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.

Golden State set a record with its 14th straight playoff win. The Warriors have looked great in going up 2-0 vs. the Cavs.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have dominated on the offensive end.

The Warriors have forced turnovers and scored easily in transition. Cleveland has to go back to the drawing board.

The Cavaliers and Warriors battle for the third straight year with the NBA championship at stake.

There is so much star power as The Cavaliers and Warriors battle for the third straight year with the NBA championship at stake.

There is so much star power between these two teams. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will be tough for Cleveland to stop.

The Cavaliers have Kevin Love plus a dynamic duo in King James, aka LeBron, and Kyrie Irving. I think they are the best duo in the game today.

Tyronn Lue showed he could put together a game plan to win last season. I know most people are going with the Warriors.

I am going with the Cavs in seven in a super series. LeBron and Kyrie get it done.
tween these two teams. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will be tough for Cleveland to stop.

The Cavaliers have Kevin Love plus a dynamic duo in King James, aka LeBron, and Kyrie Irving. I think they are the best duo in the game today.

Tyronn Lue showed he could put together a game plan to win last season. I know most people are going with the Warriors.

I am going with the Cavs in seven in a super series. LeBron and Kyrie get it done.

My buddy, John Perseo, whom I have known for over 25 years, died on Saturday.

I can simply tell you, that if you wanted a real friend in life, John Perseo was your guy. He would go out of his way and do anything for you.

John was an incredibly passionate person. He could talk to you about a variety of topics and you would hear his passion in his voice.

He could discuss politics, going over issues of the conservatives and the liberals. You talk about getting fired up!

If you wanted to talk about college football, all you had to do is mention Penn State, where he attended school. His eyes would light up when talking proudly about the Nittany Lions. He could tell you everything about Penn State’s coaches and players.

John also loved to have conversations about food. He had a role in a number of Italian restaurants over the years. His passion was unreal, especially over Italian food.

His biggest passion was the love of his life, his wife Janet. She is a special woman, who teams up with Mary Kenealy to form the vital dream team working to make the Dick Vitale gala a success.

Janet’s work ethic and passion are so special. I cannot express it enough in describing the love John had for Janet.

John was also a fighter. Earlier in his life, he beat cancer. He led a productive and positive life.

John was a special person who made so many friends in the Bradenton, Sarasota-Lakewood Ranch area. He was loyal and caring. He was there for you when you needed him. You could always count on him.

I am sure he is up in heaven now. He will be missed, but never forgotten. His passion will live on forever.

Always Dreaming saw its Triple Crown hopes disappear on Saturday at Pimlico.

It was a close race, but the Kentucky Derby winner faded down the stretch. It was Cloud Computing that scored the upset victory.

Cloud Computing was a lightly raced horse. Horses that ran at the Kentucky Derby were pushed on Saturday and did not fare well. They had something taken out of them in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

No Triple Crown this year.