Spain wins
Red Sox-Orioles collide. Remembering Duane Ward
Good morning, all and happy Monday!
What a finish to the World Cup. In extra time Spain dethroned Argentina with a thrilling, 1-0 win in the Meadowlands. I get that soccer is an acquired taste, although it might be the world’s favorite sport, but aren’t all sports an acquired taste?
Anyway, Spain did a superb job of dominating the game. It was remarkable to me that the score was 0-0 going into extra time, when you consider Argentina did not even have a shot on goal. In the end, however, Lionel Messi was denied another World Cup and Spain emerged victorious.
To me, it is understandable why soccer or fútbol has worldwide attention. It is an easy sport to follow and although the game’s intricacies may be unknown to the uninitiated, i.e. defensive schematics, etc., it is still a fun game to watch. The physicality involved is itself intriguing. So kudos to Spain and Argentina for putting on quite a show and to the United States for serving as masterful hosts.
How about those Red Sox and Orioles
No one, absolutely no one, had the Red Sox winning 13 straight. And if you did I do not believe you. Are they for real? The team that was 14 games under .500 just three weeks ago, has not only won 13 consecutive games, but has gone 18-2 over its last 20. It all started with a four-game sweep of the hated Yankees. Since then, Boston has lost only two games, both to the Washington Nationals.
The season of discontent has turned into the summer of content for the Red Sox and their fans. It may be time to remove the interim tag from manager Chad Tracy.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles are back in the playoff hunt too, riding a seven-game winning streak into Boston. The Red Sox currently occupy one of the three wild card spots but the Birds are just two games behind them. The two clubs square off in a big three-game series at Fenway Park, starting tonight.
This is what makes baseball’s season fun. Last month, both the Red Sox and Orioles were given up for dead. Now they are playing an important series in late July. Gotta love it!
This is tough news
This sucks. There is no other way to put it. Duane Ward. Dead! At the age of 62. Ward was in Toronto over the weekend to be part of the Blue Jays celebration of winning back-to-back World Series in 1992-93. He was an integral part of Toronto’s bullpen both those seasons. Ward attended a gathering with his former teammates Friday night, that spilled into Saturday morning. When he did not show for the pregame ceremonies Saturday afternoon, people became concerned. He died of natural causes.
Former teammate Todd Stottlemyre posted this tribute on Facebook:
Duane Ward was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. We were together with the 1986 Richmond Braves, Atlanta’s top farm club, when I broadcast the games with the “Voice of the Braves,” Bob Black. He always had a smile and was always willing to give an interview for the pre or postgame show. Just a great guy. My heart aches. Life is too short. May he R.I.P.
That is going to do it for today’s newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber!
DAN