The Sports Review

The New York Mets manager and leading sports coach Willie Randolph had a very long meeting with the franchisee owners last Monday. Randolph was asked to pep up the players and motivate them to win more games as they have been showing poor form for the last few games. Randolph’s place as a manager was intact at least for now and he has decided that he will drive his team to win some ballgames. The Mets, who have received good reviews from all quarters, have lost 10 of their last 14 games and will have to put up an impressive show from now on to win the support of their loyal fans.

Hank Blalock, the Rangers’ talented infielder has not been given the green light to continue playing for the team. Previously he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, rendering his wrists unable to perform optimally. He is under medication and is expected to see his doctor in Texas for a follow up examination. While he will miss the three game match against arch rival Rays, Blalock has been advised to rest for at least two to three more days. Rangers’ manager Ron Washington expressed his concern and wished Blalock a speedy recovery so that he can resume playing with the team soon without being put into the disabled list for extended period of time.

The Chicago White Sox are on a roll lately and have registered their 7^th consecutive win with a 7-2 thrashing over the Cleveland Indians courtesy of some heroics by none other than Jermaine Dye. He had a three run homer in the sixth inning of the match and came up with a solo shot in the seventh to seal the fate of his opponent team. The Cleveland Indians by virtue of this defeat have had five straight losses and will need to get their act together before their next game against the White Sox team. Dye, one of the sport’s powerful hitters, has made eight home runs in this season so far.

The Kansas City Royals gave their fans plenty of joyfulness and satisfaction last Thursday when they completed a complete sweep of the three game series against the Detroit Tigers by beating them 8-4 in the last game of the series. The Royals manager Trey Hillman, who has received good reviews for his coaching abilities, made various changes in the line up for the game on Thursday by resting four regular players in a bid to keep them fresh for the 20 games in 20 days schedule that is coming up shortly. Jose Guillen, a fit sports person, completed a solo homer in the fourth inning of the game for the Royals and also scored three runs in the game. All the substitute players were resolute and played like regular players to seal the victory for the Royals.

The Oakland Raiders were badly in need of improving their defense and this was achieved by signing a one-year contract with free agent defensive end Greg Spires, an ex-Bucs player. The Raiders were on the hunt for someone to play in unison with left end Derrick and the think tank of the Raiders now feel that Spires can do that job. Greg Spires took part in the team’s offseason practice session after joining the Raiders last Tuesday. Greg, who has received rare reviews for his defensive skills in America’s premier sports event, NFL, has had 39.5 sacks in his 10-year tenure and his best season at the NFL was in 2004. 

The Atlanta Braves had a 5-4 victory against the Padres and with this win they made a 6-0 home stand. The winning hit was made by Matt Diaz in the ninth inning. Though Diaz was having 0-for -4 and was finding it difficult to play against right-handed pitchers, he acted well at the nick of the time for Braves. Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox is relieved about the fact that at last his team was able to win a One-run game. Braves got four unearned runs due to the errors made by San Diego Padres. Atlanta Braves now have their best record in Major League with 14-4 at the Turner Field.

India’s only formula one racer Narain Karthikeyan did his country proud by helping team India to win the final race of the A1 Grand Prix at Great Britain’s Brands Hatch circuit last Sunday. The 31 year old Coimbatorean had a near perfect race at the Brands Hatch circuit and was familiar with the racing track and its conditions. Narain started from the pole and made an astonishing start to the race as son as the red lights went off. He maintained the early lead that he gained at the start and only glitch in his entire racing was the slow first pit stop that enabled the eventual runner up of the race Robbie Kerr to get into the lead position.

One of the leading sports in the world’s racing calendar, A1GP, is becoming very popular as each year rolls by and the rare reviews that the racers are receiving is a testimony to the fact that this is a very popular sporting spectacle in the globe today. 

The Washington Redskins affable receiver Antwaan Randle El recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out of commission for the time being. When pressed for comments, Coach Jim Zorn revealed that Randle El was lucky to have taken an MRI scan and found the foreign body in his knee that was causing him hurt and irritation. Doctors estimated that Randle El will spend between three to four weeks recuperating. Translated, this meant that the receiver might have to miss out on offseason practices in June. Randle El expressed his regret but hopes to make a full comeback very soon.

Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa did the Ferrari proud last Sunday as they both came in the first and the second position respectively in the world’s favorite racing sport, the Spanish Grand Prix race. The win at Spain gave Raikkonen his third consecutive win in the 2008 Formula One Season and by the looks of it the Ferrari team is very much on course for many victories in the coming months. The British racing star and the most feared opponent of Kimi, Lewis Hamilton, could only finish the race in the third position.

After the race Raikkonen, who received rare reviews for his racing, said that Ferrari did not have the ideal start to the race, but had what was required to finish on the podium. The pole was the fifteenth one for Raikkonen in his career and Kimi leads the driver’s championship table with 29 points. The second place is currently held by Lewis Hamilton who is nine points behind Kimi.