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All reports around the wire tonight is revolving around Roger Clemens coming back to play baseball. That’s right, folks, Clemens AKA The Rocket is coming back to play some baseball and he’ll be doing it with the Houston Astros once again. He’ll be paid about 12 million dollars or so for about a half-season’s worth of work as he’s expected to step foot on a MLB mound around the end of June or so, depending on Clemens.
Now, this is a sweet financial deal for Clemens, but the real candy-coating (if this new contract follows suit the two previous years and I don’t see why it wouldn’t) lays in the fact that Clemens won’t have to travel with the team on road trips except for when his turn in the rotation comes up. The Rocket will also be close to home and be a dad and husband to his family without sacrificing having to spend three or more months away in a city like New York or Boston.
Speaking of New York and Boston and their respective MLB teams, it was thought that they had a chance to sign the Rocket, but I never thought he would. He definitely would have gotten a ton of money from both, but Clemens has money already from his previous work in the majors and you can’t beat the deal he’s getting from the Astros because of the proximity factor.
With the New York Yankees, he’d get to play with guys like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera again, as well as provide a devastating righty/lefty combo with Randy Johnson. If Clemens went to play with the Boston Red Sox, the symbolism of “coming back home” and “coming full circle” would definitely be there. However, in the end the Rocket chose his family, and I’m not just talking about his wife and kids.
The Houston Astros have been more than accomodating with the Rocket since his signing in 2004, acting like parents letting their son have his room back after graduating college. His best friend in baseball, Andy Pettitte, pitches for the Astros. And you better believe Pettitte played a huge role in talking Clemens out of “retirement” to pitch again. But, just as important to Clemens, the Astros have gone to the National League Championship in both seasons he’s been with them. And, the Astros now have a better chance to make it three straight seasons, thanks to the return of the Rocket.
Soon enough, the headlines around baseball will be - Houston, We Have Liftoff. Welcome back, Rocket.
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Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.30.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night, the Miami Heat took a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals over the Detroit Pistons with an 89-78 win in Miami. Shaquille O’Neal scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds, but most important of all, is looking like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Proof of this came when Shaq blocked a shot, grabbed the looseball, and went coast-to-coast. It reminded me of the few times Shaq did that during his days at LSU. Nothing like watching a big man dribble the ball downcourt. In any case, Dwyane Wade led the Heat in scoring with 31 points and attacked the basket repeatedly as his 19 free throw attempts show. The man just seems to do whatever he wants. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince paced a below-average Pistons offense with a mere 15 points. The Pistons only shot 39.0% from the floor and have looked tired for long spurts during this series. The Pistons hope to play inspired and revitalized ball on Wednesday when the series heads back to Motown for Game Five. If the Pistons don’t, the Heat will head to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the following series…
*Tonight is Game Four between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks and it will be a crucial game for both teams. Should the Suns win, they’ll tie up the series at two games apiece. However, it’s been rough going for the Suns who haven’t been scoring as much as they’re used to, especially without Raja Bell, who is out for tonight’s contest. Bell not only brings offensive punch (something Leandro Barbosa is capable of, but just not now for some reason), but also defensive tenacity. Hopefully for the Suns and their fans, Bell will be on the court as soon as possible. If the Mavs win this game, they take a three games to one lead and head to Dallas for Game Five, which will be played on Thursday, to close out the series. At this point, it seems like a done deal that the Suns will “set” if they lose tonight’s game.
Albert Pujols continues to hit homeruns and last’s night’s 3-run homer was the difference maker for his St. Louis Cardinals beating division foe, the Houston Astros 3-1. Last night’s dinger was number 25 in only 51 games for Pujols. So, yup, there is another homerun-related story to watch this season after Barry Bonds’ quest to pass the Babe is now accomplished. However, the difference with this storyline is that people actually like Pujols.
*After going 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA in April, Greg Maddux tries to get one win in the month of May, a month that saw Maddux disintegrate to the point of bashing a bat into a water cooler in the dugout. Greg Maddux? Mr. Cool and Cerebral? I guess a month in which Maddux is currently 0-4 with a 7.81 ERA will do that. He deals tonight to the Cincinnati Reds.
*Among the callups of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Jered Weaver, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes may be lost in that stud rookie pitcher mix. However, make no mistakes, Reyes is a good one. Tonight he’ll pitch his second game against the Houston Astros in St. Louis. In his first game against the Kansas City Royals, Reyes went 5.2 innings, walked one and struck one out on his way to his first win this season. A second one could be in order tonight against the ‘Stros.
*And what I said about Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics in yesterday’s, yeah, I’m big enough of a man to say I was wrong… although he did have a ton of K’s!
*Tonight in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes look to close out the Eastern Conference series against the Buffalo Sabres and are counting on a rookie goalie, Cam Ward, to bring them closer to the Promised Land of a Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2. The puck drops tonight at 7:30pm.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.29.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Dallas Mavericks regained home-court advantage when they beat the Phoenix Suns 95-88 in the Suns’ house, and taking a two games to one advantage in the series. This makes the second straight game that the Mavs held the prolific Suns offense under 100 points. During the regular season, the Suns paced the NBA in points per game at a 108.4 clip. It seems the only ones doing any clipping are the Mavs’ defenders. The frontcourt duo of Dirk Nowitzki (28 points and 17 boards) and Josh Howard (22 points and 12 rebounds), led the Mavericks in pulling out the win on the road. NBA MVP, Steve Nash (21 points and “only” 7 assists), playoff monster Boris Diaw (20 points, six boards, and three blocks), and the underrated Shawn Marion (10 points and 18 rebounds) couldn’t do enough for the Suns to win tonight. The Western Conference finals continues on Tuesday at Phoenix. Tip off is at 9:00pm.
*The Miami Heat try to build on their win Saturday night as they once again play host to the Detroit Pistons for Game Four of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Heat lead 2-1. The Pistons have pretty much looked tired (thanks to a long series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers) in the three games played thus far in this series. Will they be able to turn it around and look like they’re at the top of their games for all four quarters of Game Four? We’ll find out tonight when the ball jumps up into the air at 8:00pm.
Okay, no more mentioning of Barry Bonds chasing, trying to tie, and passing Babe Ruth. Bonds and I are well past that. But, if somehow Bonds can stay healthy (specifically his knees), and he manages to get 35 homers before the end of this season, I and the millions of other members of the media, will start a Bonds Watch to surpass Hank Aaron’s MLB record 755 homeruns. We’ll see.
*The World Champion Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians begin a four-game series today with Javier Vazquez taking the mound for the Sox and Cliff Lee for the Tribe. Before the season, both teams were thought to be the main contenders for not only the A.L. Central, but for all of the American League. The Pale Hose have been doing fine with a 33-17 record, but the Indians are only 25-25. This could be the series that “wakes up” the Boys from Cleveland.
*The Boston Red Sox cross the border when they travel North to Toronto to battle the upstart Blue Jays. Offseason acquisitions (notably A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, and Troy Glaus) made many think that the Jays could actually contend in the A.L. East. This division series should be a good one and another gauge as to how “real” the Jays are. Matt Clement takes the hill for the BoSox, while Roy “Doc” Halladay will attempt to cut and slice the Red Sox batting order.
*My pitcher to watch today is Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics, who faces a weak Kansas City Royals offense at home. Haren has been “on” lately and should continue to wreck damage today.
Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Cory Stillman got the winning goal as he got to a loose puck and put it in between Ryan Miller’s legs 8:46 into the extra period. The Canes need one more win to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. It won’t be an easy task, however, as the series goes back to Buffalo for Game Six, a game there is no question the Buffalo crowd will almost help will the Sabres to win. Game Six will see the puck drop on Tuesday at 7:30pm.
*There are no games in the NHL tonight.
Enjoy the games!
Barry Bonds Hits Home Run Number 715
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Editorial, Kudos, MLB, News,
Well, it finally happened. San Francisco Giants OF, Barry Bonds, made history today when he went yard against Byung-Hyun Kim in the bottom half of the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies. The Giants eventually lost the contest 6-3, but regardless, there was champagne (and maybe caviar dreams) to be had by all in the Giants clubhouse after the game.
Love him or hate him, and there seems to be no in-between, today’s milestone is a big one as Bonds is now in sole possession of second place on the all-time homerun list, a mythic statistic for baseball because it grasps the attention and causes awe for every fan that witnesses one going over the fence. And equally as mythic is the hold that Babe Ruth has on the game.
And love him or hate him, you have to be impressed by Bonds passing the Babe.
Of course, Bonds will probably never (okay, it’s pretty much a done deal that he won’t) ever have the appeal or legacy of Babe Ruth. Who can forget the stories of a homerun dedicated to a little boy in the hospital, the pointing to the direction Ruth was going to hit a dinger, or the fact that he caused the downfall of an entire organization and there was a curse named after him until the Boston Red Sox finally won the World Series in 2004? Just these few things make the Bambino a legend, plain and simple.
But, what of Bonds? Will he only be remembered for alleged steroid use? The fact that a lot of teammates did not like him? Neither did (does) the media? Is he just a misunderstood man whom we will eventually “know” when his playing days are over? Will his star rise and all we’ll remember are the statistics and that he is the greatest left-handed homerun hitter of all time? Consider, Ruth was an alcoholic and notorious “player” off the field. How about Mickey Mantle, one of the most talented players to step his cleat in the diamond? He was also an alcoholic. Ty Cobb? Just a through and through jerk by all accounts. But all of them are remembered because of the joy and wonder they brought to the game - the mouths agape by the fans as they witnessed greatness before their eyes.
Will we ever tell our grandchildren that we watched, arguably, the greatest player that ever stepped up to the plate and played Gold Glove defense in the outfield?
That is a question that remains open and abstract. However, there is something that is concluded and concrete - Barry Bonds is now second, behind Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, on a list that the general baseball fan holds in highest regard. Today, Bonds hit number 715, whether it was on steroids or not.
Love him or hate him, Bonds made history today.
Chicago Cubs Pitcher Mark Prior Working His Way Back
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Fantasy, Injuries, MLB,
Have faith, Cubs fans! With things always seemingly up in the air with the Chicago Cubs regarding injury, a plan has been laid out for Mark Prior to rejoin the Cubs and actually pitch a Major League Baseball game.
Prior, a pitching phenom out of USC and drafted second overall in the 2001 Amateur Draft, has dominant stuff as his 2003 numbers show - 18-6, 245 K’s in 211.1 IP, a 2.43 ERA and 1.10 WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched). However, various injuries have stifled Prior’s growth in 2004 and 2005… and, of course, this season.
To start off 2006, Prior, and fellow fireballer Kerry Wood, were put on the shelf with indefinite stays on the DL (disabled list). Both are integral parts of the Cubs pitching rotation and could have been a devastating staff when you add fiery competitor, Carlos Zambrano. However, a three-headed beast of a frontline rotation remains but a dream if Prior and Wood can’t stay healthy.
And considering their stuff and makeup, in my opinion, Prior is the best of the three. But when it comes to health, not so much. In any case, rejoice Cubs fans that there’s at least a plan in place.
For all of my fantasy baseball geeks out there, if you have Prior on your team, cross your fingers. For those that don’t, if you think you can buy low, I’d take the chance. Otherwise, the definite nature of the indefinite regarding Prior’s health may not be worth it. However, if you’re feeling like Kenny Rogers (the singer, not the player), go ahead and take that gamble now before Prior’s first rehab start. It’ll probably be the best, odds-wise, especially if Prior has an incredible first rehab start. Read More 
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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.
Diamondbacks’ Pitcher Brandon Webb First to Eight Wins
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Kudos, MLB,
Okay, so I got it wrong. In today’s TSTC, I noted how I thought Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb was going to basically lose and get hit hard by one of the top offenses in all of baseball, the Cincinnati Reds. And in one of the notorious hitter’s parks in all of the Major Leagues nonetheless.
Well, it seems I underestimated the power of the sinker.
Webb simply dominated the Reds, pitching a complete game shutout, giving up seven hits, only one walk, and striking out five. Webb allowed only two doubles and five singles, his above average sinker keeping all balls in the park. Reds’ OF Adam Dunn collected three hits and was the only Red with more than one hit.
The victory improves Webb’s record to an impressive 8-0. A feat no other Diamondbacks pitcher has ever accomplished to start a season. Not Randy Johnson, nor Curt Schilling. This accomplishment isn’t too outlandish to happen, however, since Webb possesses incredible stuff and for his career has a very good K/9 rate(strikeouts per nine innings) of 7.21 and an excellent 3.21 ERA. And Webb is proving this season that when he can control his bases on balls allowed, he can be downright dominant as he was tonight.
In any case, how did the two other pitchers I spotlighted - Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Scott Kazmir and Chicago White Sox’s Freddie Garcia - do in their quest for their eighth win? Kazmir, against the Boston Red Sox, gave five earned runs in 5.1 innings and needless to say, got the loss. Garcia, against the Toronto Blue Jays, also gave up five earned in 5.1 innings and also got a check in the loss column.
So, if I learned anything tonight, it’s this: Do not underestimate the power of the sinker!
Derek Jeter Gets His 2,000th Career Hit
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Kudos, MLB,
New York Yankees SS Derek Jeter got hit number 2,000 tonight against the Kansas City Royals. The milestone hit, a single, came in the fourth inning against SP Scott Elarton. It’s hard to believe that Jeter, who came up through the Yankees farm system and making his debut during the 1995 season, already has 2,000 hits.
Is he really going to be 32 years old next month? He’ll always seem like the youngster that lifted the Yankees to their first World Series since 1978 during the 1996 season. And, of course, we all know about the spectacular defensive clutch plays he’s made over the past decade during the postseason.
But, this milestone is about his offense. Jeter has hit for 200+ hits four times in his career. To show his consistency, besides his first year when he only stepped up to the plate 48 times and his injury-laden 2003 season, Jeter has collected at least 183 hits every season. No wonder he gets the respect he does around the league… even from Red Sox Nation.
So, what are the prospects of Jeter getting 3,000 hits, the benchmark of being an indubitable Hall of Famer? Considering Jeter has been relatively durable his whole career, he should continue to get the at-bats to have a chance to get hit number 3K. He owns a .315 lifetime BA (batting average), which speaks well of his chances to get hits. However, Jeter’s skills should start to diminish soon and there is no guarantee he’ll stay as healthy as he’s been.
Yet, considering his postseason exploits, the respect he commands from his peers and opposing managers, his impeccable off-the-field reputation, and four World Series rings, I don’t think that there is any doubt Jeter will make it into the Hall of Fame without 3,000 hits.
However, being the competitor and team player that he is, I’m sure Jeter doesn’t really care about individual goals, but rather team goals. So, the thought of getting number 3,000 is a moot point.
And that’s exactly why Jeter is already a guaranteed Hall of Famer. Congrats on 2,000, DJ!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.26.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Detroit Pistons evened up the Eastern Conference final series at one game apiece with the Miami Heat. After dominating for most of the game, the Pistons almost let it slip at the end of the fourth quarter when the Heat scored 17 points in the final 1:46. The Heat got as close as 90-88 thanks to a Dwyane Wade three-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to go. However, Detroit held on and iced the game when PG Chauncey Billups hit two free-throws and G Lindsey Hunter took away a Heat possession with a steal. The series continues down in the land of warmth and fabulous people (in other words, models) when Game Three is played in Miami on Saturday night.
*The Western Conference finals’ Game Two goes down tonight at Dallas where the Mavericks hope to tie up the series against the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs’ Josh Howard is day-to-day after spraining his ankle in the first quarter of Game One and that could prove to be an important loss as Howard is one of the better defenders for Dallas. The Suns’ Raja Bell is definitely out for Game Two and possibly longer with a calf injury. Luckily the Suns are deep enough to replace Bell with another scorer in Leandro Barbosa. Look for another great game tonight from both teams.
Most of us baseball fans are still waiting for Barry Bonds to hit homerun number 715, to either applaud Bonds or to discredit him and yell out “asterisk!” He gets a chance to do it tonight in San Francisco against the Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Francis. If the game was played in Colorado, I would think that Bonds would have a better chance to break the tie with the Babe, but Bonds has hit a lot of milestone homers at San Fran. Why not 715?
*Arizona Diamondbacks SP Brandon Webb looks to become MLB’s first eight game winner as he brings his sinker to Cincinnati against a powerhouse Reds offense. Webb is 7-0 with a 2.44 ERA. I have a feeling that’s going to change for the worse tonight after a hot Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn, et al. are through.
*Scott Kazmir is also looking to become the first eight game winner as his Tampa Bay Devil Rays continue their series against A.L. East foe, Boston Red Sox up in Beantown. In five career starts in Fenway, Kazmir has a 3-1 record along with a 2.54 ERA, 29 K in 28.1 innings pitched, and a .216 BAA.
*Know the old saying - “Things always happens in threes?” Well, it applies here as the Chicago White Sox’s Freddie Garcia also has a chance to get his eighth win against the Toronto Blue Jays. It’ll be a tough order for Garcia as the Blue Jays have a very good offense, especially since OF Alexis Rios has started to mash the ball lately.
Well, the Mighty Ducks are still wading in the playoff waters as they avoided a sweep by the Edmonton Oilers as they beat the Oilers by a score of 6-3. C Dustin Penner and RW Joffrey Lupul each scored two goals for the Ducks. Game Five of the Western Conference series heads back to Anaheim on Saturday night.
*Game Four of the Eastern Conference final takes place tonight in Buffalo with the Sabres owning a 2-1 advantage over the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the Sabres, D Henrik Tallinder, will be lost for the rest of the playoffs with a broken left arm suffered during a collision in Wednesday’s game. Tallinder was leading the team with a plus-14 rating. Let’s see if the Sabres can get over the injuries on the defense (the aforementioned Tallinder, as well as Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin) and get to their first Stanley Cup since 1999.
Enjoy the games!
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