Thursday, October 9, 2014

Tim Kurkjian's 5 Questions for the NLCS



Four of the past eight World Series champions have come from the teams in this 2014 National League Championship Series, which might suggest that the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals have spectacular talent. Instead, they are more great organizations that teach the game properly, that every at-bat is a fistfight, and every pitch is the biggest one of the game. Each had less talent than their opponents in the division series, but the Giants were more tough-minded and October-tested than the Washington Nationals, and the Cardinals were focused on winning while the Los Angeles Dodgers were thinking too much about tipping pitches and the strike zone. Now these two will meet in the playoffs for the fourth time. The Cardinals are the first team since the 1998-2001 New York Yankees to go to four straight league championship series. And the Giants will be going for the third time in five years. It should really be great.


Here are five questions.
Bumgarner

In what sort of shape is the Giants' rotation?

Very good. Ace Madison Bumgarner has thrown very well in this postseason -- and every postseason -- save for one wild throw to third base on a bunt in Game 3 of the NLDS against the Nationals. He has pitched much better on the road than at home this year, and will start Game 1 in St. Louis. The Giants support him well, scoring 5.03 runs per start during the regular season; only Clayton Kershaw and Jorge De La Rosa received better run support among NL starters. Jake Peavybattled through 5⅔ innings to win Game 1 of the NLDS, and Tim Hudson was terrific in Game 2. Ryan Vogelsong lifted the Giants in Game 4 with 5⅔ innings of solid work, this coming off a September in which he went 0-4 with a 5.53 ERA. What happens to him in October is amazing. He has made five straight October starts (his only five), allowing one run or less; only Curt Schilling, with six, has a longer streak in postseason history. Vogelsong's 1.19 ERA is the third-best in postseason history among those with at least five starts, trailing only Sandy Koufax and Christy Mathewson.
Wainwright

In what short of shape is the Cardinals' rotation?

A little unsettled. Ace Adam Wainwright got hammered in Game 1 against the Dodgers, but didn't get the loss because Kershaw got hit harder. Kershaw came back on short rest while the Cardinals weren't even committing to Wainwright for Game 5. He had some arm issues in August, pitched through them in September, but says he is ready to go in Game 1. The rest of the Cardinals' rotation -- John Lackey, Lance Lynn and Shelby Miller -- did very well in the NLDS. Lackey, who has thrown more postseason innings than any active pitcher, is past his tired-arm stage down the stretch, and his good, biting slider is back. The Giants were just 30-30 against left-handed starters this year; the Indians and A's were the only other teams to be .500 or below against lefties, but above .500 against right-handers. And the only starting pitchers the Giants are going to see in this series are righties.
Belt

How do the Giants score runs?

It's hard to tell sometimes. In the clinching Game 4 against the Nationals, they scored their three runs on a bases-loaded walk, a ground ball to the first baseman and a wild pitch. They were terrible with runners in scoring position against the Nationals, but somehow got enough big hits to win three times. In Game 2 of the NLDS, for instance, Brandon Belt became the first player ever to hit a game-deciding home run at the time that he was 0-for-6 in a game. The Giants beat the Nationals despite a 2-for-18, no-runs-scored performance from their leadoff man, Gregor Blanco, and while platooning in left field with Travis Ishikawa and Juan Perez. In the NLDS, when they faced a right-handed starter they had no left-handed hitter coming off the bench. Their hope is that left fielder Michael Morse, who missed most of September with an oblique strain, will be active for this series. But even if that's the case, the Giants' lineup is not imposing. Yet they seem to find a way to score just enough to win.
Carpenter

From where did the Cardinals' power come?

They finished last in the league (and 29th overall) in home runs with 105, then hit seven in four games against the Dodgers. Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenterbecame the first player in postseason history to hit a home run and a double in three straight games. And first baseman Matt Adams became the first player since Miguel Olivo in 2012 to hit a home run with at least two men on base against Kershaw. They took Kershaw deep three times, beating him twice, and pounding the Dodgers' bullpen. The Cardinals did not enter the seventh inning with a lead in any of the four games, but won three of them by outscoring the Dodgers 15-4 in the seventh through ninth innings. And they did it with power, left-handed power: Cardinals left-handed hitters hit five homers against left-handed pitching, second most in a postseason. The Giants' best pitcher is lefty Madison Bumgarner.

Does either team have an edge in the bullpen?

It's close. The Giants' bullpen saved the series with 10⅔ scoreless innings in the pivotal 18-inning win in Game 2 of the NLDS. Yusmeiro Petit threw six shutout innings, 80 pitches and had more strikeouts in extra innings (seven) than any pitcher has ever had in one postseason game. Set-up man Sergio Romo had his good slider back against the Nationals, and Santiago Casilla has done very well since becoming the closer in July. The Giants have won all of the past nine one-run games that they have played in the postseason, a tribute in part to their deep, versatile bullpen. The Cardinals' bullpen was very good against the Dodgers, specifically closer Trevor Rosenthal. He and the rest of that bullpen got some very big outs: They became the first team in postseason history to win each game of a series despite having the tying run on base when the last out was made in each victory.
The pick: Cardinals in seven.

University of Georgia Running Back Todd Gurley Suspended

Georgia Bulldogs tailback Todd Gurley has been suspended indefinitely pending an investigation into an alleged violation of NCAA rules, the school announced Thursday.
"I'm obviously very disappointed," Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a statement. "The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri."
[+] EnlargeTodd Gurley, Georgia
David Goldman/AP ImagesGeorgia tailback Todd Gurley has rushed for 773 yards and eight TDs on 94 carries this season.
The school made the announcement Thursday, two days before the No. 13 Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) face No. 23 Missouri (4-1, 1-0) in a crucial Eastern Division game.
Georgia officials did not reveal the alleged violation.
Gurley, one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy, was leading the SEC with 773 rushing yards and had scored eight touchdowns in the first five games for the Bulldogs.
He ran for 163 yards and two TDs against Vanderbilt while also completing a 50-yard pass -- Georgia's longest of the season. Gurley is the conference's leading rusher with 154.6 yards per game, and his 194.6 all-purpose yards ranks second nationally behind Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah (195.8).
With 3,147 rushing yards, Gurley needs 86 to pass Garrison Hearst for second on the school's all-time list.
Freshman Nick Chubb, who has rushed for 224 yards and two scores and also has a TD pass, would be next in line for carries. The Bulldogs have run the ball at least 35 times in every game while making no more than 26 passing attempts.
Sony Michel, another freshman, has rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 23 attempts, but suffered a shoulder injury against Tennessee.
Georgia is opening a four-game stretch that includes two other road contests against Arkansas and Kentucky, as well as its annual showdown with rival Florida in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs will go 42 days between home games -- their most since 2008.
Gurley, a junior who is averaging more than 8 yards per carry, was ranked ninth overall on the latest NFL draft "Big Board" by ESPN Insider Mel Kiper Jr.
The Associated Press contributed to this report

LeBron and the Cavs face Heat in Brazil

LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Miami Heat in Rio. This preason clash will be the first meeting between the Cavs and the Heat since the "2nd Great Departure" of James.

"They made sure it'd be the two teams I'd sign with," James said with a smile.

The NBA scheduled this game after Lebron made the move to Cleveland to get the most publicity possible. The people of South America, especially Brazil love basketball and LeBrom James.

The NBA got what it wanted. James is in Brazil for what surely will be an awkward five days. Rio is a world-class destination and many players have been looking forward to sitting on the beach and enjoying the nightlife in a rare training camp quasi-vacation, but James just wants to get it over with.


Read the Brian Windhorst ESPN article here.



Royals and Orioles Got to the ALCS by Different Paths

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN Sports has an excellent article on the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles and how they got to this years ALCS.

The series, that starts Friday the 10th, pits idea against idea, strength against strangth and budget against budget.

While Baltimore relies heavily on power hitting and the long ball, the Royals, out of necessity, rely on small, defense and pitching.

Read Crasnick's story here.

Tony Romo has High Praise for Jason Whitten

The Dallas Cowboy's quarterback, Tony Romo, thinks Jason Whitten should be considered among the greatest Cowboy of all time. Of course, Romo is entitled to his opinion but there are 11 pretty good Cowboys in the NFL Hall of Fame.

"He might be the best Dallas Cowboy of all time," Romo said of Witten. "Literally, his career has been exceptional. He's hit every mark you could ever have, and he's going to go down as the first- or second-greatest tight end of all time. I've just been lucky enough to play with him."  


Read the ESPN story here.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

AJ McCarron Sticks His Foot in His Mouth and Can't Get It Out

Had I had the opportunity to talk to AJ McCarron prior to his call for "someone to yake a leadership role on the offense at Alabama", I would have said "Don't say that AJ."

When he tried to explain what he meant the next day I would have asked Mr. McCarron if he had ever heard of the old saying, if you find yourself digging a hole you can't get out of...stop digging.

Unfortunately I was not in time to help AJ.

Brent Sobleski and College Football Talk of NBCSports has the explanation from AJ, on how he misspoke and the media took what he said out of context, when he called into 99.5 The Tide in Alabama.

Read the story here.

Beckett to Hang up His Spikes

Josh Beckett has decided to retire from baseball, and the Dodgers, rather than face a long rehab stint.

"I just don't see me going through that rehab and coming back to pitch at this point in my life," Beckett told MLB.com.

Read the ESPN story here.

Matt Prater Chose Voluntary Rehab After NFL Suspension

Choosing rehab to combat an addiction was not enough to keep Matt Prater with the Broncos. After his suspension, Prater entered rehab to overcome an addiction to alcohol. The Broncos chose to release the most accurate kicker in their history.

The Detroit Lions on the other hand, after Sunday's field goal kicking debacle decided it was a good thing to give Prater a tryout. The Lions signed Prater on Wednesday.

Read the article by Michael Rothstein of ESPN here.

Yankees Look for New Leadership With Jeter's Departure

This article by Bryan Hock of MLB.com is very interesting. In the video Girardi talks about looking for leadership from the likes of CC Sabathia, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran. He makes no mention of Mark Teixeira who, although injury prone, has been with the team for some time and has been called a "leader in the clubhouse".

Was this unintentional on Joe Girardi's part or can you read into this that Teixeira may not be with the Yankees much longer?

Read Byran's article here and decide for yourself or ponder the aging Yankees problems, large payroll and the competition in the AL East.

How do you think the Yankees will do next year?

Favre Okay With Peyton Manning Breaking his Career TD Mark

On the outside, Brett Favre seems to be okay with the potential Peyton Manning has of breaking Favre's career TD record.

In an AP interview Favre told Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press "I'm glad it's Peyton that's doing it," Favre said. "I think a lot of Peyton. I know him well. I know his family well. His dad was one of my idols."  


Favre played his college ball at Southern Mississippi and Archie Manning, QB for the Saints, was his idol. During his college career he led Southern Mississippi to signature wins over Florida State, then ranked 6th in the nation, and a very good Alabama team.

The Atlanta Falcons picked Favre with the 33rd pick in the 1991 draft. His first pass as a Falcon was a pick-six interception. He attempted 4 passes that year with 0 completions and 2 INTs.

In his 20 year career, Favre played for the Falcons in '91, the Packers from '92-'07, the Jets in '08 and the Minnesota Vikings from '09-'10. During his career the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the New England Patriots 35-21 and lost Super Bowwl XXXII to the Denver Broncos by a score of 31-24 ending a 13 year run by the NFC.

Favre's NFL records include over 70,000 yards passing, over 500 TD passes (508 - soon to be passed by Peyton Manning), over 300 INTs, more than 6,000 completions and over 10,000 pass attempts.

It is fair to say that Favre had quite an impact on the NFL and a quarterback who surpasses any of Favre's records will have to be considered one of the greatest QBs of all time.

Giants Swat 'Nats with 3-2 Win To Advance to NLCS

The San Francisco Giants are moving on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2014 NLCS Series. The winning run in last night's game, that gave the Giants the series win against the Nationals 3-2, scored on a wild pitch. Fitting that the wild card Giants advance on a wild pitch.

As a result of that pitch, thrown by rookie Aaron Barrett, the Giants start their quest for another even-year World Series win. They became the fourth team in MLB postseason history to win a post season series game on a wild pitch. The '27 Yankees, '72 Reds and the '04 Yankees were the other teams to accomplish this. Only the '27 Yankees won the World Series.

Giants pitchers held the Nationals hitters not named Anthony Rendon or Bryce Harper, to a paltry .113 batting average with just 14 hits in 123 at bats. Harper, by the way, joins Miguel Cabrera as the only players to hit 3 playoff series home runs before the age of 22.

Although the final score was 3-2, the Giants could have, and should have, scored more runs. They left 10 men on base and had the bases loaded twice with one out and failed to score.

The Giants scored the first runs of the game in the bottom of the second. With one out, Brandon Crawford singled. Juan Perez followed with a hard hit ball back to the pitcher that Gio Gonzalez misplayed for an error. Ryan Vogelsong then laid down a bunt toward third that Gonzalez overran and Anthony Rendon couldn't get to. Gonzalez walked Gregor Blanco to force in Crawford and Perez scored when Joe Panik hit a slow roller to first.

The Nationals scored a run in the 5th on a single by Ian Desmond and a double by Bryce Harper to narrow the gap to 2-1.

San Francisco loaded the bases again in the bottom of the 5th when, with runners on 1st and 3rd, Hunter Pence hit a ground ball to first. Adam Laroche fielded the ball and threw home in an attempt to cut down the runner from third. But, Gregor Blanco had taken two or three steps towards home and retreated to third. All runners were safe. Fortunately for the Nationals, Pablo Sandoval popped up to first and Brandon Belt struck out to end the inning with no damage.

Bryce Harper launched 3-1 pitch for a home run to right off of Hunter Strickland in the top of the 7th that landed in McCovey Cove and tied the score at two all. Wilson Ramos followed with a single but the Nationals would not score again.

The bottom of the 7th was a wild one. With one out, Joe Panik singled. Buster Posey, who would hit .389 for the series, singled and Hunter Pence worked an 8 pitch walk to load the bases. Aaron Barrett, in relief of Matt Thornton, uncorked a wild pitch to Pablo Sandoval that scored Panik. With a 3-1 count to Sandoval, the Nationals decided to walk him. The pitch went over the head of catcher Wilson Ramos but Posey was out at the plate. Giants manager, Bruce Bochy, challenged the play claiming Barrett blocked the plate. The call on the field was upheld and after Brandon Belt flew out to left the inning was over.

The Nationals would threaten no more and the Giants won the game 3-2 and the NLDS Series 3 games to 1.

San Francisco will travel to St. Louis on Saturday the 11th of October to take on the Cardinals in the 2014 NLCS, with the winner of that series taking on the winner of the Royals/Orioles ALCS Championship in the 2014 World Series.

Here are the top 10 videos of the NLDS final games from Gordon Dixon at Larry Brown sports.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Records Set In the NFL This Week

Not much to say about theses clips but the records set are some pretty good ones. I don't think Pierre Garcon's record for most dreadlocks by an NFL wide receiver is included though.

Probably not included would be number of touchdowns by an individual player called back due to penalites in one Monday Night Football game.

Watch and learn from the Yahoo Sports aarticle/video clips here.

Cards Advance to the NLCS with a 3-2 Win Over the Dodgers

The LA Dodgers did all they could to even the NLDS series in St. Louis on Tuesday afternoon. They started arguably the best pitcher in baseball in Clayton Kershaw. They staked Kershaw to a 2 run lead in the 6th while Kershaw was holding the Cards on a 1 hit shutout.

In 2014, while posting a 21-3 record with a 1.77 ERA, Kershaw gave up only 1 home run to a left handed hitter. In this series he gave up 2 home runs in 2 games to lefties. Matt Carpenter connected in the first game and Matt Adams jacked a 3 run blast to right field in game 3.

Kershaw is now 1-5 with a 5.12 ERA in his 11 postseason appearances.

"The season ended and I was a big part of the reason why," Kershaw said. "I can't really put it into words, Just bad deja vu all over again."

Enough about the Dodgers. The Cardinals won this NLDS series 3-1. This wasn't a fluke. The Cards will be in the NLCS for the 4th consecutive year. Their 9th NLCS in 15 years. They beat Kershaw twice while holding the Dodgers to 15 runs in 4 games. 

The Cardinals hit 7 home runs in this series, the most postseason home runs by a team that hit the fewest HRs in their league that year.

Box scores usually do not tell the complete story of the game but this one tells of the clutch hitting in the bottom of the 7th. The Cards had 4 hits all night. Matt Holliday and Jhonny Peralta singled to lead off the 7th for two of those.

Matt Adams hit an 0-1 curve ball into the Cardinals bullpen for the 3 run homer, Kershaw's first 3 run home run allowed since June of 2012, a span of 86 starts.

"I don't think I touched the ground the whole way around the bases," Adams said. "Definitely the highlight of my career. ... I will never, ever forget this."

Timely hitting by the Cards is evident when one sees that the Redbirds outscored the Dodgers 15-4 in the 7th through the 9th innings.

The Cardinals will face the Giants in St. Louis beginning on Saturday the 11th of October after the Giants defeated the Washington Nationals 3 games to 2 in the other NLDS Series.

Feel Good NBA Story of the Year - Bar None

I can't even try to explain this story. Read it and tell me you still think the whole world is going to hell in a hand basket!

Read the ESPN story here.

Cards Take 2-1 in NLDS Series Over Dodgers

John Lackey pitched masterfully and home runs by Matt Carpenter and Kolten Wong powered the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory in game three of the NLDS.

Matt Carpenter became the first player in MLB Playoff history to have a home run and a double in three consecutive playoff games.

Carpenter hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 3rd to give Lackey the lead.

In the top of the 6th, Yasiel Puig tripled. Puig had struck out in his previous 7 at bats. Nanley Rameriz then doubled to score Puig with the tying run.

Kolten Wong stepped to the plate with Ydier Molina on second and drove a ball over the right center field wall off of reliever Scott Elbert to push the lead to 3-1.

Read the ESPN story here

Nationals Avoid Sweep Take 3rd game 4-1 over Giants

Madison Bumgarner made one mistake in last night's game. It wasn't a pitching mistake, it was a throwing error. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Wilson Ramos laid down a sacrifice bunt between the mound and first base. Bumgarner fielded the ball and threw wide to third trying to get the lead runner. Two runs scored on the error and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with an RBI single that scored Ramos to make the score 3-0 Nationals.

Bryce Harper added a solo home run in the top of the ninth for a 4-0 Nationals lead.

Brandon Crawford hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Pablo Sandoval with the lone Giant run in the bottom of the 9th.

Read the ESPN story here.


Seattle Seahawks Defeat Washington Redskins 27-17 on MNF

Monday Night Football can get a little crazy. Last week the New England Patriots, and Tom Brady, were blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs and last night a Seattle Seahawks team that was far superior to it's opponent, the Washington Redskins, stumbled it's way to a 27-17 victory that should never have been that close.

Percy Harvin, of the Seahawks, had 3 touchdown receptions called back due to penalities or the score would have been much higher. The 'Hawks were called for 13 penalties that cost them those 3 touchdowns and 90 yards of offense.

Russell Wilson connected on 18 of 24 pass attempts for 201 yards and touchdown passes to Jermaine Kearse and Marshawn Lynch. Wilson also rushed for 122 yards on 11 carries to join Michael Vick and Terrelle Pryor as the only QBs with multiple 100 yard games in a season in the last 10 years.

Seattle jumped out to an early 17-0 lead on a TD pass from Wilson, a field goal and an 8 yard run by Wilson. By the middle of the second quarter it appeared this game too would become a blowout. At halftime the Redskins had rushed for just 25 yards and passed for 93 yards.

Washington managed to score just before halftime when Kirk Cousins connected on a 60 yard scoring strike to Desean Jackson to narrow the score to 17-7. Jackson became the second player this year, along with Darren Sproles of the Eagles, with multiple 50+ yard scoring plays.

The Redskins pulled to within a touchdown (24-17) of the Seahawks with 3:35 to go in the game on a Cousins to Andre Roberts TD pass that capped an 11 play 80 yard drive for Washington.

Seattle took the ensuing kickoff 55 yards and Steve Hauschka kicked a field goal with :21 left in the game to make the final score 27-17.

Jay Gruden, Washington coach, had this to say about last night's game, "Overall, as a group offensively, our running game's not quite good enough. Obviously our deep passing game's not quite good enough. We're not quite good enough anywhere."

Seattle climbs to 4-1 in the NFL West while the Redskins fall to 1-4 in the NFL East.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Mattingly to Start Kershaw in Game 4 of NLDS on Three Days Rest

The LA Dodgers are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals at one game apiece in the NLDS series between the two teams.

Don Mattingly has said before Game 3 that Clayton Kershaw would start game 4 of the series on a short three days rest.

When asked why, Mattingly replied,   "He's our best guy," 

You can't argue with locic that simple But I would have waited to see the outcome of tonight's game before i made that decision. Maybe it's because I'm not the manager that I can be so sure of myself. And, if the Dodgers lose tonight then the decision won't warrant a second guess, but, how does this affect the rotation if the Dodgers need 5 games to put away the Cards?

Mark Saxon has a real good story here 


 

Giants/Washington game 3 Preview

Jayson Stark has a good article explaining why the Nationals will lose the crucial third game of the NLDS series.

My prediction is that Washington wins game 3 but loses the series.

Read Jaysons ESPN article here

Washinton Redskins Host Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football

I gave the Redskins a 1 chance in a thousand to beat the Seahawks tonight. It's not that I think Seattle is that much better then the 'Skins. It's just that this Washington team has no direction. Their offense, sans RGIII, is rudderless. Their defense can't perform up to their potential if they spend the amount of time on the field that long drives by Seattle will force them to.

Russell Wilson is a better quarterback than Kurk Cousins. That is non debatable. But Wilson can be forced into mistakes. IF the Redskins can force mistakes early AND take advantage of them the game will be close.

If Seattle engineers long drives and keeps the washington defense on the field this game will be over by the end of the first half.

Terry Blount and John Klein have a very good preview of the game tonight here on ESPN

Check it out.

Browns Comeback to Beat Titans 29-28

Brian Hoyer threw a TD pass to Travis Benjamin with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter to complete a dramatic comeback. The Browns were down 28-3 before the offense and defense took over.

The win was the largest comeback by a road team in NFL history. The Buffalo Bills came back to beat the Indianapolis Colts 37-35 in 1997 after being down by 26 points.

It was also the Brown's biggest comeback since 1966 when they cameback to beat the Giants 49-40 after being down 34-14.

Read the Teresa Walker/Yahoo Sports story here




Orioles Sweep Tigers With 2-1 Win in Game 3

The 2014 American League World Series team will be one we haven't seen in some time. Last night the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers 2-1 to win their ALDS series 3 games to none while later the Kansas City Royals completed a 3 game sweep of the Los Angeles Angels with an 8-3 win in their ALDS series.

Buck Showalter, manager of the O's, had this to say about his team. "This is fun to watch. Believe me, I'm happier than you can imagine," Showalter said. "But most of it comes from getting to see the players get what they've put into it."

The Orioles were in the 2012 ALDS when they lost to the Yankees 3 games to 2. Prior to that the O's hadn't been in the playoffs since losing to the Indians in 6 games in 1997. In 1983, the Orioles beat the Phillies to win the World Series in 5 games. The Kansas City Royals haven't been in the playoffs since beating the Cardinals in the 1985 World Series.

As in the first game of the series, the Orioles faced a former American League Cy Young Award winning pitcher David Price. Baltimore had already beaten Cy Young winners Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander in games 1 and 2.

Price was acquired from the Rays this season for a moment like this. He did not disapppoint. Through 5 innings he allowed 2 hits and the O's didn't get a runner to second base.

In the top of the 6th, Adam Jones singled to left with one out. Nelson Cruz then hit a 1-1 slider down and away for an opposite field 2 run home run. This wasn't a "mistake" thrown by Price. This was strength against strength and this time the batter won. The ball sailed over the 330' mark in right, probably the only spot in the park where it would have been a home run. The Orioles had the 2 runs they needed for the sweep.

Bud Norris, 15-8 as a starter for the Orioles, went 6 1/3 innings holding the powerful Tiger lineup in check. He allowed just 2 hits and issued 2 walks while holding Detroit scoreless.

The Tigers squandered an opportunity against Norris in the 3rd. Don Kelly singled to lead off the inning. After Ian Kinsler popped out to short left field, Kelly stole second. Torii Hunter sent a sharp ground ball to short. JJ Hardy caught Kelly too far off the bag at second and threw to Jonathan Schoop to get Kelly. Schoop dropped the throw and appeared to obstruct Kelly's attempt to get back to the bag. The Umpires agreed that Kelly was out. Miguel Cabrera then hit a ball to Hardy whose throw sailed over the head of Schoop for an error and the Tigers had runners at 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Victor Martinez then flied out to short left field and the inning was over.

The Tigers would not threaten again until the bottom of the ninth. Zach Britton, the O's closer, started the 9th in relief of Andrew Miller. Britton gave up a double to Victor Martinez to start the inning. JD Martinez then hit a run scoring double to left and it seemed the Tiger's bats were coming alive. Bryan Holaday, who entered the game as a replacement when Alex Avila took a hard foul ball to his facemask in the 6th, struck out swinging. Britton walked Nick Castellanos intentionally.

Tiger manager Brad Ausmus, sent pinch hitter Hernan Perez to the plate to face Britton. Perez had been to the plate 5 times all year and just 3 times in September. He had grounded out in Friday's loss facing Britton. Perez hit into a 5-4-3 double play to give the Orioles the sweep and give the Tiger fans something to stew about all winter.

When setting the ALDS lineups prior to the series, Ausmus was asked why the right-handed-hitting Perez is on the roster, over the left-handed-hitting Collins, Ausmus responded: "The presence of the two left-handers (Andrew Miller, Zach Britton) at the back of their bullpen."

The Baltimore Orioles will now face the Kansas City Royals in a 7 game series beginning in Baltimore on Friday the 10th of October.

Patriots Not Dead Just Yet - Beat Cincinnati 43-17

The Patriots faced a Bengal team on Sunday night that had given up just 11 points per game in the 3 games they played this year.  With the 43-17 loss to the Patriots, that number has climbed to 19 per game.

Tom Brady became the 6th player in NFL history to pass for 50,000 yards. To put that in perspective, his pass completions equal 28.41 miles on a field that is 100 yards long.

When asked about the achievement, the understated Brady said, "That's awesome."

Read the ESPN story here


Peyton Manning Reaches 500 Career TD Passes

In a game against the stingy Arizona Cardinal defense, Peyton Manning threw for a career high 479 yards and 4 TDs. His first TD gave him 500 for his career and he finished the day with 503, just 5 behind Brett Favre's 508. Manning also tied Dan Marino's record for most games with 400+ yards passing at 13

Demaryius Thomas had a career day with 226 yards receiving and Wes Welker set a record for most receptions in the NFL by an undrafted player.

By the way, Denver won the game by a 41-20 score.

Read the story by Jeff Legwold of ESPN here

Sunday, October 5, 2014

What a Week for College Football

For the first time since 1994, 4 of the top 6 ranked teams lost on the same weekend. Let's take a look at what happened.

#1 Florida St. crushed Wake Forest 43-3
     Roberto Aguayo kicks 5 FGs in win
#2 Oregon lost to previously unranked Arizona 31-24
     Arizona rushes for 207 yards
#3 Alabama lost to #11 Ole Miss 23-17
     Ole Miss ties the game and Alabama fumbles the unsuing kickoff - Ole Miss scores
#4 Oklahoma lost to #25 TCU 37-33
     Trevor Knight throws 2 INTs in loss
#5 Auburn beats #15 LSU 41-7
     Nick Marshall has 326 yards total offense and scores 4 TDs
#6 Texas A&M loses to #12 Mississippi State
     Dak Prescott has 336 yards and 5 TDs in Miss. St. win
#7 Baylor beats Texas 28-7
     Texas scores with less than 3 minutes to play to make the game look closer
#8 UCLA lost to previously unranked Utah 30-28
     Utah kicks FG with :34 on the clock
#9 Notre Dame beats #14 Stanford 17-14
     Golson throws TD on 4th and 11 play for the victory
#10 Michigan State beats #19 Nebraska 27-22
     MSU takes 27-3 lead, hangs on to win
#13 Georgia beats previously unranked Vanderbilt 44-17
     Todd Gurley 25 carries 165 yards and 2 TDs
#16 USC lost to previously unranked Arizona State 38-34
     46 yard TD pass as time expires wins it for ASU
#17 Wisconsin lost to previously unranked Northwestern 20-14
     Godwin Igwebuike has 3 INTs in upset
#18 BYU lost to previously unranked Utah State 35-20
     Taysom Hill, BYU quarterback fractures leg
#20 Ohio State beats Maryland 52-24
     Esekiel Elliott has 139 yards rushing on 24 carries for OSU
#21 Oklahoma State beats Iowa State 37-20
     Iowa State AD bemoans officiating in loss
#22 East Carolina beats SMU 45-24
     Shane Carden 31 of 41 for 410 yards and 4 TDs
#23 Kansas State beats Texas Teeh 45-13
     Jake Waters had 395 total yards with 4 passing TDs and a rushing TD

As you can see 5 of the top 8 ranked teams lost this week and 8 of the top 18 ranked teams lost. It was quite a week in college football.

Florida State should maintain it's solid hold in the #1 spot. Oregon which lost to an unranked Arizona should drop out of the top four. Alabama with it's close loss to #11 Ole Miss should stay in the top four. Oklahoma and Texas A&M will both drop. Baylor should move into the top four. Mississippi Stste and Ole Miss should move up pretty good although neither should be able to jump Notre Dame in the rankings. It is possible that ND jumps into 4th in the polls...we'll have to see come Sunday night.

Dodgers Even Series With Cardinals After 3-2 Win on Saturday

Zack Greinke, for the Dodgers, and Lance Lynn, for the Cards, pitched extremely well in the second game of the NLDS series between the two teams. Greinke gave up 2 hits, both doubles, in his 7 inning stint. Lynn, although giving up 7 hits, held the Dodgers to just 2 runs and kept the Cardinals in the game for 6 innings.

J.P. Howell relieved Greinke to start the top of the 8th. Dodger manager, Don Mattingly, had the game set up the way he wanted it. Howell, a lefty, would face three left handed batters in pinch hitter Oscar Taveras, Matt Carpenter and Jon Jay.

Taveras singled singled on an 0-2 count. Matt Carpenter jumped on the first pitch he saw from Howell and drove it 400' over the right center field wall for a 2 run home run. Zack Greinke had thrown 105 pitches in his 7 inning shutout performance and the Cardinals tied the game on 4 pitches from Howell.

The Dodgers scored their two runs in the bottom of the third. AJ Ellis led off the inning with a double to right center. Greinke followed with a single to right and LA had runners at the corners with no outs.

Dee Gordon hit a slow roller to second. Greinke hesitated just long enough that the Cardinal 2nd baseman, Kolten Wong, in his haste to get the speedy Gordon at first, tagged Greinke with the glove only and threw to first to complete what appeared to be a double play. Ellis would score on the play.

Don Mattingly challenged the play noting that Wong did not have the ball in the glove when he applied the tag. Mattingly won the challenge and Greinke was awarded 2nd base and the double play was just a 4-3 ground out.

Two batters later, Adrian Gonzalez singled to right to score Greinke for the 2-0 Dodger lead.

Carpenter's home run in the top of the 8th, silenced the 54,000+ Dodger fans who had been very loud throughout the game. The crowd wasn't silent too long as Matt Kemp, leading off the bottom of the 8th, sent a 2-1 slider from reliever Pat Neshek into the bleachers in left to regain the lead for the Dodgers.

Kenley Jensen set the Cardinals down in order in the top of the 9th to preserve the win for Brandon League while Neshek took the loss for the Redbirds.

With the series tied at one game apiece, the teams head to St. Louis to continue the NLDS on Monday the 6th of October.

Giants Beat Nationals 2-1 in 18 Innings

The San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals played an 18 inning game last night that lasted for 6 hours and 23 minutes. It was the longest game in MLB Playoff history by time and tied the record for the longest game by innings played.

The Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves played an 18 inning affair in the 2005 NLDS that the Astros would win 5-4 on a walkoff home run by Chris Burke. Roger Clemens picked up the win in relief in that game.

Tim Hudson started both of those games, for the Braves in 2005 and for the Giants in 2014. Adam LaRoche, of the Nationals played first base in both of those games.

Wilson Ramos, Nationals, and Buster Posey, Giants, each caught the entire 18 inning game. Tanner Roark, losing pitcher for the Nationals, was 27 when he gave up the home run to Brandon Belt in the top of the 18th but turned 28 before the Nationals would lose the game.

The Nationals 3 through 6 hitters, Jason Werth, Adam Laroche, Ian Desmond and Bryce Harper were 2 for 28 with 9 Ks. The Giants 3 through 6 hitters, Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt were 7 for 27 with 2 RBIs and 7 Ks.

Read the full ESPN story here

Saturday, October 4, 2014

#4 Oklahoma Drops Big 12 Contest to #25 TCU 37-33

In a mistake filled game by both teams, The Horned Frogs of TCU managed to outlast the Sooners in an exciting game. The score of 37-33 is not really indicative of the frustration both coaches must have felt.

Trevor Knight for the Sooners connected on just 14 of 35 passes for 309 yards and a TD but he threw 2 INTs. Sterling Shepard caught 7 of those passes for 215 yards and a TD. His Td pass went for 75 yards. Samaje Perine led Oklahoma in rushing with 25 carries for 87 tards and 3 TDs.

The TCU quarterback, Trevone Boykin connected on 20 of 38 passes for 318 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.   He also ran the ball 22 times for 75 yards. BJ Catalon had 11 carries for 48 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs

Read the ESPN story here

#3 Alabama Falls to #11 Ole Miss in Clash of SEC West Foue

Ole Miss' QB Bo Wallace threw for 251 yards and 3 TDs as #11 Ole Miss put a damper on Alabama's National Title hops with a 23-17 victory.

Blake Sims was 19 of 31 for 228 yards with no TDs and 1 INT. Sims did score a TD rushing and Alabama's rushing game accounted for 168 yards. The Tide defense held the Rebels to 72 yards on the ground but they had no answer for Wallace and the offense.

Ole Miss tied the game at 17 with 5:29 to go on a Wallace to Vince Sanders 34 yard touchdown strike.

On the ensuing kickoff, Alabama's Christian Jones fumbled the ball and Ole Miss recovered at the Alabama 31.

Wallace hit Jaylen Walton with a 10 yard TD pass with 2:54 remaining but the PAT was blocked and the Tide still had a chance. The Rebel defense held and #3 Alabama lost.

Read the ESPN story here

Can Anyone Second Guess Mattingly's Decision to Keep Kershaw in Game 1

For 162 games each manager in the Big Leagues is questioned about a decision that was made. Sometimes those decisions work and sometimes they don't. If the Dodgers should lose this NLDS series to the Cards, Don Mattingly will be second guessed all winter.

It was hot, Kershaw had thrown 80+ pitches and yet Mattingly stayed with him. If it works no one thinks anything of it because Kershaw is a monster pitcher, probably the Cy Young winner in the NL this year and maybe even the Most Valuable Player.

If it doesn't work, as it didn't in Game 1, there will be nay sayers and second guessers galore.

I've linked a sports blog called SweetSpot by ESPN  senior writer David Schoenfield where the situation is explored from all sides. I'm not sure I like his title for the piece but that's just me.

Here is the SweetSpot blog link


Florida Tops Tennessee Vols 10-9

The Florida gators replaced QB Jeff Driskell following an 11 for 23 day in which he threw for 59 yards and 3 INTs. Driskell's replacement, Treon Harris was 1 for 2 passing for 17 yards. The Gator offense ventered around running back Matt Jones who rusjed for 114 yards on 23 carries.

The Florida defense hed the Vols to 28 total yards rushing. Tennessee QB Justin Worley had 7 carries for minus 45 yards

Read the ESPN story here

Another One Bites the Dust, TAMU Falls to Mississippi State 48-31

The SEC West has one less unbeaten team as the 6th ranked Texas A&M Aggies traveled to Mississippi and lost to the 12th ranked Bulldogs. Kenny Hill was 37 of 62 passing for 366 yards, 4TDs and 3 INTs.
Mississippi State rushes for 281 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Read the ESPN story here

Here's some good video from ESPN

Check out the Sporting News story here

Royals Take Out Angels on Hosmer's 2 Run HR in 11th

Who are these Kansas City Royals to think they can travel to LA and beat the best team in baseball?

The Angels have 2 former MLB MVPs and a Cy Young Award winner on their roster. The won 98 games during the 2014 regular season and locked up a playoff berth by the 23rd of September. The Royals counter with the likes of Salvador Perez, Norichika Aoki and Mike Moustakas. Las Vegas oddsmakers gave KC no real chance of winning this series.

In last night's game the starter for the Angels, Matt Shoemaker, game into the game with a 16-4 season record and a 3.04 ERA. Houston Street, the Angels closer, saved 41 games and had a 1.37 ERA. The Royals starter had been the reliever in the Wild Card game who gave up a three run homer to Brandon Moss that almost cost the Royals a chance to play in the ALDS.

On paper the Royals didn't have a chance. This series, on paper, was just a warmup so that the Angels could stay loose for the ALCS series against the Orioles or the Tigers.

But that's why the games are actually played. Things happen in baseball. Strange things. Some would say miraculous things. The ALDS series between the Royals and Angels in LA is one of those things.

The Royal's starters and relievers have held the hard hitting Angels to just 3 runs in 22 innings. KC beat Jared Weaver, possible Cy Young winner in 2014, in game one and Matt Shoemaker in game 2. The Royals have taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the ALDS best-of-five series.

Of all the games played so far in the MLB Playoffs, this game turned out to be the pitchers duel that most thought would come from the marquee pitchers who started each game 1.

Yordano Ventura, of the Royals, went 7 strong innings giving up 1 run on 5 hits, while Shoemaker went 6 complete allowing 1 run on 5 hits.

Eric Hosmer led off the KC second with a single and moved to second on an error by right fielder Kole Calhoun. After Billy Butler struck out, Hosmer scored on a single to center by Alex Gordon.

Ventura silenced the Angel's bats until the bottom of the 6th. Kole Calhoun singled to center with 2 outs. Mike Trout walked. Albert Pujols singled to center to drive in Calhoun and the score was tied at 1.

The pitchers duel continued until the top of the 11th. Relievers on both teams did an outstanding job of keeping their teams in the game while waiting for the offenses to get to work.

In the top of the 11th, with Kevin Jepsen on the mound for the Angels, Lorenzo Cain beat out an infield single. Eric Hosmer followed with a home run to right, scoring Cain and giving the Royals a 3-1 lead. After pinch hitter Josh Willingham popped out to second, Alex Gordon walked. Vinne Pestano relieved Jepsen. Gordon stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Angel's catcher Chris Iannetta. That error proved costly as Gordon scored on an infield single by Salvador Perez.

The Angels couldn't mount any threat against Greg Holland in the bottom of the 11th and the Royals had the victory.

These 2 teams will meet for game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday the 4th of October.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Cards Score 8 in the 8th Beat Dodgers 10-9

The St. Louis Cardinals took a page from the Baltimore Oriole playbook and scored 8 runs against Clayton Kershaw and the LA Dodgers to win game 1 of the best of five NLDS in LA.

"I'm sure everybody in baseball was expecting a one-run game," Carpenter said. "We ended up getting one, but we didn't think it would be 10-9."

Read the ESPN story here

Read theYahoo Sports story here

Read the Sporting News story here

Peavy Takes No Hitter into the 5th, giants Prevail in Game 1 of NLDS

The San Francisco Giants' Jake Peavy took a no hitter into the 5th inning on Friday as the Giants took game 1 of the NLDS from Washington by a score of 3-2.

Read the ESPN story here

Look at photos of the game here

Read the Yahoo Sports story here


Orioles Come From Behind to Take 2-0 Lead in ALDS

The Baltimore Orioles made the Tigers pay for poor relief pitching again as pinch hitter Delmon Young laced a one out bases loaded double off of Joba Chamberlain, in the bottom of the 8th,  that cleared the bases and gave the Orioles a 7-6 lead.

The Tigers missed an opportunity in the top of the 8th when Miguel Cabrera was thrown out at home trying to score from first on a Victor Martinez double.

Read theESPN story here

Read the Yahoo Sports story here

View ESPN Photos here

Orioles Pound Tigers 12-3, Take 1st Game of ALDS

47,842 Baltimore fans came to Camden Yards to watch their Orioles take on the Detroit Tigers with their reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winning players. Max Scherzer would start for the Tigers. Most likely Scherzer will win the Cy Young Award this year, 18-5/3.15 ERA/252K's, and Miguel Cabrera will be in the running for the MVP again with his .313/25/109 stats this season.

For 7 1/2 innings the fans watched a pretty good ballgame. The Tigers scored 3 runs on solo home runs by Victor Martinez and JD Martinez in the 2nd and Miguel Cabrera in the top of the 8th.

After a 2 run home run by Nelson Cruz gave the Orioles the lead in the bottom of the 1st, Detroit tied the game in the top of the 2nd on the home runs by Victor and JD. The O's scored a run in the bottom of the 2nd to take a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. With 1 out, Ryan Flaherty walked and went to third when Jonathan Schoop singled one out later. Nick Markakis singled to drive in Flaherty.

The Tigers threatened in the top of the 5th. With 2 outs, back-to-back singles by Andrew Romine and Rajai Davis and a walk to Ian Kinsler loaded the bases but Torii Hunter hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice to end the inning.

The pitchers on both teams settled down until the bottom of the seventh when Scherzer threw a changeup high in the zone to JJ Hardy who jumped on the pitch and drove it 400' into left center for a home run and a 4-2 Baltimore lead.

"I've got to find a way to get the ball down," Scherzer said. "I wasn't quite able to do that tonight, and I paid for it."

Darren O'Day was pitching for the Birds in the top of the 8th. Ian Kinsler reached first on an infield single. Kinsler was doubled up when Torii Hunter lined out to short as Kinsler attempted to steal second. The Orioles caught a break here as Miguel Cabrera followed Hunter's double play with a solo home run to right center that pulled the Tigers to within a run at 4-3. The home run to Cabrera was the first home run to a right handed batter O'Day had allowed since May of 2013.

The dam burst for the Tigers in the bottom of the 8th when Baltimore sent 12 men to the plate and scored 8 runs. The O's took a commanding 12-3 lead. Every Oriole in the lineup scored but Nick Hundley. Baltimore got 6 hits, including 3 doubles in the inning. The Tigers used 4 pitchers in the inning and all of them surrendered earned runs.

The 12 runs scored by the Orioles were the most runs they have scored in the playoffs since scoring 11 runs in the 2nd game of the 1971 World Series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The odds of winning this ALDS Series now swings in favor of the Orioles as the team who wins the first game of a 5 game series has gone on to win that series 70% of the time.

These two teams will have a quick turn around as they begin the 2nd game of the ALDS at 12:07 today.

Royals Take 1st Game of ALDS on Moustakas' HR in 11th

The Kansas City Royals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat last night on great defensive plays and timely power hitting from Mike Moustakas. Norichika Aoki twice made dramatic catches at the wall to keep the Angels from scoring and give Moustakas his chance to be the hero of game one.

As in their wild card win over the Oakland Athletics, this game went into extra innings and the Royal's pitching staff, overlooked coming into this postseason, can through in the clutch.

Mike Scioscia, the Angels manager said "We had some guys in scoring position, just couldn't get that one hit, especially late. Those guys hung in there and got the big outs and got the big hit late. So we hit two home runs to keep ourselves in the game, but outside of that, we didn't really pressure those guys very much."

Read the full ESPN story here

Arizona Goes on the Road to Defeat #2 Oregon 31-24

The undefeated Arizona Wildcats traveled to Eugene, Oregon to take on the #2 Oregon Ducks on Thursday night and the result was a good one for the 'Cats. For the second year in a row Arizona has defeated the 2nd ranked Ducks and effectively eliminated them from National Champioship contention.
Marcus Mariota, Oregon quarterback had this to say "They're undefeated," he said. "It's obviously a testament to our conference. If you're not prepared each week, if you're not ready to play, you'll lose."

Read the ESPN story here

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Packers Send Vikings Packing

The Green Bay Packers had an easy time with the Minnesota Vikings with a 42-10 drubbing of the Vikes on Thursday night. Aaron Rodgers was 12 of 17 for 156 yards and 3 TDs in his short time on the field. Rodgers reached 200 TD passes for his career in 99 games. On;y Dan Marino reached 200 TD passes quicker as he accomplished the feat in 89 games.

Read the ESPN Rapid Reaction to the Thursday Night game here

Tigers Confident Starting Pitching Can Overcome Orioles Bats

The one thing the Detroit Tigers do not lack is confidence. They won the AL Central Division and enter the ALDS against the Eastern Division Champion Baltimore Orioles tonight in Baltimore. The Tiger's starting rotation contains the last two season's Cy Young Award winners and David Price. Price was acquired from the Rays and looks to be an integral part of the Tiger's run to the World Series.

In the Yahoo Sports article, David Price said, ''Pitching. That's what wins ballgames. If we put up zeroes early, that kind of gives our offense a chance to kind of settle into the game. They know they don't have to put up a three- or four-spot because we're down.''

Read the Yahoo Sports story here

Orioles Showalter Always One Step Ahead of the Competition

An ESPN article was written about Buck Showalter's work habits. "When Baltimore manager Buck Showalter bunkers down in his office with bench coach John Russell before a game, the main objective is to find every matchup, lineup combination or snippet of information that might give the Orioles an edge. But the depth of Showalter's inquisitiveness makes his players wonder if game preparation is the only item on his agenda."

Read the ESPN story here

Giants Advance to NLDS With 8-0 Win Over Pirates

Madison Bumgarner pitched the Giants into the NLDS last night with an extraordinary performance over the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Bumgarner tossed a 4 hit complete game shutout, striking out 10 and walking one. He threw 109 pitches over those 9 innings for an average of 12.1 pitches per inning. Only once did he face 5 batters in an inning. Only once did a Pirate runner reach third base. The Pirates got two runners on base in an inning just once and the Giants committed two errors to make that happen.

The Giant starter faced 33 batters and threw an average of 3.3 pitches to each of them. The Pirates popped up to the infield 5 times and flew out to the outfield 8 times. Only two of those fly balls reached the warning track.

The left handed Bumgarner struck out at least one batter in every inning but the 7th. A majority of those strikeouts came on his sweeping curveballs. He had good command of that curve and wasn't afraid to throw it ahead or behind in the count.

The pitching for the Giants was magnificant but the offense was very productive as they took advantage of every opportunity to score runs. Edinson Volquez of the Pirates came into the game with a 13-7 record and a 3.04 ERA. Volquez held the Giant bats in check for 3 innings on 2 hits and one walk.

Hitters are known to make adjustments after seeing a pitcher for the first time. The Giants adjusted to Volquez in the fourth. Pablo Sandoval led off the inning with a hard single against the shift used against him by the Pirates. Hunter Pence followed with a single to left. Brandon Belt waited out a walk, his second of the night, which loaded the bases for Brandon Crawford. There wasn't a person at the stadium, listening on the radio or watching on TV who predicted what would happen next. 

The left handed hitting Crawford lifted a high fly ball to right that kept going and landed in the first row of seats just beyond the short right field fence for a grand slam.

Crawford hit the 1 ball 2 strike curveball out of the park and into history, becoming the 1st shortstop to hit a grand slam, in any playoff game, in MLB history.

Those four runs were plenty enough for Bumgarner, but the Giants were not through with the Pirates pitching staff. They scored again in the 6th when Hunter Pence led off with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Brandon Belt for a 5-0 Giants lead.

Pittsburgh led the NL in come from behind victories in 2014. 41 times this season they rallied to win games. The largest margin they overcame was 5 runs, so the Pirates weren't out of this game yet.

In the seventh, the Giants loaded the bases again with no outs. Pirate reliever, Jared Hughes got Hunter Pence to hit into a 4-2 fielder's choice that cut down Joe Panik at the plate but Brandon Belt singled to drive in 2 and the Giant lead was now 7-0.

The Giants added another run in the eighth when Gregor Blanco walked, Joe Panik singled and Buster Posey drove in Blanco with a single, giving the Giants an 8-0 lead.

The only Pirate threat of the night came in the bottom of the eighth. After Bumgarner got Brent Morel to foul out to right, Jose Tabata hit a ground ball to short that Crawford misplayed. Josh Harrison then hit a grounder to third. Joaquin Arias, in for Pablo Sandoval, threw too late and too wide to first. The ball got by the first baseman and the Pirates had runners at 1st and 3rd with one out. 

Bumgarner struck out Jordy Mercer and got Andrew McCutchen to ground into a 6-4 fielder's choice to end the threat.

It's on to Washington, DC for the Giants for a best-of-five NLDS series with the Nationals, beginning tomorrow, the 3rd of October.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Giants in Pittsburgh for National League Wild Card Game

The San Francisco Giants travel to Pittsburgh tonight to take on the Pirates in the National League Wild Card matchup. The winner of this game will advance and take on the National Leagues best team, the Washington Nationals on Friday the 3rd of October.

The Giants have a recent history of winning the World Series in even numbered years. In case we have forgotten, this is 2014, an even numbered year. Since moving to San Francisco from New York in 1959, the Giants have been to 10 post season series and won the World Series in 2010 and 2012.

The Pirates, on the other hand, are making just their second appearance in the playoffs since losing to the Braves in the NLCS in 1992. The Pirates lost to the Cardinals in the 2013 NLDS three games to two. Before 2013 the Pirates had not had a winning season in 20 years, dating back to 1992.

San Francisco finished the 2014 season 12th in the major leagues in Runs Per Game with 4.1, 10th in Batting Average at .255 and 17th in Home Runs with 132. They will start Madison Bumgarner against the Pirates. Bumgarner finished the year with an 18-10 record and a 2.98 ERA. He struck out 219 batters in 217 innings. Madison issued 43 walks and his K:W ratio was a very good 5.09. He had a 1.09 WHIP and gave up 21 home runs on the year.

Pittsburgh who ended the season 10th in the MLB with a 4.21 RPG, 5th in hitting at .259 and 6th in HRs with 156 counter with Edinson Volquez. Volquez was 13-7 in 2014 with an ERA of 3.04. He struck out 140 in 192 innings. He issued 43 free passes for a K:W ratio of 1.97. Edinson finished the season with a 1.23 WHIP and surrendered 17 home runs.

Both the Giants and the Pirates can hit. Their pitching is adequate. This is a one game, winner take all contest in which both managers should pull out all the stops. The Giants get the nod for the better relievers. In the final analysis the Giants should win this game and advance.

 I pick the Giants to win. That being said, throughout baseball history teams who should not have won did win. Case in point, the Pirates were playing the Orioles in the 1979 World Series, when down three games to one, against arguably the best pitching staff in the majors that year, they won three games in a row to win the Series.

Royals Take "Wild" Card Win Over Athletics

The 2014 Kansas City Royals brought excitement back to their fans last night with a thrilling 12 inning, 9-8 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Thrilling because the game was only the second game in MLB history, in a winner-take-all situation, that lasted 12 or more innings. The last one was the 1924 World Series 7th game between the NY Giants and the Washington Senators. Thrilling because the Royals stole 7 bases to tie the 1907 Chicago Cubs and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds for the most thefts in playoff game history. Thrilling because the A's became the third team in MLB history to score 8 runs in a win or go home scenario and lose, the last team being the 1960 Yankees who lost to the Pirates on Bill Mazeroski's now famous home run. But most of all thrilling because the Royals had not been to the playoffs in any form since 1985.

The game was billed as a pitchers duel between Jon Lester of the A's and James Shields of the Royals. Through 5 innings it was pretty much that. Shields gave up 2 runs in the first before settling down and Lester gave back one run in the bottom of the inning. The Royals had men on 1st and 3rd with two outs in the bottom of that 1st inning when Billy Butler, for some reason, found himself caught off 1st and during the ensuing rundown Eric Hosmer was thrown out at home to get Lester out of the inning.

KC scored two runs in the third as Mike Moustakas singled, advanced to third on a sacrifice and a ground out and scored on a double by Lorenzo Cain. Cain would score on a single by Hosmer and the Royals led for the first time 3-2.

In the top of the 6th, Shields put the first two runners on and Royals manager Ned Yost brought in the rookie reliever, Yordano Ventura, to face Brandon Moss who had homered in the first to drive in the A's two runs. Ventura promptly gave up Moss' second home run of the night, a 3 run blast that travelled 432' and gave the A's a 5-3 lead.

Moss became the first Oakland player to hit 2 home runs and drive in 5 runs in a playoff game. Gene Tenace of the A's hit home runs in his first two at bats against the Reds in the 1972 World Series but only drove in 3 runs.

Derek Norris and Coco Crisp drove in the fouth and fifth runs of the inning to increase the Oakland lead to 7-3. At this point the game seemed out of reach and the Royals fans, who had been so boisterous in the beginning, were quieted. Jon Lester was in a groove and retired 12 in a row before Omar Infante reached first on a dribbler up the first base line in the bottom of the 7th.

The Kansas City relief pitchers, Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Greg Holland, kept the A's scoreless giving time for the Royal's bats to come alive in the 8th. Billy Butler and Lorenzo Cain had RBI singles and Eric Hosmer scored on a wild pitch by Luke Gregerson. The Royals had narrowed the gap to 7-6.

Closer Greg Holland, for the Royals, came on to pitch the ninth. He got the first two outs and then walked the bases full. One of those walks was intentional. Holland worked out of the jam by getting Josh Reddick to fly out to right.

In the ninth, Josh Willingham, pinch hitting for Mike Moustakas, singled and was replaced by pinch runner Jarrod Dyson. Alcides Escobar sacrificed Dyson to second and Dyson stole third. Norichika Aoki then hit a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game at 7.

While Oakland was unable to mount a scoring threat in the next two innings, Kansas City had runners on third in both the 10th and the 11th but failed to score.

Brandon Finnegan, on for his third inning of relief for the Royals, walked Josh Reddick to start the 12th. Jed Lowrie moved Reddick to second with a sacrifice bunt. Jason Frasor replaced Finnegan. Frasor threw a wild pitch that moved Reddick to third and then gave up a single to pinch hitter Alberto Calaspo that put Oakland back into the lead at 8-7.

Lorenzo Cain led off the Royals 12th with a weak grounder to first for the 1st out. Eric Hosmer then drilled a ball off the wall in left center for a triple. Two feet higher and the game would have been tied. Christian Colon then hit a high chopper to third for an infield single that scored Hosmer to tie the game at 8. Fernando Abad relieved Dan Otero and got Alex Gordon to foul out to third for the second out. Jason Hammel, a starting pitcher all year for the A's, relieved Abad. Colon then stole second setting up the game winning hit by Salvador Perez. Perez sent a hard shot past the third baseman that scored Colon and the Royals advance to face the Angels with a 9-8 victory.

Dan Otero took the loss for Oakland while Jason Frasor picked up the win in relief for the Royals.

It wasn't the best looking win of the year for the Royals but it sure was their most important one. They now move to LA to take on the Angels on Thursday the 2nd of October.

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Playoff Baseball Returns to Kansas City


Playoff baseball returns to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City tonight for the first time since the fall of 1985 when the Royals bested the St. Louis Cardinals in an exciting 7 game World Series.
That series will always be remembered for the Dan Denkinger missed call at first, in the top of the 9th of the 6th game with the Cards leading 1-0, that allowed Jorge Orta to reach first. Some people forget that Orta was thrown out on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt by the next batter. The Royals would go on to win the game 2-1. What people also forget is that the Cards started their ace, Joaquin Andujar, in game seven and got crushed 11-0.                                                                                      

Let's take a trip back in time to see what was going on in the US in 1985. Ronald Reagan was sworn in for his second term as President of the United States. Michael Dukakis was Governor of Massachusetts and Bill Clinton was in his third term as Governor of Arkansas.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in the 1985 Super Bowl. Mike Tyson made his professional boxing debut.

The eighth seeded Villanova Wildcats win the first ever 64 team NCAA Basketball Tournament with a 66-64 victory over the Georgetown Hoyas. In August, Rod Carew became the 16th MLB player to record 3,000 hits.

"We Are the World" was recorded by USA for Africa. A 21 year old Whitney Houston released her first album. (Notice I didn't write CD) VH-1 began broadcasting music videos in January of 1985. Route 66 was officially decommissioned as a US Highway. Ford Motor Company introduced the Ford Taurus in '85.

In June of 1985 the Royals drafted both Brian McRae, in the 1st round, and Deion Sanders, in the 6th round, of the MLB amateur draft. Only McRae would sign with the Royals. Brian's dad, Hal McRae was a member of the 1985 KC Royals.

Bud Black, current manager of the San Diego Padres, was on that '85 team and was 10-15 as a starter, with a 4.33 ERA, 122 Ks and 59 walks. John Wathan would play his last professional game on October 6th and come back to manage the Royals from 87-91, albeit with less success than the '85 team had. Dane Iorg drove in the winning run in that controversial 9th inning of game 6.

Current Fox Sports color commentater for the LA Angels, Mark Gubicza, was on that team but didn't get a World Series start because manager Dick Howser decided to go with a four man rotation that left Gubicza on the outside looking in.

You may remember some of the players from that team. How about George Brett, he of the pine tar bat incident in July of 1983 vs the Yankees, had 30 HRs/112 RBIs/.335 AVG. Willie Wilson 4/43/.278/43 SBs, Lonnie Smith 6/41/.257/41, Steve Balboni 36/88/.243 and DH Hal Mcrae 14/70/.259 were the backbone of the offense.

A 21 year old Bret Saberhagen anchored the pitching staff with a 20-6 record and a 2.87 ERA. Charlie Leibrandt was 17-9 to go along with a team leading 2.69 ERA. Danny Jackson, Bud Black and Mark Gubicza rounded out the starters and Dan Quisenberry saved 37 games with a 2.87 ERA for the team.

That was quite a year in KC. The 2014 Royals have their own team. Their own players. It's a new time, a new playoff system and a new baseball world. There is no dynasty to uphold, no long traditions to live up to. Their only concern today is playing a team, in the Oakland Athletics, that backed into a wild card berth on the last day of the season. If the Royals win this one game playoff, they must face arguably the best team in baseball, the LA Angels in LA. Win that series and it's off to play the Orioles or the Tigers in Baltimore or Detroit. Get through all of that and we could have a repeat of the Royals/Cardinals 1985 World Series with KC as the home team again!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Monday Night Football Mayhem

I watched a football game tonight that got me to thinking about dynasties and football. If there ever has been a dynasty in the current era of the National Football League, it would be the New England Patriots. The fans call this the Belichick era or the Brady era. You could always pencil in the Patriots for a playoff berth. And you could never count them out of a run for the Super Bowl.
Since Belichick arrived in New England in 2000, they have won all but two AFC East titles. They are third in Super Bowl appearances with 7. (The Steelers and the Cowboys have both appeared in 8)  From 2003 through 2012 they won 126 games, a league record for a decade. They have not had a losing season since 2000.
But tonight the Patriots looked very pedestrian while facing the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Tom Brady looked ordinary, throwing for just 159 yards on a 14 for 23 night with 1 TD and 2 interceptions. He also fumbled twice, losing 1. His QB rating was 59.9. The rushing game faired no better gaining just 75 yards on the ground against a banged up Chiefs defense. Shane Vereen was the leading ground gainer for the Patriots with 26 yards on 8 carries.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, completely dominated the Patriots on both sides of the ball. Had there not been a missed tackle by Marcus Cooper on Brandon LaFell's 44 yard TD reception, this would have been the Patriot's worst defeat since losing to the San Diego Chargers 41-17 in 2005.
A masterful performance by Alex Smith, game manager extrodinare, had the Chiefs up 27-0 before the Pats could score. Smith was 20 of 26 for 248 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. He had a 144.4 QB rating on the night.
Kansas City rushed for 207 yards. Knile Davis had 107 yards rushing for the Chiefs and although he didn't score, he had a 48 yard scamper to set up a KC touchdown. Jamal Charles, back from an ankle sprain, rushed for 92 yards and a TD and caught 3 passes for 2 more scores.
Kansas City had 303 yards of offense in the FIRST HALF! The most yards allowed in a half by a Bill Belichick team...EVER!
With the loss tonight and an early season loss to the Dolphins, the Patriots are 2-2. Admittedly they are not out of the running yet but they seemed old and slow this evening and with games against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills the next two weeks the schedule doesn't get any easier.

Read the ESPN story 

MLB Wild Card Teams To Meet

The 2014 Major League playoffs begin in Kansas City on Tuesday the 30th of September. The Oakland Athletics, a team that went 9-16 over their last 25 games, and didn't clinch a wild card berth until the last day of the season, will take on the Kansas City Royals, who haven't been to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 1985.

The Royals start their ace, James Shields. Shields was 14-8 on the year with a 3.21 ERA. Oakland counters with Jon Lester, 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA, a trade deadline pickup from the Boston Red Sox. The winner on Tuesday night will take on the LA Angels. All of the ESPN experts are picking the Athletics to advance. My prediction is Kansas City with the relief pitching of the Royals saving the victory for Shields.

Read the ESPN story

The San Francisco Giants will travel to Pittsburgh, PA to meet the Pirates in the one game National League Wild Card matchup. Madison Bumgarner, 18-10 and a 2.98 ERA is scheduled to start for the Giants against Edinson Volquez of the Pirates. Volquez was 13-7 on the year with a 3.04 ERA. The Giants finished 6 games behind the LA Dodgers in the NL West, while the Pirates had a chance to force a one game playoff with the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central, but the Pirates lost and the Cardinals won, so the Pirates finished 2 games in back of the Cardinals. The winner of this game will take on the Washington Nationals. The experts are split over this game. My prediction is that the pitching of the Giants will overcome the streaky hitting of the Pirates

Read the ESPN story of the National League matchup.

Sporting News MLB Video Preview of Wild Card  Games