Sunday Night Baseball in the Bronx

Game 6 of the ALCS between the Yankees and Angels was postponed yesterday because of rain that poured all over the Big Apple.

Tonight, Joe Saunders and Andy Pettitte square off on the rubber, trying to lead their respective teams to a win. Pettitte, who is looking to not only advance his Yankees to the World Series for a date against the repeating NL champions, Philadelphia Phillies, but to also move to first on the all-time list with 16 wins in his post-season career, where he is currently tied with John Smoltz.

Joe Saunders, who is carrying a huge load on his back with his team being down 3-2 heading to the big NYC, will look to get a win this time against the Yankees, where he pitched an outstanding game, going 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and only 2 runs to a team that has beat teams up like a punching bag this season.

The rainout last night actually does the Angels a lot more favour than you would think.

Joe Saunders is 11-3 with an ERA of 3.29 lifetime, when he has 6 or more days off, the same situation that is presented to him tonight when he steps on the mound.

Yes, it also gives Yankees all-star and future hall-of-famer Mariano Rivera some much needed rest, but when you look at it even more in depth, this gets more interesting and everything leans towards the Angels.

Why? Well, given the numbers that are presented you when Joe Saunders has a long rest of at least 6 days, this gives the Angels a boost to force this ALCS to a 7th game. Not only that, but the rainout causes a potential start from Angels number one starter, John Lackey in game 7, assuming that the Angels win tonight.

Not to mention, Lackey carried out a 7 inning shut-out against the Yankees in Game 5, and after seeing what CC Sabathia did on 3 days rest for the Yankees, giving up 5 hits in 8 innings, everything just seems to look brighter and brighter for the Angels.

Yes, that would mean that CC Sabathia, who has been a monster in the post-season so far, would start on regular rest, while Lackey sits on 3 days rest, a huge momentum shift would sit on the lap of the Angels if they win tonight, and the Angels offense has proved to be clutch to date.

Looking forward to the World Series, if the Angels push it to 7 games, but lose in the 7th game, that would do the Phillies a lot of favour because, that would mean that Sabathia would most likely have the potential to pitch only 2 World Series games rather than 3, and having your best pitcher pitch 3 games does nothing but help you.

However, my pick is still with the Angels. I sill have faith in the team I picked from the start, simply because numbers don't lie. Yes, Alex Rodriguez has tore the cover off the ball thise year, finally coming through in the post-season, yes Mark Teixeira has made a lot of pretty plays on defense, stretching out numerous times on bad throws to get the runner out, and yes, the Yankees seem to have everyone's number this year, but, the Angels are way too used to this.

They have got to be motivated because they have lost time and time again to an often hot team in the Red Sox, who they've swept. They've always made the play-offs it seems, but luck never has their side.

So, for that, and for the fact that Angels skipper Mike Scioscia is one of the best, if not best managers in all of baseball, I have my eyes set on the Angels to win it all.

And Let The Championship Series Begin!

With one round of playoff baseball under our belts, we are set to take on the match-ups that have been presented to us in the Phillies and Dodgers in the NL and the Yankees and Angels in the AL. Yes, I know that this blog is a bit overdue, as the second round kicked off with the NLCS starting this past Thursday, but I have been kind of busy.

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Now, let's talk about the CSes; more specifically with the ALCS. The first-place Yankees and Angels face off in what promises to be an action-packed series. With game 1 that took place last night, it is evident that the series is showing signs of two teams with defensive specialists. Left CC Sabathia took on Angels starter, John Lackey, with CC Sabathia outduelling him in a 4-1 victory. Pitching an effect 8 innings, leaving room for future Hall-of-Fame closer, Mariano Rivera, CC was helped out by the bats of namely Hideki Matsui, who drove in two of the runs.

With the Yankees up 1-0, my world series prediction of the Angels and Phillies is not affected at all in my opinion. Lefty Joe Saunders is taking on Yankees ace, A.J Burnett, and all the Angels need to do is take advantage of the early jitters that Burnett seems to show early in playoff games, walking a lot of batters to start off. The crowd won't really present a problem as the Yankees have had no sell-out crowd in their new stadium to date. If they can snag one off the Yankees today in Yankee Stadium, the momentum should without a doubt, shift to the Angels as they have home field advantage for games 2-5. The Yankees have ridden on the noise by Yankees fans, and it should affect a team like this when the presence isn't felt.

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Switching to the NLCS, the series has been tied up at 1, with game 3 being played tomorrow. Yesterday, the Phillies had the lead going into the 8th, where Chan Ho Park got the ball to pitch for an outstanding performance by Pedro Martinez, pitching 7 innings, giving up only 2 hits. Park, who has been known for some really bad performances, turned in another one, giving up two Dodger runs in the inning to Russell Martin and Andre Ethier, blowing the win for Pedro Martinez, who showed signs of fatigue going into the late innings, forcing manager, Charlie Manuel to take him out.

If not for that, my Phillies from the NL would have made this series go to 2-0, and then, with home field for the next 3 games, it should've been a breeze. It still is kind of a breeze, considering that they took one away from Dodgers turf. Watch out for Cliff Lee tomorrow, who is obviously this post-season's all-star, to break out for an applaud-worthy performance, defeating the Dodgers, sending them to a 2-1 deficit.

How Boring (Or Fun) The ALDS and NLDS Was To Watch

This year, something that hasn't really occurred in recent years had taken place in playoff baseball. This year, 3 of the 4 first-round series were decided by one team sweeping the other, winning all three games consecutively, and the other? It only needed one more game to decide.

For many, when hearing this kind of stuff, they wonder, "That must've been a boring first round". However, if you look deeper in to the series and actually took the time to watch the games as myself, then you would agree with me in that, yes, it is boring in the fact that we had no Chicago Bulls-Boston Celtics-first-round-NBA-playoff series that went to 7 games and in nearly each game, at least one overtime period was played, but the games in itself were definitely exciting.

First off, let's take the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies series. This was the longest and only series that went more than the minimum o 3 games, but lasting only 4. However, the last 3 games were decided by one run. Two of the three games were decided in the last inning, and who could forget game 4, when the Phillies completed the comeback, scoring 3 runs in the top of 9th inning to shut the door on a Rockies team that had tremendous potential going into the post-season.

Next in the NL, I, and a lot of people other than St. Louis Cardinals fans, got to watch the Cardinals and Dodgers play each other. Not only did this series have a lot of nail-biting action, but this also had a lot of plays that induced drama and well-talked about discussions amongst people around the globe. Aside from the third and final game, the first two between these two teams showed a lot of great playing and excitement. Both games were decided by 2 runs or less, and almost no one has stopped talking about the error that the Cardinals could have back. An error that put them down 0-2 in the series and an error that will haunt Matt Holliday for a long time to come. In the bottom of the 9th inning of game two with two outs, Dodgers star, James Loney, hit a fly out to left field, and that looked to be as the nail in the coffin for the Dodgers and that the series would be tied at two. Instead, Matt Holliday, who couldn't decide on how to catch it, had the ball hit is groin and bounce to the ground, being charged an error that allowed the Dodgers to put up 2 runs to win the game.

Moving into the AL side of things, we head to the series that had the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim face off against the Boston Red Sox, a team that has seemed to show insurmountable success in postseason play over the last 7 years. Now, the AL was less competitive in terms of final scores in the NL, but the play was just as great, getting to see players like Dustin Pedroia, Vladimir Guerrero, and Bobby Abreu have their moments. The only, real down-to-the-wire game came in game 3, where Guerrero hit a 2-run single that put the Angels up by one with famed closer, Johnathan Papelbon on the mound. However, the real excitement didn't necessarily lie withing the gameplay itself, but the fact that the Boston Red Sox, who have had amazing post-season success, especially against the Angels, whom they have played in the post-season for 3 years now, lost their first round playoff series. Not even that, but they got swept, which proved to be something of astonishment, considering that the core of players they have on their team all have great star qualities in them.

Last on the circuit is the series that included the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees. The Yankees, who were the heavy favourites to go all the way, proved what they were made of, sweeping a Twins team that came off a motivation boost of a week, after making the playoffs being down 3 games with 4 games to go. This proved to be too little for the Bronx Bombers, who swept the Twins, and just as the Cards-Dodgers series, drama was to come in this series. This took place when in game 2 (the only game in the series to be decided by 1 run), all-star, Twins catcher, Joe Mauer, hit a liner towards the left field line. Phil Cuzzi, who was the left-field umpire, called the ball foul, but when replayed on the TV broadcast, it repeatedly showed that the ball deflected off the glove of Melky Cabrera and also landed a clear foot from the line and this ended up being a call that most likely, stripped the Twins of a victory. Not to mention, Yanks first-baseman, Mark Teixeira, blasted a home-run in the next half-inning in walk-off style.

It doesn't matter where you watched your post-season baseball, whether it be from live streaming via MLB.com or from your television set at home, it is not doubt that this year's first round of play-offs didn't offer lengthy series, but offered a lot of jam-packed action within those short-lived series.

Passing Out Quarter-Season Remarks

One fourth of the NFL season has come to an end (a week ago), and it is a bit late now that week 5 has almost finished, but it's still something that has to be reported on. Who are this year's most surprising teams? Who has disappointed everyone? Who is playing in MVP shape so far? All these questions are answered.

1) Which teams have surprised this year?

In the AFC, it is without a doubt that the Denver Broncos have turned heads. This off-season proved to be a disastrous-looking one for the Broncos personnel and fans. Long time head coach, and legendary coach Mike Shanahan , was fired after failing to produce a playoff team yet again. Who replaced him? A 33-year-old by the name of Josh McDaniels took over, and right off the get-go, it was determined that not a lot of players on the team liked his coaching style. Jay Cutler for one, who was their franchise quarterback and definitely one of the game's brightest, voiced his disliking of McDaniels, prompting the Broncos to trade him away to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Kyle Orton, who was known for his horrendous play during his stay with the Bears. Just in case that wasn't enough, star receiver, Brandon Marshall voiced his opinon about a contract and his troubles with the law affected his play. On top of that, he didn't give it all during practice, focing the Broncos to suspend him for 2 pre-season games.

All of that, and the Broncos still found a way to go 4-0, and now, 5-0, after a heartbreaker OT win against the almighty New England Patriots. Somehow, someway, McDaniels, Orton, Marshall and co., have found a way to surpass all expectations.

Drew Brees and the Saints have always been known for their fiery, explosive offense, and boy, have they shown what they can do until this point. The same team as last year for the most part, they have posted a 4-0 record and continue to put teams in a strangle hold with their unpredicable offense. First in points per game, third in total yards per game, second in rushing yards per game, third in first downs per game, seventh in rush defense, first in interceptions and am I boasting about the Saints' defense? Yes, the offense and defense has been clicking on all cylinders to help the Saints bolster to their outstanding start.

2) Which teams have been the most disappointing to start off?

The Tennessee Titans were definitely one the game's top defenses last year, putting a target on opposing team's players and having one goal: to kill them. Other than losing Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, the team has for the most part stayed the same way. However, losing Haynesworth has proved to be costly for the team that went 13-3 last year, starting off the season 0-5. Other than the season opener against the reigning Super Bowl champions, Pittsburgh Steelers, the Titans defense has showed no signs of life, giving up TDs all over the board. They give up the fourth most amount of points in the NFL with 27.8 as opposed to giving up 14.6 last year, which was good for 2nd. Kerry Collins has been horrible as well, throwing interceptions almost regularily. He's thrown more INT's (7) than TD's (5). He's allowed lots to wonder whether Vince Young, who's had a rough start to his NFL career, should be the starter instead.

For teams who have records like 0-4, or something of that sort, it is widely expected by critics and sports fan alike, but when a team like the Titans or Tampa Bay Buccaneers go without a win, it is definitely a disappointment. The Bucs, who have a defense that tore through NFC last year, answer back with a defense who cannot support the team in any means necessary. They have given up 28 points per game, which is good for third last in the NFL (0.2 points more than the Titans), they have given up the fifth most amount of yardage per game at 379.8, and their rush defense is good for fifth last in the league as well. On the other hand, the offense, is just as bad. They have scored the fourth least (13.6 ppg) in the league and they have an icky quarterback situation, where both Byron Leftwich and Josh Johnson do not stand out in any category.


3) Who is playing like they are the MVP?

Sure, there are many players out there who perform their heart out to maximize their team's success, but only one of these players play on the field every single game, and make their teams that much better, therefore, they are handed out the MVP award. So far, the quarter-season MVP goes to Indianapolis Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning. The 33-year-old QB, who is one of two players in NFL history to win the MVP three times, is cleary posting up numbers that suggest that he sould have another added to his repertoire. He has started the season throwing for 5 straight 300+ yard performances, and only Kurt Warner and Steve Young have dones this before him. He leads the league in passing yards by a margin of nearly 200 yards, he has boosted his teammates' play as well, as receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark are 2 of the top 3 in receiving yards in the NFL and he has propelled his team to a quick 5-0 record.

In terms of statistics, he has thrown for the most touchdowns, he has the highest passer rating amongst all quarterbacks, he has the second highest pass completion percentage and has thrown for the most amount of yards per game at 329. There is no one within the vicinity of play and consistency as Peyton Manning.

Humans Make Mistakes

"Humans make mistakes."
That's a true statement, something that's been used a ton of times to explain mistakes committed by people, but if it's used to explain why a game-changing call in the playoffs was botched, what's the use of playing for the coveted World Series title?

This explanation was used among the MLB managers to cover up the mistake made by left field umpire, Phil Cuzzi, who blew a call from a Joe Mauer liner in the midst of a down-to-the-wire Yankees-Twins playoff game on Friday. A ball, which landed a clear foot from the foul line and also hit the glove of Yankees left fielder Melky Cabrera, was called as a foul ball and took back a potential ground-rule double for the Twins all-star catcher Joe Mauer.

This proved to be costly as the Twins had the bases loaded with 0 outs, but couldn't take advantage as they got out 3 straight times, ending a threat. The next half-inning, Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hit a game-winning home-run, which subsequently handed the Twins an 0-2 deficity, one that was too much to handle as they were booted out of the playoffs last night at the Metrodome.

Sure, umpires make mistakes here and there, blowing a call after a throw to first base proved to show that the runner is out, or a diving catch made by an outfielder that isn't really a catch, but given the circumstances of the situation, what can you say for that?

Game 2 of an ALDS series, top of the 12 inning, tie game.

Not to mention, that if that call was made right, the Twins would presumably be up a run because instead of Joe Mauer being stranded at 3rd base, he would've been driven in to give the Twins a lead, and maybe evening up the series at 1.

This just comes to show that the MLB has to really consider expanding their instant replay system; one that is presently only used for reviewing home-runs. Yes, there are issues with that like not being able to save the tradition of baseball and for time management purposes, but if saving tradition really was that important for Mr. Bud Selig and co., why would they introduce a portion of it already?

For a solution on time, why not try having a person in a booth like the NFL, having an instant replay system in front of them, reviewing close plays, and then having them a mic system with the home plate umpire, relaying the correct calls, therefore, saving time.

This is also not to mention, that MLB umpires have already blown 2 other game-changing, fate-changing calls this postseason as well. In the AL Central tiebreakers playoff game, Detroit Tigers third baseman, Brandon Inge was clearly hit by a pitch in the top of the 11th inning, but it was not called, and the bases were loaded, meaning that the leading run would've came in, putting the Tigers up one, possibly getting them into the ALDS.

Plus, last night, when the Phillies played the Rockies in game 3 of their series, Phillies second baseman, Chase Utley hit a ball that bounced and then hit him, making it a foul ball, but the umps did not call it, and on that ensuing play, Utley was called safe on a play where he was definitely out.

Yes, I love baseball and I would never want to ruin the long-lived tradition of this magnificent sport. However, now that botching calls has become a regularity and now that it's being made during critical times in games, baseball teams are being stripped from having potential success, and that would be breaking a tradition of baseball all in itself.

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Photo Credit: Jared Wickerham of Getty Images

Oh My Bosh! : A Preview of the Toronto Raptors 2009-2010 Season

It's that time. The 2009-2010 NBA season is near. The Raptors season starts on the 28th against the Cavaliers, and looking to improve on a horrible season last year, posting a 33-49 record, the Raptors did everything in their power this offseason to make sure that their team would redeem themselves.

After much worry that Raptors star, Chris Bosh, would not return after this upcoming season, it was a wake-up call for Raptors personnel to build more around Bosh to try to convince him that the Raps are a contender, and not the shaky team they have been for the past 2 years.
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So, how did they do that? In a press conference held shortly after Toronto's season had ended, Raptors GM, Bryan Colangelo acknowledged the fact that the Raptors were a soft team with no fire power. So, in light of that, he started off by trading streaky shooter, Jason Kapono, who struggled down the stretch in his stay, to the Philadelphia 76ers, and getting an aggressive rebounder in Reggie Evans.

With the ninth pick in the NBA Draft, Toronto then picked USC forward, DeMar DeRozan, whose high-flying ability and quickness around the court earned him a high pick in the draft. You know that you've got ability when you start dunking a basketball when you're in grade 6.

A big-time acquisition that was critically needed for the helpless Raptors was the need of a back-up point guard, as Jose Calderon proved to be affected by the massive amount of minutes he was playing. After shooting guard Anthony Parker left to go to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raps quickly swooped in point guard Jarrett Jack from the Indiana Pacers. Along with getting Jack, they got former Raptor, Rasho Nesterovic back, who was a key part in the Atlantic Division title a few years back.

Rumoured that guard Carlos Delfino was on his way back to playing NBA ball in Toronto because of his added toughness on a team that lacked it dearly, Colangelo decided to swap players with the Bucks by giving Delfino and point guard Roko Ukic in return for Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems.

Saving the biggest for last, the blockbuster transaction of the NBA went down when Colangelo initiated a 4-way deal. The Raptors sent Shawn Marion, Nathan Jawai, Kris Humphries and other cash considerations to Dallas and a second-round pick to the Grizzlies. The Mavericks sent Deavean George and Antoine Wright to Toronto and Jerry Stackhouse and cash considerations to the Grizzlies, who sent Greg Buckner to Dallas, and the biggest of them all, Orlando sending forward, Hedo Turkoglu to the Raps. Deavean George was then sent to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Marco Belinelli, who averaged close to 10 points per game.

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Projected Starting Lineup : PG Jose Calderon, SG DeMar DeRozan, SF Hedo Turkoglu, PF Chris Bosh, C Andrea Bargnani.

Two places where switches can be made is at the two guard and at centre. Definitely, DeRozan has showed multiple signs of an NBA-type player, but with most teams, they opt to have their rookie come off the bench, unless the player is a top 5 pick draft choice. Instead, they can insert Marco Belinelli who is a developing player who can only get better, jumping his PPG by nearly 7 points.

Also, head coach Jay Triano may want to start Rasho as opposed to Andrea Bargnani because this gives Andrea more time to rest and come off the bench fresh, whereas his increased minutes last year contributed to his continued fatigue.

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Although the Raptors got better, the East got better as well-a lot better. From the huge addition of Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers to the signing of Rasheed Wallace in Boston, the East has definitely stepped up its competitiveness.

The Atlantic, which includes the Boston Celtics, will be a tough division to be in. Expect the Celtics to win it, as having a healthy and hungry Garnett paired up with Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Wallace will prove to be too much for a young Raptor squad.

With teams like Orlando and Cleveland likely to rule their respective divisions, the first 3 of 8 playoff spots in the Eastern Conference to be filled.

The Chicago Bulls, who were a tough task for the Celtics, pushing them to 7 games and providing the world with one of the best series in NBA history, should come back as sophomore Derrick Rose will look to move on to bigger and better things in the Windy City. The Hawks, powered by their explosive forward in Josh Smith, should be another pick in the conference.

After that, the conference is anybody's guess.

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Projected Record: 46-36
Projected Standing: 5th in Eastern Conference

I would've given them fourth, but realizing that this whole team is new and considering that the whole bench has been changed tells me that at first, chemistry will be an issue, and that little obstacle at the start will hurt them a bit.

Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye !

After the latest series of playoff baseball, the sports world has come to discover that the Boston Red Sox and the St.Louis Cardinals have been oisted.

After being the first team in the ML to clinch a playoff berth, the Cardinals were swept by the Dodgers in the best of 5 series during the ALDS. Not even being apart of a team's roster, Dodgers starting pitcher, Vicente Padilla, closed the door of what would be the Cards '09 season. Andre Ethier was a single away from hitting for the rare cycle and Manny Ramirez pitched in with 2 RBI's on 3 hits.

The Cardinals who seemed to be a threat for every team, had been shut down the whole series, batting a dismal .262 while driving in only 6 runs the whole series. On top of that, a pitching rotation that was thought to be simply too strong, being led by 2 of the top 3 candidates for NL Cy Young, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, finished the series posting an overall 3.86 ERA and allowing 13 runs.

The series, which never seemed to be too close at all, was highlighted by an error committed by Cardinals left fielder, Matt Holliday in game 2. In the bottom of the ninth inning with 2 outs, the all-star left fielder dropped an easy line-out that would've ended the game and even up the series at one. Instead, Holliday couldn't decide on whether to catch it thumbs in or thumbs out.

This comes as a disappointment as my pick for the World Series was between the LA Angels and the Cardinals.

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Speaking of the Angels, my pick from the American League came through today, completing the sweep against the Red Sox. Down a run in the 9th on a 2-2 count with 2 outs, all-star right fielder, Vladimir Guerrero hit a 2-run single off Sox closer, Johnathan Papelbon. Brian Fuentes then came in and closed the case on the Red Sox, who have faced the Angels the past 3 years in postseason play. However, in this series, the Red Sox seemed to have no life at all through the first 2 games, totaling only 1 run in both games. The Angels, who outscored them 16-7 through all 3 games, posted an unprecedented 0.50 ERA through the first two, before giving up 6 today.

In this case, it was just about not playing to potential. Starting Jon Lester in game 1 of the series, to me, was a mistake by club skipper, Terry Francona. If he had put Josh Beckett, who has is not only a veteran, but has veteran experience in the playoffs. Not to mention, he was the pitcher who pitched 2 outstanding performances on only 3 days rest, highlighted by a game 6, complete-game, 9 strikeout performance in the 2003 World Series with the Florida Marlins (talk about a track record).

With that in mind, Beckett could have went in, leading the team to a potential victory, relieving some of the pressure that Lester faced in game ONE of the series. Aside from that, it was just about how each team played. The whole pitching staff for the Sox couldn't pitch, and the Angels just came up clutch when they needed it most.

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Two series down. Two more to go.

Following a botched call that might've changed the outcome of not only the game, but series, the Yankees look to sweep the Twins tonight at 7:07 EDT at the Metrodome.

Andy Pettite (14-8, 4.16 ERA, 148 K) vs. Carl Pavano (14-12, 5.10 ERA, 147 K)

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The Phillies and Rockies go at it tonight after snow hit Colorado, forcing the MLB to postpone, at 10:07 EDT.

J.A. Haap (12-4, 2.93 ERA, 119 K) vs. Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33 ERA, 133 K)