The clouds were like a silk white quilt blanketing a baby blue linen sky. A starburst sunrise speckled starting at the substructure of the sheet. The light shaped a perfect triangle as if it were the single mismatched patch sewn to stand out. These were the first formed observations as I rode my bike on the trail this morning. I also cycled across a cluster of critters. It got me thinking…what if animals were athletes? What sports would they excel in? Here’s my starting seven:
I climbed the paved path of smooth sidewalk with my bike. I am usually in my own little world while steering but in my far view, I noticed movement ahead. At first glance, I assumed it to be a person walking the trail ahead of me. As I closed in and pedaled persistently, the broad body revealed itself to be a white-tailed deer. It quickly rushed into the woods, brushing by bushes belligerently. The deer would make an excellent lacrosse player. It was fleet-footed and had excellent lateral movement. I’m guessing it had great lower-body strength and the upper limbs were sturdy. Lacrosse players need that.
My next encounter was a sparrow fluttering from tree to tree as I sped past the straightaway. It kept flying in front of me as if trying to make friends. I think this sparrow would have success on a team sport because it was definitely trying for camaraderie. It would easily make a good wide receiver. Football players generally have great hands. I am not familiar with the anatomy of birds, but realize they do not have hands. However, this sparrow would fly across any football field in a feathered fury. It seemed to have the ability to snag spirals and soar into the end zone. There has to be some reason there are so many NFL teams named after birds, right?
A chestnut colored creature captured my concentration as I changed directions. I had to swerve my handlebars or the tires would have thwacked this thrilling tramp. It looked like a beaver, but I want to call it a groundhog. Whatever it was, I am sure the thick-covered being would be a hockey-playing hero. The padded layer of fur was like a heavily-equipped puckster and its squatty legs reminded me of a skating speedster on ice. It wasn’t, however, in any rush to get out of my way. Maybe the flat-backed groundhog would be best on the defensive end.
A rabbit hopped casually crusading past my path on its own joyous journey. The bunny’s vertical leap would be ideal on a basketball court. I can just see this friendly animal’s jump shot and crossover dribbles. It stampeded down a small slope kicking up a smidgen of dirt and dust on the way to a flowered plant. The rabbit would have to avoid being called for traveling as a basketball player, but its floppy ears seem to fit the prototype for baggy-short NBA stars.
I was gliding along in between mile checkpoints as green trees hung low in the intersection of the trail. Logs were scattered nearby, and a fenced-in area indicated a steep rock drop-off to my left. To the right, I observed a dark blob in my view ahead. I did not notice the object on my way down, but now it appeared to loom large. I was shocked to find out the blob was a hard-shelled, humongous turtle. I was somewhat taken aback at first and almost stopped by bike to get a closer look. The turtle did not move at all. If turtles played sports, they would definitely be baseball backstops. Catchers are not known for their speed, and turtles are the slowest amphibians I can think of. Turtles wear shells like catchers protect themselves with chest pads. They hide their faces inside as if I catcher shielding himself behind a facemask. Catchers see the entire baseball field. Turtles have a way of seeing everything too. I know this one saw me and was calling the plays. I was the one shaking him off.
Two squirrels conversed in front of the fence. I snuck up on the gray-tailed pair and they promptly scattered. They looked up to no good. Soccer players often hunch and huddle together. They are “squirrely” by nature in my opinion. The two trespassers would be stellar soccer players, noshing the ball off their noggin’ and kickin’ it with zest.
I lastly stumbled across a sly and sneaky cat. It was planning something in someone’s driveway. This one was fairly big and had dark gray hair with white paws. Cats are independent animals and like to do things on their own. This cat would put most boxers to shame. Its white paws were boxing gloves and it looked ready to deliver a knockout blow inside any ring. Boxers need cat-like instincts and slick moves to succeed. My cat had these.
So ended my bike ride, and what a memorable one it was.
Parting points: I played a couple sets of tennis this morning. It felt great to smack the ball around the court in competition. It would be great to hit everyday. As far as sports go, this is my sport. I love it.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Chipping & Chopping Choices
The Atlanta Braves were the first team to do considerable chopping and chipping as the baseball trade deadline approaches. The AB’s said C-ya to legendary and future Hall of Fame ace, Tom Glavine this week. The Braves ingloriously dumped the expendable 305 game winner and completed a trade for established All-Star center-fielder, Nate McLouth. Pittsburgh parted with the 27 year old homegrown player in yet another head-scratching organizational move. The Pirates acquired outfielder Gorkys Hernandez and pitchers, Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton, in exchange. Hernandez is a speedy youngster but the Braves were not pleased with his disappointing numbers and plate discipline. Morton’s value is very low for a mid-range prospect, and Locke has a high ERA for his ten minor league starts. The bottom line is the Braves are geared up for battle. The Pirates clearly are trimming payroll again and the fans’ frustrations are well-documented. Fans are fed up with the dire attempts to pass the Pirates off as a real team. The loss of their best player does nothing to lessen the blow of another seemingly lost and forgotten season of Pittsburgh baseball.
The Braves, on the other hand, still believe they can contend in the close NL East race. Atlanta has only hit 10 homeruns in 51 games. They lack offensive production, but have the blueprint to contend and cause the Mets and Phillies to be cautious. McLouth is a huge boost for the offense and will replace a struggling rookie, Jordan Schafer. Schafer proved he was not a major-league ready everyday outfielder with his strikeout frequency. McLouth gives Atlanta a legitimate and intriguing run-producer guaranteed for the next several seasons. The McLouth trade was a terrific decision but perhaps the Braves could have treated Glavine better. I think the Braves will miss the finesse pitcher in the rotation. Tom provided a veteran professional presence and experience in big games. The 43 year old seemed surprise by his release after bringing to Braves to stardom throughout his career.
Atlanta’s starting rotation is not great, but the pitchers are effective enough. They haven’t received much run support outside the amicable Chipper Jones, Garret Anderson and Brian McCann. McLouth is hitting .256 with nine homeruns and 34 RBIs this year. He fills several needs for the Braves and does not command an outrageous contract. McLouth made the All-Star team in 2008, won a Gold Glove and has been tearing up the base paths with stolen bags. The pitchers will sincerely appreciate the addition in Atlanta. As the Braves waved goodbye to their iconic pitcher Glavine, they prepared to introduce another Tommy: phenom sensation, Tommy Hanson. Hanson is the Braves’ top prospect and Atlanta is ready for his era to commence. The rookie has been dominating Triple-A, going 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA. He compiled 90 strikeouts in 66 innings of work for the Gwinnett club. Sunday is promotion day for Hanson. The Braves’ talented Tommy takes the ball for his debut at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. Kris Medlen moves to the bullpen to make room for the new fifth starter.
The Braves won 14 straight NL East titles before missing the playoffs for the first time in 2006. I doubt this is the year they return to the post-season, especially after last night’s shutout loss to the Brew-crew. They thunderously thumped the Tomahawks last night. First place, NL leading Milwaukee benefited from a combined effort by Yovani Gallardo and Carlos Villanueva to best the Braves, 4-0 on Friday. Villanueva was perfect in the ninth inning to complete the shutout start by Gallardo. Gallardo picked up his sixth win and gave only two hits in a scoreless eight frames. He did not allow a base runner past second base while tossing 110 pitches. I am not entirely sure I agree with removing the right-hander after the way he was pitching. There is no reason he could not complete the game but Ken Macha resisted the thought of leaving the 23 year old in the game. Gallardo walked four and struck out six in the series opener at Turner Field.
Braves starter, Jair Jurrjens, suffered the troublesome loss. The Braves dropped to 5 ½ back of first place Philadelphia and endure their sixth shutout defeat of 2009. Atlanta couldn’t hit their way out of a paper bag last night. The offense mustered a season-low two hits. Murky fielding by shortstop Yunel Escobar compounded the home team’s woes. Escobar made two costly fielding mistakes in the same inning. Jurrjens is 5-3 but has now allowed nine earned runs over his past two starts. He did not allow more than two earned in his first eight starts. Jurrjens gave up four runs in seven innings last night. He was still able to strike out eight Brewers while issuing three passes. Jair’s ERA is still under 3 and the pitcher has a great arm. This was his first loss since April 27th in St. Louis. Don’t turn your head on this underrated hurler.
The Braves are losers of seven of their last ten games against the Brewers. Milwaukee made sure they made it seven with a breakout game from rookie , Mat Gamel. Bill Hal was set down because of his .211 batting average but entered the game as a defensive replacement for Macha. The Brewers started the scoring in the fourth with Gamel’s two run double off Jurrjens. The maladies did not end there. Milwaukee added another pair of runs in the fifth. Escobar’s throwing error on a Ryan Braun infield hit allowed the runners to advance. Plump Prince Fielder was intentionally walked and Jurrjens was never able to get him out last night. Fielder went 2 for 2 with two walks. Mike Cameron got on board with a fielder’s choice due to Escobar’s bobbled ground ball potential putout. One run scored on the sloppy play and Gamel’s single drove in the second for the Brewers’ final run.
The Braves did nothing to trim the lead in the ensuing innings. The highly-regarded McLouth made his debut an unmemorable one. He grounded out three times and popped out once. Atlanta left runners in scoring position in three innings and Gallardo squandered the few Tomahawk scoring opportunities. McCann and Anderson drew consecutive walks with two outs in the fourth. McCann also hit a leadoff double in the seventh. Both chances were not capitalized on, and neither was turned into a run. Jeff Francoeur flied out in the fourth and struck out in the seventh against the dominating pitcher. Gallardo shutdown the Braves offense with unbelievable breaking stuff and stifling fastballs. Atlanta second baseman, Kelly Johnson, came into Friday’s game with 10 extra base-hits in 10 games. He had an 0-for-3 night, with one walk. Martin Prado socked the only other Atlanta extra base hit, a double in the third inning. The Braves bullpen produced positive results. Relief pitching is always a link to winning teams. Eric O’Flaherty and Manny Acosta each pitched scoreless innings of relief on Friday. The Braves are set up to finish games if only they could spark the offense to score some runs. McLouth should start driving in runners because he’s already familiar with NL pitching. He had a busy night in the outfield and looked good defensively in his debut. Nate hit third in the order and while he doesn’t hit for a high average, is a steady and improving power bat. His career-high batting average is only .276 but he clubbed 26 homers. McLouth has 100 RBI capabilities but has yet to top triple digits in his short career. He joins the supporting cast in Atlanta coming off last season’s 94 RBI season, his highest to date.
Hanson and McLouth move the Braves closer to a pennant race. Atlanta is at least trying to stay in it with the front office moves. Both players make the Braves better, but not significantly. Hanson’s talent and McLouth’s incalculable intangibles allow Atlanta to remain competitive for the duration of the season. The Atlanta attack comes at just the right time too. Hanson will need time to get acclimated to the major leagues. McLouth will succeed if he can hit his stride and get in a groove. The Braves were players in the off-season when they acquired highly-touted playoff performer, pitcher Derek Lowe. General manager, Frank Wren, also boosted his pitching staff with the trade for Javier Vazquez. They were rumored to be inquiring about Jake Peavy, A.J. Burnett and Ken Griffey, Jr. None are wearing Braves uniforms but the team has been okay without them. Atlanta may not be done dealing yet. The organization observably has a sense of urgency, although the moves have been calculated. The trade deadline is more than one month away and the Braves have interest in Brad Penny and Mark DeRosa. The team is working hard and spending liberally to try their hand in the NL’s toughest division. Atlanta accumulations will affect whether or not they can seep back into playoff hunt. The Braves are simply settling the score and maximizing their chances for success. Their farm system is stocked with blue-chip prospects and they are not afraid to shell out cash, chop or shop. But if the Braves want to be a part of this October’s fun, they will have to do more than play out of bounds. The team has to start tampering in-bounds.
Parting Points: Susurrously listening to The Strokes
The Braves, on the other hand, still believe they can contend in the close NL East race. Atlanta has only hit 10 homeruns in 51 games. They lack offensive production, but have the blueprint to contend and cause the Mets and Phillies to be cautious. McLouth is a huge boost for the offense and will replace a struggling rookie, Jordan Schafer. Schafer proved he was not a major-league ready everyday outfielder with his strikeout frequency. McLouth gives Atlanta a legitimate and intriguing run-producer guaranteed for the next several seasons. The McLouth trade was a terrific decision but perhaps the Braves could have treated Glavine better. I think the Braves will miss the finesse pitcher in the rotation. Tom provided a veteran professional presence and experience in big games. The 43 year old seemed surprise by his release after bringing to Braves to stardom throughout his career.
Atlanta’s starting rotation is not great, but the pitchers are effective enough. They haven’t received much run support outside the amicable Chipper Jones, Garret Anderson and Brian McCann. McLouth is hitting .256 with nine homeruns and 34 RBIs this year. He fills several needs for the Braves and does not command an outrageous contract. McLouth made the All-Star team in 2008, won a Gold Glove and has been tearing up the base paths with stolen bags. The pitchers will sincerely appreciate the addition in Atlanta. As the Braves waved goodbye to their iconic pitcher Glavine, they prepared to introduce another Tommy: phenom sensation, Tommy Hanson. Hanson is the Braves’ top prospect and Atlanta is ready for his era to commence. The rookie has been dominating Triple-A, going 3-3 with a 1.49 ERA. He compiled 90 strikeouts in 66 innings of work for the Gwinnett club. Sunday is promotion day for Hanson. The Braves’ talented Tommy takes the ball for his debut at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. Kris Medlen moves to the bullpen to make room for the new fifth starter.
The Braves won 14 straight NL East titles before missing the playoffs for the first time in 2006. I doubt this is the year they return to the post-season, especially after last night’s shutout loss to the Brew-crew. They thunderously thumped the Tomahawks last night. First place, NL leading Milwaukee benefited from a combined effort by Yovani Gallardo and Carlos Villanueva to best the Braves, 4-0 on Friday. Villanueva was perfect in the ninth inning to complete the shutout start by Gallardo. Gallardo picked up his sixth win and gave only two hits in a scoreless eight frames. He did not allow a base runner past second base while tossing 110 pitches. I am not entirely sure I agree with removing the right-hander after the way he was pitching. There is no reason he could not complete the game but Ken Macha resisted the thought of leaving the 23 year old in the game. Gallardo walked four and struck out six in the series opener at Turner Field.
Braves starter, Jair Jurrjens, suffered the troublesome loss. The Braves dropped to 5 ½ back of first place Philadelphia and endure their sixth shutout defeat of 2009. Atlanta couldn’t hit their way out of a paper bag last night. The offense mustered a season-low two hits. Murky fielding by shortstop Yunel Escobar compounded the home team’s woes. Escobar made two costly fielding mistakes in the same inning. Jurrjens is 5-3 but has now allowed nine earned runs over his past two starts. He did not allow more than two earned in his first eight starts. Jurrjens gave up four runs in seven innings last night. He was still able to strike out eight Brewers while issuing three passes. Jair’s ERA is still under 3 and the pitcher has a great arm. This was his first loss since April 27th in St. Louis. Don’t turn your head on this underrated hurler.
The Braves are losers of seven of their last ten games against the Brewers. Milwaukee made sure they made it seven with a breakout game from rookie , Mat Gamel. Bill Hal was set down because of his .211 batting average but entered the game as a defensive replacement for Macha. The Brewers started the scoring in the fourth with Gamel’s two run double off Jurrjens. The maladies did not end there. Milwaukee added another pair of runs in the fifth. Escobar’s throwing error on a Ryan Braun infield hit allowed the runners to advance. Plump Prince Fielder was intentionally walked and Jurrjens was never able to get him out last night. Fielder went 2 for 2 with two walks. Mike Cameron got on board with a fielder’s choice due to Escobar’s bobbled ground ball potential putout. One run scored on the sloppy play and Gamel’s single drove in the second for the Brewers’ final run.
The Braves did nothing to trim the lead in the ensuing innings. The highly-regarded McLouth made his debut an unmemorable one. He grounded out three times and popped out once. Atlanta left runners in scoring position in three innings and Gallardo squandered the few Tomahawk scoring opportunities. McCann and Anderson drew consecutive walks with two outs in the fourth. McCann also hit a leadoff double in the seventh. Both chances were not capitalized on, and neither was turned into a run. Jeff Francoeur flied out in the fourth and struck out in the seventh against the dominating pitcher. Gallardo shutdown the Braves offense with unbelievable breaking stuff and stifling fastballs. Atlanta second baseman, Kelly Johnson, came into Friday’s game with 10 extra base-hits in 10 games. He had an 0-for-3 night, with one walk. Martin Prado socked the only other Atlanta extra base hit, a double in the third inning. The Braves bullpen produced positive results. Relief pitching is always a link to winning teams. Eric O’Flaherty and Manny Acosta each pitched scoreless innings of relief on Friday. The Braves are set up to finish games if only they could spark the offense to score some runs. McLouth should start driving in runners because he’s already familiar with NL pitching. He had a busy night in the outfield and looked good defensively in his debut. Nate hit third in the order and while he doesn’t hit for a high average, is a steady and improving power bat. His career-high batting average is only .276 but he clubbed 26 homers. McLouth has 100 RBI capabilities but has yet to top triple digits in his short career. He joins the supporting cast in Atlanta coming off last season’s 94 RBI season, his highest to date.
Hanson and McLouth move the Braves closer to a pennant race. Atlanta is at least trying to stay in it with the front office moves. Both players make the Braves better, but not significantly. Hanson’s talent and McLouth’s incalculable intangibles allow Atlanta to remain competitive for the duration of the season. The Atlanta attack comes at just the right time too. Hanson will need time to get acclimated to the major leagues. McLouth will succeed if he can hit his stride and get in a groove. The Braves were players in the off-season when they acquired highly-touted playoff performer, pitcher Derek Lowe. General manager, Frank Wren, also boosted his pitching staff with the trade for Javier Vazquez. They were rumored to be inquiring about Jake Peavy, A.J. Burnett and Ken Griffey, Jr. None are wearing Braves uniforms but the team has been okay without them. Atlanta may not be done dealing yet. The organization observably has a sense of urgency, although the moves have been calculated. The trade deadline is more than one month away and the Braves have interest in Brad Penny and Mark DeRosa. The team is working hard and spending liberally to try their hand in the NL’s toughest division. Atlanta accumulations will affect whether or not they can seep back into playoff hunt. The Braves are simply settling the score and maximizing their chances for success. Their farm system is stocked with blue-chip prospects and they are not afraid to shell out cash, chop or shop. But if the Braves want to be a part of this October’s fun, they will have to do more than play out of bounds. The team has to start tampering in-bounds.
Parting Points: Susurrously listening to The Strokes
Friday, June 5, 2009
Foremost Friday Feelings
The Yankees were officially one third of the way through the season as they took the field for an engaging affair Thursday afternoon in the Bronx. When Mark Teixeira hustled hurriedly into second with a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning, I felt it was the biggest brunt of the day against the Texas Rangers. Teixeria is splendid when pouncing on pitchers and planting the ball the other way. It’s probably easier for Mark to facilitate hitting to the opposite field during his at-bats because he’s a switch-hitter. A double the other way against his former team not only tied the score, it continued a Yankees comeback rally. Melky Cabrera mashed a two-run tater in the eighth inning to break another tie score. Cabrera’s knock turned out to be the notable game-winner, but I still feel Teixeria’s taser was the more important jolt.
The Yankees won two of three in Texas when they played at the Arlington park in late May. Yesterday, they defeated the Rangers 8-6 in the rubber match of a three game set. What looked to be a disappointing excursion early on for the Bombers turned into a feel-good, stick-it-to-‘em style win. New York remained tied for first place in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox after the eight run Rangers romp.
Thursday was a building block start for pitcher, Chien-Ming Wang. Wang, returning to the rotation after stints on the DL and in relief, produced his best outing of the season. That isn’t saying much considering his ERA was ten digits higher than my age. However, Yankee skipper, Joe Girardi, did not expect Wang to go the distance or stun the illustrious Rangers lineup. Wang worked from the bullpen prior to Thursday’s return. He was able to induce ground balls during those brief appearances, but looked pretty patchy and sporadic yesterday. Although his velocity was good, his sinker was either too high or too low. The former ace was tagged for five runs and quickly let the game get away from him. Wang tossed 4 2/3 innings of seven hit ball.
After Johnny Damon homered to right field on a full count in the bottom of the first, the Yankees went without scoring until the fifth inning. Texas scored plenty in between the Bomber gaps. The Rangers’ rhapsody was initiated by a Wang wild pitch in the top of the third. After retiring the first six batters he faced, the Yankee starter slipped on the mound, and his pitch fell short of the plate. Chris Davis, who went 2 for 4 for Texas, scored on the play. Davis reached base on a lead-off ground-rule double to left. He advanced to third when Taylor Teagarden accurately applied a sacrifice bunt. Texas hitters are capable of playing small ball even with their power bats in the lineup. If the Rangers ever get a quality pitching staff together for a solid rotation, they can compete with the Angels for the AL West division. The Rangers were sitting on a four run lead through five innings against the Yankees. They need to find a way to close out games and capture the late-inning magic New York has discovered in 2009.
Hank Blalock and Michael Young hit back-to-back singles after Wang issued a walk to Ian Kinsler. Kinsler collected a run on the base hits to give his team a 2-1 lead before the inning was complete. It was Davis again in the fourth inning niggling Wang. Davis dropped another double, good for a pair of Texas runs, to extend the margin to 4-1 over the Yankees. David Murphy and Marlon Byrd scored on the rip to right after a single and double, respectively. Wang managed to get out of the no-out jam by retiring the next three Rangers batters he faced. He can’t consistently throw 100 pitches yet, has work to do, and does not look completely comfortable. But, Girardi is pinning his hopes on the return of his 19 game winner to the rotation.
The damage wasn’t done in the fifth. The Yankees recorded another error for the second time since breaking the consecutive error-less streak. Thankfully it had no bearing on the outcome of the inning. Wang’s wallowed wrist did, however. Nelson Cruz peppered a pitch for his 16th homerun of the year. The 400-plus foot dagger landed in the visitor’s bullpen. The center-field solo shot was the slugger’s ninth in 15 games. It was also the first long ball from a right-handed hitter off Wang in 22 starts and gave the Rangers a 5-1 advantage. Alfredo Aceves took over after Girardi pulled Wang from the game and promptly put runners on the corners. Aceves got Davis to pop out to end the inning.
Brandon McCarthy was the pitcher in the other dugout Thursday. The injury-plagued pitcher is still trying to prove his why he was once considered and elite prospect. Brandon posted a 2.48 in his previous four starts and was set to be the pitcher on the winning side in his next. McCarthy avoided further trouble through five innings after surrendering Damon’s homerun that just cleared the fence in the first. In the Yankees half of the fifth, Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena opened with soft singles to start the Yankee comeback. The young Yankees were poised to place their pinstriped pride in prime rally position. It’s becoming commonplace for the team’s eighth and ninth hitters, and bottom of the order, to come through. A walk to Damon loaded the bases for New York with Nick Swisher coming to bat. The scarcely serious Swisher spurred one of the best at-bats I’ve seen, and continues to impress me with his great eye at the plate. He was handcuffed on the first two pitches he chased but held back on McCarthy’s slider with the count full to draw the pass. Give Swisher the RBI for the base on balls. Down by just three now, Teixeria promenaded to home plate and took a quality changeup the other way down the third base line. The cue shot scribbled past Young at third at all runners scored. Mark hit the ball off the end of the bat. Young made a backhand attempt but the ball took off after hitting the dirt hard. McCarthy’s day was done because he kept falling behind in the count and wasn’t pitching effectively anymore. He dialed out six hits on six runs and three strikeouts. Jason Jennings trotted in from the Rangers bullpen to pitch to Alex Rodriguez. Arod greeted the reliever with a single and the Yankees led 6-5 when Texeria scored. Rodriguez has been looking more polished as the season staggers on but I still hear boos from the home crowd every time he collects an out. Whatever fans may think about Arod personally, they must know the team’s success is dependent on his bat. The theatrical third baseman capped the comeback Thursday.
The comeback was complete but the Rangers were not done feasting off Aceves. Kinsler blasted a homerun to left on a 0-1 count in the top of the sixth to notch the score at 6-6. The damage was limited to the solo shelling. The Yankees had a chance to go back on top when Swisher reached base again. Brett Gardner replaced him as a pinch runner but Texiera grounded into a double play. If Gardner steals, maybe Texiera’s ground out doesn’t end the inning. Mark belted the game-changing double in the fifth, so I won’t condemn him being doubled up here. The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the eighth. C.J. Wilson entered the game for Texas and the 3-3 reliever issued a leadoff walk to Robinson Cano. He got Matsui to fly out. Wilson then gave up the tie breaking Melky blow. The ball was launched off Cabrera’s bat over a leaping Murphy in left field. Is it just me or do the Yankees really have Wilson’s number? It seems like this poor sap can never catch a break against New York. I’m not sure why he threw an off-speed pitch to Cabrera but am not complaining he did.
Yankee relievers, including Phil Coke, Dave Robertson and Mariano Rivera, deserve credit for keeping the Rangers in check with scoreless frames. The flighty pen showed improvement yesterday afternoon. Coke had two strikeouts and Robertson wound up the winner with his one-pitch toss. He retired Elvis Andrus on a fly ball with two outs in the eighth before Cabrera’s clip broke the tie in the bottom half. Rivera worked the ninth and dodged a few bullets. Mo had runners at the corners but was effective in striking out hard-hitting Cruz and manipulating Murphy into a game-ending popup to stop the scare. Marino’s cutter topped 93 on the radar gun as he closed the contest. Rivera picked up his 12th save and the Yankees their 17th win in 22 games. The series was their seventh win in the last eight. The comeback was the 19th of the year for the Bombers and the team’s fifth rubber tilt win. There has been a home run in all of New York’s 26 home games this season, but none bigger than Melky’s rocket on this day. The team has a nice look and the lineup is stacked with surly surging sluggers. If you’re a Yankees fan, you feel satisfied with the team’s ability to regroup and survive.
Parting points:
Thought of the day- How come horse races never end in ties?
“They were all in love with dying; they were doing it in Texas”- “Pepper” by Butthole Surfers
“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I FEEL fine”- REM
The Yankees won two of three in Texas when they played at the Arlington park in late May. Yesterday, they defeated the Rangers 8-6 in the rubber match of a three game set. What looked to be a disappointing excursion early on for the Bombers turned into a feel-good, stick-it-to-‘em style win. New York remained tied for first place in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox after the eight run Rangers romp.
Thursday was a building block start for pitcher, Chien-Ming Wang. Wang, returning to the rotation after stints on the DL and in relief, produced his best outing of the season. That isn’t saying much considering his ERA was ten digits higher than my age. However, Yankee skipper, Joe Girardi, did not expect Wang to go the distance or stun the illustrious Rangers lineup. Wang worked from the bullpen prior to Thursday’s return. He was able to induce ground balls during those brief appearances, but looked pretty patchy and sporadic yesterday. Although his velocity was good, his sinker was either too high or too low. The former ace was tagged for five runs and quickly let the game get away from him. Wang tossed 4 2/3 innings of seven hit ball.
After Johnny Damon homered to right field on a full count in the bottom of the first, the Yankees went without scoring until the fifth inning. Texas scored plenty in between the Bomber gaps. The Rangers’ rhapsody was initiated by a Wang wild pitch in the top of the third. After retiring the first six batters he faced, the Yankee starter slipped on the mound, and his pitch fell short of the plate. Chris Davis, who went 2 for 4 for Texas, scored on the play. Davis reached base on a lead-off ground-rule double to left. He advanced to third when Taylor Teagarden accurately applied a sacrifice bunt. Texas hitters are capable of playing small ball even with their power bats in the lineup. If the Rangers ever get a quality pitching staff together for a solid rotation, they can compete with the Angels for the AL West division. The Rangers were sitting on a four run lead through five innings against the Yankees. They need to find a way to close out games and capture the late-inning magic New York has discovered in 2009.
Hank Blalock and Michael Young hit back-to-back singles after Wang issued a walk to Ian Kinsler. Kinsler collected a run on the base hits to give his team a 2-1 lead before the inning was complete. It was Davis again in the fourth inning niggling Wang. Davis dropped another double, good for a pair of Texas runs, to extend the margin to 4-1 over the Yankees. David Murphy and Marlon Byrd scored on the rip to right after a single and double, respectively. Wang managed to get out of the no-out jam by retiring the next three Rangers batters he faced. He can’t consistently throw 100 pitches yet, has work to do, and does not look completely comfortable. But, Girardi is pinning his hopes on the return of his 19 game winner to the rotation.
The damage wasn’t done in the fifth. The Yankees recorded another error for the second time since breaking the consecutive error-less streak. Thankfully it had no bearing on the outcome of the inning. Wang’s wallowed wrist did, however. Nelson Cruz peppered a pitch for his 16th homerun of the year. The 400-plus foot dagger landed in the visitor’s bullpen. The center-field solo shot was the slugger’s ninth in 15 games. It was also the first long ball from a right-handed hitter off Wang in 22 starts and gave the Rangers a 5-1 advantage. Alfredo Aceves took over after Girardi pulled Wang from the game and promptly put runners on the corners. Aceves got Davis to pop out to end the inning.
Brandon McCarthy was the pitcher in the other dugout Thursday. The injury-plagued pitcher is still trying to prove his why he was once considered and elite prospect. Brandon posted a 2.48 in his previous four starts and was set to be the pitcher on the winning side in his next. McCarthy avoided further trouble through five innings after surrendering Damon’s homerun that just cleared the fence in the first. In the Yankees half of the fifth, Francisco Cervelli and Ramiro Pena opened with soft singles to start the Yankee comeback. The young Yankees were poised to place their pinstriped pride in prime rally position. It’s becoming commonplace for the team’s eighth and ninth hitters, and bottom of the order, to come through. A walk to Damon loaded the bases for New York with Nick Swisher coming to bat. The scarcely serious Swisher spurred one of the best at-bats I’ve seen, and continues to impress me with his great eye at the plate. He was handcuffed on the first two pitches he chased but held back on McCarthy’s slider with the count full to draw the pass. Give Swisher the RBI for the base on balls. Down by just three now, Teixeria promenaded to home plate and took a quality changeup the other way down the third base line. The cue shot scribbled past Young at third at all runners scored. Mark hit the ball off the end of the bat. Young made a backhand attempt but the ball took off after hitting the dirt hard. McCarthy’s day was done because he kept falling behind in the count and wasn’t pitching effectively anymore. He dialed out six hits on six runs and three strikeouts. Jason Jennings trotted in from the Rangers bullpen to pitch to Alex Rodriguez. Arod greeted the reliever with a single and the Yankees led 6-5 when Texeria scored. Rodriguez has been looking more polished as the season staggers on but I still hear boos from the home crowd every time he collects an out. Whatever fans may think about Arod personally, they must know the team’s success is dependent on his bat. The theatrical third baseman capped the comeback Thursday.
The comeback was complete but the Rangers were not done feasting off Aceves. Kinsler blasted a homerun to left on a 0-1 count in the top of the sixth to notch the score at 6-6. The damage was limited to the solo shelling. The Yankees had a chance to go back on top when Swisher reached base again. Brett Gardner replaced him as a pinch runner but Texiera grounded into a double play. If Gardner steals, maybe Texiera’s ground out doesn’t end the inning. Mark belted the game-changing double in the fifth, so I won’t condemn him being doubled up here. The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the eighth. C.J. Wilson entered the game for Texas and the 3-3 reliever issued a leadoff walk to Robinson Cano. He got Matsui to fly out. Wilson then gave up the tie breaking Melky blow. The ball was launched off Cabrera’s bat over a leaping Murphy in left field. Is it just me or do the Yankees really have Wilson’s number? It seems like this poor sap can never catch a break against New York. I’m not sure why he threw an off-speed pitch to Cabrera but am not complaining he did.
Yankee relievers, including Phil Coke, Dave Robertson and Mariano Rivera, deserve credit for keeping the Rangers in check with scoreless frames. The flighty pen showed improvement yesterday afternoon. Coke had two strikeouts and Robertson wound up the winner with his one-pitch toss. He retired Elvis Andrus on a fly ball with two outs in the eighth before Cabrera’s clip broke the tie in the bottom half. Rivera worked the ninth and dodged a few bullets. Mo had runners at the corners but was effective in striking out hard-hitting Cruz and manipulating Murphy into a game-ending popup to stop the scare. Marino’s cutter topped 93 on the radar gun as he closed the contest. Rivera picked up his 12th save and the Yankees their 17th win in 22 games. The series was their seventh win in the last eight. The comeback was the 19th of the year for the Bombers and the team’s fifth rubber tilt win. There has been a home run in all of New York’s 26 home games this season, but none bigger than Melky’s rocket on this day. The team has a nice look and the lineup is stacked with surly surging sluggers. If you’re a Yankees fan, you feel satisfied with the team’s ability to regroup and survive.
Parting points:
Thought of the day- How come horse races never end in ties?
“They were all in love with dying; they were doing it in Texas”- “Pepper” by Butthole Surfers
“It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I FEEL fine”- REM
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sixty-four Stop
Seven game World Series are usually exhilaratingly memorable. The 1964 Fall Classic between the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals had many great moments. The teams went the distance in seven gritty games, with St. Louis prevailing 4-3 for their seventh world championship. It marked the first time Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle went yard in the same World Series game. It was the first and only time two brothers, Ken and Clete Boyer, homered during the same World Series game. 1964 was the first year Yogi Berra was the Yankee skipper, and he was canned after the World Series loss. The year distinguished the beginning of the Yankees’ longest post-season drought since the days before Babe Ruth donned the pinstripes. After the fallout, the Yankees would not return to the Fall Classic for twelve more seasons. On the 45th anniversary of the 1964 World Series, here are some highlights from the classic diamond duel.
Whitey Ford started his final World Series game as he took the hill October 7, 1964 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. His competition that day was Ray Sadecki. Cardinals’ manager, Johnny Keane, fielded a premier pitching staff with Sadecki, Curt Simmons and Bob Gibson igniting the fuse on the mound. St. Louis stormed into their first pennant in 18 years after inching the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. The Cards represented baseball’s National League with the help of Philadelphia’s late season collapse. The Yankees, winners of 99 games in 1964, weren’t the considerable class of the American League but won the pennant over Chicago by a game. Berra boasted a lineup featuring Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Clete Boyer, Elston Howard, Joe Pepitone, Bobby Richardson, Pedro Gonzalez, Tom Tresh and Phil Linz. His starting staff included aces Ford, Jim Bouton, Al Downing, and Mel Stottlemyre. Game 1 was a 9-5 Cardinal win. The slugfest started with a run for St. Louis in the bottom of the first inning. Left-fielder Tresh helped the Yankees to an early 4-2 lead with a two-run shot in the second and an RBI double in the fifth. The Cardinals produced four sixth inning runs and put the game out of reach in the eighth. It’s interesting to note fleet centerfielder, Curt Flood (the man who “changed” baseball), also played on the championship Cardinals team of 1964. Flood’s RBI triple, pinch-hitter Carl Warwick’s single and Mike Shannon’s long two-run hammer broke open the game in the sixth. The three run frame made a winner out of Sadecki, who bested Ford through six innings. Whitey made an early exit because of a troubled arm. The 35 year old pitched 5 1/3 innings of eight hit ball, striking out four. Ford would not return the rest of the series. Berra called reliever, Downing, from the bullpen to replace the ailing Ford. Lou Brock went 2 for 5 for the Cards and Barney Schultz recorded the World Series Game 1 save.
The next day, October 8th, the Yankees came to bat at Sportsman’s Park with a chance to even the series. They were successful. The Bombers roughed up St. Louis starter Gibson. The hard-throwing Bob provided the Cardinals eight innings but allowed eight hits and four runs. Rookie hurler, Stottlemyre, was the only Yankee to take the mound in Game 2, completing the job scattering seven hits and allowing three runs to cross the plate. The Yankees dropped the Cards 8-3 with the help of four runs off Gibson and another quartet off two relievers, Gordie Richardson and Roger Craig. Shortstops were the top hitting performers in the second contest. The Cardinals’ Dick Groat, was 1 for 3 with a walk. The Yankees shortstop, Linz, got on board, clubbing three of his seven World Series hits during Game 2. Linz’s homerun was the only one of this game. The Yankees would produce their other runs in less-dramatic fashion. Mantle had two RBIs and scored twice, on his consistent way to finishing his best-ever series batting .333. Mickey’s Game 3 winner was his 16th World Series homerun, besting Babe Ruth‘s record by one.
Mickey was Mr. Clutch in the milestone Yankee moment of the 1964 World Series. Mantle smashed a game-winning homerun into the right field stands on October 10th at Yankee Stadium. The bomb came during the first pitch thrown by Schultz to open the bottom of the ninth. It broke the one-all tie and have New York a 2-1 series edge over St. Louis. Game 3 pitted the 35 year old veteran Simmons against saucy starter, Bouton. The 24 year old writer of “Ball Four” threw a complete game. His only blunder was a run-scoring single by Simmons in the fifth. Simmons seemed to do it all for St. Louis but Schultz couldn’t shut down the Yankees in the ninth to give his team a chance to win the game with the bat. Clete Boyer was 1 for 3 at the plate for the Bombers, notching their first run with an RBI double in the second inning. The Yankees overcame two soiled errors in the field to win the shortest game of the ‘64 classic.
New York opened the bottom of the first the next day with back-to-back doubles and three consecutive singles. The results were three runs driven in off Sadecki in his second appearance during the series. Downing held the 3-0 lead into the sixth inning when Clete’s older brother, MVP third baseman, Ken Boyer, smacked a grand slam. The bases loaded homerun was enough to give St. Louis a 4-3 road victory and tie the series at two. Craig picked up the win for the Cards, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless frames. The lefty Downing went six strong during Game 4 but staggered to a 8.22 ERA during the post-season exhibition. The come-from-behind win was a crucial Cardinal win as the teams prepared for a Game 5 showdown in the Bronx, Monday, October 12th.
Gibson struck out 13 Yankees and did not allow an earned run in 10 innings during Game 5’s jaw-dropping stop. The extra-innings affair ended with a 5-2 St. Louis win. The elusive Bombers were held scoreless through eight innings by the overpowering Gibson, but a Cardinal error in the bottom of the ninth produced the duo of Yankee runs. Mantle reached base on the gaff and Tresh’s two-out tater send the game to an additional frame. The Yankees tried to ward off defeat in Game 5. A walk and a bunt single placed two Redbirds on base in the top of the tenth. Current broadcaster and former Cardinals catcher, Tim McCarver, brought all runners home with one swing. The three run shot was one of McCarver’s team high, 11 hits during the series. Stottlemyre made another impressive effort, striking out six and walking only two Cardinals on the day. Pete Mikkelsen beared the New York loss.
Following an off-day, baseball’s best bid a game back at Sportsman’s Park with the home team aspiring to close out the series. The Game 6 nail-biter remained tied at one through six innings. The Cardinals scored in the bottom of the first and the Yankees added a digit in the fifth frame. Maris and Mantle went long with back-to-back dingers in the sixth. The solo homeruns by the M&M boys were clubbed off Simmons. Curt yielded seven hits, including the two shots by the Yankees outfielders, before being removed from the game. Ron Taylor finished the inning perfectly but the Cardinals replaced him with Schultz. Schultz was ineffective through just 2/3 of an inning in the 8th. Reliever Gordon Richardson’s pitch to Pepitone turned the game into a 8-1 domination. Pepitone plastered the grand slam, and the first baseman completed a terrific series with a .308 average. The Cardinals would score a run in each of the final two innings but it wasn’t enough to capture a Cardinal crown this day. Bouton improved to 2-0 with the 8-3 final and Steve Hamilton secured his only save.
Thursday, October 15th, 1964 was the date of the tell-tale, down-to-the-wire, Game 7. The winner would take it all in the deciding finish. Gibson and Stottlemyre were the starters on the scorecard, each pitching on two days’ rest. The Cards struck first with three runs in the fourth inning. The Cards added three more runs in the fifth to increase the lead by six runs. Lou Brock hit one into the stands and landed an even .300 batting average over 30 at bats in seven games. The Hall-of-Famer is one of the most accomplished base runners in baseball history and his fifth inning blow lead to an insurmountable Redbird lead. McCarver stole home plate during the fourth. The steal was one of two on the day for St.Louis. Right-fielder Shannon, also snagged a bag for the Cardinals. Shannon struggled during the series, striking out a depressing nine times. He led St. Louis in strikeouts and runs scored, with six. The Yankee strikeout and run leader? Mantle, of course. The Mick cut the deficit in half with a three-run homerun in the top of the Yankee sixth at Busch. Mantle’s shellacking was one of three Yankee blasts in Game 7. Linz would sock his second and Boyer would wallop his first before the game was over. Boyer’s brother, Ken, decked a seventh inning solo shot to put the game out of reach. New York’s Richardson got his 13th hit of the series to break his own single-series record. Richardson’s .406 average was the best by any Yankee. Gibson cooled down the Yankees and notched his 31st strikeout in Game 7. He lost Game 2 but proceeded to come back to defeat New York twice. The World Series MVP’s nine innings and nine strikeouts contributed to the conclusion: 7-5 Cardinals win the World Series of 1964.
Parting points:
Brandon Walsh: “You probably don’t like football either”.
Susan Keats: “Too violent”
Awesome come-from-behind Yankee win just now…
Whitey Ford started his final World Series game as he took the hill October 7, 1964 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis. His competition that day was Ray Sadecki. Cardinals’ manager, Johnny Keane, fielded a premier pitching staff with Sadecki, Curt Simmons and Bob Gibson igniting the fuse on the mound. St. Louis stormed into their first pennant in 18 years after inching the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. The Cards represented baseball’s National League with the help of Philadelphia’s late season collapse. The Yankees, winners of 99 games in 1964, weren’t the considerable class of the American League but won the pennant over Chicago by a game. Berra boasted a lineup featuring Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Clete Boyer, Elston Howard, Joe Pepitone, Bobby Richardson, Pedro Gonzalez, Tom Tresh and Phil Linz. His starting staff included aces Ford, Jim Bouton, Al Downing, and Mel Stottlemyre. Game 1 was a 9-5 Cardinal win. The slugfest started with a run for St. Louis in the bottom of the first inning. Left-fielder Tresh helped the Yankees to an early 4-2 lead with a two-run shot in the second and an RBI double in the fifth. The Cardinals produced four sixth inning runs and put the game out of reach in the eighth. It’s interesting to note fleet centerfielder, Curt Flood (the man who “changed” baseball), also played on the championship Cardinals team of 1964. Flood’s RBI triple, pinch-hitter Carl Warwick’s single and Mike Shannon’s long two-run hammer broke open the game in the sixth. The three run frame made a winner out of Sadecki, who bested Ford through six innings. Whitey made an early exit because of a troubled arm. The 35 year old pitched 5 1/3 innings of eight hit ball, striking out four. Ford would not return the rest of the series. Berra called reliever, Downing, from the bullpen to replace the ailing Ford. Lou Brock went 2 for 5 for the Cards and Barney Schultz recorded the World Series Game 1 save.
The next day, October 8th, the Yankees came to bat at Sportsman’s Park with a chance to even the series. They were successful. The Bombers roughed up St. Louis starter Gibson. The hard-throwing Bob provided the Cardinals eight innings but allowed eight hits and four runs. Rookie hurler, Stottlemyre, was the only Yankee to take the mound in Game 2, completing the job scattering seven hits and allowing three runs to cross the plate. The Yankees dropped the Cards 8-3 with the help of four runs off Gibson and another quartet off two relievers, Gordie Richardson and Roger Craig. Shortstops were the top hitting performers in the second contest. The Cardinals’ Dick Groat, was 1 for 3 with a walk. The Yankees shortstop, Linz, got on board, clubbing three of his seven World Series hits during Game 2. Linz’s homerun was the only one of this game. The Yankees would produce their other runs in less-dramatic fashion. Mantle had two RBIs and scored twice, on his consistent way to finishing his best-ever series batting .333. Mickey’s Game 3 winner was his 16th World Series homerun, besting Babe Ruth‘s record by one.
Mickey was Mr. Clutch in the milestone Yankee moment of the 1964 World Series. Mantle smashed a game-winning homerun into the right field stands on October 10th at Yankee Stadium. The bomb came during the first pitch thrown by Schultz to open the bottom of the ninth. It broke the one-all tie and have New York a 2-1 series edge over St. Louis. Game 3 pitted the 35 year old veteran Simmons against saucy starter, Bouton. The 24 year old writer of “Ball Four” threw a complete game. His only blunder was a run-scoring single by Simmons in the fifth. Simmons seemed to do it all for St. Louis but Schultz couldn’t shut down the Yankees in the ninth to give his team a chance to win the game with the bat. Clete Boyer was 1 for 3 at the plate for the Bombers, notching their first run with an RBI double in the second inning. The Yankees overcame two soiled errors in the field to win the shortest game of the ‘64 classic.
New York opened the bottom of the first the next day with back-to-back doubles and three consecutive singles. The results were three runs driven in off Sadecki in his second appearance during the series. Downing held the 3-0 lead into the sixth inning when Clete’s older brother, MVP third baseman, Ken Boyer, smacked a grand slam. The bases loaded homerun was enough to give St. Louis a 4-3 road victory and tie the series at two. Craig picked up the win for the Cards, tossing 4 2/3 scoreless frames. The lefty Downing went six strong during Game 4 but staggered to a 8.22 ERA during the post-season exhibition. The come-from-behind win was a crucial Cardinal win as the teams prepared for a Game 5 showdown in the Bronx, Monday, October 12th.
Gibson struck out 13 Yankees and did not allow an earned run in 10 innings during Game 5’s jaw-dropping stop. The extra-innings affair ended with a 5-2 St. Louis win. The elusive Bombers were held scoreless through eight innings by the overpowering Gibson, but a Cardinal error in the bottom of the ninth produced the duo of Yankee runs. Mantle reached base on the gaff and Tresh’s two-out tater send the game to an additional frame. The Yankees tried to ward off defeat in Game 5. A walk and a bunt single placed two Redbirds on base in the top of the tenth. Current broadcaster and former Cardinals catcher, Tim McCarver, brought all runners home with one swing. The three run shot was one of McCarver’s team high, 11 hits during the series. Stottlemyre made another impressive effort, striking out six and walking only two Cardinals on the day. Pete Mikkelsen beared the New York loss.
Following an off-day, baseball’s best bid a game back at Sportsman’s Park with the home team aspiring to close out the series. The Game 6 nail-biter remained tied at one through six innings. The Cardinals scored in the bottom of the first and the Yankees added a digit in the fifth frame. Maris and Mantle went long with back-to-back dingers in the sixth. The solo homeruns by the M&M boys were clubbed off Simmons. Curt yielded seven hits, including the two shots by the Yankees outfielders, before being removed from the game. Ron Taylor finished the inning perfectly but the Cardinals replaced him with Schultz. Schultz was ineffective through just 2/3 of an inning in the 8th. Reliever Gordon Richardson’s pitch to Pepitone turned the game into a 8-1 domination. Pepitone plastered the grand slam, and the first baseman completed a terrific series with a .308 average. The Cardinals would score a run in each of the final two innings but it wasn’t enough to capture a Cardinal crown this day. Bouton improved to 2-0 with the 8-3 final and Steve Hamilton secured his only save.
Thursday, October 15th, 1964 was the date of the tell-tale, down-to-the-wire, Game 7. The winner would take it all in the deciding finish. Gibson and Stottlemyre were the starters on the scorecard, each pitching on two days’ rest. The Cards struck first with three runs in the fourth inning. The Cards added three more runs in the fifth to increase the lead by six runs. Lou Brock hit one into the stands and landed an even .300 batting average over 30 at bats in seven games. The Hall-of-Famer is one of the most accomplished base runners in baseball history and his fifth inning blow lead to an insurmountable Redbird lead. McCarver stole home plate during the fourth. The steal was one of two on the day for St.Louis. Right-fielder Shannon, also snagged a bag for the Cardinals. Shannon struggled during the series, striking out a depressing nine times. He led St. Louis in strikeouts and runs scored, with six. The Yankee strikeout and run leader? Mantle, of course. The Mick cut the deficit in half with a three-run homerun in the top of the Yankee sixth at Busch. Mantle’s shellacking was one of three Yankee blasts in Game 7. Linz would sock his second and Boyer would wallop his first before the game was over. Boyer’s brother, Ken, decked a seventh inning solo shot to put the game out of reach. New York’s Richardson got his 13th hit of the series to break his own single-series record. Richardson’s .406 average was the best by any Yankee. Gibson cooled down the Yankees and notched his 31st strikeout in Game 7. He lost Game 2 but proceeded to come back to defeat New York twice. The World Series MVP’s nine innings and nine strikeouts contributed to the conclusion: 7-5 Cardinals win the World Series of 1964.
Parting points:
Brandon Walsh: “You probably don’t like football either”.
Susan Keats: “Too violent”
Awesome come-from-behind Yankee win just now…
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Two Talbot Tallies Take Third
Ice Insurance Injected and Implemented at Igloo
The calendar flipped to June but hockey is still being played in Pittsburgh and Detroit. The pivotal third game of the Stanley Cup finals went to the Penguins in a conscientious 4-2 home ice decision over the reputable Red Wings Tuesday. The Pens’ Maxime Talbot opened the game with an assertive goal and closed the contest with his second one, an empty-netter. In a make-or-break, pivotal game, Pittsburgh weaseled out a win to slice Detroit’s series lead to 2-1. The adrenaline was finally shown in Game 3, and the Penguins lit a fuse for the purposeful punch. The malaise and melancholy was moderated with the Penguins pardon.
Pittsburgh scored twice in three power-play chances. Sergei Gonchar supplied the season saving go-ahead third period score on a Penguins power-play. The decisive goal was created by an interference call on Jonathan Ericsson. Gonchar had a chance to snap the 2-2 tie with a slap from center off Evgeni Malkin’s pass. The puck was peppered, sailing past Red Wings goalie, Chris Osgood. Marc-Andre Fleury was instrumental in net for the Pens down the stretch as his team toughed out the final period. Fleury made 27 saves after shaking off two unsteady games in Detroit. The Penguins kept Detroit in check to revive what had been a one-sided affair thus far in this Stanley Cup Finals.
Talbot scored the first goal when the Penguins pressure on defense finally paid off. Dan Cleary was stripped of the puck in the first period and Talbot converted with an attack on Osgood.
Chris Kunitz and Talbot were vital role players during the early part of the game and Malkin assisted on the first three Penguin goals. Malkin finished with 33 points in 20 games of this post-season. Kris Letang put the Pens in position to tie the game at two with a successful shot in the prologue period. Letang played so poorly in Game 2 his head coach considered benching him last night. He collected the biscuit from a diving Johan Franzen with four minutes left in the period. The puck was driven through a Niklas Kronwall screen to tie the score. The Penguins battled for control on face-offs. Sidney Crosby won 12 of 19 face-offs, including a crucial three on a first-period power play. Detroit was beaten inside the blue lines and the pick never left the zone during the 71-second span. The 21 year old captain Crosby didn’t have a breakout performance in Game 3. He had scarce scoring scenarios, but the Penguins did not need him to be perfect because secondary scorers stepped up. The refined Crosby should be a major influence in the remainder of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Henrik Zetterberg and Franzen accounted for all the Detroit scoring. Both produced Red Wing goals in the first period to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. It looked like the Red Wings were efficient and well on their way to a third win after Franzen’s elegant cross-pass from Zetterberg was wristed into net. A charging and unchecked Zetterberg played another strong game, and expertly limited Crosby’s chances. Last night, he was triple teamed by Detroit. Crosby was humbled in Game 1 against Zetterberg. He went 5 of 16 in faceoffs against the sly moving Red Wing in Detroit but adapted with calculating ability last night. Crosby, Bill Guerin and Malkin were also effective in slowing the game down and giving great screens. Osgood had trouble seeing the Pittsburgh attempts because of the Pens’ terrific and timely takes. The Red Wings’ lack of offense hurt them in Game 3. Detroit breezed along in Games 1 and 2 at home. They did not win the first two games by brute force, but silently imposed themselves on the Penguins in come-away victories. Pittsburgh shifted the momentum their way. They also avoided clashing with the elite Red Wings Thursday trying to crawl out of an 0-3 hole.
After a frantic first period, Detroit failed to find the net. There were no goals during the entire second period despite plenty of chances for both teams. The second period was the first without a goal in the series. The Red Wings covered five scoring chances to the Pens’ none. Pittsburgh started the third period with a flurry after being outshot 26-11 in the first two. Gonchar’s tie-breaker came on the Penguin’s ninth consecutive shot on goal. The fourth-line center, Talbot, added flipped the final blow on an empty-net fling from Ruslan Fedotenko. Fleury kept the Penguins swimming by fending off Detroit dribblings around the crease. The Red Wings were given quality chances and put heavy pressure on the goalie. The persistent players had control of the neutral zone during the first period and the Penguins sometimes mismanaged the puck. Detroit forced the Pens to use their secondary shooters and Zetterberg (last year’s playoff MVP), was their pacesetter early on. But Fleury was too quick as he scrambled to save shots and deflections, even by his own teammates after intermission. Justin Abdelkader, the rookie breakout player for Detroit, was limited. Fleury stopped and held another surprising presence, Ville Leino. Leino was called up to skate in the pressure-cooker finals by Detroit too. Brian Rafalski, who came into the game with 13 post-season points against Pittsburgh, skimmed a shot off the top of the crossbar. Fleury did not allow Rafalski‘s fire to flare. The Penguins ganged up to bail out their goalie though. The offense got the support to crack Detroit’s defense and apply pressure on Osgood. Detroit is averaging a stubborn two goals per game this post-season but Osgood saw four pass his way last night.
Gonchar suffered a knee-on-knee wound in the Washington series. It was great to have the team’s emotional leader back on the ice as Pittsburgh averted a deep hole. His screened power-play goal midway through the third period proved why Gonchar’s veteran stick is a necessary Penguin symbol. The 35 year old believed the team took a step in the right direction after Game 2’s 3-1 loss on the road. He took advantage of a tentative team and put the Red Wings on their heels in the third period. The team came out more relaxed in the final period, knowing a poor performance would all but end their season. The sense of urgency paid off against hockey’s cherished dynasty. Pittsburgh’s defense blocked shots by sacrificing their bodies. The smothering Pens did everything right, and Talbot’s late goal made Detroit unable to recover in front of a brownout energized home crowd. The Red Wings penalty killers were futile and did not challenge Talbot or Gonchar. The team killed just 45 of 63 power plays in the playoffs, good for a detrimental and disastrous 71.4%. The Penguins were especially able to cycle the puck with the one-man advantage on Tuesday. Even though they were denied chances due to the Red Wings’ commitment to their own zone, Pittsburgh beat Osgood and played well with the lead. They took possession of the puck to negate any Detroit opportunities. The Pens have a chance to even the series Thursday in Game 4 at Mellon Arena’s Igloo. If they win another game, they will return to hostile Joe Louis Arena as a squad surely back in this dynamic series. Fatigue may be a factor. Tuesday night was the third game in four nights. It will be a test of stamina and will in the remaining contests. I thought the Penguins would win the series because Detroit would take them too lightly. After the first two games, I was convinced the Red Wings would take the series. With Tuesday night’s Game 3 win, there was evidence of Detroit taking the Penguins for an easy competitor. I think the Penguins are capable of winning the next game in Pittsburgh, but I no longer feel they can overcome to beat Detroit at home for the Cup chase.
Parting points: Derek Jeter scored his 1,500th career run in last night’s crushing of the Texas Rangers.
Daily dose of music- “Funny the way it is” by Dave Matthews Band
The calendar flipped to June but hockey is still being played in Pittsburgh and Detroit. The pivotal third game of the Stanley Cup finals went to the Penguins in a conscientious 4-2 home ice decision over the reputable Red Wings Tuesday. The Pens’ Maxime Talbot opened the game with an assertive goal and closed the contest with his second one, an empty-netter. In a make-or-break, pivotal game, Pittsburgh weaseled out a win to slice Detroit’s series lead to 2-1. The adrenaline was finally shown in Game 3, and the Penguins lit a fuse for the purposeful punch. The malaise and melancholy was moderated with the Penguins pardon.
Pittsburgh scored twice in three power-play chances. Sergei Gonchar supplied the season saving go-ahead third period score on a Penguins power-play. The decisive goal was created by an interference call on Jonathan Ericsson. Gonchar had a chance to snap the 2-2 tie with a slap from center off Evgeni Malkin’s pass. The puck was peppered, sailing past Red Wings goalie, Chris Osgood. Marc-Andre Fleury was instrumental in net for the Pens down the stretch as his team toughed out the final period. Fleury made 27 saves after shaking off two unsteady games in Detroit. The Penguins kept Detroit in check to revive what had been a one-sided affair thus far in this Stanley Cup Finals.
Talbot scored the first goal when the Penguins pressure on defense finally paid off. Dan Cleary was stripped of the puck in the first period and Talbot converted with an attack on Osgood.
Chris Kunitz and Talbot were vital role players during the early part of the game and Malkin assisted on the first three Penguin goals. Malkin finished with 33 points in 20 games of this post-season. Kris Letang put the Pens in position to tie the game at two with a successful shot in the prologue period. Letang played so poorly in Game 2 his head coach considered benching him last night. He collected the biscuit from a diving Johan Franzen with four minutes left in the period. The puck was driven through a Niklas Kronwall screen to tie the score. The Penguins battled for control on face-offs. Sidney Crosby won 12 of 19 face-offs, including a crucial three on a first-period power play. Detroit was beaten inside the blue lines and the pick never left the zone during the 71-second span. The 21 year old captain Crosby didn’t have a breakout performance in Game 3. He had scarce scoring scenarios, but the Penguins did not need him to be perfect because secondary scorers stepped up. The refined Crosby should be a major influence in the remainder of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Henrik Zetterberg and Franzen accounted for all the Detroit scoring. Both produced Red Wing goals in the first period to give Detroit a 2-1 lead. It looked like the Red Wings were efficient and well on their way to a third win after Franzen’s elegant cross-pass from Zetterberg was wristed into net. A charging and unchecked Zetterberg played another strong game, and expertly limited Crosby’s chances. Last night, he was triple teamed by Detroit. Crosby was humbled in Game 1 against Zetterberg. He went 5 of 16 in faceoffs against the sly moving Red Wing in Detroit but adapted with calculating ability last night. Crosby, Bill Guerin and Malkin were also effective in slowing the game down and giving great screens. Osgood had trouble seeing the Pittsburgh attempts because of the Pens’ terrific and timely takes. The Red Wings’ lack of offense hurt them in Game 3. Detroit breezed along in Games 1 and 2 at home. They did not win the first two games by brute force, but silently imposed themselves on the Penguins in come-away victories. Pittsburgh shifted the momentum their way. They also avoided clashing with the elite Red Wings Thursday trying to crawl out of an 0-3 hole.
After a frantic first period, Detroit failed to find the net. There were no goals during the entire second period despite plenty of chances for both teams. The second period was the first without a goal in the series. The Red Wings covered five scoring chances to the Pens’ none. Pittsburgh started the third period with a flurry after being outshot 26-11 in the first two. Gonchar’s tie-breaker came on the Penguin’s ninth consecutive shot on goal. The fourth-line center, Talbot, added flipped the final blow on an empty-net fling from Ruslan Fedotenko. Fleury kept the Penguins swimming by fending off Detroit dribblings around the crease. The Red Wings were given quality chances and put heavy pressure on the goalie. The persistent players had control of the neutral zone during the first period and the Penguins sometimes mismanaged the puck. Detroit forced the Pens to use their secondary shooters and Zetterberg (last year’s playoff MVP), was their pacesetter early on. But Fleury was too quick as he scrambled to save shots and deflections, even by his own teammates after intermission. Justin Abdelkader, the rookie breakout player for Detroit, was limited. Fleury stopped and held another surprising presence, Ville Leino. Leino was called up to skate in the pressure-cooker finals by Detroit too. Brian Rafalski, who came into the game with 13 post-season points against Pittsburgh, skimmed a shot off the top of the crossbar. Fleury did not allow Rafalski‘s fire to flare. The Penguins ganged up to bail out their goalie though. The offense got the support to crack Detroit’s defense and apply pressure on Osgood. Detroit is averaging a stubborn two goals per game this post-season but Osgood saw four pass his way last night.
Gonchar suffered a knee-on-knee wound in the Washington series. It was great to have the team’s emotional leader back on the ice as Pittsburgh averted a deep hole. His screened power-play goal midway through the third period proved why Gonchar’s veteran stick is a necessary Penguin symbol. The 35 year old believed the team took a step in the right direction after Game 2’s 3-1 loss on the road. He took advantage of a tentative team and put the Red Wings on their heels in the third period. The team came out more relaxed in the final period, knowing a poor performance would all but end their season. The sense of urgency paid off against hockey’s cherished dynasty. Pittsburgh’s defense blocked shots by sacrificing their bodies. The smothering Pens did everything right, and Talbot’s late goal made Detroit unable to recover in front of a brownout energized home crowd. The Red Wings penalty killers were futile and did not challenge Talbot or Gonchar. The team killed just 45 of 63 power plays in the playoffs, good for a detrimental and disastrous 71.4%. The Penguins were especially able to cycle the puck with the one-man advantage on Tuesday. Even though they were denied chances due to the Red Wings’ commitment to their own zone, Pittsburgh beat Osgood and played well with the lead. They took possession of the puck to negate any Detroit opportunities. The Pens have a chance to even the series Thursday in Game 4 at Mellon Arena’s Igloo. If they win another game, they will return to hostile Joe Louis Arena as a squad surely back in this dynamic series. Fatigue may be a factor. Tuesday night was the third game in four nights. It will be a test of stamina and will in the remaining contests. I thought the Penguins would win the series because Detroit would take them too lightly. After the first two games, I was convinced the Red Wings would take the series. With Tuesday night’s Game 3 win, there was evidence of Detroit taking the Penguins for an easy competitor. I think the Penguins are capable of winning the next game in Pittsburgh, but I no longer feel they can overcome to beat Detroit at home for the Cup chase.
Parting points: Derek Jeter scored his 1,500th career run in last night’s crushing of the Texas Rangers.
Daily dose of music- “Funny the way it is” by Dave Matthews Band
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Games, Golf & Grandma
My Grandma is more inclined to tackle cobwebs than the world wide web. She does not have an email account but still pays bills through snail mail. Today is her birthday and I highly doubt she will read this blog. However, I will still take a moment to reflect on some of the finer memories I have of her. We often define ourselves by our relationship with other people. I always saw a lot of myself in my grandma. We both keep to ourselves, are a little stubborn and prefer to wear the most comfortable clothes we can find. My Grandma loves to play golf, enjoys betting on horses and playing the lottery. Any athletic ability I inherited I attribute to her because she probably has the most natural talent of anybody else in my family. She is also about as intense in competition as I am.
Unfortunately I never spent more than a week at a time with my grandma growing up because she lives eight hours from me. I do remember just about every detail from our special trips to West Virginia. The car rides were always rigorous. In the winter, they were often snow-filled, slow and strenuous. Summer drives were better but no less exhausting. It seemed our family would travel all day to arrive at Grandma’s in time for a quick homecoming before we hit the hay. My grandma’s house is a wonderfully welcoming one, painted vivid green on the outside. The interior of the home was always the same. For the most part, Grandma and I like to keep things unchanged. We know where everything is kept in our neatly furnished rooms. The cozy confines were complete with a nifty attic and wide-open basement. Each time I visited, I made sure to pack a rubber ball I could throw against the basement wall. Her basement was the perfect ground for practicing my throws and pitches or playing “off the wall” with my sister. It also featured a sturdy old ping pong table. My sister and I would spend ample hours downstairs playing the game. We would come up with any reason just to go to the basement for another round of ping pong.
I used to search Grandma’s garage for what I like to call, “plastic sporting toys”. She had an arrangement of odds and ends once you got past the soiled gardening tools. High on my list were the bright orange scoopers you could play catch with. I also enjoyed her wiffle ball selection, toy tricycle and oval Velcro glove and ball set.
On the best summer days, Grandma would take us to the park up the street. I even remember her shooting hoops with me near the playground area. The wobbly seesaw and spiral ride-on animals at the park were about as old-fashioned as Grandma, but I still surmise they were special. My Grandma is very traditional but it’s that characteristic that I love most. She makes the best homemade waffles and signature “Gobs” and peanut butter balls. She leads a simple life by keeping up with yard work and living with only one television set. A wooden swing is a fixture in her back yard. It draws people from far and wide who enjoy sitting on the plain piece. Saving is a priority in these economic times. Grandma, like me, doesn’t spend money on life’s luxuries. A trip to mall for new attire means desperation for a change in wardrobe or a pressing need for a pair of shoes. Grandma is perfectly content in her white Keds and golf shorts. She took me to the driving range one time because she adores the game. I know she has a shelf of golf trophies in her basement, so she must have one a local tournament here and there. Grandma doesn’t get to play the game anymore but I am sure the game misses her.
There is a corner store on Grandma’s street where I bought my first baseball card price guide. I still have it stored on my bookshelf today. The last time I went to West Virginia was during a Yankees-Red Sox series. It was the infamous series when Pedro Martinez took Don Zimmer by his bald head and ungracefully pushed him to the ground. Grandma tried her best to understand my passion for the Yankees, and for baseball. She even impressed me a little with her knowledge of the rivalry. I imagine it’s hard to appreciate good baseball when your hometown team is the Pirates, and the majority of the city is nuts for the Steelers. I was happy for Grandma when Pittsburgh brought home another Superbowl in February. She is not a big professional sports fan, but gets into the Steelers hype. I follow all West Virginia football games because she bought me a Mountaineer sweatshirt as a child.
One summer morning Grandma drove my sister and I to the high school. I brought tennis racquets for us and we hit the ball around on the unfamiliar courts. For someone of her age, her footwork and swing were sound. It was special to share my favorite game with my Grandma. It must feel that way whenever Grandma takes us to her favorite venue, the Mountaineer Race Track. Grandma is a gambler. I am not. I could care less about betting, especially when it comes to sports. But, watching the horse races in West Virginia is something to behold. The people are fanatics, and Grandma is incredibly serious about betting. The chooses horses based on…well, gosh knows what! I do know Grandma’s numbers for the lotto (2-4-6) are favorites of hers. I like to think if I were a gambler, I would also have my “chosen” numbers. We have similar personalities in that we both know exactly what we want and what we like. If Grandma doesn’t like something, you know about it. If she enjoys something, you won’t soon forget.
We played card games constantly on vacations to Grandma’s house. Hearts, canasta and spoons were Grandma’s forte. I used to be an extremely sore loser, and probably still am. I might have learned not-so endearing quality from Grandma. I can try to channel the blame on her, but in truth, she is a fair gamer. It always seemed as if she would be steaming mad if she lost a game of cards. But, I never recall her losing! Board games were different. I could beat her at Scrabble or Rack-o handedly. Losses always tasted better with one of my Grandma’s frozen orange ice pops.
I’d wake up each morning in West Virginia and Grandma would already be in the kitchen in her color-coordinated sweatsuit. She would offer me breakfast and I would take a seat on the stool seat by the counter. I would watch her, admiring her candor and calm demeanor. Nothing ever seemed to bother her (well, unless you messed with her lawn). Grandma’s silver-white hair and wrinkle-wrapped dark eyes can greet me before any superstar athlete I follow. She is an athlete in her own right with skills and wit worth patterning and respecting.
Parting points: The new 311 album is released today.
Unfortunately I never spent more than a week at a time with my grandma growing up because she lives eight hours from me. I do remember just about every detail from our special trips to West Virginia. The car rides were always rigorous. In the winter, they were often snow-filled, slow and strenuous. Summer drives were better but no less exhausting. It seemed our family would travel all day to arrive at Grandma’s in time for a quick homecoming before we hit the hay. My grandma’s house is a wonderfully welcoming one, painted vivid green on the outside. The interior of the home was always the same. For the most part, Grandma and I like to keep things unchanged. We know where everything is kept in our neatly furnished rooms. The cozy confines were complete with a nifty attic and wide-open basement. Each time I visited, I made sure to pack a rubber ball I could throw against the basement wall. Her basement was the perfect ground for practicing my throws and pitches or playing “off the wall” with my sister. It also featured a sturdy old ping pong table. My sister and I would spend ample hours downstairs playing the game. We would come up with any reason just to go to the basement for another round of ping pong.
I used to search Grandma’s garage for what I like to call, “plastic sporting toys”. She had an arrangement of odds and ends once you got past the soiled gardening tools. High on my list were the bright orange scoopers you could play catch with. I also enjoyed her wiffle ball selection, toy tricycle and oval Velcro glove and ball set.
On the best summer days, Grandma would take us to the park up the street. I even remember her shooting hoops with me near the playground area. The wobbly seesaw and spiral ride-on animals at the park were about as old-fashioned as Grandma, but I still surmise they were special. My Grandma is very traditional but it’s that characteristic that I love most. She makes the best homemade waffles and signature “Gobs” and peanut butter balls. She leads a simple life by keeping up with yard work and living with only one television set. A wooden swing is a fixture in her back yard. It draws people from far and wide who enjoy sitting on the plain piece. Saving is a priority in these economic times. Grandma, like me, doesn’t spend money on life’s luxuries. A trip to mall for new attire means desperation for a change in wardrobe or a pressing need for a pair of shoes. Grandma is perfectly content in her white Keds and golf shorts. She took me to the driving range one time because she adores the game. I know she has a shelf of golf trophies in her basement, so she must have one a local tournament here and there. Grandma doesn’t get to play the game anymore but I am sure the game misses her.
There is a corner store on Grandma’s street where I bought my first baseball card price guide. I still have it stored on my bookshelf today. The last time I went to West Virginia was during a Yankees-Red Sox series. It was the infamous series when Pedro Martinez took Don Zimmer by his bald head and ungracefully pushed him to the ground. Grandma tried her best to understand my passion for the Yankees, and for baseball. She even impressed me a little with her knowledge of the rivalry. I imagine it’s hard to appreciate good baseball when your hometown team is the Pirates, and the majority of the city is nuts for the Steelers. I was happy for Grandma when Pittsburgh brought home another Superbowl in February. She is not a big professional sports fan, but gets into the Steelers hype. I follow all West Virginia football games because she bought me a Mountaineer sweatshirt as a child.
One summer morning Grandma drove my sister and I to the high school. I brought tennis racquets for us and we hit the ball around on the unfamiliar courts. For someone of her age, her footwork and swing were sound. It was special to share my favorite game with my Grandma. It must feel that way whenever Grandma takes us to her favorite venue, the Mountaineer Race Track. Grandma is a gambler. I am not. I could care less about betting, especially when it comes to sports. But, watching the horse races in West Virginia is something to behold. The people are fanatics, and Grandma is incredibly serious about betting. The chooses horses based on…well, gosh knows what! I do know Grandma’s numbers for the lotto (2-4-6) are favorites of hers. I like to think if I were a gambler, I would also have my “chosen” numbers. We have similar personalities in that we both know exactly what we want and what we like. If Grandma doesn’t like something, you know about it. If she enjoys something, you won’t soon forget.
We played card games constantly on vacations to Grandma’s house. Hearts, canasta and spoons were Grandma’s forte. I used to be an extremely sore loser, and probably still am. I might have learned not-so endearing quality from Grandma. I can try to channel the blame on her, but in truth, she is a fair gamer. It always seemed as if she would be steaming mad if she lost a game of cards. But, I never recall her losing! Board games were different. I could beat her at Scrabble or Rack-o handedly. Losses always tasted better with one of my Grandma’s frozen orange ice pops.
I’d wake up each morning in West Virginia and Grandma would already be in the kitchen in her color-coordinated sweatsuit. She would offer me breakfast and I would take a seat on the stool seat by the counter. I would watch her, admiring her candor and calm demeanor. Nothing ever seemed to bother her (well, unless you messed with her lawn). Grandma’s silver-white hair and wrinkle-wrapped dark eyes can greet me before any superstar athlete I follow. She is an athlete in her own right with skills and wit worth patterning and respecting.
Parting points: The new 311 album is released today.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Feature Files From France
Roger Federer is favored to win the French Open after a significant sendoff by Robin Soderling Sunday shattered the reigning champion, Rafael Nadal. Nadal’s disintegration interferes with the illustration of the tournament draw. The four-time Roland Garros winner was ousted in four sets. Soderling accomplished what no other men’s player on tour could do in 31 previous attempts. Nadal ruled the red clay for 31 matches until Soderling’s 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory stopped his surest surface success.
Federer can consummate his resume by winning the title in France. The French Open is the only Grand Slam Roger has not claimed in his historic career and now the door is open for him to capture. Nadal was the shield preventing Federer from a clay championship. Roger can still lose to a remaining contender, but has the best chance to compensate for his only career glitch without Nadal in the picture.
The fearless Swede, Soderling won the 3 ½ hour grudge match with his assertive and active play yesterday. Nadal won all three previous meetings with the 24 year old, including 2007 at Wimbledon. He dominated Soderling 6-1, 6-0, a month ago in Rome on clay. Until Sunday’s stunning showing, sprightly Soderling never reached a third round match in any major tournament. He finished with a fancy 61 winners against a weighed down Nadal. Rafael came up on the short end of the winners, a rare occurrence. The 23rd seed showed fortitude, never lost his edge and did not fold, even when he committed six unforced errors to lose a second set tiebreaker. Nadal dropped the first set by twice being broken on serve. Robin’s booming serves were enough to take the third set off the mistake-laden Nadal. Rafeal lost two sets for the first time in a French Open match when Soderling closed out the third. Soderling’s serve startled and stood in the way of Nadal leveling the score in the fourth set too. The Spaniard was troubled by the 140 mph rips and could not advance to net to crush winning volleys. Nadal was able to battle back to even the set score and force a tiebreaker. To beat Nadal, you have to hit through him, and Soderling took it to the ace this time. He fought off match points at 6-1 in the tiebreaker but an ensuring volley landed wide and the defending champion was tapered.
Nadal made his Roland Garros debut in May of 2005. You have to give him kudos for going undefeated and winning four consecutive titles there. It is one of the bigger upsets in tennis history because no one expected a Nadal departure this early to a much lower seeded underdog.
Reigning French Open women’s champion, Ana Ivanovic, also had an early exit on Sunday. She lost a two-set shocker to the number 9 seed, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The former number one struggled to grind out games in a 2-6, 3-6 falling at the French with a fuss. She called for her trainer during the match and felt dizzy in the first set. Azarenka broke Ivanovic’s serve in the first and third games to take a 4-0 lead. The 19 year old played to her strengths aggressively to hold on for an easy 6-2 win. The Serbian made 20 unforced errors during the match and only mustered three games in the second set. Ivanovic has been somewhat of a comeback story in 2009, but endured a disappointing conclusion to the year’s second Grand Slam yesterday afternoon. She was stretched to a tie breaking win in the opening round against Italy’s Sara Errani. Then, she advanced through the next two rounds with relative ease by executing well. Ivanovic lost just five games during those two matches. The 21 year old faced a motivated, better opponent in Azarenka yesterday. The calm Azarenka will now play her first career major quarterfinal match.
Maria Sharapova’s latest three-set victory is a comforting one for the Russian coming off shoulder injury. The jovial Maria is unseeded but pulled out another close contest in this French tournament. Her fourth victory of the Grand Slam scored 6-4. 0-6, 6-4. It occurred against 25th seeded, Li Na. The Chinese sensation could not contend with Sharapova’s physical play and mental strength. Maria was bageled in the second set but managed to pull herself together to win the third outright. Li was up a break in the final set, 4-2, before she lost her concentration. The 22 year old Sharapova redeemed herself on her way to compiling the necessary four games for the victory. She reaches the quarterfinal round on clay for the fourth time in her career at the French Open. It’s questionable how much Sharapova can endure with her ailing shoulder and thigh. But it will be charming to see how she fares in the semi-finals should she reach that round.
Dinara Safina needed only 13 games and 53 minutes to reach the elite eight of the women’s draw in France. The world number one has only lost five games en route to the quarterfinals. It will be disappointing if she doesn’t lift the championship trophy in a week. Safina annihilated Aravana Rezai 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday. The French native Rezai left the court wide-open for a salivating Safina slugfest. The Russian shrugged off two break points in the third game of set and struck and sliced her way to the opener. Dinara unsettled Rezai and allowed her just nine second set points. Safina mixed a whipping fast forehand and slice backhand against her 57th ranked opponent. She pocketed the second set on her first match point chance. Azarenka is Safina’s next obstacle in her pursuit of the red court title. Tennis fans were looking forward to a Safina-Ivanovic rematch but the draw was vanished with Victoria’s victory.
The men’s third seed, Andy Murray, crushed Croatian, Marin Cilic to reach his first quarter-final at the French. Murray’s defeat of Cilic 7-5, 7-6, 6-1, was also the first time a British man has advanced to the quarter-final round since Tim Henman. Murray is playing excellent clay court tennis. He can seriously contend now that some of the top seeds are out and reach his peak of the clay court season by upstaging at Roland Garros. Murray and Cilic traded breaks and off-shots during the tentative, trying first set. The 22 year old Murray looked more controlled than his 20 year old foe in the next set. Cilic made 40 unforced errors to Murray’s 14 and surrendered the second set tiebreak with a forehand wide. The Scot was powerful in unleashing a 4-0 lead in the third and forced Cilic to misfire for the match sweep. Murray made the key shots and Cilic made the most errors. Cilic was bothered by pain throughout the match, looked beaten from the baseline and encountered a slick clay court specialist in Murray. Andy survived the three-set clobbering by moving the ball around and wearing down his opponent. His solid ground strokes and hard work should result in more wins. There is no reason Murray can’t set his eyes on the finals of the French.
Another Andy, Roddick, reached week two for the first time in his career at the French. The number 6 player in the world rubbed out a win over Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Roddick is only the second American man to advance this far since Andre Agassi six years ago. Andy had seven aces to go along with a modicum 11 unforced errors and is playing his best clay tennis ever. He is moving better on the surface and sliding into his forehand, rupturing remarkable hits. The possibilities were limited of Roddick winning a French Open with Nadal and Federer. The 26 year old has just as good a chance as anyone else with the way he’s playing tennis. The third round snubbing of Gicquel will be followed today with a challenging match against the talented Frenchman, Gael Monfils. Monfils reached the Roland Garros semifinals a year ago but if the Texan adheres to his dependable backhand slice and consistent serve, he can win this round. Roddick looks more comfortable shifting his feet on the clay. He is serving smart and clocking cross-court shots with effective placement. The key to Roddick’s wins has been getting guys out of position on the receiving end of his straight-forward serve to effortlessly set himself up for winners. Roddick is picking his times wisely to approach the net and has improved his volleying vastly. (Update: I just learned Roddick was thumped in straight sets to 11th seeded, Monfils, this afternoon; the score was 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; so much for my theory on the American)
The Nadal tumbling wasn’t the only upset on the men’s side. Novak Djokovic had a faulty third round performance in bowing to 29th seed galloping German, Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. The fourth-seed, Djokovic, didn’t get many chances against the clay court specialist. He played too passively instead of seizing control of the match. Kohlschreiber was incredibly solid from on all his strokes, who will join countryman, Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals. It was the first time the German has reached the French Open third round and he came ready to play against the former two-time semifinalist, Djokovic. The Serb could not get into his usual rhythm. He was playing for the third time in three days after completing a suspended three-set win on Friday. Djokovic had 16 more unforced errors than Kohlschreiber, to finish with 38 total.
Finally to Federer. The racquet master conducted a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 shellacking on Paul-Henri Mathieu to deal the Frenchman a stretched-out loss. Roger faced a few nervous moments but navigated past Mathieu in the second by racing out to a 3-0 lead. The local favorite, Mathieu, pounced on some opportunities to take advantage of Federer. The disciplined Swiss did not afford his opponent those chances when it mattered most, however. Roger next plays the 16th seeded Haas in a great men’s quarter-final match-up. (Update: Roger won in a five set thriller over Tommy) Soderling meets Nikolay Davydenko and will be a slight underdog. Federer was in the same draw as Djokovic and the two were destined to be semifinals opponents before Novak was walloped over the weekend. If they meet, it will be really interesting to see if Soderling can beat Federer. Roger has all the pressure on him now and the situation at the French got a lot more fascinating with Soderling’s upset of Nadal. Typically, I would say Roger is unbeatable, but he just has not proven anything on clay yet. His superior skills are enough to win the title in Paris. But he is destructible and especially vulnerable this year. Whatever the outcome, Nadal’s exit has injected new life into the tournament. The French Open is unfurled for anyone’s taking.
Parting points: Florida State upended Ohio State 37-6 in the NCAA baseball regional tournament. At least it wasn’t in football, and at least FSU was the number one seed.
Federer can consummate his resume by winning the title in France. The French Open is the only Grand Slam Roger has not claimed in his historic career and now the door is open for him to capture. Nadal was the shield preventing Federer from a clay championship. Roger can still lose to a remaining contender, but has the best chance to compensate for his only career glitch without Nadal in the picture.
The fearless Swede, Soderling won the 3 ½ hour grudge match with his assertive and active play yesterday. Nadal won all three previous meetings with the 24 year old, including 2007 at Wimbledon. He dominated Soderling 6-1, 6-0, a month ago in Rome on clay. Until Sunday’s stunning showing, sprightly Soderling never reached a third round match in any major tournament. He finished with a fancy 61 winners against a weighed down Nadal. Rafael came up on the short end of the winners, a rare occurrence. The 23rd seed showed fortitude, never lost his edge and did not fold, even when he committed six unforced errors to lose a second set tiebreaker. Nadal dropped the first set by twice being broken on serve. Robin’s booming serves were enough to take the third set off the mistake-laden Nadal. Rafeal lost two sets for the first time in a French Open match when Soderling closed out the third. Soderling’s serve startled and stood in the way of Nadal leveling the score in the fourth set too. The Spaniard was troubled by the 140 mph rips and could not advance to net to crush winning volleys. Nadal was able to battle back to even the set score and force a tiebreaker. To beat Nadal, you have to hit through him, and Soderling took it to the ace this time. He fought off match points at 6-1 in the tiebreaker but an ensuring volley landed wide and the defending champion was tapered.
Nadal made his Roland Garros debut in May of 2005. You have to give him kudos for going undefeated and winning four consecutive titles there. It is one of the bigger upsets in tennis history because no one expected a Nadal departure this early to a much lower seeded underdog.
Reigning French Open women’s champion, Ana Ivanovic, also had an early exit on Sunday. She lost a two-set shocker to the number 9 seed, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The former number one struggled to grind out games in a 2-6, 3-6 falling at the French with a fuss. She called for her trainer during the match and felt dizzy in the first set. Azarenka broke Ivanovic’s serve in the first and third games to take a 4-0 lead. The 19 year old played to her strengths aggressively to hold on for an easy 6-2 win. The Serbian made 20 unforced errors during the match and only mustered three games in the second set. Ivanovic has been somewhat of a comeback story in 2009, but endured a disappointing conclusion to the year’s second Grand Slam yesterday afternoon. She was stretched to a tie breaking win in the opening round against Italy’s Sara Errani. Then, she advanced through the next two rounds with relative ease by executing well. Ivanovic lost just five games during those two matches. The 21 year old faced a motivated, better opponent in Azarenka yesterday. The calm Azarenka will now play her first career major quarterfinal match.
Maria Sharapova’s latest three-set victory is a comforting one for the Russian coming off shoulder injury. The jovial Maria is unseeded but pulled out another close contest in this French tournament. Her fourth victory of the Grand Slam scored 6-4. 0-6, 6-4. It occurred against 25th seeded, Li Na. The Chinese sensation could not contend with Sharapova’s physical play and mental strength. Maria was bageled in the second set but managed to pull herself together to win the third outright. Li was up a break in the final set, 4-2, before she lost her concentration. The 22 year old Sharapova redeemed herself on her way to compiling the necessary four games for the victory. She reaches the quarterfinal round on clay for the fourth time in her career at the French Open. It’s questionable how much Sharapova can endure with her ailing shoulder and thigh. But it will be charming to see how she fares in the semi-finals should she reach that round.
Dinara Safina needed only 13 games and 53 minutes to reach the elite eight of the women’s draw in France. The world number one has only lost five games en route to the quarterfinals. It will be disappointing if she doesn’t lift the championship trophy in a week. Safina annihilated Aravana Rezai 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday. The French native Rezai left the court wide-open for a salivating Safina slugfest. The Russian shrugged off two break points in the third game of set and struck and sliced her way to the opener. Dinara unsettled Rezai and allowed her just nine second set points. Safina mixed a whipping fast forehand and slice backhand against her 57th ranked opponent. She pocketed the second set on her first match point chance. Azarenka is Safina’s next obstacle in her pursuit of the red court title. Tennis fans were looking forward to a Safina-Ivanovic rematch but the draw was vanished with Victoria’s victory.
The men’s third seed, Andy Murray, crushed Croatian, Marin Cilic to reach his first quarter-final at the French. Murray’s defeat of Cilic 7-5, 7-6, 6-1, was also the first time a British man has advanced to the quarter-final round since Tim Henman. Murray is playing excellent clay court tennis. He can seriously contend now that some of the top seeds are out and reach his peak of the clay court season by upstaging at Roland Garros. Murray and Cilic traded breaks and off-shots during the tentative, trying first set. The 22 year old Murray looked more controlled than his 20 year old foe in the next set. Cilic made 40 unforced errors to Murray’s 14 and surrendered the second set tiebreak with a forehand wide. The Scot was powerful in unleashing a 4-0 lead in the third and forced Cilic to misfire for the match sweep. Murray made the key shots and Cilic made the most errors. Cilic was bothered by pain throughout the match, looked beaten from the baseline and encountered a slick clay court specialist in Murray. Andy survived the three-set clobbering by moving the ball around and wearing down his opponent. His solid ground strokes and hard work should result in more wins. There is no reason Murray can’t set his eyes on the finals of the French.
Another Andy, Roddick, reached week two for the first time in his career at the French. The number 6 player in the world rubbed out a win over Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Roddick is only the second American man to advance this far since Andre Agassi six years ago. Andy had seven aces to go along with a modicum 11 unforced errors and is playing his best clay tennis ever. He is moving better on the surface and sliding into his forehand, rupturing remarkable hits. The possibilities were limited of Roddick winning a French Open with Nadal and Federer. The 26 year old has just as good a chance as anyone else with the way he’s playing tennis. The third round snubbing of Gicquel will be followed today with a challenging match against the talented Frenchman, Gael Monfils. Monfils reached the Roland Garros semifinals a year ago but if the Texan adheres to his dependable backhand slice and consistent serve, he can win this round. Roddick looks more comfortable shifting his feet on the clay. He is serving smart and clocking cross-court shots with effective placement. The key to Roddick’s wins has been getting guys out of position on the receiving end of his straight-forward serve to effortlessly set himself up for winners. Roddick is picking his times wisely to approach the net and has improved his volleying vastly. (Update: I just learned Roddick was thumped in straight sets to 11th seeded, Monfils, this afternoon; the score was 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; so much for my theory on the American)
The Nadal tumbling wasn’t the only upset on the men’s side. Novak Djokovic had a faulty third round performance in bowing to 29th seed galloping German, Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. The fourth-seed, Djokovic, didn’t get many chances against the clay court specialist. He played too passively instead of seizing control of the match. Kohlschreiber was incredibly solid from on all his strokes, who will join countryman, Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals. It was the first time the German has reached the French Open third round and he came ready to play against the former two-time semifinalist, Djokovic. The Serb could not get into his usual rhythm. He was playing for the third time in three days after completing a suspended three-set win on Friday. Djokovic had 16 more unforced errors than Kohlschreiber, to finish with 38 total.
Finally to Federer. The racquet master conducted a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 shellacking on Paul-Henri Mathieu to deal the Frenchman a stretched-out loss. Roger faced a few nervous moments but navigated past Mathieu in the second by racing out to a 3-0 lead. The local favorite, Mathieu, pounced on some opportunities to take advantage of Federer. The disciplined Swiss did not afford his opponent those chances when it mattered most, however. Roger next plays the 16th seeded Haas in a great men’s quarter-final match-up. (Update: Roger won in a five set thriller over Tommy) Soderling meets Nikolay Davydenko and will be a slight underdog. Federer was in the same draw as Djokovic and the two were destined to be semifinals opponents before Novak was walloped over the weekend. If they meet, it will be really interesting to see if Soderling can beat Federer. Roger has all the pressure on him now and the situation at the French got a lot more fascinating with Soderling’s upset of Nadal. Typically, I would say Roger is unbeatable, but he just has not proven anything on clay yet. His superior skills are enough to win the title in Paris. But he is destructible and especially vulnerable this year. Whatever the outcome, Nadal’s exit has injected new life into the tournament. The French Open is unfurled for anyone’s taking.
Parting points: Florida State upended Ohio State 37-6 in the NCAA baseball regional tournament. At least it wasn’t in football, and at least FSU was the number one seed.
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