Archive for October 26th, 2012

WATERCOOLER CHAT: GIANTS TAKE GAME 2, BUCS CLICKING, STERN RETIRING FROM NBA

BASEBALL

In the World Series, it was Game 2 between the Detroit Tigers and the San Francisco Giants.  The Giants took Game 1, but many people were worried about the Giants pitcher for Game 2:  Madison Bumgarner.  Bumgarner’s number weren’t that great coming into the game, but he went out to the mound and pitched a marvelous Game for the Giants, giving up no runs through 7 innings.  Given that the Tigers bats are pretty hot right now, that’s a remarkable feat.  The Giants finally got their hitting right in the 7th inning, and with base-runners on, Brandon Crawford grounded into a double play, but still allowed a runner to score. Then, a sacrifice fly from Hunter Pence in the 8th gave the Giants a 2-0 lead, and that’s all they would need to take Game 2.  Now, they’ve at least secured that the series will come back to San Francisco if need be, but a 2-0 lead in a World Series is a comfortable place to be.  San Francisco 2, Detroit 0.

FOOTBALL

And in Thursday Night Football, it was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking on the surging Minnesota Vikings IN Minnesota.  And when Minnesota actually has a strong team to root for, you can bet they will pack the stadium, especially with the rumors swirling that there’s a chance they could lose the Vikings franchise to Los Angeles (given that LA is building a football stadium).  So how would it play out?  Well, the Vikings didn’t count on Buccaneers running-back Doug Martin having his first breakout game.  He rushed for 135 yards and 1 touchdown, and also had 79 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.  The Buccaneers got off to a slow start this season, but now they seem to be clicking.  Maybe they can turn things around and make a run at the playoffs.  Bucs 36, Vikings 17

BASKETBALL

Finally, in the NBA, no need for rumors any more, it’s official:  David Stern will retire as NBA Commissioner in 2014.  He will turn the keys over to his current Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver.  Stern will officially retire on February 1st, 2014 — exactly 30 years after he took the position.  David Stern is responsible for making the NBA what we currently know it is — a very lucrative league that has a huge impact on pop culture.  Prior to Stern, the NBA was more stodgy.  Stern was able to bring a certain degree of marketing to the game.  He knew exactly how to leverage the Michael Jordan era to amplify the sport, and then spent a lot of resources the past 15 years attempting to make the league and the overall sport of basketball more popular internationally.  Stern still has 15 months to go, but now we know what the future holds for the NBA.

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