Yardbarker: Evan Longoria

Tales From The Playoff BBQ - Sunday

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:24:39 -0500

Sorry for the late post. Between staying up late to finish the Red Sox/Angels game, a day full of football and covering Kimbo Slice's loss for Ropes, Ring and Cage, it's been a busy 24 hours with a lot of written words. I need a nap.

>Los Angeles 5, Boston 4 (Red Sox lead series 2-1)
Next Game: Monday @ 8:37 pm

What Happened: Erick Aybar drove in the eventual game-winning single in the 12th inning as the Red Sox squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the 10th, helping the Angels beat the Red Sox for the first time in their last 12 postseason tries. It was quite a night for LA catcher Mike Napoli as he hit two home runs off Josh Beckett and went 3-for-5, scoring three runs and driving in three. Jon Lester and the Red Sox now will look to eliminate the Angels Monday night or risk sending this series back to Anaheim for Game 5.

Breakdown: With all of the hubbub surrounding the Sox' streak against the Angels, it was easy to forget that LA won 100 games this season. Eventually, they were going to get one and the combination of K-Rod and Jered Weaver were enough to hold off Boston's attack, combining for five strikeouts in three innings of work. Boston left 11 men on base and continue to get next-to-nothing out of David Ortiz (.231) while MVP candidate Dustin Pedroia and painful-to-watch Mike Lowell are still looking for their first hits of the postseason.

The Big Number: The official game time was 5:19.

>Chicago 5, Tampa Bay 3 (Rays lead series 2-1)
Next Game: Monday @ 5 pm

What Happened: John Danks continues to impress, yielding seven hits and three runs while striking out seven in 6.2 innings to give the ChiSox some life in this series. DeWayne Wise doubled in two runs as part of a three-run 4th inning. Ken Griffey Jr. and AJ Pierzynski each two hits for Chicago. Matt Garza struggled for the Rays, allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings. BJ Upton hit a 2-run homer for Tampa, as Akinori Iwamura, Carlos Pena and Dioner Navarro each had two hits.

Breakdown: Just when you thought the White Sox didn't have any life, Danks comes through again and is establishing himself as a clutch performer for the South Siders. Tampa didn't look bad, but suffered a combined 0-11 from Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford and Willie Aybar. However, if Chicago is to tie this thing up Monday, Jim Thome (.167), Paul Konerko (.250) and Orlando Cabrera (.167) have to get going offensively. Gavin Floyd is getting the most important start of his career today...a city still reeling from the Cubs' latest collapse is hoping he's up to the task.

The Big Number: The White Sox have won four straight postseason games at home.

>Philadelphia 6, Milwaukee 2 (Phillies win series 3-1)
Next Game: Thursday @ Philly (Lowe vs. Hamels)

What Happened: Pat Burrell hit two long balls to pace a four home run attack as the Phillies ended the Brewers' fun season with a 6-2 win. Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan never had a chance, getting run after three innings and five earned runs. Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth each hit homers for Philadelphia, while Prince Fielder hit a solo shot for Milwaukee in the 7th inning. Joe Blanton was fantastic, yielding just five hits and one run in six innings for the win.

Breakdown: The Brewers just plain ran out of starting pitching as Suppan was horrendous in this must-win game. When your cleanup hitter hits .071 and your leadoff man is batting .154, chances are you're not going to score many runs either, a combination for disaster. However, they made it to the postseason and if they're smart, should make a run after CC Sabathia. He brought a swagger to that club that needed it. If Fielder can figure out his diet, they have a chance to compete against next season. Philly now rolls onto to play the Dodgers in what will be a great matchup of two National League powers with plenty of history and star power. One spot of concern if I'm a Phillies fan? Chase Utley (.133) and Ryan Howard (.182). One spot of hope? Their starting pitching is unreal right now.

The Big Number: The Brewers played their first postseason game in 26 years last week.

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Fantasy Baseball 2008 Roundup

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:39:55 -0500

It was quite an eventful 2008 season for fantasy baseball managers. From the rise of Cliff Lee and Carlos Quentin to the fall of Erik Bedard and Victor Martinez, there was no shortage of events to talk about. But now that the 2008 season is over, how will looking back help you look forward? Screaming Sports' Phil Yoon explains.

Fantasy Baseball Year in Review

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:35:43 -0500

Another year is in the books... and 2008 provided some great fantasy excitement. FIO writer Lou Poulas revisits the year that was in fantasy baseball, highlighting some of this season's best (and worst). Find out who was crowned the Batter of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, as well as some fantasy bargains and busts. This in-depth article shows that parity is perhaps here to stay in fantasy baseball.

MLB Punchlines: Evan Almighty

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:25:40 -0500

Not a bad first postseason game for the Rays and more in particular for Evan Longoria. The Rays rookie 3rd baseman slugged two HR's in his first two playoff swings. (Tampa Trib)

Are you headed to game 2 of the Rays-White Sox series? Beware of fake tickets. (Tampa Trib)

Tony Pena removed himself from the game yesterday because of blurred vision in his right eye. (Orlando Sentinel)

Heartbreak looks like it will once again be the fate of Cubs fans. (Chicago Cubs)

The Mariners are in the process of picking a general manager. (Seattle Times)

Shane Victorino put on quite a performance for the Phillies yesterday in game 2. The best part? His dad was there to see it. (Philly Inquirer)

Pretty good day: You see your team win a playoff game and you catch 2 foul balls. (Philly Inquirer)

The Angels season rests on the shoulders of Ervin Santana who pitches in today's game 2. (OC Register)

A-Rod and Brady's big dinner date. (NY Post)

Omar has signed an extension with the Mets, but still no decision on the status of Jerry Manuel. (NY Post)

Get ready for a lot of "the Mets need to sign K-Rod" related articles in the coming months. (NY Post)

Todd Helton had back surgery yesterday, but is expected to be ready for spring training. (Miami Herald)

Sorry to pile it on Cubs fans, but this headline is hilarious. (L.A. Times)

The Royals fired two coaches and their could be more changes in the coming weeks. (KC Star)

Did Chipper Jones sit on his average in order to win the batting title? (Times Union)

The entire Astros bullpen continues to undergo offseason surgeries. (Houston Chronicle)

THE PITT ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:43:25 -0500

PITT (4-1) 26

10- SOUTH FLORIDA (5-1) 21

STULL 16-27, 228, 1 TD

MCCOY 28-142, 2 TD

TURNER 3-60

Well, I guess I'm happy to report that 64.3% of you were wrong in this week's poll question about who would win the Pitt-USF game last night. Of course, I couldn't blame any of you for voting that way, because as I mused last week, my feelings on Pitt seemed to change with each drive this season.

But it's sure hard to find too many complaints about what happened in Tampa last night. Sure, it wasn't a perfect game: there was a blocked punt returned for a TD, there were mental errors, there was that fake punt debacle, there was another Shady McCoy fumble...but there were a lot of positives, too. We saw the re-emergence of McCoy, who has been truly dominant in Pitt's last two upsets of top-10 teams; we saw gutsy play-calling from Matt Cavanaugh, who was being praised by the ESPN announcers throughout the game (and yes, I thought I was in Bizarro World all the while); we saw big plays from young WR Jonathan Baldwin, who was a matchup disaster for USF; we saw the continued maturation of Bill Stull, who thew for 228 yards and a touchdown; and we saw the defense step up when they needed to on numerous occasions.

So where does that leave us, as Pitt fans? Should our expectations be raised back to their preseason levels? Sure, I'll have another tall glass of my favorite drink, Wannstache Fruit Punch.

I think we can take from the first five games that Pitt's conditioning is excellent, due greatly to the presence of strength & conditioning coach Buddy Morris. They're outlasting teams in the fourth quarter, and they're finishing strong. This is not a coincidence. Last night makes three consecutive games that they've won while trailing at some point in the fourth.

Last night's game was kind of like a microcosm of Pitt's season. It starts bad (Bowling Green) and gradually gets better. Unfortunately, football fans are about as impatient as a group of people that you'll ever meet in a lifetime, and are willing to write off a season after one bad game.

Fortunately, Dave Wannstedt, his coaches, and his players don't subscribe to that theory.

Game Notes:

--Tampa Rays rookie hero Evan Longoria and his female "friend" were at the game last night, much to the enjoyment of the announcers.

--Pitt is off until October 18, when they play at Navy, followed by Rutgers at Heinz Field on the 25th.

--The Great Greg Cross Experiment netted two carries for eight yards last night. OK, it's a work in progress.

--Don't look now, but Conor Lee is becoming as consistent as Skippy Reed. Wanny has too feel very confident in his kicking game.

--Many of you probably missed at least parts of the VP debate last night due to the Pitt game, but I'm guessing Tina Fey will fill you in tomorrow night on SNL. If I may inject some opinion, that skit was really funny for the season premiere, but if they go to the well too many times, it will become about as fresh as a Najeh Davenport poop joke.

My Team Ain’t Shit Compared to the DEVIL Rays: Lost Wager Edition

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:54:47 -0500

Let the forthcoming message serve as a lesson to all of you out there that have ever felt compelled to make a bet with DC. In short a?" don't. Chalk was talkin' trash in emails last week about how the DEVIL Rays were going to steamroll through the Central winner in the LDS, so I chime [...]

Highlight of the Month

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:39:43 -0500

Yesterday brought the Tampa Rays their first playoff win in their decade of existence. Evan Longoria homered twice in the game, including a shot off White Sox pitcher Javier Vazquez while the game was tied 3-3. Longoria was looking fastball, as the announcers pointed out, and was able to adjust mid stride to the curveball and power it to left center.

Click the link to see the highlight at 3:08 left in the video

Tales From The Playoff BBQ - Day 2

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:55:32 -0500

Tampa Bay in the playoffs for the first time....Chicago trying to hold on....Philly attempting to click the kill-switch on the Brew Crew? Yeah, that sounds like Day 2 of the 2008 MLB Playoffs.

>Los Angeles 10, Chicago 3 (Dodgers lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Saturday @ 10 pm (Harden vs. Kuroda)

What Happened: A potent offense complimented a great pitching performance as the Dodgers moved one win away from eliminating the pathetic Cubs. Rafael Furcal and Manny Ramirez drove in two apiece as Russell Martin added three RBI to pace the offense at the top of order, while Chad Billingsley fanned seven in 6.2 innings, yielding just five hits and one earned run to pick up the win. The Cubs defense let themselves down, committing four errors that led to four unearned runs.

Breakdown: The Cubs look awful, listless, horrendous. Where's the emotion? This is the same team that lost three straight to the D-Backs last season and they are one win away from doing the same this year. Even Carlos Zambrano (6.1, six hits, three earned runs, four unearned runs) couldn't stop the blood-letting for the Cubbies, who continue to get meaningless contributions offensively from Derrek Lee (2-4), Aramis Ramirez (1-4) and Alfonso Soriano (1-4). Mark DeRosa continues to impress, driving in two runs to match two hits. But who are we kidding? This series is DONE.

>Tampa Bay 6, Chicago 4 (Rays lead series 1-0)
Next Game: Friday @ 6 pm (Buerhle vs. Kazmir)

What Happened: Evan Longoria hit two solo homers and had three RBI in his playoff debut to pace the Rays, as Chicago starter Javier Vasquez blew up, letting up eight hits and six earned runs in just 4.1 innings. Akinori Iwamura and Jason Bartlett each had two hits for the Rays, who were led by James Shields' 6.2 innings of work. Shields let up six hits and three runs in his outing to get his first ever playoff victory.

Breakdown: Exactly what you'd expect from a first game between these two: lots of offense, average pitching and a win by the higher seed. This will be a slugfest of a series as they're about as evenly matched as you get. Yes, I understand the Rays' starters are slightly better but since it's their first time in the big dance, I'll slighly knock them down a peg or two. Friday's matchup will be more of the same, but when you see Buerhle vs. Kazmir on the marquee, you gotta think pitching will be the main course of the day. Chicago wins 4-3 to tie up the series.

>Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 2 (Phillies lead series 2-0)
Next Game: Saturday @ 6:30 pm (Moyer vs. Bush)

What Happened: The Phils put up a five spot in the 2nd inning, which was all they needed in a big win against CC Sabathia and the Brewers. Shane Victorino was the man of the hour with a grand slam, part of his three-hit attack on the day. Jayson Werth and Jimmy Rollins also had two hits to pace Philadelphia. Sabathia went just 3.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out five.

Breakdown: Brett Myers provided another strong start for the Phillies, going seven innings and allowing two runs on two hits. The Phillies have dominated Milwaukee the entire series, which is what I expected. The Brewers are emotionally overmatched and with their ace going down today, this series is 100% over. If was a Phillies fan, however, I'd be concerned with Chase Utley (0-4), Ryan Howard (0-3) and Pat Burrell (0-3) not getting it done. Philly will sweep the series, but Howard needs to pick it up.

On Friday:
-Chicago @ Tampa Bay: 6 pm
-Boston @ LAA: 9:30 pm

Josh Nason started Small White Ball in 2007 and is the main contributor of content for the site. A long-time writer, his work can also be read at sites like RopesRingandCage.com, EmailMarketingGuy.com and others. He also does radio appearances and was on TV once, albeit for a lame public television game show. He can be reached at josh@smallwhiteball.com.

Evan Longoria Is 17 Times More Clutch Than A-Rod

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:51:25 -0500

As expected, our beloved Tampa Bay Devil Rays remain unbeaten in their postseason history. The hero was our good friend, E-Love Evan Longoria. As expected, we will celebrate our first glorious postseason victory by kicking the Yankees where they are down. After all we are now their primary rival, so we have a reputation [...]

Evan Longoria Is 17 Times More Clutch Than A-Rod

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 01:51:25 -0500

AL Playoff Breakdown: Youth v. Experience, Power v. Power.

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:42:05 -0500

There are some serious match-ups between the heavyweights in the strong AL: Can the Angels follow their 100-win season by finally defeating the Red Sox? Are the Rays going to prove themselves as one of the best young teams ever, or will the streaky-Chi Sox roll them with their veteran poise? The answers lie within...

Wanted: Free-agent MLB fans to root for the Tampa Bay Rays

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:40:55 -0500

I'm headed up to Tampa for the first two games of the American League Division Series. It's official, my Rays are taking on the evil Chicago White Sox for the chance to play for the AL pennant. It's been an incredible ride so far, but I'm hoping even better things are on their way. For any free agent fans out there, whose favorite team missed out on the playoffs, I'd like to offer you up these nuggets of player information on several Rays, in hopes of convincing you to cheer for one of the biggest stories in sports history: The worst-to-first Tampa Bay Rays. Feel free to use this info to impress people that are easily impressed: Manager Joe Maddon: Expected to be named AL Manager of the Year, he was the bench coach for 2002 World Series Champion Angels. He was also a serious candidate for Boston's managerial opening in 2004 – that eventually went to Terry Francona. C Dioner Navarro: Signed with the Yankees as an amateur free agent before being shipped in a three-team deal to the Dodgers for Arizona's Randy Johnson. 1B Carlos Pena: Nicknamed "GQ" cuz he's always stylin', Pena was the first player in MLB history to hit 40-plus home runs after being released by another team. 2B Akinori Iwamura: In his home country, "Akinori" is Japanese for "Chipper." SS Jason Bartlett: Named the team's MVP by Tampa's Baseball Writer's Association of America because of what he has done at the pivotal spot in the best defensive infield in the majors. 3B Evan Longoria: The rookie represented the Rays in July's All-Star Game and he's married to Spurs PG Tony Parker. LF Carl Crawford: The face of this young baseball franchise was offered a scholarship from UCLA to play point guard, as well as a scholarship to Nebraska to work as an option quarterback for the Huskers. Click the link below to read the rest.

The Best & Worst of the Fantasy Baseball Season

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:22:06 -0500

There were many surprises who qualified for this list this season. See if you agree on who some of the best & worst were for 2008.

Rounding The Bases: Awesome Metaphor Edition

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 04:12:07 -0500

"Watching Yankee Stadium's last stand on Sunday night made me feel…strange. It was a little like hooking up with a strange girl after she's had a few too many drinks. She's wild, aggressive and unexpectedly starts into a filthy talk routine. Not standard-issue filth, she brings the racist…." [ghostrunners] Dick Vitale: Devil Rays=George Mason. (Wonder [...]

A lot to be decided in baseball's final weeks

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:32:34 -0500

here is my column from Sept. 20, sorry it's late We'll get to my football picks at the end, but first it's all about baseball this time of year. The regular season is winding down, and there are some honors still to be decided, as well as playoff spots in the final weeks of the season. Sunday, however, marks the final game at Yankee Stadium. Yes the new stadium next door will be called Yankee Stadium, and it will have the monuments and plaques, but it won't be the same. One of my favorite memories of action at that stadium was David Cone's perfect game against the Montreal Expos on July 18, 1999. That was a special day for all Yankee fans and a very vivid memory of mine. All of the stadium's magic will be missed. As for this season, many of the regular season's honors are yet to be decided, with many hinging on who makes the postseason. Starting in the American League, the MVP award this season looked to be Carlos Quentin's for the taking, but a forearm injury has derailed his hopes of winning now. There are a number of worthy candidates though on playoff contenders. Dustin Pedroia in Boston, Justin Morneau in Minnesota and Chicago's Jermaine Dye. Also worth mentioning are Alex Rodriguez in New York, Aubrey Huff in Baltimore, Grady Sizemore in Cleveland and Josh Hamilton in Texas. The award, in my mind, right now is Morneau's for the taking. If he can drive Minnesota into the postseason he is very easily one of the most valuable players on his respective team. The Twins weren't supposed to do anything this season, but Morneau has led the charge all year for them, batting above .375 with runners in scoring position with nearly 100 RBIs. Pedroia and Dye are going to be very close in the race though. The AL Cy Young race is much slimmer in the picking, with Cleveland's Cliff Lee having on of the best season's by a pitcher in recent memory. Lee was 5-8 last season with an ERA over 6, banished from the rotation to the bullpen to AAA. Now Lee is 22-2 with an ERA at 2.41 with 162 strikeouts, four complete games and two shutouts, the first two of his career. Francisco Rodriguez in Los Angeles has had a record breaking season, saving 58 games to break Bobby Thigpen's all-time mark of 57. But Lee's dominance is greater as a starter than K-Rod's as a closer. Roy Halladay, Mike Mussina and Daisuke Matsuzaka will also garner votes, but not many. Evan Longoria has been simply great this season, and with Thursday night's three homerun barrage on the Minnesota Twins, the Rays' rookie has started etching his name on the Rookie of the Year trophy. Others have played well, Alexei Ramirez of Chicago, Mike Aviles of Kansas City, Joba Chamberlain of New York, but none have played as well as Longoria. The National League is a different story. With a large number of potential MVP candidates, it may come down to who doesn't choke in the race for the postseason. Albert Pujols in St. Louis is having an award worthy season, as he always does. So is Lance Berkman in Houston. But neither of them is likely to be headed to the playoffs. Carlos Delgado and David Wright may hurt each other's cases if the Mets don't collapse this season. Ryan Howard hits a ton of homers, but the batting average under .250 will hurt him. Aramis Ramirez is good for Chicago, but not good enough. My vote is split 50/50 between Pujols and Wright at the moment, with Pujols maybe edging out the Mets' thirdbaseman a little. The Cy Young battles is just as heated, but in my opinion, the winner is clear. Tim Lincecum is playing on a very bad San Francisco team, but he just keeps winning. Similar to Lee, Lincecum is really the only bright spot in a bad season for his team. Lincecum is 17-4 this season with a 2.46 ERA and 243 strikeouts. His dominance should trump the higher win total for Arizona's Brandon Webb. Webb is 21-7 with a 3.26 ERA and 170 strikeouts, with his wins being the only key stat he beats Lincecum in. Johan Santan, CC Sabathia's half-season and Cole Hamels will also garner votes. Geovany Soto is the NL Rookie of the Year, there isn't any question or doubt. Soto has backstopped the best team in the league all season, has over 20 homeruns and 80 RBIs, and is a key part of that Cubs team. Jair Jurrjens and Jay Bruce have made good cases, but not good enough. The managers of the year should fall as follows. Joe Maddon of Tampa Bay over Ron Gardenhire of Minnesota in the AL and Lou Piniella of the Cubs over Joe Torre of Los Angeles in the NL. These awards and the pennant races should make for an exciting final week-plus of the major league season. On to my NFL picks. Last week I opened with a 10-5 record, not counting my big error in the Maplewood-General McLane game. This week I am taking Tennessee over Houston, Buffalo over Oakland, Carolina over Minnesota, Atlanta over Kansas City, Chicago over Tampa Bay, Arizona over Washington, New England over Miami, New York Giants over Cincinnati, Seattle ov er St. Louis, Detroit over San Francisco, Denver over New Orleans, Cleveland over Baltimore, Indianapolis over Jacksonville, Pittsburgh over Philadelphia, San Diego over the Jets and in the biggest matchup of the week, Green Bay over Dallas at Lambeau. And before I go, birthday wishes to my niece Madison Bancroft on Sunday, she turns 3. Also birthday wishes to me, I turn 25 on Monday. And a happy anniversary to my wife Kelly, we celebrated two years on September 16. Enjoy the weekend.