This Week in Sports
This week in sports started out with the 83rd MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City , Missouri , home of the Kansas City Royals. This was the third time that the city of Kansas City had hosted the MLB All-Star Game.
Things got underway with the Homerun Derby on Monday night. The American League and National League were each represented by captains who chose three other players to round out the squads. The AL was led by Robinson Cano, who chose Jose Bautista, Prince Fielder and Mark Trumbo to round out his squad. The NL was led by Matt Kemp, who rounded out his team with choices of Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez and Carlos Beltran.
Things got underway with the Homerun Derby on Monday night. The American League and National League were each represented by captains who chose three other players to round out the squads. The AL was led by Robinson Cano, who chose Jose Bautista, Prince Fielder and Mark Trumbo to round out his squad. The NL was led by Matt Kemp, who rounded out his team with choices of Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez and Carlos Beltran.
Cano was booed heavily throughout the Derby because of his decision to not put Royal Billy Butler on the squad. The boos did not last long though, as Cano went homer-less in the first round and did not qualify for the second round, to the delight of the Kansas City crowd. The rest of the AL squad did not disappoint, blasting the longest homeruns of the tournament thanks to winner Prince Fielder. Bautista and Trumbo were no slouches, launching a number of their own 450+ foot homeruns. The game itself was kind of a disappointment for regular fans as it was over basically before it started. Justin Verlander, the starting pitcher for the AL , gave up five runs in the first inning. That was all the NL would need, as they shut out the AL 8-0. San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera won MVP honors for the game. |  This is Fielder's 2nd Home Run Derby title |
This week was also the start of NBA Free Agency. It was definitely a frenzy indeed. Players switched their decisions at the last minute and other players put aside rivalries for better chances to win titles. For a full rundown of the NBA Free Agency moves, follow this link.
Some moves of note are that the strong teams looked to have gotten stronger.
Coming off an NBA Finals win and the first championship of the Big 3 in Miami , they added more firepower to their team. Sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis both joined the Heat for a chance to win titles. Allen left a bigger offer from the Boston Celtics on the table to join the Heat for less money. Lewis will receive the minimum contract because he will still be making over $13 million after being released by the New Orleans Hornets.
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled what could be the heist of the summer, getting perennial All-Star and two time MVP Steve Nash. The Lakers used their proximity to Nash’s children to their advantage, as Nash wanted to be as close to his family as possible if he were to indeed leave Phoenix . The Lakers sent over some two first round draft picks and two second round draft picks in exchange for Nash. This may not be the end of player movement for the Lakers, as they are right in the thick of the Dwight Howard rumors as well.
The Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey ) Nets made a ton of headlines as well. They were a main player in the Dwight Howard, or Dwight-mare as people are calling it now, sweepstakes. But alas, nothing came to fruition and they moved in a different direction. They added six-time All-Star Joe Johnson in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. That trade also enabled them to re-sign three time All-Star and top point guard Deron Williams to a max contract. In addition to these big time moves, the Nets were able to re-sign Gerald Wallace, sign free agent Bosnian Mirza Teletovic and add veteran point guard C.J. Watson to backup Williams.
Some moves of note are that the strong teams looked to have gotten stronger.
Coming off an NBA Finals win and the first championship of the Big 3 in Miami , they added more firepower to their team. Sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis both joined the Heat for a chance to win titles. Allen left a bigger offer from the Boston Celtics on the table to join the Heat for less money. Lewis will receive the minimum contract because he will still be making over $13 million after being released by the New Orleans Hornets.
The Los Angeles Lakers pulled what could be the heist of the summer, getting perennial All-Star and two time MVP Steve Nash. The Lakers used their proximity to Nash’s children to their advantage, as Nash wanted to be as close to his family as possible if he were to indeed leave Phoenix . The Lakers sent over some two first round draft picks and two second round draft picks in exchange for Nash. This may not be the end of player movement for the Lakers, as they are right in the thick of the Dwight Howard rumors as well.
The Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey ) Nets made a ton of headlines as well. They were a main player in the Dwight Howard, or Dwight-mare as people are calling it now, sweepstakes. But alas, nothing came to fruition and they moved in a different direction. They added six-time All-Star Joe Johnson in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. That trade also enabled them to re-sign three time All-Star and top point guard Deron Williams to a max contract. In addition to these big time moves, the Nets were able to re-sign Gerald Wallace, sign free agent Bosnian Mirza Teletovic and add veteran point guard C.J. Watson to backup Williams.
The New York Knicks would not allow the Nets to be the only New York City team to gain some headlines, as they made some moves as well. They did not anyone with the star power as Johnson or Williams, but added some recognizable names to the roster. The Knicks added veterans Marcus Camby and Jason Kidd in addition to retaining their own free agents J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. Landry Fields received a large contract offer from the Toronto Raptors, and the Knicks let him walk after deciding to not match the offer. The Knicks also added highlight reel dunker James White with a one year deal. If you have not heard of White, check out this video of a dunk contest he entered in Europe. The big question mark this season for the Knicks is becoming what will they do with restricted free agent Jeremy Lin? After acquiring veteran point guard Raymond Felton last night, it would seem that the Knicks are actually considering letting Lin leave and not matching the offer sheet that he signed with the Houston Rockets. Keep an eye out for news on that as the Knicks have until 11:59 P.M. ET Tuesday to decide to match or not. |  Be sure to Tweet me @teapester725 to discuss the NBA free agent frenzy |
There was also some news in the NFL this week, as Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was arrested in Texas for resisting arrest. It was an early morning incident and said that it took three officers to take down and subdue Peterson. The charge is a misdemeanor and Peterson was later released on $1,000 bond. Peterson took to twitter, citing a Winston Churchill quote, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” Peterson later also tweeted, "Thank you for waiting for the facts. Truth will surface." Here is a video of the arrest.
Kenneth Teape
July 8th - July 15th, 2012
Check out Kenneth's Archives
Kenneth Teape
July 8th - July 15th, 2012
Check out Kenneth's Archives
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