The Carolina Hurricanes cheerleaders can have that effect. Usually when someone is fortunate enough to have a day with the Cup, they're said to be very lucky. Only this time it's the other way around.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
More HB
-Our picture of the day comes courtesy of njdevs.com. It's quite a sight. Maybe even the best the Stanley Cup has looked:
The Carolina Hurricanes cheerleaders can have that effect. Usually when someone is fortunate enough to have a day with the Cup, they're said to be very lucky. Only this time it's the other way around.
The Carolina Hurricanes cheerleaders can have that effect. Usually when someone is fortunate enough to have a day with the Cup, they're said to be very lucky. Only this time it's the other way around.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Hitting Back
-It was a relatively quiet night in baseball aside from the usual late inning dramatics from David Ortiz. In a game where he hit a solo shot earlier, the Red Sox slugger did it again- hitting a walkoff three-run home run to lift his team to an 8-7 win. It was his third walkoff dinger of the season and seventh such clutch hit this year. Seven of his eight walkoffs have come in 2006. How can you explain Big Papi's flair for the dramatic? It doesn't seem real. This guy has come through so often for Boston the last three years that it makes you wonder how it's possible. The big slugger now leads the majors with 37 homers and 105 RBI's. Here was some reaction from the hero:
If only every major leaguer had that kind of approach under the most pressure packed situations. Boston now leads the Yankees by 1.5 games. Though they won, the day wasn't all good for them. RF Trot Nixon was placed on the disabled list, C Jason Varitek left the game with a knee injury and SP David Wells was tattooed for eight runs in just 4.2 innings in his return start. Complicating matters, Boston GM Theo Epstein didn't make any deadline moves to bolster their staff or pen. According to him, "they have a longterm plan."
-In other key action, the Twins were 15-2 winners over Texas. Centerfielder Torii Hunter returned from the DL to hit a homer and drive in four and Carlos Silva went seven strong allowing one run to pull Minnesota within a game of the wild card, which both the idle Yankees and White Sox now share after their 8-4 win over the Royals. Alex Cintron went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI's and Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede went deep to support Jose Contreras' 10th win of the season.
-In a first place AL West battle, the A's pulled 1.5 in front of the Angels thanks to homers from Milton Bradley and Jay Payton in a 3-1 win. A's starter Dan Haren went the distance permitting just ex-Yankee Juan Rivera's 17th homer to notch his eighth win.
-Looks like Alfonso Soriano is happy about staying in Washington. He's celebrated by going 3-for-5 with a two-run double and two runs scored so far in San Francisco. The Nationals lead the Giants 9-4 in the eighth. They've also gotten a bases clearing double from recent acquisition Austin Kearns. Assuming they hang on, it would snap a three-game losing streak.
-The Cubs had their four-game win streak snapped in rude fashion, falling at the hands of Arizona 15-4. The Diamondbacks slammed six homers in the blowout including two from Orlando Hudson. It hasn't been a good year for Mark Prior and last night was no exception. He served up half the home runs and allowed six runs in five innings to fall to 0-5 with an ERA over 7.00. Very ugly numbers for the 25 year-old fromer 2001 second overall selection. This is as gifted a pitcher as there is in the game. He's got such great mechanics. It's ashame what injuries have done lately to his career. One can only hope he'll get back to being one of the best pitchers in the game. The Cubs need it badly.
-According to a published report in the New York Times, recent tests say that some of Floyd Landis' testosterone was synthetic. The recent Tour de France winner claimed it was "caused naturally" and has demanded a backup test be given to prove his innocence. The results of that won't be known for a few days. Still, if the International Cycling Union which detected the results claim it was synthetic, a second test doesn't need to be performed to confirm it. More from Dr. Gary Wadler, who is part of the World Anti-Doping Agency:
Doesn't look too good for Landis. No Tour de France winner has ever been disqualified. If he is, Spain's Oscar Pereiro would be declared the winner.
-In other disturbing news, Justin Gatlin's track coach Trevor Graham could face a ban according to IAAF spokesman Nick Davies. The trainer who helped guide Gatlin to Olympic gold also was responsible for track and field stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who both were cited during BALCO. With Gatlin about to defend himself, the IAAF is looking very closely at Graham according to Davies:
As this case unfolds, it should be interesting to see what they find. In the mean time, former Olympic champion Michael Johnson expressed his concern for Gatlin and particular disdain for Graham:
Pretty strong stuff from one of the best track and field sprint runners of the last decade. It certainly doesn't portray Graham in a good light. Who will speak out next?
"You've got to do what you've got to do. Like I said before, the worst thing that can happen is the pitcher getting you out."
If only every major leaguer had that kind of approach under the most pressure packed situations. Boston now leads the Yankees by 1.5 games. Though they won, the day wasn't all good for them. RF Trot Nixon was placed on the disabled list, C Jason Varitek left the game with a knee injury and SP David Wells was tattooed for eight runs in just 4.2 innings in his return start. Complicating matters, Boston GM Theo Epstein didn't make any deadline moves to bolster their staff or pen. According to him, "they have a longterm plan."
-In other key action, the Twins were 15-2 winners over Texas. Centerfielder Torii Hunter returned from the DL to hit a homer and drive in four and Carlos Silva went seven strong allowing one run to pull Minnesota within a game of the wild card, which both the idle Yankees and White Sox now share after their 8-4 win over the Royals. Alex Cintron went 3-for-5 with a homer and two RBI's and Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede went deep to support Jose Contreras' 10th win of the season.
-In a first place AL West battle, the A's pulled 1.5 in front of the Angels thanks to homers from Milton Bradley and Jay Payton in a 3-1 win. A's starter Dan Haren went the distance permitting just ex-Yankee Juan Rivera's 17th homer to notch his eighth win.
-Looks like Alfonso Soriano is happy about staying in Washington. He's celebrated by going 3-for-5 with a two-run double and two runs scored so far in San Francisco. The Nationals lead the Giants 9-4 in the eighth. They've also gotten a bases clearing double from recent acquisition Austin Kearns. Assuming they hang on, it would snap a three-game losing streak.
-The Cubs had their four-game win streak snapped in rude fashion, falling at the hands of Arizona 15-4. The Diamondbacks slammed six homers in the blowout including two from Orlando Hudson. It hasn't been a good year for Mark Prior and last night was no exception. He served up half the home runs and allowed six runs in five innings to fall to 0-5 with an ERA over 7.00. Very ugly numbers for the 25 year-old fromer 2001 second overall selection. This is as gifted a pitcher as there is in the game. He's got such great mechanics. It's ashame what injuries have done lately to his career. One can only hope he'll get back to being one of the best pitchers in the game. The Cubs need it badly.
-According to a published report in the New York Times, recent tests say that some of Floyd Landis' testosterone was synthetic. The recent Tour de France winner claimed it was "caused naturally" and has demanded a backup test be given to prove his innocence. The results of that won't be known for a few days. Still, if the International Cycling Union which detected the results claim it was synthetic, a second test doesn't need to be performed to confirm it. More from Dr. Gary Wadler, who is part of the World Anti-Doping Agency:
"The rules say that it is a violation, but if you can show that the athlete had no fault or no significant fault, there could be a mitigation of the sanction. No matter how it got there, the athlete has to show how it got into his or her body. It could have been sabotage or contaminated dietary supplements, or something else, but they have to prove how the testosterone got there."
Doesn't look too good for Landis. No Tour de France winner has ever been disqualified. If he is, Spain's Oscar Pereiro would be declared the winner.
-In other disturbing news, Justin Gatlin's track coach Trevor Graham could face a ban according to IAAF spokesman Nick Davies. The trainer who helped guide Gatlin to Olympic gold also was responsible for track and field stars Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who both were cited during BALCO. With Gatlin about to defend himself, the IAAF is looking very closely at Graham according to Davies:
"Once we have enough evidence to prove it, then we have the power to prosecute him."
As this case unfolds, it should be interesting to see what they find. In the mean time, former Olympic champion Michael Johnson expressed his concern for Gatlin and particular disdain for Graham:
"Not because I have suspected that Justin was doping- I've always had a lot of respect for him- but there has always been one thing about him that has bothered me: his association with coach Trevor Graham...Even if Gatlin is innocent, now he will be suspected forever and he is about to see the danger of his continued association with Graham, because that association almost guarantees that no one will give him the benefit of the doubt."
Pretty strong stuff from one of the best track and field sprint runners of the last decade. It certainly doesn't portray Graham in a good light. Who will speak out next?
More HB
-The baseball trade deadline has expired. There were several deals made including one involving the Mets and a late trade between the Yanks and Pirates. So let's get to it:
-The Mets traded outfielder Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh in exchange for starter Olivier Perez and reacquired reliever Roberto Hernandez. Initially, we like this move. The 24 year-old Perez has the potential to be an ace. A couple of years ago after being acquired from San Diego as part of the Brian Giles deal, he won 12 games with a 2.98 ERA allowing just 145 hits in 196 innings and fanned 239. The southpaw looked like he was headed for stardom but an injury plagued 2005 saw him win only seven games and give up 23 home runs in 20 starts along with a 5.85 ERA. This year has been even worse. In 15 outings, he's 2-10 with 88 hits and 13 long balls allowed in 76 innings. Complicating things, Perez has walked 51 and has an ERA of almost 7.00 (6.63). Opposing batters are hitting .296. Things were so bad that he was demoted. Now he'll get a fresh chance to rediscover the stuff with Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson. If he turns it around, this could go down as a great trade.
-A car accident to setup man Duaner Sanchez forced GM Omar Minaya to act quickly. Sanchez separated his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. He was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Replacing him will be the 41 year-old Hernandez. Last year, he was decent in the same role but wore down. This is definitely a downgrade. If batters can get around on his fastball, the Mets pen could have problems. Hernandez is 8-6 this year with a 2.58 ERA and four saves. Solid numbers. But he's more hittable and also walks guys (46 hits and 24 BB in 43 IP). The Amazin's will need Aaron Heilman to pitch well down the stretch.
-The Mets gave up rightfielder Nady. It's amazing what can happen in a few weeks. I distinctively remember Minaya boasting to WFAN's Mike Francesa that "they thought he could hit 35 home runs." He had 14 HR and 40 RBI in 75 games after being acquired for Mike Cameron before the season. He became expendable because Mets brass thinks prospect Lastings Milledge can come up and replace him. He has a lot of raw ability but is a headcase and must be watched closely. If he struggles, look for supersub Endy Chavez to play more regularly.
-The Yankees also made one more move by getting utility man Craig Wilson from the Pirates for pitcher Shawn Chacon. This was a no-brainer because they needed to upgrade their bench and the 29 year-old can play the infield or outfield. He was hitting .267 with 13 HR and 41 RBI's. That kind of pop off the bench is something the Yanks didn't have. Factor in that when Hideki Matsui returns, rookie Melky Cabrera will come off the bench as well which should drastically improve their depth. Suddenly, a glaring weakness could be a strength. Especially when Robinson Cano returns to second and Miguel Cairo also returns to a backup role. A year after helping the Yanks reach October, the 27 year-old Chacon struggled badly with a 7.00 ERA. He needed a change and now will get it. It's addition by subtraction for the Bronx Bombers.
-Here's a quick breakdown of the other deals that have gone down:
1.The Cards acquired second baseman Ronnie Belliard from Cleveland for Hector Luna. St. Louis gets a little more offense while the rebuilding Indians get a player five years younger with potential.
2.Tigers acquire first baseman Sean Casey for pitching prospect Brian Rogers. A day after losing a game partially due to Chris Shelton's error, Detroit significantly upgrades their D at first while Pirates GM hopes that Rogers develops into a solid pitcher. Also of note: The Tigers demoted Shelton to make room for Casey. He had 16 HR and 45 RBI's but slumped badly after a hot start. Still, it might be an overreaction to send him down.
3.Reds deal minor league pitcher Zach Ward to Twins for starter Kyle Lohse. The Reds are banking on the 27 year-old Lohse turning it around and helping their rotation while Minnesota rids themselves of salary and frees up a spot possibly for their top pitching prospect. Yes, they have another waiting in the wings. Other good part for the Twins: Ward was dominating in Class A. Down the road, this could be a great move.
4.Padres acquire infielder Todd Walker and cash from the Cubs for pitching prospect Jose Ceda. Walker mostly has played second but will be asked to shift to third in San Diego. That might be an interesting experiment. The Cubs get rid of Walker's salary and acquire a pitcher for the future.
5.Texas deals minor league pitcher Jesse Chavez to Pittsburgh for SP Kip Wells. Wells should upgrade the Rangers' rotation in their playoff push while the Pirates free up some salary and get younger. That seemed to be the theme in most of GM David Littlefield's moves except for the Nady trade in which he unloaded Perez. That's one deal which could comeback to haunt him.
6.Texas acquires DH Matt Stairs from Kansas City in exchange for minor league reliever Joselo Diaz. The Rangers add some power in Stairs, who can DH or come off the bench while the Royals get an almost major league ready reliever.
7.Reds trade pitcher Justin Germano to Phillies for reliever Rheal Cormier. There's a 16-year difference in age. So you know what the Reds are trying to do here in acquiring the reliable lefthander who's having a great year. The Phils unload another vet and get much younger.
8.Dodgers trade shortstop Cesar Izturis to Cubs in exchange for SP Greg Maddux and $2 million. Why fading LA is taking this route is kind of hard to fathom but also makes sense in the wacky NL where anything can happen. After starting 5-0, the 40 year-old Maddux has slumped badly dropping to 9-11 with a 4.69 ERA. The Dodgers are hoping the seasoned vet can bolster their staff. The Cubs get a bonafide shortstop in Izturis who improves their defense and adds speed. If he stays on the field, it's a great trade.
9.Dodgers acquire infielder Julio Lugo from Tampa Bay for minor league prospect Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. Los Angeles replaces Izturis at second with the versatile Lugo who is having a career season with double digits in homers (12) and steals (18). Definitely should bolster their top of the order until Jeff Kent returns from an oblique injury. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays get good value for Lugo in 21 year-old prospect Guzman. The third baseman was hitting .294 with 10 HR in Triple-A and should be ready soon. This is a good deal for both clubs but it could benefit Tampa long term.
-While the activity was busy, one player who didn't relocate was Alfonso Soriano. The former Yankee is having a great first season with the Nationals, hitting .286 with 32 homers, 64 RBI's and 26 stolen bases. He was the biggest name on the market but apparently, Washington GM Jim Bowden didn't like what he saw and opted to retain him. And if you were nine games out of the wild card in a weak NL and couldn't get a maximum return for your best player, you would hold onto him too. The Nats will now try to re-sign the 30 year-old five-time All Star who has successfully shifted from second to left field after uncertainty surrounding whether he'd even play due to sitting out a preseason game. He's played alright. Here's Bowden on why Soriano is still in the nation's capital:
If they are able to re-sign him, they'll have to be willing to give Soriano a no-trade clause. If he does bolt in November, the Nationals would receive two draft picks as compensation including a Sandwich pick. We note this cause if you're a diehard Mets fan, David Wright was a Sandwich selection back in 2001. Sometimes, you really can luck out.
-In an afternoon tilt in which his team got trounced 15-2 to the Marlins, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley singled in his third plate appearance to extend his hit streak to 32 games- the second longest in team history behind teammate Jimmy Rollins' 38 which spanned the end of last season and first two games of this year. Utley's streak is about the only good thing happening lately with the club which shedded a ton of payroll at the deadline. The 27 year-old former 2000 first round pick is certainly a building block for the rebuilding Phils. He's followed a breakout 2005 season in which he hit .291 with 28 dingers, 105 RBI's and 16 steals with a splendid 2006- hitting .327 with 21 homers, 69 RBI's, 11 steals and 90 runs scored. Hopefully, he'll be part of a renaissance in the City of Brotherly Love.
-In NFL news, Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints will make it official today. The former USC Heisman winner selected second overall by the Saints in the NFL Draft agreed to a six-year deal worth reportedly in excess of $60 million due to incentives. Top overall pick Mario Williams inked a six-year $54 million deal with the Texans last week. We're glad to see Bush signed. Now we'll get to see how much of an impact the talented running back can make with the Saints. It should be fun to watch.
-Meanwhile, Bush's former teammate and 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart was a no-show at camp and still holding out. Guess he's not as anxious to familiarize himself with his new surroundings in Arizona. Either that or maybe he didn't take too kindly to coach Dennis Green wanting him to compete for the backup QB job with John Navarre.
-In NHL news, Dominik Hasek signed a one-year contract with Detroit. The 41 year-old six-time Vezina winner will try to recreate the same magic he had in '01-02 after being traded from Buffalo to the Red Wings when he helped them win a Stanley Cup. My question to GM Ken Holland: Why? While the Dominator proved he could still play well in net for Ottawa, he also was very injury prone. After going 28-10-4 with a 2.09 GAA in his first 43 games with the Senators, he never played another game due to suffering a groin injury at the Olympics in Torino. This makes him a very risky gamble by Holland. Hasek will share the number one goaltender duties with vet Chris Osgood. One guarantee: If and when either breaks down, look for goalie prospect Jimmy Howard to get into some meaningful action.
-In an NBA trade, the Bucks shipped center Jamal Magloire to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin. The 28 year-old Magloire should help the Trail Blazers in the middle while Blake should help Bucks at the guard position. He could team up with Maurice Williams to form a solid backcourt or maybe come off the bench to spell him. One question for Portland GM John Nash: With Joel Przybilla still there along with Zach Randolph and Raef LaFrentz, isn't that a bit of a logjam up front? Expect another deal soon.
-The Mets traded outfielder Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh in exchange for starter Olivier Perez and reacquired reliever Roberto Hernandez. Initially, we like this move. The 24 year-old Perez has the potential to be an ace. A couple of years ago after being acquired from San Diego as part of the Brian Giles deal, he won 12 games with a 2.98 ERA allowing just 145 hits in 196 innings and fanned 239. The southpaw looked like he was headed for stardom but an injury plagued 2005 saw him win only seven games and give up 23 home runs in 20 starts along with a 5.85 ERA. This year has been even worse. In 15 outings, he's 2-10 with 88 hits and 13 long balls allowed in 76 innings. Complicating things, Perez has walked 51 and has an ERA of almost 7.00 (6.63). Opposing batters are hitting .296. Things were so bad that he was demoted. Now he'll get a fresh chance to rediscover the stuff with Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson. If he turns it around, this could go down as a great trade.
-A car accident to setup man Duaner Sanchez forced GM Omar Minaya to act quickly. Sanchez separated his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. He was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Replacing him will be the 41 year-old Hernandez. Last year, he was decent in the same role but wore down. This is definitely a downgrade. If batters can get around on his fastball, the Mets pen could have problems. Hernandez is 8-6 this year with a 2.58 ERA and four saves. Solid numbers. But he's more hittable and also walks guys (46 hits and 24 BB in 43 IP). The Amazin's will need Aaron Heilman to pitch well down the stretch.
-The Mets gave up rightfielder Nady. It's amazing what can happen in a few weeks. I distinctively remember Minaya boasting to WFAN's Mike Francesa that "they thought he could hit 35 home runs." He had 14 HR and 40 RBI in 75 games after being acquired for Mike Cameron before the season. He became expendable because Mets brass thinks prospect Lastings Milledge can come up and replace him. He has a lot of raw ability but is a headcase and must be watched closely. If he struggles, look for supersub Endy Chavez to play more regularly.
-The Yankees also made one more move by getting utility man Craig Wilson from the Pirates for pitcher Shawn Chacon. This was a no-brainer because they needed to upgrade their bench and the 29 year-old can play the infield or outfield. He was hitting .267 with 13 HR and 41 RBI's. That kind of pop off the bench is something the Yanks didn't have. Factor in that when Hideki Matsui returns, rookie Melky Cabrera will come off the bench as well which should drastically improve their depth. Suddenly, a glaring weakness could be a strength. Especially when Robinson Cano returns to second and Miguel Cairo also returns to a backup role. A year after helping the Yanks reach October, the 27 year-old Chacon struggled badly with a 7.00 ERA. He needed a change and now will get it. It's addition by subtraction for the Bronx Bombers.
-Here's a quick breakdown of the other deals that have gone down:
1.The Cards acquired second baseman Ronnie Belliard from Cleveland for Hector Luna. St. Louis gets a little more offense while the rebuilding Indians get a player five years younger with potential.
2.Tigers acquire first baseman Sean Casey for pitching prospect Brian Rogers. A day after losing a game partially due to Chris Shelton's error, Detroit significantly upgrades their D at first while Pirates GM hopes that Rogers develops into a solid pitcher. Also of note: The Tigers demoted Shelton to make room for Casey. He had 16 HR and 45 RBI's but slumped badly after a hot start. Still, it might be an overreaction to send him down.
3.Reds deal minor league pitcher Zach Ward to Twins for starter Kyle Lohse. The Reds are banking on the 27 year-old Lohse turning it around and helping their rotation while Minnesota rids themselves of salary and frees up a spot possibly for their top pitching prospect. Yes, they have another waiting in the wings. Other good part for the Twins: Ward was dominating in Class A. Down the road, this could be a great move.
4.Padres acquire infielder Todd Walker and cash from the Cubs for pitching prospect Jose Ceda. Walker mostly has played second but will be asked to shift to third in San Diego. That might be an interesting experiment. The Cubs get rid of Walker's salary and acquire a pitcher for the future.
5.Texas deals minor league pitcher Jesse Chavez to Pittsburgh for SP Kip Wells. Wells should upgrade the Rangers' rotation in their playoff push while the Pirates free up some salary and get younger. That seemed to be the theme in most of GM David Littlefield's moves except for the Nady trade in which he unloaded Perez. That's one deal which could comeback to haunt him.
6.Texas acquires DH Matt Stairs from Kansas City in exchange for minor league reliever Joselo Diaz. The Rangers add some power in Stairs, who can DH or come off the bench while the Royals get an almost major league ready reliever.
7.Reds trade pitcher Justin Germano to Phillies for reliever Rheal Cormier. There's a 16-year difference in age. So you know what the Reds are trying to do here in acquiring the reliable lefthander who's having a great year. The Phils unload another vet and get much younger.
8.Dodgers trade shortstop Cesar Izturis to Cubs in exchange for SP Greg Maddux and $2 million. Why fading LA is taking this route is kind of hard to fathom but also makes sense in the wacky NL where anything can happen. After starting 5-0, the 40 year-old Maddux has slumped badly dropping to 9-11 with a 4.69 ERA. The Dodgers are hoping the seasoned vet can bolster their staff. The Cubs get a bonafide shortstop in Izturis who improves their defense and adds speed. If he stays on the field, it's a great trade.
9.Dodgers acquire infielder Julio Lugo from Tampa Bay for minor league prospect Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza. Los Angeles replaces Izturis at second with the versatile Lugo who is having a career season with double digits in homers (12) and steals (18). Definitely should bolster their top of the order until Jeff Kent returns from an oblique injury. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays get good value for Lugo in 21 year-old prospect Guzman. The third baseman was hitting .294 with 10 HR in Triple-A and should be ready soon. This is a good deal for both clubs but it could benefit Tampa long term.
-While the activity was busy, one player who didn't relocate was Alfonso Soriano. The former Yankee is having a great first season with the Nationals, hitting .286 with 32 homers, 64 RBI's and 26 stolen bases. He was the biggest name on the market but apparently, Washington GM Jim Bowden didn't like what he saw and opted to retain him. And if you were nine games out of the wild card in a weak NL and couldn't get a maximum return for your best player, you would hold onto him too. The Nats will now try to re-sign the 30 year-old five-time All Star who has successfully shifted from second to left field after uncertainty surrounding whether he'd even play due to sitting out a preseason game. He's played alright. Here's Bowden on why Soriano is still in the nation's capital:
"We felt the best deal we could make is no deal. He wants to stay in D.C. and did not want to be traded...There wasn't a deal out there that would have helped our farm system in our opinion as much as not making a deal...At the end of the day, it was a very simple decision for us: Keeping Alfonso was the best thing for the Nationals."
If they are able to re-sign him, they'll have to be willing to give Soriano a no-trade clause. If he does bolt in November, the Nationals would receive two draft picks as compensation including a Sandwich pick. We note this cause if you're a diehard Mets fan, David Wright was a Sandwich selection back in 2001. Sometimes, you really can luck out.
-In an afternoon tilt in which his team got trounced 15-2 to the Marlins, Phillies second baseman Chase Utley singled in his third plate appearance to extend his hit streak to 32 games- the second longest in team history behind teammate Jimmy Rollins' 38 which spanned the end of last season and first two games of this year. Utley's streak is about the only good thing happening lately with the club which shedded a ton of payroll at the deadline. The 27 year-old former 2000 first round pick is certainly a building block for the rebuilding Phils. He's followed a breakout 2005 season in which he hit .291 with 28 dingers, 105 RBI's and 16 steals with a splendid 2006- hitting .327 with 21 homers, 69 RBI's, 11 steals and 90 runs scored. Hopefully, he'll be part of a renaissance in the City of Brotherly Love.
-In NFL news, Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints will make it official today. The former USC Heisman winner selected second overall by the Saints in the NFL Draft agreed to a six-year deal worth reportedly in excess of $60 million due to incentives. Top overall pick Mario Williams inked a six-year $54 million deal with the Texans last week. We're glad to see Bush signed. Now we'll get to see how much of an impact the talented running back can make with the Saints. It should be fun to watch.
-Meanwhile, Bush's former teammate and 2004 Heisman winner Matt Leinart was a no-show at camp and still holding out. Guess he's not as anxious to familiarize himself with his new surroundings in Arizona. Either that or maybe he didn't take too kindly to coach Dennis Green wanting him to compete for the backup QB job with John Navarre.
-In NHL news, Dominik Hasek signed a one-year contract with Detroit. The 41 year-old six-time Vezina winner will try to recreate the same magic he had in '01-02 after being traded from Buffalo to the Red Wings when he helped them win a Stanley Cup. My question to GM Ken Holland: Why? While the Dominator proved he could still play well in net for Ottawa, he also was very injury prone. After going 28-10-4 with a 2.09 GAA in his first 43 games with the Senators, he never played another game due to suffering a groin injury at the Olympics in Torino. This makes him a very risky gamble by Holland. Hasek will share the number one goaltender duties with vet Chris Osgood. One guarantee: If and when either breaks down, look for goalie prospect Jimmy Howard to get into some meaningful action.
-In an NBA trade, the Bucks shipped center Jamal Magloire to Portland for guard Steve Blake, forward Brian Skinner and center Ha Seung-Jin. The 28 year-old Magloire should help the Trail Blazers in the middle while Blake should help Bucks at the guard position. He could team up with Maurice Williams to form a solid backcourt or maybe come off the bench to spell him. One question for Portland GM John Nash: With Joel Przybilla still there along with Zach Randolph and Raef LaFrentz, isn't that a bit of a logjam up front? Expect another deal soon.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Hitting Back
-The biggest news Sunday took place during the Yankee game when it was announced that they had acquired rightfielder Bobby Abreu from the Phillies in a six-player deal. Let's give proper credit to Baseball Tonight's Buster Olney who a night earlier mentioned that the two teams were in "serious talks" for the two-time NL All-Star. Unlike mascot Steve Phillips who wouldn't know a good trade if it hit him, Olney actually delivered. The trade was completed Sunday with the Phillies sending Abreu and starter Cory Lidle to the Yanks in exchange for minor league prospects Matt Smith, former 2005 first round pick C.J. Henry, Jesus Sanchez and Carlos Monasterios. By trading for Abreu, Yankee GM Brian Cashman has solidified his outfield- upgrading in right with the 32 year-old Abreu. Though his home runs were drastically down to eight, he still had 65 RBI's and a major league-leading 91 walks for a lofty .427 on-base percentage with Philadelphia this season. The rightfielder should continue to reach base frequently in a middle of the order which includes Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez. The question becomes where he'll bat. Is he in the Bronx to give A-Rod much needed protection in the five-hole or will manager Joe Torre try Abreu third and move Giambi down to fifth? The 10-year Yankee skipper usually loves to go lefty-righty-lefty. A top six of Damon-Jeter-Abreu-Rodriguez-Giambi-Posada would allow for that.
Of course, the Abreu move means that the Yankees will take on more salary by paying him $4.3 million of the 13.5 million owed this year. They'll also pay him $15.5 million next season. Translation: Gary Sheffield's days as a Bronx Bomber are coming to a close this Fall. Abreu is a few years younger, healthier and plays better defense. Huge pluses. Despite all that, Cashman was intent on getting Lidle included or the deal wouldn't have been completed. The 34 year-old righty won eight games with the Phillies, including his last four starts. The last two he went eight innings in. He should be an upgrade over Sidney Ponson, who hasn't shown much since being claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. The one concern the Yanks should have with Lidle is his tendency to give up the long ball. So far, he's allowed 19 this year. Btw...that's one more than all of last season. Not what you want to see. Especially when he'll be pitching a lot at Yankee Stadium with that short porch.
Cashman on the trade:
No question this Yankee team has worked hard this season to stay in playoff contention. Even with Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all still out, they're only half a game behind Boston for the AL East and lead the White Sox by half a game and the Twins by one and a half for the wild card. Matsui and Cano are expected back some time next month while Sheffield has continued to point towards September for his return. Cashman had the approval of The Boss to go out and make this move. It had better work or heads will roll.
-On the field, the Yankees bounced back from that 19-6 blowout loss to Tampa by getting a two-homer game from Johnny Damon and seven strong innings from Mike Mussina in a 4-2 win to take the rubber game of the series. Moose struck out eight to improve to 13-3 on the season. He's certainly done his part. Ah. What a contract year does for inspiration. Damon's two blasts went into the upper deck, probably reminding Bomber fans of how he tormented their team the past few seasons with Boston. The leadoff centerfielder certainly has delivered in his first season in the Bronx. He's hitting .299 with 13 homers, 50 RBI's, 73 runs and 19 stolen bases. All while playing through pain. Also, Derek Jeter continued his torrid July with a two-run double going 2-for-4 to raise his average to .354. He finished the month hitting .412 with two dingers and 19 RBI's. Unfortunately, it probably won't be good enough to win AL Player of the Month. That will most likely go to David Ortiz, who slugged 12 homers and knocked in 31.
-Ortiz' two-run double wasn't good enough to rally the Red Sox in a 10-4 loss to the Angels at Fenway. Los Angeles smacked around Curt Schilling for six runs, three homers and 10 hits in five innings to hand the ace his fourth defeat of the season. It was his second shortest outing. In the third, some home run derby was played when Orlando Cabrera, Vlad Guerrero and Juan Rivera all went deep. John Lackey went six to pickup his 10th win, keeping the Angels within a half game of the AL West-leading A's, who also were victorious over Toronto 6-5 thanks to a walkoff three-run homer by Milton Bradley. With the A's once again competing for October, look for ace Barry Zito to stay put as the trade deadline hits at 4 PM.
-The Twins kept pace in the wild card race with a late rally to avoid a sweep at home against major league leader Detroit. Trailing by three runs, Minnesota put up a six spot in the eighth to spoil a strong performance by Jeremy Bonderman. Chris Shelton's error opened the door to cut it to 3-1. Then Mike Redmond doubled in a second run and then later scored on a Bonderman balk to tie it. After a Luis Castillo RBI ground out put them ahead, Michael Cuddyer's two-run triple suddenly gave Minnesota a 6-3 lead. After permitting a run, Joe Nathan closed it out for his 22nd save.
-White Sox closer Bobby Jenks blew his first save in his last 20 chances to drop a tough one 8-7 at Baltimore. After taking the first two games to get back on track, the defending World champs were two outs away from a sweep but Jenks allowed five straight baserunners to reach, including Jeff Conine's tying single and Javy Lopez' game winning hit. Before that, Jenks had converted an AL Best 28 of 29 this season. Tough way for it to end.
-Meanwhile, the Mets completed a three-game sweep at Atlanta thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Carlos Beltran. The red hot slugger continued his sizzling tear by hitting two more home runs and driving in five in a 10-6 win. The sweep basically ended the NL East race- putting the Braves 15 out. For the Amazin's it capped a great weekend which gave them their first sweep in Atlanta of more than two since taking four back in 1985. But make no mistake about it, Beltran was a one man wrecking crew in this series. He was 6-for-14 with four homers and 12 RBI's in the three wins. Remarkable. Even more unbelievable was that his second inning grand slam which made it 7-0 was his third slam of the month. The centerfielder became the ninth player to accomplish that feat and first since Devon White. For the season, he now has 32 dingers and 94 RBI's. The scary part is that there are still two months left. What will he wind up with?
-It's great to see Beltran silencing critics who questioned whether he was "tough enough" to succeed in New York after a subpar 2005 which saw him finish with a disappointing 16 home runs and 78 RBI's. Clearly with a better supporting cast which includes Paul Lo Duca and Carlos Delgado, he has relaxed. If not for those two trades GM Omar Minaya struck with Florida, there's no telling where Beltran and the Mets would be. Anytime you can add two All Star calibre players, you do it. The former Marlin duo has given the Amazin's a much more potent middle of the order. How many teams have a better 3-4-5 than the Mets? Beltran-Delgado-Wright are as lethal as it gets. Toss in leadoff man Jose Reyes' ability to get on and terrorize pitchers, plus LoDuca and the surprising contributions of Jose Valentin and the Mets offense is awfully tough to keep in check.
-That type of support has helped offset recent poor outings from Tom Glavine, who couldn't even work five and protect a big lead to get the victory. Right now, the former Cy Young winner can't be trusted. Maybe he needs some rest. If you're a Mets fan, you feel a lot more confident in El Duque and John Maine. Who thinks they can win it all if Glavine and Pedro aren't their best two starters? That's the dilemma facing Minaya as the deadline approaches. If they do make a move, it will probably be for a Livan Hernandez and possibly another reliever.
-There's been plenty of discussion on the airwaves about whether or not the Mets should part with a Lastings Milledge to acquire another starter such as Zito. Some fans seemed to be content witb just going to bat with what they have due to the team being young. Yes, Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Mike Pelfrey are but the same can't be said for Delgado, Pedro, Glavine, Duque and Billy Wagner. Those established stars were brought in to win now. Who knows how many good years a Pedro has left in the tank? He already is having health problems. The Mets' success is contingent on the three-time Cy Young winner. He'll turn 35 October 25. Hopefully with a third World Championship.
-In other Senior Circuit action, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 6-3 to sweep them four straight. No. This isn't a misprint. This actually happened. For whatever reason, the Cubs play their NL Central rivals very tough. They have now taken all seven games at Wrigley Field. They have won six of seven to get to 18 under .500. Still a long way from respectability. But on a team with little hope, Carlos Zambrano outpitched 2005 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter to finish the month 6-0- becoming the first Cub pitcher to do that since Rick Reuschel in 1979. This is on the Dusty Baker Cubs! Zambrano improved to 12-3 and hasn't lost since May 31. Here's what the underrated 25 year-old ace had to say despite where his ballclub stands:
Impressive stuff. That's a great attitude to have when your team is still 15 games behind St. Louis and sits second to last in the wild card race 11.5 back of the Reds. In a weak league where anything can happen, more Cubs should think like Zambrano. Does anyone really believe the Reds will make October? The competition ahead of them is not that great. They can still make up a lot of ground. It sure would help if Kerry Wood and Derrek Lee were healthy.
-With the deadline less than 12 hours away, Alfonso Soriano still hasn't been traded. Washington just may keep him if they can't get the kind of package they're looking for. Would you trade your best player for less value when he's got 32 homers, 26 steals and 77 runs mostly out of the leadoff spot? The Nationals are nine out of the wild card. Maybe they should keep their star and take a run at it and then try to re-sign him after the season. This isn't the Expos. Stop running them like it.
-Congrats to Bruce Sutter on becoming the first everyday closer to make Cooperstown. In 12 seasons with the Cubs, Cards and Braves, he saved 300 games- topping 100 innings five times and exceeding 100 K's three. One of the biggest highlights included an NL Cy Young in 1979 when he dominated for the Cubs by saving 37 games- allowing only 67 hits in 101-plus while fanning 110. But the best achievment of his career was helping the Cards win the World Series in 1982, clinching it by K-ing Milwaukee's Gorman Thomas in the seventh game. There's some great words from the newly inducted Hall of Famer on what that meant:
He certainly lived it and deserves his place in Cooperstown. Just wish 94 year-old Negro legend Buck O'Neil could've been elected in the special Negro Leagues class. What a pity.
-From a few nights ago overheard in the press box at the Staten Island Yankee game:
"Steve Phillips was so dumb that he offered to trade David Wright when he was in Double A for Jose Cruz but was turned down."
I'm not sure what's worse? Offering such a ridiculous proposal or rejecting it.
-Is anyone else tired of ESPN's ridiculous overhype of Danica Patrick? She's a female race driver. We get it. Let the "Chosen One" win an IRL race first before going ga ga. Same can also be said for 'media darling' Michelle Wie. Until she wins on the LPGA, I don't want to hear that much about her. Hey. Anna Kournikova almost won a tournament once. Almost doesn't count.
-So did anyone else get a kick out of the Daily News Sunday special report that linked former Indians slugger and current Long Island Duck (how the mighty have fallen) Juan Gonzalez and ex-trainer Angel Presinal to a bag which included steroids back in 2001 at a Toronto airport? Naturally, the trainer took the fall, ultimately losing his job with Gonzalez. Nothing ever came of this case. It was basically a well kept secret. Even well enough for MLB to have no idea. Gee. What else is new?
For those interested, we suggest you read the details put together by Daily News reporters T.J. Quinn, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red. Here's an excerpt with the link of the full story below:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/439079p-369944c.html
How soon before ESPN "takes credit" for one of their 'exclusives?'
-Of course, it's no surprise that Juan Gone would be named. The more you find out about the players Jose Canseco named in his book "Juiced,", the more the former credible the former AL MVP looks. Imagine that.
Of course, the Abreu move means that the Yankees will take on more salary by paying him $4.3 million of the 13.5 million owed this year. They'll also pay him $15.5 million next season. Translation: Gary Sheffield's days as a Bronx Bomber are coming to a close this Fall. Abreu is a few years younger, healthier and plays better defense. Huge pluses. Despite all that, Cashman was intent on getting Lidle included or the deal wouldn't have been completed. The 34 year-old righty won eight games with the Phillies, including his last four starts. The last two he went eight innings in. He should be an upgrade over Sidney Ponson, who hasn't shown much since being claimed off waivers a couple of weeks ago. The one concern the Yanks should have with Lidle is his tendency to give up the long ball. So far, he's allowed 19 this year. Btw...that's one more than all of last season. Not what you want to see. Especially when he'll be pitching a lot at Yankee Stadium with that short porch.
Cashman on the trade:
"The commitment left with Bobby is a pretty good commitment. This club has worked so hard and with so much fight. If I could, I wanted to give it a chance to win."
No question this Yankee team has worked hard this season to stay in playoff contention. Even with Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano all still out, they're only half a game behind Boston for the AL East and lead the White Sox by half a game and the Twins by one and a half for the wild card. Matsui and Cano are expected back some time next month while Sheffield has continued to point towards September for his return. Cashman had the approval of The Boss to go out and make this move. It had better work or heads will roll.
-On the field, the Yankees bounced back from that 19-6 blowout loss to Tampa by getting a two-homer game from Johnny Damon and seven strong innings from Mike Mussina in a 4-2 win to take the rubber game of the series. Moose struck out eight to improve to 13-3 on the season. He's certainly done his part. Ah. What a contract year does for inspiration. Damon's two blasts went into the upper deck, probably reminding Bomber fans of how he tormented their team the past few seasons with Boston. The leadoff centerfielder certainly has delivered in his first season in the Bronx. He's hitting .299 with 13 homers, 50 RBI's, 73 runs and 19 stolen bases. All while playing through pain. Also, Derek Jeter continued his torrid July with a two-run double going 2-for-4 to raise his average to .354. He finished the month hitting .412 with two dingers and 19 RBI's. Unfortunately, it probably won't be good enough to win AL Player of the Month. That will most likely go to David Ortiz, who slugged 12 homers and knocked in 31.
-Ortiz' two-run double wasn't good enough to rally the Red Sox in a 10-4 loss to the Angels at Fenway. Los Angeles smacked around Curt Schilling for six runs, three homers and 10 hits in five innings to hand the ace his fourth defeat of the season. It was his second shortest outing. In the third, some home run derby was played when Orlando Cabrera, Vlad Guerrero and Juan Rivera all went deep. John Lackey went six to pickup his 10th win, keeping the Angels within a half game of the AL West-leading A's, who also were victorious over Toronto 6-5 thanks to a walkoff three-run homer by Milton Bradley. With the A's once again competing for October, look for ace Barry Zito to stay put as the trade deadline hits at 4 PM.
-The Twins kept pace in the wild card race with a late rally to avoid a sweep at home against major league leader Detroit. Trailing by three runs, Minnesota put up a six spot in the eighth to spoil a strong performance by Jeremy Bonderman. Chris Shelton's error opened the door to cut it to 3-1. Then Mike Redmond doubled in a second run and then later scored on a Bonderman balk to tie it. After a Luis Castillo RBI ground out put them ahead, Michael Cuddyer's two-run triple suddenly gave Minnesota a 6-3 lead. After permitting a run, Joe Nathan closed it out for his 22nd save.
-White Sox closer Bobby Jenks blew his first save in his last 20 chances to drop a tough one 8-7 at Baltimore. After taking the first two games to get back on track, the defending World champs were two outs away from a sweep but Jenks allowed five straight baserunners to reach, including Jeff Conine's tying single and Javy Lopez' game winning hit. Before that, Jenks had converted an AL Best 28 of 29 this season. Tough way for it to end.
-Meanwhile, the Mets completed a three-game sweep at Atlanta thanks in large part to NL MVP candidate Carlos Beltran. The red hot slugger continued his sizzling tear by hitting two more home runs and driving in five in a 10-6 win. The sweep basically ended the NL East race- putting the Braves 15 out. For the Amazin's it capped a great weekend which gave them their first sweep in Atlanta of more than two since taking four back in 1985. But make no mistake about it, Beltran was a one man wrecking crew in this series. He was 6-for-14 with four homers and 12 RBI's in the three wins. Remarkable. Even more unbelievable was that his second inning grand slam which made it 7-0 was his third slam of the month. The centerfielder became the ninth player to accomplish that feat and first since Devon White. For the season, he now has 32 dingers and 94 RBI's. The scary part is that there are still two months left. What will he wind up with?
-It's great to see Beltran silencing critics who questioned whether he was "tough enough" to succeed in New York after a subpar 2005 which saw him finish with a disappointing 16 home runs and 78 RBI's. Clearly with a better supporting cast which includes Paul Lo Duca and Carlos Delgado, he has relaxed. If not for those two trades GM Omar Minaya struck with Florida, there's no telling where Beltran and the Mets would be. Anytime you can add two All Star calibre players, you do it. The former Marlin duo has given the Amazin's a much more potent middle of the order. How many teams have a better 3-4-5 than the Mets? Beltran-Delgado-Wright are as lethal as it gets. Toss in leadoff man Jose Reyes' ability to get on and terrorize pitchers, plus LoDuca and the surprising contributions of Jose Valentin and the Mets offense is awfully tough to keep in check.
-That type of support has helped offset recent poor outings from Tom Glavine, who couldn't even work five and protect a big lead to get the victory. Right now, the former Cy Young winner can't be trusted. Maybe he needs some rest. If you're a Mets fan, you feel a lot more confident in El Duque and John Maine. Who thinks they can win it all if Glavine and Pedro aren't their best two starters? That's the dilemma facing Minaya as the deadline approaches. If they do make a move, it will probably be for a Livan Hernandez and possibly another reliever.
-There's been plenty of discussion on the airwaves about whether or not the Mets should part with a Lastings Milledge to acquire another starter such as Zito. Some fans seemed to be content witb just going to bat with what they have due to the team being young. Yes, Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Mike Pelfrey are but the same can't be said for Delgado, Pedro, Glavine, Duque and Billy Wagner. Those established stars were brought in to win now. Who knows how many good years a Pedro has left in the tank? He already is having health problems. The Mets' success is contingent on the three-time Cy Young winner. He'll turn 35 October 25. Hopefully with a third World Championship.
-In other Senior Circuit action, the Cubs defeated the Cardinals 6-3 to sweep them four straight. No. This isn't a misprint. This actually happened. For whatever reason, the Cubs play their NL Central rivals very tough. They have now taken all seven games at Wrigley Field. They have won six of seven to get to 18 under .500. Still a long way from respectability. But on a team with little hope, Carlos Zambrano outpitched 2005 Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter to finish the month 6-0- becoming the first Cub pitcher to do that since Rick Reuschel in 1979. This is on the Dusty Baker Cubs! Zambrano improved to 12-3 and hasn't lost since May 31. Here's what the underrated 25 year-old ace had to say despite where his ballclub stands:
"I am one of the guys that thinks you never have to give up. When you have that 'X' that says you're eliminated, then you give up. Not anybody in the league, not Kansas City, not Pittsburgh, has that 'X' that says they are eliminated...We're still fighting for something. We still have a chance to do a lot of things."
Impressive stuff. That's a great attitude to have when your team is still 15 games behind St. Louis and sits second to last in the wild card race 11.5 back of the Reds. In a weak league where anything can happen, more Cubs should think like Zambrano. Does anyone really believe the Reds will make October? The competition ahead of them is not that great. They can still make up a lot of ground. It sure would help if Kerry Wood and Derrek Lee were healthy.
-With the deadline less than 12 hours away, Alfonso Soriano still hasn't been traded. Washington just may keep him if they can't get the kind of package they're looking for. Would you trade your best player for less value when he's got 32 homers, 26 steals and 77 runs mostly out of the leadoff spot? The Nationals are nine out of the wild card. Maybe they should keep their star and take a run at it and then try to re-sign him after the season. This isn't the Expos. Stop running them like it.
-Congrats to Bruce Sutter on becoming the first everyday closer to make Cooperstown. In 12 seasons with the Cubs, Cards and Braves, he saved 300 games- topping 100 innings five times and exceeding 100 K's three. One of the biggest highlights included an NL Cy Young in 1979 when he dominated for the Cubs by saving 37 games- allowing only 67 hits in 101-plus while fanning 110. But the best achievment of his career was helping the Cards win the World Series in 1982, clinching it by K-ing Milwaukee's Gorman Thomas in the seventh game. There's some great words from the newly inducted Hall of Famer on what that meant:
"Every pitcher dreams of pitching in the major leagues and imagines himself striking out the final batter to end the seventh game of the World Series. Well, I'm one of the lucky ones who got to realize that dream."
He certainly lived it and deserves his place in Cooperstown. Just wish 94 year-old Negro legend Buck O'Neil could've been elected in the special Negro Leagues class. What a pity.
-From a few nights ago overheard in the press box at the Staten Island Yankee game:
"Steve Phillips was so dumb that he offered to trade David Wright when he was in Double A for Jose Cruz but was turned down."
I'm not sure what's worse? Offering such a ridiculous proposal or rejecting it.
-Is anyone else tired of ESPN's ridiculous overhype of Danica Patrick? She's a female race driver. We get it. Let the "Chosen One" win an IRL race first before going ga ga. Same can also be said for 'media darling' Michelle Wie. Until she wins on the LPGA, I don't want to hear that much about her. Hey. Anna Kournikova almost won a tournament once. Almost doesn't count.
-So did anyone else get a kick out of the Daily News Sunday special report that linked former Indians slugger and current Long Island Duck (how the mighty have fallen) Juan Gonzalez and ex-trainer Angel Presinal to a bag which included steroids back in 2001 at a Toronto airport? Naturally, the trainer took the fall, ultimately losing his job with Gonzalez. Nothing ever came of this case. It was basically a well kept secret. Even well enough for MLB to have no idea. Gee. What else is new?
For those interested, we suggest you read the details put together by Daily News reporters T.J. Quinn, Michael O'Keeffe and Christian Red. Here's an excerpt with the link of the full story below:
"He took the fall, no question," says Cleveland media relations director Bart Swain. "I can remember we weren't exactly laughing about it, but we talked about how, this guy, we never saw him again. Juan only spent another week or two with us and he didn't come back."
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/439079p-369944c.html
How soon before ESPN "takes credit" for one of their 'exclusives?'
-Of course, it's no surprise that Juan Gone would be named. The more you find out about the players Jose Canseco named in his book "Juiced,", the more the former credible the former AL MVP looks. Imagine that.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
More HB
-Just a few days after Tour de France winner Floyd Landis was found positive for testosterone, the same result cameback for Olympic gold medallist sprinter Justin Gatlin earlier today. The track and field American star was informed by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) that a test he took after a race back in April was positive. The co-world record holder in the 100 meters with Asafa Powell stated that he will cooperate with the USADA in hopes of clearing his name. He claimed that he's come back negative in over 100 professional races since testing positive back in college for Adderall to treat attention deficit disorder (ADD), receiving a two-year international ban. If he's indeed guilty of this accusation, a repeat offense "could mean a lifetime ban from the sport he loves."
This would be a devastating blow to American track and field. Ironically, Gatlin has also been coached by Trevor Graham. Graham coached Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who both were mentioned during the BALCO case. It's probably not a plus for the star runner to be associated with the coach but we shouldn't assume anything. It's best to wait and see what transpires.
-The Yankees' four-game win streak was rudely halted by Tampa Bay in a 19-6 destruction at the Stadium. In a game which started out well thanks to back-to-back first inning dingers from Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi, it quickly went south the next inning when the Devil Rays scored three unearned runs with two outs. After Randy Johnson retired the first two batters, he walked Jonny Gomes and then Johnny Damon booted a Damon Hollins fly ball which kept the inning alive. Ex-Yankee catching prospect Dioner Navarro followed with an RBI single and then Tomas Perez' two-run double put Tampa ahead. A three-run homer by Hollins in the third made it 6-2 before Jorge Posada's two-run double cut it to two. But the D-Rays cameback with a four run fourth to knock out Johnson, including a Hollins two-run single. He entered the game hitless in his last 18 at bats but finished with five RBI's. Ironically, the other Tampa hitting star was Perez, who came in hitting .194. He was a perfect five-for-five with four doubles, tying a major league record shared by many. Travis Lee and Gomes also homered in a six-run seventh in the rout. The 19 runs the D-Rays scored were the second most the Yanks have ever allowed at home. Two years earlier, Cleveland embarrassed them 22-0 on August 31, 2004. Joe Torre summed up the wasted day perfectly:
Fortunately, this is baseball. It's only one game and if they bounceback tomorrow, all will be forgotten.
-The loss hurt in particular because the Red Sox rallied from three runs down to beat the Angels in 11 innings 7-6 to increase their AL East lead to one and a half. The hero was David Ortiz, who went four-for-five with his major league-leading 35th long ball and four RBI's including a game-winning two out single. Big Papi also paces the majors with 99 RBI's. Just another amazing year for the Red Sox slugger. His latest antics helped offset Angels rookie Jered Weaver's bid to become the first pitcher to win his first eight career starts in 25 years. The 23 year-old former 2004 first round pick went 6.2 innings allowing three runs and K-ing four- leaving with the lead before the bullpen blew it. The AL rookie race should be very interesting down the stretch between him, Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, Detroit's Justin Verlander and Boston super closer Jonathan Papelbon. It might go down as one of the best rookie classes in a long time. The 25 year-old Papelbon tossed two perfect innings fanning two to dwindle his ERA to 0.51. Papelbon, whose converted 29 of 32 saves this season was amazed of Ortiz' latest heroics which lifted Boston to 22 games over .500 (62-40):
Perfectly stated and why despite being a DH, the lovable Ortiz will be tough to beat in the MVP race.
This would be a devastating blow to American track and field. Ironically, Gatlin has also been coached by Trevor Graham. Graham coached Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, who both were mentioned during the BALCO case. It's probably not a plus for the star runner to be associated with the coach but we shouldn't assume anything. It's best to wait and see what transpires.
-The Yankees' four-game win streak was rudely halted by Tampa Bay in a 19-6 destruction at the Stadium. In a game which started out well thanks to back-to-back first inning dingers from Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi, it quickly went south the next inning when the Devil Rays scored three unearned runs with two outs. After Randy Johnson retired the first two batters, he walked Jonny Gomes and then Johnny Damon booted a Damon Hollins fly ball which kept the inning alive. Ex-Yankee catching prospect Dioner Navarro followed with an RBI single and then Tomas Perez' two-run double put Tampa ahead. A three-run homer by Hollins in the third made it 6-2 before Jorge Posada's two-run double cut it to two. But the D-Rays cameback with a four run fourth to knock out Johnson, including a Hollins two-run single. He entered the game hitless in his last 18 at bats but finished with five RBI's. Ironically, the other Tampa hitting star was Perez, who came in hitting .194. He was a perfect five-for-five with four doubles, tying a major league record shared by many. Travis Lee and Gomes also homered in a six-run seventh in the rout. The 19 runs the D-Rays scored were the second most the Yanks have ever allowed at home. Two years earlier, Cleveland embarrassed them 22-0 on August 31, 2004. Joe Torre summed up the wasted day perfectly:
"They killed us. It was just a day we'd like to forget. It wasn't a whole lot of fun. It felt like it lasted a day and a half."
Fortunately, this is baseball. It's only one game and if they bounceback tomorrow, all will be forgotten.
-The loss hurt in particular because the Red Sox rallied from three runs down to beat the Angels in 11 innings 7-6 to increase their AL East lead to one and a half. The hero was David Ortiz, who went four-for-five with his major league-leading 35th long ball and four RBI's including a game-winning two out single. Big Papi also paces the majors with 99 RBI's. Just another amazing year for the Red Sox slugger. His latest antics helped offset Angels rookie Jered Weaver's bid to become the first pitcher to win his first eight career starts in 25 years. The 23 year-old former 2004 first round pick went 6.2 innings allowing three runs and K-ing four- leaving with the lead before the bullpen blew it. The AL rookie race should be very interesting down the stretch between him, Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, Detroit's Justin Verlander and Boston super closer Jonathan Papelbon. It might go down as one of the best rookie classes in a long time. The 25 year-old Papelbon tossed two perfect innings fanning two to dwindle his ERA to 0.51. Papelbon, whose converted 29 of 32 saves this season was amazed of Ortiz' latest heroics which lifted Boston to 22 games over .500 (62-40):
"To have that guy on your team, to be able to take the pressure off your teammates and to be able to carry the team on his back is amazing. He's the type of guy that enjoys that role. We're going to ride him a lot."
Perfectly stated and why despite being a DH, the lovable Ortiz will be tough to beat in the MVP race.
Hitting Back
-As the Mets are burying the Braves thanks to a seven-run sixth to position themselves 14 in front making a further mockery out of how bad their division is, you have to start talking about Carlos Beltran for NL MVP. With two more home runs to reach 30 and five RBI's to increase his total to 89, the second year Met centerfielder is having the kind of season Omar Minaya expected last year- turning all the boos to cheers. Of course, most will ponder how his key stats look compared to wonderboy David Wright or the superhuman Albert Pujols. They're not as high as either but still very good and definitely worth discussing:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6132/situational;_ylt=AsJXE0uimM98qkrow4IVBhyFCLcF
-The Mets also have to be very pleased with Orlando Hernandez' latest performance. At last check, the 36 year-old Cuban had gone the first seven giving up three unearned runs and allowed just two hits while whiffing six. The best part was he did it on only 90 pitches. He has gone at least seven in four of his last five outings. With the clutch October performer rounding into shape, it puts less pressure on Minaya to go out and acquire another starter.
-The only negative on what's been on a great day for the Amazin's is that first base slugger Carlos Delgado left the game early due to being hit on the right knee by Tim Hudson. It was probably just precautionary when Willie Randolph removed him. That's a luxury you have when you have such a big cushion.
-Just asking. But what's happened to that "former ace" Hudson without Leo Mazzone. In his latest poor performance, he gave up nine earned runs and 10 hits in just 5.2 innings. The former Athletic now has an ERA over 5.00. Guess new pitching coach Roger McDowell isn't working out so far. You don't think the former Met is doing it deliberately. Afterall, he was part of that '86 Mets team. Roger always was a practical joker. Unfortunately for the Braves, the joke's on them thus far.
-A few unpleasant thoughts on Mets' WFAN play-by-play man Howie Rose. Over the course of a successful season, he's quickly become one of the most annoying broadcasters. I'm tired of hearing every Mets fan say that all their casters are flawless. Oh really? Have they listened to this buffoon this season? His propaganda has grown tiresome. Between the pompous "Put it in the books" he uses to call Mets wins and silly statements such as Friday night when Jose Reyes ledoff with a homer in which he went into another moronic statement by terming that "the Mets had marched into Atlanta and were quickly ahead 1-0," it's enough to change the channel. I didn't realize the Braves were on the Mets' tails. The funniest aspect of that silly proclamation was that not only were the Amazin's 12 clear of Atlanta coming in, but it was the first batter of the game. Not many ballgames are decided that quickly. And how do you think Rose looked when the Braves got four in the first to lead 4-2? Next time, try waiting nine innings before making such cocky statements.
-Rose's signature call sounds very similar to Yankees' radio voice John Sterling. For years, Sterling has had his own irritating call proclaiming in a loud scream, "The Yankees win. THE YANKEES WIN!!!!!" When you hear Rose deliver it in a similar monotone, it comes off almost as smug as Sterling. Before this season, I didn't think that was possible. But the more Rose makes himself out to be bigger than the game, the more unprofessional he sounds. The sad aspect is that this is a very good broadcaster who can describe the action well. He is much better than Sterling at that and doesn't need to become like him in any way. If he just stuck to basics all the time, it would sound much better. The biggest problem with broadcasters today is that far too many make it more about themselves and rub fans the wrong way. Why can't everyone be like Vin Scully?
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/6132/situational;_ylt=AsJXE0uimM98qkrow4IVBhyFCLcF
-The Mets also have to be very pleased with Orlando Hernandez' latest performance. At last check, the 36 year-old Cuban had gone the first seven giving up three unearned runs and allowed just two hits while whiffing six. The best part was he did it on only 90 pitches. He has gone at least seven in four of his last five outings. With the clutch October performer rounding into shape, it puts less pressure on Minaya to go out and acquire another starter.
-The only negative on what's been on a great day for the Amazin's is that first base slugger Carlos Delgado left the game early due to being hit on the right knee by Tim Hudson. It was probably just precautionary when Willie Randolph removed him. That's a luxury you have when you have such a big cushion.
-Just asking. But what's happened to that "former ace" Hudson without Leo Mazzone. In his latest poor performance, he gave up nine earned runs and 10 hits in just 5.2 innings. The former Athletic now has an ERA over 5.00. Guess new pitching coach Roger McDowell isn't working out so far. You don't think the former Met is doing it deliberately. Afterall, he was part of that '86 Mets team. Roger always was a practical joker. Unfortunately for the Braves, the joke's on them thus far.
-A few unpleasant thoughts on Mets' WFAN play-by-play man Howie Rose. Over the course of a successful season, he's quickly become one of the most annoying broadcasters. I'm tired of hearing every Mets fan say that all their casters are flawless. Oh really? Have they listened to this buffoon this season? His propaganda has grown tiresome. Between the pompous "Put it in the books" he uses to call Mets wins and silly statements such as Friday night when Jose Reyes ledoff with a homer in which he went into another moronic statement by terming that "the Mets had marched into Atlanta and were quickly ahead 1-0," it's enough to change the channel. I didn't realize the Braves were on the Mets' tails. The funniest aspect of that silly proclamation was that not only were the Amazin's 12 clear of Atlanta coming in, but it was the first batter of the game. Not many ballgames are decided that quickly. And how do you think Rose looked when the Braves got four in the first to lead 4-2? Next time, try waiting nine innings before making such cocky statements.
-Rose's signature call sounds very similar to Yankees' radio voice John Sterling. For years, Sterling has had his own irritating call proclaiming in a loud scream, "The Yankees win. THE YANKEES WIN!!!!!" When you hear Rose deliver it in a similar monotone, it comes off almost as smug as Sterling. Before this season, I didn't think that was possible. But the more Rose makes himself out to be bigger than the game, the more unprofessional he sounds. The sad aspect is that this is a very good broadcaster who can describe the action well. He is much better than Sterling at that and doesn't need to become like him in any way. If he just stuck to basics all the time, it would sound much better. The biggest problem with broadcasters today is that far too many make it more about themselves and rub fans the wrong way. Why can't everyone be like Vin Scully?
More HB
-On the first day of practice up in Albany, Giants running back Tiki Barber was thinking about not just life on the football field but life afterwards. Unfortunately for Big Blue supporters, that might come a lot sooner than some think. Coming off his best season in which his 1,860 rushing yards ranked second to Seattle's Shaun Alexander, the 31 year-old admitted that a few opportunities off the field existed but rejected them because he feels this team can reach the Super Bowl. Here's what Barber had to say:
Of course, he's right when it comes to their potential. With a third-year quarterback in Eli Manning along with a talented offense which also includes Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and rookie Sinorice Moss, they should put up plenty of points. The defense will once again be led by Michael Strahan and budding star Osi Umenyiora. Ex-Skin LaVar Arrington has been added to a linebacking corps which includes Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons. They're hoping 35 year-old vet Sam Madison can provide a lift in coverage along with second-year cornerback Corey Webster.
There's no question that the Giants have a chance to be very good. But nothing will come easy. They start the season in the way overhyped "Manning Bowl" against the Colts before visiting Philadelphia and NFC champion Seattle. After a bye week, there are no cupcakes in the next four when they host Washington before traveling to Atlanta and Dallas- then returning home for Tampa Bay. That doesn't even include the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers who are all on the schedule. Combined with what should be an ultracompetitive NFC East, it promises to be a difficult road for Big Blue.
Regarding his bright future which could range from a TV/writing career to future endeavors, the Giants' all-time leading rusher goes on to explain why he might not finish his contract which runs out in 2008:
As usual, the former Virgina product nails the situation perfectly. You can bet that Giants brass doesn't want to hear this "retirement talk." Especially at the beginning of camp in what's an extremely important year for the franchise. Despite Tiki's brutal honesty, you can bet that he won't let it affect his play on the gridiron. He's too much of a professional. One never has to worry about the well spoken 10-year pro not bringing it every down. On the field, he should be the least of the Giants' worries.
"I honestly feel we can compete for a Super Bowl this season. I am telling everyone on our team and you guys if you want to listen, that we can get there. That we should be able to get there as long as we stay healthy, as long as we all believe that."
Of course, he's right when it comes to their potential. With a third-year quarterback in Eli Manning along with a talented offense which also includes Jeremy Shockey, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and rookie Sinorice Moss, they should put up plenty of points. The defense will once again be led by Michael Strahan and budding star Osi Umenyiora. Ex-Skin LaVar Arrington has been added to a linebacking corps which includes Antonio Pierce and Carlos Emmons. They're hoping 35 year-old vet Sam Madison can provide a lift in coverage along with second-year cornerback Corey Webster.
There's no question that the Giants have a chance to be very good. But nothing will come easy. They start the season in the way overhyped "Manning Bowl" against the Colts before visiting Philadelphia and NFC champion Seattle. After a bye week, there are no cupcakes in the next four when they host Washington before traveling to Atlanta and Dallas- then returning home for Tampa Bay. That doesn't even include the Bears, Jaguars and Panthers who are all on the schedule. Combined with what should be an ultracompetitive NFC East, it promises to be a difficult road for Big Blue.
Regarding his bright future which could range from a TV/writing career to future endeavors, the Giants' all-time leading rusher goes on to explain why he might not finish his contract which runs out in 2008:
"I have a lot in my life already mapped out. I know that some inside and outside of this organization probably aren't happy with what I have been doing. It's my dream and my passion, just as football is...What I do in my offseason is my business even though it is in the public eye. I'm excited for new challenges in my life and we'll see what happens with this season, and possibly next."
As usual, the former Virgina product nails the situation perfectly. You can bet that Giants brass doesn't want to hear this "retirement talk." Especially at the beginning of camp in what's an extremely important year for the franchise. Despite Tiki's brutal honesty, you can bet that he won't let it affect his play on the gridiron. He's too much of a professional. One never has to worry about the well spoken 10-year pro not bringing it every down. On the field, he should be the least of the Giants' worries.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Hitting Back
-It hasn't been a couple of good days for Tour de France winner Floyd Landis. A recent urine test found that his testosterone level was positive last Saturday when he made his big move, finishing third in a final time trial to vault into the lead a day before taking the Tour. The 30 year-old cyclist insisted Friday that he was innocent in the latest doping case. He was still awaiting backup test results which if negative would clear his name. Sounding down, Landis relayed the following:
If he is indeed found guilty, he would become the biggest fraud since Rafael Palmeiro when the former Orioles' first base slugger insisted he had never used steroids in the BALCO investigation last year only to come up positive during MLB's new anti-drug testing program. Hopefully for Landis' case, he won't look as two-faced.
-Landis got a vote of confidence from six-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong. The former champion told the AP that his ex-teammate never caused any concerns regarding cheating. He also cast a shadow of doubt about where the positive test came from:
It's hard to put too much emphasis on his comments because Landis is a separate case. The only way to assess this situation is to wait for the backup results.
-There was one blockbuster baseball deal. With the deadline looming Monday, Texas bolstered its offense by acquiring outfield slugger Carlos Lee from Milwaukee in a six-player trade. The Brewers received outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix along with reliever Francisco Cordero and minor leaguer Julian Cordero. Included in the deal was outfield prospect Nelson Cruz, who went with Lee to Texas. Nobody questions what the 30 year-old Lee brings. He was hitting .286 with 28 homers, 81 RBI's and 12 stolen bases when Milwaukee unloaded him. He can definitely provide more plate protection for Mark Teixeira, who has slumped from 43 homers last year to only 14 this season. At first look though, it seems that Rangers GM Jon Daniels overpaid. Mench is a solid outfielder who can hit for power and Nix has the potential to be a solid regular everyday. With closer Derrick Turnbow struggling since the All Star break, the Brewers are looking for Cordero to find the form he had two years ago when he saved 49 games. The other factor in this trade is that Lee turned down a four-year $48 million extension Thursday. That means Texas is gambling that the All Star slugger will be able to get them to the postseason. Despite losing five straight, they're 2.5 behind the AL West-leading Angels.
-It was a good night for both locals. Especially for the Mets, who cameback to beat the Braves 6-4 behind Pedro Martinez. Returning from the DL due to a bad hip, he made his first start since June 28. After a shaky first in which he allowed four runs, Pedro cameback strong retiring the final 12 batters to improve to 8-4. He went six innings on 77 pitches before turning it over to the bullpen. Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner tossed three scoreless to put the Amazin's 13 clear of their closest competitors in the NL East. Can you actually call it competitive? Atlanta did have a chance to come into this series with momentum but lost two of three to the Marlins.
-Trailing 4-2 after one, the Mets got a two-run single by Carlos Beltran to tie it. A Jose Valentin sac fly in the third and David Wright's 22nd homer in the seventh was the difference. The best part was that their ace felt good afterwards:
Those final three words are the ones Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya and every Met fan wants to hear. Without a healthy Pedro, they can forget about winning anything in October.
-A night after being honored by the Staten Island Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang tossed a gem- shutting out the Devil Rays 6-0 to propel the big club within half a game of the Red Sox. The 26 year-old second-year starter was in complete control, setting down the first 12 hitters he faced before ex-Met Ty Wigginton singled to lead off the fifth. Wang needed just 104 pitches to two-hit Tampa Bay for his second career complete game. His first ended bitterly when Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman walked off over a month ago. The D-Rays had no such luck, grounding out 18 times and leaving skipper Joe Maddon to heap some serious praise on the Taiwan product:
Incredible compliment indeed.
-Alex Rodriguez supplied the only offense Wang needed with a runscoring single in the first. The 2005 AL MVP has responded to heavy criticism by reaching base nine times and going five-for-14 with a homer, 3 RBI's and five runs scored. Definitely a great sign for the Bronx Bombers.
-Derek Jeter chipped in with three hits, a two-run single and a stolen base. The Yankee captain is 15 for his last 29 and continues to put up an MVP calibre season. He's now hitting .351 with six homers, 61 RBI's, 68 runs and 21 steals. The power isn't there but if you look at the other stats, it's hard not to conclude that he's been the Yanks' best player this season. Of course, he'll get stiff competition from Boston's incredible tandem of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. White Sox slugger Jim Thome is also a prime candidate. Cleveland's Travis Hafner and Toronto's Vernon Wells could also be in contention as should Seattle speed demon Ichiro. Of course, much will depend on who makes the postseason. For a second year in a row, it's not a given that the Yanks will make it. If they do, it will be because of Jeter, who understands what his role is:
Spoken like a captain.
-If you don't believe Jeter is MVP material, check out how well he's doing in every key situation. The numbers don't lie:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5406/situational;_ylt=Auoj1dLbQs1Zex_iGFMDgmmFCLcF
-There were a couple of other deals Friday night. The Braves further improved their pen by acquiring Danys Baez from the Dodgers for utility man Wilson Betemit. By getting Baez, that should give them a solid setup man to get the ball to recently acquired closer Bob Wickman. Atlanta trails the wild card leading Reds by 6.5 games. They'll have to leap over five teams just to qualify for their 15th straight postseason.
-The Phillies sent third baseman David Bell to Milwaukee for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano. Like Atlanta, the Brewers trail a bunch of teams for the wild card and are seven out. They're hoping Bell can provide some offense at the hot corner. For the disappointing Phillies, it could be the beginning of a firesale which could include Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Jon Lieber, Cory Lidle and Tom Gordon. It will be interesting to see who else departs. The good news for Philadelphia was that second baseman Chase Utley extended his hit streak to 28.
"I would like to make absolutely clear that I am not in any doping process...We will explain to the world why this is not a doping case but a natural occurrence."
If he is indeed found guilty, he would become the biggest fraud since Rafael Palmeiro when the former Orioles' first base slugger insisted he had never used steroids in the BALCO investigation last year only to come up positive during MLB's new anti-drug testing program. Hopefully for Landis' case, he won't look as two-faced.
-Landis got a vote of confidence from six-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong. The former champion told the AP that his ex-teammate never caused any concerns regarding cheating. He also cast a shadow of doubt about where the positive test came from:
"Secondly, I can't help but be aware the lab that found this suspicious reading is the same one that was at the center of the 'L'Equipe affair...When an independent investigator contacted the lab, they wouldn't answer the simplest of questions, wouldn't go into their testing ethics, who did the tests, etc., etc.. I don't personally have a ton of faith in that lab. I think they should lose their authorization and the report pretty much supports that."
It's hard to put too much emphasis on his comments because Landis is a separate case. The only way to assess this situation is to wait for the backup results.
-There was one blockbuster baseball deal. With the deadline looming Monday, Texas bolstered its offense by acquiring outfield slugger Carlos Lee from Milwaukee in a six-player trade. The Brewers received outfielders Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix along with reliever Francisco Cordero and minor leaguer Julian Cordero. Included in the deal was outfield prospect Nelson Cruz, who went with Lee to Texas. Nobody questions what the 30 year-old Lee brings. He was hitting .286 with 28 homers, 81 RBI's and 12 stolen bases when Milwaukee unloaded him. He can definitely provide more plate protection for Mark Teixeira, who has slumped from 43 homers last year to only 14 this season. At first look though, it seems that Rangers GM Jon Daniels overpaid. Mench is a solid outfielder who can hit for power and Nix has the potential to be a solid regular everyday. With closer Derrick Turnbow struggling since the All Star break, the Brewers are looking for Cordero to find the form he had two years ago when he saved 49 games. The other factor in this trade is that Lee turned down a four-year $48 million extension Thursday. That means Texas is gambling that the All Star slugger will be able to get them to the postseason. Despite losing five straight, they're 2.5 behind the AL West-leading Angels.
-It was a good night for both locals. Especially for the Mets, who cameback to beat the Braves 6-4 behind Pedro Martinez. Returning from the DL due to a bad hip, he made his first start since June 28. After a shaky first in which he allowed four runs, Pedro cameback strong retiring the final 12 batters to improve to 8-4. He went six innings on 77 pitches before turning it over to the bullpen. Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner tossed three scoreless to put the Amazin's 13 clear of their closest competitors in the NL East. Can you actually call it competitive? Atlanta did have a chance to come into this series with momentum but lost two of three to the Marlins.
-Trailing 4-2 after one, the Mets got a two-run single by Carlos Beltran to tie it. A Jose Valentin sac fly in the third and David Wright's 22nd homer in the seventh was the difference. The best part was that their ace felt good afterwards:
"You saw in the first two innings that I was a little tentative. Would it hurt? Would there still be something wrong? But by the third inning, I let it go and nothing bothered me."
Those final three words are the ones Willie Randolph, Omar Minaya and every Met fan wants to hear. Without a healthy Pedro, they can forget about winning anything in October.
-A night after being honored by the Staten Island Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang tossed a gem- shutting out the Devil Rays 6-0 to propel the big club within half a game of the Red Sox. The 26 year-old second-year starter was in complete control, setting down the first 12 hitters he faced before ex-Met Ty Wigginton singled to lead off the fifth. Wang needed just 104 pitches to two-hit Tampa Bay for his second career complete game. His first ended bitterly when Nationals' third baseman Ryan Zimmerman walked off over a month ago. The D-Rays had no such luck, grounding out 18 times and leaving skipper Joe Maddon to heap some serious praise on the Taiwan product:
"I almost saw Halladay out there. A real heavy sinker. Just pounds the strike zone. The velocity on his sinker is really abnormal."
Incredible compliment indeed.
-Alex Rodriguez supplied the only offense Wang needed with a runscoring single in the first. The 2005 AL MVP has responded to heavy criticism by reaching base nine times and going five-for-14 with a homer, 3 RBI's and five runs scored. Definitely a great sign for the Bronx Bombers.
-Derek Jeter chipped in with three hits, a two-run single and a stolen base. The Yankee captain is 15 for his last 29 and continues to put up an MVP calibre season. He's now hitting .351 with six homers, 61 RBI's, 68 runs and 21 steals. The power isn't there but if you look at the other stats, it's hard not to conclude that he's been the Yanks' best player this season. Of course, he'll get stiff competition from Boston's incredible tandem of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. White Sox slugger Jim Thome is also a prime candidate. Cleveland's Travis Hafner and Toronto's Vernon Wells could also be in contention as should Seattle speed demon Ichiro. Of course, much will depend on who makes the postseason. For a second year in a row, it's not a given that the Yanks will make it. If they do, it will be because of Jeter, who understands what his role is:
"My job is to get on base, move guys, things like that so that's pretty much all I'm trying to do."
Spoken like a captain.
-If you don't believe Jeter is MVP material, check out how well he's doing in every key situation. The numbers don't lie:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/players/5406/situational;_ylt=Auoj1dLbQs1Zex_iGFMDgmmFCLcF
-There were a couple of other deals Friday night. The Braves further improved their pen by acquiring Danys Baez from the Dodgers for utility man Wilson Betemit. By getting Baez, that should give them a solid setup man to get the ball to recently acquired closer Bob Wickman. Atlanta trails the wild card leading Reds by 6.5 games. They'll have to leap over five teams just to qualify for their 15th straight postseason.
-The Phillies sent third baseman David Bell to Milwaukee for minor league pitcher Wilfrido Laureano. Like Atlanta, the Brewers trail a bunch of teams for the wild card and are seven out. They're hoping Bell can provide some offense at the hot corner. For the disappointing Phillies, it could be the beginning of a firesale which could include Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, Jon Lieber, Cory Lidle and Tom Gordon. It will be interesting to see who else departs. The good news for Philadelphia was that second baseman Chase Utley extended his hit streak to 28.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
More HB
-The recently fired Harold Reynolds told the NY Post's Andrew Marchand that he wants his job with ESPN back. According to him, he did nothing wrong that merited being dismissed:
Basically, it's his word against the female PA who filed the complaint. I really would like to believe the former Seattle Mariner second baseman is telling the truth. You're supposed to be presumed innocent. Who knows? ESPN has been known for giving second chances to their talent. Mike Tirico and Michael Irvin come to mind. Despite serious accusations of wrongdoing, they only received a slap on the wrist and are still employed. I have to believe more information will come out regarding the Reynolds case. We'll anxiously await it.
-In a minor deal yesterday, the Yankees picked up backup catcher Sal Fasano from the Phillies in exchange for second base prospect Hector Made. In his Bomber debut, the 34 year-old Fasano went 1-for-3. He replaced Kelly Stinnett, who was designated for assignment to make room. New York is hoping their new backstop can provide more offense. In 50 games with Philadelphia, Fasano hit four home runs and drove in 10.
-The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Ben Broussard from Cleveland for minor league outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Broussard was hitting .321 with 13 homers and 46 RBI's this season with the Indians. Despite being three games under .500 and sitting in last place in the AL West, they trail the first place A's and Angels by three games. In a lineup which has Ichiro along with Jose Lopez, Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson, the 29 year-old first baseman could bolster their offense. But any run at a division means that closer J.J. Putz must do a better job of protecting leads. He's blown three saves this month.
-In NHL news, the Devils will accept the $5 million arbitration reward center Scott Gomez received Tuesday. No surprise here. Team President and GM Lou Lamoriello will look to cut other salaries to make room for his top playmaking center. We'll have more on this later.
-Jets and Giants training camps opened up Wednesday. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Gang Green has a four quarterback battle and is looking to bring back respectability under new coach Eric Mangini. Meanwhile, Big Blue expects to build on the NFC East title they captured and compete for the Super Bowl this season. They'll have to bury an embarrassing shutout home playoff loss to Carolina behind.
"It was a total misunderstanding. My goal is to sit down and get back. To be honest with you, I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted."
Basically, it's his word against the female PA who filed the complaint. I really would like to believe the former Seattle Mariner second baseman is telling the truth. You're supposed to be presumed innocent. Who knows? ESPN has been known for giving second chances to their talent. Mike Tirico and Michael Irvin come to mind. Despite serious accusations of wrongdoing, they only received a slap on the wrist and are still employed. I have to believe more information will come out regarding the Reynolds case. We'll anxiously await it.
-In a minor deal yesterday, the Yankees picked up backup catcher Sal Fasano from the Phillies in exchange for second base prospect Hector Made. In his Bomber debut, the 34 year-old Fasano went 1-for-3. He replaced Kelly Stinnett, who was designated for assignment to make room. New York is hoping their new backstop can provide more offense. In 50 games with Philadelphia, Fasano hit four home runs and drove in 10.
-The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman Ben Broussard from Cleveland for minor league outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Broussard was hitting .321 with 13 homers and 46 RBI's this season with the Indians. Despite being three games under .500 and sitting in last place in the AL West, they trail the first place A's and Angels by three games. In a lineup which has Ichiro along with Jose Lopez, Raul Ibanez and Richie Sexson, the 29 year-old first baseman could bolster their offense. But any run at a division means that closer J.J. Putz must do a better job of protecting leads. He's blown three saves this month.
-In NHL news, the Devils will accept the $5 million arbitration reward center Scott Gomez received Tuesday. No surprise here. Team President and GM Lou Lamoriello will look to cut other salaries to make room for his top playmaking center. We'll have more on this later.
-Jets and Giants training camps opened up Wednesday. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. Gang Green has a four quarterback battle and is looking to bring back respectability under new coach Eric Mangini. Meanwhile, Big Blue expects to build on the NFC East title they captured and compete for the Super Bowl this season. They'll have to bury an embarrassing shutout home playoff loss to Carolina behind.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Hitting Back
-Just finished watching a remarkable Yankee game in which some late dramatics allowed them to complete a sweep in Texas and pull a half game ahead of Chicago for the wild card. The final two innings were so crazy, that's the only part worth discussing. Trailing 4-2 and having stranded a bunch of runners, the Yanks put together a four-run eighth to go ahead 5-4. The much discussed A-Rod got it started with a big solo homer to dead center. After two more Yankees reached, rookie Melky Cabrera delivered an opposite field two-run double. He would later score on a wild pitch. But up two, it fell apart quickly. With Kyle Farnsworth unable to come in due to a sore back, rookie T.J. Beam ran into trouble, forcing Joe Torre to bring in the overworked Scott Proctor. He had been great recently but this time, gave up three consecutive hits to put Texas back in front 7-6. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Torre went to Shawn Chacon. A nightmare this season, he came through big time by fanning Mark DeRosa and getting Brad Wilkerson to line into a 1-3 double play. It allowed the Yanks to escape down one. The late dramatics continued when Derek Jeter singled off Akinori Otsuka and the slumping Jason Giambi followed by crushing his 29th homer into the second deck. The huge blow allowed them to bring in Mariano Rivera, who worked around a two out single to notch his 25th save in 27 chances.
-Words cannot express how huge this game was for the Bronx Bombers. Especially with the sizzling Twins completing a sweep of the White Sox. The wildcard race is heating up. The Yanks need every win with Minnesota continuing to win. They also shouldn't rely on the White Sox to continue losing. Eventually, they're going to come out of it which should make the final 10 weeks something else. What is fun about these Yankees is their bounceback ability despite being shorthanded. You would've thought losing three of four at Toronto in bad fashion might have taken something out of them. Instead, they came right back and took all three at Arlington including tonight's gutsy comeback. Without Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano, they are 19 games over .500 and find themselves just 1.5 behind Boston after they lost to Oakland 5-1. It's not just the big stars anymore. It's guys like Cabrera, Miguel Cairo, Andy Phillips and Aaron Guiel that have provided huge lifts. Say what you want but this team has tremendous character, which GM Brian Cashman should take into consideration before making a big move at the deadline.
-At Shea, the Mets got a huge 10 inning 1-0 win over the Cubs to avoid a sweep and four straight losses. The hero was Jose Valentin, whose bases loaded two out single made a winner of Aaron Heilman. The shutout came in large part due to John Maine's second straight outstanding start. He went the first seven to match zeroes with Cubs' ace Mark Prior. Prior left the game in the sixth with a no-hitter. Maine followed a shutout of the Astros with seven scoreless to give the Amazin's a much needed lift after their pen was taxed the last three days. With Pedro Martinez scheduled to return Friday in Atlanta, Willie Randolph wouldn't guarantee another start for the 25 year-old former Orioles farmhand acquired in the Kris Benson deal. All he's done is toss 17 consecutive scoreless innings. If it's because they want to give rookie Mike Pelfrey another look, understood. But maybe they should consider going with a six-man rotation. Especially in light of how Tom Glavine has struggled and Steve Trachsel was tattooed his last two outings. Maine deserves that chance after how he rewarded Randolph.
-The win allowed the Mets to stay 11.5 up on Atlanta. The Braves cameback to defeat Florida 6-5 thanks to eighth inning dingers from Andruw Jones and Adam LaRoche. Bob Wickman tossed a scoreless ninth for his second save. Atlanta can pickup a half game later today with another win over the Marlins before hosting the Mets for three starting Friday.
-Words cannot express how huge this game was for the Bronx Bombers. Especially with the sizzling Twins completing a sweep of the White Sox. The wildcard race is heating up. The Yanks need every win with Minnesota continuing to win. They also shouldn't rely on the White Sox to continue losing. Eventually, they're going to come out of it which should make the final 10 weeks something else. What is fun about these Yankees is their bounceback ability despite being shorthanded. You would've thought losing three of four at Toronto in bad fashion might have taken something out of them. Instead, they came right back and took all three at Arlington including tonight's gutsy comeback. Without Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano, they are 19 games over .500 and find themselves just 1.5 behind Boston after they lost to Oakland 5-1. It's not just the big stars anymore. It's guys like Cabrera, Miguel Cairo, Andy Phillips and Aaron Guiel that have provided huge lifts. Say what you want but this team has tremendous character, which GM Brian Cashman should take into consideration before making a big move at the deadline.
-At Shea, the Mets got a huge 10 inning 1-0 win over the Cubs to avoid a sweep and four straight losses. The hero was Jose Valentin, whose bases loaded two out single made a winner of Aaron Heilman. The shutout came in large part due to John Maine's second straight outstanding start. He went the first seven to match zeroes with Cubs' ace Mark Prior. Prior left the game in the sixth with a no-hitter. Maine followed a shutout of the Astros with seven scoreless to give the Amazin's a much needed lift after their pen was taxed the last three days. With Pedro Martinez scheduled to return Friday in Atlanta, Willie Randolph wouldn't guarantee another start for the 25 year-old former Orioles farmhand acquired in the Kris Benson deal. All he's done is toss 17 consecutive scoreless innings. If it's because they want to give rookie Mike Pelfrey another look, understood. But maybe they should consider going with a six-man rotation. Especially in light of how Tom Glavine has struggled and Steve Trachsel was tattooed his last two outings. Maine deserves that chance after how he rewarded Randolph.
-The win allowed the Mets to stay 11.5 up on Atlanta. The Braves cameback to defeat Florida 6-5 thanks to eighth inning dingers from Andruw Jones and Adam LaRoche. Bob Wickman tossed a scoreless ninth for his second save. Atlanta can pickup a half game later today with another win over the Marlins before hosting the Mets for three starting Friday.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
More HB
-It was another good night for the Yankees. They improved to 18 games over .500 (58-40) by posting their second consecutive win over Texas 7-4 in Arlington. They fought back from an early two-run deficit with a three-run third. First baseman Andy Phillips atoned for a throwing error with an RBI walk which scored Alex Rodriguez. Miguel Cairo's two out two-run single put the Yanks ahead for good. The following inning, recent waiver pickup Aaron Guiel hit his second home run in two games, connecting for a three-run blow to make it 6-2. Since becoming a Yankee, the ex-Royal has already matched the three homers he had with K.C. in seven less games. Mike Mussina went six allowing three runs and striking out four to improve to 12-3 on the season. Mariano Rivera saved his 24th game.
-The win helped New York keep pace with first place Boston, who got back-to-back homers from Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon in a 13-5 rout of the A's. While the Bronx Bombers still trail the Red Sox by 2.5 for the division, they're suddenly just a half game behind the White Sox for the wild card. Chicago continued to struggle by dropping their sixth of their last seven- falling to the red hot Twins 4-3. Johan Santana outpitched Jose Contreras to pickup his 12th win and pull Minnesota within a game of the wild card. While the reeling Sox have lost nine of 11 since the All Star break, the Twins improved to 11-2 in that same span. It will be interesting to see if the defending World Champion Sox can recover and stay in the three-team race.
-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets lost their third straight game. Tom Glavine continued to struggle, giving up eight runs (five earned) including three homers in an 8-6 loss to the Cubs. He allowed back-to-back dingers to Aramis Ramirez and Phil Nevin in the first to put his ballclub in a two-run hole right away. But as the Mets have done so often this year, they cameback to score the next four on a Carlos Beltran solo shot (28) and a second inning three-run HR from super sub Endy Chavez. The Cubs struck back immediately for four in the third. The big blow was a bases clearing two out Henry Blanco double which made it 6-4. Though a Beltran RBI groundout cut it to one, Chicago wasn't done mashing Glavine. Even opposing starter Carlos Zambrano went yard, going opposite field to make it 7-5. A Ramirez RBI single increased the lead to three. The Mets mounted a rally in the ninth but with a run in, it fell short when Paul Lo Duca popped out against Bob Howry to end it, leaving the bases loaded.
-It has to be alarming what's happened lately with Glavine. Reliable for much of the season, the crafty southpaw has begun to show some of his 40 year-old age. While it's true he hadn't gotten smacked around in his past few starts, he has been giving up more hits and not pitching as deep into games. In his last five outings including Tuesday, the former Brave has allowed 22 runs (17 ER) and 40 hits in only 29 innings. That's not going to get it done in October. It's also taxing the Amazin's bullpen, which has been worked a lot. Glavine also hasn't won since June 23. Time for Omar Minaya to consider getting another arm at the deadline? We'll find out in five days.
-For the Cubs, it's been a rough season. At least Ramirez is hot with seven dingers in his last six games. It's got to ease some of Dusty Baker's pain. The big question is who else will leave Chicago at the deadline? A player like Ramirez could get a nice return. So too could injured first base slugger Derrek Lee. They might be able to find a taker for centerfielder Juan Pierre, who has been playing very well as of late. Hopefully for Cubs fans, they'll be able to get a head start on rebuilding this weekend.
-It has now come out that former ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds was accused of sexual harassment by a production assistant. If true, then it explains his sudden dismissal. It would be ashame that Bristol lost such a talented person. But if he was guilty, they really had no other choice. That kind of irresponsible conduct should never be tolerated.
-Devils center Scott Gomez won his arbitration hearing against GM Lou Lamoriello. The affable top center was granted a reward of $5 million. The previous season, he earned slightly over $2.2 million setting career bests with 33 goals and 84 points. It's going to be difficult for Lamoriello to keep him due to the cap situation. If they accept, Gomez' figure will put them over the $44 million cap for next season with Brian Gionta, David Hale and Paul Martin still unsigned. If you're Lou and you already have committed longterm stars Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner and Colin White, you are not trying to rebuild. But to add to the three Cups they have. Somehow, he's going to find a way to keep Gomez as part of that core. If it means finding a taker for Alex Mogilny and Vlad Malakhov, he will. The guy isn't one of the best executives for a reason. Just watch.
-Team USA Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski trimmed the roster for next month's world championships in Sapporo to 15 by cutting Adam Morrison, Luke Ridnour and Shawn Marion. It will be interesting to see if the Duke coach has better success than his predecessors at making the right selections to build a winner for the summer tournament.
-Make me care about Danica Patrick. I don't care about all the hype because she hasn't won an IRL race yet. Facts are facts. Try telling ESPN.
-The win helped New York keep pace with first place Boston, who got back-to-back homers from Manny Ramirez and Trot Nixon in a 13-5 rout of the A's. While the Bronx Bombers still trail the Red Sox by 2.5 for the division, they're suddenly just a half game behind the White Sox for the wild card. Chicago continued to struggle by dropping their sixth of their last seven- falling to the red hot Twins 4-3. Johan Santana outpitched Jose Contreras to pickup his 12th win and pull Minnesota within a game of the wild card. While the reeling Sox have lost nine of 11 since the All Star break, the Twins improved to 11-2 in that same span. It will be interesting to see if the defending World Champion Sox can recover and stay in the three-team race.
-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets lost their third straight game. Tom Glavine continued to struggle, giving up eight runs (five earned) including three homers in an 8-6 loss to the Cubs. He allowed back-to-back dingers to Aramis Ramirez and Phil Nevin in the first to put his ballclub in a two-run hole right away. But as the Mets have done so often this year, they cameback to score the next four on a Carlos Beltran solo shot (28) and a second inning three-run HR from super sub Endy Chavez. The Cubs struck back immediately for four in the third. The big blow was a bases clearing two out Henry Blanco double which made it 6-4. Though a Beltran RBI groundout cut it to one, Chicago wasn't done mashing Glavine. Even opposing starter Carlos Zambrano went yard, going opposite field to make it 7-5. A Ramirez RBI single increased the lead to three. The Mets mounted a rally in the ninth but with a run in, it fell short when Paul Lo Duca popped out against Bob Howry to end it, leaving the bases loaded.
-It has to be alarming what's happened lately with Glavine. Reliable for much of the season, the crafty southpaw has begun to show some of his 40 year-old age. While it's true he hadn't gotten smacked around in his past few starts, he has been giving up more hits and not pitching as deep into games. In his last five outings including Tuesday, the former Brave has allowed 22 runs (17 ER) and 40 hits in only 29 innings. That's not going to get it done in October. It's also taxing the Amazin's bullpen, which has been worked a lot. Glavine also hasn't won since June 23. Time for Omar Minaya to consider getting another arm at the deadline? We'll find out in five days.
-For the Cubs, it's been a rough season. At least Ramirez is hot with seven dingers in his last six games. It's got to ease some of Dusty Baker's pain. The big question is who else will leave Chicago at the deadline? A player like Ramirez could get a nice return. So too could injured first base slugger Derrek Lee. They might be able to find a taker for centerfielder Juan Pierre, who has been playing very well as of late. Hopefully for Cubs fans, they'll be able to get a head start on rebuilding this weekend.
-It has now come out that former ESPN baseball analyst Harold Reynolds was accused of sexual harassment by a production assistant. If true, then it explains his sudden dismissal. It would be ashame that Bristol lost such a talented person. But if he was guilty, they really had no other choice. That kind of irresponsible conduct should never be tolerated.
-Devils center Scott Gomez won his arbitration hearing against GM Lou Lamoriello. The affable top center was granted a reward of $5 million. The previous season, he earned slightly over $2.2 million setting career bests with 33 goals and 84 points. It's going to be difficult for Lamoriello to keep him due to the cap situation. If they accept, Gomez' figure will put them over the $44 million cap for next season with Brian Gionta, David Hale and Paul Martin still unsigned. If you're Lou and you already have committed longterm stars Martin Brodeur, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner and Colin White, you are not trying to rebuild. But to add to the three Cups they have. Somehow, he's going to find a way to keep Gomez as part of that core. If it means finding a taker for Alex Mogilny and Vlad Malakhov, he will. The guy isn't one of the best executives for a reason. Just watch.
-Team USA Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski trimmed the roster for next month's world championships in Sapporo to 15 by cutting Adam Morrison, Luke Ridnour and Shawn Marion. It will be interesting to see if the Duke coach has better success than his predecessors at making the right selections to build a winner for the summer tournament.
-Make me care about Danica Patrick. I don't care about all the hype because she hasn't won an IRL race yet. Facts are facts. Try telling ESPN.
Hitting Back
-So far, it's been a quiet day aside from ESPN's surprising firing of Baseball Tonight's Harold Reynolds. The likeable former Mariner was a terrific lead baseball analyst in Bristol for a decade. He was fun to listen to and even sometimes did demonstrations on set. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years ago and he was a very happy guy. You could really tell how much he enjoyed his day job. It's ashame that he will no longer be a part of one of ESPN's better studio shows. It's quite sad that such a farce of a network won't even specify why he was axed. Reynolds was one of the most credible voices employed by them. Too bad he wasn't given the proper respect in the end.
-The usual talk on WFAN has centered around A-Rod. Has there ever been such a more despised New York athlete? Back in the early 90's, the Mets' Bobby Bonilla took it on the chin for his big mouth and awful first year at Shea. But he brought it on himself from the beginning after inking a record five-year $29 million deal with this:
He didn't live up to his own hype. Now, one Alex Rodriguez is an extreme case because he is one of the most talented players to ever put on a uniform. The fastest player to 450 homers has already won an MVP here for the Yankees. The highest paid player in the game has taken more abuse than any athlete including Bonilla ever has. Part of it is his continued knack for saying the wrong thing. The latest case in point coming to the NY Post's George King after the Yanks' 6-2 win last night in Arlington:
A few days ago, we wrote a column on this whole thing and concluded that the third base slugger needed to shutup and just play ball. Here we are again. When is he going to realize that whatever he says is just playing into the media's hands? They want him to make these comments. This way they have stories to write. When the public sees this, it just adds to the frustration that this player can't deal with all the attention here. He's just putting more pressure on himself. I'll say it one final time. Stop making such comments and let your play on the field do the talking.
A-Rod's supporters might say, 'What's wrong with what he said?' He comes off arrogant and self centered. Could you see Derek Jeter or Bernie Williams making such proclamations when they're in slumps? It would never happen.
Finally, I don't need to hear what former Mayor Rudy Giuliani thinks. Stick to politics!
-As we head out to cover the Staten Island Yankees, still no word on Scott Gomez' arbitration case. This was supposed to be decided yesterday. Here it is a day later and still nothing's been resolved. What on earth does Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello have brewing?
-The usual talk on WFAN has centered around A-Rod. Has there ever been such a more despised New York athlete? Back in the early 90's, the Mets' Bobby Bonilla took it on the chin for his big mouth and awful first year at Shea. But he brought it on himself from the beginning after inking a record five-year $29 million deal with this:
"I know you all are gonna try, but you're not gonna be able to wipe the smile off my face. I grew up in New York. I know what it's all about."
He didn't live up to his own hype. Now, one Alex Rodriguez is an extreme case because he is one of the most talented players to ever put on a uniform. The fastest player to 450 homers has already won an MVP here for the Yankees. The highest paid player in the game has taken more abuse than any athlete including Bonilla ever has. Part of it is his continued knack for saying the wrong thing. The latest case in point coming to the NY Post's George King after the Yanks' 6-2 win last night in Arlington:
"Tiger Woods missed three [actually two] cuts and was thrown under every bus. Then he came back to win the British Open. Hopefully I can come back and shut people up."
A few days ago, we wrote a column on this whole thing and concluded that the third base slugger needed to shutup and just play ball. Here we are again. When is he going to realize that whatever he says is just playing into the media's hands? They want him to make these comments. This way they have stories to write. When the public sees this, it just adds to the frustration that this player can't deal with all the attention here. He's just putting more pressure on himself. I'll say it one final time. Stop making such comments and let your play on the field do the talking.
A-Rod's supporters might say, 'What's wrong with what he said?' He comes off arrogant and self centered. Could you see Derek Jeter or Bernie Williams making such proclamations when they're in slumps? It would never happen.
Finally, I don't need to hear what former Mayor Rudy Giuliani thinks. Stick to politics!
-As we head out to cover the Staten Island Yankees, still no word on Scott Gomez' arbitration case. This was supposed to be decided yesterday. Here it is a day later and still nothing's been resolved. What on earth does Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello have brewing?
Monday, July 24, 2006
Hitting Back
-Congrats to Floyd Landis on winning the Tour de France Sunday in Paris. It's ironic that following Lance Armstrong's amazing run of six straight wins, it would be another American who carried the torch. Ironically, Armstrong's past competitors Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso were two of nine riders implicated in a Spanish doping investigation back on July 1. The pre-race favorites were eliminated from the competition allowing a good story like Landis to unfold and win the 103rd Tour. He cameback from 11th last Wednesday to capture the yellow jersey. An amazing turnaround in Saturday's last time trial helped him surge ahead of race leader Oscar Pereiro. He held on Sunday to win by 57 seconds. Well done.
-This next thought is completely random. Last night, I was looking over my baseball cards and came across several Tony Gwynn cards. It's amazing what the 2007 bound Hall of Famer accomplished in his illustrious 20-year career. Today, all anyone ever talks about is how many home runs and RBI's a player winds up with. Maybe that's what's wrong with baseball. If you look at Gwynn's numbers at baseballreference.com, you'll see one of the greatest players ever to take the field. Eight batting titles including four straight (1994-97). 15 All Star appearances. Five Gold Gloves. Seven Silver Sluggers. Five 200+ hit seasons. Seven times he led the NL in hits. All these lofty accomplishments. The best part was it came with the only team he played with in San Diego. My favorite though has to be the 19 consecutive seasons the San Diego State product hit over .300. How many ballplayers have done that? In 2,440 career games, Gwynn finished with over 3,000 hits (3,141) and a lifetime batting average of .338. He also drew 790 walks compared to only 434 strikeouts. There are not enough words in the dictionary to summarize how brilliant his career was. In a Juiced Era where there is far too much controversy, Gwynn personified everything that was right about not just baseball but about sports. You never heard anything negative about him. He just showed up everyday and played the game all out. We need more Tony Gwynns.
-One thing we forgot to note regarding Tiger Woods' 11th major victory at the British Open was how emotional he got after tapping in that last par on the final hole to clinch a two shot victory over Chris DiMarco. He broke down in front of everyone and cried on his caddy Steve Williams' shoulder for a few minutes. His Dad Earl Woods meant a lot to him. It was a great sports moment. My favorite part:
Pretty inspiring stuff. There wasn't much doubt in my book that the great champion would bounceback from his disappointing showing at last month's U.S. Open in which he failed to make a cut at a major for the first time in his brilliant career. He could've been excused because it was his first tournament back after his father passed away. The great ones though can bury such showings and turn it around instantly. That's what made this past weekend so special.
And then there's this:
I'm sure Dad was watching every second from up above smiling down.
-In Sunday's NY Post, Mark Everson speculated that the Red Bulls might be readying to bring French star Zinedine Zidane to the Meadowlands. As it turns out, the Red Bulls and MLS are shipping striker Jean Philippe Peguero to Brondby of Denmark. Peguero led the Red Bulls with six goals. Everson contains that such a move would open the door for incoming coach Bruce Arena to open the vault and bring in a megastar. Headbutt aside to Marco Materazzi, Zidane was named the World Cup's best player, dominating the tournament in leading France to a surprising second place finish before falling to Italy in penalty kicks. If he came over, it would be monumental. But it also assumes that the 34 year-old will unretire. He announced his retirement from competitive football on April 25 following the World Cup. Everson covers the Devils during the NHL season. He's never had a great record when it came to making such assumptions. So this should be taken with a grain of salt.
-The Yankees bounced back from a 13-5 loss to Toronto, posting a 6-2 win over Texas to take the opening game of a three-game set in Arlington. The hitting star was rookie Melky Cabrera, who finished one hit short of the cycle. The 21 year-old Dominican was 3-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot, replacing an injured Johnny Damon. In his first three at bats, he tripled, doubled and singled to spark the offense. The Bronx Bombers also got two hits apiece from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Both knocked in runs with extra base hits. Aaron Guiel added a solo homer and Miguel Cairo chipped in with a big two-run double which put them ahead to stay in the fourth. Randy Johnson went six innings to pickup his 11th win, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven. The Big Unit didn't have his best stuff but got through. He's been pitching better of late which definitely bodes well for the Yanks.
-The good news: They picked up another game on the slumping White Sox, who dropped their fifth in their last six to red hot Minnesota 7-4. Trailing by two, the Twins got homers from Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to make Brad Radke a winner. A couple of days ago, he announced that he'll retire at the end of the season. The way the Twins are playing, his retirement might have to wait until October. The wild card race is heating up. The Sox still lead the Yanks by 1.5 and the Twins by two. It's going to be an exciting final 10 weeks.
-The bad news: It looks like the Yankees will remain 2.5 out behind Boston. At last check, the Red Sox were thumping Barry Zito and the A's 7-0 on homers from Manny Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez and David Ortiz.
-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets dropped their second straight- falling to the putrid Cubs 8-7. The Cubs hammered Steve Trachsel for eight runs in 4.2 innings. The former Cub gave up three homers including back-to-back to Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones in the fifth. Juan Pierre's two-run single would prove huge due to a late Mets rally. In the Amazin's seventh, they scored three times on a Paul Lo Duca groundout, Carlos Beltran sac fly and David Wright single to cut the deficit to 8-7. But that's as close as they got. Believe it or not, the shaky Cubs bullpen was able to shut the door. Ryan Dempster tossed a 1-2-3 ninth (not a misprint) for his 17th save.
-The good news for the Mets: Carlos Delgado continued his turnaround with a two-run single in the first to extend his RBI streak to five straight. He has three homers and 10 RBI's over that stretch. The other plus is that the Mets are still comfortably in front of Atlanta by 11.5 games. The Braves have been hot of late winning eight of 10 including a 10-8 victory over the Phillies Monday. Despite being without stars Andruw and Chipper Jones the last two nights, they took the final two games in Philadelphia. Adam LaRoche hit two homers and newly acquired closer Bob Wickman retired the Phillies in order for his first save as a Brave. The Braves concluded their road trip 7-2 and now will return home to host the Marlins for three before a pivotal three-game set against the Mets. Believe it or not, that could be a huge series. A lot can happen in the next six days.
-In tennis news, it looks like the legendary Jimmy Connors will coach Andy Roddick. I think it's a great hire. Maybe the fiery Connors can rub off on Roddick in time for the U.S. Open. I can't wait to see what his impact could have.
-In other tennis stuff, Andre Agassi won his opening round match in LA over Xavier Malisse 7-6 (10), 6-0. His last ATP title (60th overall) came there last year when he defeated Gilles Muller. The 36 year-old eight-time slam winner might be retiring after this year's Open but he still is grinding it out. Against an opponent he beat in five grueling sets in the fourth round of last year's Open, he rallied from 3-1 down and fought off three set points to capture the first set and wore down an opponent 10 years younger. It says a lot about Andre's dedication even with just a few tournaments left in his remarkable 20-year career.
-This next thought is completely random. Last night, I was looking over my baseball cards and came across several Tony Gwynn cards. It's amazing what the 2007 bound Hall of Famer accomplished in his illustrious 20-year career. Today, all anyone ever talks about is how many home runs and RBI's a player winds up with. Maybe that's what's wrong with baseball. If you look at Gwynn's numbers at baseballreference.com, you'll see one of the greatest players ever to take the field. Eight batting titles including four straight (1994-97). 15 All Star appearances. Five Gold Gloves. Seven Silver Sluggers. Five 200+ hit seasons. Seven times he led the NL in hits. All these lofty accomplishments. The best part was it came with the only team he played with in San Diego. My favorite though has to be the 19 consecutive seasons the San Diego State product hit over .300. How many ballplayers have done that? In 2,440 career games, Gwynn finished with over 3,000 hits (3,141) and a lifetime batting average of .338. He also drew 790 walks compared to only 434 strikeouts. There are not enough words in the dictionary to summarize how brilliant his career was. In a Juiced Era where there is far too much controversy, Gwynn personified everything that was right about not just baseball but about sports. You never heard anything negative about him. He just showed up everyday and played the game all out. We need more Tony Gwynns.
-One thing we forgot to note regarding Tiger Woods' 11th major victory at the British Open was how emotional he got after tapping in that last par on the final hole to clinch a two shot victory over Chris DiMarco. He broke down in front of everyone and cried on his caddy Steve Williams' shoulder for a few minutes. His Dad Earl Woods meant a lot to him. It was a great sports moment. My favorite part:
"He would have been proud, very proud. He thoroughly enjoyed watching me grind out major championships."
Pretty inspiring stuff. There wasn't much doubt in my book that the great champion would bounceback from his disappointing showing at last month's U.S. Open in which he failed to make a cut at a major for the first time in his brilliant career. He could've been excused because it was his first tournament back after his father passed away. The great ones though can bury such showings and turn it around instantly. That's what made this past weekend so special.
And then there's this:
"I miss my dad so much. I wish he could have seen this one last time."
I'm sure Dad was watching every second from up above smiling down.
-In Sunday's NY Post, Mark Everson speculated that the Red Bulls might be readying to bring French star Zinedine Zidane to the Meadowlands. As it turns out, the Red Bulls and MLS are shipping striker Jean Philippe Peguero to Brondby of Denmark. Peguero led the Red Bulls with six goals. Everson contains that such a move would open the door for incoming coach Bruce Arena to open the vault and bring in a megastar. Headbutt aside to Marco Materazzi, Zidane was named the World Cup's best player, dominating the tournament in leading France to a surprising second place finish before falling to Italy in penalty kicks. If he came over, it would be monumental. But it also assumes that the 34 year-old will unretire. He announced his retirement from competitive football on April 25 following the World Cup. Everson covers the Devils during the NHL season. He's never had a great record when it came to making such assumptions. So this should be taken with a grain of salt.
-The Yankees bounced back from a 13-5 loss to Toronto, posting a 6-2 win over Texas to take the opening game of a three-game set in Arlington. The hitting star was rookie Melky Cabrera, who finished one hit short of the cycle. The 21 year-old Dominican was 3-for-4 with a stolen base and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot, replacing an injured Johnny Damon. In his first three at bats, he tripled, doubled and singled to spark the offense. The Bronx Bombers also got two hits apiece from Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Both knocked in runs with extra base hits. Aaron Guiel added a solo homer and Miguel Cairo chipped in with a big two-run double which put them ahead to stay in the fourth. Randy Johnson went six innings to pickup his 11th win, allowing two runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out seven. The Big Unit didn't have his best stuff but got through. He's been pitching better of late which definitely bodes well for the Yanks.
-The good news: They picked up another game on the slumping White Sox, who dropped their fifth in their last six to red hot Minnesota 7-4. Trailing by two, the Twins got homers from Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to make Brad Radke a winner. A couple of days ago, he announced that he'll retire at the end of the season. The way the Twins are playing, his retirement might have to wait until October. The wild card race is heating up. The Sox still lead the Yanks by 1.5 and the Twins by two. It's going to be an exciting final 10 weeks.
-The bad news: It looks like the Yankees will remain 2.5 out behind Boston. At last check, the Red Sox were thumping Barry Zito and the A's 7-0 on homers from Manny Ramirez, Alex Gonzalez and David Ortiz.
-Meanwhile at Shea, the Mets dropped their second straight- falling to the putrid Cubs 8-7. The Cubs hammered Steve Trachsel for eight runs in 4.2 innings. The former Cub gave up three homers including back-to-back to Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones in the fifth. Juan Pierre's two-run single would prove huge due to a late Mets rally. In the Amazin's seventh, they scored three times on a Paul Lo Duca groundout, Carlos Beltran sac fly and David Wright single to cut the deficit to 8-7. But that's as close as they got. Believe it or not, the shaky Cubs bullpen was able to shut the door. Ryan Dempster tossed a 1-2-3 ninth (not a misprint) for his 17th save.
-The good news for the Mets: Carlos Delgado continued his turnaround with a two-run single in the first to extend his RBI streak to five straight. He has three homers and 10 RBI's over that stretch. The other plus is that the Mets are still comfortably in front of Atlanta by 11.5 games. The Braves have been hot of late winning eight of 10 including a 10-8 victory over the Phillies Monday. Despite being without stars Andruw and Chipper Jones the last two nights, they took the final two games in Philadelphia. Adam LaRoche hit two homers and newly acquired closer Bob Wickman retired the Phillies in order for his first save as a Brave. The Braves concluded their road trip 7-2 and now will return home to host the Marlins for three before a pivotal three-game set against the Mets. Believe it or not, that could be a huge series. A lot can happen in the next six days.
-In tennis news, it looks like the legendary Jimmy Connors will coach Andy Roddick. I think it's a great hire. Maybe the fiery Connors can rub off on Roddick in time for the U.S. Open. I can't wait to see what his impact could have.
-In other tennis stuff, Andre Agassi won his opening round match in LA over Xavier Malisse 7-6 (10), 6-0. His last ATP title (60th overall) came there last year when he defeated Gilles Muller. The 36 year-old eight-time slam winner might be retiring after this year's Open but he still is grinding it out. Against an opponent he beat in five grueling sets in the fourth round of last year's Open, he rallied from 3-1 down and fought off three set points to capture the first set and wore down an opponent 10 years younger. It says a lot about Andre's dedication even with just a few tournaments left in his remarkable 20-year career.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Hitting Back
-Tiger Woods' repeat at the British Open proves why he's the best golfer on the planet. He shot a 67 for 18 under par to capture the tournament by two strokes over Chris DiMarco Sunday at Royal Liverpool. A month removed from failing to make the cut at the U.S. Open after the recent death of his Dad Earl, the 30 year-old improved his record at majors to a perfect 11-0 when leading into the final round. Even more amazing is that his 11th major tied for second all-time with Walter Hagen- trailing just legend Jack Nicklaus who went on to win a PGA record 18. By the time he's finished, Woods could break that record and go down as the greatest of all-time.
-James Blake edged Andy Roddick for the RCA Championships in Indianapolis- posting a hard fought three set win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). It was his sixth career ATP title. Half of them have come this year, which explains the 26 year-old Yonkers native's rise to a career high No.5 in the world. He'll certainly want to continue that momentum into the U.S. Open next month.
-For Roddick, even though he fell short, the 23 year-old Austin Texas native was pleased with his performance. The former world No.1 has struggled this year, falling out of the Top 10 for the first time in three years. Though he hasn't won an ATP title since last year, Roddick is starting to regain confidence. He only dropped his serve once in the tournament but didn't come up empty handed thanks to teaming up with fellow American Bobby Reynolds to capture the doubles title. It's a good sign to see him playing doubles. Hopefully, it will pay dividends for the big server at the net in future tournaments.
-It was a tough day for the local baseball teams. Both the Yankees and Mets lost. The Bronx Bombers saw recent waiver pickup Sidney Ponson hammered by the Blue Jays in a 13-5 pasting. The ex-Cardinal lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up six runs. After allowing a two-run home run to Vernon Wells in the first, Ponson was given a reprieve when Jorge Posada's three-run shot put the Yanks ahead 3-2 in the third but gave it right back when Troy Glaus took him deep to make it 4-3. It would only get worse. Kris Wilson was no relief, allowing two more homers in the eight run frame, which put Toronto comfortably ahead 10-3 en route to three out of four to trail the Yankees by only two games.
-In the same game, Wells hit his second dinger of the day off Shawn Chacon. He added a sac fly to finish with four RBI's. He might just be the most underrated star in baseball. The 27 year-old centerfielder is having a great season to keep Toronto in playoff contention- hitting .322 with 26 homers, 78 RBI's and 11 steals. He doesn't get much recognition playing north of the border. If you compared those numbers to A-Rod, Wells is superior in every category. Now would you even put him in the same category as the two-time AL MVP? Of course not. But the former Jays' 1997 first round pick continues to improve and deserves more recognition. Maybe if he gets Toronto into its first postseason since 1993 when they repeated as World Champs, he'll finally get it.
-Meanwhile in Queens, the Mets saw their three-game win streak halted- losing 8-4 to the Astros. In his third career start, rookie Mike Pelfrey suffered his first loss, giving up five runs in only 4.1 innings. The 2005 ninth overall selection took a 3-1 lead into the fifth before things unraveled. The Astros touched up the righty for four runs including a go-ahead Lance Berkman double which knocked out Pelfrey. Reliever Darren Oliver allowed a two out RBI single to former Met Preston Wilson which made it 5-3. Though Cliff Floyd's runscoring single cut the deficit to 5-4, it was the closest the Amazin's came. Houston tacked on the final three runs to salvage the final game of the series.
-In the loss, Carlos Delgado hit a first inning three-run homer for his 24th of the season to stake Pelfrey to a three run lead. After slumping badly for over a month, the 33 year-old first baseman has snapped out of it with three long balls in his last four games, driving in eight. Definitely a good sign.
-In other action, Twins rookie Francisco Liriano fanned 10 in five innings to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 win over Cleveland. He improved to 12-2 with a 1.93 ERA on the season. There's little doubt the 22 year-old Dominican native is a leading AL Cy Young candidate. My question is what on earth was Giants GM Brian Sabean thinking when he included him along with now Twins closer Joe Nathan in a package for current White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski? It might go down as one of the worst deals ever. Even worse than Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.
-The Red Sox dropped their second straight to the Mariners 9-8. In a wild finish, Seattle went ahead on Adrian Beltre's inside the park home run in the eighth. But Jason Varitek's two out ninth inning homer off closer J.J. Putz tied it. Unfortunately for Boston, Mike Timlin served up a walkoff HR to Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson. Despite the loss, they still lead the Yankees by 2.5 games and Toronto by 4.5.
-In NHL news, Sabres center Daniel Briere was awarded a one-year deal worth $5 million in arbitration. This is just a guess on our part. But that probably doesn't bode well for the Devils in their case against Scott Gomez. Briere and Gomez are very comparable. Both made a shade over $2 million this past season. Thing is the Sabres pivot played in only 48 games during the regular season but posted 25 goals, 33 assists for 58 points. He also returned for the postseason and paced Buffalo with 19 points (8-11-19). Comparatively, Gomez tallied a career best 84 points (33-51-84) in 82 games and posted nine points (5-4-9) in nine playoff contests. Looks like he's in line for a hefty raise.
-James Blake edged Andy Roddick for the RCA Championships in Indianapolis- posting a hard fought three set win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5). It was his sixth career ATP title. Half of them have come this year, which explains the 26 year-old Yonkers native's rise to a career high No.5 in the world. He'll certainly want to continue that momentum into the U.S. Open next month.
-For Roddick, even though he fell short, the 23 year-old Austin Texas native was pleased with his performance. The former world No.1 has struggled this year, falling out of the Top 10 for the first time in three years. Though he hasn't won an ATP title since last year, Roddick is starting to regain confidence. He only dropped his serve once in the tournament but didn't come up empty handed thanks to teaming up with fellow American Bobby Reynolds to capture the doubles title. It's a good sign to see him playing doubles. Hopefully, it will pay dividends for the big server at the net in future tournaments.
-It was a tough day for the local baseball teams. Both the Yankees and Mets lost. The Bronx Bombers saw recent waiver pickup Sidney Ponson hammered by the Blue Jays in a 13-5 pasting. The ex-Cardinal lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up six runs. After allowing a two-run home run to Vernon Wells in the first, Ponson was given a reprieve when Jorge Posada's three-run shot put the Yanks ahead 3-2 in the third but gave it right back when Troy Glaus took him deep to make it 4-3. It would only get worse. Kris Wilson was no relief, allowing two more homers in the eight run frame, which put Toronto comfortably ahead 10-3 en route to three out of four to trail the Yankees by only two games.
-In the same game, Wells hit his second dinger of the day off Shawn Chacon. He added a sac fly to finish with four RBI's. He might just be the most underrated star in baseball. The 27 year-old centerfielder is having a great season to keep Toronto in playoff contention- hitting .322 with 26 homers, 78 RBI's and 11 steals. He doesn't get much recognition playing north of the border. If you compared those numbers to A-Rod, Wells is superior in every category. Now would you even put him in the same category as the two-time AL MVP? Of course not. But the former Jays' 1997 first round pick continues to improve and deserves more recognition. Maybe if he gets Toronto into its first postseason since 1993 when they repeated as World Champs, he'll finally get it.
-Meanwhile in Queens, the Mets saw their three-game win streak halted- losing 8-4 to the Astros. In his third career start, rookie Mike Pelfrey suffered his first loss, giving up five runs in only 4.1 innings. The 2005 ninth overall selection took a 3-1 lead into the fifth before things unraveled. The Astros touched up the righty for four runs including a go-ahead Lance Berkman double which knocked out Pelfrey. Reliever Darren Oliver allowed a two out RBI single to former Met Preston Wilson which made it 5-3. Though Cliff Floyd's runscoring single cut the deficit to 5-4, it was the closest the Amazin's came. Houston tacked on the final three runs to salvage the final game of the series.
-In the loss, Carlos Delgado hit a first inning three-run homer for his 24th of the season to stake Pelfrey to a three run lead. After slumping badly for over a month, the 33 year-old first baseman has snapped out of it with three long balls in his last four games, driving in eight. Definitely a good sign.
-In other action, Twins rookie Francisco Liriano fanned 10 in five innings to lead Minnesota to a 3-1 win over Cleveland. He improved to 12-2 with a 1.93 ERA on the season. There's little doubt the 22 year-old Dominican native is a leading AL Cy Young candidate. My question is what on earth was Giants GM Brian Sabean thinking when he included him along with now Twins closer Joe Nathan in a package for current White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski? It might go down as one of the worst deals ever. Even worse than Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano.
-The Red Sox dropped their second straight to the Mariners 9-8. In a wild finish, Seattle went ahead on Adrian Beltre's inside the park home run in the eighth. But Jason Varitek's two out ninth inning homer off closer J.J. Putz tied it. Unfortunately for Boston, Mike Timlin served up a walkoff HR to Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson. Despite the loss, they still lead the Yankees by 2.5 games and Toronto by 4.5.
-In NHL news, Sabres center Daniel Briere was awarded a one-year deal worth $5 million in arbitration. This is just a guess on our part. But that probably doesn't bode well for the Devils in their case against Scott Gomez. Briere and Gomez are very comparable. Both made a shade over $2 million this past season. Thing is the Sabres pivot played in only 48 games during the regular season but posted 25 goals, 33 assists for 58 points. He also returned for the postseason and paced Buffalo with 19 points (8-11-19). Comparatively, Gomez tallied a career best 84 points (33-51-84) in 82 games and posted nine points (5-4-9) in nine playoff contests. Looks like he's in line for a hefty raise.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
More HB
-The Yankees got a much needed 5-4 comeback win over Toronto Saturday to snap their three-game slide. Trailing by a run in the seventh, they rallied for two on a pinchhit Jason Giambi double and a Derek Jeter bases loaded walk to go ahead. Scott Proctor, Kyle Farnsworth and Mariano Rivera made it stand up with splendid relief work to give Chien-Ming Wang his 11th win. The second-year Taiwan native is the most underrated starter on the staff. He's not fancy and doesn't strikeout many batters but gets the job done by throwing strikes. While it's true Wang allows his share of hits, he's still able to get the double play ball when he needs it. In an experienced rotation, it's the 26 year-old who can be trusted to take the ball every fifth day and pitch deep into games. If the Yanks do qualify for their 12th consecutive postseason, it will be in large part due to Wang.
-Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez DH'd for the first eight innings, striking out all four times. After a rarity when Joe Torre pinchran Jaret Wright for Giambi in the ninth, A-Rod came in to play third as part of a doubleswitch with Andy Phillips, who moved back to first. In a day where he struggled at the plate, the 2005 AL MVP caught a popup for the final out of the game. We're just guessing that he'll be back in the field later today for all nine innings as the Bronx Bombers look to split the four-game set in Toronto.
-The Mets continued to roll, improving to 21 games over .500 with a 4-3 win over Houston at Shea. The big blow came from Xavier Nady, who slugged a three-run homer for his 14th of the season. Carlos Delgado knocked in the deciding run with a sac fly. The best news for the Amazin's was that El Duque rebounded from a tough first inning to go seven, allowing three runs and fanning eight. Duaner Sanchez pitched a scoreless eighth before Billy Wagner closed it out for his 20th save. If the Mets can get the kind of performances they received from Duque and John Maine the past two days along with the continued progress of rookie Mike Pelfrey, there's no reason to trade for another starter.
-Out of curiosity, we looked over Cards' slugger Albert Pujols' situational numbers to see how they stacked up against David Wright. Wright checks in with very good numbers- Runners On: .359, 9 HR, 67 RBI, RISP: .379, 5 HR, 57 RBI, RISP w/2 out: .373, 3 HR, 26 RBI. MVP calibre, right? Not so fast. Here's Pujols- Runners On: .361, 15 HR, 67 RBI, RISP: .457, 8 HR, 53 RBI, RISP w/2 out: .375, 1 HR, 13 RBI. One word comes to mind. Incredible.
-Wildest game of the night. Tampa Bay edges Baltimore 13-12. In this game, both teams batted around for huge innings. Trailing by three in the fifth, the Devil Rays got two two-run homers from shortstop Julio Lugo in a 10-run inning to go ahead 10-3. They added three more in the sixth to lead by 10. Game over? Wrong. The Orioles responded the next inning with a nine run outburst to cut it to 13-12. That was as close as they got. Brian Meadows was able to close it out for Tampa.
-In a losing effort, ex-Cub Corey Patterson went 5-for-5 with two RBI's and his 32nd stolen base. Did we mention that Chicago unloaded the centerfielder in January for prospects Nate Spears and Carlos Perez? The same team traded Sergio Mitre plus prospects Renyel Pinto and Ricky Nolasco to Florida for Juan Pierre. After a dreadful start, Pierre is up to .277 with 36 steals. It's just that the guy he replaced has four less swipes and 20 more RBI's. Nothing against Pierre. He's not going to drive in a lot of runs. But don't the Cubs look silly for giving up on the 26 year-old Patterson? It might explain why they're the Cubs.
-Speaking of the Cubs, they lost 7-3 to the Nationals to fall 22 games under .500. Their 37 wins are only two more than Pittsburgh and three better than MLB worst Kansas City. Well at least they unloaded awful reliever Scott Williamson to San Diego for Class A pitchers Fabian Jimenez and Joel Santo. Not a bad return for a reliever who had over a 5.00 ERA. What was Padres GM Kevin Towers thinking?
-How bad is basketball at MSG? The Knicks were pathetic this past season. Now you can add the WNBA's Liberty as well. They dropped their franchise worst 10th straight game, losing to Seattle 91-54. Seattle are called the Storm. Well, they literally stormed the Liberty off the court by 37 in what was New York's largest margin of defeat. Embarrassing stuff. The Liberty were once again without pretty injured star Becky Hammon. Hey. You have to notice that. Their 4-19 record is second worst in the league which makes me wonder if putting together a winning basketball team is optional at the Garden. To think that they've aired these ridiculous commercials during the season with fans talking about how it's pure ball. Maybe in the past that was the case. Those commercials are almost as sad as the Knicks ones. I didn't really think that was possible. You got to feel for Bob Wischusen, who has been calling these games. The bad news is it won't get much better for the reliable play-by-play man when he calls Jets games this Fall. He'd probably rather vacation in Siberia.
-In her first tournament back in six months at Cincinnati, Serena Williams made it all the way to semifinals before falling to Vera Zvonareva Saturday in straight sets. That just won't cut it in this comeback. She could need a wild card just to get into the U.S. Open next month. It will be interesting to see if she can make some progress in the coming weeks.
-An all-American final between James Blake and Andy Roddick is as good as it gets for the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. Hopefully, it would be an exciting match.
-Tiger Woods takes a one-stroke lead into the final round at the British Open over Sergio Garcia, Chris DiMarco and Ernie Els. His perfect 10-0 PGA record when leading after 54 holes will be severely tested. Should make for an intriguing day at Royal Liverpool.
-Devils' center Scott Gomez could find out how much he gets from arbitration later today. I'm most interested though to see how his reward stacks up against Buffalo's Daniel Briere.
-Meanwhile, Alex Rodriguez DH'd for the first eight innings, striking out all four times. After a rarity when Joe Torre pinchran Jaret Wright for Giambi in the ninth, A-Rod came in to play third as part of a doubleswitch with Andy Phillips, who moved back to first. In a day where he struggled at the plate, the 2005 AL MVP caught a popup for the final out of the game. We're just guessing that he'll be back in the field later today for all nine innings as the Bronx Bombers look to split the four-game set in Toronto.
-The Mets continued to roll, improving to 21 games over .500 with a 4-3 win over Houston at Shea. The big blow came from Xavier Nady, who slugged a three-run homer for his 14th of the season. Carlos Delgado knocked in the deciding run with a sac fly. The best news for the Amazin's was that El Duque rebounded from a tough first inning to go seven, allowing three runs and fanning eight. Duaner Sanchez pitched a scoreless eighth before Billy Wagner closed it out for his 20th save. If the Mets can get the kind of performances they received from Duque and John Maine the past two days along with the continued progress of rookie Mike Pelfrey, there's no reason to trade for another starter.
-Out of curiosity, we looked over Cards' slugger Albert Pujols' situational numbers to see how they stacked up against David Wright. Wright checks in with very good numbers- Runners On: .359, 9 HR, 67 RBI, RISP: .379, 5 HR, 57 RBI, RISP w/2 out: .373, 3 HR, 26 RBI. MVP calibre, right? Not so fast. Here's Pujols- Runners On: .361, 15 HR, 67 RBI, RISP: .457, 8 HR, 53 RBI, RISP w/2 out: .375, 1 HR, 13 RBI. One word comes to mind. Incredible.
-Wildest game of the night. Tampa Bay edges Baltimore 13-12. In this game, both teams batted around for huge innings. Trailing by three in the fifth, the Devil Rays got two two-run homers from shortstop Julio Lugo in a 10-run inning to go ahead 10-3. They added three more in the sixth to lead by 10. Game over? Wrong. The Orioles responded the next inning with a nine run outburst to cut it to 13-12. That was as close as they got. Brian Meadows was able to close it out for Tampa.
-In a losing effort, ex-Cub Corey Patterson went 5-for-5 with two RBI's and his 32nd stolen base. Did we mention that Chicago unloaded the centerfielder in January for prospects Nate Spears and Carlos Perez? The same team traded Sergio Mitre plus prospects Renyel Pinto and Ricky Nolasco to Florida for Juan Pierre. After a dreadful start, Pierre is up to .277 with 36 steals. It's just that the guy he replaced has four less swipes and 20 more RBI's. Nothing against Pierre. He's not going to drive in a lot of runs. But don't the Cubs look silly for giving up on the 26 year-old Patterson? It might explain why they're the Cubs.
-Speaking of the Cubs, they lost 7-3 to the Nationals to fall 22 games under .500. Their 37 wins are only two more than Pittsburgh and three better than MLB worst Kansas City. Well at least they unloaded awful reliever Scott Williamson to San Diego for Class A pitchers Fabian Jimenez and Joel Santo. Not a bad return for a reliever who had over a 5.00 ERA. What was Padres GM Kevin Towers thinking?
-How bad is basketball at MSG? The Knicks were pathetic this past season. Now you can add the WNBA's Liberty as well. They dropped their franchise worst 10th straight game, losing to Seattle 91-54. Seattle are called the Storm. Well, they literally stormed the Liberty off the court by 37 in what was New York's largest margin of defeat. Embarrassing stuff. The Liberty were once again without pretty injured star Becky Hammon. Hey. You have to notice that. Their 4-19 record is second worst in the league which makes me wonder if putting together a winning basketball team is optional at the Garden. To think that they've aired these ridiculous commercials during the season with fans talking about how it's pure ball. Maybe in the past that was the case. Those commercials are almost as sad as the Knicks ones. I didn't really think that was possible. You got to feel for Bob Wischusen, who has been calling these games. The bad news is it won't get much better for the reliable play-by-play man when he calls Jets games this Fall. He'd probably rather vacation in Siberia.
-In her first tournament back in six months at Cincinnati, Serena Williams made it all the way to semifinals before falling to Vera Zvonareva Saturday in straight sets. That just won't cut it in this comeback. She could need a wild card just to get into the U.S. Open next month. It will be interesting to see if she can make some progress in the coming weeks.
-An all-American final between James Blake and Andy Roddick is as good as it gets for the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. Hopefully, it would be an exciting match.
-Tiger Woods takes a one-stroke lead into the final round at the British Open over Sergio Garcia, Chris DiMarco and Ernie Els. His perfect 10-0 PGA record when leading after 54 holes will be severely tested. Should make for an intriguing day at Royal Liverpool.
-Devils' center Scott Gomez could find out how much he gets from arbitration later today. I'm most interested though to see how his reward stacks up against Buffalo's Daniel Briere.
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