Headlines…
Connecticut routs Louisville on way to National Championship
I'll assume you were not watching the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament over the past few weeks (Neither was I), but apparently the Huskies from Connecticut went 39-0 on the season. They were flat out dominate all season. And that is taking nothing away from Louisville who went 34-5 and made it all the way to the final as a three seed. Impressive. It's nice to see the Big East actually live up to its billing as the best conference in the nation. Too bad the men could not respond in kind. They were too busy worrying about declaring for the draft...
Dejuan Blair of Pittsburgh declares for NBA Draft
He may have been the Co-Big East Player of the Year. He may have averaged a double-double for the 2008-2009 season. It may be a thin draft. But this is the wrong move for the sophomore from Pittsburgh. Some players regardless of success in college need as much time in the NCAA as possible. Dejaun Blair is too unrefined as a basketball player to even think about going to the NBA. He's a 6'7 power forward with no jump shot and average passing skills. That skill set barely passes in the developmental league. And that is where he is headed when he inevitably gets drafted in the mid to late second round. Or not at all.
Red Sox defeat Rays on rescheduled Opening Day
There is nothing harder than trying to sound objective when discussing the Red Sox. Even when talking to friends I start out saying things like, "Well Lester looked terrific last night striking out eight and going seven innings". But inside my head I'm screaming, "Red Sox suck! Go Yanks!" But clearly if I said those things, I would be considered a homer and thusly, not objective. That being said, everything went right for the Red Sox yesterday. Beckett went seven innings while yielding only 2 hits and 1 run. Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia hit a homerun in his first at bat of the season. And god help us, Jason Varitek hit a homerun. It's going to be a long season.
2009 Masters starts tomorrow
I'm not sure what station has been whoring out their coverage of the Masters more, ESPN or CBS. It's essentially a tossup. I remember seeing advertisements for it on CBS back in January. At the same time, it seems as if ESPN has an ad for the Masters every 30 seconds. This year, ESPN has the first two days of the event (the ones most people don't care about), while CBS has Saturday and Sunday (The ones where people say, "Is this almost over? Where's Two and a Half Men). The favorite to win this year, and every year since 1997 is Tiger Woods. However, the Hefty Lefty Phil Mickelson is coming off two straight wins and might have actually lifted a dumbbell since the last Masters (He wasn't really lifting it, he was just moving it out of his way so he could get to the vending machine). And the man with the best accent on the Tour, Padraig Harrington is looking for his third straight major title. Of all the golfers that enjoyed Woods's absense from the Tour last year, Harrington definitely enjoyed it the most. Notching two major titles in 2008 and placing himself among the game's elite.
I'll be back...
Update
Don't plop yourself in front of the TV tonight hoping to watch the remainder of Game Five:
MLB had issued a statement saying that Game 5 will be completed Wednesday night at 8:37 ET. So that means you can watch the Celtics take on the Cavaliers. Or watch Greg Oden make his opponents crap their pants. It's win-win either way.
Well I’ll take it, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
I've got nothing against what Bud Selig did last night by suspending the game in the bottom of the sixth tied 2-2. It had to be done. It was the perfect situation to do so. If they have called the game before Carlos Pena singled in the tying run in the top of the sixth, then the World Series would've have ended as a joke. It would have been like those early 1900s World Series games that had to be cancelled due to darkness. Well, in today's modern world, we have lights, we have tarps, and we have time.
Plus, today's scheduled finish to the game starts at 8pm on FOX. It makes a once unwatchable series to the casual fan, much more interesting. A game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, with one team on the verge of winning a championship. It's like FOX gets a mulligan on a joke World Series clincher. Last night, they have to go against the Colts/Titans Monday Night Football game. Tonight, they rival the NBA season openers. In my opinion, if given an option between the two, FOX would always take the latter.
However, to add more drama, the forecast for Philly tonight is more of the same. Rainy, thundery, lightningy. I guess its not always sunny in Philadelphia. Huh? Anyone?
In regards to the actual game, it should be suspenseful. The Rays could see this as a chance to start over. It will be tough though. If Manuel is smart, he will use Madson for at least the seventh and maybe the eighth. Leading into Lidge for the ninth. Longoria and Pena finally utilized the bats last night breaking out of their World Series-long slumps. Should be a drama filled, action packed, suspense laden, thunder game that no one will watch. Greg Oden's first professional game?! I'm there.
Headlines…
Phillies on win away from World Series Championship
It's all set up for the Phillies tonight against the Rays. Cole Hamels on the mound. Ryan Howard has entered another "whenever I swing, the ball disobeys the laws of gravity" mode. They are home. Joe Blanton is hitting homeruns for Christ's sake. Philly hasn't won a sports championship in the past 100 collective seasons. It's time. It's also time for Philly to burn to the ground. And that's exactly what is going to happen tonight if they win. Benjamin Franklin would be proud.
Batting fifth for the Philles, Ryan Howard's penis.
Giants defeat the Steelers at Pittsburgh 21-14
People try to pinpoint on attribute among all championship teams. Great defense. Great coach. Great chemistry. Those things are all nice but they don't define champions. It's capitalizing on opponent's mistakes. There is no way the Giants win that game if Harrison doesn't snap the ball over Berger's head resulting in a safety. Right after it happened the Giants came out of their shell and marched the ball right down the field. The Giants schedule gets a lot tougher, starting next Sunday against the Cowboys. Romo will be back. The season starts now for New York.
I'm the Juggernaut!
Favre and the Jets defeat the Chiefs 28-24
Despite having one of the worst looking games in recent memory. Passes were thrown directly into the DBs chests. Receivers were overthrown by 10-15 yards. However, the Chiefs didn't like that winning feeling, so they decided to give it to the Jets. There is no worse 4-3 team in the NFL than New York. Ugh. But I think its better for the fans. Now, we know not to expect much from them. If they win, unexpected. If they lose, whatever.
Only 3 INTS!
NBA Season starts tomorrow
For a league I don't watch as much as the NFL, MLB, NCAA Football, or NCAA Basketball, I still enjoy the NBA. A lot of stars. Rouge officials. High tempo play. Its all good. And as much as everyone is saying that the Knicks will still be horrible, I'm looking at a 35-40 team this year. D'Antoni will take a dormant offense and make them play hard for 48 minutes. They will win games just by constantly running the floor. The Garden will be relevant this year. I guarantee it.
38 wins here we come!
Headlines…
Rays tie up World Series 1-1, with a 4-2 win over the Phillies
RBI groundouts? Check swing walks? Squeeze Bunts? Hold your horses, America! This is shaping up to be an action packed seven game series. I actually thought to myself last night, as the game went past 11:00, "Man, I wish this game didn't interfere with the scheduled episode of Seinfeld. The series will get more interesting as it shifts to Philly. But don't expect high ratings, NBA preseason is on.
Goddell: Rehabbed "Pacman" could return to NFL
Because another chance is what an oft-troubled individual who shows no respect for himself or others, needs. That'll show him. Have him get fully rehabilitated, then give him another shot at millions of dollars and an unsupervised lifestyle.
Lifetime Rays season ticket holder places bet on Rays, if they win, he wins $25,000
Lifetime? An 11 year old could be a lifetime season ticket holder for the Rays. Also, it's not like he's forking over an arm and a leg for these tickets each year. Im pretty sure at "The Trop", instead of a beerman, there is a season ticket man. Only $8? How can I lose?
Headlines…
Rays win Game 7 against the Boston Red Sox 3-1, advance to World Series
On the back of, Matt Garza? I always find it weird when relatively new teams succeed in sports. Because with new teams, they have weird names that just don't resonate like the Yankees or Red Sox do. I just find it hard to believe that the "Rays" will be considered a legitimate baseball powerhouse 30 years from now. I think it'll be how we think of the Houston "Colt .45's".
But right now, that is besides the point. The "Rays" look like the best team in baseball. Great hitting. Great pitching. Great defense. Great manager. Regardless of ratings, the World Series will be VERY interesting. The Phillies are built just as well for this series as the Rays are. My pick is for the Phillies to win it in six games. They just seem hungrier for it. Beating the Brewers and Dodgers was a mere formality. Their poised to bring a World Championship to the depressing city of the Philadelphia for the first time since Dr. J and his hair did in 1983.
What the Rays did was more remarkable to what the Celtics did in June. The Celtics traded for Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and other role players at the cost of their future as a successful franchise. The Rays took draft savvy, player development, and sound fundamentals, and are now at the precipice of being a legit World Series contender for the next 5 years. It's going to fun to watch the Yankees play the Red Sox and Rays 38 times a year.
Joba Chamberlain arrested for suspicion of DUI in Nebraska
I would really like to know what goes through the head of athletes or celebrities when things like this occur. You make more money that 99% of the population. You have people who are paid to watch and monitor your every move. Yet you risk you future, and more importantly, your life for...nothing. Absolutely nothing. If Joba wanted, he could call someone in New York to pick him up, and I bet that person would hop on a plane and drive him home. He is the cornerstone of the of the future of the most successful franchise in all of sports. He could pay someone to carry him around piggy-back if he wanted to.
Texas beats Missouri
I can't wait when Texas runs the table and then loses to Kansas in the Big 12 Championship. And then they get left out of the BCS Championship because losing a game late in the season is a no-no. So USC will make it into the championship with a loss to Oregon State, while Texas will get left out with a Big 12 Championship loss to Kansas. This is all speculation, but you know my stance on the BCS. It's a joke. And having a computer decide the two best teams in the country is laughable.
Oh yeah, Dick Vitale was at the game.
Red Sox
There is nothing worse that being a Yankee fan in today's baseball world. From 1996 until Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, we owned all of baseball. We had constant bragging rights. And then Dave Roberts steals a base and my entire world is flipped on my head. Now last night, the Red Sox are down 7-0 in the 7th inning to the Tampa Bay Rays. The last three innings were supposed to be a formality. Then David Ortiz and J.D. Drew remember they have bats in their hands and almost single handedly defeat the Rays. Coco Crisp helped too. As I sat there watching Drew's hit sail over Gabe Gross' head and Youkilis stumble toward home, I realized that these Red Sox are my Yankees. Just with different uniforms.
The only team that could pull off a ridiculous comeback such as that would have been those late 90s Yankees. Derek Jeter would've started it off with a bloop of a hit. Bernie Williams would line a single up through the middle. Paul O'Neill would then drive a double down the line. And Tino Martinez would probably finish them off with a homer to right. It's like those Yankees' teams didn't function properly unless they were the underdogs. They always have to prove that they were better than you. And since baseball is not a timed game, they could take all the time they needed. And now, that same attitude, has shifted up the coast, to these Boston Red Sox.
I couldn't believe what I was watching last night. 7-0! And 7-6, before you knew it. It felt like Game 7 tonight because of the history Boston has shown. In 2004, they overcame a 3-0 deficit to the Yankees. In Game 4, Dave Roberts stole second in the ninth. At the time it felt inconsequential, but as the past has told us, it was the catalyst that sparked their rally. Last year they overcame a 3-1 deficit to the Indians. And we all knew that the Red Sox were going to comeback somehow. The Indians didn't stand a chance. And now, this year. The momentum has totally changed to Boston's side.
As bad as Beckett pitched in Game 2, I don't believe for a second that he is going to let this team down in an elimination game. He is too seasoned and will find his stuff even if he has to dig deep in his pants' pocket. The Rays have also shown an uncanny ability to comeback this year, but I don't think they know what is coming. This is what its like being a Yankee fan in 2008.
And we all know how painful that can be…
Last night I stayed and watched the entire Red Sox/Angel game. I was switching between that and the Monday Night Football game between the Vikings and the Saints. Considering the potential for it to be an epic 5 hour struggle, the Red Sox and Angels played relatively smoothly and the game went pretty quickly. Suffice it to say, I was utterly disappointed with the outcome. First being I would like to see one division series go the distance, also because I hate the Red Sox with the fire of a thousand suns. So much for objectivity. Jon Lester once again proved that he's a stud on the mound as well as in life. You didn't see it, but last night he overcame tuberculosis in the 3rd inning.
Francona made a mistake by taking out Lester after the 7th inning for Okajima. I'll say this once, but Okajima will be a huge liability in the ALCS if he trusts him in a big spot. The Rays have seen him enough this year to know his weaknesses.
Erick Aybar needs to stop cutting Baseball 101 to play ultimate frisbee on the quad. All you got to do Erick is make contact. No one cares if you don't lay down a bunt. That's a bonus. But of course, the ball goes through his bat and Reggie Willits is left out to dry trying to come home on the squeeze. Beautiful. Just another prefectly timed break for the Boston Red Sox. This is starting to feel a lot like the Yankee run of '96-'00. Just things inexplicably going the Red Sox ways. A three run single. A missed squeeze play. A J.D. homerun. Hopefully the magic doesn't last through the ALCS. Which I do believe will be very interesting.
The Rays and the Red Sox played each other 18 times last year. They know everything there is to know about one another. They're practically dating. So those of you who think that the Rays are too far over their head and that Red Sox will dispose of them quickly have another thing coming. Initially, these team's HATE eachother. Especially that little Coco Crisp character. He and James Shields had a mini scuffle earlier in the season which resulted in a bench clearing discussion. Kevin Youkilis' snarl will be at an all time high.
The Trop (as they like to call it) will finally, officially be sold out. Meaning, every seat will be filled. Those ones near the roof have a hefty amount of dust on them. For the Rays sake, hopefully most of them occupying them will be "Rays fans". I put that in quotations because there is no such thing as a Rays fan.
Except Dick Vitale.
Anything else? Mr. Nosey…
Ken Griffey Jr. has 611 homeruns, 1772 RBIs, 2680 hits, 1612 runs, and played in 2521 games in his long career. The guy has been playing since the 80s. Anyone want to take a guess as to how many playoff games he has been a part of? 15. Just 15 games. He hasn't been in the postseason in over a decade ('97). Today, at 2:30 ET on TBS, we'll get a chance to see one of the greatest players of his generation (Omit: Bonds) in the playoffs for probably the last time. Hes turning 39 in November and as his career stats indicate, he might be on his last hurrah. You could also tell that by his noodle armed throw to Pierzynski to save a run in that one game playoff against the Twins. 1996 Griffey would of put a hole in A.J. or would of just ran the ball in to nail the runner.
It's Never Iffy When It's Griffey
Lidge sent a shiver done the collective spine of the Phillie faithful yesterday by nearly blowing Cole Hamels' gem in the ninth. We're all just waiting for Lidge to give up some game tying homerun in the ninth and have like a Vietnam flashback to the 2004 NLCS. But for his sanity, and the Phillie fans, I hope at least they make it to the World Series. Mike Schmidt and the 1980 team are long gone. It's time for something good to happen in Philly. The show can't be the only thing going for it.
And the ball was never heard from again...
Ugh. What are Cubs fans thinking right now. This is their year. Just like every year. Most wins in the NL. They had the central wrapped up. The World Series was just a formality. In comes James Loney? Who? And the rest of the "We're just happy to be here" Los Angeles Dodgers. As soon as Loney hit that ball, Wrigley Field made less noise than silence. You could hear the wind whipping around the field. It was PAINFUL. The Cubs didn't even attempt to make it interesting after the grand slam. They saw the season flash before their eyes and e-mailed in the rest of the game. Can't wait to see how Zambrano pitches tonight? For him, it boils down to two outcomes: 1. A 2-hit shoutout. 2. Finds a way to give up back-to-back grand slams and eats his glove on the mound.
The 1908 Cubs: You think any of these guys can still hit?
MLB Playoffs Start Today!
That is more of a sarcastic exclamation point. I'm not THAT excited about the playoffs. This is the first time the Yankees haven't been in it since I was 8, so for a majority of my life there has been October baseball on in my house. That being said, there are three games today, and I expect to watch at least two of them.
Brewers at Philles (3:00 ET, TBS, Gallardo vs. Hamels)
Could see a Home Run Derby break out in this one. Howard, Utley, Burrell (if he plays), Fielder, Braun, Hart, Hall. All in the little league field that is Citizens Bank Park. I've been there. You could THROW homeruns from home plate. I would like to see the Phillies do well, but if the Brewers don't make a splash this playoffs, we might never hear from them again. After this year, Sabathia and Sheets are going to RUN from Milwaukee. And when they do, they'll have bags of money in their hands. The Brewers will be based entirely on offense next year. They'll become the Texas Rangers of the NL. Could get ugly.
Dodgers at Cubs (6:30, TBS, Lowe vs. Dempster)
Dempster had a heck of a year, didn't he? 17-6 2.96 ERA. Cubs were smart to put him in as the Game 1 starter. He dominated at home this season. I do want to see what exactly Manny does with his pitches those. I bet he hits one of Dempster's fastballs so far, Dempster will turn around to see it go out, and it'll hit him in the back of the head. But seriously folks, I like the Cubs in this series.
Red Sox at Angels (10:00, TBS, Lester vs. Lackey)
Like I stated once before, Red Sox own the Angels. Even with Beckett starting Game 3. Lester is a future ace and can obviously handle the pressure. Cancer anyone? But I do like Anaheim's nine outfielder set. I think the X factor (whatever that means) for this series will be the bullpens. Usually is for every playoffs series. I said it because it makes it seem like I know what I'm talking about.
White Sox at Rays (Tomorrow 2:30, TBS, Vasquez vs. Shields)
If there's a playoff game at the Trop and no is there to see it, does it really happen? Apparently, it's going to be sold out for tomorrow's Game 1. People might be literally hanging from the catwalks. What an ugly place to host important games. It looks like the inside of a computer. I hope the White Sox take this momentum all the way to the WS. Of all the World Series scenarios, I would like to see Cubs/White Sox the most.
MY OUTLANDISH DIVISION SERIES PREDICTION:
Every Series will go 5 games!
- My Super Bowl prediction? You will get drunk.
- @jjarrigo where in westchesta?
- Just give me the moment. I'll take care of the rest.
- @jjarrigo whacha doin
- RT @Schoboats: Few things bum me out like a tired woman commuting home carrying a plastic clamshell of half-eaten salad.
Subscribe to my RSS feed!
- We did it! January 11, 2012
- Others receiving votes! December 20, 2011
- Video of the Day December 16, 2011
- Video of the Day December 14, 2011
Tags
Recent Comments
- John Z on Game 2: Knicks vs. Celtics
- John Z on This is great
- scarurtia on Innuendo, thy name is New York Post
- Carter Ward on Jason Whitlock, Erin Andrews, Deadspin, ESPN, etc.
- BrenOrdet on And we all know how painful that can be…
Meta
StatPress
Visits today: 52Archives
- January 2012
- December 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
