Playoffs Slipping Away

It would seem to be the perfect calendar year for me to actually write about the Giants. However, due to superstitions too stupid to describe in depth here, I have not been writing about the Giants potential playoff push.

This playoff push is quickly becoming a monumental collapse though. Just two days ago the Giants seemed well on their way to the NL West division title.  Going into a three game series at home they needed just to win one game against the visiting Padres to clinch the division.

Now two games later, Giants pitching has failed them and the division lead is down to one game on the final day of the regular season. However, not all hope is lost. There are still three scenarios in which the Giants can sneak into the playoffs.

The first, and “easiest” scenario, is simply this: the Giants just need to win one game! This offer has been on the table all weekend, and thus far the Giants have ignored it. Hopefully they can turn things around this afternoon and prevent being swept at home to close out the season.

The struggling Giants send Jonathan Sanchez to the mound this afternoon looking to salvage their slipping playoff hopes.

The second scenario gives the Giants the wildcard. This would occur if both the Giants and Braves lose this afternoon. If this were to happen the Padres would awarded the NL West crown due to a head-to-head advantage over the Giants. The Giants would finish with a better record than the Braves and would be given the wildcard.

The third, and least desirable scenario, gets a bit messy. If the Giants lose and the Braves win there would be a three way tie in the National League between San Francisco, Atlanta, and San Diego. In the event of this happening there would be a one game playoff on Monday between the Giants and Padres in order to determine the West winner. The loser of this game would then travel to Atlanta on Tuesday for another one game playoff, this time to determine the wildcard.

Given all three of these scenarios the Giants could potentially have three games remaining on their schedule. This would mean that in order to miss the playoffs, the Giants would need a monumental collapse and end the season losing five games straight.

Ideally, the Giants would win today and avoid the extra games  played at the end of the season. This would not only put the fanbase at rest, but save the arms of Lincecum and potentially Cain for an actual playoff series. In a five game series, these two arms could be deadly as a one-two punch right out of the gate.

The focus, however, is currently in the now. The Giants just need to win today and they are in. They send Jonathan Sanchez to the hill against Padres’ ace Mat Latos. Hopefully the Giants bats will actually show up for a change and support Sanchez in this game. If he pitches as he has been hopefully the Giants can salvage this series and their playoff chances by winning one game at home this weekend.

Boise State Shocks the World. Again.

In 2007 the Boise State University football rocked the college football world when they defeated Oklahoma on one of the most memorable plays in college football bowl history. After scoring a touchdown in overtime, Boise State was down by one and rather than opt to kick the extra point and continue the game they went for the win. In a shocking play call the Broncos won the game with the schoolyard “Statue of Liberty” play.

This win opened the floodgates for many proposals of a college football playoff system and to do away with the current BCS system. Boise State showed the world that the little guys belong with the powerhouses and can even beat the bigger schools when given a chance.

Time and time again the Broncos have shown that they belong with the big boys.

Now three years later, Boise State began this season ranked 3rd in the nation, and had a legitimate shot at going to the national championship game if they could run the table. Enter week 1 foe Virginia Tech. The Hokies were ranked 10th in the preseason poll and had championship aspirations of their own. This week was Boise State’s shot at getting a quality BCS win on their schedule in hopes of crashing the BCS party come January. The game certainly did not disappoint.

The Broncos absolutely dominated the first quarter of play, jumping out to a quick 17-0 lead. The second quarter, however, belonged to the Hokies as the Broncos just took only a 20-14 lead into the half. Virginia Tech continued the comeback in the third quarter, scoring twice and blocking a Bronco extra point to go up 27-26.

The Hokies scored first again in the fourth opening up a 30-26 lead over the Broncos. This is where the game got very interesting. With only a few minutes remaining Boise State got the ball back on their own 22 yard line. The two minute offense really took command here as the Broncos led a drive down the field and managed to score with a minute left in the game.

On the ensuing drive the defense was able to hold the Hokies to a four and out, and the game ended with a Broncos’ victory: 33-30.

Once again the Broncos showed the college football world that they belong with the big boys, and that they can beat them when given the chance. Boise State is demanding serious respect in national title talks, and should be in the BCS title game if they can run the table.

Looking at their schedule, their next and possibly only remaining challenge, is on Sep. 25 against Oregon State. The Beavers are currently ranked 24th in the nation and have beaten USC a few times in recent years.

Tonight Boise State shocked the world for the second time. They took down another BCS powerhouse and really showed that they, as well as other smaller schools, can play some serious football and deserve a shot at the national title game.

I will certainly be pulling for Boise State the rest of the season and hope they can make it to the championship game, if not win it as well. The Broncos have a real opportunity to shatter the BCS system with a run this winter. Hopefully the can show the college football world that a playoff is needed and that the little guys deserve a shot too.

Giants and Padres Preparing for Monster Series by the Bay

The Padres currently own a 2.5 game lead in the National League West, but that all may soon change as the Padres and Giants open a three game set in San Francisco tonight. Both teams come into the series hot as the Padres just completed a four game sweep of the Pirates, and the Giants took three of four from the Cubs.

Drama has been building up for this series ever since Sunday evening when Jonathan Sanchez guaranteed a Giants’ sweep of the Padres in a press conference.

“We’re going to play San Diego now and we’re going to beat them three times,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez shows an awful lot of confidence going into a series against a team whom the Giants have gone 1-7 against so far this season.

Sanchez made a bold prediction, stating the Giants will sweep their upcoming series with San Diego.

However, the last time these two teams played each other was in May, and things have drastically changed since then. Both teams added new bats at the trade deadline, and the Giants have added a few new faces from their farm system into the mix.

The Padres will have to face rookie pitcher Madison Bumgarner on Saturday afternoon, a pitcher who the Padres have yet to see this season. The last time the two teams met Todd Wellemeyer was still the Giants fifth starter, and it is a safe assumption that Bumgarner is a better pitcher than Wellemeyer.

Perhaps a bigger factor than Bumgarner is the presence of upstart catcher Buster Posey. Posey has been on a tear since his call up in late June and is currently batting .331 with eight home runs and 41 RBI. Posey has been a real catalyst to the Giants offense and will hopefully provide a spark in a lineup that has struggled against San Diego’s dominant pitching staff this season.

If the Giants can keep up their sudden offensive surge they should have a real shot at cashing in on Sanchez’s promise. They are at home, and have been slowly gaining on the Padres for quite some time now.

This series could easily determine the outcome of the NL West. Should the Padres sweep they would be a lengthy 5.5 games ahead of San Francisco.

However, should the Giants sweep they would be out in front by .5 games, and as Sanchez said, “If we get to first place, we’re not going to look back.”

Giants Bolster Lineup with Two New Bats

The Giants are preparing themselves for a stretch run at the playoffs in what looks to be an NL West and Wildcard race that will go down to the last games of the season.

On Wednesday the Giants acquired Mike Fontenot from the Cubs while they were in town, a series in which the Giants took 3 of 4 from Chicago.

Fontenot brings a decent average, .282, to the Giants but lacks the power the team was looking for. Fontenot possesses just one home run on the season.

The Giants answered their power needs this afternoon when they traded cash and a player to be named later to the Royals for outfielder Jose Guillen.

Guillen, 34, is an aging power hitter, but still has some pop in his bat. With the Royals this season he batted .255 with 16 homers and 62 RBI. While these numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, Guillen should be used as a pinch hitter and bring a solid bat coming off the bench.

Guillen was made available to teams earlier in the week after the Royals designated him for assignment.

Not Much Dunn

^See what i did there?

After much speculation, Adam Dunn is staying put in Washington.

The trade deadline came and went today and surprisingly Adam Dunn still resides in Washington. All of the talk and speculation leading up to the deadline was that Dunn would be the first name off the board.

Dunn, who is in the last year of his deal, seems unlikely to resign and “experts” expected the Nationals to deal him in exchange for picks or prospects. This, however, was not the case on an  uncharacteristically quiet deadline day.

It seems that this year most of the big deals were already done before the trade deadline. Most notably, Oswalt and Lee found new homes before the deadline.

The biggest trade of the day was one that sent Lance Berkman to the Yankees. Other trades sent the likes of Ted Lilly to the Dodgers and Ryan Ludwick to the Padres in an NL West and Wildcard race that keeps getting tighter by the minute.

Also making a splash were the NL Wildcard leading Giants. The Giants must have been doing some light reading this afternoon and came across my comments because my prayers were answered. Their deadline deals concentrated on strengthening their shaky bullpen.

The Giants acquired Javier Lopez from the Pirates at the deadline this afternoon. The Giants did not give up too much for Lopez, trading Joe Martinez and John Bowker for the relief pitcher. Both Martinez and Bowker have had up and down careers thus far and could still blossom into quality players, however, I am okay with seeing them depart from San Francisco.

The Giants hope that lefty specialist Lopez can solidify their bullpen.

Lopez has been extremely effective against left handed batters this season as they are only hitting .203 against him.

The Giants also reached a deal with the Red Sox at the deadline to send reliever Ramon Ramirez to San Francisco in exchange for one of the team’s pitching prospects.

While Ramirez is posting a 4.46 ERA on the season I am still excited to see him join the Giants. A friend of mine (Red Sox Fan) told me that Ramirez can be extremely effective but was overworked in Boston. He often pitched tired and was therefore not as effective as he could be. If the Giants properly manage his playing time, Ramon Ramirez could solidify the middle of the bullpen quite well.

The Giants work may not be done. They were expecting to pick up at least one bat at the deadline, and unfortunately weren’t able to get any deals done. They will most likely be looking to execute a trade through waivers in the upcoming weeks in order to provided a boost behind Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff in the lineup.

The Giants are currently only 1.5GB in the NL West and lead the wild card by two games. Should they acquire a solid bat they could be a force to be reckoned with come October.

Trade Deadline Looming

Today will be a day sending general managers scrambling from telephone to telephone contacting every source, agent, and owner they can get a hold of. Some teams will hope to find the missing piece to the playoff puzzle, while others are already rebuilding for the 2011 campaign. It is that time of year again: the trade deadline.

Big names have already been dealt over the past week. Big names such as: Dan Haren, Roy Oswalt, and Edwin Jackson have already been moved to contending clubs, and it seems that other moves are on the horizon.

Astros' ace Roy Oswalt was traded to the Phillies on Thursday afternoon.

According to multiple ESPN sources, it would appear that Adam Dunn will be the next big name to find a new home. Dunn is in the final year of his contract in Washington. He will either sign a new deal with the Nationals before the deadline this afternoon or will in all likelihood be traded.

At this point the question is: Where will Dunn end up?

Both the Yankees and Rays have established themselves as contenders for Dunn. They are in the thick of a heat AL East race and could both use another potent bat in their lineups.

The Dunn sweepstakes could easily turn into a bidding war between the two. Both teams need to make sure the other doesn’t acquire a player at the deadline that could sway the division race. In this manner the Nationals may be able to luck out and really cash in on Dunn. The Yankees, especially, may be willing to give Washington significantly more than Dunn’s trade value deserves.

Slugger Adam Dunn seems to be the big name most likely to move on Saturday.

The Astros may be having a firesale in Houston. They have already shipped away Roy Oswalt and are rumored to be shopping Lance Berkman. Berkman, like Dunn, would be a valuable addition to any lineup. He is a switch hitter with power from both sides of the plate, and could really solidify the middle of an order.

At this hour, the rumor is that the Yankees have a deal in place with the Astros to send Berkman to New York. This would mean that the Yankees, for all intents and purposes, would be removed from the Dunn sweepstakes. At this point other teams may be able to move into the race for Dunn. Possible suitors may include the White Sox, the Tigers, or Giants.

The Giants are obviously may favorite team and I would love to see them acquire Adam Dunn in a reasonable trade. However, I heard another rumor the other day that is much more intriguing.

Apparently the Brewers have quietly been shopping around slugger Prince Fielder. While nothing has really been discussed, the Giants have been rumored to be talking with the Brewers. This is a long shot deal but is really intriguing to me. Should the Giants, through some miracle, acquire Fielder they will become a legitimate contender for the National League Pennant.

Fielder would provide a solid lefty bat in a lineup that is notorious for its lack of power. A bat like Fielders could seriously help the teams struggling offense, and behind their solid rotation they would be a strong force to reckon with in the National League.

All this being said, the move I want the Giants to make at the deadline would be for a middle relief pitcher. I am not looking for a big name guy, but just somebody that could help the team get the ninth inning. Brian Wilson has been incredibly solid this season, but it is always a struggle for the guys in front of him to get the job done and carry leads into the ninth.

Take tonight’s game for example. The Giants carried a four run lead into the ninth and appeared to be giving Wilson the night off en route to another win. The bullpen made this game incredibly exciting, allowing the Dodgers to score three runs in the ninth inning, and even get the tying run to third base before finally closing out the game.

Brian Wilson is one of baseball's top closers, but can the Giants acquire an arm to help him out?

These bullpen performances are far too routine and are going to hurt the Giants down the stretch. Hopefully they can acquire an arm to pitch the seventh or eighth inning of a game without giving up a bunch of runs. The Giants are a good team, and a good bullpen is one of their few weaknesses.

As the trade deadline approaches the status of many players remains in the balance. Expect to some big names on the move, and some surprise deals on the way. July 31st is always one of the most exciting days in sports and this year shouldn’t disappoint.

Giants Rally With Help From Rulebook

Just two games after the Giants were robbed of a victory in the final inning against the Mets, an interesting call went their way in the 9th inning against the rival Dodgers.

Against the Mets, it appeared as if the Giants had won the game when Travis Ishikawa slid under the tag of Mets’ catcher Henry Blanco. The umpire unfortunately blew the call and the Giants ultimately lost the game in the 10th inning.

Travis Ishikawa appears safe, but was called out on the play at home.

What made this loss so difficult to swallow was that the call was so easy to make. In real time Ishikawa was clearly safe, and should have been called as such. The replay only helped to further cement the fact that the Giants were robbed of a much needed victory in a tight division race. The picture clearly shows that Ishikawa’s foot made it in before a tag was applied, causing Bochy to further advocate for replay in baseball.

However, there is nothing that can be done now about the call and it makes no sense to dwell on it. Following the Mets series the Giants took their business to Los Angeles for a three game set against the Dodgers.

Top pitching prospect, Madison Bumgarner, delivered a masterful performance in game one of the series allowing the Giants to take it by a score of 5-2.

Game two of the series was a much different story. Ace Tim Lincecum took the hill for the second of three games in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for him and the Giants, Lincecum’s 2010 “struggles” continued. Lincecum was pulled with two outs in the fifth inning having given up 5 earned runs and only throwing a little more than half of his 80 pitches for strikes.

Heading into the sixth inning the Giants trailed 5-1  but plated three runs narrowing the deficit to 5-4. In the following inning Dodger pitcher, Clayton Kershaw was ejected for hitting Aaron Rowand. Lincecum had hit a Dodger earlier in the game and both sides were warned, and thusly manager Joe Torre was ejected in the seventh inning as well. This game was crazy up to this point, but the madness was only beginning.

Fast forward to the top of the ninth inning. The score is still 5-4 in favor of the Dodgers and Jonathan Broxton has been called upon to close out the game.

Juan Uribe led off the inning with an infield single, and Edgar Renteria battled to draw a walk off of Broxton. Aaron Rowand then bunted the two over, and pinch hitter Aubrey Huff was intentionally

Don Mattingly's mental lapse may have cost the Dodgers the game.

walked. At this point things started to get a bit crazy.

Hitting coach, Don Mattingly, was the manager following the ejection of Torre. At this point in the game he left the dugout to talk the bases-loaded situation over with Broxton. It appeared to be a routine mound visit as Mattingly concluded his conversation with Broxton and began walking back towards the dugout. First basemen James Loney had an additional question for Mattingly causing him to return to the mound to clarify.

Mattingly then returned to the dugout ready to continue the game. This caused Bruce Bochy to come running out of the Giants’ dugout. After a brief discussion with the umpires, Mattingly was brought back out and forced to remove Broxton from the game.

The consensus with the umpires was that Mattingly had committed his second mound visit of the inning when he answered Loney’s question. According to the rules: a manager must change pitchers upon a second mound visit, and therefore Broxton needed to be removed from the game. Although Mattingly never returned to the dugout the mound visit was considered over once he left the dirt surrounding the mound and the second was initiated once he stepped back onto the dirt.

This ruling by the umpires forced the Dodgers to change pitchers, and with nobody warming up in the bullpen George Sherrill came out to pitch cold.

With Andres Torres digging in Sherrill delivered an 0-1 fastball up over the middle of the plate. Torres belted the pitch for a double to left-center field, and gave the Giants a 6-5 lead. Upstart catcher Buster Posey drove in another with a single and the Giants won the game 7-5.

The Giants caught a break in the game against the Dodgers and have taken the first two games of the series against their longtime rivals. The club has come screaming out of the All-Star break, posting a 5-1 record since returning to action. They are currently in second place in the NL West, and trail the San Diego Padres by just three games.

Lebron To Miami

The Miami Heat appear to have built a championship "team." But is their plan foolproof?

So the Lebron James sweepstakes and all the pandemonium surrounding it is finally over, and the King has decided to leave Cleveland for the Miami Heat.

I know in my previous post I had proposed this to be an impossibility, and I admit I was wrong. I am definitely surprised by his decision, but at the same time am not at all. Miami gives Lebron a chance to win and win now.

James immediately is surrounded by star talent and veteran superstars (namely Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh). On paper this new “Big Three” seems unstoppable and the early favorite to win a title. However, is the Heat’s plan foolproof?

I would argue that it is not. I still do not believe that their are enough points and minutes to go around. This problem seems to exist mostly in the Wade and James aspect of the team. Both are shooters first, and enjoy putting up robust offensive numbers. In order to coexist and create a successful team both need to be willing to share. Both perennial stars will need to accept the fact that their numbers won’t be as impressive in the coming years as they have in the past. Only through spreading the ball around and excellent teamwork will the Miami Heat be title contenders.

Secondly, I believe that it will be hard for Lebron James to play the sidekick role. Lets face it, the Heat are Dwyane Wade’s team and that will not be changing even though James may in fact be a better basketball player. Throughout his career Lebron James has been the one and only star on his team. He has been expected to carry the majority of the workload and to come through in clutch situation. The move to Miami can be one of two things for him. It will either be frustrating or a relief. If James can learn to adjust to his new role he should be very pleased in Miami. He will not be expected to score or create points every trip down the court. Wade and Bosh are both excellent scorers, and will definitely be carrying their weight. If Lebron James can’t adjust properly, his ego may get the best of him as he is no longer the “go to guy.”

The issue of depth may also cause a concern to the new look Heat. Now that all three big name free agents have committed to Miami there is not much cap space to work with. The Heat will struggle to fill the additional roster spots around these players and have essentially created a three man team.

This may not seem like an emergency at first because of the sheer talent level present, but it is important to remember that the NBA has a long season, and it is very difficult to avoid bumps and bruises along the way. If one of these players gets injured who will step up off the bench and replace them? The Heat will have trouble finding good, cheap bench players and will be praying that their star investments can stay healthy.

This problem isn’t as potent should James or Wade go down because they have similar playing styles. Should Wade get injured James can step up his game, and vice versa. Bosh would be the real worry. He is now the marquee big man on the roster, and should he go down he will be tough to replace.

The bottom line is that the Miami Heat have built an awesome team, at least on paper, through free agency. They have put themselves in immediate contention for a title, and perhaps have a dynasty in the making. There will be bumps in the road, but I believe that Lebron James will have at least one ring within the next three seasons.

James is playing with his friends in Miami and should be very happy with the decision he made. He sacrificed money, fame, and endorsement opportunities by choosing Miami over his other suitors. Lebron James, tonight, chose winning first and hopes to finally win a championship in South Beach.

Was it the right decision? Only time will tell.

Why Lebron James Will Be a New York Knick

I know that I initially promised this to be an all baseball blog, however, the San Francisco Giants have just become too frustrating of a team to watch, follow, and write about. This frustration with their love of all things mediocre has also led me to not write too frequently about them.

But today I am branching out into the world of other sports and hyped free agents. I don’t believe that I have sat on my sofa and viewed one five minute interval of ESPN programming in the past week or so that didn’t at least once refer to Lebron James. This has become incredibly annoying for me to watch (as I am sure is the case with any average viewer) yet something about it intrigues me. I have grown to hate the media circus that follows “The King” around and can’t wait for this whole ordeal to finally be finished, however, I have found myself genuinely caring about where James ends up.

From the get go there have really been four suitors for James. One being his “current” team: The Cleveland Cavaliers. I considered the Cavs to be the front runner in the James sweepstakes up until this afternoon. What made me count the Cavs out was the announcement today that  both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will be playing in Miami next season. I believe that James wants to play on a team with more support than Cleveland is offering him. It was no secret that James wants a star caliber big man around him. I believe that this would mean either Bosh or Amar’e Stoudemire. With both of these players now off the free agent table, it would take too much for the Cavs to produce an adequate trade to bring over a star center. It is for this reason that you can pretty much count the Cavaliers out of the bidding for Lebron James. They do still possess the hometown edge, but I don’t believe it is enough to land James back in Cleveland.

The second suitor up for debate is the Chicago Bulls. They too suffer from what Cleveland does. They just don’t seem to have the star power down low that James is looking for. As I write this post the breaking news is that the Bulls have signed Carlos Boozer. Some may say that this could be enough to land Lebron. I see the signing as more of a desperation move by Chicago as they see their chances at signing James slipping away. Boozer is a quality basketball player but he isn’t quite in the same league as Bosh and Stoudemire. While the signing boosts Chicago’s chances, I still do not believe they have enough for James to pick them. Ultimately they will be relying on the team’s history and James’s admiration of Michael Jordan to fuel their bid.

The third team in the mix, gaining serious consideration from “The King,” is the Miami Heat. The Heat are an interesting team. They have so much to offer Lebron, and could in fact be the best place for him to go. After signing Wade and Bosh the Heat certainly have the star power to support James, but fall short in two aspects of James’s thought process. After signing Wade and Bosh to large deals they will not be able to offer James the max contract that other teams will be offering. Lebron James has also focused a lot on his image throughout his career, and for some it may seem that his ego is more important than winning championships. With all due respect Miami is not a city where Lebron will be able to build upon his star status and media presence. So while the players are there and the opportunity to win is certainly present, I believe that Miami still lacks some important pieces to the Lebron puzzle.

This brings us to the fourth team in question: The New York Knicks. While the Knicks haven’t exactly been lighting up the league in the past few seasons, New York appears to be the best fit for James. With the recent signing of Amar’e Stoudemire the star power is now present in New York. Factor this in with his friendship with James, and the fact that James personally asked the Cavaliers to bring in Stoudemire last season and it would appear to be a match. Furthermore, New York can offer James the money he wants. The Knicks have essentially been waiting and preparing for 2010 free agency over the past couple of seasons. They have been clearing up cap space and poised themselves to be ready to offer multiple maximum deals. Thirdly, New York is the city that never sleeps. Lebron James has already reached global stardom and it would seem that the only way he could increase his image would be by thriving in the New York media atmosphere and the history of Madison Square Garden. Perhaps I am blinded by my fan hood, but it would seem to me as if New York is the perfect place for King James to take his court.

I haven’t really watched or been a huge fan of NBA basketball in recent memory, and perhaps that is due to the fact that the Knicks have done nothing to impress me over the years. Call me a fair weather fan if you must, but the excitement surrounding Lebron James might just get me interesting in the NBA again.