Latest Gear Live Videos
Hey, I figure if ESPN can do it, why can’t EndScore.com?!?!?! Tied with Babe Ruth for second on the all-time homerun list with 714, Bonds went up to bat against the cross-bridge rival, Oakland Athletics. Here’s how the at-bats went:
1st inning: Intentionally walked by A’s pitcher, Joe Blanton.
4th inning: Singles to center against Blanton.
7th inning: Singles to right against Chad Gaudin.
9th inning: Replaced by Dan Ortmeier.
Bonds’ next shot to get 715 will be on Monday night as the San Francisco Giants play host to the St. Louis Cardinals with lefty Mark Mulder taking the mound. Bonds owns a .500 batting average in 14 at-bats against Mulder with three of the seven hits being dingers over the wall. Needless to say, Bonds has a pretty good shot to get number 7-1-5 on Monday, if Bonds doesn’t sit to get some rest.
Advertisement
I have to admit, I haven’t been this proud of being an NBA fan in a long time. It’s hard to argue that this season’s playoffs haven’t been anything short of magnificent. It seems every game is either going into overtime or is thisclose until the end. I’ve been losing sleep watching the West Coast games and have needed about five cups of coffee every morning to get stuff done at work! However, the caffeine rush and subsequent addiction has been well worth it.
*Today’s the day. Will the defending Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons move on to face a well-rested Miami Heat club? Or will LeBron James continue to add to his legend by leading his Cleveland Cavaliers into the next round of the playoffs? The start of the answer to these questions tips off at 3:30pm EST. If we learn anything from recent history, this will be another classic and very tight matchup.
Well, he did it. San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds tied the Bambino yesterday with his 714th homerun of his career. Today, he tries teeing off against the Athletics to get number 715, which would move him to second place on the all-time homerun list all by himself as Bonds pursues Hank Aaron’s 756 to become the all-time best MLB homerun hitter.
*Young Lefties Duel It Out… Florida Marlins’ Dontrelle Willis tries to get his season in gear when he faces the Tampa Bay Devils Rays, who have a lefty of their own taking the hill, Scott Kazmir. Both are quality pitchers and this should be a good one to watch. I can’t believe I just said that about a Marlins/D-Rays game.
*The Thrilla In Chi-Townilla… I wonder which fighters we have on the card today? After yesterday’s brawl, today’s game could be interesting to watch, especially with fiery Carlos Zambrano taking the mound for the Cubbies.
*The Rubber Match In New York… After splitting the first two games of their Subway Series, the Yankees and Mets play tonight to claim supremacy of New York.
The NHL Playoffs have been almost as exciting as the NBA’s, and I’ll admit I’m biased, but I don’t think they’ve been quite on the same level… but somewhat close.
*The Anaheim Mighty Ducks look to even the series against the Edmonton Oilers in tonight’s Eastern Conference matchup. The Ducks’ offense needs to get rolling, particularly Teemu Selanne and the Brothers Niedermayer, Scott and Rob.
Well, folks, enjoy the games!
In the second inning of the second game of the Oakland Athletics/San Francisco Giants series, Barry Bonds hit homerun number 714 to tie Babe Ruth for second place on the all-time MLB homerun list. Notice the number of times I use the word, “second”? Well, it’s only appropriate considering that Bonds climb up the list will be “second”-guessed due to allegations of steroid use.
The shot off of A’s starter, Brad Halsey, landed in the first deck of elevated stands in right center. Estimates have it going at 400 feet, clearly not one of those gigantic blasts Bonds is known for. But, what matters is that it went over the fence and history was made.
Of course, Bonds has to get his next dinger to be in second place all by his lonesome. He gets his shot to do that tomorrow against second-year pitcher Joe Blanton.
Chicago Cubs Catcher Michael Barrett and Chicago White Sox Catcher A.J. Pierzynski Brawl
Posted by Jeff Chan Categories: Athletes, MLB, Scoreboard,
After tagging up from third base, A.J. Pierzynksi came barreling down the line and flattened catcher Michael Barrett to score a run as the White Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs 7-0. Everybody gets a kick out of bench-clearing brawls and you’ll have probably seen the highlights ten times by the time you read this, but everyone is missing a key point here. The key point no one mentioned is that there is that unspoken rule for catchers, where they don’t go running each other over on the base paths. Not only Pierzynski do that, he emphatically slapped home plate, rubbing it in that he made Barrett drop the ball, which ensued the melee. Pierzynski is famously known across the Majors Leagues as a real pain in the butt for opponents and teammates alike with his mouth and antics. Maybe this skirmish pulls the Cubbies closer together this season for a nice winning streak.
New York Yankees Rally Against New York Mets; Win 5-4
Posted by Jeff Chan Categories: Editorial, MLB, Scoreboard,
Things were going nice and smoothly for the New York Mets in their battle against the Yankees, until the ninth inning, where closer Billy Wagner was all over the plate and allowed four runs to tie the game. The Yankees have made quite a living off of making comebacks this season, and did it again this time with another makeshift outfield. Today’s games had Miguel Cairo in left field and Melky Cabrera in right field and were without catcher Jorge Posada. Today’s game was the first of the season for Fox Saturday baseball, with broadcasters Tim McCarver and Joe Buck. The only thing missing from the usual Fox telecast was the cartoon ball named “Scooter”, teaching us fans what a change-up is. “It looks like a fastball but it goes reaaaal, reaaaal slow”. The rubber game will be shown on ESPN Sunday night baseball at 8 PM.
There are no NBA games today, but the NBA Playoffs certainly have not disappointed its fans. Last night, the Cleveland Cavaliers barely missed pulling off the incredible of ousting the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Pistons of Detroit. However, luck was on the Pistons side as a nearly-tipped ball by Chauncey Billups on an intentionally missed LeBron James free throw at the end of the game did not go in. As much of a heart attack the Motor City may have had collectively, Billups and company eeked out an 84-82 victory, bringing the series back to Detroit for the deciding Game Seven to be played tomorrow afternoon.
In the West, down 3-1, the San Antonio Spurs have won two in a row, including last night’s 91-86 win in Dallas, thanks in part to clutch free throws by Manu Ginobilli and Tony Parker. With the series now tied at three games apiece, the series goes back to San Antonio. Don’t be surprised by the Spurs’ comeback… to borrow from a great man… as L.L. Cool J said in “Mama Said Knock You Out,” the Spurs have been here for years! Game Seven will be played on Monday.
Today’s baseball games are the same as yesterday with Interleague play in full effect. The one game to keep an eye on is the Oakland Athletics vs. San Francisco Giants where Barry Bonds is still looking to tie Babe Ruth’s 714 dingers. He’ll be trying to tee off on A’s starting pitcher, Brad Halsey whom he’s never faced.
In the NHL, last night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Mighty Ducks (gag) found the Oilers beating the Ducks 3-1, with the game-winning goal scored by Ales Hemsky. The Oilers take a 1-0 lead in the Western Confernce Championship.
*The Eastern Conference Championship gets under way today when they drop the puck in Carolina with the visiting Buffalo Sabres trying to be bad guests as they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. Both finished with 52 victories during the regular season, tying for the most wins in the East, along with the Ottawa Senators. Look for a great fight.
Enjoy the games!
It’s a good time to be an NBA fan. The playoffs have been nothing short of AMAZING!!! And that should continue tonight with two excellent games on tap:
*Have to start with my man, LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers trying to be as least hospitable as possible to the Detroit Pistons. The Cavs lead the series 3-2 and can close it out with a win tonight to move on to the Eastern Conference Championship. BUT I’m jumping the gun, so let me chill. (GO CAVS!).
*With their backs up against the wall, the San Antonio Spurs visit Dallas to hopefully stave off the Mavericks, as well as elimination from the playoffs and defending their title. The Spurs will have a bit of an advantage as Mavs’ PG Jason Terry is suspended for tonight’s game as he didn’t want to share the ball with former Mav and current Spur, Michael Finley. So, what did Terry do? As any four-year-old would do, he punched Finley and said, “Nooooo, it’s MY ball.”
This afternoon, MLB’s Interleague play begins with a matchup between the Chi-Town teams - the Cubbies and the ChiSox. Other notable matchups:
*The Fight for New York as the Yankees come down from the Bronx to visit the Mets from the best borough in New York, Queens! And, yes, I am being subjective as I was born and raised in Queens.
*The Baltimore Orioles travel to the country’s capital as they face the Washington Nationals. You can bet that Peter Angelos is hoping to destroy the Nats the same way George Steinbrenner wants to crush the Metropolitans. The guys just can’t share a backyard with anyone.
*Surprise! Surprise! Two of the more surprising teams matchup in Motown as the Queen City’s Reds visit the Tigers, hoping to tame the beast.
*Futily in Florida… yeah, ho hum. The Florida Marlins visit the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
*The Heat Is On In Houston! The Rangers matchup against the Astros in Orange Juice Park.
*The Battle of the Bay is on as Barry Bonds and the San Fran Giants cross the bridge to play the Athletics of Oakland. Let’s go Danny Haren! Sorry… had to show my A’s Love.
*The Real Versus The Fake. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (HUH?!?!?) with former Dodger, Jeff Weaver taking the hill for the Angels. I smell the scent of revenge.
In the NHL, the Western Conference Finals begin tonight when some Canadians invade America… you see what happens? You piss off Canadians enough and they will kick butt. At least that’s what the Oilers of Edmonton hope to do when they face off against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (c’mon, guys, just change the name already or else I’m always going to associate your team with Emilio Estevez… and believe me, that’s not a good thing).
Enjoy the games, all!
EndScore Interview: Redleg Nation’s Chad Dotson
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Front Office, Kudos, MLB,
EndScore recently had the great privelege to interview Redleg Nation‘s Chad Dotson, a passionate Cincinnati Reds fan who shows his Reds love through one of the best baseball blogs on the internet. He shared his thoughts on his blog, the current Reds team, and what he thinks of the new Reds ownership.
EndScore: Can you tell me about Redleg Nation (RN) - how it started, when, etc.?
Chad: Sure. A couple of years ago, I began to think I’d enjoy writing about the Reds on a regular basis. I’m a lifelong fan of the team, and I enjoyed the Reds blogs that were out there, but I felt that there was a place for another, different type of Reds blog. So I went about designing the page and getting things set up.
Meanwhile, I made the decision to seek out different contributors. I’m a member of a Cincinnati Reds listserv, and there were several members of that listserv that I thought would make excellent contributors to the blog. So I decided to make it a group blog, invited a few others to join in, and it took off from there. We’ve had a blast with it.
EndScore: So how many bloggers are there on RN?
Chad: We have six bloggers, and each person has their own area of expertise, so to speak. This season, we’re trying to focus more on the Reds minor league system, and having five other contributors makes it easier to follow everything. Our talented group of contributors are Bill Lack (who is the founder of the Reds listserv), Chris Garber, Matt Malott, Chris Wilson, and Tom Diesman.
Click to continue reading EndScore Interview: Redleg Nation’s Chad Dotson
Hideki Matsui Apologizes For Injury… Huh?
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, MLB,
I cannot believe Hideki Matsui of the New York Yankees, actually apologized for getting hurt. Seriously, this blows my mind.
When was the last time you heard of a major star in a major media capital apologize for getting hurt? Something that he had no control over. In fact, if you watch the play on which Matsui broke his wrist, Matsui was hustling for the ball and almost made a dynamite catch!
And he apologizes?
I think American sports needs more Japanese-type humility and integrity. Okay, before all of you “patriots” start yelling at me to go back to Japan then, let’s be serious. All we read about American athletes, for the most part (and I understand it sells papers and what not), are all the wrong they’re doing. Of course, we never hear about the 90% or so of players doing good things, such as charities, building learning foundations, and all things that makes athletes “good people.”
But we don’t even need to see or read about all of these wrongdoings. We can just watch the actual game. How much chest-thumping, jogging to first base on a high fly ball, or lazily missed blocks do we see every season in various sports? A TON! We’re talking pre-surgery (oh, just admit it already!) Star Jones multiplied by ten, a hundred, a thousand…
It’s refreshing to see a player actually give a darn about his team and his sport. We need more Hideki Matsui’s in American sports. Lord knows we don’t churn out anymore Barry Sanderses, Magic Johnsons, or Cal Ripkens.
Now excuse me while I go pack my bags for Japan.
Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect, Cole Hamels, made his MLB debut tonight against the high-powered Cincinnati Reds, who led the National League in runs scored coming into tonight’s matchup. So, how did Hamels do?
He went five innnings, giving up only one hit, but five walks, along with zero runs and seven strikeouts. Of his 92 pitches, only 51 were strikes, which is not a very good ratio, especially for Hamels who was dominating Triple A hitters before his call-up.
But, consider the following numbers Hamels put up in three Triple A games this season - 23.0 innings pitched, 0.39 ERA, 0.48 WHIP (walk + hits per inning), 36 strikeouts, and pay attention, only ONE walk. I think it’s safe to say that the bases on balls problem shown tonight by the 22-year-old left-handed rookie was a case of nerves. And if the bottom of the second inning was any indication, he’ll get over it really soon.
In the that inning, Hamels walked Adam Dunn, then Brandon Phillips, and finally Javier Valentin. So with the bases loaded and two outs, Hamels struck out opposing pitcher Elizardo Ramirez. Granted, it was the pitcher he struck out, but that could have been a very big inning for the Reds and it was a bases loaded situation, always a nerve rattling situation.
So, how does the future look for Hamels? He should continue to do well, but will in all likelihood be inconsistent to some degree, which is almost always the case with rookie pitchers not named Dwight Gooden. Hamels should continue to make hitters miss the ball and get better command, but my concern for him is Citizens Bank Park and the hitters dimensions it offers.
Nonetheless, it’s hard to find lefties that can hit the mid-90s and come back with a ridiculous changeup that will make batters buckle their knees or stare incredulously. Hey, that sounds like the Minnesota Twins’ Johan Santana… Hamels can only hope he’s as good as him.
If his debut is any indication, Hamels is on his way.
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.