Yankees flounder Red Sox plunder

The Red Sox got the better of last night's contest by a score of seven-three in spite of Johnny Damon's two solo home runs.

Which begs to question why the leadoff hitters' efforts are in vain.

One can point to a number of elements and a clear indicator is the inability hit with runners in scoring position.

But how about a nerve factor? Can we put that into the equation?

It's possible and probable.

There are four hitters who seem to bat with runners in scoring position: Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi.

Let's start with the captain.

He has hit well with runners on base in the past but I believe he is more injured than letting everyone know. His physical limitation is getting to his head when runners are on base (he's been a hot hitter for the last three weeks but that is not indicative of his capabilities).

Mr. headcase (Abreu) is the best hitter with runners in scoring position on the team. Last night, he earned two hits off starter Tim Wakefield. On his third appearance, however, with runners on base, he chopped to Dustin Pedroia. He was not the worst performer from last night or in fact this season; but notgetting the runs home is a contagious matter.

But Alex Rodriguez is probably the worst case from last night and perhaps the season. The highest paid player in all of baseball is 0-5 hitting for the cycle in terms of leaving runners on Great news Yankees fans; your highest paid player is a pad stacker and a large part of it may have to do with his emotional state revolving around his divorce and his late-night visits with Madonna.

Finally, Jason Giambi has to come to the reality that if he starts hitting the ball towards left field, defenders will have no choice but to switch defensive strategy. This will open up the right side of the infield where he loves to hit it. Higher average, increase run production, and improved offense would be the benefactors leading to a more successful team.

But that's why the Yanks will not make it and why either the Twins, White Sox, or Red Sox will
finish as the Wild Card team; Boston leads the Minnesota by 2.5 games and New York by six.

LPGA goes America on US!

The end of World War II was just the beginning of another era where the United States and another superpower would dominate the world’s power struggle, while most other nations had to recover from the devastation during the fighting.

But that period ended in 1989 when the Berlin Wall collapsed and the United States was the only remaining superpower. Countries worried that the United States would impose it’s will in every aspect; culture, customs, languages, foreign policy, and ethics. One could argue that Middle Easterners despise the intrusion of Western Civilization on Middle Eastern tradition causing the terrorist actions.

A less significant, yet obtrusive barrier has been crossed again; the re-instatement of English as a language; this time in America. Golf week is reporting that the LPGA tour is forcing it’s competitors to pass an exam which tests a person’s ability to speak English. If the players do not pass an oral exam within two years of the individuals’ first lessons’, she will have her Tour card taken away.

Another prospect comes into question as well; if the players fail the oral exam, then the Tour will work with the players on what needs to be improved.

There is some understanding as to why the LPGA is promoting the advancement of the English language (after all, many countries communicate with it as a second language). The most common language in the world is English and interviews need to be conveyed to fans and listeners alike. However, is imperialistic golf what the LPGA should be aiming for? That might be the fourth most important issue that the women’s PGA has to deal with.

First, the LPGA is not going to draw more than the mens’ tour but at least try to develop a product that is worthy of having them on national television more often. Regardless of how well Lorena Ochoa has performed, relatively speaking, no one is watching women’s golf

Second, the competitions are usually during the weekend. In the summertime without Tiger Woods, women’s golf should have been able to step out of the shadows and shine. Thus far, there has been only one or two tournaments aired on a high definition network. The two major celebrities of the sport are no longer performing the way they were capable of (Annika Sorenstam retired and Michelle Wie can’t seem to show consistency). Even if the pay for the most recent tournament (The Safeway Classic) was 1.7 million, who is watching?

Third, with baseballs excitement reducing to the average fan (because of performance enhancers leading to lower home run numbers and offensive production) there were some people who wanted to shift to a cleaner game. Without Tiger Woods, the focus shifted from the PGA to the LPGA.

One last endeavor: why do people have to adjust to our way of life? Was this country not built on mixing people in for the betterment of everybody? Why does the LPGA have to revert to imperialism for the sport? Since the LPGA did this, why doesn’t another women’s tour force their competitors to only speak French?

It’s a preposterous idea to force people to speak English when the LPGA spans the globe and is not strictly an American institution. LPGA headquarters might be located in the United States but does it give them the right to discriminate based on language of origin?

I thought we had the Constitution revised for that specific purpose. Reading strictly by that interpretation, this imposition would clearly violate an amendment for a public place. But for private citizens, if you pay to enter and play, the liberties are not the same when they should be.