My Take

Hello friends

This last weekend was one of the most exciting of the year. Golf’s Ryder Cup was the highlight; it is a match play event with 12 players from the United States versus 12 players from Europe. Going into the matches I was not that excited about this event because the Euros have won 5 of the last 6 matches and the USA was without Tiger Woods. I was glued to my TV all weekend. It was some of the finest golf I have ever watched. The matches were played in Kentucky and home state players Kenny Perry and J. B. Holmes played well and got the home fans into a frenzy. Boo Weekly was a welcomed surprise, he is a great golfer and can fire up the crowd like no other. The highlight was Weekly on the final day. He was filmed riding his driver "cowboy horse" style down the first fairway. I was really impressed with Anthony Kim; he is a great young player. His Sunday singles match against Sergio Garcia was the best performance for a young golfer in a long time. I see a major in this kid’s future.

The other big event this past weekend was the final game in the 85-year old “ Yankee Stadium.” As a Red Sox fan I have to say that I too felt a little nostalgic because, before every game was televised, only postseason baseball was shown and for most of the time the Yankees were playing in the Stadium. In fact according to Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated 15% of all postseason and 21% of all World Series games were played at the Stadium. I also understand that Yankee Stadium hosted some of the most significant moments in America history beside baseball. Muhammad Ali fought there and Joe Louis beat Max Schmeling there in “38. The game that put the NFL on the map, the NFL Championship game in 1958, the first overtime game in NFL history was played there. Three Popes said mass there, Nelson Mandela gave his first speech, after being released form prison, there in 1990. So much history, I will miss Yankee Stadium for those moments. If those walls could talk, the stories it would tell.

This week’s event I’m looking forward to is the first Presidential debate on Friday or as CNN is calling it “debate night in America.” Should be fun.

Talk to you next time as baseballs postseason gets going.

Good night and good luck.

Jamie Lazaroff

An Inspiration for all of us

Here is a video from former CNNer Daryn Kagan about D.J. Gregory, how is walking every PGA tour event this year. Oh by the way, D.J. has cerbral palsy.



Enjoy

This week in sports

MRHi folks, sorry I have not written in a while, I have been preoccupied with the political conventions. There are two things you should never talk about, religion and politics, so I will not tell you my persuasions.

The fall is the best time in sports, baseball is in the home stretch and getting ready for the post season, and football is starting up, also you know basketball season will be upon us soon.

I can’t believe I missed week one of the NFL season! I was on the golf course for my Special Olympics tournament. One of our playing partners got a text message about Tom Brady going down and leaving the game with a injured knee. When I don’t watch, something big always seems to happen. I feel bad for Brady and the Patriots; this season will be an up hill battle now without the league MVP and 3-time Super Bowl champion. My big question is Matt Cassel; Sunday’s game versus the Jets will be his first start since high school. In college he backed up two Heisman Trophy winners in Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at Southern California (USC) and spent the past three years as the back up for Brady in New England. I think they will be fine; they still have the best coach in the league in Bill Belichick. As wrestling announcer Jim Ross says, “Business is about to pick up.” Just made the NFL season a little more interesting.

One of the most awesome things I have ever experienced is going to Fenway Park to see a Red Sox game. I have been to a few games over the years but on Labor Day Monday I got two tickets from my cousin Carley, you remember, she is my triathlon cousin. The seats were two rows up from the field and just by the visitor’s dugout. I even caught a foul ball, just amazing. Thanks again Carley and thanks to her daughter Ella for wining the tickets.

Update from my last blog about the Paralympics. NBC will have a 90-minute special featuring athletes and highlights of the games at 2:30pm Eastern time on October 13th. NBC figures that what it does this year, both online and on television, can help them gauge the demand for more coverage in the 2010 Vancouver and 2012 London Paralympics games. “I don’t think it has yet been proven that there’s an audience that will support live television in this marketplace,” network Olympics president Gary Zenkel said. “That’s what we hope to assess over our multiplatform coverage this year.” Please watch the October 13th telecast and show NBC that there is an audience for the Paralympics in the USA.

This week in Sports
The big event this weekend is the inaugural Red Bull Indianapolis GP for the MotoGP motorcycle series. The race will be on NBC Sports, Sunday, September 14th from 3 to 4 p.m. (ET). The broadcast team for the event will include veteran motorcycle racing play-by-play announcers Ralph Sheheen and Robbie Floyd, and color commentary by 1993 500cc World Champion Kevin Schwantz.

The other big event this week is the Dew tour (action sports) in Salt Lake City for the Toyota Challenge. NBC has coverage Saturday September 13th from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and Sunday September 14th from 4 to 6 p.m. Freestyle motocross is back on tour and it should be as crazy as ever. One of the highlights of the Olympic games, BMX is an event this week in Utah.

The big college football game this weekend is Ohio St. at USC. This game maybe a preview of the National Championship game in January. It’s on at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Talk to you next week.

Jamie Lazaroff