Alonso's Two Goals Lifts Spain to Victory Over France

Xabi Alonso celebrates one of his two goals he scored against France. (Michael Buholzer)

Looking to win their third straight major international tournament, Spain has had the bullseye on their back since the onset of Euro 2012. They have also had the microscopic scrutiny of their fans and experts observing their every move. Following a lackluster effort in their final group win over Croatia, Spain looked to rebound against France in the quarterfinals.

Speaking of rebounding, that is exactly what France looked to do as well, after their surprising 2-0 loss to Sweden in their final group match. The French knew that they would have to play much better if they were to have a shot at knocking out the Spanish.

The quarterfinal got underway with Spain gaining control of the majority of possession and scoring opportunities. In the 18th minute, Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta played a beautiful through ball to Jordi Alba. Alba made a few invasive dribbles and sent a pinpoint cross across the box. Xabi Alonso was there to head it powerfully into the far post corner of the net. France tried to answer with an equalizer, but struggled to maintain possession. The French did get a quality opportunity in the 32nd minute. Yohan Cabaye elected to blast a long range free kick at the net. It tested Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, but he was able to lift it out of play for a corner. The halftime whistle blew and Spain's lead stood at 1-0.

To begin the second half, France came out with a barrage of opportunities, but a lack of quality finishes. Spain seemed content to maintain possession and lock down defensively. As time passed, the French were forced to press forward more and more, which opened up space in the back for Spain to counter. They had some opportunities, but Hugo Lloris was equal to the task. In stoppage time, Spanish substitute Pedro Rodriguez carried the ball into the French box. When he was taken down by French right back Antony Reveillere, the referee immeadiately awarded a penatly kick. The man of the match, Xabi Alonso, stepped up, fooled Lloris, and calmly buried the ball that sealed the deal.

It was a remarkable performance by Alonso. In his 100th international cap, he scored the only two goals of the match. Typically known to hang back more defensively as a midfielder, Alonso stepped and did what his nation needed him to do. The French were basically a no show. They had opportuinites, but one shot on net simply is not going to cut it against Spain. The Spanish didn't play their best game. I felt as though they got complacent at times with the lead and the fact that they are simply the better team. The Spaniards will need a much better effort against Portugal in the semifinals.

Oswalt Pitches into the Seventh in Rangers Debut

Veteran Roy Oswalt was effective in his Rangers' debut. (Rick Yeatts)

Roy Oswalt was one of this past offseason's most intriguing free agents. His injury history and inconsistency scared away some teams. But there were still plenty teams looking for a potential Oswalt rental for the latter part of this season. Due to injuries, the Texas Rangers had an opening in their rotation. They expressed their interest to Oswalt and his agent. The interest turned out to be mutual as Oswalt signed a deal to join the Rangers on May 29.

Following four rehab starts, Oswalt made his Rangers debut last night against the Colorado Rockies. The start was his first major league start in more than eight months. The Rangers offense helped support him from the onset. A home run by Adrian Beltre, a double by Nelson Cruz, and a homer by Mike Napoli, helped build a 4-0 lead. Oswalt did the rest from there. He pitched effectively into the seventh. While Oswalt did allow nine hits, he limited the damage well enough with just one walk and six strikeouts. Oswalt did run into some trouble in the seventh inning. He served up a double to Marco Scutaro, which drove home Dexter Fowler. That was the end of Oswalt's debut as a Ranger.

The Rangers did go on to win the game 4-1. Despite the long stretch of time off, Oswalt pitched quite well. Granted, the start was against the Rockies. A Rockies team that has lost thirteen of their last fifteen games. Additionally, the Rockies offensive struggles away from Coors Field have been well documented. Still, the start had to be encouraging for Oswalt and the Rangers. It will be interesting to see whether or not he will be able to regain his top form and stay healthy throughout the remainder of this season.

Cespedes' Walk-Off Home Run Helps A's Complete Sweep

Yoenis Cespedes celebrates his walk-off home run. (Monica M. Davey)

The Los Angeles Dodgers came into Oakland with the best record in baseball. Then, the Athletics proceeded to sweep the Dodgers out of town with the third best record in baseball. Let's see what happened.

On Tuesday night, the Athletics got off to a great start when they scored three runs in the first off Dodgers starting pitcher Aaron Harang. That's all A's starter Brandon McCarthy needed as he tossed seven scoreless innings. New closer Ryan Cook closed out the 3-0 victory with his fourth save of the season.

The Dodgers did strike first on Wednesday night when Juan Uribe doubled home a run in the second inning. From there, things went down hill for the visitors. The Athletics offense got going and put up four runs on the board. That proved to be more than enough for young starter Tommy Milone. Milone pitched a three-hitter in his first career complete game.

Yesterday afternoon, the Athletics were looking for the sweep with Australian Travis Blackley on the mound. The Dodgers countered with ace Clayton Kershaw. Neither pitcher disappointed, as runs came at a premium. In the second inning, the Athletics got one run when Brandon Inge hit a sacrifice fly to left to get Jonny Gomes home. The Dodgers tied things up 1-1 in the fourth inning when Juan Rivera singled home Elian Herrera. That's all both teams scored while the starters were out there. Blackley and Kershaw both pitched eight strong innings, giving up just the one run, before leaving the game.

Cook pitched a scoreless top of the ninth inning for the Athletics. In the bottom half on the ninth, a poor decision by Dodgers reliever Josh Lindbolm led to two men on for the A's. Up to bat, came Cuban rookie Yoenis Cespedes. He had just one at-bat in his previous ten games due to a hamstring injury. Nonetheless, Cespedes got a pitch he could it. A's fans held their collective breath as they waited to see if it would stay fair and be deep enough. Sure enough, Cespedes' shot stayed inside the left field foul pole and into the bleachers for a home run and the first walk-off of his career.

Oakland has now won eight out of their last nine games to pull to just two games below .500 (34-36). Their pitching staff limited the Dodgers offense to just eight hits in three games. The Athletics are winning with a team stocked full of young talent and relatively unknown commodities. Their payroll for their starting lineup is just $18 million. In fact, if you take out the salary of veteran Coco Crisp, the collective salary of the remaining eight is only $12 million. This is classic Oakland A's baseball. They could be a team to watch out for. Just ask the Dodgers.

Malkin Wins Hart Trophy as NHL MVP

Evgeni Malkin stands behind the three trophies he was awarded. (Bruce Bennett)

Evgeni Malkin is finally receiving the respect he deserves. Long overshadowed by teammate and fellow superstar Sydney Crosby, Malkin has been use to being more or less in the background. This season was not that way as Malkin arguably had the best season of his career, despite doing most of it without Crosby. Concussions limited Crosby to playing in only 22 games this season.

From training camp on throughout the regular season and playoffs, Malkin had a renewed determination about his play. After missing much of the latter part of the 2010-11 season due to knee surgery, he was ready to get out there and take on a more prominent role. The result was a regular season total of 109 points with 50 goals and 59 assists. That meant Malkin finished with the most points in the league, second most goals, and third most assists.

With the Stanley Cup well in the books, all hockey eyes turned Wednesday night to the NHL's Awards show. Malkin's season was so incredible that he not only won one trophy. Not even two. But three trophies total. First, he won the Hart Trophy, becoming the league's most valuable player for the first time. Second, Malkin won his second Art Ross Trophy as the league scoring champion. Third, he won the Ted Lindsay Award, which is the honor of best player in the league as determined by the NHLPA members. Malkin could hardly believe it. He stated, "It's the best day of my life. It's a pretty special day, and I'm very excited and nervous."

Did Malkin need these honors to earn his place among the best in the game? No, he did not. He had already won a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and an Art Ross Trophy. These trophies are merely confirmation of what is already widely known. The crazy thing about Malkin is that he turns just 26 years old next month. He is just beginning the prime of his career. Evgeni Malkin is one of the greatest hockey players in the world and should be for many years to come.

James, Wade, & Chalmers Lead Heat to 3-1 Lead in Finals

LeBron James is helped off the court late in the 4th quarter. (Lynne Sladky)

Trailing two games to one going into tonight's Game 4, the Oklahoma City Thunder knew how big a win would be here. There were definite things that looked like they were going to make that win a reality. First, the Thunder came out strong from the opening tip. They built a lead early, and it was a 14-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Next, Russell Westbrook had one of the greatest performances in NBA Finals history. Despite receiving so much criticism, Westbrook went off scoring 43 points, while adding seven rebounds and five assists. Lastly, LeBron James was injured late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a leg cramp. Shortly afterwards, the Thunder gained the lead. All signs looked good for the Thunder.

However, it wasn't over just yet. After receiving treatment, James returned to the floor with the Heat trailing 94-92. A turnover by Westbrook gave the ball back to the Heat. Dwyane Wade found Chris Bosh for the layup to tie the game up. Westbrook missed a contested jump shot the next time down the floor for the Thunder. The next Heat possession, James rose up and buried a three pointer to give the Heat the 97-94 lead. After the made shot, James hobbled down the court to play defense. A Thunder turnover by Kevin Durant lead to an easy basket for Wade. Even though the lead was only five, you could feel that it almost certainly over. Sure enough, more poor decisions by the Thunder lead to the Heat winning Game 4 104-98 and taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

If you are a Thunder fan, you have to be truly disappointed. Up until the NBA Finals, the young Thunder team would not allow their inexperience and youth to be detrimental to their play. That is no longer the case. In all three losses to the Heat, the Thunder's poor execution down the stretch has been their pitfall. Poor shot selection. Poor clock management. Not knowing whether to foul or not. These are elementary principles that the Thunder simply are not remembering. James Harden has displayed cowardice, rather than energy off the bench. As a matter fact, anyone not named Westbrook or Durant have yet to step up as needed. If the Thunder have even a miniscule chance of coming back to win this series, they must execute down the stretch immensely better.

If you are a Heat fan, you obviously have to be thrilled. LeBron James showed why he is a true star. I am not a Lebron fan at all, but his performance after the injury was impressive. He displayed grit to play through the pain and showed that he can hit a big shot with that three he nailed to give the Heat the lead for good. James finished with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists. Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers each added 25 points of their own. I have said it before and I will say it again. I have to give props to Chalmers. His performance in the playoffs has been very underappreciated. I believe that the Heat would not be where they are right not if not for the efforts of Chalmers. The Heat are just one win away from being NBA Champions. If they keep doing what they have been doing, they should be in pretty good shape.

Aaron Hill's Cycle Helps Lead Diamondbacks to Victory

Aaron Hill is congratulated by teammate Jason Kubel following his home
run that completed his cycle in the seventh inning. (Jennifer Stewart)

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Aaron Hill started his game off quietly with a single off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Hector Noesi in the first inning. In the third inning, Hill returned to the plate and belted a ball to the warning track, which he turned into a triple. A few whispers from fans keeping score might have been released into the hot evening air of Chase Field. Sure enough, when Hill returned to the plate in the fifth inning, he ripped a ball down the left field line for a double. Soon, everyone was aware that Hill was only a home run away from the cycle. His opportunity came in the seventh inning. Hill got a pitch from Mariners reliever Shawn Kelly that he crushed to deep left for a no doubt about it home run.

Hill became the second MLB player to hit for a cycle so far this season. The first was when New York Met Scott Hairston did it against the Colorado Rockies on April 27. For a long time, people have compared hitting for a cycle and throwing a no-hitter as similar in difficulty. This is because there have been 294 cycles and 272 no-hitters total in MLB history. So far this season, we have had five no-hitters and just two cycles. That trend is similar to the past two seasons. Last season, there were three no-hitters and two cycles. In 2010, there were six no-hitters and four cycles. The 2009 season was the last time there was more cycles than no-hitters, when there was eight cycles and just two no-hitters.

Do you think you know all about the history of cycles in MLB? See if you can answer these trivia questions to complete a cycle of your own. The answers will be posted in the comments section of this blog post.

Single: What is the special term used for when a player hits for a single, double, triple, and home run it that exact order?
Double: Name one of the nine players to hit a grand slam as the home run of their cycle.
Triple:  Name one of the five players to hit a walk-off home run as the final hit of their cycle.
Home Run: Name one of the three players to hit for a record three cycles in their MLB careers. (You hit a grand slam if you can name all three.)

Webb Simpson Shocks Everyone by Winning the U.S. Open

Webb Simpson holds up his trophy after winning
the 112th U.S. Open. (Stuart Franklin)

Just when you thought the players must be figuring out Olympic Club by now, the final round Sunday destroyed the remaining golfers even more. The one guy who seemed unfazed by all that was going on was Webb Simpson. Simpson had burst on the PGA Tour scene last year, but came into this year's U.S. Open having missed the cut at his last two tournaments. None of that mattered to Simpson on Sunday. He simply focused on the task set before him. With an early tee time, Simpson worked quickly through the course. His two early bogeys were erased by three straight birdies on holes six through eight. Simpson also added a birdie on the tenth hole and finished off the back nine with pars all the way. His final round ended in a 2-under 68. Simpson topped the leaderboard with his 1-over 281. He had nothing to do, but sit and watch in the clubhouse to see if his lead would hold up.

As possible contender after contender came up short, the only threats to win were two former champions Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell. McDowell's six bogeys proved to be too much to overcome. He had a 25-foot birdie attempt to force a playoff with Simpson, but it never had a chance. Furyk looked ready to win, until he somehow became rattled and bogeyed three holes down the stretch.

Webb Simpson could hardly believe it when he realized he had won the 112th U.S. Open. He stated, "Amazed. I've got no words." How did we get to this point? Well, we probably have Mike Davis to thank for that. USGA's Davis was the man responsible for designing this year's course. Last year, Rory McIlroy won with a 16-under par and a grand total of twenty golfers finished in the red. Undoubtably, Davis was told to make this year's course more difficult. He definitely took that to heart. Sunday's final round this year saw only seven out of 72 players shoot a sub-par round. From a U.S. Open that seemed to intimidate seasoned pros, Webb Simpson arose victorious. The result was his first ever major championship. It might not have been pretty, but that doesn't matter when you win $1,440,000 and a place in golf history.