Sunday Extra: Not So Hot

Yes, I'm enjoying a fine, lazy Sunday morning watching some of the most interesting sporting events in the wide world.

In France I watched most of my fantasy team riders fall off the back one by one as Contador's Team Astana set a blistering tempo over the final climb in the French Alps. Team CorduroyPlanet riders did finish in 5th, 7th, and 11th places today.

Lance Armstrong had his worst day in Le Tour since he retired from the 1996 Tour just before his cancer diagnosis. Armstrong was in crashes three times today!

In the first few kilometers, a crash near the front of the peloton involved Armstrong, World Champion Cadel Evans and others right in front of eventual Stage Winner, Andy Schleck.

All rejoined and Armstrong was with the peloton when his pedal hit the curb on a roundabout at the bottom of the day's final climb, leaving Lance tumbling down the road at 65KPH and breaking off Armstrong's saddle...Ouch!

After changing to a new bike, Lance and his lieutenants were chasing back when another rider got his lunch sack tangled in his front wheel, sending the rider directly in front of Armstrong to the pavement. Lance didn't fall off, but came to a halt as his bike became entangled with the heap of machines in the road.

Lance won seven Tours de France with hardly any bad luck. This week, Lance trying to win number 8, had enough bad luck to last a lifetime. Lance lost around 12 minutes to the leaders, an insurmountable deficit. Lance said he'd continue to "work for the Team", meaning new leader Levi Leipheimer.

Even though VersusTV's coverage has been understandably Lance-Centric, they didn't miss the crucial bit of drama at the front. Andy Schleck road away from Alberto Contador at the top of the final climb to the win, and Contador didn't appear able to answer. Schleck took 10 seconds out of the Two Time Winner. Early crash survivor, Cadel Evans donned the Yellow Jersey at the end of the day.

High drama made her appearance in the English Midlands as well.

Spirits were high at the start of the Formula One Race. The Red Bull Racing teammates have been having quite the scrum over the last month. Passions are in a roiling boil, so when the field roared off the start at Silverstone, 2nd place Red Bull racer, Mark Webber forced his teammate and pole-sitter Sebastain Vettle off the track in turn one, causing Vettle to suffer a punctured right rear tire...sending Vettle to last place. From 1st to last in the first turn! Ouch!

Passions boiled for the second race in a row for Ferrari pilot, Fernando Alonso who fell afoul of the stewards once again...and once again incurred a penalty that stung badly.

While Webber set fastest lap after fastest lap on his way to victory, there was lots of impassioned parry and thrust throughout the rest of the field. While there was more "tradin' paint" than I like to see in Open Wheel Racing, it was a very enjoyable race.

After the race, I ran down to the Farmers Market for this weeks supply of vine ripe heirloom tomatoes. It's decidedly cooler in the Inland Valley today. The marine layer was still overhead when I retrieved the Sunday Paper at 0730 this morning. The LA Times reported record cold temps Friday

I spent the hottest hours of Saturday in the tree-shaded backyard at the SturgeUrge Compound, installing the replacement siding over the Beehive Hole. While I was getting my tools rolled out, Urge's Dad, SteveO rolled up on his way from Stockton to Reno. We spent a half an hour swilling ice water and catching up. He finally got a chance to tell me about his pilgrimage to the Indy 500 that he made last year. He allowed that while it was a great spectacle, it's much better to watch it on TV...and much less hassle too... I told SteveO the Cliff Notes version of the Beehive Saga, and wished him a safe trip up the hill.

Now enjoying a lazy Sunday Afternoon, I see the temps at Boreal are a few degrees cooler than Saturday...could it be a trend? I spent a little time looking for some Boreal video, and I found some courtesy of Sacramento's ABC Afilliate, KXTV

Look for snow Thursday...SturgeUrge invited me to the Mets/Giant's game at AT&T Park! My first night game at AT&T...not as cold as Candlestick Park. The coldest I've ever been was in Candlestick Park, at the 1984 NFL Playoff Game vs the New York Giants. I wore more clothes than ever before or since, and still froze in the fog!

Back in the baseball world,the Giants' bats have not cooled today! Young phenom, Buster Posey is batting .500 on this Road Trip. Giants win today at the Washington DC Nationals, 6-2 Baseball season is now half over.

Time for the All Star Break.

In Soccer News...we've heard the last of the vuvuzelas...thank God for small miracles! Spain took Holland into overtime to break a zero-zero tie 1-1...

Why is soccer popular again? I don't get it. Good riddance to those goofy vuvuzela horns! May peace and quiet reign!