There is very little happening today in the world of sports. No, the ESPYs don't count as something happening. So here are some quick thoughts on a few recent headlines.
Drew Brees might hold out of Saints' training camp. I can tell you this — Matt Forte means less to the Bears this season than Brees does to the Saints. In the wake of their bounty scandal, the Saints were going to have a tough enough time anyway. But Brees means more to the Saints, to me, than any other NFL player means to his team. That they haven't paid him yet is stupefying. If this carries into the season, it could leave the Bears with one less contender to worry about in a stacked NFC.
Eddie Olczyk named to U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Olczyk played hockey long before I really got into it, but I learned some time ago that he had a nice career. He had 342 goals and 452 assists in 1,031 games. Olczyk was later a coach before becoming a color analysts for both local Blackhawks broadcasts and national games on NBC and the NBC Sports Network, where I very much enjoy his work today. Good for him.
NL defeats AL 8-0 in MLB All-Star Game. I won't pretend I watched a second of it — after Justin Verlander gave up five runs in the top of the first, or even before. But it's at least a little interesting to see what the Chicago players involved did. The answer this year is not much. Two White Sox, Adam Dunn and Jake Peavy, didn't even play. Chris Sale gave up two hits but managed a scoreless inning. Paul Konerko got hit by a pich. Cubs Bryan LaHair and Starlin Castro were a combined 0-for-2. I'm going to go way out on a limb and say I didn't miss anything I should be regretting today.
