Saturday, July 27, 2013

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 7/20 - Friday 7/26

 
Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

Men's Pro Golf: Phil Mickelson captured his first British Open championship - the fifth major title of his career - with a blistering score of 66 in the final round to claim the coveted Claret Jug trophy. Mickelson is now the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world with the victory behind Tiger Woods.

MLB: Milwaukee Brewers All-Star outfielder Ryan Braun was suspended for the final 65 games of the regular season, plus the playoffs by the league for using performance-enhancing drugs, therefore violating it's strict drug policy. Braun was the National League MVP in 2K11 and was rewarded with a $100M+ guaranteed contract extension....All-Star second baseman Dustin Pedroia re-signed with the Boston Red Sox on a seven-year, $100M extension....Veteran outfielder Alfonso Soriano leaves the Chicago Cubs to return to the New York Yankees, where he first played from 1999-2K3 before signing big free-agent contract to play for the Cubs.

NFL: Training camps got underway around the league....Denver Broncos All-Pro linebacker Von Miller faces a four-game suspension to start the upcoming regular season for allegedly violating the league's substance abuse policy....Cowboys Stadium will now be officially known as AT&T Stadium when the regular season begins in Dallas, Texas....Notable re-signings - QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (five years, $103.75M, $59M guaranteed); WR Mike Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (six years, $40.25M, $10M guaranteed).

NBA: The Denver Nuggets signed guard Nate Robinson to a two-year contract worth $4.1M. Robinson averaged 13 points per game this past season for the Chicago Bulls....The New York Knicks re-signed veteran forward Kenyon Martin to a one-year deal.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 7/15 - Sunday 7/21)....Eastern Conference - F Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever; Western Conference - C Liz Cambage, Tulsa Shock....At the All-Star break, the Minnesota Lynx owns the league's top record at 14-3, with the Chicago Sky (12-5) and the Los Angeles Sparks (12-6) in the mix for the No. 1 overall spot as well.

NHL: The New Jersey Devils signed 41-year-old veteran scoring forward Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract.

Women's Tennis: No. 1 Serena Williams bounced back from a disappointing showing at Wimbledon to win the Swedish Open - her 53rd career singles championship.

Men's College Basketball: Head coach Rick Pitino and the reigning national champion Louisville Cardinals were honored for their crowning victory over the Michigan Wolverines back in April by President Barack Obama at the White House.

 
Pro Cycling: 28-year-old Chris Froome of Great Britain won the centennial edition of the Tour de France by 4 minutes and 20 seconds over runner-up Nairo Quintana of Columbia - the largest margin of victory in eight years. (Lance Armstrong)


 
 




Saturday, July 20, 2013

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 7/13 - Friday 7/19


Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

MLB: In his 13th and final appearance as an All-Star representative, future Hall-of-Fame closer Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees aided in securing a 3-0 victory for the American League squad over the National League in front of over 40,000 fans at Citi Field in New York City, and earned the game MVP trophy....San Francisco Giants ace Tim Lincecum pitched the first no-hitter of his already incredible career in a dominating, 148-pitch 9-0 win over the San Diego Padres on the road....Former great Mike Piazza will be inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame this coming Fall on September 27....Entering the All-Star break, the Boston Red Sox (58-39) and the St. Louis Cardinals (57-36) own the top records in the American and National League, respectively.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday July 8 - Sunday 7/14)....Eastern Conference - C Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky; Western Conference - F Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks....2K13 WNBA All-Star starting lineups: East - G Epiphanny Prince, Chicago Sky; G Cappie Pondexter, New York Liberty; F Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky (Rookie); F Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream; F Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever....West - G Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury; G/F Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx; F Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks; G Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx; C Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury (Rookie). The game will take place on Saturday 7/27 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

NBA: The Brooklyn Nets officially introduced their newest offseason acquisitions Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry via press conference at the Barclays Center....Veteran enigmatic forward Metta World Peace leaves the Los Angeles Lakers to sign a two-year deal with the New York Knicks....New York Knicks guard and reigning Sixth Man of the Year winner J.R. Smith underwent successful surgery in his left knee, and will most likely miss all of training camp, plus the first couple of weeks of the upcoming regular
season.

Men's Pro Golf: The British Open championship got underway at the Muirfield course in Gullane, Scotland...As of Friday 7/19, 49-year-old Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez is atop the leaderboard going into the third round of play.

Track & Field: Olympian Tyson Gay, the American record-holder in the 100-meter sprint competition, announced that he will pull out of the World Championships in Moscow, Russia next month in August after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.












Saturday, July 13, 2013

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 7/6 - Friday 7/12

 
Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

Pro Tennis (Wimbledon): No. 2 Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic and became the first Englishman to take the Wimbledon singles crown in 77 years. On the women's side in an unlikely finals showdown, Marion Bartoli of France beat German upstart Sabine Lisicki - who upset No. 1 Serena Williams in the quarterfinal round - to win her first major singles title....32-year-old former world No.1 player Martina Hingis will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday 7/13.

MLB: The starting lineups for the 2K13 All-Star Game were announced....American League - 1B Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles; 2B Robinson Cano, New York Yankees; SS J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles; 3B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers; OFs Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels; Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles; Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays; C Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins; DH David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox; Possible starting pitcher Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers.....National League - 1B Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds; 2B Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds; SS Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies; 3B David Wright, New York Mets; OFs Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies; Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals; Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals; C Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals; Possible starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers. The All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday 7/16 at Citi Field in New York City....Chicago White Sox outfielder Alex Rios hit a perfect six-for-six  with two stolen bases in a road victory over the Detroit Tigers - the first time that has been accomplished since Sammy Sosa did it with the Chicago Cubs back in 1993.

NBA: Forward Josh Smith leaves the Atlanta Hawks after nine seasons to sign a four-year, $54M contract with the Detroit Pistons....The Nuggets, Warriors and Jazz agree to a three-team trade, with guard/forward Andre Iguodala going to Golden State on a four-year, $48M deal, guard Randy Foye to Denver, and forwards Richard Jefferson and Brandon Rush, along with veteran center Andris Biedrens all going to Utah.

NFL: The New York Giants signed their All-Pro wide receiver Victor Cruz to a five-year, $43M extension. ($15.6M guaranteed)

NHL: Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan and Scott Niedermayer headline the 2K13 Class of the Hockey Hall of Fame....Notable free-agent re-signings: Goaltender Tuuka Rask, Boston Bruins (eight-years, $56M); Defenseman Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers. (six-years, $28.2M)....2K13 Stanley Cup runner-up Boston Bruins acquired Jarome Iginla from the Pittsburgh Penguins on a one-year, $6M deal.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 7/1 - Sunday 7/7)....Eastern Conference - F Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky; Western Conference - F Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks....As of Friday 7/12, the top teams in the league, record-wise are the Atlanta Dream (10-2), Chicago Sky (10-4) and the Minnesota Lynx at 10-3.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 6/29 - Friday 7/5

Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

 
Women's Pro Golf: 24-year-old Inbee Park of South Korea continues her domination on the links by winning the Women's U.S. Open - her third majors victory and sixth overall title thus far in 2K13.

Pro Tennis (Wimbledon): 23rd-ranked Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who defeated No. 1-ranked Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, will face No. 15-ranked Marion Bartoli of France for the women's singles championship on Saturday, 7/6....On the men's side, No.1 Novak Djokovic of Serbia and  No. 2-ranked Andy Murray of Great Britain will duel it out for the title on Sunday, 7/7. Murray, in his second consecutive final, will again attempt to become to first Englishman to win Wimbledon since 1936, when Fred Perry accomplished the feat.

 
NBA: Highly coveted free agent center Dwight Howard signs a four-year, $88M contract with the Houston Rockets after one inconsistent season with the Los Angeles Lakers....Perennial All-Star point guard Chris Paul agreed to a five-year, $107M contract extension to remain in a Los Angeles Clippers uniform....36-year-old future Hall-of-Famer Manu Ginobili will return for the 2K13-14 season with the San Antonio Spurs after speculation that he might retire after being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals....Reigning Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith re-signs with the New York Knicks on a four-year, $25M extension....The Knicks traded Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, Quentin Richardson and future draft picks to the Toronto Raptors for 7-foot forward Andrea Bargnani....The Indiana Pacers re-sign forward David West for three years, $36M....Center Al Jefferson signs with the Charlotte Bobcats for three years and $40.5M....Veteran sharpshooting forward Kyle Korver re-signs with the Atlanta Hawks on a four-year, $24M extension....Guard Kevin Martin leaves the Oklahoma City Thunder to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a four-year, $30M deal.... The Los Angeles Clippers acquire sharpshooting guard J.J. Redick from the Milwaukee Bucks and signed him to a four-year, $27M deal. The Clips also picked up forward Jared Dudley from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for forward Caron Butler and guard Eric Bledsoe....The Pelicans, Trail Blazers and Kings agreed to a three-team trade which sent talented guard Tyreke Evans to New Orleans, center Robin Lopez to Portland and guard Greivis Vasquez to Sacramento....New head coach hire - Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics.

 
MLB: Cincinnati Reds righty starter Homer Bailey pitched the first no-hitter in the league this season in a dominating 3-0 victory over the defending champion San Francisco Giants at home. The no-no was Bailey's second in the past 10 months, dating back to late last season....Players of the Month (June 2K13): American League - 2B Jason Kipnis, Cleveland Indians; National League - RF Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers....New York Yankees lefty ace CC Sabathia won his 200th career game in a road victory over the Minnesota Twins.

NHL: Notable re-signings - Claude Giroux, Philadelphia Flyers (8-years, $64M); Patrick Elias, New Jersey Devils (3-years, $16.5M)....Notable free agent pickups - Vincent Lecavalier, Philadelphia Flyers; Danny Briere, Montreal Canadiens.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 6/24 - Sunday 6/30)....Eastern Conference - F Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky; Western Conference - G Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury....As of Friday 7/5, the Atlanta Dream - led by All-Star forward and early candidate for league MVP Angel McCoughtry - own the top record in the league with a 10-1 mark.

NASCAR: Matt Kenseth won his fourth race of the season - capturing the checkered flag at the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.

Monday, July 1, 2013

DO NOT Let FAME Change You When You Are A Celebrity

By Stan Popovich (www.managingfear.com); Remixed by Yours Truly

Many celebrities sometimes have a difficult time in coping with their fame and popularity. Here are some suggestions on how to NOT let fame get the best of you:

* A person must understand that fame comes and goes, and that a person has NO control over their popularity. Fame is elusive and it CAN'T be controlled.

* ALWAYS remember your VALUES. Your values will be with you for your entire life, while your fame lasts for a short time. Do what is RIGHT and FOLLOW YOUR HEART. Don't give in to peer pressure. When the cameras disappears, it will be just YOU, your FAMILY and your CLOSEST FRIENDS.

* You can't remain on top forever. A person may be the talk of the town TODAY, but TOMORROW is another day. There are millions of people who are trying to be in the same spot as you. You WILL NOT remain on top for too long.

* Many celebrities focus on their fame, which is a SHORT-TERM thing. This is a MISTAKE. Many celebrities should focus on their LONG-TERM  business goals instead of their current popularity. You want to make the decisions that are best for your business and your personal life in the long run.

* DON'T GET COCKY. It is nice when everyone is coming to you for your attention....However, those same people will be chasing down someone else in a couple of months down the road. Enjoy the time in the spotlight, but DON'T get used it because it doesn't last.

* Learn from the mistakes of others who have dealt with fame and success.There are countless number of people who made the mistake of letting fame get the best of them. If you are not sure of what to do in handling your fame, then talk to a professional who can give you some sound and helpful advice.