The Weekend Run Down June 20, 2011

Summertime is in the air (I just heard Will Smith's Summertime song, so that makes it official in my book) as the temperature rises, the summer sports such as baseball, tennis, and golf take hold of the sports universe. The big news this weekend was the dominance of Rory McIlroy in the U.S open. The 22-year old Northern Irishman lapped the field and put on a performance not seen since the glory days of Tiger Woods. The College World Series is also underway as local favorite Vanderbilt, as far fetched as it sounds, made their first appearance in college's baseball's championship. In MLB news, St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols was injured making a catch at first base and appears to be in line to miss some time. Just another injury to add to the list for the Cardinals.




Now without further ado I present to you the weekend rundown:

Rory makes it looks easy at the Congressional: That Masters collapse was so yesterdays news eh Rory? McIlroy was brilliant breaking multiple records (12 in all) including lowest round scores in every round. The Irishman shot of the gates with an opening round of 65 and never looked back. The players themselves were in aw of McIlroy's greatness as multiple players heaped praise on him left and right. Said Jason Day who finished 2nd at – 8: “It’s just phenomenal golf,” Day said. “He lapped the field, and for such a young age, how mature he is. Golf right now is in a really, really good spot where Rory McIlroy is right now.” McIlroy made everybody else play for 2nd place as the he really was never challenged. The pulse of golf maybe changing as McIlroy's humble demeanor and cheerful Irishman accent is in stark contrast from the fiery Tiger Woods and his private and steely eyed approach to the game. My one warning for everyone is not to expect so much from the young man so fast. This is his first major, although he has been in the mix for the last 3 or 4 majors. He is going to be great as evident by his performance this past weekend but we as writers and fans need to allow him to come into his own. The British open is next for the McIlroy and he will have the home crowd behind him to see if he can continue his hot streak on golf's grandest stage.

Pujols sprains wrist and possibly injures shoulder: Albert Pujols smashed his 17th home run of the season in one inning and hurt his gold glove wrist in the next. In what has been a trying year to say the least for the Cardinals MVP slugger, now has become even worse as he is expected to have a MRI and further tests today to determine the damage. The play happened as Kansas City's Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle. Cardinals second baseman Pete Kozma made an awkward throw to Pujols which led him off the bag and as he tried to apply the tag, Betemit ran into him, colliding with his glove hand that sent the burly first baseman to the ground in obvious pain. Said long time St.Louis skipper Tony La Russa: “It scared the hell out of all of us,” La Russa said. “It smoked him pretty good. The doctor said he has good strength so that makes us kind of optimistic. First indications are that we caught a break. La Russa had good reason to be scared. Pujols has played at least 143 games in each of his first 10 MLB seasons. He is as durable as they come and it takes a lot for him to go down. The Cardinals were just getting healthy again as their other slugger, Matt Holliday was back playing and the Cards were expecting more reinforcements to come off the DL. Lets hope Pujols isn't out to long as he was just getting into his MVP groove.

Vanderbilt wins its first ever College World Series Game: The Commodores waited a long time for this and finally got their due. Vanderbilt has been playing baseball since 1886 and this marks their 1st appearance in Omaha. Now that they are here , they didn't wait long to pounce on the North Carolina Tar Heels and defeated them 7-3. Even former President George W. Bush was on hand to see Vandy exercise some demons over the Tar Heels. Tony Kemp led the Commodes with 3 hits including making history on multiple occasions by having the first hit ever in the new TD Ameritrade Park and also the first stolen base. Conrad Harrell broke the game open as he hit the first CWS home in the new park in the sixth-inning to break the tie. Vandy starter Sonny Gray only went 4 2/3 innings ( His shortest outing in 18 starts since going 4 1/3 in the season opener.)

and was relieved by Corey Williams who worked 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Jason Esposito made a Sportsenter top 10 highlight play at 3rd as he made a great stop on a hard hit grounder by of all people J. Stallings-- son of Vanderbilt basketball team coach Kevin Stallings, and threw a laser to first base for the out. So far so good for the Commodores. They take on Florida today in the winners bracket , make sure to tune in to ESPN to support the Dores.



Alright, that is it for the weekend rundown. Make sure to check back this week as I have multiple posts in the works and some big news later this week.

The Weekend Run-down

The Mesmerizing Masters: What a captivating weekend finish we witnessed on golf’s grandest stage. Rory McIlroy played brilliantly thru the first three days and looked as if he would don his first green jacket as he had a four stroke lead heading into Sunday. But the young Irishman could not handle the pressure and the wheels on his game fell completely off. McIlroy shot a 43 on the back nine that opened the door for everyone else. The stage was set for an epic battle as Tiger Woods showed he still has considerable game and growled his way back from 7 strokes down to take the lead at -10. Everyone surely takes notice when Tiger is in position to pounce on Sunday’s at a major. Tiger would miss some key putts along the way that could have made for an even better score but it was good to see him rounding into form. After Tiger’s round, things heated up for a trio of younger but fearless challengers. Adam Scott, Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel all shared or lead on the 16th and 17th holes. Scott took command as he made an array of dazzling shots. Not to be one upped, Day and Schwartzel were hot on Scott’s tail. In the end it would be Schwartzel finishing with four straight birdies to take the championship. Great stuff from Augusta this year; it surely was one of the best I’ve ever witnessed.

NBA: Top Teams Battle for Playoff Positioning.

Chicago 102 Orlando 99 - Chicago held on for a 3 point victory over Orlando and the win all but locked up the number one seed in the east for the Bulls. Derrick Rose also put the final touches on his MVP caliber season as he pasted the Magic for 39 points and five assists. The Magic were without their MVP candidate Dwight Howard who was suspended for this game due to receiving his 18th technical foul of the year.

Miami 100 Boston 77 - The Miami Heat finally beat the Boston Celtics and did it emphatically. Boston had previously owned the Heat this season as they pounded and punked them in their three previous meetings. This time Miami was having none of it. Lebron lead all scorers with 27 and he set the tone for Miami early. The Heat outrebounded the Celtics 42-26 and that was a season low for Boston. Miami was superb defensively as Dwayne Wade rejected Ray Allen on numerous occasions and closed out on his three point attempts. In what was likely a preview of the Eastern conference semifinals, this game was physical as the teams scuffled after a hard foul by Jermaine O’neal on Lebron James that led to some pushing and shoving under the basket. The playoff intensity showed but it was Miami taking control of the number two seed in the East.

OKC 120 L.A. Lakers 106 – This is the fifth straight loss for the two-time defending champions and it officially is a sign of panic in tinsletown. After beginning the post all-star break at 18-1, the Lakers lackadaisical play of late has them reeling. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook controlled the game and combined for 57 points as the Thunder won their fourth in a row and their first against the Lakers on the road since March 12, 2006. The Lakers looked sluggish out the gates but came on in the fourth quarter and took the lead but the Thunder would close the game out on a 16-2 run. Kobe Bryant finished with 31 points and Pau Gasol added another 26 but it would not be enough. The danger the Lakers now face is in the standings. The Lakers latest loss has them tied with Dallas in the standings and the surging Thunder are now only one game back for the number two seed in the West.

NHL: Nashville Predators nab the 5th seed in the West - The Preds have scratched and clawed their way to yet another playoff berth. For the sixth time in seven years, Nashville will be chasing Lord Stanley, this time as the 5th seed in the West. The Predators finished the season 14-4-3, moving from 11th going into a game on March 10 to their current position and clinched their playoff ticket with a win over Columbus this past Friday. Nashville will face the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the four vs. five match-up. It bodes well for the Preds as they have beaten the Ducks 3 out of 4 times this year. Nashville has been in this position before and knows it’s time to bring a playoff victory to music city. “For us, it’s the next step,” Nashville coach Barry Trotz said Sunday. “Sooner or later we’re going to break through that, and that’s been our goal since losing out last year is to take the next step. Hopefully, we’ll take it this year. From our standpoint, that’s our goal.” Hopefully this is the year that Smashville tastes some playoff success. Coach Trotz and the Predator faithful deserve it.