Wow, this has been some weekend for baseball. If you’re just waking up and haven’t seen the news all weekend, before you do another thing, you have to be aware that

3 major milestones were achieved this weekend.

1)      Barry Bonds (SF Giants) ties the all-time home run record set by the legendary Hank Aaron by hitting 755 home runs. Bonds has been close to tying this record for weeks, leaving everyone wondering just when it was going to happen. Now, we’re just waiting for him to officially break the record (which could happen any day now as well). .

2)     Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees) became the youngest major league player (32 years old) to hit 500 home runs.  Taking the field to the theme from the movie “The Natural”, ARod became only the 22^nd player ever to reach this milestone. ARod’s had somewhat of a controversial year (although in New York, it’s kind of par for the course). In case you’ve forgotten, ARod and some mystery woman’s picture were splashed all over gossip columns coming and going from various “hot spots”. Not to be outdone, his wife Cynthia became the object of ridicule when she attended a Yankee game (accompanied by their 2 year old daughter) while donning a profanity laced t-shirt). Even with all of his domestic difficulties, he blew a kiss into the crowd (supposedly aimed at his wife and daughter) although his wife was running late and wasn’t in her seat (and the 2 year old wasn’t there because her Mom thought it would be too hot to be at the Park all afternoon). You can’t blame them though….who knew this game against the Kansas City Royals would put him in the record books?

3)      And last but certainly not least, Tom Glavine (New York Mets Pitcher) became only the 23^rd player in MLB history to win 300 games. This is one of the most prestigious records in baseball.  It looks like we’ll be celebrating this milestone for a long time as there doesn’t appear to be anyone else who will hit this milestone for a very long time. The 41 year old Glavine was very gracious after the game and thanked his family for letting him focus on baseball. 

Wow, this has been some weekend for baseball. If you’re just waking up and haven’t seen the news all weekend, before you do another thing, you have to be aware that

3 major milestones were achieved this weekend.

1)      Barry Bonds (SF Giants) ties the all-time home run record set by the legendary Hank Aaron by hitting 755 home runs. Bonds has been close to tying this record for weeks, leaving everyone wondering just when it was going to happen. Now, we’re just waiting for him to officially break the record (which could happen any day now as well). .

2)     Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees) became the youngest major league player (32 years old) to hit 500 home runs.  Taking the field to the theme from the movie “The Natural”, ARod became only the 22^nd player ever to reach this milestone. ARod’s had somewhat of a controversial year (although in New York, it’s kind of par for the course). In case you’ve forgotten, ARod and some mystery woman’s picture were splashed all over gossip columns coming and going from various “hot spots”. Not to be outdone, his wife Cynthia became the object of ridicule when she attended a Yankee game (accompanied by their 2 year old daughter) while donning a profanity laced t-shirt). Even with all of his domestic difficulties, he blew a kiss into the crowd (supposedly aimed at his wife and daughter) although his wife was running late and wasn’t in her seat (and the 2 year old wasn’t there because her Mom thought it would be too hot to be at the Park all afternoon). You can’t blame them though….who knew this game against the Kansas City Royals would put him in the record books?

3)      And last but certainly not least, Tom Glavine (New York Mets Pitcher) became only the 23^rd player in MLB history to win 300 games. This is one of the most prestigious records in baseball.  It looks like we’ll be celebrating this milestone for a long time as there doesn’t appear to be anyone else who will hit this milestone for a very long time. The 41 year old Glavine was very gracious after the game and thanked his family for letting him focus on baseball. 

Wow, this has been some weekend for baseball. If you’re just waking up and haven’t seen the news all weekend, before you do another thing, you have to be aware that

3 major milestones were achieved this weekend.

1)      Barry Bonds (SF Giants) ties the all-time home run record set by the legendary Hank Aaron by hitting 755 home runs. Bonds has been close to tying this record for weeks, leaving everyone wondering just when it was going to happen. Now, we’re just waiting for him to officially break the record (which could happen any day now as well). .

2)     Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees) became the youngest major league player (32 years old) to hit 500 home runs.  Taking the field to the theme from the movie “The Natural”, ARod became only the 22^nd player ever to reach this milestone. ARod’s had somewhat of a controversial year (although in New York, it’s kind of par for the course). In case you’ve forgotten, ARod and some mystery woman’s picture were splashed all over gossip columns coming and going from various “hot spots”. Not to be outdone, his wife Cynthia became the object of ridicule when she attended a Yankee game (accompanied by their 2 year old daughter) while donning a profanity laced t-shirt). Even with all of his domestic difficulties, he blew a kiss into the crowd (supposedly aimed at his wife and daughter) although his wife was running late and wasn’t in her seat (and the 2 year old wasn’t there because her Mom thought it would be too hot to be at the Park all afternoon). You can’t blame them though….who knew this game against the Kansas City Royals would put him in the record books?

3)      And last but certainly not least, Tom Glavine (New York Mets Pitcher) became only the 23^rd player in MLB history to win 300 games. This is one of the most prestigious records in baseball.  It looks like we’ll be celebrating this milestone for a long time as there doesn’t appear to be anyone else who will hit this milestone for a very long time. The 41 year old Glavine was very gracious after the game and thanked his family for letting him focus on baseball. 

photo: Andrew Hood

Cycling

Not sure anyone even cares at this point, but Alberto Contador won the grueling Tour de France. He’s 24 years old and the youngest athlete to win in a decade. The problem is no one is talking about Contador. We’re all talking about how the leader, Michael Rasmusen who was disqualified due to suspicion of doping charges and lying about where he was during training. Last year the Tour Champion, Floyd Landis also tested positive for an illegal substance.

Watercooler discussion: Will the Tour de France ever regain its credibility or will the race and cycling in general suffer?

Football

The Falcons quarterback, Michael Vick continues to slide deeper and deeper into trouble (and now it’s financial). In case you haven’t been following, Michael Vick was indicted on charges that he participated in illegal dog fighting. Nike suspended his contract (which he’s had ever since he became the first draft pick in 2001), and Reebok pulled his jersey from the shelves in its stores.

Watercooler discussion: If you owned a Vick jersey, would you still wear it or burn it?

Baseball

The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds is just one homerun away from tying Hank Aarons’ hallowed home run record and two away from breaking it. Bonds is generally unpopular due to suspicion of taking illegal substances during his career and because of his surly personality.

Watercooler discussion: Will Bonds break the record this week and do you care? 

You’ve got to love sports, every time it brings you down, something happens to cheer you up. After all the talk of the tainted Tour de France, the disgust over Michael Vick, the reluctant Bonds watch and the Donaghy referee scandal, we finally have something to cheer about. Two of the most revered baseball players were inducted in to the Hall of Fame, Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) and Tony Gwynn (San Dieog Padres).

I happened to catch the moment soccer history was made in this country when David Beckham entered the field in the 78^th minute of the LA Galaxy exhibition match against Chelsea on Saturday night.Chelsea won the match 1-0, but no one seemed to really care. It was all about watching Beckham, who was mostly on the sidelines due to an ankle injury. I hadn’t planned my evening to watch Beckham (sorry LA Galaxy) but when I looked up at the bar and saw the match on TV, I watched intently like everyone else in the room. I’ve got to admit, the most exciting thing about the game was watching the cameras follow all the celebrities in the stands, but I’m willing to keep an open mind. I played soccer growing up, my Kids play soccer now and I think it is an incredible sport. With that said, I just don’t see myself getting all that excited on a Sunday afternoon to watch 2 plus hours of a match where we might only see one goal scored. Another indication that soccer has a long way to go in becoming one of our “mainstream” sports is by looking at the navigation bars on any of the major sports internet sites. Soccer is hidden in the “other sports” category and not displayed prominently at the top of the page like NFL, MLB, NHL, Nascar, Golf and Tennis. It will be interesting to see if Beckham can help change this.

Watercooler discussion: Will Beckham change the way we view soccer in this country? Will soccer every overcome baseball or football as

Danica Patrick finished 5^th in the Honda Indy 200 this weekend. This was her best finish so far in an Indy car race, although she might have finished even better if it were not for Tony Kanaan knocking her into the grass for a few seconds in the first lap. Kanaan excused himself by claiming that Danica was sliding.  For his third straight time (and on his 27^th birthday), Scott Dixon won the race.  

Watercooler discussion: Should Danica be getting this much attention just because she’s a woman? 

SF Giant Barry Bonds could break Hank Aaron’s prestigious home run record this week while he’s in his hometown of

Watercooler discussion: Is Bud Selig making the right decision in not attending the game?

Michael Vick, star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, has been indicted on dog fighting charges. He hasn’t been convicted yet, but he’s in real trouble. In case you didn’t know, dog fighting is illegal and really sick. I’ve never seen it (or ever will) but it’s incredibly inhumane and incredibly brutal. In addition, Vick is charged with killing a number of dogs that were unable to fight. And, he apparently killed them in a really disgusting manner; hanging, strangling, drowning and smashing on the floor. Whether or not Vick actually gets convicted of this illegal crime, his reputation is shot. I can’t imagine he will ever get another sponsorship deal. Who in their right mind would want someone like that endorsing their products? I’m sure we’ll be hearing more on this story as details come out, but as of now, I’m thoroughly disgusted and can’t imagine a person in their right mind who would torture dogs for sport.