Yankees Comeback, Canucks Advance
Last night in the Bronx it was a throwback to 2009. Trailing 4-1 after the 6th inning, the Yankees chipped away winning in walk-off fashion on a single by Mark Texiera. I think its only the second time that I've seen AJ with his patented cream pie. The game had many positives and hopefully it will lead to some good things.
First, how about CC Sabathia. This guy is a stud. If you want to know what an ace is just look at Sabathia. After struggling through a rough 4th inning, Sabathia slammed the door on the Jays and went the distance. It was poetic justice that he was able to get a win. We hear so many times that an ace gives his team a chance to win even when they don't have their best stuff. Well, CC did the job last night. Newsflash to Yankee management: you better keep this guy!!!
After undergoing a rough beginning of the season, Jorge Posada delievered with a pinch hit double in the 9th that started the Yankee comeback. Hopefully, that gets him back on track. Russell Martin continues to hit well forcing me once again to give credit to Mr. Cashman for making this shrewd pick-up.
Mark Texiera came through in the clutch and the Yankees are going to need more of that from him, ARod and Cano if they are to win the AL East. But how about Curtis Granderson. This guy has been unbelievable. Last night he had 4 hits, driving in the tying run but just as important his steal of 2nd base in the 9th allowed him to score on Texiera's single. Granderson has been the most complete player on the team this year. Laying down a sac bunt against the Mets which set up a big rally, stealing bases and hitting home runs. By the way, he has put to rest the "he can't hit lefties" demons. As I've stated before, this guy is a class act and its nice to see a good guy do well.
Here's hoping this marks the beginning of more consistent winning baseball by the Pinstripers.
*************************************************************************************
The Vancouver Canucks eliminated the San Jose Sharks last night 3-2 in double overtime. The Canucks are going to be tough to beat. Roberto Luongo seems to be on his game and the Sedins along with MVP candidate Ryan Kesler are getting better as the playoffs roll on. A Boston-Vancouver match-up would be a dandy matching Luongo against Tim Thomas. Both teams play physical. The Lightning will have something to say about that tonight, but regardless the Canucks may be the first President's Trophy winner in awhile to win the Stanley Cup.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While trying to survive my allergy-ridden morning, here is what's on my mind this morning:
* Another night, another brutal Yankee game. Last night, Bartolo Colon had a bad sixth inning and the Blue Jays went on to defeat the Yankees 7-3. Fortunately, both Boston and Tampa lost so the Yanks remain tied for first with the Rays.
* While the Yanks are tied for first, they are only 3 1/2 games out of last place. Don't know what to make out of the state of the AL East. I guess we can conclude that Baltimore and Toronto have improved but New York, Tampa Bay and Boston have taken a step back.
* Where would the Jays be if they had held onto Shawn Marcum and Roy Halladay?
* In the last two weeks, the Yankees are 1-4 at home against the low payroll Royals and Blue Jays.
* I don't know how many times I have seen an NHL team have multiple power plays and not score only to have the other team go on to score and win. That's what happened to the San Jose Sharks on Sunday. Things look bleak for the Sharks as the Canucks can close them out tonight.
* The Boston Bruins took game 5 at home last night against the Lightning winning 3-1. Game 6 should be a dandy and I think I can see a Game 7 on the horizon.
* Guy Bouchard made the right move starting Mike Smith last night in net over Dwayne Roloson. Smith could hardly be faulted on the Bruin goals. In the end the big difference was Tim Thomas. As I've stated in an earlier post, he could end up being the difference in a series where the Lightning have the better talent.
* In looking back at the Leaf-Bruin trade involving Tomas Kaberle, I think its apparent that Brian Burke did a great job in getting a 1st rounder, prospect Joe Colborne and a conditional pick for Kaberle. Kaberle has not looked good since going to the Bruins and probably is costing himself a lot of money this off season as he is a free agent. Kaberle is a nice guy but his better days are behind him and Burke did a great job of getting in return what he did.
* Wouldn't it make some sense for the Leafs to bring back 27 year old Ian White to quarterback the power play along with Dion Phaneuf??
* Being a Browns fan, I should be really enthusiastic about the upcoming season as things appear to be looking up for the Brownies. However, the NFL continues to live up to its name. the No Fun League, by continuing this ridiculous lockout. Usually by now I'm reading about OTA's. Instead all you hear about is posturing and more posturing. Disgusting!!
* Of course, then you have American societal expert Ray Lewis. Lewis says that unless this labor situation is settled, we are going to see an increase in crime. What??? This from a guy who was involved in a murder right after his team won the Super Bowl and only escaped jail time by ratting on two other guys. Actually crime would go down since there will be less illegal gambling taking place. The only increase in crime will be those committed by NFL players!!!
* Lewis brings up a long standing sore subject with me. After his involvement in the incident in Atlanta, the NFL took it upon themselves to make him the face of the NFL. How appropriate!!! This guy is a disgrace. He should thank his lucky stars that he has extraordinary God-given talent because if he didn't he'd either be dead or in jail. I still go crazy thinking about the sideline shot of him with Jamal Lewis after Lewis had a run-in with the law. "You do like I do and don't worry about nothing". It gets me so hot thinking about it I want to spit!!!!!!!
* The only good thing about the Browns leaving Cleveland when they did is that Ray Lewis is not a Cleveland Brown. I would have had a fit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* Tonight the Yankee game will be broadcast on MY9. It is a total joke watching the games as the broadcast feed is terrible. I've seen better productions from local cable companies and high school media students. I have an HD TV with an HD receiver and watching MY9 is like watching the game through a telescope. Better off just listening to the game.
* And finally, I don't know if there is another more annoying, self-promoting, broadcaster than Michael Kay. Another reason to listen to the radio tonight.
Yanks Do Little Things, Take Subway Series
The New York Yankees found themselves down 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh facing the prospect of losing the Subway Series to the lowly NY Mets. Instead of a couple of 2-run homers, the Yanks relied on singles, a sacrifice bunt and a hit batter to erupt for 8 runs and go on to defeat the Mets 9-3.
Ivan Nova allowed 11 hits but it only resulted in 3 runs and kept his team in a position to win the game. The kid deserves a lot of credit for being able to get out of jams. Quite frankly, if the Yanks had some timely hits before the 7th Nova may have gotten the win.
The way the Yankees manufactured runs in that 7th inning are what's going to be needed as we head deep into the summer. This doesn't mean that you dismiss home runs. It means doing little things when you aren't getting home runs. The fact that with this win the Yankees are 2-14 in games when they are losing after the 6th inning tells you that they need to begin manufacturing runs.
Having Curtis Granderson bunt was the right call. The ridiculous second-guessing by the YES broadcast team was laughable. It's what we need to see more of. By the way, it was an excellent bunt showing that Granderson has many aspects to his game. Hopefully, Brett Gardner was watching.
Here's hoping that this win is the beginning of a back to fundamentals for the Yanks as they head into a series against the Blue Jays and then spend Memorial Day on the West Coast.
Check out tomorrow's weekly, Tuesday's Thoughts post.
Subway Series, Lightning and MLB
Game 3 of the Subway Series will begin today at 1 and it stands 1-1. Quite frankly, the first two games have been a microcosm of the entire Yankee season up to this point. First, they received quality pitching. Freddy Garcia only allowed 2 runs over 7 innings and lost 2-1 and AJ Burnett survived a rough start and went 6.1 allowing 3 runs and won 7-3. Both pitchers deserved to win.
I have been very critical of Brian Cashman but I must give him credit for his stance on the underachieveing over-paid Rafael Soriano. It's obvious that Cashman knew what he had in Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson. Joba seems to have found his way back and pitched superbly last night and what can you say about David Robertson. This kid has been awesome. Must be ice water running through his veins as Joe Girardi has the utmost confidence in bringing him in when the Yanks are in a tight spot. Last night, Robertson did it again as Boone Logan couldn't get an out, leaving the game with Met runners on 1st and 3rd. In comes Robertson who gets Carlos Beltran to strike out and Jason Bay to pop out. No need for Soriano. Chamberlain, Robertson and Mo. Maybe Robertson is the closer in waiting.
While the pitching has been good, the offense is another story. Yes, they did win last night 7-3. But as for most of the season, the runs came courtesy of the long ball. They are 1 for the series with runners in scoring position. The most glaring was Friday night in the bottom of the 6th. With the score tied 1-1, the Yanks had runners at 1st and 2nd with no outs and the 2-3-4 hitters up. Result: No runs scored. Top of 7th, Garcia gives up a solo homer and Yanks lose 2-1.
Not sure what the problem is but unless the Yankees can get better at scoring with runners in scoring position, if they make the playoffs they will have an early exit. Starters today: Ivan Nova against Mike Pelfrey.
*************************************************************************************
As bad as the Yanks have been playing, they find themselves tied for first place in the AL East with Tampa Bay and Boston 1/2 game out. This will be a dogfight for the rest of the season. The big surprise in the American League is the Cleveland Indians. The Indians have the best record in baseball doing it with young players such as Asdrubal Cabrera and Mickey Brantley. Travis Hafner has bounced back nicely (though recently injured again) and they are getting good pitching. Will it keep up? Who knows but they lead Detroit by 7 games, the White Sox by 9 and the defending AL Central champ Twins by 13 1/2 games. The AL West is currently the worst division in baseball as Texas leads the division with a .500 record. Seattle is in last place, 1 1/2 games out of first. Hard to say who is going to be the AL representative for the World Series. It's really up in the air but whoever is hot in late September will probably be playing late in October.
In the National League, everyone's World Series pick, the Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in the NL and lead the NL East by 1 1/2 games over Florida. The Marlins have played good baseball and are going to stick around all year. And don't count out the Braves who are only 3 1/2 games out. The NL Central has all the makings of a fun summer as St. Louis leads the division by 1 1/2 games over the Reds with Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and the Cubs all still within striking distance. This will go down to wire. In the NL West, the defending champion Giants have a 2 1/2 game lead over the Rockies. I think the Giants will run away with this division as they have superior pitching and would love to see a playoff series between them and the Phillies. Somehow I'm not so sure it is a given that the Phils will be representing the National League in the World Series.
*************************************************************************************
The Boston Bruins found themselves up 3-0 after the first period with the chance of taking a commanding lead in their Eastern Conference Final series. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning stormed back with 5 goals and have evened the series 2-2. I still think that the Lightning have the firepower to win this series. The concern though is in net. Dwayne Roloson has been pulled the last two games. If he can't find his game, Guy Bouchard will have to make a tough decision. He won't have much time and one thing for certain: Tim Thomas will be tough in the Bruin net.
*************************************************************************************
Thanks to those who participated in my first blog poll. I will have more to follow. Please spread the word about the blog. The more participation the more fun for everyone!!!
R.I.P – Macho Man
I was shocked when I heard the news that Randy "Macho Man" Savage died in a car accident. In the 1980's, the WWF (that's what it was called at the time) brought professional wrestling back into the national spotlight. The biggest star was Hulk Hogan. But who was right up there was Randy Savage.
The Macho Man character captivated audiences all across the world. One of the best pro wrestling matches ever was the Wrestlemania III match between Savage and Ricky Steamboat. In fact, that may have been the best Wrestlemania ever as the main event was Hogan against Andre the Giant (no, it was not Bartolo Colon). R.I.P. Macho Man.
****************************************************************************************
Make sure you check out tonytalkssports tomorrow as I'll review the first two games of the Subway Series, Game 4 between Bruins and Lightning and a look at the major league baseball standings one week from Memorial Day weekend.
Interleague Play Begins – Do You Care???
Interleague play begins today, with the renewal of the Subway Series in New York, the Battle of Ohio, Marlins-Rays, Cardinals-Royals, the Beltway Rivalry and the Bay Area Battle. There is also the Chicago Cubs visiting Fenway Park. But in addition to these match-ups, you have the awe-inspiring Astros-Blue Jays, Twins-Dbacks, Braves-Angels and Tigers-Pirates.
Interleague play does not generate the excitement that it did when it began in 1997. Of course, the geniuses at MLB needed to continue to bring fans back after the 1994 labor debacle which canceled the season and the World Series. In my opinion, the interleague scheduling has taken away from the allure of the Baseball All-Star Game. Baseball's all-star game was always the best to watch and had the most interest because it was the only time, other than the World Series, where you got to see the stars from both leagues play against each other. Now, who cares when you can see them play aginst each other in May and June. So in order to drum up interest in the All-Star Game, we now have the league which wins the game gets home field advantage during the World Series. Wow, hardly causes me to watch.
To me interleague play has worn out its welcome. The random way these interleague games are scheduled can have a big effect on playoff races. Historically, the NL Central has been weak while the AL East has been strong. If you draw the NL Central you will have an advantage over teams that draw the Braves and Phillies in the NL East. If you draw the AL West, you will have an advantage over teams that draw the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. With another wild card team being proposed by the baseball genius, Bud Selig, this will have a greater impact.
I remember a time when the Yankees and Mets played an exhibition game during the season on an off day. It was called the Mayor's Trophy Game. I can remember being fired up about this stupid exhibition game and at one point the game was televised over WPIX which we were able to get through the cable system. As we head toward tonight's game, somehow my anticipation for this edition of the Subway Series is far less than it was for the old Mayor's Trophy Game. It's time to end interleague play!!!
Yanks Win & Ohio St. A.D. is a Joke
Bartolo Colon pitched like it was 1999 but wasn't the winning pitcher in last night's 4-1 Yankee win as it took the Pinstripers 15 innings to extend their winning streak to 2. Colon was simply awesome last night as it may have been the best starting pitching performance by a Yankee this year, striking out 7 and only throwing 87 pitches through 8 innings. Which raises the question: why not let him start the ninth??
Joe Girardi was asked that question and his obvious answer was that he has the greatest closer in the game. Last night, however, Mariano Rivera coughed up a run in the ninth which sent the game to extra innings. Hindsight is 20-20 but one has to wonder if Colon would not have been able to go the distance.
ARod certainly continued hitting the ball well in spite the announcement that they are going to have him undergo an exam of his hip. I'm not expecting there to be any problems and its certainly great to see him hitting the ball the way he has the last 2 games.
Unfortunately, the rest of the team seems to still be in a hitting funk particularly with men in scoring position. Of course, credit should be given to Zack Britton. The young Baltimore left-hander has all the makings of being a pitching nemisis for the Yankees. Again makes you wonder about the "great" pitching prospects the Yankees have and when will we see them contributing to the big team.
Thankfully, Robinson Cano came through to drive in the winning runs in the 15th inning. A bright spot was pitcher Hector Noesi. He pitched himself out of a jam in the 12th and went on to get the win. Let's hope we see more of this kid.
**********************************************************************************
Read an article this morning about the Big Ten meetings that are taking place and could not believe the utter gall of Ohio State A.D. Gene Smith. Mr. Smith has no intention of taking any disciplinary action against Head Football Coach Jim Tressel. What also was interesting was the defense of Tressel by his fellow coaches and other A.D.'s, particularly Tom Osborne of Nebraska.
This whole situation totally disgusts me. Particularly since Tressel and Ohio State carries themselves as being a super clean, mom and apple pie program. Tressel is a fraud and so is Ohio State. Here's hoping the NCAA takes the appropriate action and makes Tressel and the Buckeye football program pay a heavy price. They should lose scholarships and be banned from national championship consideration if they refuse to fire Tressel. Since Smith has no intention of taking action, we will have to wait until August when the NCAA will announce what action they will take.
ARod Comes Through & R.I.P. Killer
Last night, a night in mid-May, the New York Yankees were fighting for their lives. Joe Girardi said this was as close to a must-win as you can get this early in the season. With everything swirling around the team, the Yankees needed someone to grab them by the throat and shake them out of their funk.
Well, the man who rose to that challenge was ARod. His 2 home runs powered the Yankees to a 6-2 win, stopping a six game losing streak and hopefully sets the team up for a much needed winning streak. What's really interesting is in reading the NY Daily News and seeing that prior to the game a Yankee source was saying that ARod was concerned about his prior hip injury possibly causing him some problems. Well, it sure didn't look that way last night. That Yankee clubhouse and management team has more leaks than the CIA.
The Yanks can sure use ARod to go on a hitting tear. The team is teetering on the brink of collapse. As they head to Baltimore, a little win streak heading into the Subway Series will go a long way to get things moving in the right direction. However, a winning streak can't mask the fact that the Yankees, as they are currently constructed, are a flawed team. For now, they must stay close until a move can be made, whether that's bringing up someone from the farm or a trade.
By the way, if you haven't already, make sure to participate on my Cashman poll.
**********************************************************************************
I was saddened by the news that Harmon Killebrew passed away yesterday. Killebrew was a true gentleman and a classic power hitter. It was incredible to see the emotion on the part of former players, guys who never played with Killebrew but who knew him well as he was involved with the Twins and was an icon in the Twin Cities area.
As a child, I remember watching Killebrew as the Twins were an American League powerhouse back in the 60's. A dangerous hitter, he didn't need steroids or HGH to hit 573 home runs. He wasn't overly big, 6 feet tall 190 pounds. He was a player of a much simpler time, one that I look back on fondly. One that will never be back. Rest In Peace Killer.
Tuesday’s Thoughts
While wondering when did the Yankees turn into the Mets, here is what I'm thinking about this morning:
* Last week was a sad day in the sports world with the death of 28 year old Derek Boogaard and the announcement that Harmon Killebrew was entering hospice. Killebrew was an awesome power hitter back in the day forming a dangerous duo for the Minnesota Twins back in the 60's with Tony Oliva. Killebrew wasn't that tall and certainly didn't have a body builders physique but his arms were huge and he had tremendous power. Classy till the very end. Anytime a young athlete dies its sad and usually leads to speculation as to why. It's unfortunate that some are using Boogaard's death to start up the band for the banning of fighting in the NHL. Boogaard suffered a concussion back in December as a result of a fight and never played again. Very sad.
* So happy that the Bulls took Game 1 of their series with the Dream Team. Here's hoping that they can keep it up.
* The NHL playoffs resumed with Vancouver and Tampa Bay scoring Game 1 victories. The Lightning have more offensive fire power than the Bruins and I think will come out on top in this series. The Sharks blew a 2-1 lead in the third period which seems to be a perplexing pattern. This series will go seven games and unfortunately I think the Canucks will win.
* The streak is now 6 games and losing 10 out of their last 13. Last night the Yankees blew a 5-1 lead to fall to the Rays 6-5. AJ Burnett reverted to 2010 blowing up in the 6th inning. If this becomes a pattern with Burnett, look out!!!
* The obvious discord between Yankee management and Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada is outright ridiculous. It was Yankee management that gave Posada a four year contract. No one twisted their arm but for the fact that they couldn't take it if the Mets signed him and they needed damage control after their break up with Joe Torre. With respect to Jeter, in reading his comments there was really nothing for the China Dolls in Yankee management to get their shorts in a knot over. Instead of moving on, they needed to keep this front and center. Maybe the reason for this is to mask the total failure of Cashman and company in fielding a team worth $200 million being beaten down by the low spending Royals and Rays.
* Joe Girardi is saying all the right things about believing in his guys, everyone goes through this during a season, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm waiting to hear the classic, "the sun will come up tomorrow..."line that was used quite a bit when Torre was manager. Unfortunately, Girardi is not Torre. I have a feeling if Torre was manager this whole thing would not have spun out of control. However, tough guy Cashman is the new Marshall Dillon and he's not taking any guff from anybody, even if they are 5 time champions.
* I wonder if since the Yankee brass is so pissed off at Jeter whether or not there will be any big ceremony when the Captain cracks the 3,000 hit mark, becoming the first Yankee to do it. Think about that for a moment. A team with the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, Di Maggio, Mantle, etc. has never had a player get 3,000 hits. That will change this summer. If I had to bet, they'll do something so they can make a boat load of money off of Jeter's accomplishment.
* Will the Yankeeographies on Jeter and Posada be forever banned.
* The NFL owners have been victorious as the 8th Circuit Court is putting a freeze on the injunction of a stay and as a result the lock out is back on. You know what I hope they don't play a single down and lose a ton of money.
* It's looking like the Atlanta Thrashers could be moving to Winnipeg. While I have no problem with Canada getting another team, I question why the NHL has gone out of their way to subsidize the Phoenix Coyotes to keep them in Glendale while they are sitting idly by with the Thrashers. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think Atlanta deserved another team after losing the Flames many years ago. But why the inconsistency. Gary Bettman: another super genius running a sports league (Goodell, Stern and Selig other geniuses in their own minds).
* And finally, how long will it take before the Yankees make a move, Hank Steinbrenner erupts and Joe Girardi takes the fall for Brian Cashman's ineptness???
Eklund’s Hockey Buzz
Pro Football Talk
Post Archive
- December 2013 (2)
- September 2013 (1)
- August 2013 (3)
- July 2013 (1)
- May 2013 (4)
- April 2013 (6)
- March 2013 (8)
- February 2013 (14)
- January 2013 (20)
- December 2012 (17)
- November 2012 (14)
- July 2012 (6)
- May 2012 (2)
- April 2012 (19)
- March 2012 (20)
- February 2012 (22)
- January 2012 (25)
- December 2011 (22)
- November 2011 (26)
- October 2011 (29)
- September 2011 (25)
- August 2011 (28)
- July 2011 (31)
- June 2011 (29)
- May 2011 (30)
- April 2011 (24)
- March 2011 (36)
- February 2011 (13)