Major League
As the baseball season begins, the 30 teams duel heated battles for those much needed tallies under the W column. While the season hasn’t even begun to see the horizon of that last 162nd game, some things have been made clear, even with the season only being less than halfway done. There are teams in each division that are headed to make it to the playoffs, and those that are headed to sit in their cellars of their divisions.
AL East:
Winners: Toronto Blue Jays
Their team has been bolstered mostly by their bats. Jose Bautista has placed first and second for the team categories of batting average, runs scored, runs batted in, and home runs. From the mound’s perspective, Mark Buehrle has been dominant for the Jays, with 10 wins and an almost sub 2 earned run average. Buehrle is tied for first with the most season wins, and it’s not just him and Bautista carrying the team; the team has been productive as a whole.
Losers: Tampa Bay Rays
Their best pitcher and batter, David Price and Evan Longoria, respectively, have been way underperforming. Price has only recorded four wins for his team, a terrible number for an ace pitcher, as well as a bloated ERA, barely under 4. Evan Longoria’s bat has also not woken up at all this season (which is killing my fantasy baseball team). With a batting average of just over .250, and only 7 HRs, Longoria has not lived up to his expectations thus far. As those two have the highest payrolls for batting and pitching on their team, they are expected to step up their game.
NL Central:
Winners: Milwaukee Brewers
Even with Ryan Braun suspended for PEDs (Performance Enhancing Drugs), this team has somehow managed to stay in playoff contention. Their bats, carried by Carlos Gomez, have been explosive this season. Their pitching may have been mediocre, with really only Kyle Loshe doing above average, but you don’t need a ton of pitching if your offense is stellar.
Losers: Chicago Cubs
By now, they should be used to last place. Since the Astros have moved to the AL West, there is no other team to compete with the Cubs for the grand title of “Worst in the Central”. With a lack of both pitching and batting depth, the Cubs will be sure to stay in last unless they get a Minor League farm system effectively working.
AL Central:
Winners: Detroit Tigers
As was the same last year, they are an above average team playing in a weak division. They have a lock-down pitching staff, led by Max Scherzer. While the best offense is a great defense, Miguel Cabrera has done a solid job hitting for the Tigers. Cabrera, thought of to be the best hitter currently playing in the MLB, is in the top 2 for 4 out of the 5 offensive categories for the team.
(continued on next page)
To qualify to play at Wimbledon, players must achieve a rank of 200 or better through matches played during the previous year in either the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for men, or in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTP), for women. The top-ranking players are directly accepted into the Wimbledon Championships, while the rest of the players compete in three days of qualifying matches held one week before the actual tournament. In total, the best 128 women will qualify for the women’s singles tournament and the best 128 men will qualify for the men’s singles tournament. In the doublestournament, a total of 128 teams will qualify, 64 of them men’s doubles and the other 64 women’s doubles.
In addition, since 1977 there have been Wild Card players that are selected to compete in the championship not by their rankings, but by their other qualities and skills, such as past Wimbledon appearances. Sometimes, these Wild Card players are chosen solely to draw additional interest to the event through the choosing of popular players, or players who were injured during the qualifying rounds.
What is the prize?
The champion of the men’s singles tournament receives a gilded silver cup bearing the inscription, “All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Championship of the World”. The women’s singles champion receives a sterling silver dish often referred to as the ‘Venus Rosewater Dish’, decorated with mythological figures. The winners of the doubles events receive a silver cup, and runners-up receive an inscribed silver plate. Trophies are presented to the winners by Prince Edward, president of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
Winners not only receive trophies for their success—since 1968, prize money has also been awarded to players, and a great deal of it too. The winner of both the men’s and women’s singles tournament receive £1,600,000, or about $2,687,520. Prize money is also awarded to every player all the way up to the first-round losers, who receive £23,500 or about $40,000.
8
Base Ball