Mid-year assessment… or is it?

So we’ve hit the midpoint of the year and what do we have to show for it? I’d say a lot. As a sports fan, I’m not completely satisfied with my teams, but I’m as happy as I can be considering where they could be. As I think back to the past few months, overall this has been as good of a first half of the year for sports as I’ve ever remembered.

The Giants were double digit underdogs and held the most prolific offense in the history of the game to 14 en route to a remarkable Super Bowl win. We watched as a hobbled Tiger Woods pushed his body to the limit and won the US Open. We saw Sid the Kid become a man in the playoffs, and were treated to a Celtics win that meant vindication for one man- Kevin Garnett. Personally, I got to see the Knicks gamble with the franchise by taking an international star. The Kansas Jayhawks provided us with a amazing national championship win. Even this past weekend, we watched the Williams’ sisters battle for what eventually became Venus’ fifth Wimbledon title, and Rafael Nadal’s first. I’m sure winning his first Wimbledon title over Roger Federer the way he did makes it even better.

Don’t be fooled, however. This isn’t just about the year that was. There are several things on my mind right now and what better place to air out these issues?

Lets start with the NFL. Why are the Packers even letting Brett Favre push them around like this? I’m not saying that Favre is doing this intentionally but at some point he has to realize that this “i’m want to come back” drama isn’t helping the locker room. For the past three years, the Packers have had to deal with this “will he or won’t he” stuff. At this rate, Aaron Rodgers is going to have to move on to another team so that he can get some playing time. I can understand Favre having “the itch” to come back but at his age, what else can he contribute? He had his shot last season. He led his team to a 13-3 record and took them to the NFC Championship game. Its not exactly retiring on top but its as close as anyone’s going to get. And besides, lets look at the big picture here. Imagine a Hall of Fame class in 2013 with Brett Favre, Warren Sapp, and Michael Strahan all being on the ballot. Brett, if you happen to be browsing the internet and come across this… heed my words. Stop thinking about yourself. You’re a legend in Wisconsin and Mississippi. Stop being so selfish. Think about the big picture. You, Mike, and Warren all going into the Hall together. Thats the stuff movies are made of.

Now, onto some baseball. It took a little while but the Mets are above .500 again. Now, they’re only two and a half games out in the division and have to play the Giants and the Rockies before the All-Star break. If they can win four of their next six games, they can take a a lead in the division as well as some confidence. Johan Santana has always been a better pitcher in the second half of the season. All he needs is some run support and the Mets should be alright down the stretch.

How about those Tampa Bay Rays? Not only do they have the best home record in the majors, they have the best record altogether. Their pitching has been stellar, they play great defense, they have an amazing rookie in Evan Longoria. Judging by the way they swept the Red Sox last week, I’d say these guys are ready to finally get some respect. It wasn’t too long ago that they were the laughingstock of the American League. Now they’ve put it all together and could make a run for the division. With Ortiz still hurting, and the Yankees so far back, who’s going to stop them?

Last thing on baseball. The All-Star Committee or whoever it is that decides on who makes it to the All-Star Game really messed up this year.Why isn’t Jermaine Dye on the team. Not only should he be on the team, he should be starting. Why is Jason Varitek or David Ortiz on the team. Ortiz started off the season batting .070. And then he got hurt. Why is he in the game over a guy like Jason Giambi… who happens to be happens a monster season. Varitek is batting .219 and he’s in the game over a guy like AJ Pierzynski, who’s batting .296. Maybe the American League roster is crowded. But there are guys who deserve to be on the roster like Evan Longoria. And there are guys who don’t deserve to be there like Joe Crede. As far as the National League roster goes, why is Kosuke Fukodome starting over a guy like Nate McLouth? And they got the wrong guy to represent the Mets. They should have picked David Wright, not Billy Wagner. Wagner has been blowing saves left and right… and he almost blew another tonight against the Phillies. I hope Wright gets voted in. He’s one of the few that actually deserves it. To be honest, I hope the fact that Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and the rest realize that they’ve been snubbed because they’ve been playing sub-par ball all season. Maybe this will light a fire underneath them and they’ll start playing up to their potential.

Next up, basketball. I think it should be fairly obvious how I feel about the hype over a summer league game between the Bulls and the Heat. There are rumors that the Sixers want Elton Brand. In order to create cap space, they’re willing to trade away Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth. Now, maybe I’m bitter but didn’t I suggest a trade between the Knicks and the Sixers that would bring Carney and Booth or Carney and Andre Miller for Zach Randolph? The Sixers would get the low post presence they want that could complement Sammy Dalembert. I hate being right all the time. By the way, kudos to the Knicks for signing Chris Duhon. Thats the kind of smart acquisition that could turn the team around. He works hard and plays defense. Thats all you could ask for.

And kudos to both the Celtics and Corey Maggette. If they work out a deal, its perfect for both sides. Maggette is willing to take a cut in minutes and money to play for Doc Rivers. All I have to say is Umbutu.

So here are a few things I’ve been thinking about lately.

– I was watching Mars Attacks! the other night, and I had completely forgotten that Ray J was in it. And he was really young. I almost spilled my beer… oops, I mean my iced tea when he yells, “What are you guys gawking at?? Get the President outta here!!” Yes, people… that guy had sex with Kim Kardashian.

– Why is everyone so concerned about A-Rod’s marriage? I never really got a great look at his wife anyway. How hot can she possibly be?

Okay fine. I guess she’s pretty hot. Jesus. A-Rod’s hands are huge. Those things are like oven mitts.

– I’m actually surprised that Forrest Griffin beat Quentin “Rampage” Jackson. In my opinion, Chuck Liddell is awesome, and the Iceman could take out Griffin. So if Jackson can beat Liddell, I figured he’d have no problem with Griffin. Guess I was wrong.

Yeah, he’s the lightheavyweight champ now… but with a face like that, who’s the real winner here?