A Sports Filled Weekend

In a year filled with star-studded retirements and exits comes one more. Alex Rodriguez, who ranks fourth in baseball history with 696 home runs, will play his final game for the New York Yankees on Friday.

Rodriguez, 40, spent 22 in the years. This last waning one has been less that memorable. He has a .204 batting average and nine home runs and rarely gets off the bench anymore. The Yankees said he will continue with them as an advisor.

“This is a tough day. I love this game and I love this team, and today I’m saying goodbye to both,” an emotional Rodriguez said at a news conference.

He’ll be remembered, sadly, not just for the home runs but the scandals with drugs designed to enhance performance and a suspension that cost him the 2014 season.

In other news Ichiro Suzuki of the Miami Marlins had his long awaited 3,000 hit, a stand up triple, in a 10-7 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Football

Brett Favre stole the show Saturday night at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. He talked about the hard-driving coach he had in high school – his father, Irv – and about family. The Green Bay Packers great was one of eight enshrined. Sunday night’s scheduled first preseason game between the Packers and Indianapolis Colts was canceled due to poor field conditions. The full slate of preseason play begins on Thursday.

Golf

Jim Furyk shot a 58 in Sunday’s final round of The Travelers in Cromwell, Connecticut, setting a PGA Tour record for low score. The round included 10 birdies and an eagle, but it wasn’t enough to get Furyk to the top of the leaderboard. Russell Knox won the tournament with a putt for par on the final hole.

Olympics

Katie Ledecky won the U.S.’ first swimming gold medal and set a world record in the women’s 400-meter freestyle on Sunday night. Michael Phelps earned the 19th gold medal of his career as the U.S. men took gold in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. The U.S. women’s swim team won a silver medal on Saturday night in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay with a surprise appearance by Ledecky swimming the anchor leg….The U.S. women’s basketball team crushed Senegal 121-56 on Sunday, the largest victory margin in Olympic history. The team set two other records as well: most points and assists. The men’s team was in similar form on Saturday, beating China 119-62….U.S. women’s gymnasts posted a huge lead in the preliminaries over China. Finals are Tuesday…Russian athletes were banned from the upcoming Paralympic Games due to the apparent state-sponsored doping scandal.

Elsewhere
Denny Hamlin won the Cheezit 355 at Watkins Glen in upstate New York. … David Benavidez (16-0, 15 knockouts) stopped Denis Douglin (20-5, 13 Kos) in the 10th round on Friday night in Philadelphia in a super middleweight bout.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman