Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Twins in, White Sox out


1. Twins are in: The Minnesota Twins became the third AL team to clinch a playoff berth. With an 8-1 victory over the Royals, they secured at least the Wild Card title. They could still win the overall division title, though that really wouldn’t do much for them. The 93-63 Twins continue to win even with injuries to stud starters Francisco Liriano and Brad Radke. That’s because of a dominant Johan Santana, a resurgent offense, and a capable bullpen. Joe Nathan has been the most underrated closer in baseball this season, with 35 saves, 6 wins, and a 1.65 ERA. On offense, players like Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been getting most of the attention, and they deserve it. But Torri Hunter and Michael Cuddyer have really stepped up the second half. Cuddyer in fact is having the most unknown 100-RBI season in baseball this year, while Hunter is having a career best season with 30 and 95. It’s all the little pieces that keep the Twins going and that make them the most dangerous team heading into the playoffs.

2. Unable to defend: The White Sox have gone from the best team in baseball to completely out of the playoff race. The Twins’ clinching of a spot yesterday meant that the ChiSox were eliminated from postseason contention. They got blown out 14-1 by the Indians in their final meaningful game of the season. The White Sox’s downfall was starting pitching. Contreras, Buehrle, Garcia, and Garland have all gone from ERA’s in the 3s last year to plus-4 ERA’s this season. While their offense has been one of the best in baseball, that hasn’t been enough to produce wins down the stretch. The team’s collapse even cost Jermaine Dye an MVP award. Expect to see a vastly different White Sox team take the field next season.

3. It’s not over–yet: Amazingly, the Houston Astros are still in the playoff hunt. After beating the Phillies yesterday in the opener of a pivotal series, the Astros improved to .500 for the first time in a long time. At 78-78, they are 2.5 games back from the division-leading Cardinals. Compare this to about a week ago, when they trailed the Cards by 8.5. Winning the division is about their only hope of making the playoffs, as they still trail by four games in the Wild Card hunt. Keep an eye on the Astros, but don’t expect much from this inconsistent team.

4. Will you win already?: The A’s have been sitting around with a magic number of 2 for the last few games. They have lost three in a row while the barely-alive Angels have won three in a row, meaning they still have to win to get in. While Oakland will still make the postseason barring an improbable collapse, it’s never good to be terrible at the end of the regular season. They allowed 21 hits yesterday in a 10-9 loss to Seattle. The Angels beat the Rangers, but are still five games back.

5. Junior ties Reggie: Ken Griffey Jr. tied Reggie Jackson at #10 on the all time HR list with three run pinch-hit dinger. At 563, he needs another 7 to pass Rafael Palmeiro for 9th place. The Reds have been out of the playoff race for some time now but it’s good to see Griffey reinforcing his stature as a Hall of Fame player.

Categories
Golf

Sep 26 in Sports History: US wins its last Ryder Cup



Man those were ugly uniforms

In 1999: In a stirring Sunday comeback predicted the day before by captain Ben Crenshaw, the United States defeated Europe 14 ½ to 13 ½ to win its 25th (and most recent) Ryder Cup. Trailing 10-6 going onto Sunday’s singles matches at the Country Club in Brookline, MA, the U.S. won 8 ½ points, the most ever for a final round. Justin Leonard’s dramatic 45-foot putt on the 17th green to defeat Jose Maria Olazabal was the signature moment, as the United States team swarmed to Leonard (and stepped on Olazabal’s lie, miffing the Europeans) as the putt dropped.

In 1981: Nolan Ryan of Astros no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers, 5-0 at the Houston Astrodome. It was Ryan’s fifth career no-hitter, surpassing Sandy Koufax’s record of four. Ryan would go on to throw two more no-hitters in the 1990s, becoming the only player to throw no-no’s in three different decades.

Categories
Seattle Seahawks

The Madden Cover Curse stikes again: Shaun Alexander breaks foot



Death, Taxes, and
Madden cover jinx

When EA Sports announced that Shaun Alexander would be on the cover of Madden 2007, we knew it was only a matter of time before a major injury hit Alexander. Well, that time is now. The Seahawks announced that Alexander will be out indefinitely with a broken bone in his left foot. Mike Holmgren revealed that Alexander broke the bone sometime in the game against the New York Giants.

Time to update the Madden cover jinx hit list.

  • 2001 Eddie George: His jinx took a year to kick in but his rushing production went from 1509 yards to 939 the year after appearing on the cover.
  • 2002 Daunte Culpepper: Daunte went from fantasy stud (33 TDs and 3937 yards) to fantasy dud (14 TDs and 2612 yards) and finally succumbed to a knee injury.
  • 2003 Marshall Faulk: Total production went from 2147 to 1490 all purpose yards, a 44% decrease. The Rams went from Super Bowl runner up to 7-9.
  • 2004 Michael Vick: Broke his ankle in a preseason game. The quickest jinx in Madden history.
  • 2005 Ray Lewis: Ray Lewis avoids the cover jinx… because he was just standing there.. didn’t see a thing. Nope. Didn’t see a thing.
  • 2006 Donovan McNabb: DMac got into a highly publicized feud with Terrell Owens and then had his season cut short by a sports hernia.
  • 2007 Shaun Alexander: Breaks bone in left foot in the third game of the season.

Links:
[MSNBC]: Alexander out indefinitely with broken foot

Categories
New York Knicks

Larry Brown is just getting greedy



Needs another $12.5M for a
new sweater

When Larry Brown was fired from the New York Knicks after a disaster of a season, we figured that Larry would demand the rest of his contract to be paid up and then they’d settle for something close to $41 million but not quite. Well it turns out that Larry Brown thinks he deserves more than the full $50 for his one year of service. On top of the remainder of his $50M contract, LB has asked for another $12.5M for “liquidated damages” and attorneys fees.

Let’s see, $62.5M for 23 wins works out to $2.7M per win. Isn’t it amazing that Larry Brown actually thinks he deserves MORE money for getting fired? Most people would just slink away with a $41M lump sum check and call it a day but not Larry, he wants to collect the money “the right way”. Sadly some other team will be desperate enough to hire Larry Brown to turn their franchise around and Larry will collect yet another paycheck. The man is a genius.

Links:
[NY Post]: BROWN SEEKS $62M

Categories
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals keep lighting up the arrests scoreboard


The Cincinnati Bengals had a statement win yesterday, beating defending Super Bowl champs the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-20 in a great game. So how do the NFL’s version of the Jailblazers celebrate? By having a player get arrested of course.

Odell Thurman, who is already serving a four game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy was pulled over and arrested for DUI early Sunday morning. He blew a .17 in a state with a legal limit of .08 on the breathalyzer.

Thurman said he had a few beers but was driving because the other passengers were in worse shape. The two passengers turned out to be Chris Henry and rookie WR Reggie McNeal. To prove Thurman’s point, Chris Henry proceeded to throw up out the window of the car.

Here’s what I like about the Bengals. They’re not afraid to spread the arrests around. They’re like one of those west coast offenses where each offensive player ends up with 3 catches and 30 yards each. Look at the selfishness of Chris Henry here. Having already been arrested for a gun charge in Florida, Henry knew that it wasn’t his turn to get arrested on a DUI so he let Odell Thurman drive. Next week, who knows, maybe the rookie will get his chance to shine. Teamwork folks.

Links:
[Cincinnati Enquirer]: Thurman busted in OVI check

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader



Someone get him some coffee

1. 479: Is Trevor Hoffman the best closer ever? It’s a tough argument, but Hoffman now has the ultimate in closing records: the all-time saves record. Hoffman saved his 479th career game on Sunday, breaking Lee Smith’s mark. It was his 43rd save of the year, which has arguably been the second-best season of his career (in 1998 he saved 53 in 54 chances). He closed out the last two games of the Padres sweep of the Pirates, giving the team a one-and-a-half game lead in the division. Hoffman deserves some serious consideration for the NL Cy Young; he has a 1.95 ERA, .93 WHIP, and .198 opponent’s batting average. Even more impressive, he’s done all this as a 38-year old without a true out pitch. One pitch, a changeup, has made Hoffman an all-time record holder.

2. Speaking of closing: The A’s have almost clinched the AL West division title. The Angels, the only team that could possibly pass Oakland, stayed alive for two more days. They beat the A’s twice in a row over the weekend to keep them from clinching the West. Oakland’s magic number remains at 1.

3. The Inevitable: Detroit has been leading the American League Central division every single day since May. Though they had been the best team in the MLB most of the summer, the Tigers had been fading recently. Still, they were able to finally clinch a playoff spot yesterday, finally securing what had seemed inevitable for a while. They clinched the postseason after a three-game sweep in Kansas City, routing the Royals a combined 33-11. Justin Verlander, who has led the Tigers for most of the season, improved to 17-9. Detroit, who is 94-62, still hasn’t wrapped up the division. They likely will, though, and in they will probably face the A’s in the first round of the playoffs.

4. The only race left: Almost every postseason spot has been clinched or is on the verge of being clinched. The lone race remaining is the three-team shootout for two NL playoff spots. The Phillies, Dodgers, and Padres are going at it for the Wild Card and the West division title. All three teams won yesterday. The Phils hit five homers, including two by Chase Utley, to rout the Marlins 10-7. Jamie Moyer, the former Mariner, improved to 4-2 as a Phillie. The Dodgers won in more dramatic fashion. They were tied with the D-Backs 1-1 in the ninth inning. Then Nomar Garciaparra hit a walk off grand slam, his 19th homer of the year. Garciaparra is the obvious choice for NL comeback player of the year and has produced many clutch hits this year. He’s kept the Dodgers, who are a half-game back of the Phillies, in the race.

5. The Braves are officially done: With only six games left, the Braves were officially eliminted from the postseason for the first time in 14 years with a loss to the Rockies. Even with a 7-0 lead in the fourth, the Braves couldn’t hold on to win. The chances of Atlanta making the playoffs were slim to none but now Slim has officially left the building.

Categories
New York Knicks

Sep 25 in Sports History: Marv Albert gets arrested


In 1997: In one of the most uncomfortable and embarrassing moments in sportscasting history, announcer Marv Albert plead guilty to assault and battery of a female companion in a Virginia hotel room. Albert was accused of repeatedly biting the woman on the back and forcing her to perform sex acts. Albert was immediately fired from his job at NBC, where he did NBA and NFL broadcasts; and he was forced to resign from MSG Network as the voice of the New York Knicks, where he started over 30 years ago. He was rehired by NBC a few years later and became the voice of the New Jersey Nets in 2005 on the YES Network.

In 2001: Despite being “99.9 percent sure” he would never play again, Michael Jordan announced he would be returning (again) to play in the NBA, this time for the Washington Wizards. Jordan, who was already the president of basketball operations, played two more seasons for the lowly Wizards, averaging 21 points and selling out all 82 home games at the MCI Center in Washington (and most arenas on the road). He retired at the end of the 2003 season.

In 1994: In the most shocking upset since Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas, journeyman Oliver McCall knocked out heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis in Lewis’ hometown of London. McCall lost the title shortly thereafter, and is most remembered for his nervous breakdown in the ring in a rematch against Lewis, when he began crying and refused to defend himself. Many speculated that McCall was on drugs. All tests, however, came up negative.

Categories
MLB General

MLB Power Rankings Roundup for Sep 22 2006

Well, only one more week left in the season and we’re down to the teams that really matter in the top ten. The Twins have been rising rising rising and have inexplicably come within 1/2 a game of the central lead as of press time. Their rankings around the web have likewise risen. As for the White Sox, does a team that won’t even make the postseason belong in the top 10?

Here are your MLB Power Rankings by top sites this week.

Rank Sportscolumn ESPN FoxSports Sportsline USA Today TSN.ca
1 Yankees Yankees Mets Yankees Yankees Yankees
2 Mets Twins Yankees Twins Mets Mets
3 Twins Mets Tigers Mets Tigers Twins
4 A’s A’s Twins A’s Twins Dodgers
5 Tigers Angels A’s Tigers A’s Padres
6 White Sox Padres White Sox Dodgers White Sox A’s
7 Angels Tigers Angels Padres Cardinals Angels
8 Cardinals Phillies Blue Jays Phillies Dodgers Tigers
9 Dodgers Dodgers Rangers Angels Angels White Sox
10 Padres Cardinals Red Sox Cardinals Padres Blue Jays
11-30 more more more more more more

Categories
Baltimore Orioles

Orioles fans walk out in protest



Is that Oddjob?

A sports talk radio station in Baltimore, WNST organized a protest against current owner Peter Angelos for making the Orioles a terrible team.


WE, the lifelong fans of the Baltimore Orioles, demand new ownership. We want someone other than Peter G. Angelos and his group owning, making decisions and fortifying the baseball team and civic treasure that is the Orioles.

After 13 years of bad management, fan apathy (and in some cases fan abuse) and horrible baseball, we feel it is time for a fan revolt and we will use this website and “rally” day as our only means of unifying, coordinating and, hopefully at some point, taking back a tremendous source of civic pride, joy and community formerly known as the Baltimore Orioles.

Well, apparently the protest got about a thousand orioles fans to buy the cheapest tickets in the house and walk out at 5:08 PM. Baltimore averages only about 27 thousand fans a game so a thousand folks is somewhat significant but hardly as much of a dent as this photo would indicate.

Sure it’s a PR embarassment for the ownership group of the Orioles but is the rally going to do anything but be a black eye for a couple of days and some free press for the radio station that organized it? Probably not. Still, kudos to the thousand or so Orioles fans who felt passionate enough about their team to get out there. A thousand folks isn’t that much but it beats the usual attendance at Braves playoff games…

Links:
[Oriole Magic]: THE RALLY

[Yahoo]: Orioles protesters walk out on team

Categories
MLB General

The Full Count: NL Wildcard race is coming down to the wire



Phils try to sneak in

1. Still up for Grabs: While the Twins or Tigers have the American League Wild Card wrapped up, the National League’s Wild Card is still wide open. San Francisco, Atlanta, and Florida are all within striking distance, but really it is down to three teams: the Padres, Dodgers, and Phillies. Two of those teams will make the playoffs, as one will win the NL West, but the other will have to go home. Yesterday the Dodgers and Padres played while the Phillies were off. The Dodgers won 5-2 over the Pirates to put the pressure on the Phils with a half-game lead. Takashi Saito, LA’s unknown closer, saved his 20th game of the season and has only blown two. With 10 games left in the season and the Phils and Dodgers virtually tied, this race will come down to the finish line.

2. You shall not pass: The Minnesota Twins could have taken the AL Central lead last night. With a Tigers loss and Johan Santana on the mound, it seemed like they might have a good chance of doing so. But the Boston Red Sox, who are out of contention, outplayed them in every way. David Ortiz hit two homers, no. 51 and 52 on the season, and went 3-3 to lead the charge. Santana just lasted five innings, allowing four runs but only two earned. The unearned runs were off of Johan’s own throwing error. He was hit with his first loss since the All Star break, but is still 18-6 with a 2.79 ERA. The Twins offense could muster nothing against Josh Beckett on the night, and the team fell 6-0.

3. Leading but not leading: The San Diego Padres are still leading their division by a half-game. But their most important player is just shy of another lead. Trevor Hoffman saved his 41st game of the season last night, putting him within one of Lee Smith’s all time saves record. He has 477 career saves and should break the record by the time the season is over. Would that make Hoffman a Hall of Famer, even though Smith isn’t? He should make it in, though he probably won’t. By the way, the rest of San Diego’s schedule looks like this: Pittsburgh at home, then St. Louis and Arizona on the road.

4. An Underrated Player: At 5.5 games out of the Wild Card race, there is little chance Houston will make the playoffs. But the accomplishments of one player are worth stating. That player is Lance Berkman, and he has received little attention despite a monstrous campaign. Yesterday he hit two homers and four RBIs to single-handedly beat the Cardinals. This is nothing new to Berkman, who has carried the Astros offense the entire season. Berk’s hitting .315, with 43 homers and 126 RBIs. His OPS of 1.049 ranks third in the league. And, due to an outrageous number of walks, he’s done this in just 498 at-bats. What an incredible player. If Berkman played for a contending team, people might realize he’s been just as good with the bat this season as Albert Pujols.

5. The Race for #30: The playoff races are interesting as always this year. But how about this: the Devil Rays and Royals are tied for the honor of worst MLB team. While Kansas City seemingly had this wrapped up months ago, the D-Rays have fallen after a 1-9 skid. The Royals have been outscored 708-900, while the D-Rays are slightly better with a 647-808 margin. Both teams stand at 58-94, and both will likely reach 100 losses. With either of these franchises ever succeed? It’s hard to imagine a turnaround, though this year’s Tigers proved that is possible.