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.