RIP Ronnie, Summer Will Never Be The Same

Legendary Cubs third baseman and radio broadcaster, Ron Santo, passed away early Thursday morning.

Former Cubs third baseman Ron Santo passed away last night at the age of 70.  The Chicago Tribune reported that Santo went into a coma late Wednesday night and died early Thursday morning. 

He was never enshrined in the Hall of Fame, but Cubs fans across the country know the baseball world has lost a legend.  On the field he was spectacular, but his role as color commentator for Cubs radio broadcasts since 1996 is a large part of the reason that Cubs fans everywhere felt like they lost a grandfather when they heard the news of his passing.  That’s the best way I can describe the connection Cubs fans have to Ronnie; he seemed like family to us all.

I have only met him once but I feel like I knew him personally, because of the countless times I listened to his voice alongside Pat Hughes.  Whether I was listening in the car, turning the radio on and muting the TV volume while watching the game, sneaking my AM radio around in class during April and May, or inviting him and Pat into my room while the Cubs were in extra innings on the West Coast and my parents had sent me to bed hours ago, it always brightened my day to hear his voice.  He transcended the emotions of being a Cubs fan over airwaves better than anyone because he loved the team dearly.    

During the final week of the 1998 season, he famously shouted “Oh no!” when outfielder Brant Brown dropped a fly ball with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth in a game against the Brewers.  That call exemplified the passion with which he brought to the broadcast every day.  Cubs fans know what suffering feels like, and Ron Santo provided the perspective of a true Cubs fan.  After his playing days, he became the largest fan out there, and every time a player made an error, failed to hustle, or frustrated fans in any other way, Ronnie was there to yell about it. 

When the Cubs retired his number 10 during the 2003 season, he told the Wrigley Field crowd in his speech at the ceremony, “THIS is my Hall of Fame.”    

Despite suffering from Juvenile Diabetes, Santo wore a smile on his face almost all the time.  I say “almost” and not “always” because you would never find him grinning after a Cubbie loss.  Those close to him said he lived and died with the Cubs, getting a little too high with every win and a little too low with every loss.  Whether he was walking on the field before a game talking to the players and coaches or signing autographs for fans, Santo always seemed merry.  In an era of shouting voices on sports radio that seem to get frustrated over everything and yell about it just for the sake of generating listeners, Santo never pretended to be happy or mad, he simply wore his true emotions on his sleeve. 

I never got a chance to watch Santo play on the diamond, but hearing him on the radio was as much a part of my adolescent years as anything else.  Every summer from 1996 to 2010, I could count on turning on WGN Radio in the car and hearing the comforting voices of Pat and Ron.  The Cubs have not selected a replacement for Santo, but with no disrespect to whichever well-qualified color commentator they decide to bring in, it will seem as though there’s something missing every time I listen to Cubs broadcasts on the radio.  I am not sure if that uncomfortable feeling will ever go away.

Thanks for the memories Ron.  My thoughts and prayers are specifically with the Santo family; however, millions of Cubs fans across the country are mourning as well.  That says something about the impact this man had on the world. 

I’m sure you are up there in heaven looking down on us all, and I know you will be jumping up and clicking your heels when a championship finally comes to the North Side. 

I am Thankful for that Large Serving of Sports

Due to a large intake of schoolwork, travel, turkey, pumpkin pie, football, and channel flipping, the space on this blog has remained desolate for the past couple weeks.  I apologize, and it certainly won’t happen again (until finals and Christmas creep up on me in the next few weeks).  I’m currently traveling back to Oxford from Chicago, with a first-class view of Ohio from the top level of a Megabus.  I wish I could report about some ridiculous passenger riding on the big blue vehicle with me but everyone seems completely normal. 

            The sports world provided plenty of entertainment for food-coma stricken fans who plopped down on their couch with a remote in one hand and another plate of leftover stuffing in the other hand.  Coach K won game number 800 as head coach for Duke Tuesday night with a big early-season victory of Kansas State.  Even in Kansas City, far from a neutral site, Jacob Pullen’s beard proved to be no match for Duke’s freshman guard Kyrie Irving, who tallied 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists.  Also Tuesday night the Miami RedHawks delivered a huge 23-3 victory on the gridiron at home over Temple, improving their regular season record to 8-4.  Kent State’s surprising 28-6 upset over Ohio University on Friday, just days after Kent State’s head coach Doug Martin resigned, gave the RedHawks sole possession of the MAC East championship.  Miami next faces MAC West champions NIU at 7:00 in the MAC title game this Friday at Ford Field in Detroit.  Coach Haywood and the entire coaching staff deserve credit for the hard work they’ve put in over the last 365 days to turn a 1-11 team into the most improved team in college football who simply waits to see which bowl they get selected for. 

            Wednesday night featured few national sports storylines, but I got to channel flip between my Bulls and Blackhawks so all was well.

            Turkey day NFL matchups involved the Lions, Cowboys, and Bengals each in separate games.  Gross.  Fortunately, the middle game of the day between the Cowboys and Saints, in which Drew Brees’ boys found a way to win 30-27, made a first-glance boring NFL day into something worthwhile.

            Friday: the day of all college football days.  Auburn vs. Bama, Oregon vs. Zona, and Boise State vs. Vada.  Despite trailing 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, 2^nd ranked Auburn (10-0) defeated 11^th ranked Alabama (9-2) by a score of 28-27.  Regardless of his off the field allegations, Cam Newton deserves the Heisman.  Team’s like Boise and TCU don’t have to overcome touch matchups like this Alabama game and other SEC opponents Auburn faces: give Auburn a national championship spot right now.  Oregon pummeled Arizona 48-29, including 34 second half points.  I assure you there will be no lack of scoring in that national championship.  Boise State fought tough against Nevada, but the Bronco's kicker Kyle Brotzman missed two short field goals and cost his team the game.  Kellen Moore’s Heisman should not live and die on the foot of the Bronco’s kicker.   

            Another typical day in the NFL this season left viewers confused as to who’s good and who is not.  Two premiere teams faced off as the Falcons downed the Packers 20-17.  Matt Ryan went 24-28, throwing for 197 yards: not phenomenal numbers but it improved the Falcons home record to an impressive 6-0. 

            So after all that, sit back and take a deep breath.  College football conference championships are upon us and the smell of bowl season is in the air!

L.A. Football? Please No!

Sports Illustrated NFL columnist, Peter King, writer of the most widely-read football column in the country (Monday Morning Quarter Back), knows more about the NFL than any reporter or columnist I have come across.  Therefore, when I read this in his column on Monday, I didn’t take it as mere rhetoric used for the sake of creating discussion amongst readers: “This is the best chance Los Angeles has to get a team in a long time.” 

King believes that the NFL has stayed away from LA for so long because they don’t want to play at USC’s Coliseum nor in the suburbs.  However, Casey Wasserman and Tim Leiweke announced their financial support for a giant stadium complex capable of hosting much more than NFL football: Final Fours and the 2022 World Cup or any other future World Cup.   Think Cowboys Stadium 2.0.  The mega-stadium would be located right near the Staples Center in downtown L.A.

The Rams and Raiders deserted the City of Angels 15 years ago, so fans in L.A. may be thirsty for professional football; however, I don’t think this should be a pressing concern for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.  Obviously, the most urgent thing on any NFL executives’ plate is what appears to be an inevitable lockout at the conclusion of this season, and King acknowledges that LA football won’t even be a discussion until that is resolved.  Goodell has discussed expansion into Europe in the next few years, so although the idea of football in LA seems pedestrian in comparison, I still don’t support the notion of Los Angeles football. 

California is not exactly deprived of professional sports franchises.  Three NFL teams (Chargers, Raiders, and 49ers), three NBA teams (Lakers, Clippers, and the Sacramento Kings), three NHL teams (LA Kings, Ducks, Sharks), and a whopping five MLB teams (Giants, Padres, Dodgers, Athletics, and Angels).  That is thirteen total teams in the four major sports, including the reigning NBA and MLB champs (Lakers and Giants).  14 seems excessive. 

Los Angeles, including Anaheim, which is so close to LA that the Angels can’t even decide which city they’re from (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), has six total sports teams (Lakers, Clippers, Kings, Ducks, Dodgers, and Angels).  Six teams is more than any other city this side of the Big Apple.  The main two teams rumored as possibilities for a move to LA are the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders.  San Diego needs football more than LA.  If the Chargers leave, the Padres will be the only team in town.  L.A. on the other hand has those six teams and a pretty significant film scene going on in this place called Hollywood.    In terms of the Raiders relocating to Los Angeles: been there, done that. 

Last season of HBO’s popular show, Entourage, featured Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) in heavy talks with Jerry Jones, attempting to bring an NFL team to L.A.  Asides from that work of fiction, I have not recently heard much talk about the prospect of L.A. football until I stumbled across Peter King’s column.  I hope the discussion stays quiet.  

Browns, Bengals, and the Wacky first half of the NFL Season

          Browns RB, Peyton Hillis, celebrates his 184 yard performance and a Browns win over the Patriots on Sunday 

            The conclusion of Week 8 of the NFL season leaves many fans scratching their heads in confusion.  Half of the season has past, and although the pre-season favorites to win the Super Bowl have disappointed (Cowboys 1-7, Colts 5-3, Saints 6-3), there still seems to be lots of room for debating the best team in the league.  We’re talking acres and acres of room for debate. 

            Experts seem to like the AFC South (except the teams from Ohio): the Ravens and Steelers sit atop most NFL Rankings (if Colt McCoy played more like a rookie and less like a young Tom Brady against the Pats this weekend, then New England would probably hold the mid-season crown).  The Browns aren’t going to make the playoffs; however, Cleveland certainly has hope for the future.  Colt McCoy won two of his first three NFL starts, upsetting the Saints and Patriots.  Sure the Browns lost to the Steelers 28-10 in his debut, but the kid threw for 281 yards!  If Browns fans’ excessive cynicism prevents them from storing faith in the future of McCoy, they surely can’t ignore the guy he’s handing the ball off to, Peyton Hillis.  The Arkansas grad has run for 644 yards this year and surpassed the century mark on three separate occasions.  I don’t think the Broncos’ GM Brian Xanders sleeps well thinking about the trade he made last Spring (Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn).  Just as quickly as the James jerseys went up in flames, the Hillis and McCoy jerseys should be going off the shelves in Cleveland. 

            Moving on to the Bengals … well at least the Reds had an impressive run this season, because Cincinnati football is ugly.  The Bengals 21-27 loss to Pittsburgh looks like a close loss to a good team, but the national audience watching on Monday night will attest to the one-sidedness of the game.  The T.O. and Ochocinco experiment seems just as silly in November as it looked in July.  Owens has played well thus far, but his fellow VH1 reality show host looks miserable.  Since his 159 yard performance in week one, Ochocinco has caught for a mere 314 yards in 7 games (45 yards per game).

            One of the top receivers in the league has been on three teams this year, Michael Vick has the highest QB rating in the NFL, Wade Phillips got the boot yesterday from Jerry Jones, a Raiders-Chiefs game in Oakland was sold out with much of the country watching on TV, and commissioner Roger Goodell successfully made baseball more of a contact sport than the NFL.  The second half of the season can’t be stranger than what’s happened so far.  Can it?  

The Freak Scares Rangers; Giants Bring First World Series to San Francisco

           Tim Lincecum Led the Giants' Fantastic Rotation With Wins in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series

          What a fitting end to a fabulous baseball season.  In a year featuring two perfect games and four no-hitters, Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee put on a pitching showcase, only to be interrupted by the swing of World Series MVP Edgar Renteria who launched a three-run blast in the 7^th inning off Lee to win the game. 

            13 years after hitting a walk-off single to score Craig Counsell and secure the Florida Marlins’ first World Series title, Renteria broke up Cliff Lee’s gem with a dinger, capturing the first title for the Giants since they moved to San Francisco. 

            Tim Lincecum pitched 8 solid innings and then handed the ball over to Brian Wilson who sent the Rangers down in order.  Tim McCarver noted that the Giants were “lethal because there are no misfits on their pitching staff.”  Between The Freak’s hair and Wilson’s beard, it looked like the Giants had a bunch of homeless guys on their pitching staff.

            The Rangers looked dead in the 9^th inning.  ALCS MVP and probable AL MVP, Josh Hamilton, went down looking to start the inning.  Vlad followed suit with a first-pitch groundout to short.  Hamilton and Guerrero, the Rangers 3-4 hitters, combined to go 3 for 38 in the World Series.  In a nutshell, that is why the Rangers were shutout twice, outscored 29-12, and defeated in 5 games. 

            Even if they manage to sign Cliff Lee, which owner Chuck Greenberg insists he will pursue diligently this Winter, it’s hard for me to see the Rangers finding their way back to the Fall Classic a year from now.  The Giants however seem poised to make deep post-season runs for years to come.  The four homegrown San Francisco starters proved that pitching wins championships and if GM Brian Sabean can come up with a decent offense to match his stellar rotation and bullpen, the Giants will be clear-cut favorites to win the West again.  The comparison between the Giants and the great Braves teams in the 90s jumps out at me: solid pitching (Glavine, Smoltz, Maddux to Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner) and a few young star offensive units (Chipper and Andruw Jones to Buster Posey).  Bochy proved himself as an elite manager this series and the Braves certainly had good leadership with Bobby Cox pulling their reins. 

            The miserable days of the baseball off-season are now upon us.  Former MLB Commissioner summed up my feelings best during a piece he wrote at the conclusion of the 1977 season:

            It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops. 

-A. Bartlett Giamatti 

Giants Win Game 4, San Fran Title Seems Inevitable

           Game 4 fit the mold of how I envisioned this series panning out before it started.  Good pitching and even better defense.

            Madison Bumgarner’s performance is one most fans would have expected from someone with the last name Lee or Lincecum.  His slider constantly fooled Rangers hitters; he allowed 3 hits and no runs during his 8 innings pitched before handing the ball over to beard man, Brian Wilson. 

            Aubrey Huff sent one deep into the right field seats in the third inning with Torres on 2^nd: the Giants stepped out to an early 2-0 lead and never looked back.

            Tommy Hunter will probably receive loads of criticism for his inability to pitch into the 5^th inning in any of his 2010 post-season starts for Texas.  He ran up his pitch count early (83 through 4 innings), but he also kept his team in the game: Hunter was one bad pitch to Aubrey Huff away from not allowing a run.

              Ron Washington was smart to resort to his pen when he did (Hunter had thrown 83 pitches through 4 innings of work, allowing 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and striking out one batter) and his relievers proved he made the right choice.  Ogando sent all 5 batters he faced down in order.  He suffered an oblique strain and was removed early, but continued to reinforce the perception that he is the staple of the Rangers’ bullpen.

            With Juan Uribe’s 7^th inning error aside, both teams put on spectacular defensive performances.  Josh Hamilton and Cody Ross made highlight-worthy defensive plays in the outfield, and Freddy Sanchez covered every inch of ground at second base including a fantastic snow-cone catch to rob Jeff Francoeur of at least a single and end the 2^nd inning. 

            The Rangers were shutout for the second time in four games against the Giants and have been outscored 26-11 in that span.  With Lincecum pitching tomorrow and Cain going on Wednesday if needed, it’s hard to see the Rangers coming back.  The San Francisco crowd has been raucous and the Rangers would need to win two straight on the road to pull of the improbable.

            The Giants certainly still look like a group of misfits on paper for the most-part; however, with LIncecum, Cain and Bumgarner leading the way on the bump and Posey calling all those games behind the plate, it’s hard not to imagine the possibilities for the future of this franchise. 

            Edgar Renteria continued to look like the MVP of this series, going 3 for 4 with a run scored, raising his World Series average to 0.429.

Home Teams Keep Winning

         Colby Lewis puts on a show for fans in Arlington as the Rangers edge the Giants 4-2  

         Colby Lewis owes a lot to the Rangers’ organization for securing faith in him when no other MLB team would.  After getting drafted in ’99 by Texas, Lewis played a little here and there for the Rangers, Tigers, and Athletics between 2002 and 2007 before eventually leaving the States to play in Japan for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.  The Rangers brought him back for this season, one in which he certainly had a “career-year”.  Rangers’ GM Jon Daniels received a big thank you from Colby Lewis for signing him this Winter when Lewis led the Rangers to a Game 3 victory Saturday night (7.2 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts). 

            Every run scored in this game came off home runs (Mitch Moreland, Josh Hamilton, Cody Ross, and Andres Torres).  Moreland’s 2^nd-inning three-run shot was the first score of the day and ultimately the real difference in the Rangers 4-2 win.

            This is the first time since 2001 that the home team won each of the first three games of the World Series.  That World Series between the Diamondbacks and Yankees is also one of only three times that the home team has won every game in the series (1991 and 1987 were the other two years).  Side note: while sifting through the Baseball-Reference World Series recaps to figure out that stat, I realized that some of the World Series winners in the early part of the 20^th century had to win five games to capture the title.  Apparently between 1919 and 1921, Major League Baseball experimented with a best of nine World Series format! 

            Baseball needs a Game 7 this year, and the home team winning each game would make for an even better treat.  Just think of the emotional tug and pull sparked by that course of events: one team jumps up 2-0, only to have their momentum crushed by losing three straight.  Then they find their groove again and win the final two games.  Both teams feel like they’re on the top and bottom of the world at some point during the series.

            Madison Bumgarner faces off against Tommy Hunter tonight, and if the San Francisco lefty gets the win, Bumgarner will become the 4^th youngest pitcher to ever win a World Series game (he is 21 years and 92 days old today).  Happy Halloween everybody!  

Cain and Renteria steal the show in Giants Win

         A good buddy of mine texted me around 9 o’clock last night during the fifth inning of the Rangers-Giants game:  Here’s the duel we wanted last night.  Next pitch, Ian Kinsler drove a ball to deep center field in what turned out to be the farthest non-home run ball you can possibly hit in AT&T Park: the ball bounced directly off the top of the fence and came back into play.  It seemed as though the baseball gods wanted a fine pitching performance from the San Francisco righty, Matt Cain. 

            Although the Rangers bullpen would ultimately implode and allow 9 runs to the Giants (I think we should put a moratorium on the notion that the Giants can’t hit – 20 runs through two World Series Games – enough said), Edgar Renteria’s solo-shot in the fifth inning was enough for Cain to work with as he cruised through 7 and two-thirds innings of work, allowing 4 hits, no runs, 2 walks, and striking out 2.  That extends Cain’s streak of scoreless innings to 21.1 and the days of his current post-season success flying under the radar are certainly over.

            If Game 2 forecasts the rest of the series, the Rangers may not make it out of Arlington alive.  They left 7 men on base and went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position during Thursday night’s lopsided loss – not exactly the formula for playoff success.  The bottom of the 8^th was a disaster for the Rangers: a Buster Posey single, 4 straight walks, an Edgar Renteria single, an Aaron Rowand triple and an Andres Torres double gave the Giants seven runs in a single inning.  Oh, did I mention that all of that happened with two outs! 

            The amazing thing to me about the Giants is not merely that they’re winning with a bunch of no-names, but how every night a different one of the “misfits” steals the show.  Renteria homered early and later drove in three with a single in the crazy seven run 8^th inning (2 for 4 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs).  On Wednesday it was Freddy Sanchez leading the way for the Giants (4 for 5 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs).  Giants GM, Brian Sabean, received a lot of criticism for the big contracts he threw out to veterans such as Barry Zito, Edgar Renteria, and Aaron Rowand.  There’s certainly a large factor of luck in the success of any baseball team, but Sabean now has the right to shove it in the face of those doubters. 

            The Rangers host their first ever World Series game Saturday night, and if Ron Washington doesn’t turn the ship around, Halloween might be a particularly scary night for Rangers fans if their team gets swept. 

            Jonathan Sanchez (LHP) and Colby Lewis (RHP) take the mound against each other at 7 o’clock Saturday night.  I haven’t seen the TV ratings on this World Series, but unless some drama ensues quickly, they probably won’t be very high numbers.      

            

Rangers Beat Themselves; Giants Capture Sloppy Game 1 Victory

Freddy Sanchez became the first player Wednesday night to ever double in each of his first three World-Series at bats.

            In a game promoted for the star pitchers facing off against each other, the little guys stole the show.  The San Francisco Giants call themselves a bunch of “misfits”, since their roster consists of very few big names.  The leader of the “misfits” Wednesday night was Giants’ second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who started his World Series’ debut off with three consecutive doubles in his first three at-bats and ultimately went 4 for 5 with two runs scored and 3 RBIs.

            The Giants-Rangers matchup in itself features very few star-players, and those well-known names looked extremely unimpressive in Game 1.  Cliff Lee threw 4 and two-thirds, allowed 8 hits and 7 runs (6 earned) while Tim Lincecum went 5 and two-thirds, allowed 8 hits, and 4 runs (all earned), striking out a measly three batters and throwing 93 pitches.  ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton was 0 for 4 and the likely 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, Buster Posey, was 1 for 5 with an RBI.

            Before the game started, I questioned the decision by Rangers’ manager Ron Washington to put Vladimir Guerrero in right field.  Washington wanted Vlad, who played DH for the Rangers all season, in the lineup behind Josh Hamilton, and due to the lack of a DH in the National League, he was forced to start him in the outfield.  I understand that.  What I don’t understand is why you put the aging slugger in right field rather than left field, where Nelson Cruz played.  Right field is tougher defensively because of the long throw to third base.  Cruz played 94 games in right field and 14 games in left field this season.  Guerrero reinforced my notion in the early innings when he looked uncomfortable fielding pop-ups and singles hit to him.  He ultimately made two errors on the night, both bobbles, including one in the 8^th on a Freddy Sanchez single which turned into two-bases.  Why are the Rangers playing on the road anyway?  Why does Ron Washington have to make that choice?  From Bruce Jenkins’ (SF Chronicle) article on Wednesday:  “Lets pause to realize why we’re in San Francisco, instead of Texas, for games 1 and 2: because Atlanta’s Brian McCann hit a three-run double off Chicago’s Matt Thornton in the All-Star Game.  You just have to marvel at that brand of reasoning.”  

            I don’t mean to pick on Vlad: both teams looked awful defensively, combining for 6 errors on the night.  The Giants and Rangers put on a perfect lesson for youngsters of how not to win a World Series title: bad pitching and worse defense. 

            GM Brian Sabean and GM Jon Daniels' teams looked more like the on-paper no-names than the “scrappy” bunch that analysts praised for their combination of good young pitching, offensive small-ball, and speed on the base paths. 

            The game started out looking like the Little League World Series from the beginning when Tim Lincecum fielded a one-out dribbler in the top of the first with runners on first and third.  The Freak ran towards Michael Young and trapped him in a pickle between home and third.  Perfect execution to this point; however, as Lincecum ran the runner back to third base where Giants’ third basemen Juan Uribe stood waiting for a throw, Lincecum simply never threw him the ball.  It’s one thing to throw the ball over a guy’s head during a run-down – physical errors happen to everyone – but to not even throw the ball!  Bochy looked calm and relaxed in the dugout afterwards but I’m sure he had a word or two for his ace when the inning ended.

            The Giants needed to beat Cliff Lee in Game 1.  Props to them for not looking back after undergoing an early 2-0 deficit.  With that said, the Rangers know they beat themselves to an extent.  If you told me before the game that the Rangers would score 7 runs and lose this game, I’d have gambled money that they would win the game.  This is only the third time in the last 42 games that both the Giants and their opponent have scored 5 or more runs.  Therefore, a general rule of thumb is that whoever reaches 5 runs first wins.  Not on Wednesday night though.

            I’ll give a pass on the Game 1 jitters to merely two young teams getting nervous in their first World Series appearance.  Game 2 needs to be less sloppy.  The Rangers wheel out another lefty in C.J. Wilson who goes up against the Giants’ Matt Cain tomorrow night.  

It's a Good Time to be a Baseball Fan

The World Series begins this Wednesday and although Bud Selig is probably crying somewhere in Milwaukee because of the low-ratings destined to occur due to the absence of New York and Philadelphia, pure baseball fans know they’re in for a treat.  Not only were the Rangers and Giants not picked by most to win their respective pennants when October began, they weren’t picked by most to win their respective divisions when the season began.  Fans in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Houston, Oakland, and all the other cities who watched horrendous baseball in 2010, can look towards this Series as a glimmer of hope that things really can turn around when Spring Training begins in 2011. 

            I will be covering the action with a post after each World Series game, but I won’t fall into the generic 2010 baseball storylines:

         ·      I shall to not talk excessively about starting pitching and most definitely never use the phrase “year of the pitcher”. 

         ·   I shall not mention the role of umpires or instant replay in the outcome of these games.  Sure, the comish needs to get off his you know what and make some changes this Winter, but quite frankly nothing is going to change dramatically between know and the conclusion of this post-season so there is no worth in whining about it. 

Sit back folks and get ready for (fingers crossed) seven more games of baseball.  As with the conclusion of each season, the bittersweet emotion of seeing a champion crowned and subsequently realizing the baseball-less months of Winter begin will twist my gut, so I’m hoping this series runs as long as possible.  Lee and Lincecum in Game 1 Wednesday night.  It’s a good time to be a baseball fan.  

Hossa and the Hawks -- 10/20 Hump Day Hockey

          

  Hossa picked up right where he left off last season

            Fear amongst Chicagoans that the defending champion Blackhawks were going to struggle this season because of the fire sale of last year’s team intensified when the Hawks stumbled out to two quick losses to start the year.  However, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp are doing all they can to slow down those racing heartbeats (Jay Cutler and the Bears need to take a hint).  Hossa leads the league in goals (7) and assists (11), while Sharp put on a spectacular showing this past weekend with 2 goals Friday night, 2 goals Saturday night, and the OT game-winner Monday night.  But that game-winner wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Marian Hossa lighting the lamp twice in the third period, single-handedly overcoming St. Louis’ 2-0 third-period lead.  Hossa has 7 goals off 20 shots, which means that 35 percent of his shots hit the net (that’s the highest amongst any player this season with 15 or more shots on goal). 

            Hossa and Sharp’s brilliant starts helped Chicago win three straight and jump out to a 4-2-1 start; however, they also alleviated the pressure felt on the defense.  Defenseman Brian Campbell went down before the season began with a knee injury that he still needs a few more weeks to recover from and Brent Sopel was shipped to Atlanta as part of the Dustin Byfuglien trade; therefore, the Hawks seem especially weak on the defensive end this year.  Coach Joel Quennevillee was forced to separate the dynamic duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook in order to spread out the defensive talent amongst the other lines.  Veteran Marty Turco joined the Hawks this season and has been decent at best, with Cory Crawford getting the start in two games including Chicago’s first-win. 

            Only two of Chicago’s seven games have come against teams who failed to qualify for the 2010 playoffs; therefore, the defending champs did not start their season out with an easy slate of games.  The Vancouver Canucks (2-2-1) return to Chicago tonight for the first time since the playoffs.  These two teams absolutely hate each other (see 2009 and 2010 Western-Conference Semi-Finals), so expect some hard hits during this contest between two very offensively skilled teams.  The Hawks certainly haven’t proven that they’re as good as last year; however, the revamped roster certainly has more depth than most people believe.  

Welcome Back Hockey, We Missed You!

              Chicago Blackhawk defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson will receive a 2-game suspension for his hit on Sabres’ forward Jason Pominville.  Good to see the NHL taking initiative on hits like this.  It was not a blatantly dirty play; however, by signaling his intention of suspending questionable hits, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman can hopefully put the concussion conundrum of last season into the history books.  Also, Hjalmarsson will miss Wednesday’s game against the Predators and Friday’s game against the Blue Jackets, meaning he will be fresh and ready to go Saturday night when the Sabres come to Chicago.   Get ready for some hard hits, post-whistle scuffles, and dropped gloves during that one. 

            Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers became the 4^th player in NHL history to record a hat trick in his first career NHL game.  Perhaps the youngster will lead the franchise to a great season; however, playing in the Atlantic Division with the Flyers, Pens, and Devils makes that thought somewhat hard to conceive.  Speaking of the Atlantic, what’s up with these seemingly upside-down standings?

Team	W	L	OT	PTS	Goals For	Goals Against
Flyers	2	0	1	5	8	6
Islanders	1	0	1	3	10	9
Rangers	1	1	0	2	10	9
Penguins	1	2	0	1	7	7
Devils	0	2	1	1	6	14

            Sure the Flyers belong at the top considering the great season they’re coming off of; however, the Penguins and Devils are supposed to be the NHL’s cream of the crop.  The names Sidney Crosby and Ilya Kovalchuk instantly come to mind when discussing these two teams, and they have done jack you-know-what in the first 3 games.  Kovalchuk has a +/- rating of -3 (meaning when he’s been on the ice this year, New Jersey has been outscored by 3 goals), 0 goals, 2 assists, and 9 total shots.  Crosby’s even on the +/- scale with 0 goals, 1 assist and 11 total shots.  Sure the perennial All-Stars and former Maurice Richard Trophy Winners (league’s top-scorer) may have just tripped over their shoelaces during the start of this marathon, but it is worth pointing out their lack of not only goals but also shots. 

            Finally, as I end this abbreviated version of Hump Day Hockey during mid-term week here at Miami University, I leave you with a link to the most ridiculous, short-minded, lunatic, NHL hockey rankings ever put out.  Scott Burnside, you are crazy!  ESPN, you are equally insane for running putting these shenanigans on your website.  Although, if you were just trying to get people talking – you win.  

Surprise Teams Get an October Surprise

         

Joey Votto and the Reds did not bring Cincinnati much to smile about during their first post-season in 15 years.

     One week into the 2010 MLB playoffs and we have seen quite a few exciting, controversial, and historic moments.  Roy Halladay threw a no-hitter, Tim Lincecum made the Braves look silly during his 2-hit, 14-strikeout, complete game shutout, the Yankees swept the Twins, extending Minnesota’s playoff losing streak to 12 games (they haven’t won a playoff series since they won it all in 1991 – maybe Kirby Puckett needs to put on a uniform again for the Twins to win in October), the umpires clearly need expanded replay, and the American League teams decided they didn’t want to win at home (The Twins, Rays, and Rangers all lost consecutive home games).  With all that to follow this past week, the main thing that stood out to me has been how much the ‘underdog’ teams have been under-performing. 

            The general consensus headed into the playoffs by most ‘baseball analysts’ was that the AL playoffs were up for grabs; however, I think a lot of people at the same time saw the Yankees and Rays as favorites to come out of their respective series’ against the Twins and Rangers.  The Twins looked awful, posting a team ERA of 5.88 against the Yankees – and the Bronx Bombers’ 3-game sweep of Minnesota marked the 4^th time in the last 10 years that the Yankees have beat the Twins in the first round of the playoffs.  Although the Rangers jumped out to a 2-0 lead with consecutive road wins against Tampa Bay, the Rays flipped the switch, winning two straight in Texas and putting the odds back in their favor to win the series. 

            In the National League, the Reds lost 3 straight to the Phillies.  They probably should have simply tipped their caps to the best pitcher in baseball after Doc’s performance in game 1; however, Jay Bruce losing a ball in the lights definitely did not rest easy in Reds fans’ stomachs Friday night.  The Reds made 7 errors during their short 3-game post-season run: no wonder it all ended so quickly.  Similarly, the Braves lost a sloppy game Sunday when their bullpen imploded in the 9^th and Brooks Conrad allowed the go ahead run to score when a routine grounder went through his legs.  Oh, did I mention that that was Conrad’s 3^rd error of the day!  Who would of known that the Braves would miss Martin Prado’s glove more than his bat?  For the sake of Bobby Cox’s heart here at the end of his Hall of Fame managerial career, lets hope the Braves get their act together.   

            When the 2010 MLB season began, most teams did not expect the Rangers, Twins, Braves and Reds to make the playoffs – that’s right, even the Twins weren’t picked by most to be able to stack up against the almighty White Sox pitching staff, especially with closer Joe Nathan going down for the year before the season started.  I love a Cinderella.  The ’06 Cardinals, the ’07 Rockies, the ’08 Rays – maybe those low-payroll small market teams don’t generate a lot of viewers, but the true baseball fans know that sending a new mix of teams to the playoffs benefits the sport (5 of the 8 playoff teams in 2010 were not playing October baseball last season).  I just hope they aren’t all knocked out here in the first round.  If all those surprise teams do get beat early, I’ll be praying for anything but a Phillies-Yankees World Series; because in the words of Yogi Berra, that would be déjà-vu all over again.  

Oh! The good old hockey game!

The puck drops on the NHL season Thursday, so Offbeat Sports' weekly edition of Hump Day Hockey takes a look at the upcoming season.  

Yahoo! Sports’ hockey blog, Puck Daddy, poses the question of who will get the next NHL TV deals with the contracts of NBC and Versus expiring at the end of this season.  The stock of NHL on TV must have risen since the last time they negotiated this contract because a) the league has big name players like Ovechkin and Crosby , b) Chicago and LA have re-entered the viewership market in full-force, and c) HD television makes watching games much easier.  I would argue without hesitation that HD improves watching hockey at home more than any other sport; although there’s nothing like getting a ticket and hearing the sounds of the game (the puck being passed, sticks hitting each other, and players getting slammed into the boards). 

ESPN came out with their power rankings this past week.  Pierre LeBrun knows his puck, but I can’t help but disagree with him putting the Canucks and Red Wings so high and the Blackhawks and Sharks so low. 

My top 5 NHL teams would go as follows:   

      1.          Capitals

·      Question marks certainly surround Washington’s goaltender Semyon Varlamov; however, the star power this team has really separates them from the rest of the league.  With Ovi, Alexander Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom scoring goals and Mike Green and Tom Poti playing defense, Varlamov may not have a lot of work he has to do.  I see the Capitals facing a similar situtation as the Blackhawks saw last season.  Granted Annti Niemi played great for Chicago in the post-season, but they really could have gone through their regular season last year with just about any goalie in the league because of how well Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook kept the puck out of the zone.

      2.          Blackhawks

·      Defending Stanley Cup Champions – give them some credit.  Yes they jettisoned half their roster due to salary cap restrictions; however, the core offensive and defensive players on this team remain intact (Kane, Toews, Hossa, Keith and Seabrook).  You’re definitely going to need to see guys fill in roles that they did not serve last year or make names for themselves if they weren’t around last year.  Defenseman Brian Campbell will miss 4 to 5 weeks with a knee injury; however, I still give the benefit of the doubt to the Blackhawks.  Coach Queneville will find a way to get the most out of his seemingly weak 3^rd and 4^th lines. 

     3.          Sharks

·      The signing of Annti Niemi to the Sharks seems like a big move, but you never know if Niemi simply got the hot hand during the post-season – I have similar concerns about the Blue’s new goalie, former Montreal Canadien Jaroslav Halak.  It will be interesting to watch how the Sharks’ netminder situation plays out with Niemi and Antero Niittymaki fighting for time.  Two goalies on the same team with “Ant” staring their first name and “Ni” starting their last name – that’s strange enough for me to point out.  The Sharks still have their offensive core (Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Pavelski).  Also, since many of my readers out there probably have some affiliation to Miami University hockey, the Sharks not only have veteran Dan Boyle on their team (Miami grad ’98), but they also have rookie forward Tommy Wingels, who left the Redhawks after his junior year last season. 

     4.          Canucks

·      The Canucks already playoff-caliber team (probably Stanley Cup finalist if they didn’t run into the Blackhawks every year) received a major improvement this off-season with the addition of Dan Hamhuis.  Vancouver will likely see better numbers between the pipes since Roberto Luongo decided to hand back his “C”, a position no goalie should serve because of the mental roller coaster they experience regardless.   

     5.          Red Wings

·      The Red Wings are primed for a bounce-back year after seeing their arch-rival Chicago Blackhawks take home the Cup this Summer.  If that doesn’t harness enough emotion in Mike Babcock’s team, Detroit surely will find motivation when they watch the Hawks unveil their Stanley Cup banner at the Chicago home-opener on October 9, 2010.  Look for a big year from sophomore goalie Jimmy Howard.  

Yesterday was a slow day in the sports world with the rare occasion of all 4 major sports not competing, but the MLB playoffs start today, Hockey starts tomorrow and before you know it the end of October is here and all 4 major sports teams will be competing on the same day.

Oh! The good old hockey game, 

Is the best game you can name; 

And the best game you can name, 

Is the good old Hockey game!

Lets Go Pads!

            I grew up in the Chicagoland area and my dad taught me from a young age to root for the Cubs; however, on Sunday I am a Padres fan.  No, I have not thrown in the towel on my beloved Cubbies because 102 years of losing is simply too much, but rather I cheer for San Diego today because I love the game of baseball. 

            If the Padres win on Sunday, both San Francisco and San Diego will rest atop the NL West in a tie for first place.  After 162 games of baseball; after playing through the April cold and the dog days of August; two teams tied together after the six-month battle means they get to fight once more: Game 163.  Besides for a World Series game 7, nothing in baseball rivals the intensity of a play-in game.  Many of the most memorable baseball moments in the past three seasons occurred during a game 163:

•       In 2007, the Padres and Rockies needed not only an extra game to decide the NL West title; they needed extra innings.  To add to the dramatics of the event, Matt Holliday scored on a sac-fly and many think home plate umpire, Tim McClelland, made the wrong call on the play: Michael Barrett’s foot appeared to block the reaching hand of Holliday. 
•       The White Sox declared it a blackout for their tiebreaker against Minnesota at the end of the 2008 season and the south-side fans donned in dark apparel cheered their team onto a playoff berth.  A pitchers duel between John Danks and Nick Blackburn could only be stopped by the bat of Jim Thome, whose solo homer proved to be the first and only run in the game. 
•      Last season, after losing the AL Central title in a game 163 the year before, the Twins decided they weren’t done playing in the Metrodome as they beat the Tigers and extended their tenure in the Dome for a few more days. 

            Take this as a lesson that should the Padres and Giants be forced to resort to a tie breaker, you need to watch!  Sure the playoffs are exciting and the World Series is a great week of baseball; however, you will be dead pressed to find 3 more important hours of baseball than a play-in game.  All of the work put in from the beginning of Spring training up to that point will either be rewarded with a playoff berth, or the squads have to go back home and play golf while they watch playoff baseball on TV.  Also, because the game means so much, both teams send their aces to the bump. 

            And the best part of this whole thing is that if the baseball Gods align the stars perfectly today, we could be treated to not one, but TWO play-in games.  I’m not sure if you refer to that as 2 game 163s or game 163 and 164 (either way the thought of that possibility excites me like a little kid on Christmas morning).  Here’s what needs to happen:

1.     The Padres must beat the Giants so that both teams have records of 91-71.

2.     The Braves need to beat the Phillies, so they too have a record of 91-71.

            If that sequence of events occurs on Sunday, the Giants and Padres would play for the NL West title on Monday night and the loser of that game would play the Braves on Tuesday night for the NL Wild Card. Damn it feels good to live in the realignment era of baseball!

            So remember, none of the fantastic aforementioned tiebreaker games can occur unless the Friars squeak one out against the Giants on Sunday to complete the sweep.  LETS GO PADRES!