A lot of folks will tell you we are smack in the middle of the dry season in sports, and not because it’s suppose to reach a sweltering 100 degrees in the Mile High City on Saturday.
NFL training camps are still weeks away and football withdrawal is giving Broncos fans the shakes. Baseball’s been on sabbatical with the all-star break, and the sad fact is that the All-Star Game had its lowest ratings ever. (Although I watched nearly every pitch). NBA free agency has, thankfully, peaked.
Oh sure, there is the British Open, but that’s being played across the pond, as the Brits like to say. And there is the Tour De France, a cool niche sport, but hardly a headline-grabber here in the states.
But wait … after perusing the sports wires (I love that word), I uncovered some astounding news:
According to The Associated Press, 10-year-old Molly Sponseller says she and her friends wanted to show support for the Cavs and Gilbert. She says he’s “not a bad man.”
Gilbert said that instead of sending him money, fans should donate to the Cleveland Cavaliers Youth Fund. That’s where proceeds from the lemonade sales will go.
“Eight-year-old Aubrey Matthews of Braselton defended his title in the armpit serenade, playing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ on his armpit as well as the back of his knee,” wrote Dan Maley of the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph.
columnist Gene Wojciechowski described Daly as a “Maury Povich Show” highlight reel. Love Daly or hate him, you have to admit that golf’s self-described “Mild Thing” grabs your attention.
Trivia time
Daly has won two major championships. Name them, and the year he won them. (Answer below)
Polling
Thursday’s “Lunch Special” poll asked readers what they thought of the way Rockies manager Jim Tracy has handled the slumping Todd Helton this season.
More than 57 percent said Tracy has handled it well, using just enough patience. Nearly 38 percent voted that Tracy has done “just OK,” perhaps giving Helton too much leeway. Only 5 percent said Tracy has handled the Helton situation poorly.
Quotable
Wide receiver Terrell Owens, the NFL’s own drama king, is saying it’s the media’s fault that he can’t find work.
“It’ not like I can’t play,” he told The Associated Press. “There is some type of influence that they’re making in the minds of teams and owners and GMs.”
Reader’s rant
“The Rocks have been picked by almost every baseball writer to win the NL West. Now they just have to perform. That shouldn’t be a problem since the Rockies are a second-half team anyway. Tulo will be back soon and De La Rosa will return to form, making the Rockies one of the best teams in the NL. Should be fun to watch.” — The Truth 4 Real, posting on The Denver Post’s story about the
In case you missed it
The U.S. Postal Service on Thursday released a set of stamps honoring early African-American baseball players and their contributions to the nation’s culture and history.
Hundreds of people attended Thursday’s official unveiling of the stamps at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
One stamp shows an umpire giving an emphatic “safe” sign as a player slides across home plate ahead of the catcher’s tag. The other is a portrait of Rube Foster, the legendary African-American athlete, manager and businessman who formed the Negro National League in 1920.
Trivia answer
Daly won the PGA in 1995 and the British Open in 1995.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
