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Luckily for Miami Heat fans, not only did Dwyane Wade show that he can do it again in Game Four, and by that I mean score a ton of points against some tough defenders, the old Shaquille O’Neal showed up. The Diesel looked more in attack-mode and was able to throw down a few hammers against the Dallas Mavericks. I guess O’Neal read my Game Four preview when I said he looked tentative. Attack, big fella, that’s all you have to do. Use the Shaq-Fu.
An important factor in the Heat dominating the contest in Game Four is that the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki had an absolutely horrible game, shooting 2-for-14 from the field and finishing with 16 points. If Nowitzki hit more shots, would it have made a difference considering the final score of 98-74? I think so. Nowitzki has the ability to stop a team’s momentum with timely shots and/or a scoring explosion where he strings together a few baskets. But, it didn’t happen for him or the Mavs this time.
However, something else that will affect the Mavs did.
Click to continue reading NBA Finals Game Five Preview
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Dealing To The Dish: American League 6.18.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, MLB, News,
The following interleague games will be played in an American League Ballpark.
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Texas Rangers
E. Gonzalez (2-0, 1.64) vs. K. Loe (3-6, 5.57)
- Gonzalez has been a nice surprise for the N.L. West contending Diamondbacks, but it’ll be tough to keep that ERA down against the Rangers who not only have Michael Young, Mark Teixiera, and Hank Blalock as the de riguer threats, but Brad Wilkerson, Gary Matthews, Jr., and Ian Kinsler have been turning it up lately.
San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Angels
C. Park (4-3, 4.15) vs. B. Colon (0-2, 7.07)
- Colon makes his first start coming off the DL after a two-month stint. He probably couldn’t have asked for a better team to pitch against considering that there is no real power threat on the Padres. All respect due to Brian Giles, Mike Cameron, and Mike Piazza, but they’re getting a bit long in the tooth. And a sad farewell to Jered Weaver who was optioned down to the minors to make room for Colon. Trust me, Weaver will be back up at some point and with more seasoning in the minors could actually be better when he returns to the big show.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Oakland Athletics
A. Sele (3-1, 2.32) vs. J. Blanton (6-6, 5.04)
- I personally love to watch Blanton pitch. He’s quick, he doesn’t waste time between pitches and tries to dictate his tempo and get the hitter out of his rhythm. I bet the guys on the field with Blanton must love that he doesn’t waste time. For the season, Blanton has been inconsistent, but as last season showed, he can get on a very good roll for a very long time. Just wait for it.
San Francisco Giants @ Seattle Mariners
J. Wright (5-6, 4.48) vs. J. Moyer (3-6, 3.80)
- Moyer just keeps on doing his thing. The 137-year-old has been pitching well for the most part, but just has been playing with, generally speaking, a disappointing offense. The Giants continue to dwell in the cell, but still get a lot of coverage because of Barry Bonds and his chase to be the all-time homerun king. Have you seen Bonds out in the field? He makes Moyer look like a spry 20-year-old. Bonds is hurting and I just don’t think he’ll pass Hammerin’ Hank Aaron.
Enjoy the games! To all the fathers out there like me – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
Dealing To The Dish: National League 6.18.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, MLB, News,
The following interleague games will be played on National League turf.
New York Yankees @ Washington Nationals
C. Wang (7-2, 4.15) vs. M. O’Connor (3-4, 3.70)
- The Nationals may not go anywhere as far as the playoffs go, thanks to a very strong New York Mets team, but at least they’re playing better than the Atlanta Braves. Plus, yesterday’s 11-9 come-from-behind win over the New York Yankees must have been sweet, especially for former Yankees, Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson. Wang has once again displayed that magic he had last season… okay, maybe not magic per se, but he is still surprising me that he’s doing as well as he is.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Florida Marlins
R. Halladay (8-1, 2.75) vs. J. Johnson (5-4, 2.05)
- This should be a good pitching duel. We have the old gunslinger, Doc Halladay, versus the new kid in town, Josh Johnson. Halladay, of course, has excellent stuff and will face a group of relatively unknown hitters, save Miguel Cabrera. Meanwhile, Johnson will deal to the likes of Vernon Wells, Troy Glaus, Alexis Rios, and Shea Hillenbrand. It should be noted that the Marlins have won seven in a row and are actually looking to sweep the Jays with a win this afternoon. Who would have thought that at the beginning of the season.
Baltimore Orioles @ New York Mets
A. Loewen (0-1, 7.84) vs. T. Glavine (9-2, 3.31)
- Certainly the Orioles starter yesterday, Kris Benson, must have loved beating his old team. And, he even hit a homer off of Pedro Martinez. However, I’ll tell you who loved the win more – Anna Benson, Kris’ wife. She is notorious for being a bloviator (don’t think dirty, kids, it’s basically it’s someone who talks a lot of crap) and allegedly ran her welcome out so much, the Mets had to trade Kris Benson. Here is another matchup of the vet versus the rook. However, Loewen hasn’t had the time up in the majors as the Marlins’ Johnson has, but hasn’t looked good thus far. Glavine on the other hand has looked like he did in the second half of last season when he absolutely killed it.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 6.18.06
The following interleague games will be played on American League grass.
San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
J. Peavy (4-7, 4.96) vs. E. Santana (6-3, 4.29)
- What’s happened to Peavy lately? He doesn’t look like a Cy Young caliber pitcher at all, but should be able to turn it around because he’s just too good. Speaking of too good, Santana has been the opposite of Peavy in recent starts. In fact, he’s shown enough to be tradeable. Could Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays be westward bound?
San Francisco Giants @ Seattle Mariners
J. Schmidt (6-2, 2.46) vs. G. Meche (6-4, 4.46)
Schmidt has shown himself to be a bulldog this season and reminding us of his 2004 season when he went 18-7, 3.20 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, .202 BAA, and 251 K in 225.0 IP. Meche has been a perennial Mr. Potential, but never getting the results consistently for a whole season as he flashes dominance on the rare occassion, but for the most part, eh, not so much.
Arizona Diamondbacks @ Texas Rangers
K. Jarvis (0-0, 9.95) vs. J. Koronka (4-4, 5.11)
The Rangers made Cy Young candidate, Brandon Webb, look bad last night. The main culprit of doing that was OF Brad Wilkerson who went 3-for-4, including a homer, a double for 3 RBI, plus had a stolen base. Wilkerson has been inconsistent and still hasn’t found his stride, but he’s getting there, and I believe he will get there.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Oakland Athletics
D. Lowe (5-3, 2.83) vs. K. Saarloos (3-4, 4.82)
The N.L. West leading Dodgers match up for the second game of a three game series with the hot Oakland Athletics. The A’s have won eight in a row and look to be starting their second half surge a little earlier than usual. Derek Lowe has only given up six runs in his last five appearances, going 4-0 in that span.
Enjoy the games!
The following games take place on National League ground:
Boston Red Sox @ Atlanta Braves
J. Beckett (7-3, 5.26) vs. L. Cormier (2-1, 6.10)
- Beckett tries to get it going again pitching back in the National League where he used to make batters look silly and won a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 2003. Beckett will deal to a familiar opponent in the Braves who are playing well below .500 ball thus far this season.
New York Yankees @ Washington Nationals
S. Chacón (4-1, 5.23) vs. R. Ortiz (5-5, 4.88)
- The Yankees won last night’s contest, but former Yankee, Alfonso Soriano got to hit one out off of Jaret Wright in the bottom of the third frame, but of course, it didn’t matter since the Yankees won 7-5 last night, scoring two runs in the final frame to take the contest.
Detroit Tigers @ Chicago Cubs
J. Verlander (7-4, 3.32) vs. C. Marmol (1-0, 0.90)
- Verlander has shown himself to be more than ready for this league, after being the Tigers top pitching prospect in the minors. This Marmol guy just started pitching for the big club, being a reliever in two games, and a starter just recently against the Cincinnati Reds, going six innings with 7 Ks and giving up only one run.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Florida Marlins
C. Janssen (5-4, 3.66) vs. B. Moehler (4-5, 6.68)
- Janssen has been a nice surprise for the Jays. He is part of the reason the team is actually contending in the A.L. East, home of the Yankees and Red Sox. OF Alexis Rios is finally living up to his potential. The Marlins have won seven in a row, including a 3-1 win last night against the Jays.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 6.17.06
Michael Jordan Is Back In The NBA!
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Front Office, NBA, News,
Okay, cool your pants or your grunts of “What is he thinking?!?!?!” Jordan isn’t coming back to play, although he could probably school 75% of the NBA, but His Airness is coming back as an owner. Specifically a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, which is owned primarily by Bob Johnson. Jordan will become the second biggest investor in the team and will be the manager of basketball operations, which will make Jordan a hands-on owner involved in personnel moves and things of that nature.
Hopefully Jordan doesn’t make anymore dumb moves like taking a high schooler without a pedigree like Kwame Brown with the number one overall pick as he did with the Washington Wizards in 2001. Basically, what I’m saying is, if your team needs someone to produce, basically right away, don’t go for the high schooler unless it’s an obvious choice, such as a LeBron James.
The Bobcats have the third overall pick in this year’s draft, which takes place on June 28. Jordan can redeem himself from 2001’s failure with a solid pick this time around. Luckiliy, there are are a few big men in LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, and Andrea Barganini that are available in this year’s draft. With an injured Emeka Okafor and Sean May, last year’s second first round draft pick, the first being Raymond Felton, the Bobcats should go big.
Jordan’s coming back into the league will be a good thing for the NBA as he is regarded by most as being the best player ever to lace them up and hit the hardwood. It’ll be a big boost for the Bobcats, naturally, because of Jordan’s roots in the state, where he helped the University of North Carolina win an NCAA Championship in 1982. Also, you have to think that they players on the team might step up their games because they’re playing for “the man you couldn’t stop, but only hope to contain.” With the athletic Gerald Wallace improving, as well as the aforementioned Felton who stepped up big and flashed All-Star potential when he started, there is a good base to build from. Especially if Okafor can stay healthy.
Michael Jordan, welcome back. I have a feeling this go-around will be a good one.
It’s baaaack. I’m talking about interleague games and whether you love it or hate it, interleague play is here to stay. Personally, I love it, but it may also be because I live in New York and am squarely right in the middle of the Yankees/Mets rivalry since I have friends that are hardcore fans for each respective team. Special shout out to Chris Sannella (Mets) and Maria Corpuz (Yankees). Personally, I like both teams… a rare thing to do in this town, I know, but I will say I’ve been a fan of the Yankees longer thanks to being born in the early 70’s and growing up with chants of “Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!” Not a bad candy bar, either.
Here’s today’s games, starting with a traditional afternoon game at Wrigley.
Detroit Tigers @ Chicago Cubs
N. Robertson (6-3, 3.50) vs. G. Rusch (2-6, 7.29)
- The surprising A.L. Central leading Tigers take their game over to the N.L. to see if the magic can continue on the other side.
Tampa Bay Devils @ Philadelphia Phillies
J. Shields (2-0, 2.65) vs. C. Hamels (1-1, 3.68)
- The battle of the rookie pitchers should end up with the hitters winning considering the cigar box at Philly.
Minnesota Twins @ Pittsburgh Pirates
F. Liriano (5-1, 2.10) vs. I. Snell (7-3, 4.75)
- Liriano is shaping up to be another dominant lefty for the Twinkies. The other one is that guy named Johan Santana.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: 6.16.06
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Fantasy, MLB, News,
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Joe Blanton threw a five-hit shutout against the Seattle Mariners, which was his second such game in his last three starts. In between, he had a poor start against Cleveland, allowing six ER in 5 innings. Blanton has been inconsistent all season and expect that to continue unless he can get his K/9 from its current 4.59 to the 6.5 area.
Frank Thomas has been placed on the 15-day DL with a strained quad. The timing is perfect for him to rest because starting on Monday, the A’s will play nine straight games in NL parks.
Keep an eye on Bobby Crosby. If he can get over the multiple minor injuries that have plagued him all year, he could be in for a good second half. When healthy he is capable of putting up better power numbers then he has so far this season.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
To Hit Or Not To Hit? Ozzie Guillen Has The Answer And You’d Better Listen
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, MLB,
Throwing at a batter - justified or not? Whichever side you’re on, the unwritten rule in baseball is, if you’re a pitcher, and someone from the other team throws at or hits one of the hitters on your team, the next time you take the hill, you have to retaliate at the other team and throw at one of their hitters.
Last night, two pitchers were put in this situation, which one followed through with and the other didn’t.
After his catcher, Jorge Posada got plunked in the bottom of the sixth inning, New York Yankees SP Randy Johnson came out in the top of the 7th and with one out, threw way inside to Cleveland Indians 1B Eduardo Perez, prompting the homeplate umpire to eject Johnson and manager Joe Torre after a warning was given to both clubs when Posada was hit.
And the other pitcher? Well, he didn’t fare as well.
Click to continue reading To Hit Or Not To Hit? Ozzie Guillen Has The Answer And You’d Better Listen
The Miami Heat must be praying that Dwyane Wade’s knee is good enough, in fact better, to play in tonight’s Game Four against the Dallas Mavericks. In Game Three, despite colliding with teammate Shaquille O’Neal that caused Wade’s knee to be injured, Wade put on a dribbling and penetrating to the rack display for a final tally of 42 points. That explosion from Wade and a missed free-throw from the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki that could have tied the game with just over three seconds left in regulation, brings us to tonight’s game with the Mavs owning a 2-1 lead in the series.
For the Heat, they really must get O’Neal going. In fact, the Diesel needs to get himself going as he’s looked tentative with teh ball in his hands. O’Neal isn’t attacking the basket with the fervor he should have to win another title. In fact, you can argue that Erick Dampier has been just as good as Shaq. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Either O’Neal needs to establish himself down in the box and dominate or the perimater shooters that are open, namely Jason Williams and Antoine Walker, need to hit the open shots.
Of course, Wade will still be relied upon, but with his knee injury, it wouldn’t be wise to expect another performance that has Wade taking his team on his shoulders and to a win. Wade is a tough player, but he isn’t Superman. That role is supposed to fall on O’Neal. However, O’Neal will need to take more than nine shots in a game to do that.
As far as the Mavericks go, they don’t have to change anything about their game plan. They played bad enough to win Game Three and have basically dictated the series with their offense and defensive play, as evidenced by containing the force that is Shaquille O’Neal. If they should do anything, they might want to establish themselves early in the contest to play the tempo they want and take the Miami faithful out of the game.
The game tips off tonight at 9pm.
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