It was only a couple of weeks ago there were over 20 teams still with a plausible argument for being in playoff contention, but right now it’s down to 17 and that’s being generous. With football training camps beginning for colleges and the NFL it’s nice to know I only have to pay attention to half the teams now to know who will still be playing into October.
Game of the Day: Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Rays, 4pm Tropicana Field- The field of contenders could drop even more if the Red Sox have truly righted the ship after stumbling into their post all star schedule. They are now just a half game behind the Yankees in the AL East, while the Rays are hanging on for dear life five behind the Sox. With the addition of Victor Martinez at the deadline by Theo Epstein, Boston could force Tampa to start thinking about next year with a sweep.
Player of the Day: Portland Trailblazers Fans- The NBA released it’s 2009-2010 schedule today and it appears the league and it’s TV partners all expect your Blazers to be among the best this year with 17 nationally televised games; 10 on ESPN, 6 on TNT and a Sunday afternoon affair on ABC against the Lakers April 11th. This has nothing to do with the Greg Oden fascination, the team has earned the attention with its development last season. Now they need to show they can play on ABC in May and June.
A great night at PGE Park last night, but a 0-0 draw with Puerto Rico just left everyone antsy. Hopefully, they can find the back of the net Saturday night when Burnley FC takes the pitch in a friendly. The US youngsters play Sunday for a third consecutive US Gold Cup and NFL training camps finally open up.
Interview of the Day: David Hayes, D Portland Timbers- I had a chance to catch up with the reigning USL 1st Division player of the week to get his perception of playing in Portland, their unbeaten streak and the prospects of getting back to the MLS with a franchise on its way to Soccer City.
Player of the Day: Mark Buehrle, P Chicago White Sox- You throw a perfect game, there’s a good bet you’ll end up being recognized. But when you do something only Sandy Koufax and Cy Young have done that tends to get people’s attention. They are the only pitchers to throw multiple no hitters with one being a perfect game and win a world series. Maybe he doesn’t strike everyone out, but ask Nolan Ryan if he’d like to have Buehrle’s resume and see what he says.
Game of the Weekend: Tour de France stage 20, Mont Ventoux- Only Alp D’uez rivals the mystique of the climb up this bald mountain top in tour lore. While no one believes Alberto Contador will be caught with over a four minute lead, the big race will be between Lance Armstrong, teammate Adreas Kloden and the Schleck brothers Frank and Andy with team Saxo Bank. While Lance has been saying all the right things to the media, make no mistake he will become a giant red ass if he doesn’t find himself on the podium in France on Sunday.
With nearly a hundred games in the books, it seems like the Mariners have been a five games out the entire season, and I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Certainly, finishing over .500 will be an achievement with a new GM, new Manager, and several roster changes, but are the really in it this year. Let’s face it, this franchise has only been to the post season a handful of times, so any opportunity to get there shouldn’t be squandered, but I just can’t be convinced they are one move away from making a run at the Angels. As for today, I hope to see you all down at PGE Park for the Timbers match…
Game of the Day: Puerto Rico Islanders @ Portland Timbers, PGE Park 7pm- A great week of footy both in town and on the tele. But this match speaks for itself, as the Timbers put their 16 match unbeaten streak on the line with the winner taking sole possession of first place in the USL standings. Plus, a prelude to Saturday’s match against Burnley FC which will play in the Premier League this year. It’s going to be too hot to be indoors anyway, so just come down and enjoy a spirited match.
Player of the Day: Felix Hernandez, P Seattle Mariners- The bats arrived just in time to give King Felix his 7th win in his last 11 starts, proving that the young Venezuelan has finally arrived as a consistent ace for the Mariners staff. Gone is the moodiness, and overractions to poor outings. Felix finally knows he is a dominant pitcher and has taken command of his demeanor on the mound which translates to a combination of confidence and arrogance that you want in an ace. Now, if he can only get some runs in the first couple innings so he doesn’t have to sweat so much.
As I enjoyed my free preview week of the Extra Innings MLB package last night, including my Dodgers sticking it to the Reds for the 10th straight time at Chavez Ravine, I found myself finally captivated by what’s going on. The crazy game in Oakland, sorry Twins…don’t blow a ten run lead and you won’t have to worry about one of the worst calls to decide a game in recent memory. (more instant replay please) Quick, name the Wild Card leader in the National League…OK, name the winningist pitcher in the National League…still…nothing. And the Roy Halladay sweepstakes are ramping up, please Mr. McCourt let’s not be cheap this week for the sake of all Dodger fans who are still holding on to 1988.
Game of the Day: Chelsea v. Inter Milan, Rose Bowl 8pm ESPN2- Yes, I am still the champion of all sports on the fringe around here, but if you have taken in a little more Timbers than the past, maybe caught a bit of the Sounders and the MLS, tonight you will see the very best European Football has to offer. Chelsea from the Premiere League and the League Champions of Italy’s Serie A, Inter Milan. More exchanges like this will help the popularity of soccer in the US than anything else.
Team of the Day: Colorado Rockies- Who knew the Rockies are in the lead right now for the National League Wild Card. They are 33-14 since Clint Hurdle was fired and Jim Tracy was named manager. Jason Marquis leads the National League with 12 victories, and the team has a winning record on the road which so often has been the downfall of Rockies clubs who count on the elevation to inflate their offensive numbers then can’t duplicate them at sea level. We know this club went on it’s magical run a few years ago, but even more amazing than that is the possibility they could produce a Cy Young winner. Ponder That!
Odd summer for sports fans…the Blazers can’t seem to make an off season move to boost fans morale and expectations for the season, Tom Watson came 8 feet from one of the best and most improbable sports stories of the last decade, Lance Armstrong has come back to the Tour de France, only to be a support guy for his teammate, and the City of Portland can’t seem to get it’s act together to improve the fan experience for it’s 2nd and 3rd highest profile franchises.
Gin and Tonic please…it’s like going home at 10:30pm from Prom night. Can I just get a payoff from something in sports this year.
Game of the Day: Chicago Cubs @ Philadelphia Phillies, 4pm ESPN- It appears the Cubs have finally figured out they have the most talent in NL Central having crept to within two games of the Cardinals in the standings. We get to find out this week if they will be a serious contender down the stretch or not. The Phillies meanwhile are trying to do whatever it takes to bring Roy Halladay to town and cement themselves as the NL favorite, and potentially repeat as World Series Champions. Oh by the way, the Phils are riding an 8 game winning streak as well.
Player of the Day: Stewart Cink, British Open Champion- Amidst all the furor over Tom Watson’s near fairy tale ending at Turnberry over the weekend, let’s not forget what Cink accomplished. On a day when everyone who seemingly grabbed a piece of the lead at some point let it slip through their grasp, Cink birdied 18 not once but twice to take the Claret Jug rather than falling backwards into it.
I hope that those golf fans who didn’t know the sport existed prior to Tiger Woods take some time this weekend to study Tom Watson, and understand how good he was, and still is. But he isn’t the only athlete turning back the clock this week…
Game of the Weekend:The British Open, ABC Sat and Sun- The oddest of the four majors, the British Open played this week at Turnberry in the birthplace of golf shouldn’t be diminished by the absence of Tiger Woods on the weekend. Yes, it’s the crack of dawn on the weekend, but it’s too hot to sleep this weekend anyway, and it is the sparsest weekend of sports the entire year, so just get yourself some Starbucks, enjoy the sunrise, and enjoy links style golf and the imagination that is so often unnecessary in the modern game. Oh, and if ABC has any juice, I would love to have Tiger in the booth explaining the course during the final rounds.
Player of the Day: Jamie Moyer, P Philadelphia Phillies- Speaking of turning back the clock did anyone catch what the soft tossing 46 year old lefty did to the Marlins last night. Certainly they were hitting the change ups and curveballs. He went 7 innings allowing a single hit and a walk, becoming the oldest pitcher to go that far in a game and surrender that few hits in major league history. That includes Warren Spahn and Satchel Paige. Somewhere Digger Phelps is smiling.
Last year it was Greg Norman reviving the Great White Shark act at Royal Birkdale, this year it’s Tom Watson in the way back machine stirring memories of his Duel in the Sun in 1977 holding off Jack Nicklaus by one shot on the very same course to claim another claret jug. Let’s hope the weather stays somewhere between calm and benign to allow this great champion a chance to make history. Oh yeah, and baseball season resumes this evening.
Game of the Day: Philadelphia Phillies @ Florida Marlins, 4pm- Want to know if the young Marlins are for real this year or not? Here’s a great way to gauge their viability coming off the all star break. After a very slow start the fish have caught fire of late and have streaked to within four games of the defending World Series champions and have a chance to make a statement before the trading deadline. If any team is going to threaten the Phils down the stretch most believe it to be the Marlins.
Player of the Day: Tom Watson- What a show the 59 year old Watson put on this morning in round 1 of the British Open. Five birdies without a bogey on the same course he beat Jack Nicklaus at 32 years ago for one of his five Open titles. When it comes to underappreciated and overshadowed champions you have to Watson at the top of the list. Oh, how we wish we could transport him back in time to go at Tiger the way he went at Jack for all those years. I hope this isn’t just a one round trick.
All in all a fine night of pomp and circumstance in St. Louis as the American League once again was just a little more clutch than the National League. However, if you want exhibit whatever why the homefield advantage for the World Series should not be determined by this exhibition, I offer Tim Wakefield. At 42, Wakefield gets his first all star appearance, only it wasn’t as the knuckleballer was the one pitcher reserved in case the game went into extra innings. Really, dude pitches for 20 years in the bigs finally gets recognized and you can’t find 3 outs for him to get. I am sure Tim will not complain one bit, and will recount stories of being the oldest All-Star rookie since Satchel Paige, and that it was just great to be there, etc. etc. etc. Nonsense, he should have been out there against Pujols, David Wright and the rest baffling them with his dancing pitch.
Game of the Day: AAA All-Star game, PGE Park 7:00pm ESPN2- From all accounts it has been quite a show at PGE Park the last few nights as we crescendo to tonight’s finale. I am looking forward to it, seeing in person and once again proving that Portlanders love an event. Did you see the five thousand people in Pioneer Courthouse Square at 1am last night for David Chappell? Now, hopefully the game will present something memorable to live up to all the hype.
Player of the Day: Mark Cavendish, Team Columbia HTC- I know I’m not the only one watching the Tour de France every morning for three weeks this month, as while most of the general sports watching public is waiting for Lance Armstrong to take over the yellow jersey, I am continually amazed by what this young little Brit has accomplished. Winning his fourth tour stage already this year after winning four last year. Normally, you think of sprinters as the biggest of the riders, Mario Cippolini for instance, but at 5′5″ amd 154 pounds this kid has a burst in the finall 300 meters that no one can seem to touch.
It is the all star game, but can it still be considered the mid-summer classic? The reason it used to be so anticipated in my youth was the fact that the National League and American League were truly antagonists. They operated independently for the most part. Each had their own umpires, rules and presidents. No interleague play, and free agency really hadn’t kicked in yet. And if you were a fan of a particular team, you were also a fan of that specific league. That attitude just doesn’t exist today. I do enjoy watching the best pitchers against the best hitters, but the final score doesn’t matter to me as much, even if it “counts” now. The AL hasn’t lost in the last eleven of these but the NL has won three of the last six World Series so who cares.
Game of the Day: 2009 MLB All-Star Game, 4:45pm 1080 The FAN- basically, it’s the only thing going on so of course it’s the game of the day. Things to watch, Tim Wakefield at age 42 making his All-Star debut. I hope he gets to go a few innings. Can the NL finally get a win, they were an inning away last year. Will President Obama through a heater or give Pujols the duece? Will Bud Selig find yet another way to trip over himself, demonstrating how out of touch with mainstream society he truly is?
Player of the Day: Kevin Taylor, Sunset High School- With the AAA All-Star Game in town this week we are paying attention to something that normally goes unnoticed. But a nice touch by the organizers for giving it a local feel including local high school players in the home run derby. However, they aren’t supposed to show up the Pros and bang taters off the MAC Club balcony. Think the head baseball coach at Western Nevada College wasn’t drooling over that display last night. Hopefully they caught some of that on tape for the ESPN2 broadcast of the All-Star game tomorrow night.
I’m not being a Dodger homer here, the entire episode last night with Manny Ramirez getting tossed had to do with umpire John Hirschbeck having a giant ego. Both times he rung up Manny were on pitches that were 3-5 inches off the plate. Manny has one of the best eyes in the game which has made him such a dominant hitter over the years, juice or no juice. No single official in any sport has as much influence over the outcome of a single game than the home plate umpire in a baseball game, and with all of camera angles and technology used in broadcasting games there is no excuse for umpires consistently exerting their interpretation of the strike zone over the one in the rule book. You don’t want be shown up, quit making egregious calls behind the plate.
Anyway, is anyone buying the sandbag job going on by Lance Armstrong in this Tour de France. I was curious to see if he still had it or was just going to be part of the team helping Alberto Contador or Levi Leipheimer win a yellow jersey, with no time bonuses this year and a mountain stage on the second to last day of the tour, I can’t believe he’ll be beat barring some sort of crash happening on the course.
Game of the Day: NBA Free Agency- Let’s face it there is nothing that hot on the MLB schedule, so the biggest games going on are amongst NBA GM’s trying to keep up with the Jones’. Or the Lakers and Cavaliers. The biggest question for Blazers fans is whether there are any chairs left for Kevin Pritchard before the music runs stops playing.
Player of the Day: Lance Armstrong- If he wins an 8th yellow jersey after a 3 year absence at the age of 37 I don’t quite know if I will have the words to describe it. Doping allegations or no, you don’t just show up in France in July after three years off and suffering the first major injury of your career (on a bike) and immediately vault to the top of the GC tote board.
