Created by Matthew J. Goldberg, tipofthegoldberg.com
The NFL counts down 13 days until Super Bowl XLVI, the Australian Open is in full swing and NL MVP Ryan Braun accepts his award as he awaits his fate for the start of the 2012 season.
RYAN BRAUN’S EVENTFUL WEEKEND
2011 was mostly the best of times for the Milwaukee Brewers’ sensational left fielder Ryan Braun. He was the driving force of the Brewers’ NL Central-winning team and had a monster NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks before the Brew Crew lost to the rival (and eventual world champion) St. Louis Cardinals in a compelling National League Championship Series.
Braun’s productive season was rewarded with another starting slot in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and he was also voted the NL MVP by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Braun became only the fifth Jewish ballplayer to win a regular season league MVP. (Actually, given our percent of the population, that’s not too shabby.) Braun was in New York Saturday evening to accept his trophy at the BBWAA banquet.
Of course, a funny thing happened on the way to that forum. In mid-December, word leaked that the Brewers slugger was facing a possible 50-game suspension for allegedly using a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Ryan Braun made his case before a three-member panel just two days before the banquet; the panel has up to 25 days to render its judgment. You may see Braun’s acceptance speech here, courtesy of sportsgrid.com.
The charismatic slugger, who has never been linked to any scandal or harsh whispers prior to this, has steadfastly maintained his innocence but no details have been provided. In this speech excerpt, he did not refer to the looming controversy directly:
“We have an opportunity to look at those challenges and view them either as obstacles or opportunities. I’ve chosen to view every challenge I’ve ever faced as an opportunity and this will be no different. I’ve always believed that a person’s character is revealed through the way they deal with those moments of adversity.
“I’ve always loved and had so much respect for the game of baseball. Everything I’ve done in my career has been done with that respect and appreciation in mind. That is why I’m so grateful and humbled to accept this award tonight.”
THE NFL: THE PATRIOTS AND GIANTS TO MEET AGAIN
It was just four years ago that the New York Giants upset the 18-0 New England Patriots 17-14 to capture, surprisingly, Super Bowl XLII. Well, if you liked that one, the two teams will meet again in Super Bowl XLVI, February 5 in Indianapolis.
Both of Sunday’s championship games went down to the wire. In the AFC tilt, the Patriots overcame a rare off-game by superstar quarterback Tom Brady to squeak past the Baltimore Ravens, 23-20. The Ravens, who received a strong performance from oft-maligned signal caller Joe Flacco were inches away from scoring the winning touchdown with less than one minute to play. A relatively easy 32 field goal to put the game into overtime sailed wide left as time expired.
Versatile player Julian Edelman played on offense, defense and special teams for the Pats, rushing once, catching a pass, returning two punts and making a tackle.
The New York Giants needed a muffed punt return and a fumbled punt return in overtime to survive on the right end of a 20-17 score versus the host San Francisco 49ers.
THE NBA: A VERY QUICK LOOK
Detroit Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank led his team to a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night. That was the good news: the bad? The win upped their record to 4-13.
Israel’s own Omri Casspi and the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three straight to fall to 6-9.
New Jersey Nets’ backup point guard Jordan Farmar produced a solid 13 points and four assists in 22 minutes to lead his team to a 97-87 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats Sunday night.
The New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire—despite playing 45 minutes Saturday night in a double overtime loss to Denver—shot only nine times, scoring 12. Something’s out of whack for the Knicks, who lost their sixth straight contest to plummet to a 6-10 record.
NHL: A QUICK, RINKY-DINK ROUNDUP
Michael Cammalleri’s new stint with the Calgary Flames has been a mixed blessing. Last week, we reported that Cammmalleri (who had just been traded by the Montreal Canadiens) scored his team’s lone goal in his 2012 Flames debut. This past week, Cammmalleri has not registered a point or an assist in his last three games. Ironically, Calgary has captured five of six available standings points with two wins and an overtime loss. That aside, I’m sure they still want the talented winger to light the lamp in back of the opposing goalie once in awhile.
Eric Nystrom scored the first goal of the game Saturday night for the Dallas Stars in their clash with the Minnesota Wild. It would not stand up: Minnesota skated away with a 5-2 win. Nystrom’s teammate, defenseman Nicklas Grossman, is a solid plus-5 for the team.
If the season ended today (of course, it doesn’t, but most teams have played more than half of their regular season games), neither Cammalleri’s
Flames nor Nystrom’s Stars would qualify for the playoffs.
TENNIS: CHECKING THE JEWISH WIZARDS OF OZ
The Australian Open, the first major tennis tournament of the calendar year, has reached its halfway point and the quarterfinal matchups are taking shape. In men’s singles, as expected, the top four seeds—Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray—are all still alive, and could again fill up the semifinal brackets.
All four of the top women—Caroline Wozniacki, Petera Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova are also still rallying with purpose. Interestingly (and sadly, for our country’s tennis fans) there is only one US singles players (male or female) still playing, the always dangerous Serena Williams, who is seeded 12th. Her low seed is more the case of injuries and lack of tournament play than any slippage in her level of play when healthy. Also, watch for Belgium’s 11th-seeded Kim Clujsters, the defending champion?
Of the ten players mentioned, they represent nine different countries. So, nu, how about Israel?
Jerusalem’s Shahar Peer, (24 years old, and the 34th ranked player in the world) opened the tourney successfully, drubbing Australia’s Isabella Holland, 6-2, 6-0. A 6-0 set is often called a bagel, and in tennis, it is much better to dish out a bagel then be served one. Germane to this discussion, Peer is coached by Harold Solomon, who once comprised (with Eddie Dibbs) one half of a terrific Jewish doubles team known as The Bagel Twins.
The second round was not as kind to Peer, who lost 6-1, 6-2 to Germany’s 14th-seeded Sabine Lisicki. At least, she wasn’t bageled. (Rugelached?) In doubles, Shahar and her partner, Russia’s Vera Dushevina, lost in the second round.
In men’s doubles, the Israeli team of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram gave the number-one seeded Bryan Brothers (Bob and Mike of the US) a battle before falling by a score of 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. It is no shame to lose to, arguably, the greatest doubles team of all-time, just bad fortune for Ehrlich and Ram to draw them in the first round.
Ram and Russia’s Yaroslava Shvedova (great name, if you’re not in a hurry) have advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles tourney.
Israeli’s top-ranked male singles player, Dudi Sela, lost his opening-round match to Brazil’s Tomaz Bellucci 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, 6-3. The second-ranked player in Israel, Amir Weintraub, lost his preliminary, qualifying match.
As I type, Merrick, NY’s own Scott Lipsky is still playing in both men’s doubles and mixed doubles. He and partner Rajeev Ram (from the US, with no known relation to Andy Ram) advanced to the quarterfinals with a straight-sets win over the No. 4 team of Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna.
In mixed, he and the Czech Republic’s Vladimira Uhlirova (no additional spell-check required) await a second-round match, having also scored a straight-sets opening victory.
On that victorious note, it is time to sign off from today’s edition of Bagels and Jocks. See you next Monday right here. Please feel free to share some dialogue below. If you would like to bring another Jewish athlete or mover-and-shaker to my attention, please contact me via this site or by e-mail.
Matthew J. (call him Matt) Goldberg will be taking a look at “This Week in Jewish Sports”) every Monday on www.jewocity.com. Please send feedback or suggestions to Matt@tipofthegoldberg.com.
For information about Matt’s books, sports columns, speaking events and requests for appearances and custom writing, please visit www.tipofthegoldberg.com, or contact him via email.
