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Great time to be a sports fan
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite months of sports. You’ve got the NBA Playoffs finally underway after a drama-filled regular season. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are always exciting, since the dynamic of a game can change in a flash. Between one moment and the next is a period of “What’s gonna happen next?” In basketball, you know after every score it takes about 10 seconds to bring the ball to half-court, which creates less drama then a 2-1 hockey game.
Plus, baseball is finding it’s groove around this time (too bad Albert Pujols hasn’t). By the way, Matt Kemp is a monster. If he even remotely produces like this for the rest of the season, he’ll be a frontrunner for the MVP race.
On to basketball:
The Knicks play Game 3 tomorrow night at the Garden against the Miami Heat. It would be an understatement to say this has been disappointing playoffs so far for the Knicks. First, they embarrass themselves by losing “Bobcats style” in Game 1. Next, they lose Game 2 by a frustrating 10 points.
This season’s had more drama then a bad soap opera for the Knicks! I’m not going to recap that (it would take thousands of words), but we did here an interesting story break yesterday morning. Amar’eStoudemire committed an act of violence against himself. Out of frustration, he punched the class casing surrounding a fire extinguisher. He’s “out for [tonight’s] game and is doubtful for Game 4” (wsj.com). If I were the Knicks, at the beginning of the season next year I would cut (pun) Amar’e. This is a disgusting act and does not help the team at all.
Or does it?
It’s been true all year: the Knicks actually play BETTER with Amar’e out of the lineup. So, will this help them out in Game’s 3 and 4? We’ll see.
When the Celtics lost Game 1, analysts were already taking them for granted and saying “Oh, they can’t win without Rondo in the lineup.” Of course, Rondo was suspended on Monday for Game 2. They said “A team without Rondo and Allen cannot beat the Hawks.” I thought the Hawks would see no Rondo or Allen and go, “We got this.” Of course, Pierce went off for 36 points. They ended up winning the game, evening up the series 1-1.
Baseball:
As we all know, Albert Pujols is in a major slump. He hasn’t hit a home run, and is hitting sub-.250. He’s got 4 RBI’s…Nobody knows what’s wrong with him so far this season. To be honest, I’m glad he’s in this slump. I’m happy because he left, no, abandoned the Cardinals with such a money-first attitude. He wasn’t concerned with winning more rings and staying loyal to his team. Nope, everyone says it’s a business. Follow the money…
Football:
BREAKING NEWS: Junior Seau is dead
Four New Orleans Saints players were suspended today for their involvement in the bounty scandal. Most significantly, Jonathan Vilma has been suspended for the entire 2012 season, effective immediately.
For more on the story, visit ESPN: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7881761/nfl-bans-four-players-new-orleans-saints-bounty-roles
Cardinals are 2011 WS Champions
I guess this is a bit late, but better late than never right?
Anyway, the Cardinals won Game 7 last night to earn their 11th WS Title and their first since ’06. To be honest, I had no favorite in this series. I was watching as a baseball fan, not as a Cards/Rangers fan. In my opinion, that’s the best way to watch playoffs(unless your team happens to be in the playoffs). Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, and Allen Craig led their team to victory in this postseason. But the real leader of this team was David Freese. Freese became only the 6th player to be the NLCS MVP and the WS MVP in the same year. He “Put the team on his back“, as demetryjames86 said on Youtube.
The Rangers just weren’t able to get it done this year. Now that I’m remembering, they were in the WS last year too! And they lost! I’m a bit disappointing they came up short both years, and to be honest I thought they should’ve beat SF last year. I felt that they were the better team, but in sports the better team does not always win. Maybe next year (for the 3rd year in a row).
Till tomorrow (NFL Picks!),
@TheSportzGuru
#SportsBlogMovement
Cards top Rangers, force a Game 7
Last night, we were asking a lot of questions about the World Series: will the Cardinals force a Game 7? Can they pull out to an early lead? Who will win the Series? The Cardinals ended up forcing a game 7, an did it in dramatic fashion. it was a 10-9, 11-inning victory that forced the first Game 7 since 2002. David Freese “put the team on his back” by delivering a clutch homer off Mark Lowe in the 11th inning. The Rangers lost this game because of David Freese, but the Cardinals were strong enough to stay close to the Rangers for 11 innings. Now, I have no idea who will win Game 7! Both teams have shown that they deserve to win, but only one can (that’s just sports!). Who will Tony LaRussa choose to pitch in Game 7? Will it be his ace (Carpenter) on short rest? Of will he send out Edwin Jackson to get this crucial Game 7 victory?
All I know is, it’s gonna be an exciting game.
Till next time,
@TheSportzGuru
NFL mediation to begin Monday; Rangers win 10th in a row
As the days go by, I notice there’s less and less NBA news to report. Obviously, the lockout is the reason for this (they’re not really getting any talking done, so you can’t report what hasn’t happened right?). If you check on espn.com, you’ll see from yesterday to today there was NO NBA NEWS. I’ve never seen that before; a whole 24-hour period with no news? I’m surprised there’s no news of the NBA/NBAPA getting together to talk, but I guess there’s just too many issues to do anything at this time.
NFL mediation to begin Monday
Sources indicate the NFL and the NFLPA will have mediated talks, beginning on Monday. Just another step towards ending the lockout I guess. It certainly seems we’re getting close, hopefully by next week the CBA can be finalized and we can have a full 16 game season minus the preseason games. I’m not getting Madden 12 either way; they’ve sucked me into buying the last 7 so I need a break. My choice is NCAA Football 12 this year.
Rangers win 10th in a row behind Kinsler
Kinsler hit two home runs last night to propell the Texas Rangers to their 10th win in a row. They beat the Mariners 5-1 while also beating them in the hit department 13-6. Anytime you can double the amount of hits your opponent has, your chance of winning increase greatly. How long can they keep this up? Will it go till the end of July? I doubt it; they’ll lose sometime in the next 5 games.
Comment! I know it was a short post, sorry guys nothing from the Big 4!
News from the dugout: K-Rod traded to Brewers, Braves beat Nats
Since baseball is the hottest thing right now in sports (especially since the 2nd half just kicked off), why not write about that?
For some reason that reminds me, does anyone want me to write a guest post?
K-Rod traded to Brewers
The Mets traded Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers a couple days ago. K-Rod really doesn’t have much to show in his 2 and a half years with the Mets. Should we even call him K-Rod anymore after his stint with the Mets? One year (2008) he’s setting the season-high saves record, the next he’s recording a decent 35 saves for the Mets. During his Mets years, he was very inconsistent and it was nerve-wracking watching him close out a game, especially when it was a 1-run game. All my Mets fans, comment and tell me good or bad move by the Mets?
Why does it always seem like every guy that comes to the Mets ends up sucking? Jason Bay, K-Rod, Luis Castillo, Tom Glavine, you name it.
Braves beat Nats
This wouldn’t normally be a headline-worthy story, however I think this is something special. Last night, the Braves routed the Nationals 11-1 to earn their 10,oooth franchise win. In this game, the Nats were extremely sloppy, committing five errors.I congratulate the Braves on their 10,000th win, nice job and keep it up. Earning that many wins shows dedication, hard, and overall excellence in the sport of baseball. Since I’m a Mets fan I’ll still hate the Braves, but I’ve earned a bit of respect for them after this rout of the Nats.
Phillips walk-off HR beats Cards
Last night, Reds 2nd baseman Brandon Phillips stunned the Cardnals, hitting a game-winning HR with 2 outs in the ninth inning. “Phillips connected on the second pitch from Fernando Salas (5-3) for his second career game-ending homer, stopping to wave his arms in joy before reaching first base. Phillips injected some ill will into the rivalry last season when he called the Cardinals whiners, sparking a brawl” (Cred ESPN.com). Looks like this rivalry is certainly heating up. Any Cards or Reds fans reading this? What’d you think of this HR? Anyone else can comment on this as well, I was just lookin for an opinion from someone inside the rivalry.
Comment!
CC, Verlander earn their 11th win, more baseball news in this edition
The 2011 MLB Season is almost halfway over!!! Crazy how fast it went, right? The biggest story’s been Jose Reyes and how he’s carried the woeful Mets from a pretender to a contender, all in about 2 months! However, you can probably find another story that might be more important; I’m a Mets fan, so that’s why I say that. But honestly, all I’ve been hearing on ESPN, Sportscenter, and the like is “Reyes 3-4 with 2 runs in last night’s game carries Mets over (insert team name here)”. Now that I’ve bored you with my Mets talk, let’s divulge into the stories across the league from yesterday’s games.
CC fans 13 as Yankees beat Brewers 5-0
Yesterday, CC Sabathia pitched a quality start against the Brewers, allowing zero runs, six hits, and two walks in 7 and 2/3rds inning (Cred ESPN).He was the first ML pitcher to earn 11 wins, in fact just an hour before Verlander did (see Verlander section below). CC is now 11-4 on the season, and is looking like he’s found his groove with all his pitches, especially his fastball. The Yanks are now 23-4 in day-games, which is an amazing record (that’s a win percentage of 86!). REALLY GLAD I picked him up on my fantasy team this season, as he is doing amazing! Just realized, I HAVE VERLANDER TOO :)!
Verlander gets 11th win, Coke moved to bullpen
Same story as CC, Verlander pitched a good game against my Mets, allowing one run, seven hits, and 2 walks in 7 innings of work. Detroit’s ace also added 6 K’s to his stat-line, as he kept the Mets at bay to avoid the sweep. His record halfway through the year is 11-3, percentage-wise just better than CC’s. I love to watch this guy pitch, especially now when he’s on fire. To quote my Twitter friend @AndrewMarhevko:”@TheSportzGuru Hes been totally different this year….living here and watching him mature…THIS is what everyone THOUGHT he would be.”
The Tigers sent Phil Coke to the bullpen yesterday after struggling the first half of the season. “Coke is 1-8 with a 4.91 ERA after allowing seven earned runs in four-plus innings against New York on Wednesday night.” That quote from ESPN.com pretty much says it all about Coke’s struggles this season. In his first three Major League seasons, Coke worked out of the pen. The Tigers only recently moved him to their rotation, and he has not been able to deliver what they expected from him. We shall see if he does better as a reliever compared to a starter, as he’s shown he’s much more comfortable in the pen.
Sox cut ties with Cameron after Youk injury
Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox designated OF Mike Cameron for assignment. This means the team has ten days to trade him, release him, or waive him. This is a really sad thing to happen to any MLB player, especially one with a track record like Cameron. IT’s a shame to see Cameron bat only .149 with a 3-39 slump this season. That slump might’ve been the X-factor in the decision to cut him loose. The Sox needed cut someone loose because they needed room to make room for Youk’s replacement Yamaico Navarro. (He) “is a 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic who made his debut for the Red Sox last season and batted .143 (6 for 42) with no home runs and five RBIs in 20 games” (Cred ESPN.com).
I remember Cameron back when he was with the Mets in 2005, when this happened:http://www.collegeslackers.com/video/baseball_players_collide
Absolutely terrible. I remember it like I was watching it like on TV yesterday, yet I was only nine years old at the time.
One last thing, Jeter is set to re-join the Yankees Monday against the Cleveland Indians. People on ESPN.com are sayin that he’ll most likely get his 3,000th hit against the Tampa Bay Rays at home, July 7th-10th.
Comment, tell me what you think about this news, and whatever I forgot from yesterday, tell me about it.
Until tomorrow morning,
The Sportz Guru
Who needs ESPN when you have Mike Francesa?
Normally, I’ll write these posts using my personal opinions, the TV analysts’ opinions, and espn.com. Truthfully, I only use the website for a quote or two per post and for stats (because let’s face it, I can’t just pull stats outta my ass and use them as if they’re true). Since my internet connection went down this morning, I had to improvise a bit.
A friend recommended that I watch Mike Francesa on the YES channel from 1 pm to 6 pm on weekdays. Every time I listened to him on the radio, he seemed to argue with his callers on every single little detail, especially about the questions they asked. But when I watched his show, I realized that he really isn’t that bad of a guy. One particular topic he was discussing was the *possible* use of the DH in the National League (I’m talkin about baseball for all you non-baseball folks).
The NL will never agree to use the DH in interleague play, says Francesa. They won’t agree because in doing so the NL would “surrender” and basically say that the AL product is “better”. In addition, in the NL, you can just walk the 8th batter and strike out the pitcher to end the inning right? Not the case in the AL; they need to go through all 9 batters because the 9th hitter is decent compared to the pitcher. I agree with Mike; the NL and the AL will be split in that regard. Let’s just say for a moment that both agree to *not* use the DH. Any game you go to, you wouldn’t see the pitcher hit. So, ALL pitchers could just walk the 8th and get the pitcher out. That would make the game boring and repetitive. Therefore, by keeping the DH exclusive to the AL, the MLB creates diversity in their styles of play, which is always good. Nobody would go to see the Yankees if they played just like the Mets; everyone would go see the Mets because the tickets are 50% cheaper.
Just something to think about, till tomorrow morning,
The Sportz Guru
Pujols Out 4-6 Weeks with Arm Injury
Yesterday, the St. Louis Cards released the MRI and CT scan results of their All-Universe player Albert Pujols. The results showed that he has “a non-displaced fracture of the left radius bone” (Courtesy ESPN.com) The timetable for this injury is 4-6 weeks. This is a huge blow to the Cards because he’s very consistent, and his average has been on the rise ever since Opening Day. However, I think the Cards are a good-enough team to put this injury to the side, focus on the game, and at least play .500 ball till Pujols comes back around late July/early August.
Why the American Justice System Fails; A True Story
I’m not one to judge, but this is just absolutely ridiculous.
On Opening Day of this year, a SF Giants fan was beaten into a coma. Does that ring a bell? I find this act of cruelty hideous; almost inhumane. What would lead you to do such a thing? Does it make you feel “big” to go to a rival ballpark, pick a random fan and beat the living daylights out of him? Or was it a hate crime?
Enough of the questions; now we know the facts. On Monday, June 20th, the suspect Giovanni Ramirez faced a hearing. This hearing was held “to determine whether he should remain in jail for allegedly violating terms of his parole” (Courtesy ESPN.com). What kind of fool has a gun on him when he’s on parole? AND he was nice enough to beat the crap out of Bryan Stow (the SF Giants fan).
I’m hoping for a trial (fair, of course), a conviction, and a sentence of at least 1 year….Comment below and tell me what you think of this.
The Courting of Jose Reyes
Remember “The Decision” that was made last summer? You know what I’m talking about right? LeBron James choosing the team that he’d eventually play for in 2011. This decision was made into one of the biggest, if not the biggest, media event of the summer. Just thinking about it again makes me sick to my stomach…Glad the Heat lost in the Finals, they didn’t deserve a championship. As usual, I’m going a little off topic here and I’m letting my mind drift a little too far away from the main issue at hand: The Courting of Jose Reyes.
If you’re a Mets fan, your probably pissed at the fact that even though Jose wants to stay, the Wilpons don’t have the money to pay him for another contract..As a result, he’ll most likely not be able to return next year, and what will need to happen is either a trade or a free-agency signing. That is where the courting comes in. If he chooses free agency, Jose will jump around from franchise to franchise, seeing where he can get the best bang for his buck. Now, I’m not saying he will pull a LeBron James (nobody ever will), but he will certainly make it a priority to find a good team at a good price; at a price better than what the Mets would pay him. In addition, the Mets aren’t gonna be a title contender anytime soon, so that is another reason why Jose may rather go to another team. I’m a big Mets fan, so I’m just telling it like it is….
Injuries have plagued Jose his whole career. However, this year he’s been remarkably durable and has shown us that his legs are still good for 20 to 25 SB’s a year. I find it ironic that in his contract year, Jose has been able to stay injury-free AND have a great season. Who’s to say that this performance we’re seeing this year is just a one-hit-wonder for Jose? Hey, he might be this good 5 years from now, but we can’t be sure because he hasn’t had any other seasons where he’s played this good while being free of injuries.
I’ll be surprised if he takes a pay cut OR if he makes it a big media event like LeChoke James did..His reputation would drop as fast as Michael Vick’s…He obviously doesn’t want that to happen..
What do you think will happen? Comment in the box below and tell me what you think.
Mets beat Braves 4-3
The New York Mets played the Atlanta Braves tonight at Turner Field. The Mets were trying to put a 3-1 lost behind them and beat their division rival. Terry Collins decided to start Willie Harris tonight rather than start Jason Bay who has struggled against Jair Jurrjens. The Mets came out wanting to get a win as they were able to get a run in the first inning on a Carlos Beltran RBI single. The Mets added two runs in the 3rd inning on an Angel Pagan RBI single and a Lucas Duda sacrifice-fly. The Mets were able to get clutch hits tonight and score when they needed to. The importance of winning the series will be key as the Mets try to get back to the top of the division.
Jon Niese started for the Mets trying to continue the Mets hot starting pitching. Niese would go 6.1 innings allowing two runs on five hits. Niese was great tonight as he was able to force the Braves to put the ball in play. He was taken out after allowing David Ross to double in a run.
Jair Jurrjens started for the Braves as he tried to get his 9th win of the season. Jurrjens was held to his shortest outing of the season as he went 5.1 innings. He really didn’t have his best pitches tonight as he also walked a season-high five batters. Jurrjens also gave up a season-high four runs on eight hits. This was his worst outing of the season and it seemed as if he struggled to get his pitches over for strikes. The Mets are the only team to hit Jurrjens this hard for the season and it shows why the Mets are swinging the bat very well.
The Mets are still hitting the ball well as a collective unit. They haven’t hit homeruns, but they have used their speed to their advantage. Tonight the Mets stole four bases and were able to put pressure on the Braves pitching. Pitching was the story tonight for the Mets as they were able to hold the Braves offense down.
Game Notes:
- Jose Reyes is hitting the ball very well at this point in the season. He continued to have success tonight against the Braves as he went 3 of 5. The Mets are excited about Reyes’ production this season. He has become a spark for this team and continues to be an important piece to the team.
- Carlos Beltran went 2 of 4 with an RBI single in the first inning.
- Jason Isringhausen gave up a solo homerun to Dan Uggla in the 8th inning drawing the Braves deficit to one run.
- Francisco Rodriguez came trying to capture his 19th save of the season. Rodriguez would get the save with two strikeouts to end the game. This was his 19th consecutive save of the season and he is pitching great in save opportunities.
Derek Jeter and His Selfishness
Derek Jeter has become one of the most respected athletes in the world of pro sports. He’s always conducted himself in a respectful manner, never cheated on his wife (A-Rod), and the most important: he never took steroids. Or did he? Nah, just joking; he’s definitely never taken PED’s. That’s the main reason why he’s so respected not only around the league, but in the USA as a whole. If you ask a neighbor, family member, or friend that doesn’t watch baseball, he/she will still know who Derek Jeter is, and they will respect him as well. A-Rod was always a scumbag; he was always doing something wrong whether it was cheating on his wife, taking PED’s, or having a bad attitude towards the media (LeChoke James). On the other hand, Jeter never did any of those things. 90% of the baseball world views him as one of the classiest guys in the league; the other 10% are Red Sox fans. I’m a big Mets fan, however I still have respect for Jeter, even if the Yanks always have a better record than us, even if Jeter gets 10 hits in a game, I will still respect him because he’s been one of the best pure hitters in the league without the use of PED’s.
Although we all respect Jeter, we have to realize the truth: at this point in his career, Jeter is being selfish. As you may already know, Jeter is 6 hits away from joining the 3,000 hit club. This milestone would easily launch his career into the HOF, no question. Hell, if he retired right now, he’d still be in the Hall. Yesterday, Jeter injured his calf yesterday on his 2,994th career hit. He was so giddy and excited to get to 3,000 that he would give 200% effort if he had to, just to get to 3,000. As a result of this effort (plus his old-age of 36), Jeter sustained an injury. You may see this differently, but I see it like this: Jeter pushed himself, knowing that he might get injured, NOT thinking about the consequences it would have on his team…He was thinking about himself more than his team (LeChoke James) is what I’m getting at. I don’t like that; I find it selfish and obnoxious. What’s your take on Jeter? Comment in the box below this post.
Some Great All-Time Teams
My friend at http://afrankangle.wordpress.com made this awesome list of about 20 all-time teams (all of them are baseball). You should check ’em out!
Here’s the link: http://afrankangle.wordpress.com/category/sports/all-time-teams/
Courtesy for the title goes to afrankangle.
Harmon Killebrew Honored at Funeral
Harmon Killebrew, the former Twins slugger, died last week. He had a long battle with cancer, and he wasn’t able to beat it. He hit 573 home runs in his career (most of his career was spentwith the Twins. This morning, a funeral was held in honor of him. Several
hundred loved ones attended the service in a north Phoenix church. However, it was the Killebrew the gentleman that way much more celebrated than Killebrew the baseball player. This just goes to show how much of a great guy he was. I mean, 573 HR’s is not a number to laugh about, but obviously his politeness and respect was much more important to these people then some stats on a sheet of paper. Harmon always put others feelings before his own, which is why people loved him so much. He wasn’t the best player in baseball, but I feel he deserved to be remembered, and I think his friends and family gave him a ceremony he would be proud of. RIP Harmon Killebrew.
The Good Die Young
Death: it’s the one thing nobody wants to hear about. But, at a certain point in our lives, our soul must be lifted from our bodies and brought off this world into the next. For now, nobody knows where our bodies go when we pass, and we probably will never know.
Harmon Killebrew passed away this morning at the age of 74. The HOF slugger is best known for his time spent with the Minnesota Twins, from 1961 to 1974. During his career, he hit a massive 573 home-runs, 1584 RBI’s, earned 1,559 walks, and hit for a career average of .256. He was known for his astonishing power, considering that he was only 5’11”. At the time of his retiring, he hit more home-runs than all but 4 players (Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Hank Aaron) (Courtesy ESPN.com). Killebrew was also very popular with the fans, because of his kind attitude towards them. Some athletes today are so obnoxious and mean to the fans. in my opinion, they should all aspire to be just like Killibrew. I feel this is a very sad day for all of us, especially the folks that knew him and watched him play. RIP Harmon Killebrew.