MLB
Chicago Sports Teams – Downright Bad – Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Bulls…
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | Chicago 2016 Olympics, Chicago Bears, Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Rio de Janeiro, Sports | 1 Comment
WOW – it has been a rough year for Chicago sports teams. The Bears and Bulls are just continuing the downward trend for Chicago sports teams. Throw in the fact that the City lost out on the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics this past October, and you wonder why they even field teams in the “Second City.”
Both MLB teams allowed August collapses to dictate disappointing finishes in 2009. The White Sox (79-83; .488 winning percentage) finished 7.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central Division, while the Cubs (83-78; .516 winning percentage) finished 7.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the American League Central Division. Obviously neither team qualified for the playoffs.
While the Bears and Bulls had promising starts to their respective seasons, things have quickly turned for the worse for each team.
The Bears started off by winning 3 of their first 4 games, but a current 4-game losing streak has the Bears sitting at 4-7. With games against the Vikings, Ravens and Packers (teams with winning records) still on the schedule, a 6-10 finish looks like a best-case scenario. A Bears loss to either the Rams (1 win) or Lions (2 wins) could end up costing Head Coach Lovie Smith his job. While the defense has been pretty awful all season long, the biggest disappointments come on the offensive side of the ball. During the off-season preceding the season, the Bears traded 2 1st round draft picks and then-starting QB Kyle Orton to acquire “franchise player” Jay Cutler from the Denver Broncos. Cutler has been a huge enigma in 2009 – while he has thrown for 2671 yards and 16 TD’s and completed over 62% of his passes, he has also thrown a league-high 20 interceptions. His 74.4 passer rating is well below his career 83.9 passer rating. Coupled with Matt Forte’s sophomore slump (1,238 yards rushing with 8 TD’s in 2008 v. 543 yards rushing with 3 TD’s in 2009), it looks like the Bears have a lot of work to do if they want to turn this thing around.
The same could be said for the Bulls. The Bulls started the season with a 6-4 record through their 1st 10 games. But their annual “Circus Road Trip” away from the United Center proved costly. They lost the last 5 games of the trip and now sit at a dismal 6-9. Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas are both injured, and Derrick Rose is still trying to get back to his top form after dealing with an ankle injury during the pre-season which limited his play. There are a few bright spots for the Bulls. #1 – the Eastern Conference is just awful – even at 3 games under .500 the Bulls would still qualify for the playoffs if the season ended today. #2 – Luol Deng (18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game) and Joakim Noah (11.5 points and 12.1 rebounds per game) have looked great early on. #3 – the Bulls are set up well salary-cap-wise for the 2010 free agent feeding frenzy – which will include the likes of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Amari Stoudamire and Chris Bosh.
Sorry Chicago sports fans – looks like you better root real hard for the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup in 2010…
MLB Most Valuable Players: Albert Pujols & Joe Mauer
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 | General, Minnesota Twins, MLB, Sports, St. Louis Cardinals | No Comments
Albert Pujols is your National League Most Valuable Player MVP and Joe Mauer is your American League Most Valuable Player MVP for the 2009 MLB schedule.
Albert Pujols was the unanimous MVP for the National League. Pujols received all 32 1st place votes and totaled an amazing 448 points. Pujols was a back-to-back MVP Award winner and it was his 3rd overall (he also won the award back in 2005). Pujols became the 1st player to win back-to-back seasons since Barry Bonds did so in 2002-3.
His numbers made it pretty easy – 47 HR’s; 124 runs; .658 slugging percentage and 44 intentional walks – all tops in the major leagues. Pujols led the National League with a .443 on-base percentage; he was 2nd with 45 doubles and he was 3rd with a .327 batting average and 135 RBI’s. WOW! He also set a major league record for 1st baseman with 185 assists.
Career-wise, Pujols became the 4th player to win 3 NL MVP’s – Bonds, Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt are the other 3 players to do so. He is also the 2nd player to rack up at least 100 RBI’s in each of his 1st nine MLB seasons – Hall of Famer Al Simmons was the 1st to do it and he made it 11 in a row. No reason to think Pujols won’t break that record barring an injury.
Pujols received a $200,000 bonus for winning the award. He is under contract with the Cardinals for $16 million in 2010 and the Cardinals hold a club option over Pujols for $16 million for the 2011 MLB season.
Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins received 27 of 28 1st place votes and racked up 387 total points. Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers picked up the other 1st place vote.
Mauer’s .365 batting average was a major league record for catchers. It also helped him win his 3rd batting title and 2nd in a row – the 1st repeat batting champion since Nomar Garciaparra did so back in 1999-2000. He also led the American League with a .444 on-base percentage and a .587 slugging percentage. His 28 HR’s and 96 RBI’s were career highs and he racked up 76 walks with only 75 K’s. The numbers are even more impressive given the fact that he missed the entire month of April with a back injury and that the Twins were without Mauer’s next-best hitter in the lineup – Justin Mourneau – from September 12th on. Mauer had this to say about winning: “I love catching. I love the demands that are put on me and the responsibilities that I have, although it might beat you up a little bit physically and mentally. I like being back there making those decisions, you know, for my team.”
Mauer received a $100,000 bonus for winning the AL MVP Award.
Damn – wish my team had one of these guys on it…
White Sox pick up a old guy
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 | Chicago White Sox, MLB | No Comments
CHICAGO — The number 13 universally has been considered unlucky, from omitted hotel floors representing that sum to athletes avoiding it on their respective jerseys.
In the White Sox organization, it apparently stands as a guarded treasure.
That fact became apparent on Monday, as the White Sox officially introduced Omar Vizquel as the newest member of their Major League team. In a signing first reported at the end of last week, when free agency officially began, the 42-year-old Vizquel agreed to a one-year, $1.375 million deal to serve as the South Siders’ primary utility infielder.
Just one problem exists in this deal, which figures to stand as a boon for the White Sox playoff cause. Vizquel wears jersey No. 13 and so does White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, which means Vizquel won’t be wearing No. 13 in Chicago.
“Omar is not going to have enough money to pay for the number,” said Guillen with a laugh, discussing the Vizquel signing during a late afternoon conference call. “I already collect watches. I have two cars, and the car I really want, I don’t think he’s going to buy.”
Source: Chicago White Sox
Zack Greinke Wins A.L. Cy Young Award
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 | Cy Young Award, Kansas City Royals, MLB, Sports | No Comments
Zack Greinke is your 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner. It is a bittersweet award win for Greinke because he would rather be out of the spotlight than directly in it. You see Greinke led the American League in losses (17) in 2005 and he took time off from the sport the following season after he was diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder that hampered his ability to perform in public. His statements after he was informed that he had been named the Cy Young Award winner demonstrate his reluctancy to be in the public spotlight: “A lot of stuff going on today when I usually just like doing nothing. But just part of life… Back in Orlando, I haven’t really got a whole lot of attention from people, which has been nice. So I hope it doesn’t get that way, where everyone if like, ‘Oh, hey, Zack, hi.’” Greinke acknowledges that he would rather stay anonymous and not always be referred to as a Cy Young Award winner, so “in that way, it’s kind of like a negative for me.” But he understands that he will have to deal with it. “I really don’t like having a bunch of attention, so even if I did see myself in that light, I don’t do anything about it. I’m real uncomfortable doing stuff like that, to be around people and doing stuff like that.”
As for his numbers, the voters gave the award to Greinke even though he did not have the most wins in the AL. He led the AL with an unbelievably low 2.16 ERA. Greinke racked up a career high 242 strikeouts – 2nd most in the American League behind Justin Verlander (see below). His ERA was the lowest for a starting pitcher since Pedro Martinez finished with a 1.74 ERA in 2000. Greinke received 25 of 28 1st place votes and 3 2nd place votes, good for a total of 134 points. At 16-8, Greinke probably would have had a lot more wins if he didn’t play for a team that won just 65 games all season long. In Greinke’s 8 losses, the Royals scored just 13 runs and in his 9 no decisions, the Royals scored just 21 runs in support of Greinke. There were 6 times during the season that he allowed 1 run or less in an outing and did not qualify for a win.
Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners finished in 2nd place in the voting (2 1st place votes, 23 2nd place votes and 1 3rd place vote for a total of 80 points). Hernandez went 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA. Any other year, Hernandez would have likely won the award.
Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers finished in 3rd place. Verlander led the American League in strikeouts with 269 K’s and was tied for the American League in wins with Hernandez and CC Sabathia with 19 wins.
6 other pitchers had more wins than Greinke – Hernandez, Verlander and Sabathia each had 19 wins, while Roy Halladay, Josh Beckett and Scott Feldman each finished with 17 wins on the year. Joe Saunders and Jered weaver of the Angels matched Greinke’s 16 wins.
Congrats Zack – you deserve to be recognized for your achievement, and whether you like it or not, you will serve as a great example to those out their that suffer from similar anxiety issues that you can overcome.
What is going on with Sammy Sosa
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 | MLB | No Comments
Some new photos of Sammy Sosa are out and people are starting to ask what is going on with his skin? Does the former Cub have the same condition that Michale Jackson has, according to Sosa his health is fine. You can decide.
Matsui, Pettitte Lead Yankees to World Series Title
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Pedro Martinez just couldn’t get Hideki Matsui out on Wednesday night. In the 2nd inning, Matsui gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead with a 2-run HR off of Pedro. In the 3rd inning, Matsui extended the Yankees lead to 4-1 with a 2-run single off of Martinez. Matsui capped off his amazing night – this time against Phillies lefty J.A. Happ – with a 2-run double that blew the game open in the 5th inning. After Matsui’s 3rd crushing blow of the night, the Yankees led 7-1 and they would cruise to an easy 7-3 victory in World Series Game 6. The win clinched the 27th World Series Championship for the storied franchise.
For his efforts, Matsui was named the World Series MVP – even though he only started in 3 of the 6 games played. Matsui finished the series with 8 hits in 13 at-bats, with 8 RBI’s and 3 runs scored, including 3 homers. His phenomenal Game 6 performance clinched it – no other player had ever had 6 RBI’s in a single World Series game.
Although Andy Pettitte did not have his best stuff – 3 ER on 4 hits and 5 walks in 5 2/3 inning – Pettitte worked out of jams and avoided the big inning that allowed the Yankees to keep extending the lead as the night progressed. It was Pettitte’s 18th career post-season win and his 6th win to end a playoff series – both major league records. Shockingly, Pettitte also started and won the game-clinching game in each of the Yankees series’ wins this October/November – against the Twins, Angels and Phillies. No other player has ever done that in MLB history.
Mariano Rivera – what can you say. Although he did not get a save on Wednesday night, he did get the final 5 Phillies outs of the game. He came in with 1-out in the 8th inning and gave up a double in that inning and a harmless walk in the 9th inning. For the series, Rivera appeared in 4 of 6 games – 5 1/3 innings pitched, 0 ER, 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 K’s. Rivera allowed just 1 ER in his 12 2009 post-season appearances. For his career, in 88 post-season appearances, he has allowed more than 1 run in a game only once! Pretty amazing.
Congrats to the Yankees – as much as it pains me to say. The happiest/luckiest guy around is Manager Joe Girardi. If the Yankees had not won, or if had gone to a Game 7 where CC Sabathia would have had to pitch on 3 days’ rest, Girardi could have been on the hot seat for his moves. Now that they’ve won, he gets a reprieve and looks like a genius for “knowing his players and their limitations.” Girardi – a 3-time World Series winner as a Yankee player – had this to say about the accomplishment – “To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere he has created around here is very gratifying for all of us.”
Bad night in NY for the phillies
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | MLB | No Comments
The Phillies had to take a bus back to their NY hotel last night after losing the game to the Yankees. To make things worse there are no fans around to make the team feel any better. Don’t know about you but I would not want to stay in NY after losing the World Series.
Yankees Win
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | MLB | No Comments
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| N.Y. Yankees « | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | x | 7 | 8 | 0 |
W: A. Pettitte (4-0) L: P. Martinez (0-2)
HR: PHI – R. Howard (3) NYY – H. Matsui (4)
World Series Game 6 – Pedro Martinez, Phillies @ Andy Pettitte, Yankees
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Can’t wait for World Series Game 6 tonight in the Bronx. Should be a blast to watch.
Can’t believe that Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte are going to duke it out on the main stage. The 2 pitchers have faced each other 6 times in their careers, but never in the post-season. In those 6 games, each pitcher has won 3 times and lost 3 times. The visiting team has won each game (advantage Phillies) and Pedro has a better ERA in those games – 3.86 to 5.88. Pedro has pitched better than Andy in this World Series. In Game 2, Martinez worked 6 innings, giving up 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 (he took the loss against A.J. Burnett). In Game 3, Pettitte worked 6 innings, giving up 4 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7 (he got the win against Cole Hamels). Further, Pettitte does not pitch well on 3 days’ rest – in 18 career starts on 3 days’ rest, Pettitte is 5-7 with a 4.18 ERA. Pettitte has pitched well this post-season, however – 3-0 in 4 starts with a 3.24 ERA.
Plus – you gotta love the quotes from the 2 starters – -
Pedro: “Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it. I don’t have enough words to describe how excited I am about being here. This is just a great gift to me.”
Andy: “I think everybody knew it was going to be a great Series. I think everybody knew it was going to be a tough Series. And it looks like it’s living up to that.”
Fasten your seat belts baseball fans. It should be a fun, but bumpy ride tonight in the Bronx…
Utley, Lee Force Series Back to New York: Phillies 8, Yankees 6
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, especially when a loss sends you home for a long winter break…
The Phillies defeated the Yankees on Monday night, forcing the World Series back to the Bronx for a Game 6 on Wednesday night at the New Yankee Stadium. Cliff Lee rose to the challenge and picked up his 2nd win of the Series. After giving up a single run in the 1st inning on an Alex Rodriguez double, Lee held the Yankees scoreless until Johnny Damon’s RBI groundout in the 5th inning. By that time, the Phillies led 6-2 and looked like they were going to cruise to victory. But Lee gave up hits to the 1st 3 batters he faced in the 8th inning, and Manager Charlie Manuel was forced to go to his troubled bullpen after A-Rod crushed Lee’s 112th pitch for a 2-run double that cut the lead to 8-4. But Chan Ho Park rose to the challenge, getting the next 3 outs and limiting the threat to just 1 more run. Manuel then opted to go with Ryan Madsen instead of closer Brad Lidge in the 9th inning. After a double and single to start the inning brought the tying run to the plate, Madsend induced Derek Jeter to hit into a run-scoring double play. Johnny Damon singled to prolong the inning, but Madsen rallied to end the game by striking out Mark Teixeira. You’d hate to see what will happen if the Phillies have a 1-run lead heading into the 9th inning. Given how Lidge and Madsen have pitched thus far, you might just want to leave your starter in the game.
Lee ended up with a ho-hum night – 7 innings pitched, 5 ER, 7 hits, 3 walks and 3 K’s. It was only a matter of time before the Yankees middle of the lineup got to him. But he did what he had to do to keep the series going. And given the way Cole Hamels has pitched this post-season, if the Phillies had not acquired Lee from the Indians mid-season, we might be looking at a different National League representative in the World Series.
The other big story – Chase Utley – can’t believe it took me this long to get to him. Utley answered A-Rod’s 1st inning double with a 3-run home run of his own to stake the Phillies to a 3-1 lead. He also hit a solo home run in the 7th inning that extended the Phillies lead to 7-2. On the night, Utley went 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 home runs, 4 RBI’s and 3 runs scored. Utley is hitting .333, with 5 home runs, 8 RBI’s and 6 runs scored for the Series. Utley and former Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson are the only 2 players to ever hit 5 home runs in a single World Series. If the Phillies somehow come back and win this World Series, he and Lee will be sharing the MVP trophy.
What it all boils down to – Game 6 – Andy Pettitte on 3 days’ rest v. Pedro Martinez on full 4 days’ rest. Pettitte gave up 4 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks in Saturday night’s World Series win, but he does not have a good history of pitching on 3 days’ rest. Martinez pitched as well as could be expected of him in Game 2 in New York last week. Although he took the loss – 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 inning – he lost to the better pitcher that night – A.J. Burnett. Could Martinez outduel Pettitte? You betcha…
Should be fun to watch, especially if the Phillies can force a Game 7. Sabathia is definitely going for the Yankees, but who will get the shot at glory for the Phillies – Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Lee? Ah the suspense…
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