In Case You Missed It...
One former Georgia player did something that only two other Bulldogs have ever done. And, in basketball, one former Georgia great has a new home, while another might be getting one soon. In other news, an all-time great had a big time in his hometown. This, and a whole lot more happened this past week, which I tell you all about just in case you missed it...
Former Georgia ace Alex Wood is making the MLB All-Star game after all. Originally, he was not selected. But, after teammate Clayton Kershaw started on Sunday, the National League replaced him with Wood (as someone indicated last week) Anyway, Wood becomes the third Georgia player ever to make a Major League Baseball All-Star game roster. The first two were pitcher Spud Chandler and first baseman Glenn Davis.
Chandler made four American League squads as a pitcher for the New York Yankees. He was the winning pitcher in the 1942 game, starting and pitching the first four innings while allowing no runs and two hits, striking out two, no walks, but he did hit the first batter he faced. The two players Chandler struck out were Hall of Famer Mel Ott and seven-time all-star Eddie Miller.
While he was on the All-Star teams, Chandler did not appear in the 1943, 1946 or 1947 games (back then, only a few pitchers played unlike today’s version of all-star games).
Davis played in the 1986 and 1989 midseason classics. In the 1986 game, the former slugger fouled out off Dave Righetti in his only at bat. In 1989, he was at bat twice, hitting a single and drawing a walk. In the sixth inning, Davis hit a line drive single to center off of Greg Swindell. In the eighth inning, he walked off of Jeff Russell, and then later scored on a Von Hayes single.
Hopefully, Wood will get to play tomorrow and continue his great 2017 season. So far, the southpaw has a perfect 10-0 record with a terrific ERA of 1.67. He has 97 strikeouts with just 22 walks in 80 2/3 innings of service. This year’s game will be in Miami, and will be played on Tuesday on FOX Sports.
Switching to basketball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will more than likely have a new home next season. Last Friday, the Detroit Pistons renounced him, allowing him to be an unrestricted free agent. The shooting guard has averaged 11.7 points per game in his four seasons in the NBA, including 13.8 last season. Right now, teams that are the most interested include the Nets, Wizards, Bulls, Lakers, Pacers, Magic and the Kings. Here’s a nice highlight package on KCP’s defense against two players you may have heard of (courtesy of someone named FEAR KCP):
From men’s hoops to the ladies, former Lady Bulldog Angel Robinson has signed a contract with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. The 6-foot-6, 30-year old played in Turkey last season where she averaged 8.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during the season, and 9.2 points and 7.7 rebounds in the EuroCup. Robinson last played in the WNBA in 2014 as a member of the Seattle Storm.
On the PGA Tour, Russell Henley had his best finish since winning the Shell Houston Open back in early April. Henley finished tied for fifth at this week’s Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It was Henley’s fourth top-10 finish this season and ninth top-25 in 20 PGA Tour events this season. Other former Dawgs to make the cut at the tourney were Harris English (T-29th), Hudson Swafford (T-58th) and Bubba Watson (T-70th).
On the Web.com Tour, Sepp Straka finished tied for 24th at the LECOM Health Challenge in Findley Lake, New York. He has three top-25’s in 14 Web.com Tour events this season.
From golf to tennis, unfortunately for Bulldog enthusiasts, it was a short trip across the pond for John Isner. Isner was ousted in the second round of Wimbledon to Dudi Sela. Sela was the 90th ranked player in the world and stands just 5-foot-9, but defeated Isner in five sets (three went to tiebreaker). Isner had 45 aces, but it wasn’t enough. He defeated fellow American Taylor Fritz in the opening round last Tuesday.
Another week, and another honor for track star Kendell Williams. This past week, she was named SEC’s Roy F. Kramer Female Athlete of the Year. Williams becomes the sixth Georgia athlete to win this award since its inception in 1992, and the first since swimmer Allison Schmitt in 2013.
Finally, the great Herschel Walker was honored in his hometown last week as Wrightsville renamed Trojan Way “Herschel Walker Drive."
Perhaps the city of Athens should do something similar, but that's just this writer's opinion.
Alex Wood photo courtesy of dodgerblue.com. Herschel Walker photo courtesy of 13WMAZ.com.