Kuzul

With the news that Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren made their divorce official and with Frank and Jamie McCourt’s divorce starting tomorrow, August 30th, let’s take a look at some of the other big splits in the professional sports world.

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Top five Stories From Yesterday

1.    Tampa Bay comes from behind to get a walk-off win over Boston, but the Yankees win in Chicago to keep pace in the AL East.

2.    Jets starting LB Calvin Pace suffers a broken foot and will miss the first month of the regular season.

3.    Tiger Woods gets off to a bad start, but rallies to shoot a 1-over 72 that leaves him nine shots off the lead at The Barclays.

4.    Brett Favre commits three turnovers in his first extensive action of the preseason, but the Vikings rally to defeat the Seahawks.

5.    Waipahu, Hawaii, rolls over Pearland, Texas, 10-0 to win the U.S. Little League Championship and advance to the World Championship versus Japan.

Top five Games From Yesterday

1.    MLB: Rays 3, Red Sox 2, 10 innings:  Tampa Bay gets a walk-off home run from Dan Johnson to even the series with Boston and keep pace with New York in the AL East.

2.    MLB: Phillies 3, Padres 1: Philadelphia gets only three hits for the game but gets a strong performance from Joe Blanton and the bullpen to win its second straight on the West Coast.

3.    NFL Preseason: 49ers 28, Raiders 24:  San Francisco gets a one yard TD run with less than two minutes remaining to win the Battle of The Bay Area.

4.    Little League International Championship: Tokyo, Japan 3, Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei 2, 7 innings: A walk-off RBI single by Ryo Motegi propels Japan into the Little League World Championship.

5.    MLB: Brewers 8, Pirates 7, 11 innings: Milwaukee rallies from three runs down and wins it on a walk-off RBI single from Lorenzo Cain.

Top 5 Performances From Yesterday

1.    Nick Blackburn, Twins SP: 0 runs on 2 hits with six K’s over 8.2 IP and the victory in MIN’s 1-0 win over SEA.

2.    Dallas Braden, Athletics SP: 0 runs on 4 hits with one K and the CG shutout in OAK’s 5-0 win over TEX.

3.    Arian Foster, Texans RB: 18 carries for 110 yards and a TD in HOU’s 23-7 NFL Preseason win over DAL.

4.    Prince Fielder, Brewers 1B: 3-for-6 with two HRs and three RBI in MIL’s 8-7 11 inning win over PIT.

5.    Eduardo Nunez, Yankees 3B: 3-for-4 with a HR and four RBI in NYY’s 12-9 win over CHW.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good From Yesterday

1.    Barry Zito, Giants SP: seven earned runs on nine hits in 3.2 IP in SF’s 9-3 loss to ARI.

2.    Brett Favre, Vikings QB: 16-for-26 for 187 yards with two interceptions and a lost fumble in MIN’s 24-13 NFL Preseason win over SEA.

3.    Mike MacDougal, Cardinals RP: six runs on five hits in 1.2 IP in STL’s 14-5 loss to WAS.

4.    Jon Danks, White Sox SP: eight runs on six hits in 4.1 IP in CHW’s 12-9 loss to NYY.

5.    Chris Capuano, Brewers SP: six runs on six hits over 3 IP in MIL’s 8-7 11 inning win over PIT.

Top 5 Events To Follow Today

1.    MLB: Marlins (65-63) at Braves (74-55), 1:30 PM: Atlanta looks to stay at least a game and a half ahead of the Phillies; (Johnson (FLA) vs. Lowe (ATL))

2.    Little League World Championship: Waipuhi, Hawaii, vs. Tokyo, Japan, 3:00 PM, ABC: Can the United States produce a sixth straight Little League World Champion?

3.    MLB: Phillies (72-57) at Padres (76-52), 4:00 PM: Philadelphia looking for a sweep; (Good match-up: Hamels (PHI) vs. Richard (SD))

4.    MLB: Red Sox (74-56) at Rays (79-50), 8:00 PM: ESPN: The rubber match of the series is important for both teams as the push for the playoffs continue; (Lackey (BOS) vs. Shields (TB))

5.    NFL Preseason: Steelers at Broncos, 8:00 PM, FOX: Week 3 of the preseason concludes with two teams with QB issues at the beginning of the season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Top Five Stories Yesterday

1. Sidney Rice reveals he had hip surgery on Monday and he may miss the first half of the 2010 season.

2. Texas evens its series with Minnesota coming from behind twice to beat the Twins 4-3.

3. Bobby Bowden revealed he was essentially fired at the end of last season by the administration at Florida State in promoting his new book.

4. The Giants slug their way to a big win over Cincinnati and tie Philadelphia for the NL Wild Card after the Phillies lose for the second straight night to Houston.

5. Johnny Damon refuses to return to Boston, preferring to stay in Detroit despite being claimed off waivers by the Red Sox.

Top Five Games Yesterday

1. MLB: Rangers 4, Twins 3: Texas evens the three game series with Minnesota on a game-winning RBI single from Michael Young in the bottom of the seventh inning

2. MLB: Astros 4, Phillies 2: Houston scores two in the top of the 16th inning to beat the Phillies for the second straight night

3. MLB: Pirates 4, Cardinals 3: Neil Walker has all four RBIs for the Bucs as they withstand a ninth inning rally from the Cards who left the bases loaded to end the game

4. MLB: Cubs 5, Nationals 4: Chicago hangs on as Washington scored three in the ninth off of Carlos Marmol and the tying run on second base.

5. MLB: Mets 6, Marlins 5:  New York wins on a walk-off single by Luis Castillo to climb back over .500.

Top Five Performances Yesterday

1. Freddy Sanchez, Giants 2B: 4-for-4 with a HR and an RBI in SF’s 16-5 win over CIN.

2. Rick Porcello, Tigers SP: No runs on two hits with four Ks over seven IP in DET’s 9-1 win over KC.

3. Brandon Phillips, Reds 2B: 3-for-5 with two HRs and two RBIs in CIN’s 16-5 loss to SF.

4. Pablo Sandoval, Giants 3B: 3-for-5 with a HR and four RBIs in SF’s 16-5 win over CIN.

5. Mark Teixeira, Yankees 1B: 4-for-5 with a HR and two RBIs in NYY’s 11-5 win over TOR.

Five Performances That Weren’t So Good Yesterday

1. Ryan Howard, Phillies 1B: 0-for-7 with 5 Ks and got ejected in PHI’s 4-2 loss to HOU.

2. Kyle Davies, Royals 2B: Seven runs on 12 hits in 4.2 IP in KC’s 9-1 loss to DET.

3. Marc Rzepczynski, Blue Jays SP: Six runs on eight hits in three innings in TOR’s 11-5 loss to NYY.

4. Ivan Rodriguez, Nationals C: 0-for-4 with three Ks in WAS’s 5-4 loss to CHC.

5. Brian Tallet, Blue Jays SP: 5 runs on 6 hits in 3 IP in TOR’s 11-5 loss to NYY.

Top Five Events to Follow Today

1. MLB: Braves (73-53) at Rockies (65-60), 3:00 PM: Colorado looks for the sweep of NL East leading Atlanta (Jurrjens (ATL) vs. Rogers (COL))

2. MLB: Rays (78-48) at Angels (62-65), 3:30 PM: Tampa Bay looking for the sweep (Niemann (TB) vs. Haren (LAA))

3. MLB: Reds (72-54) at Giants (71-56), 3:30 PM: San Francisco looking for an important sweep (Bailey (CIN) vs. Bumgarner (SF))

4. MLB: Yankees (78-48) at Blue Jays (65-60), 7:00 PM: Rubber match of the series; (Hughes (NYY) vs. Cecil (TOR))

5. MLB: Twins (72-54) at Rangers (71-54), 8:00 PM, ESPN2: (Good matchup: Duensing (MIN) vs. Wilson (TEX))

Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter @TheSportsMac and go to www.thesportsmac.com for all of my previous posts.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

My two favorite sports when I was growing up were Baseball and Soccer. Today, I went the extra mile. I simultaneously watched the Braves game and the World Cup Final.  After both were over, I realized I was happier while concentrating on a game that the Braves were losing than watching the Championship game.

Similar to past lists why Baseball is better than Football, I composed a list why the MLB is better than FIFA.

1. MLB Umpires are better than FIFA Refs.

CB Buckner’s strike zone is more consistent than what constituted a foul in the World Cup Final.  Even with bad umpires, they will call a strike if its in the middle of the strike zone. FIFA Refs seem so busy looking at dives and minor physical interactions that they miss a lot blatant fouls around them.

2. MLB Managers have more stones than FIFA coaches.

MLB Managers are not afraid to be removed from a game when it comes to protecting their players, it’s actually expected for a manager to stick up for his guys. FIFA coaches seem to stay out of the way no matter what happens. I understand that FIFA has rules and such, but as a coach, your guys are more important than the rule book.

3. Baseball is an equal oportunity game.

I’m not speaking in the politically correct sense.  I mean that both teams have an equal amount of opportunities score. Also, in Baseball you will not play a man down simply because one guy screwed up.  Each team will field nine people. Unless for some reason, they choose not to.  The Yankees are not going to win the World Series because the other team had to play without a Left Fielder.

4. ‘It’s not over till it’s over.’

Baseball games do not end in ties (unless the Commissioner makes a bone head decision). You play until an inning past the eighth ends with one team having a higher score than the other.  There is no limited over time, nor is their a home run derby to decide the winner.  You play the game till it’s finished.

5. The other team doesn’t score for you.

Of course, with every sport there is a way to score on the opposing teams mistakes.  Still, in baseball you have to physically do the work to get to home plate.  You do not sit idly by while an opposing player tags home by mistake.

6. MLB players are professional athletes.  FIFA players are amateur athletes

This is not a knock against the physical demands of Soccer.  I’ll be the first to admit that it’s the most demanding physically with the exception of Aussie rules football.  It’s not physical ability that separates a professional from an amateur.

My point is that Professional players, when they fall down, dust themselves off and get back in the game.  A amateur will lay on the ground crying and wailing like a two-year-old at a Wal-mart toy section.

On a side note, I know there are exceptions in both cases, it’s just that taking a dive is not a norm in MLB.

7. Sportsmanship is a hallowed thing on the field for MLB.

Don’t believe me on this? MLB is more aggressive against PED’s, gambling, and unfair conduct than any other sport organization I can think of.  If you still don’t believe me, just look at Pete Rose and Carlos Zambrono.

Both teams in the World Cup Final should be ashamed of their play.  Baseball players do not push and shove when the umpire has his back turned.  You don’t see a first baseman grabbing onto a base runner.  Most of the time, you see the first baseman give the opposing a player a ‘good game’ after he gets a single.  

In conclusion

While I still like soccer, I’m less likely to watch FIFA events.  I hope that no kid was watching the World Cup Final and decides to emulate the players in that game. That’s probably the biggest tragedy of all.

Remember, if a team wins the World Series they did it through team work and physical effort, regardless of how they put the team together.  Any team that wins the World Cup did it by crying, whining, and were the best at not being caught by the ref.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Between the Seattle Mariners, the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers, there is a lot of talent but the teams are not consistent. Here are the top players currently playing the northwest.

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Stephen Strasburg will make his MLB debut at 7:05 ET Tuesday in perhaps the most exciting Washington, D.C. event to take place since the Obama inauguration. 

Although it will not break any glass ceilings, Strasburg’s debut will mark the beginning of a potentially groundbreaking movement for the D.C. sports scene. 

Acknowledging the inflow of young talent into D.C. in Strasburg, Bryce Harper, and John Wall, one might suggest D.C., like New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles, could become one of the top U.S. sports cities in the not-too-terribly-distant future.

At this point, the Strasburg debut is most significant. 

Strasburg is young, talented, and ready. He is on a Major League roster, and has a sizable contract.

Harper and Wall, University of Kentucky’s one-year wonder and this year’s top NBA prospect, are still in the “maybe” column.

Yes, the Washington Nationals drafted Harper Monday and yes, the Washington Wizards had the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft, but, as most sports analysts would agree, coaches and franchises must be extremely cautious in putting a lot of stock in their prospects. 

That being said, the addition of Harper and Wall to Washington teams will improve the city’s sports landscape, regardless of where its young guns end up. 

To get an idea of how these new athletes will impact D.C., ask yourself this: Where was Cleveland before LeBron James? 

A complete mapping of the changes that will take place in D.C. is too detailed a subject to deal with for now. 

We just have to wait; if Strasburg pitches well Tuesday, and if Harper and Wall shine like the gems they are, we should be hearing a lot more about D.C. in the next decade.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com