WATERCOOLER CHAT: AMERICAN LEAGUE WINS ALL STAR GAME,
BASEBALL
Yesterday marked an event in baseball that causes a fuss every season. After all the pundit and social media arguments about who should and should not be an all-star, we finally got to watch this all-important all-star game. Remember, whichever wins the all-star game gets home field advantage in the World Series. This is a rule that baseball purists hate, because it doesn’t really make any sense that an exhibition game that is more for entertainment should have such important consequences. The game was held in the New York Mets stadium, so that meant that the National League were designated the home team.
The game was more of a defensive battle, and the American League held the National League to just 3 hits with their stellar pitching. Baltimore’s J.J. Hardy and Cleveland’s Jason Kipnis had clutch hits for the American League to drive in runs. The National League couldn’t seem to get anything going. In the 9th inning, trailing 3-0, the National League had one last chance, but couldn’t pull it off. The game was nothing special to remember, except in the 8th inning there was a phenomenal standing ovation for long-time Yankees relief pitcher Mariano Rivera. This guy has been an all-star staple for the last 16 years, and to see him play in his last game was a real bummer for baseball fans. He took the mound and the cheering didn’t stop for a full minute. Just a great moment.
FOOTBALL
And in the NFL, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton came out publicly and said he was still an Atlanta Falcons fan. He said he grew up rooting for the Falcons and Michael Vick. And just because he is in the NFL now, and in the Falcons same division, it’s still tough to stop rooting for your beloved favorite team. However, Newton did say that he’s NOT a Falcon fan when they’re playing the Panthers.
And speaking of the Panthers, Nike had to pull a shirt off the market that showed the Panthers logo with the insignia “NC” on them. Why? They printed NC over the state outline of South Carolina. Proud South Carolinians didn’t like that.
