Song of the Week XIV

This week we go into the vault for our song, heading back to the late 60s with the Beatles. The song is called Helter Skelter. This song has a very relaxed feel about it, with lyrics of curiosity and disbelief. The overall sound is kind of like a jam session from a garage band. It was experimented on fairly heavily as well. The ending features a couple of fade-ins and fade-outs, before finally stopping and one band member exclaiming "I got blisters on my fingers!" in a distinct British accent. This song is pretty fun, and a good tune. This feature will run again next week.

Fantasy Hockey All Stars week 24

Keep reading to the end to see how I did in the first wave of medal games. This week, there were some leagues already decided and other leagues heading into their finals. For those of you who still need time to win or lose, here's who would look nicest on your team:

Center: Vladimir Sobotka, 1 goal, 4 assists, +3, 7 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 10 shots on goal.
Left Wing: Patrick Marleau, 4 goals, 1 assist, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 17 shots on goal
Right Wing: Corey Perry, 3 goals, 5 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 22 shots on goal
Defenseman: Kevin Shattenkirk, 0 goals, 5 assists, +3, 6 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 7 shots on goal
Goaltender: Antti Niemi, 2 wins, 1.00 goals against average, 49 saves, .961 save percentage, 1 shutout
Utility 1: Matt D'Agostini, 2 goals, 3 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Utility 2: Chris Stewart, 3 goals, 4 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 14 shots on goal

Those were the top players, although Sobotka and Shattenkirk are only there due to failures at other positions. Marleau was technically the best center and left wing. The Blues, as you see, dominated the scoring with their 10-3 rout over Detroit. Also, I took home 2 golds, 3 silvers, and 2 bronzes for this past week. I have a few more teams left, so a few more medals will be coming, as will the last feature of this for the season, and a Baseball all-stars series at the start of next week.

Sunday Sports

Sunday was slightly less packed then Saturday in regards to sports. There were four less hockey games, and we begin with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Bobrovsky were between the pipes. Philadelphia got ahead first with James van Riemsdyk notching his 21st of the season from Sean O'Donnell and Claude Giroux. New York tied it with a second left in the first period on a power play goal by Bryan McCabe, his seventh of the year gathering steam off of Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik. The Rangers got ahead with Ruslan Fedotenko potting his tenth of the season off of Vinny Prospal and Marc Staal. The Flyers retied it with Nikolay Zherdev recording his 16th of the year, thanks to Giroux and Matt Carle. The tie was broken by New York in the shootout, toppling Philadelphia 3-2 on the tallies from Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski. The three stars were Christensen, Giroux, and Fedotenko.

Down to Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth opposed Cam Ward in front of the goals. Buffalo was on the board first with the first goal of the season for Chris Butler, assisted by Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. Eric Staal replied with his 33rd of the campaign for Carolina in the second period, made possible by Bryan Allen and Chad LaRose. The tie lasted through the silent third period to the overtime, where the Sabres eked out a 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes with Marc-Andre Gragnani potting his first of the year, with Nathan Gerbe and Stafford providing the helpers. Gragnani, Enroth (35 for 36 saves), and Tuomo Ruutu took the three stars.

Moving along to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Jimmy Howard guarded the cages. Detroit opened the scoring with Darren Helm netting his 12th of the season, thanks to Patrick Eaves and Brian Rafalski. The Red Wings extended their lead with Nicklas Lidstrom registering his 16th of the year, with the help of Henrik Zetterberg. Minnesota got on the board with the third of the season by Brad Staubitz, guided in by Justin Falk. Detroit took the goal back with Tomas Holmstrom tallying for the 16th time this year, a power play goal powered by Rafalski and Pavel Datsyuk. The Red Wings extended their lead again with Johan Franzen recording his 28th of the season, helped in by Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi. The Wild made it 4-2 with Carson McMillan getting his first of the year, with Staubitz and Eric Nystrom adding on the assists. The three stars went to Holmstrom, Helm, and Staubitz.

Doubling back to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets hosted the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Mathieu Garon took to the blue paint. St. Louis opened the scoring on Patrik Berglund's 21st of the season, created by Chris Stewart and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues extended their lead with Chris Porter's third goal of the year, helped along by Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Steen. Columbus got on the board with R.J. Umberger's 25th of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Derick Brassard and Anton Stralman. St. Louis took the goal back in the second period with Andy McDonald registering his 19th of the season, with help from Matt D'Agostini and Nikita Nikitin on the power play. Berglund also tallied for the Blues with his 22nd of the year and second of the game, with Stewart and D'Agostini doing the rest of the work. David LeNeveu took over for Garon for the third period. St. Louis kept rolling in the third period with Alex Steen notching his 19th of the season, courtesy of Sobotka and Roman Polak. The Blues made it 6-1 with an unassisted Carlo Colaiacovo goal, his sixth of the year. Berglund, D'Agostini, and Stewart took the three stars honors.

To Chicago, where the Blackhawks hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mike Smith and Corey Crawford took to the nets as goalies. Tampa Bay opened with Vincent Lecavalier recording his 21st of the season on the power play, powered by Martin St. Louis and Simon Gagne. The Lightning wrapped it up 2-0 in the third period with Nate Thompson's empty netter, his tenth of the year coming off of Gagne and Adam Hall. Smith (31 save shutout), Lecavalier, and Brent Seabrook were the three stars.

Westward to Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Peter Budaj got the starts. Olli Jokinen put Calgary on the board in the second period with his 17th of the season, from Alex Tanguay and Jay Bouwmeester. Tanguay tacked on for the Flames with his 21st of the campaign, with Jarome Iginla recording the lone assist. Milan Hejduk made it 2-1 with his 21st of the year for Colorado, thanks to John-Michael Liles and Mark Olver. It wasn't enough, as Calgary held on for the win, with Kiprusoff (34 for 35 saves), Tanguay, and Hejduk getting the three stars.

Down to Anaheim, where the Ducks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Ray Emery tended the twines. Anaheim drew first blood with Ryan Getzlaf sinking his 19th of the season, assisted by Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry. Dallas replied with Jeff Woywitka notching his second of the year, with help from Brendan Morrow and Loui Eriksson. Mike Ribeiro put the Stars on top with his 17th of the campaign, guided in by Morrow and Woywitka. The Ducks retied it with Lubomir Visnovsky's 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. Morrow gave Dallas the lead back in the second period with his 29th of the year, courtesy of Jamie Langenbrunner and Tom Wandell. The Stars extended their lead with Ribeiro's second of the game and 18th of the season, fueled by Brad Richards and Jamie Benn on the power play. Anaheim made it 4-3 with Perry's league-leading 47th of the year, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. However, the offenses were silenced in the third period, and the Ducks lost by the above score. The three stars went to Perry, Ribeiro, and Richards.

Moving into the baseball spectrum with...

The Cleveland Indians hosting the Chicago White Sox. John Danks and Justin Masterson got the starts. Chicago opened with a Paul Konerko single to score Omar Vizquel. Cleveland took the lead with a sixth inning two run homer by Orlando Cabrera, clearing off Travis Hafner. The Indians continued with Lou Marson doubling to score Jack Hannahan, before finishing his trip on the Asdrubal Cabrera sacrifice fly. Cleveland added on with Shelley Duncan eighth inning single that scored both Hafner and Orlando Cabrera. This was followed by a Michael Brantley sacrifice fly that knocked in Travis Buck. This brought the score to 7-1, the final with Masterson taking the win and a hold credited to Tony Sipp, while Danks was dinged for the loss. A.J. Pierzynski and Orlando Cabrera were the best hitters. The White Sox did take the series 2-1.

To the Bronx, where the New York Yankees hosted the Detroit Tigers. Max Scherzer opposed Phil Hughes. Detroit opened the scoring in the first inning with a Miguel Cabrera home run, a two run shot that scored Brennan Boesch. New York replied the next inning with their own two run homer off the bat of Jorge Posada, scoring Nick Swisher. The Tigers retook the lead in the third with Boesch singling to bring around Austin Jackson, before Cabrera hit another two-run tater that completed the trip for Boesch. The Yankees had a pair of solo yard balls with Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano's smacks. Detroit kept pace with another two-run homer, this time from Boesch to score Ramon Santiago. Posada answered for New York again, his two-run homer bringing Swisher in yet again. Santiago added a double to bring in Jhonny Peralta in the sixth inning, followed by Boesch's sacrifice fly that knocked in Jackson. Swisher brought Cano in home during the seventh inning with a double. The Tigers finished up with a Ryan Raburn double to score Boesch yet again. This final score made it 10-7, with Hughes taking the loss, Scherzer grabbing a somewhat sloppy win, Phil Coke and Joaquin Benoit taking holds, and Jose Valverde grabbing the save. The top hitters were Boesch and Posada. The Yankees took the series 2-1.

Up north, the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Minnesota Twins. Nick Blackburn and Brett Cecil took the mound. Minnesota took the first shot, a solo home run by Danny Valencia. Toronto replied with Edwin Encarnacion reaching on Tsuyoshi Nishioka's throwing error, moving along to second and bringing Adam Lind in home. The Twins got back on top with Matt Tolbert hitting a single to bring Jason Kubel in, and Valencia attempted but failed to safely score. Nishioka added on by scoring Drew Butera on his single. The Blue Jays pulled out a sixth inning solo home run from Jose Bautista. Minnesota replied when Denard Span hit a solo home run in the ninth inning. Toronto got a run off of the Yunel Escobar sacrifice fly as Travis Snider found the plate, but they didn't get an equalizer, and lost 4-3. Cecil was designated with the loss, while Blackburn stole the win, Jose Mijares, Matt Capps, and Glen Perkins took holds, and Joe Nathan got his first save since Tommy John surgery. Span and Bautista were the top hitters. Toronto did however take the series 2-1.

Down to Cincinnati, where the Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Randy Wolf and Bronson Arroyo had the ball for the start. Milwaukee led off with a solo home run by Rickie Weeks. Cincinnati replied in the second inning with Jonny Gomes homer, a solo shot, followed by Paul Janish singling to bring around Jay Bruce. Weeks kicked in another run with his double to score Wolf in the third for the Brewers. The Reds had another answer in the fourth inning, with Drew Stubbs singling to score Ryan Hanigan, and completing his trip on the Brandon Phillips three run shot that benefited Janish as well. Hanigan crossed the plate again on his solo home run in the fifth, answered by Milwaukee's Ryan Braun with his own solo homer the next inning. Cincinnati added on to their score with a Scott Rolen sacrifice fly to knock in Phillips, followed by a three run tater by Hanigan, with Joey Votto and Gomes crossing home. The Reds made it 12-3 with a Miguel Cairo single, bringing in Chris Heisey. This was the final, with Wolf being the loser and Arroyo the winner. Weeks and Hanigan were the best of the hitters. Cincinnati made it a 3-0 sweep with the win.

Down to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. R.A. Dickey and Javier Vazquez squared off. New York busted out early with a two-run Willie Harris homer, bringing in Jose Reyes, followed by Lucas Duda's grounding into a fielder's choice, providing time for Ike Davis to score as Hanley Ramirez misfielded the ball. The Mets added on with a solo shot from Davis in the second inning, followed by a ground rule double for Daniel Murphy, which brought around Angel Pagan, and capped by Duda and Murphy scoring on Emilio Bonifacio's throwing error, allowing Dickey to reach first as well. Florida got on the board in the third inning with Omar Infante hitting a sacrifice fly to score Scott Cousins. Infante was kicked in during the seventh inning, as the Marlins got an RBI single from Gaby Sanchez. Pagan's walk got New York started again in the eighth inning, with Chin-lung Hu being pushed in, followed by a fielder's choice for Scott Hairston, on which he reached, and knocked in Harris. The final was 9-2, and Dickey took the win, along with D.J. Carrasco taking a hold, subsequently giving Vazquez the loss. Harris and Sanchez were your top hitters. The Mets won the series 2-1.

To Philadelphia, where the Phillies hosted the Houston Astros. Bud Norris took on Roy Oswalt. Philadelphia cut open the scoring with a three run shot from Ryan Howard, scoring Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins. Howard added on for the Phillies with his double to score Polanco again in the third inning. Houston got on the scoreboard with Hunter Pence sending a ball over the wall in the next inning. Brett Wallace continued for the Astros with a groundout to bring around Carlos Lee in the sixth. Philadelphia replied in the bottom half of the inning with Shane Victorino and Michael Martinez singles, coming back-to-back and knocking in Ben Francisco and Carlos Ruiz. Houston sent one final run in with Humberto Quintero grounding into a double play, taking Chris Johnson off the paths, but also bringing Wallace in to score. The final stood at 7-3 for the Phillies. Norris took the loss, while Oswalt got the win over his former team. Pence and Howard were the top batters. Philadelphia swept Houston 3-0 for the series.

Into Washington, where the Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves. Tim Hudson and Jordan Zimmermann were on the mound. Atlanta opened the scoring in the first inning with Brian McCann singling to knock in Nate McLouth, answered in the other half by Washington's Adam LaRoche singling to do the same for Jayson Werth. The Braves got ahead in the fifth inning with Freddie Freeman grounding out to shortstop, allowing time for Alex Gonzalez to come in, followed by Martin Prado's double and extra base after Danny Espinosa committed an error, allowing Hudson to cross home. McCann added on a two-RBI single in the seventh when Prado and McLouth crossed the plate. Atlanta busted out in the eighth, with Jason Heyward scoring on a balk, Gonzalez coming in on a Prado sacrifice fly, Freeman rounding in on McLouth's double, Chipper Jones completing the trip for McLouth, McCann singling to drive in Matt Young, and topping off the six-run inning with Heyward singling to drive McCann back across the plate. The Nationals replied with a mere run on a Jerry Hairston, Jr. groundout to score Espinosa. Hudson picked up the win, while Zimmermann was given the loss in the 11-2 game. McCann and Espinosa were the best batters. Atlanta took the series 2-1.

To Tropicana Field, where the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Zach Britton opposed Wade Davis. Baltimore struck early with a Matt Wieters single to knock in Brian Roberts. This was answered by Tampa Bay in the third inning, with Elliot Johnson laying down a bunt single and scoring Matt Joyce. The Orioles got back to scoring in the seventh with a Mark Reynolds double scoring Wieters, followed by J.J. Hardy's double completing the trip for Reynolds, as well as Adam Jones. Reynolds knocked Jones in himself in the ninth inning with another double, bringing the score to 5-1. Britton got the win, Jason Berken and Jim Johnson got the holds, and Davis took the loss. The win completed a 3-0 sweep for Baltimore.

West to Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. Clay Buchholz and Matt Harrison were on the mound. Texas opened with a David Murphy second inning home run, a solo shot. Ian Kinsler also homered for the Rangers, his third inning blast also a solo home run. Mike Napoli joined the solo home run fun in the fifth inning, boosting Texas further. Boston got on the board in the seventh inning with Carl Crawford driving in Kevin Youkilis with a single. The Rangers answered with Nelson Cruz hitting a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, and making it 5-1 with Mike Young's double in the eighth to score Andres Blanco. This was the final, with Buchholz taking the loss, Harrison gathering in a win, and Darren Oliver picking up a hold. Crawford and Murphy were the top batters. Texas' win gave them a 3-0 sweep over Boston.

To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Scott Kazmir and Bruce Chen were the starters. Kansas City saw the first glimpse of scoring with Alex Gordon's single to score Mike Aviles, followed by Jeff Francoeur singling and Gordon reaching home after making second on a balk. The Royals added on in the second inning with Melky Cabrera homering for a solo shot, followed by Kila Ka'aihue's two-RBI double that brought in Gordon and Billy Butler, and he made third on a balk. Los Angeles got on the board with solo home runs in the third inning by Maicer Izturis and Howie Kendrick. The Angels added on with Mark Trumbo doubling to bring around Alberto Collaspo, before completing his lap on a Peter Bourjos groundout. Kansas City replied with a solo shot in the bottom half of the inning by Butler, which Los Angeles replied back to with Kendrick in the fifth. The scoring resumed in the seventh with Bobby Abreu hitting a two run tater to score Kendrick again. Francoeur answered for the Royals with a double to knock in Gordon. The Angels pick up a double from Izturis in the eighth to bring Bourjos back in. Callaspo followed that up with a solo home run in the ninth inning. Kansas City tied it on Wilson Betemit's two-RBI double on which Gordon and Chris Getz crossed safely home. The extra innings lasted into the thirteenth, where Matt Treanor knocked a three-run homer out of the park, with Betemit and Alcides Escobar also scoring, making it 12-9 Royals. Michael Kohn, Fernando Rodney, and Sean O'Sullivan had blown saves on both sides of the ledger, while Jordan Walden took a hold, Jason Bulger took the loss, and Tim Collins snagged the win. Abreu and Gordon were the top batters in the slugfest. The Royals took the series 3-1.

Crossing the state, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Dustin Moseley and Jaime Garcia made the starts. St. Louis was on the board first in the fifth inning with Yadier Molina singling to drive in Lance Berkman. The Cardinals made it 2-0 in the eighth inning with Ryan Theriot's single, bringing around Skip Schumaker. This was the final, with Moseley taking a hard-luck loss, and Garcia throwing a complete game shutout win. Nick Hundley and Schumaker were the top hitters. San Diego got away with a 2-1 series win.

North a bit to Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ross Ohlendorf and Matt Garza were given the ball. Pittsburgh opened the scoring in the second inning with Ronny Cedeno singling to score Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez drove in a run himself in the third inning for the Pirates with a single that scored Jose Tabata. Chicago tied it in the fourth inning with Carlos Pena's two-RBI double with Darwin Barney and Marlon Byrd both scoring. Lyle Overbay put Pittsburgh back on track with a single, allowing Tabata to come across home again. The Cubs answered in the bottom of the inning with Barney's sacrifice fly, bringing Starlin Castro around. Chicago took the lead with an Alfonso Soriano solo home run in the sixth. The Pirates took the lead back in the ninth with a two-RBI single from Alvarez, scoring both Garrett Jones and Neil Walker. This gave them a 5-4 lead, and eventually the win of the same score. Jeff Karstens picked up a win, while Joel Hanrahan got the save, Kerry Wood got the hold, and Carlos Marmol suffered a blown save and a loss. Alvarez and Castro were the top batters. Pittsburgh stole the series 2-1.

To Colorado, where the Rockies hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks. Joe Saunders and Jhoulys Chacin took to the mound. The game was postponed at the start.

Into Oakland, where the Athletics hosted the Seattle Mariners. Doug Fister and Gio Gonzalez pitched against each other. Seattle opened with a Ryan Langerhans solo home run in the second inning. Oakland replied with Coco Crisp tripling to drive in Kevin Kouzmanoff. Mark Ellis added on for the Athletics with a fourth inning groundout to shortstop, bringing in Josh Willingham, before singling in the sixth with the same result. Oakland exploded in the seventh inning with Hideki Matsui singling to score Crisp, Kurt Suzuki getting beaned and forcing in Daric Barton, Ellis walking to force in David DeJesus, and Kouzmanoff sacrificing his own at-bat for the sake of finishing Matsui's trip around the horn. This 7-1 score lasted throughout the rest of the game, pinning the loss on Fister, and the win went to Gonzalez. Langerhans and Crisp were the top batters. Seattle took the series 2-1.

Lastly, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Barry Zito took on Hiroki Kuroda. Los Angeles got out to the early lead with Jamey Carroll triple to score Rafael Furcal, before Matt Kemp's two run blast completed his trip around. Pablo Sandoval added on a solo home run for San Francisco in the next inning. The Giants pulled closer with Buster Posey singling to bring Freddy Sanchez around. San Francisco tied it with Pat Burrell's solo shot in the seventh. The Dodgers got back to business in the bottom half of the same inning, led off by a Marcus Thames triple to score James Loney, followed by Aaron Miles pinch hit RBI single knocking in pinch runner Tony Gwynn. Furcal continued the scoring with his double to bring Miles around, and he was knocked in by an Andre Ethier single. The Giants pulled in a run with a bases-loaded walk for Brandon Belt, and a solo home run by Aaron Rowand in the ninth, but they still lost 7-5. Dan Runzler got dinged for the loss, while Kuroda had the win, Matt Guerrier had the hold, and Jonathan Broxton recorded his third save of the year. Sandoval and Kemp were the top hitters. The Dodgers took the series 3-1.

That's all folks. Monday's schedule is reduced significantly, and the song of the week will come out on Tuesday.

Sandwich Showdown XIII

This weekend our savory opponents were a Spicy Italian on Herbs and Cheese and a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki on Wheat. The Spicy Italian had its usual mixture of flavors. It also subsequently hit its normal level of taste, which is on the high end of the spectrum. The Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki featured a BBQ sauce substitution, bringing on the Peco's sauce. The sweet onion neutralized the spicy kick from the Peco's bringing in a perfect blend of taste. This sandwich should be on the mark for sandwich of the year honors. Obviously, the Sunday sandwich wins this one. This will run again next week at about the same time.

Saturday sports

Saturday brings us twenty-six total games to be played, and it's a miracle I'm even close to being on pace for all of them. We begin at the...

TD Garden, where the Boston Bruins hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Tuukka Rask played in front of the goals. Boston led off with a Mark Recchi tally, his 14th of the season from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Atlanta replied with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his 20th of the year on the power play, powered by Zach Bogosian and Bryan Little. The Thrashers took the lead with Evander Kane recording his 19th of the campaign, courtesy of Nik Antropov. The Bruins retied it with the fourth of the season by Daniel Paille, a shorthanded and unassisted tally. Boston made it 3-2 on a Michael Ryder penalty shot, his 18th goal of the year, thanks to a Johnny Oduya hook. This was the final, and the three stars went to Ryder, Bergeron, and Paille.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to Xcel Energy Center. Dwayne Roloson and Niklas Backstrom took care of the goals. Minnesota opened up with Pierre-Marc Bouchard netting his eleventh of the season, with help from Kyle Brodziak and Cal Clutterbuck. Tampa Bay replied with Ryan Malone potting his 12th of the year, thanks to Dominic Moore and Mike Lundin. Steve Downie gave the Lightning lead with his tenth of the season, created by passes from Simon Gagne and Eric Brewer. Tampa Bay made it 3-1 on a Sean Bergenheim goal, his 14th of the year, assisted by Martin St. Louis. As this was the final, the three stars went to Malone, Brodziak, and Roloson (29 for 30 saves).

To Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne tended the twine. Todd Bertuzzi and Shane O'Brien opened the game with an early fight. Nashville opened the actual scoring with a Ryan Suter power play goal, his fourth of the season powered by Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist. Martin Erat also struck on the power play for the Predators with his 17th of the year, via Shea Weber and Suter. Fifty-five seconds later, Nashville tacked on again with Sergei Kostitsyn notching his 20th of the season, made possible by Fisher and Matt Halischuk. Bertuzzi went again with the SOB in their second dance of the game. Detroit fed off of this a bit, as Jakub Kindl sank his second of the year, an unassisted goal. Justin Abdelkader tied it for the Red Wings with a pair of goals, his sixth and seventh of the season coming in the second and third periods, with helpers by Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom on the first and Bertuzzi and Brian Rafalski on the second. The tie lasted into overtime, where Detroit won 4-3 on Danny Cleary's 25th of the year, with help from Rafalski and Henrik Zetterberg. Abdelkader, Cleary, and Suter grabbed the three stars.

Finishing the matinees, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jonathan Quick played between the pipes. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the second period with Wayne Simmonds potting his 14th of the season, courtesy of Willie Mitchell and Trevor Lewis. Dallas replied with Brad Richards registering his 26th of the year, thanks to Jamie Benn and Alex Goligoski. The Kings took the lead again with Matt Greene getting his second of the season, helped along by Simmonds and Kyle Clifford. Los Angeles secured victory at a 3-1 margin with Dustin Brown potting his 28th of the year into the empty net, coming off of Jarret Stoll. Simmonds, Drew Doughty, and Stephane Robidas got the three stars.

In an Eastern Canada battle, the Ottawa Senators hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Craig Anderson took control of the blue paint spaces. Toronto opened with the 30th of the season for Phil Kessel, assisted by Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. The Maple Leafs extended their lead with Nazem Kadri getting his third of the year, an unassisted goal. Ottawa got on the board with the 18th of the season by Jason Spezza, helped out by Bobby Butler. Spezza tied it for the Senators in the third period with his second of the game and 19th of the year, a power play goal off of Andre Benoit and Patrick Wiercioch. Toronto took the lead back with Tyler Bozak's 14th of the season on the power play, powered by Joffrey Lupul and Carl Gunnarsson. The Maple Leafs secured a 4-2 victory with the 29th of the year by Nikolai Kulemin, guided in by MacArthur. Kessel, Spezza, and MacArthur got the three stars.

Down to New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Martin Brodeur tended the twines. Montreal took the early lead with Mathieu Darche netting his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Brian Gionta and Hal Gill. The Canadiens extended their lead on the power play in the third period as P.K. Subban notched his 13th of the year, thanks to Tomas Plekanec and Michael Cammalleri. Darche moved Montreal a bit further with his second of the game and the 12th of his season, assisted by Gionta and Scott Gomez. New Jersey got on the board with Ilya Kovalchuk notching his 29th of the year, helped along by Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. Darche, Price (20 for 21 saves), and Brodeur (26 for 29 saves) got the three stars.

To Washington, D.C., where the Capitals hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Michal Neuvirth played in the creases. Washington was the first on the board with Mike Knuble getting his 22nd of the season, assisted by John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. Alexander Semin extended the lead for the Capitals with his 28th of the year, made possible by Nicklas Backstrom and Marco Sturm. Buffalo entered the scoring with Thomas Vanek potting his 28th of the season, thanks to Jason Pominville and Chris Butler. The Sabres tied it on Drew Stafford's 29th of the year, with helpers provided by Brad Boyes and Tyler Myers. Paul Gaustad gave Buffalo the lead in the third period after a scoreless second, his eleventh of the season gathering steam off of Nathan Gerbe and Mike Weber. Knuble replied with his second of the game and 23rd of the year, a power play goal from Brooks Laich and Backstrom. Stafford put the Sabres back on top with his second of the game and 30th of the season, also a power play goal, coming off of Tim Connolly. The Capitals found another equalizer, the 17th of the year by Jason Arnott, a power play goal powered by Ovechkin and Semin. Ovechkin tallied in the ensuing overtime, his 30th of the campaign created by Carlson and Backstorm, the latter of which made a sock trick, to win it 5-4 for Washington over Buffalo. The three stars were Ovechkin, Knuble, and Arnott.

Also being played was a game in south Florida between the Panthers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Scott Clemmensen guarded the goals. Pittsburgh opened with the 20th of the season by Tyler Kennedy, with help from Jordan Staal and Chris Kunitz. Florida replied on the eighth of the year for Jack Skille, guided in by Marty Reasoner and Dmitry Kulikov. Twenty-two seconds later, the Panthers had a lead on the third of the season by Clay Wilson, assisted by Sergei Samsonov and Mike Weaver. The Penguins retied it in the second period with Pascal Dupuis recording his 14th of the year, thanks to Max Talbot and Chris Conner. Pittsburgh took the lead when Zbynek Michalek put his fourth of the season into the twine, helped along by Paul Martin and Staal. Craig Adams secured a 4-2 victory with his fourth of the year, coming off of Staal and Ben Lovejoy into the empty net, giving Staal a sock trick. Staal, Michalek, and Skille got the three stars.

Back north, the New York Islanders hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Al Montoya were given goaltending duties. Carolina took the early lead with Jussi Jokinen potting his 18th of the season off of Joe Corvo and Derek Joslin. New York answered with Jesse Joensuu recording his sixth of the year, thanks to Jack Hillen. The Islanders took the lead on John Tavares' 28th of the season, made possible by Matt Moulson and Dylan Reese. The Hurricanes retied it in the third period with Corvo notching his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu. Carolina took the lead with Erik Cole getting his 24th of the season, with assists from Eric Staal and Corvo. Staal secured a 4-2 victory with his 32nd of the year into the empty net, an unassisted goal. The three stars went to Cole, Corvo, and Tavares.

Into British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Cory Schneider were called for starting. Edmonton was the first on the board with Kurtis Foster on the power play, his seventh of the season getting helper out by Ryan Jones and Jordan Eberle. Eberle tallied on the power play in the second period with his 18th of the year for the Oilers, thanks to Andrew Cogliano and Foster. Edmonton extended the lead again with Linus Omark recording his fifth of the season, with helpers provided by Teemu Hartikainen and Cogliano. Vancouver got on the board with Alexandre Burrows notching his 25th of the campaign, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Kevin Bieksa. Magnus Paajarvi secured victory at 4-1 for the Oilers with his 13th of the year, made possible by Omark and Chris Vandevelde. Omark, Dubnyk (40 for 41 saves), and Foster got the three stars.

Down the coast to San Jose, where the Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Ray Emery and Antti Niemi tended the twines. Anaheim opened the scoring with the 34th of the season by Bobby Ryan, assisted by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks extended their lead with Lubomir Visnovsky's 17th of the year, courtesy of Cam Fowler and Perry on the power play. San Jose got on the board with the 25th of the season Dany Heatley, with help from Ryane Clowe and Douglas Murray. Patrick Marleau tied it for the Sharks with his 36th of the year, with assists coming from Devin Setoguchi and Dan Boyle. Setoguchi gave San Jose the lead on his 21st of the season, a power play goal powered by Boyle and Marleau. Marleau made it 4-2, the eventual final, with his second of the game and 37th of the year, an empty netter off of Joe Pavelski and Setoguchi. Setoguchi, Murray, and Marleau got the three stars.

To baseball, beginning in...

Cleveland, with the Indians hosting the Chicago White Sox. Edwin Jackson opposed Carlos Carrasco. Chicago got the early lead with Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly to knock in Gordon Beckham. The White Sox continued in the second inning with Alexei Ramirez singling to drive in Carlos Quentin, and he finished his trip as did Brent Morel on Beckham's single. Adam Dunn also brought in Juan Pierre with his groundout to first. Cleveland got on the board in the bottom half of the same inning with a Travis Hafner home run, a solo shot, followed by Jack Hannahan eventually using a single to bring Orlando Cabrera and Travis Buck back around. Chicago did some more scoring in the sixth inning, with Pierre's single to drive in Morel, but Pierre was caught trying to get to second base. Quentin doubled in the next inning to make it 8-3 as Konerko and Alex Rios scored. Carrasco was pinned for the loss, and Jackson got the win. Quentin and Hafner were the top batters.

To Washington, where the Nationals hosted the Atlanta Braves. Tommy Hanson and John Lannan took the mound. Danny Espinosa put Washington up first with a sacrifice fly to score Michael Morse. Atlanta answered in the third inning with Chipper Jones' single to get Nate McLouth across the plate. The Nationals did some work on the other half of the inning, with Morse's sacrifice fly bringing in Jayson Werth, and Rick Ankiel's two run homer, which also scored Ryan Zimmerman. The Braves kept it close in the sixth inning with a solo shot by Dan Uggla. Ankiel produced another Zimmerman run with his sacrifice to the pitcher. Alex Gonzalez also sent one out of the field of play for Atlanta in the eighth inning. Washington made it 6-3 with a Zimmerman single in the bottom of the eighth, knocking in Ian Desmond. This score was final, with the win going to Lannan, holds going to Chad Gaudin, Tyler Clippard, and Drew Storen, and the save went to Sean Burnett. Hanson took the loss. Gonzalez and Ankiel were given top hitter status.

Onto the North Side of Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates. Paul Maholm and Carlos Zambrano were on the mound. Pittsburgh was on the board in the first inning with Pedro Alvarez's single to bring in Jose Tabata. Tabata also scored for the Pirates with his run off of Neil Walker's double in the third. Garrett Jones added on a solo tater for Pittsburgh in the seventh inning. Chicago exploded in the eighth inning with a ground rule double by Starlin Castro to bring in Kosuke Fukudome, followed by Marlon Byrd reaching on a Lyle Overbay fielding error, allowing Castro to score, with Byrd then scoring on an Alfonso Soriano single, topped off by a Blake DeWitt double to bring in Geovany Soto and Soriano, making it 5-3, which would be the final. Jose Veras got credit for a hold, but Evan Meek took a blown save and a loss in the Pittsburgh side, while the Cubs got the win for Sean Marshall and the save for Carlos Marmol. Jones and Castro were the top hitters.

Up to Toronto, with the Blue Jays hosting the Minnesota Twins. Francisco Liriano and Kyle Drabek got the starting duties. Jose Molina led off the scoring for Toronto with a solo home run in the third inning. Minnesota replied as Justin Morneau grounded out to drive in Tsuyoshi Nishioka. Jayson Nix replied for the Blue Jays with a solo home run. Toronto continued in the fifth inning with an Edwin Encarnacion single that brought in Jose Bautista, followed by a Travis Snider double to score Adam Lind and Encarnacion. Aaron Hill topped it off with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning, making it 6-1 Blue Jays as Molina scored. Drabek took the win while Liriano took the loss. Denard Span and Molina were given the status of best hitters.

To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Ervin Santana and Kyle Davies made the starts. Los Angeles opened with a Torii Hunter home run in the fourth inning. Kansas City replied in the fifth inning with Chris Getz singling to first and bringing in Jeff Francoeur. Alcides Escobar continued it with a fielder's choice, taking Getz off the basepaths with an out, but knocking in Wilson Betemit. The Angels did a little more in the sixth inning with Vernon Wells singling to bring around Bobby Abreu, and then reaching second on a throw. Alberto Collaspo then scored Hunter with a single, and Wells completed his trip on a fielder's choice by Erick Aybar, taking Callaspo off. A pair of singles in the eighth inning gave the Royals a 5-4 lead, with Matt Treanor and Getz knocking in Billy Butler and Jarrod Dyson, respectively. This would be the final, with Aaron Crow getting the win and Joakim Soria getting the save. Hisanori Takahashi took a hold and Kevin Jepsen got dinged for a loss and blown save for Los Angeles. Aybar and Getz had the best batting.

Onward to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Matt Cain and Ted Lilly took the mound as starters. The scoring was opened in the third by San Francisco, with Miguel Tejada grounding out but bringing in Mark DeRosa. Tejada also fueled the Giants work in the fifth inning, with his single to score Aaron Rowand, and subsequent advance to second on the throwing error. He finished his trip on the Freddy Sanchez double, and Sanchez did the same with a single by Aubrey Huff. DeRosa got San Francisco scoring again in the sixth, knocking in Brandon Belt with his double, and completing the trip on a Sanchez single. Huff provided a 2-RBI single this time, bringing Cain and Tejada back across the plate. The Giants got a homer from Sanchez in the eighth inning, and capped the scoring 10-0 with DeRosa grounding out in the ninth but giving time for an Andres Torres dash to home. Cain took the win while Lilly took the loss. The best batters were Sanchez and Andre Ethier.

Back east to the Bronx, where the New York Yankees hosted the Detroit Tigers. Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett squared off in pitching. New York got off to a quick start in the first inning, with Alex Rodriguez doubling to bring in Derek Jeter, followed by Robinson Cano singling for an RBI as Mark Teixeira crossed, and then Rodriguez finishing his trip around with Nick Swisher's sacrifice fly. The Yankees clustered three runs in the second inning on a Teixeira home run, which also scored Brett Gardner and Jeter. Detroit got on the board with a solo shot by Austin Jackson in the third. The Tigers added on in the fifth with an Alex Avila single, knocking in Brennan Boesch, followed by a groundout from Will Rhymes to score Jhonny Peralta. New York picked up three more runs with Russell Martin smacking a ball out of the field of play, with Cano and Jorge Posada being the men on base at the time. The Yankees followed with Rodriguez hitting a solo shot in the sixth. Victor Martinez added on for Detroit with his two-run tater in the eighth inning, bringing around Don Kelly. The Tigers got one more run, but fell short 10-6 in the ninth with Ryan Raburn reaching on an error, also causing Avila to reach home safely. Penny took the loss, while Burnett took the win and Mariano Rivera got credit for the save.

Moving along to St. Louis, where the Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Clayton Richard and Jake Westbrook got the ball. St. Louis opened the scoring in the first with Allen Craig singling to bring in Colby Rasmus and David Freese. San Diego had a reply in the second inning with a Nick Hundley single to drive in Ryan Ludwick, followed by Richard's sacrifice to the catcher that scored Cameron Maybin. The Cardinals retook the lead with a solo home run by Albert Pujols in the third inning, which was met by a Hundley triple in the fourth that brought around Ludwick again. The Padres added some serious damage in the fifth inning, with Ludwick walking while the bases were full to score Will Venable, followed by chase Headley singling to welcome Jason Bartlett and Brad Hawpe back to the dugout, followed by Maybin doubling to complete Ludwick's trip, and Headley coming through on Richard getting walked, finally ending the scoring with Venable bringing in Maybin on a sacrifice fly. This was a 6-run inning. For good measure, San Diego capped off a 11-3 throttling of St. Louis with a two-run homer by Headley that scored Ludwick for the fourth time in the game. Richard easily took the win, as easily as Westbrook was the losing pitcher.

Next up, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Chris Tillman and James Shields took the mound. The scoring started late with Baltimore striking first in the eighth inning on a three-run bomb by Brian Roberts, also bringing around Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. Tampa Bay answered in their half of the inning with an RBI single from Manny Ramirez that allowed safe passage home for Elliot Johnson. The final eventually stood at 3-1, with the win going to Jeremy Accardo, holds going to Michael Gonzalez and Koji Uehara, and the save to Kevin Gregg. The losing pitcher was Shields. Roberts and B.J. Upton were the top hitters.

To Cincinnati, where the Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Shaun Marcum and Travis Wood were the pitchers. Cincinnati got out to an early lead with a two-run home run by Scott Rolen, which knocked in Joey Votto. The Reds continued in the second inning with a Drew Stubbs triple that drove in Ryan Hanigan, and then Stubbs scored on Rickie Weeks' throwing error that got Votto on first. Milwaukee got on the board in the fifth inning with Erick Almonte sending a ball over the fence. The Brewers also got Casey McGehee to bat Ryan Braun in home during the ninth, but only getting the score to a 4-2 loss for them. Marcum got dinged for the loss, while the win went to Wood, the lone hold went to Nick Masset, and Francisco Cordero grabbed the save. Almonte and Rolen were given the honor of top batters.

Southward to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. Jonathan Niese and Ricky Nolasco made the starts. Florida led off in the first inning with Logan Morrison singling to bring around both Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez. New York got on the board with a solo home run by David Wright in the fourth inning. The Mets tied it with Ike Davis doubling to center to score Carlos Beltran. Josh Thole put New York in front with his single to score Chin-lung Hu. Greg Dobbs answered for the Marlins with a single knocking in Brett Hayes. In extra innings, the Mets took the lead with Wright's single to bat in Jose Reyes, followed by a Will Harris double that brought both Angel Pagan and Wright across the plate. Hayes answered for Florida by using a single to bring in Gaby Sanchez, but they ran out of runs and lost 6-4. Francisco Rodriguez got a blown save but a win, and the save went to Blaine Boyer. Ryan Webb took the loss. Wright and Morrison were the top hitters.

West to Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. John Lackey and Colby Lewis took to the mound. Texas jumped up early with an Ian Kinsler home run, a solo shot. Boston took the lead with a two-run David Ortiz homer, bringing around Adrian Gonzalez. The Rangers got back to business in the third inning, with Elvis Andrus lining a triple to score Kinsler, and then completing his trip around the horn with a Josh Hamilton single. Gonzalez crossed the plate again in the fourth inning on an Ortiz groundout. Texas responded in the bottom half of the inning with Julio Borbon tripling to bring around Yorvit Torrealba, before Andrus used a double to bring him in, capped off by Adrian Beltre's grand slam to score Kinsler, Andrus, and Hamilton for a 6-run inning. Torrealba blasted his own homer out of the park in the fifth, a two run shot to score Mitch Moreland. Nelson Cruz followed this up for the Rangers with a solo home run in the sixth inning. The Red Sox got two more runs with Jacoby Ellsbury going out of the yard, bringing around Jarrod Saltalamacchia. This brought up the final of 12-5 Texas over Boston. Lackey was designated as the loser, with Lewis picking up the win. Ortiz and Andrus were the best hitters.

Onto Colorado, where the Rockies welcomed the Arizona Diamondbacks. Daniel Hudson opposed Jorge De La Rosa. Colorado opened the scoring in the third inning with a Dexter Fowler double to score Chris Iannetta. Iannetta extended the Rockies lead with his own double to knock in Jose Lopez, and then crossed home himself on a single by De La Rosa. Arizona avoided the shutout in the ninth inning with Ryan Roberts' single, bringing in Justin Upton. The final stood at 3-1, with Hudson taking the loss, De La Rosa getting the win, Matt Belisle and Rafael Betancourt getting holds, and Huston Street recording the save. Roberts and Iannetta earned top marks for hitting.

Finally, in Oakland, where the Athletics hosted the Seattle Mariners. Jason Vargas and Brett Anderson were handed the ball. Oakland was on the board first with David DeJesus' groundout that brought in Cliff Pennington. Seattle replied with a sixth inning Jack Cust single to score Milton Bradley (and to him, it's MORE than just a game). The Mariners added on with Michael Saunders sacrifice fly in the next inning, knocking in Brendan Ryan. The Athletics got an equalizer from a Josh Willingham single to bring Coco Crisp home. Seattle took off in the ninth inning with Ichiro hitting a single to bring in Jack Wilson, and Miguel Olivo reaching third as Daric Barton misfielded a ball. Olivo reached home on a Brian Fuentes wild pitch, which brought Ichiro up a base as well. Ichiro completed his trip and made it 5-2 by crossing home on the Chone Figgins sacrifice fly. For the pitching stats, Jamey Wright got a hold, Chris Ray took both a blown save and a win, and Brandon League converted a save. Fuentes took the loss. Ichiro and Barton were the top hitters.

For those of you actually reading this outro, thank you very much. We have had a lot of readership lately, so I'd love it to be kept at a high standard. More posts are to come as expected, but they may be delayed, so patience is the best thing for the readers right now.

Friday Hockey + Baseball

There were a total of four hockey games and many more baseball games (forgot to count, and probably don't have the time to), and we started in the Nationwide Arena...

Of Columbus, Ohio, where the Blue Jackets hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Mathieu Garon took control of the nets. Chicago opened the scoring with Patrick Kane netting his 26th of the season, assisted by Chris Campoli and Nick Leddy. Brent Seabrook extended the Blackhawks lead on the power play with his seventh of the year, courtesy of Kane and Marian Hossa. Columbus got on the board with Maxsim Mayorov potting his first of the season, with help from Anton Stralman and Antoine Vermette. The Blue Jackets tied it with Derick Brassard on the power play, his 16th of the year powered by Stralman and Vermette. Columbus took the lead with Samuel Pahlsson notching his seventh of the season, with Stralman getting a sock trick and Sami Lepisto taking the secondary assist. Bryan Bickell used his 17th of the year to tie it for Chicago, with Duncan Keith grabbing the lone helper. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Blackhawks beat the Blue Jackets on Viktor Stalberg's lone tally. Stralman, Crawford (31 for 34 saves), and Vermette grabbed the three stars.

Heading back east to New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Johan Hedberg played in front of the cages. Philadelphia opened up the scoring with James van Riemsdyk getting his 20th of the season, with helpers provided by Mike Richards and Andrej Meszaros. New Jersey grabbed the lead in the second period with a pair of Patrik Elias goals, his 17th and 18th of the campaign, with Brian Rolston helping out on both goals, and Henrik Tallinder grabbing the secondary assist on the earlier even-strength goal. The Flyers tied it with Jeff Carter's 36th of the year, courtesy of Nikolay Zherdev and Claude Giroux. The Devils reclaimed the lead with a Nick Palmieri goal, his eighth of the season made possible by Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. Elias wrapped up the scoring at 4-2, completing his hat trick with his 19th of the year, allowing Rolston to secure a sock trick and Dainius Zubrus picked up the other assist. The three stars went to Elias, Palmieri and Rolston.

Back west, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Jaroslav Halak tended the twine. St. Louis opened with Matt D'Agostini notching his 21st of the season on the power play, assisted by David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk. Backes extended the Blues' lead with his 29th of the year, coming off of Shattenkirk and the ever-preoccupied T.J. Oshie. Calgary got on the board with Jarome Iginla netting his 38th of the campaign, with help from Alex Tanguay and Mark Giordano. Tanguay tied it for the Flames with his 20th of the season, thanks to Iginla and Daymond Langkow, who returned after a career-threatening injury from last season. Iginla put Calgary in front with his second of the game and 39th of the year, helped along by Tanguay. This score would later be the final, with Iginla, Backes, and Tanguay grabbing the three stars.

Hockey wraps up in Phoenix, with the Coyotes hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Ilya Bryagalov made the starts in goal. Colorado opened up with Philippe Dupuis registering his fifth of the season, coming off of Jay McClement and Ryan O'Reilly. McClement extended the Avalanche lead with his seventh of the year, assisted by Daniel Winnik and Cody McLeod. Phoenix entered the scoring with Lee Stempniak potting his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Coyotes tied it with a Ray Whitney goal, his 16th of the year, helped along by Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Doan added on a goal to put Phoenix in front, his 19th of the season coming on the power play from Whitney and Keith Yandle. O'Reilly tied it again for Colorado with his 12th of the year, from Kevin Porter and John-Michael Liles. The tie lasted into the shootout, where O'Reilly's lone tally put the Avalanche on top of the Coyotes 4-3. Whitney, Doan, and Stempniak got the three stars.

The baseball games began in...

Philadelphia, with the Phillies hosting the Houston Astros. Brett Myers took the mound against his former teammates and most notably, Roy Halladay. Houston finally got the opening runs in the sixth inning, with Bill Hall grounding out and allowing Angel Sanchez to come around for a run. The Astros kept it up in the seventh inning with Michael Bourn's two-run double, the two runs being Brett Wallace and Humberto Quintero. Sanchez also boosted the Houston score that inning with a sacrifice fly, allowing Bourn to cover the other two bases. Philadelphia started accumulating an answer in the bottom half of that inning with Ryan Howard's sacrifice fly scoring Placido Polanco and moving Jimmy Rollins to third, where he would score on the Raul Ibanez groundout to first. The Phillies got to work in the bottom of the ninth with singles by Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez, and John Mayberry, bringing Rollins, Howard, and the winning run Francisco home for a 5-4 victory. The pitchers earning stats were Wilton Lopez with a hold before the closer Brandon Lyon blew a save and lost the game for Houston, giving the win to Danys Baez for Philadelphia. Bourn and Valdez were the top hitters.

Over to Chicago, where the Cubs hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates at Wrigley Field. Kevin Correia and Ryan Dempster took the mounds as starters. Chicago got the early jump as Pedro Alvarez struggled to shake the spring jitters and committed an error, allowing Marlon Byrd to reach second and Starlin Castro to score. The Cubs benefited again with Carlos Pena's grounding into a fielder's choice, scoring Castro once again, although Aramis Ramirez was out at second. Pittsburgh made up for earlier shortcomings with Neil Walker hitting a grand slam, bringing around Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Jose Tabata. The Pirates extended the lead with a seventh inning two run homer from Andrew McCutchen, scoring Walker as well. The Cubs got one additional run, on Kosuke Fukudome's single that knocked in Darwin Barney, the evolutionary purple dinosaur. This left the score at its final, 6-3 in favor of Pittsburgh, whose pitchers went as follows: Correia for the win, holds to Jose Veras and Evan Meek, and the save by Joel Hanrahan. Dempster was the losing pitcher. Walker and Castro earned the top batter marks.

Into Cleveland, where the Indians hosted the Chicago White Sox. Mark Buehrle and Fausto Carmona were given opening day duty. Chicago opened the scoring with Paul Konerko and Carlos Quentin singles, with Juan Pierre and Gordon Beckham crossing home plate. The White Sox had a pair of two run homers in the third inning, with Adam Dunn bringing Beckham in and Quentin doing the same for Konerko. Chicago got a huge boost again in the fourth inning, with Dunn and Quentin both hitting two-RBI doubles, scoring Brent Morel, Pierre, Beckham, and Dunn. They continued in the same frame with A.J. Pierzynski's single, allowing Konerko to cross the plate, followed by Alexei Ramirez's double bringing Quentin around and finishing the scoring for that inning with Morel's double to allow Pierzynski and Ramirez safe passage. After this barrage, the score was 14-0 for the White Sox. Cleveland woke up in the sixth inning, as Carlos Santana (not a guitarist by any means) sent Jack Hannahan to the plate. Travis Hafner followed with a single, as did Orlando Cabrera, bringing around Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, and Santana himself. The Indians continued in the seventh inning with homers by Hannahan and Santana, with the earlier one being a solo shot, and the other being a two-run tater bring Asdrubal back in. Chicago got back to scoring in the eighth inning with Pierzynski's shallow single to score Lastings Milledge, answered by a Michael Brantley double in the other half of the inning for Cleveland, scoring Matt LaPorta and Hannahan. The Indians brought the score to 15-10 with LaPorta's single that knocked Hafner in during the ninth, but no more runs were scored and they lost, although not as badly as they could have. Buehrle got the win while Carmona took the loss. The top batters were officially Quentin and Santana, although both teams had no trouble smacking the sphere.

We go down to Arlington, Texas, where the Rangers hosted the Boston Red Sox. Jon Lester and C.J. Wilson took the mounds after the Anthem. Boston opened the game up early with Kevin Youkilis hitting a double that brought Jacoby Ellsbury in. Adrian Gonzalez also had a single to complete the trip for Youkilis, but he got greedy and was out at second base. Ian Kinsler added a reply for Texas in the bottom of the first on a solo home run. Nelson Cruz also homered with his second inning solo shot to tie the game for the Rangers. The Red Sox retook the lead on another Gonzalez single, allowing Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia to cross the plate. Texas took the lead with a three-run homer off the bat of Mike Napoli in the fourth inning, bringing in Adrian Beltre and Cruz. Boston tied the game with a solo home run by David Ortiz in the eighth inning. On the flipside of that inning, the Rangers got busy with doubles by David Murphy, Elvis Andrus, and Josh Hamilton, bringing in runs for Napoli, Yorvit Torrealba, Murphy, and Andrus. This brought the score to its eventual final of 9-5 Texas. To credit the pitchers, Daniel Bard took the loss, Mark Lowe and Arthur Rhodes had holds, and Darren Oliver was tacked for a blown save and a win. Gonzalez and Napoli were the top batters for the game.

Moving along to Colorado, where the Rockies hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ian Kennedy and Ubaldo Jimenez were on the mound. Colorado opened it up in their half of the first, on a Seth Smith double to bring Dexter Fowler in, followed by a Todd Helton sacrifice fly that completed the trip around the bases for Smith. Arizona provided some answer with Gerardo Parra's double, allowing Miguel Montero to reach home in the second inning. Fowler singled in the other half of the second to gain the run back, as Chris Iannetta scored. The Diamondbacks took the lead on Justin Upton's three run homer, bringing Kennedy and Willie Bloomquist around. Arizona had a two run shot the next inning as Montero hit over the fence, accompanying Melvin Mora at the plate. Jose Lopez had a solo home run for the Rockies in the sixth inning, and hit a single that brought Helton in during the seventh. This tied the game until the eleventh inning, where Bloomquist's steal of second base shook up the Colorado defense, allowing Parra to reach home on the wild throw. On the Arizona side, Juan Gutierrez was tacked for a blown save, Sam Demel got the win, and J.J. Putz picked up the save. Matt Reynolds was the losing pitcher for Colorado. Montero and Lopez were the top hitters.

Up to Toronto, where the Blue Jays hosted the Minnesota Twins. Carl Pavano and Ricky Romero were the dueling pitchers. Toronto took no time to open the scoring, recording big in the first with Adam Lind getting beaned, scoring Rajai Davis, followed by Aaron Hill's sacrifice fly to bring Yunel Escobar in. Edwin Encarnacion followed suit, which brought Jose Bautista back across the plate. Travis Snider also helped produce a run on Tsuyoshi Nishioka's fielding error, which brought Lind home. The Blue Jays extended their lead with a two run homer by J.P. Arencibia, also bringing Snider in. Bautista and Lind sent a pair over the fence in the fifth inning as well for Toronto, followed by triple for Arencibia bringing Snider and Juan Rivera in. Minnesota was finally allowed to score in the seventh inning, with Encarnacion having a fielding error, allowing Danny Valencia on base and Delmon Young to cross safely at the plate. Alexi Casilla hit a double for the Twins in the same inning, knocking Jason Kubel in for a run, and Valencia scored on Denard Span's groundout to first. The Blue Jays wrapped things up in the eighth inning with another homer by Arencibia, a solo shot, as well as Lind's single bringing Escobar around, and Bautista scoring on John McDonald's sacrifice fly to produce a 13-3 final. Pavano took the loss and Romero earned the win. Span and Arencibia were the top batters.

Down to Florida, where the Marlins hosted the New York Mets. Mike Pelfrey and Josh Johnson got the ball. Florida opened up with a John Buck grand slam in the fourth inning, knocking in Mike Stanton, Gaby Sanchez, and Logan Morrison. The Marlins added on in the next inning as Sanchez singled to score Hanley Ramirez. New York entered the scoring in the seventh inning with a Carlos Beltran double to bring Willie Harris around, and the following groundout by Ike Davis that allowed Beltran to complete his trip. Florida secured a 6-2 win in the eighth inning with a solo home run by Morrison. Pelfrey was dinged for the loss, while holds went to Mike Dunn and Clay Hensley, and the win was given to Johnson. Harris and Buck were designated the best hitters.

Staying in the state, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted the Baltimore Orioles. Jeremy Guthrie and David Price threw the ball. Baltimore was the first on the board with a third inning single by Nick Markakis that drove in J.J. Hardy. Brian Roberts helped the Orioles cause with a triple in the fifth inning, batting in Matt Wieters and Hardy, followed by a Markakis sacrifice fly to complete the trip around the bases for Roberts. Tampa Bay avoided the shutout with a solo home run by Ben Zobrist, making it a 4-1 final. Guthrie grabbed the win while Price took the loss. Roberts and Zobrist were the top hitters.

Into Missouri, where the Kansas City Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Dan Haren and Jeff Francis started the pitching. Howie Kendrick gave Los Angeles the early lead with his solo home run in the first inning. Kansas City replied with a Jeff Francoeur groundout that scored Billy Butler. The Royals broke the tie in the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot off the bat of Kila Ka'aihue. The win went to Joakim Soria, while the loss went to Michael Kohn. Kendrick and Ka'aihue got top batter status.

Out west to Oakland, with the Athletics hosting the Seattle Mariners. Felix Hernandez and Trevor Cahill took the mound. Oakland got on the board first with a two-run homer by Josh Willingham, also scoring Coco Crisp (the cereal center-fielder). Seattle was on the board in the third inning with a Jack Cust walk forcing Ichiro in. Ichiro singled in the sixth inning as well, knocking Brendan Ryan around the rest of his bases, before Chone Figgins sent a solo shot out of the park. The Mariners did some damage in the seventh inning, as Miguel Olivo reached on a fielding error, also bringing Cust into score. Adding insult to injury, Brad Ziegler committed a throwing error that brought Justin Smoak back across the plate. Olivo finished his trip on Ryan's fielder's choice, on which he made first base. This brought the score to its final, 6-2 Seattle, with Hernandez taking credit for a complete game win, and Craig Breslow taking both the blown save and the loss. Figgins and Willingham were the top batters.

Finally, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants. Jonathan Sanchez went toe-to-toe with Chad Billingsley. Los Angeles was the first on the board a Matt Kemp ground rule double, scoring Billingsley. San Francisco went in front with a three-run homer by rookie Brandon Belt, clearing the bases of Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval. The Dodgers got busy in the sixth inning with Kemp reaching home on James Loney's sacrifice fly, followed by Hector Gimenez reaching on a Sanchez throwing error forcing Rod Barajas into home, and lastly by Rafael Furcal's single to complete the trip around the bases for Aaron Miles. This brought the score to 4-3, which was the final, crediting Sanchez with the loss, Billingsley with the win, Blake Hawksworth and Matt Guerrier for the holds, and a Jonathan Broxton save. Belt and Kemp took the top batter honors.

That's all for April Fool's Day, and that's certainly no joke. Saturday is packed, with a full slate of baseball along with eleven games of hockey.

Thursday Hockey and Baseball

On Thursday, we had ten hockey games and six baseball games on the latter's opening day. These will be recapped in full. Please pardon any weaknesses in structure for baseball, this is a learning curve that I will need to adjust to. The hockey started in...

Washington, D.C., with the Capitals hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth tended the twines. Washington opened with a John Carlson goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brooks Laich and Jason Chimera. Columbus answered in the second period with Antoine Vermette sinking his 19th of the year, courtesy of Matt Calvert and Tomas Kubalik. Mike Knuble quickly replied for the Capitals, registering his 21st of the season with help from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Blue Jackets tied it up again with a Fedor Tyutin goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Kubalik and Calvert. Thirteen seconds later, Washington took the lead once more with a Jason Arnott goal, his 16th of the season, with guidance from Marco Sturm. Columbus found another equalizer from Scottie Upshall, his 22nd of the year getting aided by Derek MacKenzie. Chimera gave the Capitals a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets in the overtime period that was required, his ninth of the campaign fueled by Laich and Carlson. The three stars went to Chimera, Arnott, and Calvert.

Into Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky took control of the creases. Atlanta was the first on the board in the third period with a Nik Antropov goal, his 15th of the campaign, guided in by Evander Kane. This would be the only goal of the game, and the three stars went to Mason (43 save shutout), Kane, and Bobrovsky (21 for 22 saves).

Onto Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted their rivals, the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Al Montoya made the starts. The Rangers opened the scoring with Vinny Prospal netting his sixth of the season, with help from Marian Gaborik. The Islanders tied it with Blake Comeau notching his 22nd of the year, with helpers provided by Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic. Thirty-three seconds later, the Islanders had a lead with a Radek Martinek goal, his third of the season made possible P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. The Islanders extended their lead with a Jesse Joensuu goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Martinek and Jack Hillen. Parenteau kept the Islanders going with his 19th of the season, assisted by Matt Moulson and Dylan Reese. Lundqvist was replaced by Chad Johnson for the third period. Moulson also tallied for the Islanders with his 31st of the year, courtesy of Tavares and Reese. Fights broke out in the third period after the Moulson goal, with Sean Avery fighting Micheal Haley before Brandon Prust took on Zenon Konopka. Trevor Gillies resumed the scoring for the Islanders (ironic isn't it?) with his second of the season, with help from Reese, who finished off a sock trick, and Matt Martin. The Rangers sent one last weak response with Prust notching his 13th of the year, thanks to Brian Boyle. The final stood at 6-2 with the three stars awarded to Montoya (25 for 27 saves), Martinek, and Parenteau.

Over to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Tim Thomas played in the blue paint. Toronto opened the scoring with Luke Schenn netting his fifth of the season, with help from Carl Gunnarsson and Joffrey Lupul. Boston tied it in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Brad Marchand, his 21st of the year. David Krejci soon put the Bruins in front with his 13th of the season, made possible by Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. Lupul retied it for the Maple Leafs with his 12th of the year, a power play goal powered by Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. Andrew Ference gave Boston the lead back with his third goal of the season, helped along by Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Lupul found another equalizer for Toronto with his second of the game and 13th of the year, aided by Kessel and Schenn. The tie lasted into the shootout, where the Maple Leafs topped the Bruins with Nazem Kadri's lone tally. The three stars went to Lupul, Marchand, and Kadri.

Down south, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleur and Dwayne Roloson played between the pipes. Tampa Bay opened the scoring with Steve Downie recording his ninth of the campaign, with assistance from Simon Gagne and Steven Stamkos. Martin St. Louis put the Lightning in front with his 30th of the season, helped along by Vincent Lecavalier and Victor Hedman. After a scoreless second period, Pittsburgh entered the scoring in the third with Michael Rupp's seventh of the year, fueled by Alex Kovalev. The final would stand at 2-1 with Roloson (36 for 37 saves), St. Louis, and Downie picking up the three stars.

Moving south in the state, the Florida Panthers hosted the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Scott Clemmensen took to the cages. Nick Foligno opened the scoring for Ottawa with his 13th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Senators continued along with Colin Greening notching his fifth of the year, courtesy of Marek Svatos. Florida got on the board with the second of the campaign by Michal Repik, assisted by Marty Reasoner. Greening got the goal back for Ottawa with his sixth of the season and second of the game, with Svatos and Chris Phillips picking up the assists. The Senators made it 4-1 with Filip Kuba notching his first of the year, guided in by Erik Condra and Ryan Shannon. The three stars were awarded to Greening, Anderson (37 for 38 saves), and Svatos after the scoreless third period made the score final.

To Minnesota, where the Wild hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Niklas Backstorm defended the cages. Minnesota took control of the scoring first with Antti Miettinen sinking his 15th of the season on the power play thanks to Matt Cullen and Andrew Brunette. Marek Zidlicky extended the lead for the Wild with his seventh of the year, assisted by Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Kyle Brodziak. Brad Staubitz also tallied for Minnesota on his second of the season, courtesy of Eric Nystrom and John Madden. The Wild kept going with Martin Havlat sinking his 22nd of the year, fueled by Chuck Kobasew and Brent Burns. Edmonton finally got on the board with Tom Gilbert netting his sixth of the season on the power play, with helpers provided by Ryan Jones and Magnus Paajarvi. The Oilers brought the score to 4-2 with Linus Omark notching his fourth of the year, also a power play goal, powered by Gilbert and Jim Vandermeer. This would be the final, and the three stars went to Cullen, Zidlicky, and Burns.

Heading to Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Brian Elliott made the starts. Nashville opened with Colin Wilson registering his 16th of the season with helpers by Matt Halischuk and Blake Geoffrion. The Predators extended their lead with Jordin Tootoo's sixth of the year, guided along by Cody Franson and Martin Erat. Erat tallied for Nashville on the power play in the third period, his 16th of the campaign made possible by Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn. Colorado got on the board with Paul Stastny recording his 22nd of the season, helped along by Milan Hejduk and Matt Duchene. David Jones tacked on his 26th of the year for the Avalanche late in the third period as well, with assistance from John-Michael Liles and Kevin Porter, but the final would stay at 3-2. The three stars were given to Erat, Stastny, and Rinne (27 for 29 saves).

Next on the route, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo took care of the twines. Kyle Clifford put Los Angeles in front first with his sixth of the season, helped along by Drew Doughty and Brad Richardson. Daniel Sedin put Vancouver in a tie in the second period with his 41st of the year, with help from Viktor Oreskovich. With a second left in the middle frame, the Canucks took the lead on a Christian Ehrhoff tally, his 13th of the season, made possible by Jannik Hansen. Ryan Kesler made it 3-1 Vancouver with his 37th of the year, a power play goal, powered by Daniel and Sami Salo. This was the final, with the three stars given to Daniel, Ehrhoff, and Kesler.

To finish the hockey in San Jose, with the Sharks hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi played in front of the goals. San Jose got on the board first with Dan Boyle notching his seventh of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Kyle Wellwood. The Sharks extended their lead with Logan Couture on the power play, his 31st of the year getting powered by Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatley. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also tallied for San Jose, his third of the season coming off of Joe Thornton and Devin Setoguchi. Patrick Marleau added on a pair for the Sharks, his 34th and 35th of the campaign, coming via Jamal Mayers and Ian White on the first goal and Thornton and Heatley on the second. Ben Eager used his sixth of the year to make it 6-0 San Jose with assists coming from Mayers and Vlasic. This was the final, and the three stars were given to Marleau, Niemi (29 save shutout), and Eager.

To the baseball games for opening day, where we start with...

The New York Yankees hosting the Detroit Tigers. Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia got the ball to start. The scoring was opened by Detroit in the second inning, with Jhonny Peralta knocking in Miguel Cabrera with a sacrifice fly. The Yankees replied and took the lead with a 3-run home run by Mark Teixeira, scoring Russell Martin and Derek Jeter as well. The Tigers got a run back with Brandon Inge's single to score Cabrera in the fourth inning. Cabrera also knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, with Austin Jackson coming around to score. New York retook the lead in the seventh, with Curtis Granderson's solo home run, and extended it with Jeter's sacrifice fly, which scored Martin. The Yankees made it 6-3 with Nick Swisher's single to score Alex Rodriguez. This score would be the final, with Joba Chamberlain picking up the win, Rafael Soriano grabbing a hold, and Mariano Rivera getting the save. Phil Coke was credited with the loss. The top batters were Inge for the Tigers and Teixeira for the Yankees.

Moving into the Nation's capital, with the Washington Nationals hosting the Atlanta Braves. Derek Lowe and Livan Hernandez were on the mounds. Atlanta opened the scoring in the first inning with Brian McCann sneding Chipper Jones home with a single. Jason Heyward made it 2-0 for the Braves in the second inning with his solo home run. This would go down as the final, with Lowe grabbing the win, Eric O'Flaherty, Peter Moylan, and Johnny Venters grabbing the holds, and Craig Kimbrel finishing for the save. Hernandez was tagged the losing pitcher. The top hitters were Heyward and Danny Espinosa.

Into Ohio, where the Cincinnati Reds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. Yovani Gallardo and Edinson Volquez took their spot on the mounds. Milwaukee opened the scoring in the first inning with homers by Rickie Weeks and Carlos Gomez, accompanied by Casey McGehee's sacrifice fly to bump Ryan Braun in. Joey Votto answered for Cincinnati in the same inning on a sacrifice fly, which brought Drew Stubbs back to the plate. The Brewers wasted no time, getting the run back in the second inning as Weeks doubled to bring Wil Nieves around to home. Stubbs sent a ball out of the yard in the fourth inning for the Reds, good as a solo home run. Milwaukee went up 5-2 when Braun homered in the fifth inning. McGehee knocked Braun in again in the seventh inning as well, scoring another run for the Brewers on that single. Votto scored for Cincinnati with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh. The Reds managed to squeak out a win in the ninth inning by Jonny Gomes' sacrifice fly to bring Brandon Phillips to home, and a later three run home run from Ramon Hernandez, also scoring Votto and Scott Rolen. The final stood at 7-6, with Logan Ondrusek getting the win. The pitchers on the Milwaukee side were Takashi Saito with a hold, and John Axford with a blown save and loss.

To Kansas City, where the Royals hosted the Los Angeles Angels. Jered Weaver and Luke Hochevar got the ball for the opening day game. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the fourth inning with Torii Hunter's solo home run and a double by Erick Aybar to bring Vernon Wells home. The Angels continued in the sixth inning with Jeff Mathis hitting a solo shot, and Maicer Izturis singling to bring Peter Bourjos back in. Kansas City got on the board in the seventh inning with Jeff Francoeur hitting a solo home run. The Royals brought the score to 4-2 with Mike Aviles solo home run in the eighth inning. This would be the final, with Weaver getting the win, Jordan Walden, Kevin Jepsen, and Michael Kohn getting the holds, along with Fernando Rodney grabbing the save. Hochevar was tacked for the loss. Mathis and Francoeur were the top hitters.

Cross the state of Missouri, the St. Louis Cardinals hosted the San Diego Padres. Tim Stauffer and Chris Carpenter took the mound. St. Louis opened the scoring in the first inning with a Matt Holliday single that brought Colby Rasmus in. San Diego replied in the fourth inning with Orlando Hudson recording a sacrifice fly to bring Will Venable in. In the same inning, the Cardinals retook the lead with Yadier Molina's single, scoring Lance Berkman. The Padres retied it in the fifth inning, with Nick Hundley's double scoring Ryan Ludwick. St. Louis grabbed the lead once again in the eighth inning, with a Holliday home run. Cameron Maybin allowed San Diego to tie it at 3 with his own home run in the ninth inning, which would force extra innings. In the eleventh, the Padres got runs off of a Maybin single, which allowed Chase Headley to score with some fielding issues by Ryan Theriot. Hundley also singled, batting in Cedric Hunter, bringing the final to 5-3 after Heath Bell came on for the save. Other pitching stats go to Pat Neshek for the win, Ryan Franklin for the blown save, and Bryan Augenstein for the loss. Hundley and Holliday got top batter honors.

To a National League California battle, with the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Tim Lincecum and Clayton Kershaw were on the mound. Los Angeles busted opening the scoring in the sixth inning, when Buster Posey made a throwing error, allowing Matt Kemp to score and James Loney and Juan Uribe to move up a base as well. Loney also doubled in the eighth inning, bringing Kemp in again. San Francisco got on the board with a Pat Burrell home run, good for one run, bringing the final to 2-1. Kershaw took the win, Hong-Chih Kuo got the hold, and Jonathan Broxton recorded the save on the Dodgers ledger, while Lincecum was given the loss for the Giants. Burrell and Loney were the top batters.

If you are still reading, congratulations, and this will be the basic formatting for the near future, until the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in hockey. For all you sports fans, tell your baseball-loving friends about this blog, a great place to get decent recaps of every game that is played (even if they are a bit late).