With the NFL’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony coming up August 6, its more lightly-regarded counterpart, the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place Sunday @ Cooperstown, N.Y. Leading the way was the beloved centerfielder Andre Dawson, along with umpire Doug Harvey, manager Whitey Herzog and broadcaster Jon Miller. Dawson, who played for four teams over the course of 20 seasons, posted 438 home runs, 1,591 RBI and 2,774 hits and due to his swiftness (he stole 314 bases as well), fans glowingly referred to him as “the Hawk.” Meanwhile, Harvey was lionized for his efforts as an umpire who never attended umpiring school (but still proved successful) and Herzog, who is best known for his 1982 World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals, received almost 88 percent of the vote to join his illustrious colleagues. Finally, Miller, who currently serves as the voice of the San Francisco Giants on KNBR-AM 680 in San Francisco as well as the play-by-play broadcaster for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, received the Ford Frick award for “major contributions” to baseball. Dawson, who presumably is clean from steroids, thanked the voters for allowing him to be immortalized, but lamented that the game has changed for the worse with the implementation of performance-enhancing substances. I commend Dawson for his candor, I just hope that nothing leaks out that he was ever guilty of taking such drugs.

At the Tour de France, Spain’s Alberto Contador won his second consecutive yellow jersey, capping of what has already been a magnificent sports year for Spain. In the NBA, Contador’s countryman, Pau Gasol, helped the Los Angeles Lakers win their second consecutive NBA championship while tennis star Rafael Nadal has ensued in his mastery on the court, as he won Wimbledon earlier this month. Furthermore, two weeks ago, the Spanish won the World Cup for the first time in history while with the World Basketball Championships coming up from Turkey next month, Spain could ensue in its athletic magnificence on the year. Gasol headlines a solid team which also features the likes of Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio and Jose Calderon so if I were a betting man, perhaps I’d place some bones on the Spaniards. Since I’m not, however, I can hopefully perpetrate my journalistic excellence and continue to give you insightful comments. Thanks for reading!