Tag: reds

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MLB General

Pete Rose will do anything for money



from baseball-almanac.com

Just like the Black Eyed Peas, Pete Rose will absolutely do anything for money. His latest shameless exploitation of baseball are a bunch of autographed baseballs that have the inscription “I’m sorry I bet on baseball – Pete Rose”.

The balls will be sold by Robert Edwards Auctions at $1000 each. We wonder what Rose is getting for signing 30 balls. But we also have to wonder who are these collectors who are buying up this stuff. If there is no demand for such cheap merchandise then Pete wouldn’t get a dime.

Let’s stop the insanity people. Next thing you know, OJ will be signing footballs with “I’m sorry I killed those people”.

Links:
[MSNBC]: Report: Rose signed balls apologizing for bets

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MLB General

The Full Count: Padres overtake the Reds



Ryan Franklin gives it up

1. Knocked off: It’s almost hard to remember a time when the Cincinnati Reds were not leading the Wild Card. They’ve had control of the lead ever since the All Star break and despite numerous competitors have not let go. Until now. The Reds lost their 5th game in a row, a stinging 16-inning defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game was tied at 6 for ten innings until pinch-hitter Ramon Martinez hit an improbable walk-off homerun, only his second jack of the year. The Dodgers, who have won 4 straight, find themselves three games up on their NL West competitors. The Reds are 3.5 back in their division and now a half-game back in the Wild Card.

2. New teams on the block: So which contenders overthrew the Reds to take the Wild Card lead? Well, the outright leaders are now the
San Diego Padres, who beat the Diamondbacks 8-3 yesterday behind the strong pitching of Chris Young. Young, who was a legit All Star contender after a few great performances before the break, had posted a 5.21 ERA afterwards. But he rebounded to his capable form, striking out 11 batters while allowing just 1 run last night. His 10th win of the season, along with Mike Piazza’s 19th dinger on the year, helped send SD to the WC lead. Also, Philadelphia is now a half-game back after another win. Ryan Howard hit his MLB-leading 48th homerun and 125th RBI of the season in the win. And don’t overlook the Florida Marlins as contenders as well. They have won 9 in a row after defeating the Cardinals yesterday.

3. Complete games galore: Of yesterday’s six AL games, three featured a complete game by a pitcher. C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians tossed his majors-leading 5th complete game of the year. He struck out 6 and allowed just 4 hits as the Indians beat the Blue Jays 5-2. Now let’s go to our favorite All Star: Mark Redman! He tossed a shutout for the Kansas City Royals against the Twins, allowing just 5 hits on the night. He improved to a glorious (by Royal standards) 8-8 on the season. And now for the last CG, throw by Kevin Millwood of the Rangers. He allowed 4 runs to the Orioles but received plenty of run support in a Rangers win.

4. Taking it back: So much for the Twins leading the Wild Card. The Chicago White Sox took advantage of their loss by winning against the D-Rays 12-9. Freddy Garcia allowed 5 runs but still won as he got all the run support a pitcher could ask for. Jermaine Dye continued his recent streak with a homerun (39) and 4 RBIs. Joe Crede improved his average to over .300, going 4-5 with two knocked in. The losing Devil Rays also had something to smile about. In his major league debut, Delmon Young hit a two-run homer. Young is well-known for his infamous bat-throwing incident with a minor league umpire earlier this year, but he has served that suspension and was called up yesterday. The ChiSox lead the Wild Card by a half-game.

5. Tripped up: The Braves showcased their offense yesterday in a 13-8 blowout against the Giants. Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, and Adam LaRoche all went deep for the Braves, but it will be one of Andruw’s two shots that is most memorable. Jones tripped and fell on his way to first during his homerun trot, causing an array of laughter in the
Braves’ dugout. (Here is video of the incident.) For the Giants, Barry Bonds had one of his better games of the year. Bonds went deep twice, giving him 19 homers on the season and 727 for his career. He also made a homerun-saving catch in the loss.

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MLB General

The Full Count: Jered Weaver finally goes down



What losing feels like

1. Finally defeated: One of the greatest streaks this baseball season is finally over. Jered Weaver of the Angels, who had won his first 9 career decisions, lost for the first time yesterday to the Boston Red Sox. But Weaver didn’t have a bad start; in fact he allowed only one run and four hits in six innings. His only fault was allowing a David Ortiz homerun, Ortiz’s 46th of the season. But he lost due to lack of run support as the Angels put up no runs with him in the game. The broken streak left him tied with Whitney Ford as the only pitchers who won their first 9 games as a rookie. Boston’s 2-1 win gave them the series win over the Angels after their disastrous 5 game sweep against the Yankees last weekend. They stand 5.5 back from New York still in the division.

2. Showing off: In terms of talent level, the Twins might be the most solid all-around team in baseball. With their excellent starters, MLB-best bullpen, and dangerous young hitters, they can do everything well. The only thing they need is a new stadium and some fans to go along with it. Yesterday, they dismantled the Orioles 11-2 in an offensive outpour. Joe Mauer, who leads all batters with a .361 average, had 3 hits and 4 RBIs on the day to lead the charge. Justin Morneau hit his 32nd homer, while Michael Cuddyer went 4-4 and drove in 4 runs. The Twins won their second straight and 7th out of 10, though they still trail Chicago by a half-game. The White Sox won again yesterday over Detroit. The two teams will start a pivotal three-game series today.

3. Call it a draw: We now have co-division leaders in one division. That’s the NL Central, as the Reds and Cardinals are now tied with both teams going in different directions. That’s another way of saying the Reds are hot while the Cards are sucking it up. St. Louis got swept by the Mets yesterday when New York defeated them 6-2. Meanwhile, Cincy started off their series against San Fran well, with a 6-3 victory. The Cardinals will look to start winning against their rival Cubs over the weekend, while the Reds will play the Giants three more times as part of a 10-game West Coast trip.

4. Losing team, winning pitcher: Where would the Cubs be without Carlos Zambrano? Even further down the standings, most likely. They are 40-68 in games the Zambrano does not record a decision, while his record is 14-5. He got his NL-leading 14th yesterday against the Phillies, and now Zambrano is one of the leading Cy Young candidates in the league. He ranks first in wins and strikeouts in addition to innings pitched and opponent’s batting average. His 3.31 ERA isn’t in the top 5 but that doesn’t really matter in a year when no NL pitcher is below 2.90. In the end Zambrano will be a leading Cy candidate and will face off with the Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb for the honors.

5. Back to the Past: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play baseball in the pre-World Series era? When a walk was six balls, a foul didn’t count as a strike, a hit batter was only a ball, and the umpires were addressed as “sir?” Well, here’s your chance. Former major league pitcher Jim Bouton announced the creation of the Vintage Base Ball Federation, or VBBF. The teams will play using pre-1900’s rules and equipment. They will play games over the course of an unspecified season and will play a VBBF World Series next August. Now there’s something to get excited about!

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New York Mets

August 25 in Sports History: Doc Gooden enters the record books


In 1985: Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets became the youngest pitcher ever to record 20 wins in a season with a 9-3 victory over the Padres. “Doctor K” was 20 years and nine months, one month older than Bob Feller, who previously held the record. Gooden won the pitching Triple Crown that year with a 24-4 record, 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts. He helped the Mets win the World Series in 1986, but substance abuse and off-the-field problems ruined what probably would have been a Hall of Fame career. He became a journeyman instead, drifting to the Yankees (where he threw a no-hitter in 1996), Indians, Astros and Devil Rays. He retired as a Yankee in 2000. (baseballlibrary.com)

In 1939: The first nationally televised Major League Baseball game took place in Cincinnati, with a doubleheader between the Dodgers and the Reds. The game was broadcast by Red Barber over W2XBS, and the teams split the doubleheader. In 1995, Windows 95 debuted, and in 1853, potato chips were invented by chef George Crum (seriously). (Magic City Morning Star)

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MLB General

The Full Count: This ship is sinking


1. A great game…: If you like scoring, comebacks, and a little controversy (see next story), then you would have loved the Blue Jays-A’s game yesterday. The Blue Jays developed an 8-0 lead after two innings that featured Alex Rios (16) and Troy Glaus (31) homeruns. But then the A’s stormed back with 7 runs in the third, all off Ted Lilly. They tacked on four more in the sixth to make it a 11-8 Oakland lead, and despite a few more runs by the Blue Jays they held them off 12-10. Jason Kendall had 4 hits while Bobby Kielty had 4 RBIs. Oakland’s win was their 71st of the season, and they have built a five-game lead over the Angels in their division. But the real story from this game was a rare player-manager fight:

2. …leads to another fight: What is it about Blue Jays manager John Gibbons that leads to so many confrontations? Gibbons, who infamously challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight earlier this year, got into a scrap with pitcher Ted Lilly. When he went to the mound to take Lilly out after he allowed seven runs, the two exchanged heated words in a face-to-face argument. Then when Lilly went from the dugout to the locker room, Gibbons followed him and they scrapped. Unfortunately there is no clear video of the fight, though both involved said they did not exchange punches. However, several reports claimed that Gibbons had a bloody nose resulting from the fight. Whatever happened, things like this are embarrassments to the organization. With all the money the Jays front office poured into the team this offseason, they should expect a little more discipline from the players and managers. Don’t be surprised if a new manager takes over before next season.

3. 80 is here: The Detroit Tigers were the first team to 50 wins, the first to 60, the first to 70, and yesterday they won the big 8-0. Playing the White Sox in the first game of a four-game series, they easily ousted their rivals in a surprisingly one-sided pitching matchup. Jose Contreras was pitching against Justin Verlander, but he was no match for the rookie. Verlander won his 15th game of the season by allowing one run in seven innings. Meanwhile, Contreras has played terribly since his win streak ended and had one of his worst starts of the season. The Tigers tagged him for 7 runs in just 5 innings, his second consecutive seven-run start. The Tigers got 3 RBIs from Sean Casey and a homerun by Craig Monroe to lead their 7-1 blowout. They now lead Chicago by 6.5 games in the division, though the White Sox are honestly more worried about their Wild Card lead right now.

4. A Wild Series: Can the two-time defending NL Wild Card champion defeat the team that is leading the WC race this year? That’s the basic premise of the Reds-Astros series, which should be entertaining. But so far this season series has been one-sided: the Reds have won 8 of 10 against Houston. That was no different last night, when Cincy slipped by 4-3. Houston was leading 3-0 going into the eighth inning due in large part to Andy Pettitte’s 10 K start. Lance Berkman and Aubrey Huff had also hit homeruns. But then the Reds made their charge in the 8th, with a Rick Aurilla shot tying it up and a Royce Clayton single giving them the lead. Cincinnati’s win kept their Wild Card lead at 2 games and put them the same distance back from the Cardinals in the division. This team just won’t go away.

5. What a start: When John Smoltz is on the top of his game, it can be very hard to stop him. Just ask the Pirates, who couldn’t get anything off of him in yesterday’s game. Smoltz pitched 8 innings, allowing no runs, while sending down 10 Pirates. He held a no-hitter through 5 innings and could hardly miss the strike zone all night. He gave the Braves a 3-0 win after Bob Wickman continued his 12 inning scoreless streak since he joined the Braves. Atlanta is still struggling and is no where near a playoff spot at 59-65.

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Dodgers chugging along


1. The wins keep on coming: The LA Dodgers have been the most inconsistent team in baseball for the last month. After losing 12 out of 13 games, the team has now won 11 in a row. Last night they won 4-2 over Colorado, with former Braves Rafael Furcal and Wilson Betemit hitting homers. Greg Maddux, in his second start with the team, pitched well but got a no-decision. Los Angeles is suddenly a half-game back of the slipping Padres for the NL West lead. They have the best offense in the division, while inexplicably the Rockies have allowed the fewest runs in the NL.

2. Blown away: The Yankees-White Sox series looked entertaining on paper, and last night’s kickoff game didn’t disappoint. New York, via a homerun by Alex Rodriguez, was leading 5-4 going into the ninth inning. Of course they put in Mariano Rivera, but he faltered by blowing his third save of the year. Rivera allowed a homerun to Paul Konerko, sending the game into extras. The White Sox won on Jermaine Dye’s RBI single in the 11th, giving them the AL Wild Card lead once again. The Yankees, due to a Boston loss, are still two games ahead in the AL East.

3. Red Tide: The Reds, after being crushed 13-1 in their series opener against the Cardinals, retaliated with a 10-3 victory of their own. Ryan Freel had 3 of the Reds’ 17 hits, and also made a spectacular diving catch that saved a run. Adam Dunn and Rich Aurilla hit 2 hits and 3 RBIs apiece, while Eric Milton cruised through six innings. For the Cardinals, Jason Marquis was saddled with his 10th loss of the season. He only lasted 60 pitches and 2.2 innings, even though he only was charged with 4 runs. The loss put the Cardinals back to 3.5 games ahead of the Reds, who are still tied with Los Angeles for the Wild Card lead. Both teams have only 3 wins in their last 10 games.

4. Can you pitch?: The Braves have asked that question to numerous players this year, and few have worked out. Their bullpen troubles have been well-chronicled, though their starting pitching has been equally awful lately. Tim Hudson in particular has been mediocre; coming into last night’s game he had allowed 4 earned runs or more in 8 of his last 9 starts. But he finally was able to pitch well yesterday, allowing no runs in 7 innings against the Phillies. He struck out 8 as the Braves won 3-1, their least runs allowed as a team since July 23.

5. We knew it was a bad trade: Almost everyone was in agreement over the Reds-Nationals trade in mid-July: the Nationals got the better part of the deal. They received Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for relievers Bill Bray and Gary Majewski. Now, after Majewski was placed on the DL, even the Reds’ GM is questioning the trade. According to numerous news sources, Wayne Krivsky called Nats GM Jim Bowden to ask why the team hadn’t told him about Majewski’s sore shoulder. Majewski had received a cortisone shot right before the transaction was made, and apparently the Reds didn’t know about it. Naturally, Bowden declined that he was even contacted by the Reds, and he claims that the Nationals provided all the medical information they were asked for. Krivsky might file a grievance over the deal, and this could get nasty.

Categories
Cincinnati Reds

Odds and Ends: Shackleford is cleared

A couple of weeks ago, we told you how Reds pitcher Brian Shackelford was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in a hotel room. Today, Shackleford was completely exonerated and his attorney was told he would not be charged. No further details were available. The media likes to report on athletes getting arrested but tends not to follow up when it turns out they’re innocent. We’re just helping to clear his name.

In other news…

[SI]: Zidane suspended for three games even though he’s retired.

[Yahoo]: Duke QB suspended for plagiarism

[Sportsline]: Kentucky in trouble for recruiting violation because fans were contacting recruits on their myspace page

[The Sports Dirt]: Redskins owner Daniel Snyder starts sports-talk chain

[Sports BBQ]: Steve Nash cuts off his hair — coincidental that his wife’s name is Delilah

Categories
Boston Red Sox

Odds and Ends (07.07.06): Manny Ramirez called owners "White Devils"

From the new book by Seth Mnookin called Feeding the Monster, comes this little nugget:


stat analyst Bill James did a study in the 2003 season in which Rami rez was cited for half of the 60 instances in which Sox players did not hustle, and this spring, after the Sox did not trade him yet again after he’d asked to be dealt, Rami rez directed a rant at the owners in which he referred to them as “[expletive] white devils.

Man, that’s just Manny being Manny racist. (Story via Drunken Bleachers Blog)

In other news…

[Cincinnati Enquirer]: Shackelford out of jail, in minors

[NY Daily News]: Isiah’s already eyeing playoffs

[SI.com]: Minor-leaguer killed just after release

[USA Today]: Damn, even punters are cheating

[Seattle Times]: Bland ESPN has lost its way

Categories
Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brian Shackleford arrested

You know, the sports pages sometimes read like the police blotter and it seems to be happening more and more recently. The latest is Brian Shackleford who was arrested at Miller Park on suspicion of third-degree sexual assault for an incident that took place in a hotel room on July 3rd.

According to a radio station in Milwaukee, Shackleford met a woman through Match.com and she claimed that something improper happened at the hotel. On one hand, the sexual assault is really bad publicity for Match.com. On the other hand, Match.com is so popular that you can meet professional athletes on it!

Check out Brian Shackleford’s Match.com profile. “Im a baseball player looking to meet new people. I love to have a good time and can have fun with anyone. I like going out to eat, having a good time, having a coupel of drinks…” Except for the baseball player part, this could be any lame ass profile on match. How sad is it that a professional baseball player has to do online dating?

Before we jump to conclusions, let us remind you that allegations are not always the truth. Remember the woman who claimed she was raped by Erik Williams and Michael Irvin and then lated admitted she made it up? We’ll keep you updated on this story.

Links:
[WCPO]: Reds’ Shackelford Arrested For Sexual Assault

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Dunn powers Reds



Photo from Cincypost

1. Well Dunn: Adam Dunn has been jacking homeruns left and right lately, but many have come in losses. He hit 4 homeruns over the course of the Reds’ 5-game losing streak, all solo shots. On Wednesday he finally hit a homer that mattered, a 11th-inning, 3-run shot that lifted the Reds over the Brewers. Dunn’s homer drove in the only runs for either side in this unexpected pitching duel. Now he has 23 blasts on the year, second in the majors. Unfortunately, Dunn’s usual problem, batting average, has plagued him once again. He is hitting just .239, down from even his pitiful career average of .247. If Dunn can mix some contact hitting with his superb power, we could be seeing a special player.

2. Coming out: Before the 2005 season, many expected Twins first baseman Justin Morneau to become a star. Nope. He hit just .239 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs. But this year, he is having a marvelous season, with 15 homers, 51 RBIs, and a .521 slugging average. He has delivered the punch that the usually powerless Twins need, leading the team in both power categories. Yesterday he helped the Twins to a 8-1 win over the Red Sox, with a grand slam. Morneau wasn’t the only Twin to continue a hot streak. Jason Kubel, who was called up from the minors just three weeks ago, followed up Tuesday’s game winning homer with a 2-run shot. Kubel has 4 homers and 14 RBIs now since being called up, and should be a part of the Twins’ lineup for the rest of the year if he continues this kind of performance. Minnesota has now won five of their past six games and is tied with Cleveland for third place.

3. The new class of the NL: Hand over the reigns, St. Louis Cardinals. The new best team in the National League, at least for now, is the New York Mets. The Mets have blown by opponents with their unbelievable lineup and better-than-expected pitching staff. They are on a 7-game winning streak, and after last night’s win over the Phillies are ahead by 8.5 in the NL East. This is by far the farthest lead any team has in their division a parity-filled year for baseball. Last night, the Beltran-Delgado-Wright middle of the order proved tough once again. They combined to go 6-12 with 6 RBIs and a homerun by Wright. Each player has been on fire lately, and each right now is a candidate for NL MVP. Who knows if they can hold this up, but with the Braves completely out of the picture, it chould be smooth sailing for the New York Mets.

4. It’s personal: Randy Johnson was in the middle of one of his best outings of the year when, well, he got thrown out of the game. After Yankees catcher Jorge Posada was plunked in the sixth inning, both benches were warned. But that didn’t stop Johnson from throwing inside to Eduardo Perez, narrowly missing his elbow. Johnson and manager Joe Torre were promptly ejected, but the Yankees crowd still chanted in approval. Johnson pitched six innings and allowed only 1 run, and the Yanks beat the Indians 6-1.

5. Interleague time!: Interleague play has been on hiatus since mid-May, but it returns this Friday. Unfortunately, the matchups aren’t all that exciting. There are only three series between teams with winning records. The Diamondbacks and the Rangers square off, the White Sox take on the Reds, and the Dodgers face the A’s. Otherwise, there’s not too much to get excited about unless an interesting team is coming to a ballpark near you (the Tigers go to Wrigley, the Red Sox travel to Atlanta, and the Yankees go to DC). The coming weeks will bring on better games, as the White Sox play the Cardinals, the Phillies go to Boston, and the Mets face the Blue Jays, among others.