The Roundup: NBA Free Agency Starts Tomorrow

With the NBA free agency kicking off tomorrow, I thought this would be a good time to do a roundup of information on the NBA free agency.

Everything You Need To Know About the 2010 NBA Free Agency Class: Mike Prada of SB Nation did a wonderful job breaking down everything you need to know about this year's free agency class. Become acquainted not only with the players who are free agents, but which team can spend the most money on free agents. Also Prada breaks down how much money these guys can sign for, how teams can make a sign-and-trade, and what teams with cap room can do if they don't sign a free agent. I suggest reading this piece if you want to know everything about this year's free agent class.

How The Hell Does The NBA Salary Cap Work?: Larry Coon's NBA Salary Cap FAQ answers every question you might have about the NBA salary cap.

If A Player Signs With His Original Team, He Will Earn More Money: Tom Ziller of Fanhouse debunked the rumor that if a player signs with his original team he will make more money.

"In fact, it's a lock LeBron will have an early termination option for either 2014 or 2015 in any contract he signs this summer. And, unless the NBA really shreds the players union next summer in collective bargaining negotiations, it's almost a lock LeBron will be able to make a bigger salary by opting out when he has the chance. For a player of LeBron's reputation and age, that sixth season is a total red herring. Bosh, also young, fits the same bill. Wade is a slightly different story, as he's two years older than his friends. But I'd argue he can feel comfortable in the idea he'll make at least $10 million in 2015-16. It's not like these guys are going to fall off the planet.

Teams do have an advantage when it comes to keeping their own players in free agency. But, like so many other things, that advantage doesn't really apply to the superstars. The home court advantage in NBA free agency isn't built to keep players like LeBron at home, and chances are that it won't."

How the Knicks Will Lure LeBron: The Knicks have a simple plan to lure LeBron to New York: Create your own destiny. The Knicks plan on sharing their vision of LeBron playing on a team with Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh. The Knicks plan on going after Johnson instead of Wade because of fears that two alpha dogs like LeBron and Dwayne Wade couldn't coexist. If the Knicks swing and miss for LeBron, it will be a worst blunder than the Isiah era.

The Monkey Wrench of the Equation: Amare Stoudemire is seen as the second best forward free agent after Chris Bosh in the free agent class. Stoudemire is expected to receive great offers from the Knicks, Heat, Nets, and Bulls. Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns have thrown a monkey wrench into this equation by negotiating for a new contract. Phoenix has been seen as a team too cheap to spend for free agents, so it was almost never a doubt that Amare would leave the Suns. Now with the Suns and Stoudemire negotiating on a new contract, Stoudemire won't be a consolation prize for whatever team that doesn't sign Bosh. Of course Stoudemire could still opt out of his current contract and negotiate with other teams.

Pierce and Nowitzki Throw Their Names Into the Free Agency Class: Both Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce have decided to opt out of their current contracts with their current teams. Both guys are opting out of their contracts because when they become free agents next year, there will probably be a new Collective Bargaining Agreement which means both players could not make as much free agent money as they could this season. Both Dirk and Pierce would be nice additions to new teams along with Wade, Bosh, and LeBron. Personally, I think both guys resign with their current teams.

(Note: Since I'm not the biggest Soccer fan, I'll be posting a lot about the 2010 NBA Free Agency class. Sorry, but I'm intrigued by this year's free agency class. Where players sign will change the NBA landscape for the next seven years. I think that's kind of important.)

Foul Ball: Cliff Lee Continues to Dominate the Yankees

NY Yankees 4 Seattle 7: Cliff Lee pitched his third consecutive complete game and continues to win at New Yankee Stadium. Besides giving up a couple of home runs to Nick Swisher, Lee was relatively solid against the Yankees. Franklin Gutierrez homered for the Mariners and Rob Johnson knocked in two runs. Lee is undefeated in three starts at Yankee stadium.

Cincinnati 6 Philadelphia 9, 10 Innings: Brad Lidge blows the save in the ninth by giving up a 3-run home run to Joey Votto then picks up the victory. Go figure. Raul Ibanez hit the game-winning double in the tenth inning and J.C. Romero didn't blow the save. There wasn't a Brian Bocock or Cody Ransom sighting in the game. Too bad.

Puerto Rico 7 NY Mets 6: Dan Uggla drove in the game-winning run while also driving in three runs in the game to help Puerto Rico defeat the Mets. Hanley Ramirez hit a grand slam. The Mets didn't really help themselves in the game by grounding into two double plays and being thrown out at 2nd by Cody Ross.

Boston 8 Tampa Bay 5: Tampa Bay continues to slid into the abyss. After a frustrating weekend, the Rays weren't even capable of beating the injured riddled Red Sox. David Ortiz broke a fifth inning tie with a three-run home run. The Red Sox are one game within the Yankees of first place in the AL East while the Rays slip to three games out of first. It's going to be an interesting race for the Wild Card and AL East the rest of the season.

Minnesota 11 Detroit 4: Denard Span tied a modern record by hitting three triples against the Tigers. Span also knocked in five runs while Nick Blackburn picked up the victory for the Twins.

Kansas City 3 Chi White Sox 4: Gavin Floyd picked up his first victory in five weeks and Ozzie got off this epic quote after being thrown out of the game. “I always can relax in the dugout because in the dugout you can control stuff, you can make decisions,” Guillen said. “I don’t like to watch baseball on TV. I think you’re more nervous when you’re not involved with the game. I’m not the type of manager who will go down there and make calls when they get kicked out of the game. I let my coaches handle it. I think they do a pretty good job. They’re probably better without me.”

Create a Caption: I'm sure throwing out the first pitch at the Yankees game was a lot easier than playing an 11 hour tennis match.


Video of the Day: Look at those jerseys.

Baseball Update: News & Notes

The Majors' Hardest Team to Strikeout is The Royals?: According to the stats wizards over at Beyond the Boxscore the Kansas City Royals are the hardest team in the majors to strikeout. The Royals don't strike out because they make contact and avoid striking out. So why are the Royals 9 1/2 games back of the Twins for 1st place in the AL Central? Because the Royals don't score with runners in scoring position. Lesson learned: Baseball is a goofy sport that still requires teams to outscore the opposing team to win.

Why The Hell Are The Mariners Trading For Players?: The Mariners are currently 15 games out of first place in the AL West. When the Mariners should be trading their dead weight, they're adding players. On Sunday afternoon the Mariners reacquired aging slugger Russell Branyan. So why would the Mariners bring back Branyan? Here's Mariners GM Jeff Zduriencik explanation:

"If you look at our team, as we move forward, just about every player who is here now will be here again next year," he said. "We're committed to the development of our players and that goal, that objective, has never changed for us. But part of that development process is also winning games. We want our players to be able to experience winning games this year. And we're trying to do what we can to give them what they need to get there."

Makes sense right? Oh okay it makes no sense at all. Zduriencik traded away two prospects for an aging veteran to help improve his team for next season. So how does an aging veteran help out the Mariners for next season? I know it doesn't make sense. Zduriencik must come from the Brian Sabean school of General Managing.

The Tigers Can't Catch a Break From the Umpires: The poor Detroit Tigers can't catch a single break from the umpires this season. First Jim Joyce blew a call at first base that cost pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game. Jim Joyce apologized for blowing the call and everyone was cool. Well it happened again. Another umpire blew a call in favor of the Tigers opponent and once again the umpire apologized for the call.

On Saturday home plate ump Gary Cederstrom blew a called strike 3 call against Johnny Damon. It would have been fine if it didn't happen in the top of the ninth inning with two out, the bases loaded, and the Tigers trailing by one run. Cederstrom admitted to blowing the call to Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

"Well I kicked it," admitted Cederstrom. "I knew it right away," Cederstrom added. "But it was brutal on TV."


I'm a fan of instant replay in baseball, but not for balls and strikes. After looking at the photo above though, it might be time to use instant replay for all instances in baseball. Especially in situations like the Tigers were in on Saturday. Or at least when the Tigers are playing.

Foul Ball: Rock Bottom For The Rays?

Tampa Bay 1 Arizona 2: One team in desperate need of the All-Star break is the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays have slid down the AL East standings and may have hit rock bottom this weekend. On Friday Diamondbacks pitcher Edwin Jackson no-hit the Rays, the third time in less than a year the Rays have been no-hit, and then yesterday teammates Evan Longoria and B.J. Upton got into a fight in the dugout. The Rays started as the best team in the league, but have slid recently. Also the Rays lineup seems to disappear when they don't score early. (See games vs. Mark Buerhle, Dallas Braden, Edwin Jackson) Joe Maddon will have to pull some strings to get this team back on track.

San Francisco 1 Boston 5: While Tampa Bay is struggling, Boston is surging this despite the fact the Red Sox lost Dustin Pedroia and Clay Buckholtz in two games against the Giants. The Sox pounded Tim Lincecum on Sunday knocking him out of the game by the fourth inning. David Ortiz hit a mammoth home run into McCovey Cove off of Lincecum in the first inning.

Atlanta 4 Detroit 10: Brennan Boesch went 2-for-5 with three RBIs while hitting his 12th home run of the season to propel the Tigers over the Braves. The Tigers had 17 hits in the game, 16 of them singles. Ramon Santiago and Austin Jackson had two RBIs each while Justin Verlander picked up his ninth victory of the season.

Chi White Sox 6 Chi Cubs 8: Which started as an embarrassing weekend for the Cubs, turned into a much needed reinforcement for the young guys. Cubs rookies Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro had big days which included a home run by Colvin and two runs scored by Castro. Ryan Dempster evened his record on the year at 6-6 and Carlos Marmol worked a scary ninth before finally retiring the White Sox.

Toronto 2 Philadelphia 11: The Phillies took advantage of the home field err road advantage against the Blue Jays by scoring 4 runs in the second inning. Jamie Moyer gave up his 506th career home run breaking Robin Roberts record, but other than that the old man was sharp. Moyer pitched seven innings giving up six hits, two runs, 1 home runs, while striking out seven.

Texas 10 Houston 1: Poor Roy Oswalt he continues to struggle on a terrible team. Oswalt was pounded for seven hits and eight runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Rangers. Josh Hamilton continued his 21-game hitting streak with a home run off of Oswalt in the second inning while also knocking three runs.

Florida 2 San Diego 4: The Padres continue to win, while I continue to sink into depression knowing the fact that once again the Giants will be on the outside looking at the playoffs again.

Baltimore 4 Washington 3: The Orioles swept the Natinals while on the verge of naming Bobby Valentine as their manager. I actually only posted this score to make Kris happy. I have no idea if Baltimore is going to name Valentine their manager.

Create a Caption: It's the dog days of Summer.


Video of the Day: An old school Pizza Hut commercial starring Carlton Fisk and Rich Dotson.

Video of the Day: Kings Swing For the Fences By Selecting Head Cases

Last night my Sacramento Kings selected Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins with the fifth pick overall. The Kings also swung for the fences in the 2nd round by selecting Marshall center Hassan Whiteside. Going into the draft both Cousins and Whiteside had concerns about their maturity. This can go either two ways for the Kings. It could blow up in their faces or provide them the frontcourt help they needed to propel them back to the Playoffs.

Cousins not only has maturity issues but also has weight issues. He said that he would work on getting his weight down to an appropriate NBA level. Cousins though is the biggest wildcard in the draft. If he does control his emotions, he will be the most polished big man coming into the leagues and a guaranteed 20-10 guy. Jeff Van Gundy summed up Cousins perfectly last night, "You need to rebound the ball, you need an interior presence to win in this league. … You can get a guy in shape. If he loves the game, he'll get in shape. If he loves to play, he'll be a good teammate. And you can't find guys who can rebound the ball like this guy does."



Cousins is worth the risk for Sacramento. The Kings have had "headcases" on their team before. Chris Webber was a "headcase" before he was traded to the Kings. That worked out just fine for the Kings. Ron Artest was and is a "headcase" before he was traded to the Kings. Both guys worked out for the Kings. Sacramento is like a rehab center for headcases.



The Kings also selected Hassan Whiteside, the seven-foot center from Marshall. Whiteside had the biggest slide in the draft a supposed lottery selection dropped to the second round. Questions surrounded Whiteside about his maturity before the draft. The Whiteside selection was also worth the risk.



Whiteside and Cousins are both worth the risk. If anyone didn't notice, the Lakers won the championship this year with size. Oklahoma City, Utah, Phoenix, and Boston couldn't compete with the Lakers size. With the addition of Whiteside, Cousins, and Samuel Dalembert the Kings finally have the players needed to compete for a playoff spot once again. Now add into the fact the Kings already have Beno Udrih, Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, Jason Thompson, and Carl Landry and you have a young talented team that should compete for a playoff spot next season.



Cousins and Whiteside are definitely worth the risk, especially Whiteside.

2010 NBA Draft Live-Blog 1st Round

(Note: Sorry for the lack of posts. I'm adjusting to a new job and I've also had some family emergencies I've had to take care of. I'll post more frequently next week.)

In years past Brian Powell of Awful Announcing would live-blog the NBA Draft. With AA gone dark recently, I thought I would live-blog the NBA Draft. Something about draft's have always fascinated me. From the NFL to the NHL, drafts have always fascinated me. Then again, it doesn't take much to for me to be interested in a subject. This live blog will be ran just like how AA ran his back in the day. I'll post where each player went in each spot with a little of analysis. I will also be adding video and photos as we go along. Once again the photos will be courtesy of Jose3030. Feel free to leave your comments on the events and make sure to quote the commentators. See you back here at 7PM ET. I'll also be commenting over at Sactown Royalty for a portion of the night. If you have an SB Nation account, feel free to stop by there as well.

Fanhouse Mock Draft by Tom Ziller.

We have a Sager sighting in New York and he's wearing Kings purple. (Via Richard Deitsch)

It took about two minutes for Stu Scott to piss me off. My biggest gripe with him is the way he speaks. Tone it down Stu. We can hear you. Heather Cox interviewed John Wall. I know Wall is young, but he might be the most uncomfortable interview I've ever heard.

Of course ESPN takes some time to talk about the upcoming free agents. I can't wait till this summer is over and I don't have to hear where LeBron James is going. If he isn't going to be playing for the Kings, then I don't care where he goes.

Only ESPN would bring in an expert on the cap in the NBA. This is what I hate about sports today. Teams have to bring in these Ivy League nerds who have never put on a jock strap to figure out the cap situation. Meet the ESPN cap expert, Tom Penn.

Spoke too soon about Cousins. He seemed subdued (read: "medicated") during his interview. (Via RJBO) And with that I'll talk to everyone on the other side of the hour.

Stern doesn't get the warmest reception from the NY crowd.

Stern: "And, of course, to our unruly of fans here in New York." (Via RJBO)

1. Washington Wizards- John Wall, Guard, Kentucky
No-brainer pick.

Gotta love Stern playing to the New York crowd. That's why he's my favorite commissioner in sports.

Shocked the Wizards didn't do something bizarre with the pick. (Via kt1000) We all are.

2. Philadelphia 76ers- Evan Turner, Guard, Ohio State
It's going to be interesting to see how Turner and AI9 fit in together. I still think the Sixers would have been better off drafting Favors or Cousins.

Great interview Mark Jones.

3. New Jersey Nets- Derrick Favors, Forward, Georgia Tech
Good selection for the Nets. He will take time to develop, but he should be a great player in a couple of years. He'll definitely be a good fit with whoever the Nets sign this year in free agency.

Morons with signs: "Nets you owe us some Favors." (Via RJBO) Another great interview by Mark Jones.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves- Wes Johnson, Forward, Syracuse
I can't believe the Timberwolves didn't select Cousins. I guess they decided they have enough front court talent with Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.

Bilas: "This is the best dressed Lottery class we have had by far." (Via RJBO)

I think Judge Smails would be proud of Wes Johnson's outfit. (kt1000)
5. Sacramento Kings- DeMarcus Cousins, Center, Kentucky
When the Kings traded Spencer Hawes to Philadelphia, it was all but certain the Kings would select Cousins if he fell to them. I worry about his weight issues, but love his talent. Welcome to Sacramento, DeMarcus.

"The biggest day in the history of Kentucky basketball"--John Calipari (Via kt1000) Can't wait to see this banner hung from the rafters in Rupp.

6. Golden State- Ekpe Udoh, Forward, Baylor
A bit of a reach for the Warriors. He's already 23 and may have already peaked in college. Then again, this isn't surprising. This is the Warriors we are talking about and they are a mess right now.

7. Detroit Pistons- Greg Monroe, Forward, Georgetown
I haven't been a fan of Monroe since Georgetown was dominated in the tournament against Ohio. He has great skills, but he should have never let Ohio beat his team in the first round of the tournament.
8. Los Angeles Clippers- Al-Farouq Aminu, Forward, Wake Forest
"Al-Farouq is rocking the glasses."-Stu Scott. Stu would know. Of course Bilas loves his wing span even though Aminu can't shoot outside of five feet. This pick smells likes a Clippers selection. Also how can you not feel sorry for the guy, he's already have blown out knee written all over him because he will be playing for the Clippers.

9. Utah Jazz- Gordan Hayward, Forward, Butler
The hero of the NCAA Tournament goes to Utah. I love this pick for Utah. He's the perfect player to replace AK47 because he's a great shooter and has a high basketball IQ.

Who knew they had hot women in Indianapolis? (Via kt1000) I think Kris would be surprised at where all the hot women come from.

10. Indiana Pacers- Paul George, Forward, Fresno State
More shocking? Fresno State has a basketball team or Indiana not selecting a point guard? Anyways I don't like this pick at all. The Pacers needed a point guard and not another small forward. I guess they're selecting for talent instead of need.

11. New Orleans Hornets- Cole Aldrich, Center, Kansas
I agree with Bill Simmons on Aldrich. He won't be a great player, but he will at least be a consistent player. Aldrich is limited offensively, but he's a shot blocker and a rebounder. All what the Hornets and Chris Paul need at this point.
OSTERTAG 2.0! (Via RJBO)

12. Memphis Grizzlies- Xavier Henry, Guard, Kansas
Henry had a lot of hype coming into college but then disappeared. As Bilas said though, he's willing to learn and is very young. One plus about Henry, he's left-handed and that is rare in the NBA. Left-handed players can screw up defenses because they forget these players go to their left.

13. Toronto Raptors- Ed Davis, Forward, UNC
I'm guessing this selection all but confirms that Chris Bosh won't be returning to Toronto. I'm not the biggest fan of Ed Davis because he spent the most of the time on the injured list at UNC. Also he's very limited offensively. His father played in the NBA which means nothing because plenty of sons were never better than their fathers.
Wow. USA chants over Toronto's pick? (Via kt1000) Ignorant New Yorkers for you.

14. Houston Rockets- Patrick Patterson, Forward, Kentucky
Smart pick by the Rockets. Solid post player and a great defender. He guards the post well and was definitely the calmest player on that Kentucky team. Jay Bilas keeps reminding the audience that Patterson is a man. If he wasn't, this would be history.

15. Milwaukee Bucks- Larry Sanders, Forward, VCU
The Bucks selected Gary Shandling........................Sorry for the bad joke. Sanders is an excellent pick for the Bucks. He will be a shot blocker to play alongside Andrew Bogut who needs to work on his offensive game.

Stu: "Can I get some David Lee love, New Yorkers?" (Via RJBO) While New Yorker boo. I'm sure though New Yorkers are booing Stu and not David Lee.

16. Minnesota Timberwolves- Luke Babbitt, Forward, Nevada
Bilas called Babbitt, "Wiry." That's all you need to know.

17. Chicago Bulls- Kevin Seraphin, Forward, France
With Seraphin selected you know what that means? Analyst from Fran Franchilla the ESPN International analyst. Fran says Kevin has a "NBA body." Good to know, I was worried he had an "MLB body."
18. Oklahoma City Thunder- Eric Bledsoe, Guard, Kentucky
Bilas goes right into the wingspan of Bledsoe. Why the hell is here? Anyway Bledsoe was overlooked at Kentucky because he played behind Wall. I actually like his skills handling the ball more than Wall even though he doesn't finish off the break as well.

19. Boston Celtics- Avery Bradley, Guard, Texas
But will Scalabrine come back??? (Via RJBO) Important issues first.

Good pick for the Celtics. They needed a backup point guard.

20. San Antonio Spurs- James Anderson, Guard , Oklahoma State
The Spurs have found a replacement for the Ginger Matt Bonner.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder (For New Orleans)- Craig Brackins, Forward, Iowa State
Stu Scott lets us know that Brackins is a avid skateboarder. You'll only receive information like this on ESPN.

22. Portland Trail Blazers- Elliot Williams, Guard, Memphis
Since Portland fired their GM, I guess the draft isn't a top priority right now in Portland.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves- Trevor Booker, Forward, Clemson
The first senior selected in the draft. The latest a senior has been selected in the NBA Draft. Never a fan of Booker because his teams always folded when it mattered.
24. Atlanta Hawks- Damion James, Forward, Texas
Another senior selected! Look out now!

25. Memphis Grizzlies- Dominique Jones, Guard, South Florida
Bilas says Jones is more of an NBA player than an athlete. I would hate it if Bilas was my team's GM. He would select a Track & Field team instead of basketball players.

26. Oklahoma City Thunder- Quincy Pondexter, Forward, Washington
Great pick by OKC. Mature player that can play right away. Stu lets us know Pondexter danced with the Seattle Ballet.

27. New Jersey Nets- Jordan Crawford, Guard, Xavier
He'll be traded to Atlanta for Damian James. Crawford is also known as the guy who dunked on LeBron last summer. Ah shit, I just morphed into Stu Scott.

"He puts it into the basket."-Jay Bilas. For Christ Sake I would hope so, Jay. He plays fucking basketball and the goal is too put the ball into the basket.

28. Memphis Grizzlies- Greivis Vasquez, Guard, Maryland
The little hot head from Maryland has finally been selected. I don't like him and root for his failure.

Laughing at that 'bag dancing with the Vasquez jersey spilling his beer. (Via RJBO) This is what RJBO is talking about.

29. Orlando Magic- Daniel Orton, Center, Kentucky
He was Cousins backup at Kentucky and will be a backup in Orlando. Orton should have stayed in college for another year because he didn't do much in college.

30. Washington Wizards- Lazar Hayward, Forward, Marquette
That's the end of the first round. I have to turn the channel now before I go crazy from listening to Stu Scott and Jay Bilas.

Stern amongst the boos: "I want to thank you for your enthusiasm here in Madison Square Garden."

BRING BACK STEPHEN A. SMITH!!!!!

/Goodnight, fellas (Via RJBO)

Thanks to everyone for participating in the live blog. The comments will still be open for any thoughts on the 2nd round picks. I'm checking out early because I'm tired from work and from repeated trips to the hospital to visit my brother. He's doing fine and will be out tomorrow. Until the next live blog, GOOD NIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

Foul Ball: Moyer Brilliant, Astros Firesale & Texas Hot Streak

Philadelphia 2 Cleveland 1: Jamie Moyer has been setting records lately. First Moyer became the oldest pitcher ever to defeat the Yankees. On Tuesday night, Moyer tied Hall of Famer and former Phillie Robin Roberts for the most home runs ever given up with 505. The Russell Branyan home run was the only blemish by Moyer who pitched brilliantly in eight innings giving up two hits, one run, and striking out five.

Houston 1 San Francisco 3: Poor Roy Oswalt. Ole Roy has pitched against the Giants three times this year and has faced Tim Lincecum three times this year and has lost all three games by a close margin this year. Oswalt didn't give up a run until the seventh inning, but the Astros couldn't give Oswalt enough run support. Lincecum gave up seven hits in eight innings, but only gave up one run.

Astros Trade Rumors: With the Astros promoting top prospects to the Majors, they have un-officially announced they're open for trades. Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman will obviously be the players the Astros will look to move, but other players such as Pedro Feliz, Michael Bourn, and Jeff Keppinger will also most likely be traded. Expected buyers are Mets, Phillies, Dodgers, Giants, and Reds.

Tampa Bay 1 San Diego 2: The Padres really piss me off. They're suppose to go away by now, but haven't. Matt Latos shut down the Rays in seven innings giving up only three hits, no runs, and striking out eight. Chase Headley and Will Venable drove in the only two runs of the game for San Diego.

Colorado 2 Boston 1: In a re-match of the 07 World Series, the Rockies took the first game of the series. Todd Helton went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the fifth inning. Jon Lester, who won the clinching game of the 07 World Series, picked up his first loss since April despite only giving up one run.

NY Mets 14 Detroit 6: Angel Pagan was a homer shy of the cycle, but Pagan did drive in four runs against the Tigers. David Wright reached base five times and scored three runs. Ike Davis had three RBIs to go along with two RBIs from Jason Bay. The Tigers Brennan Boesch homered for the eleventh time in 48 games this season.

Texas 6 Pittsburgh 3: Texas won their ninth straight victory which is also the longest winning streak in the majors to date. Josh Hamilton extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a home run and a double. Tommy Hunter picked up the victory and Neftali Feliz picked up the save for Texas.

Create a Caption: This photo sums up the Astros season.


Video of the Day: Joe Mauer answers fan mail with his mom.

Foul Ball: Awful A.J. & Terrible Bullpens

Rant: Seriously MLB? There was only three games last night? Does the schedule makers know that there isn't other sports competing with baseball at the moment? World Cup is played in the morning, so baseball isn't competing for viewers at night. There shouldn't be Summer nights with only three baseball games. There's nothing else to watch in the Summer except baseball. I guess I should have expected this kind of schedule with this guy in charge of the league.

Oakland 4 Cincinnati 6, 10 Innings: Kevin Kouzmanoff tied the game in the ninth inning with a solo home run, then all hell broke out. The Reds homered three times in the top of tenth to take a 6-2 lead, then their bullpen barely could hold onto the lead. Cincinnati relievers gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth and barely held onto the lead, but ultimately picked up the victory.

Washington 2 Kansas City 1: Stephen Strasburg isn't the only one who can pitch brilliantly for the Nationals. There is also old man Livan Hernandez. Livan pitched seven innings giving up eight hits, one run, no walks and striking out five. Michael Morse and Christian Guzman each hit solo home runs to provide Washington their only runs of the game.

Arizona 10 NY Yankees 4: A.J. Burnett was awful last night. Burnett started the night by giving up five runs alone in the first inning. In total, Burnett gave up nine hits and seven runs in only four innings of work. Justin Upton hit two home runs to go along with the four home runs hit by Arizona last night.

Create a Caption: Does Conner Jackson know he isn't suppose to run into the wall poster of Dallas Braden?


Video of the Day: Jim Rome remembers the great career of Rickey Henderson.

Foul Ball: Muttonchops, Mustaches, & Beards

Toronto 6 San Francisco 9: The Giants saved themselves from being swept and also picked up their first victory in a AL ballpark. Freddy Sanchez picked the perfect time to hit his first homer of the season. Sanchez's three-run home run would give the Giants the lead that they would never relinquish. Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell also homered on a day when starting pitcher Jonathon Sanchez had little control and was pulled by the third inning.

Stay Classy, Fred Lewis: Former Giant and current Blue Jay Fred Lewis is a hot topic with Giants fans. Especially fans over at McCovey Chronicles have long obsessed over Lewis and haven't forgiven GM Brian Sabean over giving up/trading Lewis. Well that good will is now over with Giants fans after these comments by Lewis about Giants fans on his Facebook page.

"Role call for all the F@GS on my page. If you don’t delete yourself I will do it for you ok. If you have a Twitter name by these names you so G@@Y-SFNando, 55Franchise Kelly McQuiggan and goldengatebias home girls get your you what off my page. Oh yeah another W today run tell that…..LOL more jealous fans(giants)”

I for one was never a Fred Lewis fan. He was absolutely terrible in the outfield and was never that great at the plate. These comments just amplified my dislike for Lewis. Stay classy, Fred Lewis.

NY Yankees 4 NY Mets 0: When the Yankees aren't kicking Lady Gaga out of their clubhouse, they are beating the Mets two out of three games over the weekend. C.C. Sabathia bested another CY Young award winner, this time being Johan Santana. Mark Teixeira homered and drove in all four runs for the Yankees.

Colorado 1 Milwaukee 6: The Brewers exploded for five runs in the ninth inning to beat the Rockies. Cory Hart and Rickie Weeks each hit a two-run doubles in the ninth. Trevor Hoffman didn't blow the lead in the ninth and picked up the victory. Oh yeah, there was a Chris Anderson sighting at the ballpark.

Philadelphia 1 Minnesota 4: Carl Pavano's mustache was greater than Roy Halladay's beard yesterday. Pavano pitched a complete game giving up four hits, one run, no walks, and striking out two. Justin Morneau and Denard Span both homered off of Halladay who is now 8-6 on the year.

Boston 2 Los Angeles 0: Manny Ramirez made his first return to Boston since being traded by the Red Sox two years ago and got swept out of Fenway with the rest of the Dodgers. Clay Buchholz pitched 6 2/3 innings giving up three hits and no runs while Daniel Bard and Jonathon Papelbon combined to 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Picture of the Day: Check out Brian Tallot's muttonchops. Remind you of someone?


Video of the Day: Today in baseball team theme songs, we have the Toronto Blue Jays.

Video of the Day: Let's Riot!

With residents of Los Angeles rioting right now, I thought it would be good to take a look back at some of the best sports related riots from the past.

In my opinion, the greatest sports related riot is the 1994 Vancouver Canucks riot. Have to love the fact that Vancouver lost and their fans still rioted.



Can't have a montage of riots without Philadelphia. Broad Street was never the same.



This could have been Broad Street this year. Instead it's just Sheffield Avenue.



Canadiens fans riot after each playoff series victory, even if it's not the Stanley Cup.



Last but not least, Tennessee fans rioting after Kiffin dumped them for USC.



Have a fun weekend. Try and avoid tazers, pepper spray, and rubber bullets while you're at it.

Inside the Paint: Lakers Are Champions

First off, congrats to the Lakers for winning their 16th Championship. (Damn that hurt ) Also congrats to the Boston Celtics for going a lot further than people had expected. The best part of the Lakers winning the championship has to be Ron Artest. The guy thanked his psychiatrist in the post-game. Epic! I won't recap the entire game because we know how it ended, instead I'll leave you with the sights and sounds of Game 7. I can't wait for next season already. (Photos once again courtesy of Jose 3030)

2010 NBA Finals, Celtics at Lakers Game 7: Open Thread

The NBA Finals haven't seen a game 7 since the 2005 season. The NBA also hasn't seen a compelling NBA Finals go seven games since the 1988 Finals. We finally have a compelling NBA Finals series go seven games. Two main themes from the game, Legacy and how will the Celitcs respond to the Kendrick Perkins injury.

Legacy is on the line between Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce/Ray Allen. Kobe can win his 5th championship and second without Shaq cementing his place along with the game's greats. Garnett/Pierce/Allen can win their second championship and cement their place in the Hall of Fame.

The other main theme will be how the Celtics play without Kendrick Perkins. Glen Big Baby Davis will start in his place, bringing more scoring and energy, but he doesn't have the size to compete with Bynum and Odom. The Celtics have had an uphill climb throughout the year and this will be their biggest challenge.

My pick, the Lakers. I've never liked teams losing game six and coming back to win game seven. There is something about winning game six and closing the series out then. Teams that lose game six seem like they never recovered. I'm going with the Lakers tonight. I hope I'm wrong.

Leave comments and don't be a troll.

Foul Ball: Errors!

NY Yankees 3 Philadelphia 6: Jamie Moyer become the oldest pitcher ever to defeat the Yankees. Moyer also picked up his 265th career win. Moyer dominated the Yankees in eight innings of work giving up three hits, two runs, two home runs, one walk, and striking out five. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth each homered while Shane Victorino drove in three runs.

Florida 3 Texas 6: Michael Young became the Rangers all-time hits leader with a two-run single in the eighth inning. Young said he would like to put the record “out of reach.” Josh Hamilton had four hits in the game including a home run in the ninth inning. Rangers starter Tommy Hunter left the game during the third inning with an injury.

Pittsburgh 2 Chi White Sox 7: Not only did the Pirates lose their tenth straight game, they also committed six errors. In a single game, epic fail. The great thing about the Pirates committing six errors in a single game, six different players committed errors. At least they fail together as a team.

Cleveland 4 NY Mets 8: The Mets hit four straight doubles in the third inning driving in five runs. The Mets in total hit six doubles including two from Ike Davis. Jonathon Niese pitched seven innings giving up eight hits and three runs. The Mets have won 10 out of 11 games and are only a half game behind the first place Braves. This is after the Mets were in last place on May 21st.

San Francisco 6 Baltimore 3: This game had a weird feel to it. Tim Lincecum worked six innings and struck out ten, but he never looked that sharp. He gave up hits to Julio Lugo and Cesar Izturis while giving up only two runs. Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe hit back-to-back home runs for the second time in a week in the game. Brian Wilson picked up an 5-out save and made his case for the All-Star team.

Minnesota 2 Colorado 1: Scott Baker struck out twelve Rockies in only seven innings of work while only giving up two hits and no runs. Out of all the Twins to drive in runs, Danny Valencia and Nick Punto drove in the only two runs of the game for the Twins.

Chi Cubs 6 Oakland 3: Derek Lee homered and Ryan Dempster struck out seven to help the Cubs pick up the victory. Jon Heyman released his annual Anti All-Star list and Aramis Ramirez made the list. The Cub is only hitting .168/.232/.285 on the season and has been benched recently in favor of Jeff Baker. No wonder the Cubs are seven games under .500.

Create a Caption: Slovenly Bud Selig announces the 2012 All-Star Game will be in Kansas City


Video of the Day: Of course an Atlanta Braves song is country,

Self-Seving Open Thread, Part III

The rubber match between the Immovable Object and the Irresistible Force. Okay, okay maybe it's just the Orioles vs. Giants. Still, this game is important to Kris and myself. Tim Lincecum is pitching today for the Giants which is always a must see. Lincecum struggled throughout most of May, but pitched well against Oakland last Friday. I'm anxious to see if Lincecum will look like the normal Timmy or the guy we saw in May. Feel free to join Kris and I but don't be a troll or I will ban you. The game will be broadcast on the MLB Network at 12:35 PM PT/ 3:35PM ET.

Inside the Paint: We're Headed for Game 7

This game was over from the moment Kendrick Perkins went down with a knee injury at the 5:30 mark of the first quarter. Without Perkins the Celtics were out-rebounded 52-39. The Celtics didn't have the size in the middle to contend with the Lakers for rebounds and it was all over. Perkins said he is going to try and play on Thursday but he sprained both his MCL and ACL ligaments.



With or without Perkins, game 7 should be epic on Thursday. This is the first Finals series since 2005 that has gone the distance, but these two teams are better than San Antonio and Detroit. Should be fun. I'll see if I'm able to do a live blog for the game, it all depends on work.

Pictures of the Night: All photos courtesy of Jose 3030