Newspaper sports page editors, journalists, sports talk radio hosts, and broadcasters refer to it as the ‘dead zone.’ Others refer to it as the ‘dog days of summer.’ It’s the time of year that’s quickly approaching, the time of year that sports fans dread the most.It’s the time of year where the NBA and NHL seasons have reached their championship finals, the NFL off-season is nothing but countless Organized Team Activities (OTA) with the regular season seeming nowhere in sight, and the MLB season has reached its midway point, where most fans realize the season is just too long. This 2008 summer should be a little different.
It has been 30 years since Affirmed became the last horse to win the Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing. The Triple Crown is achieved when a three-year-old thoroughbred horse wins the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
This year, Big Brown has won the Kentucky Derby by 4 _ lengths and the Preakness Stakes by 5 ¬ lengths, in dominating fashion. Big Brown has a chance to become just the 12th United States Triple Crown winner since 1919, when he competes in the 140th running of the Belmont Stakes on June 7.
On August 8, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (or the 2008 Summer Olympics) will kick off in Beijing, China. Like every four years, some of the primary focus in America will be on our track athletes and men’s basketball team.
Sanya Richards should be a familiar face around the track at this year’s Olympic Games. Richards is the American record holder in the 400-meter dash, with a time of 48.70, and is the proclaimed “Fastest Woman in the World.” In 2004, Richards won a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, as a member of the 4x400m relay team. Richards was named the 2006 World Female Athlete of the Year and is looking to garner similar honors this year.
The men’s basketball Team USA appears to be as good as the ‘dream team’ that competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. In the FIBA Americas Championships 2007, played in Las Vegas, Team USA went an impressive 7-0, outscoring their opponents by 250 points. The LeBron James-Kobe Bryant led Team USA should have similar success this summer in Beijing.
On July 15, Yankee Stadium in New York City will host the 2008 MLB All-Star Game. The 79th midseason exhibition game between the National and American league all-stars will be the last one played in Yankee Stadium, which will close at the end of the season. At the start of the 2009 season, the New Yankee Stadium is scheduled to open. All-Star voting is still on-going and can be done at .
As we wait for the MLB season to finally reach its exciting months of September and October, and the return of the NBA, NHL, and NFL seasons, these events should provide enough excitement to hold sports fans over the summer. Other events that have the opportunity to provide fans with that much-needed off-season spark are the College Baseball World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, the weekly NASCAR schedule, and possible exciting boxing matches taking shape.
Most importantly, it’s never too early to start putting together your 2008 NFL Fantasy Draft Boards; kickoff is only three months away!