The NFL is under way and several teams stand out already.

The Steelers are 2-0 and looking good on both sides of the ball. LeVeon Bell will get better and better. The defense has been solid.

The Ravens have been outstanding on defense too. Baltimore beat the Bengals and Browns, so the jury may still be out.

The Bucs got out of the gate well with a big win over the Bears. Tampa Bay will win at least 10 games this season.

,The Bears, Browns, Bengals and Saints are among 0-2 teams struggling early.

My wife, family and I spent four days in South Bend, Indiana.

We were thinking about everyone affected by Hurricane Irma and wish them well.

We attended the Notre Dame-Georgia game, won by the Bulldogs in a Maslow Masher.

We got home to Florida safe and sound.

It was a great weekend for sports fans.

Sloane Stephens and Rafael Nadal won U. S. Open tennis championships. Stephens was ranked in the 900s earlier this year; what an amazing story to win. Nadal won his second slam tourney of the year.

College football had many exciting games and great performances. Lamar Jackson of Louisville put up more big numbers against North Carolina. Baker Mayfield had a brilliant second half in a big win at Ohio State. USC played well against Stanford. Clemson's defense dominated against Auburn. Notre Dame played with energy but came up short vs. Georgia.

The NFL kicked off with the Chiefs stunning the Patriots. Green Bay got past Seattle. The Ravens pitched a shutout against the Bengals. The Rams were big winners over the Colts. 

The Cleveland Indians rolled on in baseball.

I am also thinking about everyone in Florida affected by Hurricane Irma. Bless you all.

Every year, I love going to the Big Apple to spend time at the U. S. Open tennis tournament. 

It is always great to see the biggest names in tennis in action. Watching Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova is a treat. And it was extra special having my family there in attendance.

I also got to enjoy great dinners and a trip to Broadway. It is always a fun time in New York City, baby!

I have really enjoyed an association with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota. For the last 20 years, the Vitale family has presented scholarships to recipients in need of support.

I encourage youngsters to chase their dreams and pursue their goals, and they work so hard at the Boys and Girls Clubs to make a difference. It is always a special day when we present the scholarships and it was on Monday. All the best to this year's five recipients.

Floyd Mayweather is now 50-0 after stopping Connor McGregor in the 10th round via TKO. The Money Team is still unbeaten and in the pound-for-pound rankings, he is the Best Ever!

The fight was an event that had its share of excitement. McGregor ran out of steam and that was part of Mayweather's plan. The champion wore out the MMA fighter. 

I give both men credit for their performances. McGregor did the best he could. Mayweather showed why he is the best.

Thank god for baseball's wild card races.

After the weekend, only one of the six divisions has a race closer than five games for first place.

The NL Central is the lone competitive battle. The Red Sox are up five games on the Yankees. The Indians have a five-game margin in the AL Central.

So wild card races will provide excitement down the home stretch. College football, the NFL and the U. S. Open tennis tournament are around the corner, baby!

The NFL preseason is under way. Let's face reality; the prices for these games are a rip-off.

I wish the league would play two preseason games, but they make too much money to cut it back. You won't see much of big names like Tom Brady and many players in these games won't make the active roster to start the season.

So don't put too much stock in these games. You want your players to stay healthy,

NFL training camps are under way and injuries have already taken a toll. Miami lost QB Ryan Tannehill to a knee injury and the team signed Jay Cutler. The Chargers have seen their first two draft picks get hurt. Sterling Shepard of the Giants hurt his ankle. Malcolm Smith of the 49ers tore his pectoral muscle. Those are just a few of the injuries.

Imagine what will happen when the games get underway? It is a long season. A key is stay healthy, baby!

Jamies Winston and Mike Evans figure to be a dynamic passing duo. The defense has improved. I feel this team is clrealy on the rise.

I believe Tampa Bay can win 10 games and make the playoffs. It should be an exciting season for the Buc fans.

The Cavaliers have turned into a wacky soap opera.

Kyrie Irving wants out and there is a clear rift between him and LeBron James. Cavs fans have to be frustrated over the news of this situation.

The Warriors are probably laughing as they watch this soap opera play out.

I am amazed over the turmoil. Now Cleveland has a decision to make. Will they trade Kyrie? Will LeBron leave after next season via free agency? Stay tuned.

Wimbledon gave us more great memories this year.

Roger Federer showed why he is the greatest of all-time, winning his 19th major championship and eighth gentleman's singles crown, both records. He beat Marin Cilic in straight sets in the finals. At age 35, he showed why he is so special. Last year, he was sidelined with a knee injury and his future looked bleak. Now he has won two of the three Grand Slam events so far this year.

How impressive was he at Wimbledon this year? He beat Cilic, Milos Raonic, Thomas Berdych and Gregor Dimitrov en route to the title, four highly-ranked, talented players.

Venus Williams went for her sixth Wimbledon women's crown but fell to Garbine Muguruza of Spain. Muguruza won the final nine games of the match to prevail.

It has been an interesting first half of the baseball season.

 The Dodgers have been on fire, winning 26 of 30 games going into the break. The Astros have run away and hid from the AL West. The Brewers lead the NL Central while the Cubs, Cardinals and Mets are below 500. The Twins and Rays are over .500.

 Here are my choices for awards for baseball's best at the All-Star break:

AL MVP: Aaron Judge, Yankees

NL MVP: Paul Goldscmidt, Arizona

AL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Judge

NL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Cody Bellinger, Dodgers

AL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: AJ Hinch, Houston

NL MANAGER OF THE YEAR: Dave Roberts, Dodgers

AL CY YOUNG: Chris Sale, Boston

NL CY YOUNG: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

The NBA free agency period has taken over the headlines.

There have been big moves with Chris Paul dealt to the Rockets and Paul George to the Thunder. There have been players going elsewhere for big bucks like JJ Redick to Philadelphia for $23 million.

There have been big money re-signings like Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin and Kyle Lowery.

I am concerned that NBA stars of free agency will create power teams and unfortunately, many mediocre ones.

The hottest team in baseball is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The team has won 10 straight contests. On Sunday, they trailed Colorado 5-0 early. They were down 6-4 in the seventh inning.

It helps when you score five runs on four wild pitches. Plus Cody Bellinger had his sixth multi-homer game.

You can point at several people for the team's success. Bellinger has provided a spark since being called up. Clayton Kershaw is one of the top pitchers in baseball. How about some credit to manager Dave Roberts? His team is always prepared and he has utilized different combinations to gain versatility in his lineup.

This team is going to be dangerous.

"We had a great time at the Tournament Club of Iowa in Polk City, IA as we raised money for kids battling cancer through The V Foundation. I can't thank JoEllen and Craig Mettille enough for their dedication, generosity and for hosting this event for the 7th year raising a cumulative total that has exceeded 1 million dollars. They are really genuine people who care about others.

The event was emceed by Bobby Hansen, former outstanding Iowa State star who also played in the NBA and part of the '92 Bulls Championship team led by Michael Jordan. They honored Fran McCaffery, head basketball coach of Iowa, whose son Patrick is a cancer survivor. He and his wife Margaret not only were honored but also made a nice contribution as did the second honoree, Hall of Fame Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. I loved being the keynote speaker here and sharing stories about cancer survivors.

We also had three youngsters who were battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and are now in remission: Michael, Justin, and Cooper. It was really a special night and we're so proud of the dollars that we raised. Once again, a big big thank you to the hearts of gold JoEllen and Craig Mettille."

The 2017 NBA draft is in the books. There was a great amount of talent going to NBA rosters.

 

Here are some thoughts from draft night.

A number of teams were winners. It starts with Philadelphia getting Markelle Fultz to open the draft. He will team up with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to provide a solid young trio. The Sixers used other picks to bolster the future roster.

 

I liked the Sacramento-Portland deal. Zach Collins will be a star up front for the Blazers. Caleb Swanigan also adds another big body up front. The Kings added DeAaron Fox, Justin Jackson and Harry Giles, three guys with winning experience. If Giles can stay healthy, this is a big move.

 

Chicago got a nice deal, adding Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Zach Lavine in the Jimmy Butler deal. Certainly Minnesota was thrilled to get Butler and Justin Patton.

 

Charlotte made a good decision in selecting Malik Monk at #11 overall.

 

Phoenix got Josh Jackson and he is my early pick as Rookie of the Year. Devon Reed is an outstanding defender.

 

It would be easy to say Cleveland lost because it did not have a pick.

 

If I had to pick a losing situation, is was the large number of underclassmen that had eligibility remaining and went undrafted.

 

That list included Kobi Simmons and Chance Comanche of Arizona, Antonio Blakeney of LSU, Isaiah Briscoe of Kentucky, PJ Dozier of South Carolina, EricMika of BYU, Jonathan Motley of Baylor, Cameron Oliver of Nevada, LJ Peak of Georgetown, Devin Robinson of Florida, Melo Trimble of Maryland.

The NBA draft should provide excitement galore this week.

This is one of the deepest drafts in years and several players should develop into stars for years to come.

I really like Duke's Jayson Tatum and Josh Jackson of Kansas.

Lonzo Ball of UCLA also has a bright future. Keep an eye on Gonzaga's Zach Collins to reach his potential.

It was not a shock that Golden State won the NBA title. Can they become a dynasty?

The potential is there because Steph Curry and Kevin Durant are young and hungry. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will be back too. The Warriors have done a great job with the supporting cast and players like Andre Iguodala and David West having vital roles.

Cleveland fought hard and LeBron James did everything he could. The Cavaliers have decisions to make and need to regroup.

Golden State is in good position for the future.

What a weekend in sports.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won game six in Nashville to earn its second straight Stanley Cup. Sidney Crosby won his second straight MVP award.

Rafael Nadal won his 10th French Open singles title. He beat Stan Wawrinka easily.

Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia won a surprise winner of the women's final. She was ranked 47th in the world before winning.

The Yankees blitzed the Orioles in baseball. The Cavaliers extended the NBA Final to a fifth game.

Great weekend for sports fans.