Phillies Pound Parnell

I often wonder how Mets fans sleep at night with their team being as awful as they were last night. The hopeless baseball team that is the New York Mets fell 7-5 to the Philadelphia Phillies Friday after the bullpen allowed six runs in the eighth inning. The two run loss occurred against a beat-up, injured defending NL champion team. The Philly victory pushed them within 1 ½ games of the division-leading Atlanta Braves, while New York erased an encouraging starting pitching performance by Jonathan Niese. The 23 year old lefty tossed seven innings of one-run ball, striking out seven batters. It was the tenth time in twenty starts the young southpaw yielded one run or less in an outing. Niese’s unreliable and shaky bullpen imploded with a one-run lead in hand during the eighth to send the Mets below .500 with a 54-55 record.
Phillies’ pitcher, Joe Blanton, did not stick around for the decision but also pitched a strong game for the home team. Blanton allowed two runs and seven hits for his best outing of the season. Philadelphia scored in the first frame on Placido Polanco’s RBI double. The Mets tied the game two innings later with a run on a Jose Reyes base hit. New York tacked on a second run in the fourth following a string of three consecutive singles. Jose Thole poked home the go-ahead tally, plating David Wright for the backstop’s seventh RBI of the year.
Bobby Parnell began the bottom of the eighth in relief of Niese. Parnell faced four batters, giving up four hits and four earned runs in being tagged with the loss and ruining Niese’s gem. Ben Francisco dumped a single to the outfield to tie the game at 2-2. Carlos Ruiz followed by smacking a single off Parnell for the hometown edge. Pedro Feliciano took over after the Phillies punished pitiful Parnell. Wilson Valdez slapped a bunt base hit to load the bases with nobody out, and Ross Gload drew a walk to pad the Phillies’ lead to 4-2. Shortstop, Jimmy Rollins’ RBI single made it 5-2 in favor of Philadelphia and ended the evening for Feliciano. Manny Acosta entered the game with just one out in the epic eighth. The right-handed reliever from Panama couldn’t prevent the Phillies from extending their lead. Polanco launched a sacrifice fly, scoring Valdez from third to put the Phillies up by four runs. A Mike Sweeney single plated Gload as Philadelphia completed their six run comeback.
Mike Hessman, the Mets’ pinch-hitter, collected a three-run homerun to highlight the ninth inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the damage done during the dismal eighth. Closer Brad Lidge was summoned from the bullpen and put an end to the Mets’ night with a strikeout of Jesus Feliciano. The depleted Phillies, playing without Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino, held on to defeat their division rivals in a messy affair at Citizen’s Bank Park. Sweeney, in his first start since joining the Phillies, trigged the decisive rally and finished it off with a base hit in leading the team with two RBIs. The Phillies prevailed, despite stranding 14 runners on base. Chad Durbin was credited with the win, his third of the season. The Mets have dropped nine of their last ten series starters on the road. The Phillies will try to pick up where they left off last night when Cole Hamels opposes Johan Santana in the middle game of a three-game series.

Parting Points: NFL Hall of Fame inductees today include Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice---two of the greatest players of their decade.

Tennyson's Tennis

In the stillness of a stranger’s stance
I’m looking for my expedition’s end,
Dear to me as the deepest love
Is the tempest that takes my trials,
And refurbishes them on my racquet.

‘Tis the wise man who wonders why
Progress slows as endurance grows,
Half-hearted attempts, where corners win,
Angles prevail and twisting mangles fail,
The tournament muscles of youth no more.

The earliest taste of titanium sun
Lives inside blood of they who play,
Trying for the next closest sensation to flying,
Overlapping feet with feet, serving free,
Honoring the fancy and frequent wind.

Ah, the strike of the strap vaguely relieves,
But not for they who peer from back,
Languished are the lasting reflections,
Set inside the infected minds of tennis,
So sad, so fresh with garlanded heights.
(Based on “Tears, Idle Tears” by Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Parting Points: I'm an OSU fan, but the number two coaches' poll ranking is very generous.

Curvy, Complete Celebration in Cali

Vicente Padilla took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, baffling the NL West leading Padres in Wednesday game in Los Angeles. The 32 year old Nicaraguan righty blew away San Diego with a complete game shutout for his fifth victory of the year. The Dodgers routed the Padres 9-0 a night after newly acquired pitcher, Ted Lilly, limited San Diego to two hits over seven innings. Padilla, pitching on an extra day’s rest, fanned nine batters and walked two in a two-hit effort. He tossed 77 strikes, including 10 Eephus slow curve pitches. The Dodgers’ starter also contributed a pair of hits and an RBI during the contest at Dodger Stadium.
San Diego’s southpaw starter, Wade LeBlanc, suffered the loss as the Dodgers tallied their highest run total since the All-Star break. It was the second time this season L.A. has shutout the Padres with LeBlanc on the hill. LeBlanc allowed four runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 frames of work. Scott Podsednik’s two-run base hit capped a three run second inning for the home team. The hosts added a fourth run on a Ronnie Belliard double in the third. Shortstop, Jamey Carroll and third baseman, Casey Blake collected two hits and scored twice, while teammate, Andre Ethier pounded out three hits in the win. Ethier smacked his 17th homerun of the season with one man on base in a five-run eighth inning to increase the Dodgers’ lead to 9-0.
Padilla did not give up a hit until the seventh inning. Ryan Ludwick lined an 0-2 pitch to right field with one out to break up the no-no, but Padilla still finished with his fourth career shutout. He is a satisfactory 4-2 in his last nine starts. Los Angeles backstop, Russ Martin, was placed on the 15 day disabled list shortly after the game. The catcher will be sidelined for the first time in his career with a right hip tear. Surgery could be an option, which would end Martin’s season. Forty-one year old, Brad Ausmus filled in behind the plate for Martin and almost caught a no-hitter. Padilla has a phenomenal 1.69 in his last dozen games.

Parting Points: Oddball pop, white rap song of the day-“Summer Vacation” by The Party

Fickle Favre & Wednesday Wisecracks

Brett Favre is bidding farewell to the NFL
Why is that such a hard sell?
Perhaps because fickle number four
Has done this twice before
Sources say this is for real
But probably only until he gets a better deal
Favre’s future is never set in stone
Because you know he’s waiting by the phone
He just can’t stay retired
Hoping he’ll get another call to be acquired

A Shaq attack is headed north
The Boston Celtics are moving forth
Plans are being arranged to ship
The towering center on another trip
Switching teams during his career
Is something O’Neal doesn’t fear
What is scary is how he will play
With the Big Three and their defensive way
He’s old, slow and prone to injury
Seeking a championship in a hurry
He gives new meaning to the Green Monster
Adding a punch and gigantic allure

You have to love Joe Paterno
Every year he sounds more like Don Vito
He’s a staple at Penn State
And a Big Ten coaching great
When will he go away?
If we’re lucky, he’ll always stay
Championships or no
JoPa is a Buckeye’s legendary foe
The conference is growing
But Paterno’s is still all-knowing
About what it takes to succeed
In a game contaminated with greed

Suh snagged a splendid and secure contract
The Lions’ number one pick finalized his pact
It’s about time Detroit delivered more than a car
40 million guaranteed to a tackling star
The Nebraska rookie held out
But an agreement soon came about
The Lions are breaking the bank
On a guy who is likely to rank
But it doesn’t mean a winning season is in order
For that, I wouldn’t even bet a quarter

Parting Points: Finally ARod hit his 600th homerun.

Confident Captain

They look at me to take charge
With sturdy hands on a clipboard
Transforming my role into something large
I step up with a dedicated desire
To bring them together in accord
Focusing on igniting an internal fire
I wonder where each one comes from
An eclectic mix of teammates formed
Unified to deliver as one
Some speak out to hear their own voices
But most listen as if they’ve been warned
Acutely aware of all their choices
We put our hands in the middle of a circle
A ritual designed for the formal
Pumping in motion using words so lyrical
It affects me to an unimaginable degree
How inside this group appears charmingly undeniable
Despite what others outside may see
I turn back and look at each set of eyes
Assume my position as captain of the ship
The one who acts straight-faced and wise
I’ve been in their shoes many times before
What they don’t know I hide behind my grip
The sturdy hand on this racquet is shaking at the core


Sole's Sole

You know you’re good
When your shoes are older than your feet
And yet you can still compete

Balls scatter like seeds on a lawn
Reluctantly crowd the ground
Each one with a story, a sound

Before the dust settles and lights dim
You take one more shot on the rise
Feeling the soul in your soles surmise

You guess this is the end
It’s hard to form a final thought
From the spot your anecdotes were wrought

You know you’re sold
When you crush a winner down the line
And you feel a tingle up your spine

Cano’s Clutch Clip Caps Comeback

All-star second baseman, Robinson Cano, belted a tie-breaking ninth inning homerun off All-Star closer, Rafael Soriano, to lift New York over the Rays 5-4 at Tropicana Field on Saturday. Cano’s 21st blast of 2010 gave the visiting Yankees their 34th come-from-behind victory of the season. The second baseman finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a solo shot. It was Cano’s 11th career homerun at Tropicana Field and was enough to snap the Rays’ seven-game winning streak. New York leads the AL East by two games over Tampa.
Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher added homeruns for New York as the Yankees defeated their division rivals behind starter, Javier Vazquez. The New York pitcher yielded four runs and eight hits through six plus innings. The Rays scored in the bottom of the first on Evan Longoria’s sacrifice fly and threatened to add to their one run lead after Carl Crawford stole his 38th base. Vazquez escaped the first without allowing another tally. The speedy left fielder for Tampa, Crawford, singled in a run in the third inning but not before the Yankees put up a run in the second. Curtis Granderson answered Longoria’s sacrifice fly with one of his own to tie the contest at 1-1. Tampa retook the lead in the third via Crawford’s RBI and increased their edge to 3-1 in the fifth on Jason Bartlett’s sacrifice fly.
Teixeira erased the 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning with a two run tater off Matt Garza. Garza, toeing the rubber for the first time since his no-hitter, lasted seven innings and allowed four hits on five runs. Garza struck out nine before handing the game over to his bullpen. Tampa’s Matt Joyce provided Garza with the lead again heading into the seventh frame. Joyce clubbed a solo homerun on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. Swisher pulled a full count Garza offering to right field in the seventh to make it a tie ball game again. The Yankees’ Boone Logan and Dave Robertson teamed up for a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth. Tampa’s Joaquin Benoit matched the relief duo by tossing a hitless eighth frame to keep the game knotted at 4-4. Cano’s crush off Soriano put the visiting team up by a run and closer, Mariano Rivera made it stand for good in the ninth. Rivera earned his 22nd save of the season, making a winner out of Robertson.
Yankees’ trade-deadline acquisition, Lance Berkman, went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter in his New York debut. New York shipped pitcher, Mark Melancon and infielder, Jimmy Paredes to Houston for Berkman. The Bombers made two more trades in the hours leading up to last night’s deadline. Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood were added to the roster. Kearns and Wood, an outfielder and pitcher from Cleveland, respectively, were traded for players to be named later. Wood’s addition provides a solid veteran in the bullpen and also puts Joba Chamberlain’s role in question. Kearns and Berkman are backup position players who add depth to the bench. Berkman will likely be inserted at first base and DH. Kearns will see time off the bench as a pinch hitter and reserve outfield option for Joe Girardi’s Bombers.

Parting Points: Sunday song- “All My Life” by Foo Fighters

Movie of the day- Brian’s Song

Waiting on a Wish

Today is baseball's trading deadline. To me, the day is like waiting on a wish for your team to acquire the player that may make a difference come playoff time.
This is a poem I wrote for a lost cause. It's about wishing you knew things you know you never will.

All The Things I Wish I Knew

I wish I knew how to forget you
I’d take my feelings
Seal them in an envelope
And mail them away
Like washing my car
I’d rub out the spots
Shine up the scratches
Settling in for a new traveling day
Place my thoughts in a bottle
Toss it in the sea
Send my message to a place
Where broken hearts flee
I’d take a sharp silver nail
Hammer it into soft wood
Flattened and forlorn, like me
Permanently in place for good
I wish I knew what it takes to let go
Of the way your eyes penetrate my soul
The way they console
The way they move
The way they foster tears and soothe
Raindrops left underneath a fallen tree
Are foreign to the world
Immune to unfair human decree
Silenced among the blossoms unfurled
I wish I knew the way to your breath
Then my wanderlust would apply
Justified by the depth
Of wishing to meet you when the road does die
Not unlike a ripple rolling from a stream
Following a path
Splashing on the rocks
Looking for a dream
That’s how I would be
If only I knew
The secret key
To clash waves with you