The Silver Slugger award is given annually to the best offensive player in each league. Baseball's coaches and managers determine who receives the award. Batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage are some of the categories used to determine a winner of the award.
Coaches and managers are prohibited from voting for a member of their team. The National League gives an award to the best hitting pitcher while the American League rewards the best DH in the league.
Barry Bonds has won the Silver Slugger award 12 times. Mike Piazza and Alex Rodrigues have won the award 10 times each. Rodriguez won 7 awards at SS and 3 times as a 3rd baseman. Barry Larkin won the award 9 times as a shortstop.
Here are the league award winners for 2014:
AMERICAN LEAGUE
1B: Jose Abreu, Chicago White Sox, (.317, 36 HR, 107 RBI)
2B: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros (.341, 7 HR, 59 RBI, 56 SB)
3B: Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers (.324, 19 HR, 77 RBI)
SS: Alexei Ramirez, Chicago White Sox (.273, 15 HR, 74 RBI, 21 SB)
OF: Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays (.286, 35 HR, 103 RBI, 104 BB)
OF: Michael Brantley, Cleveland Indians (.327, 20 HR, 97 RBI, 23 SB)
OF: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (.287, 36 HR, 111 RBI, 83 BB)
C: Yan Gomes, Indians (.278, 21 HR, 74 RBI)
DH: Victor Martinez, Detroit Tigers (.335, 32, HR, 103 RBI, 70 BB)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
1B: Adrian Gonzalez, Los Angeles Dodgers (.276, 27 HR, 116 RBI)
2B: Neil Walker, Pittsburgh Pirates (.271, 23 HR, 76 RBI)
3B: Anthony Rendon, Washington Nationals (.287, 21 HR, 83 RBI)
SS: Ian Desmond, Nationals (.255, 24 HR, 91 RBI, 24 SB)
OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates (.314, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 84 BB)
OF: Giancarlo Stanton, Miami Marlins (.288, 37 HR, 105 RBI, 94 BB)
OF: Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves (.270, 29 HR, 102 RBI)
C: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (.311, 22 HR, 89 RBI)
P: Madison Bumgarner, Giants (.258, 4 HR, 15 RBI, .286 OBP)
W.D. Barr's unique perspective on what's important in the world of Mexican Baseball!
Friday, November 7, 2014
Browns Smother Bengals in 24-3 Win
The Cleveland Browns are tied for 1st in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both have a 6-3 record. Only the Arizona Cardinals (7-1) and the New England Patriots (7-2) have a better record than the Browns at this point in the season.
Last night in Cincinnati, the Browns used great defense and a good ground game to beat the Bengals 24-3.
The wind played havoc with both quarterbacks but Andy Dalton, when not under pressure, seemed unsure of his throws. Dalton completed just 10 of 33 pass attempts for 86 yards while throwing 3 INTs. His 33% completion rate was outdone only by his QBR of 2.0.
Brian Hoyer, facing the same gusty winds as Dalton, went 15 of 23 for 198 yards. Although he didn't have a touchdown pass, he didn't have an interception either. The Browns used the pass to set up their run game. Cleveland's three running backs ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns on the night. Ben Tate got the Browns on the board early in the 1st quarter with a 4 yard TD run after the Browns had intercepted Dalton and returned the ball to the Bengal's 18 yard line. Isiah Crowell scored on a 2 yard run on the Browns first possession of the 2nd half and Terrance West ran in from the one for the last touchdown with 4:46 left in the 4th quarter to seal the win for Cleveland.
The Bengals were held to 86 yards rushing on 27 carries by a defense that sacked Dalton twice and kept the Bengals off balance all night.
After rushing for 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars last week, Jeremy Hill of the Bengals was held to just 55 yards on 12 carries last night.
Although his team had just been beaten 24-3 and manhandled by the Browns' defense, Hill had these comments about the Browns following the game. These quotes come courtesy of Coley Harvey at ESPN.com.
Asked whether the Browns were better than he previously thought, Hill said, "Oh no, not at all. They're probably worse than I thought, to be honest with you."
"They didn't do anything special to me," Hill continued. "I mean, respect to them, they won the game. But that's all I'll give them."
"Those guys, they're not that good," he said. "It was on us [Thursday]. We gave them the game, in my opinion. They didn't do anything special. We just gave them the game. They just sat back with coverage the whole day."
Last night in Cincinnati, the Browns used great defense and a good ground game to beat the Bengals 24-3.
The wind played havoc with both quarterbacks but Andy Dalton, when not under pressure, seemed unsure of his throws. Dalton completed just 10 of 33 pass attempts for 86 yards while throwing 3 INTs. His 33% completion rate was outdone only by his QBR of 2.0.
Brian Hoyer, facing the same gusty winds as Dalton, went 15 of 23 for 198 yards. Although he didn't have a touchdown pass, he didn't have an interception either. The Browns used the pass to set up their run game. Cleveland's three running backs ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns on the night. Ben Tate got the Browns on the board early in the 1st quarter with a 4 yard TD run after the Browns had intercepted Dalton and returned the ball to the Bengal's 18 yard line. Isiah Crowell scored on a 2 yard run on the Browns first possession of the 2nd half and Terrance West ran in from the one for the last touchdown with 4:46 left in the 4th quarter to seal the win for Cleveland.
The Bengals were held to 86 yards rushing on 27 carries by a defense that sacked Dalton twice and kept the Bengals off balance all night.
After rushing for 154 yards on 24 carries against the Jaguars last week, Jeremy Hill of the Bengals was held to just 55 yards on 12 carries last night.
Although his team had just been beaten 24-3 and manhandled by the Browns' defense, Hill had these comments about the Browns following the game. These quotes come courtesy of Coley Harvey at ESPN.com.
Asked whether the Browns were better than he previously thought, Hill said, "Oh no, not at all. They're probably worse than I thought, to be honest with you."
Read the ESPN article here and decide for yourself if the Browns are "good enough" to lead the AFC North,
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Charros Sweep Mazatlan with 16-0 Win
The Charros de Jalisco welcomed the Venados de Mazatlan to Zapopan on Tuesday for a three game series and "swept" them out of town on Thursday with a 16-0 victory. The shutout was the third win in a row and they held Mazatlan scoreless for 22 consecutive innings in the series.
Marco Tovar won the game for his third victory of the season. Tovar tossed 7 innings of 3 hit ball, walking 1 and striking out 3 and lowered his ERA to 1.67. Mario Mendoza pitched a perfect 8th inning in relief and Luis Rodriguez worked the 9th, giving up a single before getting Olmo Rosario to strike out swinging to end the game. Alejandro Martinez took the loss for Mazatlan and dropped to 0-3 on the year.
The Charros scored 27 runs on 38 hits during the series. It was the second series sweep of the year for Jalisco and the 2nd time in 3 games that the Charros hit 4 home runs.
The game was a scoreless pitcher's duel until the bottom of the 3rd when Gabriel Gutierrez led off with a single. Jesus Lopez followed with a single and both runners scored on a home run by Manny Rodriguez. The next batter, Leo Heras, homered to right for the 4-0 lead and the rout was on.
Marquez Smith led off the 4th with a double and moved to third on a ground out to second by Jesus Cota. Smith would score on a Gabriel Gutierrez sac fly to increase the lead to 5-0.
Cory Vaughn reached on a fielder's choice in the 5th and scored in front of Marquez Smith's 5th home run of the year to increase the Charros lead to 7-0.
The Venados brought in Miguel Aguilar to pitch the 6th but he found the going just as rough as the first two hurlers. With one out, Jesus Lopez drew a walk and went to second on a single by Eduardo Arredondo. Manny Rodriguez singled to score Lopez. Aguilar then threw a wild pitch to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Leo Heras followed with a single to score Arredondo and Rodriguez. Japhet Amador followed with a 2 run home run to bring the lead to 12-0 Charros.
The 7th inning saw Jalisco score four more times. With two outs, Eduardo Arredondo drew a walk. Edson Garcia, pinch hitting for Manny Rodriguez, tripled to center to score Arredondo. Amadeo Zazueta, hitting for Leo Heras, walked to put runners at 1st and 3rd with two outs. Japhet Amador hit his second home run of the night, and 8th of the year, and his 3rd, 4th and 5th RBIs of the game for the 16-0 lead and the final score.
Marquez Smith was 3 for 4 with a home run, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Jesus Lopez also went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Japhet Amador was 3 for 5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBIs. Leo Heras was 2 for 4 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Manny Rodriguez, the leading hitter in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico was 2 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs. His average stands at .368 on the season. Eduardo Arredondo, the lead off hitter for the Charros, went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Tonight was a special offensive show for the Charros and the series was a display of power the league has not seen from Jalisco thus far. The offense was backed up by excellent pitching for three games with the effort by Tovar tonight the best by a Jalisco starting pitcher this season.
The win moves the Charros to 14-9 on the year while the Venados de Mazatlan fell to 12-10, a full game behind the Charros.
Raul Ibanez to Manage the Rays?
The Tampa Bay Rays have 8 potential managerial candidates, so far, to take over for Joe Maddon in 2015. Raul Ibanez is one of them.
Other possible managers include Dave Martinez, Rays bench coach for the last eight years, Manny Acta, former Indians and Nationals manager, Craig Counsell, Charlie Montoyo, currently a minor league manager, Ron Wotus, former Seattle Mariner manager Don Wakamatsu and Kevin Cash.
Rays President of Baseball Operations, Matt Silverman, has said the list will grow as the process continues.
When one looks at the experience possessed by most of the candidates, it is hard to imagine Raul Ibanez being picked to lead a major league team when he has no prior managerial experience and has only been out of baseball for a little over a month.
But as the saying goes, stranger things have happened!
Other possible managers include Dave Martinez, Rays bench coach for the last eight years, Manny Acta, former Indians and Nationals manager, Craig Counsell, Charlie Montoyo, currently a minor league manager, Ron Wotus, former Seattle Mariner manager Don Wakamatsu and Kevin Cash.
Rays President of Baseball Operations, Matt Silverman, has said the list will grow as the process continues.
When one looks at the experience possessed by most of the candidates, it is hard to imagine Raul Ibanez being picked to lead a major league team when he has no prior managerial experience and has only been out of baseball for a little over a month.
But as the saying goes, stranger things have happened!
Alabama/LSU Preview with my Prediction
The Crimson Tide of Alabama take on the LSU Tigers this weekend in a game with playoff implications for Alabama.
Alabama comes into the game at 7-1, their only loss to a very good Ole Miss team, 23-17, on October 4th. Since then the Tide narrowly beat Arkansas 14-13, pummeled Texas A&M 59-0 and beat a resurgent Tennessee team 34-20.
LSU on the other hand is 7-2 with losses to #1 Mississippi State 34-29 and two weeks later to then #5 Auburn 41-7. Last week LSU beat then #3 Ole Miss 10-7 that took a goal line interception to preserve the win.
Currently, Alabama sits at #5 with LSU at #16. Alabama is just outside the CFP (College Football Poll) ranking of the top 4 teams that will compete for the National Championship in the first ever college football playoffs.
Mississippi State and FSU are the only undefeated teams in the CFP rankings and are #1 and #2 respectfully. Auburn is #3 at 7-1 and Oregon is 8-1 and #4 in the rankings.
A solid win by Alabama in this game would go far toward cracking the top four in the CFP rankings just as a loss could seriously damage Alabama from consideration. Mississippi State plays UT-Martin this week but travels to Alabama on November 15th for a crucial game. FSU plays the University of Miami this week but could face a challange on the 29th of November when they face a tough test against Florida. Oregon plays #17 Utah on Saturday but shouldn't have a tough test until playing Arizona for the Pac-12 title.
In the Alabama/LSU game, Alabama enters the contest second in the nation allowing just 14 points per game while they are 19th in scoring at 36.5 points a game. They average 219 yards rushing and 291 yards passing every game.
LSU is 4th in the land allowing just 15.9 points per game but they are 101st against the pass, giving up an average of 189 yards through the air per game. LSU does score 33 points per game. These two teams are pretty evenly matched.
An intangible for the Tigers may be "Death Valley" where, Coach Les Miles says "...team's dreams come to die".
Nick Saban wants more than anything to be a part of the 1st College Football Playoff. His defense is strong and he has a resurgent offense under Offensive Coordinator, Lane Kiffen.
Against good teams, Les Miles is 2-2. He opened the season with a 28-24 win in Wisconsin, lost to Mississippi State by 5, Lost to Auburn 41-7 and beat Ole Miss by 3, 10-7.
My prediction is this, Alabama will win the game 20-10 and with some good luck over the next three weeks the Tide will roll into the playoffs with a very good chance of winning it all.
Phillies Trying to Dump Big Salaries?
Craig Calcaterra, writing for hardballtalk.com, has posted a tweet by Howard Eskin, Sports Director for WTFX in Philadelphia, in which Eskin calls Marlon Byrd, Jonathan papalbin and Cliff Lee bad locker room guys. Eskin opines that for this reason, the Phillies want to get rid of these, and other players. Calcaterra's contention is that the Phillies are really about setting low expectations for the fans when Philly gets low return on any deals.
I agree with Craig. the Phillies are old, overpaid and under performing. Ruben Amaro Jr. has not used a forward thinking mindset when signing players to long term deals or trading for older players. The result is that Philadelphia has given up young talent for a projected short term gain that has not materialized.
Read Calcaterra's short article here.
I agree with Craig. the Phillies are old, overpaid and under performing. Ruben Amaro Jr. has not used a forward thinking mindset when signing players to long term deals or trading for older players. The result is that Philadelphia has given up young talent for a projected short term gain that has not materialized.
Read Calcaterra's short article here.
Separation Weekend in College Football
Heather Dinich has a real good article on this week in College Football and how different outcomes in games will effect the entire playoff picture.
Read Heather's article here.
Although the games this week will go far in determining the playoff picture, the SEC appears to have a lock on at least two positions. If the SEC can avoid a 2nd and 3rd place finish, we could wind up with an SEC final.
It's hard for me to think that Oregon can hold on to the 4th spot with no big games remaining as it is unlikely that a Big 12 team could vault enough teams to reach the top 4. What might prove fatal to the SEC is if the Playoff Committee deems it unfair to put a 2 loss SEC team, albeit a good team, ahead of a 1 loss Pac 12 or Big 12 team.
Read Heather's article here.
Although the games this week will go far in determining the playoff picture, the SEC appears to have a lock on at least two positions. If the SEC can avoid a 2nd and 3rd place finish, we could wind up with an SEC final.
It's hard for me to think that Oregon can hold on to the 4th spot with no big games remaining as it is unlikely that a Big 12 team could vault enough teams to reach the top 4. What might prove fatal to the SEC is if the Playoff Committee deems it unfair to put a 2 loss SEC team, albeit a good team, ahead of a 1 loss Pac 12 or Big 12 team.
Jazz Top Cavs 102-100 on Buzzerbeater by Hayward
Gordon Hayward, of the Utah Jazz, hit a game winning jump shot at the buzzer that sent the Cleveland Cavaliers to their second consecutive loss, 102-100.
LeBron James had 31 points in the losing effort as Cleveland falls to 1-3 on the year.
The Jazz out rebounded the Cavs 41-30 and had 26 assists to the Cavalier's 6.
Kyle Irving had 34 points for Cleveland but the point guard had no assists. Kevin Love added 14 for Cleveland.
Hayward and Derrick Favors each had 21 points to lead the Jazz while Favors added 10 boards.
LeBron had this to say about the Cavaliers early season troubles.
''Rome wasn't built in a day and we understand that,'' James said. ''You have to continue to work the process. You hate to lose as competitors, but we felt like tonight we improved. We improved and proved in the second half we're capable of playing some good basketball.''
LeBron James had 31 points in the losing effort as Cleveland falls to 1-3 on the year.
The Jazz out rebounded the Cavs 41-30 and had 26 assists to the Cavalier's 6.
Kyle Irving had 34 points for Cleveland but the point guard had no assists. Kevin Love added 14 for Cleveland.
Hayward and Derrick Favors each had 21 points to lead the Jazz while Favors added 10 boards.
LeBron had this to say about the Cavaliers early season troubles.
''Rome wasn't built in a day and we understand that,'' James said. ''You have to continue to work the process. You hate to lose as competitors, but we felt like tonight we improved. We improved and proved in the second half we're capable of playing some good basketball.''
Read the Yahoo Sports article by Matthew Coles of the AP here.
Cleveland travels to Denver to face the Nuggets on Friday while the Jazz will host the Dallas Mavericks on the same day.
Jerry Jones Insists Romo Must Play on Sunday
The Dallas Cowboys meet the Jacksonville Jaguars in London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday. The Cowboys are 6-3 and in the hunt for a playoff spot this year. The Jaguars are 1-8 and going nowhere this season. In the end this is a meaningless game for the Cowboys. Dallas is a 6 1/2 point favorite and should beat the Jaguars handily.
Cowboy quarterback, Tony Romo, suffered two transverse process fractures in his back during the game against the Redskins in late October. Romo left the game but returned in the 4th quarter to try and win the game. He didn't look very good and the Cowboys lost. Head coach Jason Garrett said following the game that owner Jerry Jones did not insist that Garrett put Romo back in the game. Read the rest of this article and extrapolate the data backwards to that game.
Romo made the long flight with little pain he said and he is walking, throwing passes and even participated in team walk through drills this week.
What is a transverse process fracture you ask?
A fracture of a bone is the same as a break in the bone. A fracture of a transverse process is a break of a part of one of the bones in the spine. This part extends out from the side of the main body of the bone (called the vertebral body). A transverse process is shaped like a wing. They extend from both the left and right sides of the vertebral body.
If the injury is limited to a break of a transverse process with no other bone or organ injury, hospital care may not be necessary. Medication for pain control, special back bracing, and limitations in activity are done first followed by physical therapy later.
Romo says if he keeps improving he'll have a good chance of playing. Coach Jason Garrett would not comment on whether or not Romo would play. The only person who speaks of Romo definitely starting is Cowboy owner Jerry Jones.
Remember that Romo had back surgery last off season and these fractures are to the bones on the edges of the spine. Could the consequences of sitting Romo for one more game be that dire? The Cowboys are 6-3 on the season. Yes, they have lost their last 2 games and are in a fight with the Eagles for a playoff spot but the Jaguars are 1-8, their only victory over the Cleveland Browns by a point, and going nowhere. The Cowboys should win this game.
I'm using quotes from Jerry Jones here in an ESPN.com article by Todd Archer to show just how little Jones looks at the future, a player's or the team's, in insisting Romo will play.
"I'm anticipating him playing, have no reason to think that he won't, and this will be a nice little practice session for him out there today," Jones said. "But my expectations are for him to play."
"Any time he can play, we want him to play," Jones said. "We're a better team, to be trite, with him playing. And so as far as the meaningful games, I'm talking about -- we didn't play him in the preseason obviously but felt we could have had we needed him to win the game -- but these games, we don't play many of them. You know that. And every one of them counts so much.
"Invariably any time you do lose one of these games in the regular season, our experience with us, especially these last several years, is we needed every win we could get. There's no such thing as holding him out and forgoing the potential chance that we win.
Romo may well have the best game of his career on Sunday. The Cowboys may make the playoffs by virtue of this win, but is it in the best interest of the team, Tony Romo and the Cowboys fans to take a chance with your 100 million dollar franchise quarterback?
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Jalisco Takes Game 2 Of Mazatlan Series 5-0
Adrian Ramirez struck out the side in the top of the 9th to preserve the Charros' win for Graham Godfrey, a 5-0 shutout of the Venados de Mazatlan.
Jalisco started the scoring in the 1st when Leo Heras drew a walk, stole second and came around to score when the Venados catcher, Hector Peaz threw wildly to second. One batter, one run and the Charros led 1-0.
Jesus Lopez doubled to lead off the bottom of the 3rd for the Charros. Cory Vaughn popped up to the catcher but Japhet Amador drew a four pitch walk. Marquez Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Gabriel Gutierrez hit a sac fly to left to score Lopez. Jose Felix then singled to score Amador and the score was 3-0 Jalisco.
In the bottom of the 4th, Amadeo Zazueta singled to start the inning. Edson Garcia followed with a single and Zazueta stopped at second. Leo Heras singled to load the bases with no outs. Jesus Lopez hit into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Zazueta and got Garcia to third. Cory Vaughn walked. The Mazatlan pitcher, Fredy Quintero unleashed a wild pitch that scored Garcia for the 5-0 Jalisco lead and the final margin of victory.
Graham Godfrey picked up his third win of the season, pitching 7 strong innings giving up 6 hits and walking 1, while striking 5. Godfrey lowered his ERA to 1.57. Carlos Vazguez, Hugo Castellanos and Adrian Ramirez held the Venados hitless over the final two innings of the ballgame.
Jose Felix, Amadeo Zazueta and Edson Garcia, the 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup for Jalisco all went 2 for 4 on the night. Marquez Smith was 1 for 3 with a double while Jesus Lopez was 1 for 3 with a double and a run scored.
The Charros improve to 13-9 on the year while Mazatlan falls 1/2 game behind Jalisco at 12-9. The Yaquiz de Obregon lost the 1st game of a double header to the Tomateros de Culiacn to fall to 12-8, statistically tied with the Charros for first place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Charros Top League Leading Mazatlan 6-4
The Venados de Mazatlan, leading the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, lost to the Charros de Jalisco on Tuesday, 6-4, to drop the first game of a crucial three game series in Zapopan.
Mazatlan broke out on top early, scoring two runs in the top of the 1st. With two outs, Heber Gomez walked and back-to-back doubles by Ryan Schimpf and Olmo Rosario had the Venados up 2-0.
The Charros got those runs back quickly in their half of the 1st on a double by Manny Rodriguez and a 2 run home run by Japhet Amador. The Charros had tied the game at 2 all.
Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 4th. Japhet Amador reached safely on an error by the Venados third baseman and took second on the throw. Jesus Cota singled to move Amador to third. Fernando Valenzuela singled to score Amador and the Charros had a 3-2 lead.
Mazatlan retook the lead in the top of the 5th. Charros starter, Ben Kozlowski walked the lead off man, Derrick Robinson who moved to second on a wild pitch. Albert Carreon walked. Kozlowski threw wildly on a sacrifice bunt by Heber Gomez and Robinson scored. Olmo Rosario grounded out to second to score Carreon and the Venados were on top 4-3.
Manny Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 5th to tie the game again, this time at 4 apiece.
Japhet Amador hit his second home run of the night, and 6th of the year, to giive the Charros the 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 7th.
Gabriel Gutierrez led off the bottom of the 8th with his first home run of the year and the Charros went on to defeat Mazatlan 6-4.
Manuel Flores picked up the win in relief of Kozlowski and lowered his ERA to 1.17. Brian Broderick got the save, his 7th of the year, by shutting out the Venados in the top of the 9th. Felipe Gonzalez took the loss for Mazatlan and his record dropped to 1-2 on the year.
Japhet Amador was 2 for 3 with 2 home runs, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored. Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with a double, a home run, an RBI and 2 runs scored to raise his league leading batting average to .363. Rodriguez also leads the league in doubles with 11. Jesus Lopez was 2 for 4 to get his average back above .300. Gabriel Gutierrez went 1 for 4 with the solo home run.
Jalisco is now 12-9 on the year, 1/2 game behind the 12-8 Venados. The Yaquis de Obregon were rained out last night and lead the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico with a 12-7 record that leads the Charros by a full game.
Baseball Free Agency 2015
There are 165 official free agents following the 2014 major league baseball year.
Yahoo Sports writer, Jeff Passan has them ranked from #1 Max Scherzer, the Tigers ace, who reportedly wants a long term contract worth 200 Million Dollars to #165 Hiroyuki Nakajimi, of the A's, who hit .266 last year in Double A ball.
Some interesting players entering free agancy on Passan's list are, #134, Dan Uggla who will get $13 million from the Braves this year and possibly a World Series ring from the Giants. #120 Daisuke Matsuzaka...how fast does a shooting star fade? Ichiro Suzuki, in at #80. With two or so more good hitting years, Ichiro could reach 3,000 hits. Some team will need a 4th outfielder who can hit and still steal bases.
Read Jeff Passan's article here.
Yahoo Sports writer, Jeff Passan has them ranked from #1 Max Scherzer, the Tigers ace, who reportedly wants a long term contract worth 200 Million Dollars to #165 Hiroyuki Nakajimi, of the A's, who hit .266 last year in Double A ball.
Some interesting players entering free agancy on Passan's list are, #134, Dan Uggla who will get $13 million from the Braves this year and possibly a World Series ring from the Giants. #120 Daisuke Matsuzaka...how fast does a shooting star fade? Ichiro Suzuki, in at #80. With two or so more good hitting years, Ichiro could reach 3,000 hits. Some team will need a 4th outfielder who can hit and still steal bases.
Read Jeff Passan's article here.
MLB Players Choose Their Best
The players of major league baseball have chosen their top players in several categories. The voting was done on the 16th of September, according to the MLB Players Union.
Clayton Kershaw, of the Dodgers, was picked in 3 categories.
Player of the Year
Marvin Miller Man of the Year
NL Outstanding Pitcher
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami, was chosen as the NL Outstanding Player
Mike Trout, LA Angels, AL Outstanding Player
Seattle's Felix Hernandez was picked as the AL Outstanding Pitcher
Jose Abreu, White Sox, AL Outstanding Rookie
Jacob deGrom, Mets, NL Outstanding Rookie
Miami's Casey Magehee (NL) and Seattle's Chris Young (AL) were chosen as their league's Comeback Players.
Clayton Kershaw, of the Dodgers, was picked in 3 categories.
Player of the Year
Marvin Miller Man of the Year
NL Outstanding Pitcher
Giancarlo Stanton, Miami, was chosen as the NL Outstanding Player
Mike Trout, LA Angels, AL Outstanding Player
Seattle's Felix Hernandez was picked as the AL Outstanding Pitcher
Jose Abreu, White Sox, AL Outstanding Rookie
Jacob deGrom, Mets, NL Outstanding Rookie
Miami's Casey Magehee (NL) and Seattle's Chris Young (AL) were chosen as their league's Comeback Players.
Worst Fielders In MLB for 2014 Season
Ryan Fagan, writing for The Sporting News online has a list of the worst fielders for this past season in major league baseball. He uses sabermetric terms such as UZR/150 and even DRS as a tie breaker. To be honest I don't have a clue as to what they really mean, nor do most of my readers I presume, but his article/slideshow is good.
Only three of the 10 fielders came from playoff teams with two of those from the Tigers. Torii Hunter made the list. Some of us remember Torii as the best fielding outfielder not too long ago.
Here's the list:
1B - Ike Davis, Pirates
2B - Jose Altuve, Astros
SS - Yunel Escobar, Rays
3B - Nick Castellanos, Tigers
LF - Domonic Brown Phillies
CF - Dexter Fowler, Astros
RF - Torii Hunter, Tigers
C - Travis d'Arnaud, Mets
SP - Phil Hughes, Twins
RP - Sam Dyson, Marlins
Be sure to check out Fagan's article/slideshow here.
Only three of the 10 fielders came from playoff teams with two of those from the Tigers. Torii Hunter made the list. Some of us remember Torii as the best fielding outfielder not too long ago.
Here's the list:
1B - Ike Davis, Pirates
2B - Jose Altuve, Astros
SS - Yunel Escobar, Rays
3B - Nick Castellanos, Tigers
LF - Domonic Brown Phillies
CF - Dexter Fowler, Astros
RF - Torii Hunter, Tigers
C - Travis d'Arnaud, Mets
SP - Phil Hughes, Twins
RP - Sam Dyson, Marlins
Be sure to check out Fagan's article/slideshow here.
Giants "Luck" Runs Out Against Colts With 40-24 Loss
Andrew Luck completed 25 of 46 passes for 354 yards and 4 TDs against the Giants as the Colts beat the Giants 40-24. Eli Manning was 27 of 52 for 359 yards and 2 TDs in the losing cause.
This was the 1st game in Monday Night Football history when both quarterbacks threw for over 350 yards with no interceptions. The difference in this game may have been that Eli Manning overthrew his receivers, who appeared to have beaten the coverage in several instances, 11 times. The receivers can't help you when you are unable to get the ball close to them.
The Colt's Luck threw for 354 yards, his 5th consecutive road game with at least 350 yards, an NFL record. The NFL record book is at least as thick as the IRS instruction manual. The things they keep track of are amazing. Luck has also thrown for 300+ yards in seven straight games tying him for third place in NFL history with Peyton Manning. It was also Luck's 17th NFL game with over 300 yards in just 2 1/2 years of play.
The run game for both teams was average at best, just enough runs to keep the defense honest. Ahmad Bradshaw, ex Giants running back, led the Colt's with 50 yards on just 7 carries while the Giants could muster only 89 yards on the ground on 20 carries by 5 different backs, including Manning's 18 yards on 1 carry.
Tight End Coby Fleener caught a 32 yard TD from Luck. WR T.Y. Hilton (31 yards), WR Reggie Wayne (40 yards) and TE Dwayne Allen also caught TD passes from Luck. Corey Washington and Larry Donnell were on the receiving end of Manning's 2 TD passes.
Manning and Luck both fumbled twice but Eli lost one. Jonathan Newsome sacked Manning, causing a fumble that Sergio Brown returned to the Giants 4 yard line. Luck then threw his 4th TD pass, a 2 yard toss to TE Dwayne Allen.
The Colts sit atop the AFC South Division at 6-3, two games ahead of the much improved Houston Texans while the Giants fall to 3-5 in the NFC East, three games behind the Eagles and just 1/2 game in front of the hapless Redskins.
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Dolphins Shutout Chargers 37-0
The Dolphin's Ryan Tannehill was 24 of 34 passing for 288 yards and 3 TDs in the Dolphins shutout win over the Chargers.
This was the most lopsided loss for the Chargers since 1996 and they were shutout for the 1st time since 1996.
The Chargers have not won in South Florida since 1982.
Pjilip Rivers was held to 138 yards passing on the day with a QB Rating of 31...his lowest since 2007.
Read the Yahoo Sports article here.
This was the most lopsided loss for the Chargers since 1996 and they were shutout for the 1st time since 1996.
The Chargers have not won in South Florida since 1982.
Pjilip Rivers was held to 138 yards passing on the day with a QB Rating of 31...his lowest since 2007.
Read the Yahoo Sports article here.
Arizona Cardinals Defeat Cowboys 28-17
DeMarco Murray had his record 8 game streak of 100+ yard rushing games halted by the Arizona Cardinals who held hin to 79 yards on 19 carries as Arizona won 28-17.
Carson Palmer was 22 of 34 for 249 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for the Cardinals who improved to 7-1 on the year while the Cowboys lost their second game in a row to fall to 6-3, 1/2 game behind the Philadelphia Eagles who beat the Houston Texans 31-21.
Brandon Weeden, starting for the Cowboys in place of the injured Tony Romo, was 18 of 37 for 183 yards and a late 4th quarter touchdown pass to Dez Bryant but threw 2 INTs.
"You can't turn the ball over, and that is on me," Weeden said.
Carson Palmer was 22 of 34 for 249 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT for the Cardinals who improved to 7-1 on the year while the Cowboys lost their second game in a row to fall to 6-3, 1/2 game behind the Philadelphia Eagles who beat the Houston Texans 31-21.
Brandon Weeden, starting for the Cowboys in place of the injured Tony Romo, was 18 of 37 for 183 yards and a late 4th quarter touchdown pass to Dez Bryant but threw 2 INTs.
"You can't turn the ball over, and that is on me," Weeden said.
Read the ESPN recap here.
St. Louis Rams Beat 49ers 13-10
The St. Louis Rams sacked 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick 8 times, 6 times in the 1st half, and caused him to fumble at the Rams 1 yard line with 2 seconds left in the game as the Rams beat the 49ers 13-10
Read the ESPN recap here.
Read the ESPN recap here.
Brady Outduels Manning in 43-21 New England Win
Tom Brady threw for 333 yards with 4 TDs and 1 INT as the Patriots downed the Broncos and Peyton Manning 43-21. Manning was 34 of 57 for 438 yards and 2 TDs but he had 2 INTs.
Manning was forced to attempt so many passes because the Denver rushing game was held to 43 yards on 17 carries and the Broncos were down 27-7 at the half.
"Well, I don't usually stink, but I stunk today," said Manning, 38, who broke into the NFL in 1998, two years before Brady. "I don't make any excuses. "
Manning was forced to attempt so many passes because the Denver rushing game was held to 43 yards on 17 carries and the Broncos were down 27-7 at the half.
"Well, I don't usually stink, but I stunk today," said Manning, 38, who broke into the NFL in 1998, two years before Brady. "I don't make any excuses. "
Julian delman retned a put for a touchdown in the New England win. Brandon Browner and Rob Ninkovich had the interceptions of Manning passes for the Patriots.
Read the ESPN recap here.
Peyton Manning added these comments about the game in a post game press conference. Read it here.
Read the ESPN recap here.
Peyton Manning added these comments about the game in a post game press conference. Read it here.
Caneros Take Third Game With Charros 6-3
The Caneros de los Mochis took the series against the Charros 2 games to 1 with a 6-3 win on Sunday behind starter Tomas Solis and 5 relievers.
Murphy Smith took the loss for Jalisco lasting just 1 2/3 innings and giving up 4 runs on 5 hits. Luis Rodriguez relieved Smith and gave up the other two runs on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 3. He gave up a solo home run to Rodolfo Amador.
Los Mochis scored four runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Saul Soto and Sandy Madera singled to lead off the inning. Brian Burgamy doubled to score Soto with Madera stopping at third. Madera scored on an Ernesto Molinet ground ball out to third. Roldolfo Amador doubled to drive in Burgamy and Justin Christian doubled to score Amador to give the Caneros the early 4-0 lead.
Antonio Lamas reached safely on a throwing error by the Charros third baseman to lead off the bottom of the 3rd. Charros reliever Luis Rodriguez uncorked a wild pitch that moved Lamas to third. With two outs, Brian Burgamy singled to plate Lamas and the Caneros led 5-0.
Jalisco scored in the top of the 4th. Marquez Smith led off with a double and went to third on a single by Gabriel Gutierrez. With one out, Jose Felix hit a sac fly to right to score Smith and the score was 5-1 Caneros.
Rodolfo Amador homered for los Mochis in the bottom of the 4th to give the Caneros the 6-1 lead.
Edwin Salas replaced Caneros starter, Tomas Solis, in the top of the 6th and gave up a lead off solo home run to Japhet Amador, his fourth of the year, and the Charros had narrowed the lead to 6-2.
Jesus Lopez led off the top of the 7th with a single. Eduardo Arredondo singled to send Lopez to third and Arredondo took second on the throw. After Manny Rodriguez grounded out 1-3 and Oscar Verdugo was replaced by Fabian Cota for the Caneros, Jesus Cota hit a sac fly to left to score Lopez and Jalisco had pulled to within 3 runs, 6-3.
Jalisco threatened in the top of the 9th. With two outs, Manny Rodriguez doubled. Jesus Cota singled with Rodriguez stopping at third. Japhet Amador walked to load the bases but Marquez Smith struck out swinging to end the game.
Juan Noriega picked up the save, his first of the year, and Tomas Solis improved to 2-1 on the season while lowering his ERA to 2.05.
Gabriel Gutierrez went 3 for 4 for Jalisco and raised his batting average to .304. Japhet Amador was 2 for 4 with the home run. Eduardo Arredondo is starting to hit and went 2 for 4 with a double to raise his average to .207. Manny Rodriguez was 2 for 4 with his 10th double of the year to increase his season's batting average to .356.
Lakers Fall to 0-4 With Loss to Golden State 127-104
The Los Angeles Lakers are in for a rough season if the first 4 games are any indication. Klay Thompson scored 41 points for the Warriors and Stephen Curry added 31 with 10 assists as Golden State easily defeated the Lakers. The Lakers begin the season at 0-4.
Kobe had 28 points to lead the Lakers with Jordan Hill adding 23. Jeremy Lin had 6 points with 6 assists. Ed davis came off the bench to score 13 points with 6 rebounds for the Lakers.
Check out the ESPN recap here.
Kobe had 28 points to lead the Lakers with Jordan Hill adding 23. Jeremy Lin had 6 points with 6 assists. Ed davis came off the bench to score 13 points with 6 rebounds for the Lakers.
Check out the ESPN recap here.
Kansas City Declines 2015 Option on Billy Butler
The Kansas City Royals have decided to pay Billy Butler a 1 Million dollar buyout of his contract rather than pay him 12.5 million dollars for the 2015 season.
"Obviously when you're on a team that won the American League, it would be tough to leave that team," Butler said. "It's the only organization I've ever been in. That plays a factor."
"Obviously when you're on a team that won the American League, it would be tough to leave that team," Butler said. "It's the only organization I've ever been in. That plays a factor."
Read the ESPN article to see the business side of baseball. Butler had an off year but was an All-Star two years ago.
College Football Saturday
#1 Mississippi State struggled to defeat an unranked Arkansas team 17-10. Dak Prescott threw for 331 yards with a TD but threw 2 INTs. Arkansas' Alex Collins carried the ball 16 times for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Recap here.
#2 Florida State recovered from a 21 point deficit to beat #25 Louisville 42-31. Jameis Winston threw for 401 yards and 3 touchdowns but also threw 3 INTs to keep Louisville in the game. Will Gardner was 20 of 38 for 330 yards and a touchdown for Louisville.
Recap here.
#3 Auburn solidified it's hold on the 3rd spot in the playoff race by defeating #4 Ole Miss 35-31. Nick Marshall, Auburn, rushed for 50 yards and 2 TDs and Cameron Artis-Payne added 143 yards rushing with 2 TDs. Bo Wallace, for Ole Miss, threw for 341 yards and 2 TDs
Recap here.
#5 Oregon had an easy time with Stanford with the 45-16 victory. Marcus Mariota of Oregon was 19 of 30 passing for 258 yards and 2 TDs. The Ducks rushed for 264 yards on the day. Mariota also had 9 carries for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Recap here.
#7 TCU needed a Field Goal with no time on the clock to beat West Virginia in Morgan town 31-30.
Recap here.
Recap here.
#2 Florida State recovered from a 21 point deficit to beat #25 Louisville 42-31. Jameis Winston threw for 401 yards and 3 touchdowns but also threw 3 INTs to keep Louisville in the game. Will Gardner was 20 of 38 for 330 yards and a touchdown for Louisville.
Recap here.
#3 Auburn solidified it's hold on the 3rd spot in the playoff race by defeating #4 Ole Miss 35-31. Nick Marshall, Auburn, rushed for 50 yards and 2 TDs and Cameron Artis-Payne added 143 yards rushing with 2 TDs. Bo Wallace, for Ole Miss, threw for 341 yards and 2 TDs
Recap here.
#5 Oregon had an easy time with Stanford with the 45-16 victory. Marcus Mariota of Oregon was 19 of 30 passing for 258 yards and 2 TDs. The Ducks rushed for 264 yards on the day. Mariota also had 9 carries for 85 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Recap here.
#7 TCU needed a Field Goal with no time on the clock to beat West Virginia in Morgan town 31-30.
Recap here.
Caneros Even Series With Charros with 5-4 Win
Orlando Lara started well for the Carros, giving up just one hit over the first two innings. In the bottom of the third though, it was a different story.
Emmanuel Avila led off the inning being hit by a pitch. Avila moved to third when Rodolfo Amador reached safely, and went to second, on throwing error by Lara on a sacrifice bunt. Antonio Lamas, tonight a Charros killer with 4 RBIs, then cleared the bases with a 3 run home run to left for the 3-0 Caneros lead. The Caneros then loaded the bases before Lara got Yancarlo Angulo to fly out to center to end the inning and avoid further damage.
The Charros got a run back in the top of the 4th. Gabriel Gutierrez reached second safely on a throwing error by the Caneros' shortstop. A ground ball to short moved Gutierrez to third who then scored on a single by Jose Felix to cut the Caneros lead to 3-1.
Jalisco took the lead in the top of the 5th, scoring three runs. Eduardo Arredondo and Manny Rodriguez singled and came around to score on Cory Vaughn's third home run of the year, a three run shot that put the Charros ahead 4-3.
The score remained 4-3 Charros until the bottom of the 7th. Rodolfo Amador singled to right to lead off the inning for los Mochis. Justin Christian sacrificed Amador to second. Ken Sigman came on in relief for the Charros and gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Antonio Lamas, that scored Amador to tie the game at 4.
The Caneros took the lead for good in the bottom of the 8th. With one out, Sandy Madera reached, and moved to second on a throwing error by Jesus Lopez. Brian Burgamy was intentionally walked. After a pitching change for the Charros, Ernesto Molinet doubled to score Madera and the Caneros had the 5-4 lead and the final margin of victory.
Manuel Flores took the loss for the Charros to fall to 0-1 on the year. Orlando Lara saw his ERA climb from 0.57 to 1.31 with the 2 earned runs he allowed. Andres Avila got the win for los Mochis.
The Caneros are now 9-10 on the season, still 3 1/2 games behind Mazatlan while the Charros fall to 11-8, a game and a half game out of the lead.
These two teams play the rubber match of the series today in los Mochis before the Charros return home to take on the league leading Venados de Mazatlan in a crucial three game set beginning on Tuesday the 4th of November.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Charros Shutout los Mochis 1-0 to Take Game 1
Jalisco won their 2nd game in a row by defeating the Caneros de los Mochis 1-0 last night behind the superb pitching of Marco Tovar and three relievers. Tovar picked up the win, to go 2-0 on the year, while Adrian Ramirez and Ivan Salas recorded holds and Brian Broderick pitched the last 1 1/3 innings for his 6th save of the year.
The Charros bats were held in check all night by Caneros' starter Luis Niebla. Reliever Oscar Verdugo took the loss to drop to 2-1 on the season.
The Charros were held to just 4 hits for the game but the made the most of two of them. Oscar Verdugo started the 6th in relief of Niebla for the Caneros and gave up a lead off double to Gabriel Gutierrez. Jesus Lopez then beat out a sacrifice bunt to the catcher and the Charros had runners on first and third with no outs. Eduardo Arredondo hit a sac fly to right to score Gutierrez for the only run of the game and the 1-0 Charros victory.
Marco Tovar gave up all 6 Caneros hits but didn't allow a run and dropped his ERA to 2.25 on the year. Tovar walked one and struck out 6. The Charros' relievers did not allow a hit over their 3 innings of work.
Luis Niebla, for los Mochis, allowed just one hit over 5 innings and no runs while walking 1 and striking out 4. Niebla faced just 1 batter over the minimum during his time on the mound.
Back in the lead off spot for the Charros, Eduardo Arredondo went 2 for 3 with the game winning sac fly RBI, his 13th on the year. Both Gabriel Gutierrez and Jesus Lopez were 1 for 3 on the night.
Manny Rodriguez, though 0 for 4 in the game, is 2nd in batting in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico with a .351 average and Jesus Lopez is 9th at .317. Rodriguez is tied for 2nd with 27 hits and tied for the league lead with 9 doubles. Japhet Amador is 9th with 20 hits and Leo Heras is tied for 2nd in doubles with 6. Cory Vaughn is 2nd in the league with 2 triples while Marquez is tied for 2nd with 4 home runs. Eduardo Arredondo has 13 RBIs, good for 4th and Japhet Amador has 12 RBIs.
Marco Tovar's 2.25 ERA is good for 9th overall in the league and Ben Kozlowski is at 4.26. Brian Broderick's 6 saves place him 2nd in that category while Tovar's 18 Ks rank him in a tie for 3rd in the league.
The Charros de Jalisco have two games remaining with los Mochis before returning home to face the Venados de Mazatlan for three games beginning on Tuesday the 4th of November at 7PM at Panamerican Park in Zapopan.
Jalisco is 1/2 game behind Mazatlan with an 11-7 record while the Caneros fall to 8-10, 3 1/2 games off the lead.
Friday, October 31, 2014
ESPN.com Stats and Info for 2014 Home Runs
If you're a stat junkie like I am you will like the information below.
Tony Stewart Hits 200 MPH at Texas Speedway
Tony Stewart reached a speed of 200.111 miles per hour in his second of 3 qualifying laps but slowed in his last lap and will start 6th.
Matt Kenseth will start on the pole with a qualifying speed of 199.299.
Read the ESPN article here.
Matt Kenseth will start on the pole with a qualifying speed of 199.299.
Read the ESPN article here.
Cubs Fire Rick Renteria - Prelude to Hiring Joe Maddon
The Chicago Cubs have fired their current manager, Rick Renteria, to hire the ex-manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, Joe Maddon.
Just 2 weeks ago, Renteria was given a vote of confidence by GM Theo Epstein who saw no reason that Renteria would not be back on the Northside for 2015.
Here is a quote from ESPN writer Jesse Rogers's article on ESPN, by Theo Epstein today.
"Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon -- who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us -- had become a free agent," Epstein said. "We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe."
The Cubs, as usual, handled this very poorly. Renteria did no worse than the 52 managers before him that failed to get the Cubs to the World Series. He was given 1 year to turn around a Cub team that has underperformed as long as the current generation of Cub fans can remember.
In my opinion, Renteria was given the bum's rush and I am sure he will land a managerial position elsewhere.
But read the ESPN article here and decide for yourself.
Just 2 weeks ago, Renteria was given a vote of confidence by GM Theo Epstein who saw no reason that Renteria would not be back on the Northside for 2015.
Here is a quote from ESPN writer Jesse Rogers's article on ESPN, by Theo Epstein today.
"Last Thursday, we learned that Joe Maddon -- who may be as well suited as anyone in the industry to manage the challenges that lie ahead of us -- had become a free agent," Epstein said. "We saw it as a unique opportunity and faced a clear dilemma: be loyal to Rick or be loyal to the organization. In this business of trying to win a world championship for the first time in 107 years, the organization has priority over any one individual. We decided to pursue Joe."
The Cubs, as usual, handled this very poorly. Renteria did no worse than the 52 managers before him that failed to get the Cubs to the World Series. He was given 1 year to turn around a Cub team that has underperformed as long as the current generation of Cub fans can remember.
In my opinion, Renteria was given the bum's rush and I am sure he will land a managerial position elsewhere.
But read the ESPN article here and decide for yourself.
LeBron and the Cavs Drop Opener to Knicks 95-90
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers lost their opener to the NY Knicks. Obviously the chemistry is not there and there is no way the Cavs can make the playoffs, let alone win the NBA Championship!
ESPN article
The OKC Thunder lost Russell Westbrook when he broke his hand, a small fracture of the second metacarpal in his right hand to be exact. As JA Adande of ESPN writes "(T)he Thunder are now winless and perhaps starless...". Let's write them off too!
ESPN article
We as fans are quick to jump on and off team bandwagons. Come on people, the NBA season is 82 games, to start 0-1 or 0-2 is not the end.
The end is already here for teams like the 76ers whos GM has said the team will not win until 2017. The Lakers, with no point guard and an aging Kobe are at the end too.
Do fans really think Cleveland will not challange in the East? Phil Jackson has said that the Knicks are "(N)ot ready for showtime...". Do we expect them to rise to the top of the East?
Allow the season to progress and we'll check back later. By the way, remember when LeBron first got to Miami? That team didn't start off so well either did it?
ESPN article
The OKC Thunder lost Russell Westbrook when he broke his hand, a small fracture of the second metacarpal in his right hand to be exact. As JA Adande of ESPN writes "(T)he Thunder are now winless and perhaps starless...". Let's write them off too!
ESPN article
We as fans are quick to jump on and off team bandwagons. Come on people, the NBA season is 82 games, to start 0-1 or 0-2 is not the end.
The end is already here for teams like the 76ers whos GM has said the team will not win until 2017. The Lakers, with no point guard and an aging Kobe are at the end too.
Do fans really think Cleveland will not challange in the East? Phil Jackson has said that the Knicks are "(N)ot ready for showtime...". Do we expect them to rise to the top of the East?
Allow the season to progress and we'll check back later. By the way, remember when LeBron first got to Miami? That team didn't start off so well either did it?
Dave Brandon to Step Down as Michigan AD
The Athletic Director at Michigan, Dave Brandon, has said he will step down at the end of the year and not return in 2015.
I have taken a quote from the ESPN article that states clearly, through emails, how Brandon has handled the fan reaction to a 3-5 record overall and 1-3 in the Big 10.
Earlier this week, mgoblog.com posted caustic and condescending emails that fans wrote to Brandon with their concerns about the athletic department. The website reviewed email exchanges between Brandon and several different fans in which he allegedly told one to "quit drinking and go to bed" and another to "find a new team to support."
I have taken a quote from the ESPN article that states clearly, through emails, how Brandon has handled the fan reaction to a 3-5 record overall and 1-3 in the Big 10.
Earlier this week, mgoblog.com posted caustic and condescending emails that fans wrote to Brandon with their concerns about the athletic department. The website reviewed email exchanges between Brandon and several different fans in which he allegedly told one to "quit drinking and go to bed" and another to "find a new team to support."
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Joe Maddon To Cubs?
So the free agent manager, Joe Maddon, appears to be ready to sign a contract to manage the Cubs for 2015. This signing will be the Cubs third manager in the three years that Theo Epstein has been the General Manager.
Unfortunately, Rick Renteria, the current manager of the Cubs hasn't been fired yet.
Assuming the paperwork gets signed, the unfortunate casualty is Renteria, the baseball soul who’d been hired not even a year ago, and who in the absence of public support from Cubs management was compelled this week to release a statement of his own.
It was so sad. Humiliating, you’d imagine. So humiliating, were the final negotiations with Maddon to go sideways Epstein would have had to fire Renteria anyway, because you can’t have an employee kicked to the curb and then dragged back into the clubhouse and reinstalled as team leader and organizational conscience.
Unfortunately, Rick Renteria, the current manager of the Cubs hasn't been fired yet.
Assuming the paperwork gets signed, the unfortunate casualty is Renteria, the baseball soul who’d been hired not even a year ago, and who in the absence of public support from Cubs management was compelled this week to release a statement of his own.
Tim Brown of yahoo Sports has a good article here. I think the timing was poor and Renteria should have been fired or at least reassigned before any leak of negotiations, but baseball is a business and a team must act in their best interests.
Jalisco Beats Obregon 11-4 To Take 3rd Game of the Series
The Charros finally got their power hitters going at the same time. For the first time this season they hit 4 home runs in a game. Japhet Amador hit 2 while Manny Rodriguez and Cory Vaughn hit one each.
Obregon took the lead in the 1st. With one out, Dean Anna walked to load the bases. Carlos Valencia popped up to short but Donald Lutz waited out a walk to force in Jake Smolinski for the 1-0 Yaquis lead.
The bottom of the 1st was all Jalisco. Manny Rodriguez hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1. Eduardo Arredondo walked and Japhet Amador hit a 2 run home run to left center for the 3-1 lead. Marquez Smith singled and Cory Vaughn walked. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to left to score Smith and Vaughn and the Charros led 4-1.
Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 3rd when Marquez Smith led off the inning by reaching first on an error by the Yaquis shortstop. After Cory Vaughn walked, Gabriel Gutierrez singled to score Smith and the 5-1 Charros lead.
The Yaquis scored three times in the top of the 5th, on walks to the first two batters and a 3 run home run by Agustin Murillo. The score was momenterily tied at 4.
The Charros would go Obregon one better in the bottom of the 5th by scoring 4 times. Eduardo Arredondo led off the inning with a walk and stole second. Japhet Amador followed with his second 2 run home run of the night. Marquez Smith, the next batter, tripled to right. Obregon changed pitchers and Jose Pina gave up a 2 run home run to Cory Vaughn. The Charros were in command with a 9-4 lead.
Jalisco scored their final 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th. Marguez Smith led off the inning with a walk. With one out, Gabriel Gutierrez walked. Both runners moved up on a Fernando Valenzuela grounder to second. Jesus Lopez then singled to score Smith and Gutierrez giving the Charros their final margin of victory, 11-4.
Graham Godfrey picked up his second win of the year but saw his ERA climb to 2.25. He gave up 3 earned runs on 4 hits. On the down side, he issued 4 walks to the Yaquis while striking out only 1. Five Charros relievers worked 4 scoreless innings giving up 3 hits.
Juan Navarette, the Charros manager, changed his lineup for this game. Leo Heras moved to leadoff, Manny Rodriguez hit in the 2 hole while Eduardo Arredondo was dropped to 3rd in the order.
Rodriguez went 2 for 5 with a home run and an RBI while raising his batting average to .370 on the season. Marguez Smith was 2 for 3 with a triple and 4 runs scored. Japhet Amador was 2 for 5 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs. Cory Vaughn walked 3 times and went 1 for 2 with a home run. Gabriel Gutierrez was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.
Jalisco is now 10-7, one game behind Mazatlan for 1st place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico while Obregon falls to 9-7, 1/2 game behind the Charros.
The Charros have a travel day today before taking on the Caneros de los Mochis for 3 games in Los Mochis.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Yaquis Take 2nd Game From Charros 8-4
The Yaquis de Obregon took the second game of the three game series with the Charros by an 8-4 score after leading 8-0 entering the bottom of the 9th.
In the top of the 2nd, Carlos Valencia doubled to left and went to third when Donald Lutz grounded out to second. Albino Contreras followed with a single and Valencia scored for the early 1-0 lead for the Yaquis.
Obregon added a run in the top of the 4th on a solo home run by Said Gutierrez for a 2-0 Obregon lead.
The Yaquis scored twice more in the top of the 5th when Donald Lutz homered after Carlos Valencia drew a walk with two outs. 4-0 Yaquis.
With one out in the top of the 6th, Carlos Figueroa singled but was caught stealing second. Jake Smolinski homered to left, the third home run by Obregon on the evening. Obregon up 5-0.
In the top of the 8th, with one out, Albino Contreras doubled to left and after Said Gutierrez struck out, Contreras scored on a single by Carlos Figueroa and the Yaquis had increased their lead to 6-0.
Obregon got a man on in the top of the 9th when Dean Anna was hit by a pitch with two outs. Carlos Valencia followed with a triple to score Anna and Donald Lutz doubled to score Valencia. The Obregon lead looked insurmountable at 8-0.
The Charros put runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs in the bottom of the 9th on singles by Cory Vaughn and Ivan Araujo. Jesus Lopez singled to load the bases. Eduardo Arredondo followed with a single to score Vaughn and Araujo as the Charros avoided their first shutout of the season and cut the lead to 8-2. Manny Rodriguez, 2 for 5 on the night, doubled to left to score Lopez and Arredondo and the Obregon lead was down to 8-4. Leo Heras struck out swinging to end the inning and the game.
The Charros fall to 9-7 on the year while Obregon climbs to 9-6, 1/2 game ahead of Jalisco and tied with the Venados de Mazatlan for the league lead.
Kansas City Shuts Out Giants 10-0 Force Game 7
The Kansas City Royals broke open game 6 of the 2014 World Series in the bottom of the 2nd inning as they went on to shut out the Giants 10-0 and force a game 7 tomorrow night.
Yordano Ventura was the benificiary of the scoring outburst as he picked up the win while Jake Peavy took the loss for the Giants. Peavy lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits. Yusmeiro Petit didn't fare much better against the Royals bats lasting just 2/3 of an inning and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Hunter Strickland went 2 innings and gave up a solo home run to Mike Moustakas.
The 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the Royals lineup, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Omar Infante went 6 for 12 on the night with 2 RBIs and 5 runs scored.
Check out the ESPN wrap up here and get ready for a game 7 tomorrow night. The first game 7 since 2011.
The Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a 7 game World Series in 1985, the Royal's last appearance in the playoffs.
Yordano Ventura was the benificiary of the scoring outburst as he picked up the win while Jake Peavy took the loss for the Giants. Peavy lasted just 1 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs on 6 hits. Yusmeiro Petit didn't fare much better against the Royals bats lasting just 2/3 of an inning and giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. Hunter Strickland went 2 innings and gave up a solo home run to Mike Moustakas.
The 7, 8 and 9 hitters in the Royals lineup, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Omar Infante went 6 for 12 on the night with 2 RBIs and 5 runs scored.
Check out the ESPN wrap up here and get ready for a game 7 tomorrow night. The first game 7 since 2011.
The Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a 7 game World Series in 1985, the Royal's last appearance in the playoffs.
Nascar's Turn 4 Wrapup and Look Ahead
If you are a Nascar fan, these articles are fun to read. The Championship race is heating up as we wind down another season of racing.
For the first time Nascar has done an elimination sequence that will have 4 racers eligible to win the Sprint Cup Series at the final race in Homestead, Florida in November.
Read the round up here as we head into turn 4 of the racing year.
For the first time Nascar has done an elimination sequence that will have 4 racers eligible to win the Sprint Cup Series at the final race in Homestead, Florida in November.
Read the round up here as we head into turn 4 of the racing year.
Do Steroids Make You Stupid?
If Jose Canseco is any indication of what can happen to one's thinking ability while using steroids, the use of those Performance Enhancing Drugs would cease.
The police were called to Canseco's Las Vegas home after a report of an accidental shooting.
Read the story here and shake your head in amazement as I did.
The police were called to Canseco's Las Vegas home after a report of an accidental shooting.
Read the story here and shake your head in amazement as I did.
Spurs Receive NBA Championship Rings
The San Antonio Spurs received their NBA Championship rings on Tuesday night before opening their season against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Spurs beat the Mavericks 101-100.
Tony Parker had 23 points and 3 assists for the Spurs while Marco Belinelli added 15 and Tim Duncan had 14 points with 13 boards. Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and had 6 assists.
Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points for the Mavs, Monta Ellis dropped 26 points with 6 assists and Devin Harris added 17 points and 5 assists.
Read the full ESPN recap here.
The Spurs beat the Mavericks 101-100.
Tony Parker had 23 points and 3 assists for the Spurs while Marco Belinelli added 15 and Tim Duncan had 14 points with 13 boards. Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score 20 points and had 6 assists.
Dirk Nowitzki had 18 points for the Mavs, Monta Ellis dropped 26 points with 6 assists and Devin Harris added 17 points and 5 assists.
Read the full ESPN recap here.
Garrett Says No Pressure From Jones To Insert Romo After Injury
The Dallas Cowboys coach, Jason Garrett stated emphatically that owner Jerry Jones did not order him to put Tony Romo back in the 4th quarter of Monday night's loss to the Redskins.
"I think the ideal situation is to get it communicated as quickly as possible and he felt like he could do it," Garrett said. "It wasn't a big deal to me at all."
Jones "indicated that the X-rays were negative and that as long as he was functional, he could be capable of playing in the game," Garrett said.
"I think the ideal situation is to get it communicated as quickly as possible and he felt like he could do it," Garrett said. "It wasn't a big deal to me at all."
Jones "indicated that the X-rays were negative and that as long as he was functional, he could be capable of playing in the game," Garrett said.
If you believe that Jones did not hint that he wanted Romo back in the game you are naive. I can't think of an owner or coach in the league who would have taken a chance like that with their starting quarterback when DeMarco Murray was running so well and the Cowboy's defense was doing a credible job of shutting down the Redskins.
But, decide for yourself by reading the Todd Archer ESPN article here.
Gordie Howe Suffers Stroke
86 year old Gordie Howe has suffered a stroke and is resting comfortably at his daughter's home in Lubbock, Texas.
Howe was a 6 time winner of the Hart Trophy, the NHL Most Valuable Player. He also won the Art Bass Trophy, leading scorer in the NHL, 6 times and played on 4 Stanley Cup winning teams.
Read the ESPN coverage here.
Howe was a 6 time winner of the Hart Trophy, the NHL Most Valuable Player. He also won the Art Bass Trophy, leading scorer in the NHL, 6 times and played on 4 Stanley Cup winning teams.
Read the ESPN coverage here.
1st CFB Playoff Rankings Released
Controversy here we come! Probably not with the #1 and #2 in the rankings but from there down look out.
#1 Mississippi State and #2 Florida State are the two undefeated teams left. Right now they deserve their ranking.
One would think that Ole Miss would have fallen farther than 4th with the loss to LSU.
"Head to head is important, but it's not the only factor, obviously," Playoff selection committee chairman Jeff Long said.
"We're still early in this process," Long added.
Graham Watson editor of drsaturday for Yahoo.com sees the rankings in a slightly different light here.
#1 Mississippi State and #2 Florida State are the two undefeated teams left. Right now they deserve their ranking.
One would think that Ole Miss would have fallen farther than 4th with the loss to LSU.
"Head to head is important, but it's not the only factor, obviously," Playoff selection committee chairman Jeff Long said.
"We're still early in this process," Long added.
#3 Auburn and #4 Ole Miss would be in if this was selection week. Oregon comes in at #5 followed by Alabama, TCU, Michigan State, Kansas State and Notre Dame at #10.
ESPN has the story here.
ESPN has the story here.
Graham Watson editor of drsaturday for Yahoo.com sees the rankings in a slightly different light here.
Post World Series Teams Free Agent Market
As the 2014 World Series comes to a conclusion, what would baseball be if we didn't start looking at who might change teams after it's over. MLB hasn't even handed out the award let alone given the shine time to fade.
The Giants seem to have the most to lose with Pablo Sandoval, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, Sergio Romo and Michael Morse all eligible for free agency. Without knowing the intent of management it can be assumed that the Giants would most like to have Sandoval and Romo back along with Vogelsong...at the right price.
The Royals, on the other hand, have James Shields, Josh Willingham, Norichika Aoki, Raul Ibanez and possibly Billy Butler, who may be too rich for the Royals to pick up his option for 2015. Willingham and Ibanez were in season pickups that haven't contributed much to the postseason and with the play of Jarrod Dyson in center and Lorenzo Cain's outstanding play in right, Aoki may very well not be offered a contract.
That leaves James Shields. Shields is a very valuable piece of the Royals team that made the playoffs this season, but there are a number of teams that need pitching and have deep pockets. The Royals may not be able to afford Shields either.
Dave Skretta of the AP, writing for Yahoo Sports has an interesting take on both team's free agency woes with this article.
The Giants seem to have the most to lose with Pablo Sandoval, Jake Peavy, Ryan Vogelsong, Sergio Romo and Michael Morse all eligible for free agency. Without knowing the intent of management it can be assumed that the Giants would most like to have Sandoval and Romo back along with Vogelsong...at the right price.
The Royals, on the other hand, have James Shields, Josh Willingham, Norichika Aoki, Raul Ibanez and possibly Billy Butler, who may be too rich for the Royals to pick up his option for 2015. Willingham and Ibanez were in season pickups that haven't contributed much to the postseason and with the play of Jarrod Dyson in center and Lorenzo Cain's outstanding play in right, Aoki may very well not be offered a contract.
That leaves James Shields. Shields is a very valuable piece of the Royals team that made the playoffs this season, but there are a number of teams that need pitching and have deep pockets. The Royals may not be able to afford Shields either.
Dave Skretta of the AP, writing for Yahoo Sports has an interesting take on both team's free agency woes with this article.
Buccaneers Make Trades Before Deadline
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded safety Mark Barron to the St. Louis Rams and reserve linebacker Jonathan Casillas to the New England Patrionts.
There is no word on who the Bucs got, or will get in return.
There is no word on who the Bucs got, or will get in return.
'Skins Dump Cowboys 20-17 In Overtime
The Washington Redskins, behind Texas native Colt McCoy, held off the Cowboys in regulation and won the game on a field goal in overtime, 20-17.
McCoy was 25 of 30 for 299 yards. Although he had no passing touchdowns he did score on a 7 yard run near the start of the 4th quarter that put the Redskins up 17-10.
DeMarco Murray had his 8th straight game with 100+ yards rushing and tied eight other NFL players with 1000 yards rushing in their team's first eight games.
The Cowboys were 17-1 in games where Murray had 20 or more carries. Murray only carried the ball 19 times in last night's game. Those 19 rushes were good for 141 yards. Demarco is on a pace for an NFL record 2108 yards on the season.
Dallas has lost three overtime games under coach Garrett. Interestingly the two previous OT losses were followed by losses in the next game.
Read the full ESPN recap article here.
McCoy was 25 of 30 for 299 yards. Although he had no passing touchdowns he did score on a 7 yard run near the start of the 4th quarter that put the Redskins up 17-10.
DeMarco Murray had his 8th straight game with 100+ yards rushing and tied eight other NFL players with 1000 yards rushing in their team's first eight games.
The Cowboys were 17-1 in games where Murray had 20 or more carries. Murray only carried the ball 19 times in last night's game. Those 19 rushes were good for 141 yards. Demarco is on a pace for an NFL record 2108 yards on the season.
Dallas has lost three overtime games under coach Garrett. Interestingly the two previous OT losses were followed by losses in the next game.
Read the full ESPN recap article here.
Obregon Snaps Charros Win Streak at Three
The three game winning streak is over. The Yaquis de Obregon took a 5-4 win last night in Zapopan. Juan Delgadillo took the mound for the Charros and dropped his fourth decision in a row.
The Yaquis played small ball in the top of the 1st. John Smolinski led off with a double, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Corey Wimberly and scored on a grounder to second by Agustin Murillo for the 1-0 Obregon lead.
Eduardo Arredondo led off the bottom of the 1st for the Charros by drawing a walk and moving to second on a ground out by Manny Rodriguez. Leo Heras singled to center to drive in Arredondo and the game was tied at 1.
Carlos Valencia singled for Obregon in the top of the 2nd and scored on a double by Donald Lutz. Sergio Contreras drew a walk. Said Gutierrez singled to score Lutz and the Yaquiz lead was 3-1.
The Charros came back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 2nd. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to deep short and went to second on the throwing error by the shortstop. Amadeo Zazueta's grounder moved Gutierrez to third. Gutierrez scored as Jesus Lopez grounded out to second. Eduardo Arredondo reached second on a throwing error by the Yaquis second baseman. Manny Rodriguez singled to center to score Arredondo and the score was tied 3-3.
Jalisco went ahead 4-3 in the bottom of the 4th on a solo home run by Marquez Smith, his fourth of the year.
The Yaquis scored what proved to be the winning runs in the top of the 5th. With one out, John Smolinski walked. Corey Wimberly singled and Smolinski stopped at second. Agustin Murillo singled to plate Smolinski and the Yaquis had runners at 1st and 3rd. That was all for Delgadillo as Ken Sigman came on in relief. Sigman got Dean Anna to hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice with Wimberly scoring. Obregon led 5-4.
The Charros threatened in the 7th and the 8th but could not score.
Oswaldo Martinez got the win for Obregon with 2 innings of shutout relief work and Jonathan Arias picked up his 6th save on the year, working a perfect 9th that included 2 strikeouts.
Juan Delgadillo suffered his fourth consecutive loss lasting just 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 runs on 6 hits while walking 2 and striking out 5. Delgadillo's ERA remains in the 9's at 9.18.
Marquez Smith's home run, Leo Heras' 11th RBI on the season and Manny Rodriguez's 2 for 5 night that raised his average to .365 on the year were the highlights for the Charros.
Jalisco fell to 9-6 on the year as Obregon climbed to 8-6, 1/2 game behind Jalisco and Mazatlan for the lead in the Liga Maxicana del Pacifico. These two teams square off again today starting at 7 PM.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Non Profit Foundation Buys Saban's House
I want to get to the heart of the matter here but I have to make a few points clear. First, I am not anti-SEC or anti-Alabama nor am I a Saban hater. I agree with the foundation that Saban may be the best coach in football today. Secondly I don't care how much Universities pay their coaches.
Having stated these points I have some things to say about this ESPN article, written by Alex Scarborough.
First, Nick Saban is paid 7 million dollars a year to coach the University of Alabama's football team. He has done a very good job of this and should be compensated well.
Secondly, the Crimson Tide Foundation bought Saban's 3.1 million dollar home in January of 2013 and continues to pay the yearly property taxes on the home. This is $200,000 more than Saban paid for it. If I remember, this was about the time the rumors of the University of Texas looking to Saban for their next head coach surfaced.
Thirdly, the NCAA says that a coach's compensation is allowed to come from a University foundation.
Finally, the foundation likes to point out that the University of Alabama owned Bear Bryants home so everything is okay. Scott Phelps, assistant secretary of the foundation had this to say, "We want to keep him happy. We think he is the best coach in America."
My point in saying all of this is that Todd Gurley, running back at the University of Georgia, has been suspended for allegedly accepting $400 dollars for his autograph on items a collector will make back at least a hundred fold and Jameis Winston is being investigated for the same NCAA "crime".
The head coach and his staff, in all sports, should be held to some higher standard when it comes to receiving compensation from non profit entities.
When the NCAA has to change rules to allow universities to feed their athletes more because they go hungry (re: statements by UConn's Shabazz Napier...I sometimes go to bed starving because I can't afford food), they should change rules that say University foundations can compensate coaches.
The time has come for the NCAA to step up to the plate and admit that student-athletes should be compensated for their efforts that bring millions of dollars to universities and their coaches.
Having stated these points I have some things to say about this ESPN article, written by Alex Scarborough.
First, Nick Saban is paid 7 million dollars a year to coach the University of Alabama's football team. He has done a very good job of this and should be compensated well.
Secondly, the Crimson Tide Foundation bought Saban's 3.1 million dollar home in January of 2013 and continues to pay the yearly property taxes on the home. This is $200,000 more than Saban paid for it. If I remember, this was about the time the rumors of the University of Texas looking to Saban for their next head coach surfaced.
Thirdly, the NCAA says that a coach's compensation is allowed to come from a University foundation.
Finally, the foundation likes to point out that the University of Alabama owned Bear Bryants home so everything is okay. Scott Phelps, assistant secretary of the foundation had this to say, "We want to keep him happy. We think he is the best coach in America."
My point in saying all of this is that Todd Gurley, running back at the University of Georgia, has been suspended for allegedly accepting $400 dollars for his autograph on items a collector will make back at least a hundred fold and Jameis Winston is being investigated for the same NCAA "crime".
The head coach and his staff, in all sports, should be held to some higher standard when it comes to receiving compensation from non profit entities.
When the NCAA has to change rules to allow universities to feed their athletes more because they go hungry (re: statements by UConn's Shabazz Napier...I sometimes go to bed starving because I can't afford food), they should change rules that say University foundations can compensate coaches.
The time has come for the NCAA to step up to the plate and admit that student-athletes should be compensated for their efforts that bring millions of dollars to universities and their coaches.
Giants Take 3-2 Series Lead On Bumgarner's Shutout
The San Francisco Giants head to Kansas City with a 3-2 lead in the World Series. Madison Bumgarner threw a beauty of a game, a complete game 4 hit shutout.
This was the first World Series complete game shutout since Josh Beckett, pitching for the Florida Marlins in 2003, shutout the NY Yankees in the series clinching 6th game.
Hunter Pence got things going for the Giants in the bottom of the 2nd with a lead off single. Brandon Belt's sacrifice bunt got past James Shields for an infield single that put runners at first and second with no outs. Travis Ishakawa flew out to center to move the runners up a base. Brandon Crawford grounded out to second as Pence scored. The Giants had all the runs they would need with Bumgarner on the mound, a 1-0 lead.
With Shields still pitching for the Royals in the 4th, Pablo Sandoval singled to lead off the inning. Hunter Pence and Brandon Belt both struck out, but Travis Ishakawa singled to get Sandoval to second and Brandon Crawford singled to drive in Sandoval for the 2-0 Giants lead.
The Giants broke the game open in the bottom of the 8th. Kelvin Herrera, on in relief, gave up consecutive singles to Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence. Wade Davis relieved Herrera. Juan Perez greeted Davis with a full count double that scored Sandoval and Pence. Perez went to third on a throwing error by Alcides Escobar. Brandon Crawford's single plated Perez and the Giants' lead grew to 5-0.
Bumgarner set the Royals down in order in the top of the 9th to pick up his second win of this World Series. In his last 4 World Series starts, Bumgarner is 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA.
The number 7 and 8 hitters in the San Francisco lineup went 5 for 8 with 5 RBIs and a run scored last night.
Game 6 of the 2014 will be in Kansas City on Tuesday night.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
ESPN Game Balls for Sunday 10/26
This is a feature offered by ESPN awarding "Game Balls" to players for the week in the NFL. I can't say I agree with all the selections but I don't get to write for ESPN.
Read the article here.
Read the article here.
Upsets on Sunday 10/26
The Arizona Cardinals' rookie John Brown caught a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer with 1:21 to play and the Cardinals defense stopped the Eagles at the Cardinal 16 yard line as time expired to beat the Eagles 24-20.
Read the ESPN Recap here.
Andy Dalton, of the Cincinnati Bengals worked a quarterback sneak from 1 yard out to perfection as the Bengals beat the Ravens 27-24 and remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The ESPN story is here.
Anthony Barr, Minnesota Viking LB, stripped the ball from Tampa Bay TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins and returmed the fumble 27 yards for the score as the Vikings beat the Buccaneers 19-13.
ESPN has the story here.
So much for the vaunted Colts defense that shut out the Bengals 27-0 last week. Big Ben and the Pittsburgh dismantled the Colts as Roethlisberger threww for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 51-34 thrashing of the Colts.
Here is the ESPN story.
Read the ESPN Recap here.
Andy Dalton, of the Cincinnati Bengals worked a quarterback sneak from 1 yard out to perfection as the Bengals beat the Ravens 27-24 and remain in the hunt for a playoff spot.
The ESPN story is here.
Anthony Barr, Minnesota Viking LB, stripped the ball from Tampa Bay TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins and returmed the fumble 27 yards for the score as the Vikings beat the Buccaneers 19-13.
ESPN has the story here.
So much for the vaunted Colts defense that shut out the Bengals 27-0 last week. Big Ben and the Pittsburgh dismantled the Colts as Roethlisberger threww for 522 yards and 6 touchdowns in a 51-34 thrashing of the Colts.
Here is the ESPN story.
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