The Braves lost another one-run game last night to the Pirates, 3-2. Tom Glavine (7 ip, 2 runs) and Ian Snell (7 ip, 1 run) both pitched well, but the Braves bullpen gave up a run in the ninth on a Freddy Sanchez single with two outs. The bullpen is now 3-7 for the season with only 5 saves. The Braves are now 1-10 in one-run games and 4-12 on the road. Brian McCann had 3 hits for the Braves, Jeff Francouer drove in both of the runs with a fielder's choice in the sixth and a single in the eighth. The teams play tonight at 7pm. Chuck James goes to the hill for the Braves. Tom Gorzelanny will pitch for the Pirates.
Ball State's baseball game against Northern Illinois was postponed yesterday and will be made up as part of a double-header on Saturday starting at 1pm.
The Ball State softball team was one swing away from making it to the championship game of the MAC tourney. In the first game, Abby Gross was 3 for 3 as the Cardinals eliminated Akron from the tourney, 5-4. In the second game, Ball State had a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning against #1 seed Kent State. In the bottom of the fifth, the bases were loaded with one out when Kent State's clean-up hitter hit a grand slam. The Cardinals lost the game 6-3 and were eliminated from the tourney. The Cardnials were 35-30 on the season.
I don't have an update on the Brownsburg/Plainfield baseball game from yesterday. When I do find more info, I will post it here.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Braves win a one-run game!!!
The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres yesterday afternoon, 5-4. Matt Diaz drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with a bases loaded single. For a while, it looked like it was going to be a bad day for the Braves. Jo-Jo Reyes started for Atlanta, but came out after 2-2/3 innings due to a blister on his finger. He was relieved by Buddy Carlyle, who came out after 2 innings because of a strained muscle in his neck. The Braves used 7 pitchers in the game, causing more stress on an already overworked bullpen. The Padres led 4-1 after 5 innings, but the Braves kept chipping away. Greg Norton had a two-run single in the 6th, and a wild pitch scored Yunel Escobar in the 7th to tie the score. Escobar scored 3 runs in the game. Norton is 2-3 with 3 RBI since being traded from Seattle on Monday. Atlanta has now won 6 straight games and are 1.5 games behind in the NL East. They are now 1-9 in one-run games.
Ball State baseball has a very important weekend series with Northern Illinois starting today. BSU, Northern Illinois, and Eastern Michigan are all within one game of each other for the lead in the MAC West division.
The Ball State softball team lost to Bowling Green in the MAC tourney yesterday. They play 8th seeded Akron at 11am today. If they win that game, they will play the number one seed Kent State at 5pm. If they win both games, they will play in the championship game on Saturday. Go Cards!!!
Brownsburg's baseball team plays at Plainfield tonight, if the rain stays away.
Ball State baseball has a very important weekend series with Northern Illinois starting today. BSU, Northern Illinois, and Eastern Michigan are all within one game of each other for the lead in the MAC West division.
The Ball State softball team lost to Bowling Green in the MAC tourney yesterday. They play 8th seeded Akron at 11am today. If they win that game, they will play the number one seed Kent State at 5pm. If they win both games, they will play in the championship game on Saturday. Go Cards!!!
Brownsburg's baseball team plays at Plainfield tonight, if the rain stays away.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'....
The Atlanta Braves scored three runs in the seventh inning to beat the San Diego Padres 5-2. Newly-acquired Greg Norton had a bases-loaded single in the seventh. Kelly Johnson had a sac fly RBI and Yunel Escobar singled to drive in the third run. Brian McCann had 3 hits, while Escobar and Chipper Jones had 2 hits each. Jones still leads the NL in batting average by 60+ points over LA's Rafael Furcal (.429 to .366). Tim Hudson gave up 2 runs in seven innings for his fifth win of the season. Blaine Boyer, Will Ohman, and Manny Acosta threw the other two innings without giving up a run. Bobby Cox was ejected in the second inning for arguing a balk that allowed a San Diego run to score. The ejection was Cox's second of the season and 137th of his career. The teams finish their three game series today a 1pm. Jo-Jo Reyes makes his second start for the Braves this season, his opponent will be Wilfredo Ledezma. The Braves have won 5 straight games and are 1.5 games behind in the NL East.
The Ball State baseball team is off until Friday, so let's talk a little about the BSU softball team. The softball team qualified for the MAC tournament for the first time in 5 years. They are the 7th seed in the 8 team double-elimination tourney. They beat the #2 seed Central Michigan 3-2 in the first round of the tourney on Wednesday. The Cards play the #3 seed Bowling Green at 5pm today. Good luck Lady Cardinals!!!
The Brownsburg baseball team shook off a tough loss to Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday with a 10-run rule win on Wednesday. Tucker Barnhart hit his 4th and 5th home runs of the season and Kevin Blessinger added his second homer of the year to help the Dogs beat Jeff 11-1 in 5 innings. Mark Conover got the win for the Bulldogs, he struck out 9 batters and is now 6-1 on the mound. Jake Houston had two doubles and two RBI. Barnhart and Alex McGowan also had 2 RBI. The Dogs go to Plainfield on Friday for a 530p game. Next week, the Dogs have conference home/home series with Harrison and Zionsville. Brownsburg is 16-3 overall, and 9-3 in the HCC. Noblesville is one game ahead of BBurg with a 10-2 conference record.
The Ball State baseball team is off until Friday, so let's talk a little about the BSU softball team. The softball team qualified for the MAC tournament for the first time in 5 years. They are the 7th seed in the 8 team double-elimination tourney. They beat the #2 seed Central Michigan 3-2 in the first round of the tourney on Wednesday. The Cards play the #3 seed Bowling Green at 5pm today. Good luck Lady Cardinals!!!
The Brownsburg baseball team shook off a tough loss to Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday with a 10-run rule win on Wednesday. Tucker Barnhart hit his 4th and 5th home runs of the season and Kevin Blessinger added his second homer of the year to help the Dogs beat Jeff 11-1 in 5 innings. Mark Conover got the win for the Bulldogs, he struck out 9 batters and is now 6-1 on the mound. Jake Houston had two doubles and two RBI. Barnhart and Alex McGowan also had 2 RBI. The Dogs go to Plainfield on Friday for a 530p game. Next week, the Dogs have conference home/home series with Harrison and Zionsville. Brownsburg is 16-3 overall, and 9-3 in the HCC. Noblesville is one game ahead of BBurg with a 10-2 conference record.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Go home Hillary!
As predicted, Barack Obama won the North Carolina primary yesterday and Hillary Clinton won Indiana. But, Clinton's margin of victory in Indiana was only 2 points 51%-49%. This leaves Clinton with a slim chance of winning the nomination. There are only 6 primaries remaining with a total of 217 delegates. Predicting Obama will win Montana and South Dakota (55-45) and Clinton wins the other four states (also 55-45), she would have to have 75% of the remaining 277 uncommitted super-delegates on her side to lead Obama going into the convention. I don't see 208 super-delegates intentionally dividing the party just so Clinton can get the nomination. Hillary just needs to stop campaigning and go back to New York and Washington DC and be a senator. It would be better for the party, better for her, and better for the nation.
The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-3. Jair Jurrjens pitched 6 innings, only giving up 1 run. He had 8 K's and is 4-2 on the season. Yunel Escobar and Mark Kotsay had 2 hits each. Kotsay and Chipper Jones each had a home run. Mark Teixeira was 0-4 and left 5 men on base, continuing to slump in the clean-up spot in the order. The bullpen is still struggling. Will Ohman gave up two runs in his inning of work, but the rest of the bullpen held the Padres scoreless over the last two innings. Closer Rafael Soriano had pain in his elbow yesterday and will probably not come off the DL as scheduled. Pete Moylan may have season-ending elbow surgery, thus losing another bullpen arm. From what I have been reading, John Smoltz may return to the closer role when he comes back from the DL. The problem is that the starting pitching is only going 5.5 innings per game. This leaves a great strain on the bullpen, which is shown by the two elbow injuries on Soriano and Moylan. Maybe Smoltz will help solidify the bullpen and as the season goes on the starting rotation could possibly throw one more inning per game to relieve some of the stress on the bullpen.
Ball State hosted #19 Michigan yesterday. Michigan came out strong, leading 9-0 after three innings and winning easily 15-8. The Wolverines scored 4 in the first inning off of Brendan Stines. Stines only recorded one out before being replaced and is now 3-3. The Cardinals used 9 pitchers in the game. Matt Stokelen led the BSU attack with 3 hits, 3 RBI, and his fifth homer of the season. Mark Isenberg had two hits after taking over in right field in the sixth inning. Ball State is 26-18 and hosts Northern Illinois for a three-game series this weekend.
The Brownsburg Bulldogs lost a heart breaker to Lafayette Jeff last night, 6-5. The Dogs led 5-4 going into the bottom of the seventh, but Jeff got two runs off of pitcher Tucker Barnhart to eek out the victory. Curtis Drake had 3 hits for the Bulldogs, while Alex McGowan and Mark Conover had 2 hits a piece. McGowan had 2 RBI to lead the team. The Dogs host Jeff tonight in the final game of the home and home series. Brownsburg is 15-3 overall, and 8-3 in the HCC, tied for second with Jeff. Noblesville leads the conference with a 10-2 record.
The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres 5-3. Jair Jurrjens pitched 6 innings, only giving up 1 run. He had 8 K's and is 4-2 on the season. Yunel Escobar and Mark Kotsay had 2 hits each. Kotsay and Chipper Jones each had a home run. Mark Teixeira was 0-4 and left 5 men on base, continuing to slump in the clean-up spot in the order. The bullpen is still struggling. Will Ohman gave up two runs in his inning of work, but the rest of the bullpen held the Padres scoreless over the last two innings. Closer Rafael Soriano had pain in his elbow yesterday and will probably not come off the DL as scheduled. Pete Moylan may have season-ending elbow surgery, thus losing another bullpen arm. From what I have been reading, John Smoltz may return to the closer role when he comes back from the DL. The problem is that the starting pitching is only going 5.5 innings per game. This leaves a great strain on the bullpen, which is shown by the two elbow injuries on Soriano and Moylan. Maybe Smoltz will help solidify the bullpen and as the season goes on the starting rotation could possibly throw one more inning per game to relieve some of the stress on the bullpen.
Ball State hosted #19 Michigan yesterday. Michigan came out strong, leading 9-0 after three innings and winning easily 15-8. The Wolverines scored 4 in the first inning off of Brendan Stines. Stines only recorded one out before being replaced and is now 3-3. The Cardinals used 9 pitchers in the game. Matt Stokelen led the BSU attack with 3 hits, 3 RBI, and his fifth homer of the season. Mark Isenberg had two hits after taking over in right field in the sixth inning. Ball State is 26-18 and hosts Northern Illinois for a three-game series this weekend.
The Brownsburg Bulldogs lost a heart breaker to Lafayette Jeff last night, 6-5. The Dogs led 5-4 going into the bottom of the seventh, but Jeff got two runs off of pitcher Tucker Barnhart to eek out the victory. Curtis Drake had 3 hits for the Bulldogs, while Alex McGowan and Mark Conover had 2 hits a piece. McGowan had 2 RBI to lead the team. The Dogs host Jeff tonight in the final game of the home and home series. Brownsburg is 15-3 overall, and 8-3 in the HCC, tied for second with Jeff. Noblesville leads the conference with a 10-2 record.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Obama/Clinton - Indiana primary is important for the first time
The Braves, Ball State, and Brownsburg did not have games yesterday. I'll return with some baseball talk tomorrow. Today, we talk about the Democratic primaries in North Carolina and Indiana.
I have lived in Indiana all my life and I've been voting since 1994. This is the first time that I can remember the Indiana primary having any significance at all. Usually, by this time in the primary cycle the nominees for both parties have been decided. That is not the case on the Democratic side this year. Well, it actually HAS been decided, but Hillary Clinton doesn't realize that she can't win the nomination.
Let's assume that Obama wins NC today 55-45, and Clinton wins Indiana 55-45. According to CNN's delegate counter, Obama would be leading by 150 delegates after today. After today, there are only 217 pledged delegates remaining, meaning Clinton would have to win almost 70 percent of those remaining delegates. Even in Clinton wins both primaries today 55-45, she would still be behind by 120 delegates, meaning she would need to win the remaining 6 primaries by a 60-40 margin. Also, considering that Montana and South Dakota are solid Obama states, that leaves the toss-up states of Oregon, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Giving Obama the wins in Montana and South Dakota and Clinton the other four states, still leaves Obama with a 121 delegate lead. According to CNN, there are 277 super-delegates that have not committed to a candidate. If Obama still leads at the end of the primaries, I don't think that Clinton would sway 200 of those 277 super-delegates to support her if she is not in the lead at that point.
Even if we use the actual results from Florida (the republican leaders in that state screwed the Democrats) and Michigan (that's our own party's fault) and we still use the assumptions above for the rest of the primaries, Clinton only gains 60 delegates over Obama. She would still be behind by 61 delegates and would need 170 of the 277 super-delegates to back the candidate that would not be leading at that point.
I am voting for Barack Obama today because he is the best candidate of the two. He is trying to unite the people for change in this nation, as opposed to dividing the party trying to fight a losing battle. After 8 years with a questionable president that the people didn't even vote for, I think we need a change.
I have lived in Indiana all my life and I've been voting since 1994. This is the first time that I can remember the Indiana primary having any significance at all. Usually, by this time in the primary cycle the nominees for both parties have been decided. That is not the case on the Democratic side this year. Well, it actually HAS been decided, but Hillary Clinton doesn't realize that she can't win the nomination.
Let's assume that Obama wins NC today 55-45, and Clinton wins Indiana 55-45. According to CNN's delegate counter, Obama would be leading by 150 delegates after today. After today, there are only 217 pledged delegates remaining, meaning Clinton would have to win almost 70 percent of those remaining delegates. Even in Clinton wins both primaries today 55-45, she would still be behind by 120 delegates, meaning she would need to win the remaining 6 primaries by a 60-40 margin. Also, considering that Montana and South Dakota are solid Obama states, that leaves the toss-up states of Oregon, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Giving Obama the wins in Montana and South Dakota and Clinton the other four states, still leaves Obama with a 121 delegate lead. According to CNN, there are 277 super-delegates that have not committed to a candidate. If Obama still leads at the end of the primaries, I don't think that Clinton would sway 200 of those 277 super-delegates to support her if she is not in the lead at that point.
Even if we use the actual results from Florida (the republican leaders in that state screwed the Democrats) and Michigan (that's our own party's fault) and we still use the assumptions above for the rest of the primaries, Clinton only gains 60 delegates over Obama. She would still be behind by 61 delegates and would need 170 of the 277 super-delegates to back the candidate that would not be leading at that point.
I am voting for Barack Obama today because he is the best candidate of the two. He is trying to unite the people for change in this nation, as opposed to dividing the party trying to fight a losing battle. After 8 years with a questionable president that the people didn't even vote for, I think we need a change.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Scoring double-digit runs will win most ballgames
The Atlanta Braves scored two touchdowns, I mean 14 runs, against the Reds yesterday afternoon. They won 14-7. The Braves scored 7 runs in the second inning to lead 7-0, but the Reds cut that lead to 8-6 in the top of the 4th. However, Atlanta scored 4 runs in the bottom of the fourth to put the game away. Kelly Johnson led the Braves attack with 4 hits. Mark Kotsay and Chipper Jones had 3 hits each. Jones had 5 RBI. Tom Glavine was shaky on the mound, giving up 6 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. The bullpen was strong again on Sunday, only allowing 1 earned run in 4 1/3 innings. The Braves have their third off day in the last 8 days today, then host San Diego for a three game series on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Ball State won the rubber game of their series with Eastern Michigan, 12-4. Justin Rogers and Alex Schmid each had 3 hits. Zach Dygert had 5 RBI for the Cardinals. Freshman Kolbrin Vitek raised his record on the mound to 6-1. He allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings. The bullpen only allowed two hits over the last four innings to seal the deal. BSU's game against Huntington has been canceled today because Huntington is preparing for their regional game in the NAIA tournament. BSU will travel to #21 Michigan on Wednesday. They will then host Northern Illinois over the weekend.
Brownsburg's baseball team will play Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday and Wednesday. BBurg is 8-2 in the conference and tied with Noblesville for the conference lead. Lafayette Jeff and Avon are 7-3 and tied for third place in the HCC. Avon plays Noblesville on Monday and Tuesday. This looks like it is a make-or-break week for those four teams in the conference standings.
Ball State won the rubber game of their series with Eastern Michigan, 12-4. Justin Rogers and Alex Schmid each had 3 hits. Zach Dygert had 5 RBI for the Cardinals. Freshman Kolbrin Vitek raised his record on the mound to 6-1. He allowed 4 earned runs in 5 innings. The bullpen only allowed two hits over the last four innings to seal the deal. BSU's game against Huntington has been canceled today because Huntington is preparing for their regional game in the NAIA tournament. BSU will travel to #21 Michigan on Wednesday. They will then host Northern Illinois over the weekend.
Brownsburg's baseball team will play Lafayette Jeff on Tuesday and Wednesday. BBurg is 8-2 in the conference and tied with Noblesville for the conference lead. Lafayette Jeff and Avon are 7-3 and tied for third place in the HCC. Avon plays Noblesville on Monday and Tuesday. This looks like it is a make-or-break week for those four teams in the conference standings.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Good day, bad day...and a really bad day.
The Atlanta Braves scored 6 runs in the 7th inning last night to beat the Cincinnati Reds 9-1. The Braves had 15 hits, with the first 6 players in the lineup each having multi-hit games. Chipper Jones was 2 for 4, raising his average to .421, which leads the National League by 40 points. Jo-Jo Reyes made his 2008 debut for the Braves and gave up 1 run in 5 1/3 innings to get the win. The bullpen no-hit the Reds through the final 3 2/3 innings. The two teams wrap up the series Sunday at 135p. Tom Glavine will pitch for the Braves, while Bronson Arroyo takes the hill for the Reds.
Ball State's baseball team got pounded yesterday by Eastern Micigan, 16-7. EMU got 4 runs in the first inning and 6 more in the third to put the game away early. T.J. Baumet had his second straight 3-hit game for Ball State. Brad Piatt took the loss on the mound giving up 9 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. BSU is now 25-17, 10-7 in the MAC. The teams play the rubber game of the series today.
My pick of Pyro to win the Kentucky Derby did not work out very well yesterday, as he finished 8th. I said yesterday that the only chance Big Brown had to win the race was to get to the lead early without wasting a lot of energy. He did that, and more. Big Brown was in 4th place at the quarter mile mark and was no farther back than 6th place. He was in first with a quarter mile to go and drew away to win by almost 4 lengths. He will most certainly be a heavy favorite at the Preakness in two weeks. The filly Eight Belles finished second, but had to be euthanized after the race because she broke both ankles just past the finish line. It was a day of triumph and tragedy at Churchill Downs.
Ball State's baseball team got pounded yesterday by Eastern Micigan, 16-7. EMU got 4 runs in the first inning and 6 more in the third to put the game away early. T.J. Baumet had his second straight 3-hit game for Ball State. Brad Piatt took the loss on the mound giving up 9 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. BSU is now 25-17, 10-7 in the MAC. The teams play the rubber game of the series today.
My pick of Pyro to win the Kentucky Derby did not work out very well yesterday, as he finished 8th. I said yesterday that the only chance Big Brown had to win the race was to get to the lead early without wasting a lot of energy. He did that, and more. Big Brown was in 4th place at the quarter mile mark and was no farther back than 6th place. He was in first with a quarter mile to go and drew away to win by almost 4 lengths. He will most certainly be a heavy favorite at the Preakness in two weeks. The filly Eight Belles finished second, but had to be euthanized after the race because she broke both ankles just past the finish line. It was a day of triumph and tragedy at Churchill Downs.
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