Hi friends,

Well it's been an interesting week in sports since we last talked. Michael Phelps won his amazing eight gold medals in swimming at the Olympics and I got to go to a baseball game among other things.

I saw the Texas Rangers play the Tampa Bay Rays in Arlington, Texas on Friday night August 15th. It was pleasantly cool for Texas weather in the 80s with a nice breeze cooled down by some rain in the area. We sat in the third deck high right behind home plate with some free tickets we got from an online promtion for the All Star Game. Even though it was fairly high though it was great baseball viewing. The Rays beat the Rangers 7-0 to continue their amazing season in first place in the AL East. Matt Garza the Rays starter pitched a complete game two hit shutout with one first inning walk. Garza had a no hitter for 5 2/3 innings and should  have had one longer than that as Ian Kinsler the Rangers second baseman hit a bloop single to center that was dropped by the Rays center fielder and should have been caught. I believe it should have been an error and Major League Baseball should make a notation and correction to give Matt Garza a one hitter insted of two. Garza pounded his glove on the ground as he saw what should have been called an error. Anyway it was a fun game and night at the ballpark and I'm happy if I can make at least one pro, college or high school game a year.

As for the other sports action what can you say about the amazing Michael Phelps and his eight swimming gold medals. It's truly a great accomplishment and it's been a good Olympic Games  in Bejing, China so far. Ratings are up, the Americans have the most overall medals so far and the Chinese have the most golds in their home country. It's been pretty good action so far and it's fun to watch the sports and athletes you don't normally watch as often as well.

Back in the United States pro and college football are getting closer as September and the pennant races are heating up as well. Best of luck to all your different teams.  Well take care and best wishes friends. Talk soon and have a great and productive day. fenfan

Hi friends,

Well it's July 31st the trading deadline in baseball, the early stages of NFL training camps on and off the field. What will Brett Favre do? And the pennant race excitement now has two months to go. So where do we start on this exciting eventful day in sports?

How about Manny Ramirez who finally got his ticket out of Boston in a three way trade between the Red Sox, Dodgers and Pirates.  The main other player in the deal leftfieder Jason Bay formerly of the Pirates will take over for Manny Ramirez in Boston. Now Jason Bay a talented hitter himself will never be the superstar Manny on or off the field. While Manny's bat won't be equaled neither will his off the field outbursts and maybe that's finally a good thing for all the parties and teams involved and we'll see how his attitude carries out in Los Angeles for Dodgers manager Joe Torre. I'm sure the home runs will be flying out of Chavez Ravine at Dodger Stadium.. We'll see what happens.

As for Brett Favre and the Packers or whoever he ends up playing for if he plays or will he take the 20 million dollar offer NOT to PLAY FOR THE PACKERS. Are they that threatened by the 38 year old quarterback going to the rival Bears or Vikings?  Remember former Super Bowl champion quarterback Jim Mc Mahon ended his career backing up Brett Favre when the Packers won the Super Bowl in 1996. So wouldn't it be interesting to see Favre to the the chagrin of Packers fans end his career as a Bear. Or how about Minnesota and the Purple People. Remember Favre rarely plays well at the Metrodome or loud  domes and artificial turf.  So unless they're going to blow off the roof there I don't know how well that would go either. Finally I don't know how this helps new starting quaterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers who are coming off a NFC Championship Game performance last year. Besides Favre starting running back Ryan Grant is a holdout. Team chemistry is a delicate thing and we'll see how the Packers handle it in next few weeks and months no matter what happens with Brett Favre.

It should be interesting as the Red Sox go on without Manny Ramirez as well. Another legend Ken Griffey Jr who has been often injured in recent years, still has over 600 home runs and a Hall of Fame career to be. And on this July 31st he was traded from the Cincinatti Reds where he has been injured often and somewhat of a disappointment for the small market Reds since being traded there from Seattle in 2000. So now he lands in Chicago with the White Sox where he will be a role player with a more talented team. Whether he plays the outfield, first base or designated hitter in the American League, Griffey will add some productive play and leadership as the White Sox hope to match their 2005 World Series Championship success. Good luck Ken and we'll see what happens for you and the White Sox.

Finally one of my favorite teams, the Brewers lost to another team I like the Cubs except when they play the Brewers. Imagine what that's like liking two teams in the same division, but I liked both teams before the Brewers moved into the National League in 1998. Despite being swept by the Cubs, the Brewers still have a pretty good team and if they can remember last years collapse and learn from experience after losing the lead in the division to help get them through the last couple months this year. It will be tough but the Brewers have a fairly easy schedule according to the experts. If they can get through that and nobody is really easy to play in a peenant race then maybe the young and relatively inexperienced Brewers will have a chance to reach and make their goal of the playoffs. These days they don't have to win the division with the wildcard. That won't be easy either though. Good luck Brewers!! Also good luck to the Red Sox and Manny Ramirez as they part ways. Good luck to Brett Favre and the Packers and whatever team he plays for unless he wants to accept the 20 million dollars to stay retired. For any of the rest of us the money while bringing changes would be a pretty easy decision to take for most of us. But superstar athletes and entertainers like Brett Favre are like kings so it's like being Manny or Brett Favre means almost play money to them in a world where a lot of us are looking for jobs and at $4.00 gas prices. Pass the buck and throw the letovers to the fans who watch and support you. If only it were that simple.

Anyway before I get off track any further, it's been an interesting day and period in this time of sports. But without it we wouldn't be here writing or talking about much interesting. But sports is always changing and interesting and for that even though we don't know what is next we are  thankful because we have something we are passionate about to follow and talk about.  And in these uncertain economic times that is a good thing because it gets our mind off real life. We could talk about the election. But that is a topic for another blog site. So have a good evening and best wishes friends and have a great and productive day. Talk soon. fenfan

Hello friends,

I've got nothing special to talk about tonight except for some pretty good blogs I've been reading on here and putting my two cents in. From the guy who explained why the Steelers won't be as good this year. I disagree with his opinion but the Steelers have always been consistent and rarely terrible. Consider since Chuck Noll's 1-13 record in 1969 the Steelers have never won fewer than 5 games in a season and they have won 5 Super Bowls. I hope I don't jinx them. I just hope they get their ownership situation figured out. A billionare Stanley Druckenmeier wants to buy the team but I hope they can keep the team in the Rooney family who founded the team and made the Steelers the proud team and organization that they are.

Also tundratrugger brought up some good comments on the Brett Favre situation with the Packers. We all like or admire Brett Favre as a football player and person. As football fans we just wish he would make up his mind about his future and go on with it. I couldn't personally go out on an interception in the NFC Championship Game if I knew I had a good team but that's his decision. Lets just make that decision Brett and get on with the 2008 NFL season.

In baseball I'm  excited to see one of my favorite small market teams the Milwaukee Brewers making some big noise in the pennant race again this year. The experience of last year's winning record has helped and so apparently has new acquistion CC Sabathia with a 4-0 record and 3 complete game wins since joining the Brewers. I don't want the Brewers to throw away their future and maybe by signing their core players like Ryan Braun, developing a great farm system under general manager Doug Melvin and getting good draft picks will help the small market Brewers stay competitive in the long run. But in the short term Go For It Brewers and good luck the rest of 2008 and we'll worry about 2009 later. When you think of it that should be every team's philosophy but for a small market team like the Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays it is crical to keep going and keep competive. I wish baseball had a salary cap like the other sports, but with smart management it can be done successfully.

Well I guess I did have some stuff to say tonight about some of my favorite teams. I also enjoyed blogs about the most hated teams in sports and the greatest players to never win a championship. Read those if you get the chance. I always enjoy a good blog and great sports talk and I thank you friends for reading mine. I'm almost to 150 blogs overall now and I hope I keep it interesting for you readers. Take care, best wishes and talk soon friends. Have a great and productive day always friends. fenfan

Hello friends,

Well for those of you who didn't catch the end of the All Star Game, the American League won 4-3 in 15 innings in a game that didn't end until after 1:30 am Eastern time. I work evenings, but I was lucky enough to catch the last 4 innings when I got home from work.. Those who have to get up early or can't stay awake aren't usually able to see the end of these games especially the kids and that's unfortunate for young people and watching games and developing sports interest.

Anyway it was the final All Star Game at Yankee Stadium which is being torn down for a brand new and bigger Yankee Stadium. Kind of sad to see one of the classic stadiums being torn down. Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, Lambeau Field and Yankee Stadium should stand the test of time until they fall apart or implode and then they should be rebuilt. Only half kidding. These stadiums are national treasures for national sports fans and if they can keep a Fenway, Wrigley or Lambeau going why cant they do the same with Yankee Stadium.

I'm sure the new Yankee Stadium or whatever they call it Steinbrenner Field, but it wont be the House that Ruth Built. The naming rights will likely belong to some coroporate sponsor.  New isn't always better at least in our memories.

I still have fond memories of the old County Stadium in Milwaukee because that's where I spent over 20 years growing up watching baseball games. Some places like Shea Stadium, the home of the crosstown New York Mets and also in it's last year of operation is less attractive but it has its memories for Mets fans as well. Winning two out of three World Series, the Jets played there and so did the Beatles once as well. So every place has it's special memories to those who went there and that's what you especially think of with a historic place like Yankee Stadium even if you've never been there or don't like the Yankees. You think of the history and all the events that have gone on there since it was first built in 1923 and you'll miss it.

I watched my first All Star Game as a fan when it was played at Yankee Stadium in 1977 and it was neat to see the game played there in the last year of the Stadium. As it turned out every position player and pitchers got to play in the game because of it's length and that's great for the experience for those players and us the fans.

Another big sporting event starts on Thursday across the pond/ the Atlantic Ocean in England. The British Open at Royal Birkdale starts Thursday and for the first time since 1996 Tiger Woods will not be playing in a major as he recovers from knee surgey after his exciting 18 hole playoff win at the US Open in June.

While most golf fans and casual fans look forward to his return, it makes you wonder is the game better off without Tiger in the major tournaments. Probably not except for opposing players who will disagree. But is Tiger Woods bigger than the game of golf or its history? No he's just a huge part of it as he continues to chase Jack Nickalus record of 18 majors. But even Tiger Woods is not bigger than the game of golf. Last year Paddrig Harrington won the British Open in a playoff over Sergio Garcia when Tiger Woods was out of contention.

Believe it or not Tiger Woods doesn't win all the time. It just seems like he should or does. The British Open and the other major golf tournaments and sports were popular with fans long before Tiger Woods and will be long after Tiger Woods leaves. He is just a shining star right now for a lot of reasons mostly because of his enormous talent, his popularity and for his significance in transforming the sport as an African American golfer which he is not the first of his race but he has certaintly brought a lot of new groups of people and interest to the sport and that is a very good thing for the sport of golf and its overall popularity.

That's why Tiger Woods will be missed this weekend and at the PGA Championship next month. But as I said he should be back in the future, hopefully next year and in the meantime the British Open will go on this weekend and should be a great tournament as always or golf and casual fans alike. Just try to remember that it is not the Tiger Woods Open. It just seems like it due to his enormous popularity. By the way I just like to say his name Tiger Woods. It just comes across the page when you say it like a name brand in golf.

Well have a great and productive day friends, best wishes and we'll talk soon again. fenfan

Hi friends,

I'm getting into the baseball races and my favorite teams, the Brewers, Red Sox and Cubs as they're all in contention and all have the chance to make the playoffs in the same year for the first time. We'll see and I'll discuss my favorite and most memorable moments.

But first a short paragraph to say I'm officially sick of Brett Favre and the Packers saga to see who can outdo each other and blink first. Go away or get back together. But other than giving the media and us bloggers something to talk about.  But What  exactly are we talikng about? Exactly until a decision is made it is all talk and rumors and sports talk radio. I've lost some respect for Brett Favre and the Packers, whatever happens. Let Aaron Rodgers have his time and don't make me laugh with talk of Brett Favre as a backup in Green Bay. Seriously how long would that last. At this rate just as long as these  rumors. Here today Yesterdays news tommorow. Let history go on Brett and save your legacy. You'll never be a Purple People Eater. Vikings or anyone else. The Packers would be foolish to release you because of his legacy with the team but at the same time they have to make the right decisions for the team. Good luck Packers.

Now onto my favorite baseball teams and memories. It's July and for the first time in a long time all three of  my favorite baseball teams are in contention and the thought of them making the postseason brings back some good and not so good memories for me. Maybe it's because it's the week of the ESPY's awards, moments and lists so here goes

First the top 5 great memories with honorable mention for me for my favorite teams the Brewers, Red Sox and Cubs.

1} Red Sox win the World Series for the first time in 86 years in 2004 and a 0-3  hole and comeback against the Yankees to win the AL Pennant. What could beat that!

2} The Brewers win the ALCS in 1982 coming from 0-2 down against the Angels. Has it really been 26 years since the Brewers last postseason appearance?  Hopefully that changes soon.

3} The Cubs win the NL East dvision title and first postseason appearance in 39 years in 1984 and the summer of the famous Ryne Sandberg two home run game against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

4} The Carlton Fisk game winning home run in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. It didn't win the World Series for the Red Sox, but other than the Red Sox actually finally winning the World Series in 2004 and 2007 has there been a bigger or more memorable winning moment in Red Sox history?  It felt like they won for a night and all time as a great moment even if they didn't end up winning the World Series.that year or for 29 more years.

5] The David Henderson home run off Donnie Moore in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS to put them ahead and start their comeback to win the series against the Angels that year. Finally the Brewers 13 game winning streak and famous Easter Day Sunday comeback against the Rangers in April 1987. Paul Molitor also hit in 39 straight games that summer only behind Pete Rose at 44 games and Joe Dimaggio's 56 game hitting streak in 1941. Will that hitting streak ever be broken along with Ted Williams of the Red Sox .406 batting average that year.

Sorry Cubs fans you weren't included more in the good moments. Maybe this will be the year to change that after 100 years since their last World Series championship.

 As for the moments I'll unfortunately never forget.

1) Bill Buckner. It wasn't really your fault, Pitchers Cavin Schiraldi, Bob Stanley and manager John MacNamara take greater blame but his error and the Red Sox one strike from ultimate victory will never be forgotten from Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the New York Mets.

2)  Bruce Sutter and the Cardinals striking out Gorman Thomas of the Brewers to win Game 7 of the 1982 World Series. I've wanted the Brewers to win that Game 7 ever since and 26 years later Brewers fans are still waiting.

3) The Steve Bartman moment and the Cubs 5 outs from going to the World Series against the Marlins in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. Stop blaming Bartman, give him public forgiveness and let the baseball reasons and Cubs futility to win when it counts take over rational thoughts Cubs fans and stop blowing up helpless baseballs to end curses. Billy goat and black cat curses as well for that matter.

4) Two Yankee Home runs that will live in Red Sox infamy. Bucky Dent in the 1978 AL East playoff game and Aaron Boone in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS . Two tough losses but a comeback after an 0-3 start in the 2004 put away the Curse of the Bambino/ Babe Ruth forever.

5} The Cubs 9 game lead and collapse against the Mets in 1969 and the Brewers 8 1/2  game lead and collapse in the division race against the Cubs last year. As a fan of both teams why did the Brewers have to join the National League and same division as the Cubs but in another way it's made their rivalry more fun to watch.

In conclusion if you've stayed reading with me this long  thank you and  I'm sorry for being long winded  friends... If not I'm sorry for your boredom  and I'm just nostalgic about sports memories. My apologies. Anyways as I said earlier I hope this Brett Favre situation blows over so we can get on with life and on to some great football with or without Brett Favre. Believe it or not Green Bay you still have a good team without Mr Favre. Take care, best wishes and talk soon friends. Have a great and productive day. fenfan 

Hello friends,

Well a big trade has been made in major league baseball and we'll see if it can help one of the smaller market teams in the league, the Milwaukee Brewers to win and finally make the playoffs for the first time in 26 years since 1982.

The Brewers traded four minor leaguers and top prospects to the Cleveland Indians for  2007 Cy Young winner CC Sabathia. The Indians who came within one game of the World Series are struggling in last place this year while the young small market and somewhat financially stapped Brewers are trying to strike while the iron's hot for success in major league baseball without a salary cap especially for small market teams like the Brewers.

Teams like the Brewers have to build within the farm system and a few small trades. When they pick up a big star like CC Sabathia who they very well might lose to free agency along with the other Brewers pitching star Ben Sheets.

So they're going to try to go for postseason success now. Coming off their first winning season (83-79) last year, the Brewers are trying to see if they can take their young hitting talent All Star Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Bill Hall, Corey hart and JJ Hardy and good, young and veteran pitching to see if they can make their first postseason trip since the 1982 World Series.

The Brewers have the longest  postseason drought for a team that has won a playoff spot in a 162 game season.The only team with a longer postseason drought is the former Montreal Expos/now Washington Nationals who made their only postseason appearence in the strike shortened 1981 season which doesn't count as much to me in that regard of acheiving success in a full season.

Anyway you know I also like the Red Sox and Cubs who have had their own championship droughts over the years. The Red Sox finally won 2 World Series this decade after 86 years and they'll never have enough to catch the Yankees who have 26 World Series titles. The Cubs are trying to conquer their own demons of 100 years without a World Series title. But one of the differences between those teams and the Brewers and other smaller market teams like the Brewers, Pirates, Royals and another success story this year the Rays is money.

Without a salary cap things are not even financially and the Brewers 26 year playoff drought is almost similar to the Cubs !00 year drought in that regard I think. Milwaukee is a great and underrated major league baseball town. Before the Brewers arrived Milwaukee had the Braves who now of course are in Atlanta. But from 1953-1965 the Braves had the heart of Milwaukee and went to two World Series led by hitter Henry Aaron and Eddie Matthews and pitchers Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette.

The Braves beat  the New York Yankees in seven games in 1957 for Milwaukee's only World Series Championship and lost in seven games also to the Yankees in 1958. Then in 1982 the Brewers then in the American League lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. But since St Louis reliever and now Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter struck out Brewers slugger Gorman Thomas to end that series and give the Cardinals the championship, the Brewers haven't been back in the postseason. Now the Brewers can blame the small market imbalance as some teams like the Pirates or Royals have. Or they can embrace and deal with the system and go for postseason success as other small market  teams like the Twins and A's have and the small market Colorado Rockies went all the way to the World Series last year and the Florida Marlins once won the World Series with approximately a 60 million dollar patroll in 2003.

So in conclusion postseason success is possible for a small market team like the Brewers. For long term success the  Brewers team management has to be a little craftier and kep retooling the minor league system and talent crop of players. And then every once in a while they can bring in a star pitcher like CC Sabathia even it's only for the short term and they might lose him after the season to free agency. But at least they're trying while the iron is hot and see where it goes from there. So Good Luck Brewers and we'll be following your progress and success and I hope the can win along with teams like the Rays for smaller market teams in baseball.

The Brewers aren't guaranteed success with getting CC Sabathia and I think the bullpen is still shaky. Blowing a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning last week at Arizona didn't help confidence, but if they keep working at it maybe they'll find their way and their first postseason appaerance since 1982 whether it be the wildcard which they're currently tied with the Cardinals or the NL Central where they're 4 back of the Cubs at this point.

Take care friends and have a great and productive day. Best wishes and talk soon. fenfan

Hello friends,

Well we've almost reached the midway point of the season, actually we have in games played but the All Star Game is next week at the great Yankee Stadium in it's final season.

But on and off the field lately we've had a lot of action going on and there has been no bigger success story so far than the Tampa Bay Rays who have won 50 games and for the first time since 1997 a team other than the Red Sox or Yankees is in first place in the AL East on July 1st. They are a feel good story that gives hope for baseball overall as a sport for all teams no matter what the market size.

I am a spoiled Red Sox fan along with Yankees fans whose teams have won a lot of championships with a lot of money, but I also felt it was somewhat tainted with imbalanced salries and uncompetitive balance without a salary cap. But the game is getting better and more competitive with smart small market teams with good farm systems. Some big market teams throw away money with big salaries and players who turn out to be busts in productivity.

That's what I like about the Boston Red Sox who have a big salary. but also a good farm system in the minor leagues which keeps them competitive longer. Even though I'm a Red Sox fan it's neat to see a small market team like the Tampa Bay Rays with young exciting talent competing successfully with the big boy teams with bigger salaries. Good luck!

Also both on and off the field lately there have been some unpleasant encounters with fighting and incidents. First there was the fighting incident with Coco Crisp of the Red Sox earlier in June when he charged the mound after getting hit against the Tampa Bay Rays in Boston and that got him suspended for 5 games including this weeks Red Sox-Rays series in Tampa 

Then there were a couple shoving incidents this past week which both incidentally occured in Houston. One involved now former Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Cicon who was called to the manager's office to discuss his pitching performance. He didn't like what he heard so he shoved the Astros General Manager Ed Wade who gave him the message to report to the skipper's (manager) office to the ground. Now you go to work today and shove your superior or anybody for that matter. Please don't, but if you do you will likely suffer the consequences as Cicon did and he got released by the team.

Now in a similar incident also occuring in Houston during the recent Red Sox-Astros series, Red Sox superstar and All Star leftfielder Manny Ramirez who is quite popular and productive also had a shoving incident. Manny being Manny wanted some extra tickets for friends in Houston and he asked the Red Sox traveling seceretary for about 15 or so tickets. When the traveling secretary couldn't provide the tickets, Ramirez in a fit of unprovoked anger shoved the poor seceretary to the ground. Now a couple things about this. Manny is a big strong athlete and that would be fairly intimidating to the seceratary who is not  likely as big or strong as Manny Ramirez the athlete. Also Manny Ramirez is a superstar athlete who has hit over 500 home runs so the matter is quickly dismised, apologies are made and discipline is handled privately behind Red Sox closed doors. All is supposedly forgiven. But what if Ramirez was a .200 hitter or a struggling pitcher like Shawn Cicon..Ramirez deseves some type of punishment or discipline and once again I'm a Red Sox fan. I just don't like to see unpleasant incidents like this occur. The general manager and traveling seceratary were just doing their jobs and didn't deserve to be provoked by men likely twice their size and strength.

In conclusion, fighting, incidents and altercations are always going to part of the game and sports unfortunately. But those who overstep the line should be punished/ discliplined in some way. As for the action on the field such as the Tampa Bay Rays who I started off this post mentioning, congratulations on the good start and good luck in fair and exciting competition the rest of the season. Have a great and productive day and celebrate America and a Happy 4th of July. Hang a flag and remember why it's the greatest country in the world to live in. Best wishes, take care and talk soon friends. fenfan

HELLO FRIENDS,

Today as I write my 141st blog on here over the last two years since starting to write in June 2006, I want to say thank you to all the friendship and support I have gotten from all of you here at foxsportsblogs. There are a lot of you I could mention but I don't want to forget or leave anyone out so I'll just thank all of you for your great support of my blogs and others here in this fine sportswriting community.

This is a wonderful tool for aspiring sportswriters like me and for passionate sports fans also like me who want to vent their opinions and feelings. It gives most of a chance to give our opinions and feel like we are being seen or heard no matter what the national media says about blogging. If you have an opinion and are credible and factual then you are relevant  here as a sports blogger.

I do want to give special thanks to a friend of mine on here known as fishrmn because he knows my passion of sports and writing and he found foxsportsblogs for me and thought it would be a good outlet for my sportswriting and passion of sports. Thank you fishrmn!!

As for the timing of this blog I wanted to write it after the NBA Finals because that goes with the timeline of my two year blogging anniversary and it also starts the period of sports which I call Summer Vacation which was the title of one of my first blogs back in June 2006. Summer Vacation is the period of time after the NBA Finals in mid June until regular season football starts in September. During this time I think you should enjoy your summer sports but also take a break and enjoy the summertime and try to relax somewhat and enjoy the things that make life wonderful and important. Yes we all have work and other responsibilities, but summer vacation is also a time to step back and focus on what is truly important in life. We should be doing this all year of course, but for us sports fanatics summer is a time to step back take a breath and get ready before the next full season of sports when football starts in September. So enjoy your summer friends.

Congratulations to Tiger Woods for winning the US Open golf tournament in a 19 hole playoff over 45 year old Rocco Mediate who performed valiantly as an underdog against Tiger and almost won and for Tiger Woods winning his 14th major golf tournament two months after having knee surgery. As great as he is that was a valiant effort and victory as well.

Also congratulations to the Boston Celtics for restorinfg their proud franchise in winning their 17th NBA title. Led by the superstar trio of 10 year Celtic and NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce and first year Celtics Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, the rest of the Celtics and coach Doc Rivers. It was a great finals for the NBA as the Celtics beat their long time nemesis the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2.

Finally a short note about New York Mets manager Willie Randolph getting fired at 3:15 am on a West Coast trip. I know the firing had long been rumored because of the Mets struggles and it's New York with the biggest salaries and media market, but it could have been handled a lot better because Willie Randolph is a classy and honorable baseball man and deserved better, but that's my opinion and sports is a cold bottom line business sometimes.

One last thing before I close I want to give my condolonces to the families of long time political commentator Tim Russert of NBC's Meet the Press and also longtime NBC sportscaster Charlie Jones. Both died of heart related problems and will be greatly missed. The presidential election this fall won't be the same without Tim Russert and Charlie Jones was a longtime football announcer back to the days of the 1960's AFL and he also broadcast the Colorado Rockies baseball team as well.

Once again thanks so much for your support and friendship. I always try to give my opinions to the best of my knowledge and what I think and believe. I appreciate your feedback so much as well. Take care and best wishes and we'll talk soon again friends. Have a great and productive day. fenfan 

 P.S. BREAKING NEWS: ESPN reported that Tiger Woods will be out for the rest of the golf season including the majors the British Open and PGA Tournament. Good luck with your recovery Tiger and we hope to see you at the Masters next April as you continue to pursue Jack Nickalus's record of 18 majors.

Hello friends,

It's the NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers which is one of the most popular matchups in sports especially for Celtics and Lakers fans, the media and anyone who is looking back for the 1980's in these finals. You probably won't find it or be disappointed unless you turn on ESPN Classic.

So I thought I'd ask what are your dream finals in different sports? It can be two teams you love but have trouble deciding with or it can be love vs a team you love to hate. Whatever I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. When it's not my team or teams I'm really interested I always dream of different finals matchups I'd like. What are yours? I'll tell you some I would like and why.

Since we're in the NBA finals now  I'll start with that. I'm a San Antonio Spurs fan and I grew up in Milwaukee liking the Bucks so while the networks would hate this small market matchup I would find it interesting because both have passionate basketball towns. If you want to throw in the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, 76ers or Mavericks as rivals I have no problem with that.

Next I'll go to the NFL. My favorite team since my childhood in the 1970s has been the Pittsburgh Steelers because they were the best then an continue a standard of excellence on and off the field today. Another class and historic franchise in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers .  I have a lot of family and friends in Wisconsin who I have had a friendly rivalry with over this team and I would like to decide it once and for all in a Super Bowl. It almost happened a couple times in the 1990s and there will be no Brett Favre this time but I think America would love this Super Bowl matchup between the Steelers and the Packers. If not I wouldn't mind playing the Dallas Cowboys again. I think their last Super Bowl in the 1990s was the highest rated ever I believe.

In major league baseball you know fenwayfanatic is a Red Sox fan and wouldn't it be neat this fall if they finally played the Chicago Cubs in the World Series and give most of America the dream World Series they want. I might even root for the Cubs since the Red Sox already have a couple championships now.  That doesn't mean I wouldn't root for the Red Sox as well. Also if my old hometown Milwaukee Brewers ever got back to the playoffs or World Seriies I would love to see them take on the Red Sox or Yankees. Small vs big market. In the late 1950s they called it Bushville when Henry Aaron's Milwaukee Braves split two World Series with Mickey Mantle's Yankees.

In the NHL Stanley Cup hockey finals we had a dream matchup this year between the Original Six Detroit Red Wings and the upstart Piittsburgh Penguins led by 20 year old superstar Sidney the Kid Crosby. In this years finals I was actually hoping for a matchup between the Dallas Stars who I follow in Texas vs the Pittsburgh Penguins. It would be a reversal of the matchup for me between Dallas and Pittsburgh  because in football I like the Steelers over the Cowboys but in hockey I'd like the Stars over the Penguins unless they played the Toronto Maple Leafs who are my favorite team in hockey because they are a Canadian team with one of the biggest hockey traditions  but they havent won a Stanley Cup or been to the finals since 1967. Canada vs the United States or Canada vs a Canadian team. Not the greatest for US ratings but Ii want to see matchups where hockey is loved most.

Finally my college matchup would be between the state I grew up in Wisconsin and the state I now live Texas. How about that for a BCS National Championship Game or Final Four Matchup? Two strong athletic programs in a lot of sports. Texas is also good in baseball and Wisconsin has won 6 NCAA hockey championships. Anyway this would be my dream NCAA matchup.

Those are my favorite matchups in sports. So what are yours? Please let me know and we'll discuss them further soon. Take care and best wishes and have a great and productive day friends. Always, fenfan

Hi friends,

It's been a busy week in sports with shining moments, championship retirements and a big horse whose Triple Crown dream went down and out.

First the shining moments and how about Paul Pierce and the Boston Celtics getting off to a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals at this writing. We all saw him get injured and then make his Larry Bird type return. I forget the year he came back on the court to lead the Celtics to victory. Anyway with the help of Celtics teammate Leon Powe and others the Celtics are off to a good start and coach Phil Jackson of the LA Lakers is getting the frustrations Pat Riley had with the games in Boston in the NBA finals.

Last week the  Detroit Red Wings won their fourth Stanley Cup in the last 11 years. The young Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby played well in defeat and never gave up, but they were outmatched experience wise in the end. And as I posted here a few weeks ago the Red Wings won in six games and Henrik Zetterberg as I also predicted won the Conn Smythe trophy. Chris Osgood was oustanding in goal for the Red Wings and he helped to send out fellow 43 year old goaltender Dominik Hasek to retirement with another Stanley Cup. Congratulations to Dominik and the Red Wings.

Next on Monday June 9, 2008 for history Ken Griffey Jr became the fifth player in major league baseball history to hit his 600th home run and with all the steroid controversy involving Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and others, it was nice and refreshing to see someone achieve the milestone clean of controversy in this era and it's only too bad Griffey was injured often the last few years or we could have seen him appraoch the numbers of Bonds, Henry Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

As I said in the previous paragraph Dominik Hasek retired after being a part of another championship team and on Monday Michael Strahan retied after a great career with the New York Giants and he went out a champion as well and as the all time sack leader. That is great as an athlete and competitor to go out a champion. Athletes in different sports like Bill Russell, John Elway, David Robinson, Ray Bourque and Jerome Bettis have gone out with championship rings in their hands. I couldn't think of a specific baseball player but I'm sure there were manty especially with all the Yankees championships over the years.

Finally Big Brown and his Triple Crown dreams went down at the Belmont and like 11 others before him since 1978 when Affirmed last won a Triple Crown in horse racing, Big Brown came up short and actually finished last in the race. Big Brown was the big favorite to win the race and Triple Crown. He had a cracked hoof but the horse trainers and doctors said he was ok and good shape. There were the tragedies of horses like Eight Belles in the Kentucky Derby Barbaro last year and even as far back as the filly Ruffian in the 1970's. Anyway Big Brown's jockey Kent Desormeux sp? pulled up Big Brown in the stretch when it was apparent he wouldn't win so he wouldn't get hurt and there wouldn't be controversy. So what went wrong if he wasn't injured?  I think you have to remember Big Brown is a horse and he might not have liked to feel of the track or another horse possibly on that day. It doesn't diminish his performance as a great racehorse. Belmont is a longer track and shows how much credit you have to give past Triple Crown winners like Secretariat who won by 31 lengths at the Belmont in 1973 and the last two Triple Crown winners Seattle Slew in 1977 and Affirmed in 1978. Besides great race horses it also takes some luck and perhaps that's when we'll see a Triple Crown winner again when we least expect it. Until then it's been 30 years and counting for this the longest Triple Crown drought in horse racing.

We'll it's been an exciting and historic week in sports and we'll see what happens next. That's the most exciting part of sports and finally in closing the sports world lost a legendary broadcaster in Jim McKay who was most famous for being a part of the start of ABC's Wide World of Sports in 1961. He also covered several Olympics including the tragic 1972 Munich Olympics was 11 Isreali athletes were killed and McKay sadly said eloquently "They're all gone." He also did several golf tournaments, horse racing and other sporting events. It's sad to see the Jim McKay's of the world die because the under 30 pre cable, pre internet and cell phone crowd of instant gratification don't remember what it was like to grow up with four tv stations and a radio. So all our condolones to Jim McKay's family, friends and colleagues. As for me it's been my pleasure to talk with you as always and we'll talk soon again. Until then best wishes and have a great and productive day friends.

Hi friends,

Hey Hey Cubs Fans. Guess what. It's 1908 uh 2008 and the Cubs have the best record in baseball in June for the first time since 1908 which was also the last time the Cubs won the World Series an exact 100 years ago friends.

Since then the Cubs have had some good years, some really bad ones and always ending in heartbreak. Think about it. The Cubs have had some good summers like the Summer of 1969 when they had a nine game lead in August over the New York Mets before collapsing down the stretch. The summer of 1984 brought the famous Ryne Sandberg game in June when he hit two big home runs against the Cardinals to win a game in June and Rick Sutcliffe had a 16-1 record after being traded from the Indians. He won the Cy Young Award and led the Cubs to their first division title since 1945 the last year the Cubs went to the World Series.

And then there was 1998 whrn Sammy Sosa of the Cubs and Mark McGuire of the Cardinals had their famous home run race where McGuire ended up with 70 and Sammy Sosa had 66. At the time it seemed amaxzing and spectacular but has since been clouded with all the steroid allegations of the era.

fIn 2003 Dusty Baker came over from the San Fransisco Giants to manage the Cubs to another division title and things looked good. But then there's also been the bad and the crazy memories and that is what has mystified and frustrated Cubs fans for years.

From the cursed billy goat not being allowed into Wrigley Field in 1945 and a local bar owner saying the Cubs would never win another World Series because of it. The Summer of 1969 and the collapse against the New York Mets and the haunting of a black cat crossing their path. The 1984 playoffs the Cubs had a 2-0 lead on San Diego and were one win away from the World Series but then the ball went through Leon Durahm's legs and they lost the pennant in the last three games of the series. In 1989 the Cubs won the division again but star slugger Andre Dawson couldn't hit well in the playoffs and the Cubs lost to the Giants. And after another playoff failure in 1998 the Cubs were one game and five outs away from the World Series against the Marlins in 2003.

Then came the infamous incident of the fan Steve Bartman who tried to catch a ball in foul territory as the Cubs outfielder Moises Alou was reaching up for it in the stands at Wrigley . It really was incidental and who knows if Alou would have caught the ball, but the fan Bartman was forever villified unfairly. He had every right to reach for the foul ball except with fanatic Cubs fans. It led to an eight run rally for the Marlins and wins in the sixth and seventh games to knock the Cubs and their sad fans out again.

When will these curses and misfortune end for the Cubs? Is this the year after 100 years. Current manager Lou PInella hopes so after leading the Cubs to another division title and playoff disappointmrnt getting swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007. A part of me likes the Cubs as I think a part of all of us does whether we root for them or not.. There's the hope that one day this team will win and we'll see what it's like . We saw it a few years ago with the Red Sox  in 2004 and again in 2007when they won for the first time since 1918. Also the Cubs South Side rivals the White Sox when they won in 2005 for the first time since 1917. . We'll see when it happens for the Cubs. In the meantime remember it's only June Cubs fans. They've had some good summer memories. It's the Fall Memories in October and playoffs that they would like to work on. Best of luck Cubs fans and we'll be watching. Best wishes and talk soon friends. Have a great and productive day. fenfan

Hello friends,

Happy Memorial Day Weekend early and I'd like to honor and thank those who have served and continue to serve our country in the name of freedom. God bless you and thank you.

As for the rest of the week and weekend it will be a great sports weekend as we head into late spring and early summer. There is news or action in almost every major sport so lets begin and review.

In the NFL the owners choode to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement and there may be labor unrest and a lockout by 2011, but lets let that one play out, see what happens and enjoy our football in the  popular NFL the next few years. I'm sure it will work out.

In MLB what a great feel good story it was to see Jon Lester of the Boston Red Sox pitch a no hitter a few years after having a form of cancer. Now contrary to others opinions I don't care how early or detectable or treatable the cancer is. It's a great story when any person and or athlete recovers from cancer or any illness and goes on to do something successful in their lives. That is definitely heroic to me..

 In the NBA we have a great final four teams as the San Antonio Spurs face the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference where we'll see the up and coming Lakers try to regain championship glory against the established champion Spurs who are trying to win their 5th title in 10 years and first back to back titles. I'll say the Spurs win in 6 games.

And in the Eastern Conference the Boston Celtics renew another old rivarlry with the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics won Game 1 88-79 and it will be interesting to see if the Celtics can win on the road or the Pistons can win in Boston. If not I have to go with the pattern we've seen and that's the Celtics in seven games. Remember 20 years ago the 1988 Lakers won three seventh games against the Jazz, Mavericks and Pistons so that route can be done the hard way but it can be done. We'll see.

In the NHL Stanley Cup Finals we have a good matchup for hockey and curious sports fans as the Pittsburgh Penguins led by their young 20 year old star Sidney Crosby, possibly the best player since Wayne Gretzky retired and his great young team against the established Detroit Red Wings who are going for their fourth Stanley Cup in the last 11 years. A very good matchup for those who choose to watch and care. And get off Versus and NBC's back for their coverage. At least Versus especially gives hockey it's main focus while ESPN-ABC just had hockey as another sport in it's sports coverage. Now you can love a sport like hockey or not and you can be critical of the way it's covered but at least Versus gave hockey fans a network and hopefully more people are getting to see it on their cable systems.  Thank you at least for covering hockey Versus. As for my pick I'll say the Red Wings win the Cup in 6 games and Henrik Zetterberg wins the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable player.

Besides the major team sports there is the Indianapolis 500 this weekend and I'm sure besides all the great male drivers a lot of the focus and attention will be on Danica Patrick and any other female drivers who qualified for the race this year. It was really nice to see Danica Patrick win her first race in Japan a few weeks ago and I hope that she can continue to prove the women can race equally with men. There is no physical advantage in the sport of auto racing so I don't see why a talented woman like Danica Patrick can not only compete but beat the other racers. Good luck Danica. That would be a great story and accomplishment for her and women as well.

Finally there is a soccer game today between two English teams Manchester United and Chelsea in Moscow Russia. It is for a club or world championship I think and while I don't know or follow soccer much it is a big game worldwide and soccer/ futbol is an athletic and popular game worldwide so I think those who are interested and the curious fans as well should check it out .

Also next week the tennis Grand Slam the French Open will start and we'll see if Roger Federer can finally beat his rival  Rafeal Nadal on Nadal's main surface clay. As for the women it will be interesting to see who wins since Justine Henin suddenly and surprisingly retired. Maybe Maria Sharapova or Venus or Serena Williams if they are healthy.

Anyway it should be a great weekend of sports to check out. So fire up those barbecues and pay tribute to our veterans and have a Happy Memorial Day Weekend friends. Have a great and productive day and best wishes. Talk soon. fenfan

Hello friends,

How are you and sorry for my absence the last few weeks. I notice this is my first blog in May and I apologize to you my readers. Anyway interleague baseball is starting again this weekend in baseball and as long as they're going to have it I think they should have some of the classic matchups more often since you never know until each October who will play in the World Series and since that is for the championship it isn't quite as fun in a relaxing enjoyable way as an interleague regular season series for bragging rights. Let me explain what I mean by this.

This weekend I am looking forward to a great matchup at Fenway Park between two of my favorite teams the Milwaukee Brewers and the Boston Red Sox. There will be several other great matchups to watch and some not so great, you can't have everything with the schedule. But what I want on a more regular basis is some of the classic baseball interleague matchups. Starting off with the most obvious matchup between the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. I remember their weekend matchup at Wrigley Field in 2005 when the Cubs took two of three from the Red Sox, the games were fun and nostalgic to watch based on the teams histories and first meeting since the 1918 World Series and I remember ESPN broadcaster Jon Miller closing his broadcast by saying lets do this every year. Or other year. Why not? This year in fact the Cubs division the NL Central plays the Red Sox and Yankees division the AL East but none of those teams play each other and I ask again, Why Not?  I know the teams don't play every team in each division but for fan interest at its peak shouldn't we get some games between these teams at Fenway Park, Wrigley Field or the last year of Yankee Stadium. Or would you rather watch Diamondbacks vs Mariners or Rays vs Nationals?

Why cant we have more Cubs vs Red Sox or Yankees, Yankees vs Dodgers or many other ones where you could find some interest for everyone. True the schedule cant provide all sizzling matchups and while we have interleague it's good to have everyone play everyone once in a while, it is also good to bring out some classic interleague games as I've described for fan interest more often. I know the fans of the local cities want Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox, Angels- Dodgers and Giants-A's but we also want more of the classics as well. Please work on this Commisioner Bud Selig and Baseball. You're doing a great job with interleague baseball already and as long as you're going to have it you might as well bring out the classic matchups more often. As I said also they're never guaranteed to meet in the World Series often and the regular season matchups without the championship pressure are more fun as well. Let me know what you think friends. Best wishes and have a great and productive day friends. Talk soon. fenfan

Hello friends,

I'm having a bit of a moral sports dilemma and I hope you can help me figure it out. A couple of years ago in August 2006 I was lucky enough to go to Houston and see Roger Clemens pitch against my hometown Milwaukee Brewers and it was the first time I had seen the Brewers play on the road in person.

But the story of that night and today is Roger Clemens and was I lucky to see him pitch. In the past it would have been a resounding yes. He won over 350 games into what was sure to be a Hall of Fame caliber career. In fact as my wife and I looked at the predominately Astros and Clemens crowd we thought it would be neat to get a couple of Clemens shirts as well.

The song Rocket Man blared in the background and we took pictures thinking this might be one of the final performances of Clemens career. Clemens pitched brilliantly giving 7 shutout innings in a game the Astros would ultimately win 1-0 in the bottom of the 9th inning.

Things were great and it was definetely an honor to see Roger Clemens pitch one more time. Then he made another grand return to pitch for the New York Yankees in 2007.

But then in December 2007 the long awaited Mitchell Report came out proving the allegations of the players who were suspected of steroids and HGH use. Roger Clemens because of his age and apparent size of body shape/ muscles increase was one of the biggest suspects.

He denied it on 60 Minutes which led to a hearing on Capitol Hill with Brian McNamee the trainer who had helped supply him with HGH and steroids use. In the hearing he continued to deny his steroids HGH use and the hearing tuned into kind of a circus with both parties looking guilty but nothing definite really solved.

Ok now this past Monday reports came out that Clemens had had an 10 year affair of sorts or relationship/friendship with then with then 15 year old country singer Mindy McCready which brings some other questions because she was a minor then. Clemens claims it was just a family friendship and that his wife Debbie knew about it. McCready and her party also affirm the allegations of the friendship and it was also said she was a bit unstable so who knows where that truth will lead. Clemens said none of his actions were inappropriate in a way eerily similar to the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal during his presidency.

So what should we make of Roger Clemens friends? Is he the Great Hall of Fame pitcher if he gets there. Or will we remember him for his steroids/HGH allegations and now a possible affair'frienship relationship?.

Only time will tell when the facts come out and the allegations are proved or disproved if ever that happens. But in the meantime Clemens is another tarnshed sports star along with Pete Rose, OJ Simpson and Barry Bonds among others and all for different reasons of course.

As for my time at the ballpark that night and before it was a great thrill if not honor to see him pitch. But I must say as more goes on with him, the less of an honor it becomes. Let me know your thoughts and feelings friends on this subject and we'll talk soon. Best wishes and have a great and productive day. fenfan.

Hello friends,

From time to time I like to get a little personal here and talk about some of my favorite teams and who and what I like as a sports fan. Hopefully you're not bored and if you'd like to comment please do so as usual. As fanatic sports fans we all have our teams that we like and teams that we don't like and I thought it would be fun to take stock of what my favorite teams have done in the last several years. I'll specifically talk about five teams that have won in recent years and five that I would like to see win one day.

My favorite teams that have won in recent years include the Pittsburgh Steelers who won their 5th Super Bowl championship and first in 26 years in 2005. Then I'd pick the Boston Red Sox who after 86 years of championship failure have now won 2 World Series in 2004 and 2007. Next the San Antonio Spurs from my current living state of Texas have won 4 championships in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007. We'll see if this is the year they can finally REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS in 2008. The Dallas Stars one of my favorite hockey teams won the Stanley Cup championship in 1999 before I moved here and I still question their no goal in the crease against the Buffalo Sabres to win the Cup but that's the way it happened. And for my friends and family back in my native state of Wisconsin I was happy to see the Green Bay Packers finally end a 29 year old championship drought in 1996 behind quarterback Brett Favre, and coming up to the present I'd wish he'd make up his mind about signing his retirement papers if that's what he wants and so be it.

Now those are the main five teams I like that have won and now I'll look at the championship droughts of teams that I like and would like to see win and what better place to start than the north side of Chicago at Wrigley Field where the Chicago Cubs have now not won for at least a century yes 100 years. Hopefully as sports fans we'll all get to see them win one one day before its too late. Another baseball team Ilike and unfortunately for me in the same division as the Cubs,  the NLCentral and National League since 1998. I'm talking about the Milwaukee Brewers my hometown team that I have been rooting for and watching games since 1977. The Brewers were formed in 1970 when they moved from Seattle where they were formed as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee. As for the city the Brewers went to the World Series in 1982 and the previous Milwaukee baseball team the then Milwaukee Braves won Milwaukee's only World Championship in 1957 so it's been a long time for Milwaukee Baseball as far as making the playoffs or winning a campionship. Not far behind in championship futility is the Milwaukee basketball team the Milwaukee Bucks which hasn't won a championship since 1971 when Kareem Abdual-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson played for the Bucks. The Bucks haven't had a lot of success the last 20 years or so especially either. In hockey my favorite old time team overall is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are a Canadian team where hockey is most popular and they haven't won or been to the Stanley Cup finals since 1967 the year I was born. They along with the Chicago Blackhawks have kind of become the Cubs of hockey since the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings ended long championship droughts in the last 15 years. Finally the Minnesota Vikings. I never felt more sorry for a great stae and fans as when they lost 4 Super Bowls in the 1970s well except for Super Bowl 9 against the Steelers but along with the Buffalo Bills they deserve a championship team more than anybody .

Anyway thanks for reading along with me as I talk about some of my favorite teams in sports.Other teams I like include the Chicago Bears,  the Texas and other small market baseball teams in baseball that have little chance to win realistically without a salary cap in baseball, and the Canadian and Original Six teams in hockey and a few other northern areas where hockey's heartbeat beats the strongest. Nothing against the Sun Belt teams I like the Dallas Stars after all but I am a traditionalist in sports and like to see where it's heart beats the strongest. Where does your heart beat  and how have your favorite teams done lately?  Please let me know and keep in touch friends and thanks as always for letting me rant on with you today. Best wishes and have a great and productive day always. fenfan