MLB Playoff Fever

The countdown to the MLB playoffs is on and there are still lots to be determined.  The American League seems to be the more exciting league in terms of the playoff races.  As we sit here on September 10th I'm making my predictions for the playoff teams. 

AL East:  I can't see the Rays missing the playoffs with their pitching staff.  They are just too good.  Plus their offense always seems to score just enough runs to win games.  I also can't imagine a playoffs without the Yankees.  Their schedule lightens up a little bit with only 3 games vs Tampa Bay and 3 vs Oakland as the only games the rest of the season against teams above .500.  Sorry Orioles fans.  I'm actually rooting for Baltimore to get in the playoffs.  Seeing mostly Orioles fans this past weekend pack Camden Yards against the Yankees was awesome.  However, Markakis is out for the year, and I still don't trust their starting pitching.  Plus I don't think guys like Mark Reynolds will stay as hot at the plate as they are now.  The bullpen is lights out, but its only a matter of time before the only team that has a negative run differential on the season (-29) begins to lose some ground.

AL Central:  It seems like its going to come down to whatever team plays .500 the rest of the way.  Every time the Tigers win 3 or 4 in a row, they seem to lose 3 or 4 in a row.  The White Sox are not doing themselves any favors either by losing games to Kansas City and Minnesota.  Chicago is actually 5-10 against Kansas City this year.  This week's 4 game series vs Detroit (their final meeting of the year) may decide who takes this division.  My guess, the White Sox hold on and make it.  The Tigers have the better offensive hitters, but the White Sox have a much deeper lineup.  Plus, I've waited too long for Detroit to put together a run.  I'm giving up on them.

AL West:  I can't see the Rangers blowing the division lead.  Who wins the other wild card is a tough call for me.  My heart says Oakland, but with the way the Angels have been playing lately, it's hard to see them not getting in.  They have won 11 of their past 12, and the bullpen has really stepped up after early season struggles.  It's hard to believe Mike Trout is only 21 years old, but he will lead this team into the playoffs.  If it weren't for the terrible injury to Brandon McCarthy, I would have said Oakland wins the 2nd wild card.  Having 4 rookie starting pitchers will hurt this team's chances.  The innings are starting to catch up on rookie Jarrod Parker as his ERA is north of 4.50 in the 2nd half.  The playoff pressures will hurt this team down the stretch due to the inexperience.  This could all be decided this week as Oakland and the Angels play a 4 game series in LA.

Recap:  AL East Champ - Tampa Bay, AL Central Champ - Chicago, AL West Champ - Texas, 1st Wild Card - Angels, 2nd Wild Card - Yankees.

NL East:  Even with the Strasburg shutdown the Nationals will win the East.  The Braves will also coast into the 1st wild card.  My surprise team is the Phillies.  Yes the Phillies.  They have quietly gotten themselves right back in it.  They are 6 games back of the 2nd wild card and have won 8 of their last 10 games.  With this pitching staff, you really can't count them out.  I'm going out on a limb here.  That's right.  The Phillies are getting in the playoffs.

NL Central:  The Reds clinched this division in July.  The Cardinals are struggling and the Pirates are hanging around, but only because of the struggles of the Cardinals.  I can't see the Pirates getting in due to the inconsistent pitching and the offense also struggling.  I want to say the Cardinals get in, but they haven't pitched well lately and they used up all of the mojo the baseball gods give during last year's playoff run. 

NL West:  The Giants are going to win this division by 7 or 8 games.  They are that good.  Buster Posey has played himself into MVP consideration.  The Dodgers are struggling.  The loss of Chad Billingsly is going to hurt them a lot.  He was lights out before he got hurt.  Josh Beckett has been decent, but for whatever reason, this team is not coming together the way everyone thought they would once Boston game them half their roster.  They have lost 8 of their past 11.  Sorry Dodgers fans.   At least you know your new owners will spend millions of dollars this off-season.

Recap:  NL East Champ - Washington, NL Central Champ - Reds, NL West Champ - Giants, 1st Wild Card - Braves, 2nd Wild Card - Phillies.

With tomorrow being the 11th anniversary of 9/11, I thought I would end today's blog with a video.  I hate that nobody invites this guy to sing anymore due to some "issues" he had, but this guy sings the best rendition of God Bless America that I have ever heard.

Problems with ESPN

It’s been a while since my last post, but after a busy summer I’m back to hopefully posting a couple times a week.  It’s mid-August, the MLB regular season is starting to get exciting as the race for the playoffs begin and Buffalo Bills fans are already panicking over how bad they looked in their 1^st pre-season game.

The main reason for this post is for me to vent over ESPN Sunday Night baseball.  This weekend we all get to watch the nationally televised game of the week between the Atlanta Braves and NY Mets.  That’s right, the late season playoff push is on and ESPN is still deciding to show the NY Mets in its feature game of the week.  What’s even worse is that the commercials on ESPN radio promoting this game says something along the lines of “The Atlanta Braves are hoping to gain ground on the Washington Nationals for 1^st place in the NL East (which is true) and the NY Mets are still in the hunt for the NL Wild Card.”  Really?  Still in the hunt for the NL wild card? They are currently 10 ½ games out of the 2^nd wild card spot and haven’t done anything over the past month to resemble a team capable of making a playoff push.  You might as well consider the Astros as still in the hunt for the wild card.  Yet, we all get to watch this team play again on national television in what is considered the highlight MLB game of the week.  These games are MLB’s version of Monday Night Football.  It's primetime, it’s the only game on, and ESPN decides to showcase a team that is terrible.

After I finally stopped laughing over the scheduling of this game, I decided to look back at the teams ESPN has shown on Sunday Night baseball this year and the results are hilarious:

                Team              

                Yankees       5

                St, Louis        5

                Boston          4

                Texas            4

                NY Mets        4

                Angels           3

                Braves           2

                Nationals      2

                Reds              2

                Dodgers        2

                Rays              1

                Tigers            1

                White Sox      1

                Phillies          1

                Brewers         1

                Cubs              1

                Marlins          1

Most of these teams I agree with.  The Yankees, Cardinals, Angels and Rangers deserve it.  The only reason the Red Sox have 4 appearances is because all of their appearances have been against the Yankees.  That’s right, every series played so far between the Yankees and Red Sox has been on Sunday night baseball.  Get ready, next week (8/19), Yankees play the Red Sox on Sunday Night baseball again.  The Mets at 4 games is laughable, and the fact that the Cubs and Brewers had a game is flat out terrible.  Some teams like the Nationals, White Sox, and Reds should get more appearances.  I included the Marlins on here even though they played on a Wednesday night, however it was the Opening Night game of the season, and I considered that a marque game. 

You may not be able to tell by looking at it, but 8 of the 10 Eastern Division teams are included on this list including EVERY NL East team.  Only THREE Western Division teams have been on (east coast bias?).  Three of the best team stories in baseball this year (Baltimore, Oakland, and Pittsburgh) have combined for ZERO appearances.  There have also been ZERO San Francisco Giants games on.  Apparently the Sunday Night baseball crew is on a travel budget as well because they have only traveled to the Western time zone a total of 2 times this year (both in LA for Dodgers games) against the Cardinals and of course, the Mets. 

The games through May 27^th are all scheduled at the beginning of the season, the games June 3^rd – July 1^st are all scheduled three weeks in advance.  The July 8^th Yankees/Boston and July 15^th Cardinals/Reds games were also set at the beginning of the season.  The games from July 22^nd through the end of the season are scheduled two weeks in advance, in order to get the best series in primetime on Sunday Night.  So somebody at ESPN two weeks ago thought the Mets would be a perfect fit for this night.  Not the series between two playoff teams in the AL (Athletics vs White Sox or Texas vs Detroit), or the series in Arizona between the 1^st place Nationals and the Diamondbacks, who at 57-55 are 3 games ahead of the Mets and in much better position to make a run at the 2^nd wild card spot.  What a joke this is. 

Last week’s Brewers/Cardinals game and this week’s Braves/Mets game proves to me that ESPN just doesn’t really care about any good “stories” in baseball.  Nobody in America can name more than 3 people on the Orioles, Athletics, and Pirates rosters, yet MLB and ESPN does nothing to help that.  No sport does a worse job at promoting their stars like MLB (the NBA is the best at it in my opinion).  The Pirates have a rising all-star in Andrew McCutchen (potential NL MVP this year), yet ESPN doesn’t want to showcase him.  The Athletics, with their stud young pitching, Cuban sensation Yoenis Cespedes, and current standing as 1^st place in the AL Wild Card don’t even get considered for the prime time game.  Nobody believes in the Orioles, but they are still hanging around in the so-called “best division in baseball” (it’s the AL West this year in my opinion).  Why not showcase them ONE time!  These teams are all great stories and should get the respect they deserve.  I don’t really know why it bothers me as much as it does.  It’s annoying seeing the same teams every week play in the feature game of the week.   Mix it up for once.  Give the fans the stories that are making this season special.

Hopefully going forward ESPN will do a better job at scheduling this game, I know I’ll be paying attention.

Sports Bucket List

Thanks to Johan Santana (and an umpires bad foul call), fans of the New York Mets finally witnessed something they thought they would never see.  Santana continued his very impressive return from shoulder surgery and threw the first ever no-hitter in NY Mets history.  A history that has spanned 50+ years.  With that being said, and with a special thanks to WGR's Sal Capaccio for giving me the idea, below is my Top 10 Sports Bucket list items I hope to see in my lifetime....

1. A Buffalo sports team winning a championship.  This is an easy one here.  If I were to pick either the Sabres or Bills, I think I would go with the Sabres first and then the Bills.  I know the Bills would be more noteworthy nationally, but there is something about winning the Stanley Cup that gives the Sabres the edge here.  Having it come at home, in Game 7, and as an overtime goal would be even better.  How awesome would that party be?  What parts of the city would burn down?  What would the parade route be?  Hopefully some day soon we will have answers to these questions.
2. Oakland A's winning the World Series.  It's weird having my favorite team throughout all of the major sports winning a title as #2 on my own list.  However if the A's ever do win one, there is not many A's fans in Buffalo, NY to celebrate it with.  For that reason, it's #2 here.  Yes I know the A's won a World Series in 1989, but I was 7 years old.  I can't remember a thing from those days.  There is a long way to go here though.
3. Somebody, ANYBODY, breaking Barry Bonds all time HR record (legally).  In my opinion, no record was more special than Hank Aaron's all-time HR record throughout all of the major sports.  That was until Barry Bonds and his juiced up body (allegedly) ruined it.  Hopefully some day this record will be held by someone who does it legally.
4. Somebody breaking Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak.  With the way the media is today, the excitement this would bring every single day would be amazing.  Good thing Joe D didn't get a hit in that 57th game.  The day after his streak ended, he started up a 17 game hitting streak.  A hit in 73 of 74 games!  I'm pretty sure this record is safe, but could you imagine having a 74 game hitting streak?
5. Niagara University making a run to the Final Four in men's college basketball.   I'm not going to ask for a championship (don't want to get too greedy), but hey, you never know!  Just thinking about this has me all excited.  For all you NU fans out there, how amazing would this be? 
6. Watching a no-hitter or perfect game in person.  I've been to my fair share of MLB games.  I think the closest I ever came was maybe the 3rd inning. 
7. Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.  I'm not a fan of the team, but these fans have suffered long enough.  Hopefully if they ever do it, it's against a team like the Red Sox or Yankees.  Makes it a little more special.
8. A horse winning the triple crown.   I'll Have Another is the next horse to try this one.  I've seen enough horses win the first 2 races and then lose at the Belmont.  Hopefully one day a horse can finish the job.  Maybe this Saturday I can cross this one off the list.
9. The current version of the Miami Heat never winning a NBA championship.   Yes, I'm a hater.  Please Boston, finish them off tonight!
10. A MLB team calling Buffalo, NY it's home town.  The Bisons are good, but I would buy season tickets the 1st day tickets would be available if a MLB team were to move to Buffalo. 

 On the Diamond...

• Thoughts and prayers go out to Tommy Lasorda as he continues his recovery from a mild heart attack.  Nobody is a better spokesman and representative for baseball than Tommy. 
• What is wrong with Justin Upton?  Remember how good he was last season?  Good thing this guy plays in Arizona and not in a "big market". I thought this guy was going to be a Top 5 MVP candidate this year (he was 4th last year).  He is currently hitting .243, has 5 HR's and 20 RBI's.  He was also called out by his owner this week for being an "enigma" and has been benched by his coach for the last 3 games.  Not good.

On the Hardwood...

• I'm so glad the OKC Thunder won last night and will represent the Western Conference in this year's NBA finals.  How can you not root for this team?  Kevin Durant plays the game in a way I love, Russell Westbrook has matured significantly this year, and James Harden has an awesome beard.  The fans in OKC are also awesome. 
• Does it really matter who wins between the Heat and Celtics.  I know Bosh has been out, but watching the Eastern Conference finals and then watching the West, I see a huge difference in talent on the teams.  The West is so much better team basketball.  The Heat/Celtics is like watching the Spurs/Pistons of the early 2000's, only with more all-stars.  The West series was much better basketball and more exciting.  Yes, the East games have been close, but most of the game is poorly played basketball.  I don't think either team in the East have a chance against OKC. 

That's all I have today.  "Good job. Good effort."  Until next time...

A Great Story

The NBA lost a legend yesterday. Unfortunately, when I say the name Jack Twyman many people (including me) might not have a clue who he was.  His life story is one that I am upset I did not know more about.  I wish his story was talked about more when people speak about the role sports had in America's race relations in the 1950's and 1960's.  Everyone rightfully knows about the Jackie Robinson story.  Not enough know about the Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes story.  Even Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said "I knew the story, but honestly I don't know it as well as I probably should."

Jack Twyman dominated the NBA in the 1950's and early 1960's.  He played 11 seasons for the Rochester and Cincinnati Royals.  He was a 6 time all-star, and averaged 31.2 points per game during the 1959-60 season, joining Wilt Chamberlain at that time as the only players to ever average more than 30 points per game.  He scored more than 15,000 points in his career and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 1983.  It was however something that happened during the 1959-60 season that Twyman will forever be remembered. 

Maurice Stokes, an African-American, was a Division II phenom at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania.  He dominated the league and was rewarded by being drafted 2nd overall in the 1955 NBA draft by the Rochester Royals.  To compare him to players of today, many people say he was a little of Michael Jordan, a little Lebron James, and a little Magic Johnson.  He could play center, forward, and guard.  Legendary coach Red Auerbach called him "Magic without flair."  In his first NBA game he scored 32 points and went on to average 16.8 points, 16.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in his rookie season.  In one game his rookie season he grabbed 38 rebounds.  His second year he led the league in rebounding, averaging 17.4, he also averaged 17 points per game and 6.4 assists.  He was well on his way to becoming one of the best players in the NBA.  Unfortunately, he only played one more season in the NBA (he was an all-star selection all three seasons as well).

In the final game of the 1959-60 season, Stokes fell over a teammate and hit his head on the court.  He was knocked unconscious.  In those days, smelling salts were used to wake you up when knocked unconscious.  The smelling salts worked and he finished the game and actually played in the 1st playoff game several nights later.  After the playoff game, Stokes became ill on the flight home and was rushed to the hospital when the plane landed.  He suffered a seizure, fell into a coma and was totally paralyzed when he came out of it.  He suffered from post-traumatic encephalopathy, which ravaged the part of his brain that controlled motor skills.  He would never walk again.  This is where the story becomes one to remember.  As Stokes laid in a coma, and his medical bills climbed, Twyman decided he had to step in to help.  Stokes family couldn't afford the medical bills and the team refused to pay for them.  So Twyman took over as Stokes' legal guardian to help pay the medical bills.  He organized what became an annual all-star exhibition basketball game to raise money, bringing in the likes of Wilt Chamberlain to play.  That Twyman was white and Stokes was African American made no difference to him, even during a time in America when race relations had become the nation's defining struggle. 

Twelve years after his coma, Stokes died in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 6, 1970.  He was just 36 years old.  In 2004, Twyman was able to achieved something he attempted to do every year after his good friend passed away.  In 2004, Stokes was elected into the NBA Hall of Fame and his plaque was placed right next to his good friend. 

Stokes's life, injury and relationship with former Royals teammate Twyman all are depicted in the 1973 movie "Maurie".

On the Diamond....

• I have to give a quick shout out to Johan Santana for his no-hitter tonight.  It was truly a great moment.  The first ever no hitter in NY Mets history.  What's more amazing than that is that the Mets have thrown 35 one hitters in their 50 year history.  The Johan Santana story this year is amazing.  His first year back from shoulder surgery and he throws a 134 pitch no-no against the defending world series champions St. Louis Cardinals.  Thank you Terry Collins for keeping him in there for the full 9 innings despite the pitch count.  He HAD to keep him in. 

On the Homefront....

• It's been a slow start to the summer softball season due to the Monday night accountant's league not yet playing a game.  Tuesday nights at the Rez is in mid-season form though.  The Lewiston Pub team is off to a 2-1 start.  The teams this year seem to be more competitive than past years.  Maybe its the new diamonds which are bringing better players back.  Maybe its the fact that there are less errors in the infield due to ground balls no longer bouncing over infielders heads.  Whatever it is, this year's Pub team needs to get last year's championship out of our heads.  Congrats goes out to Dan Banas for hitting the first ever home run over the fence in Rez history.  Truly historic.  He should of kept the ball.  I love the Dave Penale story this year as well.  He no shows the first two games, then in his first 2 at bats in his first game he hits 2 bombs that haven't landed yet.  
• I can't wait for the Golf Tournament tomorrow supporting Niagara Falls High School Hockey at Hyde Park Country Club.  It should be a great day with the four some of Dave Zona, Anthony Vilardo, and Billy Edwards.  Hopefully the rain holds off.  I'm calling a -8 for our four some.  Hopefully this beats the score of Stan Wojton, Steve Penale, Anthony Casero, and some other fella I never heard of.  I'm also pretty sure we will defeat our veteran rivals Chris Zona, Mike Capizzi, Brian O'Donnell, and Dave Geisers.  I'm sure Chris will blame injuries sustained in a freak slip n' slide accident on his projected poor performance.  Can't wait.

That's all I have.  Until next time...

Surprise Teams

The MLB season is almost 25% complete and there are a couple teams that are hanging around that nobody thought would.  It’s time to give these teams some love, because we may not be able to speak highly of them in a couple more weeks.  Quick note, don’t expect to see the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, L.A Dodgers or Washington Nationals mentioned here.  I expected them to be at or near the top of their divisions going into the season:

·         Baltimore Orioles:  Who would of guessed this?  Buck Showalter and the fighting Orioles have shocked us all with their start to the season.  They are currently tied at the top of the AL East with Tampa Bay sporting a 22-14 record.  Matt Wieters is finally living up to the hype and is now the best offensive catcher in all of baseball and Adam Jones is also finally living up to his hype as well.   This one-two punch has been scary for opposing pitchers.  Nolan Reimold and Chris Davis were also out to very hot starts, but Reimold is hurt and Davis starting to cool off.  The offense has scored the 6^th most runs in all of baseball with 168 and lead all of MLB with 57 home runs.  It’s not just the offense either.  The pitching staff has been very good.  Jason Hammel, rookie Wei-Yin Chen, and Jake Arrieta have all pitched well.  The bullpen, led by closer Jim Johnson and his 0.57 ERA has one of the lowest bullpen ERAs in all of baseball.  How much longer can these guys last?  The division is very good, but they might stick around longer than some think.   However by the end of June my guess is that they drop down to 4^th in the division and then end the season in last.

·         Oakland Athletics:  Not even I expected this kind of start.  At 19-17 and fresh off their MLB leading 5^th shutout last night, a 5-0 win over the Angels, the A’s sit only 4 games back of division leading Texas.  Billy Beane stole Josh Reddick from the Red Sox and his .289 batting average and 9 home runs lead this team offensively.   The offense as a whole is terrible, as they are last in MLB with a .218 team batting average, but they do like to run and are currently 2^nd in MLB with 36 stolen bases.  With how terrible the offense is, the pitching is what wins games for them.   The pitching staff ranks in the top 10 in all of the major pitching statistics in baseball and leading the way is Brandon McCarthy, sporting a solid 2.56 ERA and 3-3 record.  The signing of Bartolo Colon has been a huge success so far.  He got lit up his last start, but his 3.96 ERA is still solid.  All this guy does is throw strikes and get people out.  Tommy Milone has also been a very nice surprise and rookie Jarrod Parker looks like his hype is worth it as he has not allowed more than two earned runs in any of his 5 starts this season.  The bullpen has been shaky to put it nicely, but rookie setup man Ryan Cook is lights out with his 0.00 ERA in 17 2/3 innings which includes 17 strike outs.  So far, the Trevor Cahill trade this winter for both Parker and Cook looks like a win for Billy Beane and the A’s.  How long can this last?  A 2 game series this week in Texas will be a good test.  Considering they haven’t gotten anything from Jemile Weeks yet, and Coco Crisp and Yoenis Cespedes have been on the DL and Manny Ramirez returns the first week of June, this team might actually hang around a lot longer than anyone would of thought.  No chance at playoffs this year, but being in a relatively easy division this team will hang around until the end of July and then finish the season in 3^rd place.

·         New York Mets:   I didn’t think this team would win its 20^th game until mid-June.  At 20-15, the Mets have been a big surprise and are only 2 games out of 1^st place.  David Wright is a beast this season.   He missed a few games already this season, but he is currently hitting .398 with 4 HR’s and 21 RBI’s.  Kirk Nieuwenhuis has also been a nice find for the Mets this year.  His .302 average and energy he provides has been a nice spark plug for them.  The team is 6^th in all of baseball with a team batting average of .266 and are 12^th in runs scored.  The pitching has been inconsistent to put it nicely, and Frank Francisco and the bullpen is a mess.   Johan Santana and his 2.92 ERA leads the way here.  He has gotten no run support this year but he is the early season favorite for comeback player of the year in the NL.   R.A Dickey and Jon Niece are both off to solid starts to the season but have been a little inconsistent at times.  If this team had any kind of bullpen help they would probably be in 1^st place right now.  How long can this last?  The division is tough, the Phillies are struggling, and a lot of what the Mets have accomplished so far seems like smoke and mirrors, which speaks highly of the job manager Terry Collins has done.  Looking at the stats, everything is at or below average other than David Wright.  They might stick around until end of June, but a drop to 4^th or 5^th in the standings is inevitable.

On the Homefront…

·         Today is opening day for Tuesday night softball at Reservoir Park.  I’m very excited to get on the new fields to see the improvements.  The weather in western New York today is amazing with sunny skies and a high of 74 forecasted.  A great day for opening day!  A full recap of the game will be written tomorrow.

That’s all I have for now.  Until next time…

MLB and NBA Talk...

It's been a little while since my last post.  Lots of changes in MLB since then.  Let's get right to the rundown...

On the Diamond...

• For the first time in more than 15 years, Mariano Rivera is not the Yankees closer.  I think the Yankees will still be okay without Mo, but not having him is going to put some added pressure on an already average starting pitching staff to go deeper into games.  I still think this team can make the playoffs, but in October is when the Yankees are going to miss Mo the most.  The addition of Andy Pettitte to the rotation on Sunday is going to be huge for this team. 
• Jered Weaver threw a no hitter against the Twins.  It surprises me that when people talk about some of the best pitchers in the game that Weaver is sometimes not even mentioned.  This guy is lights out, and if he did what he is currently doing in NY, Boston, or Philadelphia, the guy would no doubt be a top 5 starter in the league.  Congrats to him on the no-no. 
• Josh Hamilton had himself a pretty good series against the Orioles this week.  He hit 6 home runs, which included 4 in one game, to raise his total to 15 for the season.  He currently is hitting .395 and slugging an amazing .825.   If he is able to stay healthy for the entire season, expect a triple crown watch.  This guy is something special. 
• The best series this weekend has to be the Angels vs Rangers series taking place in Texas.  This is their first time playing each other this season, and the Angels, at 7 games back need to win this series.  If they get swept and drop to 10 games out, close the book on the AL West.  Tonight's game is by far the best matchup of the series, if not the entire season so far.  It's Yu Darvish versus CJ Wilson.  CJ Wilson, making his return to Texas, is pretty much only a member of the Angels because Texas preferred Darvish this off-season, and had to spend approximately $35 million more for Darvish than what the Angels signed Wilson for.  Once Wilson signed with the Angels, Mike Napoli said that he couldn't wait to take Wilson deep this season.  In response, CJ Wilson tweeted Mike Napoli's phone number to his twitter followers (more than 100,000).  Napoli was obviously not happy about it and they exchanged words in the media over it.  All the off-season happenings has created a pretty good rivalry between the two teams.  I'm pretty excited to see the response the Rangers crowd gives CJ tonight and to see how the Mike Napoli at-bats turn out.
• Don't look now, but some of the surprise teams of the early season, Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets are not going away.  The Orioles had a rough week versus the Rangers, but they are still 20-12 and tied for the AL East lead.  The Mets swept the Phillies this week and currently stand at 18-13 and are in 3rd place in the NL East.  I didn't think the Mets would win their 18th game until June, so their start is very surprising. 
• There are some rumors that the Blue Jays are calling the Phillies about Cole Hamels.  Ruben Amaro, the Philles GM has already said that if the Phillies continue to struggle, they will become sellers at the trade deadline.  The Phillies being sellers at the deadline will be a news story all by it self, but the package that the Phillies would get for Hamels would be huge.  He is probably not returning to the Phillies next year, so it will be interesting to see if the Phillies do trade him.  This is definitely a story worth following.
• The Red Sox, currently with the 4th worst record in all of baseball has some more controversy to deal with this week.  Josh Beckett, after he was scratched from his start due to an injury was found golfing with Clay Bucholtz despite not being healthy enough to pitch.  He could get away with something like this in Oakland, but in Boston, this has created a media fire storm.  After the terrible start last night by Beckett in his return, and his comments afterward saying that he can do what he wants on his off days has only added fuel to the fire.  It's about time that this team gets rid of Beckett.  He has been terrible since September.  Him and Bucholtz currently have the two worst ERA's in the American League by all starters who qualify.  The Red Sox need to get rid of him, ASAP. 

On the Hardwood...

• Some entertaining series going on right now in the NBA.  The Lakers/Nuggets series heads back to LA for game 7.  The comments by Andrew Bynum about close out games in series being easy prior to game 5 has fired up the Nuggets.  Game 6 last night was a blow out from the start.  Somebody better put Pau Gasol's face on the side of a milk carton because he has been terrible this series.  Metta World Peace returns from his suspension for game 7.  It will be interesting to see if they throw him back out there after being away for the past 2-3 weeks.  My guess, Kobe doesn't let this team lose a game 7 at home. 
• I love the Kevin Garnett comments last night after the Celtics eliminated the Hawks.  He thanked the Hawks owner for giving him some added motivation after the owner said KG was old and the dirtiest player in the NBA.  KG responded by having his best game of the series.  I'm hoping to see a Celtics/Heat eastern finals.  It might remind us all of the Knicks, Pistons, Bulls, and Sixers defensive battles from the early 1990's.  Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman will love to watch that kind of series.
• Are the Knicks going to try and trade Carmelo this off-season?  I don't think they are, but they should.   Like I said before, no team will ever win a championship with this guy on it.
• I hate that some of the best playoff games so far have taken place at 12:30 at night on the east coast.  The Lakers/Nuggets, Clips/Grizzlies, and Thunder/Mavs games were all entertaining and most of the games that came down to the final minute were games that ended at 1:00AM. 

On the Homefront...

• This is an exciting time of year for softball players in WNY.  The start of the regular season is right around the corner.  The reconstructed Reservoir Park is ready to go and the Tuesday night league is starting up this coming Tuesday.  I can't wait to get out there and play on the new diamonds.  The only question is, how many games will Donnie Joyce allow everyone to play under the newly installed lights? 
• "I'll Have Another" won the Kentucky Derby and became the first horse to ever win coming from the #19 pole position.  Too bad I didn't follow the advice of Nick Martino and Steve Penale and bet this horse to win.  Can he be a triple crown winner though?  The next leg in the triple crown is May 19th at the Preakness. 

That's all I have for now.  Until next time...

Relax....It's Only April

To say that Albert Pujols is struggling would be an understatement.   The game’s best player is currently in the longest slump of his career in relation to home runs, as he has yet to hit one in 117 at-bats dating back to last season (September 22^nd).   This is not what the Angels expected out of him when they signed him to a $240 million contract this past off-season.  He is only hitting .216 and he only has 4 RBI’s on the season.  To make matters worse, his team as of Monday April 30^th is 7-15, good for last in the AL West, and already 9 games behind 1^st place Texas.   The last time Pujols hit anything other than a single was when he hit 3 doubles in a 4-2 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday April 19^th.  As the homerless streak continues, and the losses continue to mount, the pressure will only begin to intensify on Pujols.  Could you image what it would be like if Pujols did this as a member of the Yankees or Red Sox? 

With all the media attention covering the struggles of Pujols, this blog post will cover several other high profile hitters who have also started out the 2012 season slowly. 

·       Prince Fielder – The new $200 million man in Detroit.  Yes he is hitting .309 on the season, but until yesterday’s home run in a loss to the Yankees, he hadn’t hit one since Game 2 of the regular season (a game he actually hit 2 home runs in).  He went 20 games without hitting a home run (a stretch of 71 at bats).  He only has 5 extra base hits this season, 3 home runs and 2 doubles.  The rest are all singles. 

·       Robinson Cano – Coming off of an MVP caliber season in which he hit .302, with 28 home runs and 118 RBI’s, much was expected of him coming into this season.  He’s only hitting .264, with one home run and 4 RBI’s in the team’s first 21 games.   Not good.

·       Jose Reyes – Entering today’s action, in 21 games he is hitting just above the Mendoza line at .203, with a .281 on base percentage and .316 slugging percentage.  He only has 7 extra base hits (5 doubles and 2 triples) and is 4 for 7 on stolen base attempts.  Perhaps the poor start to this season is in the words of Brian O’Donnell (@bxod34 on Twitter) “sweet justice” for taking himself out of the final game of last season after getting a hit in the 1^st inning in order to hold off Ryan Braun and win the N.L batting average title.

·       Giancarlo “Mike” Stanton – Another Miami Marlin on the list.  Yes, I know that he is battling some injuries, but he hasn’t gone on the D.L yet, so I’m assuming he is healthy enough to play.  This is a guy who hit 37 home runs last year and entered this year as everyone’s trendy pick to have the most home runs in the National League.  He hit a home run yesterday to raise his season total to……ONE.  His 4 RBI day yesterday also increased his RBI total to 9 for the year.

·       Joey Votto – Another newly minted $200 million man.  Up until yesterday, Votto hadn’t hit a home run since the 2^nd game of the season.  He now has 2 home runs and 15 RBI’s to go along with a decent .289 batting average.  Most of his stats are very good (.439 OBP and .500 slugging), the only real issue here was the lack of power.  Maybe yesterday’s performance will be the start of a hot streak.   

·       Matt Holliday – Not everything is well in St. Louis country these days.  Holliday is only hitting .215 with a .277 OBP and .376 slugging percentage.  He only has 7 extra base hits (3 doubles and 4 home runs).  Good thing this team has a hot Rafael Furcal, David Freese, and Carlos Beltran to carry the load until this guy gets going.

·       Jose Bautista – A terrible start for this Blue Jays slugger.  Bautista is hitting .190, with 5 extra base hits (3 home runs and 2 doubles).  He has an OBP of .333 and slugging .329.  This guy is coming off of back-to-back seasons in which he hit 54 and 43 home runs.  He only hit 12 of his 43 home runs after the all-star break last year.  Combine that with the slow start this year and you have to ask, is this the start of the downward cycle?

·       Derek Jeter – No this guy isn’t struggling.  I wanted to end on a good note here.  I have to give props to the 37 year old Jeter who is the current leader in hits in all of baseball with 36 and his .396 batting average currently leads the American League.  “The Captain” can still play!

For All You Gamblers Out There…

·       This Saturday is the annual “Run for the Roses” as the 138^th Kentucky Derby is set to take off at approximately 6:24pm.  I’m no expert in the “fastest two minutes in sports” but I do have my own local source to go to when I need some advice.  Check out Gene Kershner on Twitter (@EquiSpace) or follow his blog at www.equispace.blogspot.com.  He is also the Buffalo News blog writer for all things horse racing. 

That’s all I have for now.  Until next time…

Harper Fever

I wasn't planning on writing a blog post today.  However it is not a common occurrence when one of the most hyped baseball players in the last 20 years receives the call up to the major leagues.  The 19 year old phenom Bryce Harper has been called up by the Washington Nationals today to take the spot of All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who was sent to the DL.  His major league debut on Saturday will also be a game that will be started by the Nationals last phenom, Stephen Strasburg.  Needless to say, this game will definitely be must see TV. 

Whether or not this is the right time for Harper to make his debut is something that can be debated.  He's only hitting .250 in AAA this season and only has one home run.  He also will have to make his debut on the road, in Los Angeles against Chad Billingsley.  It's a good thing that the Nationals are calling him up tomorrow and not today though.  The Nationals have to face the defending NL CY Young winner Clayton Kershaw tonight.

I'm very excited to see Harper play.  I have heard that he is a very cocky, confident kid.  Whether or not he will tone down his cocky play in the big leagues will be determined tomorrow.  I highly doubt major league pitchers will be intimidated by his media hype and will have no problems throwing a couple high and tight pitches if the situation presents itself. 

There will be lots of pressure for him to perform at a high level.  Everything he does will be talked about by the major media outlets.  This is a very exciting time to be a Washington National fan however I think the fans should maybe tone down expectations for a little while.  This guy is only 19 years old.  He's still learning the game and getting used to professional pitching at a high level.  I tried to think of media hyped players over the last 25 years who have received a call up to the majors as a teenager.  I thought of Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, Justin Upton, Edgar Renteria, and Andruw Jones.  All of these players were 19 year old rookies.

• Griffey hit .264 with 16 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 61 RBI's in 127 games. 
• ARod hit .229 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI's in 48 games. 
• Justin Upton hit .221 with 2 home runs in 43 games.
• Edgar Renteria hit .309 with 16 stolen bases and 5 home runs in 106 games.
• Andruw Jones hit .217 with 5 home runs in 31 games.

Whether or not Harper is here to stay is still undecided.  He might be sent back down once Zimmerman returns from the DL.  I'm sure if he struggles, he will be sent down to the minors for more grooming.  However if he hits right away, I doubt he will be packing his bags for AAA anytime soon.  My guess, the kid is here to stay.  No matter what, I know I will be watching.

On the Diamond...

• This is a great weekend for baseball, and not only because of the Bryce Harper news.  The Nationals/Dodgers series is a matchup of the two best teams in the National League.  Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg, two pitchers who are very exciting to watch will also be making starts in this series.  In the American League, both playoff matchups from last year are taking place.  In New York, the Yankees and Detroit Tigers face off against each other.  The game tonight is the reigning AL CY Young and MVP Justin Verlander versus Ivan Nova.  Verlander struggles against NY.  He is 0-2 lifetime in 4 career starts and has an ERA north of 4.00.  Nova is arguably the Yankees best pitcher right now and has won his last 13 pitching decisions.  The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays also get to do battle this weekend.  The Rangers are the best team in all of baseball right now, but the Rays have also been playing very well.  Needless to say, this weekend should be a very good weekend for baseball. 

Local Legends

I found out that today, Thursday April 26^th is the birthday of one of the greatest professional baseball players to ever come out of the city of Niagara Falls, NY.  Sal “The Barber” Maglie would have been 95 years old today.  When I heard about this, I was reminded of three things.  One; Sal Maglie is from Niagara Falls, NY, two; he was the losing pitcher in Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and three; Sal Maglie Stadium is named in his honor.  Other than that, I didn’t really know too much about his professional baseball career.  I never researched his career before, but I finally decided to look up his career accomplishments and I was surprised by how good of a career he had.  In doing this research, I decided that this is going to be a new segment that I am going to bring to this blog.  Every once in a while I will commit a blog post to a career of a local sports legend.  In honor of his birthday, I’ve decided that my inaugural local legend blog post will be committed to Sal Maglie.

Sal “the Barber” Maglie was born and raised in Niagara Falls, NY in 1917 and is a proud graduate of Niagara University.  His professional baseball career began in 1945 with the New York Giants, however he went to play in the Mexican league prior to the 1946 season and was subsequently banned by Commissioner Happy Chandler until 1949 for doing so.  He finally returned at the age of 33 to the Giants for the start of the 1950 season.  He would go on to win 11 consecutive starts for the Giants that year, finishing the season with an 18-4 mark and a 2.71 ERA.  He followed that up with a 23-6 campaign for the N.L Pennant winning Giants in 1951.  The 1951 season was the year that Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” won the pennant for the Giants.   Sal Maglie was the ace of the pitching staff in that 1951 season.  He threw 22 complete games, had 298 total innings pitched, and even earned the win in the All-Star game.  The Giants would lose to the Yankees in the World Series that season.  He was able to play on several teams during his 10 year career which ended in 1958. He holds the distinction of being the last player to have played on all three New York City teams (New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, and New York Yankees).  He also played with the Cleveland Indians and retired as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1958.

He was known as being a pitcher that would attack the hitter.  He became known as “The Barber” for always throwing high and tight on opposing hitters.  He once said, “When I’m pitching, I own the plate.”  Other career accomplishments include being a member of the 1954 World Series champion New York Giants, a series they swept from the Cleveland Indians 4-0.  This series is best known for Willy Mays and “The Catch”.  This was also the last World Series won by the Giants organization until 2010.  He pitched Game 1 of that series, going 7 innings, giving up 7 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 walks, and had 2 strike outs.  The Giants won the game in 10 innings 5-2.  He was a 2 time National League (N.L) All-Star, was the 1950 N.L ERA champion, and tied with Larry Jansen for the most wins in the N.L for starting pitchers in 1951 with 23.  During his career, Sal compiled a 119-62 record, had 862 strike outs, and a career ERA of 3.15.  In 1956, after an injury plagued 1955 season with the Cleveland Indians due to back problems, he went 13-5 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.  He had a 2.89 ERA that year, threw a no-hitter on September 25^th, and finished 2^nd to Don Newcombe in both the National League CY Young and MVP vote.  This was also the year that he opposed Don Larsen in Larsen’s perfect game in the World Series.  He retired as a player after the 1958 season and would go on to become pitching coach for both the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Pilots until he officially retired from the sport in 1969.

Sal would return to Niagara Falls, NY once his career ended.  In 1983, Hyde Park Stadium in Niagara Falls, NY was officially changed to Sal Maglie Stadium in honor of the local sports legend.  However In 1987, he suffered a stroke which caused him to live at the Niagara Falls Memorial Nursing Home for the final five years of his life.  On December 28, 1992, at the age of 75, Sal Maglie passed away of complications from pneumonia.

Troubles in Boston

Things went from bad to worse in Boston over the weekend.  They currently have a 4-10 record and are last in the A.L East.  They blew a 9-0 lead over the Yankees on Saturday as the Yankees stormed back against the terrible Red Sox bullpen to win 15-9.  Bobby V has got to be the most hated man in Boston right now.  However it’s not even really his fault, but in Boston somebody has to get the blame, and Red Sox fans apparently do not want to blame the players at all.  Short of a World Series this year, Red Sox fans will not want Bobby V back next year.  The way things are going now, the fans won’t even want him around by Memorial Day.  After a 7-20 finish in September last year, and a 4-10 start this year, the Red Sox are 11-30 in their last 41 games.  This is a team with a $173 million payroll!  The Astros and Pirates rarely, if ever put up that kind of stretch.

Outside of Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz, what player in their lineup scares you as an opposing player?  Yes Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, and Kevin Youkilis are hurt, but does anybody even know what your going to get out of Crawford when he returns?  Will Youkilis ever return to the player he was a couple years ago?  Don’t even get me started on this team’s starting rotation.  For a team that spends the amount of money they spend, to have a rotation and bullpen that this team has is embarrassing.  Jon Lester is a #2 starter at best, Beckett is inconsistent, and Bucholtz is a decent #3 or #4 starter on a good team.  Alfredo Aceves is the team’s closer.  Really?  I’m sure his 24.00 ERA is all Bobby V’s fault.  How is that Mark Melancon trade looking right now?  I know Andrew Bailey is hurt, but guess what Red Sox fans, he’s ALWAYS hurt.  That’s why Oakland traded him in the first place.  Get used to it. 

In my opinion don’t blame Bobby V for all the issues in Boston, blame upper management and the players (mainly the pitchers).  It’s time for this team to start making some significant trades.  The group they have here now just isn’t working.  This team hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2009, and even then got swept by the Angels in the first round.  Their last playoff victory was in 2008.  For a team that has spent on average $152 million a year in that timeframe is embarrassing.  While Bobby V will get all the blame, my finger is pointing at the guy currently trying to turn around the Chicago Cubs and the current players on the field. 

This team is not as bad as they are currently playing, however, at best, I don’t see them finishing above 4^th place in the East this year.  One of the only good things I can say about this team is that at least their defense has only committed 4 errors all season, which is tied with the Yankees for the least in baseball. For a team that has spent $172 million on payroll this year, I would think that is unacceptable.

On the Diamond…

·         Great series coming up in Texas this week.  Both the Yankees and Rays come to Texas to battle with the best team in baseball.  A solid matchup tonight with CC facing Derek Holland.  Texas just dominated Detroit winning 3 of 4 in Detroit.  To say Josh Hamilton is on fire would be an understatement.  The only problem with this team is health.  Adrian Beltre will miss some time this week with a hurt hamstring.  It’s always just a matter of time before Hamilton and Nelson Cruz get hurt as well.  If healthy, this team might win somewhere in the neighborhood of 110 games this year.

·         Congrats goes out to Phil Humber on his perfect game on Saturday against the Mariners.  That last strike call will be one that is debated for a long time by Seattle fans.  Not a bad outing for a guy who was skipped in his previous start in order to keep the other pitchers in the rotation on track to start every fifth day.  With this performance, he is now the 7^th former NY Mets pitcher to have thrown a no hitter or perfect game (Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Mike Scott, Dwight Gooden, David Cone, Hideo Nomo, and now Humber).  The Mets have yet to have a no-hitter or perfect game thrown in their history.

·         I forgot to give credit to Curtis Granderson for his 5-5 day, which included 3 home runs last week.  When a player does that, he should get some love in this blog.

·         There are significant problems in Philadelphia.  The offense is terrible.  Hunter Pence is supposed to be the big run producer for this team in Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s absence and he only has 7 RBI’s, which is actually the most on the team.  If this offense can’t get going sometime soon, they may not be playing October baseball this year.  With Cliff Lee on the DL now, they are going to need the offense to step it up. Hopefully the Cliff Lee injury is not significant.  Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels can only do so much. 

·         I am not going to say that Bartolo Colon is going to continue pitching at the rate that he is pitching now.  I am sure that he will have some struggles this season.  However I do not think that he will struggle the same way he did in the 2^nd half of last season.  Last year, he threw about 70 innings of winter ball to get ready for the season.  This year, he did not pitch in winter ball.  Hopefully, by not pitching he has saved his arm in order to make it through the entire season this year.

·         Congrats goes out to Ivan Rodriguez who is going to call it a career and retire.  In my opinion, Pudge is the best defensive catcher of my lifetime.  Not sure where he might stack up all time, but this guy had a 46% rate of throwing out base runners for his entire 21 year career.  Now a days, if a catcher comes anywhere close to 40% for a single season it is considered a solid year.  Pudge was amazing, and his intensity and ability to command the game from behind home plate should get this guy in the hall of fame.

·         I’m excited for Wednesday night’s Oakland/Chicago game.  Oakland is calling up prospect Jarrod Parker to make his first start of the season.  This guy was the center piece of the Trevor Cahill deal this winter and will hopefully become the front line starter this team is looking for.

On the Gridiron…

·         I’m sorry, but consider me someone who is not excited for the NFL draft.  I totally respect all of the scouting that goes into it, the amount of man hours it takes to make sure each team selects the right guy, and the potential impact that the correct picks can make.   I think I blame ESPN for my current view on the draft.  There has been way too much media coverage of this draft, too many draft specials, and too many hours of television with Mel Kiper and Todd McShay in it.  

On the Court…

·         Glad to see Metta World Peace go “Ron Artest” style yesterday and throw the most blatant elbow I have seen since the last NHL playoff game I watched (which was Saturday).  Metta deserves to get suspended for longer than the last game of the regular season.  My guess is that he will get a 3 game suspension, which would cause him to miss the first 2 games of the playoffs.

On the Homefront…

·         The next time someone hears me talking about changing the shutters on my house, please remind me about how much “fun” I am having now.  Seriously, this is one job that is taking me a lot longer than I thought it would.

·         Tough loss for Rashad Evans on Saturday night.  Jon Jones deserved to win.  He dominated the fight for the most part.  I was a little disappointed with the lack of action in the fight though.  Both fighters were defensive and were scared to make a mistake.  The build up to the fight was great though.  Also, it had to be a great night for all local bars and restaurants.  I know where I was, the place was packed all night, with people ordering food and drinks in the waiting area because nobody was leaving their tables in anticipation for the fight.  Luckily I had a table.  How cool was it that a guy from Rochester, NY fought a guy from Niagara Falls, NY in one of the most anticipated UFC fights in a long time?  That has to be great for this area.

That’s all I have for now.  Until next time...

NBA Talk

It’s time to give the NBA some love here.  Were in the final week of the regular season and the final playoff push has a couple compelling story lines. 

In the East:

·       Does any team really have a shot outside of Chicago and Miami?  I don’t think so.  With the physical way these two teams played each other last night, I am starting to get excited for what we might see in the Eastern Conference Finals.  I only hope Derrick Rose will be healthy for it. 

·       Tough break for the Orlando Magic.  The most dominant player in the game, Dwight Howard, needs back surgery to repair a herniated disc and will miss the rest of the season and the Summer Olympics.  This team has been struggling of late and without Dwight, their playoff run might only last 4 or 5 games.  The only good thing is that this team looks like they have the #6 seed in the East, and will avoid the Heat/Bulls in the 1^st round.  Any chance the Magic wish they traded Dwight earlier this year?  If there is one thing I know, its that once you have back surgery, your never the same.  For a team that doesn’t have much talent on it other than Dwight, a significant injury to him will hurt this team’s chances not only this year, but next year as well.  Tough loss for the Magic.  Hopefully he can come back next year healthy, but a bad back is something no player wants to deal with.

·       The Knicks have the 7^th seed pretty much locked up. I think they would have a great shot at winning their 1^st round match if they get the 6 seed, but with 4 games left and 3 games back of Orlando, a 1^st round matchup with the Bulls or Heat looks like a formality.  It should be an exciting series either way, but I don’t think the Knicks have enough to win against either of those teams.

In the West:

·       This conference is the more entertaining one.  There are 3 or 4 teams that could come out of the West.  OKC, San Antonio, Lakers, and even the Clippers have a shot.

·       Has any team in the history of the NBA been as good as San Antonio and have the least amount of media attention?  Its unbelievable to me that nobody is talking about this team.  They currently sit at #1 in the West, and have arguably the MVP in the league in Tony Parker.  They do not play with any flash or style.   They have arguable the best coach in the league in Gregg Popovich, have a first ballot hall of famer in Tim Duncan who is still quietly having a solid season, and like I said before, have Tony Parker playing arguably his best basketball of his career.   Look out for this team.

·       A lot of pressure will be on Oklahoma City.  This team has been the up and coming team for a couple years now and a lot is riding on this team in this playoff run.  A playoff loss and some major changes could happen this offseason.  Russell Westbrook will probably be sent out and I’m sure questions will begin to be asked about the coach, Scott Brooks.

·       The Lakers will go as far as Kobe Bryant can take them.  Say what you want about Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, who have both been great, but when the game gets tight, the ball will be with Kobe.  He’s delivered many times in the past.  Will he be able to carry them again?

·       I hope Lamar Odom never gets another job in the NBA again.  He should be embarrassed for what he did this year.  I’m glad Dallas waived him.  His name has also been removed from the 20 player list for players being considered for the U.S Olympic team.   Good.  I don’t want this guy representing my country.  I would rather take guys with “questionable” character than this guy.

On the Diamond…

·       Great series win for Oakland this week over the Angels.  I didn’t think the A’s would win 3 games against the Angels all season, let alone the first series of the year.  Big three wins over Dan Haren, Ervin Santana, and CJ Wilson.  Last night’s win was a gift though.  Only 3 hits and the A’s scored 4 runs.  I still think the Angels will be fine.  A couple bad errors and a few walks from their pitchers cost them last night.  Albert Pujols has struggled, however last night he ripped three doubles.  All his swings looked good.  This guy will break out big time this weekend.  You can mark that one down right now.   Don’t look now, but the A’s are 7-7!  One of the only good things I can say about this team is that at least their starting pitching has been great.  Bartolo Colon pitched on Wednesday night and threw 38 consecutive strikes!  That’s unbelievable!  I don’t think a pitching machine can even do that.  What a great bargain for Billy Beane and the A’s signing Bartolo to a $2 million contract.  He is 3-1 on the season and looks better and better with every start.  The A’s starting pitchers have only given up 14 walks on the season, the best in baseball. 

·       I saw on Twitter the other day that Yoenis Cespedes is not on the list for potential home run derby contestents.  Very disappointing.  AL Candidates are Jose Bautista, Miguel Cabrera, Robby Cano, Prince Fielder, Josh Hamilton, Paul Konerko, Evan Longoria, David Ortiz, Albert Pujols, and Mark Reynolds.  This is a great list, I just wish Yoenis was on it so America can see how much this guy can pound the ball. 

·       This is a great weekend for baseball.  We have Yankees/Red Sox starting up today in Boston.  It’s the celebration of 100 years of Fenway Park today as well.  This series is always entertaining.  I can’t wait to see the Paul Talarico tweets (@Talareeks) during a Yankees/Red Sox series. 

·       Another great series, one that I think is better than Yankees/Red Sox is the Tigers/Rangers in Detroit.  Both teams have been awesome so far this year.  The Rangers and Yu Darvish earned the win last night in Game 1.  The Rangers look like the best team in baseball right now and the Tigers are right there with them.  Saturday’s game between Verlander and Neftali Feliz looks like the best pitching matchup in this series.

·       One more shout out to Cliff Lee and Matt Cain for the pitching performance they put on Wednesday night.  An 11 inning game played in about two and a half hours, which ended with the Giants winning 1-0.  Cliff Lee went 10 scoreless innings and Matt Cain looked dominant as well, going 9 shutout innings.  Sometimes the East coast has to stay awake in order to watch some good baseball.  Between this game and Bartolo “the Pitching Maching” Colon throwing 38 consecutive strikes, Wednesday night was a great night for some quality baseball.

On the Homefront…

·       I’m really looking forward to Saturday night.  UFC 145.  Jones vs Evans.  I am obviously rooting for the hometown boy Rashad Evans, but this fight is going to be a tough one.  These two guys hate each other.  It should be a great fight.  Can’t wait.

·       I haven’t read it yet, but I did buy it and I have heard many good things about it so I am going to promote it now.  I’m looking forward to reading Tim Brown’s new book, “Imperfect”, the remarkable journey of Jim Abbott and his unbelievable professional baseball career.  It should be a great read.

·       I said on here a couple weeks ago that I needed a lot of help in the fantasy playoffs of DSC NBA.  Thank you Kevin Love for receiving that message.  From an 0-5 start, to a 3^rd place finish for my squad.  Further proof that all you need to do is get in the playoffs.  Once your in, you never know what might happen.  Also, as I thought, The Guru took home the championship.  Congrats Dave Zona on your back-to-back championships.

That’s all I have for now.  Until next time…