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Monday August 31

Tennis: The US Open

It runs from August 31 until September 13. Although not all of us are big tennis fans, this is a must see as it is the last of the big four grand slam tournaments and the only one on American soil. It won’t be Roger Federer’s record breaking 15^th grand slam victory, but it might be a further record breaking 16^th. The tournament will also feature Rafael Nadal who will be looking to improve upon his semi-final finish at last year’s open as well as bounce back from a series of knee problems that have seen him only play seven matches in the past two and a half months. Nadal, who has gone from ranked number 1 in the world to number 3 because of his injuries, will have to hope that the rigorous part of the season that he has missed out on will keep his knees fresher this year as many speculate that the season wears down his knees so much that by the time the US Open rolls around he has nothing left in the tank. In the same side of the draw as Nadal is second ranked Andy Murray who continues to look for his first grand slam win. As last year’s finalist, Murray will have a lot to prove and should not be underestimated. Generally speaking, I am conservative in my tennis picks but I am sick of Federer winning so this is the year an Andy wins the US Open. Whether its Roddick or Murray, well I am hedging my bet and hoping to see them play in the finals.

Tuesday September 1

Baseball: Boston Red Sox at Tampa Bay Rays

With the playoff race heating up in the American League, this three game series between the wild card race leading Boston Red Sox and four and a half games back Tampa rays Rays is even more crucial. With the second placed Texas Rangers only two and a half games back and about to open a series with sub .500 Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox – Rays series could make the race even closer. This series could also see the Rays fall out of the playoff picture entirely having traded starting pitcher Scott Kazmir to the Los Angeles Angels and with their next twelve games seeing them play six games against Boston, three against the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers, and three against the best team in baseball (The New York Yankees). My sincerest hope is that the Rays sweep, but look for the Red Sox to sweep and to continue en route to clinching the Wild Card spot.

Thursday September 3

College Football: #16 Oregon at #14 Boise State

The College Football season is finally here and already we have a game with two ranked teams. Though this game won’t get anyone’s pulses racing based off of the teams involved, Boise State (arguably) unfairly missed out on a BCS bowl last year after an undefeated regular season and Oregon won the Holiday Bowl. Both return their starting Quarterbacks, though Boise State’s Sophmore QB Kellen Moore will be without four of his top five receivers from his spectacular freshmen season. After last year’s semi-shocking victory by Boise State over Oregon in Eugene, look for Oregon to return the away victory favor; beating the broncos in Boise.

Football: Philadelphia Eagles at New York Jets

Preseason football games don’t usually bring excitement to anyone but this game is different; Michael Vick is playing again. I know it isn’t his first game back but it will continue to be intriguing to see a player who spent two seasons during his prime in jail out there again throwing the football and trying to emulate the human highlight film Vick became known for at both Virginia Tech and for the Atlanta Falcons. New York is also a very brutal place to play when there’s dirt on you so I am interested to see how the Jets fans treat the convicted dog killer. Beyond the circus that will continue to follow Vick, it will also be interesting to see how recently named starting Quarterback Mark Sanchez plays. He has been inconsistent in my opinion, though most rookies are, and a lot will be expected of him as we get closer to the regular season. With preseason games where teams are putting together pieces of their seasons puzzle super inconsistent in their results (after all Detroit has won two games after losing 17), I have no idea who is going to win this game; what will be more important is how the quarterbacks play and I expect Vick to put up small numbers and Sanchez to put up big ones.

Friday September 4

UVA Women’s Volleyball: Versus North Carolina Central, VCU(both Friday) and Campbell (Saturday)

UVA women’s volleyball hosts the Holiday Inn Jefferson Cup with VCU, Campbell, and North Carolina Central also participating. The game versus NC Central is at 1pm, versus VCU at 7pm and versus Campbell at 3pm on Saturday. The game versus VCU is also an Orange Passport event, which in light of my faith in the basketball team and new head coach Tony Bennett, will be important to attend so as to get seating preference. After a not as good a result as they would have liked in the Texas A&M Invitational (losing to Northern Iowa and Texas A&M), the women’s volleyball team look to rebound at home and need our support. With a new coach in Lee Maes this year, it will be important for both confidence in Maes by the current players and for recruiting potential players for this season to yield better results. Go out and support the team and enjoy the games as they look to win three in a row and become Jefferson Cup champs.

Saturday September 5

UVA Football: William and Mary

The much anticipated UVA football season kicks off with a cupcake game against the weaker (academically and athletically) William and Mary Tribe. It should be a great exhibition of our revamped wildcat offense that will see quarterback turned cornerback Vic Hall return to his original QB position as well as the return of Jameel Sewell and last year’s starting QB Marc Verica. For the first time possibly ever in UVA’s football history we have three legitimate starting QB prospects which gives this season a possibly undeserved optimism. Though this is by no means a football preview, I do expect the team to hover around .500 this season and for our rotation of QBs to lead to inconsistency. With the kickoff that is finally not at noon (when it is unreasonably hot in Scott Stadium) expect a wild and crazy student section for the first half and, after the blowout begins, for a very thinned out one for the second half.

Soccer: World Cup Qualifier – El Salvador at USA

After a hard loss at the Azteca Stadium to Mexico, the US soccer team now holds a 1 point lead over Mexico for the third guaranteed World Cup Qualification in the CONCACAF group. The team that finishes in fourth place will have a play-off with the fifth placed CONMEBOL (South American) team, which with Ecuador currently in fifth and featuring £16 million Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia, is not something the US would like to do. Though El Salvador is fifth, they are only four points behind the US, making an away victory for El Salvador all the more important. The two teams met in San Salvador in March, ending in a 2-2 draw, but after a strong showing this summer at the Confederations and Gold Cups by the US, look for America to dominate at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City; dampening the hopes of World Cup glory for El Salvador.