Monday's List of 13

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 05:56 pm Post subject: Monday's List of 13

Wrapping up a sports weekend........

13) Interleague play ends with AL winning 133-118; it is incredibly dumb that MLB doesn't use this to determine home field in World Series. Using the winner of the All-Star Game makes no sense, unless you're FOX.

12) If I own the Washington Nationals, I tell former used car dealer Bud Selig that Mr Strasburg won't be available for the All-Star Game. File it inder "too much, too soon". Kid made his big league debut June 8; why in the name of JR Richard should he get the All-Star nod over Zimmerman or Pudge Rodriguez or Dunn? Terrible for team chemistry. He'll have made seven starts at the All-Star Game. To me, he hasn't done enough.

Plus, the Nats have small fortune wrapped up in Strasburg's future-- he'll have plenty of chances for All-Star Games and all that. Kid is on innings limit for rest of this year-- why waste any of them on All-Star Game?

11) When Carl Pavano beat the Mets Saturday, he became first American League pitcher to throw a complete game shutout and get two hits in that game since Clyde Wright of the Angels did it in 1972.

10) Last big league pitcher to get five hits in a game? Former major league pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, who did it in 1964. Mel Jr is the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks now.

9) Texas scored 40 runs in winning all five Hunter starts; Josh Hamilton hit a home run in all five games. Hamilton is hitting .470 this month.

8) Hideki Matsui's grand slam on a 3-0 pitch Saturday was the first grand slam on a 3-0 pitch since 2006, when Jason Lane hit one for the Astros. Most times, you get the take sign with 3-0 count and bases loaded.

7) Beaches was on TV late Saturday night; remember seeing it in theater with my future ex-wife in 1988. Dozens and dozens of people sobbing in the audience. I mean openly crying. Arguably the saddest movie ever.

6) Not sure why the Marlins moved three home games to Puerto Rico; it is even more baffling that they moved three Mets' games there, since the Mets usually bring some fans to Ft Lauderdale. Mets don't even get an off-day after Puerto Rico- they play in Washington Thursday.

5) When Mets beat Minneaota in rubber game of their series Sunday, it was just their third win in 11 rubber games this year, Only Orioles (1-6) have a worse record in rubber games this season.

4) Hockey trivia: Grant Fuhr/Gilles Meloche were the goalies who gave up the most goals, 2,756 apiece. Fuhr played a long time for mostly really good teams; Meloche was stuck playing for the California Golden Seals early in his career, but he did have some good years for the North Stars.

3) ESPN.com had an item Sunday that a poll of dozen major league GMs voted San Francisco's Brian Sabean the hardest GM to trade with, mostly because its very hard to get through to him on a phone. Thats not good.

2) Let the record show that Vernon Wells hit the 706th home run off of Jamie Moyer, making Moyer the all-time record holder. Fan in leftfield threw the record-setting ball back-- it had to be worth a few bucks, no?

1) Can't remember a big league game where the two closers combined to throw 82 pitches, like Rivera/Broxton did Sunday night. Its tough to take a hard look at the Dodgers and visualize their season ending well.

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 05:57 pm Post subject:

Monday's six-pack

Since 2000, college football teams that have won highest percentage of their conference games.......

T5) Florida Gators 64-19, .771
T5) USC Trojans 64-19, .771
4) Ohio State Buckeyes 64-16, .800
3) Oklahoma Sooners 73-14, .839
2) Texas Longhorns 69-13, .841
1) Boise State Broncos 73-4, .948

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 05:57 pm Post subject:

Daily Sports Roundup: June 28

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Braves play host to the Nationals, the Tigers meet the Twins, and Brazil and the Netherlands both look to advance at the World Cup.

Chasing the World Cup . . .

Monday's Round of 16 matchups at the World Cup has Netherlands vs. Slovakia and Brazil vs. Chile. The Dutch, after winning Group E with nine points, are big -250 favorites against Slovakia (+700), with draw odds of +330. Slovakia ended up in second place in Group F with four points. Brazil is then a -200 favorite against Chile (+600), with draw odds of +300. The Brazilians finished in the top spot in the Group G standings with seven points, while Chile ended up second in Group H with six points.

Meeting up on the diamond . . .

The American League has just three games on tap for Monday, with Toronto at Cleveland, the White Sox at Kansas City, and Detroit at Minnesota. Jeremy Bonderman (3-5, 4.20 ERA) will take on Francisco Liriano (6-5, 3.11) in that Tigers/Twins matchup. Righthander Bonderman was beaten by the Mets in his last trip to the mound, surrendering four earned runs on seven hits over six innings of work. Lefthander Liriano is coming off back-to-back losses to the Brewers and Rockies, allowing a combined six earned runs on 12 hits over just 12 innings in those contests.

Ubaldo Jimenez (13-1, 1.60 ERA) will take the mound in Monday's Colorado at San Diego matchup, while the NL also offers up the Mets at Florida, Philadelphia at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh at the Cubs, Houston at Milwaukee, Arizona at St. Louis, the Dodgers at San Francisco, and Washington at Atlanta. Stephen Strasburg (2-1, 1.78 ERA) is set to take on Tim Hudson (7-3, 2.54 ERA) in that last game. Righthander Strasburg was beaten by the Royals last time out despite giving up just one run on nine hits over his six innings of work (and fanning nine). Righthander Hudson is coming off a loss to the White Sox in which he gave up four runs over seven innings.

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 05:57 pm Post subject:

Bettors' best friend: Monday's wagering tips

Lines off the board

Rockies at Padres: Total is off pending wind direction and speed.

Pirates at Cubs: Total is off pending wind direction and speed.

Weather to watch

Phillies at Reds: 50 percent chance of thunderstorms, wind blowing out to left/center at 13 mph.

Blue Jays at Indians: 30 percent chance of rain.

Nationals at Braves: 30 percent chance of thunderstorms.

Who's hot

White Sox have won 11 of their last 12.

Padres have won six of their last seven.

Reds have won five of their last six.

Orioles (this is not a typo) have won four in a row.

Who's not

Pirates have lost 18 of their last 20.

Astros have lost 10 of their last 14.

Nationals have lost 10 of their last 12.

Marlins have lost four in a row.

Key stat

24 years, four days - Lenght of time between Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer allowing his first major-league home run (June 23, 1986 against the Phillies) and his record 506th on Sunday.

Injury that shouldn't be overlooked

The Chicago White Sox have placed closer Bobby Jenks on the bereavement/family medical emergency list and he will miss three to seven days due to an undisclosed family matter. Jenks has 17 saves this season with a 4.03 ERA. His role likely will be filled by Matt Thornton, who has three saves and a 3.13 ERA this season.

Game of the day

Nationals at Braves (-130, 7)

Notable quotable

"It was one of the most important things in the game. The goal was very important. We could have played a different style. We made some mistakes when they played the counterattack. The referee made bigger mistakes."

England coach Fabio Capello said of Frank Lampard's disallowed goal in the first half of a 4-1 loss to Germany.

Tips and notes

Second-seeded Rafael Nadal put his sore knee through a 40-minute workout during Sunday's off day at Wimbledon and said the knee feels much better. Nadal struggled with the knee on Saturday and received treatment on it between sets during his comeback victory over Philipp Petzschner in the third round. It was his second five-sets victory of the tournament. Nadal, the 2008 Wimbledon champion, faces 66th-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu of France on Monday.

There's trouble brewing in the Rays' clubhouse as Sunday's scene in the dugout revealed. Rays outfielder B.J. Upton and third baseman Evan Longoria had to be separated during Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks after Upton appeared to dog it on a triple by Rusty Ryal in the fifth inning. The two Rays players exchanged words in the dugout before they were pulled apart. Their hot start and current cold streak (they are 12-19 in their last 31 to fall from first to third in the AL East) could be a make it or break point for the team.

World Cup favorite Spain is still a bit banged up entering the knockout round. Xabi Alonso is still nursing a sprained right ankle, but Spain has an alternative for Tuesday's World Cup knockout match vs. rival Portugal. Midfielder Javi Martinez will again replace Alonso if needed as he did in making his World Cup debut in Friday's 2-1 win over Chile. Spanish striker Fernando Torres is still recovering from a leg injury.

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 05:58 pm Post subject:

On June 28 in Baseball History...

1907 - Branch Rickey, catcher for the New York Yankees, watched 12 Washington players steal safely in a 16-5 Senators win.

1910 - Joe Tinker of the Chicago Cubs became the first major leaguer to steal home twice in the same game.

1919 - Carl Mays of Boston pitched two complete games against the New York Yankees. The Red Sox won the first game, 2-0, and lost the nightcap, 4-1.

1970 - Pittsburgh swept the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 and 4-1, in the Pirates' final games at Forbes Field.

1984 - Dwight Evans of the Boston Red Sox completed the cycle with a three-run, 11th-inning homer to beat the Seattle Mariners, 9-6.

1986 - Phil Niekro of the Cleveland Indians and Don Sutton of the California Angels became the first 300-game winners to start against each other in this century. Neither Niekro nor Sutton got a decision as the Angels scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth to win, 9-3.

1987 - Mark McGwire homered twice to tie a major league record with five homers over two games, and Steve Ontiveros pitched a two-hitter as the Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-0.

1994 - Matt Williams tied Willie Stargell's 1971 N.L. record for home runs before July with his 28th in San Francisco's 7-4 loss to Los Angeles.

outlaw420 · Posted: Jun 28 2010 06:01 pm Post subject:

Sunday's List of 13: How things have changed over last 33 years
I went to a high school graduation party Saturday, for a kid who lives in the neighborhood and went to the same high school I did. Doesn't seem like its been 33 years since I somehow graduated high school, but it has been. Here are some things that have/haven't changed in all those years......

13) There was no Internet in '77. I used to anxiously wait for an afternoon newspaper to arrive around 3:45 each day, so I could see A's boxscores from the night before. Now I can see real-time boxscores. I also watch all their games on digital cable. Ah, progress.

12) 1977 was the first year the A's sucked after losing most of their stars to wealthier teams. Free agency had made Oakland an afterthought. Now, 33 years later, its still pretty much the same, though the A's at least are competitive in 2010, and they did have a good run in the late 80's when the late Mr Haas owned the team and spent some money on it.

My Rams were losing playoff games in agonizing fashion every year in the 70's; if you had told me they wouldn't win a Super Bowl until a month after my 40th birthday, I would have cringed, but I wouldn't trade that 1999 season for anything. It was well worth the wait.

11) I had a full head of thick curly hair in 1977. Now? Not so much.

10) ESPN was still two years away in '77; televised poker was 26 years away from finding its niche on TV. Every little thing that happened in any game wasn't subject to being shown on SportsCenter or YouTube, since there was no SportsCenter and there definitely was no YouTube. .

9) I still like to write and I still enjoy keeping records; fortunately, I'm lot better at both now. Back then, my dad would bring home pen and paper from work for me to use; now, I just have a Staples Gold Card.

Cool

There was a used car lot around the corner from my house that became a fried chicken place, then an Italian restaurant that didn't serve spaghetti and meatballs, then another fast food place, then a bar that Mike Tyson owned half of. Now its finally thriving; its Albany's best strip club.

7) I remember talking to a couple of my friends' grandfathers at games and practices; one guy used to come to basketball practice every day to watch his grandson; I had no idea back then how it was probably the highlight of his day (watching practice, not talking to me). Now, some of my friends are becoming grandfathers and grandmothers. Yikes.

6) Cellphones? We didn't have no stinking cellphones; pay phones were the big thing back then. When calls went from a dime to a quarter, it was a big deal. Texting? Facebook? Twitter? Ummm, no.

5) In 1977, my world was contained in a three-mile circle; the high school I went to was farther away than my college. Never got my driver's license until I was 19, so a 10-speed got me around. Today, its a Nissan Rogue, and my friends have scattered all over America, from Pittsburgh down to Houston to Cincinnati to Philly to Las Vegas. Its a smaller world now.

4) In 1977, my dating history was just as awful as it is now, but back then I had the excuse of no money/no car/no job. Its comforting to know that some things never change. At least I have a car/job/money now.

3) Joe Torre was a player/manager for the Mets in '77; he went 49-68, and would last five more years as the skipper in Flushing, winding up with a hideous record of 286-420. Now, he's a four-time World Champ manager whos on the last legs of his career managing a Dodger team that should be wealthy but is cash-strapped because the owner is getting divorced.

2) My favorite movies back then were Rocky ('76) and One on One ('77); neither theater where I saw those movies for first time is standing now. To this day, I still love both of those movies.

1) One thing I've come to realize is that life is a lot more like high school than we'd like to admit, for better or worse. Dudes with the most money still get the prettiest girls-- the prettiest girls still expect to get anything they want. I wish my neighbor good luck on her graduation; just hope she realizes the world she's going into isn't so much different than the one she is leaving. Hope she was paying attention the last four years.

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