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Yankees Lose! Daaaaaaa--Yankees Lose! [Addison Quale]
2007-10-09 05:45:00 --------------- As of this morning, the Yankees were very much alive. No longer. Joe Borowski, in a very Borowski-esque performance (he gave up an Abreu homer), just got the third out of the 9th inning in the Bronx and the Indians have beaten the Yankees 6-4 behind a strong pitching performance from (who else?) Paul Byrd. And so I say with great cheer to my Red Sox friends with my John Sterling impersonation, "Yankees Lose Daaaaaaaaaa-Yankees Lose!" (Columbus Day weekend is fast becoming my favorite one since the Yankees keep getting eliminated then each year.) It's been a great season for the Yankees--if you were any sort of normal baseball fan. Scoring over 900 runs. Scorching back into contention in the second-half to make the playoffs and vie for the AL East as well. MVP caliber season from A-Rod . Drama with Roger Clemens . For any sort of normal baseball fan, this would be a year to be proud of. Not the Yankees though. This will go down as a disgrace--simply... More About: New York Yankees , Cleveland Indians
Yankees Very Much Alive [Addison Quale]
2007-10-08 20:30:00 Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over." The Yankees know that all too well. They played the entire 2007 regular season with that mindset. They came back and stunned the A's in 2001 after falling behind 0-2 in the ALDS. And you certainly don't need to remind them of 2004. Listening to sports radio these days and reading ESPN.com's playoff coverage, something always seems to strike me as off. Everyone wants to make predictions. Everyone seems to know how things are going to turn out. And then in the off chance that things actually turn out that way, these people clamor to say, "I told you so!" But as Billy Beane once said, the postseason is a crapshoot. And it's true. Anything can happen! And so that's why I was very surprised to hear something intelligent on ESPN radio on saturday: "What really matters in the postseason is momentum." And it's true. The Yankees have stolen the momentum from the Indians in this series. Down 0-2 they are now back in the race with a... More About: New York Yankees , Cleveland Indians , Alive , Paul Byrd
Photos: New York, New York! (Score: Giants 35, Jets 24) [J. Mark English]
2007-10-08 01:33:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Photos , New York , English , York , New York Times
College Football Notes 10.7.08 [J. Mark English]
2007-10-07 13:08:00 Stanford 24, #2 USC 23 - Give it up to the nerds beating the jocks! Stanford, which academic minded first as a school, came into Trojan territory as 41 point underdogs. USC had not lost a game at home in 35 straight games. First year coach, and former pro quarterback, Jim Harbaugh, led his team to a miracle win.Notre Dame 20, UCLA 6 - Rally sons of Notre Dame, the Irish finally have a win! In their first visit to the Rose Bowl since 1925, the Irish defense, led by the seniors, stepped up to finally give Notre Dame Nation something to smile about.#20 Cincinnati 28, #21 Rutgers 23 - Rutgers was expected to be undefeated by this point in the season. But the Scarlett Knights have crumbled under the weight of expectations. Last week at home against Maryland they were heavy favorites, and lost big to Maryland. This week they had a chance to revenge their loss to Cincinnati on their way to a BCS bid. After taking a 17-7 lead into half time, the Knights blew the game with costly t... More About: College , Football , College Football , English , Notes
D'Backs and Rockies Will Play in the NLCS [J. Mark English]
2007-10-07 09:40:00 Here to wrap up the NL division series are bloggers for both the "Snakes" and the "Rockets":First, we hear from Devin Jessup of the blog Out in the Desert -It is a great day to be a Diamondbacks fan. Today, our team went into the best known stadium in all of the NL, in front of a loud crowd of Cubs fans, against a team with their backs against the wall. It is a hostile environment for visiting teams. It is a situation where many teams have become complacent, stumbled and fallen. It was precisely the situation where so many said the inexperience of our young team would become a glaring, fatal flaw. Today, our team went out and did what they did best. They proved everyone wrong. Again. Everyone except for those of us who have been following this team all along, and know just what they?re capable of. Credit Chris Young, who did just what we?ve seen him do nine times this season, lead off the game with a home run. No line, no waiting, Young took the first pitch he saw and dropp... More About: Play , English , Mark , Mark English , Rockies
Your Time is Gonna Come [Aaron DeRosa]
2007-10-06 22:18:00 Is there anything Led Zeppelin DIDN'T know?! Back in May I made a prediction on this blog that Roger Clemens ' numbers for the season would look a little something like this: Projected: 17 Starts, 100 innings, 8 wins, 3.9 ERA, 1.3 WHIP, 70K Actual: 18 Starts, 99 innings, 6 wins, 4.18ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 68K Soooo close. Anyway, as I said back then, temper your expectations? this time, for tomorrow night. Roger Clemens Division Series ERA rests at 4.36 in 8 games, and his postseason ERA is 3.66 in 23 games. I think we're looking at 5 innings and 3 runs. With the way the Yankees are hitting, do you want to be down 3 runs and turning it over to the bullpen? How long till Mariano Rivera just implodes in postseason ball because he pitches 2 innings every game? If you're not already, Yankee fans should be worried. ... and she's buying a stairway to heaven...http://img68.imageshack.us/my.ph p?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Time , New York Yankees , Aaron
Could the ALCS/NLCS Match-ups be Known by Tomorrow? [J. Mark English]
2007-10-06 22:17:00 In short...yes.The Boston Red Sox , Arizona Diamondbacks , Cleveland Indians , and the Colorado Rockies all are up 2-0 in the their respective division series.By tomorrow night, game 3 in each series will have been played. All four teams could sweep, and we can begin the NLCS/ALCS.Baseball's worst nightmare has to be a match-up between the Rockies/Diamondbacks. That series will probably get dreadful ratings. Fortunately for MLB, it will be on TBS where the ratings expectations aren't quite as important as they will be for FOX which will carry the ALCS.should bring in enough good ratings to help the Obviously, FOX would prefer a Yankees/Red Sox match-up, but a Indians/Red Sox MLB should bring in better ratings then last year when the Tigers played the A's in the ALCS.Last year's World Series ratings were so horrific that the Major League Soccer championship game had a higher rating then any one game of the World Series between the Tigers and the Cardinals.http://img68.imageshack... More About: English , New York Yankees
Photos: Tribe Survive Night of the Swarming Bugs; up 2-0 in ALDS [J. Mark E
2007-10-06 03:35:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Photos , Night , Bugs , Survive , Mark
Olympic Winner, Marion Jones, Admits to Steroid Use [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:55:00 It will only be a matter of time before the International Olympic Committee acts to strip Jones of her five medals that she won as a track athlete during the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.Here is more from the Associated Press:The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will step up its investigation into the Jones case and the possible removal of her three gold and two bronze medals from the 2000 Sydney Games."We welcome that there is now some light to be shed on the whole affair," IOC vice president Thomas Bach told The Associated Press. "Now, with this admission, we can accelerate and speed up the procedures."The IOC opened its investigation in December 2004 after Jones was implicated in the BALCO steroid scandal. The American runner ? the only female track and field athlete to win five medals at a single Olympics ? repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, and the IOC had little firm evidence to go on until now.Jones was scheduled to appear Friday afternoon in U.S. District Cou... More About: English , Steroids , Winner
Peter Gammons on the Mets Collapse [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:53:00 Shout out to my friend whom sent me this article. Its a great bit from Peter Gammons on ESPN on how revenue sharing in baseball has helped even the playing field, but that still does not excuse what happened to the Mets :In the end, none of the six teams that finished first in 2006 repeated in 2007, another feather in Bud Selig's revenue-sharing cap. What once were baseball-mad franchises in Philadelphia and Denver were revitalized as Cleveland makes its way back, a new cast of heroes named Jimmy Rollins and Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder and Carlos Pena stepped to the podium and, damn, can we wait to see how Joba Chamberlain, Troy Tulowitzki and Howie Kendrick fare in October? For every Holliday and Tulowitzki, there is Trevor Hoffman, who no one in the game ever wants to see fall. For every Chase Utley there is David Wright, who stood when others hid and accepted accountability for the Mets' untimely fall.......The Mets "blew" a seven-game lead to a team that rode shotgun do... More About: Collapse , English , Mark
No Time to Panic Yankee Fans [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:21:00 The New York Yankees fell to the Cleveland Indians last night 12-3. Fear not Yankee fans, no need to think that the Yankees will take an early bow from the playoffs once again.Going back to 1995, the Yankees have been 5-0 in the ALDS when they lose the first game of the series. Conversely, when they win the first game of the series they are 2-5. Which means, that if history is an indicator of anything, the Yankees will be playing the ALCS.Losing 12-3 may be the best thing that has happened to the Yanks since at least 2004.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?im age=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , Time , English , Mark
Peter Vecsey Weighs in on Isiah Thomas [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 17:13:00 Isiah Thomas was found liable for sexual harassment earlier this week, and the MSG organization as a whole looks worse then ever. Peter Vecsey of the New York Post breaks down the quagmire surrounding Thomas:Like hundreds of others who've worked for, played with or for, and partied alongside Isiah Thomas, when I heard his closing "not-guilty-as-found" statement on the courthouse steps I shook my head and rolled my eyes.......How many times can a man deny wrongdoing before his credibility is irretrievably impounded? How often can blame be shifted before even the blindest loyalist converts to a Doubting Thomas? How many times can truthfulness be dodged during decades of incidents and accidents, hints and allegations? How come someone's always lying about Thomas? Distorting what he said or did? Fabricating things he claims he didn't say or do? Why is everybody so hostile toward him? So quick to think the worst? Taking such pleasure in persecuting, er, prosecuting him? Remember ... More About: English , Mark , Mark English
Cleveland Loves LeBron, LeBron Loves the Yanks [David Stefanini]
2007-10-05 15:30:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: New York Yankees , Lebron James , David , Cleveland Indians , Cleveland
Rangers Open Season with a Win [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 03:58:00 ...and also they announced that they will retire Brian Leetch's number in January. There is little reason why this should not be a special season for the New York Rangers . On paper they could be one of the best teams in the NHL, and even SI picked them to go to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Sharks. But they have had great players on this team before, and have shown very little for their efforts. Hopefully they will break that trend this year.Here is more from the Rangers website:The Rangers erupted for four third-period goals tonight at Madison Square Garden to humble the visiting Florida Panthers 5-2 in the season opener for both teams.Trailing 2-1 after two periods, the Blueshirts outshot the Panthers 16-8 in the third, getting goals from Petr Prucha, Chris Drury, Ryan Callahan and Martin Straka.Henrik Lundqvist was his usual self in goal, stopping 27 shots for the victory.Drury was named the game's No. 1 star in his first game with the Rangers.http://img68.imageshack.us... More About: Open , Open Season , English , Season
Red Sox Fans Roughed up in Yonkers [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 03:38:00 Not good. And this took place five minutes from where I live...From WNBC:Two men attacked a Red Sox fan outside a Yonkers hotel Thursday night, beating him so badly he ended up in the intensive care unit, police said.The incident began when the two victims, Carlos Ortez and Walter Ostromecki -- one of whom was wearing a Red Sox hat -- were in the bar of the Ramada Inn late Thursday night, according to police.Suspects Duane Somers and Edward McConaughey made a comment about the Red Sox, leading to a heated exchange, police said.The suspects allegedly followed the Red Sox fans out into the parking lot, where they attacked Ortez, who ended up in the in an intensive care unit with broken facial bones.Ostromecki managed to get away.Somers and McConaughey have been arraigned on assault charges.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php ?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , Boston Red Sox , English , New York Yankees , Mark
Take a Balk with Me [J. Mark English]
2007-10-05 02:55:00 Some MLB playoff thoughts -I didn't think it would be possible, but I'm actually watching playoff baseball. I guess I'm almost over the Mets "long national nightmare". Thanks Adds for the soothing words of comfort.The Phillies are down 2-0 already to the Colorado Rockies. Weren't the Rockies supposed to be up for contraction a few years ago? If not, they should have been. I think maybe two people in Colorado really cares about that team.Speaking of the Phillies, going back to the year 2001 they have gone 86-76, 80-81, 86-76, 86-76, 88-74, 85-77, and then this year 89-73. I guess it took that elusive 89th win to finally cross the threshold. Talk about consistency though. How many other teams have had that many winning seasons in a row without making the playoffs? Lets just say they were due.Going back to the Rockies. As my friend (a Mets fan) wrote: Kaz-fricken-Matsui!! 3-4 with 5 RBIs and only a single shy of the cycle!!! I don't think I have been happier with Kaz.... More About: New York Rangers , English , New York Mets , Philadelphia Phillies , Mark
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 5 Picks [EdMcGon]
2007-10-04 14:08:00 Once again, time for the picks (in red), this time from last week's defending champion (that's me):Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans: I can't pick the Fish until they show me they can win. Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs: The Jags are not much better than the Chiefs, but they should be good enough to beat this Herm Edwards train wreck.Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots: The only way the Pats lose this one is if they take the Brownies lightly.Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints are a tempting pick this week, but they will have to win one before I take them. They have looked pretty bad so far.New York Jets at New York Giants: This one is a coin toss between two underachieving teams.Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers: I have not been overly impressed with either of these teams. They have played well enough to win, but their competition so far has not been exceptional. That said, I lean towards the Steelers in this long road game for the Hawks.Ari... More About: Week
Rockies Beat Phillies In Game 1 [David Stefanini]
2007-10-04 00:48:00 I am very thankful to see that team of the Phillies look so upset today. They could not hit Rockies pitcher, Jeff Francis. The Phillies sent staff ace Cole Hamels to the hill. Hamels was nearly perfect, except for the 2nd inning. The Rockies got 3 base hits and scored 3 runs. It was the only base hits and runs allowed for Hamels in his 6 2/3 innings of work.Francis was dealing right from the start. He fanned the first four Phillies he faced. He went 6 innings, giving up only those 2 runs while striking out 8 batters. It was a great performance on his behalf and he has now given his team a 1-0 lead in the series.Now the Phillies are playing with their backs up against the wall (thank God). They are now facing a must win in Game 2. They will turn to pitcher, Kyle Kendrick, who went 10-4 this season with a 3.87 ERA. Opposing him will be Franklin Morales, who is 3-2 with a 3.43 ERA.http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?ima ge=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Philadelphia Phillies , David , Beat
Pigskin Pick'em - NFL Week 4 Results [EdMcGon]
2007-10-03 13:22:00 Look who won this week. Some guy named Ed:EdMcGon - 8FunkyPundit - 7J. Mark English - 6Bill Barker - 6bl - 6Rigel - 6David Stefanini - 5Dave O'Leary - 5SoloD - 5Robert A. George - 4And that guy named Ed seems to be moving up in the YTD standings too (with number of weeks won in parentheses):David Stefanini(1) - 33EdMcGon(1) - 32J. Mark English(1) - 30Robert A. George(1) - 27Bill Barker - 27Dave O'Leary - 21bl - 16FunkyPundit - 15SoloD - 12Rigel - 11Mike - 8 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Results , Week , Result
Don't Worry Mets Fans--Life Goes On. [Addison Quale]
2007-10-02 22:06:00 I feel for the Mets . I feel for their fans. I really do. They are my second team and I just hate to see these collosal collapses look possible as the season wears on, then more and more probable, and then watch them become the cold hard reality. That's why in May when everyone was writing off the Yanks who were out 14.5 games, I didn't join the bandwagon. Because this is one area where the STATS masters haven't mastered--the arena of high pressure situations and the human-emotional factor. Yes, the chances are slim to nil that a 7.5 game lead will not hold up with 17 games left. But when the entire confidence of a team is utterly shaken to its core, anything is possible. And the threat of loss becomes too big to ward off. But, as they say, that's why they play out the games--and not just figure out who will win on paper. Because life doesn't happen on paper. It happens out there. On a field. Stats can't really portray that much reality.But I digress--something struck me though... More About: Life , Fans , New York Mets , Worry
Video: Phanatic Offs Mr. Met [J. Mark English]
2007-10-02 17:01:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Video , English , New York Mets , Mark , Mark English
The Mets Apologize [J. Mark English]
2007-10-02 05:47:00 Dear Mets Fan: All of us at the Mets are bitterly disappointed in failing to achieve our collective goal of building upon last year's success. We did not meet our organization's expectations -- or yours. Everyone at Shea feels the same range of emotions as you -- our loyal fans -- and we know we have let you down. We wanted to thank you for your record-breaking support of our team this year. Equally important, Ownership will continue its commitment in providing the resources necessary to field a championship team. Omar will be meeting with Ownership shortly to present his plan on addressing our shortcomings so that we can achieve our goal of winning championships in 2008 and beyond. You deserve better results. Many thanks again for your record-breaking support. http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Omar Minaya , Mark
Re: Long-Winded Baseball Reflections [Christian Amport]
2007-10-02 05:28:00 Here's my rough assesment, unecumbered by empirical evidence and more supported by anecdotal evidence and conjecture. I'm open to criticism, these are just first thoughts. I think the rules difference in format between the leagues accounts in large part to the difference in game outcomes and to the ability of some teams to excell above and beyond. And not due to the "designated hitters hit better than pitchers" argument (but that does play some part, see below), or that AL teams are able to consistently secure better pitchers than the NL. I formulated this theory last spring playing softball. Now, I personally haven't played baseball since I was about 11. (With the brief exception of my stint with the Appeals softball team at DANY). And I was never a pitcher. So this never occurred to me until this past spring when I found myself as the replacement (and subsequently the regular) pitcher for my roommate's softball team. My realization was this: pitching is exhausti... More About: Christian , Baseball , Reflections , Seattle Mariners , New York Mets
Long-Winded Baseball Reflections [Aaron DeRosa]
2007-10-02 05:25:00 I've been toying with this idea for a while and thought i'd throw it out there for debate. I'll make my claim, state what I've found, and open it up to discussion: Context: The assumption is consistently made that the AL is better than the NL. This disparity is reflected in the wins column. However, as with pitchers, wins don't necessarily adequately reflect a team's "quality." Thesis: The dispairty in the records of AL and NL teams has more to do with the parity of the NL which spreads wins out more evenly among its teams. This seems like a logical statement. the Florida Marlins aren't a "bad" team like the Devil Rays or the Royals. Or at least, they don't have that stigma that their AL bottom-feeding counterparts do. So how do we determine if one league has greater parity than the other? And how do we determine which league is therefore better? Well I started with parity: AL - NL 90+ wins: 4 - 1 80-89 wins: 3 - 8 70-79 wins: 4 - 6 60-69 wins: 3 -... More About: Baseball , Reflections , National League , Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Remember this Phillie Fans? [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:45:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: Fans , English , Philadelphia Phillies , Toronto Blue Jays , Mark
Quote from Opie and Anthony [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:26:00 "Meet the Mets, greet the Mets...step right up and play golf with the Mets" - Opie and Anthony (shout out to the friends who alerted me to this...)http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php ?image=amerlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Mark , Mark English
Requiem for the Mets [J. Mark English]
2007-10-01 21:24:00 http://img68.imageshack.us/my.php?image=a merlegendslogo5wj.gif More About: English , New York Mets , Mets , Mark , Mark English
A Day of Great Expectations and Melancholy [J. Mark English]
2007-09-30 18:06:00 The only thing that I am certain of today is that by eight o'clock tonight, I will be sitting in my seat at Giants Stadium, awaiting the kickoff to a Sunday Night Football match up between the Eagles and the Giants. The Giants come in with a 1-2 record, as are the Eagles. The result of the game will likely determine which team has the hopes of turning around its season, and which team may want to start early preparation for the 2008 draft.The implications of the Sunday night match-up will pale in comparison to the events that would have already occurred in Queens, slightly north of Giants Stadium, as well as the events that would have transpired a hundred miles south on I 95 in Philadelphia.The Mets and the Phillies, as well as the Padres, will set the mood for Met fans at Giants Stadium tonight. Can the Mets stave off a complete disaster by finishing with a desperate finish in their finale? Will the Phillies actually surpass their expectations of always choking? Will there be... More About: Great , English , New York Mets , New York Giants , Mark
Mets Win, Phillies Lose, Setting Up A Great Final Day [David Stefanini]
2007-09-30 08:32:00 What a roller coaster ride it has been this month being a Mets fan. Entering this month I thought for certain I would be taking my girlfriend to a Mets playoff game this year. In the middle of the month I found myself saying, its ok they will turn on the jets and start pulling away any day now. I was upset that the Mets allowed the Phillies to shrink the lead down to 2 games. Right now, at the end of the month, I am overjoyed that they have pulled even with the Phillies, a predicament I never thought I'd be happy about. With the Mets 13-0 victory today and the Phillies loss to the Nats 4-2, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies enter the final day of the regular season with identical records.The scenario is simple when it comes down to the NL East. If the Mets win and the Phillies lose, the Mets are in; and visa-versa for the Phillies. If they both win/lose, then a one game playoff will be played on Monday at Philadelphia to determine the champion.Tomorrow, the Mets will send... More About: Great , Final , David
It's About Time! [David Stefanini]
More articles from this author:2007-09-29 20:50:00 For the first time in a very, very long time, the New York Mets look alive! Already up 9-0, the Mets jumped out of the dugout to run to the back, when a Marlins pitcher threw at Louis Castillo twice in a row. The first one barely missed his legs, and the second one was an inch behind him. The Mets cleared the bench and got in the face of a few Marlins players.My question is this, WHERE THE HELL HAS THIS BEEN? The fans where chanting 'Let's Go Mets' as the Mets were on the field. It took 161 games, but they look to be alive. Instead of walking aimlessly through the season with nothing to worry about, they are a scared team that knows they are going to go down in history as choke artists unless major changes happen over the next two days.AND HERE WE GO!!! Olvio, the Marlins catch took a big swing towards Reyes but missed. The Mets run out onto the field looking for a fight. The Mets fans are screaming Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose. It about time the Mets look alive. Its probably to late, ... More About: Time , David 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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