#NerdsUnite: Play on playa! (Breaking down the world of sports so you don't have to!)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Derek - I met him when I was professor for a day at CSF. Really rad dude, and he wants to come on board to help explain to us nerdy folk the wild world of sports. Smart dude, and knows his shizzy shiznat. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT DEREK!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @DerekJ_AllDay
Hola amigos! Boy, I have been living it up in Arrowhead since the house my parents bought has gotten so close to completion. This is my second weekend in a row hanging up there, and this time I got to go with my gf and her awesome puppy named Benjamin Harold Finch Linus (If anyone gets the reference, tweet me DerekJ_AllDay). I bring this up because we got lost on our way home and our 9pm arrival turned into an 11:30 arrival really fast. My gf (I love her) and I woke up at 5:30am to go fishing and besides a nap I have been running on fumes since 7. So, this weeks post will be shorter than normal, but it is also going to give me a chance to break down a couple of sports stories that should be shared.
There was some sad baseball news that broke on Monday, 92 year old Johnny Pesky has passed away. He is primarily know for his time playing for the Red Sox and having the right field foul pole in Fenway Park named after him. Pesky's pole was legendary to me as a kid before I even knew who Johnny Pesky was. Pesky was primarily a contact hitter who had little power, only hitting 17 home runs during his career. Legend has it, that Pesky won a game in 1948 for the Red Sox by hitting a home run that barely snuck inside that short right field porch that is so legendary in baseball lore. Interestingly enough, research has shown that Pesky never won a game for the Red Sox by hitting a home run like the one described in the story. So, we sit here wondering...why would someone make that up? Or did it really happen and become lost in history over time? Nobody knows.
Like many athletes of the time, Johnny Pesky missed the 1943-1945 seasons because of his time spent fighting for the US in WWII. The selflessness of this man, and many men at that time can never be forgotten. After his career as a baseball player ended, Pesky stayed around the Sox organization as a manager from '63-'64 and then coached or helped the Sox players in any way he could until the day he died. This was a man who loved the game and respected a lot more than himself, and the two paragraphs I wrote talking about him probably isn't enough to honor him.
In Olympic news, there is no surprise here but the USA mens basketball team took home the gold medal over the weekend after beating Spain in a close game 107-100. USA has proved that they are the best once again, but there is also a lot of evidence suggesting that the rest of the world is catching up with them. Even more evidence is present suggesting that the '92 USA Dream Team would wipe the floor with the '12 USA team. Disagree? Let me know why on twitter @DerekJ_AllDay.
I am still trying to map out my fantasy football post, but I will probably do a two part post with part one of my fantasy football advice being next week. Thanks for the time guys!