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FIFA World Cup Review: England 1, Paraguay 0
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: News, Scoreboard, Soccer,
Group B: Poor Paraguay captain, Carlos Gammarra. He was a part of history twice in this matchup with England, but it definitely was not good things to be a part of. Less than three minutes into the match, Gammarra inadvertently headed a ball off of a David Beckham kick into his own goal, which became the fastest own-goal in the history of the tournament.
And when the English team took the field in the second half, they played flat thanks to the rise in tempature and since no one else for Paraguay scored, Gammarra directly affected history again by this match being the first one decided by an own-goal. However, Gammarra shouldn’t hang his head for putting his team in the predicament of losing a game that could be critical in a three match-up group playoff to see who moves forward into the next round. If it wasn’t for Gammarra, I doubt Paraguay would be in the World Cup right now.
England is now 3-0 in World Cup play versus Paraguay.
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FIFA World Cup Review: Trinidad And Tobago 0, Sweden 0
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: News, Scoreboard, Soccer,
Group B: David didn’t quite slay Goliath in this matchup of a little country against one of the better football (soccer to us Americans) countries in the world, but for all intents and purposes, David did win. And if anyone on the T&T squad epitomized David, it was goalie Shaka Hislop who stopped shot after shot from the Swedish team that had a ton of experience and talent over the two-island country.
To finish with a draw can be considered an upset for T&T and they know it. But, for the Swedes, this has to be a tough pill to swallow. Especially considering that T&T played one man short when Avery John received his second yellow card for hard tackling Christian Wilhelmsson and ejected from the game in the 46th minute. But, a story like this is why the World Cup is so great.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.10.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Boxing, Editorial, MLB, News, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard, Soccer,
FIFA WORLD CUP: What an excellent opening day for one of the toughest and most competitive tournaments in the world! Host country, Germany, was a part of history, beating Costa Rica in the highest scoring opening game in World Cup history, 4-2. And Ecuador, despite some controversy regarding the legitimacy of their being in the tournament, beat Poland, 2-0. See the recap of Day One here. Let’s see what the second day of opening round games brings us:
GROUP B
*England VS. Paraguay
*Trinidad and Tobago VS. Sweden
GROUP C
*Argentina VS. Ivory Coast
NHL: Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals takes place up North in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And guess what? The Edmonton Oilers think that G Dwayne Roloson can make it back for the series. This would be great news as the Carolina Hurricanes have had an easy go of it since Roloson has been out. Keep watching and keep that ear to the ground. The Hurricanes are leading the series 2-0. The puck drops tonight at 8PM EST and will be shown on NBC here in the States. Woo hoo! Primetime for the NHL… gotta build that profile up.
MLB: News on Albert Pujols - he actually said he could be back in two weeks! Of course, he did go on telling the press that it could be three, four, six weeks even. Basically, he isn’t going to rush himself back. Smart move. Roger Clemens is on his way back, but young fireballers - Kerry Wood and Rich Harden - are both back on the DL after serving time on the list earlier this season. If I were Wood or Harden, I’d bother Clemens and ask how he did it for so long.
*Texas Rangers rookie pitcher, John Rheinecker, looks to continue to go undefeated for the season (2-0), facing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Rheinecker currently has a 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and has only given up one walk in 20.1 innings. One walk! That’s some pretty impressive control. However, let’s see how good that control is when the rookie faces the likes of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
*A few pitchers look to follow the footsteps of the New York Mets’ Tom Glavine and Red Sox’s Curt Schilling and win their ninth game of the season. Mike Mussina (8-1) of the New York Yankees will try to do it against the Oakland Athletics this afternoon. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Jason Marquis (8-4) matches up against the Milwaukee Brewers to try to win his ninth game. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb takes the hill for the third time in trying to win his ninth… maybe the third time is a charm? Webb will face the New York Mets and their improved lineup.
BOXING: Antonio Tarver and Bernard Hopkins get it on tonight in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Light heavyweight champ, Tarver, has to be considered the favorite, if only because Hopkins is 41 years old now and lost his last two fights. It is thought that this will be Hopkins’ final career fight and will hang it up out of the ring. For 11 years, Hopkins dominated the Middleweight division and left it all in the ring. It would be nice to see him go out with a victory.
Enjoy the games!
Germany VS. Costa Rica
Germany isn’t being a very nice host. Just ask Costa Rica. Today, the host country beat Costa Rica by the score of 4-2, the highest-scoring opener in the history of the World Cup. Costa Rica had little else besides Paulo Wanchope, who scored the two goals for them. The German team is young, but a win like this can catapult them far.
The German team was without captain Michael Ballack, who is one of the better players in the world. Before the game, Ballack did want to play through his calf injury, but was talked out of it by his coach, Juergen Klinsmann. If Ballack can come back and play up to par, the German team becomes even stronger. Miroslav Klose scored two goals for the host country, while Philipp Lahm and Torsten Frings each scored one goal.
Ecuador VS. Poland
Ecuador was highly criticized regarding their credentials to play in the World Cup because a lot of their qualifying matches were played in the high altitude of Quito, Ecuador, which gave them an advantage versus their opponents - the Ecuadoreans were used to the thin air, while their opponents were not and would theoretically tire quicker.
However, playing in front of a hostile crowd cheering for Poland, Ecuador beat Poland 2-0… near sea level! The win is a big win and talks well of the Ecuadorean team and the validity of them being at the World Cup. Augustin Delgado played a hand in both scores as he scored one and assisted on the other to Carlos Tenorio.
Miami Heat Make The NBA Finals For The First Time
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Championship, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Thanks to a dominant 95-78 win over the Detroit Pistons, the Miami Heat took the Eastern Conference Championship and a ticket to the franchise’s first ever appearance in the NBA Finals. The Heat entered the league during the 1988-89 season along with the Orlando Magic, who made the NBA Finals during the 1994-95 season. It took a little longer, but the Heat finally joins its Florida neighbor in getting to play on the biggest stage in basketball.
A pivotal player, part of dynamic duo with Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway for that 94-95 Magic team that eventually lost to the Houston Rockets who were led by Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon and Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was Shaquille O’Neal. Funny enough, 11 years later, after getting three rings with the Los Angeles Lakers, O’Neal, again a part of a dynamic duo, this time with Dwyane Wade, helps bring another Florida team to the Finals for the first time. If O’Neal ran for governor, he’d likely win at this point.
Tonight, O’Neal played like he was 11 years younger, scoring 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the floor, grabbing 16 boards, and blocking five shots. It’s safe to say that “The Diesel” showed up, and when he does, he’s simply unstoppable. How about O’Neal’s current partner-in-crime? Wade only scored 14 points, having a poor shooting night, but did dish out 10 assists. His scoring wasn’t needed as much as Jason Williams was the perimeter version of O’Neal, shooting 10-for-12 from the field, finishing with 21 points.
For the Pistons, Richard Hamilton dropped 33 points, but it wasn’t enough to lead Detroit to victory as the other scorers couldn’t hit their shots. Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Tayshaun Prince shot a combined 10-for-35 for only 29 points. Even Hamilton’s points are a bit skewed when you consider he shot 12-for-28. The team as a whole only shot 33.3% from the floor, which is obviously not a formula for winning.
The Miami Heat await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, who play Game Six tomorrow night. The Mavs lead the series three games to two and can get to their first trip to the NBA Finals with a win in Phoenix.
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.27.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Well, the Western Conference finals are heading further west to Phoenix after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Suns 105-98. It was another close one and the series is shaping up to be a classic. But, to read more about the game, click here or scroll down.
*Tonight, the Miami Heat play host to the Detroit Pistons who won Game Two 92-88, but just barely as the Heat put together a big run at the end of the game. If Shaquille O’Neal can stay out of foul trouble, he should dominate for longer stretches than he’s been getting, and that could spell trouble for the Pistons, who uncharacteristically have been breaking down during crunch time. The game tips off at 8:00pm.
The Barry Bonds Watch continues as Bonds couldn’t get a dinger last night against the Colorado Rockies. Bonds, however, did go 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in helping the Giants beat the Rockies 9-0. Tonight, the potential history-maker to go along with Bonds is Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg.
*The White Sox’s Jose Contreras looks to continue his stellar season when he faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Contreras hopes to solve the Blue Jays offense and improve his record to 6-0.
*Two pitchers look to join the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb as eight game winners when Tom Glavine takes the hill against the Florida Marlins and Curt Schilling deals to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both are currently 7-2.
*Sidney Ponson returns from the DL for the St. Louis Cardinals and hopes his excellent season thus far will not be marred by his stint on the shelf. He is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and will be matching up against the San Diego Padres.
*Just because I think his name is such a baseball name, I’ll mention that Boof Bosner takes to the mound for the Minnesota Twins against the Seattle Mariners. He’s hoping to build on his MLB debut when he went six frames, giving up one ER and three walks, while strking out eight against the Milwaukee Brewers in an Interleague game.
The Carolina Hurricans’ Martin Gerber had an outstanding night in goal last night against the Buffalo Sabres, stopping all 22 shots by the Sabres, effectively shutting them down and out. The series is now tied at two games apiece.
*The Anaheim Mighty Ducks hope to try to mount a historical comeback in their Western Conference series, by winning the rest of the games after being down 3-0. Naturally, this will be difficult to do as they’ve only won one game and still have three more to win if they want to make history. They’ll continue to try to do that tonight at home against the Edmonton Oilers. As the great Mets reliever Tug McGraw used to say - You gotta believe!
Enjoy the games!
Dallas Mavericks Take Game Two Against The Phoenix Suns
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
The final score says Mavs 105, Suns 98. However, the game was a lot closer than that score indicates. The game was pretty much the nailbiter Game One was until the final minute of play when the Suns just couldn’t knock down any shots. However, let’s be honest, the Mavs did a much better job on defense and they deserve the credit for tying up the series at one game apiece.
Originally thought not to play due to an ankle injury was the Mavs’ Josh Howard. However, he sucked it up and started the game, which the Mavs couldn’t have been more glad for. Howard scored 29 points, including hitting three 3-pointers, and playing tight defense. Note that the Mavs are 22-0 this season, including 3-0 in the playoffs, when Howard scores 20+ points in a game. They want him to play!
How did the Suns’ injured Raja Bell’s replacement do? Not so good. Leandro Barbosa only scored eight points for the game, going a horrific 3-for-15 from the floor. Yikes! However, this wasn’t a typical shooting performance from Barbosa who is a career 46.8% shooter from the field. With Bell reportedly out until Game Five, Barbosa will need to up his game in the next two contests to give the Suns a chance to win.
Surprisingly, Steve Nash looked downright timid in the second half. I’m not sure what’s going on, but when one of your top shooters and scorers only takes one shot in the second half (a runner in the lane in the last minute of the game) something is going on. It was a vast contrast from the Nash who scored ten straight points for the Suns in the fourth quarter in Game One to will the Suns to the upset win. Nash finished with 16 points and 11 assists, but will need to be a bit more aggressive in the next game.
But, the problem with Nash and possibly the rest of the Suns, may be that they’re a bit too tired. That would partly explain tonight’s missed short-range shots and open jumper opportunities down the stretch. With Bell hurt, as well as Amare Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas, the Suns bench is vastly depleted with Barbosa starting. Tonight, every Suns starter played at least 38 minutes and that’s pretty much been normal for the playoffs. You have to wonder when the Suns’ legs just give out.
*Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points, grabbed 14 boards, and dished out six assists.
*Game Two hero, Boris Diaw, had another good game as he scored 25 points, snagged 10 boards, and also dropped six dimes.
*Shawn Marion had another great game - 19 points, 19 rebounds, and three steals.
Game Three of the Western Conference finals heads west to Phoenix and will tip off at 8:30pm EST.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.25.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Scoreboard,
Last night’s Phoenix Suns/Dallas Mavericks matchup was another Western goodie and it looks like it’s going to follow form and be a nail-biter of a series. I think the doctors in the respective series better get ready to treat a lot of fans who are close to having full on heart attacks. In any case, you can read about the game here if you like. Or simply scroll down with a click.
*Tonight, the Detroit Pistons look to show their mettle as they go up against the Miami Heat down one game to none in the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons showed the effects of just playing a long series to the Cleveland Cavaliers as their shots looked flat, which showed in their 38% shooting from the floor. However, it’s only been one game and the Pistons have not only beaten the Heat in an Eastern Conference final before, but they are former World Champs. Look for another close game. My prediction - Pistons by six.
There aren’t many games in MLB today with only several offerings.
*The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies conclude their N.L. East division series.
*After losing the series to the New York Yankees, two games to one, the Boston Red Sox look to beat up on division foe, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who are cellar dwelling at this point of the season.
*The Oakland Atheltics visit Arlington to face the Texas Rangers. Currently, the Rangers lead the A.L. West by one game over the Athletics. This four-game series will be telling in who will rule the West.
Yet ANOTHER close game was played last night in the Eastern Conference finals between the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. I have a feeling that NHL fans are just as happy as NBA fans regarding this year’s playoffs for each sport. In any case, the Sabres beat the Hurricanes by a score of 4-3 and took the 2-1 lead in the series.
*Tonight we can all be saying good bye, Ducks, as Anaheim is up against the wall, down three games to zero in the Western Conference series. The Edmonton Oilers can complete the sweep with a win at home and then just lounge waiting to see who wins the East.
Enjoy the games!
Phoenix Suns Take Game One Of The NBA Western Conference Finals
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
What is it with the West? All of their games lately have been nothing short of exciting. It seems they’ve all been hotly contested and played down to the wire, with the winning team doing so by only a few points. Well, Game One between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks was no different.
This was a homecoming of sorts for Suns PG Steve Nash, who played with the Mavs for six seasons. He is the second player the Mavs have “welcomed back” this postseason as the Spurs’ Michael Finley also returned, looking to beat his former team.
How did Nash do?
Well, he showed why he was the MVP this season as he scored 27 points and dished off 16 assists. At one point, he scored 10 straight points for the Suns during the final minutes to bring them back from a nine point deficit. This included a drive towards the basket with the much taller Dirk Nowitzki hanging all over him where Nash basically kissed the glass high with his shot where his body was almost behind the backboard.
But the glory for each team did not lay with its superstars, but with a couple of players who arguably played their best game ever. For the Dallas Mavericks, PG Devin Harris came up huge. He scored a career-high 30 points, as well as hit the potential game-winning jumper bringing the score to 118-117 in the Mavs’ favor with 4.8 seconds to go. That is until the other team’s non-superstar got the ball in the post from an inbounding Tim Thomas. Boris Diaw scored a career-high 34 points, including the actual game-winning hook over Jerry Stackhouse that put the Suns up 119-118. Thomas added a couple of cheapie free-throws with 0.2 seconds left to bring the final score to 121-118.
Again, another competitive game during this season’s NBA playoffs. If the trend continues, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t after witnessing tonight’s game, this series can go down to the wire and the two teams can end up back in Big D for a Game Seven.
*The Mavs’ Nowitzki scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. The Suns’ Shawn Marion finished with 24 points and 13 boards.
*Each team lost a player due to injury when the Mavs’ SF Josh Howard sprained his right ankle in the first quarter and Suns’ SG Raja Bell strained his calf somehow in the fourth quarter.
*Game Two will be held in Dallas again on Friday.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.23.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Scoreboard,
To continue the trend, I will begin this edition of TSTC with the NBA. Whew! Watching this season’s playoffs is TIRING! Last night’s San Antonio Spurs/Dallas Mavericks overtime game was a classic. With the Spurs trailing the whole way, even by much as 20 points, the Spurs finally got a lead late in regulation, but thanks to some quick production from DeSagna Diop and clutch free-throw shooting from Dirk Nowitzki, the game went into overtime where the Mavericks just pulled away for a 119-111 win. The Mavs move on to the Western Conference championship.
They will be facing the Phoenix Suns who beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 127-107 in a rout that highlighted the team’s two superstars - Steve Nash (29 points; 11 assists) and Shawn Marion (30 points; 9 rebounds). I’ll applaud Elton Brand for his 36 point effort and the rest of the Clips for showing that they have the strong potential of being serious playoff contenders next season. But that will depend on what they do in the offseason, particularly with Sam Cassell.
The Western Conference Championships begin tomorrow night when the Mavericks host the Suns.
*Tonight the Eastern Conference championship round begins when the well-rested Miami Heat travel up to Detroit to face the Pistons, who barely averted a Cleveland Cavaliers playoff upset. The Heat will look to avenge a series loss in the conference championship to the Pistons last season. The question is, will the new pieces acquired during the offseason - Jason Williams, James Posey, and a bit more importantly, Antoine Walker - pay dividends this time around?
In MLB, there was much ado about nothing when Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols’ teams faced off in San Francisco. Pujols went 1-for-4 with a double, as Bonds went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk. Let’s see what unravels tonight.
*In other games, the Yankees got absolutely crushed in the first game of their series with the Boston Red Sox last night, losing 9-5. The Yankees scored four ninth inning runs off of ineffective former closer, Keith Foulke, which skews how badly the Yankees lost. Jaret Wright looks to get the Yankees on track, facing highly-effective knuckleballer, Tim Wakefield.
*Chicago Cubs pitcher, Kerry Wood, makes his second start of the season against the young Florida Marlins lineup. Wood who missed most of the season up to this point, went five innings, giving up four runs on three homers, as well as striking out six while walking none against the Washington Nationals. If Wood can chill with the long ball, he’ll go a long way.
*When the Baltimore Orioles take the field at Seattle facing the Mariners, rookie pitching prospect, Adam Loewen will take the hill for the O’s. Loewen is one of the prized proscpects in the organization and it will be interesting to see how the lefty will do as he could possibly stay up in the Big Show with Daniel Cabrera hurt and the other pitchers on staff, aside for Kris Beonson, have been underachieving.
*In Kansas City, Detroit Tigers pitcher, Kenny Rogers, looks to become the league’s first eight win pitcher as he deals to the anemic Royals, who actually are almost 100% better when hitting at home due to the gaps of Kauffman Stadium.
In the NHL, we go up North as the Western Conference series moves to Edmonton. The Oilers have a 2-0 lead and look to push the Anaheim Mighty Ducks to the brink of elimination. Dwayne Roloson has been amazing in goal for the Oilers and has been holding the Ducks offense to a mere one goal per game.
Well, folks, enjoy the games!
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