Chris Turner

Amateur Sports Drafts

Each of the four major sports host their amateur drafts during the spring and summer months. The NFL draft is in April, the MLB draft is in early June, the NHL draft is in late June and the NBA draft is in late June as well. The only sport that is still active when their draft takes place is Major League Baseball. All other sports have finished their previous seasons by the time their draft rolls around.

Amateur sports drafts are surrounded by a lot of pomp and circumstance these days because all four of them are either aired on television, on the Internet, or both. Major League Baseball was never aired on television prior to the 2008 draft. Then, this year’s draft was moved to prime time on the MLB Network, which debuted on January 1, 2009.

The commissioner of each league will walk up to a podium with the league emblem on it and read the name of an amateur player being selected by a professional team. Of the four major sports only baseball does not allow the trading of draft picks between two teams in the league. Football, basketball, and hockey teams trade draft picks all the time for other picks or players during and after the regular season.

Being the first pick in the draft for any of the four major sports does not mean that you will become a star on the field, the court, or the ice. More often then not the number one pick does become a star but every now and then the number one pick never pans out as an athlete.

Interleague Play

Interleague play is in full swing in the world of baseball and some of the best matchups in the game came and went this past weekend. The New York Mets got their first taste of the New Yankee Stadium while the past two World Series winners met in the City of Brotherly Love. The Boston Red Sox visited Citizens Bank Park to take on the 2008 champion Philadelphia Phillies this past weekend, taking two of three from the Phillies.

The Mets and Yankees played three at the new stadium in the Bronx, with the Yankees taking two of three from the struggling Mets. The first game of the series was going to go to the Mets until the bottom of the ninth. Francisco Rodriguez was in to close out the game with runners on first and second and the Mets up 8-7. Alex Rodriguez swung at a 3-2 pitch and popped it up to second baseman Luis Castillo. He dropped the ball, allowing two runs to score, and giving the Yankees a 9-8 win.

The second game went to the Mets and the third game went to the Yankees by a score of 15-0. Johan Santana went three innings, allowing nine earned runs while taking the loss. The Mets are now visiting the Baltimore Orioles while the Yankees are playing the Washington Nationals.

The Phillies are hosting the Toronto Blue Jays this week and then the Orioles while the Red Sox are hosting the Florida Marlins right now at Fenway Park. Interleague play has been in effect in the Majors since 1998 and hasn’t been a popular topic with fans, players, and team officials.

Summer Barbeques

Summertime means the arrival of a lot of things from days on the beach to nights on the boardwalk to days at the ballpark and to nights alongside the grill. That’s right, summer is the unofficial season for barbeques. Barbeques can be the best time with family and friends that you will never forget. Light up the charcoal and wait and see what happens next. Some of the best conversations happen around the grill. Bonding occurs between father and son at the grill while bonding occurs between mother and daughter whenwaiting for their hamburgers and hot dogs to cook.

How many summer birthdays did you celebrate with a barbeque? How many of your family members celebrated graduation with a barbeque? How many Memorial Days and Labor Days did your family throw a barbeque or attend one? It is unavoidable. Summer is the unofficial season for barbeques. Barbeques are just as much a National Past-time as baseball is in the United States. Grab a beer and put on some music and enjoy the evening outside with friends, family members, and neighbors.

Barbeques also feature kids splashing in kiddie pools, friends tossing around the football or a baseball, a friendly game of horseshoes, a friendly game of wiffle ball, a friendly game of washers and so much more. Many barbeques last well into the nighttime, sometimes even past the hour of midnight, because people just don’t want to leave a fun party. So, if you have the opportunity to throw or attend a barbeque this summer don’t hesitate to do so. You might just have a good time.

The Jersey Shore

The Jersey Shore is a popular destination for people all over the East Coast to visit once the summer months roll around and the kids are done school for the year. The state of New Jersey doesn’t have many great spots to boast for tourists except for the Jersey Shore. Cities like Wildwood, Cape May, Long Beach Island, Ocean City, Sea Isle, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights and many other towns bring in millions of dollars each summer from tourists.

The Jersey Shore has miles and miles of beautiful beaches for tourits to work on their suntan or grab a swim in the ocean while their family makes sandcastles or feeds the seagulls. The Jersey Shore features casinos, plenty of bars and restaurants, Lucy the Elephant, a couple of award winning boardwalks, rides, the Cape May Zoo, outlets, Ferry rides and much more.

When visiting the Jersey Shore make sure you eat all of the Jersey Shore summer favorites such as fudge, pizza, ice cream, curly fries, funnel cake, salt water taffies and much more. Don’t go out in the sun without applying the sun screen, even if it is a cloudy day, because the sun’s rays are quite harmful. Enjoy the Jersey Shore this summer and take in all it has to offer.

Many people from New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland have plenty of childhood memories from growing up at the Jersey Shore, one of the most magical vacation spots on the entire Eastern Seaboard. If you can’t get to the Jersey Shore for a week this summer at least to spend a day there; you won’t regret it one bit.

Somalia

We all know about the recent capture and release of the American captain taken by Somalians a few weeks earlier.  Americans have typically been avoided by these gorilla warfare tactics.  However, their desperation and tactics have hit new levels.  Navy Seals ended up taking the boat over with simultaneous head shots to the stranded pirates.  The pirates haven’t slowed though as they continue to haunt the seas off the coast of their war stricken nation.

An article released today stated that a German cruise ship was a recent target of theirs.  Apparently, the pirates tried to board the ship 500 miles off their coast via a small watercraft.  Their efforts were deterred by on board Israeli Security Forces that laced the intruders with high pressure water hoses and gunfire.  We need to come up with a solution to stop these criminals before more attacks happen.

Softball

I started my softball league today and it was hot. We do a Sunday Jamboree where all teams play. I played basketball over the Winter, but I am still not in the shape I should be. Last year we won the championship and everyone is hunting for our heads. We got killed by the other team as we usually do for the first two games.

We have about 15 players from age 25 to 55. Most of our teammates actually show up for the party in the parking lot afterwards, not the actual game. I played a lot of sports as a child, but I stopped playing baseball after middle school because it was boring. It is safe to say that softball is a lot different than baseball, but it’s still hard to remember strategy and on field calls.

Obama’s 100

Obama’s 100th day has come and gone.  I can’t but help and think back about other Presidents that have had such a bad deal put upon them and come through.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt had one of the most profound first 100 days in office in America history.  His predecessor, Herbert Hoover, claimed that the free market would rectify the Great Depression and that the poor were lazy.

16 Million people were out of work and over 1.5 million were living in shanty towns.  In FDR’s first 10 days of office, he declared national holidays, cut the deficit by $500 million, and delivered multiple fireside chats that would prove to be decisive in correcting Hoover’s failures.  The stock market soared 15% and people began to withdraw their cash from their mattresses.

The administration passed multiple revolutionary laws like child labor reform that changed the well being of our citizens.  I hope that the recent recession upswing is evidence that Obama can lead us from doom.

Suit up!

The Summer season is upon us and that means that weddings are inevitable.  Last year was an easy one for me, but this year proves to be more of a struggle.  I have three weddings and one ripped suit.  As a result, I recently went suit shopping to deter my last minute scramble of years past.  One important thing to do when buying a suit is to engage with an informative salesman.  One who knows suits and measures correctly.  As far a the suit goes, I have learned that hand sewn suits are more resilient that machine ones.

In addition, I use a wrinkle test to grab the material and let loose to check for wrinkle marks as I am pretty active.  The shirt should be as shiny as possible and the button should be very hard.  Try to get a coat that is cashmere or wool or a hybrid.  Also, having a waterproof coating is also advisable for the sloppy women you try to court.  Do a test bend on the shoes and make sure the leather doesn’t wrinkle.

Cape Cod

There is no place like Cape Cod. Mini Golf, beaches, oceanside bars, and golf to name a few. I’m a workaholic that never really relaxes, at least my wifes says. I love going to the Cape because it gives me a sense of relaxation that I can’t get anywhere else. Just make sure that you avoid the miles long backups on the approach by either hitting the off days or the back roads.

We recently bought a Cape Cod Home on Nantucket and have hired a leading Cape Cod Remodel Company to handle the project for us. We expect to have the home ready for next year and enjoy the Summer of 2010.

There are many small quaint towns on the Cape and every one has their own unique experience. I highly suggest that you take a week off and head down to the peninsula this summer to get some relaxation. Bring your bathing suit, sunblock, and GPS.