Take 5: Ping Pong Rally, Poker Busts, Drew Brees and more

     I'm finally back.  It took a a while but I had some things I needed to take care of.  Anyways, today's a new kind of post.  I call it take five.  What I'm doing is taking five viral stories from around the web and giving my opinion.  Most of the stories aren't big enough to warrant their own blog entry but I still have opinions on them that I would like to give out.  First off is a strange situation that arose in the aftermath of the Red Sox - A's trade.  

     If you've turned on Sportscenter or went on to practically any sports website recently, you've heard about the trade that sent Jon Lester to the A's and Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox.  The funny thing is, however, that the A's we're giving out free Cespedes shirts to the first 10,000 fans to arrive at the ballpark for Saturday's game.  That's right: the guy that doesn't play for them.  The A's have also now decided to make up for it by giving out Josh Donaldson shirts in addition to the Cespedes shirts.  I think this is hilarious, and a great way for some A's fans to get some free shirts.  Plus, they have a great story to tell and will be known as one of the last 10,000 people to ever get an A's  Cespedes jersey.

     Next up is Drew Brees.  He's been in the news recently for claiming that he hopes to play until he reaches age 45.  He's gotten a lot of feedback from people who think he's joking and who believe it isn't possible.  After all, George Blanda is the only QB that's ever reached 45, and that was a long time ago.  Just think about how Brett Favre was in the league forever and kept coming back for one more year.  And he was only 41 when he retired!  So yes, people have the right to be skeptic.  But as for me, I'll definitely be rooting on Drew.  He's 35, and he's still a top-5 quarterback in a league full of great QB's.  He isn't showing too many signs of slowing down, and injury hasn't been a huge concern.  He isn't a mobile quarterback, and isn't hit frequently.  In terms of situations, the cards are definitely more in his favor than someone like RG3.  I don't think he will make it, but stranger things have happened.  He's truly an elite QB, and if he can remain elite until he hits 40, he has as good a chance as anyone.

     If you haven't seen the 41 shot table tennis rally in the last few days, you're probably living under a rock.  You're really missing out.  This is an incredible point, with crazy back and forth play that simply has to be seen.  Every time you thought the point would end, there would be an incredible save.  This really leads into a point I've been wanted to make.  Table tennis deserves more recognition for being a sport that takes practice and skill, rather than just a party game.  I personally find table tennis incredibly fun to watch, and I have watched it during the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

     Are there any poker fans out there?  If you enjoy playing hold em with some friends once in a while like I do, you were probably astonished when you saw what happened in the $1,000,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Big One for One Drop, the most expensive tournament offered by the WSOP.  For those who aren't familiar, Connor Drinan went all in with pocket aces, and was immediately called...with pocket aces.  This basically assures a split pot, but not this time.  Even the players involved laughed it off.  After all, there was a 96% chance this would end in a split pot.  However, four hearts appeared among the five community cards, giving Cary Katz the knockout, and Drinan the title of worst bad beat in poker history.  The stakes were at their biggest, and he lost holding the same cards as his opponent.  It's almost inconceivable.  Almost.  And I thought my three of a kind losing to a straight was bad.  This guy just lost $1,000,000.  Now he has to try to figure out how it all went wrong.

     Lastly, the play I can only refer to as the crotch flop.  There are so many things wrong with this I don't even know where to start.  In the match between New York Red Bulls and Real Salt Lake in the MLS, there was some sort of argument which led to Jamison Olave hitting Olmes Garcia in the crotch area.  What followed was something any soccer fan could probably expect: an exaggerated fall and an even more exaggerated rolling on the ground, which led to Garcia getting yellow carded for flopping.  Wow.  First of all, it's practically law that putting your hands near another man's stuff is just wrong.  But hitting him there?  It's like the MLS equivalent of Luis Suarez's bite.  Garcia definitely exaggerated, but come on.  I know the ref probably didn't see the original incident, so I hope the MLS looks back at this and somehow punishes Olave.  There really isn't a correct word to describe this.  It's just wrong, and against man-code.  Period.

     That brings this first take five to a close.  Do you want to see more of this? I am always appreciative of comments or suggestions for future posts.

     Thanks for reading,

     Connor