iLonghorn

Mark Buehrle pitched a perfect game Saturday as the White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0. Josh Fields hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 2nd inning to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead early on. Buehrle struck out six batters, and also had a home-run saving catch by Dewayne Wise to save the perfect game. It was the first perfect game in the MLB since Randy Johnson threw one in 2004. With the Tigers loss today, the White Sox are now tied for for first place.

Saturday night I went to the Metrodome to watch the Chicago White Sox face the Minnesota Twins. Despite the fact that I can't stand the stadium, I figured it would be one of the few chances I would get to see the White Sox play this season. The Twins had their Hall of Fame inductions which delayed the start of the game, but I got to some great players, such as Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva. The White Sox jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but Joe Crede hit a Home Run to cut it to 5-3. Jim Thome doubled in three runs to restore the five-run lead. In the bottom of the 9th, the score was 8-5. Bobby Jenks struck out the first guy, but several base hits later the score was 8-7. Finally, Denard Span grounded into a double play to end it. It was a great game, and I am glad we won a game at the Metrodome.

Tonight I went to Elko Speedway in Elko, Minnesota to see some racing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, which is one of the lower levels of NASCAR racing. Elko Speedway is a short track, 3/8 of a mile. I have always been a fan of Auto Racing, but I never attended a race. There were four levels of competition. The first division was Super Hornets, which were the entry-level cars. Next up were Thunder Cars, a level above the Super Hornets. A level above these two were the Sportsmen Cars, which were one of the big two divisions. The other group was the Super Late Models, the top group of all in the All-American Series. There were a lot of heat races at the beginning for all divisions, which were very exciting. However, the most fun came in the last two races. The Sportsmen feature race was won by the 41 car of Tom Kamish, who is one of the top drivers in that division. Tom barely pulled out the victory in the end. The Super Late Model race was one by Danny Fredrickson in the 36 car, who is also one of the top drivers. All in all, it was a fun night, and I will definitely return for more races at Elko Speedway in the future.

For the second time in the last four seasons, Barcelona are the champions of Europe. What happened tonight at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome was the coronation of probably the greatest football team of all time. Barcelona defeated Manchester United 2-0 in one of the most anticipated football matches ever. To tell you the truth, unless you cheer for Barcelona, the game was somewhat disappointing.  However, Manchester United supporters were feeling good about their teams strategy for the first ten minutes. Their attacks on goal created a couple opportunities, but no huge chances. What happened next was against the flow of both the game, and the entire season. Andres Iniesta, the hero for Barcelona in the semifinal against Chelsea, neatly passed the ball into Barcelona Forward Samuel Eto'o, who cut inside United defender Nemanja Vidic and fired a shot right past Goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar. Eto'o had played horribly in his last few games, and immediately changed the pace of the entire game when he scored to make it 1-0 to Barcelona. The goal shocked Manchester United, and they didn't continue with their form that had given them a bit of an edge way early on in the game. Lionel Messi missed a decent chance to extend Barcelona's lead four minutes later, but his shot went wide. Nothing much happened for the remainder of the first half, although Barcelona Midfielder Xavi Hernandez curled a free kick that Van der Sar managed to save just before the half-hour mark. The half had come at a good time for Manchester United, as Barcelona had been looking very close to their second goal. United boss Alex Ferguson put on Carlos Tevez at the start of the second half, hoping that the striker–who appears to be leaving the club this summer– could give them an inspiration. Three minutes later though, Barcelona came very close to a second. A great save from Edwin van der Sar kept the scoreline the same. Barcelona kept the pressure on, and they had opportunities to score at many points early in the second half, the best of which was when Xavi Hernandez hit the post on another free kick. Manchester United had their best scoring chance so far just after that, as Forward Wayne Rooney crossed and Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to convert. However, United's luck ran out in the 70th minute. Xavi Hernandez did well in delivering a cross to Messi, and the Argentine headed it in to give Barcelona the 2-0 lead. Moments later though, United could have gotten one back. Ryan Giggs missed a good chance for United, and the ball went back to Ronaldo, but Barcelona Goalkeeper Victor Valdes blocked it. It was Manchester United's last big chance, and Barcelona lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy again. What Barcelona has accomplished this year is incredible. They started off very poorly in La Liga, losing their first game to a newly promoted Numancia side, and then only managing a draw at home to Racing Santander. However, things quickly turned around, and Barcelona found themselves top of the table after nine games. They beat their rivals Real Madrid twice, including a 6-2 smashing on the road. They also won the Copa del Rey, beating Athletic Bilbao 4-1 in the final. Now, they have completed the treble, beating Manchester United. Their goal difference of 70 is one that might never be matched in any major league. For new manager Pep Guardiola, the season has been a dream come true. What a performance, and what a football team.

Tonight, the White Sox and Rangers look to get underaway after a rain delay. Jose Contreras (0-3) will be starting for the White Sox, and Brandon McCarthy (2-0) will try to keep his perfect record against his former team. After a win last night, the White Sox will look to score earlier tonight if they want to win, and I think that the White Sox will come out on top in what will probably be a high scoring game. Prediction- White Sox 9, Rangers 6.

Barcelona virtually have both hands on the trophy after dismantling Real Madrid 6-2 at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Things started out badly for the Catalans as Real Madrid took the lead just before the quarter-hour mark when Gonzalo Higuain headed in the first goal of the game. The lead did not last very long, as Barcelona equalized in the 18th minute when Lionel Messi rolled a through ball past Defender Sergio Ramos which Thierry Henry kicked right past Goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Real Madrid barely had time to comprehend the equalizer, as Barcelona was awarded a free kick two minutes later. Xavi Hernandez curled the ball into the box, and Barcelona captain Carles Puyol headed home to give Barcelona the lead. In the 35th minute, Barcelona extended their lead to 3-1 after a bad pass by Real Madrid led to a fast break in which Lionel Messi scored with ease. This was the score going into halftime. In the 56th minute, Real Madrid showed a sign of life after Sergio Ramos scored on a header from an Arjen Robben free kick to reduce the deficit to a single goal. However, Barcelona scored almost immediately following the Madrid goal. Thierry Henry ran past Ramos and put a shot on as soon as Casillas came up to him. The game was cemented in the 75th minute when Lionel Messi took advantage of Madrid's horrible defending and rolled one into the net, making it a three goal lead. But just for kicks, Barcelona added another one in the 82nd minute. Gerard Pique had his shot blocked, but got right back up and fired one past Casillas from a difficult angle, making it 6-2. The win put Barcelona seven points ahead of Real Madrid with just four games left. The loss was the worst Real Madrid had suffered at home in 35 years.