R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 8/17 - Friday 8/23

Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

Track & Field: At the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia, 22-year-old American Brianna Rollins edged out 2K12 Olympic gold medalist Sally Pearson of Australia by a narrow margin of .06 seconds in the 100-Meter Hurdles to take home the gold with a time of 12:44....Usain Bolt won gold again in the 200M (19.66 sec) and as a member of Team Jamaica's 4X100M relay in Moscow.

MLB: Kansas City Royals veteran infielder Miguel Tejada was suspended by the league for 105 games for violating the anti-doping policy. Tejada, 39, was the American League Most Valuable Player back in 2K2 as a member of the Oakland Athletics....New York Yankees right fielder Ichiro Suzuki collected his 4,000th career professional hit off of Toronto Blue Jays knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the home field in the Bronx. Ichiro has accumulated his hit tally in both the Major Leagues and in the Japanese League. Pete Rose (4,256) and Ty Cobb (4,191) are the only players in Major League Baseball history with 4,000+ career hits.

Pro Tennis: No.2 Victoria Azarenka defeated No.1 Serena Williams to win the Western & Southern Open title in Mason, Ohio. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal bested American John Isner to win back-to-back titles on the hardcourt for the first time in his illustrious career thus far. Nadal's victory in the Western & Southern Open was also his ninth of the WTA season.

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul was elected the new president of the National Basketball Players Association, replacing Derek Fisher for the position.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 8/12 through Sunday 8/18)....Eastern Conference - C Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky; Western Conference - G Kristi Toliver, Los Angeles Sparks....As of Friday 8/23, the Minnesota Lynx continue to own the league's best overall record at 19-7, and have automatically clinched playoff berth. The Chicago Sky are right on the Lynx's heels with a franchise-best 19-8 mark so far.

NFL: The Dallas Cowboys re-signed emerging superstar middle linebacker Sean Lee to a six-year, $51M extension - which includes a $10M signing bonus.

Pro Golf: On the men's PGA circuit, the FedExCup playoffs (The Barclays) got underway at the Liberty National golf course in Jersey City, New Jersey. As of Friday 8/23, both Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland lead the pack at nine-under par for the tournament. On the women's side, Team USA was routed by the European team for the Solheim Cup championship at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colorado.

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 8/10 - Friday 8/16

Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

Men's Pro Golf: American Jason Dufner won his first major title at the PGA Championship, and for the fifth year in a row, world No.1 Tiger Woods fails to win his 15th career major championship.

NASCAR: Kyle Busch took the checkered flag at the Watkins Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

MLB: New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez connected on his first home run of the season off our Detroit Tigers All-Star ace Justin Verlander in a 5-4 victory at home in the Bronx....The vastly underachieving Philadelphia Phillies fired the franchise's all-time winningest manager - 69-year-old Charlie Manuel. Manuel will be replaced on an interim basis by third base coach/Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ryne Sandberg for the remainder of the season....The league announced that it will further expand instant replay for the team's managers on all plays besides balls and strikes for the 2014 season.

Pro Tennis: Reigning Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli of France, 28, retired from the sport due to injuries that have taken a toll on her body over the past few years. Bartoli leaves as the No.7-ranked women's player in the world....No. 1-ranked Serena Williams won her eighth title of 2K13 - and the 54th WTA championship of her career - defeating Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the Rogers Cup final. On the men's side, Spaniard Rafael Nadal also won singles title #8 of the year - the 58th championship of his incredible career - besting Canadian Milos Raonic for Rogers Cup supremacy.

NBA: The Minnesota Timberwolves re-sign center Nikola Pekovic to a five-year, $60M contract extension. Pek averaged 16 points and nine rebounds in 62 games played last season.

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 8/5 through Sunday 8/11).....Eastern Conference - F Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky; Western Conference - F Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx.

 

Track and Field: Usain Bolt of Jamaica (9.77) edged out USA's Justin Gatlin (9.85) to win the gold medal in the 100M sprint at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia. In other notable events, USA's Ashton Eaton took the gold in the Decathlon with a total of 8,809 points, and Brittany Reese of USA captured gold in the Women's Long Jump competition.

Wrestling: 29-year-old WWE superstar Darren Young comes out of the closet to reveal that he is homosexual - the first wrestler in history to do so.

NHL: Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris purchases the financially struggling New Jersey Devils franchise for $320M.

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 8/3 - Friday 8/9

 

Notable happenings in the sports world this past week:

MLB: Beleaguered New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was initially suspended by Major League Baseball for the remainder of this regular season plus all of the 2K14 campaign for his involvement of using performance-enhancing drugs, which amounts to an unprecedented total of 211 games. Rodriguez has filed to appeal the historic suspension and is expected to play out the remainder of this regular season amidst all the backlash and controversy. All-Star players Nelson Cruz (Texas Rangers), Jhonny Peralta (Detroit Tigers) and Everth Cabrera (San Diego Padres) were each suspended 50 games for violating the league's anti-doping policy and did not appeal....Detroit Tigers All-Star starting pitcher Max Scherzer continued his dominance on the mound by winning his league-leading 17th game against the Cleveland Indians....As of Friday 8/9, the Atlanta Braves are the hottest team in baseball, and are currently enjoying a 14-game win streak going into their matchup against the lowly Miami Marlins at home Saturday night 8/10.

Men's Pro Golf: Tiger Woods won his fifth tournament this season - besting Keegan Bradley in the WGC - Bridgestone Invitational. Woods has now won a total of 79 PGA Tour titles in his illustrious career thus far....The final major tournament of the season - the PGA Championship - got underway at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. As of Friday 8/9, Jason Dufner is atop the leaderboard at nine-under par going into the third round of play on Saturday 8/10.

Women's Pro Golf: 28-year-old American Stacy Lewis won the Women's British Open - the second major title of her career - and ended South Korean superstar Inbee Park's incredible run of three consecutive major championship victories.

 

NFL: Football head coaching legend Bill Parcells, along with notable former players Cris Carter, Larry Allen, Jonathan Ogden and Warren Sapp were enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio....Preseason football action got underway for all teams....The Green Bay Packers signed QB Vince Young to a one-year deal.

Swimming: 18-year-old Missy Franklin picked up where she left off from her iconic and memorable debut in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London by winning a record six gold medals at the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain. 

WNBA: Players of the Week (Monday 7/29 - Sunday 8/4).....Eastern Conference - F Tina Charles, Connecticut Sun; Western Conference - C Elizabeth Cambage, Tulsa Shock....The underachieving Phoenix Mercury parted ways with head coach/General Manager Corey Gaines after five seasons and a league title at the helm. Russ Pennell will take over on the bench on an interim basis and Amber Cox - the team's President and CEO - will also assume the duties of General Manager short-term. As of Friday 8/9, the Mercury are 11-11 and in the third playoff position in the western conference standings.

R.G.'s Weekly Sports ReCap: Saturday 7/26 - Friday 8/2

Notable happening in the sports world this past week:

Auto Racing (NASCAR): Ryan Newman outdueled Jimmie Johnson to capture the checkered flag at the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard in Indianapolis. The victory ended a 49-race winless streak and was Newman's 17th career win in Sprint Cup competition.

Men's Pro Soccer: The USA national team defeated Panama 1-0 to win the Gold Cup championship for the first time in six years. Landon Donovan scored 5 goals for Team USA during the tournament and was named Most Valuable Player.

NFL: Former Philadelphia Eagles great QB Donovan McNabb retired after 13 seasons.....The New York Jets sign their top draft pick - cornerback Dee Milliner - to a four-year, $12.66M rookie contract.

College Football: A.P. Preseason Top 10.....1) Alabama  2) Ohio State  3) Oregon  4) Stanford  5) Georgia  6) Texas A&M  7) South Carolina  8) Clemson  9) Louisville  10) Florida....Paralyzed former linebacker Eric LeGrand became the first player in Rutgers football history to have his number retired. (#52)

NBA: The Washington Wizards sign PG John Wall to a five-year, $80M extension....The Milwaukee Bucks traded talented and emerging young point guard Brandon Jennings to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for equally young and talented point guard Brandon Knight and two other players....The Indiana Pacers acquired veteran forward Luis Scola from the Phoenix Suns for foward Gerald Green and young center Miles Plumlee...Center Greg Oden - the top pick in the 2K7 draft - signs with the Miami Heat for one year and $1M. Oden has not played since 2K9 due to serious knee injuries.

MLB: St. Louis Cardinals All-Star catcher and NL MVP candidate Yadier Molina was placed on the 15-day disabled list with knee ailment....The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim placed first baseman Albert Pujols on the 15-day DL with a foot injury that could potentially ended his season....Key Acquisitions: Pitcher Jake Peavy, Boston Red Sox; Pitcher Bud Norris, Baltimore Orioles.

Women's Pro Golf: The Women's British Open Championship got underway at St. Andrews, Scotland. The red-hot Inbee Park of South Korea is looking to become the first golfer in history - male or female - to win all four major titles in one calendar year. As of Friday 8/2, Park was eight shots behind leader and fellow countrywoman Na Yeon Choi after two rounds.

Men's Pro Tennis: 6'10 American John Isner defeated 6'8 Kevin Anderson of South Africa to win the BB&T Atlanta Open championship - the tallest final in ATP history.