
Ranking top 10 sports events June 27 to July 3 you won’t want to miss:
How will Brexit affect England’s economy going forward? Could it be more unsettling than an early exit by Andy Murray? The country has quite a bit of it on its silver platter at this moment, and considering the rebellious nature of this latest referendum to leave the European Union and become more independent doesn’t have an immediate impact on the purse available for this event. There are 28.1 million pounds to be distributed now, which is almost double what it was years ago, and the exchange rate right now brings on a lot of collywobbles.
England’s most valuable teis commodity, Murray, comes off his fifth Queens Cup win and those still treat his 2013 Wimbledon win as something they’ll never see again in their lifetime. He comes in seeded second to two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic, whom Murray defeated for the ’13 title, and one of his not-so-hidden weapons this time around is hiring Ivan Lendl as his “super coach,” to give him a psychological boost when he could be trailing at some point to a weaker American challenger, like John Isner (seeded 18th), Jack Sock (27th) or Sam Querrey (28th).
Defending women’s champion Serena Williams, whose last Grand Slam win was a year ago here, holds claim to the top seed as the top-ranked player in the field and the fact she has six previous Wimbledon wins. Sister Venus Williams, a five-time champion, enters as the ninth seed, while Americans Madison Keys (10th), Sloane Stephens (19th) and Coco Vandeweghe (28th) are representing well.
Then there’s Bob and Mike Bryan, who have won three Wimbledon men’s doubles titles among their record 16 majors. But at age 38, they haven’t won a Grand Slam event since 2014.
This runs through to the women’s final on July 9 and the men’s final on July 10.
For those not quite up to Speedo on the Michael Phelps Comeback Again Comeback: He’s entered in five events — the 100- and 200-meter freestyle, 100 and 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley. According to the schedule, his first sighting should be at Monday night’s 200 free prelims, with the final on Tuesday. That’s followed by the finals for the 200 fly (Wednesday), the 100 free (Thursday, the day Phelps tus 31), the 200 IM (Friday) and the 100 fly (Saturday), with the prelims and semifinals for each of those either on the same day or the day before. Life has gotten a bit complicated but also far more structured than it has been for Phelps, owner of 18 Olympic golds, 22 medals overall, and trying to qualify for his fifth Olympics. At the 2015 U.S. Nationals, he won the 100 and 200 butterfly (swimming the fastest time in the world) and 200-meter IM, but was baed from competing in the 2015 World Championships in Russia because of a drunken driving arrest.
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The top two finishers in each event make the Rio team, except for the men’s and women’s 100 and 200 freestylers, where six of them go. That said, NBC has a prime-time (tape delayed) airing of final events Monday through Friday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.
By the time the first weekend ends here, we’ll have the champions of the men’s and women’s 100 meters (finals are Sunday, with the top three going to Rio), the wier of the decathlon (Ashton Eaton defends his 2012 gold medal) and the reps from the men’s long jump and women’s high jump. First off Friday is determining the men’s 10,000 (favorite Galen Rupp is already on the roster, having won the marathon trials in L.A. last February). The trials end July 10.
The now-revived Old Timers Game recognizes the 35-year aiversary of the 1981 World Series championship. Yes, it’s been that long. In addition to the tri-MVP bobblehead giveaway, the exhibition game starting at 5 p.m. before Saturday’s contest promises to include appearances by Nick Punto, Skip Schumaker, Mark Ellis and Jerry Hairston Jr. — or are they still on the Dodgers’ active 40-man roster?
The series: Friday and Saturday, 7:10 p.m., Sunday, 1:10 p.m.
Also this week: The Dodgers finish a four-game series at Pittsburgh on Monday at 9:35 a.m. (SNLA); Dodgers at Milwaukee, Tuesday and Wednesday, 5:10 p.m., Thursday, 11:10 a.m., SNLA
Iceland’s advancement to this point has fed into this “wacky success” of this thing, and the round of 16 isn’t even finished. That will happen once Iceland faces England (Monday, noon, ESPN2, after Italy-Spain at 9 a.m.). Should they upset the distracted Brits ... let’s just enjoy this moment, OK? “We’re in the last 16,” said midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. “If someone had said that to me before the group stage I would have thought they were crazy. But it’s a great story and we want to keep it going. We don’t want to go home.” Can’t ever blame ’em for that sentiment.
A year ago, they needed more Red Bull than Coke Zero to keep everyone awake for the finish. First, NBC moved it from Saturday, July 4, so it would be on Sunday. Because of rain, it was delayed for hours before finally starting at 11:40 p.m. local time. It didn’t end until 2:40 a.m. on Monday with Dale Eahardt Jr. as the wier ahead of Jimmie Johnson. But on the final lap, Kevin Harvick bumped Dey Hamlin, starting a 24-car wreck that sent Austin Dillon’s car flipping into the catch fence and landing on the track upside down, where it was hit again by Brad Keselowski. Five fans were injured. Otherwise, it was just another quiet Fourth of July weekend at Daytona.
Also: NASCAR Xfinity Series Firecracker 250 at Daytona Beach, Friday, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN.
We begin Le Tour at the picturesque Mont-Saint-Michel and finish the first stage on Utah Beach at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, one of the D-Day landing spots in World War II in June, 1944. The event cycles through all the way to the 21st stage on July 24. British rider Chris Froome, who has since been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire, defends his title as a warmup before heading to the Olympics.
The Angels, on perfect pace to match a franchise record of 95 losses (1968, when Bill Rigney was near the end of his tenure), have already been swept in six series this season, including the three in a row they dropped at Houston last week. The most losses an Angels team has ever had under Mike Scioscia: 87 (his second season, 2001, which fed into the 2002 World Series championship).
The series: Monday and Tuesday. 7:05 p.m., Wednesday, 12:35 p.m.
Also this week: The Angels start a 10-game road trip heading into the July 12 All Star break, with a weekend series at Boston: Friday, 4:10 p.m., FSW; Saturday, 4:15 p.m., Ch. 11; Sunday, 10:35 a.m., FSW
The Sparks reached 100 points for the only time this year when defeating the Liberty at Staples Center on June 7. And Candace Parker only had five points in that one.
Also this week: Sparks vs. Dallas, at Staples Center, Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPN2; Sparks vs. Atlanta, Staples Center, Thursday, 12:30 p.m., TWCSN.
The Pac-12’s Wildcats (48-22), 6-0 in elimination games during the touament, are something of an underdog against the higher-ranked Chanticleers (53-17) of the Big South, 4-0 in elimination games. Coastal Carolina has never played for a national championship in any Division I sport. Four-time CWS wier Arizona last went all the way in 2012 under Andy Lopez, who retired after last season. The best-of-three series continues with Game 2, Tuesday, 5 p.m., and, if needed, Game 3, Wednesday, 5 p.m.
Also this week:
GOLF: PGA TOUR WGC BRIDGESTONE INVITATIONAL
Details/TV: At Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, Thursday-Sunday, Ch. 2
The $9.5 million purse is just $500,000 short of the recent Masters and U.S. Open payoffs and almost equal to the British Open coming up July 14-17. Shane Lowery’s final round of 66 outlasted Bubba Watson, Justin Rose and Jim Furyk for the title at 11-under last year.
SOCCER: U.S. OPEN CUP: GALAXY at PORTLAND
Details/TV: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
It’s not Copa America, but an incredibly down-home simulation that continues to roll on. We’re into the not-so-sweet Round of 16 for this blessed event and it appears there are no more amateur teams left. Although that may be a matter of opinion. If the Galaxy wins this, they have a quarterfinal game at home against either Real Salt Lake or Seattle Sounders FC in late July. Still left in this mix are the New York Cosmos (yes, they still exist, in the North American Soccer League, playing in Jamaica, N.Y.)
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نویسنده: جمشید رضایی