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Okay, so not a lot of us here in America (that were born here, anyway) are really into the World Cup as our foreign neighbors around the globe are and that’s too bad. However, I’m not going to get into how you SHOULD care about the World Cup because different strokes for different folks. But, hey, if you’re even a casual fan, I’ll preview the countries involved and the groups that they’re in as they battle for one of the more important and most coveted championships in the world. In TSTC, I’ll naturally update the goings on in the World Cup, so stay tuned. In the meantime, here’s the groupings:
*Top two teams in each group advance to the next round.
Group A: Poland, Germany, Costa Rica, Ecuador
Group B: England, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Sweden
Group C: Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia and Montenegro, Netherlands
Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
Group E: Italy, Ghana, United States, Czech Republic
Group F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
Group G: France, Switzerland, Korea Republic, Togo
Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia
Brazil has to be favored to win the whole thing and are the defending champions, winning the World Cup in 2002. And to say something about their consistency, they’ve appeared in the finals three consecutive times and with the firepower of Ronaldinho, winner of player of the year honors everywhere he plays, Adriano, Ronaldo, and Kaka, a fourth consecutive time in the finals is not out of the question.
Argentina will be a strong team, having won the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics and the FIFA World Youth Championship. They’ll be led by Lionel Messi, a tough competitor that looks unassuming until he jams the ball downfield and puts a deft touch on his kick as it sails over the goalie’s head or in the corner.
England is also a strong team to look out for, despite Wayne Rooney’s broken foot. Their defenders are deep and able. Italy is antoher team to watch, but how will they handle the scandal that has to be looming over their heads. Host country, Germany, has a chance with Michael Ballack leading the way. But, of course, I’m pulling for my boys - Langdon Donovan, Brian McBride, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu, and the rest of the U.S. Team!
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American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Fantasy, Injuries, MLB, News,
LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
Mike Napoli is beginning to take over at catcher for the ineffective Jose Molina, starting 4 of the last 6 games. Based on his minor league record, the .323 average will come in, but the power that has generated 4 home runs in just 62 AB is real.
Jered Weaver is looking like the real deal. In his first three major league starts, he has a 3-0 record, a very impressive 17 K’s and just 3 walks. As a 23-year rookie, there will be some inconsistency, but he appears to be a solid play in all fantasy formats.
Bartolo Colon should be back to start Sunday’s game against Seattle. That will give the Angels six starters. For some bizarre reason, Manager Mike Scioscia said that he would rather have Jered Weaver start in the minors than relieve in the majors. It is unclear if he means that the young Weaver would be the one to lose a rotation spot. It seems like he is talking about the wrong Weaver, as older brother, Jeff Weaver should be the one going to the bullpen.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.8.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
NBA: Game One of the NBA Finals gets underway tonight in the Big D, Dallas as the Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat. Unfortunately for those backing the Heat (like me), Dwyane Wade is still not feeling 100% due to a sinus infection, but this is the NBA Finals! And Wade is a gamer, so he’ll be suiting up for tonight’s contest. Something to watch tonight is when the Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal sets up in the post on Mavs center, Erick Dampier. In the past, O’Neal has called Dampier soft and in last year’s playoffs blamed a leg injury for him playing “like Erick Dampier.” Of course Shaq is taking the high road now saying that he was just kidding around. Well, like they say, there’s always some truth to a joke. After tonight’s game, we’ll see who is the butt of the joke. The game tips off at 9pm EST.
NHL: It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes MIGHT be on their way to a sweep. Since losing Dwayne Roloson, the Edomonton Oilers appear to be struggling and maybe a bit deflated. Last night’s 5-0 win is proof positive of that. However, the series shifts to Edmonton for Game Three, which takes place on Saturday. Obviously, there are no games tonight.
MLB: The big news in baseball is Jason Grimsley, the former Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher, whose home was searched for six hours on Tuesday by federal agents after he failed to cooperate with them. He was originally caught by them in April when they tracked a package of human growth hormone kits. Grimsley was given two options - cooperate and be interviewed about drug use in Major League Baseball or submit to an immediate search. At that point, he agreed to be interviewed, but then decided not to assist in the investigation any longer. Thus the search on Tuesday. It’s a dicey situation and it’s unfortunate for baseball and its fans, but it’s the sad reality of baseball’s current state.
*There’s a matchup of two potentially great youngsters tonight in San Francsico when the Giants try to be as unhospitable as possible to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The two young guns taking the mound tonight will be Zach Duke for the visiting Bucs and Matt Cain for the Giants. Both had impressive beginnings last season when they both made their MLB debuts, but both have been inconsistent thus far this season, but what do you expect? They’re young.
*Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez of the New York Mets visits the club that traded him recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks. From what I’ve seen of Hernandez in the past, he’s a player that has a lot of pride and I’m sure he’s itching to shut out his old team. We’ll see what happens tonight in the desert. On the hill for the D’backs will be Claudio Vargas.
Enjoy the games!
NBA Finals Game One Preview: Miami Heat
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
Special to End Score from Dropping Dimes
As Rod Stewart sang - “Tonight’s the night! It’s gonna be alright.” Actually, it’ll be alright for one team in tonight’s NBA Finals when they win the opening game of the series. So, who will it be? The Miami Heat led by Wade and O’Neal? Or the Dallas Mavericks who ride the shoulders of Nowitzki? We’re no Nostradamuses (or would that be Nostradami?), but we’ll break down how each team can win by pointing out some keys to victory. For your viewing (dis)pleasure, here’s our opinion on how the Miami Heat can win.
To see how the Mavs can win, check it out here!
Three Keys On Offense:
1) Feed the Diesel - And I’m not talking about sandwiches, I’m talking about the pill. The way Shaq has looked lately, you must feed the big fella down in the box. Consider Game Six against the Pistons when O’Neal went off for 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the floor, 16 boards, and five “get that shiznit out of here” blocks. The man looked ridiculously like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Just give the man the ball and he’ll do it up like Karl Malone did and deliver.
Click to continue reading NBA Finals Game One Preview: Miami Heat
Tennessee Titans Trade Steve McNair To Baltimore Ravens
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, News, NFL, Trades,
Okay, so it’s not a DONE done deal as the former NFL MVP, Steve McNair, still needs to pass a physical. It’s more of a formality and this will get finalized. This trade wasn’t much of a surprise as it’s been rumored for months now, but for it to finally get done will help the Titans organization and McNair to move on with the business of playing football and not football business.
Some other winners here? The Baltimore Ravens receivers, who haven’t had a decent quarterback take the snap from under center for several seasons. In particular, I think McNair’s former Titans teammate, WR Derrick Mason should be happy as he was McNair’s main target back in Tennessee. Another winner? The newly drafted Titans QB Vince Young. The irony here is that Young is compared to McNair in their ability to throw and run.
So, who loses? Without question, Ravens QB Kyle Boller gets the downgrade here from his starting spot. There was great hope for Boller a couple of seasons ago, but he didn’t come close to delivering on the Ravens’ faith. However, Boller is still a young kid (25 years old on June 17) and there’s nothing wrong with learning from an MVP. Hopefully, Boller will take advantage of it. If not, he loses a little more.
McNair will bring a tough mentality to the Ravens and a winning attitude. He will easily command the players in the huddle and have a leadership role that has been missing from a Ravens QB for quite some time. Despite the wear and tear that goes with being an NFL quarterback, McNair’s talent level is still pretty good and has a couple of seasons left in the tank, if you ask me.
Carolina Hurricanes Win Game Two Of The Stanley Cup Finals
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, Injuries, NHL, Playoffs,
Not so surprisingly to me, anyway, the Hurricanes took Game Two of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers and whomever the backup goaltender was going to be after Dwayne Roloson went down in Game One. So, who was that goalie? It was Jussi Markkanen, who was making his first playoff start in only the most important playoff series in the NHL. How badly did he do? Well, the Oilers lost 5-0. Nuff said.
But, honestly, Roloson could have felt the “spirit” within him, thrown his crutches to the floor and start running AND THEN take the net for the Oilers tonight and it wouldn’t have mattered. Why? Because rookie and playoff revelation, Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward was getting busy turning away Oilers’ shots on goal (25) the way Paris Hilton turns away guys without video cameras.
During the regular season, Ward had a very pedestrian 3.68 GAA (goals against average) and a .882 SV% (saves percentage). However, during the playoffs, he’s kicked it up a notch and is averaging a 2.19 GAA and a .917 SV%. Now, I’m not saying he’s Patrick Roy, but Ward sure is doing a pretty good impersonation of him right now.
Scoring goals for the Hurricanes were LW Andrew Ladd, D Frantisek Kaberle, LW Cory Stillman, C Doug Weight, and RW Mark Recchi. The Oilers find themselves down 2-0 in the series as they head back home for Game Three of the Stanley Cup finals and with inexperienced goalies tending net, it’s going to be a long… make that short… series for the Oilers. All of Alberta, Canada just cursed me right now.
The puck drops for Game Three on Saturday at 8PM and will actually be nationally televised on network television here in the United States on NBC. Props to them for bringing one of the most historic championships to the U.S. general public.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: Sign Of The Beast Edition
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Well, it’s 06/06/06… ooh, shivers. So, anyone see Satan yet or what? As far as I know he’s still in his fiery pit and probably laughing at us and saying to himself, “What a bunch of superstitious dumbarses! Ain’t that right, Nero?” If you get the Nero reference, that shows a sign of your intellect!
NBA: We’re two days away from Game One between the Salma Hayeks and Tom Cruises, that is to say the Heat and Mavericks. Can you feel the excitement in the air? Or, maybe, it’s just me.
NHL: Last night’s Game One was excellent and you can read about it here or scroll down. It could be a short series with Dwayne Roloson injured and possibly out the rest of the way.
MLB: There are three great matchups featuring young gun pitchers who could all be talked about being in the upper echelon of pitchers within five years for that time. Get a preview of the possible greatness to come tonight.
*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim youngster, Ervin Santana, was a highly-regarded prospect and still has some things to work on on the Major League level, but is showing improvement this season, especially when it comes to his control. Santana has limited his BB/IP ratio from 0.35 last year during his rookie season to 0.25. Santana and his Angels will match up against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Scott Kazmir, who is simply blowing batters away at a rate of 1.05 per inning. Again, control plays a role in the success of a young pitcher as Kazmir who averaged 0.53 walks per inning has drastically dropped tha ratio to 0.36. Look for a great matchup between the two youngsters.
*King Felix Hernandez meet the man who wants your crown as being the top pitching prospect in the game today, Francisco Liriano. To say that the Seattle Mariners’ Hernandez has been a disappoint thus far would be understatement. Last season, the King had a stellar rookie year (however short) when he went 4-4, but with a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .203 BAA, and 77 strikeouts in 84.1 IP. This season? A 5.78 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .289 BAA, and 63 strikeouts in 62.1 IP. Now, the K’s are nice, but that’s about it. So, how about this season’s pitching stud to watch? After starting off in the bullpen, the Minnesota Twins’ Liriano has been excellent in his three starts, giving up only one run in 16.0 IP, striking out 15. For the season, Liriano sports a 2.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a .243 BAA. In 38.1 IP, Liriano has 47 K’s. Yowza!
*The Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels comes off the DL to start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Cruz, who’s always been in the spotlight because of his K ability, but never really getting a chance. He does tonight against a strong Phillies lineup. In his last three starts, Cruz has given up two earned runs in 19 frames, while striking out 13 and has gone 2-1. Hamels, coming off a shoulder strain to his pitching arm, will try to show some of that magic that he was hyped about earlier in the season. While he has the ability to make hitters miss (12 K in 11.1 IP), he still has control issues (but relative to the above, don’t all rookie pitchers?) and has walked nine in that same 11.1 inning span.
That’s all I got. Enjoy the games!
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Fantasy, MLB, News,
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
After a breakout season of 18-10 with a 3.50 ERA, Jon Garland has gone in the opposite direction thus far this season with a 6.04 ERA. With a low K/9 ratio, he relies on pinpoint control and an ability to induce ground balls for success. While the walks and K’s have remained steady, his G/F ratio is 1.03 compared to a 1.44 last year. He was pitching over his head last year, but he is not this bad. As his G/F regresses, look for his ERA to improve to the 4.50 to 4.89 range that he put up from 2002 to 2004.
Mark Buerhle is the flip side of the coin. His 3.31 ERA is more the product of good fortune than solid skills. His K/9 is an absurdly low 3.64. That is about 2.50 lower than his usual numbers. With his G/F right around his career marks, look for an ERA spike, unless the K’s improve.
Rob Mackowiak is already platooning with Brian Anderson in centerfield. Now the Sox are working out Pablo Ozuna there to see if he can handle it. If he can, it will be Anderson’s ticket back to Triple-A.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Carolina Hurricanes Take Game One Of The Stanley Cup Finals
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, NHL, Playoffs,
In a word - wow. That would describe the third period for the Carolina Hurricanes who scored four goals in the final period to eek out a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. And with the Oilers anchor this playoff series, G Dwayne Roloson going down and probably out the rest of the way, there may be more wins in the Hurricanes future.
The Oilers came out hard and took a 3-0 lead on goals by RW Fernando Pisani (8:18, 1st period), D Chris Pronger (10:36, 2nd period, penalty shot), and LW Ethan Moreau (16:23, 2nd period). Carolina C Rob Brind’Amour kept it respectable and scored his tenth goal of the playoffs (17:17, 2nd period). Down 3-1, it was going to be tough for the Hurricanes considering Roloson’s 2.22 GAA.
However, in the third period, LW Ray Whitney came out like a man possessed scoring a goal with 1:40 elapsed in the period, and another goal three minutes and 29 seconds later, which tied the game at 3-3. Less than five minutes later (10:02), RW Justin Williams scored a shorthanded goal that put the Hurricanes up 4-3. Oilers RW Ales Hemsky put a stop to Carolina’s four goal barrage by scoring on a power play goal (13:31) that tied it up once again, this time at four goals apiece.
But then disaster struck for the Oilers. Carolina’s LW Andrew Ladd brought the puck into the Oilers zone, cut in front of the net and was met by a huge hit from Oilers D Marc-Andre Bergeron that sent Ladd into Roloson. The collision caused Roloson to injure his right knee and sent him packing, possibly for good in this series.
That’s when Ty Conklin came in to replace the playoff star goalie. Conklin only played in 18 regular season games for the Oilers, so the following befuddlement can be excused. Actually, no… no it can’t. With the period ending and seeming about to go into overtime, Conklin went behind the net to play the puck and passed it off to D Jason Smith. However, Smith didn’t play it right, seeming to have been crossed up by Conklin, and the puck deflected off his stick in front of an empty goal.
So, with 31.1 seconds left in the game, a free and wide-open Brind’amour scored the 11th goal of this playoff run for the Hurricanes, but most importantly, the winning goal for Carolina. It’s unfortunate that the game ended on a fluke-type goal, but sometimes that just the way things break. Losing Game One of the Stanley Cup and possibly your goalie that carried you in the playoffs, the Oilers’ spirit must be starting to break.
Game Two takes place in Carolina once again when they drop the puck on Wednesday at 8:00pm EST.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.5.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Fantasy, Injuries, MLB, News, NHL, Playoffs,
MLB: Updating the Albert Pujols strained oblique injury, it is now said that he will be out indefinitely and will have an MRI today. It is said from the mild to severe spectrum, the tear of the right oblique is severe. For all of you fantasy baseball geeks (as I am), hopefully you have some depth at 1B, especially considering its one of the deeper positions in the game. Naturally, it’s little consolation for having Pujols’ lethal bat our of your lineup… oh, and the St. Louis Cardinals’.
*One of the best sports rivalries in history starts up again when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox begin a four-game series tonight in the bowels of the Bronx. Tonight’s pitching duel pits the Red Sox’s Josh Beckett (7-2; 4.46 ERA; 1.18 WHIP) against the Yankees’ Mike Mussina (7-1; 2.42 ERA; 0.96 WHIP). Both pitchers have started strong this season, but when it’s Sox/Yanks everything is thrown out the window since there’s always some type of drama of the melodramatic and/or on-the-edge-of-your-seat type.
*Making his first start since coming off the DL, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Daniel Cabrera takes the hill for the Birds against the other birds of the A.L. East, the Toronto Blue Jays. There were high expectations for Cabrera coming into the season when pitching coach, Leo Mazzone, came over to the O’s from the Atlanta Braves because many thought Mazzone could reign in Cabrera’s control issues. Well, at this point… not so much. Cabrera will try to get back on track to being one of the better pitchers in the game tonight against a loaded Jays offense.
*Once again, Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks will once again go for the title of “First MLB Pitcher to Win Number Nine.” In his first attempt, the other guy pitching was Pedro Martinez and the D’backs couldn’t hit him worth a lick, so Webb’s 7.0 IP, four hit, one walk, zero runs performance was for naught. Tonight Webb will deal to the Philadelphia Phillies who come into town splitting a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NHL: Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals begins tonight with the Edmonton Oilers visiting the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers are coming off a long layoff since they beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in five games of the Western Conference Finals, opposed to the Hurricanes who went all the way to Game Seven with the Buffalo Sabres to win the Eastern Conference crown.
Enjoy the games!
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