Talk About Redemption!

Matt Garza threw the fifth no hitter of '10 on Monday, shutting down the Tigers

What's that phrase about too much of a good thing?

Matt Garza no hit the Tigers Monday, pitching the 5th no hitter of 2010 (Note: one three day blog post delay due to 4th Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the Month obligations).

Yep, that's not a misprint. 5 no-hitters in 2010, and we only just had the All-Star break. Does this officially establish 2010 as the year of the pitcher? Will this mark the start of a decade of pitching dominance?

Don't worry, long-ball enthusiasts, I don't think that's the case at all. That's it, deep breaths. We'll get through this together.

In Other News: 7/29/10

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Note: reading In Other News NOT an established rookie tradition

Dez Bryant earning his stripes stars at Dallas camp

Yep, Sunday Cowboys Rookie receiver Dez Bryant made news by refusing to carry Roy Williams' pads after practice and thus disrespected one of many rookie traditions. This caused huge backlash from the media, and everyone seemed to get involved, even Super Mario, who claimed Bryant should "fall in line." Ultimately, Bryant did fall in line, lashing out at the media while proclaiming, "Me and Roy are great at grammar." It was reported that at the most recent practice, Bryant did carry Williams pads, but joked, "I won't carry the helmet though," and threw it back to Williams, who dropped it.

In other news...

WMBC Weekend Rewind

Trying to establish more of a standard set up here at the ever-evolving WMBC, so why not start posting weekend recaps on Monday? The sports world sure doesn't take it easy Saturday and Sunday, so let's give the weekend warriors their due.

I'm also going to try to be more interactive. You guys stick your necks out with comments, and it's my responsibility to try and make you sound stupid give you a fair response, so expect more from me via comments.

So, weekend rewind. Here we go:

Waiting on You, Bub

I need to start watching soap operas.

No, seriously. I think I do. I mean, this whole Brett Favre saga is captivating, juicy, Shakespearean, over-hyped, and, most importantly, never-ending. Sound familiar?

Amateur Open Wrap Up

I'm going to be honest with you because I like you, you seem right in the head. Looking around at the happenings of the universe of sports, I don't have the content or the energy to write a full update. I don't have the content because not much is a-happening and I don't follow MLS yet. I don't have the energy because I'm but 5 days removed from making the tooth fairy's quota in one shot getting my wisdom teeth out (side note: has anyone ever wondered, "Why does a fairy need that many teeth?" With news that you can harvest stem cells from wisdom teeth, do we really need to ask that question? That's right folks. Bad news though, I heard they recruited some leader who likes the way his cooking smells, or something). No worries, we'll try to make what we got work.

Evolution Update

Those of you who follow WMBC on twitter (@wemustbecursed) may notice that now we have a super cool half an inch by half an inch logo. I know, baby steps, but as someone once echoed through the halls of the mountains of 38th, revolution starts with a whisper! Follow WMBC on twitter for cool updates other than the posts that are put here!

The NL Finally Does It

Even Though a Brave was the MVP, a Win's a Win for the NL

Thirteen games. Over a decade. However you want to slice it, it's been a long time since the National League won the All-Star game, but they did it Tuesday night, finally beating the American League 3-1.

Not since 1996 has the National League won the All-Star game. Yeah, that's a long time (wait, we're not talking that long, ouch!). But before American League fans get all high and mighty, all it takes is a quick look at the total series score to realize something's a-miss. Yes, the American League has won 12 out of 13 games (a tie in '02 breaks up those streaks). That's, in essence, 12 games in a row. There have been 79 All-Star games that haven't ended in a tie (ties in '02 and '61, no game in '45 cause of WWII, 2 All-Star games in '59, '60, '61, and '62). So, considering the American League has won 12 of the 79 total in a row, you would think the American League is running away with total wins in the Mid-Summer Classic, right? I think we all know the answer to those types of questions...

Big Week for WMBC

Lots of things happening around the sports world lately. Lebron gave up / picked championships over loyalty decided to "take his talents to South Beach" (honestly, the only thing missing from his explanation of why he was going to Miami was him wearing a Miami Heat baseball hat and giddily talking about how that's where all the cool kids were like high school recruits do. Cmon Lebron, you're held to a higher standard than that...), the Netherlands waited 32 years to lose in the Finals again, this year's HR derby has come and gone (is there a curse associated with participating in it?), and the MLB All-Star game is tonight (14 years is preposterous guys...).

Perfectly timed to all these happenings is a big week for WMBC too. We're undergoing a metamorphosis. As such, it may be a slower week, but I'll try to get to all the pertinent topics as soon as I can with as much intensity as always. I'll also be keeping you updated with how the revolution is going.

Onward and Upward.

In Other News: 7/8/10

Quick hits from around the sports world for your afternoon delight. Note: All proceeds from sponsorships will be donated to inflating my ego

Big Night for Big Lebron

Yes, tonight Lebron will end the free agent madness by announcing which team he will sign with in front of a televised audience. I could write a book about this and still not cover an ounce of what the media world has already covered on this topic, so instead of talking about the possibility of him going to Miami or him donating tonight's proceeds to the Boys and Girls club, I want to talk about Cleveland. We have to stay in character, right? Let's take a look at the franchises Cleveland fans can fall back on. Their baseball team, the butt of many a joke in the movie Major League, is currently managed by an even bigger joke who wasn't good enough for the powerhouse Washington Nationals. Their farm system American Hockey League Lake Erie Monsters (that name just strikes fear in you, doesn't it?) have had an impressive 94 - 116 record in their 1st 3 seasons. Oh, and then there's the Browns, who look forward to seeing what their latest all-star addition can do for the team (can you say #1 overall fantasy pick?). In the short term, though, they get to look forward to tonight when their home-grown hero announces he has picked his ego over his home admitted he can't win alone taken up voodoo decided to go in another direction. Shoulda listened, Cleveland...

In other news...

Win-Win-Win for World Cup Finals

This is shaping up to be an epic World Cup Final, and if I'm allowed to wear two hats for a second, the "This is what I selfishly want" hat and the WMBC hat, dare I say it, I can't see me being unhappy with how this'll all pan out.

WMBC hats, hmm...

Yep, it's looking like a win-win-win for sports fans. Think about it:

The Title Stays in the U.S.

Joey Chestnut won the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

this weekend and once again proudly represented his heritage.

The 4th of July is awesome.

This holiday remembers the day when the spirit of "damn the man" was born in this country, the day our forefathers proclaimed to the world "taxes suck!" (and something about representation, or something), the day we, as a country, first laced up our ass-kicking boots!

Not to mention the fact that it's a federal holiday where you're required by law to ingest as much barbeque and beer as possible.

Another Giant Taken Down

Alright, I lied. I'm not done writing about the World Cup yet.

I frustratingly joked that I'd watch soccer again in 2 years when the World Cup prelims started up again, but that wasn't true. So why the change of heart, you ask? Well, I didn't have much vested personal interest in the NHL Finals when it was Flyers-Blackhawks, but I wrote about it. And even though I covered a good amount of the NBA Finals, I feel my best post was when the Suns and Magic were still contending (still no personal vested interest). So what do these topics have in common with the World Cup? The have-never's and haven't-in-a-while's still got a fighting chance!