5-Minute 2016 Summer Olympics Viewing Guide

It's almost that time again (well, technically, that time started Wednesday, but it officially starts tonight) The time when many of the world's greatest athletes in several different disciplines gather to compete on a world stage.  There are so many different sports and events, sometimes it may be overwhelming. Plus, it's been four years since the last Summer Olympics, which is a long time (to put in perspective how long ago it was, it was four years ago). So I'm here to give some suggestions of sports you could tune into over the next few weeks. To see when and where you can watch everything, click here.

If You Like Excitement and Drama...

Swimming

Watch this and tell me it's not exciting:

By the way, one of the guys on that relay team is looking to add to his all-time record 22 medals in Rio.

Volleyball
It's pretty entertaining to watch a nonstop sequence of people diving and jumping to set, spike, and block a ball over a net.

If You Like Trying New Things...

Water Polo

If you're unfamiliar with water polo, it's basically like soccer, except the competitors are in a pool, use their hands, and try to push each other underwater (so maybe it's not anything like soccer).

Handball

Like water polo, handball (we're talking team handball, not the other handball) is a sport where teams try to score in each other's goals. Unlike water polo, the ball is closer to the size of a baseball than a volleyball, and it's pretty fast-paced. I think handball may be the most underrated Olympic sport.

If You Want To Watch Something You Didn't See in 2012...

Golf

Golf makes its return to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years, although many of the world's best players, including Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Speith, won't be competing.

Rugby

This is the Olympic debut for Rugby Sevens, and both the men's and women's U.S. teams look to be medal contenders.

If You Like Yoga...

Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a must-watch during the Olympics, especially with the talented women's U.S. team, headed by world-beater Simone Biles.

Diving

The things some of these athletes do while falling multiple meters toward water is impressive (especially in synchronized diving, where two divers have to match up with each other as much as possible).

If You Like Horses...

Equestrian 
Equestrian may not be the most fun sport to watch (it's basically just horses trotting around and jumping over things), but, as far as I know, it is the only Olympic sport that involves horses, so it has that going for it.

If You Like Watching People Run Like Horses...

Track & Field

Average top speed of a horse: 25-30 miles per hour.
Top speed of Usain Bolt: 27.8 miles per hour.

Those are just a few of the sports you can tune in to. Those who like watching people beat on each other, there's wrestling (Freestyle and Greco-Roman), boxing, Judo, and Taekwondo (I honestly don't know the differences between the last two). If you're more into watching people poke each other with sticks, check out fencing. If you like the X Games, there is BMX biking. And If you want a near-guarantee (nothing's guaranteed, of course) of an American gold, basketball (men's and women's), and anything Biles and swimmer Katie Ledecky are in, are pretty good bets. Other sports include archery, shooting, field hockey, boating (whether it be in a canoe, a kayak, or a sailboat), badminton, and, yes, table tennis. And if you're really bored, there is also a speed-walking race. 

Weekly Thoughts (8/1/16): Trade Deadline Edition

The MLB Trade Deadline officially passed at 4:00 PM Eastern Time today. Lots of things happened, and I'll share my thoughts on some of those things.

• The Brewers had an agreement to send catcher Jonathan Lucroy to the Indians over the weekend, but Lucroy, who has Cleveland on his no-trade list, vetoed the trade (he wanted his team option for next year voided). Lucroy probably won't be well-received when his new team, the Rangers (they aren't on his no-trade list), whom he was traded to for prospects Lewis Brinson (OF who's 21st on MLB.com's latest top prospects list, 30th on Baseball America's, and 21st on Kieth Law's on ESPN.com) and Luis Ortiz (RHP who's 63rd on MLB.com, 74th on Baseball America, 46th on ESPN.com), goes to Progressive Field. The Indians still got a difference-maker, trading for Yankees left-handed reliever Andrew Miller, who sports a 1.39 ERA and 11/1 K/BB ratio in 45.1 innings (they gave up minor league OF Clint Frazier (22nd on MLB.com/21st on BA/34th on ESPN), LHP Justus Sheffield (93rd on MLB.com/69th on BA), and pitchers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen)  They are probably the team to beat in the American League right now.
• The #2 team to beat is probably Texas, who got Lucroy and Yankees OF Carlos Beltran in the final hours (without giving up top prospect Joey Gallo). They're lineup is scary now, but the question will be their rotation after Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish.
• Speaking of the Yankees, the normally win-minded big spenders realized their current situation and sold, trading Aroldis Chapman, Miller, and Beltran for a solid haul of prospects.
• Jay Bruce was finally traded to the Mets after the deal had to be reworked due to medical concerns. Bruce gives the Mets another big bat, although they now have three outfielders who aren't true center fielders. The Reds got 22-year-old 2B Dilson Herrera and minor league LHP Max Wotell. Herrera joins a crowded infield that includes prospect Jose Peraza (acquired in the Todd Frazier trade last winter) and veterans Brandon Phillips (who vetoed a trade last winter) and Zack Cozart (who came up in trade rumors, but wasn't dealt). It'll be interesting to see how playing time is doled out the rest of this season.
• The Dodgers didn't get Bruce, but they did get A's pitcher Rich Hill and OF Josh Reddick, which helps thief playoff pursuit, though doesn't instantly make them favorites (Hill and Reddick are solid players, but not big-time acquisitions).