Weekend Sports Wrap

       Well, it's Memorial Day Weekend here in California and the US of A.  President Obama made headlines as he visited Hiroshima , Japan as part of his Far East tour.  Photos showed him at the national shrine that includes the still standing surviving building of the atomic bomb that was dropped there to end WW II.  Very emotional for the Japanese people, as it reminds them of their pain.
      Now Sports
     Golden State Warriors rebound.  The scrappy Warriors, on the brink of elimination in Oklahoma City, turned the game around late in the contest, pulling ahead in the last minutes and held on, forcing a  game 7 at Oracle Arena in Oakland.  Klay Thompson stepped up with 11 -3 pointers(NBA record) and had 41 total points.  Steph Curry had 29.  The Western Conference final game will be fun to watch.
Champions League Final
     Milano, Italy was the seen of a long awaited matchup between 2 Spanish icons:  Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid(Red and White).  Real scored first and late in the 2nd half, Atletico put in the equalizer: 1-1.  Then, nothing.  After 30 minutes of extra time, it came down to penalty kicks.  Each made the first 3, then, Atletico bounced one off the bar.  Star player, Ronaldo, made the final shot for the win.  Lots of challenges during the fray, many yellow cards assigned.  Late in the game, players left for cramped legs, a common problem in extended time.  For Atletico, the dream ended.
   Tennis
    The French Open contest, a closely watched event in Europe and the rest of the tennis world, saw Rafay Nadal withdraw for an injured wrist.  Other upsets continued as the Williams sisters performed for the crowds.  It continues.
    Stanley Cup
     The San Jose Sharks will pursue their dream championship as they enter the finals for the first time.  Silicon Valley fans will be treated to their long awaited dream of playing for the trophy for the first time.  They will be opposed by the Penguins(Penguini).
    Baseball
      The team most closely watched by Tahoma residents, the SF GIants, put on a show in the Mile High City at Coors Field.  Madison Bumgarner, their ace pitcher, went 6 innings, and left with a 4-1 lead.   Then, the bull pen took over.  Hmmmm.  What's wrong with the bullpen?  Next thing you know, it was 4-4!   Then, 5-4, Rockies, as the Coors Field Curse came into play. The Denver  Rockies started knocking the ball all over the place.
      Then, the Giants bats came alive.  Singles opened up the 7th and Buster Posey came up.  He had already hit a 3-run home run in the 1st.  A slider came up and over at belt high and Buster drilled it into the seats.  Giants up: 7-5.  When it was over, it was 10-5, Giants.  Finally, the City boys hit a few.  Posey had 6 RBI's on the day.

       OLYMPICS
      World Health officials asked the I.O.C. to cancel the Games or relocate them in the interest of health, not just for athletes and fans, but the world population as the Zika virus spreads.   No comments came in response, but the problem remains the No. 1 concern of Brazil at this moment.
Water sports are especially vexing as venues on the water(sailing, swimming, etc.) are to be held in the polluted waters of RIO's bay side.
      On top of these issues, the doping scandals continue to expand.  29 more athletes will be identified for doping in Beijing or London and banned from Rio de Janeiro.  The entire Russyan team could be suspended as the admissions of doping continue to flow from Russya.
Had enough sports?  Enjoy the holiday; careful out in the sun-wear sunscreen, careful around the fire

sport fishing in Patagonia

pit.
     Indianapolis 500
      That great American Classic, the Indy 500 saw a rookie from California capture the prize.  Alexander Rossi, the 24 year old from Auburn, California, got the checkered flag after 500 miles on the brickyard track.  As part of the Andretti racing team, the rookie driver slowed down during the last lap to conserve fuel and won by 4.5 seconds.   This win comes on the heels of his win just 2 weeks ago at the Angies List Indy run.  Not bad for a rook!