Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Sports Journal 6-8-2014

Weekend Meal: A Blake Shelton BBQ Chicken Pizza from Pizza Hut.  While I typically only like pepperoni on my pizza and most people have an adverse reaction to even the thought of putting barbeque and chicken on a pizza, this is one alternate topping I really like.  Unlike the Parmesan pizzas, this creation from Pizza Hut was very tasty.  Obviously, country singer, Blake Shelton’s, input was critical.  One warning, this pizza did not reheat well, microwave or oven.  Try to eat the whole thing hot out of the box.

F1 The Canadian GP
It’s an unassuming track in an unassuming country that somehow often produces dramatic results.  From a last turn wall that collects champions to a race retirement attributed to . . .  a beaver, in golf terms, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a hazard.  The greatest race I ever saw was Jensen Button’s rainy 2011 Canadian GP, running last to first, and passing for the lead on the final lap.  (The Kurt Busch-Ricky Craven duel at Darlington is a close second.  The Kurt Busch Indy-Charlotte Double documentary ran after this race.  Kind of interesting, but not terribly informative.)  The announcers kept bringing up that Button race, though today’s race was bright and sunny. 

This race’s main drama would seem to be whether it would be Rosberg or Hamilton winning it for Mercedes and would their inter-team feud lead to handbags and a slap-fight at dawn.  I know the F1 media loves these fratricidal team affairs, but I’m over them.  One-car teams would do nothing but increase the level of competition (or at least separate sponsors for the cars, like other series).  How about letting constructors go ahead and supply other teams with chassis’s (like up to four)?  Teams already let out their engines to other teams.  Let the points accumulated by these teams contribute to the Constructor’s championship.

There were the usual wrecks and retirements at this high-attrition track.  What was unexpected was the two Mercedes cars also having problems.  Running way out front, both cars had an issue with their Energy Return Systems overheating (the brakes charging their batteries like a hybrid car) that dropped their speed by 20 mph.  Hamilton then lost his brakes and was forced to pull in.  Rosberg gingerly held his lead for most of the rest of the race.  It took the competition that long to finally catch up to him, even with him being hobbled. 

Rookie, Red Bull driver Ricciardo would make a strong pass to take the lead.  Behind him, Perez, who had been in second, started dropping.  Massa would plow into his tires, attempting a pass on the last lap.  Both would careen into the tire barrier, violently.  Perez was blamed for the incident for blocking.  I say that’s a bit questionable.  Jenson Button would come from mid-pack to finish fourth.  Awesome.

The announcers were thrilled for Daniel Ricciardo.  He is well-liked on the paddock.  They said the Aussie always has a smile on his face.  On the top step of the podium, he had an ear to ear grin that never stopped.  This is a popular, feel-good win.  Ricciardo’s got this Joe Dimaggio blue collar look to him that’s hard to dislike.     


Tennis
I turned on the TV Saturday morning to watch the Ladies Final, since Maria Sharapova was in it.  Before the picture actually came on the screen, I immediately heard a woman making a screaming grunt.  That killed it for me.  Even with the sound off, I couldn’t watch.  Somebody has got to muzzle these players.

Hockey
Given how the Stanley Cup is going (3-0 Kings at the moment), I probably should have watched this instead of the baseball game on Saturday.  I managed to miss all of the exciting scoring in regulation (Kings came back from being down by two goals to the Rangers twice), but did see the overtime.  The first one was actually quite exciting, but as the minutes wound down without a winner, dread of another OT period set in. 

The second OT was about what you’d expect from a bunch of exhausted players.  Even the L.A. fans were almost too tired to continue cheering.  The end came so quickly and unexpectedly, I didn’t see it, even while watching closely.  The Kings won it on a deflection from a blue line shot.  HD does not help the game broadcast with moments that fast.  You could just barely see it on slowed down replay.  Hockey has a problem there.  The sport doesn’t translate to the dominate medium well.  Perhaps somebody could bring back the glowing, streaking puck effect.    

Baseball
I said I wouldn’t be complaining about my reception anymore.  So I picked up the Royals vs. Yankees game in the 4th inning when my Fox reception came back after going out shortly after the first pitch, but I’m not complaining.  I was able to listen to the Tigers vs. Red Sox game on the radio, which was the game I really wanted anyway.  I didn’t get to hear the end of it, but the Tigers seemed to have things well in hand.  There wasn’t much point in listening to the Fox broadcast while the other game was on the radio.  From what I was watching, it was a non-stop tribute to Derek Jeter and endless replays of a successfully challenged pick-off call.  The Royals won it 6-3 off of the Yankees’ questionable bullpen.

On Sunday, the Rangers lost to the Indians 3-2.  One of those Ranger runs was off of a wild pitch.  Not good.  During the game, the second baseman, who’s name I didn’t even know, was injured.  This was the guy replacing the injured Profar, taking the place of Ian Kinsler (now on the Tigers).  Meanwhile at first base, was another replacement, who was taking the place of the injured Triple A guy, who taking the place of an injured Mitch Moreland, who was taking the place of an injured Prince Fielder.  I know Darvish, Beltre, Choo, and Andrus on the current roster.  That’s about it.  I wonder if Eric or Matt in the broadcast booth will be called upon to play a position?

After that depressing game, I flipped over to the El Paso Chihuahuas game in progress.  The game started an hour after the Ranger game, but I’d only missed half of it.  I was there for the exciting part of the game, Tim Haggerty looking at the clock and wondering if the team was going to be able to make their flight in two hours, given the game’s glacial pace.  He started looking up PCL rules for curfews and suspended games.  The dogs would go up 10-7 late.  I think both teams may have decided that neither wanted to have to continue the game on a later date, so things sped up a bit.  A bit after 5:00, my time, the game finished.  The team charged off the field.  Tim gave a professional, but very efficient game recap, which closed with, “I’ve got a flight to catch in less than an hour.  I’m outta here.”  Such are the perils of a nearly 4 hour, 9 inning game.

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