When most people think of Nascar racing, they think of a big oval that the cars go around multiple times. Sure, most of the races are on tracks like this, but over the weekend was not! Yesterday, Nascar started their engines on the Watkins Glen International track. The track is a road course, and because of its shape has a lot of unique turns that the racers have to maneuver through. These turns cause a bunch of spin outs through the race including one at the end that cost Jeff Gordon the win. On the second last lap of the race, Gordon came into the first turn too quick and saw his win vanish as he did a 360. Tony Stewart ended up taking the lead from Gordon's mistake and held onto for his win! Another exciting part of the race was when Harvick and Montoya crashed into each other. When they had their cars under control, they got out and exchanged a few words and a few pushes. I know that this is not a normal action on the track, but I found it enjoyable. It was a great racing weekend at Watkins Glen, and maybe next time Nascar is there, I will take a ride and watch it live.

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It was really nice to wake up yesterday and waste the morning away watching tennis! Wimbledon is in full session right now, and that means some great matches. With us getting closer to having a champion for the 2007 season, the matches now playing are great! I watched 2 matches yesterday. The first match was more lop-sided than I had wished for when Venus Williams beat out Maria Sharapova in 2 straight sets. The next match was very close between Justine Henin and Serena Williams. Even though Serena said she was only about 50% healthy to play, she played a great match that took 3 sets. Henin got the win, but it showed how strong the Williams sisters are on grass! I was hoping to watch a little bit of men's singles, but all of the rain delays have really messed up the schedule.

I personally think that Wimbledon is the best tennis tournament of the year. I love the grass courts, the fans, and especially the class that everyone has when they step into the surrounding areas of Wimbledon! The tournament is held every year at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in London. Some day I know I will be taking a trip to watch a few days of the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament!

Google map image: Wimbledon

I was very disappointed when I found out that the United States did not win the bid for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. I would love to take a small vacation and go watch the best amateurs in the world compete, and New York City wold have been the perfect place for this.

Late last week the US committee announced that their City of choice for the 2016 Olympics will be Chicago! The bid against other really nice cities like Madrid, Prague, Rome, Tokyo, and more will not be until 2009, but I am already excited! Chicago is a very nice and beautiful city that would do a great job hosting the games. With the amazing waterfront and busy city atmosphere, there are a lot of things for tourists to do/see when they are not watching the sports. Here is to hoping we host the Summer Olympics in 2016!

Today's website: Chicago

For sports fans, one of the biggest events of the year (the biggest for me) will happen this weekend. The Indianapolis Colts will face off with the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI. Even though I am usually wrong, I figured that I would take a stab at predicting the game. I noticed that I have been predicting a lot of the big events this year, so why not do this one also?!?!

I think the game will be a lot closer than everyone expects. Peyton has not been that phenomenal looking this year when he has had to go up against a solid defensive team. This weekend he will be facing the best defense in the league, and this could spell trouble. I ultimately think the game will go in their direction, but I feel it will be because of the Indy defense playing really well this post season and because of a last minute drive and great accuracy (especially under pressure) for Adam Vinatieri. Chicago is a great team, but I think this is the Colt's year. Even though it will not get them a ring, I would take Chicago with the spread if I was betting!

The game will be held in Miami at Dolphins stadium. This weekend is hard for any player in the league that did not make it to the Super Bowl, but it must be horrible this year for any Miami Dolphin Player/Coach. It is in your own back yard, and you can only watch.

Even if you are not a fan of football, I would still recommend watching the game...you will probably love the commercials! Whatever your reason to watch the game this weekend, I hope you have a lot of fun!

Google map image: Super Bowl XLI - Dolphins Stadium

It has been awhile since I have talked about any football. You might think big deal, but this week being college bowl week it has been hard for me! Some great games that I loved watching was the dominating win of USC and the comeback win in overtime by Boise State. I have a feeling that Monday's BCS Championship game (also known as Tostitos Fiesta Bowl) will be another game that is a one-sided domination. Who am I picking? Ohio State of course. They have showed some great performances through the year, and I cannot see Florida taking their glory away. Now, being a football fan, I really hope the game is very close (and high scoring) for the entire game. The only way I could see this happening is if Ohio State does not come in fully prepared, but who would come to a bowl game and not be prepared? The game will be held in the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals, and is the most impressive stadium I have ever seen. The stadium has a total capacity of 73,000 people, is a retractible dome, is natural grass, and is the only American building name by BusinessWeek to be one of the world's ten most impressive structures. I think the one thing that cause my eye is how the field is also retractible. How does that even work with natural grass? Anyways, I think this will be a fun game to watch. Just make sure you have your beer, pizza, and friends ready for Monday night!

Google map image: University of Phoenix Stadium

My biggest excitement this past week was opening the sports section of the Buffalo News and noticing that the University of Buffalo Bulls will be playing against Auburn University this weekend. I do not watch a lot of Bulls football, but seeing a local school go up against the #2 school in the nation is something that gets me interested! Let's start by talking about the line for the game. Currently, the spread is a whopping 42.5 points. I am sure other games in the past have had such a big spread, but I cannot remember them. UB has been looking great in their conference this year. Both of their games have gone to overtime, and they currently have a 1-1 record. The coaching looks great under the new head coach Turner Gill. I think the big flaw on the team this year is their run defense. They allowed way too many yards in the past 2 weeks, and I think you will see that large number just get bigger after this week. Auburn has been looking great. Their defense has been dominant only allowing an average of 5.7 points per game. From looking through their stats for the year so far, I can see why they have been ranked #2 this year. Even though I do expect the game to be a 1-sided match, it will still be interesting to watch and to see if they can cover such a large spread. The game will be held at Auburn, so the home field advantage should help! Have a great weekend of football (and a little golf).

Google map image: Auburn University

All summer i have been waiting for the football season to start back up. Tonight is the first game of the season, and last night's sleep was as if I was a little kid again and it was christmas eve! I rolled all night thinking of the first breakout run for the season, the interception run back for a touchdown, the tackle that takes my breath away, etc. Looking at all of the teams, I think this is going to be a great and competitive year. Even if a bunch of teams will end up with a low record for the season, I can't see many blowout games.

Tonight's game is the Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers. For some basic information, the game will be held in Pittsburgh and will be shown on NBC at 8:30 ET. i have been very impressed with Miami this year, and even though Pittsburgh is last years Champs, I think the Dolphins will come through in a close match to win tonight's game. A few days ago I would have taken the Steelers, but after hearing that Big Ben will not play and Hines Ward being questionable, I had to take Miami. Needless to say, this is going to be a great game to watch...so I highly suggest you watch it and then leave a comment after the game with your thoughts!

Google map image: Heinz Field

The talk this week about the PGA Championship is not very normal. Usually, the talk would be mainly about who everyone is expecting to win, and who will shine in the tournament. This week though, the talk is all about the first 2 rounds of golf regarding Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson being grouped together! Two rivals that also happen to be the best in the game will make for a very good pairing. After the first day, both men shot 69, and are 3 strokes behind the leader. It seems that they Phil and Tiger have been feeding off of each other, and are trying to play the best golf that they can! Even better, it is the first time I have ever seen the starting day of a tournament look as if it was the final two players on a Sunday walking down the 18th hole being tied...it is that tense! The PGA Championship is being held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Being close to Chicago, I would expect the tournament to draw in a lot of spectators. The country club has 3 18-hole courses in it, but it is best know for Course #3. Tiger Woods won the last event here (The PGA Championship in 1999), so I am sure he would like to repeat himself at this course! This should be a great weekend for golf, so keep a close eye on the leaderboard!

Google map image: PGA Championship - Medinah Country Club

I decided to meet up with my old roommate on Monday to hang out for a little. We decided that we would meet half way (between Buffalo and Rochester), and that put us in a small city called Batavia, NY. One problem is that we forgot that Batavia was a lot smaller than both Buffalo and Rochester, and that there really is not a lot for "visitors" to do! We got lucky though. It was opening day at Batavia Downs...their horse tracks. We were able to watch every race, gamble a little, and just have a lot of fun! The track was nicer than I had expected. We stayed in the clubhouse area that was very well kept, and relaxing to sit in. Before we left, we went to check the schedule of races for the rest of the summer. From now until the end of November, the races will be on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with a few of the weeks having extra race days. If you are worried you will not enjoy watching the races or you might get bored through the night, Batavia Downs has a slot-based casino setup right in the facility! My dad went with us on Monday, and I don't think he even watched one race. Well, it is a really fun time to watch the races, so I hope you get out to see at least one night of it before the summer is over. Check your local area for races happening around you. Any guesses where I will be tonight?

Google map image: Batavia Downs

Step by Step, we are getting closer to football season again! For people that are big fans of football, the Superbowl is always bitter-sweet. You love to watch that big game, but when it is over, you know the season has ended. Then comes the NFL draft. This is a sign of life the upcoming season. The next step (where we are right now) is the camps for the players to start getting ready for the new season! I am lucky to be near one of the best camps in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills practice at St. John Fisher College. They started holding their camp there since the 2000 season, and it has been a hit! They get fans to attend from 3+ different states (NY, PA, OH, etc.) and get people to also show up from Canada. I know the daytime practices are free, but I think there is a charge for night practices. Not only will you get to see the Bills practice here, but you will get a chance for some autographs, be able to purchase the new Bills attire, purchase game tickets, and be able to "test your skills in the "Bills Experience". It is a great event, so I hope you get the chance to check it out! If you are not around the Western New York area, check out what your local NFL team is doing for their training camp!

Google map image: Buffalo Bills Training Camp