Latest Gear Live Videos
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: Sign Of The Beast Edition
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Well, it’s 06/06/06… ooh, shivers. So, anyone see Satan yet or what? As far as I know he’s still in his fiery pit and probably laughing at us and saying to himself, “What a bunch of superstitious dumbarses! Ain’t that right, Nero?” If you get the Nero reference, that shows a sign of your intellect!
NBA: We’re two days away from Game One between the Salma Hayeks and Tom Cruises, that is to say the Heat and Mavericks. Can you feel the excitement in the air? Or, maybe, it’s just me.
NHL: Last night’s Game One was excellent and you can read about it here or scroll down. It could be a short series with Dwayne Roloson injured and possibly out the rest of the way.
MLB: There are three great matchups featuring young gun pitchers who could all be talked about being in the upper echelon of pitchers within five years for that time. Get a preview of the possible greatness to come tonight.
*Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim youngster, Ervin Santana, was a highly-regarded prospect and still has some things to work on on the Major League level, but is showing improvement this season, especially when it comes to his control. Santana has limited his BB/IP ratio from 0.35 last year during his rookie season to 0.25. Santana and his Angels will match up against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ Scott Kazmir, who is simply blowing batters away at a rate of 1.05 per inning. Again, control plays a role in the success of a young pitcher as Kazmir who averaged 0.53 walks per inning has drastically dropped tha ratio to 0.36. Look for a great matchup between the two youngsters.
*King Felix Hernandez meet the man who wants your crown as being the top pitching prospect in the game today, Francisco Liriano. To say that the Seattle Mariners’ Hernandez has been a disappoint thus far would be understatement. Last season, the King had a stellar rookie year (however short) when he went 4-4, but with a 2.67 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .203 BAA, and 77 strikeouts in 84.1 IP. This season? A 5.78 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, .289 BAA, and 63 strikeouts in 62.1 IP. Now, the K’s are nice, but that’s about it. So, how about this season’s pitching stud to watch? After starting off in the bullpen, the Minnesota Twins’ Liriano has been excellent in his three starts, giving up only one run in 16.0 IP, striking out 15. For the season, Liriano sports a 2.11 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and a .243 BAA. In 38.1 IP, Liriano has 47 K’s. Yowza!
*The Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels comes off the DL to start against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Juan Cruz, who’s always been in the spotlight because of his K ability, but never really getting a chance. He does tonight against a strong Phillies lineup. In his last three starts, Cruz has given up two earned runs in 19 frames, while striking out 13 and has gone 2-1. Hamels, coming off a shoulder strain to his pitching arm, will try to show some of that magic that he was hyped about earlier in the season. While he has the ability to make hitters miss (12 K in 11.1 IP), he still has control issues (but relative to the above, don’t all rookie pitchers?) and has walked nine in that same 11.1 inning span.
That’s all I got. Enjoy the games!
Advertisement
Carolina Hurricanes Take Game One Of The Stanley Cup Finals
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Injuries, NHL, Playoffs,
In a word - wow. That would describe the third period for the Carolina Hurricanes who scored four goals in the final period to eek out a 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers. And with the Oilers anchor this playoff series, G Dwayne Roloson going down and probably out the rest of the way, there may be more wins in the Hurricanes future.
The Oilers came out hard and took a 3-0 lead on goals by RW Fernando Pisani (8:18, 1st period), D Chris Pronger (10:36, 2nd period, penalty shot), and LW Ethan Moreau (16:23, 2nd period). Carolina C Rob Brind’Amour kept it respectable and scored his tenth goal of the playoffs (17:17, 2nd period). Down 3-1, it was going to be tough for the Hurricanes considering Roloson’s 2.22 GAA.
However, in the third period, LW Ray Whitney came out like a man possessed scoring a goal with 1:40 elapsed in the period, and another goal three minutes and 29 seconds later, which tied the game at 3-3. Less than five minutes later (10:02), RW Justin Williams scored a shorthanded goal that put the Hurricanes up 4-3. Oilers RW Ales Hemsky put a stop to Carolina’s four goal barrage by scoring on a power play goal (13:31) that tied it up once again, this time at four goals apiece.
But then disaster struck for the Oilers. Carolina’s LW Andrew Ladd brought the puck into the Oilers zone, cut in front of the net and was met by a huge hit from Oilers D Marc-Andre Bergeron that sent Ladd into Roloson. The collision caused Roloson to injure his right knee and sent him packing, possibly for good in this series.
That’s when Ty Conklin came in to replace the playoff star goalie. Conklin only played in 18 regular season games for the Oilers, so the following befuddlement can be excused. Actually, no… no it can’t. With the period ending and seeming about to go into overtime, Conklin went behind the net to play the puck and passed it off to D Jason Smith. However, Smith didn’t play it right, seeming to have been crossed up by Conklin, and the puck deflected off his stick in front of an empty goal.
So, with 31.1 seconds left in the game, a free and wide-open Brind’amour scored the 11th goal of this playoff run for the Hurricanes, but most importantly, the winning goal for Carolina. It’s unfortunate that the game ended on a fluke-type goal, but sometimes that just the way things break. Losing Game One of the Stanley Cup and possibly your goalie that carried you in the playoffs, the Oilers’ spirit must be starting to break.
Game Two takes place in Carolina once again when they drop the puck on Wednesday at 8:00pm EST.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.5.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Fantasy, Injuries, MLB, News, NHL, Playoffs,
MLB: Updating the Albert Pujols strained oblique injury, it is now said that he will be out indefinitely and will have an MRI today. It is said from the mild to severe spectrum, the tear of the right oblique is severe. For all of you fantasy baseball geeks (as I am), hopefully you have some depth at 1B, especially considering its one of the deeper positions in the game. Naturally, it’s little consolation for having Pujols’ lethal bat our of your lineup… oh, and the St. Louis Cardinals’.
*One of the best sports rivalries in history starts up again when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox begin a four-game series tonight in the bowels of the Bronx. Tonight’s pitching duel pits the Red Sox’s Josh Beckett (7-2; 4.46 ERA; 1.18 WHIP) against the Yankees’ Mike Mussina (7-1; 2.42 ERA; 0.96 WHIP). Both pitchers have started strong this season, but when it’s Sox/Yanks everything is thrown out the window since there’s always some type of drama of the melodramatic and/or on-the-edge-of-your-seat type.
*Making his first start since coming off the DL, Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Daniel Cabrera takes the hill for the Birds against the other birds of the A.L. East, the Toronto Blue Jays. There were high expectations for Cabrera coming into the season when pitching coach, Leo Mazzone, came over to the O’s from the Atlanta Braves because many thought Mazzone could reign in Cabrera’s control issues. Well, at this point… not so much. Cabrera will try to get back on track to being one of the better pitchers in the game tonight against a loaded Jays offense.
*Once again, Brandon Webb of the Arizona Diamondbacks will once again go for the title of “First MLB Pitcher to Win Number Nine.” In his first attempt, the other guy pitching was Pedro Martinez and the D’backs couldn’t hit him worth a lick, so Webb’s 7.0 IP, four hit, one walk, zero runs performance was for naught. Tonight Webb will deal to the Philadelphia Phillies who come into town splitting a four-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NHL: Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals begins tonight with the Edmonton Oilers visiting the Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers are coming off a long layoff since they beat the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in five games of the Western Conference Finals, opposed to the Hurricanes who went all the way to Game Seven with the Buffalo Sabres to win the Eastern Conference crown.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.2.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
Man, June already? Sorry, for not bringing your dose of TSTC yesterday, but I’m back today! So, let’s get started!
NBA: Wow, how great did Dirk Nowitzki look last night against the Phoenix Suns? The man was unstoppable and set a Dallas Mavericks playoff record for points in a game with 50. Add in the 12 boards Nowitzki snagged and the boy worked hard in the Mavs 117-101 blowout victory, which put the Mavs up three games to two in the Western Conference Finals. Ths Suns put in a good effort and actually put a run together in the fourth quarter, but then Nowitzki turned it up and seemingly couldn’t miss from the floor or charity stripe. The series heads back to Phoenix for Game Six tomorrow and tips off at 8:30pm EST.
*In tonight’s Game Six, the Miami Heat could close out the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. The task will potentially be easier than in Game Five, as tonight’s game will be played in Miami. Last time, Pistons SF Tayshaun Prince scored a playoff career-high 29 points, which was a major factor in the Pistons 91-78 Game Five win. But that was just one reason that led to the win; probably the most important difference is that the Pistons looked like the Pistons of old and played defense with relentless tenacity. Did you see that Ben Wallace block on Shaquille O’Neal’s dunk attempt? Nasty! If the Pistons bring “the nasty” again tonight, homecourt advantage for the Heat may not matter. It should be a good battle tonight. The game starts at 8PM.
MLB: It’s official official - Roger Clemens will join the Houston Astros this season and should make his MLB debut this season on June 22 against the Minnesota Twins at home. To prepare himself, Clemens will start at Single-A Lexington on June 6, Double-A Corpus Christi on June 11, and then Triple-A Round Rock on June 16. If this move is enough to propel the Astros to the playoffs remains to be seen, but I’m looking forward to watching the Rocket do his thing. It isn’t everyday that you get to watch a guaranteed first-ballot Hall of Famer who still performs at a high level. Enjoy it while you can, folks.
* A couple of pitchers who have a good chance to make the Hall of Fame take the mound tonight to become the Majors first pitcher to nine wins. The New York Mets’ Tom Glavine will try to accomplish the feat against the San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds, who should play after resting his body the last few days. Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox deals to the Detroit Tigers, who felt the wrath of another A.L. East opponent as the New York Yankees took three of four games in Motown recently. The Tigers will definitely try to get back on track against Schilling.
* Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim rookie pitcher Jered Weaver will try to build on his MLB debut against the Baltimore Orioles when he went seven frames without giving up a run, striking out five and only walking one. Weaver was highly touted coming out of Long Beach State just a couple of years ago and probably would have been the number one overall pick instead of 12th overall, but Scott Boras screwed that up.
*2005 Cy Young Runner-Up, Dontrelle Willis of the Florida Marlins looks to get back on a winning trend as he’s lost his past six decisions in a row. However, it will be difficult to reverse that trend tonight as Willis and the Marlins head into the thin air of Colorado when they face the Rockies. The Florida hitters won’t complain, but Willis just might.
NHL: Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Edmonton Oilers who meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, which start on Monday at Carolina. The two teams never met during the regular season, so this will be an interesting matchup to watch.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.31.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
He wears the same number as Willis Reed and even though he probably won’t have a Hall of Fame career, the Phoenix Suns’ Raja Bell inspired his teammates to raise their level of play against the Dallas Mavericks last night. Expected to sit out Game Four of the Western Conference final, Bell made a surprising start and despite not scoring as much per normal, added fire on the defensive side of the ball and in the huddle. The Suns beat the Mavs 106-86. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench, his usual role, to lead the Suns in scoring with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 16 points, while Dirk Nowitzki was shut down as more defensive attention was spent on him. He finished with 11 points, vastly below his 27.3 scoring average in the series. The series heads back to Dallas for a showdown on Thursday.
*The Miami Heat look to close out the Eastern Conference series tonight against the Detroit Pistons in Game Five. However, the task will be a hard one since the game will be played in Detroit and the Pistons have too much talent and pride to just fold. In fact, you can’t count them out from winning three in a row to take the series. However, if Shaquille O’Neal continues to play like he did in Orlando, Dwyane Wade continues to do what he wants with the ball in his hands, role players like Udonis Haslem continue to contribute in a significant way, and most important, the Pistons continue to play out of synch, the series will be done soon. The game tips off tonight at 8:00pm.
Is he or isn’t he? It seemed like a done deal that Roger Clemens was going to take the mound again for the Houston Astros, as posted on End Score last night. However, the Astros and Clemens’ agent, Randy Hendricks are both backing off of that claim. Yet, it now seems like it’s going to happen. What is definite is that Clemens will decide very soon whether or not he plays again or hangs up the cleats. Bet on the Rocket to play again.
*Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb tries to go 9-0 tonight against the New York Mets. The Mets pitcher will be Pedro Martinez, so if this turns out to be a pitcher’s duel like it theoretically looks like it will be, a win will be hard to come by for Webb.
*Rookie pitcher, Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins, takes the hill to begin a game for the third straight time tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Liriano, starting out in the bullpen this season has shown the reason why he was so highly-touted and looks to be the future number two in the rotation after Johan Santana.
*Two strong pitchers take the hill tonight in Florida as the San Francisco Giants’ Jason Scmidt will matchup against rookie Josh Johnson. Both are 4-2 with ERAs in the two’s and will be dealing in a pitcher’s park. Also, Barry Bonds is expected to sit out again tonight to rest his back, which helps Johnson’s cause.
Last night’s Game Six of the Eastern Conference finals was a good one to say the least. Facing elimination, the Buffalo Sabres scored an overtime goal by Daniel Briere to beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 and force a Game Seven. Hurricanes rookie, Cam Ward, did an impressive job, but it wasn’t enough in the extra period. The decisive game will be played on Thursday back on Carolina’s home ice.
*No NHL games tonight as the Edmonton Oilers are relaxing waiting to see whom they play in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.30.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night, the Miami Heat took a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals over the Detroit Pistons with an 89-78 win in Miami. Shaquille O’Neal scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebounds, but most important of all, is looking like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Proof of this came when Shaq blocked a shot, grabbed the looseball, and went coast-to-coast. It reminded me of the few times Shaq did that during his days at LSU. Nothing like watching a big man dribble the ball downcourt. In any case, Dwyane Wade led the Heat in scoring with 31 points and attacked the basket repeatedly as his 19 free throw attempts show. The man just seems to do whatever he wants. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince paced a below-average Pistons offense with a mere 15 points. The Pistons only shot 39.0% from the floor and have looked tired for long spurts during this series. The Pistons hope to play inspired and revitalized ball on Wednesday when the series heads back to Motown for Game Five. If the Pistons don’t, the Heat will head to the NBA Finals to face the winner of the following series…
*Tonight is Game Four between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks and it will be a crucial game for both teams. Should the Suns win, they’ll tie up the series at two games apiece. However, it’s been rough going for the Suns who haven’t been scoring as much as they’re used to, especially without Raja Bell, who is out for tonight’s contest. Bell not only brings offensive punch (something Leandro Barbosa is capable of, but just not now for some reason), but also defensive tenacity. Hopefully for the Suns and their fans, Bell will be on the court as soon as possible. If the Mavs win this game, they take a three games to one lead and head to Dallas for Game Five, which will be played on Thursday, to close out the series. At this point, it seems like a done deal that the Suns will “set” if they lose tonight’s game.
Albert Pujols continues to hit homeruns and last’s night’s 3-run homer was the difference maker for his St. Louis Cardinals beating division foe, the Houston Astros 3-1. Last night’s dinger was number 25 in only 51 games for Pujols. So, yup, there is another homerun-related story to watch this season after Barry Bonds’ quest to pass the Babe is now accomplished. However, the difference with this storyline is that people actually like Pujols.
*After going 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA in April, Greg Maddux tries to get one win in the month of May, a month that saw Maddux disintegrate to the point of bashing a bat into a water cooler in the dugout. Greg Maddux? Mr. Cool and Cerebral? I guess a month in which Maddux is currently 0-4 with a 7.81 ERA will do that. He deals tonight to the Cincinnati Reds.
*Among the callups of the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cole Hamels and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Jered Weaver, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes may be lost in that stud rookie pitcher mix. However, make no mistakes, Reyes is a good one. Tonight he’ll pitch his second game against the Houston Astros in St. Louis. In his first game against the Kansas City Royals, Reyes went 5.2 innings, walked one and struck one out on his way to his first win this season. A second one could be in order tonight against the ‘Stros.
*And what I said about Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics in yesterday’s, yeah, I’m big enough of a man to say I was wrong… although he did have a ton of K’s!
*Tonight in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes look to close out the Eastern Conference series against the Buffalo Sabres and are counting on a rookie goalie, Cam Ward, to bring them closer to the Promised Land of a Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes lead the series 3-2. The puck drops tonight at 7:30pm.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.29.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Dallas Mavericks regained home-court advantage when they beat the Phoenix Suns 95-88 in the Suns’ house, and taking a two games to one advantage in the series. This makes the second straight game that the Mavs held the prolific Suns offense under 100 points. During the regular season, the Suns paced the NBA in points per game at a 108.4 clip. It seems the only ones doing any clipping are the Mavs’ defenders. The frontcourt duo of Dirk Nowitzki (28 points and 17 boards) and Josh Howard (22 points and 12 rebounds), led the Mavericks in pulling out the win on the road. NBA MVP, Steve Nash (21 points and “only” 7 assists), playoff monster Boris Diaw (20 points, six boards, and three blocks), and the underrated Shawn Marion (10 points and 18 rebounds) couldn’t do enough for the Suns to win tonight. The Western Conference finals continues on Tuesday at Phoenix. Tip off is at 9:00pm.
*The Miami Heat try to build on their win Saturday night as they once again play host to the Detroit Pistons for Game Four of the Eastern Conference finals, which the Heat lead 2-1. The Pistons have pretty much looked tired (thanks to a long series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers) in the three games played thus far in this series. Will they be able to turn it around and look like they’re at the top of their games for all four quarters of Game Four? We’ll find out tonight when the ball jumps up into the air at 8:00pm.
Okay, no more mentioning of Barry Bonds chasing, trying to tie, and passing Babe Ruth. Bonds and I are well past that. But, if somehow Bonds can stay healthy (specifically his knees), and he manages to get 35 homers before the end of this season, I and the millions of other members of the media, will start a Bonds Watch to surpass Hank Aaron’s MLB record 755 homeruns. We’ll see.
*The World Champion Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians begin a four-game series today with Javier Vazquez taking the mound for the Sox and Cliff Lee for the Tribe. Before the season, both teams were thought to be the main contenders for not only the A.L. Central, but for all of the American League. The Pale Hose have been doing fine with a 33-17 record, but the Indians are only 25-25. This could be the series that “wakes up” the Boys from Cleveland.
*The Boston Red Sox cross the border when they travel North to Toronto to battle the upstart Blue Jays. Offseason acquisitions (notably A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, and Troy Glaus) made many think that the Jays could actually contend in the A.L. East. This division series should be a good one and another gauge as to how “real” the Jays are. Matt Clement takes the hill for the BoSox, while Roy “Doc” Halladay will attempt to cut and slice the Red Sox batting order.
*My pitcher to watch today is Dan Haren of the Oakland Athletics, who faces a weak Kansas City Royals offense at home. Haren has been “on” lately and should continue to wreck damage today.
Last night, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Cory Stillman got the winning goal as he got to a loose puck and put it in between Ryan Miller’s legs 8:46 into the extra period. The Canes need one more win to face the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup finals. It won’t be an easy task, however, as the series goes back to Buffalo for Game Six, a game there is no question the Buffalo crowd will almost help will the Sabres to win. Game Six will see the puck drop on Tuesday at 7:30pm.
*There are no games in the NHL tonight.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist the Cap: 5.27.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
Well, the Western Conference finals are heading further west to Phoenix after the Dallas Mavericks beat the Suns 105-98. It was another close one and the series is shaping up to be a classic. But, to read more about the game, click here or scroll down.
*Tonight, the Miami Heat play host to the Detroit Pistons who won Game Two 92-88, but just barely as the Heat put together a big run at the end of the game. If Shaquille O’Neal can stay out of foul trouble, he should dominate for longer stretches than he’s been getting, and that could spell trouble for the Pistons, who uncharacteristically have been breaking down during crunch time. The game tips off at 8:00pm.
The Barry Bonds Watch continues as Bonds couldn’t get a dinger last night against the Colorado Rockies. Bonds, however, did go 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in helping the Giants beat the Rockies 9-0. Tonight, the potential history-maker to go along with Bonds is Rockies pitcher Josh Fogg.
*The White Sox’s Jose Contreras looks to continue his stellar season when he faces the Toronto Blue Jays. Contreras hopes to solve the Blue Jays offense and improve his record to 6-0.
*Two pitchers look to join the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb as eight game winners when Tom Glavine takes the hill against the Florida Marlins and Curt Schilling deals to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both are currently 7-2.
*Sidney Ponson returns from the DL for the St. Louis Cardinals and hopes his excellent season thus far will not be marred by his stint on the shelf. He is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA and will be matching up against the San Diego Padres.
*Just because I think his name is such a baseball name, I’ll mention that Boof Bosner takes to the mound for the Minnesota Twins against the Seattle Mariners. He’s hoping to build on his MLB debut when he went six frames, giving up one ER and three walks, while strking out eight against the Milwaukee Brewers in an Interleague game.
The Carolina Hurricans’ Martin Gerber had an outstanding night in goal last night against the Buffalo Sabres, stopping all 22 shots by the Sabres, effectively shutting them down and out. The series is now tied at two games apiece.
*The Anaheim Mighty Ducks hope to try to mount a historical comeback in their Western Conference series, by winning the rest of the games after being down 3-0. Naturally, this will be difficult to do as they’ve only won one game and still have three more to win if they want to make history. They’ll continue to try to do that tonight at home against the Edmonton Oilers. As the great Mets reliever Tug McGraw used to say - You gotta believe!
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.26.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Playoffs,
Last night the Detroit Pistons evened up the Eastern Conference final series at one game apiece with the Miami Heat. After dominating for most of the game, the Pistons almost let it slip at the end of the fourth quarter when the Heat scored 17 points in the final 1:46. The Heat got as close as 90-88 thanks to a Dwyane Wade three-pointer with 9.8 seconds left to go. However, Detroit held on and iced the game when PG Chauncey Billups hit two free-throws and G Lindsey Hunter took away a Heat possession with a steal. The series continues down in the land of warmth and fabulous people (in other words, models) when Game Three is played in Miami on Saturday night.
*The Western Conference finals’ Game Two goes down tonight at Dallas where the Mavericks hope to tie up the series against the Phoenix Suns. The Mavs’ Josh Howard is day-to-day after spraining his ankle in the first quarter of Game One and that could prove to be an important loss as Howard is one of the better defenders for Dallas. The Suns’ Raja Bell is definitely out for Game Two and possibly longer with a calf injury. Luckily the Suns are deep enough to replace Bell with another scorer in Leandro Barbosa. Look for another great game tonight from both teams.
Most of us baseball fans are still waiting for Barry Bonds to hit homerun number 715, to either applaud Bonds or to discredit him and yell out “asterisk!” He gets a chance to do it tonight in San Francisco against the Colorado Rockies’ Jeff Francis. If the game was played in Colorado, I would think that Bonds would have a better chance to break the tie with the Babe, but Bonds has hit a lot of milestone homers at San Fran. Why not 715?
*Arizona Diamondbacks SP Brandon Webb looks to become MLB’s first eight game winner as he brings his sinker to Cincinnati against a powerhouse Reds offense. Webb is 7-0 with a 2.44 ERA. I have a feeling that’s going to change for the worse tonight after a hot Ken Griffey, Jr., Adam Dunn, et al. are through.
*Scott Kazmir is also looking to become the first eight game winner as his Tampa Bay Devil Rays continue their series against A.L. East foe, Boston Red Sox up in Beantown. In five career starts in Fenway, Kazmir has a 3-1 record along with a 2.54 ERA, 29 K in 28.1 innings pitched, and a .216 BAA.
*Know the old saying - “Things always happens in threes?” Well, it applies here as the Chicago White Sox’s Freddie Garcia also has a chance to get his eighth win against the Toronto Blue Jays. It’ll be a tough order for Garcia as the Blue Jays have a very good offense, especially since OF Alexis Rios has started to mash the ball lately.
Well, the Mighty Ducks are still wading in the playoff waters as they avoided a sweep by the Edmonton Oilers as they beat the Oilers by a score of 6-3. C Dustin Penner and RW Joffrey Lupul each scored two goals for the Ducks. Game Five of the Western Conference series heads back to Anaheim on Saturday night.
*Game Four of the Eastern Conference final takes place tonight in Buffalo with the Sabres owning a 2-1 advantage over the Carolina Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the Sabres, D Henrik Tallinder, will be lost for the rest of the playoffs with a broken left arm suffered during a collision in Wednesday’s game. Tallinder was leading the team with a plus-14 rating. Let’s see if the Sabres can get over the injuries on the defense (the aforementioned Tallinder, as well as Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin) and get to their first Stanley Cup since 1999.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 5.25.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: MLB, NBA, NHL, Scoreboard,
Last night’s Phoenix Suns/Dallas Mavericks matchup was another Western goodie and it looks like it’s going to follow form and be a nail-biter of a series. I think the doctors in the respective series better get ready to treat a lot of fans who are close to having full on heart attacks. In any case, you can read about the game here if you like. Or simply scroll down with a click.
*Tonight, the Detroit Pistons look to show their mettle as they go up against the Miami Heat down one game to none in the Eastern Conference finals. The Pistons showed the effects of just playing a long series to the Cleveland Cavaliers as their shots looked flat, which showed in their 38% shooting from the floor. However, it’s only been one game and the Pistons have not only beaten the Heat in an Eastern Conference final before, but they are former World Champs. Look for another close game. My prediction - Pistons by six.
There aren’t many games in MLB today with only several offerings.
*The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies conclude their N.L. East division series.
*After losing the series to the New York Yankees, two games to one, the Boston Red Sox look to beat up on division foe, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who are cellar dwelling at this point of the season.
*The Oakland Atheltics visit Arlington to face the Texas Rangers. Currently, the Rangers lead the A.L. West by one game over the Athletics. This four-game series will be telling in who will rule the West.
Yet ANOTHER close game was played last night in the Eastern Conference finals between the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes. I have a feeling that NHL fans are just as happy as NBA fans regarding this year’s playoffs for each sport. In any case, the Sabres beat the Hurricanes by a score of 4-3 and took the 2-1 lead in the series.
*Tonight we can all be saying good bye, Ducks, as Anaheim is up against the wall, down three games to zero in the Western Conference series. The Edmonton Oilers can complete the sweep with a win at home and then just lounge waiting to see who wins the East.
Enjoy the games!
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.