fate of American soccer, the more I came to believe that it will not happen that way. Don't get me wrong: David Beckham is still a great player. But Americans like to play soccer and not watch it; one player will not change this. I don’t think Beckham should have played in his first game, an exhibition. He had a knee injury and could have caused much more damage.

*On a sad note, one of the great sportscasters of our generation passed away this week, Bill Flemming. He reported on everything from NASCAR to barrel jumping for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. His death reminded me how much I miss Wide World. One favorite memory was watching the show and remembering what was on that day-- the Grand National for England and the Baja 1000. Some kids idolize sports stars; my idol happens to be Jim McKay from Wide World and I've always wanted to be just like him. Yes, those were the good old days.

*I can understand the PGA tour's thinking when they added the FedEx cup points competition. However, I don’t think it is working. The points system can only work if all the golfers play the same number of events. I do hope that most of the top 144 players play in the playoff; I'm positive the tour can make this thing work much better next year.

*This week’s spotlight is on a father and son team from Massachusetts, Dick and Rick Hoyt. You see, Rick was born in 1962 with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck which cut off oxygen to his brain. But in 1972, his first words (using a special computer) was “Go Bruins”. Yes, Rick was a sports fan, but he wanted to compete, too, and he did in 1977--competing in a five-mile benefit run for a paralyzed lacrosse player with his dad pushing him in his wheelchair. That night, Rick told his dad that he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing. Down the road, in 1981, they entered the Boston Marathon and finished in the top quarter of the field. After 4 years of marathons, "Team Hoyt" attempted their first triathlon; no, not just any triathlon but the Ironman in Hawaii--a grueling race. I saw the TV coverage of the Ironman; let me just say I cried again due to the emotion/success involved. Each time they completed it, I was touched the very same way. What a great story of a father's love for a son and of the true meaning of inclusion. Please go to http://www.teamhoyt.com/ and learn more about this unbelievable story. As Rick said: “The message of "Team Hoyt" is that everybody should be included in everyday life”. Yes, that's truly a message for everyone to live by.

That’s my take; I’d like to hear yours.

Jamie Lazaroff