The Yankees used a strong outing from AJ Burnett to tie the world series at one game a piece. Burnett threw 7 brilliant innings, giving up 1 run on 4 hits and striking out 9. Mariano Rivera threw two shutout innings for the save. Rivera got into a little trouble in the 8th, but with runners on first and second and one out he induced a double play off the bat of Chase Utley. Pedro Martinez threw 6 innings and gave up 3 runs to take the loss. Game 3 is Saturday night in Philly.
The Ball State game on Saturday may be a cold one. The game time temp should be in the upper 40s, but hopefully the sun will be out to keep us warm. The Cardinals play the Ohio Bobcats. BSU is a 6.5 point underdog.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pitching and the top 4 hitters made the difference
The Phillies got a much needed win against the Yankees in game one of the world series yesterday, 6-1. Cliff Lee was dominant for Philly, giving up 1 unearned run in a complete game effort. He struck out 10 with no walks and 6 hits over 122 pitches. The top 4 hitters in the Philly lineup were 6-for-17 with 4 RBI and 5 runs scored. Those same hitters for the Yankees were 4-for-16 with no runs or RBI. CC Sabathia did not pitch bad for New York, throwing 7 innings and only giving up 2 earned runs, both on Chase Utley homers. The Yankee bullpen was not so good, giving up 4 runs in 2 innings. The Phillies got the win they needed and have a good shot at this series not coming back to New York after tonight's game.
Drew Storen pitched an inning for the Phoenix Desert Dogs last night, giving up 1 hit and no runs. In 6-2/3 innings, he has given up 1 earned run (1.35 ERA) and 8 hits while walking one and striking out 6 hitters. Opponents are batting .286 against him, but right-handed hitters are only batting .167.
Ball State plays Ohio this weekend and it looks like the betting community thinks they have a chance. The line has dropped to BSU being a 6.5 point underdog with the o/u of 44. Ball State will have to use it's rushing attack against Ohio's defense, which is 5th in the MAC in rushing defense and 3rd in the MAC in total defense.
Drew Storen pitched an inning for the Phoenix Desert Dogs last night, giving up 1 hit and no runs. In 6-2/3 innings, he has given up 1 earned run (1.35 ERA) and 8 hits while walking one and striking out 6 hitters. Opponents are batting .286 against him, but right-handed hitters are only batting .167.
Ball State plays Ohio this weekend and it looks like the betting community thinks they have a chance. The line has dropped to BSU being a 6.5 point underdog with the o/u of 44. Ball State will have to use it's rushing attack against Ohio's defense, which is 5th in the MAC in rushing defense and 3rd in the MAC in total defense.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It's world series time!
Game one of the world series is tonight. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound while the Phillies will counter with Cliff Lee. Both pitchers have pitched well in the post-season, so this may be a pretty good game. Sabathia has a 1.19 ERA in three starts and Lee has a 0.74 ERA in three starts. However, if the Phillies do not win this one, they could be in for a short series. The pitching matchups are not favorable to the men from Philly. Pedro Martinez will pitch in game two against AJ Burnett. Can Pedro summon his great stuff one more time? Will Burnett not let one bad inning ruin his performance? In game three, Cole Hamels will pitch against Andy Petitte. Hamels has struggled in three postseason games after sweeping the playoff MVP awards last year. Petitte has a sub-3.00 ERA in his three outings, throwing a quality start in each. In game four, the Yankees will throw Sabathia again while the Phillies could send Joe Blanton or JA Happ to the mound. Blanton has only one start this postseason and an ERA above 4. The Phillies really need this game tonight.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A good defense can't help a bad offense
The Redskins lost to the Eagles last night 27-17, but it was never really that close. When your first four possessions are punt, punt, INT for a TD, and fumble, that puts you behind 17-0. The Redskins offense can't score more than 17 points in a game, so this night was pretty much over in the middle of the second quarter. Four turnovers, combined with no running game and no deep threat in the passing game, allowed the Eagles D to tee-off on the Redskins depleted offensive line as they recorded 6 sacks. To make things worse, Redskins TE Chris Cooley is out for the season with a broken ankle. Luckily, the Skins can't lose next week because they have the bye. It may be the last week that they don't lose a game this season.
Ball State is a 7 point underdog at home against the Ohio Bobcats this Saturday. Ohio is coming off a loss to Kent State and will probably be without their top running back. BSU may have a chance to win this one if they can keep their running game going.
Drew Storen had a bad outing for Phoenix that turned into a decent result last night. He came in to the top of the ninth with a 5-4 lead and looking to get a save. He gave up a lead off double, but then got two outs. He gave up a single to the next hitter that scored the runner to tie the game. Not to be outdone, the Desert Dogs came storming back in the bottom of the ninth. After a pop out to lead off the inning, the next three batters got on base via a single and two walks. The next batter, Nevin Ashley, hit a grand slam to win the game. Storen was credited with a blown save, but he also got the win. Storen is 1-0 with a save and a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings in the AFL.
Ball State is a 7 point underdog at home against the Ohio Bobcats this Saturday. Ohio is coming off a loss to Kent State and will probably be without their top running back. BSU may have a chance to win this one if they can keep their running game going.
Drew Storen had a bad outing for Phoenix that turned into a decent result last night. He came in to the top of the ninth with a 5-4 lead and looking to get a save. He gave up a lead off double, but then got two outs. He gave up a single to the next hitter that scored the runner to tie the game. Not to be outdone, the Desert Dogs came storming back in the bottom of the ninth. After a pop out to lead off the inning, the next three batters got on base via a single and two walks. The next batter, Nevin Ashley, hit a grand slam to win the game. Storen was credited with a blown save, but he also got the win. Storen is 1-0 with a save and a 1.59 ERA in 5 2/3 innings in the AFL.
Monday, October 26, 2009
What if you don't like either team in the world series?
The Yankees beat the Angels last night to advance to the world series. Now, I have mentioned before that I do not like the Yankees, but as a Braves fan I also do not like the Phillies (you know, it's a division rivalry thing). I'll probably root against the Yankess, but not root for the Phillies. It's a big bunch of "I Don't Care!!!"
In the Arizona Fall League, Drew Storen has pitched in 4 games and 4 2/3 innings. He has given up 5 hits, 1 walk, and has struck out 5 all while giving up no earned runs. Opponents are batting .263 against him. Not a bad start for Storen, who is playing against the best competition he has ever faced.
The Redskins host the Eagles tonight on Monday Night Football. The Skins are a 7 point underdog at home. If they do not start well, expect the boo-birds to be out in full force. A win tonight is crucial to hold on to any hope of a playoff spot. A loss puts us 2.5 games behind the 6th spot in the NFC with a difficult schedule ahead after the bye week. GO SKINS!!
In the Arizona Fall League, Drew Storen has pitched in 4 games and 4 2/3 innings. He has given up 5 hits, 1 walk, and has struck out 5 all while giving up no earned runs. Opponents are batting .263 against him. Not a bad start for Storen, who is playing against the best competition he has ever faced.
The Redskins host the Eagles tonight on Monday Night Football. The Skins are a 7 point underdog at home. If they do not start well, expect the boo-birds to be out in full force. A win tonight is crucial to hold on to any hope of a playoff spot. A loss puts us 2.5 games behind the 6th spot in the NFC with a difficult schedule ahead after the bye week. GO SKINS!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Ball State runs all over EMU, while I run all over my neighborhood
The streak is over, as Ball State beat Eastern Michigan 29-27 in a battle of winless teams. A game time temp in the 40's combined with the teams having an 0-13 record mad attendance sparse, as a grand total of 1,535 saw this battle. It looked really bad early on, as EMU took a 20-6 lead using two BSU turnovers and poor kick coverage to score at will. However, the tide turned in the middle of the third quarter when BSU put together an 8 play, 93 yard drive (all running) to cut the score to 27-20. On EMU's next possession, BSU's Robert Eddins blocked a punt for a safety, cutting the lead to 27-22. The ensuing drive was 6 plays, 64 yards (5 runs, 1 pass) to take a 29-27 lead with two minutes left in the 3rd quarter. EMU ran only 9 plays in the 4th quarter and had the ball for only 3:29. BSU ran 17 4th quarter plays, all runs, and held the ball for 11:31 to conserve the lead.
The big news out of this game is the record-setting running numbers put up by MiQuale Lewis and Cory Sykes. Lewis ran for a school-record 301 yards on 26 carries and 1 TD and Sykes ran for 203 yards on 23 carries with 3 TDs. Lewis broke the single-game rushing record of 260 held by Earl Taylor against EMU in 1976. It was also the 4th time in NCAA history that 2 players from the same team each ran for over 200 yards.
Now the bad news....Freshman running back Eric Williams was hurt early in the game and did not return. He is the best running threat out of the wildcat formation due to his size and strength. Lewis and Sykes are both small quick backs and will have trouble out of the wildcat formation against better teams. The other bad news is that we have no passing attack at all. With Kelly Page out for the season, Tanner Justice got his first start....it was not a good one. Justice was 2 of 10 for 1 yard. His two completions were to Tory Gibson for 8 yards and Lewis for -7. Justice also had an interception, a fumble, and took 2 sacks.
The Cardinals next face Ohio at the Schue on Halloween at noon. It looks like they will be about a 14 point underdog.
In personal news, my new running/walking routine seems to be working pretty well. This week I walked 50km and ran 20km to burn 4,996 calories. I lost another pound and am down to 190. In the last two weeks, I have walked 106km and ran 20km and burned almost 8,700 calories and lost 3 pounds. It just shows you that you can do anything if you just get out there and do it!
The big news out of this game is the record-setting running numbers put up by MiQuale Lewis and Cory Sykes. Lewis ran for a school-record 301 yards on 26 carries and 1 TD and Sykes ran for 203 yards on 23 carries with 3 TDs. Lewis broke the single-game rushing record of 260 held by Earl Taylor against EMU in 1976. It was also the 4th time in NCAA history that 2 players from the same team each ran for over 200 yards.
Now the bad news....Freshman running back Eric Williams was hurt early in the game and did not return. He is the best running threat out of the wildcat formation due to his size and strength. Lewis and Sykes are both small quick backs and will have trouble out of the wildcat formation against better teams. The other bad news is that we have no passing attack at all. With Kelly Page out for the season, Tanner Justice got his first start....it was not a good one. Justice was 2 of 10 for 1 yard. His two completions were to Tory Gibson for 8 yards and Lewis for -7. Justice also had an interception, a fumble, and took 2 sacks.
The Cardinals next face Ohio at the Schue on Halloween at noon. It looks like they will be about a 14 point underdog.
In personal news, my new running/walking routine seems to be working pretty well. This week I walked 50km and ran 20km to burn 4,996 calories. I lost another pound and am down to 190. In the last two weeks, I have walked 106km and ran 20km and burned almost 8,700 calories and lost 3 pounds. It just shows you that you can do anything if you just get out there and do it!
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