Archive for October 27th, 2009
Philadelphia Phillies Tab Pedro Martinez Game 2 World Series Starter in New York
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports | No Comments
Nice – while much of the early World Series focus has been on the duel between Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia in Game 1 on Wednesday night, the Phillies made a big news splash by announcing that Pedro Martinez will start Game 2 on Thursday night in the Bronx. Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel likely went with Martinez instead of Cole Hamels because of his solid history with against the Yankees, but it was still a bit of a surprise.
Pedro has made 1 start for the Phillies during the 2009 post-season. Martinez tossed 7 shutout innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS, a game that the Phillies ultimately lost when the Phillies bullpen couldn’t hold onto the lead.
In 14 career post-season appearances, Martinez is 6-2 with a sparkling 3.13 ERA. He has made 2 post-season starts against the New York Yankees at the old Yankee Stadium, going 0-1 with a hefty 5.40 ERA. The most notable game was back in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS. The Red Sox held a 5-2 lead heading into the 8th inning, but then Red Sox Manager Grady Little decided to leave a tiring Martinez in the game a little too long. Pedro ended up giving up 3 runs to the Yankees in that 8th inning to tie the game at 5, and the Yankees went onto win on Aaron Boone’s solo home run in the 11th inning. Overall against the Yankees, Martinez has much better numbers – 8-4 record with a 2.95 ERA. In his only World Series start, Martinez threw 7 shutout innings in Game 3 of the 2004 World Series as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals in 4 games to win the crown.
That was Pedro’s last post-season appearance, and that Boone home run was the last time that the Yankees played in the Fall Classic. Two worlds collide as the reigning World Series champs take on the franchise with the most World Series championships in a battle of heavyweight contenders in the 2009 World Series…
Bengals Crush Bears 45-10; Worst Loss During Lovie Smith Era
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, NFL, Sports | No Comments
Ouch – the Bears took it on the chin on Sunday, losing to the Bengals 45-10 in Cincinnati. Right from the get-go, it looked like the Bears players wanted to be anyplace but Paul Brown Stadium. It was clearly the worst loss during Lovie Smith’s tenure as Head Coach of the Chicago Bears. Since their 2006 Super Bowl appearance, the Bears have been a .500 team. They went 7-9 in 2007, 9-7 in 2008 and are currently 3-3 during 2009. This is not good news if you are a Bears fan or if you’re Lovie Smith.
In Sunday’s demoralizing 45-10 loss, the Bears scored on each their 5 drives in the 1st half and on their 1st 2 drives of the 2nd half. The Bengals led 31-0 and then 45-3. It was the classic home team beat down. Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer threw 5 touchdown passes, going 20 of 24 for 233 yards. Former Bears cast-off Cedric Benson rushed 37 times for 189 yards and 1 touchdown, making it look easy against his former team. Cad Ochocinco caught 10 passes for 118 yards and 2 scores. Anyway who played for the Bengals on the offensive side of the ball had a field day against the Bears defense on Sunday.
The best side story was Benson. In 3 seasons with the Bears, he frustrated Bears management and fans with his lack of dedication. 2 brushes with the law ultimately forced the Bears to cut ties with Benson.
Benson’s Bears stats – in 3 seasons, 35 games, 420 rushes, 1,593 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 3 lost fumbles.
Benson’s Bengals stats – in 1+ seasons, 19 games, 378 rushes, 1,467 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 lost fumble. Benson is averaging over 100 yards per game in 2009 and he looks focused and ready like never before.
Another interesting look is Jay Cutler v. former Bears QB Kyle Orton (now with the Denver Broncos).
Cutler’s 2009 Bears (3-3 team record) stats – 6 games, 82.9 passer rating, 65% completion percentage, 1,452 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 7 fumbles with 1 lost fumble.
Orton’s 2009 Broncos (6-0 team record) stats – 6 games, 100.1 passer rating, 63.9% completion percentage, 1,465 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, 1 interception, and 1 fumble with zero lost fumbles.
Crazy crazy stuff… The Bears are tied for 9th in the NFC while the Broncos are tied for 1st in the AFC.
There’s still time for this 2009 Bears club, but if they continue to play the way they did against the Falcons and Bengals instead of the way they played against the Steelers and Lions, it could be another frustrating season for Lovie Smith, Smith’s staff and Bears fans all over the country.
NHL Scores
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | NHL | No Comments
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