April Sports Update Part 1
It may just be the best time of the year for any fan of professional sports. The NBA playoffs are just underway and are proving to be one of the most interesting playoffs in recent years. The NHL playoff also has started and now is in the conference finals. The MLB has also just kicked off this season and some of the offseason picks are showing how they will affect their new teams. NFL just had their annual draft and welcomed in 252 new players.
Major League Baseball
Well it’s really early in the season so its hard to tell exactly which teams will emerge as the elite of MLB this year. However its is pretty clear that the New York Yankees are going through an awkward transition period after being under George Steinbrenner’s ownership for the past 35 years. This year under Steinbrenner’s son, Hank, the Yankees are next to last in their division after the first 28 games. Still, the Yankees always seem to slump early in the season and elevate their level of play after the All-Star Break. In other news, Barry Zito of the Giants has been moved to the bullpen due to his dramatic drop in performance. Barry Bonds remains unemployed even though he has made it well known that he is training and desires to return to the MLB. It is unclear if he will ever get a chance to return to the MLB.
Indy Racing
Perhaps the most interesting news in the sports world is Danica Patrick’s victory at Japan’s Indy 500 race. With the win Danica became the first woman ever to win an Indy Car race. Now that she's won a race, one wonders just how much longer it will be before Patrick says goodbye to Indy racing and takes a hard look at NASCAR, which she has always seemed to have her sights set on.
In Other Sports News
ESPN2 has recently created a documentary of the wrestling team of Brandon High School. The documentary focuses on Brandon’s wrestling coach, Russ Cozart and the remarkable streak of the school as the team has been undefeated in 34 years through 439 consecutive dual matches. The documentary gives an emotional account of the trials and tribulations of Cozart and his team as the streak is finally broken this year. The movie is appropriately titled “the Streak” and began airing on April 29th.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of 4-H Youth Mentor Eric Yuan. Do you disagree or have something to add? Click here to have your message posted on our website.
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