Correct me if I’m wrong, but the postseason has shown me that the good teams from last year are going to be better, and the bad teams are going to be worse. Everyone knows that preseason standings are useless, but that doesn’t mean the games themselves are. The first half is the most telling sample of your team’s first string (starters), and the second half illustrates your depth.
1) Gabby Wins Gold….Twice:
The 16-year-old Olympic gymnast made history and became a household name by becoming the first African American woman and first woman of color to win the “Individual All-Around” in woman’s gymnastics. Gabby created an early lead for herself by earning a 15.966 on the vault. She was able to hold her lead throughout the event, earning another high score (15.500) on the balance beam, and managed to score competitively on floor and uneven bars. Gabby, dubbed the “Flying Squirrel”, also took home a gold in the “Women’s Team Final”. Though Gabby struggled in her Balance Beam and Uneven Bars Event finals, Gabby will leave London a double gold medalist and a very wealthy young lady, since companies will be flocking to her with endorsements.
The Olympics were filled with ups and downs, but heartbreak was especially tough for a South Korean fencer and the Ukrainian Men’s Gymnastics squad when official appeals did not go their way.
Slim margin of victory for the “New Dream Team” over Lithuania. LeBron dropped 9 in the last 4 minutes to barely pull one out for ‘Murica! Included in the article are links to a Jalen Rose recap and a video of some of the guys playing volleyball with Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings.
At the all-star break, the New York Mets were sporting a record of 46-40. Despite losing a series to the floundering Chicago Cubs before entering the break, things were looking up for the Mets. They had seriously outperformed all expectations in the season’s first half. In the beginning of the year, baseball analysts universally predicted the Mets to consistently hold the 4th or 5th place spot in the N.L. East division. But after setting the tone by going undefeated in the first four games of the season, the Mets maintained a record that never dipped below .500 for the entire first half of the season.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/minor-league-dj-ejected-game-playing-three-blind-140130847—mlb.html
Michael Phelps was utterly dominated in his first individual medal race at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. He finished 4th, failing to win a medal and thoroughly destroying his unbeatable image. Still, he will most likely walk away this year with the most career Olympic medals won by any athlete, ever.
Basement Fridge
