I was originally going to blog about the Natinals game yesterday against the Brewers, and I still am, but then I realized that there was another component to this game that may not have been as obvious
The last post was about how a man came up to me and tried to put me down for being a woman and liking sports. Well, this post is about those people who appreciate the fact that you like sports, find you credible, and go to games with you to share what you both love the most.
Yesterday I was invited to go with a good friend of mine, Jake Russell from the Hogs.net, to see the Washington Nationals (the Natinals) and the Milwaukee Brewers play in Washington, DC. I had not seen Jake in a while, and he did have a "care package" for me that he's been meaning to give to me for the longest time. But I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to see a lot of people before I went back to school and even since I got back with moving in and settling before my classes start next week. And I mean, who would turn down $3 in tickets to a baseball game at a beautiful stadium - regardless of who was playing? So I decided to go...
The game was preceeded with first, a private press conference with the Washington Nationals' newly signed draft pick, Stephen Strasburg, and then a public conference with the fans in the stadium afterwards. Of course, Strasburg was well-recieved by the Washington fans, who are more than eager to see him pitch soon.
Surprisingly, the game wasn't delayed despite the previous rain showers and ominious clouds overhead the stadium. Eventually it started raining and people left their seats, but the grounds crew didn't put the tarp over the field the first time.
J.D. Martin, old head pitcher for the Nats, pitched last night and gave up 2 early runs in the first inning, but the Nats (of course after Jake put on the early rally cap) got the 2 runs back in the following 2 innings. The Brewers, however, got 2 more runs through the 4th inning. At 4-2 in the top of the 8th inning, Brewers lead, the rain started up again, and murmurs in the crowd began, suggesting that the game was going to be called as the grounds crew finally put the tarp on the field. Fortunately for us, the game wasn't called so we got to spend more time at the game but for the Nats, it was much less fortunate. They ended up allowing 3 more runs and only scoring one more run from a Ryan Zimmerman home run in the bottom of the 9th inning. The final score: 7-3, Brewers, followed by post-game fireworks.
Before the actual game started, Jake and I went to go get food and then sat down by the dugout to watch some of the players in batting practice. We sat down in time to see the Brewers players practice hitting. While watching, we took pictures of them, ourselves, and just chatted about random sports topics: Prince Fielder and his short-but-heavy build, Tony Plush a.k.a. Nyjer Morgan of the Nationals, the Sports Junkies, pointing out sports personalities from various local stations, making fun of me not understanding that he was actually ASKING me if I knew who "#42" was (but of course, I knew that he knew, that I knew it was Jackie Robinson), since I just sat there and didn't respond for like 5 minutes...
Throughout the game, Jake and I kept cracking random jokes about the Brewers (i.e. Hey, Prince! Your name should be "Bad," because you're a bad Fielder - I think I died after hearing that one), hurling insults to the umpires for bad calls (i.e. One more eye and you're gonna become a cyclops - also dead after that one), and taking random pictures of ourselves at the game.
Aside from the game...
Jake has been one of my favorite people to go to games with; we ALWAYS end up having a good time. We met at a mutual friend's birthday party, where we went to a bar and watched the Washington Capitals play the Atlanta Thrashers. After that, as I interned with Crystal Palace USA (USL Division II soccer team in Baltimore, MD), he took me to a game I had to work and I got him in the press box with me while I was taking down notes for the game. I definitely plan to travel to bars and games with him during more sporting events.
Oh yea, and about that "care package" I mentioned earlier on... I never really got a chance to sit down and really take everything out until a couple hours ago. Jake already told me what was in there, but when I took the stuff out, it certainly made me smile a whole lot. In it were stats, daily clippings, game notes, roster lists, and programs from the Washington Capitals' Stanley Cup playoff run last season. Being the die-hard Caps fan that I am, this was like a whole "more than I could ask for" kind of Christmas gift thing over a "care package." Also thrown in there was an "Inside Pitch" (Nationals program/magazine) with of course "Tony Plush" on the cover and an... umm... a CD from an old boy group, LFO... you might have heard of them, but I wanted it really badly, so now I have it! It just completely made my day and it also reminded me that I've got some awesome friends.
It's always nice to know that there's someone that can appreciate your knowledge enough, and consider you a fun person to accompany them on sporting events. Jake is an awesome friend, but especially after that fool fromt he other night, it definitely made me feel better knowing that my sports knowledge is welcomed and such.
So special shout out to you, buddy! Had an awesome time last night!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Women and Football - It's not just to be cute...
It had to happen... I HAD to eventually do a post soley for ranting purposes. And especially since I'm a woman, it was inevitable that I was going to do a rant post about the dicotomy that is being a heterosexual female and liking sports. Not necessarily related to feminism - more like not at all - but more of a personal issue that I think I share with a few other ladies out there, including some friends....
So I was at the club the other night with some girls from my university's cheerleading squad. They were talking about something and I wasn't particularly interested in hearing what the topic was, so I mentally removed myself from the conversation. My eyes then caught the television screen at the bar, where they were showing a preseason football game. I couldn't really see the teams that were playing though, as they wer eonly showing one sideline at the moment.
To solve this problem, I decided to ask the handsome young man standing nearby who was playing in the game... Now I probably could have solved this by carrying my glasses that I use to read from far distances, but that would have been inconvienient for the club. I also could have just minded my own business and pretended to know who was playing and just to see blurry figures on a screen. However, I figured, he looks good so why not just ask anyway.
So this man tells me who's playing - the Chargers and the Seahawks - and then has the NERVE to say, "Aww that's real cute... you pretending to know about sports." I wasn't quite sure what he expected me to say to that, considering that I found that to be a little bit offensive, so I responded with, "So, just because I'm a woman, I have to be pretending I like sports?" Yes, I did it - I pulled the Gender Card. This man now tries to say the same thing, but claiming that it had nothing to do with me being a female. Knowing this was bull feces, I rolled my eyes, and then he starts talking about how he likes the feistiness! Like dude! Could you be anymore sexist right now! So I explain to him in a calmer manner, that I am a college-age student, studying broadcast journalism, and I cover sports for a living.
Then what REALLY infuriated me was his attempt to play me, and ask me, "Well then, who's the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys???" WHAT KIND OF A FOOL DOES HE TAKE ME FOR!?!? I just previously answered his question on where the Chargers and Seahawks were from. I was more insulted though by the simplicity of the question than the fact that he was asking me questions to test me allt ogehter.
You see, just because I may be a little bit on the good-looking side and I'm a woman, that doesn't mean that I don't watch sports, or know anything about sports. I recently saw an article suggesting that Erin Andrews should be in the booth now versus being a reporter. The comments below though argued against it, and one comment even went as far as to umbrella all good-looking females and stated that none of them know anything about sports. They may have a common knowledge about things like football but they'll never have a full understanding of the game........
Which brings me here: WHAT MAKES THIS GUY MORE KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT FOOTBALL THAN MYSELF? What God-given right has been handed down to men to inately know more about the depths of football than a woman? And then what God-forbidden theory claims that any woman who knows a "thing or two" about football is doing it for show and to purposely add to her sex appeal?
I love football. I do. And I love it because it's a sport, and I find it rather entertaining. It's ALWAYS been that way. I was a baby watching football. I had my Troy Aikman poster hanging in my room since I was about 6 years old. How can ANY MAN tell me that I like sports just to be cute? I'm sorry but I'm not crazy (all the way at least) to get a tattoo of the Washington Capitals on my back, and not like the Washington Capitals like it's my life? Like what world do I live in where I have to prove that I love sports more than anything? If it really mattered, get to know me, and read this blog, or we'll get to sports in about 10 minutes into a conversation and we'll have a nice healthy debate over coffee (beer in Canada).
So fellas, please don't make the mistake of judging a book by its cover. If the lady says she likes sports, or brings up a sports topic, don't try to play her on it and question her. I'm not a dating tip-blogger, but just for common knowledge, folks.
Notes...
Kane has officially been indicted. That'll show him. Unfortunately, those are the only news stories that come out about hockey players - the bad apples. Can we get more Ovechkin love out here and talk about the GOOD stuff they do?
So the St. Louis Cardinals technically stole John Smoltz from the Boston Red Sox. Oh well. There goes an offseason acquisition.
MOST INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH... While all the track and field news is mostly about Usain Bolt being this guy who runs faster in 100m and 200m dashes than I run to the bathroom after my 5-8pm class, I came across an article about this 18-year old runner from South Africa who needs a gender test because apparently people are questioning whether "she does not meet the requirements to compete as a woman" or not... I really don't know how I feel about this because according to the article, the details are just soo complex! They can't say if they will take away her medals or not because it would be based on whether she got a sex change or if she has always defined herself as a woman... Frankly, I don't know how to take this story either, so for now, I'm only sharing with you all this issue. haha.
So I was at the club the other night with some girls from my university's cheerleading squad. They were talking about something and I wasn't particularly interested in hearing what the topic was, so I mentally removed myself from the conversation. My eyes then caught the television screen at the bar, where they were showing a preseason football game. I couldn't really see the teams that were playing though, as they wer eonly showing one sideline at the moment.
To solve this problem, I decided to ask the handsome young man standing nearby who was playing in the game... Now I probably could have solved this by carrying my glasses that I use to read from far distances, but that would have been inconvienient for the club. I also could have just minded my own business and pretended to know who was playing and just to see blurry figures on a screen. However, I figured, he looks good so why not just ask anyway.
So this man tells me who's playing - the Chargers and the Seahawks - and then has the NERVE to say, "Aww that's real cute... you pretending to know about sports." I wasn't quite sure what he expected me to say to that, considering that I found that to be a little bit offensive, so I responded with, "So, just because I'm a woman, I have to be pretending I like sports?" Yes, I did it - I pulled the Gender Card. This man now tries to say the same thing, but claiming that it had nothing to do with me being a female. Knowing this was bull feces, I rolled my eyes, and then he starts talking about how he likes the feistiness! Like dude! Could you be anymore sexist right now! So I explain to him in a calmer manner, that I am a college-age student, studying broadcast journalism, and I cover sports for a living.
Then what REALLY infuriated me was his attempt to play me, and ask me, "Well then, who's the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys???" WHAT KIND OF A FOOL DOES HE TAKE ME FOR!?!? I just previously answered his question on where the Chargers and Seahawks were from. I was more insulted though by the simplicity of the question than the fact that he was asking me questions to test me allt ogehter.
You see, just because I may be a little bit on the good-looking side and I'm a woman, that doesn't mean that I don't watch sports, or know anything about sports. I recently saw an article suggesting that Erin Andrews should be in the booth now versus being a reporter. The comments below though argued against it, and one comment even went as far as to umbrella all good-looking females and stated that none of them know anything about sports. They may have a common knowledge about things like football but they'll never have a full understanding of the game........
Which brings me here: WHAT MAKES THIS GUY MORE KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT FOOTBALL THAN MYSELF? What God-given right has been handed down to men to inately know more about the depths of football than a woman? And then what God-forbidden theory claims that any woman who knows a "thing or two" about football is doing it for show and to purposely add to her sex appeal?
I love football. I do. And I love it because it's a sport, and I find it rather entertaining. It's ALWAYS been that way. I was a baby watching football. I had my Troy Aikman poster hanging in my room since I was about 6 years old. How can ANY MAN tell me that I like sports just to be cute? I'm sorry but I'm not crazy (all the way at least) to get a tattoo of the Washington Capitals on my back, and not like the Washington Capitals like it's my life? Like what world do I live in where I have to prove that I love sports more than anything? If it really mattered, get to know me, and read this blog, or we'll get to sports in about 10 minutes into a conversation and we'll have a nice healthy debate over coffee (beer in Canada).
So fellas, please don't make the mistake of judging a book by its cover. If the lady says she likes sports, or brings up a sports topic, don't try to play her on it and question her. I'm not a dating tip-blogger, but just for common knowledge, folks.
Notes...
Kane has officially been indicted. That'll show him. Unfortunately, those are the only news stories that come out about hockey players - the bad apples. Can we get more Ovechkin love out here and talk about the GOOD stuff they do?
So the St. Louis Cardinals technically stole John Smoltz from the Boston Red Sox. Oh well. There goes an offseason acquisition.
MOST INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH... While all the track and field news is mostly about Usain Bolt being this guy who runs faster in 100m and 200m dashes than I run to the bathroom after my 5-8pm class, I came across an article about this 18-year old runner from South Africa who needs a gender test because apparently people are questioning whether "she does not meet the requirements to compete as a woman" or not... I really don't know how I feel about this because according to the article, the details are just soo complex! They can't say if they will take away her medals or not because it would be based on whether she got a sex change or if she has always defined herself as a woman... Frankly, I don't know how to take this story either, so for now, I'm only sharing with you all this issue. haha.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Is This News??? Favre is Back?
This is ridiculous... I'm only annoyed because this is actually being reported. It bothers me that you can be Brett Favre, and skip traning camp all together, have everybody talking as if Tavares Jackson is the starter, and all of this stuff, and then on a whim say I'm back and sign for 10-12 million to play for a year.
Brett Favre coming back makes things difficult for not only me and the viewers of any sports television, but for the Vikings players and staff. What are they to do when Favre comes AFTER training camp and AFTER preseason, and then start the season green as hell talking about some, "Okay receievers! Time to catch from Brett Favre!" or "Hey linemen! First game of the season, you'll learn block for Brett!" If I'm playing on the team, what am I supposed to make of all this time of training camp and preseason? I would definitely question the whole process that every other football player has to go through.
As for Favre, this is obnoxious. Why is this the biggest story today? We all knew it was gonna happen. I didn't want it to, but we knew it was about that time when Favre would make a random appearance and say, "Hey! I wana play," and then it's covered like a big surprise.
I wish he'd stay in Mississippi. I really do. Just enjoy your life. Please. Don't come out of the woodworks to try and play a couple games out of the year to show your face, and make me see your face non-stop now for my whole (usually enjoyable) time of football season.
For real though, I'm just going to pass over this and show no emotion, like as if this was another celebrity gossip story. I mean, that's what ESPN does these days anyway...
Notes...
Vinny Prospal is back, reunited with his former coach, John Tortorella after singing with the NY Rangers for $1.1 million. Trust me though, the Rangers will not win the Stanley Cup this year because of this.
Patrick Kane, the a-hole who couldn't just spare some change to his cab driver along with his brother, is looking for a plea deal on his robbery and assault charges that he recieved. Tsk tsk...
Don't forget to vote in the poll to your left, and hey! Follow me on Twitter! ZetaSportsFan1... You don't wanna miss any of my posts anyway!
Brett Favre coming back makes things difficult for not only me and the viewers of any sports television, but for the Vikings players and staff. What are they to do when Favre comes AFTER training camp and AFTER preseason, and then start the season green as hell talking about some, "Okay receievers! Time to catch from Brett Favre!" or "Hey linemen! First game of the season, you'll learn block for Brett!" If I'm playing on the team, what am I supposed to make of all this time of training camp and preseason? I would definitely question the whole process that every other football player has to go through.
As for Favre, this is obnoxious. Why is this the biggest story today? We all knew it was gonna happen. I didn't want it to, but we knew it was about that time when Favre would make a random appearance and say, "Hey! I wana play," and then it's covered like a big surprise.
I wish he'd stay in Mississippi. I really do. Just enjoy your life. Please. Don't come out of the woodworks to try and play a couple games out of the year to show your face, and make me see your face non-stop now for my whole (usually enjoyable) time of football season.
For real though, I'm just going to pass over this and show no emotion, like as if this was another celebrity gossip story. I mean, that's what ESPN does these days anyway...
Notes...
Vinny Prospal is back, reunited with his former coach, John Tortorella after singing with the NY Rangers for $1.1 million. Trust me though, the Rangers will not win the Stanley Cup this year because of this.
Patrick Kane, the a-hole who couldn't just spare some change to his cab driver along with his brother, is looking for a plea deal on his robbery and assault charges that he recieved. Tsk tsk...
Don't forget to vote in the poll to your left, and hey! Follow me on Twitter! ZetaSportsFan1... You don't wanna miss any of my posts anyway!
Monday, August 17, 2009
English Premier League Overview: Underdogs Maybe?
Before I begin on my post today, I would like to apologize to my audience for not having a post for about 3 days... I just moved back to campus and because we were all unprepared for the fact that my room is smaller than every other room here, it's taken a little bit of time to rearrange the place and set our things up. And let's not forget, I'm a college student, and so the weekend was host to a few late night excursions on the town... Nonetheless, I'm back here and it might not be every day, but I will try my best not to go past 3 days.
Back to what we love...
So I thought it was rather funny that when I was looking at Sky Sports' expectations for particular games over the weekend, they were so wrong in their predictions, that I HAD to write about it.
I may not be an Arsenal fan, but I was actually appalled that they chose Arsenal to draw 1-1 with Everton on Saturday August 15th. The ACTUAL result however was a 6-1 thrashing by Arsenal.
Liverpool was the favorite to win 2-1 in the Liverpool/Tottenham match, especially considering their 3-1 win against Tottenham at the end of the previous season and the fact that Tottenham has failed to win many of their past opening matches. Tottenham outplayed Liverpool though, beating them 2-1, and only allowing the one goal because of a penalty kick made by Stephen Gerrard.
Manchester United played Birmingham on the 16th for their first match after winning it all last season. Sky Sports predicted a 3-0 victory for Man U. Even though Manchester United pulled off a usual win on Sunday, they only won 1-0, and had Birmingham actually capitalized on the chances they had at the net, they could have scored a couple goals or two and completely throw f the standings for the first day of the season.
Basically, Sky Sports needs to recheck itself - granted it was the opening week for the EPL, and they were basing their predictions off of the results from last season, but maybe when we all make predictions, let's not always choose the obvious answer...
Notes...
In other news, Marc Bulger - injured again. Like for real though, why can't football players just keep their fingers and toes in check? Everybody ends up breaking off their index fingers, middle fingers, or big toes, or pinkie toes... YES YOU T.O. TOO! Come on now! I feel like all football players (and players in other sports should follow suit) should wear a metal glove when their outside of the football field so that they can actually be productive on the field. Marc Bulger may just need to be in a bubble - It's no mystery why the Rams have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for the past few years...
Sorry O's fans, but they traded Aubrey Huff for a minor leaguer today. The Orioles still stink, and for the sake of the state I live in, I hope the O's can get it together and actually get some real pitchers and have consistency. Even the Nats have ben more consistent at times than the Orioles this year...
Speaking of the Nats, they should start thinking about whether their gonna sign this draft pick... by that I mean they SHOULD sign him...
*The Nats signed Strasburg to the largest contract for a draft pick ever. 4 years as well. Good call Nats. Thanks for listening.
Finally, T.O. returns for limited practice. His toe.
New poll is up as well... Who will win the fewest games in the NFL? Just felt like asking. So feel free to vote and then comment on either the post tonight or the poll and explain why you said what you said. Enjoy!
Back to what we love...
So I thought it was rather funny that when I was looking at Sky Sports' expectations for particular games over the weekend, they were so wrong in their predictions, that I HAD to write about it.
I may not be an Arsenal fan, but I was actually appalled that they chose Arsenal to draw 1-1 with Everton on Saturday August 15th. The ACTUAL result however was a 6-1 thrashing by Arsenal.
Liverpool was the favorite to win 2-1 in the Liverpool/Tottenham match, especially considering their 3-1 win against Tottenham at the end of the previous season and the fact that Tottenham has failed to win many of their past opening matches. Tottenham outplayed Liverpool though, beating them 2-1, and only allowing the one goal because of a penalty kick made by Stephen Gerrard.
Manchester United played Birmingham on the 16th for their first match after winning it all last season. Sky Sports predicted a 3-0 victory for Man U. Even though Manchester United pulled off a usual win on Sunday, they only won 1-0, and had Birmingham actually capitalized on the chances they had at the net, they could have scored a couple goals or two and completely throw f the standings for the first day of the season.
Basically, Sky Sports needs to recheck itself - granted it was the opening week for the EPL, and they were basing their predictions off of the results from last season, but maybe when we all make predictions, let's not always choose the obvious answer...
Notes...
In other news, Marc Bulger - injured again. Like for real though, why can't football players just keep their fingers and toes in check? Everybody ends up breaking off their index fingers, middle fingers, or big toes, or pinkie toes... YES YOU T.O. TOO! Come on now! I feel like all football players (and players in other sports should follow suit) should wear a metal glove when their outside of the football field so that they can actually be productive on the field. Marc Bulger may just need to be in a bubble - It's no mystery why the Rams have been one of the worst teams in the NFL for the past few years...
Sorry O's fans, but they traded Aubrey Huff for a minor leaguer today. The Orioles still stink, and for the sake of the state I live in, I hope the O's can get it together and actually get some real pitchers and have consistency. Even the Nats have ben more consistent at times than the Orioles this year...
Speaking of the Nats, they should start thinking about whether their gonna sign this draft pick... by that I mean they SHOULD sign him...
*The Nats signed Strasburg to the largest contract for a draft pick ever. 4 years as well. Good call Nats. Thanks for listening.
Finally, T.O. returns for limited practice. His toe.
New poll is up as well... Who will win the fewest games in the NFL? Just felt like asking. So feel free to vote and then comment on either the post tonight or the poll and explain why you said what you said. Enjoy!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Mike Vick Returns
Notes...
So how would you feel if in one offseason, you were traded a couple times? Well how about if you were traded 3 times... or even 4? Quentin Richardson sure knows how that feels, as he was bounced around the NBA from the Knicks to the Grizzlies, Grizzlies to the Clippers, Clippers to the T-Wolves, and now the T-Wolves to the Heat. That'd be a pretty big ego killer for me, but not as much as if I was traded for supplies like they do in minor league baseball... trade to the Thunder next for some D Wades maybe (the shoes of course) ?????
Tom Brady started today. That's it.
Redskins lost in a shutout to the Ravens. Hehehe - just sayin'...
Jake Peavy made his first rehab start today with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, as he prepares to become a part of the Chicago White Sox's pitching staff.
And this is amazing... Think, about this: what if we made Allen Iverson's "Practice" rant a song, mixed in with Jim Mora's "Playoffs" blow up, and a few other media outbursts by coaches and players (T.O. included)? This was the crack up for the day...This is great stuff.... And a lot of skill by the creator. Props to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I
Vick's Return
So how would you feel if in one offseason, you were traded a couple times? Well how about if you were traded 3 times... or even 4? Quentin Richardson sure knows how that feels, as he was bounced around the NBA from the Knicks to the Grizzlies, Grizzlies to the Clippers, Clippers to the T-Wolves, and now the T-Wolves to the Heat. That'd be a pretty big ego killer for me, but not as much as if I was traded for supplies like they do in minor league baseball... trade to the Thunder next for some D Wades maybe (the shoes of course) ?????
Tom Brady started today. That's it.
Redskins lost in a shutout to the Ravens. Hehehe - just sayin'...
Jake Peavy made his first rehab start today with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, as he prepares to become a part of the Chicago White Sox's pitching staff.
And this is amazing... Think, about this: what if we made Allen Iverson's "Practice" rant a song, mixed in with Jim Mora's "Playoffs" blow up, and a few other media outbursts by coaches and players (T.O. included)? This was the crack up for the day...This is great stuff.... And a lot of skill by the creator. Props to them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exOxUAntx8I
Vick's Return
So Michael Vick has returned to the NFL, and will be on the Philadelphia Eagles roster, signed on for 2 years. I'm glad that, finally, the speculation is over, and we can get down to straight facts and football.
I'm really happy for one thing, because Vick has paid a lot for being involved in a dog fighting scandal. It baffles me that people seem to have much more outcry over a man that had to spend 2 years away from football/his career/his young family, went to jail for 18 months, and recieved HEAVY public judgement (still is getting it and it will continue) than players who have been guilty for domestic violence, and other crimes - against HUMANS. It seems as though we hold more weight on crimes against animals than HUMAN crimes. I wish people got that mad at those accused of domestic violence. And trust, I hate dog fighting and all that nonsense - A LOT. It disgusts me, especially since I have a little baby of my own (American Eskimo). But like I said, humans deserve some type of defense as well.
If you want still Vick out the NFL, then I don't undertsand what's wrong with you. But enough with bashing the backlash. It's overrated anyway... On the Eagles, Vick should be another QB option for a team with an established organization and a stable situation going into the season. He can get back to a career and hopefully returning to a more normal life.
Shout out to...
Arturs Irbe!!!!! Welcome to DC as the Caps' new goaltending coach! Definitely a good look for the Capitals with the young goaltending and the elimination of language barriers, as Irbe can speak Russian to Simeon Varlamov... although the Caps will miss the 12-yr service of Dave Prior, who present during Olie Kolzig's Vezina Trophy winning years. Nonetheless, I look foward to winning a Stanley Cup with Irbe on the staff.... :D
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A Little Something for Everyone
Bienvenido Pedro...
Yeah, no clever headline title (too much thinking lol)... 37 year old Pedro Martinez returned to Major League Baseball action with the Philadelphia Phillies (and still with the permed look)against the Chicago Cubs. His return proved to be solid as he pitched through 5 innings, striking out 5 batters and giving up 3 runs in a 12-5 win for Philadelphia.
Pedro began the game working with a 2-0 lead and dealing with only 4 batters in the 1st inning. He seemed like he had very good ball control, and got through innings quickly and efficiently. The Phillies offense definitely backed him up as well, giving Martinez suffcient run support just about every inning early on. Pedro had a 12-1 lead by the 4th inning! How can you NOT work with that?... Oh, if you're the Red Sox bullpen........
All jokes aside, it's good to see Martinez come back from such a long time away from baseball at his age, and to see him play almost at the level he used to play as a former pitcher in Boston. Of course, Martinez still has work to do if he is to be an integral part in the Phillies playoff run, such as getting his curveball and slider together. This definitely a good start though. Nonetheless, note to Phillies fans: don't wet your pants assuming you're going to repeat again this year...
*I had to. I had to cheap shot Philly people - cut me some slack lol
The Most Random Losing Streak Ever...
The United States soccer team went on their awaited journey to Mexico to play their futbol team. Everybody tried to make this big deal out of the fact that U.S. has lacked wins in Mexico, and then used that to justify why they wouldn't win this time either.
I don't know why, but it just doesn't make sense to me why someone can't win a game solely because they just haven't won in a long time. I mean, the U.S. would have to win at some point, right? And I usually go with my feeling that the U.S. would win... so it had to be this year, right????
AND THEN THEY GO AND LOSE!!!!!
Now that is partially because of the mad theatrics courtesy of the Mexican futbol team, and partially because of missed opportunities... I hear all kinds of excuses like the altitude, and the stadium, and crowd - like as if other places don't have bad atmospheres (*cough* Philadelphia *cough* - had to do it again). But it still baffles me, hours later, that their luck just seems to fail them in Mexico. Not that Mexico is a bad team at all - they're really good, but the American team has a slight edge, especially in momentum. All of this is why I picked them to win today.
Just losing 23 out of 24 games (one 0-0 tie) doesn't add up, but oh well. Kind of reminds me of how all DC area teams just can't win int he playoffs, just because they can't win in the playoffs - like the Capitals last season, having an even better team than the '98 team that made it to the finals, but struggled heavily in the playoffs and barely even made it to the second round, where they lost. For what reasons, I don't know what happens to them, but it definitely is along the same lines of this USA losing streak in Mexico. The U.S. will hopefully move on from this and continue the positive play to reamin one of the top three teams for 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The Godfather
Just really quickly, in light of the Rick Pitino news, this just further proves that this man is in a mafia. He has to be. Like how can get you someone pregnant, who was trying to get after your money, pay for your abortion (ignoring what he said), and then tell us about 6 yrs later when there's nothing you can do about it and it almost seems pointless!!!!! I can imagine all the underground details that haven't come out, and probably won't come out about all the mafia going-ons and having to go along with the plan until he's ready to say something... and all of that good mob stuff. Al Pacino is only an actor, acting out the life Pitino has lived HA!
Losers of the Day
To close up shop tonight, congrats to the Brewers by the way today for either relieving people of their duties or putting them in the minor leagues. Having lost 23 out their last 35 games, the Brewers were definitely due for a shake-up: designating Bill Hall for assignment, putting J.J. Hardy in Triple A baseball, and firing the pitching coach, Bill Castro. Pretty big moves, and for the sake of the Brewers fans out there, hope that changes things.
And to the Boston Red Sox... for not being able to make a move on John Smoltz, basically trying to put a Hall of Famer for minor league duties. I would also call out Kevin Youkilis. I feel as a Red Sox fan, I have the right to tell him to shut up and I think that's all I need to say about the issue, since he messed up by going participating in that little brawl last night. HE started it, but certainly couldn't finish it... and pulled the pansy move by inaccurately throwing his helmet in the direction of the pitcher... real smart...
Don't forget to vote in the poll either and comments are welcome!
Yeah, no clever headline title (too much thinking lol)... 37 year old Pedro Martinez returned to Major League Baseball action with the Philadelphia Phillies (and still with the permed look)against the Chicago Cubs. His return proved to be solid as he pitched through 5 innings, striking out 5 batters and giving up 3 runs in a 12-5 win for Philadelphia.
Pedro began the game working with a 2-0 lead and dealing with only 4 batters in the 1st inning. He seemed like he had very good ball control, and got through innings quickly and efficiently. The Phillies offense definitely backed him up as well, giving Martinez suffcient run support just about every inning early on. Pedro had a 12-1 lead by the 4th inning! How can you NOT work with that?... Oh, if you're the Red Sox bullpen........
All jokes aside, it's good to see Martinez come back from such a long time away from baseball at his age, and to see him play almost at the level he used to play as a former pitcher in Boston. Of course, Martinez still has work to do if he is to be an integral part in the Phillies playoff run, such as getting his curveball and slider together. This definitely a good start though. Nonetheless, note to Phillies fans: don't wet your pants assuming you're going to repeat again this year...
*I had to. I had to cheap shot Philly people - cut me some slack lol
The Most Random Losing Streak Ever...
The United States soccer team went on their awaited journey to Mexico to play their futbol team. Everybody tried to make this big deal out of the fact that U.S. has lacked wins in Mexico, and then used that to justify why they wouldn't win this time either.
I don't know why, but it just doesn't make sense to me why someone can't win a game solely because they just haven't won in a long time. I mean, the U.S. would have to win at some point, right? And I usually go with my feeling that the U.S. would win... so it had to be this year, right????
AND THEN THEY GO AND LOSE!!!!!
Now that is partially because of the mad theatrics courtesy of the Mexican futbol team, and partially because of missed opportunities... I hear all kinds of excuses like the altitude, and the stadium, and crowd - like as if other places don't have bad atmospheres (*cough* Philadelphia *cough* - had to do it again). But it still baffles me, hours later, that their luck just seems to fail them in Mexico. Not that Mexico is a bad team at all - they're really good, but the American team has a slight edge, especially in momentum. All of this is why I picked them to win today.
Just losing 23 out of 24 games (one 0-0 tie) doesn't add up, but oh well. Kind of reminds me of how all DC area teams just can't win int he playoffs, just because they can't win in the playoffs - like the Capitals last season, having an even better team than the '98 team that made it to the finals, but struggled heavily in the playoffs and barely even made it to the second round, where they lost. For what reasons, I don't know what happens to them, but it definitely is along the same lines of this USA losing streak in Mexico. The U.S. will hopefully move on from this and continue the positive play to reamin one of the top three teams for 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The Godfather
Just really quickly, in light of the Rick Pitino news, this just further proves that this man is in a mafia. He has to be. Like how can get you someone pregnant, who was trying to get after your money, pay for your abortion (ignoring what he said), and then tell us about 6 yrs later when there's nothing you can do about it and it almost seems pointless!!!!! I can imagine all the underground details that haven't come out, and probably won't come out about all the mafia going-ons and having to go along with the plan until he's ready to say something... and all of that good mob stuff. Al Pacino is only an actor, acting out the life Pitino has lived HA!
Losers of the Day
To close up shop tonight, congrats to the Brewers by the way today for either relieving people of their duties or putting them in the minor leagues. Having lost 23 out their last 35 games, the Brewers were definitely due for a shake-up: designating Bill Hall for assignment, putting J.J. Hardy in Triple A baseball, and firing the pitching coach, Bill Castro. Pretty big moves, and for the sake of the Brewers fans out there, hope that changes things.
And to the Boston Red Sox... for not being able to make a move on John Smoltz, basically trying to put a Hall of Famer for minor league duties. I would also call out Kevin Youkilis. I feel as a Red Sox fan, I have the right to tell him to shut up and I think that's all I need to say about the issue, since he messed up by going participating in that little brawl last night. HE started it, but certainly couldn't finish it... and pulled the pansy move by inaccurately throwing his helmet in the direction of the pitcher... real smart...
Don't forget to vote in the poll either and comments are welcome!
Surprise!!!!!
This Made My Night
Oh man... I don't know why I've never heard of this website before, but I just found out about it tonight from a friend. I originally wasn't going to write anything for this date, but this was so necessary...
http://www.sportshate.com/
It's so genuis! This is just basically a site where one goes on, and makes hate comments on things related to sports. The site has divided such comments into little sections such as "hated teams," "hated players," hated owners - anything you could hate on in sports, it's here!
As sports fans, as I'm sure most of us are here, the one thing we enjoy almost as much as seeing our teams winning, is seeing the arch rival fall. Some fans maybe more intense with this than others, but I will share with you, I go pretty hard about this one. As a Red Sox fan, seeing the Yankees lose can make my night so much better. The Redskins or Eagles losing a game can almost entirely make up for the Cowboys losing a game. Most lovely of all, as a Capitals fan, I wish upon years and years of losing to the Penguins and Flyers. It just does me a favor in life to see my most hated teams lose.
So as you can see, I can appreciate such a forum where fans can vent about a certain team or player they may not like. I mean, half the time it is warranted (the other half is when my teams or players are involved - hahaha!)
In these sections on http://www.sportshate.com/, you see the top 5 hated things in each section. For instance, the top 5 hated teams are as follows: The Dallas Cowboys, The Los Angeles Lakers, The New York Yankees, The New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers... not too much of a surprise here.
My favorite thing that I checked out though was the hater section for Serena Williams... apparently she's quite hated on, which I wasn't really aware of (well, except for when she visits France). But these comments... these comments.... they blew my mind! Let's check a few out...
"Knock Out" posts that Serena ought to "let some pretty girls win!"
An anonymous poster calls Ms. Williams, "LINEBACKERRRRR!!!!"
Someone named BK ALL DAY though killed it by saying, "I tear that booty up, just keep the face down!"
So, basically, you can say almost anything, although, I feel that the posts were somewhat censored, such as the use of the word "AZZ" to describe Serena William's posterior... so I would warn anyone who plans on going to the site to bash a player or team to keep it a little clean at least, and to refrain from any real hate comments.
It was interesting to see this site, http://www.sportshate.com/, and I figure, I'll visit this site a little bit from now on, just to see how people hate on other teams and people and just anything lol. It's good for just venting your biggest frustration about a particular team or player you just can't stand or you refuse to root for. And even though my teams show up (Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, and even Alex Ovechkin was a hated player), it brings solace to my life knowing that other people's players, teams, fans, owners, coaches, and everything else about them is being hated on and berated.
Congrats Vlad...
Just want to make a special shout out to Vladimir Guerrero the other night for hitting his 400th home run. Pretty much a big deal, seeing as he didn't have to be a prick to do it (A-Rod, Manny... just saying...). We all sit back in awe of Albert Pujols and what he can do - and granted he is definitely one of the best hitters of our time. But Vlad rarely gets mentioned in the casual discussion of greatest hitters and early ballot Hall of Famers.
I happened to have the television on to the Scott Van Pelt Show (what a funny man by the way). He made a comparison between Guerrero and Joe Dimaggio. In regards to statistics like doubles, home runs, hits, and batting average, at the same amount of games in their careers, Guerrero is either neck-and-neck or ahead of Dimaggio.
So if Vlad gets mentioned nowhere else, here's his shout out - on my blog.
New Poll!
Hey! I know you all hate at least one of those teams. So I suggest taking the new poll and letting us know who you hate THE MOST out of the group. Also feel free to go on the comments portion below and tell us openly who you hate the most - team or player - and why. You're also more than welcome to comment on the blog post as well...
Enjoy!
Oh man... I don't know why I've never heard of this website before, but I just found out about it tonight from a friend. I originally wasn't going to write anything for this date, but this was so necessary...
http://www.sportshate.com/
It's so genuis! This is just basically a site where one goes on, and makes hate comments on things related to sports. The site has divided such comments into little sections such as "hated teams," "hated players," hated owners - anything you could hate on in sports, it's here!
As sports fans, as I'm sure most of us are here, the one thing we enjoy almost as much as seeing our teams winning, is seeing the arch rival fall. Some fans maybe more intense with this than others, but I will share with you, I go pretty hard about this one. As a Red Sox fan, seeing the Yankees lose can make my night so much better. The Redskins or Eagles losing a game can almost entirely make up for the Cowboys losing a game. Most lovely of all, as a Capitals fan, I wish upon years and years of losing to the Penguins and Flyers. It just does me a favor in life to see my most hated teams lose.
So as you can see, I can appreciate such a forum where fans can vent about a certain team or player they may not like. I mean, half the time it is warranted (the other half is when my teams or players are involved - hahaha!)
In these sections on http://www.sportshate.com/, you see the top 5 hated things in each section. For instance, the top 5 hated teams are as follows: The Dallas Cowboys, The Los Angeles Lakers, The New York Yankees, The New York Giants, and the Pittsburgh Steelers... not too much of a surprise here.
My favorite thing that I checked out though was the hater section for Serena Williams... apparently she's quite hated on, which I wasn't really aware of (well, except for when she visits France). But these comments... these comments.... they blew my mind! Let's check a few out...
"Knock Out" posts that Serena ought to "let some pretty girls win!"
An anonymous poster calls Ms. Williams, "LINEBACKERRRRR!!!!"
Someone named BK ALL DAY though killed it by saying, "I tear that booty up, just keep the face down!"
So, basically, you can say almost anything, although, I feel that the posts were somewhat censored, such as the use of the word "AZZ" to describe Serena William's posterior... so I would warn anyone who plans on going to the site to bash a player or team to keep it a little clean at least, and to refrain from any real hate comments.
It was interesting to see this site, http://www.sportshate.com/, and I figure, I'll visit this site a little bit from now on, just to see how people hate on other teams and people and just anything lol. It's good for just venting your biggest frustration about a particular team or player you just can't stand or you refuse to root for. And even though my teams show up (Dallas Cowboys, Boston Red Sox, and even Alex Ovechkin was a hated player), it brings solace to my life knowing that other people's players, teams, fans, owners, coaches, and everything else about them is being hated on and berated.
Congrats Vlad...
Just want to make a special shout out to Vladimir Guerrero the other night for hitting his 400th home run. Pretty much a big deal, seeing as he didn't have to be a prick to do it (A-Rod, Manny... just saying...). We all sit back in awe of Albert Pujols and what he can do - and granted he is definitely one of the best hitters of our time. But Vlad rarely gets mentioned in the casual discussion of greatest hitters and early ballot Hall of Famers.
I happened to have the television on to the Scott Van Pelt Show (what a funny man by the way). He made a comparison between Guerrero and Joe Dimaggio. In regards to statistics like doubles, home runs, hits, and batting average, at the same amount of games in their careers, Guerrero is either neck-and-neck or ahead of Dimaggio.
So if Vlad gets mentioned nowhere else, here's his shout out - on my blog.
New Poll!
Hey! I know you all hate at least one of those teams. So I suggest taking the new poll and letting us know who you hate THE MOST out of the group. Also feel free to go on the comments portion below and tell us openly who you hate the most - team or player - and why. You're also more than welcome to comment on the blog post as well...
Enjoy!
Monday, August 10, 2009
Knock You Down
This is why the NHL will never become a major sports market again. This is why the NHL will never reach a new audience. This is why the NHL will continue to not cross people's minds...
The Carolina Hurricanes have sued Tyrone Banks, a Raleigh-based hip hop artist, for producing and promoting a song called, well, the "Carolina Hurricanes," and referring to it as the "official song of the Carolina Hurricanes." Banks has also produced an online video where he wears the Hurricane's team jersey.
Apparently though, this song seems to be too offensive for the Hurricanes because he's not part of the team or the staff, and according to the Associated Press report, the Hurricanes can't stand the fact that "Banks is still seen wearing a Hurricanes jersey in promotional material and said the franchise has been damaged by the unauthorized use of trademarks."
This frustrates the hell out of me! You canNOT tell me that promoting your team is a bad thing. I believe that if Banks had actually tried to talk with the team before he came out promoting and stuff, maybe the team would have been more likely to enjoy his production discussing their franchise. Either way though, I don't think suing the man really does the team any good.
You see, hip hop is this huge thing in America, and I don't know if the NHL has heard of this. But all kinds of people listen to hip hop, not just black people, but oh boy do white people listen to hip hop as well. I'm telling you, had the NHL taken the step a long time ago in using popular rap/hip hop artists to be at games, promote the team, show up at the All-Star game and all of that (pre-lockout), I have a feeling there would be more people who would at least give a little more about the NHL.
In markets like Carolina, and especially the ATL, the NHL should try to market differently. Instead of using people like Garth Brooks and unknown/slacking celebrities to promote events and games and such, why not more popular people. At the time of the NHL All-Star game in Atlanta, they used Ne-yo as the intermission performer. Then, Ne-yo wasn't near where he is today with his fan base though. What would have been mad nice, would have been Usher, and Lil Jon, who actually has a son that plays hockey in Atlanta.
Herein lies another example of how the NHL pushes away a good idea and continues to make itself look like a boring sport for white people. Just as the NHL continues to market with charisma-less, cry-baby Sidney Crosby instead of using a more fun, exciting, explosive player like, say, Alex Ovechkin, the NHL will also push away any good idea to get their teams and markets out there to a different audience in a different way.
I feel like I will dig into this issue further come February 2010 with a more broad view of how I feel about this topic. I will warn all now, I will be very blunt in that post. But for now, take what you can get here and insinuate.
*there is a rock song out there about the Hurricanes
Sidenote: BTW, I just want to make a special shout to the Fort Dupont fellows. Great hockey program, and I hope to be somewhat involved in putting it even more out there in the future.
The Carolina Hurricanes have sued Tyrone Banks, a Raleigh-based hip hop artist, for producing and promoting a song called, well, the "Carolina Hurricanes," and referring to it as the "official song of the Carolina Hurricanes." Banks has also produced an online video where he wears the Hurricane's team jersey.
Apparently though, this song seems to be too offensive for the Hurricanes because he's not part of the team or the staff, and according to the Associated Press report, the Hurricanes can't stand the fact that "Banks is still seen wearing a Hurricanes jersey in promotional material and said the franchise has been damaged by the unauthorized use of trademarks."
This frustrates the hell out of me! You canNOT tell me that promoting your team is a bad thing. I believe that if Banks had actually tried to talk with the team before he came out promoting and stuff, maybe the team would have been more likely to enjoy his production discussing their franchise. Either way though, I don't think suing the man really does the team any good.
You see, hip hop is this huge thing in America, and I don't know if the NHL has heard of this. But all kinds of people listen to hip hop, not just black people, but oh boy do white people listen to hip hop as well. I'm telling you, had the NHL taken the step a long time ago in using popular rap/hip hop artists to be at games, promote the team, show up at the All-Star game and all of that (pre-lockout), I have a feeling there would be more people who would at least give a little more about the NHL.
In markets like Carolina, and especially the ATL, the NHL should try to market differently. Instead of using people like Garth Brooks and unknown/slacking celebrities to promote events and games and such, why not more popular people. At the time of the NHL All-Star game in Atlanta, they used Ne-yo as the intermission performer. Then, Ne-yo wasn't near where he is today with his fan base though. What would have been mad nice, would have been Usher, and Lil Jon, who actually has a son that plays hockey in Atlanta.
Herein lies another example of how the NHL pushes away a good idea and continues to make itself look like a boring sport for white people. Just as the NHL continues to market with charisma-less, cry-baby Sidney Crosby instead of using a more fun, exciting, explosive player like, say, Alex Ovechkin, the NHL will also push away any good idea to get their teams and markets out there to a different audience in a different way.
I feel like I will dig into this issue further come February 2010 with a more broad view of how I feel about this topic. I will warn all now, I will be very blunt in that post. But for now, take what you can get here and insinuate.
*there is a rock song out there about the Hurricanes
Sidenote: BTW, I just want to make a special shout to the Fort Dupont fellows. Great hockey program, and I hope to be somewhat involved in putting it even more out there in the future.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Open Bar
When It Actually Matters...
Let's begin with a question: Why is Steve Phillips on the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast? Just asking. I mean, you went my whole life basically with Joe Morgan and Jon Miller, and then you just add Steve Phillips... just wondering...
All righty, well, anyway... So the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox completed their four-game series in the Bronx tonight on that Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. Although Jason Bay finally returned tonight to the lineup, it's a tad bit noteworthy note that David Ortiz wasn't in it. According to Jon Miller's words, he just "isn't hitting" and apparently the sitting wasn't because of the whole steriod fiasco, despite his press conference taking place yesterday claiming he DIDN'T take steriods (no comment lol). Although, if he just "isn't hitting," in that case, everyone should have just sat out.
After a mad long time with no score, the Yankees got the first run of the game on an A-Rod solo in the 7th. The 8th inning however was a HUGE uplift for the Red Sox as recent addition, Victor Martinez, hit a two-run homer to put Boston ahead 2-1, giving them the first lead since the first game. Jon Lester also pitched an exceptional game giving up zero runs through 7 innings.
Things seemed positive for the Sox for them to turn things around. However, The Red Sox's bullpen woes continued in the bottom of the 8th when Johnny Damon soloed one to tie, followed by Mark Teixeira's solo to give the Yankees the lead. The game automatically went the Yankees way, reminiscent of last night's game, scoring a total of 4 runs that one inning to lead 5-2.
After a last effort by the Sox to score, putting in David Ortiz, ending up with 2 runners on the bases.... Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first, and the Sox lost 5-2.
Therefore, the Red Sox have fallen to 6 games behind the Yankees, and have dug themselves in a little hole (not insurmountable - it is still early August). Nonetheless, this isn't fun to watch; a team that played so well to begin the season, and had the Yankees 8-0 in all head-to-head matchups, starting to falter as they are swept by their division and arch rivals toward the latter part of the season.
I've Missed You So...
Oh NFL... I've missed you so much. I had to watch the Buffalo Bills play the Tennesee Titans in those You know, I wonder how many people are actually concerned about the match-up between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennesee Titans. I doubt that folks are watching this, anticipating this game to suggest the next big rivalry in the NFL. However, I know that me, my buddies, the people next door, and I'm sure even you, were watching this and any preseason game because... WE LOVE FOOTBALL!!!!! and everything that goes with it - beer, wings, excess food, bier, BBQs, friends, tv's, excuses to go to bars on Mondays... cuervo...
Personally, I definitely, DEFINITELY am also happy to see Tony Romo Jessica-Simpson-less and ready to focus on performing at a level to push the Cowboys over that playoff winless streak. It only makes sense, as I feel as though Romo's leash is just about only a collar at this point (at least with me). So if we make no further moves beyond what we have for the past 13 years, somebody's paying for it, and we'll see that it wasn't all T.O.'s fault (>_>)...
Cheap Shots
In my favorite sport, Patrick Kane, a young and talented winger on the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL... charged with robbery... It doesn't make sense to me when athletes get charged with robbery, considering all the money they make. I mean, for real?!!? You're gonna go hard on a old cab-driver cause he didn't give you the exact change back, but you don't go that hard on the ice? I mean trust, I love his skills on the ice, but come on! Really!?! Oh well... I wish a lot of good things for that franchise, especially after the rise from the dead this past season. But it hasn't been the best offseason with Marian Hossa and the contract issues, goalie situations, and now Patrick Kane acting a fool.
Walk-off...
And that's all folks for tonight... Don't forget to participate in the poll to the left of your page on the surging Nationals (We're gonna call it surging as they haven't played this well in like, ever). They have confidence, they have swag now, they might have a permanent general manager finally, and things seem to just be coming together... Could it be, that they might win the World Series one day in the near future? Or will it be a VERY long time before that happens? Vote now!
-Angie
Let's begin with a question: Why is Steve Phillips on the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast? Just asking. I mean, you went my whole life basically with Joe Morgan and Jon Miller, and then you just add Steve Phillips... just wondering...
All righty, well, anyway... So the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox completed their four-game series in the Bronx tonight on that Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. Although Jason Bay finally returned tonight to the lineup, it's a tad bit noteworthy note that David Ortiz wasn't in it. According to Jon Miller's words, he just "isn't hitting" and apparently the sitting wasn't because of the whole steriod fiasco, despite his press conference taking place yesterday claiming he DIDN'T take steriods (no comment lol). Although, if he just "isn't hitting," in that case, everyone should have just sat out.
After a mad long time with no score, the Yankees got the first run of the game on an A-Rod solo in the 7th. The 8th inning however was a HUGE uplift for the Red Sox as recent addition, Victor Martinez, hit a two-run homer to put Boston ahead 2-1, giving them the first lead since the first game. Jon Lester also pitched an exceptional game giving up zero runs through 7 innings.
Things seemed positive for the Sox for them to turn things around. However, The Red Sox's bullpen woes continued in the bottom of the 8th when Johnny Damon soloed one to tie, followed by Mark Teixeira's solo to give the Yankees the lead. The game automatically went the Yankees way, reminiscent of last night's game, scoring a total of 4 runs that one inning to lead 5-2.
After a last effort by the Sox to score, putting in David Ortiz, ending up with 2 runners on the bases.... Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out to first, and the Sox lost 5-2.
Therefore, the Red Sox have fallen to 6 games behind the Yankees, and have dug themselves in a little hole (not insurmountable - it is still early August). Nonetheless, this isn't fun to watch; a team that played so well to begin the season, and had the Yankees 8-0 in all head-to-head matchups, starting to falter as they are swept by their division and arch rivals toward the latter part of the season.
I've Missed You So...
Oh NFL... I've missed you so much. I had to watch the Buffalo Bills play the Tennesee Titans in those You know, I wonder how many people are actually concerned about the match-up between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennesee Titans. I doubt that folks are watching this, anticipating this game to suggest the next big rivalry in the NFL. However, I know that me, my buddies, the people next door, and I'm sure even you, were watching this and any preseason game because... WE LOVE FOOTBALL!!!!! and everything that goes with it - beer, wings, excess food, bier, BBQs, friends, tv's, excuses to go to bars on Mondays... cuervo...
Personally, I definitely, DEFINITELY am also happy to see Tony Romo Jessica-Simpson-less and ready to focus on performing at a level to push the Cowboys over that playoff winless streak. It only makes sense, as I feel as though Romo's leash is just about only a collar at this point (at least with me). So if we make no further moves beyond what we have for the past 13 years, somebody's paying for it, and we'll see that it wasn't all T.O.'s fault (>_>)...
I look foward to the entire football season itself as well. Personally, I AM excited to see T.O. on the Bills and to see if they can stop losing Super Bowls one of these days (sentimental favorite maybe?). I don't know about you, but I WANT to see who's really overrated and who's really underrated. Me, I DESIRE to see passes, running plays, blocking, catches, dusty-looking coaches on the sidelines, touchdowns, field goals, dreads, and tackling - grandiose, bone-crushing tackles where you see the mouth piece fly out and you can hear all the air escaping the victims lungs.
The point is, NFL, we have ALL have missed you, and we look foward to the joys (and yes, the pains) that you shall bring forth this season.Cheap Shots
In my favorite sport, Patrick Kane, a young and talented winger on the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL... charged with robbery... It doesn't make sense to me when athletes get charged with robbery, considering all the money they make. I mean, for real?!!? You're gonna go hard on a old cab-driver cause he didn't give you the exact change back, but you don't go that hard on the ice? I mean trust, I love his skills on the ice, but come on! Really!?! Oh well... I wish a lot of good things for that franchise, especially after the rise from the dead this past season. But it hasn't been the best offseason with Marian Hossa and the contract issues, goalie situations, and now Patrick Kane acting a fool.
Walk-off...
And that's all folks for tonight... Don't forget to participate in the poll to the left of your page on the surging Nationals (We're gonna call it surging as they haven't played this well in like, ever). They have confidence, they have swag now, they might have a permanent general manager finally, and things seem to just be coming together... Could it be, that they might win the World Series one day in the near future? Or will it be a VERY long time before that happens? Vote now!
-Angie
Post Number 1!
Hello again everyone! This is the first post on my blog here. I'm pretty excited to start blogging periodically about recent sports teams, events, and news, and giving my opinions and observations on them. I'm even more excited to have listeners - well, readers of my opinions. Hopefully, this will be fun and enjoyable for us all...
I guess I'd like to start off by sharing an observation made by a good friend of mine... I have a fetish for teams with stretches of time without winning anything. In my top three, we have the Washington Capitals, the Boston Red Sox, and the Dallas Cowboys counted as teams that like to wait a good minute before winning something.
First off, there are the Washington Capitals, who have never won - ever. 35 years without a championship. Before last season, the Caps didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs for 11 years, which I endured the entire time. It doesn't make it any better though thinking of how they lost last season in the second round and then again, that we have 35 years of nothingness.
The Red Sox, before 2004 of course, were World Series-less for 86 years (and right now aren't playing so hot right now so gee, a losing stretch to a much lesser degree). However, the point was, I did have to wait about 14 years of my life to see them win something... many people much longer than that.
Finally, I understand, the Cowboys have been a successful team in the past. Many great players, and 5 Super Bowls... 13 years since a playoff WIN. In 13 years, not ONE freakin' win, much less a Super Bowl. I should be fine, most say, considering the Cowboys are always on national television, always talked about, and we have had such success before - I was alive watching a couple of those Super Bowls, although quite young. But that's the point - it's been freakin over 10 years!
Not that I'm a woe-is-me type of person (I'm no Cubs fan after all - no hate lol), but it was pretty funny to note such a trend among my favorite teams. Of course though, I sure do hope to see these trends end soon, in my lifetime. I have no doubt the Cow(boy)s will win soon enough, and the Red Sox have won, so we all have to wait for my favorite of them all, the Capitals to get SOMETHING lol. 13 years of being a fan, it's been rough... but that's another topic for the day.
Like I said, this post is just really filler space, so I can see what it looks like if I put something on this (haha). But it was also a little introduction into my thought process regarding sports. Give me a little time, I'll get more interesting - I promise, I'll get used to this blogging thing, lol. But hey, feel free to comment, I wanna read those too!
-Angie
I guess I'd like to start off by sharing an observation made by a good friend of mine... I have a fetish for teams with stretches of time without winning anything. In my top three, we have the Washington Capitals, the Boston Red Sox, and the Dallas Cowboys counted as teams that like to wait a good minute before winning something.
First off, there are the Washington Capitals, who have never won - ever. 35 years without a championship. Before last season, the Caps didn't make it past the first round of the playoffs for 11 years, which I endured the entire time. It doesn't make it any better though thinking of how they lost last season in the second round and then again, that we have 35 years of nothingness.
The Red Sox, before 2004 of course, were World Series-less for 86 years (and right now aren't playing so hot right now so gee, a losing stretch to a much lesser degree). However, the point was, I did have to wait about 14 years of my life to see them win something... many people much longer than that.
Finally, I understand, the Cowboys have been a successful team in the past. Many great players, and 5 Super Bowls... 13 years since a playoff WIN. In 13 years, not ONE freakin' win, much less a Super Bowl. I should be fine, most say, considering the Cowboys are always on national television, always talked about, and we have had such success before - I was alive watching a couple of those Super Bowls, although quite young. But that's the point - it's been freakin over 10 years!
Not that I'm a woe-is-me type of person (I'm no Cubs fan after all - no hate lol), but it was pretty funny to note such a trend among my favorite teams. Of course though, I sure do hope to see these trends end soon, in my lifetime. I have no doubt the Cow(boy)s will win soon enough, and the Red Sox have won, so we all have to wait for my favorite of them all, the Capitals to get SOMETHING lol. 13 years of being a fan, it's been rough... but that's another topic for the day.
Like I said, this post is just really filler space, so I can see what it looks like if I put something on this (haha). But it was also a little introduction into my thought process regarding sports. Give me a little time, I'll get more interesting - I promise, I'll get used to this blogging thing, lol. But hey, feel free to comment, I wanna read those too!
-Angie
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