Sunday, December 28, 2014

Steelers Stop Bengals 27-17

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night 27-17 to claim the AFC North title with an 11-5 record. The Bengals are a wild card team with a 10-5-1 record.

Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 38 passes for 317 yards and 1 touchdown as the Steeler defense stifled the Bengal offense all night.

Andy Dalton threw for 244 yards on 27 of 38 passing for 2 touchdowns but he was also intercepted twice.

Jeremy Hill rushed for 100 yards on 23 carries for Cincinnati while the Bengal defense held the Steelers to just 30 yards on the ground on 16 carries.

Read the ESPN recap here.

Cavs Pounded by Pistons 103-80

The headline is correct. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the lowly Detroit Pistons, in Cleveland, by 27 points.

There really isn't an excuse for the loss and LeBron James says it plainly..."We're not a very good team".

Dave McMenamin had these quotes in an ESPN story:

"We're not a very good team," James said after the defeat dropped the Cavs to 18-12. "As far as on the court, we're still trying to find our way as well. We've won some good games, we've lost some games. But right now, we're just not very good in every aspect of the game that we need to be to compete every night."

It was so bad against Detroit that the Cavs were booed off the court by their hometown fans during a third-quarter timeout amid the Pistons outscoring Cleveland 86-52 over the final three quarters.

There are still a lot of games left in the season but the Cavs need to stop talking about coming together on the court and start coming together on the court. 


Harbaugh and 49ers "Mutually Agree" to Part Ways

As if anyone doubted that Jim Harbaugh would leave the 49ers following this season, ownership, this evening, announced that the team and the coach have "mutually agreed" to part ways.

Paul Gutierrez has these quotes in an article for ESPN.com.

"Jim and I have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions," Niners CEO Jed York said in the statement. "We thank Jim for bringing a tremendous competitive nature and a great passion for the game to the 49ers. He and his staff restored a winning culture that has been the standard for our franchise throughout its history. Their commitment and hard work resulted in a period of success that should be looked back on proudly by our organization and our fans. We wish Jim and his family all the best."

"For the last four seasons I have had the great privilege to coach one of the storied franchises in the history of football," Harbaugh said in the statement. "We accomplished many great things together as a team during this period, which is a tribute to the incredible efforts of some of the most dedicated players and coaches in the NFL. I will miss competing alongside this group of players and coaches, I have the utmost respect and admiration for their hard work and support. It has been my honor to share the sideline with these mighty men. I will always appreciate and remember fondly, the passion and support of our Faithful fans, and want to express my particular thanks to them."

Look for Harbaugh to take over the head coaching position at the University of Michigan, his alma mater. I think the announcement will come before the playoffs start.

Charros Come from Behind to Beat Venados 12-7

Hugo Castellanos recorded the win for Jalisco on Sunday over the Venados de Mazatlan as the Charros took game two of the final series of the year by a score of 12-7. The game was all Venados until the Charros exploded for 7 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

Mazatlan jumped on Charros starter Marco Tovar for 3 runs in the top of the 1st. Blake Gailen hit a solo home run to right with one out. Ronnier Mustelier, who had doubled, scored in front of a home run by Olmo Rosario to give the visiting Venados a 3-0 lead.

The Charros fought back in their half of the inning. After Eduardo Arredondo and Manny Rodriguez fouled out, Leo Heras walked, Japhet Amador singled and CJ Retherford drew a base on balls to load the bases. Gabriel Gutierrez came through with a double to score Heras and Amador to cut the Venados lead to 3-2.                                                               
Japhet Amador  Scores Courtesy of Carros Jalisco Beisbol


Jalisco tied the score in the 3rd when Eduardo Arredondo tripled with two outs and scored when the Mazatlan shortstop botched a ground ball by Manny Rodriguez.

Ronnier Mustelier doubled with one out in the 3rd for Mazatlan and scored on a single by Heber Gomez as the Venados retook the lead 4-3.

The Venados added to their lead in the 4th on a triple by Jesus Fabela and a single by Blake Gailen to increase the Venados lead to 5-3.

Jesus Fabela singled with one out in the 6th and scored on a double by Blake Gailen. Oswaldo Morejon's single scored Gailen and Mazatlan extended their lead to 7-3.

Eduardo Arredondo singled to lead off the Charros 7th and scored on Manny Rodriguez' eighth home run of the year as Jalisco kept fighting to narrow the lead to 7-5 Mazatlan.          
Rodriguez Home Run Courtesy of Charros Jalisco Beisbol


The 8th inning was all Charros. CJ Retherford singled to lead off the inning and went to second on a single by Gabriel Gutierrez. Marquez Smith drew a free pass to load the bases. After a pitching change for Mazatlan, Jesus Lopez singled to score Retherford. Edson Garcia hit a sac fly to right that scored Gutierrez. Eduardo Arredondo then singled to reload the bases. Manny Rodriguez drilled a single to left to score Smith and Lopez and the Charros had their first lead of the game at 9-7. After Jalisco pulled off a double steal, the Venados chose to walk Leo Heras to load the bases and bring up the league leader in RBIs, Japhet Amador. Amador delivered a single that scored Arredondo and Rodriguez for an 11-7 lead. CJ Retherford hit into a 6-4 fielder's choice that gave the Charros a 12-7 victory over Mazatlan.

Eduardo Arredondo was 2 for 5 with a triple and 2 runs scored while Manny Rodriguez had a home run and 4 RBIs as he went 2 for 5. Gabriel Gutierrez went 3 for 5 with a double and 2 RBIs. Japhet Amador drove in 2 runs, his 53rd and 54th on the season, going 3 for 5 while scoring a run.

Jalisco is a league best 42-25 overall and 21-11 in the second half. They have clinched the best record in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico as the Tomateros de Culiacan are 4 1/2 games back with one game to play.



Harbaugh to Meet University of Michigan Officials

Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com has filed a story on two representatives from the University of Michigan meeting with San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. Gutierrez notes that Harbaugh has one year remaining on his contract with the 49ers.

Read the article by Paul Gutierrez here.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Charros Smother Venados de Mazatlan 9-4

The Venados de Mazatlan came to Guadalajara for the final 3 games of the regular season and lost the first game to the Charros by a 9-4 score.

The Charros opened the scoring in the bottom of the 4th on a single by CJ Retherford, a sacrifice bunt by Edson Garcia and a double by Gabriel Gutierrez that scored Retherford for the 1-0 Jalisco lead.

Jalisco scored again in the bottom of the 5th on a throwing error, a fielder's choice that the Venados pitcher threw away and a single by Manny Rodriguez that scored Jesus Lopez for a 2-0 lead.

With one out in the Charros 6th, Edson Garcia doubled to right and scored on a Gabriel Gurierrez single. The Charros were up 3-0 after 6 innings.

The Venados would score two runs in their half of the 7th. Jesus Castillo doubled, Heber Gomez walked, and a single by Erick Rodriguez scored Castillo. A sac fly to center by Hector Paez scored pinch runner Paul Leon and the Vendados had cut the Charros lead to 3-2.

Eduardo Arredondo singled to lead off the home half of the 7th, stole second and scored on a double to left by Leo Heras. Japhet Amador was walked intentionally and CJ Retherford flew out to right to get Heras to third. Mazatlan reliever, Francisco Felix, then threw a wild pitch that scored Heras and moved Amador to second. After Edson Garcia and Gabriel Gutierrez walked, Fernando Valenzuela doubled to right to score Amador and Garcia for the 7-2 Charros lead.

Manny Rodriguez connected for his 7th home run of the year in the Jalisco 8th, a two run shot to left that scored Eduardo Arredondo to increase the Charros lead to 9-2.

Mazatlan refused to give up. In the top of the 9th, after Ivan Salas replaced Adrian Ramirez for the Charros, Jesus Fabela and Hector Paez singled. With one out, Oswaldo Morejon singled to score Fabela with Paez stopping at second. Ronnier Mustelier singled to plate Paez but Sean Gleason got Olmo Rosario to ground into a 6-4 fielder's choice that ended the game with the Charros 9-4 victory.

Manuel Flores picked up the win for Jalisco to improve to 2-1 on the year. Flores went 6 innings, scattering 6 hits while striking out 3 and holding the Venados scoreless. Fredy Quintero dropped to 3-4 with the loss.

Manny Rodriguez was 3 for 5 with the home run, 3 RBIs, giving him 40 on the year, and a run scored as he raised his batting average to .335. Gabriel Gutierrez went 3 for 4 with a double and 2 RBIs. Leo Heras had a double and a single in his 5 trips to the plate with an RBI.

The Charros are now 41-25 overall and 20-11 in the second half. The Venados de Mazatlan fall to 30-35 overall and 14-17 for the second half.

Penn State Wins 31-30 in OT in New Era Pin Stripe Bowl

The Nittany Lions, in their 1st Bowl Game since the Sandusky scandal, beat Boston College 31-30, in overtime, in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium.

Christian Hackenberg completed 34 of 50 passes for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns for Penn State.

Tyler Murphy threw just 19 passes for the Eagles and completed 11 of them for 97 yards and 2 TDs. Murphy also had 11 caries for 105 yards and a touchdown as Boston College rushed for 285 yards. Jon Hilliman was the leading rusher for Boston College with 25 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown.

The game came down to a missed PAT by Boston College's Mike Knoll.

Check out the ESPN Box Score here.


Friday, December 26, 2014

NFL Picks Week 17

After an 8-8 week I've decided on a new strategy for picking the winners. This new plan will only work for the last week of games because I need 15 weeks of data.

I took an average of the scores by every team to pick my winners. 3 games should be toss ups, SD @ KC, CHI @ Minn and ARI @ SF.

I went against the scores in one contest, PHIL @ NYG because the Eagles will be down after elimination and Mark Sanchez is their QB.

Here Goes:

(W)Cleveland @ Baltimore     Ravens 26-19     Back to the drawing board at QB for Browns
(W)Dallas @ Washington     Cowboys 28-19     How bout them Cowboys
(W)Indianapolis @ Tennessee     Colts 29-16     Unless all the Colts rest
(W)Jacksonville @ Houston     Texans 23-15     JJ Watt sets record for TDs by DL
(L)San Diego @ Kansas City     Chargers 23-22     Go Bolts, make me a winner
(L)NY Jets @ Miami     Dolphins 24-16     Sad goodbye to Rex Ryan
(L)Chicago @ Minnesota     Bears 21-20     This is a hard one to pick
(L)Buffalo @ New England     Patriots 31-24     Patriots rest but still win
(L)Philadelphia @ NY Giants     Giants 24-17     Eagles are just bad the last 4 weeks
(W)New Orleans @ Tampa Bay     Saints 25-17     There must be a passing record for Brees to get
(L)Carolina @ Atlanta     Falcons 25-20     Falcons can win NFC South...Yes a team will be in
(W)Detroit @ Green Bay     Packers 30-20     Rodgers just getting warmed up,,,again
(W)Oakland @ Denver     Broncos 29-19     Offense starts with Peyton...he said so!
(L)Arizona @ San Francisco     Cardinals 19-18     Lindley, Lindley, he's our man!
(W)St. Louis @ Seattle     Seahawks 25-21     No trick plays this time Fisher
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh     Steelers 25-21     "No Bengals victory in Pittsburgh" says Ben

Charros de Jalisco Drop Final Game With Obregon 6-3

The Yaquis de Obregon won their final meeting of the regular season with the Charros on Christmas Day, winning 6-3 behind the pitching of Jose Pina, who gave up 3 runs on 3 hits over 7 innings. Kenneth Sims took the loss for Jalisco to fall to 1-2 on the year.

Sergio Contreras got things going for Obregon in the bottom of the 2nd, drawing a one out walk. After stealing second, Contreras scored on a single to right by Robert Saucedo. 

The Charros duplicated the Yaquis scoring plan in the top of the 3rd. With two outs, Israel Nunez was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on an Eduardo Arredondo single to center to tie the score at 1.

Obregon went ahead 2-1 in the 3rd. After loading the bases on a single, a walk and a hit batsman, Esteban Quiroz hit into a 4-6-3 double play that scored Daniel Castro.

Armando Araiza doubled to lead off the 5th for the Yaquis, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Castro and scored on a single by Carlos Figueroa to increase the Obregon lead to 3-1.

Donell Linares hit a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the 6th for Obregon and Sergio Contreras scored from third on a double play grounder by Robert Saucedo to make the game 5-1 Yaquis. 

Jalisco scored twice in the top of the 7th. With one out, Gabriel Gutierrez waited out a walk, Amadeo Zazueta singled and Gutierrez scored on a single by Fernando Valenzuela, Ivan Araujo ground into a force out that scored Zazueta and the Charros had cut the lead to 5-3.

The Yaquis scored a run in the bottom of the 8th to reach the final score of 6-3 Obregon.

Despite the loss, the Charros still lead the league with a 40-25 record and 4 games to go in the regular season. Jalisco is 3 games ahead of the Tomateros de Culiacan and 4 1/2 games ahead of the Aguilas de Mexicali. The Charros are 1 game in front of the Tomateros in the second half with a 19-11 record.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

ESPN's Best College Football Quotes of 2014

I guess you could say South Carolina and Baylor should be playing for the National Championship.

Read the quotes here.

Jalisco Takes game 2 of Series With Yaquis, 7-1

Game two of the series with Obregon on Tuesday the 23rd of December went to the Charros by a 7-1 score. Orlando Lara is now 7-3 on the year with the win and Japhet Amador hit his 13th home run of the season.

Manny Rodriguez singled and scored on a single to center by Leo Heras that the Yaquis center fielder mis played and threw away trying to get Rodriguez at home. Heras went to third on the throw. After Japhet Amador walked, CJ Retherford hit a grounder to third that scored Heras for the quick 2-0 Charros lead.

Christian Villanueva hiy a solo home run to left for Obregon in the bottom of the 1st that proved to be the only run the Yaquis would score on the day.

The Charros exploded for 4 runs in the top of the 5th. Ivan Araujo walked to lead off the inning. Amadeo Zazueta struck out but Edson Garcia was hit by a pitch to put two runners on for Jalisco. Manny Rodriguez skyed out to center moving Araujo to third. With Leo Heras up the Charros pulled off a double steal with Araujo swoping home and Garcia taking second. Heras reached when the Yaquis left fielder dropped a fly ball that scored Garcia. Japhet Amador followed with a 2 run shot to center and the Jalisco lead was up to 6-1.

Fernando Valenzuela walked to lead off the 9th for Jalisco and scored on 3 wild pitches by the Obregon reliever, the Charros would win this game 7-1.

Charros Best Obregon, 7-3

The Charros de Jalisco visited Obregon on Monday the 22nd for the start of a three game series with the Yaquis and took the first game by a 7-3 score. Juan Delgadillo picked up his second win in a row to improve to 3-6 and CJ Retherford hit his sixth home run of the season.

Obregon scored in the bottom of the 1st on a single by Esteban Quiroz, a stolen base and a double to right by Brad Nelson as the Yaquiz took a 1-0 lead.

CJ Retherford hit a solo home run to left in the top of the 2nd to tie the score at 1.

The Charros took the lead in the top of the 4th. Leo Heras led off with a triple and Japhet Amador walked. With one out, CJ Retherford hit a grounder to third that scored Heras with the go ahead run and a 2-1 Charros advantage.

Amadeo Zazueta and Israel Nunez singled for Jalisco in the top of the 5th. Both runners advanced on a ground ball to first. Zazueta scored on a single by Manny Rodriguez and Leo Heras walked to load the bases. Japhet Amador hit a sac fly to left to drive in Nunez and the Charros led 4-1.

The Yaquis made a run at the Charros in the 6th. With one out Esteban Quiroz singled and Christian Villanueva drew a base on balls. Brad Nelson singled to left to load the bases. Ivan Zavala relieved Juan Delgadillo for Jalisco and gave up a single to Carlos Valencia that scored Quiroz and Villanueva. Obregon had cut the lead to 4-3 but that is as close as they would get.

Manny Rodriguez singled and scored on a double by Leo Heras in the top of the 7th. Japhet Amador singled to score Heras and the Charros had increased their lead to 6-3.

In the top of the 9th, Eduardo Arredondo singled, stole second, went to third on a Manny Rodriguez ground out and scored on a single by Leo Heras for the final 7-3 score

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Top Five Plays to Watch From Sunday's NFL Games

I don't like to put just links on my main page but these really are "must see" plays.

Thanks to Yahoo's Shutdown Corner Videos

Caneros Stop Charros Win Streak At 8 In A Row

los Mochis snapped the longest winning streak of the year for the Charros with a 4-3 victory on Sunday.

The Caneros scored three runs in the bottom of the 1st off of Jalisco starter Marco Tovar. Greg Golson drew a lead off walk and went to third on a single to right by Antonio Lamas. Golson scored on a double by Luis Terrero and Lamas scored on a grounder to short with Terrero moving to third. Saul Soto hit a sac fly to right that scored Terrero for the 3-0 Caneros lead.

Eduardo Arredondo led off the 3rd for the Charros by waiting out a base on balls. Arredondo advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a ground rule double to right by Manny Rodriguez. Jalisco had cut the lead to 3-1.

The Charros tied the game in the 5th on a double by Eduardo Arredondo and Leo Heras' 9th home run of the year. The score was tied at 3 apiece.

David Kopp replaced Marco Tovar in the bottom of the 7th and gave up a two out, solo home run to Luis Terrero that gave the Caneros the 4-3 final margin of victory.

Leo Heras was 1 for 4 on the night with the home run and 2 RBIs while Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 4 with his 23rd double of the year and an RBI.

David Kopp took the loss to fall to 1-1 on the season while Carlos Fisher got the win for los Mochi to improve to 3-1 for the Caneros.

8 In A Row - Charros Beat los Mochis 6-5

With a two run rally in the 7th inning, the Charros overtook the Caneros 6-5 for their 8th win in a row, a 39-23 record overall in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico, and alone at the top of the second half standings at 17-9.

The Charros started quickly against the Caneros de los Mochis. Marquez Smith singled to drive in Leo Heras for the early 1-0 lead.

Greg Golson drew a walk to lead off the Caneros half of the 1st, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third and scored on a single by Carlos Pedroso to tie the game at 1 all.

Jalisco scored three runs in the top of the 5th to take a 4-1 lead. Manny Rodriguez led off with a single and stole second. Leo Heras singled to left with Rodriguez stopping at third. CJ Retherford singled to score Rodriguez. After Marguez Smith struck out, Jesus Cota singled to score Heras and move Retherford to third. Gabriel Gutierrez grounded out to first as Retherford scored to give the lead to the Charros.

The Caneros struck back in the bottom of the 5th. Justin Christian led off with a double and scored on a single to center by Juan Gamboa. With one out, Greg Golson tripled to score Gamboa. Jesus Arredondo walked and stole second. Golson scored on a ground ball to third and the score was knotted at 4.

los Mochis loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 6th and Charros reliever, Hogo Castellanos hit Greg Golson with a pitch forcing in Luis Terrero with the go ahead run for the Caneros at 5-4.

Jalisco fought back in the 7th. Leo Heras singled and with two outs, Jesus Cota singled with Heras moving to third. Gabriel Gutierrez singled to score Heras and Jesus Lopez doubled to drive in Cota. The Charros had regained the lead and the eventual final winning score of 6-5

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Charros win 7th in a Row - Top Caneros 6-4

It took 10 innings but the Charros topped the Caneros de los Mochis 6-4 to win their 7th game in a row and catch Mexicali for the 2nd half lead in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico.

Jesus Lopez started things off for the Charros in the top of the 3rd by hitting a solo home run to left to lead off and give Jalisco a 1-0 lead.         
Leo Heras' Home Run courtesy of Charros Jalisco Beisbol


The Caneros scored in the bottom of the 3rd on two errors by the Charros and a sacrifice bunt by Greg Golson that scored Yancarlo Angulo and the game was tied at 1.

Leo Heras singled to lead off the 6th and Japhet Amador followed with a base on balls. After Marquez Smith's ground out moved the runners up, CJ Retherford cleared the bases with his 5th home run of the season and a 4-1 Charros lead.

los Mochis had two outs and a man on second in the bottom of the 7th when Yancarlo Angulo was hit by a pitch by Charros starter, Ben Kozlowski. Juan Gamboa singled to right to score Saul Soto to cut the lead to 4-2. Adrian Gonzalez entered the game in relief and gave up a single to Greg Golson that scored Angulo. Antonio Lamas singled to right to score Gamboa and the Caneros had tied the game at 4-4.

The score remained tied through regulation. CJ Retherford walked to lead off the Charros half of the 10th inning. Gabriel Gutierrez sacrificed Retherford to second and after Jesus Lopez flied out to center for the second out, Edson Garcia singled to score Retherford. Garcia, who had taken second on the throw to the plate, moved to third on a wild pitch. Eduardo Arredondo singled to score Garcia and when Mario Mendoza pitched a perfect bottom of the 10th, the Charros had the 6-4 victory.

Mendoza picked up the win in relief to improve to 1-1 on the year while lowering his ERA to 2.66. Charros starter, Ben Kozlowski, went 6 2/3 innings, charged with 4 runs on just 4 hits with a walk and 3 strikeouts. Santiago Gutierrez took the loss for los Mochis to drop to 2-5 on the season.

CJ Retherford was 2 for 4 on the night with a 3 run home run and 2 runs scored. Manny Rodriguez, Leo Heras, Jesus Lopez and Edson Garcia were all 2 for 5.

The Charros are now 37-23 overall in the league, 2 games ahead of the Aguilas de Mexicali and 16-9 in the second half, tied with the Aguilas.

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Battle of 2-12 Teams Goes to Jacksonville

A battle of 2-12 teams that could determine who gets a shot at Marcus Mariota in the spring draft, was won by the Jacksonville Jaguars over the Tennessee Titans 21-13.

Tennessee took a 10 nothing lead before Blake Bortles hit Marcedes Lewis with a 4 yard pass with :31 seconds on the clock in the 1st half.

Toby Gerhart scored on a 1 yard run in the 3rd quarter to put the Jags ahead 14-10. Jordan Todman broke loose on a 62 yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter to put Jacksonville up 21 10 with 9:13 left in the game.
Ryan Succop  hit a 23 yard field goal with about 6 minutes to go to put the score at 21-13 and the Titans were driving when Charlie Whitehurst was sacked on the last play of the game to seal the win for the Jaguars.


Naranjeros Swept By Charros

The Naranjeros de Hermosillo visited Zapopan for three games and the Charros won all three games.

Jalisco started off the scoring on Thursday night in the bottom of the 1st as Manny Rodriguez drove a pitch from Hermosillo starter, Alfredo Aceves, over the left field wall for a quick 1-0 Charros lead.

The Naranjeros threatened in the top of the 3rd. Jose Cardona hit a one out triple off the wall in center field but the Jalisco starter, Orlando Lara, got Jose Aguilar to fly out to shallow right and Carlos Gastelum to ground out to short to end the inning with no damage done.

The Charros built on their lead in the 4th on a Marquez Smith double to right and a run scoring double to center by Jesus Cota. Fernando Valenzuela followed, one out later, with a single to left that scored Cota but Valenzuela was out at second on a good throw by the Hermosillo left fielder. The Charros had a 3-0 lead.

Mermosillo got a run back in the top of the 6th on Jose Amador's 9th home run of the season to cut the Charros lead to 3-1.

Orlando Lara picked up the win to move to 6-3 on the year with 6 1/3 innings on the mound. Lara gave up 1 run while scattering 6 hits, walking none and striking out 3. Mario Mendoza got his second save of the season pitching a scoreless 9th. Alfredo Aceves took the loss for the Naranjeros to drop to 5-6 on the year.

Manny Rodriguez went 2 for 3 with his 6th home run of the year, an RBI and a run scored. Gabriel Gutierrez was 1 for 2 on the night to raise his average to .280.

Jalisco climbs to 36-23 overall and 14-9 in the second half of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico.

Charros Take 2 From Naranjeros 3-2 and 7-0

The Charros de Jalisco have taken the first two games of a three game series with the Naranjeros de Hermosillo by scores of 3-2 and 7-0.

Ivan salas got the win in the 3-2 victory pitching the top of the 9th in relief of Adrian Ramirez who had given up a 2 run home run to Jose Amador that had tied the game at 2 apiece.

Jalisco opened the scoring in the bottom of the 3rd on a sac fly that scored Amadeo Zazueta for the 1-0 lead.

The Charros added a run in the bottom of the 8th when Amadeo Zazueta singled and went to third on an errant pick off attempt. Zazueta scored on a single by Israel Nunez to give the Charros a short lived 2-0 lead.

After Hermisillo had tied the game in the top of the 9th, Edson Garcia, of the Charros hit a walk off single in the bottom of the 9th to score Ivan Araujo with the winning run and the 3-2 victory for the Charros.


Jalisco improved to 35-23 overall and 14-9 in the second half of the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico season with the 7-0 win on Wednesday night. Juan Delgadillo improved to 2-6 on the year with 6 strong innings of 2 hit ball with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

The Charros scored two runs in the bottom of the 1st on a sac fly by Leo Heras that scored Eduardo Arredondo and a ground out by Japhet Amador that plated Manny Rodriguez for the 2-0 lead.

Manny Rodriguez singled to right in the 2nd that scored Eduardo Arredondo for a 3-0 Charros lead.

The same tandem scored a run in the 4th as Arredondo, who had singled and moved to second on a balk, scored on a single to left by Rodriguez that upped the lead to 4-0.

Leo Heras led off the 7th for Jalisco with his 8th home run of the year, a solo shot to right for a 5-0 lead. With two outs, CJ Retherford singled to left and IvanAraujo drew a base on balls. Amadeo Zazueta followed with a double that scored Retherford and Araujo for the final two runs and the 7-0 final score.

NFL Game Picks Week 16

After an 11-5 week last week, thank you Aaron Rogers and Chip Kelly, I'm sure to knock 'em dead this week.

(L) Tennessee @ Jacksonville     Titans 20-17     Tossup. Titans defense wins
(L)Philadelphia @ Washington     Eagles 28-24     Eagles O too fast
(W)San Diego @ San Francisco     Chargers 30-21     Harbaugh looking East
(W)Minnesota @ Miami     Dolphins 20-17     Tossup. Going with the home team
(L)Baltimore @ Houston     Ravens 20-13  Defensive struggle...Ravens with too much O
(W)Detroit @ Chicago     Lions 28-13     Cutler out...Goodbye Bears
(L)Cleveland @ Carolina     Browns 20-10     Why...I don't know
(L)Atlanta @ New Orleans     Saints 30-24     Brees wants to get to 8-8
(W)Green Bay @ Tampa Bay     Packers 35-13     It was too cold in Buffalo
(W)Kansas City @ Pittsburgh     Steelers 17-13     Good D by both teams
(W)New England @ NY Jets     Patriots 30-13     Brady or Smith...Brady
(L)NY Giants @ St. Louis     Rams 20-10     Not much O but good D in STL
(W)Buffalo @ Oakland     Raiders 17-12     I don't know...Raiders D
(L)Indianapolis @ Dallas     Colts 20-17     No Murray...No win!
(W)Seattle @  Arizona     Seahawks 22-9     Lindley v. Seahawks secondary...no way!
Denver @ Cincinnati     Broncos 28-13     Manning all better this week

Monday, December 15, 2014

Saints Beat Listless Bears 31-15 on MNF

Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints looked like a new team on Monday night, defeating the Chicago Bears 31-15. Brees threw for 375 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions in the win. The Saints improved to 6-8 on the year, a game in front of the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South Division.

Jay Cutler went 17 of  31 for 194 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions against a stingy, swarming Saints defense. Cutler was sacked 7 times for the game.

Read the ESPN recap here.

Golden State Warriors Have Won 16 In A Row

Check out this week's ESPN Power Rankings here.

Royals Sign Alex Rios For 1 Year at 11 Million

The kansas City Royals have signed free agent outfielder, Alex Rios to a 1 year, 11 million dollar contract to replace Norichika Aoki in right field.

Read the ESPN article here.

Dodgers Sign Brett Anderson

The LA Dodgers have signed former Colorado LHP Brett Anderson to a 1 year, 10 million Dollar deal sources said.

Read the ESPN story here.

Jason Motte to Sign With Cubs

Jason Motte, who has played his entire career with the St. Louis Cardinals, has agreed to a 1 year deal with the Chicago Cubs for a reported 4.5 million dollars.

Motte missed the entire 2013 season after undergoing "tommy john" surgery.

In 2012, Motte had 42 saves and an ERA of 2.75




Kentucky Remains Unanimous #1 in Men's Basketball

The 11-0 Kentucky Wildcats remained the unanimous #1 in the NCAA Men's Baskaetball AP Top 10. Two days after losing Alex Poythress, their leading scorer, to an ACL injury, the Wildcats beat North Carolina 84-70.

Duke, Arizona, Louisville and Wisconsin remain unchanged to round out the top 5.

The top 7 spots remain the same with Virginia at #6 and Villanova at #7. Gonzaga leapfrogged Texas for the 8th spot and Kansas remained at #10. Wichita State is at 11 and Ohio State comes in at #12.

MLB Signings of Note This Week

Chase Headley is reported to have signed a 4 year 52 million dollar contract with the NY Yankees. Headley was traded to the Yankees prior to the deadline in 2014 and hit a combined .243 with 13 HRs and 49 RBIs last season.

The Chicago White Sox have signed free agent, Melky Cabrera to a 3 year 42 million dollar contract. Cabrera hit .301 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs and 81 runs for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014.

Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals have avoided a grievance hearing by agreeing to a 2 year 7.5 million dollar contract. In an injury plagued 2014 season, Harper nit .273 with 13 HRs and 32 RBIs.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Charros Sweep Navojoa with 5-2 Victory

The Charros de Jalisco swept the three game series with the Mayos de Navojoa with a 5-2 victory on Sunday night. Ivan Zavala pitched the 8th inning for the Charros to pick up the win while Brian Broderick notched his 16th save of the year.

Jalisco scored two runs in the top of the1st. Eduardo Arredondo singled to right and Manny Rodriguez was hit by a pitch. Leo Heras laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. Japhet Amador singled to center to score Arredondo and Rodriguez for the quick 2-0 Charros lead.

The Mayos got a run back in their half of the 1st on a single by Alan Sanchez and a one out double to left by Jose Chavez that scored Sanchez to cut the Charros' lead to 2-1.

Tim Fedroff led off the bottom of the 2bd for Navojoa with a single to right. After Carlos Orrantia struck out, Fernando Flores doubled to score Fedroff and the score was tied at 2.

There would be no more runs scored by either team until the top of the 9th. Jose Lopez replaced Esteban Haro on the mound for Navojoa and got the first two batters out on fly balls to the outfield. The third batter, CJ Retherford, doubled and scored on a double to right by Edson Garcia. Jesus Lopez then singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Lopez stole second and Garcia and Lopez both scored on a throwing error by the Navojoa shortstop on a ground ball. That made it a 5-2 ball game as Broderick pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the win to Zavala.

Ivan Zavala, normally an 8th inning set up man, got the win to go to 1-0 on the year with a 2.70 ERA while Jose Lopez took the loss for the 19-37 Mayos.

Edson Garcia was 1 for 1 with a double and an RBI after replacing Jesus Cota in left field. Japhet Amador was 1 for 4 with his 46th RBI of the year. CJ Retherford went 2 for 4 to up his batting average to .368 on the season.

The Charros are now 10 games over .500 at 33-23 and 12-9 for the second half. Jalisco is one full game ahead of both Mexicali and Culiacan for the overall Liga Mexicana del Pacifico lead.  

Charros Best Mayos 5-1

After falling behind 1-0 in the 1st, the Charros erupted for 5 runs in the 3rd to defeat the Mayos de Navojoa in the second game of a three game set in Navojoa.

Jose Chavez singled to start the bottom of the 1st for the Mayos. Carlos Orrantia singled to center to put runners on the corners with no outs. Jon Weber singled to score Chavez and give Navojoa a one run lead at 1-0.

The Charros bats remained quiet until the top of the 3rd when Gabriel Gutierrez singled to right to lead off the inning and went to third on a single by Ivan Araujo. Jesus Lopez singled to score Gutierrez with Araujo stopping at second. Eduardo Arredondo reached safely on a sacrifice bunt that the Mayo's first baseman misplayed to load the bases for the Charros. Manny Rodriguez hit into a double play that scored Araujo and got Lopez to third. Leo Heras drew a base on balls. Japhet Amador singled to score Lopez and move Heras to second. Heras stole third in front of a Marquez Smith walk that loaded the bases again for Jalisco. CJ Retherford singled to left to score Heras and Amador and the Charros were on top 5-1.

The Mayos only threat after the first came in the bottom of the 8th. With the benefit of 2 walks, Navojoa chased the Charros starter, Ben Kozlowski. Adrian Ramirez, on in relief, got Jose Chavez to pop out to second and Carlos Orrantia to pop out to first. Ivan Salas relieved Ramirez and got Jon Weber to fly out to left to end the threat.

Ben Koslowski went 7 innings giving up just 3 hits and 1 run, all in the 1st inning, t improve to 3-2 on the year. Kozlowski struck out 4 but also walked 4. The Mayos did not get a hit after the 1st inning.

Salvador Robles took the loss for the Mayos to fall to 1-7 on the season.

The Charros are now 32-23 overall and 11-9 in the second half of the season.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Marcus Mariota Wins Heisman Trophy

As if there was any doubt, Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy for 2014.

Read the ESPN article here.

Muschamp Returns to Auburn as Defensive Coordinator

Auburn University has reportedly inked Will Muschamp to a 3year deal worth between 1.6 and 1.8 million dollars a year. This would make Muschamp the highest paid defensive coordinator in college football.

It appears that Muschamp's interview with the University of Houston for their head coaching position  may have been a ruse to force Auburn's hand.

Read the ESPN article here.

Muschamp's "I'm just a ball coach"  Auburn introduction.

Charros Top Navojoa 2-1 Behind Orlando Lara's Strong Outing

The Mayos de Navojoa may be in last place in the Liga Mexicana del Pacifico but you wouldn't have known it last night as it took a strong pitching performance by the Charros starter, Orlando Lara, to defeat the Mayos 2-1.

Manny Rodriguez drew a walk to begin the Charros 4th. Leo Heras walked and both runners advanced on a wild pitch by the Navojoa starter, Hector Velazquez. With one out, CJ Retherford singled to score Rodriguez and Jalisco led 1-0.

Navojoa tied the game in the bottom of the 5th on a lead off walk to Eliseo Aldazaba and a single to right by Rolando Acosta that put runners on the corners. Tim Fedroff then grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Aldazaba with the tying run.

The Charros lead off hitter in the 6th, Manny Rodriguez, doubled to left and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Leo Heras. Rodriguez scored on a sac fly to right by Marquez Smith and the Charros had regained the lead 2-1. That would prove to be the winning run as the pitching, by both teams, took over.

Manny Rodriguez was 1 for 3 with his 21st double of the year and 2 runs scored. CJ Retherford singled once in his three at bats and drove in the first run for the Charros. Marquez Smith, though hitless on the night, hit the sac fly to drive in the eventual winning run in the 6th inning. Gabriel Gutierrez was 2 for 2 with a double and a stolen base.

Orlando Lara, now 5-3 on the year, got the win, allowing just 2 hits and a run in 5 2/3 innings. He struck out 6 but walked 4, continuing a pattern by the Charros starters of late. Brian Broderick pitched the 9th to pick up his 15th save of the year.

Hector Velazquez, for the Mayos, matched Lara's pitching for 6 innings, giving up just 4 hits and 2 runs with 4 strikeouts. He walked 3 and saw his record fall to 0-5 on the season.

Jalisco remains atop the overall standings with a 31-23 record, one game ahead of Mexicali, los Mochis and Culiacan who are all 30-24. The Charros are 10-9 in the second half of the season one game behind the leaders.


Friday, December 12, 2014

2015 Alpine Cowboys Hot Stove Talk

I wrote an article for the bigbendcourier.com on the upcoming season for the Alpine Cowboys, a team in the Pecos League.

The Cowboys made it to the finals last year and came up a game short of the Pecos League Championship.

Read the article here and follow the Pecos league beginning in May of 2015. I will have updated articles here and you can follow the games on pecosleague.com. The Cowboys home games are carried on KVLF 1240 AM.

Arizona Cardinals Over Rams 12-6

The Arizona Cardinals rode the toe of Chandler Catanzaro to victory last night, 12-6, over the St. Louis Rams. The two teams combined for 6 field goals and 0 touchdowns.

The Cardinals became the first team this year to win a game without scoring a touchdown while the Rams have not allowed a touchdown in their last three games.

Drew Stanton, who left the field in the 3rd quarter with an injury, and Ryan Lindley were a combined 16 of 30 passing for 139 yards and no touchdowns for the Cardinals while Shaun Hill was 20 of 39 for 229 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for the Rams.

Arizona rushed for 143 yards on 33 carries, led by Kerwynn Williams' 75 yards and the Rams were held to 69 yards on the ground with Tre Mason running for 33 yards on 13 carries.

Read the ESPN recap here.

Tomateros Defeat Charros 5-2

The Tomateros de Culiacan took the rubber match of the 3 game series with the Charros, 5-2, on a night that Jalisco's offense was ineffective, the fielding was erratic and the their starting pitching was poor.

Rico Noel drew a walk and stole second to lead off the game for Culiacan. Noel then stole third and scored on a throwing error by the Charros catcher. The Tomateros had a 1-0 lead with out benefit of a hit.

The Charros answered in their half of the first when Leo Heras singled and Japhet Amador was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Marquez Smith singled to right and Heras scored. Jalisco had tied the score at 1, after 1 inning.

Culiacan loaded the bases with 2 outs in the top of the 3rd and Joey Meneses singled to score Ramiro Pena and Issmael Salas to give the Tomateros a 3-1 lead.

CJ Retherford hit his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left, to pull the Charros to within a run at 3-2 in the bottom of the 3rd.

Ali Solis was hit by a pitch to start the 4th. Rico Noel walked. Ramiro Pena moved both runners up on a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. Eric Farris then hit a sac fly to right to score Solis and Russell Branyan doubled to left to score Noel. Culican took the lead with the eventual final score of 5-2.

The Charros were unable to score two separate times with the bases loaded after the 4th inning. Jalisco was 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position while stranding 13.

Juan Delgadillo took the loss for the Charros to fall to 1-6 on the season, giving up all 5 Tomateros runs on just 4 hits but he hit 2 batters and walked 4 more in just 3 2/3 innings on the mound. The Jalisco relief pitchers pitched 5 1/3 innings of scoreless 2 hit ball, to keep the game as close as it was for the Charros.

Juan Castillo got the win in relief for Culiacan. The Tomateros pitchers scattered 11 hits by the Charros. Oscar Villarreal pitched the 9th to notch his 5th save of the year
 

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Marcus Mariota Sweeps Awards

Marcus Mariota, the outstanding quarterback of the Oregon Ducks, won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Davy O'Brein National Quarterback Award at the Home Depot College Football Awards on Thursday night.

Mariota had previously won the Maxwell Award as the nation's Most Outstanding Player and is, by all accounts, the front runner for the Heisman Trophy in 2014.

Read the full ESPN story here.

Royals Sign Kendrys Morales For 2 Years

The Kansas City Royals, not content to rest on their laurels, have signed free agent Kendrys Morales to a 2 year 17 million dollar contract.

Morales will get $6.5 million next year and $9 million in 2016. The deal includes an $11 million mutual option for 2017 with a $1.5 million buyout. Morales can make an additional $750,000 in performance bonuses in each of the first two seasons based on plate appearances: $50,000 for 375 and $100,000 apiece for 400 and each additional 25 until 550.

Twins Give Ervin Santana 4 Year Deal

The Minnesota Twins have given free agent Ervin Santana a 4 year deal worth 55 million dollars according to ESPN.

The right-hander is guaranteed $54 million over the four years, with a conditional option worth $14 million in 2019 if he throws more than 200 innings, a source said. He will receive a $1 million buyout if the Twins don't exercise the option.

Read the ESPN article here.

Reds Make Moves at Winter Meetings

The Cincinnati Reds have traded Mat Latos to the Miami Marlins in exchange for RHP Anthony DeSclafani and catcher Chad Wallach. latos was 5-5 for the Reds last year being limited to just 16 starts because of elbow and knee problems.

The reds also traded Alfredo Simon to the Detroit Tigers for infielder Eugenio Suarez. Simon had his best year in the majors last year going 15-10 for the Reds

Yoenis Cespedes to Tigers

The Boston Red Sox have traded Yoenis Cepedes to the Detroit Tigers for starter Rick Porcello.

Between the Oakland Athletics and the Red Sox, Cepedes hit 22 home runs and drove in 100 runs. Porcello had his best year at 15-13 with a 3.43 ERA

Read the ESPN article here.

Culiacan Rebounds, Takes Game 2 of the Series 11-3

The Tomateros de Culiacan got their bats working last night and overpowered the Charros 11-3 behind the pitching of Francisco Campos, who worked 5 innings and gave up 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 4 Charros.

Culiacan jumped out to the lead 2-0 in the top of the 3rd. Max Leon and Eric Farris singled and after Russell Branyan struck out, Issmael Salas drew a walk to load the bases. Arturo Rodriguez then hit a fly ball to right that Leo Heras dropped and Leon and Farris scored.

Ramiro Pena doubled for the Tomateros in the 4th and scored on a single by Rico Noel for a 3-0 lead.

Jalisco would get a run back in their half of the 4th when Jesus Cota doubled and, after a wild pitch, scored on a sac fly by Amadeo Zazueta to cut the lead to 3-1.

Joey Meneses reached on a fielding error by the Charros to lead off the top of the 6th. Sergio Gastelum sacrificed Meneses to second and Meneses scored on a single by Ramiro Pena. Rico Noel hit a 2 run home run to left for a 6-1 Culiacan lead. One out later, Eric Farris hit a solo home run to cap a four run inning and the 7-1 Tomateros lead.

Japhet Amador hit his 12th home run of the year, a solo shot, in the bottom of the 6th and the Charros had narrowed the lead to 7-2.

Manny Rodriguez was hit by a pitch withone out in the bottom of the 7th and came around to score on a Marquez Smith double to left to make the score 7-3 Culiacan.

The Tomateros scored a run in the 8th and added 3 more in the 9th on 2 walks, a ground rule double by Joey Meneses and a run scoring double play ball off the bat of Ramiro Pena for the final score of 11-3.

The Charros did not help themselves in the field, committing 4 errors. They also left 9 men on base for the game and went 1 for 7 with men in scoring position.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

NFL Game Picks 12-11 to 12-14

After an outstanding week, finishing at 13-3, I feel confident I can do at least as good this weekend. There are a lot of divisional games that have playoff implications.

Arizona @ St. Louis     Cardinals 24-13     Can the Rams shutout a 3rd team in a row...nah
Pittsburgh @ Atlanta     Falcons 27-17     Falcons fly high in the Dome
Washington @ NYG     Giants 30-14     Eli finally reaches week 1 potential
Miami @ New England     Patriots 35-17   Can't go against Belichick/Brady
Oakland @ Kansas City     Chiefs 17-16     Tossup...Raiders looking better
Houston @ Indianapolis     Texans 24-23     Texans have some "luck" of their own
Jacksonville @ Baltimore     Ravens 27- 10     Too much "D" by the Ravens
Green Bay @ Buffalo     Packers 31-13     Only 8' of snow can stop Rodgers
Tampa Bay @ Carolina     Buccaneers 19-16     Newton not playing...only Bucs chance
Cincinnati @ Cleveland     Bengals 17-14     Johnny Football wins job, not game
NY Jets @ Tennessee     Jets 21-20     Titans looked so bad last week...Go Geno
Denver @ San Diego     Broncos 35-31     Warm weather...rest the running game Peyton
Minnesota @ Detroit     Lions 21-17     No excuses Lions...keep up with Pack
San Francisco @ Seattle     Seahawks 23-16     Problems in 49er locker room
Dallas @ Philadelphia     Eagles 24-21     Toss up game...advantage home team
New Orleans @ Chicago     Saints 28-17     Saints can't let me down 3 weeks in a row

Some Details of Jon Lester's 6 Year 155 Mil Deal With the Cubs

By now, everyone knows about Jon Lester signing a 6 year 155 million dollar deal with the Chicago Cubs. Here is a paragraph from the ESPN article on the deal as told to Jayson Stark.

Among other incentives negotiated by Lester and his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, the deal includes a signing bonus of $30 million to be paid over the life of the contract and a full no-trade clause. Lester will earn $145 million between his base salary and signing bonus and receive either a $10 million buyout after six seasons or a $25 million vesting option for the 2021 season that could bring Lester's total take to $170 million, a source familiar with terms of the contract told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

Congratulations to you Mr. Lester. Read the ESPN article here.

Phillies Trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers

ESPN and Yahoo Sports are reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies have traded shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers. There is no mention of who the Phillies will get in return for Rollins.

Here is the Yahoo Sports article.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Charros Ride an 8 Run 2nd Inning To Victory Over Culiacan

The Charros scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 2nd and coasted to a 13-6 win over the Tomateros de Culiacan. Jalisco had 15 hits with Amadeo Zazueta going 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs while Jesus Cota was 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored.

Russell Branyan led off the top of the 2nd for the Tomateros with a walk but was erased on a double play grounder by Issmael Salas. Arturo Rodriguez singled and went to third on a single to right by Oscar Robles, who went 4 for 4 for Culiacan. Ramiro Pena singled to score Rodriguez and Ali Solis singled to center to score Robles for the 2-0 Tomateros lead. Solis was caught trying to steal second for the third out and the Charos were out of the inning.

Jalisco struck back in their half of the 2nd. With one out, CJ Retherford singled to center. Jesus Cota drew a base on balls and Gabriel Gutierrez loaded the bases with a Texas League single to center. Amadeo Zazueta, the hero of Sunday's game with Mexicali, hit a 3 run double off the wall in center scoring Retherford, Cota and Gutierrez. Eduardo Arredondo hit his third double of the year to score Zazueta for a 4-2 Charros lead. After a wild pitch by the Culiacan starter Marco Camarena put Arredondo on third, Manny Rodriguez doubled to left to score Arredondo. Leo Heras drew a base on balls. With one out, Japhet Amador flied out to center moving Rodriguez to third and Heras to second. Marquez Smith followed with a single to score Rodriguez and Heras. CJ Retherford hit his second single of the inning to put runners on first and second with 2 outs. Jesus Cota singled to right to score Smith with the eighth run of the inning. After two innings the Charros led 8-2.

The Tomateros used consecutive singles by Arturo Rodriguez, Oscar Robles and Ramiro Pena to score a run in the top of the 4th. Ali Solis grounded out 6-3 to score Robles. Rico Noel then laid down a perfect squeeze but to score Pena. Maxwell Leon followed with a single. With the score now 8-5 Charros, Manuel Flores relieved Graham Godfrey. Flores gave up a single to Eric Farris. Russell Branyan singled to score Leon. Flores got Issmael Salas to ground out to third but the lead had narrowed to 8-6 Jalisco.

Jalisco scored a run in the bottom of the 5th. Jesus Cota led off with a walk and went to second on a ground out to short by Gabriel Gutierrez. Cota scored on a single by Amadeo Zazueta to give the Charros a 9-6 lead.

Jesus Cota singled to center to lead off the 7th for the Charros. After a walk to Gabriel Gutierrez, Amadeo Zazueta singled to score Cota, Zazueta's 5th RBI of the game. Eduardo Arredondo laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third with 1 out. Gutierrez scored on a passed ball as Zazueta moved to third. Manny Rodriguez and Leo Heras walked to load the bases. Japhet Amador singled to right to score Zazueta and Rodriguez for the 13-6 lead.

Hugo Castellanos worked the 9th, giving up a walk to Russell Branyan with two outs before striking out Joey Meneses to end the game.

Carlos Vazquez picked up the win in relief to improve to 3-1 on the year and Marco Camarena took the loss for Culiacan to fall to 3-2 on the season.

Changes Coming For The 2015 Pecos League

After vacillating for months on who would and would not be in the Pecos League for the 2015 season, Commissioner Andrew Dunn has announced that the Bisbee Blue are out and the Las Cruces Vaqueros are in.

Here is an article I wrote for the Big Bend Courier in Alpine Texas.

Dunn has finalized the 2 division league like this:

Northern Division: Taos Blizzard, Trinidad Triggers, Las Vegas (NM) Train Robbers and the Santa Fe Fuego.

Southern Division: Roswell Invaders, White Sands Pupfish, Las Cruces Vaqueros and the Alpine Cowboys.

I'll have news on exciting roster changes for the Cowboys in the coming days and I will be reporting on the Pecos League here in my blog starting in late April, early May.

Cam Newton Injured in Traffic Accident

Cam Newton suffered two transverse process fractures of the lower back during a 2 vehicle traffic accident at around noon on Tuesday in Charlotte. This is the same type of injury that kept Tony Romo out of one game for the Cowboys earlier this year.

There was no announcement at this time on whether or not Newton would miss any time.

The club did say that Newton would be kept overnight for additional observation.

Green Bay outlasts Falcons 43-37 on MNF

The Green Bay Packers held off the Atlanta Falcons last night on MNF by a score of 43-37. The game was still in doubt late in the 4th quarter until the Packers recovered a Falcon's onside kick attempt and James Stark took a handoff from Aaron Rodgers 41 yards to the Falcon's 6 yard line with just over a minute to go in the game.

It was a game of two halves as the Packers built a 31-7 lead after two quarters and the Falcons held Green Bay to 12 points in the second half while scoring 30 points of their own.

Aaron Rodgers connected on 24 of 36 passes for 327 yards and 3 touchdowns. Rodgers has now thrown 35 TD passes with just 2 INTs all year. Matt Ryan, of the Falcons, was equally effective going 24 for 39 for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The Packers rushed for 179 yards on 30 carries with 2 touchdowns. James Stark led the Packers with 75 yards and a touchdown and Eddie Lacy ran for 73 yards and a TD. Lacy also caught a touchdown pass from Rodgers.

Although Atlanta was held to 91 yards on the ground for the night, Steven Jackson gained 50 yards and had a 4 yard touchdown run.

Julio Jones had a career best receiving game with 11 receptions for 259 yards with a 79 yard touchdown catch and run. Roddy White, Harry Douglas and Eric Weems also caught touchdown passes from Ryan.

Jordy Nelson caught 8 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns for Green Bay including a 60 yard touchdown reception.