Mr. 3000...and counting

Congratulations to Craig Biggio for becoming the 27th player in Major League Baseball history to eclipse the 3000 hit mark on Friday night in Houston. The big hit came in the 7th inning with a runner on second base, 2 outs, and the Astros down 1-0. Biggio tried to stretch the single into a double, but was thrown out at second base as the ball, that was hit to center field was easily taken by Rockies fielder and former Astros player Willy Tavaras and returned to the infield in time to retire Biggio.

The game ended in extra innings after the Rockies went ahead with a solo home run in the top of the 10th, the Astros tried to make the night perfect for all in attendance at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros loaded the bases and with 2 outs, up stepped Carlos Lee. Brian Fuentes was looking to get the save for Colorado, but Lee belted a pitch down the left field line that just stayed to the right of the foul pole and landed in the Crawford boxes for a game winning walk-off grand slam. What a way to cap off a night where a man who has given 20 years to one organization finally reaches a milestone that only 26 other men in all of the sport have done before him and only 8 others have while playing with the same ball club.

Now Biggio is making his way up the charts. As of today he sits in 26th position all time in hits. Of course Pete Rose is first all time with over 4,200 hits and there is no way Biggio will reach that number, but it will be interesting to see how many greats of the game Craig can pass before the end of this season.

As of the end of June, Biggio has 3,004 hits. Next on the list is 'Mr. Tiger' Al Kaline with 3,007. Wade Boggs is the next target with 3,010 followed by Rafael Palmeiro with 3,020. It is very possible he can break the top 20 before the end of the season. (Rickey Henderson is 20th with 3,055)

The Weekend in Sports

For the past week or so, I have thought about starting a podcast. Just a little something in addition to this here. Nothing big or fancy with special music or interviews or a chance for the readers to sound off. More or less an audio version of 'this.' So, in the meantime, while I get my things together for my first podcast, which might indeed be tomorrow, lets take a look at the quite lackluster weekend in sports.

So, I guess I'll start with Friday, cause I guess that is the beginning of the weekend. Of course the big story of Friday was the surrendering of Tennessee Titans' cornerback Adam 'Pacman' Jones, who was then quickly released after posting bail there at the jail in Las Vegas and was on his was back to Nashville. According to Jones' lawyers, the suspended NFL player will plead not guilty to two felony charges of coercion stemming from allegations that he threatened to kill Minxx club employees and that he bit a bar bouncer. If convicted, Jones faces a maximum of 12 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Jones has had more face time on the Internet/sports outlets next to the courthouse or a police officer than on a football field or next to a teammate. It amazes me how a man of what you think would be somewhat decent class and values continues to do what he does and not have the ability to learn from it. How was he able to survive college??? My only guess is because he was not swimming in money then. This is a troubled player who must learn to choose more carefully who he hangs with because the people he is associating with are bringing him down and if he wants to continue to cash that pretty NFL paycheck anymore, then he must choose 'sink or swim' and so far he is sinking fast.

Saturday was Ejection Day in baseball as 3 managers and 1 player were given the early shower. The San Francisco Giants' manager Bruce Bochy, Atlanta Braves' manager Bobby Cox, Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, along with New York Mets catcher Paul LoDuca were all ejected on Saturday.

It had been out of the ordinary how many ejections there this year in baseball. It seems to me they are adding up at a much higher rate than in prior years, at least in most recent. Bochy has been ejected four times this year. Bobby Cox's ejection gave him the record for most ejections in a career. It is kind of making a statement saying there are too many ejections going on in baseball. Umpires need to tone it down and so do players. Umps need to relax more and not have such a quick release when it comes to tossing a player from a game. Fans do not come to a game to see talent get tossed. On the other hand, the players need to put the responsibility square on their own shoulders and not 'ask for it.' I have seen it many a time this year where players will jar with an ump until they are given the boot and told that their day is done. Veteran players need to take more responsibility knowing that they are there for the thousands in attendance that paid the ticket price and brought their kids to see you hit the ball and run the bases, not yell like a child at another man trying to do his job.

Sunday was a little more relaxed in sports, but still no events. Oregon State captured its second consecutive College World Series Championship with a win over North Carolina. Also on Sunday, Juan Pablo Montoya became the first non-U.S. born driver to win a NASCAR race in over 30 years. The only baseball game of note was played in Canada where Dustin McGowan was three outs away from the second no-hitter in Toronto Blue Jays history. He still got the complete game shutout in the 5-0 victory over Colorado. Also in that game, Frank Thomas blasted his 499th career home run.

I don't really have an opinion on Oregon State winning the College World Series other than the fact that my University participated in the tournament and made it to the 'final 32.' It does seem to be a really big deal that they repeated since they lose players each year and its not really the same core of players that come back each year. Obviously the same few teams are going to be 'good' year after year based on program recruiting and reputation, but this year was quite unique since it was a repeat of both teams making it back to the finals. NASCAR...i don't really have an opinion. Frank Thomas is the man and congrats to him on getting one step closer to 500. One of the biggest guys in the league and he is legit. Nobody touches Frank Thomas and the ball flies far far away.

That was the weekend in sports and as you saw, there was not much to it.

Setting New Marks

Some things never change once they are created: they can't be beat. Bob Barker ended his run as the host of The Price Is Right and he went out with a bang. It will be hard to fill his shoes. Just as in television, sports has their shining stars who leave their mark on their respective game through setting a bundle of records and prevailing with tremendous accomplishments.

Just like when long TV series come to an end or TV personalities call it a career, records in sports cannot last forever. This year's MLB season just might be a season that sets quite a few new records and has a few more players reaching some of the highest milestones you can achieve in a career in a statistical category.


Out of the box, we start with one stat that was set by a player who already holds the MLB record for the most. The Padres' Trevor Hoffman reached the 500 save milestone on June 6th with a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He already has the record and is just adding to it.

Now to the most followed of the milestones. Barry Bonds' chase of Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755 home runs. After going deep for the first time in his career at Fenway Park on Sunday to bring his career total to 748, Bonds is almost a lock to reach Aaron, only being seven away. Bonds started a three-game series in Milwaukee Monday; a three-game set in New York against the Yankees follows.

Other Major Milestones reached this season:

--Kenny Lofton (Texas Rangers) reached 600 stolen bases for career.
--Omar Vizquel (San Francisco Giants) reached 2500 hits and 400 doubles for career.
--Jamie Moyer (Philadelphia Phillies) recorded his 2000th strikeout of his career.
--Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf (Los Angeles Dodgers) recorded their 1000th strikeout of their careers.

--Sammy Sosa hit his 600th home run on June 20th against the Chicago Cubs. He now has 601.
--Ken Griffey Jr. passed Mark McGwire on the All-time HR list with 584 on Sunday, June 24th (he hit 2 in the game) against the Seattle Mariners, his former team.
--Barry Bonds walked one time on Sunday June 24th against the New York Yankees, giving him 2500 for his career.

Other milestones that are within reach before the month is out include:
(edited on June 25, at 12:30 a.m.)

--Craig Biggio (Houston Astros) is only 4 hits away from 3,000 for his career, something not even Babe Ruth accomplished.
--Frank Thomas (Toronto Blue Jays) is 1 home run away from 500 for his career.
--Pedro Martinez (New York Mets) is 2 strikeouts away from 3000 for his career, he is currently on the injured list. The Mets hope he will be able to play this season.

It takes only 4 to get No. 4

The San Antonio Spurs took care of business on Thursday at the Quicken Loans Arena in front of a crowd of 20,000 screaming fans. The Spurs won their fourth NBA Championship in nine years and third in five years. Though the 83-82 score in the records makes this game appear to be closer, the Spurs were really in control the last few minutes of the game. Tony Parker finished with 24 points in game 4 and was rightfully named the Finals MVP.

For those 20,000 screaming fans waving their rally towels in support of their hometown team, they, along with any other hardcore fan across the state of Ohio may have been the only people in the nation who wanted to see this series go another game. The ABC television ratings have been the worse in the history of the Finals. Many in the media expressed after game 3 that they 'wanted the series to end' hoping it would not last another day so they would not have to tune in to another day of horrible basketball.

Of course for fans in San Antonio, the 39th largest media market in the United States don't really care. They are just happy that their team won. That baffles me the most though, about the lack of ratings, and I do understand they did go up against some stiff competition this week, but I do not see how Game 1 of the 3-time champion Spurs vs the LeBron James led Cavaliers can lose out in viewers on a broadcast TV station (ABC) with a 6.3 rating (9.2 million viewers) to the final episode of The Sopranos which is shown on a Cable TV network and on some cable subscribers requires a digital upgrade. They racked in a 6.5 rating (nearly 11.9 million viewers) including myself.

For game four of the finals, I was at the AT&T Center. Not as a fan, but an employee. I was there as one of the fine few whose job it was to get the merchandise ready if, but in the minds of many of the others, when the Spurs won for the fans that had filled the arena to buy. Before the game, the group of us made our way to 'employee only' territory on the event level. (BTW...I've worked at the AT&T Center before, just, this was the first time in two years [05 Finals]) We made our way to the room where they kept the championship merchandise. Official locker room hats and shirts in addition to an alternate shirt that had the team roster on the back. Our job was to make sure we had the correct amount of merchandise for our stand and then to fold a few of the large shirts and put a few on displays. Once we were done, they were put back into boxes to be carted up to the plaza level where they were kept behind a curtain underneath the escalator near the Fan Store and then slowly wheeled out once the game neared the end.

As the buzzer sounded, it was total madness, the seven of us had 30 minutes to SELL SELL SELL!! We had 5 registers and I was on one of them. We also had over 200 excited, and a few drunk, Spurs fans anticipating purchasing championship merchandise. After the chaos died down, we had sold over 200 shirts, 50 hats, and made over $8500 in 30 minutes.

I am just glad I did not get stuck in traffic on the way home. BTW...brooms are for cleaning.

Fade To Black

Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. CST was Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Cavaliers and Spurs in San Antonio on ABC. Sunday night at that same time was also the much anticipated final episode of the veteran HBO series, The Sopranos.

When it came to choosing which to watch, it was not hard for me. Even though I had not watched many episodes of The Sopranos, I was quite interested and wanted to be involved in this final episode and find out what would become of Tony. I did occasionally flip back to the game since it was only one channel away, but I spent nearly 99% of the time on HBO. I was intrigued by the show and was a little dissapointed I had not watched any prior episodes leading up to the final one. I quickly found myself taking to the side of Tony, hoping that nothing would happen to him throughout the show.

As the top of the hour crept closer, I wondered what they would do and how they would do it, figuring it was inevidable. Once his wife said they were going out to dinner, I figured that would be it. The final scene just seemed quite mellow. Even though they showed the other patrons in the diner, and what looked like someone looking at Tony, it didn't seem to matter. As his daughter finishes parking her Lexus (should have gotten one that parallel parked automatically), and walks in the door, the screen goes black and the music that had been playing in the background throughout the entire diner scene stops.

This took me by surprise at first, I had thought that the channel had died, but when the credits came up in silence, I started to chuckle, knowing that was it and there would be no more.

I turned over to the NBA game on ABC and the Spurs were winning by 20 points in the 2nd quarter. It seemed as if the Cavaliers too were watching the Sopranos during the first half.

Coaches losing their cool

Controversial calls. They are the most talked about plays in sports sometimes. In some cases, a single call can determine the fate of either team. Umpires and referees try their best to make sure they get the call right and when that call looks to be incorrect, they are in for a verbal exchange with the manager.

It may be something as insignificant as strike two in the bottom of the fourth inning with nobody on base in a scoreless ball game. It may be as big as a play at the plate with the batting team down one run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Rest assured, the manager will have his say to the umpire.

Major League Baseball has set its fair share of ground rules that all managers at every level of the game know about when it comes to complaining or confronting the 'men in blue.' As long as it does not involve how they are calling balls and strikes, then anything they talk about is fair game. They can argue a balk, or a close play at a base, or a grounds rule on a hit, but they can't argue the strike zone.

So, on Friday night, in a Double-A baseball game in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the manager of the Mississippi Braves, Phillip Wellman went to work on the home plate umpire. Wellman lost his cool after the ump ejected Braves pitcher Kelvin Villa for apparently using a foreign substance.

The tirade began as Wellman threw his hat in front of home plate umpire Brent Rice, then began to describe using hand gestures how wide home plate is. Rice chose to be calm about it, so Wellman took his tantrum to the plate itself, where he proceeded to cover it with dirt, pat it down, and draw a larger version of home plate.

Wellman's franticness also included him stealing both third and second base out from where they are placed and walking out with them as he exited the field at AT&T Field.

By far though, his most noted part of his exhibition on Friday has to be when he makes his way to the infield grass and crawls towards the pitchers mound, grabs the resin bag, acts like it is a grenade and lunges it at the home plate umpire, landing right by his feet.

The Braves organization, a minor league affiliate with the major league Atlanta Braves, handed Wellman a three game suspension for his on-the-field outburst.

Wellman Gone Wild

Not 24 hours after Wellman walks the field does the world of baseball have another manager lose his cool over a close call. Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella was ejected in the eighth inning of the Cubs' 5-3 loss at Wrigley field to the Braves. This time, it was a close play at third base in a close game that turned 'Sweet' Lou, sour.

Angel Pagan tried to get greedy and take third base, but the Braves' catcher made a quick throw and the tag was applied quickly. Third-base umpire Mark Wegner gladly joined Piniella in a verbal spat that got the crowd into the game despite their hometown team on the verge of losing their sixth straight game.

It must have been odd for Piniella standing in the face of Wegner, since he was wearing mirror-clad sunglasses. All he could see was a reflection of himself yelling, and I am sure using his share of expletives.



Chants of "Lou! Lou! Lou!" filled Wrigley as the event continued. The Piniella party included hat kicks and a little arm shoving match with one of the umpires. That, along with the rest of his tantrum earned him his four game suspension. It probably would have helped Lou if there was a chance to see a replay of the tag, because Wegner did make the correct call, and Lou was just upset at a lost chance to have a man on third with no out down one run.

Coming the day after Carlos Zambrano and Michael Barrett had a shoving match over Barrett dropping a few balls and the Cubs on a losing streak, it almost seemed the perfect situation for Piniella to earn his first ejection as the head man of the Cubs.

Lou Losing It

If you think those two were 'over-the-top,' then you have not met Joe Mikulik. The manager of the Asheville Tourists took managers going wild to a new height in June of last year when he came out to argue a call where a base runner of the opposing team was called safe.

His antics included diving into the base, throwing the resin bag, covering home plate before pouring water on it, tossing bats onto the field, and throwing second base.



Mikulik earned a seven game suspension and a fine of $1,000 for his rampage of the field.

You got to love the Lexington (home team) stadium sound crew. They made the event better for the fans with sound bites to go along with the different things Joe did. Starting out with the Three Stooges' "Who is on First" to "There's no crying in baseball" to the sound of a baby crying. Ending the fiasco with playing "Hit The Road Jack" (something usually played in the NBA when a player fouls out)

Mikulik's Meltdown

Wondering if these three outrageous outbursts are a sign that managers are just losing their cool easier or maybe they really have another, more personal reason for stomping onto the field and parading around like a child.

LeBron halted, Spurs take game 1

Cleveland 76 - San Antonio 85 (FINAL)

Game 1 is in the books from San Antonio and I must say that there has not been much to cheer about from the side that is making their inaugural trip to the finals. LeBron James was held to only free throws as points in the first half, and despite going on a run where he made two 3-point baskets in a row, only managed to finish the game with 14 points.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs take step 1 towards adding a fourth title in nine years to their marvelous run. They proved why they are the better team. Living here in San Antonio, but not being a Spurs fan, it is difficult to always see this team succeed, but then again, with this being a one-team city, if they did not succeed, few in this city would care about them. Where the team goes, the city goes. The city has been high on this team since the end of the Phoenix series; since they were tagged as 'the bad guys.' Fans are saying 'Spurs in five,' 'Spurs in six,' or even 'Cavs don't even play on the same court as the Spurs, brooms baby!!! SWEEP!!!'

It is going to be a tough task for the Cavaliers to win a game in San Antonio, much less win this series. LeBron James is going to have to step up his game along with the rest of his teammates. I do think that this game 1 was a good step for their team to see what it takes to play against a championship-winning-calibur team like San Antonio to then make the adjustments necessary to come back on Sunday night and have a better showing.

Daily View: Anaheim wins Stanley Cup

Congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks of Los Angeles of California of the United States of the NHL for winning the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night at the Pond. (I refuse to call it the Honda Cent-...damn nearly did it...stupid corporate sponsorships ruining tradition, but that's for another daily view). The Niedermayer brothers have struck gold with this team, Scott (the captain) for the fourth time in his career.

The Ducks defeated the Senators 6-2, and took the series in 5 games. Travis Moen had two goals for the Ducks. Daniel Alfredsson scored both goals for Ottawa. Scott Niedermayer was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Finals MVP; he added an assist in game 5.

Anaheim was the more dominant team in this series and the playoffs, they showed the nation that by taking out the Ottawa Senators in five games to win their first Stanley Cup. It will be interesting to see if both of these teams can keep their core groups together and make another run at it again next season. I think at least one of these teams will have a very good chance.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog. I have started this blog in hope of writing many articles on the world of sports. I am a student majoring in Mass Communications and an aspiring sports journalist. I hope you find my writing informative, but mostly entertaining and maybe even controversial. I want to talk about what is important in sports, and I would love to hear your opinions. Feel free to comment on anything. I hope to continue this site over the summer of 2007 and throughout the remainder of the year. Thanks and Go TEAM!