Last night, game 6 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and the Rays didn’t hit the air until twenty minutes after the first pitch due to technical diffifculties in Atlanta at Turner Network Whatnot, home to TBS, TNT, CNN, and probably some others.  At about 8 o’clock I looked up from what I was doing and noticed that the pregame was not on and instead it was an episode of Dick Clark Presents:  Kids and Celebrities are Wacky Morons.  Where the hell was the game?!  I thought maybe a rain delay, but the Rays play in a dome (even though it’s named Tropicana Field).  And there’s no crawl on TBS telling me what the heck was happening.  Ugh.  I checked the other stations on the tele to make sure it wasn’t on some other network even though my digital guide assured me it was on TBS.  Fox...nothing.  ESPN...nothing.  I went online to see if there was some breaking news I was unaware of.  FoxSports...nothing.  TBS.com...nothing.  I even went to CNN to see if the terrorists or Yankee fans had done something horrible to affect my ability to watch this relatively meaningless sporting event...nothing.  Wait.  Where can I go to get up to the second updates, opinions, and lewd humor?  Deadspin!  I clicked on their ALCS post to see what the commenters were saying.  Ah-ha.  Before TBS even ran a crawl explaining their problem, Deadspin commenters were saying there was a power outage and nobody was seeing the game anywhere in the country.  Bingo!  Instant gratification!  A few minutes later the game came on and the Sox won.  Game 7 tonight.  Alledgedly on TBS.

I am no sports enthusiast by any means, and I know this is not exactly newsworthy, or at all related to Detroit sports, but I think Handball needs a fair shake (pun intended) in popular sports.

Also referred to as Team Handball, I was very interested in this seeing this sport in action in the 2004 Olympic Games, but since I did not have an extreme cable TV package nor an internet connection, I was relegated to watching the bevy of sports that USA dominates (swimming, beach volleyball, etc). This time around I was determined not to miss out. NBC’s Olympic Coverage Online was extensive and very well organized. The only caveat being there was no play-by-play for the unpopular games. Handball was silent, save for the grunts and groans of the players on the court.

You can read all about the ins and outs of rules, etc online (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Team_handball), but I tell ya, hunt down some actual footage and give this game a chance. It bears most resemblance to basketball- most obvious of which are the offensive plays. The team spreads out around the 6m line (much like a basketball team would do around the 3-point line) with a point guard taking control of the play. The 6m line serves as a point in which no players (not even defense) can cross, although players are given “air rights” to cross the line if, say a player is running toward the goal, he/she can leap through the air and cross the plane of the 6m line as long as they take a shot or pass the ball before touching the ground. Most of the shots on goal are taken this way.

The games I watched were Hungary vs Sweden (Womens Prelim), and France vs Brazil (Men’s Prelim). The men’s game was much more engaging because they did not wear knee pads, and there was much more jumping and fast-action. But the women held their ground as well. In both games, breakaways were fun to watch because the offense could change the direction of the throw into a bounce shot in mid-air, or do a pump fake. Penalty shots were very much like that of a socer match because they are very difficult to stop. The goalie has to simply pick one way to block and go for it.

Overall, it seems like a fast-paced game similar to that of basketball with no stoppage between goals, combined with the strategy of basketball, soccer, and hockey. I’d love to play, but hey- I’d also like to play men’s roller derby.

Because I’m a senior writer here at Spirit of Detroit Sports, I get 6 weeks paid vacation, and I’ll be using a bit of that up starting tomorrow.  But don’t fret, gentle reader, I’ll be back next Wednesday to tell you how much money I lost betting on Lions preseason football in Las Vegas. Adios!

Yesterday was final round of the 90th PGA Championship at Oakland Hills CC in Bloomfield.  Padraig Harrington emerged victorious, making clutch putts down the stretch, including at 15 footer at 18, while Sergio Garcia and Ben Curtis faltered on the back nine of the Monster.  But the coolest thing about the final day of this major was that I was able to watch it in person.

This was the first time I have ever attended a round of competetive golf.  I saw a practice round at Augusta National a few years back, and that was great, but mainly because I was able to walk around on the hallowed home of the Masters.  But the crowds, the heat, the long day of a golf tournament, these are usually things this blogger likes to avoid.  When a friend called and asked if I wanted to go to the Sunday round I told him I’d have to call him back.  Why stand around in the August heat for 10 hours, struggling to see anything, when I could be on my couch, watching every shot in crystal clear HD, along with the Tigers game, the Olympics and Steel Magnolias?  Why?  Because it’s the final day of a major, you fat slob!  It’s one of the four days of the year in golf that matter (Sorry, FedEx Cup).  Sunday.  At a major championship.  And it’s in your own backyard!  So I called my friend back and accepted. 

The day turned to be as enjoyable as I could have hoped for.  The weather was cool and a little rainy, not perfect, but I prefer it to hot and humid.  The crowds weren’t bad, probably paritally due to the weather and, well, I said I wouldn’t mention it.  We walked the course a bit then hung around at the par 3 third for maybe 10 or more groups and moved on the the eighth.  We showed up just as Phil Mickelson’s group was there, and when they moved on to number 9, so did the Phil Phollowers, and we snagged their seats in the bleachers and watched the next several pairings play through, including the leaders.  We did the same at number 12.  Then we made our way to 18.  We got a pretty good view, and settled in to watch the last 6 or 7 groups come through.  We saw Steve Flesch hole an eagle from the eighteenth fairway, igniting the crowd.  We watched the leader board as Curtis, one time leader of the tournament at -4, wearing Deroit Lions team gear as part of his Reebok sponsorship, fell apart in the fourth quarter day of this major championship.  It had been the joke of the day in the galleries that he was sure to be cursed by donning the honolulu blue, and it became fact.  The leader board also showed us that Harrington had made birdie at 17, and Garcia had not, giving the Irishman a one stroke lead into the last hole.  On 18, Harrington executed his approach and putt, while Garcia did not, giving him his second major championship in a month, and giving Sergio another dagger in the heart at the hands of Harrington.  It was an undoubtedly fun and exciting day.  Next time, despite my lameness hesitations, I’m sure I’ll jump at the chance to attend a major championship.