WATERCOOLER CHAT: CESPEDES WINS HOME RUN DERBY, METTA WORLD PEACE TO KNICKS, CELTICS NOT TANKING
BASEBALL
The all-star festivities are in full swing, and the big event before the game took place last night. That’s right, the Home Run Derby. This year’s Derby featured some of baseball’s best sluggers: Home run leader Chris Davis, Mets clean-up batter David Wright, Tigers basher Prince Fielder, and even the young Bryce Harper from the Nationals. But, when it was time for the contest, the one that rose to the top was an unlikely hero in Yoenis Cespedes from the Athletics. Cespedes was crushing balls all over the field, and made it to the finals against Bryce Harper. And in the end, it was Cespedes winning the whole event by one home run. A big win for the Oakland Athletics and the American League.
BASKETBALL
In the NBA, it’s official… Metta World Peace will officially become a member of the New York Knicks next season. Metta said that he’s going to New York because he wants to WIN! He said that he doesn’t care if he’s starting or sweeping floors, he just wants to win. That’s certainly the right attitude that the Knicks are looking for from Metta. And remember that Metta is from New York… Queens. He went to St. Johns and put them back on the map in the late 90’s, reigniting the program. Having him back is a very big deal for the Knicks. This will likely be the place where he closes out his career.
Finally, a bit of gossip from the NBA. When the Celtics traded away their stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to Brooklyn, many assumed that the Celtics were just giving up; that they knew they couldn’t compete with their current squad and would be better off rebuilding. Plus, they shipped their quality head coach Doc Rivers to Los Angeles, and hired a young coach in Brad Stevens who is perfect for a rebuilding effort. So, basically, everybody thought that they were going to tank this season, and hope to grab a good lottery spot in a loaded draft next year. Monday, Celtics GM Danny Ainge publicly said that the Celtics have no intention of tanking — that they are simply rebuilding and are playing to win. Sometimes you just have to let your fans know that you’re trying. Whether they believe you is another story.
