The Hockey Farmer / Showing Their Scales
Thursday, September 18, 2008
What History?
Yes, yes, the Yankees are not going to the playoffs, and they still want to make news this week. Even resident Zonker John House :-) is on the bandwagon, appearing at Yankee Stadium this past week to soak in on the "final homestand ever" at the House that Ruth Built.
The Yankees celebrated Derek Jeter breaking Lou Gehrig's all-time record for career hits in that very ballpark. Mariano Rivera moved into second place on baseball's all-time saves list, surpassing (ex-Yankee, albeit it for just a month in 1993) Lee Smith. Even A-Rod joined in Wednesday, becoming the first ever with 35 HRs and 100 RBIs in 12 seasons, surpassing the Babe himself. (And that "historic" home run was another meaningless blast, a solo shot in the 8th with New York up 4-1.)
Never mind the Yankees' "historic" week.
Here's some real history, courtesy Nationalpastime.com.
September 16th:
-Joe DiMaggio hits home run No. 300 in 1948, becoming only the eighth player ever to achieve the mark.
-The 30-30 club (30 HRs, 30 SBs) has a new member in Cleveland's Joe Carter, the ninth player to do so, in 1987.
-In 1988, Tom Browning of the Cincinnati Reds pitches a perfect game against the Dodgers, winning 1-0. (The Dodgers still won the NL West. Ironically, they were victims of Dennis Martinez's perfecto in 1991 but lost the West in the final week of the season.)
-A pair of Twins, Dave Winfield (1993) and Paul Molitor (1996), join the 3,000-hit club. Molitor is the first ever to get No. 3,000 on a triple.
-Curt Schilling joins the 300-K club, twice, doing so in 1997 and again in 2002.
September 17th:
-Casey Stengel (1912), Stan "The Man" Musial (1941), and Ernie Banks (1953) make their ML debuts for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Cardinals, and Cubs, respectively. Stengel gets four hits, drives home two runs, and steals two bases. Musial collects two safeties with two runs batted in. Banks goes hitless in three at-bats.
-In 1983, Johnny Bench hit a two-run home run on Johnny Bench Night at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Alas, the Reds lose 4-3 to Houston.
-In 1996, Hideo Nomo does the unthinkable, tossing a no-no at Coors Field, as the Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies, 9-0.
-In 2004, Barry Bonds hits home run No. 700 off the Padres' Jake Peavy.
September 18th:
-In 1960, Milwaukee Braves pitcher Lew Burdette (the MVP of the 1957 World Series) no-hits the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 1-0. It is one of the 203 lifetime wins he picks up over his 18-year big-league career.-In 1963, the final game ever is played in the Polo Grounds, which is best known for being the home of the New York Giants (1911-57) but is the Mets' home ballpark during their first two ML seasons (1962-63). The Polo Grounds is also the site of the most famous catch in World Series history, "The Catch" made by Willie Mays in the 1954 Classic.
-In 1976, Cleveland Indians skipper Frank Robinson hits a pinch-single versus one of his ex-teams, the Baltimore Orioles, in his final ML at-bat.
-In 1999, Sammy Sosa becomes the first man in ML history to slug 60 dingers twice, doing so in back-to-back seasons.
Now, all that is history!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
House Bashing II: Person, Woody, Rocket, Morris, Candy...
Robert Person made his ML debut September 18, 1995, for the woeful New York Mets.
A year later (December 20, 1996), he was traded to the Blue Jays for John Olerud, whom Toronto thought was on the decline.
Person made three straight solid starts in the opening month of the 1997 season, but was just 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings. He had 15 K's and allowed just 5 walks.
By the end of the year, Person was 5-10 in 22 starts with a 5.61 ERA.
Teammate Woody Williams went 9-14 with a 4.35 ERA in 31 starts, his first ML season as a full-time starter (after spending his first few years pitching out of the pen).
Roger Clemens, in his first season with the Blue Jays, went 21-7 wioth a 2.05 ERA, capturing the Cy Young over Seattle's Randy Johnson (20-4, 2.28). (Oddly, Clemens didn't win the award unanimously despite achieving the pitching "Triple Crown", as Johnson and future teammate Randy Myers got three of those votes.)
The reason I'm bringing this up is I remember seeing a Globe & Mail article (I used to read that paper every day because its baseball coverage was great) in which Person was suggesting the Jays were scoring more runs when Clemens was pitching. Thus, Person and Williams had losing records while the Rocket was unbeatable. Williams brushed it off and said he didn't pay attention to such things.
Person's point was perhaps the batters felt more pumped up to see the Rocket on the mound, and added he himself would be too, were he a hitter.
Maybe resident Zonker John House subscribes to Person's theory.
Haha! Perhaps House thinks a pitcher like Clemens would make guys like Joe Carter and Ed Sprague get more hits and bash more home runs. (Better than PEDs!!)
The reason I bring up House is the fact he thinks Jack Morris ('92-93) was great, and Tom Candiotti ('91) was brutal.
Consider these stats from the ALCS:
(GS= games started)
Pitcher A: 2 GS, 7 2/3 IP, 17 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, 8.22 ERA
Pitcher B: 2 GS, 12 1/3 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 9 BB, 6 K's, 6.57 ERA
So, both pitchers sucked. You can make a case that Pitcher B was marginally better, but not by much, other than eating a few more innings.
Yes, A is Candiotti, and B is Morris, in the 1991 and '92 ALCS, respectively.
The big difference is the Jays lost the ALCS with Candiotti being the Game One starter one year, and won the ALCS with Morris holding that role the year after.
Or how about this?
1992
Pitcher X: 34 GS, 240 2/3 IP, 222 H, 18 HR, 80 BB, 132 K's, 4.04 ERA
Pitcher Y: 30 GS, 203 2/3 IP, 177 H, 13 HR, 63 BB, 152 K's, 3.00 ERA
Of course, X was Morris, who went 21-6 with the Blue Jays. Y was Candiotti, who was just 11-15 with the NL's worst team, the Dodgers. (Imagine a knuckleball pitcher getting more K's, and more K's per 9 innings, than Morris!!)
Pitcher Z: 34 GS, 238 IP, 202 H, 12 HR, 73 BB, 167 K's, 2.65 ERA
Pitcher Z was Candiotti's 1991 regular season, which he split between Toronto and Cleveland. Very comparable to Morris' '92 campaign with the Blue Birds (other than the ERA, where Candiotti owned him!!). But Candiotti was 13-13 with those numbers, 6-7 with the Jays.
Supposedly Morris made Robbie Alomar, Carter, Pat Borders, et al. get more clutch hits and homers. Candiotti? Makes everyone go in a slump.
Consider how the Jays batters fared in the AL playoffs each year.
1991 ALCS (vs. Minnesota): Blue Jays hit 1 HR, batted .249, scored 19 runs in 5 games, and won just once.
1992 ALCS (vs. Oakland): Blue Jays hit 10 HR, batted .281, scored 31 runs in 6 games.
Toronto won games 7-5, 7-6, and 9-2 against the A's, while never scored more than 5 in any single game versus the Twins a year earlier.
Hmm. Hard to argue that the Twins' pitching was that much better than the A's. Minnesota had Morris (gasp!), Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, closer Rick Aguilera, and a bunch of no-name relievers. Oakland had Dave Stewart (future Jay), Mike Moore, Ron Darling (who almost no-hit Toronto at SkyDome earlier in '92, a game in which Cliff attended!), Bob Welch, Jeff Russell, and AL MVP and Cy Young winner Dennis Eckersley.
(Well, as it turned out, Moore, Darling, Russell, and Eck were ineffective in the series. When all of them struggled, the A's just didn't have a chance.)
Anyway, Carter was the only Jay to homer in 1991. In the '92 ALCS, Alomar, Dave Winfield, and Candy Maldonado each hit 2, while Carter, Olerud, Kelly Gruber, and Borders each hit 1.
Other than newcomer Winfield, each of those Blue Jays had played in the 1991 ALCS.
Winfield was clearly a big addition, as he drove in 100 runs during the regular season as the full-time DH, taking over from the ineffective trio of Mookie Wilson (whom I think Cliff doesn't like), Pat Tabler (who's a career .300 hitter with the bases loaded but not a legit DH), and Rance Mulliniks.
Still, getting to my original question: did Jack Morris make guys like Gruber, Maldonado, Borders, Olerud, et al. get more of those clutch hits?
I wonder what House has to say about that.
After all, his contention is that Morris was gold. Candiotti a bum.
And I don't even want to mention '93... Morris 7-12, 6.19. Candiotti 8-10, 3.12.
Serves the Candy Man right, perhaps. For signing with the Dodgers. And not the Jays. Or even the Bronx Bombers.
On a different topic now, the Yankees wanted to sign Candiotti after the '91 season. He declined. (Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds turned down the Yanks after the '92 season too...)
Jimmy Key, who played with both Candiotti and Morris, wisely signed with the Yankees after '92 (New York's consolation prize after Maddux and Bonds got away), and became a LEGEND in pinstripes, being hailed as a World Series hero (1996) and being a perennial Cy Young contender (18-6 in 1993, 17-4 in 1994).
Well, too bad to Candiotti and Bonds for never winning a World Series. Maddux for winning just one (and losing to the Yanks in 1996 and 1999--ha!!).
They all shouldn't have snubbed New York.
(There, House. I snickered at Bonds. Happy now?)
A year later (December 20, 1996), he was traded to the Blue Jays for John Olerud, whom Toronto thought was on the decline.
Person made three straight solid starts in the opening month of the 1997 season, but was just 0-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings. He had 15 K's and allowed just 5 walks.
By the end of the year, Person was 5-10 in 22 starts with a 5.61 ERA.
Teammate Woody Williams went 9-14 with a 4.35 ERA in 31 starts, his first ML season as a full-time starter (after spending his first few years pitching out of the pen).
Roger Clemens, in his first season with the Blue Jays, went 21-7 wioth a 2.05 ERA, capturing the Cy Young over Seattle's Randy Johnson (20-4, 2.28). (Oddly, Clemens didn't win the award unanimously despite achieving the pitching "Triple Crown", as Johnson and future teammate Randy Myers got three of those votes.)
The reason I'm bringing this up is I remember seeing a Globe & Mail article (I used to read that paper every day because its baseball coverage was great) in which Person was suggesting the Jays were scoring more runs when Clemens was pitching. Thus, Person and Williams had losing records while the Rocket was unbeatable. Williams brushed it off and said he didn't pay attention to such things.
Person's point was perhaps the batters felt more pumped up to see the Rocket on the mound, and added he himself would be too, were he a hitter.
Maybe resident Zonker John House subscribes to Person's theory.
Haha! Perhaps House thinks a pitcher like Clemens would make guys like Joe Carter and Ed Sprague get more hits and bash more home runs. (Better than PEDs!!)
The reason I bring up House is the fact he thinks Jack Morris ('92-93) was great, and Tom Candiotti ('91) was brutal.
Consider these stats from the ALCS:
(GS= games started)
Pitcher A: 2 GS, 7 2/3 IP, 17 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's, 8.22 ERA
Pitcher B: 2 GS, 12 1/3 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 9 BB, 6 K's, 6.57 ERA
So, both pitchers sucked. You can make a case that Pitcher B was marginally better, but not by much, other than eating a few more innings.
Yes, A is Candiotti, and B is Morris, in the 1991 and '92 ALCS, respectively.
The big difference is the Jays lost the ALCS with Candiotti being the Game One starter one year, and won the ALCS with Morris holding that role the year after.
Or how about this?
1992
Pitcher X: 34 GS, 240 2/3 IP, 222 H, 18 HR, 80 BB, 132 K's, 4.04 ERA
Pitcher Y: 30 GS, 203 2/3 IP, 177 H, 13 HR, 63 BB, 152 K's, 3.00 ERA
Of course, X was Morris, who went 21-6 with the Blue Jays. Y was Candiotti, who was just 11-15 with the NL's worst team, the Dodgers. (Imagine a knuckleball pitcher getting more K's, and more K's per 9 innings, than Morris!!)
Pitcher Z: 34 GS, 238 IP, 202 H, 12 HR, 73 BB, 167 K's, 2.65 ERA
Pitcher Z was Candiotti's 1991 regular season, which he split between Toronto and Cleveland. Very comparable to Morris' '92 campaign with the Blue Birds (other than the ERA, where Candiotti owned him!!). But Candiotti was 13-13 with those numbers, 6-7 with the Jays.
Supposedly Morris made Robbie Alomar, Carter, Pat Borders, et al. get more clutch hits and homers. Candiotti? Makes everyone go in a slump.
Consider how the Jays batters fared in the AL playoffs each year.
1991 ALCS (vs. Minnesota): Blue Jays hit 1 HR, batted .249, scored 19 runs in 5 games, and won just once.
1992 ALCS (vs. Oakland): Blue Jays hit 10 HR, batted .281, scored 31 runs in 6 games.
Toronto won games 7-5, 7-6, and 9-2 against the A's, while never scored more than 5 in any single game versus the Twins a year earlier.
Hmm. Hard to argue that the Twins' pitching was that much better than the A's. Minnesota had Morris (gasp!), Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, closer Rick Aguilera, and a bunch of no-name relievers. Oakland had Dave Stewart (future Jay), Mike Moore, Ron Darling (who almost no-hit Toronto at SkyDome earlier in '92, a game in which Cliff attended!), Bob Welch, Jeff Russell, and AL MVP and Cy Young winner Dennis Eckersley.
(Well, as it turned out, Moore, Darling, Russell, and Eck were ineffective in the series. When all of them struggled, the A's just didn't have a chance.)
Anyway, Carter was the only Jay to homer in 1991. In the '92 ALCS, Alomar, Dave Winfield, and Candy Maldonado each hit 2, while Carter, Olerud, Kelly Gruber, and Borders each hit 1.
Other than newcomer Winfield, each of those Blue Jays had played in the 1991 ALCS.
Winfield was clearly a big addition, as he drove in 100 runs during the regular season as the full-time DH, taking over from the ineffective trio of Mookie Wilson (whom I think Cliff doesn't like), Pat Tabler (who's a career .300 hitter with the bases loaded but not a legit DH), and Rance Mulliniks.
Still, getting to my original question: did Jack Morris make guys like Gruber, Maldonado, Borders, Olerud, et al. get more of those clutch hits?
I wonder what House has to say about that.
After all, his contention is that Morris was gold. Candiotti a bum.
And I don't even want to mention '93... Morris 7-12, 6.19. Candiotti 8-10, 3.12.
Serves the Candy Man right, perhaps. For signing with the Dodgers. And not the Jays. Or even the Bronx Bombers.
On a different topic now, the Yankees wanted to sign Candiotti after the '91 season. He declined. (Greg Maddux and Barry Bonds turned down the Yanks after the '92 season too...)
Jimmy Key, who played with both Candiotti and Morris, wisely signed with the Yankees after '92 (New York's consolation prize after Maddux and Bonds got away), and became a LEGEND in pinstripes, being hailed as a World Series hero (1996) and being a perennial Cy Young contender (18-6 in 1993, 17-4 in 1994).
Well, too bad to Candiotti and Bonds for never winning a World Series. Maddux for winning just one (and losing to the Yanks in 1996 and 1999--ha!!).
They all shouldn't have snubbed New York.
(There, House. I snickered at Bonds. Happy now?)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
BJs: Trip down memory lane
ESPN Classic (Canada) re-aired "Where were you in '92?" this past weekend, showing back-to-back-to-back-to-back broadcasts of the 1992 World Series between the Blue Jays and Braves.
This coming weekend, the network will replay "De ja Blue", showing the 1993 Fall Classic featuring the Jays and Phillies.
Now, ESPN Classic (Canada) has shown every postseason game involving the Jays in 1993, but only the World Series in 1992.
What happened to the A's-Jays ALCS in Toronto's first championship season?
Last year, I'd corresponded with someone at the network about the possibility of airing the Oakland-Toronto championship series. The reply I received stated that they were looking into getting those games and might air them later in the year.
Unfortunately, the network still hasn't shown any of the 1992 ALCS games to date.
I still say the A's should have beaten the Blue Jays in that series.
Oakland was up 6-1 in Game Four and on the verge of tying the series, with ace Dave Stewart, who'd never lost in LCS play, scheduled to start Game Five. Yet AL MVP Dennis Eckersley couldn't protect a 6-2 lead upon entering the 8th inning, giving up a couple of RBI-hits to make the score 6-4, before Roberto Alomar ultimately tied things up in the 9th.
Still, a great run by the Toronto team that found ways to rally against league MVPs (Eckersley), all-time saves leaders (Jeff Reardon in the '92 WS), and mediocre closers (Mitch Wild Thing Williams, twice, in '93 WS), and beat up on Cy Young Award winners (Jack McDowell, twice, in '93 ALCS) and future postseason heroes (Curt Schilling, Game One, '93 WS).
Had Eck shut the door in Game Four though, the run would never have happened... The Athletics had Henderson, McGwire, Stewart, Eckersley, Baines, and even added Sierra and Russell late in the year. Tony LaRussa was supposed to be a genius, while Cito Gaston not.
Too bad.
Of course, resident friend John House would undoubtedly say if Candiotti had pitched well in 1991, the Jays might well have won 3 WS in a row.
But I say if Timlin wasn't brought in to pitch the 10th inning in Game Three, he wouldn't have given up the back-breaking home run to the Twins. Where was Duane Ward in that situation? Why wasn't Ward brought in?
Why didn't Pat Borders hit homers and drive in runs against the Twins the way he would in his WS MVP performance the following fall vs. the Braves?
Why didn't Borders tag Shane Mack with the ball on a critical play in Game Five with Toronto up 5-2? That was the play where Kelly Gruber threw home to try and cut down Mack, but Borders tagged him with his EMPTY bare hand!! (Mack scored on the play and the next batter hit a double to drive home two more runs and tie the score.)
Why didn't Joe Carter homer off David West in the 7th inning of a tie game with Alomar on first base? Why did West pitch so effectively against Toronto? (The Jays would batter West, later a Phillie, in the '93 WS.) Why didn't Alomar steal second and third (like how he swiped third vs. the Angels in the division-clinching game) a la Henderson and Lofton?
(The Jays left Alomar stranded on first base, despite Robbie getting on base to lead off that inning. Alas, Greg Gagne got on base to lead off the next half-inning off Ward, and the Twins tallied three runs to win the ballgame, 8-5.)
Why did Toronto hit ONE homer--that by Carter--in the entire series (unlike the '92 and '93 postseasons)?
Why did Toronto let Minnesota win THREE games at SkyDome to clinch the series? (First time in LCS history that the feat was achieved.) Why didn't the Jays score an earned run against the Twins bullpen? (First time in LCS history it happened.)
Why did all those bloopers off Candiotti drop in for hits? Why didn't White or Maldonado dive or make sliding catches on those bloop hits (the way Dave Winfield did in Atlanta in Game Six of the '92 WS off Ron Gant)?
I wonder what House has to say to all that.
What I can say is the Candiotti thing just depends on who's scoring at home. In their books, Stephen Brunt and former politician Larry Grossman both slammed Candiotti. The CBS announcers though, praised Candiotti for coming through with a clutch performance, as he handed the ball to the bullpen with a three-run lead upon departing in the finale.
(Haha - I do remember reading a Toronto article in the aftermath, where Candiotti himself was quoted as saying he "redeemed" himself in Game Five! LOL)
I mean, we can all sit here all day and say "what-if" a hundred times, but I suppose the facts are, the Jays won back-to-back titles. Boo.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Transit complaints
(above picture courtsey Wikipedia)
Haha! Someone wrote in to the local paper and ripped the local transit system... Here I quote an extract from the writer:
...try riding the sardine-packed morning SkyTrain. Or perhaps minor items like buses which never show up... drivers who act like they got their licence from a Cracker Jack box [ie. there are drivers who do the following:] slamming brakes, snarling replies to questions, talking on cellphones, showing complete indifference when you ask why a previous bus never shows up... Top marks [for our transit system]? I'd hate to see a badly run urban transit system!
What I'd heard from an acquaintance recently too, is that Translink has decided to send their SkyTrain cops to busy Broadway Station to make sure people line up when boarding the train, check on fares, and basically to ensure no chaos during the morning commute. This supposedly happened last Monday, as the fall/school season has started.
Good on them, for finally doing something like this! Translink has never really checked fares during the rush hour, and I'll bet perhaps more than 15% of the commuters don't bother buying a ticket to get on. And people just push each other when attempting to get aboard as well. Well, hope this cop system continues for a while.
I'd asked my acquaintance to report back on Tuesday to let me know how it went... but alas, she said one of the coppers had a few words with her (haha! she got yelled at! * yes, I laughed in her face too!) on Monday and ended up more than 20 minutes late for work, so she decided to take a different route the rest of the week. Boo!
Boo hoo Seattle!
To say it's been a dreadful sports year in Seattle is a big understatement.
The NBA Sonics are no longer in town, having relocated to Oklahoma City. And oh, the Sonics didn't exactly have a banner final season in the Emerald City, going a woeful 20-62, the worst record in the entire Western Conference.
Okay. The Sonics are gone, so there's no point in talking about them. But what about the Mariners? After all, this was a team expected to challenge the L.A. Angels for supremacy in the AL West.
Things, however, hasn't worked out.
The Mariners, the worst team in the American League this season--by far, are still on pace to become the first team ever to lose 100 games despite having a $100-million-plus payroll. Getting swept in Anaheim in a four-game series over the weekend certainly didn't help Seattle (57-91) in its attempt to avoid the century-mark in losses.
Well, at least there's still the Seahawks, right? After all, the 'Hawks have won four straight NFC West titles, and given the mediocrity of the entire division, look to make it five in a row.
Okay, a Week One rout in Buffalo was a write-off. In Week Two, the Seahawks would be playing the San Francisco 49ers at Quest Field, where Seattle has gone a remarkable 18-4 in divisional games.
The 'Hawks, however, turned the ball over three times, blew 14-0 and 30-27 leads, ultimately losing in overtime to the 'Niners, in their home opener.
Ouch. 0-2 for the 'Hawks.
Thankfully, Seattle gets to play the pathetic St. Louis Rams, a team that has yet to enter the red zone in eight quarters this season, at Quest Field this coming Sunday.
So, Kevin Cacabelos, Mosang Miles, and other Seattle fans on Bleacher, what should the Mariners do this off-season to at least get back to respectability in 2009? Is it too early to panic about the Seahawks after just two games? What should the 'Hawks do to get on the winning track?
Would love to hear you guys' two cents on these...
Warner Rules!
I found it amusing that a fan wrote online that we really shouldn't be too excited about Kurt Warner's 3-TD performance yesterday, because it came against the Miami Dolphins, a team that went 1-15 last year.
Really? Seriously?
Geez... Brett Favre didn't throw 3 TDs in Week One vs. the same Dolphins (granted, Favre's Jets played in Miami last week, while the Fish played in Arizona yesterday, but still...)
I say vindication; I wrote this last January, and I will repost it here for my own enjoyment. Haha!
And I'm loving the fact that despite all the comebacks in Week Two, not one of them involved Favre and the Jets! Hahah!
I've even included a photo of Favre getting sacked in the New England game! (from Bleacher Report)
Today's Link:
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Great action Sunday...
I love it every time the experts get it wrong.
Sunday, the New England Patriots were supposed to be dead in New York facing Brett Favre and the Jets. After all, reigning MVP Tom Brady was gone for the season. The Pats had no running game, the media (such as ESPN) would have you believe, and backup Matt Cassel hadn't started a game since high school. Blah blah blah.
And yet, it was the Pats who came up with a 19-10 victory at the Meadowlands.
Injured Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who ripped New York fans earlier this week, basically guaranteed the Pats would beat the Jets. And Schilling proved to be right: New England head coach Bill Belichick does know what he's doing in handing Cassel the starting job.
An article on FOX Sports which tried to discredit Schilling's comments stated the New York Mets are in fact, in first place, even if the Yankees, in the pitcher's words, "suck this year."
Well, as you saw this weekend, the Mets couldn't even close out a pair of late-inning leads against the Atlanta Braves.
And no, these are not the 1999 Braves. These Braves are not that good.
Perhaps sadly though, the Mets' bullpen are that bad.
Much has been made this season that the Mets' relievers have a tendency to implode, and it happened for the 26th and 27th times (or however many it is) this weekend.
Saturday, in a doubleheader opener, Johan Santana departed in the eighth with a 2-0 lead after allowing back-to-back singles to begin the frame. The Braves put together a three-spot, and New York fell, 3-2.
Sunday, the Mets had a 4-2 lead entering the ninth and handed the ball over to Luis Ayala. Greg Norton(!), however, hit a three-run, pinch-homer, and the Mets gave up two more in the inning, ultimately falling 7-4.
Ouch. What could have been a sweep ended up being a series loss. Disheartening, especially when starters Santana (well, he didn't exactly dominate but still...) and Oliver Perez pitched well enough to win.
Meanwhile, for those bashing Green Bay Packers management and Aaron Rodgers, they're doing just fine, thank you.
The Pack, led by Rodgers' three first-half TD passes, jumped out in front 21-0, only to see the Detroit Lions stunt Green Bay with the go-ahead score with under 8 minutes left.
Down 25-24, the Packers rallied for 24 unanswered points for a 48-25 win for a 2-0 start.
Sunday, the New England Patriots were supposed to be dead in New York facing Brett Favre and the Jets. After all, reigning MVP Tom Brady was gone for the season. The Pats had no running game, the media (such as ESPN) would have you believe, and backup Matt Cassel hadn't started a game since high school. Blah blah blah.
And yet, it was the Pats who came up with a 19-10 victory at the Meadowlands.
Injured Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who ripped New York fans earlier this week, basically guaranteed the Pats would beat the Jets. And Schilling proved to be right: New England head coach Bill Belichick does know what he's doing in handing Cassel the starting job.
An article on FOX Sports which tried to discredit Schilling's comments stated the New York Mets are in fact, in first place, even if the Yankees, in the pitcher's words, "suck this year."
Well, as you saw this weekend, the Mets couldn't even close out a pair of late-inning leads against the Atlanta Braves.
And no, these are not the 1999 Braves. These Braves are not that good.
Perhaps sadly though, the Mets' bullpen are that bad.
Much has been made this season that the Mets' relievers have a tendency to implode, and it happened for the 26th and 27th times (or however many it is) this weekend.
Saturday, in a doubleheader opener, Johan Santana departed in the eighth with a 2-0 lead after allowing back-to-back singles to begin the frame. The Braves put together a three-spot, and New York fell, 3-2.
Sunday, the Mets had a 4-2 lead entering the ninth and handed the ball over to Luis Ayala. Greg Norton(!), however, hit a three-run, pinch-homer, and the Mets gave up two more in the inning, ultimately falling 7-4.
Ouch. What could have been a sweep ended up being a series loss. Disheartening, especially when starters Santana (well, he didn't exactly dominate but still...) and Oliver Perez pitched well enough to win.
Meanwhile, for those bashing Green Bay Packers management and Aaron Rodgers, they're doing just fine, thank you.
The Pack, led by Rodgers' three first-half TD passes, jumped out in front 21-0, only to see the Detroit Lions stunt Green Bay with the go-ahead score with under 8 minutes left.
Down 25-24, the Packers rallied for 24 unanswered points for a 48-25 win for a 2-0 start.
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