Friday, April 30, 2010

Ridiculous Robinson

The Yankees climbed back into the series win column by taking two of three from the hapless Orioles in Baltimore. Riveting Robinson Cano remained ridiculously red hot Thursday in going 3-for-4 at the plate, with a pair for homeruns. Cano also made a brilliant play at second base in the third inning. Right-handed ace, A.J. Burnett, needed little run support as he whipped through Baltimore with eight solid innings of scoreless ball. Burnett reduced the Orioles to three measly hits with his devastating curveball and mid-90’s heat as he shutout Baltimore 4-0. The Yankees head back to the Bronx after a 5-4 road trip and winners of six of their seven series to start the season. The loss dropped Baltimore to 4-18 on the year and 0-7 in series. The only win at Camden Yards for the Orioles was the opening game of the series against New York. Burnett improved to 5-0 at Camden Yards in his career, and an unblemished 3-0 for the season.
Derek Jeter singled to lead off the game for one of his two hits on the night. New York’s All-Star third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, lofted a first inning sacrifice fly off O’s rookie southpaw, Brian Matusz for the first of four Bomber tallies. One run ended up being sufficient for the controlled and consistent Burnett. The New York hurler provided scant scoring opportunities in a sizzling show. The only Baltimore batters to manage a hit off Burnett were Adam Jones, Ty Wigginton and Cesar Izturis. Matusz yielded three earned runs in an otherwise quality start. He allowed the leadoff man to reach base in four of his six innings pitched. Nolan Reimold was robbed of a base hit when Cano made a spectacular stop up the middle and threw across his body for the out at first. Cano doubled the Yankees’ lead with a solo shot in the fourth inning. The second baseman scored the third run in the sixth on Marcus Thames’ double. Thames, the DH, had three hits, a walk and an RBI in the win. Cano capped off his night with a blast off Baltimore lefty, Alberto Castillo, in the seventh. His eighth mash of the season gave him eight hits and three homers in the series. Cano, off to an incredibly fast start, leads the majors in batting average at .407. He hit an even .500 during the Yankees’ nine game road trip. The World Champs banged out eleven hits total. Mariano Rivera faced four batters to close out the ninth and seal the victory for Burnett. New York hosts the Chicago Whitesox tonight at the stadium to close out the month of April. Andy Pettitte takes the hill with a 3-0 record. The 37 year old lefty opposes 0-2 right-hander, Freddy Garcia.

Parting Points: Nothing to say except Happy Friday.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Hawks Halted at Home

The Bucks meet the Hawks in Milwaukee on Friday with a chance to close out the first round playoff series in critical Game 6. Milwaukee stunned the hometown Hawks 91-87 and has won three straight games to lead the series 3-2. Atlanta squandered a series of advantages Wednesday as the Bucks rallied back to snap the Hawks’ fourteen game home winning streak. Milwaukee can eliminate the third seeded Hawks with a win at Bradley Center tomorrow.
Twenty year old, Brandon Jennings, matched a game high 25 points in the victory. The rookie point guard sank four clutch free throws in the game’s final 20 seconds to secure the win. Atlanta’s Al Horford lead the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Horford was able to get the Milwaukee big men in foul trouble, leaving Bucks’ coach Scott Skiles to send little-used players in the game off the bench. The All-Star Horford was finally slowed in the final quarter when shot selection haunted the Hawks. Milwaukee shot 41% from the field but simply wouldn’t go away in the end. Jennings notched 12 straight buckets during one stretch in the first quarter. The Bucks grasped a 18-15 edge on Jennings’ bank shot with just over six minutes in the first but went cold over the next four minutes. Milwaukee shot 10-for-32 in the first half but remained aggressive in pursuit of the basket. Atlanta’s 40% first half shooting wasn’t much better but the Hawks headed into the break up by three. The home team looked tight as they struggled with a disjointed offense and fumbled away a handful of fast break chances. The Hawks didn’t break 40 points until the final minute of the first half. Forward Marvin Williams scored a career playoff high 22 points in the loss as the Hawks overcame first half frustrations to spark some energy into the third quarter.
The Hawks sat on a comfortable 13 point lead after seizing control in the third quarter. They found out the hard way not to rest on the brutal Bucks. Milwaukee benefited from several missed opportunities by the Hawks. Atlanta missed four foul shots and turned the ball over as their lead was reduced to eight by the en d of the third quarter. Atlanta abandoned the inside shot in the second half and allowed the Bucks to attempt 18 free throws. The Hawks didn’t go to the line once during the pivotal fourth quarter. The gritty Bucks are on the verge of the Eastern conference semifinals because they outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the final quarter. John Salmons contributed 19 points and fueled Milwaukee’s frantic comeback with a pair of free throws. Eight of Salmons’ nineteen points came in the fourth quarter. The seven year star logged 45 minutes and dished out a game high five assists in the Milwaukee comeback win. The Bucks went on a 14-0 run during the final four minutes with a dazzling display of defense, drives and dunks.
Ersan Ilyasova dominated the boards to save critical possessions for the Bucks as the clock continued to tick. Ilyasova hit the go-ahead jumper with 1:58 left. Carlos Delfino banked a 3-pointer to give the Bucks a 86-82 lead but Horford’s’ trey made it just an 89-87 advantage with 10 seconds left. Jennings calmly fired two from the charity stripe to lift Milwaukee to a four point win. Joe Johnson, one of Atlanta’s top scorers, was held to 13 points and six rebounds. Both teams matched 16 assists and 39 rebounds, but it was the free throw differential that made the difference. Should the Hawks lose Friday, it will be one of the worst collapses in the city of Atlanta’s history. Atlanta can still regain home court advantage in a potential Game 7 with a road victory.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday Andre Agassi!

Funny article about the world’s worst tennis pro:
http://tennis.fanhouse.com/2010/04/29/even-court-agrees-hes-the-worst-pro-tennis-player/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Record Rolling Rays

Tampa Bay is a major league best 15-5, a franchise record for April, following an 8-6 hammering of the Oakland A’s Tuesday night. The Rays have won 12 of their last 14 games and are off to the best 20 game start since the 2005 White Sox. They reached the fifteen win mark by weathering a shaky five innings from starter, Wade Davis. The right-hander buckled down his second win of the season after Pat Burrell’s three-run homerun snapped a 4-4 tie in the third inning. Reid Brignac added a solo shot as the number nine hitter for Tampa in the fourth. The A’s scored a pair of runs in the latter innings to trim the deficit to two, but Rafael Soriano tossed a perfect ninth to secure his fifth save.
Bay area newcomer, Ben Sheets, gave up four runs in the second inning as the Rays battered the $10 million Oakland starter. Sheets is 1-2 with a meteoric 8.0 ERA on the year. He allowed nine hits total and was charged with all eight runs. Meanwhile, the Rays’ new arrival is hardly having a rough time roping the ball in the hitter-friendly American League. The former Philly, Burrell, has keyed many rallies for the Rays so far this season. The first place Rays used a complete team effort in taking down the AL West’s top team. Jason Bartlett and John Jaso had monster nights at the Trop, with three hits each. The Rays are 5-0 with Jaso behind the plate, and the catcher is slugging .500 through eight contests. B.J. Upton tapped a pair of singles and scored twice in the win, and Burrell delivered the biggest blow to the Bay area ballclub. Carlos Pena put Tampa on board in the second with a single and scored on Jaso’s double to right field. Barlett’s single off Sheets punched home two more runs as the Rays took a 4-0 lead after two frames. Davis erased his team’s lead back during a 41 pitch third inning. He allowed four hits and walked two as Oakland tied the game. Davis walked Eric Patterson on a full count and issued an infield single to a hustling Adam Rosales to begin the frame. Cliff Pennington preceded by planting a poorly located 1-2 fastball into the seats for three tallies. Oakland right fielder, Gabe Gross’s sacrifice fly knotted the game even. Pennington and Rosales were the shining stars at the plate, with four hits apiece, for the Athletics. Pennington pounded two doubles in addition to the three run shot.
Tampa’s defense and bullpen was on the mark as the Rays’ bats came through to bailout Davis and regain the lead in the bottom of the third. The league leaders in runs scored added three more in the third. Upton’s single scored Pena to break the tie and Burrell’s blast gave the Rays a comfortable advantage. The Rays’ DH has 12 RBIs, including five go-ahead RBIs. Brignac tacked on another run to add to the Tampa lead in the fourth. Randy Choate retired all four batters he faced after Lance Cormier coughed up a run in relief of Davis. Pennington picked up his first double off Cormier and contributed a second double in the eighth off 32 year old reliever, Grant Balfour. Rosales’ RBI single in the eighth off Balfour made it a two-run game, but that was as close as visiting Oakland would come to a win. Both teams stranded eight runners, but it was high fives all around for the Rays as they continue to do nothing but win.

Parting Points: Washington’s Mark Emmert is the new NCAA President.

The Mets are hot. I am sure they will forget how to play come September.

The Lakers can’t lose again the way they routed Oklahoma City 111-87 last night. It won’t be easy to close out the series on the road, but I don’t expect L.A. to lose this one.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Alex Ovechkin and the Caps go down to Montreal tonight.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Walking Win at Windy Wrigley

The Washington Nationals dropped an extra innings game to the Cubs on a bases-loaded walk at a cold and blustery Wrigley Field Monday. Chicago’s Aramis Ramirez drew the RBI base-on-balls off Brian Bruney in the 10th inning to give the Cubs the 4-3 decision. It was Chicago’s fourth straight win and the eighth pass of the game for Cubs clubbers.
Carlos Silva went seven strong innings as the hurler for Chicago in his second home start. Silva permitted three runs on seven hits, while fanning three. The Nationals threw John Lannon, who went six deep and allowed five hits. Lannon yielded three earned runs and issued five walks as he struggled to get outs in the early frames. The Cubs built a 3-0 lead through three innings on consecutive doubles by Marlon Byrd and Ramirez. Byrd belted a double in the second, and Ramirez followed it up with one of his own for the first Cubs’ tally. Silva walked on four straight pitches to score Ramirez to make it a 2-0 Chicago advantage. Byrd helped the Cubs get another run on the board in the bottom of the third with an infield single. He finished with three hits in the win. Jeff Baker pounded a triple off Lannon to set up Byrd’s RBI opportunity in the third.
The Nationals finally punched home a run in the fourth after Silva retired nine straight Washington batters. Josh Willingham walked in the first Washington run during a three-hit , two-run fourth. Scrappy third baseman, Adam Kennedy’s sacrifice fly off the Cubs’ ace made it a 3-2 home lead. The Nationals’ hot corner veteran helped set the tone in the top of the sixth as Washington tied the game at 3-3. Kennedy grounded out on a fielder’s choice to send Willingham to third. Willingham reached base on a single and took second on a wild pitch by Silva. Wil Nieves knocked home the Nationals’ left fielder with a two-out run-scoring single. Neither team broke through again on offense until the tenth.
Carlos Zambrano pitched scoreless innings in his second appearance out of the bullpen for the team with the league’s fourth best ERA. The former Chicago starter ended the Nationals’ thin threat in the eighth and allowed just one hit. Carlos Marmol toed the rubber for the Cubs in the tenth, and in doing so, earned his first win. Marmol pitched around a two-out double by Adam Dunn in the top half of the tenth. Dunn recorded a three hit night for the Nationals and put a brief scare into the Cubs’ reliever. The five year Chicago tosser, Marmol, nailed the win when the offense picked up the deciding run in the bottom half of the extra frame. Ryan Theriot got the inning started with a hit off reliever Bruney. Theroit was fresh off a five-hit contest against the Brewers on Sunday. The former Yankee Bruney wastefully walked Derrek Lee and gave up a bloop single to Byrd to load the bases for Ramirez. Ramirez completed the winning rally as Bruney didn’t come close to finding the strike zone when he needed to most. The Cubs opened their seven game home stand by strolling away with a win—literally.

Parting Points: Song of the day-“Everyone knows it’s Windy” by The Association

Monday, April 26, 2010

Phoenix Power Play Prolongs Playoff

Phoenix prevailed two out of three times on the road in Detroit to force a deciding Game 7 in the Western conference quarterfinals with the Red Wings. The Coyotes defeated Detroit 5-2 at Joe Louis Arena in Game 6 Sunday night to even the playoff series and ensure a Game 7 Tuesday night at home. The fourth seeded Coyotes now have a chance to stun the two- time defending Stanley Cup Champions. Phoenix hasn’t reached the second round of the hockey post-season they were the Winnipeg Jets in 1987. The Red Wings do not have history on their side. Detroit hasn’t won a Game 7 on the road since 1968.
Phoenix’s penalties in the opening period did little to thwart their effort. The Coyotes were charged with three penalties during the game’s first five minutes, but managed a short-handed goal 4:10 into the contest. Lauri Korpikoski silenced the Detroit crowd with his team down a skater and seized control of the puck in the neutral zone for his first post-season goal. The second year player from Finland fired a wrister past Detroit’s Jimmie Howard for a 1-0 Coyotes lead. Calder Trophy finalist, Howard stopped 24 of 29 shots but struggled in defeat. The Phoenix penalty-killers did a stellar job handling the Red Wings despite the defense allowing 14 first period shots on goal. Phoenix netminder, Ilya Bryzgalov, fended off 31 of 33 in net as five different Coyotes scored on the opposite end of the ice. The Wings misfired off Bryzgalov’s sticks, skates and pads most of the evening. The teams exchanged goals just 24 second apart to open the second period scoring. Mathieu Schneider gave the visitors a 2-0 edge on a power play tally at 2:27. The Wings quickly responded with Brad Stuart’s first playoff goal at 2:51.
Radim Vrbata doubled the Coyotes’ lead by rocketing a cross-ice feed from Robert Lang beyond the reach of Howard. Wojtek Wolski added an even-strength goal at 14:01 in the second to add to the Phoenix onslaught in Detroit. It was Wolski’s fourth contribution of the playoff series and came off a Petr Prucha deflection. Phoenix outshot the Wings 15-12 in the second period and took a 4-1 advantage into the final 15 minutes. Taylor Pratt parked the puck between the posts at 5:25 in the third for the Coyotes’ third power play goal. Phoenix was 3-for-6 on the power play, while the Red Wings went an unproductive 0-for-5. Detroit’s Darren Helm made it a 5-2 affair when he poked a goal through Bryzgalov with a minute left in regulation. It was Helm’s first goal of the playoffs but hardly enough to help the Wings wrap up the series with a Game 6 victory. The Redwings outshot, outhit and won the faceoff battle at home Sunday but Phoenix’s early goals were a major setback for the home team. The Coyotes mowed through Motown and now return to Glendale and home-ice advantage. Will the Redwings rupture their resistance on the road?

Parting Points: Did Javier Vasquez come with a return policy?

The Kings were ousted by the Canucks and Jacques Lemaire stepped down as the Devils’ head coach in other NHL news.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Barry Brilliant in Besting Birds

Former CY Young winning southpaw, Barry Zito, is up to 3-0 on the year for the San Franscisco Giants. Zito and Cardinals’ hurler, Adam Wainwright dueled through seven scoreless frames before the Giants’ bats found a way to hand St. Louis their first series loss of the season. San Francisco squeezed out two runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat the Cardinals 2-0 in the second game of a three game home series. The Giants took the series opener Friday night, ending a four game skid. Tim Lincecum’s seven inning outing helped the Giants’ ace to secure his fourth win in a 4-1 final Friday. Yesterday, a vintage Zito zipped through the Redbirds’ roster to earn his first career win against the NL Central foes. The San Francisco lefty struck out ten in a three-hit, 114 pitch gem of a performance.
The first two Cardinals to step to the plate struck out. MVP Albert Pujols grounded out to end the first inning. The Giants’ flamethrower issued a walk to Bengie Molina in the top of the second but received some aid from his defense Molina was caught stealing for the third out. Zito had his way with Tony LaRussa’s visiting Redbirds until allowing a leadoff single to Felipe Lopez in the fourth inning. Zito induced a Pujols double play groundout with runners on first and second base in the fourth, and fanned the slugger with one on in the sixth. Pujols is 1-for-8 so far in the series, with three strikeouts. Zito had a one-two-three fifth, sixth and seventh inning as the lefty dominated the latter frames and improved his eye-popping ERA to 1.32. It was the 31 year old’s 13th double digit strikeout game of his career. Zito’s curveball was crafty and fastball unforgiving in a fine controlled presentation by the highly- paid pitcher. He complemented his signature curve with a slider Saturday and really did not allow the Cardinals to threaten his shutout bid. St. Louis sluggers were off-balance and struggled to compile a rally throughout the game. The brilliant Zito of 2010 bears a striking resemblance to the elevated elite pitcher who captured and dazzled baseball fans with the Oakland A’s earlier in his career. Brian Wilson nailed down the save, his fourth this year, with a one hit ninth.
Wainwright, also undefeated headed into Saturday’s contest and coming off a complete game win against the Mets, hung tough until the eighth. Wainwright yielded just four hits, including the key 0-1 curveball that Nate Schierholtz drilled. Schierholtz opened the eighth frame with a double to right field to represent the second San Francisco hitter to get past first past. Andres Torres pinch-hit for Zito and promptly followed with an RBI single to center for the first recorded run of the game. Torres failed twice to lay down a bunt, but his futile attempts proved more valuable when he pounced on Wainwright’s offering for a base hit to shatter the scoreless tie. Aubrey Huff drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to left for the second Giants’ tally to complete the eighth and rescue Zito from a no-decision. Notably, Wainwright drilled former teammate, Mark DeRosa twice in the St. Louis loss. The Giants scattered seven hits on Pablo Sandoval bobblehead Night. The Panda snagged a pair of singles and scooped a hard one-hopper in the field to preserve the Giants’ fourth shutout at home this season.

Parting Points: Mixed bag- Joe Paterno favors a Big 10 expansion, the Thunder even the series with LA, and the Penguins are moving on after an OT clipping of the Senators.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Spirited Spurs Seize Series Sway

The Spurs missed all seven of their 3-point attempts and one of their top players suffered a broke nose during the third quarter. Yet, San Antonio drifted past Dallas Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the all-Texas playoff series. The Spurs closed out a 94-90 win at AT&T Center behind Tim Duncan’s 25 points and Manu Ginobili’s fourth quarter spurt while playing hurt. Tony Parker poured in 23 for the Spurs, who roughed it out in Game 3 of the Western conference quarterfinals. Ginobili was elbowed by the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitski , but returned to the court with a bandaged nose and deposited 7-of-8 from the line to key the surging Spurs to victory. Paul Pierce may have sunk the game-winner for Boston last night, but Ginobili was the ultimate gamer for the Spurs.
The physical Texas tussle began with the Spurs taking the opening quarter edge after allowing Dallas to score the first four points of the game. San Antonio led by as many as eight points as Dallas, the best road team in the NBA, couldn’t find their road rhythm. The Mavs came back to outscore the Spurs 28-23 in the second quarter to make it a 47-44 deficit at the half. Duncan scored 16 first half points and Parker pounded the perimeter as the Spurs seized control. San Antonio converted 16 Dallas turnovers into 21 points, but the Mavericks kept it close by drilling 76% of their free throws and notching 40% from the arc. Dallas guard, Jason Terry, made four 3-pointers and Nowitski added a game high 35 points in the loss. Parker and Ginobili combined for 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. Duncan continued his resurgence as a premier player in the league. The fundamentally sound Duncan is averaging 26 points and 12 boards against the Mavericks in this series. The Dallas defense couldn’t contain the Big Three in the final quarter following a commendable third quarter comeback. Dallas was inconsistent on defense and stagnant on offense. The Mavs totaled just 14 fast-break points and committed four shot-clock violations. Such mistakes are inexcusable for a team known for running the court and playing crisper basketball.
The Spurs were down 70-66 going into the fourth quarter after the Mavericks unloaded a second half blitz and found their juice on offense. J.J. Barea was relentless for Dallas off the bench, securing 14 points and four assists. Nowitski and Barea were the catalysts for the visiting team until Ginobili’s gallant and gutsy return ripped their vivacity. Ginobili came through with 15 points and 7 assists and Parker was unstoppable for Gregg Popovich’s squad. George Hill chipped in 17 points and logged 45 minutes as the Spurs’ secret weapon. Nowitski’s jumper with three minutes remaining gave the Mavericks a 81-80 advantage but Parker’s 6-0 run provided the Spurs the lead for good. Parker knotted nine of his 23 during the final two minutes of the game. Ginobili capped an 8-0 San Antonio run with a pair of free throws to retire the Mavericks .Nowitski’s hot hand wasn’t enough to power the Mavs. The German big man was in dire need of his supporting cast on foreign hardwood (even though Dallas is not far from San Antonio, it was technically foreign) Jason Kidd managed seven buckets and as many assists, while blocking two shots. Dallas showed some urgency on defense in the second half, but it wasn’t intense enough to stick. The second seeded Mavericks’ defense went in the direction the team traveled to Game 3: south. It would be awfully hard for Dallas to win three consecutive games against the seventh seeded sprinting Spurs with the defense they displayed Friday.

Parting Points: “Integrity has no need of rules”- Albert Camus

90’s band of the weekend- Sugar Ray

Friday, April 23, 2010

Demolition Devils Disappointing Defeat

The Devils couldn’t avert another early playoff exit. New Jersey has the dreadful honor of being the first team eliminated in the post-season after falling at home Thursday night to the Flyers. Seventh-seeded Philadelphia shutout the second seeded Devils to advance to the NHL semifinal round. New Jersey has been unsavory in the first round in past three seasons. This year was supposed to be different for Atlantic Division winning Devils, who punched a playoff ticket for the 13th straight season. New Jersey squandered every opportunity and couldn’t beat the brilliant Brain Boucher in the series-clincher.
Boucher made 28 saves for his second career post-season shutout during the Devils’ demolition elimination at the Prudential Center. Martin Brodeur, the league’s all-time wins leader, stopped 18 in the loss. New Jersey was 0-for-8 on power play opportunities, while the Flyers capitalized on their first penalty of the game to go 2-for-6 on one-man advantages. Philadelphia’s special teams killed the Devils during this series. Danny Briere scored a short-handed goal at 3:16 in the first period on a backhanded pass by Mike Richards. The Philadelphia captain, Richards, recorded two assists on the red and black and finished with eight points in the series. His second assist came during a second period Claude Giroux goal. Giroux blew two by Brodeur during a two minute span as the Flyers skated to a 3-0 lead. The 22 year old Ontario native’s second tally came on a Flyers’ power play. Scott Hartnell corralled a Briere rebound and sent it across the crease to Giroux for the flip-on goal. Giroux really stepped up for Pete Laviolette’s club with stars Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne sidelined.
Boucher made the offense stand up and the Flyers fended off three penalties in the final 20 minutes to preserve the shutout. New Jersey provided very little offensive challenges to Boucher. Ilya Kovalchuck bounced a hard drive off the goalie’s pad in the first, Patrik Elias’s slap was batted down and Zach Parise unsuccessfully attempted the rebound goal. Boucher turned aside David Clarkson, stopped Paul Martin, robbed Brian Rolston and denied the dangerous Parise on a short-handed slap all in a night’s work. Even Philadelphia’s plentiful penalties weren’t enough to extend Jacques Lemaire’s dreary Devils’ post-season stint. The Devils’ sixth power play of the game was killed after Philadelphia’s Ian Laperriere blocked a shot early in the third period. Laperriere took a puck off the face on a Martin shot from the point as New Jersey was sent home early. The Devils were given 32 power play opportunities during the five games but were unable to score on all but four.

Parting Points: NFL news updates- Big Ben suspended six games, Sam Bradford goes number one to St. Louis and Drew Brees is the new Madden cover boy

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Patience Pays

Patience is a virtue in life, love and especially in baseball. Plate patience paid off for the pinstriped New York Yankees Tuesday night in Oakland. The Bombers began a nine game road trip by winning their fifth straight game, a 7-3 walk-fest over the hometown Athletics. The Yankees drew ten walks and pitcher Javier Vasquez picked up his first victory of the season hurling five innings of six hit ball. Vasquez’s velocity was shaky but the hurler relied on off-speed pitches and six strikeouts in defeating the AL West’s top team.
Nick Swisher smoked a single against his former squad in the first innings to give the Yankees a 3-0 early lead. Mark Teixeira doubled with two outs for the defending World Champions to plate the first base runner against Oakland’s Gio Gonzalez. The A’s youthful lefty walked Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano on full counts to load the bases before Jorge Posada’s RBI single scored Teixeira. Posada slapped a hard bouncer to first base, but Daric Barton could only knock it down as the Yankees’ backstop reached safely. Swisher’s two run smack to center field cleared the bases, save for Posada at third. Gonzalez got Curtis Granderson to fly out for the final out of the lengthy three run first inning and retired 11 of the next 12 batters he faced. The Yankees continued to work the count against Oakland’s pitchers. Five of the seven Bomber runs resulted from walks. Not to be upstaged in the field, New York’s defense turned three double plays in the victory.
New York’s offense added to their advantage by tallying three runs in the fifth. Rodriguez took Craig Breslow deep with a three run blast on a 1-2 count. The ominous third base slugger trotted around the bases for the second time in five career at-bats against the Oakland reliever. The Yankee starter kept his mechanics in check until the middle innings. In the bottom half of the fifth Vasquez served up a Travis Buck homer as the A’s finally nudged a substantial hit off the crisp righty. A’s fifth hitting catcher, Kurt Suzuki, contributed a titanic two-run tater in the sixth to cut New York’s lead in half. Bombers’ skipper, Joe Girardi, removed his pitcher from the game after 23 batters and replaced him with Boone Logan. Logan, in his major league debut, was somewhat bumpy after getting out of the sixth. Eric Chavez grounded out and Adam Rosales was fanned to end the frame. Rosales was inserted for the injured second baseman, Mark Ellis. Nick Johnson scored in the top of the seventh on a Posada fielder’s choice to pad the Yankees lead to four.
Logan’s seventh inning was a completely different story than his sixth inning stand. The 25 year old allowed back-to-back two out singles and walked Ryan Sweeney to load the bags. Girardi yanked his reliever and summoned Joba Chamberlain for the jam. Chamberlain bailed the Bombers out to keep the lead at four runs. Damaso Marte and Mariano Rivera saw mound time in preserving the 7-3 score and the win for New York. The patient Bronx Bombers boast a 10-3 record, while Oakland fell to 9-6 on the season.

Parting Points: Song of the day- “Patience” by Nick Lachey (or, if you prefer, Take That’s version)

“I hope you look at me through patient eyes”- PM Dawn

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pacific Puck Prevails

Quick Quiets Canucks on California Coast
The Los Angeles Kings wasted no time in pugnaciously punching out their first playoff win at home since 2002. The Staples Center played host to the Game 3 of the Western Conference series between sixth seeded L.A. and the Vancouver Canucks. The Kings cruised past the Canucks 5-3 to grab their first playoff lead in a series since 2001. Michal Handzus sparked the home team with two second period power play goals and an assist in L.A.’s victory. Kings’ goalie and draftee, Jonathan Quick, enjoyed 25 saves in sixty minutes on the ice and was not as shaky as he was in the series opener. His counterpart, Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo was chased from the game after 33 minutes and replaced by Andrew Roycroft. Monday was Luongo’s second straight poor performance in L.A. The 31 year old Canadian Olympian was lambasted and torched for eight goals earlier this month against the Kings. He made 12 saves in Monday’s road defeat. The clubs split games in Vancouver, setting up the crucial third game last night. L.A. proved the more disciplined club in battle number three, taking advantage of the Canucks’ costly penalties and greeting them with goals.
The Canucks collected the first goal at 2:09 in the first period. Vancouver had 11 shots on Quick during the opening period but managed one goal. Mason Reymond beat Quick to give the Northwest division champions a 1-0 lead early. Vancouver’s lead vanished for good by the end of the period. The Kings matched the Canucks eleven minutes into the contest on a power play goal by Drew Doughty. Doughty directed a pass from Handzus beneath Luongo’s left foot from fifty feet out to tie the game. L.A.’s defense shined through the first period with shot-blocking and penalty killing to prevent the Canucks from finding the net. The Kings registered another power play goal in the second period to take a 2-1 advantage at 4:06. Handzus hit a Jack Johnson rebound into the net with a nifty wrister for his first goal of the playoffs, and followed it up with a second score at 12:18 on another rebound. Luongo’s night was finished after Brad Richardson ripped a walk-in goal at 13:21 to put the Kings on top of the hill, 4-1. The Canucks failed to protect the puck in their own zone, resulting in a pair of giveaways that paved the way for Richardson’s goal.
Vancouver cut their deficit to 4-2 on a late second period snap shot goal by Mikael Samuelsson. The ten year Swedish right wing has four goals this post-season and had four shots on goal last night. The Kings held on despite another Vancouver goal four minutes into the final period. Daniel Sedin tallied his second playoff goal to trim L.A.’s lead to 4-3. Sedin appeared to score earlier in the period, but video review ruled the puck was kicked in, disallowing the goal. Sedin’s shot boosted Vancouver, but only temporarily. The Canucks’ comeback bid would stop there. L.A. continued to shred the Canucks and run the show. The Kings stopped one of the premier lines in the NHL for the second consecutive game, and the outcome was tremendous. Doughty earned his third assist of the game by flicking a pass to Ryan Smyth, who fooled Roycroft for the fifth and final goal. Johnson also added three assists as the Kings stepped up the effort on home ice. Game 4 is Wednesday at the Staples Center.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday to Donnie Baseball and the late Luther Vandross.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Foreshadowing Forehand

I sat in my car with a skinned right knee
Reflecting on this place laced in history
The upright post held droplets of rain
Around a net drizzled with pain
The lucid lines molded many a decree

My gallantry between the lanes
Left impressionably triumphant stains
Anecdotes in the alleys where my feet once slid
The rubbed off paint didn’t forget the stories they hid
Never neglected the amount of energy into the gains

I snapped a string, someone split a frame
Another broke a bone, it’s all the same
My racquet sliced the ball like a knife
Cutting through bread to provide precious life
Surviving on the surface others before me came

How could I weather the storm
But these bouncy plains couldn’t remain in form
The authorities would soon remove the decay
Disregarding how they shaped the way I play
Refurbishing a contemporary court, welcoming and warm

Pedestrians temporarily banned
A foreshadowing forehand
Taking away my permanent land

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Unblemished Unbelievable Ubaldo

Saturday was an eventful day in sports and there are an abundance of stories to cover. There’s the intriguing overtime recovery by the Capitals. There’s the epic 20 inning affair in St. Louis between the Cardinals and Mets. There’s the ripped and ripe Cavs bashing the Bulls in their playoff opener. And then there’s Ben Roethisberger. The Hawks outlasted the Bucks and the Nuggets nipped the Jazz, but the real headline grabber for Colorado-Atlanta was a Dominican right-hander. Ubaldo Jimenez pitched the first no-hitter of the season, and first in the 17 year Colorado Rockies’ history on Saturday. Jimenez blanked the Braves 4-0 at Turner Field and added an RBI single at the plate. The ace finished with seven strikeouts and six walks. He retired the last 15 batters he faced to notch his third win of the year.
Dexter Fowler made the biggest save of the day during a seventh inning grab on a Troy Glaus line drive to centerfield. Fowler snared the liner for the inning’s first out, and Jimenez continued to pound the strike zone with 98 mph pitches into the final frames. The 26 year old hurler’s no-no is the first in the majors since Mark Buehrle tossed a perfect game last July. Colorado collected a run in the top of the first against Atlanta’s Kenshin Kawakami. The Japanese pitcher gave up all four runs on eight hits through five innings in his first ever look at the Colorado Rockies. Troy Tulowitzki’s sacrifice fly to left field gave the Rockies their first tally. Jimenez singled to center in the top of the fourth to score Brad Hawpe. The Rockies’ starter scored on Carlos Gonzalez’s two run double to complete the scoring for the visiting team. Four runs were staunch and sufficient for the Rockies with the way Jimenez was firing fastballs. His ferocity was enough to no-hit the Braves for the 16th time in Atlanta’s franchise history.
Atlanta sent their 2-3-4 hitters to the dish in the bottom of the ninth. Braves’ second baseman and second hitter, Martin Prado, was riding a 14 game hitting streak into Saturday’s series with the Rockies. Jimenez promptly popped-up Prado and induced Chipper Jones into a left field fly out, leaving Brian McCann to represent the Braves’ last hope for a hit. McCann didn’t reach base either. The Braves’ backstop slapped a grounder to second base on the 128th pitch by Jimenez to end the game and preserve the no-hitter. Jimenez faced 31 batters and dominated the hill despite walking batters in each of the first five innings. The Colorado righty was a 15-game winner in 2009 and led the Rockies in strikeouts the past two seasons. Saturday he stole a memorable Mile High moment in Georgia. Carmelo Anthony may have posted a post-season career high Saturday, but Jimenez accomplished something never done in Colorado history.

Parting Points: Song of the day- Real McCoy’s “Another Night”

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Split Series

New Jersey put away the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 at the Prudential Center Friday to even the first round series at one all. Danius Zubrus powered home the fourth goal with four minutes left to play to give the Devils a one score cushion in game two of the Eastern conference playoff series. Ilya Kovalchuk deposited the final goal for the decisive Devils’ victory. New Jersey held the seventh seeded Flyers to a pair of power play goals as the Flyers failed to capitalize on the one-man advantage most of the night. The Devils were a man down seven times but Philadelphia couldn’t solve their solid defense in this best-of-seven series. New Jersey has topped the Flyers just twice in eight tries this season.
Brian Boucher stopped 28 in goal for Philadelphia, while New Jersey netminder, Martin Brodeur, made 26 saves. Brodeur was stingy, snuffing and stopping break-in shots by Daniel Carcillo and Ian Laperriere with eight minutes in regulation to keep the score knotted at 3-3. The Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Zach Parise’s backhanded goal at 2:45 in the first period. Patrik Elias picked up a loose puck and fed it to Parise for one of Elias’ three assists. New Jersey gave up their first lead in the series before the first period horn sounded. The Flyers scored two goals on their first five shots. Arron Asham and Claude Giroux tallied goals for the visiting Flyers to give Philadelphia a 2-1 edge. Asham tipped the puck off the post for the first goal and Giroux muscled in front of Brodeur for the follow-up flick. New Jersey put it together in front of a sold-out Newark crowd to erase the Flyers’ lead. The Devils took a 3-2 advantage on a pair of goals by their defensemen. Colin White evened the score at 2-2 early in the second period. It was White’s first playoff goal in nine years. Andy Greene netted the third New Jersey goal on a power play midway through the period. Greene re-directed an Elias pass past Boucher for the Devils’ second lead of the game. It wasn’t always pretty for the Devils’ defensemen. White and Greene combined for four penalties. Chris Pronger chipped in a goal to tie the game at three apiece on a Flyers’ power play. Despite the Pronger goal, the Devils’ defense was excellent on penalty kills and took the momentum of their second period comeback into the final period. Brodeur was even more brilliant as the shining star.
Zubrus’ goal came off a rebound to key the Atlantic Division champion Devils’ late push. The Flyers were slow in clearing the zone and unable to stop the speedy skaters from New Jersey in the third period. Zubrus and Parise took whacks at the puck, but it was Zubrus who was credited with the game-winner at 15:56. Philadelphia was awarded the contest’s first power play on Kovalchuk’s elbow to the aggressive Carcillo, but it was the New Jersey newcomer who finished off the evening’s scoring with an empty net goal at 19:27. The former Atlanta Thrasher logged 21 minutes of ice time and was charged with three penalties in Friday’s feisty exchange. New Jersey captain, Jamie Langenbrunner, attempted five shots and finished with an assist on the final goal as the Devils dodged the Flyers. Philadelphia’s captain, Mike Richards, managed two assists in the losing effort. Game three is scheduled for Sunday at the Wachovia Center.

Parting Points: The Penguins and Red Wings both bounced back to even their first round series.

The NBA second season starts today. Did your team make it?

Friday, April 16, 2010

Athletics Ascension

The hottest start of the baseball season may belong to San Francisco Giants, but their Bay Area neighbors from the junior circuit have also been gigantic. The Oakland A’s got six shutout innings from 31 year old, Ben Sheets in a 6-2 thumping of the 1-9 Baltimore Orioles at the Coliseum. Oakland improved their record to 7-4, good for first place in the AL West. Sheets, Oakland’s newly acquired ace, allowed five hits and struck out four for his first win since in over one year.
Ryan Sweeney, right fielder for Oakland, had an RBI groundout and fifth inning double to help send the listless Orioles to their seventh straight loss. Sweeney extended his 10 game hitting streak to start the season with the hit. Baltimore’s opponents are outscoring them 55-29 and the offense is .135 with runners in scoring position. The O’s didn’t light up the Coliseum scoreboard until Nick Markakis’ sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. Adam Jones added a triple in the ninth off Oakland’s Jerry Blevins. Orioles’ starter, Dave Hernandez, took the demoralizing defeat after giving up five runs in as many innings. Hernandez allowed seven hits in recording his second loss of the season.
The A’s bounced back after losing two of three against Seattle. The hitting began early Thursday for Oakland. Sweeney’s RBI in the first frame put Oakland up by one before Kevin Kouzmanoff added to the lead with a sacrifice fly. Kouzmanoff showed his defensive prowess in the top of the first when he made a diving grab of Miguel Tejada’s hotshot to third to save a run. Oakland’s leadoff hitting centerfielder, Rajai Davis, was instrumental in the opening two innings. Davis delivered an infield shot to lead off the game and scored the first Oakland run. His second hit came in the second inning to give the A’s a 3-0 lead. Davis has five multi-hit games so far this year.
The Orioles were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position Thursday, including four of the six innings Sheets toed the rubber. They were just as ineffective in the field. Ty Wigginton botched a routine Cliff Pennington grounder in the fourth to put the O’s in a 4-0 hole. Prior to Wigginton’s error, Adam Jones missed two cutoff men, turning Adam Rosales’ double into a triple. Rosales had two hits and his extra base proved costly for the O’s. Eric Chavez contributed a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth to score Sweeney for Oakland’s fifth run following Davis’ stellar outfield play in the top half of the inning. Davis robbed Felix Pie of a hit with a backhand sliding snag. To add insult to injury, Pie left the game after scoring Baltimore’s first run in the seventh. The left fielder suffered a left shoulder injury that could land him on the disabled list.
Oakland was alert on the base paths and at the plate, scattering nine hits and stealing a pair of bases against Baltimore pitching. Pennington pounded a double to score Jack Buck in the eighth. Buck stole a base to set up the sixth Oakland run. The A’s succeeded in getting their leadoff man on in four of the five innings Hernandez tossed. Considering the A’s have played 14 consecutive days without a break, their record is impressive. Oakland finished in last place in the AL West a season ago. They are the surprise first place team in this young season and are in a good position to add to the win column in the next two days with Baltimore in town. Southpaw Vic Braden throws for Oakland against righty Kevin Millwood this evening.

Parting Points: Classic film to end the work week- “His Girl Friday”.

More Bay area sports news- Ted Ginn, Jr. was traded to the Niners.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Thursday Take-Twos (NHL playoff edition)

Derek Morris buried the game-winning goal with less than three minutes into the third period to lift the lively Coyotes over the raucous Red Wings in a first round NHL matchup in Glendale. Fourth seeded Phoenix scored goals in each of the three periods to put away fifth seeded Detroit 3-2. Morris, traded to the Coyotes from Boston at the deadline, broke a 2-2 tie and assisted on two other power play goals. Ilya Bryzgalov was superb in net after allowing two Detroit goals in the first period. Bryzgalov made 38 saves as the Coyotes won their first playoff game since 2002. Red Wings’ 13 year veteran, Tomas Holmstrom, scored the first goal of the Western Conference series Wednesday. Nicklas Lidstrom followed Holmstrom with a power play goal as Detroit took an early advantage in their 19th straight playoff appearance. Lidstrom needed five stitches after taking a stick to the face in the third period. Phoenix was outshot 30-15 through the first two periods, but managed to find the net twice off the sticks of Ketih Yandle and Wojtek Wolski. Detroit goalie, Jimmy Howard, staved off 32 shots but his team fumbled 1-of-6 power play opportunities. The Coyotes split four regular season games with the Wings and were the stronger team last night. The Wings have the upper hand in previous playoff meetings with the Coytes. They certainly have more post-season experience. But now they must play catch-up in order to continue their Stanley Cup title chase.
Brian Boucher was brilliant for the Flyers in recording his first playoff victory in ten years. Philadelphia derailed the Devils on their home ice 2-1 in an Eastern Conference showdown between neighborhood rivals. Journeyman Boucher turned aside 23 shots, including a stifling save with ten seconds in regulation on an attempt by Patrik Elias. Boucher denied Zach Parise and Elias all night. Chris Pronger and Mike Richards added second period goals as the seventh seeded Flyers’ momentum continued into the first round playoff meeting. Philadelphia secured a playoff berth just this Sunday with an overtime win over the New York Rangers. New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur made just 12 saves and received little help from his offense. The Devils couldn’t put anything together, forced shots and couldn’t adjust on defense. A besieged Brodeur was thoroughly outdueled by Boucher. The home team had little answers for Boucher and the Flyers at the Rock. The Devils’ lone goal came in the third period but it was too late. Travis Zajac’s slap shot bounced in front of Boucher with 2:43 left to spoil the goalie’s shutout bid. New Jersey was an unsuccessful 0-for-5 on the power play. The Flyers grabbed home-ice advantage with the first win of the seven game series. The Devils are accustomed to being behind in the playoffs. New Jersey has not won a post-season series in three years. For the Devils’ sake, let’s hope this is not another first round exit.
Parting Points: Brandon Marshall was shipped from Denver to Miami. Who else will go shopping before the NFL schedule hits the newsstands on Tuesday?
More NHL playoff updates: The Pens dropped their post-season opener in a 5-4 grinder against Ottawa. Chris Stewart notched the game-winning goal for Avalanche as the Colorado clipped San Jose 2-1.
Thursday’s Tune- “Reason for Breathing” by Babyface

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Pettitte’s Pinstriped Precision

Bobby Abreau was grand but his former team was more striking in season opener at Yankee Stadium Tuesday afternoon. Abreau launched a Dave Robertson offering into the stands for a ninth inning grand slam but New York held on to beat the Angels 7-5 for their third consecutive win and fifth overall. The Yankees were given their 2009 World Series rings during a pregame ceremony and went on to take the first of a three game set with Anaheim.
Andy Pettitte tossed six scoreless innings in a vintage performance by the southpaw. Pettitte allowed five hits and struck out six Angels for his 230th career win. Mariano Rivera earned his third save of the season by getting last year’s World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui, to popup for the final out of the game. The game was all-New York through the through the first seven innings. Anaheim finally recorded a tally in the eighth inning off Yankee reliever, Chan Ho Park. Park served up a solo shot to Kendry Morales, who went 3-for-4 for the visiting California club. Morales and the Angels appeared rusty and lackadaisical. Morales lost track of the outs in the second inning and had to scramble back to second base on a routine fly ball to right field with one out. Manager Mike Scoscia’s team has dropped six games so far this season and has been outscored 48-23. They certainly do not look like your typical consistent, fundamental Angels. The blueprint of the modern day Angels has involved standout starting pitching and masterful run-manufacturing. The atrocious Anaheim arms are not accurate and the offense is not generating runs so far this season. Alternatively, the Yankees are formulating runs and backing it up with pitching and early leads. New York’s quest for a 28th championship is promising, although it’s too soon to declare them winners of anything yet.
The Yankees began their World Series title defense on the right foot. Yankee Stadium’s first long ball of the year came off the bat of Nick Johnson. The Bombers’ DH stroked two hits Tuesday and scored three of the team’s seven runs. Johnson’s first inning solo shot to right was one of the eight hits allowed by Angels’ hurler, Ervin Santana. Santana is off to a dismal 0-2 start. Shortstop, Derek Jeter, deposited a homerun beyond the right-center field wall in the third frame for a 2-0 Yankees lead. Jeter knocked home another run in the fourth to score Curtis Granderson. Alex Rodriguez’s infield single in the bottom of the sixth tacked on two more New York runs. New York pounded out 13 hits, propelled by catcher Jorge Posada’s three. Posada drove Johnson home with a double in the two-run eighth inning. His double moved the backstop past Mickey Mantle into seventh place on the Yanks’ all-time list. The patient Yankees drew nine walks, including three passes to Nick Swisher. Granderson stole his fourth base of the season and provided the run-scoring single in the eighth that padded the Yankee lead to 7-1.
Pettitte was precise in his 2010 home debut. The 37 year old set the Halos down in the sixth, despite allowing a pair of one-out singles. He induced an inning-ending double play to preserve the 3-0 Bomber advantage. The Angels were 2-of-9 with runners in scoring position, a staggering statistic for the efficient AL West players. Park relieved Pettite in the seventh and was an out away from a scoreless two-inning stint out of the pen. Morales clocked a 1-1 pitch to the second deck for the first Anaheim tally. Robertson loaded the bases in the ninth on single from Howie Kendrick, Brandon Wood and Jeff Mathis. Abreau’s rocket shot was the first Angels’ grand slam since Mark Teixeira went four-deep against the Yankees in August 2008. Joe Girardi found solace in summoning his future Hall-of-Fame closer from the bullpen to salvage the game. Rivera struck out Torii Hunter and set down Matsui to seal the deal. Robertson faced five batters and surrendered four runs. Rivera made it look easy, as Mo typically does, by stamping out the final two batters.

Parting Points: It’s always nice to see Bernie Williams back in the Bronx.

Song of the day- “Pretty Fly (for a white guy)” by the Offspring

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Twins on Target

Minnesota raced out to a 2-0 lead during the opening frame of first ever game at the new Target Field in Minneapolis. The Twins tacked on three more runs to top the Boston Red Sox 5-2 in convincing fashion. Minnesota battered Boston starter, Jon Lester early to take control of the contest. Lester struggled with control from the start, walking Denard Span to begin the game. Span’s pass was followed by an Orlando Hudson single before Lester retired the dangerous due, backstop Joe Mauer and first baseman, Justin Morneau. Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel clubbed back-to-back RBI singles to give the Twins two tallies in their first trip to the plate. The Red Sox never recovered.
Carl Pavano dazzled for the Twins and improved his season record to 2-0. Pavano pitched six innings of one run ball and allowed just four hits. Lester allowed five runs in four innings. The lefty was laced with nine hits. Kubel was the offensive hero for Minnesota in the 2010 grand home debut. The 27 year old DH socked the first homerun of the new ballpark and finished 3-for-4 at the plate. Kubel began the seventh inning with a bang, rocking a 2-2 pitch to right field to give the Twins a 4-1 lead. Minnesota recorded 12 hits in front of their hometown crowd. Mauer collected three hits and a pair of RBIs. His slicing double down the left field line in the bottom of the second inning secured a 3-0 advantage for Pavano. Nick Punto singled, stole a base, scored and made a few exceptional plays in the field for the Twins.
Both teams recorded runs in the fourth inning. Boston got a double from slipping slugger, David Ortiz in the top of the fourth for one of the few Boston highlights. Kevin Youkilis scored on Big Papi’s base hit to put the Sox on the scoreboard. Boston didn’t reach home again until the eighth, by which time it was too little, too late. Dustin Pedroia’s sacrifice fly to Cuddyer in right field scored the ninth hitter, Jeremy Hermida from third. Jon Rauch put the finishing touches on a memorable first game with a perfect ninth for his second save. Pavano earned the win, while striking out four. The Twins’ fourth frame run came on Mauer’s infield single in the breezy 65 degree Minnesota ballpark. Monday was the first home game in a non-indoor venue since the 1981 season. The Twins will throw right-hander Kevin Slowey against Boston newcomer, John Lackey on Wednesday. Lackey is coming off a strong Red Sox debut in which he shutout New York for six solid frames. Minnesota wraps up the first Target Field series Thursday. Southpaw flamethrower, Francisco Liriano toes the rubber for the Twins against Beantown veteran knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield.

Parting Points: Song of the day-“Hanging by a Moment” by Lifehouse

“You can observe a lot just by watching”- Yogi Berra

Monday, April 12, 2010

Season Saved in Sizzling Shootout

The good news for the New York Rangers was they actually had a chance at making the playoffs before yesterday. The bad news is they couldn’t capitalize on that opportunity. Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center was the host of a winner-take-all contest between the Flyers and Rangers Saturday. The 82nd game of the NHL season would determine whether or not the host team would advance to the post-season or go home. It turned out favorably for the Flyers, who wrapped up the seventh seed in the Eastern conference. The visiting Blueshirts were eliminated from playoff contention after being clipped 2-1 in a shootout.
The Rangers were staring at a 10th seed at the end of March, but went on a 7-1-1 run to essentially make Sunday a one-game playoff. New York netminder, Henrik Lundqvist made 46 stuffing saves in Sunday’s loss. The relentless Ranger goalie put on a spectacular performance in stopping all but one shot during regulation. He was without question the star of the Rangers yesterday. Philadelphia fired 18 shots during the first twenty minutes but couldn’t slip one past Lundqvist. The Rangers made just four shots on goal during that time. Jody Shelley’s dart at 3:27 in the opening period enabled the visitors to grab a 1-0 lead. Shelley’s deflection off Michal Rozsival’s shot skidded past Flyer goalie, Brian Boucher. The Blueshirts held the lead for over 40 minutes even after the Flyers applied pressure.
Matt Carle found a way to get the puck past the talented Lundqvist with 13:06 remaining in regulation. Philadelphia’s young defenseman flip from the slot on a third period power play tied the game at 1-1. Carle stormed the net to chip in a third-chance shot for his sixth of the season. The Flyers moved the puck extremely well the remainder of the game. Their tight defense didn’t allow the Rangers many opportunities to score. The Blueshits turned the puck over too many times, but their focused goalie kept them in the game. It was enough to outlast the Flyers into overtime. Philadelphia tested Lundqvist with 15 shots in the second period before the game went to overtime. The Flyers made two more attempts in the extra session, but Lundqvist turned both aside. New York’s two attempts also went for naught and the heated battle would be decided in a shootout.
Danny Briere beat Lundqvist on backhand to forehand move for the first goal in Round 1 of the shootout. Boucher stopped the Rangers’ Erik Christensen on New York’s first attempt before Philadelphia captain, Mike Richards, was denied by Lundqvist. P.A. Parenteau tied the shootout by pinching in a goal in Round 2 for the Rangers. Claude Giroux joined the goal-scoring club when he found the back of the net in Round 3 to lift the Flyers to a 2-1 advantage. New York’s season came down to Olli Jokinen’s final attempt. Boucher’s diving stuff of Jokinen’s slap sent the Rangers home losers after 65 well-fought minutes of hockey. For Philadelphia, the season will continue at least through one round of the playoffs. The Flyers travel to nearby New Jersey for a playoff meeting with the second seeded Devils. Philadelphia was a Stanley Cup favorite in the beginning of the season but almost missed out on the playoffs.

Parting Points: Pittsburgh/West Virginia area sports news : Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t charged with sexual assault and teammate Santonio Holmes was traded to the Jets. Mountaineers’ sophomore, Devin Ebanks, is leaving WVU for the NBA draft.

Congrats to Phil Mickelson on winning his third Masters.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Renteria, Rowand Rock and Roll

The longest home opener in San Francisco history came down to a two-out 13th inning head-first slide. Aaron Rowand followed an infield single with a safe slide into first base as Juan Uribe scored from third to lift the Giants over visiting Atlanta, 5-4. Uribe walked, stole second and reached third on an error to set up Rowand’s RBI opportunity in the 13th inning. The four hour game gnawed away at San Francisco’s roster, but the Giants remain the only undefeated team in baseball at 4-0. Manager Bruce Bochy utilized his entire bullpen and bunch during the contest. The last time a Giants’ home opener went over 13 innings was against the Boston Braves. San Francisco won that 1917game 4-2. Ninety-three years later, the Giants were victorious again, and in dramatic comeback fashion.
Braves’ rookie sensation, Jason Heyward struck out four times against San Francisco pitching for his first hitless outing in the majors. The Giants’ pitchers issued nine walks and the offense did not draw one until Uribe’s key pass in the bottom of the 13th. It was all Atlanta in the early goings. The Braves totaled three runs off San Francisco starter, Jonathan Sanchez. The 27 year old former no-hit hurler fanned 6 of the 22 batters he faced. Sanchez scattered seven hits through just over four innings. The visitors scratched out two runs in the top of the third on a pair of singles. Braves’ first baseman, Troy Glaus, knocked in the first run on a smack to left and Matt Diaz’s infield shot made it 2-0 in favor of Atlanta. Thirty-two year old left fielder, Diaz collected another RBI in the top of the fifth off Sanchez. The Giants finally got on board in the seventh following a dazzling season debut from Atlanta pitcher, Tim Hudson. Edgar Renteria’s base hit in the fourth marked the first baserunner for San Francsico. Hudson’s 77 pitch outing was impressive. He went seven innings and allowed three hits and two runs. The runs came off the bats Pablo Sandoval and first year Giant, Aubrey Huff. Rowand singled to lead off the frame, and Renteria’s double put two on base with no outs. Sandoval’s ground out sent Rowand home. Renteria scored the second Giants run on a Huff groundout.
Heyward walked on four pitches in the top of the eighth inning with Dan Runzler on the hill for the Giants. Waldis Joaquin threw a wild pitch and Runzler issued a pair of walks in unproductive relief roles for Bochy’s pen. Runzler’s base-on-balls to David Ross provided an RBI for the Atlanta catcher. Glaus scored on the walk to give the Braves a 4-2 edge. The San Francisco bullpen salvaged the inning but not before Runzler finished with three walks. Billy Wagner was sent in to record the save for the Braves in the bottom of the ninth. Wagner, the famed former closer for Philadelphia and New York, gave up a leadoff double to Eugenio Velez. He followed up the extra base hit by striking out Rowand for the first out. Renteria socked a slider to the fences off the new Atlanta closer, good for two runs and a tie game. Renteria is hitting .388 with three multihit games so far this season.
San Francisco closer, Brian Wilson, sent the Braves down in order during the 10th. The Giants managed one hit off Atlanta reliever, Eric O’Flaherty in their half of the 10th. Wilson struggled as the Braves threatened to score in the 11th. He loaded the bases before Sergio Romo was summoned from the bullpen. Romo got Glaus to flyout to end the inning and escape the jam. Sandoval slugged a single to start the 12th for San Francisco. He reached third on a sacrifice by Andres Torres but the Giants wouldn’t convert off Kris Medlen until the next frame. Brian McCann was charged with the significant throwing error in the bottom of the 13th. It was one of four errors during the epic opening game of the series that concluded with a rolling Rowand sliding and uncontested Uribe scoring. Jeremy Affeldt earned his second win of the season for the Giants. Braves manager, Bobby Cox, was ejected for arguing a call during the 13th. It was the record 154th time Cox has been thrown out of game. The seething skipper departed just before Medlen served up the game-winning stroke.

Parting Points: Song of the day- “If You Could Only See” by Tonic

Friday, April 9, 2010

Carmelo's Clamp at Clock

Carmelo Anthony dialed up 31 points and delivered a block at the buzzer as the Nuggets held off the Lakers 98-96 in Denver. The Western conference-leading Lakers dropped their fourth game in five tries but played Thursday without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Pau Gasol carried L.A.’s offense with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Lamar Odom matched Gasol in rebounds and Ron Artest added 22 points in the Pepsi Center road loss. The Lakers failed to clinch the top seed in the conference when Derek Fisher’s 3-point attempt was blocked by Anthony as time expired.
MVP Bryant sat out with nagging injuries for Phil Jackson’s 55-23 Lakers. L.A. is tied with the Orlando Magic for the second best record in the league. Denver dove a full game ahead of Utah for the Northwest division lead with the win. The Nuggets clung to a one point advantage with 18 ticks on the clock. L.A.’s Shannon Brown grabbed a rebound off J.R. Smith’s shot and passed to an open Fisher in transition. Denver’s Chanchey Billups swooped in to break up the pass to give the Nuggets possession. Billups led all players with six assists on the night. The Lakers got the ball back following a Smith free throw and being down by a bucket. Fisher’s last-ditch shot went for naught as Anthony’s outstretched arms prevented the tying basket. Smith finished with 26 points and Billups landed 12 as the Nuggets outlasted the slumping Lakers.
The Lakers were out-scored in every quarter except the third, but made a game of it despite key injuries. Denver raced out to a 15 point lead in the third quarter but the Lakers came roaring back to reclaim the edge. Seven year star, Nene Hilario, made a pair of free throws to give the Nuggets the lead for good with just over a minute remaining. Hilario tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds, while notching 7-of-10 from the line. The Nuggets were just too swift and smooth from the field. Smith was on target with 5-of-11 shots from long range to move into first place on the franchise’s all time 3-point list. Denver made 11 baskets, finishing 44% from the arc. Anthony contributed three from downtown and blocked three shots. The former Syracuse standout committed just one turnover and went 10-of-20 from the field. The Lakers were a sure-handed and accurate 84.8% from the charity stripe. Gasol knocked down 10-of-11 free throws. There has been speculation that Jackson is resting Bryant with the playoffs looming. It’s unknown whether Bryant will play Friday against Minnesota. Sasha Vujacic started in place of Bryant. Vujacic’s slow first half prompted Jackson to replace the Yugoslavian with Brown. Brown grabbed a dozen points. Jordan Farmar hit a trey and Vujacic returned to score six points to give L.A. a lead in the fourth quarter. The Lakers would get as close as two points before losing the game to 52-win Denver.

Parting Points: Take home pay. Brad Stevens is rewarded with a 12 year extension at Butler.

Walk-off win in Cincy. Jonny Gomes goes yard as the Reds top the Redbirds.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Thursday Take-Twos (Ohio Omission Edition)

Omit Evan Turner from the Ohio State Buckeyes’ basketball roster. The junior point guard is declaring for the NBA draft and forgoing his senior year at OSU. That’s one loss for Ohio, but a major win for Chicago-native, Turner. Omit Cleveland baseball from the winless column. The Indians rallied past the Chicago Whitesox in an AL Central duel last night for their first victory of the season. Cleveland won 5-3 on Matt LaPorta’s tiebreaking double with two outs in the seventh. That should even the Chicago-Ohio score.
The explosive Player of the Year is headed to the pros. Turner is expected to be one of the top three picks in this year’s NBA draft. The 6’7” 21 year old collected just about every regular season award in college hoops. Turner was selected Big 10 Player of the year in addition to winning the Naismith Award and being the favorite for the Wooden Award. The Buckeye guard averaged over 20 points and nine rebounds per game in leading the OSU to their second best season in school history. Coach Thad Matta and the Buckeyes will surely miss his services next season. The Buckeyes suffered with Turner temporarily out of the lineup due to injury earlier last season. The team went just 3-3 in his absence. The leader of the Buckeyes, Turner made a quick recovery to piece together and unforgettable season and cap off a stellar collegiate career in Columbus. Turner seemed unsure of his role as a freshman and sophomore. Matta moved him to point guard this season, and that made a difference. Redefined and refined, Turner picked up triple-doubles in two of the first five games. His signature moment was perhaps his game-winning basket near half court to beat Michigan in the Big 10 quarterfinals. Turner orchestrated and incredible run through the NCAA tournament for the Buckeyes. Matta ensures the Buckeyes will have a strong recruiting class. But Turner’s departure leaves a bittersweet void on the roster. The junior won’t have a chance to win a national championship, but by declaring for the draft now, he will not risk costing the university a scholarship for next season.
The Indians scored three runs off Jake Peavy in the top of the fourth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit. The Indians scattered seven hits against a struggling Peavy. The right-hander didn’t look like the solid White Sox pitcher who finished 2009 going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA. To his credit, he did have little offensive supply. One man provided the only RBIS for the home team. First baseman, Paul Konerko, connected on a two-run homer and delivered a sacrifice fly for the Chicago offense. It was Konerko’s second two-run blast in as many games. Cleveland tied the game during a three run fourth inning. Michael Brantley singled in a run after Peavy hit Mike Redmond with a pitch to load the bases. Grady Sizemore knocked home a pair of runs on a two-out smack to right field. The visiting team took the lead in the seventh when Shin-Soo Choo led off with a single and scored on LaPorta’s double. Choo scored a ninth inning insurance run on Andy Marte’s bases-loaded grounder. Randy Williams took the loss for Chicago. Fausto Carmona was the pitcher on the winning end. The Dominican Republic hurler tossed six wild innings of one hit ball but issued six walks. Left fielder, Juan Pierre, stole two bases and added a hit in the loss. Aaron Laffey, Joe Smith and Chris Perez worked in relief for the Indians. Perez worked the ninth for his first save of the year. He walked Mark Kotsay with one out before fanning Alex Rios. Marte’s diving stab of A.J. Pierzynski’s grounder to first base ended Chicago’s threat and sealed the win for Cleveland.

Parting Points: Look for quite a few Kentucky Wildcats on the draft board this season.

Tiger returns to the Master’s. Yawn.

Granderson is grand for NY---at least against the Red Sox. Let’s see what the outfielder does through the course of the season. I was all for this pick-up by the Yanks because I think he is a class act.

Thoughts and prayers for Maria Navratilova, who was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Bombers Beat Boston on Blunder

The Yankees’ bullpen bounced back from Sunday’s defeat in Boston to preserve a 6-4 victory Tuesday night. New York was the team coming back in game two of the three game set with the Red Sox. Shortstop Marco Scutaro’s eighth inning throwing error kept the inning alive and keyed the Bombers’ go-ahead run. Scutaro fielded a routine ground ball by Derek Jeter and flicked it beyond the reach of first baseman, Kevin Youkilis to load the bases for the Bombers. Nick Johnson, known for his keen eye, walked on a 3-1 count to break a 4-4 tie with Hideki Okajima on the hill for Boston. The reliever couldn’t salvage an almost inescapable bases-loaded jam and Jorge Posada scored on the base-on-balls. Robinson Cano capped off the ninth inning with a solo shot for the two run decision. It was Cano’s first bomb of the season and the Yankees’ first appearance in the win column. Another first for New York: Marino Rivera’s first save and 527th of his career.
New York fell behind in the first inning on Youkilis’ sacrifice fly off A.J. Burnett. The Yankee hurler went five innings and allowed seven hits, while fanning five. The defending champions gave Burnett little run support until a three-run fifth frame. The score remained deadlocked at 1-1 following a Nick Swisher RBI double off Boston starter, Jon Lester in the second inning. Lester matched Burnett by throwing four innings and giving up five runs in his season debut at Fenway. Burnett was the victim of Victor Martinez’ first dinger of the young season, a two-run shot in the third. New York loaded the bases with no outs as they trailed 3-1 in the fifth. Curtis Granderson and Jeter scored before Cano’s sacrifice fly gave the Yankees their first lead of the night. Mark Teixeira crossed the plate for the 4-3 Yankee advantage as lefty Lester was yanked from the mound. In the bottom of the fifth, Jacoby Ellsbury hammered a hotshot to Jeter, who crisply grabbed the liner with a vertical leap. Jeter robbed Adrian Beltre of an extra-base hit in the sixth in a strong defensive showing for New York. Last year’s Yankee-killer, Martinez, belted a game-tying double to center in the bottom of the fifth and the game remained knotted until Scutaro’s gaffe paved the way for New York run production in the eighth. Jeter made a throwing error in the sixth, but the damage wasn’t nearly as costly as Scutaro’s blunder.
Joe Girardi’s bullpen was sure-handed and steady in setting down the Red Sox in relief roles. Alfredo Aceves trotted to the mound after Burnett’s exit. Aceves fired two scoreless innings to pick up the win. Joba Chamberlain, Dave Robertson and Damaso Marte combined for a one-hit outing out of the pen, and Rivera clamped down the win in the ninth. The Red Sox went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and failed to hold the early lead, keep the game tied or capitalize late. Martinez led the way with three RBIs and two hits in the loss. Manny Delcarmen threw a scoreless sixth inning and Daniel Bard managed a hitless seventh for Terry Francona’s Sox. Okajima was charged with the loss two nights after snagging the win. Chamberlain’s slider and heater were equally impressive as the big setup man struck out two Boston batters. The Yankees were patient at the plate and made Lester work.

Parting Points: NJ’s Martin Brodeur notched his 600th career win last night.

Congrats to the UConn Huskies on a second straight NCAA championship. Did you ever doubt them?

Song of the day- “Yesterday” by Toni Braxton

Monday, April 5, 2010

Baseball Begins

Spongy clouds give way to light
A ballpark glistens into sight
The peeking sun reigns supreme
Over shaded players on each team
Like a flying saucer suspended in the sky
It shines over the field on infinite high
The pitcher puffs his cheeks and breathes deep
As he settles into the sandy heap
The dirt and grime from yesterday’s play
Do little to foster a grim gray day
The opening scene brilliantly unwinds
Anticipations of a fresh start on their minds
The man in blue throws his fist in the air
While fielders’ hands rest on knees as they stare
All of their gazes are fixed on home plate
Where the batter prepares eagerly to wait
Held inside the six dugout walls strong
Are this year’s stars in a season so long

Rallying Relief

The Red Sox scratched out their first win of the 2010 season, rallying past the Yankees in Sunday night’s opener at Fenway Park. Boston inked a 9-7 victory over their AL East rivals from New York. The defending champion Yankees allowed the Sox to erase a 5-1 fifth inning lead. C.C. Sabathia issued one run through four frames before a three-hit, one run fifth. Marco Scutaro, the newly acquired Boston infielder, knocked in J.D. Drew to cut Boston’s deficit to three runs. The Yankees enabled three more runs in the bottom of the sixth as the Red Sox tied the game 5-5. The Yankees beat up Sox reliever, Ramon Ramirez, in the erratic seventh before Boston rallied again. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez provided the runs in New York’s half of the seventh to put the visiting team up by two. Gold glovers, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia supplied the power for Boston in the seventh. Youkilis smacked three extra-base hits for the home team during the opening game. Pedroia clocked a two-run bomb off first year Yankee reliever, Chan Ho Park. Youkilis scored later in the inning on Damaso Marte’s wild pitch past Jorge Posada to give the Sox a one run advantage. The Yankees bullpen continued to struggle throughout the game. Park was charged with the loss and recorded just two outs in his Yankees debit.
New York tallied two runs on back-to-back solo shots by Posada and outfielder, Curtis Granderson. Both homeruns came off Boston starter, Josh Beckett, in the second inning. Posada had three hits and two RBIs to lead New York. Sabathia gave up five runs and six hits while Beckett tossed 4.2 innings of eight hit ball. Adrian Beltre put the Sox on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the second. Brett Gardner countered two frames later for the New York offense. Gardner got his season off on the right foot with a single to begin a three run fourth inning. Derek Jeter’s base hit scored Nick Swisher, and Gardner stole home (a double steal with Jeter) to pad the Yankee lead to 5-1. Thirty-three year old, Hideki Okajima, earned the win for Theo Epstein’s club and Jonathan Papelbon sealed his first save of the season. The Sox save man induced a Granderson ground ball with the tying run at the plate in the ninth. Both teams had 12 hits and left nine on base in the opener of this three-game series.

Parting Points: Donovan McNabb has swapped NFC East teams. The quarterback is headed to Washington for two draft picks.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Duke Devils Derail Defense in Domination

Duke will seek their fourth national championship in men’s basketball Monday night after shredding West Virginia 78-57 in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. The Blue Devils rocked the Mountaineers, recording 13 3-pointers in coasting to a comfortable win. Duke guard, Jon Scheyer, hit 5-of-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points in lighting up West Virginia’s defense. The top-seeded Devils will play Butler University for the title game. The hometown Bulldogs defeated Michigan State 52-50 in a gritty defensive battle Saturday.
Mike Krzyzewski’s Devils dominated and drubbed Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers from the opening tip-off. The Devils grabbed an early 11-4 advantage against struggling West Virginia. They extended the edge to 18-11 with eleven minutes remaining in the first half. West Virginia, a team known for solid defense, had few answers for Duke’s 52.7% shooting. The Devils solved the Mountaineers’ zone defense, demonstrating their preparedness for the game. Duke led by eight at the intermission and took a double-digit lead with just over twelve minutes on the clock. Wellington Smith collected 12 points to carry the Mountaineers. West Virginia took a major blow in the second half, when Da’Sean Butler was knocked out of the game. Butler, the team’s top offensive playmaker, went down with a knee injury nine minutes before the end of regulation. He scored 10 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. The Mountaineers were already playing without their point guard, Darryl Bryant. Butler’s absence most likely would not have made a difference Saturday against Duke. The Devils trounces and thrashed the tight Mountaineer defense. West Virginia’s ten game winning streak was snapped with the loss to the ACC champions.
The 34-5 Blue Devils clogged the middle and out-rebounded the Mountaineers. Senor Brian Zoubek’s defensive prowess landed him a team high, 10 boards. Kyle Singler donated 21 points and nine rebounds. Nolan Smith added 19 points for Duke and was 4-of-9 from downtown. West Virginia cut the deficit to two points before the break but the Devils surged to take a sizable lead. Duke broke the game open in the second half and never looked back. The Mountaineers couldn’t keep the Devils off the offensive glass Saturday marked the first time the Mountaineers had given up 30 or more points in the first half since February. It was the first time this post-season West Virginia has allowed 70 points in a game. The Devils rolled to their 10th win over a Big East opponent this season. Duke is back in the title game for the first time since 2004. They join Butler, a mid-major vying for its first title, in Monday’s championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium for one EGG-cellent ending.

Parting Points: Happy Easter—and Opening Night. Go Yankees!

Song of the day- “Thank God I Found You”- Mariah Carey, Joe and 98 degrees

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Stopping Sparty on Semifinal Saturday

The first men’s semifinal tips off at 6:07pm at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Michigan State Spartans compete against the Butler Bulldogs with the championship game on the line. The winner advances to the national championship against either Duke or West Virginia. Both Tom Izzo’s Spartans and Brad Stevens’ Bulldogs have had impressive runs to the Final Four. Michigan State, last year’s runner-up, is appearing in the school’s eighth Final Four. This is the first trip for Butler, but don’t let a lack of experience fool you. These defensively-minded Bulldogs are veteran ballplayers with offensive weapons that were strong enough to take out the number one and two seeds during their regional run. Butler was the fifth seed in the West Region. They knocked off 12th seeded UTEP and 13th seeded Murray State before sizing up Syracuse and crippling Kansas State. The Bulldogs are pests on defense and they are currently riding a 24 game winning streak. Stevens’ stellar team is my favorite to win the opening semifinal.
Michigan State suffered a huge blow to their roster when Kalin Lucas went down with a season-ending injury. Izzo’s team still has plenty to over in place of Lucas, but it will be a tremendous challenge to tackle the Bulldogs. The Spartans won three of their four games in the tournament by three points or less. Iowa was the only opponent posing little threat to the Big Ten’s Spartans. Butler’s road to the Final Four was more difficult, but even with the quality of the Bulldogs’ wins, they are the superior team. Butler defends the perimeter and swarms ball-handlers. The potent Bulldogs offense is a balanced one capable of knocking down 3-pointers and driving the lane for layups. Gordon Hayward carried the Bulldogs in the Elite Eight win over Kansas State. The 6’9” forward has brilliant guard skills and a solid inside-out game. Hayward is the team’s leading scorer and has most undoubtedly opened the eyes of NBA scouts. Butler’s transition offense has also excelled during the tournament. Their rebounding against the Wildcats was wonderful. Butler doesn’t give up many offensive rebounds despite being an undersized unit. Ronald Nored gets the ball off the rim in the backcourt and Willie Veasley is quick up-front. Veasley is also capable of scoring in double-digits. Shelvin Mack flys under the radar for Butler, but is a consistent shooting guard who is savvy on defense. Junior Matt Howard needs to stay out of foul trouble. Howard’s low-post shooting makes him a terror in the paint. The Bulldogs are not careless, committing very few turnovers. That may be the biggest key in the game against Michigan State.
The 24-8 Spartans are no slouches on defense. They have appeared sluggish down the stretch, but are still a determined group. Izzo’s squad out-rebounds opponents by eight per game. They turn the ball over more than Butler, however. Michigan State needs to pump up the defense and continue to drill and drain buckets on offense if they want to sink Butler tonight. MSU won their first four games by a combined 13 points because of critical clutch shooting and efficient shooting. Draymond Green is a smart player for the Spartans. Green does many things well, including rebounding, passing, shooting and defending. The Spartans crush foes on the boards, and this is where the Bulldogs may struggle. The athletic Spartans block shots at a very high rate. Raymar Morgan is an NBA-quality player and Durrell Summers is capable of carrying the scoring load. Both play at an elite level on the court. Korie Lucious, filling in for Lucas, has really stepped up for the Spartans. Lucious has a history of making big shots and is a vital catalyst for his team. He can be mistake-prone and that won’t fly against a well-versed Butler team. I still think the Bulldogs are a tough matchup for the Spartan’s offense. Both teams thrive from long range so it’s important to guard the major players in this contest. Butler’s stout half-court game gives them a favorable edge over the Spartan’s snarling tight defense. MSU has an effective bench player in Chris Allen and Derrick Nix adds size to the Spartan roster. Butler’s bench isn’t as deep, but several of Stevens’ subs should see time. Look for Butler to slow down the tempo and play to their advantage. The Bulldogs are 15-0 at home this season. They are 12-1 on the road. Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium is five miles from the Butler campus. No matter what you consider them in this match-up, odds are the Horizon League Bulldogs will be playing for a national championship come Easter Monday.

Parting Points: Happy Birthday to Marlon Brando, Jennie Garth and Leona Lewis.

Song of the day- “Happy” by Leona Lewis

Friday, April 2, 2010

Player's Prayer

Happy Good Friday to all!

It’s scintillatingly strange
How single-minded my brain
With thoughts in narrow range
I become on that green plane
I’m too happy here
The fresh scent of tennis
Gets me every time I’m near
No less pleasant than a kiss
I survey and observe before each match
As the grass cuddles around my back
Soft supporters huddled in a batch
Waiting for the moment I take the track
I wish I could see myself through His eyes
To witness the game in a different view
Then I’d know how the soul applies
And how from the grass my spirit grew
It takes two bounces before I serve
To carefully assess my crosscourt neighbor
Maybe in that time I’ll settle my nerve
Or just play through, prayer and labor
The net separates our pride and pain
But both us hold justifiable pairs
Of racquet tools used for adverse gain
Squeezed between hands of undue care
In this proper sport I struggle with blame
When I succumb to my weakest part
Because I know inside I’ll never claim
My reason for failing comes from the heart
The smacking sound serves as a warning
I have to believe more in myself
That’s why I come here each pretty morning
Asking for love, forgiveness and health

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Tiger Theater

Casting is finalized for a new film about the life and career of Tiger Woods. The flick, appropriately titled, “Out of the Woods” is being directed by Billy Crystal. Crystal is a well-known sports fan and was the master behind the baseball-based production,“61”. The Woods documentary takes viewers from the child prodigy’s ascension to golfing fame to his picking up the pieces of extra-marital affairs. Sean Patrick Thomas will portray Woods. His co-star, Charlize Theron, was casted for the part of Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren. Thomas and Theron are credible young actors Crystal hand-picked for their star power. Will Smith’s 11 year old son, Jaden, plays a young Tiger. Other notable characters include Earl and Kutida Woods, played by James Earl Jones, Jr. and Diana Sands, respectively. Sands, known for her role as Beneatha Younger in “Raisin in the Sun” has ironically already been in two films with “Tiger” in the title. Jones is no stranger to the big screen. It is not known who will play Woods’ children, Sam and Charlie, in the future release.
The story of “Out of the Woods”, co-written by Crystal and former Golf Writers Association President, Percy Huggins, is set in Orange County, California. Earl Woods coaches his talented three year old son, Tiger, through tournaments and competitions. The film showcases the youngster’s ability to rank among the best junior golfer’s in the world and focuses on his relationship with peers at Western High School. The plot features Woods at Stanford University, where he signed an endorsement deal with Nike before going on the PGA Tour. Crystal wanted to highlight the evolving lifestyle of the professional golf world in the film. The flick touches on Tiger’s swing, accusations of steroid use and the golfer’s charity projects. Guest appearances by Gatorade executives appear in a scene where Tiger is chosen to select different flavors of the popular sports beverage.
Critics argue the timing of Crystal’s latest work. The film’s release date is tentatively set for April 2011. Some critics believe it’s too soon to feature Woods’ life in theaters. The marriage scandals and tumultuous decline of Woods’ legacy are still very fresh wounds. Crystal counters the critics, citing movie-goers will flock to a film involving the world’s most famous and gifted athlete. “Tarnished or not, Tiger’s legacy will remain long after he leaves the game,” says Crystal. Asked about his opinion on the documentary about his life, Woods declined to comment.

Parting Points: In more serious news, the Phillies dubbed 47 year old Jamie Moyer their fifth starter.

Minnesota’s Denard Span hits his mother with a foul ball.