Like a final swell of momentum, like a goal that comes just in time to send a game to penalty kicks, the game of soccer seems about ready to deliver some fantastic performances at all the right moments. In the Copa America we finally saw the breakthrough of more than two goals being scored by a team in a game. And we’ve got the elimination games coming up Saturday. In the FIFA Women’s World Cup all the right elements have come together for the final. Japan has played heartwarmingly well. They gave us this stunning goal, they have the hardiness and beauty of those small pink flowers, the Nadeshiko. The American team has thrilled us, especially by taking out Brazil as they did. They’re looking to recapture their glory of 1999 (the ghost of Mia Hamm). It’s always good when a tournament pays off in excitement what you’ve invested in it throughout.
But while all that’s building anticipation, what, you ask, were the payoffs this week in the, I don’t know, cryptogramatic world of sports stories? An excellent question.
1. 3000 reasons to live. After returning the home run hit ball that marked Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit, Christian Lopez, a cell phone salesman, will be commemorated with his own baseball card. After throwing the pitch that Jeter knocked out of the park, David Price, starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays, has negotiated a deal to sign a limited number of baseballs with the inscription “I gave up DJ’s 3k.” Sure, Derek Jeter crossed the threshold into the land of 3,000+ career hits with a magical Saturday afternoon game that saw him go 5 for 5 from the plate, but what’s in it for us?
2. Friday night forever. Emmy nominations for Friday Night Lights began to roll in last year, and now, after the show’s final season, it might bring home some hardware. Man, what gorgeous and tearful combination of sports and drama. If going to small town Texas and living among the high school football enthusiasts presented any kind of career opportunities, this show could have done as much for me as I imagined Fame would when I was a kid. I would’ve definitely gone to that school.
3. Stay for the ending. After kicking off an ill-fated ad campaign that drew some fairly immediate criticism, how’s it all shaping up at the Roger’s Cup this summer in Toronto? Well, the world of women’s tennis right now is exciting thanks to the fact it’s still a pretty open field. The personalities are there, the tennis is great. The biggest names have committed to coming for the tournament, and the Roger’s Cup changed their slogan from “Come for the Ladies. Stay for the Legends” to “Making History. Re-living History.” It feels like there’s little to get in the way of good tennis now, which is a win for the tournament. And now, the tennis itself.
4. Ever uphill. The Tour de France has launched into the serious climbing stages. It’s almost time for the leader board to change, with some of the real race favorites starting to show up. (Except, of course, that probable favorite, and most decorated rider in the tour, Alberto Contador is riding under the sign of a positive drug test already. The incident has been explained as a case of tainted meat. But that alibi just might not hold up, and everything he accomplishes this tour, like possibly even winning, will be erased. This could be a set up for some real disappointment.)
5. The saga comes to a standstill. The case against Roger Clemens has just been declared a mistrial, due to procedural incompetence on the part of the prosecution. George Vecsey reported in the New York Times that the jury heard evidence that had already been deemed inadmissible, and you can’t unring that bell. And we can’t unfeel the disappointment of there being no conclusion (let alone payoff) to this story. Clemens was widely reported to have left the courthouse humbly.
