In August...
Red Bull team driver Mark Webber won the Hungarian Grand Prix by virtue of a lauded tire management strategy and an early penalty committed by teammate Sebastian Vettel. Said Webber, “It was a bit of a gift for me, but I haven't had many of them." (8/1)
New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit his 600th home run, the 7th player in Major League history to do so, in tthe first inning of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. In anticipation of Rodriguez reaching the milestone with a long ball to left field, prices in Yankees Stadium's Sections 135 and 136 climbed from an average of $45 to $131 for some games. (8/4)
Tyson Gay upset Usain Bolt in the 100 meter sprint at DN Galan, part of IAAF's Diamond League circuit, at Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Said Gay, "It feels great to beat Usain but deep down inside I know he is not 100%. I look forward to beating him when he is." (8/6)
New York Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harrasment after allegedly grabbing Carlos Pena, father to Rodriguez's girlfriend, from a family lounge at Citi Field, striking Pena in the face, then banging his head against a wall. Said Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur, "Maybe it's a distraction we need. Not to say it's a good thing. But maybe at the end of the day we can turn it into a positive. I know for him, it's between him and his family." (8/12)
Martin Kaymer defeated Bubba Watson in a three-hole playoff to capture the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin. Said Whistling Straits designer Pete Dye of a bunker penalty that kept late leader Dustin Johnson from joining Kaymer and Watson in the playoff, "I never thought that would be in play. But it is a bunker - I could have told him that. I do feel bad for that young man, but what can you do? That's golf." (8/15)
FIFA dismissed allegations that North Korean players and coaches faced punishment for a poor showing in the South African World Cup, a dismissal based on the governing body's correspondence with North Korea's national soccer association. Among the alleged abuses, coach Kim John-hun and his team were forced onto a stage the People's Palace of Culture in front of many hundred government officials and students and then shamed for six hours. (8/26)
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols hit his 400th home run, the 47th person in Major League history to do so, in the 4th inning of a game against the Washington Nationals. According to data compiled since 2005, Pujols’s average home run travels 410.4 feet about 20 feet longer than the Major League average of 390 feet. (8/26)
The Washington Nationals announced Stephen Strasburg tore his ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that requires Tommy John surgery, in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies a week earlier. Later that day, Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman was reportedly clocked pitching at 105 miles per hour during a Triple-A game for the Louisville Bats. (8/27)
McLaren team driver Lewis Hamilton won the Belgian Grand Prix, leading but not dominating the Spa-Francorchamps track from start to finish. Said second place finisher Mark Webber on a poor start from pole position, "Once you have a micro-problem there it's massively exaggerated by the performance of the other guys. After that it was a pretty mixed-up race, so I'm happy with second in the end." (8/29)
The Chicago White Sox obtained outfielder Manny Ramirez from the Los Angeles Dodgers on a straight waiver claim. Said White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski whose tiebreaking ninth-inning homer against the Cleveland Indians delayed Ramirez's debut with the club by one day, "I finally got some protection. The guy (Ramirez) got a standing ovation just for coming out in the on-deck circle." (8/30)
In September...
The college football seasons starts 9/2 with 18 games, the first between Presbyterian and Wake Forest at 6:30 pm Eastern Standard Time, the last between Southern California and Hawaii at 11:00 pm Eastern. Says Pittsburgh center Alex Karabin of his team's 8:30 pm match-up against Utah, "Right out of the gate, we'll see if we are prepared and see whether or not we can play or not as opposed to waiting a week after beating someone who you should be able to beat... I'd rather have it this way than any other way."
The NFL season starts 9/9 with a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints. In anticipation of the season, the NFL plans to spend $50 million on their "Back to Football" marketing campaign which aims to keep up the record television ratings from last season.
The US Open finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York for the women’s singles is scheduled for 9/11, the men’s singles 9/12. This year the USTA has installed microphones in the player boxes capturing the comments of competitors' guests for the viewing audience at home.
The Championship Game for the 16th FIBA World Championship is scheduled for 9/12 at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, Turkey. The Sinan Erdem Dome has a seating capacity of 22,500, making it Europe's third largest arena after the Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex (25,000) and Belgrade Arena (23,000).
The 80th Italian Grand Prix will be held at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza race course on 9/12. Said current Formula One points leader Lewis Hamilton, "It is a very historic circuit, Ferrari's backyard as well, so one where you want to win even more. Of course, you want to win every grand prix, but there are certain ones that mean a lot more, have more significance."
The 65th Vuelta a Espana bicycle race concludes in Madrid on 9/19 after 21 stages of competition spanning 2,083 miles. This year, the overall leader of the race will don a red jersey instead of the traditional gold color used for the past 12 years.
[Cian is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York. If you like the magazine, he suggests subscribing for free.]
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