http://www.yardbarker.com/users/LestersLegends Recent Yardbarker Articles: LestersLegends en-us Monday, July 7th Torii Hunter went 3 for 5 with 2 Runs, 3 HRs, and 3 RBI. Ian Kinsler and Adrian Beltre each banged out 4 Hits. David Wright had 4 RBI. David DeJesus, Mike Aviles, Eric Hinske, Endy Chavez, Damion Easley, Fernando Tatis, Vladimir Guerrero, Blake DeWitt, and Alfredo Amezaga each had 3 Hits. John Buck, Carlos Lee, David Murphy, and Richie Sexson each had 3 RBI. Hiroki Kuroda threw a Complete Game one-hit Shutout with 6 Ks to improve to 5-6 with a 3.39 ERA. He lost his Perfect Game bid in the 8th on a Mark Teixeira Double. Ubaldo Jimenez allowed 3 Hits in 7 scoreless Innings with 7 Ks to improve to 4-8. Daisuke Matsuzaka (7-1/3 scoreless Innings) and Scott Baker (7 scoreless Innings, 7 Ks) got no-decisons in their pitchers' duel. Chad Paronto tossed four Innings of scoreless relief (after the Runelvys Hernandez gave up 10 Runs in 4 Innings). Dustin Nippert gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits in 7 Innings of relief (after Luis Mendoza got shelled for 8 Runs in 1-1/3 Innings. Ricky Nolasco gave up 1 Run on 5 Hits in 8 Innings with 7 Ks to improve to 10-4 with a 3.74 ERA. Greg Maddux gave up 1 Earned Run in 6 Innings, but took the Loss. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:15:02 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287242 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287242 Cooperstown Chronicles continues with a look at Rocky Colavito 's career and Hall of Fame worthiness. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:13:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287241 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287241 Cooperstown Chronicles continues with a look at Boog Powell 's career and Hall of Fame worthiness. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:12:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287239 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287239 Cooperstown Chronicles continues with a look at Jerry Koosman's career and Hall of Fame worthiness. Tue, 08 Jul 2008 09:11:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287238 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287238 Here is a a look back at the past week in baseball to bring you the surprising stars. Pitcher Brandon Morrow - Seattle's Brandon Morrow excelled as a fill-in closer last week picking up a Win and 3 Saves without allowing a Run and sporting a 0.23 WHIP. He didn't even allow a Hit. He's allowed 0 Runs and 2 Hits since May 27th. Catcher Matt Treanor - Florida's backstop had a solid week going 5 of 16 (.313) with 3 Runs, a Double, a HR, 5 RBI, and 4 Walks. Corner Infielder Chad Tracy - Arizona's Chad Tracy went 9 of 20 (.450) with 3 Runs, 2 Doubles, 4 RBI, and a Walk last week. He qualifies at both 1B and 3B in Yahoo Leagues. Middle Infielder Damion Easley - Father Time was kind to the 38-year old Mets' Second Baseman last week. He went 12 of 26 (.462) with 4 Runs, a Double, 6 RBI, and a Walk. He also qualifies at OF in Yahoo leagues. Outfielder Cody Ross - Florida's Cody Ross had a strong week going 16 of 32 (.500) with 8 Runs, 4 Doubles, 2 HRs, 15 RBI, and a Walk. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:27:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286538 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286538 Sunday, July 6th Cody Ross went 3 for 5 with a Double, a HR, and 5 RBI. J.J. Hardy had 3 Hits, including 2 HRs, and 4 RBI. Kevin Millar, Yunel Escobar, and Ivan Rodriguez each had 4 Hits. Ty Wiggington had 3 Hits including a Grand Slam. Chipper Jones went 3 for 4 with 3 Runs, a Triple, a HR, and 4 Walks. Adam Dunn, Nate McLouth, Jeff Mathis, Aramis Ramirez, each had 3 RBI. Carlos Pena, Ian Kinsler, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Ramon Vazquez, Andre Ethier, Emmanuel Burriss, Adam Jones, Bill Hall (3 RBI), Ryan Theriot, Derrick Lee, Ryan Braun, Mark Teixeira (3 RBI), David Murphy (3 RBI), Nick Markakis (3 RBI), and Hunter Pence each had 3 Hits. Brian Roberts, Mike Jacobs, and Corey Hart each scored 3 Runs. Jon Garland tossed a Complete Game allowing 1 Run to improve to 8-5 with a 3.76 ERA. Oliver Perez gave up 4 Hits with 6 Ks in a 7 Inning no-decision. Nate Robinson gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits in a 9 Inning no-decision. James Shields gave up 2 Runs on 4 Hits in 7 Innings with 8 Ks to improve to 7-5 with a 3.64 ERA. John Danks gave up 2 Runs on 4 Hits in 6-1/3 Innings with 9 Ks to improve to 6-4 with a 2.52 ERA. Sean Marshall gave up 1 Run in 6 Innings to win his first game of the year. Cesar Jimenez pitched four Innings of scoreless relief. Randy Johnson gave up 1 Run on 3 Hits in 6-1/3 Innings with 10 Ks to improve to 5-7. Kyle Kendrick gave up 1 Run in a 6 Inning no-decision. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:06:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286459 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286459 Saturday, July 5th Cody Ross had 3 Hits and 4 RBI. Matt Holliday had 4 RBI. Scott Hairston (3 RBI), Mark Lorreta had 3 Hits and 3 RBI. Jeff Clement hi a pair of HRs and drove in 3. Rick Ankiel (3 RBI), Derrick Lee, Michael Young, German Duran, Alexei Ramirez, Damion Easley, Jerry Hairston Jr., Alex Rios, and Chone Figgins each had 3 Hits. Ryan Howard, Vladimir Guerrero, Brad Hawpe, and Grady Sizemore each had 3 RBI. Joe Mauer scored 3 Runs. Jake Peavy gave up 3 Hits with 6 Ks in 7 scoreless Innings to improve to 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA. Andy Sonnanstine gave up 5 Hits in 7 scoreless Innings to improve to 10-3. Gavin Floyd gave up 3 Hits witgh 6 Ks in 7-1/3 scoreless Innings to improve to 10-4 with a 3.22 ERA. Mike Mussina gave up 4 Hits in 6 scoreless Innings to improve to 11-6 with a 3.64 ERA. Justin Masterson gave up 2 Runs in 6 Innings, but took the Loss. Kyle Lohse (7 Innings, 2 Runs, 6 Ks) and Ted Lilly (6 Innings, 2 Runs) got no-decisions. Paul Maholm (8 Innings, 1 Run, 4 Hits, 6 Ks) and Dave Bush (8 Innings, 1 Run, 4 Hits, 7 Ks) battled to no-decisions. Josh Fogg (6 Innings, 1 Run) and Tim Redding (6 Innings, 1 Run) got no-decisions. Roy Halladay gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 7 Ks to improve to 10-6 with a 2.88 ERA. Barry Zito gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 10 Ks to improve to 4-12. Armando Galarraga (6 Innings, 1 Run) and R.A. Dickey (6 Innings, 2 Runs) got no-decisions. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:05:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286458 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286458 Friday, July 4th Garrett Atkins went 5 for 6 with 3 Runs, a Double, a HR, and 5 RBI. Matt Holliday scored 3 Runs with 3 Hits (2 HRs) and 5 RBI. Ryan Spilborghs scored 4 Runs with 4 HIts (2 HRs) and 3 RBI. Cody Ross had 3 Hits and 5 RBI. Jorge Cantu scored 4 Runs and had 4 Hits. Delmon Young scored 3 Runs and had 3 Hits and 4 RBI. Nick Punton scored 3 Runs and had 4 RBI. Carlos Pena had 5 RBI. Mike Lowell and Chris Iannetta each had 4 RBI. J.J. Hardy and Mike Jacobs each had 4 Hits. Carl Crawford (3 Runs), Andre Ethier (3 RBI), Bill Hall (3 RBI), Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Rowand, Evan Longoria, Emil Brown, Wes Bankston, Kelly Shoppach, Geovany Soto, and Garrett Anderson each had 3 Hits. Randy Wynn scored 3 Runs. Milton Bradley, Matt Treanor, Howie Kendrick and Freddie Bynum each had 3 RBI. Carlos Zambrano returned with 6 scoreless Innings to improve to 9-3 with a 2.96 ERA. Bronson Arroyo tossed six scoreless Innings to improve to 6-7. Edwin Jackson gave up 1 Earned Run on 4 Hits in 8 Innings to move to 5-6. Joe Blanton gave up 1 Run in 7 Innings to run his record to 5-11. Johan Santan gave up 2 Runs with 6 Ks in an 8 Inning no-decision. Tim Hudson gave up 1 Run on 4 Hits with 6 Ks to improve to 9-6 with a 3.19 ERA. Braden Looper gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings, but took the Loss. Jered Weaver gave up 2 Runs in 7-1/3 Innings to even his record at 8-8. Cha Seung Baek gave up 2 Hits in 6 scoreless Innings to improve to 2-3. Dan Haren gave up 2 Runs in 7 Innings with 7 Ks, but took the Loss. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:04:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286457 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286457 A look at the career of Luis Gonzalez and his Hall of Fame worthiness. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:02:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286456 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286456 A look at the career of Lefty O'Doul and his Halll of Fame worthiness. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 08:01:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286455 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/286455 A look back at the past week in sports with commentary. NBA & NHL signings, Wimbledon results, and more. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:42:10 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285712 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285712 A look back at the career of Willlie Randolph and his HOF worthiness. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:38:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285711 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285711 A look back at the career of Craig Nettles and his HOF worthiness. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:37:26 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285710 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285710 Here's a look back at the 1997 NFL Draft to see who the teams would take if they could do it over knowing what they know today. This was a lot of fun making. I hope you enjoy it. #1 St. Louis Rams - Orlando Pace Hard to argue with a Hall of Fame Tackle that helped you to a couple of Super Bowl berths. Pace has been named All-Pro five times and been a Pro Bowler seven times. #2 Oakland Raiders - Walter Jones I was debating between Jones and Jason Taylor for the second pick. I decided to go with the Hall of Fame Tackle. Jones is a five-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler. #3 Seattle Seahawks - Tony Gonzalez Losing Walter Jones would be tough, but acquiring a talent like Gonzo would soften the blow. He is the best pass-catching TE in NFL history. He leads his class in Receptions (820), Receiving Yards (9882), and TDs (66) regardless of position. He's and eight-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler. #4 Baltimore Ravens - Jason Taylor Can you imagine adding Jason Taylor to Baltimore's defense? The Dancing with the Stars' star has been named the Defensive Player of the year, All-Pro three times, and a Pro Bowler six times. He has 662 Tackles and 117 Sacks in his brilliant career. #5 Detroit Lions - Priest Holmes He may not have been drafted originally, but after witnessing his dominance, the Lions would jump at the chance to add the 2002 Player of the Year. Having Priest Holmes follow up Barry Sanders' act would ensure the Lions weren't the bottom feeders they've become. He's been an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler three times each. He has 8172 Rushing Yards, 2962 Receiving Yards, and 94 TDs (86 Rushing). #6 Seattle Seahawks - Tarik Glenn While he's no Walter Jones, Tarik Glenn was a pretty solid Tackler, earning three trips to the Pro Bowl. He helped guide an offensive line that was among the league leaders in rushing, as well as fewest Sacks allowed. #7 New York Giants - Tiki Barber The G-Men will have to take Tiki with the 7th pick (rather than the 36th pick where he actually went) if they want his production in their backfield. The three-time All-Pro/Pro Bowler ran for 10,449 Yards and 55 TDs, while adding 5.183 Receiving Yards and 12 TDs. #8 New York Jets - Ronde Barber It's only fitting that the Twins go back-to-back. Ronde has earned five All-Pro and four Pro Bowl nods. He has 857 Tackles, 21 Sacks, and 33 INTs. #9 Arizona Cardinals - Trevor Pryce The Cardinals beef up their defensive front with teeh four-time Pro Bowl DE Trevory Pryce. He has 379 Tackles and 79 Sacks. He has recoreded at least 7 Sacks seven times. #10 New Orleans Saints - Darren Sharper The Saints bolster their secondary by adding four-time All-Pro/Pro Bowl Safety. He has 798 Tackles, 7 Sacks, and 53 INTs (which is tops among his class). #11 Atlanta Falcons - Derek Smith The Falcons go with the leading tackler of the class, LB Derek Smith. He has 1092 Tackles and 13.5 Sacks. He had at least 90 Tackles in his first nine years in the league. He's reached the 100 mark six different times. #12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Corey Dillon Although Warrick Dunn was a great player for Tampa Bay, the turn to the leading rusher of the class in Corey Dillon. Dillon put together 11,241 Rushing Yards and 82 TDs. He ran for 1100 yards or better in seven of his first eight seasons. He has four 1300 Yard seasons to his credit. #13 Kansas City Chiefs - Peter Boulware With most of the treasured offensive players plucked from their grasp, Kansas City turns to the class' Defensive Rookie of the Year. The one-time All-Pro/four-time Pro Bowler had 403 Tackles and 70 Sacks. He racked up at least at least 7 Sacks in each of his first seven seasons (including three double-digit sack seasons). #14 Cincinnati Bengals - Warrick Dunn The beauty of Warrick Dunn is that he's like the anti-Corey Dillon. He is considered one of the nicest people to ever strap on a helmet and play pro football. He's not a bad player either, earning three Pro Bowl nods while producing 14,190 total yards (10181 Rushing) and 62 TDs (47 Rushing). #15 Miami Dolphins - Sam Madison The Fins jump up to take CB Sam Madison (they actually took him with the 44th pick. The four-time Pro Bowler has 470 Tackles and 37 INTs, which is good for second of his class. #16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Derrick Mason The Bucs grab the best wideout of the class. Mason has been an All-Pro once and Pro Bowler twice. He has the most Receptions (710), Yards (9,024), and TDs (47) of the receivers in the draft. #17 Washington Redskins - James Farrior The Redskins go with Pro Bowl LB James Farrior, who has notched 1017 Tackles, 21 Sacks, and 10 INTs. He has four seasons of 120+ Tackles. #18 Tennessee Oilers - Mike Vrabel I was trying to figure out a way that I could keep Vrabel on the Patriots, but knew that would be wrong. Instead, Tennessee gets the All-Pro. Vrabel has 600 Tackles, 51 Sacks, and 10 INTs. He also has 8 career TD receptions. #19 Indianapolis Colts - Jamie Sharper Like I said, this wasn't a great draft for offensive players so the Colts turn to LB Jamie Sharper, who had 882 Tackles and 25.5 Sacks in his career. He really blossomed for Houston with three straight 130+ Tackle seasons. #20 Minnesota Vikings - Mike Minter The Vikes grab Safety Mike Minter who finished his career with 817 Tackles, 11 Sacks, and 17 INTs. He had at least 79 Tackles in all but two seasons in his career. #21 Jacksonville Jaguars - Shawn Springs Springs has been decent, but injuries have kept him from being one of the game's best. He's been to one Pro Bowl. For his career he has 616 Tackles, 7.5 Sacks, and 31 INTs. #22 Dallas Cowboys - Jake Plummer While he wasn' great, he would help bridge the gap between Troy Aikman and Tony Romo. The Pro Bowler has 29,253 Passing Yards, 161 TDs (161 INTs), a 57.1% Completion Percentage, and a 74.6 Passer Rating. He added 17 Rushing TDs. #23 Buffalo Bills - Antowain Smith Antowain was decent at times for the Bills (and later for New England). Smith is fourth in the class with 6881 Rushing Yards and third with 54 Rushing TDs. He had a pair of 1000 yard seasons. #24 Pittsburgh Steelers - Marcellus Wiley The Steelers go with Pro Bowl DE Marcellus Wiley. He finished his career with 324 Tackles, and 44 Sacks. #25 Philadelphia Eagles - Ike Hilliard The Eagles WRs over the years have typically been so bad that Ike Hilliard would be an upgrade. Ike has 499 Receptions for 5,973 Yards, and 31 TDs. #26 San Francisco 49ers - Jake Delhomme Jim Druckenmiller certainly didn't pan out for the 49ers. They would much rather have taken the undrafted Cajun QB. The Pro Bowler has 14,589 Passing Yards, 100 TDs (64 INTs), 59.7% Completion Percentage, and a 85.2 Passer Rating. #27 Carolina Panthers - Bertrand Berry I'm not even going to go into the scumbag the Panthers took with this pick. Instead I'll focus on who they would take. They would grab Pro Bowl DE Bertrand Berry, who has 289 Tackles and 54 Sacks. He had a pair of double-digit sack seasons in 2003 & 2004. #28 Denver Broncos - Kenard Lang He finished his career with them, why not start out with them since Trevor Pryce already got snagged? He had 455 Tackles and 50 Sacks before hanging 'em up. #29 New England Patriots - Al Harris The Pats add Pro Bowl CB Al Harris to the mix. He has 395 Tackles and 19 INTs. #30 Green Bay Packers - Dexter Coakley The Pack finish it up with three-time Pro Bowl LB Dexter Coakley. He had 797 Tackles, 9.5 Sacks, and 13 INTs in his career. He had 90+ Tackles five times. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:17:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285497 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285497 Wednesday, July 2nd Jason Giambi hit a Grand Slam and drove in 6 Runs. Grady Sizemore went 3 for 4 with 4 Runs, 2 HRs, 2 RBI, a Walk, and a SB. Dustin Pedroia went 4 for 5 with 3 Runs, 2 Doubles, a Triple, a HR, and 2 RBI. Xavier Nady went 3 for 5 with 2 Runs, 2 HRs, and 3 RBI. Jay Bruce and Troy Glaus each hit 2 HRs and had 4 RBI. A.J. Pierzynski hit a pair of solo HRs. A-Rod scored 4 Runs and drove in 3. Orlando Hudson had 4 Hits. Carlos Gomez, Delmon Young, Jimmy Rollins, David DeJesus, Ramon Hernandez, Johnny Damon (3 Runs), Frank Catalanotto, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria (3 RBI), Andre Ethier, Ichiro Suzuki, Garrett Atkins (4 RBI), Jose Reyes, David Wright, Ray Durham (3 RBI), and Damion Easley (3 RBI) each had 3 Hits. Juan Rivera, Ryan Howard, and Miguel Cairo each had 3 RBI. Ryan Doumit and Bobby Abreu each scored 3 Runs. Nick Blackburn tossed 7 Innings of three-hit scoreless ball to improve to 7-4 with a 3.78 ERA. Hiroki Kuroda also threw 7 scoreless Innings allowing 5 Hits to improve to 4-6 with a 3.73 ERA. Daniel Cabrera pitched a Complete Game allowing 2 Runs to improve to 6-4.Ricky Nolasco gave up 2 Runs on 3 Hits with 8 Ks to improve to 9-4 with a 3.94 ERA. He beat Odalis Perez, who allowed 2 Runs in 6-2/3 Innings. Joe Saunders gave up 2 Earned Runs in 6-1/3 Innings to improve to 12-4 with a 3.04 ERA. Ubaldo Jimenez gave up 1 Run in 6-1/3 Innings to improve to 3-8. Yusmeiro Petit gave up 1 Run on 2 Hits in a 6 Inning no-decision. Jarrod Washburn gave up 2 Runs in 6 Innings to improve to 4-7. Ryan Dempster gave up 2 Runs with 7 Ks in a 6 Inning no-decision. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:01:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285448 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285448