The Tour de France has 180 riders on 20 invited teams. The best team in the world is Asanta. In the current standings they have four of the top five riders. This would be like the best five averages in baseball coming from the same team, or the five fastest sprinters in the 100m dash in the Olympics all coming from the same country. This is called dominance.
To understand Tour de France team cycling, I turned to two expert sources. One is a guy who can fix any kind of car that exists in the world -- let's call him David. The other -- we'll call him Mike -- works on bikes at his shop "Bicycle Station" in Brooklyn. This should tell you something about who is paying attention to the Tour: hard-core biking junkies and gear heads – people who understand the grueling nature of the sport intimately. This seemingly individual sport requires a team-mindedness that individual cyclists may not anticipate....(Continue reading)
As the Tour de France enters its second week, there is a rift brewing between Astana teammates Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. Which man will cross the finish line first? Joining The Takeaway to talk about the dynamics of the race is The Takeaway’s sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.
Don't forget to read Ibrahim Abdul-Matin's blog post, Lance Armstrong vs His Own Team.
The Takeaway previews Major League Baseball's All-Star game with Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. The game in St. Louis tonight sees the National League trying to beat the American League for the first time in 13 years. President Barack Obama will be throwing out the first ball before joining former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter in a video address to be aired during the pre-game ceremony.
Sports history was made yesterday at Wimbledon as Roger Federer and Andy Roddick squared off in the mens' final. Federer beat Roddick in five sets, finally winning the fifth set 16-14. It was the most games ever played in a Wimbledon final. Federer won his 15th Grand Slam title, breaking Pete Sampras's record. And on the Fourth of July, two Americans battled it out for the women's title. Serena Williams defeated her sister Venus for her third Wimbledon title. Joining us is The Takeaway’s sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.
Here are some of the highlights from the men's final:
Former NFL quarterback and MVP Steve McNair was found shot to death on July 4th. Police have ruled it a homicide, but while the cops sort through the clues, The Takeaway looks at McNair's athletic achievements. He brought speed, agility, accuracy and leadership to the field, and will be remembered for his toughness, playing through endless injuries. Joining us to talk about Steve "Air" McNair's legacy is The Takeaway’s sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.
Fans are already putting together tributes on YouTube. Here's one:
I root for a Subway Series World Series every year. Why? Because I genuinely love both the Yankees and the Mets. Let me tell you why i want a baseball championship where all you have to do is go from the 7 train in Queens to the 4/5 in Manhattan to the Bronx.
In the first game of this past weekend's Subway Series, with all games being held in the Metropolitan's new stadium (which should be called Jackie Robinson Stadium instead CitiField), the Mets committed 3 unforced errors in the 2nd inning in a display of tremendously bad baseball. The Metropolitans, if you recall from history, are the step-franchise of the once great Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. Once NYC boasted the most MLB franchises of any city. This was the Capital of Baseball. For long- forgotten political and economic reasons the Giants and the Dodgers skipped town and left the city with its anchor iconic team, the NY Yankees. It was a stroke of genius to create another team, give them a Queens stadium, and combine the colors of the Dodgers and the Giants. The Brooklyn Bumbs live on in the 2009 Mets.... (continue reading)
All great champions are resilient, and, this weekend, old sports champions return to the limelight. Slugger Manny Ramirez, who helped bring two World Series rings to Boston, returns to the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight from a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy. Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong returns to France for this year’s Tour de France.
And the champions of the tennis world are shining bright at Wimbledon. Venus and Serena Williams meet in the finals at Wimbledon again. Roger Federer makes his push for the Wimbledon men's final, while American Andy Roddick attempts a comeback. For all of this and more, we are joined by The Takeaway's sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.
Here is match point between Venus and Serena in the Wimbledon final last year:
Oh Spain! You won 35 straight games. And Oh Spain, in the Confederation Cup, (a prelude to the World Cup, both in South Africa), you kept other teams scoreless with a passing style that wore down defenders until, lulled to sleep, they're not prepared when you strike hard and fast. Until, of course, you played the United States who matched you with defense of their own, blanking the Spanish and vaulting themselves into a final game against the powerful Brasilians.
So, who cares?
Lots of people. Stop waiting for soccer to arrive: it's already here. The USA players are all homegrown talents. If you peruse the roster, you’ll see. These are American born or American raised. You don’t get elite talent that can compete with the best in the world if soccer had not arrived long ago. These are the kids whose moms were the famous “soccer moms.” Yes, I know that they are only role players, but they stepped into the spotlight this week. You can compare this soccer to the same way U.S. hockey was, just before the historic upset of the Russians. They have the talent, they have the heart, they just have to get that big win to put them over the top. ... (continue reading)
The Takeaway's sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin ventured out to Bethpage Black golf course on Long Island to witness a very wet U.S. Open this weekend. He's here with the latest from the soggy tournament and a preview of tennis's premier event: Wimbledon.
For more of Ibrahim's sports commentary, check out his blog post with all the weekend's highlights.
See some of the rainy scenes from Bethpage Black in the video below.
Who is Father’s Day for? At the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black on Long Island, Father’s Day is for the fathers who love golf, on the longest day of the year, in the middle of a dreary four days of rain – all to get a glimpse of the best golf in the country.
The U.S. Open is run by the USGA (United States Golf Association), not the PGA, the Professional Golf Association. This means that some of the players who made the cut going into the final rounds were not even playing for money, simply for the love of the game and competition. Amateurs, like some people in the crowd.
Drenched, deluged fans surrendered to beer, were drunk and slung offensive outbursts. But hey, it’s a public course. Like the Phoenix Open with its have legendarily unruly fans, the folks were there on Sunday to party. The U.S. Open is the national championship of golf – like the NCAA’s March Madness and the Superbowl – attracting sports fan and revelers of all types.
On the approach, cell phones were not allowed, and little Northside Elementary school had police and security of all jurisdictions in their parking lot. Once I got through all the security and the confusion I came upon Bethpage Black. The course is long. Tiger Woods – seven behind the leader going into the last day — said, “The greens are so bumpy and slow. They’re getting slower and slower.” The conditions have made the usually firm surface less forgiving. There were few birdies. Conditions did not keep Ricky Barnes from setting himself up for a historic finish – if he can hold on and keep Lucas Glover, Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, David Duval, and Ross Fisher off his back for another round he came make history his first year as a pro. Continue reading
My aunts and uncle called me from L.A. just as the game was ending. All I could hear was a loud buzzing from my phone – it was them cheering, hooting, hollering, letting the world know that the Los Angeles Lakers are now the NBA champions.
Did the Orlando Magic realize they were in an NBA final? They looked lost. The Lakers, on the other hand, knew exactly where they were. Their five-game series win doesn't quite sweep away the drubbing they got from the Boston Celtics last year, but they did become one of only two teams to win the NBA championship a year after losing. As a franchise, the Lakers have won 50 percent of the finals they have played in. They can legitimately claim to be one of the most dominant franchises in sports.
This is the tenth NBA title for legendary coach Phil Jackson. (Jackson won as a player with the Knicks.) He coached the Chicago Bulls to six titles and the Lakers to four. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher now have four each. But this year the NBA playoffs made stars out of some previously unknown players. Guys like Trevor Ariza, Houston's Aaron Brooks (whose play brought the Lakers to the brink in seven games) and the Celtics’ Glenn Davis, whose heroics on a team playing without star Kevin Garnett, made the C’s still feel like a contender before they went down to the Magic in seven. This year also brought some players like LeBron James and Dwight Howard back down to earth. In the end, though, this NBA season was all about a 30-year-old veteran named Kobe Bryant. He showed that he can win without Shaq; he is the best player in the league; and he’s got a lot more left in the tank. He's also got a team around him that is young and hungry for more.
Underdogs had their night. In the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins stole game 6 in Detroit and the Orlando Magic won an NBA Finals game for the first time in franchise history.
The Stanley Cup Finals will have a 7th and decisive game because of the stellar play of the Penguins offense and their stingy defense. Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy scored all the Pens would need to stave off elimination. Defensively, it all came down to the last 1:41. Detroit was on the attack, with Dan Cleary charging the net on a breakaway — the hockey equivalent of a fast break. It was one on one: Marc-Andre Fleury, the Pens' steady goalie, against the streaking Cleary. Fleury rebuked Cleary's shot. Both teams collapsed around the Penguins' goal like a rugby scrum; Fleury fell flat on his belly outside the goal's restricted area. As he struggled to get back into position, teammate Rob Scuderi stopped three direct shots on goal. Then Fleury reached back and snatched up the puck with his glove, effectively ending the game. ...(continue reading)
In hockey and basketball, the finals continue. The Pittsburgh Penguins grabbed a 2-to-1 victory over Detroit on the ice, forcing a Game 7 in the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. Meanwhile in the NBA, Orlando finally found its Magic touch, winning 108-104 over the Lakers last night. They'll face off in Game 4 on Thursday. We’re getting all the details — and predictions — from The Takeaway sports contributor Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.
Watch highlights from Game 6 of the hockey final in the video below.
Tonight, while many in the world will still be buzzing over President Obama’s visit to Egypt, a great many of us will be watching a whole other drama unfold – the NBA Finals.
Defending Western Conference Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the newly minted Eastern Conference Champs – the Orlando Magic. The best-of-seven series starts in LA because the Lakers have the better record of the two teams. If the series ends up going the distance, then the last two games would also be held in LA. So, thinking of lucky number 7, here are the seven things to keep in mind as you watch.
1. The NBA loves drama. but the final's structure makes it hard for the underdog to win. Conventional wisdom tells us that the Lakers, losers last year, are hungry and have experience, and therefore are poised to win. The format is 2-3-2, which puts a lot of pressure on a younger and less experienced team like the Magic. To win, as the lower seeded team, they must steal a game in LA. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson (who has won as a player and as a coach) has never lost a series he has coached when his teams won the first game. ... (continue reading)
There are more than seven million Muslims in the United States, and they overwhelming supported President Obama in the election. To learn about what they anticipated, and what they heard, in today's speech, John and Andrea talk with Ibrahim Abdul-Matin, a Takeaway contributor, Hanien Hassan Hannesy, a resident of Egypt, and Asra Nomani, journalism professor at Georgetown University and author of Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam
Miss the President's address? Watch it here:
The show is a co-production of WNYC Radio and Public Radio International, in collaboration with The BBC World Service, New York Times Radio and WGBH Boston.
Major funding provided by:
