The Tampa Bay Rays play in arguably the toughest division in not only MLB baseball but maybe all of sports. In the past years it has been no surprise that Tampa Bay finished at the bottom of the final standings, never in serious contention for the playoffs. Well 2008 is a new year and with just about 50 games left in the season, the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place in the AL East. That’s right; they are sitting ahead of the mighty Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Rays started off the year hot and many people figured they would crumble come mid-season, but that isn’t the case as they hold a 3 game lead over the Red Sox and 6 ½ game lead over the Yankees.

Although Tampa has struggled a bit on the road, they hold an impressive 45-17 home record which is amongst the best in the MLB. Fans have no answer for the Rays surge, as they are beating the teams they have to and are getting good pitching and hitting just as they have been all year. Their most recent game is really starting to open the eyes of those doubting them, as they rallied for 6 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Indians on Wednesday night. The Rays don’t mind that they are still faced with those who doubt them and it sure is shaping up for a wild race towards the end of the season.

With the MLB trade deadline (July 31st) lingering, both teams and fans are waiting for any surprises that may come their way. We have already seen some big trades this season, such as Rich Harden going to the Cubs, Jon Rauch going to the Diamondbacks, and of course C.C. Sabathia going to the Brewers. The most recent trades were Mark Teixeira heading to the Angels, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte being traded to the New York Yankees and Casey Blake was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The MLB season brings countless rumors, and this year has plenty. The most notable ones include the Pirates Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, in which both players have been linked to several different teams but it does not seem apparent they will go anywhere. Other rumors that have players on the move include the Rockies closer Brian Fuentes, with the Marlins being the team tossed around in that speculation most frequently.

Amongst those players named, it is more questionable which teams will actually make something happen, because several teams are in need of help. The Yankees are always looking for someone, and with Posada’s season in question, the Bronx Bombers may be looking for a catcher. Teams can never have too much pitching and teams like the Cardinals, Brewers, Phillies and Yankees need to take a look at what they have and decide do you need another piece for the final stretch of the season. Whatever happens in the next few days will surely have the entire MLB world talking about who needs what and whose going to get traded, but until the deadline is over, let the rumors continue. The latest trade news has been Manny Ramirez stating he was unhappy in Boston and would be open to a trade, but it is doubtful the Red Sox will release their slugger.

It seems like nowadays Jaguars fans are more concerned about getting tickets rather than watching their team from Jacksonville on TV. We see this as less and less tickets become available for not only Jacksonville Jaguars games but for all of the NFL, and people will do just about anything to experience their love of football live. They will pay well above face value for tickets because to them it is worth it, and it should be. These are experiences you will only have once in a lifetime and there is no price tag on that. The Jacksonville Jaguars have made a name for themselves with the excitement and toughness they bring to every of their games, and that makes fans excited to go out and see them live. With new rivalries and of course the old ones, why wouldn’t you want to see just exactly what the atmosphere is like, this is a team that faces some of the best in the AFC and plays them tough repeatedly. Sure you can sit in a bar or in your house screaming, but to actually e xperience it live is on another level. The Jacksonville Jaguars season is short lived and the chance to catch any of their 16 games is truly special because you certainly won’t forget the intensity you feel especially at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium.

Okay… this is it! You’re going to be successful with your New Year’s resolution by implementing a “no-brainer” golf exercise program that will only take 3 minutes a day for 30 days! I’m dead serious! We’re talking about one exercise per day for 30 days to a better game. Now you can’t even make excuses for not doing this revolutionary new exercise for golf program. Not time; not anything! Now get to it!

With the Cowboy’s winning all but one game so far, they came into the Philidelphia game overly confident. What happened? They lost. The Eagles beat the Cowboys! I am not a Cowboy fan, and Romo is getting a little too cocky for me.  Stop wearing that hat on backwards when you’re on the sidelines buddy!

I’m sure you know some buddies that golf.  If you do…and you want to impress them with a very cool personalized golf gift, you might want to consider personalized golf balls. These balls could have their initials or full name engraved on them, and you can get a case of Titleist balls to really make an impression.

As of right now, it looks like Boston has the upper hand in the World Series. Impressive to watch their pitching in the second game.  Going back to Colorado should give the Rockies some hope.

Playing golf is brutal on your lower back.  Have you ever experienced back pain after a round?  Statistics show the 80% of all amateur golfers play with back pain at some point in their golfing life.

Doing a golf stretch for a bad back is critical! This is one of the most effective ways to relieve pain and prevent future stress to your lower back. Simple stretches targeting your lower back is all you need. Read more golf stretching information today!

Is playing in the NFL really worth it?  With the injury to Kevin Everett being so serious, I wonder if any of his Buffalo Bills teammates are giving it some serious thought about playing after this very serious injury.  I hope he comes out of it okay.

It’s a real tragedy that our country doesn’t show more Track and Field on the television.  Having been an elite track athlete I can tell you they train as hard or harder than any other athlete in ANY sport, and yet make very little money and get very little media attention.

We’ve now got the worlds fastest human being Tyson Gay, who will most likely break not only the 100 meter world record, but quite possibly the 200 meter record in the very near future.  The 2007 World Track Championships are going on right now.

You can check television coverage at Versus!