New Column: Beyond the Armchair
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by user Ross K.
I've recently been doing the Highs and Lows on Monday, but I decided to end that column and start another. Too often it just repeated the same stuff in other columns (such as Stock Up/Stock Down) and frankly, I just got tired of writing it.
I started brainstorming to come up with a new column idea and I decided to develop one based on shows like Real Sports and Outside The Lines.
Every week I'll bring up a few stories that go beyond criticizing GMs and pointing out player's menial flaws. I probably won't get too deep, and I'm not going to do anything majorly investigative (I'm just looking Beyond the Armchair, I'm not getting off it), I'm just going to bring up a few stories that have more heart and emotion than the average opinion posted on the site. In other words, these stories aren't here to judge anyone.
Anyway, without further delay, here's the first issue of Beyond the Armchair. I'm still working on the format and such, so be gentle on this trial run.
A Farewell to Andre
Watching Andre Agassi fight through Marcos Baghdatis and James Blake and fight against his own body against Benjamin Becker was a thrill of a lifetime.
I've been an Agassi fan since the days of the mullet and watching his last tournament, while sad, got me up off the couch and pumping my fists quite a few times. Seeing Agassi go out not quite on top, but as close as his aging body could take, was a great sports moment, perhaps one of the last in men's tennis for a long time.
Georgia on Our Minds
Kyle Carter, Cody Walker, Josh Lester (who you have to admit, looks a little like Chunk from The Goonies) and the rest of the boys from Columbus, Ga., kept the Little League World Series title in the US, beating Kawaguchi City, Japan 2-1 in the final game.
The LLWS is one of the few things that makes me wish we had cable. I got to watch a few games while on vacation (including some of the final) and it doesn't get much better than this.
Giles Facing Heart Tests
Marcus Giles, the Atlanta Braves second baseman, has had to leave the team to undergo tests to determine if he has a heart defect. Giles told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday that he experienced pain in his chest and abdomen while drinking a soda that morning. Doctors will be testing Giles for a defective heart valve.
Giles is the latest in a string of scary health questions facing MLB players. Mets pitcher Tom Glavine and Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz have also taken time off to seek medical tests recently. Both Glavine and Ortiz have cleared their tests and the situations weren't as serious as they could have been.
As I mentioned before, I think it's commendable that these players are willing to bring these issues up to the right people during the season and aren't trying to fight it off until the end of the season.
Crocodile Hunter Killed by Stingray
Why it's not necessarily sports related - although he did have "Hunter" in his title and was in a SportsCenter commercial - I thought I'd mention the passing of Steve Irwin, better known as The Crocodile Hunter.
Irwin was (ironically) killed by a stingray while diving for a segment called "Ocean's Deadliest." Irwin is survived by his wife, Terri, and two children. He was 44.
Date
Mon 09/04/06, 5:03 am EST
