| Chase Utley
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| Utley was a leading contender for the 2007 National league MVP award. That was until yesterday, when Utley was hit by a pitch against the Washington Nationals. The errant ball broke the ring finger on Utley’s right hand. He had surgery today and is expected to be out of the line-up for at least a month.
The Philadelphia Phillies are surprisingly still in the playoff race for the NL. Even though the club is extremely weak in the pitching department, they are loaded on offense. The loss of Utley will hurt, however, the team may still contend, if the pitching steps up. Okay, that is a big if that is unlikely to occur.
It is a shame that Utley was injured. Injuries, however, are a part of baseball, and should be expected. This injury ends the chances of Utley winning the MVP Award this year. On the other hand, this injury drastically increases the chances of a repeat MVP performance by Utley’s teammate, Ryan Howard. Anyway, Chase Utley breaking his hand and being lost for at least the next month earns Utley a Friday Fryer nomination this week.
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| Sergio Garcia
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| Sergio is choking! Someone perform the Heimlich Maneuver on Sergio. Oh wait, too late. The British Open has already been lost!
This past weekend, Sergio Garcia positioned himself to win this year’s British Open. He was in first place after the first three rounds. He could smell the victory. In the end, however, he lost his lead, and then the playoff. No glory for you this year, Sergio!
It is never fun watching a player or team choke when they have a game or the championship in hand. Trust me, I am a Philadelphia sports fan. I have seen this happen when too many times. This week, the misery asserted itself onto Sergio.
Golf requires a great deal of mental preparation and focus. Sergio lost that last Sunday and it resulted in him losing the Open. What is worse is that this incident and create a mental block that Sergio will never get pass. It is truly sad, but it does earn Sergio a Friday Fryer nomination this week.
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| Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy
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| One is a alleged dog abuser. The other is an alleged degenerate gambler who may have altered the outcome of several NBA games. Both of them had careers in professional sports. Both of those careers are now likely over. Welcome to the great sports crisis of 2007!
Both of these scandals hit the front pages last week. Both of these scandals earned there way onto the Friday Fryer last week. Yet, they are still here this week. What is worse is that they may be on this again soon.
Both of these scandals currently involve only one sports figure. This, however, may soon change. There are rumblings that other NFL players may be involved in dog fighting. There are also rumblings that other NBA referees and / or players are involved with gambling.
Sadly, these scandals, especially the NBA one, may be the beginning of the end of professional sports in North America. Look, if the game has no credibility, it is simply the WWE. If that is the case, there are other things that I can spend my free time and money on. Hence, Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy earn Friday Fryer nominations this week.
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