The highly anticipated Newcastle Knights Members Commemorative jersey has arrived in the Hunter and will be available for collection to Members from this Saturday August 27, from 8am.
The limited edition jersey features the names of each of the 224 players who have represented the Newcastle Knights over the past 23 years and is a reward for members who were fully financial season ticket holders prior to the Hunter Sports Group's winning vote to acquire the Newcastle Knights. This Commemorative Jersey will not be available for sale.
The Members Only Commemorative Jersey will be made available as a ‘Thank You' gift to members who paid FULL PRICE for their ticketed memberships, making them fully financial as at Thursday March 31, 2011.
Eligible members will receive a personalised Jersey Redemption Slip via the mail. Each slip will reference the member's full name and membership number as per their membership card. The Jersey Redemption Slip will advise the date, time and location information on how jerseys can be redeemed over the period of one week.
To collect in person, eligible members must present their personalised Jersey Redemption Slip, along with their 2011 Newcastle Knights Membership Card to the following points of collection:The Commemorative Jerseys have been ordered in limited supply of junior, ladies and unisex sizes and will be dispersed in a first come first served basis to avoid disappointment.
Please note: Newcastle Knights Ordinary Members and members who have received FREE or DISCOUNTED memberships are not eligible to receive a jersey. Members who paid for full or part membership, including the family friendly community membership packs after March 31 will not be eligible to receive a jersey.
2011年8月23日星期二
2011年8月22日星期一
Bring on the Yankees?
I’m still not sure if Rochester will be the host city for the transplanted Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in 2012, but it certainly makes for an intriguing conversation.
The Yankees will hit the road for all 144 games next year because PNC Field is undergoing a $40 million facelift. International League president Randy Mobley says there are six possible scenarios for where the SWB Yankees would play, and I’ve come to believe Frontier Field is one of them.
I asked Wings GM Dan Mason point blank on Friday is Frontier was in the mix, and he told me to ask Randy Mobley. So I did. Mobley happened to be in town to present organist Fred Costello with an award. He also wouldn’t refute it. And then in the parking lot, Wings CEO Naomi Silver asked me “Did you get your scoop?”
I said “You tell me. Are you gonna have another team here next year?”
She said “I really don’t know.”
So yesterday, I did a little more research and some off-the-record interviews and came to the conclusion that Frontier is at least IN THE MIX. So we decided to break the story in Sunday’s D&C.
As Naomi told me, there are “positives and negatives” associated with this.
I mean, 144 games in one summer on a grass field? That’s an awful big burden on the grass AND the grounds crew.
Will company pay more for signage?
Will people attend 144 games? Will more attend the Yankees games than the Red Wings games, and wouldn’t that be embarrassing if they did?
(I don’t think it would be embarrassing. Who cares if Scranton outdraws the Wings here? They’re the YANKEES Triple-A club. They’re fresh).
So many questions, so little time.
Personally, I’d have the SWB Yankees play the first half of the season in Staten Island. The S.I. Yankees play in a great 6,500-seat stadium and don’t start action until mid-June. The team would be close to New York (good for quick recalls and scouting players), and no one would have to deal with the dreadful possibility of a game every night in April at frigid Frontier Field.
Come June, shift over to Rochester for the second half.
I think it’s an offer the Wings should seriously consider. I wouldn’t do this if it were the Charlotte Knights or the Norfolk Tides. But this is the Yankees. Love them or hate them, they are hu-u-u-u-u-u-ge, Rochester.
A-Rod just finished up a rehab gig with Scranton. Imagine him in Rochester? Or Jeter? Or Rivera?
We’d be the talk of the minor-league baseball world for a summer.
Remember: This is not about staying close to Moosic, Pa. It’s about making it as convenient or the SWB Yankees as possible. If there was a city 10 hours from Moosic, but that city was within one hour of eight teams, that city would be the No. 1 choice.
It’s not about finding a vacant stadium someplace. Again, you have to be in a city that makes sense geographically.
And no, it’s not about playing road games all year in the 13 different IL cities. You think the Yankees want their top minor-leaguers on the road all year? Where would their wives and kids live?
The Wings have to make a profit on this, of course. Maybe they’ll save enough to replace that Little League scoreboard in left-center (the one with the small print).
They also can’t be burning out their personnel. There’s no reason the Scranton organization can’t relocate or hire people to work the games.
I envision a “Summer 2012″ season ticket plan, or a 30-game ticket package (15 Yankees, 15 Red Wings).
I understand the naysayers who want to keep Frontier Field the home of the Red Wings - and only the Red Wings. But those same people would be in the stands watching the SWB Yankees, especially if a hot prospect was there or a rehabbing superstar.
This may never materialize, of course. Someone else might get the call. But I found it interesting that Randy Mobley stayed an extra day in town instead of flying home Saturday. Oh, and who were the Red Wings playing on Saturday? The SWB Yankees.
I told Naomi on Saturday that she has always liked challenges. She agreed to let a local videographer go deep inside the organization for a PBS documentary two years ago. Sure, the series was forgettable, but still . . .
And Rochester Community Baseball, Inc. took over operational control of the attendance-starved Batavia Muckdogs.
Do the Yankees and Mandalay Baseball WANT Rochester? Will Rochester accept this mission if asked?
This may be an offer too good to pass up.
DURING SUNDAY’S RAIN DELAY AT FRONTIER Field, a couple of Scranton Yankees thrilled the crowd by rushing out of the dugout and sliding headfirst onto the rain-soaked tarp.
”Warming up the fans or next year,” I joked in the press box.
THERE WERE MAYBE 100 PEOPLE jammed around the visitor’s dugout at Frontier Field on Thursday night, trying to get an autograph from Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Meanwhile, in the concourse, nearly 10 times that figure waited for an autograph or photo with Hall of Shamer Jose Canseco.
What’s wrong with this picture? And why was Jose even invited here?
Canseco is a self-confessed baseball pariah, whose former teammates won’t even friend him on Facebook. Sure, his stories turned out to be true. But if you write a book about your cheating neighbors and your thieving cousins, does that make you a Good Samaritan or a high-paid gossip?
If Canseco truly wanted to rid baseball of steroids - after he was done using them and making millions off the game - he could have quietly set up a meeting with Commissioner Bud Selig to detail his true confessions. Instead, he wrote a book. Then another.
Thursday, he actually warmed up with Wings catcher Rene Rivera before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Hey, look at me. He counted the number of fans who asked for his autograph. He refused to speak to the media. He signed his name over Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s, even though my friend asked him not to.
You thought Canseco was funny when that ball conked him on the head and sailed over the fence for a homer in 1993? Or when he threw out his arm pitching a few days later? That was just the beginning.
Move over, Max Patkin. Canseco is the new clown prince of baseball.
TWO SEASON SEATHOLDERS TOLD ME that there was nearly an incident while Canseco signed last week . Some wise guy fan reportedly brought a large plastic syringe and asked Canseco to sign it. He was furious and wanted to end the signing.
Don’t know if this happened, but if it did, Canseco has no right to be outraged. He made himself the poster child for steroids, and made millions off of steroids (both as a player and an author).
GOOD OLD MLB STRIKES AGAIN. The Washington Nationals wanted to wear special hats honoring the 30 soldiers recently killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. MLB said no, because such hats are reserved for days like the Fourth of July, when all 30 clubs wear them.
The Yankees will hit the road for all 144 games next year because PNC Field is undergoing a $40 million facelift. International League president Randy Mobley says there are six possible scenarios for where the SWB Yankees would play, and I’ve come to believe Frontier Field is one of them.
I asked Wings GM Dan Mason point blank on Friday is Frontier was in the mix, and he told me to ask Randy Mobley. So I did. Mobley happened to be in town to present organist Fred Costello with an award. He also wouldn’t refute it. And then in the parking lot, Wings CEO Naomi Silver asked me “Did you get your scoop?”
I said “You tell me. Are you gonna have another team here next year?”
She said “I really don’t know.”
So yesterday, I did a little more research and some off-the-record interviews and came to the conclusion that Frontier is at least IN THE MIX. So we decided to break the story in Sunday’s D&C.
As Naomi told me, there are “positives and negatives” associated with this.
I mean, 144 games in one summer on a grass field? That’s an awful big burden on the grass AND the grounds crew.
Will company pay more for signage?
Will people attend 144 games? Will more attend the Yankees games than the Red Wings games, and wouldn’t that be embarrassing if they did?
(I don’t think it would be embarrassing. Who cares if Scranton outdraws the Wings here? They’re the YANKEES Triple-A club. They’re fresh).
So many questions, so little time.
Personally, I’d have the SWB Yankees play the first half of the season in Staten Island. The S.I. Yankees play in a great 6,500-seat stadium and don’t start action until mid-June. The team would be close to New York (good for quick recalls and scouting players), and no one would have to deal with the dreadful possibility of a game every night in April at frigid Frontier Field.
Come June, shift over to Rochester for the second half.
I think it’s an offer the Wings should seriously consider. I wouldn’t do this if it were the Charlotte Knights or the Norfolk Tides. But this is the Yankees. Love them or hate them, they are hu-u-u-u-u-u-ge, Rochester.
A-Rod just finished up a rehab gig with Scranton. Imagine him in Rochester? Or Jeter? Or Rivera?
We’d be the talk of the minor-league baseball world for a summer.
Remember: This is not about staying close to Moosic, Pa. It’s about making it as convenient or the SWB Yankees as possible. If there was a city 10 hours from Moosic, but that city was within one hour of eight teams, that city would be the No. 1 choice.
It’s not about finding a vacant stadium someplace. Again, you have to be in a city that makes sense geographically.
And no, it’s not about playing road games all year in the 13 different IL cities. You think the Yankees want their top minor-leaguers on the road all year? Where would their wives and kids live?
The Wings have to make a profit on this, of course. Maybe they’ll save enough to replace that Little League scoreboard in left-center (the one with the small print).
They also can’t be burning out their personnel. There’s no reason the Scranton organization can’t relocate or hire people to work the games.
I envision a “Summer 2012″ season ticket plan, or a 30-game ticket package (15 Yankees, 15 Red Wings).
I understand the naysayers who want to keep Frontier Field the home of the Red Wings - and only the Red Wings. But those same people would be in the stands watching the SWB Yankees, especially if a hot prospect was there or a rehabbing superstar.
This may never materialize, of course. Someone else might get the call. But I found it interesting that Randy Mobley stayed an extra day in town instead of flying home Saturday. Oh, and who were the Red Wings playing on Saturday? The SWB Yankees.
I told Naomi on Saturday that she has always liked challenges. She agreed to let a local videographer go deep inside the organization for a PBS documentary two years ago. Sure, the series was forgettable, but still . . .
And Rochester Community Baseball, Inc. took over operational control of the attendance-starved Batavia Muckdogs.
Do the Yankees and Mandalay Baseball WANT Rochester? Will Rochester accept this mission if asked?
This may be an offer too good to pass up.
DURING SUNDAY’S RAIN DELAY AT FRONTIER Field, a couple of Scranton Yankees thrilled the crowd by rushing out of the dugout and sliding headfirst onto the rain-soaked tarp.
”Warming up the fans or next year,” I joked in the press box.
THERE WERE MAYBE 100 PEOPLE jammed around the visitor’s dugout at Frontier Field on Thursday night, trying to get an autograph from Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. Meanwhile, in the concourse, nearly 10 times that figure waited for an autograph or photo with Hall of Shamer Jose Canseco.
What’s wrong with this picture? And why was Jose even invited here?
Canseco is a self-confessed baseball pariah, whose former teammates won’t even friend him on Facebook. Sure, his stories turned out to be true. But if you write a book about your cheating neighbors and your thieving cousins, does that make you a Good Samaritan or a high-paid gossip?
If Canseco truly wanted to rid baseball of steroids - after he was done using them and making millions off the game - he could have quietly set up a meeting with Commissioner Bud Selig to detail his true confessions. Instead, he wrote a book. Then another.
Thursday, he actually warmed up with Wings catcher Rene Rivera before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Hey, look at me. He counted the number of fans who asked for his autograph. He refused to speak to the media. He signed his name over Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley’s, even though my friend asked him not to.
You thought Canseco was funny when that ball conked him on the head and sailed over the fence for a homer in 1993? Or when he threw out his arm pitching a few days later? That was just the beginning.
Move over, Max Patkin. Canseco is the new clown prince of baseball.
TWO SEASON SEATHOLDERS TOLD ME that there was nearly an incident while Canseco signed last week . Some wise guy fan reportedly brought a large plastic syringe and asked Canseco to sign it. He was furious and wanted to end the signing.
Don’t know if this happened, but if it did, Canseco has no right to be outraged. He made himself the poster child for steroids, and made millions off of steroids (both as a player and an author).
GOOD OLD MLB STRIKES AGAIN. The Washington Nationals wanted to wear special hats honoring the 30 soldiers recently killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. MLB said no, because such hats are reserved for days like the Fourth of July, when all 30 clubs wear them.
2011年8月20日星期六
Prosecutors want another shot at Clemens trial
WASHINGTON -- Prosecutors pursing a perjury conviction against baseball star Roger Clemens acknowledge they made a critical error that ultimately doomed their high-profile trial but asked a judge for another chance to convict the pitching standout of lying about using performance-enhancing drugs.
The U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia filed arguments Friday disputing Clemens' position that a second trial would violate his constitutional protection against double jeopardy by making him face the same charges twice. The filing is the prosecutors' first public admission of fault in the mistrial and first explanation of what went wrong.The prosecutors wrote it was their duty to make sure that evidence was not included in their exhibits. "The government accepts responsibility for its oversight, and regrets the burdens that error has placed on this court and defendant," they wrote, but argued the mistake was due to the press of other trial matters and was not intentional.
They said it was an oversight that they showed jurors evidence that U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton had ruled inadmissible - evidence that the defendant's teammate told his wife that Clemens had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens had argued the showing of the evidence was a deliberate ploy to invoke a mistrial because the prosecutors' case was going badly. But the prosecutors say their case remains strong and Clemens wants to "gain an unwarranted windfall from this inadvertent error."
That's an important point for the prosecutors to make to the judge, who has scheduled a Sept. 2 hearing on the retrial debate. Normally, when a defendant requests a mistrial, a second trial is not considered double jeopardy. The exception would be when the judge finds prosecutors intentionally provoked a mistrial.But the prosecutors pointed out the sudden ending to Clemens' trial came only on the second day of evidence in what was supposed to be a four- to six-week case. It came before prosecutors called crucial witnesses such as Brian McNamee, the pitcher's longtime trainer, who said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, or showed their key physical evidence - needles that McNamee said he used to inject Clemens and which the prosecutors said contained Clemens' DNA and traces of the drugs.
The defense planned to dispute both vigorously, arguing that McNamee is a habitual liar who fabricated the evidence to blackmail his former boss. But jurors only had hints of that dispute in opening arguments and had seen no evidence of it yet.
"It is impossible to credibly assert that the government had a motive for derailing defendant's prosecution because it believed the case was going badly when the case was barely going," the prosecutors said.
Clemens has steadfastly denied using performance-enhancing drugs during a standout 24-season career in which he broke multiple records pitching for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Clemens was the most prominent player accused of using drugs in a December 2007 investigative report to Major League Baseball led by former Sen. George Mitchell. Clemens went before a House committee in February 2008 to fight the allegations. He is charged with lying under oath by telling lawmakers he never used the drugs.
The quick end to his trial came when prosecutors were showing jurors a video of Clemens' testimony. In the video, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., was questioning Clemens and pointed out that his good friend and teammate Andy Pettitte says Clemens admitted using human growth hormone in a private conversation in 1999 or 2000. Clemens responded that Pettitte "misheard" or "misremembered" their conversation. But Cummings said Pettitte's wife, Laura, has given lawmakers an affidavit saying that her husband told her about the conversation with Clemens at the time it happened.
Walton had ruled the day before the trial began that Laura Pettitte's comments were inadmissible hearsay because she didn't speak to Clemens directly. When prosecutors aired the video, Walton sent jurors out of the courtroom and scolded the government attorneys for a move that a "first-year law student" would have known to avoid. Clemens attorney asked for a mistrial and Walton granted the motion, saying Clemens couldn't get a fair trial with a jury that had seen the video.
Prosecutors pointed out that Walton's ruling on Laura Pettitte's statement came the day before the trial began, long after their exhibits had been prepared and as they were preoccupied with jury selection, opening statements and other trial matters. But the prosecutors acknowledged they should have redacted their exhibits to comply with Walton's ruling.
"Unfortunately, neither government counsel additionally focused on whether the substance of Laura Pettitte's testimony might be embedded in a question of one of defendant's congressional interlocutors," said the filing. The prosecutors said the reference to Laura Pettitte "would have been removed had government counsel adequately focused on it."
Friday's filing was signed by assistant U.S. attorneys Steven Durham and Daniel Butler, the two prosecutors who conducted the trial, along with their boss, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald Machen Jr. and a colleague from the office's appellate division. That suggests there has been no change in the prosecution team despite the error.
The U.S. attorney's office declined to answer any questions, noting that Walton has issued a gag order preventing parties from commenting.
In San Francisco, prosecutors have not yet said whether they will attempt to retry home run king Barry Bonds. A mistrial was declared in April after a jury deadlocked on three counts charging Bonds with lying to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs and said he allowed only doctors to inject him. Bonds was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for giving the grand jury an evasive answer, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday on Bonds' attempt to set side that conviction.
The U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia filed arguments Friday disputing Clemens' position that a second trial would violate his constitutional protection against double jeopardy by making him face the same charges twice. The filing is the prosecutors' first public admission of fault in the mistrial and first explanation of what went wrong.The prosecutors wrote it was their duty to make sure that evidence was not included in their exhibits. "The government accepts responsibility for its oversight, and regrets the burdens that error has placed on this court and defendant," they wrote, but argued the mistake was due to the press of other trial matters and was not intentional.
They said it was an oversight that they showed jurors evidence that U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton had ruled inadmissible - evidence that the defendant's teammate told his wife that Clemens had admitted using performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens had argued the showing of the evidence was a deliberate ploy to invoke a mistrial because the prosecutors' case was going badly. But the prosecutors say their case remains strong and Clemens wants to "gain an unwarranted windfall from this inadvertent error."
That's an important point for the prosecutors to make to the judge, who has scheduled a Sept. 2 hearing on the retrial debate. Normally, when a defendant requests a mistrial, a second trial is not considered double jeopardy. The exception would be when the judge finds prosecutors intentionally provoked a mistrial.But the prosecutors pointed out the sudden ending to Clemens' trial came only on the second day of evidence in what was supposed to be a four- to six-week case. It came before prosecutors called crucial witnesses such as Brian McNamee, the pitcher's longtime trainer, who said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, or showed their key physical evidence - needles that McNamee said he used to inject Clemens and which the prosecutors said contained Clemens' DNA and traces of the drugs.
The defense planned to dispute both vigorously, arguing that McNamee is a habitual liar who fabricated the evidence to blackmail his former boss. But jurors only had hints of that dispute in opening arguments and had seen no evidence of it yet.
"It is impossible to credibly assert that the government had a motive for derailing defendant's prosecution because it believed the case was going badly when the case was barely going," the prosecutors said.
Clemens has steadfastly denied using performance-enhancing drugs during a standout 24-season career in which he broke multiple records pitching for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Clemens was the most prominent player accused of using drugs in a December 2007 investigative report to Major League Baseball led by former Sen. George Mitchell. Clemens went before a House committee in February 2008 to fight the allegations. He is charged with lying under oath by telling lawmakers he never used the drugs.
The quick end to his trial came when prosecutors were showing jurors a video of Clemens' testimony. In the video, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., was questioning Clemens and pointed out that his good friend and teammate Andy Pettitte says Clemens admitted using human growth hormone in a private conversation in 1999 or 2000. Clemens responded that Pettitte "misheard" or "misremembered" their conversation. But Cummings said Pettitte's wife, Laura, has given lawmakers an affidavit saying that her husband told her about the conversation with Clemens at the time it happened.
Walton had ruled the day before the trial began that Laura Pettitte's comments were inadmissible hearsay because she didn't speak to Clemens directly. When prosecutors aired the video, Walton sent jurors out of the courtroom and scolded the government attorneys for a move that a "first-year law student" would have known to avoid. Clemens attorney asked for a mistrial and Walton granted the motion, saying Clemens couldn't get a fair trial with a jury that had seen the video.
Prosecutors pointed out that Walton's ruling on Laura Pettitte's statement came the day before the trial began, long after their exhibits had been prepared and as they were preoccupied with jury selection, opening statements and other trial matters. But the prosecutors acknowledged they should have redacted their exhibits to comply with Walton's ruling.
"Unfortunately, neither government counsel additionally focused on whether the substance of Laura Pettitte's testimony might be embedded in a question of one of defendant's congressional interlocutors," said the filing. The prosecutors said the reference to Laura Pettitte "would have been removed had government counsel adequately focused on it."
Friday's filing was signed by assistant U.S. attorneys Steven Durham and Daniel Butler, the two prosecutors who conducted the trial, along with their boss, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia Ronald Machen Jr. and a colleague from the office's appellate division. That suggests there has been no change in the prosecution team despite the error.
The U.S. attorney's office declined to answer any questions, noting that Walton has issued a gag order preventing parties from commenting.
In San Francisco, prosecutors have not yet said whether they will attempt to retry home run king Barry Bonds. A mistrial was declared in April after a jury deadlocked on three counts charging Bonds with lying to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs and said he allowed only doctors to inject him. Bonds was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice for giving the grand jury an evasive answer, and a hearing is scheduled for Thursday on Bonds' attempt to set side that conviction.
2011年8月19日星期五
Beckett, Red Sox hold on to beat Royals 4-3
Dustin Pedroia drove in three runs with a pair of well-timed singles, Josh Beckett survived a shaky start to go seven innings and the Boston Red Sox got back on the winning track with a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.
Jason Varitek drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who had lost five of their last seven games after getting shut out by the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Beckett (10-5) and the Royals proved to be the perfect matchup to turn things around. The right-hander allowed all three runs in the first three innings to improve to 7-1 in his career against them – his only loss came July 28 in Boston. Beckett also reached the 10-win plateau after failing in his four previous attempts.
Daniel Bard worked the eighth for Boston, and Jonathan Papelbon made it through a perfect ninth to extend his career-best streak to 24 consecutive saves. It was his 29th of the season.
Luke Hochevar (8-10) labored through 114 pitches in just six innings for the Royals. The former No. 1 overall draft pick allowed all four runs on eight hits and two walks, despite getting some help from his defense.
The Royals threw out three Red Sox base runners: Varitek was nabbed at second trying to stretch a single in the second inning; Crawford was thrown out by center fielder Melky Cabrera trying to score from third base on a shall flyball in the fourth; and Pedroia was thrown out at second base by catcher Salvador Perez, who made an alert play after a late throw to the plate on Pedroia’s RBI single in the fifth.
Alex Gordon hit a tying two-run homer in the third inning for Kansas City, and he also scored on a sacrifice fly by Billy Butler in the first, playing a significant role in all the Royals’ runs.
Boston didn’t waste any time matching Kansas City in the second. Josh Reddick doubled leading off and came home on Varitek’s two-out single. The Red Sox then pulled ahead in the third when Mike Aviles singled against his former team, Ellsbury walked, both advanced on a groundout and came scored on Pedroia’s single.
Alcides Escobar led off the bottom half of the third with a single, and Gordon followed by slapping a pitch from Beckett over the left-field wall to tie the game. His 16th homer matched a career high.
The Red Sox nearly pulled ahead in the fourth when Crawford reached on a single, swiped second base and then stole third – replays showed he should have been called out. Aviles lofted a shallow fly to center moments later, and Cabrera caught it on a jog and unloaded toward home in one motion. Perez fielded the throw, turned and braced himself as Crawford barreled into him at the plate, holding on for the out.
It was the 21st time a Royals outfielder has thrown out someone at the plate, leading the major leagues.
Undaunted, the Red Sox pulled ahead in the fifth. Jed Lowrie doubled with one out and came around to score on a two-out single by Pedroia, who added a double in the eighth inning for a three-hit game.
Beckett and the bullpen made the lead stand up the rest of the way.
Jason Varitek drove in the other run for the Red Sox, who had lost five of their last seven games after getting shut out by the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.
Beckett (10-5) and the Royals proved to be the perfect matchup to turn things around. The right-hander allowed all three runs in the first three innings to improve to 7-1 in his career against them – his only loss came July 28 in Boston. Beckett also reached the 10-win plateau after failing in his four previous attempts.
Daniel Bard worked the eighth for Boston, and Jonathan Papelbon made it through a perfect ninth to extend his career-best streak to 24 consecutive saves. It was his 29th of the season.
Luke Hochevar (8-10) labored through 114 pitches in just six innings for the Royals. The former No. 1 overall draft pick allowed all four runs on eight hits and two walks, despite getting some help from his defense.
The Royals threw out three Red Sox base runners: Varitek was nabbed at second trying to stretch a single in the second inning; Crawford was thrown out by center fielder Melky Cabrera trying to score from third base on a shall flyball in the fourth; and Pedroia was thrown out at second base by catcher Salvador Perez, who made an alert play after a late throw to the plate on Pedroia’s RBI single in the fifth.
Alex Gordon hit a tying two-run homer in the third inning for Kansas City, and he also scored on a sacrifice fly by Billy Butler in the first, playing a significant role in all the Royals’ runs.
Boston didn’t waste any time matching Kansas City in the second. Josh Reddick doubled leading off and came home on Varitek’s two-out single. The Red Sox then pulled ahead in the third when Mike Aviles singled against his former team, Ellsbury walked, both advanced on a groundout and came scored on Pedroia’s single.
Alcides Escobar led off the bottom half of the third with a single, and Gordon followed by slapping a pitch from Beckett over the left-field wall to tie the game. His 16th homer matched a career high.
The Red Sox nearly pulled ahead in the fourth when Crawford reached on a single, swiped second base and then stole third – replays showed he should have been called out. Aviles lofted a shallow fly to center moments later, and Cabrera caught it on a jog and unloaded toward home in one motion. Perez fielded the throw, turned and braced himself as Crawford barreled into him at the plate, holding on for the out.
It was the 21st time a Royals outfielder has thrown out someone at the plate, leading the major leagues.
Undaunted, the Red Sox pulled ahead in the fifth. Jed Lowrie doubled with one out and came around to score on a two-out single by Pedroia, who added a double in the eighth inning for a three-hit game.
Beckett and the bullpen made the lead stand up the rest of the way.
2011年8月18日星期四
Big boys don TWU jerseys
The Trinity Western University men's hockey team continued to beef up its roster for the upcoming season by adding three new faces, including a Langley product.
Forwards Tristano Falbo (Langley), Aman Sidhu (Port Alberni) and defenceman Dylan Mooney (Squamish) will be wearing Spartan colours this year.
The trio, all over sixfeet, will help the Spartans develop a more physical brand that will certainly go along ways towards TWU's efforts to move up the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League ladder after five straight years of fourthplace finishes.
The 6-foot, 190-pound right-handed shooting Falbo will bring a tough, physical brand to the Spartans and will no doubt add sandpaper to the lineup.
Falbo, who had a stint with the Junior A Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2009, arrives already wellknown to Spartans coach Dwayne Lowdermilk, as the Trinity Western bench boss has had a hand in developing Falbo since he was a youngster.
"It has been a lot of fun as a coach to watch a player, like Tristano, that I have taught since he was eight or nine years old develop as a man and hockey player," Lowdermilk said.
"Tristano brings character and is a tough, grinding hockey player. His ability to match up against all types of players and game situations is exciting."
Read more: http://www.langleyadvance.com/boys+jerseys/5270423/story.html#ixzz1VMuiVouE
Forwards Tristano Falbo (Langley), Aman Sidhu (Port Alberni) and defenceman Dylan Mooney (Squamish) will be wearing Spartan colours this year.
The trio, all over sixfeet, will help the Spartans develop a more physical brand that will certainly go along ways towards TWU's efforts to move up the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League ladder after five straight years of fourthplace finishes.
The 6-foot, 190-pound right-handed shooting Falbo will bring a tough, physical brand to the Spartans and will no doubt add sandpaper to the lineup.
Falbo, who had a stint with the Junior A Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2009, arrives already wellknown to Spartans coach Dwayne Lowdermilk, as the Trinity Western bench boss has had a hand in developing Falbo since he was a youngster.
"It has been a lot of fun as a coach to watch a player, like Tristano, that I have taught since he was eight or nine years old develop as a man and hockey player," Lowdermilk said.
"Tristano brings character and is a tough, grinding hockey player. His ability to match up against all types of players and game situations is exciting."
Read more: http://www.langleyadvance.com/boys+jerseys/5270423/story.html#ixzz1VMuiVouE
2011年8月17日星期三
Port Authority needs money to keep bridges & tunnels in shape
Everyone who lives or works in the New York-New Jersey region depends on bridges, tunnels, airports, bus terminals and airports. Despite all the rhetoric about high-speed rail, we still need regular cars, planes, vans and trucks to bring us the food we eat, stock the stores we shop in and transport the cosmetics we cannot live without.
The bridges and tunnels that span the Hudson River, linking New York City to New Jersey and to most of the nation, are operated by the Port Authority, a bistate agency under the control of the governors of New York and New Jersey. Since this agency can't impose taxes, it gets it money from tolls, fares, airplane landing fees and rent from the World Trade Center site.
Now it wants to raise tolls - a $4 increase for E-ZPass customers on the bridges and tunnels now, then an additional $2 next year - plus a $1 hike in PATH fares.
People are upset. Commuters, who are going through tough economic times, say they can't afford it. Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie say they were unpleasantly surprised by the proposal.
I'm here to deliver an uncomfortable truth: We have to take our medicine. We have to pay enough for public transportation to work over the long haul, even when it's an entity as distrusted as the Port Authority that's pocketing the money.
The authority is a necessary evil. We cannot live without it, yet we have a hard time living with it, whether it's rebuilding the World Trade Center site or raising tolls and fares to maintain the aging infrastructure it operates.
We have come to accept extortionate gas prices that send dollars abroad, but are reluctant to spend more to maintain the bridges and tunnels that we take every day.
Why? We need to spend today if the system's going to be functioning well tomorrow. Take, for instance, the George Washington Bridge suspender ropes. Simply put, these ropes hold the bridge up, but they have not been replaced since the bridge opened in 1931. Most other major suspension bridges of a similar age - the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, the RFK Bridge in New York - have replaced their suspender ropes. The pain of higher tolls is nothing compared with the pain we would feel if the span of the George Washington Bridge collapses.
There are dozens of critical maintenance projects like that - basic improvements that need to be made to keep things running smoothly.
And contrary to popular belief, tolls are actually the best way to pay for highways and bridges.
In fact, long before the federal government built the Interstate Highway System, states used tolls to finance the construction of the New York State Thruway, the Maine Turnpike, the Oklahoma Turnpike linking Tulsa with Oklahoma City and, of course, the New Jersey Turnpike, which was built in less than two years.
New Jersey, best known for producing Bruce Springsteen and beefsteak tomatoes, is a vital source of skilled workers in New York City. Manhattan's high-income jobs, in turn, support the shopping malls, school districts and pristine suburbs of the Garden State. Since 2002, there has been a 21% increase in Manhattan workers coming from northern New Jersey.
This region cannot survive without investing in our cross-Hudson links; these arteries are our lifeline.
In baseball we may compete with the Phillies and Red Sox, but when it comes to economic activity, we are competing with global cities in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
They recognize the central role of transportation in generating jobs.
If our region is to continue to compete as a global center for business, culture, health care and media, then our state governments must provide modern, safe and reliable ways to move throughout the area.
Raising the tolls by $4 now and by $2 in 2013 is not easy. Even the governors of the two states have expressed concern about the magnitude of the proposed increase.
But, like jumping into cold water, it's better to do it all at once, rather than to go inch by inch into the pool.
This is the right time to invest in infrastructure - when the contractors are so hungry for work that they are willing to cut their profits. And with interest rates at an all-time low, there is no better time to borrow money for long-term projects.
The bridges and tunnels that span the Hudson River, linking New York City to New Jersey and to most of the nation, are operated by the Port Authority, a bistate agency under the control of the governors of New York and New Jersey. Since this agency can't impose taxes, it gets it money from tolls, fares, airplane landing fees and rent from the World Trade Center site.
Now it wants to raise tolls - a $4 increase for E-ZPass customers on the bridges and tunnels now, then an additional $2 next year - plus a $1 hike in PATH fares.
People are upset. Commuters, who are going through tough economic times, say they can't afford it. Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie say they were unpleasantly surprised by the proposal.
I'm here to deliver an uncomfortable truth: We have to take our medicine. We have to pay enough for public transportation to work over the long haul, even when it's an entity as distrusted as the Port Authority that's pocketing the money.
The authority is a necessary evil. We cannot live without it, yet we have a hard time living with it, whether it's rebuilding the World Trade Center site or raising tolls and fares to maintain the aging infrastructure it operates.
We have come to accept extortionate gas prices that send dollars abroad, but are reluctant to spend more to maintain the bridges and tunnels that we take every day.
Why? We need to spend today if the system's going to be functioning well tomorrow. Take, for instance, the George Washington Bridge suspender ropes. Simply put, these ropes hold the bridge up, but they have not been replaced since the bridge opened in 1931. Most other major suspension bridges of a similar age - the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, the RFK Bridge in New York - have replaced their suspender ropes. The pain of higher tolls is nothing compared with the pain we would feel if the span of the George Washington Bridge collapses.
There are dozens of critical maintenance projects like that - basic improvements that need to be made to keep things running smoothly.
And contrary to popular belief, tolls are actually the best way to pay for highways and bridges.
In fact, long before the federal government built the Interstate Highway System, states used tolls to finance the construction of the New York State Thruway, the Maine Turnpike, the Oklahoma Turnpike linking Tulsa with Oklahoma City and, of course, the New Jersey Turnpike, which was built in less than two years.
New Jersey, best known for producing Bruce Springsteen and beefsteak tomatoes, is a vital source of skilled workers in New York City. Manhattan's high-income jobs, in turn, support the shopping malls, school districts and pristine suburbs of the Garden State. Since 2002, there has been a 21% increase in Manhattan workers coming from northern New Jersey.
This region cannot survive without investing in our cross-Hudson links; these arteries are our lifeline.
In baseball we may compete with the Phillies and Red Sox, but when it comes to economic activity, we are competing with global cities in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Latin America.
They recognize the central role of transportation in generating jobs.
If our region is to continue to compete as a global center for business, culture, health care and media, then our state governments must provide modern, safe and reliable ways to move throughout the area.
Raising the tolls by $4 now and by $2 in 2013 is not easy. Even the governors of the two states have expressed concern about the magnitude of the proposed increase.
But, like jumping into cold water, it's better to do it all at once, rather than to go inch by inch into the pool.
This is the right time to invest in infrastructure - when the contractors are so hungry for work that they are willing to cut their profits. And with interest rates at an all-time low, there is no better time to borrow money for long-term projects.
2011年8月16日星期二
Mariano Rivera records save with perfect ninth inning for Yankees against Royals, insists he's fine
KANSAS CITY - Yankee fans may have been worried about Mariano Rivera after three rocky outings last week, but the closer wasn't concerned.
Rivera calmed any fears Monday night, throwing a perfect ninth inning to earn his 31st save of the season in the Yankees' 7-4 win over the Royals. Asked if the crisis was over, Rivera chuckled.
"It's daily routine, guys," Rivera said. "I don't worry about it. I have peace of mind, believe me."
Rivera had been frustrated after his last save, having given up a three-run home run to Russell Branyan before closing the win against the Angels last Thursday.
"You just want to do your job, especially in a situation like that when your teammates are there battling and you go out there and don't do your job," Rivera said. "We won. The whole team did great."
Rivera had little trouble Monday night, as Salvador Perez grounded out to first base to start the ninth, then Mike Moustakas grounded out to shortstop. Rivera caught Alcides Escobar looking at strike three to end the game, recording career save No. 590, 11 shy of Trevor Hoffman's all-time record.
NO SPLITTER, NO FREDDY
Freddy Garcia's right index finger isn't quite ready for action, but the veteran appears to be close to a return to the mound. Garcia, who cut himself in what has been described as a kitchen accident, is to test his finger in the bullpen either Tuesday or Wednesday. As long as he can throw his splitter, Garcia should be penciled into the rotation sometime during this weekend's series in Minnesota.
Rivera calmed any fears Monday night, throwing a perfect ninth inning to earn his 31st save of the season in the Yankees' 7-4 win over the Royals. Asked if the crisis was over, Rivera chuckled.
"It's daily routine, guys," Rivera said. "I don't worry about it. I have peace of mind, believe me."
Rivera had been frustrated after his last save, having given up a three-run home run to Russell Branyan before closing the win against the Angels last Thursday.
"You just want to do your job, especially in a situation like that when your teammates are there battling and you go out there and don't do your job," Rivera said. "We won. The whole team did great."
Rivera had little trouble Monday night, as Salvador Perez grounded out to first base to start the ninth, then Mike Moustakas grounded out to shortstop. Rivera caught Alcides Escobar looking at strike three to end the game, recording career save No. 590, 11 shy of Trevor Hoffman's all-time record.
NO SPLITTER, NO FREDDY
Freddy Garcia's right index finger isn't quite ready for action, but the veteran appears to be close to a return to the mound. Garcia, who cut himself in what has been described as a kitchen accident, is to test his finger in the bullpen either Tuesday or Wednesday. As long as he can throw his splitter, Garcia should be penciled into the rotation sometime during this weekend's series in Minnesota.
2011年8月15日星期一
Chavez has the look of a legend
The lookalike jokes started popping up on Twitter the day before they finally reached Eric Chavez at third base inside Fenway Park last weekend.
Minus the eye black, the number and the nickname Yankees fans have no plans to begin referring to him as “Chavey Baseball,” mind you people have taken notice of his resemblance to a pinstriped icon, mostly due to the facial hair now covering his upper lip.
“Kevin Youkilis actually said to me, ‘Who are you trying to be with that (mustache)? Don Mattingly?’ “ Chavez said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘What? Who? Oh, OK.’ ... I never thought about it, but in this uniform, that’s not a bad thing. It’s also pretty ironic.”
Ironic because of this little-known fact: Chavez might not be playing baseball again, let alone with the Yankees, if it wasn’t for Mattingly, who convinced him he should try.
The two spoke several times over the phone this winter, their conversations providing the oft-injured Chavez with the confidence he needed to make a return to the game.
Chavez, 33, also had plans of joining Mattingly with the Dodgers before “circumstances changed a little bit” and a training camp invite from the Yankees came his way.
The rest is history, of course, so when the comparisons started, Chavez found them both funny and fitting.
“He was the one who got me thinking, ‘OK, maybe I can come back and I can play,’ “ Chavez said. “We discussed injuries, hitting a little bit, so it’s kind of ironic (people are making comparisons). To me, it’s a cool thing because I kind of look at him like a father figure in a way now.”
Despite missing 71 games with a broken foot, Chavez has emerged as an integral part of their plans since returning from the disabled list July 25. He adopted his Mattingly look as a bit of an homage to teammate Russell Martin’s mustache, which gained attention and good-natured ridicule from fans and teammates for its ugliness two weeks ago.
In Alex Rodriguez’s absence, Chavez has been swinging a hot bat, providing the perfect complement to rookie Eduardo Nunez at third base in addition to the veteran presence he brings to the ballpark on a daily basis.
The Yankees (72-46) open a seven-game road trip with their first of three Monday night in Kansas City after being rained out Sunday against Tampa Bay at the Stadium.
And at some point, likely when the Yankees hit Minnesota for a four-game set beginning Thursday, Rodriguez (knee surgery) will return from his minor-league rehab assignment.
He participated in a simulated game Sunday in Tampa and notched four hits (two doubles) while striking out three times in 13 at-bats. Rodriguez is expected to join Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for games Tuesday and Wednesday before his anticipated comeback to the majors.
“I’m just very fortunate to have an opportunity to come here and play,” said Chavez, who is hitting .293 with a homer and 15 RBI in 30 games. “I’ve been swinging the bat pretty well and I honestly don’t feel like I’m replacing anybody. Even if I tried, there’s just no possible way to replace a guy like Alex. Really, all I see it as is just fulfilling my role. This is what I’m here to do.”
Chavez is within four games of playing the most he has in a season since 2007.
“When I played with Chavey, he was the best third baseman in baseball, in my eyes,” said Nick Swisher, Chavez’s teammate in Oakland for four seasons. “The talent is still there, but at this point, you’ve got to look at his personality, too. He’s a perfect fit because he’s such a professional. It’s not all about getting the best guy, but the best fit.”
Healthy this late in the summer for the first time in a long while, Chavez insists he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Yankees win.
“I’ve played on some pretty good offensive teams early with the A’s, but really I’ve never seen anything like this,” Chavez said. “If you look at the three guys in the middle Robbie (Cano), (Curtis) Granderson and (Mark) Teixeira — they do so much damage. The rest of us, all we’ve got to do is pitch in.”
Comparisons to legendary Yankees notwithstanding, Chavez only can hope to keep up his end of the deal by doing just that.
Minus the eye black, the number and the nickname Yankees fans have no plans to begin referring to him as “Chavey Baseball,” mind you people have taken notice of his resemblance to a pinstriped icon, mostly due to the facial hair now covering his upper lip.
“Kevin Youkilis actually said to me, ‘Who are you trying to be with that (mustache)? Don Mattingly?’ “ Chavez said with a laugh. “I was like, ‘What? Who? Oh, OK.’ ... I never thought about it, but in this uniform, that’s not a bad thing. It’s also pretty ironic.”
Ironic because of this little-known fact: Chavez might not be playing baseball again, let alone with the Yankees, if it wasn’t for Mattingly, who convinced him he should try.
The two spoke several times over the phone this winter, their conversations providing the oft-injured Chavez with the confidence he needed to make a return to the game.
Chavez, 33, also had plans of joining Mattingly with the Dodgers before “circumstances changed a little bit” and a training camp invite from the Yankees came his way.
The rest is history, of course, so when the comparisons started, Chavez found them both funny and fitting.
“He was the one who got me thinking, ‘OK, maybe I can come back and I can play,’ “ Chavez said. “We discussed injuries, hitting a little bit, so it’s kind of ironic (people are making comparisons). To me, it’s a cool thing because I kind of look at him like a father figure in a way now.”
Despite missing 71 games with a broken foot, Chavez has emerged as an integral part of their plans since returning from the disabled list July 25. He adopted his Mattingly look as a bit of an homage to teammate Russell Martin’s mustache, which gained attention and good-natured ridicule from fans and teammates for its ugliness two weeks ago.
In Alex Rodriguez’s absence, Chavez has been swinging a hot bat, providing the perfect complement to rookie Eduardo Nunez at third base in addition to the veteran presence he brings to the ballpark on a daily basis.
The Yankees (72-46) open a seven-game road trip with their first of three Monday night in Kansas City after being rained out Sunday against Tampa Bay at the Stadium.
And at some point, likely when the Yankees hit Minnesota for a four-game set beginning Thursday, Rodriguez (knee surgery) will return from his minor-league rehab assignment.
He participated in a simulated game Sunday in Tampa and notched four hits (two doubles) while striking out three times in 13 at-bats. Rodriguez is expected to join Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for games Tuesday and Wednesday before his anticipated comeback to the majors.
“I’m just very fortunate to have an opportunity to come here and play,” said Chavez, who is hitting .293 with a homer and 15 RBI in 30 games. “I’ve been swinging the bat pretty well and I honestly don’t feel like I’m replacing anybody. Even if I tried, there’s just no possible way to replace a guy like Alex. Really, all I see it as is just fulfilling my role. This is what I’m here to do.”
Chavez is within four games of playing the most he has in a season since 2007.
“When I played with Chavey, he was the best third baseman in baseball, in my eyes,” said Nick Swisher, Chavez’s teammate in Oakland for four seasons. “The talent is still there, but at this point, you’ve got to look at his personality, too. He’s a perfect fit because he’s such a professional. It’s not all about getting the best guy, but the best fit.”
Healthy this late in the summer for the first time in a long while, Chavez insists he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the Yankees win.
“I’ve played on some pretty good offensive teams early with the A’s, but really I’ve never seen anything like this,” Chavez said. “If you look at the three guys in the middle Robbie (Cano), (Curtis) Granderson and (Mark) Teixeira — they do so much damage. The rest of us, all we’ve got to do is pitch in.”
Comparisons to legendary Yankees notwithstanding, Chavez only can hope to keep up his end of the deal by doing just that.
2011年8月13日星期六
Kruk enters Phillies Walk of Fame
PHILADELPHIA — John Kruk was batting .184 for the season on June 2, 1989, the day he was traded from the San Diego Padres to the Phillies.
When Kruk left the Phillies after the 1994 season, he'd been to three All-Star Games, sparked the Phillies to the 1993 National League pennant and batted .309 in a Phillies uniform.
"They took a chance on a guy who was batting .180," Kruk said from a podium on the field at Citizens Bank Park Friday night. "I stunk.
"Apparently," he added, "it's paid off."
Kruk had just joined the Phillies Walk of Fame, and was flanked by some of its other members -- Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and teammate Darren Daulton, to name a few -- as the Phillies kicked off their annual alumni weekend.
Another sellout crowd roared its approval, especially as Kruk, now an ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst, heralded the fans as well.
"This is the greatest place I've ever been," said Kruk, a Padres draftee who closed his career with the 1995 White Sox. "It's quite an honor to hear the cheers again."
Referring to the players collected in the Phillies dugout, Kruk said he hoped they realize how fortunate they are "to hear the best fans in sports every night."
Polanco questionable
Third baseman Placido Polanco remained sidelined with a sports hernia as he waited for a cortisone shot to have a greater effect.
"He's feeling better," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro said. "Over these next couple days we'll assess how he progresses and see whether or not we make a decision about putting him on the DL."
Amaro added that the Phillies expect the cortisone to be effective. Surgery would sideline Polanco for at least four weeks, Amaro added, and is only a last resort.
Polanco has not played since last Saturday.
"We'll take this route and see if he can work his way through the season and deal with it after the season," Amaro said.
On track
Injured pitchers Joe Blanton (elbow) and Jose Contreras (forearm) are on pace for late-season returns, Amaro said.
When Kruk left the Phillies after the 1994 season, he'd been to three All-Star Games, sparked the Phillies to the 1993 National League pennant and batted .309 in a Phillies uniform.
"They took a chance on a guy who was batting .180," Kruk said from a podium on the field at Citizens Bank Park Friday night. "I stunk.
"Apparently," he added, "it's paid off."
Kruk had just joined the Phillies Walk of Fame, and was flanked by some of its other members -- Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and teammate Darren Daulton, to name a few -- as the Phillies kicked off their annual alumni weekend.
Another sellout crowd roared its approval, especially as Kruk, now an ESPN Baseball Tonight analyst, heralded the fans as well.
"This is the greatest place I've ever been," said Kruk, a Padres draftee who closed his career with the 1995 White Sox. "It's quite an honor to hear the cheers again."
Referring to the players collected in the Phillies dugout, Kruk said he hoped they realize how fortunate they are "to hear the best fans in sports every night."
Polanco questionable
Third baseman Placido Polanco remained sidelined with a sports hernia as he waited for a cortisone shot to have a greater effect.
"He's feeling better," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro said. "Over these next couple days we'll assess how he progresses and see whether or not we make a decision about putting him on the DL."
Amaro added that the Phillies expect the cortisone to be effective. Surgery would sideline Polanco for at least four weeks, Amaro added, and is only a last resort.
Polanco has not played since last Saturday.
"We'll take this route and see if he can work his way through the season and deal with it after the season," Amaro said.
On track
Injured pitchers Joe Blanton (elbow) and Jose Contreras (forearm) are on pace for late-season returns, Amaro said.
2011年8月12日星期五
MLB: Cano blast fires Yankees
His seventh-inning blast gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead and they clung on after a nervy finale which saw Russell Branyan hit a three-run homer off the faltering Mariano Rivera in the ninth.
The Yankees now trail the Red Sox by just one game, with both teams well clear of Tampa Bay, who beat Kansas City for a fourth straight night, this time 4-1 to complete a sweep of their home series. Ben Zobrist's two-run triple in the third inning put the Rays ahead for good.
Detroit head the AL Central by three games after seeing off their nearest rivals Cleveland 4-3.
Play-off ambitions
The Chicago White Sox, a further game back, still have play-off ambitions after beating Baltimore 6-3, doing the groundwork early by moving 4-0 in front after the first inning, which featured a home run from Alexei Ramirez.
Conor Jackson drove three runs as Oakland routed Toronto 10-3.
Arizona head San Francisco by a game in the National League West after a dramatic 8-5 victory over Houston.
Paul Goldschmidt's two-run homer for the Diamondbacks took the game to a 10th inning, denying lowly Houston who had led 4-0, 5-1 and then 5-3 heading into the ninth, and Chris Young followed up with a three-run clinching homer to pinch victory.
At the top of the NL Central, second-placed St Louis beat leaders Milwaukee 5-2, sparked by a home run from Albert Pujols.
The Yankees now trail the Red Sox by just one game, with both teams well clear of Tampa Bay, who beat Kansas City for a fourth straight night, this time 4-1 to complete a sweep of their home series. Ben Zobrist's two-run triple in the third inning put the Rays ahead for good.
Detroit head the AL Central by three games after seeing off their nearest rivals Cleveland 4-3.
Play-off ambitions
The Chicago White Sox, a further game back, still have play-off ambitions after beating Baltimore 6-3, doing the groundwork early by moving 4-0 in front after the first inning, which featured a home run from Alexei Ramirez.
Conor Jackson drove three runs as Oakland routed Toronto 10-3.
Arizona head San Francisco by a game in the National League West after a dramatic 8-5 victory over Houston.
Paul Goldschmidt's two-run homer for the Diamondbacks took the game to a 10th inning, denying lowly Houston who had led 4-0, 5-1 and then 5-3 heading into the ninth, and Chris Young followed up with a three-run clinching homer to pinch victory.
At the top of the NL Central, second-placed St Louis beat leaders Milwaukee 5-2, sparked by a home run from Albert Pujols.
2011年8月11日星期四
Groundbreaking ceremony held for New Orleans MLB Youth Academy
New Orleans native Ron Washington showed his leadership skills to baseball fans around the country by managing the Texas Rangers to the World Series last year. Without Washington's behind-the-scenes leadership, said Darrell Miller, Major League Baseball's vice president of youth and facility development, plans for the New Orleans MLB Urban Youth Academy might have been scrapped.
The process was bogging down last winter, when Washington, who had played winter baseball with his friend Miller years ago and played against him in the majors, called to offer help.
"I just figured it wasn't going to happen," Miller said Wednesday morning at the ground-breaking for the $5.3 million project at Wesley Barrow Stadium in Pontchartrain Park. "It just seemed like it wasn't meant to be. He said: 'If you come down, I'll get a meeting together. We'll get something done.' If it wasn't for Ron, truly, we wouldn't be here today."
Washington worked out a trip home for the ceremony even though the Rangers, who are involved in a tight pennant race, played at home Tuesday night and were scheduled to play Wednesday night.
"Any time you can do anything that can influence the youth of today, that's a good thing," he said. . "I think baseball can build a foundation. It can teach you a lot of things that you could take for granted. Darrell Miller and Jimmie Lee Solomon (MLB executive vice president of baseball development), it's their baby. They certainly could have gone other places.
"I'm glad they chose New Orleans. This is the place that gave me my start."
MLB is operating youth academies in Houston and Compton, Calif., recently took over an academy in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and has plans to open academies in Philadelphia and Hialeah, Fla. The academies are part of a larger MLB strategy to reinvigorate interest in baseball among inner-city children. A concern of baseball officials is that urban children are gravitating more to other sports, such as basketball and football.
"What we're going to have here is going to be world-class and will make a difference in the lives of our children,'' U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of New Orleans said.
The New Orleans project will include the construction of three fields (for baseball, softball and tee ball), scoreboards, seating, dugouts, lights, indoor batting cages and practice pitching mounds.
"Commissioner Selig made it very clear, baseball has responsibilities to our society," Solomon said. Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill helped focus baseball's attention on New Orleans, he said.
"We were looking to do something here," Solomon said. "It took a long time to get all the pieces in place. This is an area rich in baseball. ... Once Mayor (Mitch) Landrieu came in and declared it one of his 100 projects, it really made it fait accompli."
The New Orleans Academy will operate in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. About 1,500 young people are expected to take part in the free, year-round programs. Solomon said he is hopeful the academy will open next summer.
The academy will teach more than how to play baseball and softball, he said. Baseball vocational skills, which might lead to careers in groundskeeping, play-by-play or scouting will be taught. With help from the educational curriculum, children will be better prepared for ACT and SAT tests, Solomon said.
"The critical thing is not to manufacture the next major-leaguer," he said. "It's to manufacture a major-league contributor to society."
Miller said: "Our goal is to graduate every single kid we touch, get them to graduate from high school."
Landrieu, city council members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Arnie Fielkow, state Sen. JP Morrell and state Rep. Jared Brossett were others who spoke about how the academy will benefit young people.
"It's about giving them the skills to do better in life," Landrieu said.
Morrell said: "We can't change anything if we don't invest in our children."
Washington, who lives in New Orleans in the offseason, is eager to give to his community.
"What this is about is influence," he said. "I don't think anyone got anything in life without someone pointing a direction to go."
Funding for the project will come from FEMA damage reimbursements, block grants and other public money, Fielkow said.
Washington and former big-league pitcher Chad Gaudin will be hosts of a golf tournament Nov. 14 at English Turn to benefit the academy.
The process was bogging down last winter, when Washington, who had played winter baseball with his friend Miller years ago and played against him in the majors, called to offer help.
"I just figured it wasn't going to happen," Miller said Wednesday morning at the ground-breaking for the $5.3 million project at Wesley Barrow Stadium in Pontchartrain Park. "It just seemed like it wasn't meant to be. He said: 'If you come down, I'll get a meeting together. We'll get something done.' If it wasn't for Ron, truly, we wouldn't be here today."
Washington worked out a trip home for the ceremony even though the Rangers, who are involved in a tight pennant race, played at home Tuesday night and were scheduled to play Wednesday night.
"Any time you can do anything that can influence the youth of today, that's a good thing," he said. . "I think baseball can build a foundation. It can teach you a lot of things that you could take for granted. Darrell Miller and Jimmie Lee Solomon (MLB executive vice president of baseball development), it's their baby. They certainly could have gone other places.
"I'm glad they chose New Orleans. This is the place that gave me my start."
MLB is operating youth academies in Houston and Compton, Calif., recently took over an academy in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, and has plans to open academies in Philadelphia and Hialeah, Fla. The academies are part of a larger MLB strategy to reinvigorate interest in baseball among inner-city children. A concern of baseball officials is that urban children are gravitating more to other sports, such as basketball and football.
"What we're going to have here is going to be world-class and will make a difference in the lives of our children,'' U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond of New Orleans said.
The New Orleans project will include the construction of three fields (for baseball, softball and tee ball), scoreboards, seating, dugouts, lights, indoor batting cages and practice pitching mounds.
"Commissioner Selig made it very clear, baseball has responsibilities to our society," Solomon said. Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf oil spill helped focus baseball's attention on New Orleans, he said.
"We were looking to do something here," Solomon said. "It took a long time to get all the pieces in place. This is an area rich in baseball. ... Once Mayor (Mitch) Landrieu came in and declared it one of his 100 projects, it really made it fait accompli."
The New Orleans Academy will operate in partnership with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. About 1,500 young people are expected to take part in the free, year-round programs. Solomon said he is hopeful the academy will open next summer.
The academy will teach more than how to play baseball and softball, he said. Baseball vocational skills, which might lead to careers in groundskeeping, play-by-play or scouting will be taught. With help from the educational curriculum, children will be better prepared for ACT and SAT tests, Solomon said.
"The critical thing is not to manufacture the next major-leaguer," he said. "It's to manufacture a major-league contributor to society."
Miller said: "Our goal is to graduate every single kid we touch, get them to graduate from high school."
Landrieu, city council members Cynthia Hedge-Morrell and Arnie Fielkow, state Sen. JP Morrell and state Rep. Jared Brossett were others who spoke about how the academy will benefit young people.
"It's about giving them the skills to do better in life," Landrieu said.
Morrell said: "We can't change anything if we don't invest in our children."
Washington, who lives in New Orleans in the offseason, is eager to give to his community.
"What this is about is influence," he said. "I don't think anyone got anything in life without someone pointing a direction to go."
Funding for the project will come from FEMA damage reimbursements, block grants and other public money, Fielkow said.
Washington and former big-league pitcher Chad Gaudin will be hosts of a golf tournament Nov. 14 at English Turn to benefit the academy.
2011年8月10日星期三
Support project helps Fukushima ice cream shop operate in Tokyo hotel
An ice cream shop from Fukushima Prefecture is being allowed to temporarily operate in a Tokyo hotel under a project to support areas struck by the March 11 disasters.
Nonfiction writer Michiko Yoshinaga and other people borrowed the space for free from the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa near JR Shinagawa Station and are offering it to survivors of the March 11 disasters.
Yoshinaga says, "There are many people in Tokyo who want to support the disaster-struck areas. I want them to interact with the disaster survivors and put their thoughts into action."
Yoshinaga and her friend, singer Sachiko Kobayashi, earlier visited the disaster area, and wanting to continue their support after returning to Tokyo, discovered that there was empty shop space in the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. They talked with the hotel's management and reached an agreement to borrow the space.
The first to use the area is Shinsaku Katahira, 34, who runs an ice cream shop called "Makiba no Jersey" (Jerseys of the ranch) in Date, Fukushima Prefecture. The store will operate through Aug. 14, and it is already enjoying popularity with customers on their summer breaks.
Makiba no Jersey sells 22 varieties of ice cream using high-fat Jersey milk. The shop has been in business since 1993, using milk from the ranch of Katahira's 65-year-old father Yoshio, and it enjoyed a good reputation for its flavor.
In 2009, Katahira's father collapsed, and Katahira and his younger brother Yusaku, 27, quit their jobs in Tokyo to take over the business. The shop did well under the two brothers, and just when they were planning to expand the business, the March 11 earthquake struck.
There was almost no damage from the earthquake, but because of the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant about 50 kilometers away, the government on March 21 ordered that shipments of Fukushima milk be stopped. The restriction was lifted about a month later, but the store's customers did not return to their previous levels. Sales during the store's busy times were less than one-third of what they had been before. Learning of the store's plight, Yoshinaga invited them to use the hotel space.
"I was thankful because I was worried about the future," says Katahira.
On Aug. 6, the first day of business at the hotel, the shop sold around 800 orders, and Katahira senses that the shop will do well during its stay.
Nonfiction writer Michiko Yoshinaga and other people borrowed the space for free from the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa near JR Shinagawa Station and are offering it to survivors of the March 11 disasters.
Yoshinaga says, "There are many people in Tokyo who want to support the disaster-struck areas. I want them to interact with the disaster survivors and put their thoughts into action."
Yoshinaga and her friend, singer Sachiko Kobayashi, earlier visited the disaster area, and wanting to continue their support after returning to Tokyo, discovered that there was empty shop space in the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa. They talked with the hotel's management and reached an agreement to borrow the space.
The first to use the area is Shinsaku Katahira, 34, who runs an ice cream shop called "Makiba no Jersey" (Jerseys of the ranch) in Date, Fukushima Prefecture. The store will operate through Aug. 14, and it is already enjoying popularity with customers on their summer breaks.
Makiba no Jersey sells 22 varieties of ice cream using high-fat Jersey milk. The shop has been in business since 1993, using milk from the ranch of Katahira's 65-year-old father Yoshio, and it enjoyed a good reputation for its flavor.
In 2009, Katahira's father collapsed, and Katahira and his younger brother Yusaku, 27, quit their jobs in Tokyo to take over the business. The shop did well under the two brothers, and just when they were planning to expand the business, the March 11 earthquake struck.
There was almost no damage from the earthquake, but because of the disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant about 50 kilometers away, the government on March 21 ordered that shipments of Fukushima milk be stopped. The restriction was lifted about a month later, but the store's customers did not return to their previous levels. Sales during the store's busy times were less than one-third of what they had been before. Learning of the store's plight, Yoshinaga invited them to use the hotel space.
"I was thankful because I was worried about the future," says Katahira.
On Aug. 6, the first day of business at the hotel, the shop sold around 800 orders, and Katahira senses that the shop will do well during its stay.
2011年8月8日星期一
Phillies' rotation the stuff of legend
The Phillies signed Cliff Lee last December, and the unanimous declaration came from bloggers, columnists and just about anyone with a Twitter feed. At the very least, we hadn’t seen anything of its ilk since the Atlanta Braves of the early 1990s, with John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, and later Greg Maddux. So, it was quite reasonable when the Philadelphia starters were widely described as the best collection of arms in a generation.
The analysis was convenient and quick, the sort of thing that often appears flawed in hindsight. But here we are, eight months after Lee put pen to paper, and there is only one conclusion to be drawn.
The Philadelphia rotation is as good as expected — and perhaps even better.
Even when including Roy Oswalt’s decent-but-not-great performance on Sunday afternoon, the team’s starters have combined for a 2.95 ERA this season.
Think about that for a moment: Only 10 qualifying NL starters entered Sunday with ERAs below 3.00. So, on average, there is less than one pitcher per staff with an ERA that low. This is best-of-the-best territory.
Yet even with Oswalt and Joe Blanton missing significant time with injuries, the Phillies’ starters have maintained that elite performance as a group.
“That’s a big reason why I came here,” Lee said of the rotation’s ERA. “I knew it was going to be something like that. We’ve got some of the best pitchers in the game right now. I think we all knew the potential. We don’t play for expectations. We just play to win.” “They’re all extremely competitive — that’s why they’ve been so successful over their careers,” second baseman Chase Utley said. “This year, they’re competing — not only against the other team — but against the other starters. They like to be dominant. For the most part, they have been.”
The last rotation to finish a season below 3.00, according to STATS LLC, was the 1992 Atlanta Braves. So, the best-in-a-generation hype has proven prophetic indeed. And let’s not forget that this rotation has done half of its work at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
“Just imagine,” one scout told me over the weekend, “what their numbers would look like if they were pitching in San Diego.”
Philadelphia employs three of those 10 pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs: Cole Hamels (2.53), Roy Halladay (2.55), and Lee (2.96). But it takes superior depth for a rotation to pitch so well for so long. And that’s where Oswalt, Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick deserve credit, too.
While Worley hasn’t pitched enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, his mark of 2.35 is the best for any current Philadelphia starter.
That’s one statistic none of the pundits — nor Worley himself — would have predicted after Lee’s arrival formed the super rotation. Worley remembers being at home in Sacramento on the December night when the news broke.
“I got a couple text messages from friends, basically saying, ‘You guys are loaded now. You signed Cliff,’” Worley recalled. “My heart kind of sank for a second. I was like, ‘We got Cliff. We’re going to be good. But I’m going to be back at Triple-A.’”
Worley didn’t stay there long. Blanton’s injured throwing elbow pushed Worley into the major league rotation, where he’s now 8-1. Lee believes Worley can sustain his success, saying, “From when I saw him throw his first bullpen in spring training, I knew he had the potential to be something special. I didn’t know he was going to get an opportunity this year and do what he’s done, but it doesn’t surprise me, just seeing the stuff and how he locates.” Now comes the really entertaining discussion: Who’s the best Cy Young Award candidate on this staff?
When I posed the question to Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz, he laughed and said, “Tough, huh?”
Halladay is the reigning winner, and one could argue that the award belongs to him until proven otherwise. He will extend his NL innings lead Monday in Los Angeles. He’s tied for the league lead in victories (14). He again ranks among the top three in ERA.
“He’s definitely the hardest-working pitcher I’ve ever seen,” Lee said. “I heard that before I even had the chance to play with him. He’s obviously the best — just about anyone can agree with that. Any other argument don’t make a whole lot of sense, in my opinion. When the best works as hard as he works, that’s refreshing.
“It’s hard to justify yourself slacking on things when you know the best in the game has the best work ethic. That’s good for the game. It’s good for the other players to see.”
But Doc’s toughest challenger for the Cy Young Award might come from within his own clubhouse. Hamels moved ahead of Halladay in ERA and WHIP with Saturday’s complete-game humbling of the Giants. And the lefty has pitched almost as many innings.
“Throwing a cutter now has made his repertoire that much better,” Lee said of Hamels. “He’s got more command. When I was here (in 2009), he was having a rough year. He’s just matured. He’s gained experience. With Halladay being added to the team, (Cole’s) got a chance to see the best and pick up some things from him.”
To be sure, there are other viable Cy Young candidates across the NL. Clayton Kershaw is well on his way to winning the strikeout title, while Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto and San Francisco’s Ryan Vogelsong rank 1-2 in ERA, ahead of Hamels and Halladay.
Still, Cueto and Vogelsong are more than 50 innings behind Hamels and Halladay, and there’s something to be said for every-fifth-day reliability from Opening Day onward. And if the Philly rotation indeed posts the majors’ best ERA in nearly two decades, then it’s hard to imagine the Cy Young Award going to someone who pitches for another club. After all, the Phillies entered Sunday leading all major league rotations in innings, complete games, shutouts, strikeouts, WHIP and (we can only assume) efforts at world peace.
So, yeah, Lee is glad he came back.
“I’m happy,” Lee said. “Everything’s played out the way I expected. We’ve won from the beginning. We’re still winning. We’ve got a good team. The management’s not content. They continue to improve, with adding (Hunter) Pence. He’s made us that much better. It’s good to know that they’re going to try to improve, even though we’ve been winning.”
BELTRAN: WHERE'S THE IMPACT?
There should be no illusions about the Giants’ trade for Carlos Beltran: He is going to be a free agent after this season. He is represented by Scott Boras. He doesn’t carry draft-pick compensation. He is a two-to-three-month rental in the truest sense.
For Giants fans to be comfortable with giving up pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, Beltran must produce big, and he must do so quickly.
That hasn’t happened yet.
Beltran is batting .244 in 11 games as a Giant. He has yet to hit a home run. He has yet to produce an extra-base hit with a runner on base. And now he has a sprained right wrist, clouding the immediate horizon of what has always been a short-term proposition.
X-rays of the wrist were negative, but reasons for concern persist. Beltran spoke of a “sharp pain” and weakness on the top of his right hand — the sort of things that can sap a hitter’s power even if there’s no structural damage.
This is an impatient time of year for most contending clubs — and their fans. The Giants are no exception, as a small minority of fans began booing Beltran over the weekend. Asked about the jeers, Beltran smiled and quipped, “Nothing compared to New York.”
A PEEK AHEAD AT THE GIANTS' FUTURE
The Giants’ rotation, while younger than the Phillies’, may undergo significant changes more quickly. Vogelsong, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez are all on track to become free agents following the 2012 season.
Vogelsong could have an intriguing salary arbitration case after this year. He’s been one of the best starters in baseball this season, but the rest of his major league track record is much less impressive (and largely as a relief pitcher). Fortunately for Vogelsong, platform years tend to carry the greatest weight in the arbitration process.
Barry Zito’s contract — on which two years and $46 million remain after this year — didn’t prevent the Giants from winning the 2010 World Series. But the investment in Zito, which soured quickly, could make it harder for the Giants to afford their current talent.
The analysis was convenient and quick, the sort of thing that often appears flawed in hindsight. But here we are, eight months after Lee put pen to paper, and there is only one conclusion to be drawn.
The Philadelphia rotation is as good as expected — and perhaps even better.
Even when including Roy Oswalt’s decent-but-not-great performance on Sunday afternoon, the team’s starters have combined for a 2.95 ERA this season.
Think about that for a moment: Only 10 qualifying NL starters entered Sunday with ERAs below 3.00. So, on average, there is less than one pitcher per staff with an ERA that low. This is best-of-the-best territory.
Yet even with Oswalt and Joe Blanton missing significant time with injuries, the Phillies’ starters have maintained that elite performance as a group.
“That’s a big reason why I came here,” Lee said of the rotation’s ERA. “I knew it was going to be something like that. We’ve got some of the best pitchers in the game right now. I think we all knew the potential. We don’t play for expectations. We just play to win.” “They’re all extremely competitive — that’s why they’ve been so successful over their careers,” second baseman Chase Utley said. “This year, they’re competing — not only against the other team — but against the other starters. They like to be dominant. For the most part, they have been.”
The last rotation to finish a season below 3.00, according to STATS LLC, was the 1992 Atlanta Braves. So, the best-in-a-generation hype has proven prophetic indeed. And let’s not forget that this rotation has done half of its work at hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.
“Just imagine,” one scout told me over the weekend, “what their numbers would look like if they were pitching in San Diego.”
Philadelphia employs three of those 10 pitchers with sub-3.00 ERAs: Cole Hamels (2.53), Roy Halladay (2.55), and Lee (2.96). But it takes superior depth for a rotation to pitch so well for so long. And that’s where Oswalt, Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick deserve credit, too.
While Worley hasn’t pitched enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, his mark of 2.35 is the best for any current Philadelphia starter.
That’s one statistic none of the pundits — nor Worley himself — would have predicted after Lee’s arrival formed the super rotation. Worley remembers being at home in Sacramento on the December night when the news broke.
“I got a couple text messages from friends, basically saying, ‘You guys are loaded now. You signed Cliff,’” Worley recalled. “My heart kind of sank for a second. I was like, ‘We got Cliff. We’re going to be good. But I’m going to be back at Triple-A.’”
Worley didn’t stay there long. Blanton’s injured throwing elbow pushed Worley into the major league rotation, where he’s now 8-1. Lee believes Worley can sustain his success, saying, “From when I saw him throw his first bullpen in spring training, I knew he had the potential to be something special. I didn’t know he was going to get an opportunity this year and do what he’s done, but it doesn’t surprise me, just seeing the stuff and how he locates.” Now comes the really entertaining discussion: Who’s the best Cy Young Award candidate on this staff?
When I posed the question to Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz, he laughed and said, “Tough, huh?”
Halladay is the reigning winner, and one could argue that the award belongs to him until proven otherwise. He will extend his NL innings lead Monday in Los Angeles. He’s tied for the league lead in victories (14). He again ranks among the top three in ERA.
“He’s definitely the hardest-working pitcher I’ve ever seen,” Lee said. “I heard that before I even had the chance to play with him. He’s obviously the best — just about anyone can agree with that. Any other argument don’t make a whole lot of sense, in my opinion. When the best works as hard as he works, that’s refreshing.
“It’s hard to justify yourself slacking on things when you know the best in the game has the best work ethic. That’s good for the game. It’s good for the other players to see.”
But Doc’s toughest challenger for the Cy Young Award might come from within his own clubhouse. Hamels moved ahead of Halladay in ERA and WHIP with Saturday’s complete-game humbling of the Giants. And the lefty has pitched almost as many innings.
“Throwing a cutter now has made his repertoire that much better,” Lee said of Hamels. “He’s got more command. When I was here (in 2009), he was having a rough year. He’s just matured. He’s gained experience. With Halladay being added to the team, (Cole’s) got a chance to see the best and pick up some things from him.”
To be sure, there are other viable Cy Young candidates across the NL. Clayton Kershaw is well on his way to winning the strikeout title, while Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto and San Francisco’s Ryan Vogelsong rank 1-2 in ERA, ahead of Hamels and Halladay.
Still, Cueto and Vogelsong are more than 50 innings behind Hamels and Halladay, and there’s something to be said for every-fifth-day reliability from Opening Day onward. And if the Philly rotation indeed posts the majors’ best ERA in nearly two decades, then it’s hard to imagine the Cy Young Award going to someone who pitches for another club. After all, the Phillies entered Sunday leading all major league rotations in innings, complete games, shutouts, strikeouts, WHIP and (we can only assume) efforts at world peace.
So, yeah, Lee is glad he came back.
“I’m happy,” Lee said. “Everything’s played out the way I expected. We’ve won from the beginning. We’re still winning. We’ve got a good team. The management’s not content. They continue to improve, with adding (Hunter) Pence. He’s made us that much better. It’s good to know that they’re going to try to improve, even though we’ve been winning.”
BELTRAN: WHERE'S THE IMPACT?
There should be no illusions about the Giants’ trade for Carlos Beltran: He is going to be a free agent after this season. He is represented by Scott Boras. He doesn’t carry draft-pick compensation. He is a two-to-three-month rental in the truest sense.
For Giants fans to be comfortable with giving up pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, Beltran must produce big, and he must do so quickly.
That hasn’t happened yet.
Beltran is batting .244 in 11 games as a Giant. He has yet to hit a home run. He has yet to produce an extra-base hit with a runner on base. And now he has a sprained right wrist, clouding the immediate horizon of what has always been a short-term proposition.
X-rays of the wrist were negative, but reasons for concern persist. Beltran spoke of a “sharp pain” and weakness on the top of his right hand — the sort of things that can sap a hitter’s power even if there’s no structural damage.
This is an impatient time of year for most contending clubs — and their fans. The Giants are no exception, as a small minority of fans began booing Beltran over the weekend. Asked about the jeers, Beltran smiled and quipped, “Nothing compared to New York.”
A PEEK AHEAD AT THE GIANTS' FUTURE
The Giants’ rotation, while younger than the Phillies’, may undergo significant changes more quickly. Vogelsong, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez are all on track to become free agents following the 2012 season.
Vogelsong could have an intriguing salary arbitration case after this year. He’s been one of the best starters in baseball this season, but the rest of his major league track record is much less impressive (and largely as a relief pitcher). Fortunately for Vogelsong, platform years tend to carry the greatest weight in the arbitration process.
Barry Zito’s contract — on which two years and $46 million remain after this year — didn’t prevent the Giants from winning the 2010 World Series. But the investment in Zito, which soured quickly, could make it harder for the Giants to afford their current talent.
2011年8月6日星期六
Giants brawl, fall to Phillies
SAN FRANCISCO — Philadelphia's Shane Victorino and San Francisco's Ramon Ramirez and Eli Whiteside all were ejected after benches cleared in the top of the sixth inning of the Phillies' 9-2 victory over the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Tempers flared after Ramirez hit Victorino in the back with a pitch. Victorino began walking toward the mound and Whiteside, the catcher, stepped in front of him. Placido Polanco raced in from second base and was tackled by Whiteside.
These teams have become quite the rivals of late after the Giants beat the favored Phillies in six games of the NL championship series last fall on the way to capturing the franchise's first World Series since moving West in 1958.
John Mayberry Jr. hit a two-run homer for his second clout in as many games and Vance Worley (8-1) won his sixth straight decision as the Phillies ran their winning streak to a season-best eight games.
Victorino and Hunter Pence also homered for the majors-best Phillies, who haven't lost since the Giants took two of three from them last week. San Francisco has dropped seven of eight during the same span.
Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff was in the middle of the scrum and Phillies leadoff man Jimmy Rollins shoved San Francisco bench coach Ron Wotus as they exchanged words. Victorino pushed plate umpire Mike Muchlinski trying to get back into the fray, then was held back by Wotus and Phillies hitting coach Greg Gross.
The umpiring crew met for several minutes once things settled down, then made the ejections.
Philadelphia led 8-2 at the time, then Pence homered for the second straight night in the seventh.
Whiteside hit a solo homer in the fifth for the Giants before being tossed the next inning.
Worley allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out six and walked one in seven innings, beating the Giants for the second time in three starts after tossing a three-hitter on July 26.
Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez (4-6) lasted 4 2-3 inning in his return from biceps tendinitis that landed him on the disabled list for 36 games. He is winless in his last five starts, going 0-3.
Sanchez took over in the rotation for struggling lefty Barry Zito, who went back on the disabled list with the same sprained right foot that shelved him earlier this year.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy went back to his regular lineup — with Carlos Beltran batting third and Pablo Sandoval cleanup — a day after Cliff Lee shut out the Giants 3-0. Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly in the first to put the Giants ahead, but the Phillies jumped on Sanchez in the fourth.
Victorino had a one-out homer and Mayberry connected four batters later. Raul Ibanez added an RBI groundout. Ramirez relieved after back-to-back singles by Polanco and Victorino in the fifth.
Orlando Cabrera was the lone Giant with two hits.
Notes
Injured Giants C Buster Posey, who went down for the season in a home-plate collision on May 25, could be off crutches this weekend or early next week. He is on one crutch after tearing three ligaments in his left ankle and fracturing a bone in his lower leg. ... Zito will pitch in a rehab outing Sunday for Class-A San Jose.
Bochy said he could go four or five innings depending how he feels. ... RHP Matt Cain goes Saturday for the Giants, trying to beat Philadelphia for the second time in as many starts. His win at Philly last week was his first ever vs. the Phillies. ... The Phillies will send LHP Cole Hanmels to the mound against the Giants on Saturday. He's 4-3 against the Giants in nine starts, including a loss in Philadelphia. He is 1-2 over his last four starts. Cody Ross has four home runs in 32 at-bats against Hamels, while Beltran has three in 36. Aaron Rowand is 4 for 19 with six strikeouts. Ryan Howard is 2 for 13 against Cain, both hits home runs. Cain and Hamels faced off in Game 3 of the NLCS, with Cain shutting out the Phillies over seven innings in a 3-0 Giants win.
Tempers flared after Ramirez hit Victorino in the back with a pitch. Victorino began walking toward the mound and Whiteside, the catcher, stepped in front of him. Placido Polanco raced in from second base and was tackled by Whiteside.
These teams have become quite the rivals of late after the Giants beat the favored Phillies in six games of the NL championship series last fall on the way to capturing the franchise's first World Series since moving West in 1958.
John Mayberry Jr. hit a two-run homer for his second clout in as many games and Vance Worley (8-1) won his sixth straight decision as the Phillies ran their winning streak to a season-best eight games.
Victorino and Hunter Pence also homered for the majors-best Phillies, who haven't lost since the Giants took two of three from them last week. San Francisco has dropped seven of eight during the same span.
Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff was in the middle of the scrum and Phillies leadoff man Jimmy Rollins shoved San Francisco bench coach Ron Wotus as they exchanged words. Victorino pushed plate umpire Mike Muchlinski trying to get back into the fray, then was held back by Wotus and Phillies hitting coach Greg Gross.
The umpiring crew met for several minutes once things settled down, then made the ejections.
Philadelphia led 8-2 at the time, then Pence homered for the second straight night in the seventh.
Whiteside hit a solo homer in the fifth for the Giants before being tossed the next inning.
Worley allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out six and walked one in seven innings, beating the Giants for the second time in three starts after tossing a three-hitter on July 26.
Giants starter Jonathan Sanchez (4-6) lasted 4 2-3 inning in his return from biceps tendinitis that landed him on the disabled list for 36 games. He is winless in his last five starts, going 0-3.
Sanchez took over in the rotation for struggling lefty Barry Zito, who went back on the disabled list with the same sprained right foot that shelved him earlier this year.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy went back to his regular lineup — with Carlos Beltran batting third and Pablo Sandoval cleanup — a day after Cliff Lee shut out the Giants 3-0. Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly in the first to put the Giants ahead, but the Phillies jumped on Sanchez in the fourth.
Victorino had a one-out homer and Mayberry connected four batters later. Raul Ibanez added an RBI groundout. Ramirez relieved after back-to-back singles by Polanco and Victorino in the fifth.
Orlando Cabrera was the lone Giant with two hits.
Notes
Injured Giants C Buster Posey, who went down for the season in a home-plate collision on May 25, could be off crutches this weekend or early next week. He is on one crutch after tearing three ligaments in his left ankle and fracturing a bone in his lower leg. ... Zito will pitch in a rehab outing Sunday for Class-A San Jose.
Bochy said he could go four or five innings depending how he feels. ... RHP Matt Cain goes Saturday for the Giants, trying to beat Philadelphia for the second time in as many starts. His win at Philly last week was his first ever vs. the Phillies. ... The Phillies will send LHP Cole Hanmels to the mound against the Giants on Saturday. He's 4-3 against the Giants in nine starts, including a loss in Philadelphia. He is 1-2 over his last four starts. Cody Ross has four home runs in 32 at-bats against Hamels, while Beltran has three in 36. Aaron Rowand is 4 for 19 with six strikeouts. Ryan Howard is 2 for 13 against Cain, both hits home runs. Cain and Hamels faced off in Game 3 of the NLCS, with Cain shutting out the Phillies over seven innings in a 3-0 Giants win.
2011年8月5日星期五
Baltimore Orioles defeat Kansas City Royals 8-2 – MLB Update
Mark Reynolds drove in five invaluable runs to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City on August 2.
On an intolerably hot day, Reynolds put up a different show to guide his team’s important victory.
While the star player representing the Baltimore Orioles did not have a particularly good session at first-bat, he was later the single most asserting hitter on Tuesday to receive wild applause from both the crowd and his team-mates.
"I patted him on the back after he came in between innings and I said, 'there will be another big at-bat here, let's go," the team manager Buck Showalter said. "He accepted the challenge. I thought the double was the key at-bat of the night."
Reynolds had to adjust himself before making the practical demonstration of his tremendous skills which would ultimately give his team an emphatic win.
"I had the bases loaded again, shortened up, tried to hit the ball into the gap," Reynolds said. "He threw me a fastball down the middle and I was able to get a good swing.”
Royals’ Eric Hosmer got an early lead for Kansas City as Alfredo Simon was on the mound. The lead continued till the third inning when Reynolds drove in his first two-run homer.
Reynolds went against Bruce Chen, doubling to deep left to formally lay the foundation of a strong game for the Orioles. Chris Davis took it to 3-1 for his team in the fifth inning when Chen was subject to two hits and a run.
Having established a 3-1 lead, J. J. Hardy added another run to the Orioles’ account, while Alfredo Simon maintained his good performance as the starter, allowing only a run as the game entered into the sixth inning.
Simon tossed seven innings, allowing only a run while it was Tommy Hunter who came in the eighth inning as a reliever, gave up a run to Billy Butler which brought the Orioles’ lead down to 4-2.
The Orioles’ offence then took to task the Royals’ Everett Teaford. It was Mark Reynolds who hit a three-run homer to practically seal the fate of the game in the Orioles’ favour with a 7-2 lead. Chris Davis took the lead to 8-2 in the very same inning.
Chris Jakubauskas came as a closer in the ninth and tossed an effective inning, not giving up any hits and runs to earn the Baltimore Orioles an 8-2 win.
The Orioles put in a good performance as they restricted the Royals’ offence from coming back into the game. Kansas City will be looking to improve their performance in their next match-up.
On an intolerably hot day, Reynolds put up a different show to guide his team’s important victory.
While the star player representing the Baltimore Orioles did not have a particularly good session at first-bat, he was later the single most asserting hitter on Tuesday to receive wild applause from both the crowd and his team-mates.
"I patted him on the back after he came in between innings and I said, 'there will be another big at-bat here, let's go," the team manager Buck Showalter said. "He accepted the challenge. I thought the double was the key at-bat of the night."
Reynolds had to adjust himself before making the practical demonstration of his tremendous skills which would ultimately give his team an emphatic win.
"I had the bases loaded again, shortened up, tried to hit the ball into the gap," Reynolds said. "He threw me a fastball down the middle and I was able to get a good swing.”
Royals’ Eric Hosmer got an early lead for Kansas City as Alfredo Simon was on the mound. The lead continued till the third inning when Reynolds drove in his first two-run homer.
Reynolds went against Bruce Chen, doubling to deep left to formally lay the foundation of a strong game for the Orioles. Chris Davis took it to 3-1 for his team in the fifth inning when Chen was subject to two hits and a run.
Having established a 3-1 lead, J. J. Hardy added another run to the Orioles’ account, while Alfredo Simon maintained his good performance as the starter, allowing only a run as the game entered into the sixth inning.
Simon tossed seven innings, allowing only a run while it was Tommy Hunter who came in the eighth inning as a reliever, gave up a run to Billy Butler which brought the Orioles’ lead down to 4-2.
The Orioles’ offence then took to task the Royals’ Everett Teaford. It was Mark Reynolds who hit a three-run homer to practically seal the fate of the game in the Orioles’ favour with a 7-2 lead. Chris Davis took the lead to 8-2 in the very same inning.
Chris Jakubauskas came as a closer in the ninth and tossed an effective inning, not giving up any hits and runs to earn the Baltimore Orioles an 8-2 win.
The Orioles put in a good performance as they restricted the Royals’ offence from coming back into the game. Kansas City will be looking to improve their performance in their next match-up.
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