Good Morning, Mr. Simon

The best track and field athletes will gather in Sopot, Poland next week for the biennial IAAF World Indoor Championships. I think it is interesting how the U.S. and Europe each uses a different name for the sport. Americans call it “track & field”, but Europeans call it “athletics”. I think the European usage is more correct, because it covers other events that are neither track nor field. Take the marathon or cross country running as an example. Marathon is a road racing event and is considered (correctly) part of the sport of athletics. If we called marathon a track and field event, it would not sound right.

There won’t be any name controversy next week, however. The indoor championships consist of track and field events only, so no marathon or cross country running. Check out 2014 World Athletics Indoor Championships TV Schedule. 

A famous actress (who is known for her beauty) is ailing from a grave illness. She leaves the treatment decision entirely to you, the doctor. There are two treatment options:

#1 – This treatment will cure the patient completely of her illness within six months. However, it has horrible side effects on the skin, which could take up to 2 years to recover from. 

#2 – This is a gradual treatment that will take up to 5 years to completely cure the illness. The condition improves slightly after every 3 months until the illness completely dissipates. 

Which treatment would you (the doctor) choose for your patient?

The Florida Swing provides plenty of intriguing names. The Honda Classic has the Bear Trap. The Cadillac Championship is played on a course called the Blue Monster. A lot people were wondering how the name “The Blue Monster” came about. To be honest, I don’t think even the most knowledgeable expert knows either. Personally, I think it is just a marketing ploy. Anything with the word “monster” in it is surely going to garner attention. I am sure it has nothing to do with the difficulty of the course. Although it is no pushover, top players have had little trouble going low on this course. The winner’s score in the last six years here is 16 under par or better. Check out the 2014 WGC Cadillac Championship TV Schedule. 

Unlike outdoor cycling, track cycling is not a sport that is instantly recognizable to people outside of Europe. We may watch a little of it during the Summer Olympics, but usually don’t take an interest in it. This is why I was a bit surprised to hear that Cali (Columbia) will host this year’s track cycling world championships, as it is extremely rare for a non-European city to host this event. If it was a city in Brazil, I would not be surprised since they will host the 2016 Olympic Games. But Columbia? 

If you are a fan or are curious about the sport, here is the 2014 UCI Track World Championships TV Schedule. I invite you all to watch it.

In addition to working for NBC Sports, Bob Costas is also a major contributor or sportscaster at which other network?

1) HBO

2) MLB Network

3) NFL Network

4) ESPN

5) Hallmark Channel