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Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: Shark, Taylor, NL East

Jul 21, 2008, 12:20 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Greg Norman vs. Tiger Woods, Jason Taylor vs. Bill Parcells, Phillies vs. Mets vs. Marlins, Angels vs. AL Field, Thunder vs. Heat, Crew vs. West Ham and More. â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: It seems fitting during a “Norman Like It Was 1986” weekend so steeped in nostalgia that the Shark choked away yet another big tournament. â†µ

â†µâ†µOh, sure, his sudden relevance was exciting. But not necessarily in a healthy way: â†µ

â†µâ†µWithout Tiger Woods around, it says a lot about the state of golf that they have to lean on a player more a decade past his sell-by date to make things interesting. â†µ

â†µâ†µBut, yes, I watched. â†µ

â†µâ†µI watched not for the chance to see him win some crazy, improbable victory -- but for reassurance that even in this unpredictable world we live in, we can still count on the ol’ Norman Sunday choke-job. â†µ

â†µâ†µGolf has a serious problem: Without Woods, the sport has to rely on novelty and nostalgia. (Who do they think they are, the NBA?) â†µ

â†µâ†µThen again, maybe I have it backward: What if novelty and nostalgia turn out to be, like, 90 percent of the reason we watch sports? â†µ

â†µâ†µ“I have never seen anything like this before” and “I haven’t seen anything like this since ...” ARE powerful reasons to sit on the couch and tune in. â†µ

â†µâ†µHmm: What’s Lee Trevino up to these days? â†µ

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â†µNFL: Dolphins trade Jason Taylor to the Redskins for draft picks. Taylor and Tuna were never going to work; this was inevitable. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe timing couldn’t be better: The Skins just lost DE Phillip Daniels to a season-ending knee injury on the first day of their training camp. â†µ

â†µâ†µParcells rids himself of a pest: Tiki Barber in teal, who seems to care more about his long-term TV career than his team’s immediate future. â†µ

â†µâ†µFor his part, Taylor will undoubtedly enjoy D.C.‘s culture of celebrity, even if most of the celebrity is “Famous for D.C.” â†µ

â†µâ†µMike Florio has a must-read analysis of the situation’s 10 implications. â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Hmm: In a bit of a coincidence, the Rams signed top pick DE Chris Long on Sunday, which should remind fans of the “Long” draft debate.) â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Instant History: Baseball in New York is back. Feel free to insert your own half-hearted sigh here. â†µ

â†µâ†µYankees sweep A’s: As mediocre as the Yanks looked earlier this season, are they actually now considered overachievers? â†µ

â†µâ†µMets move into tie for 1st in the NL East: Give team execs credit for jettisoning Willie Randolph and turning the season around. â†µ

â†µâ†µMarlins close to NL East lead, too: Are fans focusing on the wrong low-payroll phenom from Florida? â†µ

â†µâ†µBest team in the AL? Well, the Angels just swept the Red Sox in Anaheim and LAA extends its best record in the league. So there’s that. â†µ

â†µâ†µDodgers rally to beat D’backs: You either mind that division leader(s) are under .500 or you don’t care. I just want a pennant race. â†µ

â†µâ†µCards sweep: What a way for surprisingly contentious St. Louis to start the 2nd half, a 4-game sweep of the Padres on a walk-off grand slam. â†µ

â†µâ†µPhenom Watch: Taylor Teagarden, the Rangers C whose first career MLB hit was a HR that proved to be the winning difference. Not bad. â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Trade Deadline Week: The Brewers keep pushing, acquiring 2B Ray Durham during the very series they were sweeping the Giants in SF. â†µ

â†µâ†µDurham apparently won’t replace Rickie Weeks every day, but once a week, he will offer a 110-point OPS improvement down the stretch. â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA: Oklahoma City ... Thunder? That’s the rumor. As far as names go, “weather” could be worse. It worked for the Heat ... for a while. â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Meanwhile, there were reportedly 16,000 requests for season tickets from OKC fans. That’s not a bad start to relocation.) â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Summer in Vegas: The 10-day mini-season is over, and there were a few standouts: Portland rookie combo guard Jerryd Bayless was unstoppable offensively; he was named summer MVP. And it was obvious that the T’wolves’ Kevin Love was the best frontcourt player in the field (though his Achilles strain Saturday has to be a bit of a scare). â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Warriors’ Anthony Randolph showed way more proficiency than his draft stock would have predicted. The Rockets’ Donte Greene showed an NBA-worthy ability to score. And, beyond the rookies, Anthony Roberson earned himself a deal with the Knicks. â†µ

â†µâ†µOlympic Hoops: Germany is in, Puerto Rico is out. You kind of want to say “How could a team with Dirk Nowitzki and Chris Kaman NOT make the 12-team field?” Then again, P.R. thumped the U.S. in ‘04. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe field is set: Germany joins the U.S., China, Spain, Angola and USA Hoops nemesis Greece in Group B, where the top 4 will advance to the quarters. The U.S. starts training today. â†µ

â†µâ†µ(The other group includes Lithuania, Argentina, Russia, Australia, Croatia and Iran. If Argentina is healthy, gold is no gimme for the U.S.) â†µ

â†µâ†µIn case you missed it: Deron Williams signed a max deal keeping him with the Jazz ... but only for 3 years, not 5. Shoals has context. â†µ

â†µâ†µSoccer: Brawl in MLS. Columbus Crew fans apparently wanted to earn their “soccer hoodlum” bonafides by taking on some EPL fans. â†µ

â†µâ†µA 100-person brawl between Crew fans and visiting West Ham fans gave new meaning to the word “friendly.” â†µ

â†µâ†µ(It was the 2nd notable incident from Crew fans this season; in May, one fan yelled a racial slur at a Revolution player.) â†µ

â†µâ†µWomen’s Golf: Michelle Wie added an ignominious chapter to her spotty career with that Saturday DQ for missing a scorecard signature. â†µ

â†µâ†µ(Prediction: Wie will drift in and out of incidents like this for another decade, before finally settling down to dominate in her 30s.) â†µ

â†µâ†µAuto Racing: Danica Patrick is quickly developing a rep for having a massive attitude problem. If it isn’t storming off the track after an accident, it’s mixing it up with Indy Car femme fatale Milka Duno. â†µ

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(Video via Fan IQ)

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â†µSports and Politics: Your obligatory Barack Obama hoops video from his trip to the Middle East. (Now THAT is a pressure-packed 3!) â†µâ†µThe Last Word: Nate Robinson had his summer-league jersey retired. That alone sort of invalidates the entire thing, doesn’t it? Imagine an NFL team retiring a player’s jersey for continued excellence in the preseason. â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. â†µ

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