Jeter, Tragedy in Texas and The Tour de France

I was a little lazy in blogging this week, which is too bad, because there were some very interesting things that happened in the world of sports. Some weeks are filled with typical story lines and nothing too out of the ordinary. This was not one of those weeks.

While I hate the Yankees, watching Derek Jeter chase his 3,000 hit was surprisingly captivating. On a more somber note, a man falling to his death at a ballpark in Texas was a sad reminder of the frailty of life. And finally, if only people understood what they were watching in the Tour de France, it would be must see TV across America.

While more than just these three things happened, I found each of the following stories to be most worthy of a write up...

Jeter

Again, I hate the Yankees, I can't express that enough, however Derek Jeter is everything good about what we want to see in an athlete. He is humble, classy and consistent. For the most part, the guy just simply gets it.

I can't say I was thrilled for the Yankees to get so much press this week, like they need anymore, but the day Jeter had while getting his 3,000 hit, Wow! A moment for the ages.

I'm not just talking about hitting a home run for hit 3,000, but going five for five at the plate and driving in the eventual winning run; are you serious? That may have been Derek Jeter's best regular season game of his career. Talk about great timing. I expect nothing less from a guy like Jeter though…

Tragedy in Texas

Learning about what happened in Texas is heartbreaking. To read the stories and accounts of the incident from guys like Josh Hamilton; beyond fathomable. 

Hamilton told reporters he saw the incident unfold after tossing the ball into the stands and heard the young boy screaming for his father after he fell. According to Hamilton, he was up most of the night, unable to sleep as he heard the screams of that young boy all night long.

I feel terrible for Hamilton. He was trying to be a good guy and did what every fan wanted him to do. I feel worse for the young boy and his mother. I feel bad for everyone involved in this incident. 

The Texas Rangers were so affected by this situation that the team made counseling available to every member of the organization, to help them cope with this tragedy.

Honestly, I'm surprised this doesn't happen more. I think about this quite often when I go to games. It's time to put up wiring or a glass wall to prevent this from ever happening again. I pray for everyone involved in this terrible accident.

The Tour

As an avid cyclist, I've paid close attention to the Tour de France this past week. As I've watched and enjoyed every stage, I was thinking how much people are missing by not paying close attention to this event. 

The reason? The average person doesn't know enough about cycling to understand what is going on. As I watched a stage with a roommate, he asked a bevy of questions about the functionality of teams, different riders and several other inquiries into the basics of the sport.

As I did my best to answer his questions, I could see the change in his interest in the sport. With just a slight infusion of knowledge, he began to respect and appreciate the sport more and more by the minute. 

I would love to see that kind of change in anyone else who doesn't know much about the sport, which is why my next article will detail some of the basics of cycling, and why it is such a beautiful sport.