Thursday, August 20, 2009

Thursday August 20th, 2009

Cardinals Update:

The Cardinals won another nail-biter against the Dodgers lastnight to shrink the gap between them and the National League's best record. With their 3-2 win, the Redbirds have now won 10 out of their last 12 games and have failed to lose back to back games in more than three weeks. Paired with a Cubs win lastnight, the Cards lead remained 6 games for the division lead as we head to San Diego.
The Redbirds followed a playoff-type formula for winning the game. The win wasn't pretty but it was hard-earned and well deserved. The formula consisted of 7 strong innings from their starter Adam Wainwright, good, effective work from their bullpen, and the small-ball manufacturing of a late-inning run without the need of a basehit. In the end closer Ryan Franklin converted his 31st save in 33 chances to pace the National League.
Wainwright started the game with a bang carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and only ran into trouble in the seventh. In a span of three hitters Waino surrendered his 2-0 lead, and it was on to a bullpen battle with the score tied. Andre Either hit a hanging curveball on a 1-2 pitch into the seats to cut the lead in half. After Wainwright got Manny Ramirez on a long fly ball to right, Casey Blake followed by taking another hanging curve into the seats to tie the game at two.
With the game tied heading into the ninth, Pujols patiently drew a walk from the Dodger closer Johnathon Broxton. Albert then waited till a 3-0 pitch to Matt Holliday and took off towards second. After an errant trow from catcher Russell Martin, Pujols advanced to third and the Redbirds were in business against a tough foe in Broxton. Holliday came trough with a deep line shot to center that easily scored Pujols.
LaRussa brought in Dennys Reyes to start the bottom half of the inning. After Reyes failed to do his job by hitting Either, in was straight to the mound for LaRussa to summon his closer. Franklin came in with a tough task ahead, in facing Ramirez and Blake both of which have hit Franklin hard and for a high average in the past. Franklin was up to the challenge in getting Manny on a broken-bat grounder, Blake on an easy pop-out, and James Loney on a flyball. With another hard fought victory in the books the Cards succeeded in winnig another series and will look to continue their road success in San Diego against the lowly Padres.
On another note, The Cards agree to terms with future Hall of Famer John Smoltz on Wednesday. The Redbirds had two glaring weeknesses as of Tuesday, a 5th starter and right-handed relief help for the late innings. On Wednesday GM John Mozeliak adressed one if not both of those issues in signing Smoltz. After a week of "recruiting" phone calls from players such as Wainwright and Mark DeRosa along with manager Tony LaRussa and pitching coach Dave Duncan, Smoltz decided this was the best place to ressurect his career. In my opinion, the Redbirds might have gotten themselves a real find. I understand that his season has been a disappointment so far, but none of that matters now. I truly believe this is the best situation for him to succeed. First you have Duncan, who has taken far less talented pitchers and turned them around for the better. Smoltz might be Duncan's most talented reclammation project. Another benefit would be that of the Gold Glove catcher he will be throwing too; you can't say enough about the comfort level Yadi provides, allowing the pitcher to throw any pitch at any time. Toss in the fact that Smoltz will be pitching with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to show everyone that he isn't done yet. All in all I am very excited about the possibilities Smoltz provides for the Cards. From what I hear Smoltz will be starting for the Redbirds on Sunday in San Diego and will be provided a few opportunities to start and then the Cards will se what happens and go from there, wether that be to continue to start or if he will move to the bullpen to help out there. In either circumstance I believe he will provide a boost to a team already on a roll.

Around Sports:

Plaxico Burress getting what he deserves? Burress will take a plea bargain and recieve a two-year prison sentence on gun charges in New York. It seems that Plax's lawyers have talked some sense into him and told him that he would lose his trial and end up with a 3 1/2 year sentence. Listen I know he technically didn't hurt anyone in the shooting and I hear that its not against the law to be stupid, but this guy had no chance to win his trial. I wonder if him getting a similar prison sentence to the beloved Micheal Vick is a bit much, but the law is the law. I do believe that Plax may be the scapegoat for those new gun laws in New York City, but in all reality "Athletes with Guns" is a club that needs to be broken up and fast.
Burress has paid a steep price for what he has done, maybe as steep as any athlete in recent memory. I mean shooting yourself in the leg while clubbing in sweatpants is about as embarassing as it gets, and being released from the Giants after signing an extension is a pretty big punishment for a SuperBowl winning wide reciever. I don't agree with the sentence he is getting for being stupid, but I don't write laws for cities like New York and I do try to follow the laws that exist. Plax broke the law and he's going to jail.

Bolt breaks the 200 meter World Record by .11 seconds in a blazing time of 19.19 seconds.

None of the nearly four dozen sponsors that the Philly Eagles have are staying put despite the signing of Vick. Many of the sponsors only complaint is they wish they had a little more notice in the situation.


Baseball Picks for Friday August 21st, 2009

Mariners over Indians
Nationals over Brewers
Pirates over Reds
Angels over Bluejays
Yankees over Red Sox
Phillies over Mets
Braves over Marlins
Rangers over Rays
Astros over D-Backs
Twins over Royals
Orioles over White Sox
Rockies over Giants
Tigers over A's
Cardinals over Padres
Dodgers over Cubs

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tuesday August 18th, 2009

Cardinals Update:
Carpenter looked good not great lastnight. 8 IP 8 K's and the win, cant ask much more of him. Very much enjoying the competition going on between Waino and Carp. Keep going guys.
Pujols hit #39 lastnight and it would be nice to see him keep this up and hit over 50 for the season. With about 40 something games to go he looks like a lock to do so.
Ankiel's homerun in the 7th inning was a welcome surprise even if it was against a knuckleballer. He was in the midst of a 1-17 slump and for him to propel the cards to a hard fought win over the team with the best record in the National League was great to see.
Ryan Franklin got season save #30 lastnight and what else can you say about him other than he has been one of the most consistent aspects of the Cardinals team this year. His consistency is one of the main reasons for the Cardinals success this year; a season removed from the bullpen debacle that was the Cards last year, i.e. 29 blown saves.
The Cardinals have expressed serious interest in John Smoltz. I had previously predicted he would end up in Arlington with the Rangers, but from what I have been reading it sounds more and more like he will end up in St. Louis with former teammates Mark DeRosa and Wainwright. At the time Waino was traded from the Braves to the Cardinals Smoltz was not a fan of losing his young protege. Not to metion I have heard Waino can hold his own on the links with Smoltz, who has been known to get out on the course and give Tiger a run for his money. Jayson Stark of ESPN predicted that Smoltz would be a good fit for the Cards and said that he thought he would end up here to shore up the eighth inning. He also metioned that the Cubs were in freefall and that the Cardinals looked like a team that could end up in the World Series. I also liked that guy.

I'm going to skip the updates around sports for today because I refuse to comment on Brett Farve anymore than has already be done. Don't get me wrong I like the guy and he definitely makes the Vikings a better team but enough already. Good luck Brett, but you have worn out your welcome with me.

Baseball Picks for Wednesday August 19th, 2009

Royals over White Sox
Angels over Indians
Tigers over Mariners
Rockies over Nationals
D-Backs over Phillies
Brewers over Pirates
Blue Jays over Red Sox
Rays over Orioles
Giants over Reds
Braves over Mets
Rangers over Twins
Astros over Marlins
A's over Yankees
Padres over Cubs
Cardinals over Dodgers

Monday, August 17, 2009

Monday August 17th, 2009

Well I'm going to start today with a Cardinals update from the following weekend.
Friday night Wainwright did a little bit of everything for the Birds on his way to his league-leading 14th win of the season. Waino pitched 7 shutout innings and could have probably pitched further into the game but with a Wednesday start coming up against the Dodgers he was pulled prematurely. All was well and good with his pitching but he also got the scoring started with a 3rd inning homerun. The rest of the offense kept things rolling and the Cards went on to win 9-2. Saturday night was not as impressive a game with Pineiro and the billpen not nearly as sharp as they have been this season but we prevail none-the-less 7-4 to stretch the division lead to 4 and a half games over the Cubs who are in absolute freefall mode.
Sundays game was the most impresive of the weekend, at least the ending was, and a game in which a team can use as a jumping point towards the playoffs. After a less than impressive back-and-forth contest and two lengthy rain-delays, the Cards headed into the bottom of the 9th down a run with the daunting task of coming back against one of the finest closers in the league in Heath Bell. Bell hadn't blown a save since late May. After a leadoff single by Ryan Ludwick, Mark DeRosa hit a rocket shot off Bell's ankle, but the ball bounced right to firstbase for the out. Ludwick however, moved over to second on the play. The next batter Yadier Molina then came through with a single to tie the game and give Bell a blown save. With most of the fans gone for the day, rookie Colby Rasmus gave the remaining fans something to cheer about. Rasmus yanked an 0-1 pitch into thr right field seats and the Cards had completed the sweep of the lowly Padres. This was the second walk-off homerun for Ramsus on the season, and it pushed the NL Central leading Cardinals to a season high 15 games over .500 and stretched their division lead to 5 games over the Cubs and 8 games over the Brewers.
The walk-off win helped to give the Cardinals 8 wins in their last 9 games and the finished the week at 5-1.
The Cards are in Los Angeles to face the NL West leading Dodgers tonight, in a match up of teams going in opposite directions. With Chris Carpenter taking the hill looking for his 8th straight win and the Dodgers countering with a young knuckleballer making his Dodger debut, it looks to be an advantage in the Cards favor. With Mitchel Boggs going tomorrow and Waino taking the series finale, the Cards are looking to take another series and gain some ground on the team with the best record in the National League.
Draftee Update: The Cardinals and first round draft pick Shelby Miller have agreed to terms. Miller will recieve a $2.875 million bonus.

Around Sports:
Stasburg has not signed yet with the 12 midnight deadline looming. Many sources have been reporting that the Nats have offered around $15 million with incentives that would push the deal over $17 million, which would shatter the record bonus of $10.1 million that Mark Prior recieved after he was selected #2 overall out of USC behind Joe Mauer in 2001. I think this kid would be making a huge mistake but not signing. Right now his stock is as high as its going to get, and I truly believe that not signing would only lead to his mystique being damaged playing somewhere for a year. There is no benefit of him not signing, not for him or the Nationals.
Sign of things to come? Marc Bulger with be out about 2 weeks with a broken pinkie on his throwing hand. The injury occured on a transfer from center. Kyle Boller will take over the first-team duties while Bulger is out.
McNabb is excited about the possibilities that exist with him and his new teammate Micheal Vick being on the field at the same time. My thought is it is still too early to tell, but Donavan and the Eagles might have just become the fastest offense in the NFC and maybe the NFL.
The Detroit Tigers aquired Aubrey Huff from the Orioles for a minor leaguer today. The firstbaseman is batting .253 with 13 homeruns and 72 RBI's. Not much else to say on that subject.
Future Hall-of-Famer John Smoltz was officially released by the Boston Red Sox today, making him available to sign with any team he wants. I predicted last week that he would end up with the Texas Rangers, but with his release today, the pool of interested teams has increased. Some of the teams with interest include the Dodgers, Cardinals, Rangers, Astros, and Marlins. Smoltz figures to draw significant offers to land play in a playoff race. The teams that miss out on Smoltz will also have the opportunity to look at Vicente Padilla or Russ Ortiz, both of which became available as free agents on Monday.

Baseball Picks for Tuesday August 18th, 2009

Indians over Angels
Mariners over Tigers
Rockies over Nationals
D-Backs over Phillies
Pirates over Brewers
Red Sox over BlueJays
Rays over Orioles
Giants over Reds
Braves over Mets
Rangers over Twins
Astros over Marlins
Royals over White Sox
Yankees over A's
Cubs over Padres
Dodgers over Cardinals

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Thursday August 13th, 2009

Well this is my very first blog post so here goes.

So I'm starting this blog because I am a huge sports fan, an even bigger St. Louis Cardinals fan and I talk about sports all the time. Yeah Yeah your saying, big deal. Heres the thing. My wife hates it when I talk baseball to her and hates it even more when I talk to her about sports that aren't baseball. So what I thinking is if I can just blog about what I would tell her when see gets home she would be happier, and hey who knows maybe I find out I kinda know what I'm talking about.

I have an overnight job and then I stay at home with my 2 year old son during the day, needless to say I have ample time to watch sports during the day. ESPN, MLB Network, anything with sports, I'm in.

Cardinals Update:

Well Carpenter looked good again lastnight. 10 K's 7 IP, i will take that any day

Franklin was solid again, can't ask for much more from your closer.

Pujols, Holliday, Ryan, And Skip did their parts with at least two hits each.

I'm becoming more frustrated with DeRosa, I mean yes I will take 21 HRS (10 as a Card) from anyone with a month and a half to go, but he needs to put the bat on the ball more consistently. Too many K's.

Im still a bit worried about the Cards in their set-up roles. I'm starting to see a real future for Hawksworth, he comes in throws strikes and uses his defense, works quickly and is aggresive. Sounds like he listens to Dave Duncan. Is it just me or does Duncan know what he's doing.
We need to get Ankiel and Rasmus going more consistently but they should be fine with less pressure on them.
Glaus took some grounders before the game yesterday. Boy would his bat be a welcome addition to our lineup in September.
Looking for another great start for Waino on Friday.

Around Sports:
Who thinks it fair that Youklis and Porcello get the same amount of games when Youk would have played in all 5 whereas Porcello would have only been in 1. Another great punishment handed down by the all-knowing MLB execs.
Donte Stallworth's year-long suspension, not long enough! He killed a MAN, not a dog!!!
Anyone else wondering WHERE in that Louisville restaurant did Pitino have sex with the blonde? I don't know about you but I have never been to a place like that. And really? You gave her 3 grand so she could go sign up for some health insurance? Really? Ever heard of a pre-existing condition?
Anyone else think Bronson Arroyo has lost his mind completely?
Those classy Cubs fans really showed their true colors lastnight. I sure hope that idiot gets what he deserves, and Victorino sues him. On that note, those Cubs just finished being swept by Cliff Lee and the Phils. Do you realize the Cubs haven't won a series against a winning team since May, that doesnt sound like a Curse-breaking team to me.
Tiger looked good today and finished in the lead with -5 opening round. Watch out, can you say hatrick?
Just finished watching Justin Verlander shut down the Red Sox. He just hit 100mph in the 8th inning. Wow, he might be the best pitcher in the American League with a chance for the playoffs, (sorry Halladay).
The IOC recommended golf and rugby for the 2016 Olympics, what??? Rugby but not Baseball, good call?
RIP Andy Kessler, your work to get skateparks in New York might have gotten the ball rolling to get us to where we are now with the X Games, Thank You and god bless.
Where will Smoltz end up? My guess, the Texas Rangers. They drop one bad pitcher in Padilla and pick up another in Hall of Fame bound Smoltz.

Baseball Picks for Friday August 14, 2009
I am in no way pushing my picks for the use as bets, in fact it would probably be pretty stupid to do so, I just like to make the picks and see how I do, enjoy!

Cubs over Pirates
Angels over Orioles
Tigers over Royals
Reds over Nationals
Giants over Mets
Marlins over Rockies
Braves over Phillies
Bluejays over Rays
Brewers over Astros
Red Sox over Rangers
Twins over Indians
Cardinals over Padres
D-Backs over Dodgers
A's over White Sox
Mariners over Yankees