November 17, Week in Sports
November 17, Week in Sports
:: JIMMIE JOHNSON WINS THIRD STRAIGHT TITLE (NASCAR)
:: MLB PLAYER AWARDS ANNOUNCED (Pro. Baseball)
:: MLB MANAGER AWARDS ANNOUNCED (Pro. Baseball)
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J.J. CRUISES TO THREE-PEATNASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson won the Sprint Cup on Sunday evening. The Sprint Cup is a year-long racing series that is the most prestigious of the NASCAR season. Jimmie Johnson has now won the Sprint Cup three years in a row.
Though NASCAR is one of the most popular sports in the country, it often fails to get a significant amount of attention in the mainstream sports media. Johnson’s three-peat, however, is a huge achievement. That, combined with the fact that Johnson is one of the most well-known and likable representatives of the sport, should mean that Johnson gets the praise that he deserves this week. This is just the second time ever that a driver has won three straight Cup titles. The last person to do it was Cale Yarborough, who accomplished the feat in the mid 1970s.
Johnson had built up such a huge lead in points this year that entering Sunday’s race, he essentially only had to complete the race without wrecking his car in order to win the title. Carl Edwards, another top NASCAR driver, won Sunday’s race, but it was not enough to catch up to Jimmie Johnson.
Quote of the Week: At least we can lay our heads down tonight and know we won some races and just got beaten by a true champion” — Carl Edwards
Further Reading: ”JJ: The Greatest Driver Ever?” — Associated Press, via ESPN
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THE KIDS CAN PLAY
Last week, Major League Baseball announced the winners of two of the major player awards–Rookie of the Year and Cy Young. Each award is given out to two players–one from the National League and one from the American League. The Rookies of the Year were Evan Longoria and Geovany Soto, and the Cy Young winners were Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum.
The two winners of Rookie of the Year–Longoria and Soto–came as no big surprise to anyone. Longoria is the starting third baseman who led the upstart Tampa Bay Rays to a World Series appearance, and many baseball analysts believe that he is the second coming of the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez–quite a compliment, considering “A-Rod” will likely wind up being one of the greatest of all time. Soto, the NL Rookie of the Year, is the starting catcher for the Chicago Cubs. Good defensive catchers who hit consistently for power are hard to come by, which made Soto an obvious pick. Despite being a rookie, he brought a veteran presence to the Cubs this year, which earned him a number of honors, including a starting spot on the NL All-Star team–the first time that award had been given to a rookie catcher in the National League.
The Cy Young award is awarded to the best pitchers in the league, and it is a huge honor that people around the league remember for years. Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians won the award for the American League. Lee, who struggled so much last year that he was sent to the minors, had a resurgent year, dominating hitters and winning 22 games for the Indians. Tim Lincecum of the Giants was an unlikely superstar this year. Lincecum is often described as undersized–for what it’s worth, he’s 5′ 11″–and he pitches for the San Francisco Giants, one of the worst teams in the league. Despite those factors, he posted a record of 18-5. Given how bad the Giants are, that record is phenomenal and worthy of the league’s highest pitching award.
Quote of the Week: “But Lincecum is an anomaly in a conformist sport, a lithe, 5-foot-11 pitcher with a gymnast’s body who doesn’t ice his arm and bounces back after almost every start.” — Andrew Baggerly, Mercury News
Further Reading: “Lincecum beats out Webb, is Giants’ second Cy Young winner” — Associated Press, via ESPN
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HATS OFF TO THE SKIPPER
Major League Baseball also announced the AL and NL Managers of the Year last week. The winners were Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays and Lou Piniella of the Chicago Cubs.
This is the third time that Piniella has been named Manager of the Year–he was previously awarded the honor in 1995 and 2001, when he managed the Seattle Mariners. Piniella led the the Chicago Cubs to their division-winning season and best record in the National League. Charlie Manuel, the manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, came in second place. Votes for the player and manager awards are placed before the playoffs, or else Manuel certainly would have given Piniella a run for his money.
Maddon won the AL award by a landslide, having coached the Tampa Bay Rays from a last place division finish in 2007 to a World Series appearance in 2008. Ironically, Maddon replaced Lou Piniella as coach of the Rays when Piniella accepted a job with the Chicago Cubs in 2006. Maddon was a lock for Manager of the Year, but winning the award still must have seemed surreal for the 54-year old coach, who received news that he had received the honor while on his honeymoon in Italy.
Quote of the Week: “When a guy can quote Albert Camus and Albert Einstein, and he’s talking about how you put a bullpen together, you know you’ve got something special.” — Martin Fennelly, Tampa Bay Tribune, on Joe Maddon
Further Reading: “Rays’ Maddon, Cubs’ Piniella win Manager of the Year honors” — Associated Press, via Sports Illustrated
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WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
:: BASEBALL: The league is announcing the Most Valuable Players for the American League and National League this week, which should keep baseball in the news even though the sport is currently in the off-season. There are also trade talks under way, which could mean that some of MLB’s biggest name players could be switching teams at any point during the next few days.
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ALL-SPORTS UPDATE
ACTIVE SEASON
:: BASKETBALL
NBA (Pro. Basketball): The 2008-09 season is currently underway. It runs from late October to April of 2009, when the playoffs commence. [Official NBA Website]
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL (College): The college basketball season started last week and runs through “the Tournament,” which takes place in March. [CBS Sports]
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:: FOOTBALL
NFL (Pro. Football): The regular season is now underway. The Tennessee Titans are currently the best team in the league, with an undefeated record. [Official NFL Website]
NCAA FOOTBALL (College): The college football season is now in full swing. The BCS Standings currently place Alabama as the best team in the country. [NCAA Football, ESPN]
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:: GOLF
MEN’S GOLF: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Major Championships: The Masters, U.S. Open, The Open (The British Open), and the PGA Championship. Now that the PGA Championship is over, mainstream golf news will most likely revolve around Tiger Woods’ return from injury and preparation for next year’s Majors. [Official PGA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson
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:: HOCKEY
NHL (Pro. Hockey): The hockey season runs through April of 2009. By the new year, the league power rankings should be pretty well set. [Official NHL Website]
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:: TENNIS
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TENNIS: While there are professional tournaments throughout the year, the most important tournaments are the four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. [USTA Website]
NOTABLE PLAYERS: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic
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OFFSEASON
:: BASEBALL
MLB (Pro. Baseball): The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in this year’s World Series. During the off-season, baseball news will focus on major trades and player signings. [Official MLB Website]