Pats Cut Lynch

Safety John Lynch was cut by the New England Patriots on Sunday. He signed with the Pats two weeks ago after he was released by the Denver Broncos early in the preseason. Though cut, Lynch showed signs of optimism of rejoining the AFC champs at a later date, saying "I have no regrets about my time thus far with the Patriots". Patriots coach Bill Belichick said "As has been the case in other situations, I would not rule anything out down the road."

It looks like John Lynch isn't going to be that out of touch with the Patriots. Rumor has it that he was cut so he would not need to be offered a guaranteed contract. It seems to be that a reunion isn't that far in the future.

Sabathia Robbed of No-No

Milwaukee Brewers lefty CC Sabathia threw what would be considered by many to be the second no hitter of the 2008 season. Unfortunately for him, the official scorer did not share the same opinion.

Sabathia went the distance for the Brewers striking out eleven while giving up just one hit, an Adam LaRoche grounder back to Sabathia who dropped the ball after taking a few steps to his right. To many the play would have been ruled an error on Sabathia. Official scorer Bob Webb disagreed, ruling the play a hit.

''The way the ball came off the bat, it was spinning, and it went to the left of the mound with a left-handed pitcher going to get it. It's a difficult play. The definition requires standard effort, and that would have taken more than an ordinary effort. The runner was well down the line.''

Brewers manager Ned Yost strongly disagreed calling the ruling "a joke." He went on to say that the Brewers would be sending a DVD copy of the play to the league office for review.

After seeing the play several times myself, I am going to have to agree with Yost on this one. Sabathia clearly drops the ball. With his arm strength he would have had plenty of time to zip the ball over to first in time for the out. Its too bad that a little play like that cost CC a no-hitter. He has been nothing short of brilliant since his arrival in Milwaukee (9-0 1.43 ERA). The way he has been throwing lately, he has a very good chance of accomplishing the feat before the season is over. It is a shame that it couldn't have happened today.

Saturday's Big 3

Are you ready? It's the first Saturday of the college football season. Every week, I'll be taking a look at the 3 biggest games on the schedule and telling you who I like and why. So without further ado, Week 1's Big 3:

#3USC at Virgina

With the top two teams getting having cupcakes week one (Georgia v Georgia Southern, Ohio State v Youngstown State), USC has what seems to be the hardest game of the top three teams in the country. SC Quarterback Mark Sanchez, who had an injured knee, has been cleared to play in this game. Though the home fans will be charged up, and Sanchez and RB Joe McKnight will run over Virgina in this one.


#24Alabama at #9Clemson

Though this is a home game for Clemson, the game will be taking place in the Georgia dome. This will be a great SEC-ACC match up with two great head coaches going against each other. I'll be excited to see how Nick Sabin uses top wide out recruit Julio Jones, but Clemson has too much offensive firepower with a very underrated quarterback in Cullen Harper and two amazing running backs, James Davis and C.J. Spiller. I'll Take the Tigers over the Tide.


#20Illinois at #6Missouri

In what looks to be the most enticing game of Week One, Juice Williams and Illinois take on Heisman Hopefuls QB Chase Daniel and RB/WR/KR speedster Jeremy Maclin of Missouri. The Illini made a surprising run in to the BCS last year, getting beat by USC, and Missouri just missing out with a loss to Kansas. In a game that looks to be a barn-burner, I look to Missouri's defense to shut down Juice and Co. and get the win.

"Pac-man" Reinstated

The National Football League announced Thursday that Dallas Cowboys' speedy cornerback/kick returner Adam "Pac-man" Jones has been reinstated. Jones, who had been suspended for the past 17 months by the league following a series of arrests, will now be eligible to play in the Cowboys' first regular season game against the Cleveland Browns.

The Cowboys acquired Jones in an April trade from the Tennessee Titans for a fourth round draft pick. Assuming he can live up to all of the hype and stay out of trouble off the field this could be a real steal for Dallas. Jones, who was permitted to participate in training camp and pre-season games, has shown flashes of brilliance as a return man during training camp. His defense however has been suspect, but there is still time to improve before the season opener.

College Football Is Back!

August 28th and December 25th don't have anything in common. But for college football fans, today is very much like Christmas day, it is the beginning of the 2008-2009 college football season. Students, alumni, and fans of the game can brush their tailgating equipment off and get ready to enjoy another season.

There will be debates and hatred about the BCS and there is a Heisman Trophy that needs to be defended. There will be rivalries games that are really more then just a game, but give you the right to make fun of your rival school for an entire year. There is the option offense that's only seen in the college game, and so much more then the NFL can offer.

From the ACC to the SEC, the Big 10 to the Pac 10, the Big 12 to the MAC and everywhere else, we're all happy to see that first kickoff of the season. So no matter which side of the Florida v Miami, USC v UCLA or Michigan v Ohio State rivalries you're on, every college football fan can look at today as the day where national championship dreams start.

Kotsay Heading to Beantown

The Boston Red Sox have acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves for minor leaguer Luis Sumoza.

The move adds depth to a position that desperately needs it for the Sox as they placed all star right fielder JD Drew on the disabled list Tuesday.

The 32 year old Kotsay is hitting .289 with six home runs and 37 runs batted in 88 games this season.

Replay To Start Thursday

Bud Selig and Major League Baseball have agreed to start the use instant replay for home run and fair and foul calls for series that start Thursday the 28th. If the umpire crew agrees that a call needs to be looked at again, they will leave the field and get the replay from the office of Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York, and it's up to the crew chief to make the call.

From here on out, instant replay will become a new and somewhat controversial part of baseball history. There are the purists who will not like the use of replay and will make the game longer, and those who will say 'it's about time'. Where do you stand? Waybackemail@gmail.com

Bonds Was Confused?

Major League Baseball slugger Barry Bonds, who to date has been charged with 14 counts of providing false declarations to a grand jury and one count of obstruction of justice, has asked a U.S. District Court in San Fransisco to drop 10 of the charges made against him. According to TSN.ca, Bonds' lawyers argue that,

"the questions posed to Mr. Bonds by two different prosecutors at his grand jury appearance were imprecise, redundant, overlapping and frequently compound."

Simply put, Barry Bonds was unable to answer the questions accurately because the federal grand jury posed them in a misleading manner. Apparently asking Barry Bonds if he had used steroids is simply to complex of a question to answer. However, he did respond by saying that he didn't use steroids...How unclear could the question have been if Barry Bonds was able to provide an answer so clear? My guess is the question was pretty clear. Bonds and company, better luck next time.

Its That Time Of Year!

Well everyone, after seven long months football season is finally back upon us once again! That can only mean one thing! You guessed it, time for the WAY Back Sports 2008 NFL Predictions. We will see which one of our not so expert staff can correctly predict the outcome of the NFL season.

Dano Dub Goose Mac
AFC East Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots
AFC North Steelers Bengals Browns Steelers
AFC South Colts Colts Colts Colts
AFC West Chargers Chargers Chargers Chargers
AFC WC 1 Jaguars Titans Jaguars Browns
AFC WC 2 Browns Jets Jets Jaguars
AFC Champ Patriots Chargers Colts Patriots


NFC East Cowboys Giants Cowboys Cowboys
NFC North Packers Vikings Vikings Vikings
NFC South Bucccaneers Panthers Saints Saints
NFC West Seahawks 49ers Seahawks Seahawks
NFC WC 1 Giants Cowboys Buccaneers Redskins
NFC WC 2 Vikings Seahawks Redskins Packers
NFC Champ Cowboys Vikings Cowboys Vikings

Superbowl Predictions:

Dano: Two very strong offensive teams. I like the Cowboys' defense to be the deciding factor. Cowboys over Patriots 27-24

Dub: LT will lead the way as the Chargers roll to victory! Chargers over Vikings 24-17.

Goose: A showdown of two of the game's premiere offenses. While the Colts defense is better than it use to be, the Cowboys are just too strong all around. Cowboys over Colts 34-24.

Mac: Coming off a near perfect season, we will see how much one loss can motivate a team. A record breaking offense + a veteran defense = another ring for New England. Patriots over Vikings 33-17.


Sleeper Teams to Watch:

Dano: AFC Surprise: Watch out for the Cleveland Browns, they have potential to make it interesting down the stretch. With six returning pro-bowlers on the roster and a hungry coach in Romeo Crennel, this could very well be the breakout year for the Browns.

Dub: 49ers: The last time Mike Martz took over an offense struggling at the quarterback position ('99 Rams) he brought in an unknown veteran named Kurt Warner who led them to the Subperbowl. Now Martz takes over a struggling 49ers offense and brings in unknown veteran quarterback JT O'Sullivan. May not be a Superbowl team just yet, but playoffs are a strong possibility.

Goose: No team lost more man games to injury last season than the Bill did. At season's end the injured reserve list was 17 players deep. With a strong running game and an underrated defense the Bills could surprise some people. Playoffs in the AFC is a stretch, but it would not surprise me at all to see them knock off a team like the New England Patriots or New York Jets somewhere along the way. With games against the Jets, Broncos and Patriots to close the season, the Bills could be the real spoilers in the AFC.

Mac: Oakland Raiders. A solid defense will keep them in most games. Watch out for 2008 first round pick Darren McFadden. The speedy running back could be this year's Adrian Petterson.

There you have it, the 2008 NFL season as our writers see it. Agree? Disagree? Let us know at waybackemail@gmail.com.

Falcons Go With Ryan

For the Atlanta Falcons, a team struggling to creep out of the Michael Vick shadow, naming a rookie as the starting quarterback may be a risky move, but it is also the right move.

Atlanta, coming off a 4-12 season and well over a year of the Vick saga, desperately needs a new face to the franchise and they have it in Matt Ryan, who was named the starting quarterback on Monday.

Traditionally when a team drafts a quarterback (first round, third overall) they let him sit out a year or at least the first part of the season to let them adjust to the NFL game. The Falcons instead are throwing Ryan right into the fire. On a team that likely isn't going to make any noise in terms of a playoff chase this season this move makes some sense. Why not let him learn on the job first hand? The Falcons, as a whole, are a relatively young team. By allowing Ryan to start out with them right away it will allow the offense to form a chemistry that they can build off of in future years.

The Falcons may not be a team that makes noise this year, but with a big strong franchise quarterback to build around I like their chances in the years to come. Mark my words, the falcons will be a team to contend with in 2010!

Everyday Eddie is Back!

The Minnesota Twins made a minor trade today reacquiring left handed relief pitcher Eddie Guardado from the Texas Rangers in exchange for a minor leaguer.

Guardado, who spent ten seasons in Minnesota from 1993-2003, has a 3-3 record with four saves and a 3.65 ERA in 49 1/3 innings pitched this season. He is expected to serve as the set up man for closer Joe Nathan.

This is a useful move for the Twins who are without previous set up man Pat Neshek who is on the disabled list with an elbow injury. The Twins are just one back behind the Boston Red Sox in the wild card in the AL and very much still in the hunt.

100 And Counting!

Dear WAY Back Sports Readers:

WAY Back Sports is now 100 posts and counting! A big thanks goes out to all our readers so far. We hope you have enjoyed what you have read and we look forward to hearing from you in the future. We encourage you to tell your friends to give us a try!

Over the next few weeks Way Back Sports will be changing a bit. We will be changing the layout to enhance the look of our site. We will also be adding a predictions page as well as a few other fun weekly posts and games pages.

Perhaps the biggest news will be our move to .com which we are hoping to have done sometime in September.

Through all this, WAY Back Sports will continue to bring you the latest news in the sports world as well as opinions from our staff.

Once again we thank all of you for the success we have had so far! Here's to another 100 and many more!


Sincerely,

WAY Back Sports Staff

BIG Blow To Giants

When seven time pro bowl defensive end Michael Strahan retired the Giants knew that they would have a void at defense end that would be tough to fill. But when you have a team with the likes of fellow pro bowler Osi Umenyiora also on that line, you can get by just fine. As long as you have one there there should be no problems, right?

New York, we have a problem!

The giants found out on Sunday that Umenyiora tore his left lateral meniscus in a preseason game the previous night against arch rival, the New York Jets. The injury, not expected to be serious according to early reports, will end up costing the all pro defensive end the entire season.

A loss of Strahan is bearable, but not good if you are looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The loss of both all but assures that there will be no repeat. The Giants had penciled in Justin Tuck to replace Strahan at left end. Finding a replacement for Umenyiora might be a little more difficult. One of a group of three players is expected to be given an opportunity to win the right end starting job; defensive end turned linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, journeymen Renaldo Wynn, or second year pro Dave Tollefson, none of which have a whole lot of starting experience at defensive end in the National Football League. That group certainly does not strike fear in the opposition quite like an Umenyiora or Strahan does.

With the Giants out of the picture, I can't imagine a team will give the Cowboys much of a run now in the NFC, let alone the NFC East.

Be sure to check back with WAY Back Sports for our 2008 NFL Predictions which will be released later this week.

The Olympics Best Athlete?

Meet Bryan Clay. You've probably never heard of him. But he just might be the best athlete at the Olympics. Clay, 28, participates in the decathlon for the men's US track and field team, and recently got the gold in Beijing, raising the question: is Bryan Clay the best athlete at the Olympics?

Before you write Clay off, take a look at what he had to compete in; a 100m, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault, Javelin, and a 1500m over two days. Alone, these are difficult events to train for, but imagine instead of training just for one event, training for 10 events.

There is no way Clay doesn't deserve a shot at the title of best athlete. He might not be able to dunk, he might not be able to swim well, but can any other Olympic athlete do what Clay did over two days? I say not.

He won't get the same publicity as the redeem team. He won't get the endorsement deals that Michale Phelps will get. But what he does have? A very real chance of being called the worlds greatest athlete.

Merriman Out?

The North County Times, a San Diego area newspaper, is reporting that Chargers' all pro linebacker Shawne Merriman has what Merriman calls a "loose ligament" in his left knee. The injury has caused Merriman to miss the past week of Chargers' training camp and could potentially cost him part of the season.

Merriman flew to Alabama earlier this week to meet with renowned surgeon James Andrews, who has performed a knee operation on star linebacker in the past.

This could potentially be a huge blow to the chargers defense as Merriman is one of the toughest and most feared players in the league. Losing his presence on defense would certainly not help San Diego's Super Bowl aspirations.

Cy Young Night

A pair of very good Cy Young candidates had career firsts last night.

Diamondback's ace Brandon Webb pitched seven scoreless innings for his 19th victory of the season. Those 19 wins are the most he has had in a single season in his career. Last night's victory puts his numbers for the season at 19-4 with a 2.74 ERA including 153 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP. Very impressive numbers indeed. At this point he has to be the clear favorite in the National League.

In the American League, Cleveland Indians' Ace Cliff Lee went seven strong innings to record his 18th victory of the season, also a career high. Lee again looked dominant for the disappointing Indians as his record now stands at 18-2 with a 2.43 ERA to go along with 141 strikeouts and 1.08 WHIP. The win made Lee just the 5th pitcher since 1970 to win 17 of his first 19 decisions. It is amazing that Lee has been able to be so dominant this season for a team that has been anything but. He is the runaway favorite for the Cy Young in the AL, baring a major collapse.

Jamaica, Jamaica!

Jamaican track star Usain Bolt has set the world record and taken home 2 gold medals in both the 200 meter (19.30 seconds) and 100 meter (9.69 seconds) events. Usain 'Lightning' Bolt broke the world records in the 100 and 200 meter events previously held by Asafa Powell (2007) and Michael Johnson (1996) respectively. Usain Bolt has left his mark in Olympic history this year with two stunning performances that could withstand the test of time. Rooting for the American's, I would have loved to see an American track star take home the gold. However, after witnessing a performance like this any fan, American or otherwise, can't help but stand up and shout Jamaica, Jamaica!

RIP Gene Upshaw

Former NFL star and hall of fame guard Gene Upshaw passed away on Wednesday night at the age of 63 due to pancreatic cancer. Upshaw is perhaps best known for his work as head of the NFLPA, a title which he held for 25 years.

The news comes as a bit of a shock to those in the football community as Upshaw was said to have relatively good health until this past weekend when he was taken to the emergency room due to difficulty breathing. It was then that he was diagnosed with cancer.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell issued the following statement following the news of Upshaw's passing:

"Gene Upshaw did everything with great dignity, pride, and conviction. He was the rare individual who earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame both for his accomplishments on the field and for his leadership of the players off the field. He fought hard for the players and always kept his focus on what was best for the game. His leadership played a crucial role in taking the NFL and its players to new heights."

It is a sad day in sports when any former professional athlete dies, let alone one who was only 63. Our thoughts and go out to the Upshaw family following this tragic loss.

Umps Step To The Plate

Just one day was all it took for the genuses over at the World Umpires Association to come around and allow for the implementation of instant replay in Major League Baseball. The heavy dose of criticism from the sports world certainly didn't hurt the cause.

Late Wednesday the two sides came to an agreement that will allow instant reply to be used as early as later this month pending installation of the proper equipment in all MLB ballparks.

The agreement gives authority to the crew chief of each umpiring crew to make the decision as to whether a particular call will be reviewed. Then as many as three umpires may view the replay before coming to a group decision. It is expected that the number will be changed to five come playoff time.

To start, only boundary related calls can be reviewed (fair-foul, homerun yes-no).

This is great news for Major League Baseball fans, players, and coaches who have all been on the ban wagon for instant reply for the majority of the season, if not longer. Earlier this season MLB was under the microscope following a series of three blown homerun calls, each on consecutive nights.

Umps Against Instant Replay

Fans want it, players want it, coaches want it, but umpires don't want it.

The World Umpires Association had their governor's meeting Tuesday where they decided to boycott any conference call with Major League Baseball regarding instant replay. Such a conference call was scheduled to be held on Wednesday but MLB called off the meeting Tuesday night siting an delay on a reply from the player's union.

In a statement issued by Umpires' Association spokesman Lamell McMorris he said "A lot of the procedural issues necessary for instant replay to be implemented need to be worked out, major issues."

This one I can't understand. The objective of the Umpires should be to get the call right. If instant replay can assist this process in any way I would think they would be all for it. Look at the NFL. They brought in instant replay and it has been a huge success.

There are those people who say that instant replay takes the human element out of the game. That is ridiculous. If someone hits a ball over the fence they should be rewarded for it, not limited to a double because the umpire was not in position to see the ball go over the yellow line.

I understand how some may feel that getting one of their calls wrong will be demoralizing and make their later judgments questionable, but what they need to realize is how important it is to get the call right, all egos aside.

It is time for the Umpires Union to make the right call and allow instant replay; for everyone's sake.

Card's Star Wants Out

Cardinals' Pro Bowl wide receiver Anguan Boldin has had enough of Arizona and has asked to be traded. For whatever reason Boldin and Cardinals' coach Ken Whisenhunt do not see eye to eye.

Boldin, who has three years remaining on a four-year $22.75 million extension that he signed after the 2005 season, is under contract with Arizona through the 2010 season.

At Tuesday's practice at Cardinals camp Boldin had the following to say about his situation,

"It's a tough situation, especially when you come into a working environment. But my job is to stay professional. I'm going to do what I'm supposed to do. At the beginning of camp, I hadn't asked for a trade. As of recently, we did."

Boldin then went on to add that he felt the current situation with coach Whisenhunt could not be resolved.

It is never a good thing when a star players wants out of an organization. It puts both parties in a tough spot. If you are the Cardinals, you don't want to lose your star wide receiver, but you don't want disgruntled players rubbing off on the rest of the locker room. If you are Boldin, I can't blame you for wanting out of Arizona. They have struggled his entire time there to put a competitive team on the field and that is not for a lack of his excellent play.

The biggest question now for the Cardinals is what can you get for this guy? He has all the talent in the world, more so than pretty much anyone who will be in next year's draft. Fair value for him would have to be at least a first round pick. But who is going to give that up this time of year, and for a wide receiver no less? It is a sticky situation in Arizona. At this point it appears to be a lose-lose either way.

USA Continues To Roll

Don't look now, but the Redeem Team is starting to look an awful lot like the Dream Team.

Led by an Olympic single game high twenty-five point from Kobe Bryant, Team USA Basketball defeated Australia 116-85 on Wednesday to advance to the semifinals. Lebron James added sixteen points and Carmelo Anthony fifteen in the winning effort for the Americans.

The United States will next play Argentina for the right to go play in the gold medal game. Argentina, the defending gold metal champions from the 2004 Olympic games, is led by San Antonio Spurs star guard Manu Ginobili.

This should finally be a tough test for Team USA. Then again, we have said that about two of their last three opponents and they have gone on to run them out of the building. Their margin of victory certainly reminds you of the way the old Dream Team use to beat their opponents. By no means am I saying that this team is as good as the Dream Team was, however they deserve to at least be in the discussion. It will be interesting to see how they handle Argentina.

Trouble Brewing In Cincy?

Chris Henry is back as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, but at what price?

The Bengals resigned the troubled wide receiver on Tuesday, a month removed from coach Marvin Lewis' claim that no such move would even be considered. With two star wide receivers, Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, out for the foreseeable future the Bengals apparently felt it was time to reconsider.

He was released four months ago following an arrest stemming from an incident with a college student which became headline news as Henry allegedly hit the student and then broke his car windshield with a beer bottle.

Henry will be forced to start serving a four game suspension, handed down by the league following the incident, at the start of the season.

For the record: the Bengals have had ten players arrested in the last fifteen months.

When will the Bengals learn to cut ties with these bad apples? Even if it means having a bad season or two I would think that the image of the franchise is more important than winning 8 or 9 games with a group of thugs. It looked like they were heading in the right direction when they cut him loose in the first place. I guess in a world where money is everything, image becomes secondary to winning.

Maddux On The Move

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired veteran starting pitcher Greg Maddux from the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later. This will be the second stint with the Dodgers for Maddux in the past three years.

Maddux, who was 6-9 with a 3.99 ERA for the last-place Padres, cleared waivers earlier in the month allowing for the move to be made.

This marks the second major move for the Dodgers of the season as they also added all-star outfielder Manny Ramirez at the trade deadline.

The Dodgers, who are currently tied with the Arizona Diamondback for first place in the NL West, can use all the help they can get as they fight to the down to the wire for the division crown.

Bears Go In New Direction

Lovie Smith has said it many times before. "Rex Grossman is our quarterback."

Well, now he isn't.

Kyle Orton has won the job of starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears in the 2008-2009 season, letting Rex handle clipboard duty. "I feel good about Kyle leading our team" Coach Smith said to reporters. Orton, a Purdue graduate, started 15 games in his rookie season and another 3 games at the end of last season.

The Bears have had questions about the starter since Grossman has been behind center, making coach Lovie Smith sound like a broken record defending his former starter. Orton and Grossman have fought each other for the starting job since May mini-camp, and now Orton has his chance as the starter. Will this make the Bears a better team? Probably not. A better question-will Orton be the starter at the end of the season?

Mets Make Move

The New York Mets made a move on Sunday to acquire right handed reliever Luis Ayala from the Washington Nationals in exchange for a player to be named later.

The Mets, who are without closer Billy Wagner, have had their struggles closing out games ever since the all star lefty went on the disabled list. The addition of the veteran Ayala should help solidify the later innings.

Ayala's stats for 2008 thus far are 1-8 with a 5.77 ERA in 62 appearances. Those numbers are misleading however as the 30 year old Ayala has a career ERA of just 3.33. A change of scenery and a change of team attitude towards winning will surely only help his season totals.

Phelps Makes History

Michael Phelps received his eighth and final gold medal of this year's Olympic games, going eight for eight and setting yet another world record, this one in the 4x100 medley relay. This officially puts Phelps past Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one year's Olympic games. American Aaron Peirsol led off with the backstroke for the foursome. Brendan Hansen, considered by many to be the "wildcard" of the bunch (no one was really sure how he was going to do), was the second swimmer for the US with the breaststroke. Phelps swam the third leg with the butterfly, and Jason Lezak once again brought up the rear for Team USA with the freestyle.

Lezak deserves a lot of credit, as he was a solid anchor in both relays that Michael Phelps was involved in. Without Lezak, Phelps would probably have six or seven gold medals right now.

The most amazing thing about this is Michael Phelps' age. He is 23 years old. That means he has many more Olympic games that he can potentially compete in. After all, look at Dara Torres, who at 41 just earned two silver medals in this years games. It will surely be interesting to see what the future holds for this young phenom.

Half Way To Gold!

Team USA Basketball made yet another loud statement on Saturday as they defeated Spain, the 2006 World Champions, 119-82. That is the second time that USA has defeated a team who was considered to be on the same playing field by 20+.

Leading the way once again at both ends of the floor was Lebron James who led all Americans in scoring with 18 points. Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony each chipped in with 16 points. Chris Paul recorded 14 points while Kobe Bryant and Deron Williams each had 11. Every USA player who played scored, an impressive stat in itself.

Perhaps the best news for the United States in this game was the final stat line for both 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage. Team USA was 45% from behind the arc and 80% from the line, both major improvements over their previous three games.

The win, team USA's fourth, puts them half way to the gold metal. It also solidifies USA as the #1 ranking in pool A.

Could This Be The End?

Saturday marks what could be the end for sure fire first ballot Hall-of-Famer. The Atlanta Braves have placed Tom Glavine on the 60-day disabled list meaning that he will miss the remainder of the 2008 season. The 42 year old Glavine has suffered a torn flexor tendon in his left (throwing) arm.

Glavine, who will travel to Alabama to see world class elbow specialist Dr. James Andrews next week, will likely receive one of two prognosis. Either he will just need a minor operation to repair the tendon, which would allow him to pitch next season, or he will be forced to have Tommy John surgery (a ligament replacement) which would likely end his career.

You hate to see someone like Glavine possibly be forced to go out like this. An athlete of his caliber, who has accomplished so much in professional baseball, should be able to go out on his terms.

"By no means do I want to go through another year with what I'm going through now. But at the same time, I don't think I want my career to end this way, either. I think that lends me to think I want to pitch next year. I think it's easier to walk away if you can honestly tell yourself, you know what, I can't do it anymore. And I don't know that I can answer that question right now because my body hasn't allowed me to do it this year as much I wanted to."

Glavine, who is 2-4 with a 5.54 era in 13 games this season, has 305 career wins.

Here's to hoping that Tom has one more season left in that arm of his. He is one of the truly good guys in sports and deserves to be able to decide when he is done, not be forced into it.

WAY Back Hits 1,000!

On behalf of the WAY Back Sports staff I would just like to thank everyone, as we have just reached 1,000 hits. Thanks to everyone who has visited, and don't be afraid to tell people about us!

Did I Just See That!

This just in, Michael Phelps is not human. Well, one may actually be able to argue that. He just pulled off the win in the 100 meter butterfly. He was down the whole race, and managed to pull even with Milorad Cavic of Serbia. Somehow Michael was able to touch the wall 1/100th of a second quicker than Cavic.

Watching this race was breathtaking. With the victory Mr. Phelps notched his seventh gold medal of this years Olympics, tying the record for the most one in one year's games by fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz. This was the first event that Michael Phelps did not set the world record in, he did however set an Olympic record. A protest is being filed on behalf of Milorad Cavic questioning the results of the race. The petition was not accepted, however. Stay tuned to WAY Back Sports to see if Phelps can complete his race for eight.

Phelps Unbelievable

Michael Phelps is now six for six in Olympic competition. He has competed in six races, won six gold medals, and set six world records. Watching Phelps swim is simply amazing, he is already the most awarded Olympian of all time, but now many are asking the question is he the best athlete of all time? I would argue that he is in the top five, right up there with Tiger Woods. Stayed tuned to waybacksports.co.nr to get continued updates on Phelps's quest for 8, as well as other breaking news stories.

Pats Sign Lynch

Espn.com is reporting that the New England Patriots have signed safety John Lynch to a one year contract worth 1.5 million. Lynch became a free agent earlier this week after being cut by the Denver Broncos in a cap dump.

Lynch flew to New England on Wednesday to meet with Patriots' coach Bill Belichick.

Reports say that it was Lynch who orchestrated his release from Denver due to a reduced role planned for him in the team's up coming season. It will be interesting to see how he handles only playing 20 or so snaps a game in Foxborough. Having a chance to win the Super Bowl will certainly lessen the blow.

Redeem Team Passes First Test

The United States mens basketball team had been looking forward to this one for a while. Two years ago, Greece stunned the US at the basketball world championship, making this the first true test that the team has faced in the Olympics.

Well, it was supposed to be.

Up by only 4 after the first quarter, the red, white, and blue stepped on the throttle to beat the Greeks, 92-69. Kobe Bryant and Chris Bosh led the way with 18 points a piece, with Dwayne Wade just behind the leaders with 17, to go along with 5 assists. LeBron James chipped in with 13, along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He also had 3 blocked shots.

The only concern with the US team, as in previous games, is their performance from beyond the arc. They went 7-20 from deep, a number that needs to change if the US plans on dominating the field.

Hank Isn't Happy

Hank Steinbrenner has expressed his feelings about the Yankees many times this season, yesterday being no exception. Though he says he "isn't writing off this season", Hank seems to be using the injury card to blame the Yanks recent slide. He was quoted as saying "I think it's very simple, we've been devastated by injuries. No team I've ever seen in baseball has been decimated like this. It would kill any team." He finished off his statement by saying "We're going to win it next year, if we need to add a top veteran pitcher, we'll do that. We'll do whatever we need to do. Next year we'll be extremely dangerous."

CC Sabathia is going to be a well paid man this off-season. Though he says he isn't, it sure sounds a lot like Hank is waiving the white flag. It seems like the Yankees are saying something that Boston fans knew all too well, "wait till' next year".

Football At Fenway?

The New England Patriots have defeated the Dallas Cowboys, thanks to a late field goal by Kevin Youkilis, by the score of 19-17.

Wait...Wrong sport? Could Have fooled me.

It was a slugfest to say the least in Boston on Tuesday night. The Red Sox, who scored ten runs in the bottom of the first inning, saw their huge lead vanish before the man they call "YUUUK" saved the day with a three run bomb in the bottom of the eight to lead Boston to victory.

Youkilis and David Ortiz each homered twice in the winning effort.

Every starter on both teams, except for Red Sox catcher Kevin Cash,had at least one hit in the game. The two teams combine for 36 runs on 37 hits. Certainly not a good night to be a pitcher.

Tigers Shuffle Roster

The Detroit Tigers made a pair of moves on Tuesday as they signed free agent right handed pitcher Freddy Garcia and placed DH/OF Gary Sheffield on waivers.

Garcia, who was coveted by several teams, has been out of the game since early 2007 when he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. It is expected that Garcia will be assigned to AAA for a few starts for conditioning purposes. Last week Garcia held a workout for major league teams where he was clocked in the 84-87mph range with his fastball. As many as eleven teams reportedly had scouts at the workout.

Sheffield, who is batting .219/10/33 in 76 games with season, has been beginning to show signs that age is starting to catch up with him. The former all-star outfielder had been known for his great power numbers which have declined greatly this season.

Best Olympian of All-Time

Michael Phelps has become the Olympian with the most gold medals (10) in a career. The thing is, the best is yet to come. Phelps still has four events left to hopefully take home gold medals in and break Mark Spitz's record of seven in one Olympics. Phelps earned this feat by securing the gold and a new world record in the 200 meter breast stroke.

Phelps is an incredible athlete, and will now be in the record books for one more thing. It is always fun to watch this man compete, and it should be very interesting to see if he can break Spitz's record.

Byrd Flying to Boston

The right-handed starting pitcher Paul Byrd has been traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Boston Red Sox. The Sox will give up a player to be named later or cash. Byrd, the Louisiana State graduate has had a pretty productive year. He has gone 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA through this season so far. He has been hot as of late, going 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA since the All-Star Break.

Byrd's name came up last year with the steroids controversy and the Mitchell Report. It should be very interesting to see how the Red Sox Nation and Boston media take to him. He will, however, be a much needed lift to this Red Sox team if all goes well.

Redeem Team Tunes Up For Tougher Contests

Team USA defeated Angola 97-76 earlier today in Beijing. Dwayne Wade lead the way for the red white and blue scoring 19 points in 16 minutes.Dwight Howard added another 14, going 6-6 from the floor in 15 minutes of play. All 12 Americans got in the game for at least 11 minutes against an over matched Angola team that never stood a chance. The one red flag that comes up is the 3-point shooting of the US, only going 5 of 21 from beyond the arc. In the Olympic opener against China, the US went only 7 of 24.

The United States needs to step up its long range shooting when they take on Greece, the only team to defeat the current USA team. Greece beat the Americans two years ago, 101-95 in the semifinals of the World Championship in Japan. If Team USA wants to prove that they aren't like Olympic teams from years past, knocking off Greece seems like the most obvious place to start. So far it's been easy for Team USA, now we really get to see what they're made of.

Bubble Burst?

For weeks and even months now people have been waiting and waiting, patiently, for the Tampa Bay Rays to come back down to earth. They have just been playing too well to be the same team that you could pencil in annually for about 100 loses.

"They will cool down after the all-star break."

"They will fall behind the Red Sox when Ortiz comes back."

"They won't stand a chance once the big guns restock at the trade deadline."

Well, here we are, mid August. Don't look now but those same Rays have a 4.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. They have rode excellent pitching and youthful pop at the plate all the way to one of the best records in all of baseball to this point.

The one thing the Rays have not faced, however, is adversity. Sure, a guy may miss a couple games here or there with some minor stuff, but they have not had that major injury to really set them back. That is until now.

The Ray placed two time all-star left fielder Carl Crawford and rookie of the year favorite Evan Longoria on the DL Monday. For the first time this season the Rays will have two gaping holes in their line-up for a minimum of 15 days, in the case of Crawford likely many more.

It will be interesting to see just how they handle this setback. All year they have gotten little contributions from their "role players" but never before have they been put in the position where they were going to be relied upon to help carry the offense. Guys like Eric Hinske, Gabe Gross, and Rocco Baldelli are going to have some big shoes to fill if the Rays are going to hold their ground on top of the AL East.

Can they do it? I have been one of the many counting them out all year but for some reason they just refuse to lay down. This the real test. It is time for the Rays to stand up and show the world whether they are going to be a true contender or just a team that put together one hell of a start to a season but couldn't finish.

Its A Dunn Deal

The Arizona Diamondback today acquired slugging outfielder Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for four minor leaguers. Dunn, who had to go through waivers before being traded, was batting .233 with 32 homeruns at the time of the trade.

This is a good move for the Dbacks as they need to add some pop to the heart of their lineup if they are to keep up with the likes of the LA Dodgers, who are now rolling on the hot bat of newly acquired Manny Ramirez.

Phelps Two for Two!

The foursome of Michael Phelps, Garret Webber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak brought home the gold medal for the USA in the 4x100. It will go down as one of the most exciting swimming relays in Olympic history, as an arrogant French team (who had bashed the USA prior to the games) saw their lead diminish in front of their eyes on the final length of the pool. Jason Lezak brought up the rear for team USA and not only caught up with the French but gave the Americans the 8/100ths of a second victory.

This means that Michael Phelps is well on his way to beating American Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics. Many regarded the first two events that Phelps would compete in as his most difficult challenges to breaking Spitz's record, and with these now under his belt it should be clear sailing the rest of the way. It is the Olympics, however, and surprises are almost guaranteed to happen, so stay tuned to see if Phelps will be victorious.

Thats Two For Harrington

Once again it was a Harrinton-Garcia showdown in the final round of a major and once again it was Harrington who came out on top.

Padraig Harrington fired a four under 66 in the final round of the PGA Championship on Sunday to win his second major in a row. Paired with fan favorite Sergio Garcia, Harrington marched from two strokes back going into the day to claim his third career major.

Just like the final round of the British Open in 2007 it came down to Garcia and Harrington for the championship. Garcia, who shot a two under 68, had a two stroke lead at one point on the back nine only to see it slip away at the hands of his putter yet again.

Garcia is considered by many to be the best players in the world not to have won a major championship. He, much like Greg Norman, is becoming more well known for his collapses than his victories.

As for Harrington, the win, his second major victory in a row (2008 British Open was the other) makes him the front runner now for PGA player of the year, an award annually given to Tiger Woods. With Woods injured and out for the better portion of the year due to knee surgery it has left the door open for the likes of Harrington to seal the spotlight and make a name for himself.

USA Routs China

The "Redeem Team" as they call themselves, otherwise known as USA Basketball, made a huge statement today as they defeated host China 101-70. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade led the way way offensively with eighteen and nineteen points respectively.

In with all the hype and expected record viewers it was never really that close. China came out with a lot of emotion and adrenaline feeding off the home fans, but USA weathered the first quarter storm then stepped on the gas in the second half to blow open the game. All but two players on the USA roster (Kidd, Prince) had points.

Yao Ming led the way for China with thirteen points in a losing effort.

Hopefully this win is a sign of things to come for Team USA. Lebron James, who guaranteed gold coming into the Olympics, held up his end of the bargain in game one making big plays on both ends of the floor. If Lebron and company can bring it every game as they did tonight there is no reason why this team should not head back to the States with gold.

Phelps Sets Olympic Record

It took Michael Phelps a mere one race to set his first new Olympic record at this year's 2008 Olympics in Beijing. With a time of 4:07.82 Phelps set a new Olympic record in the 400-meter individual medley. The race was just the preliminaries for Sunday's final.

This is the first of many records expected to fall to Phelps at these Olympics. There is no question as to if Phelps will win a gold medal at this year's Olympics. The question is how many? He is competing in eight events. I'll set the over-under for golds at 7.

Fins Sign Pennington

Former Jet's quarterback Chad Pennington has come to terms with the Miami Dolphins on a two year 11 millions dollar deal. Pennington was cut by the Jets on Friday following the addition of Brett Favre. The Dolphins, coming off a all time franchise worst 1-15 season last year, can use all the help they can get. Pennington will now join a four man competition with Josh McCown, John Beck, and rookie Chad Henne for the starting job in Miami.

This move comes as no big surprise to those who know Bill Parcells as he has always had a liking for Pennington. He was a member of the Jet's front office when they drafted Pennington in the first round of the 2000 draft.

In an interesting twist, the Dolphins and Jets play each other in both team's first post season game this season. We will have to see how Pennington fares against his former team.

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Westbrook, An Eagle For Life

52 pages is what it took to get the deal done, but Brian Westbrook is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for what he says will be the remainder of his career. The new contract inks Westbrook with the Eagles through the 2013 season. The important piece of the contract, by NFL standards, is the $13 million in guaranteed money that Westbrook will receive over the next two years.

This is a good move for the Eagles, inking a player who is considered by most to be one of the top running backs in the game. The 29 year old Westbrook led the NFL with 2104 all purpose yards from scrimmage last season.

Giles Says "No" To Boston

The 48 hour window for the the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres to complete a trade for Brian Giles has past with Giles remaining a Padre. Giles had a limited no trade clause in his contract with the Red Sox being one of the teams he had to give his consent to going to. While no side will say publicly that Giles nixed a potential deal to Boston, speculation around the league is that that was just what happened.

It was a surprise to me from the start that the Red Sox even claimed Giles off waivers. With Jason Bay, Jacoby Ellsbury, JD Drew, and Coco Crisp already on the roster there was no room for another outfielder. I have a feeling that this move was done more to block other teams than to add a player. Rumor has it that the Rays had interest in Giles.

Eyre To Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired left handed reliever Scott Eyre from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitcher Brian Schlitter. Eyre, who was put on waivers by the Cubs earlier this week to make room for Kerry Wood's return from the DL, was claimed by the Phillies who then had 48 hours to complete a trade for him.

The Phillies have added a good piece to their bullpen for the division stretch. They Phillies are in a fight for the top spot in the NL East with the New York Mets and Florida Marlins. The Marlins defeated the first place Phillies to move to within a game and a half of the NL East lead on Thursday.

News From The Waver Wire

The Tampa Bay Rays have claimed Chad Bradford off the waver wires from the Baltimore Orioles. In 47 appearances, the 33 year old right hander is 3-3 with a 2.34 ERA. The Rays will send a player to be named later to the O's.

The Boston Red Sox have placed a waiver claim on Padres right fielder Brian Giles, and are reportedly working on a deal that will send the 14 year vet to Fenway. The 37 year old Giles has a .296 average and 61 walks to go along with 44 k's. He also sports a .391 OBP. The only snag seems to be Giles' limited no-trade clause, Boston being one team to which he can't be traded without his approval.

Other names to keep an eye on are Paul Byrd and Greg Maddux, both of whom cleared wavers and could be on the move.

Pennington Out In New York

"Chad Pennington has played his last game with the New York Jets."

Those are the words of Jets GM Mike Tannenbaun in an early morning conference call Thursday. The addition of Brett Favre and his $12 million dollar contract have made little room for Pennington on a roster that also includes former 2nd round draft pick Kellen Clemens. It is believed that the Jets will either trade for release Pennington within the next 48 hours.

One possible destination for Pennington is Minnesota, the team Favre originally wanted to play for. Another possibility could be the Chicago Bears who announced Wednesday that it would be Kyle Orton starting their first pre-season game, not Rex Grossman, who they had said going into camp would be the starter.