This place started out as a blog about sport. I pretty quickly realised that I didn’t have anything interesting to say about sporting matters, so I decided to broaden the focus of the blog, as I had nothing interesting to say about lots of other things too. Still, the lack of sporting posts doesn’t mean that I don’t like sport anymore. Far from it. One such day of excitement is baseball’s Opening Day. Read the rest of this entry »
Earlier this year Vicente was the first high-profile athlete in the United States to test positive for swine ‘flu.
He was then released from the Texas Rangers, as he was “regarded as a disruptive clubhouse presence.”
Things looked up when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers, until he gave up six runs in three innings, helping send the Phillies, rather than the Dodgers, to the World Series.
What now?
Yesterday, he was accidently shot by his bodyguard, yes, his bodyguard, whilst hunting. Luckily, he wasn’t badly hurt.
I think he needs a new bodyguard. And perhaps stop breaking mirrors.
Last night the Philadelphia Phillies reached baseball’s World Series for the second year in a row, and are on course to retain their title.
The Phillies beat the Dodgers 10-4 on the night, and 4-1 in the series, to become National League champions, and will now face one of the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, still going at it in the American League series.
As the score betrays, this was a night for the hitters, not the pitchers. The highlights made it look more like a home run derby than a play-off game. There were sixteen hits in all, including seven home runs. Padilla for the Dodgers saw his post-season form grind to a halt, giving up six runs in three innings. His counterpart, Cole Hamels, wasn’t a whole lot better, giving up three runs, before being pulled from the game in the fourth.
The Dodgers had their chance to mount a memorable late comeback, but failed to make the most of loading the bases late on. And so the Phillies go through, and in all probability to face the Yankees.
Neither side is the most likable, so in the meantime I’ll be rooting for the Angels to turn around their series against the Yankees. As that looks like a losing battle, I’ll perhaps take this advice from Fear and Faith in Flushing, and reluctantly support the Phillies…
Last night I made the following comment on the Dodgers/Phillies series:
“So, we’re 1-1 in that series and if this game is anything to go by, we’re in for some very close-run games.”
I wake up this morning to find the Phillies have tonked the Dodgers, 11-0. Cliff Lee put in a superb pitching performance, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits.
Some pundit am I!
Both championship series continue tonight, with a rare early start for the Angels/Yankees game. I might actually catch the first few innings as it starts at a reasonable time for British fans. Otherwise, I’ll be catching the condensed game on mlb.tv, over my muesli tomorrow morning.
If you’re interested in catching some of the baseball, but don’t have TV access, or an online subscription, Matt at BaseballGB has the lowdown on the variety of ways you can catch some of the action for free. Well worth a read if you feel like dipping your toes in the baseballing waters…
I managed to watch all of Friday’s Dodgers/Phillies game, and certainly picked a good one. A really absorbing contest, a very much the proverbial pitchers duel. Pedro Martinez, for the Phillies, and Vicente Padilla, for the Dodgers, were outstanding. A real masterclass. Martinez gave nothing away, while Padilla had just the one bad pitch. Unfortunately for him Ryan Howard got on it for a solo home run. I caught Padilla pitching for Texas earlier this season, and while not brilliant, I thought he looked reasonable enough. However, I would never have guessed at the time that he’d be pitching so well, in the play-offs, and for the Dodgers too.
The Dodgers managed to fight back, and eventually won 2-1. So, we’re 1-1 in that series and if this game is anything to go by, we’re in for some very close-run games.
The Dodgers won essentially on Phillies mistakes, following misfields, and a walk with the bases full. Meanwhile, in an absolute epic last night the Yankees beat the Angels in the thirteenth inning, again after a fielding error.
There have been hour upon hour of top-draw play in the play-offs, but still the recurring theme is teams losing games after errors. I guess when things are that close, and teams so well matched, it is more likely that one terrible mistake will change a game, rather than one moment of genius. It really feels like in each game it is a case of who is going to blink first. And the Yankees, in particular, don’t look like blinking.
Wait until next year 