NFL Morning Games Week 9 2012

Back to splitting the games up again. Eight games roll early, beginning with...

The Indianapolis Colts hosting the Miami Dolphins. Miami led off with a first quarter Dan Carpenter field goal of 37 yards. Indianapolis took the lead as Andrew Luck passed 9 yards to Reggie Wayne for a touchdown, and Adam Vinatieri knocked in the extra point. The Dolphins took the lead in the second quarter as Ryan Tannehill passed 31 yards to Charles Clay, and Carpenter handled the extra point. The Colts retied it when Vinatieri kicked a 23 yard field goal. Miami took the lead back with an 18 yard Reggie Bush touchdown rush, and Carpenter booted the extra point. Indianapolis pulled back a bit with a Vinatieri 47 yard field goal. The Colts gained the lead when Luck passed 36 yards to T.Y. Hilton, and Vinatieri was good with the extra point. The Dolphins retied it in the fourth quarter as Carpenter nailed a 31 yard field goal. Indianapolis edged ahead on a Vinatieri field goal from 43 yards out. This was all they needed to win 23-20, with the Colts now standing at 5-3 while Miami falls to 4-4.

Down in Houston, the Texans host the Buffalo Bills. Houston began with a first quarter Matt Schaub touchdown pass of 39 yards to Owen Daniels, and Shayne Graham was there with the extra point. Buffalo got on the board as Rian Lindell kicked in a 22 yard field goal. The Bills got closer with a 38 yard field goal by Lindell. The Texans extended the lead in the third quarter on an Arian Foster 3 yard touchdown run, and Graham kicked the extra point. Buffalo replied as Lindell made a 39 yard field goal. Houston padded the lead as Schaub passed 5 yards to Garrett Graham for a touchdown, and then the other Graham made the PAT. This held up for a 21-9 win, with Houston now at 7-1 and Buffalo fell to 3-5.

Back north a bit, the Cleveland Browns welcome the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore got going with a first quarter Ray Rice touchdown run of 8 yards, and Justin Tucker booted the extra point. The Ravens added on as Bernard Pierce ran 12 yards for a touchdown, and Tucker again made the extra point. Cleveland got on the board in the second quarter with a Phil Dawson 32 yard field goal. The Browns got closer as Dawson made a 28 yard field goal. Cleveland chipped away with a Dawson 29 yard field goal. The Browns kept going in the third quarter as Dawson made a 33 yard field goal. Cleveland got the lead as Dawson made a fourth quarter 41 yard field goal. Baltimore pulled back in front with a Joe Flacco touchdown pass of 19 yards to Torrey Smith, followed by a successful two point conversion to Anquan Boldin. The Ravens added on as Tucker made a 43 yard field goal. This ended the scoring at 25-15, with Baltimore improving to 6-2 and Cleveland dropping to 2-7.

Across Ohio, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Denver Broncos. Denver was first to score with a first quarter field goal by Matt Prater from 43 yards away. Cincinnati tied it in the second quarter on a Mike Nugent field goal from 28 yards out. The Broncos took the lead in the second quarter with a 13 yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Eric Decker, and Prater kicked in the extra point. Denver extended the lead on a 105 yard kickoff return in the third quarter by Trindon Holliday, and Prater supplied the extra point. The Bengals answered as Andy Dalton passed 10 yards for a touchdown to A.J. Green, and Nugent knocked in the extra point. Cincinnati pulled closer with a 49 field goal from Nugent. The Bengals took the lead in the fourth quarter as BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Nugent tacked on the extra point. The Broncos shot back when Manning passed 1 yard for a touchdown to Joel Dreessen, and Prater made his extra point. Denver kept going with a Manning pass of 4 yards to Decker for another touchdown, and Prater was true with the extra point. Nugent pulled Cincinnati in range with a 41 yard field goal, but it wasn't enough to avoid the 31-23 loss. The Broncos are now 5-3 while the Bengals drop to 3-5.

South to Tennessee, where the Tennessee Titans host the Chicago Bears. Chicago started with a first quarter blocked punt as Brett Kern tried to kick the ball away, allowing Corey Wootton to pick the ball up and run it in 5 yards for a touchdown, and Robbie Gould ended the play with an extra point. Tennessee got on the board as Chicago committed a penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety. The Bears padded the lead on an 8 yard Matt Forte touchdown run, and Gould was there with the extra point. Chicago struck again as Brian Urlacher picked off Matt Hasselbeck and ran it in 46 yards for a touchdown, allowing Gould another PAT. The Bears kept going as Jay Cutler passed 13 yards to Brandon Marshall for a touchdown, and Gould kicked the extra point. Chicago added on in the second quarter as Gould made a 40 yard field goal. The Titans answered with a Rob Bironas 39 yard field goal. Tennessee chipped away in the third quarter as Hasselbeck passed 30 yards to Nate Washington for a touchdown, and Bironas recorded the extra point. The Bears replied on a 25 yard Gould field goal. Chicago got some more as Gould was good with a 22 yard field goal. The Bears extended the lead again in the fourth quarter as Cutler passed 39 yards to Marshall for a touchdown, and Gould was again true with the extra point. Chicago struck again when Cutler found Marshall for 5 yards and a touchdown, and Gould was there for the extra point. The Titans pulled back with an 80 yard touchdown run by Chris Johnson, and the two point attempt from Hasselbeck to Kenny Britt was also good. They got no closer, falling 51-20, allowing the Bears to move to 7-1 while the Titans fall to 3-6.

Southeast to Jacksonville, as the Jaguars bring in the Detroit Lions. Detroit got going in the second quarter as Mikel LeShoure ran 7 yards for a touchdown, and Jason Hanson was true on the PAT. The Lions added on as LeShoure ran 1 yard for a touchdown, and Hanson made another extra point. Detroit kept going with a third touchdown rush by LeShoure, an 8 yard run, and Hanson kicked the extra point again. The Lions extended the lead in the fourth quarter as Hanson kicked a 42 yard field goal. Jacksonville got on the board as Blaine Gabbert passed 5 yards to Micheal Spurlock for a touchdown, and then he converted the two point attempt to Rashad Jennings. Detroit replied with Joique Bell running 10 yards for a touchdown, and Hanson knocked in the extra point. The Jaguars answered back as Gabbert passed 6 yards to Justin Blackmon for a touchdown, but he failed to convert the two-point attempt. This made it 31-14, a final, with Detroit moving to 4-4 and Jacksonville dropping to 1-7.

Back to the north, the Green Bay Packers host the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay opened in the first quarter as Aaron Rodgers passed 13 yards to Randall Cobb for a touchdown, and Mason Crosby kicked in the extra point. Arizona tied the game in the second quarter as LaRod Stephens-Howling ran 1 yard for a touchdown and Jay Feely made the extra point. The Packers took the lead back on another Rodgers touchdown pass to Cobb, this time for 21 yards, and Crosby again made the PAT. Green Bay got some more as Rodgers found James Jones for 28 yards and a touchdown, and Crosby was true on the extra point. The Packers struck again in the third quarter as Crosby made a 33 yard field goal. The Cardinals got some back with John Skelton passing 31 yards to Larry Fitzgerald for a touchdown, and Feely tacked on the extra point. Arizona got some back with a 20 yard Feely field goal. Green Bay answered as Rodgers passed 72 yards for a touchdown to Tom Crabtree, and Crosby supplied the extra point. This concluded the scoring at 31-17, with Green Bay now standing at 6-3 while Arizona dips to 4-5.

Finally, the early games end in DC, as the Washington Redskins host the Carolina Panthers. Washington struck first in the first quarter as Kai Forbath kicked a 47 yard field goal. Carolina took the lead as DeAngelo Williams ran farther than he has all year ran 30 yards for a touchdown, and Justin Medlock handled the extra point. The Panthers added on in the second quarter as Cam Newton passed 19 yards to Steve Smith, and Medlock made the extra point. The Redskins pulled back in the third quarter as Forbath made a 25 yard field goal. Carolina extended the lead with a fourth quarter Newton touchdown run, iced off by Medlock's extra point. Washington tried a late rally as Evan Royster ran 2 yards for a touchdown, and Forbath booted the PAT, but this only made it 21-13 final. Carolina is now 2-6 while Washington falls to 3-6.

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KHL November 4th 2012

This is the last game until November 14th, so I get a pretty much immediate vacation from KHL work. So far, so good in my opinion. Just to let you all know, I will blog the KHL throughout the end of their postseason regardless of if the NHL returns from their work stoppage. Here's the last game to hold you over for awhile, with...

Dinamo Minsk hosting Dinamo Riga. Mikael Tellqvist tends the twine for Riga while Pekka Rinne does the same for Minsk. Minsk began in the first period with a goal by Alexander Kitarov, assisted by Alexander Kulakov and Lukas Krajicek. Minsk extended the lead in the second period as Tim Stapleton found the back of the net, with helpers provided by Geoff Platt and Teemu Laine. The third period saw no scoring, resulting in a 2-0 Minsk victory. The three stars belong to Rinne (27 save shutout), Kitarov, and Stapleton.

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How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 7

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part seven tells us the story of the interesting Aubrey Huff. 

Aubrey Huff III was born on December 20, 1976, in Marion, Ohio. He grew up in Mineral Wells, Texas, and from age six onward, had the misfortune of living in a one-parent household after a tragic domestic dispute claimed the life of his father, who was a bystander when the altercation occurred. Despite the early scars, Huff was able to continue a life in sports, and at both Mineral Wells High School and Brewer High School in Fort Worth, Texas, he played baseball and basketball. Huff split his college time between Vernon College, and was named 1996 Most Valuable Player, before transferring to the University of Miami for his last two years. At University of Miami, he had the following accomplishments to his name: single game runs record (5), most doubles in a game (4), both in his junior year, and in his senior year he had the fourth-best batting average for a single season at .412, second best slugging percentage, .768, twenty-one home runs (fifth best), and a record ninety-five runs batted in. Baseball America, The Sporting News, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named him a first team All-American. His career .400 batting average and .719 slugging percentage at University of Miami earned him a spot in their Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays drafted him in the fifth round. He spent time during that season at the Class A level Charleston RiverDogs, in the South Atlantic League. In 1999, he played the full season with the Class AA Orlando Rays of the Southern League. His numbers remained strong at both levels, as he held his average over .300 and hit for a modest amount of power and run production. In 2000, he made another step up to play with the Class AAA Durham Bulls of Durham, North Carolina in the International League. He was with them until the beginning of August, again posting numbers north of .300 with twenty home runs and seventy-six runs batted in. From August 1st to the end of the year, Huff was with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, playing mostly third base in a starting role, where he hit .287 with four home runs and fourteen runs batted in during the two-month span of time. He began the 2001 season in Durham again, but joined the Rays on April 13th, manning the corner infield positions and occasionally appearing as the designated hitter as well. His numbers fell off dramatically for the whole season, as he struggled to hit the ground running in his first full season, and he was even sent back to Durham in late August. It was his worst season at the time. He again started the season at Durham in 2002, after spending time on the disabled list due to a broken cheekbone. He started very strong in Durham, and earned a late May call-up, resulting in him staying with Tampa Bay for the rest of the season. He hit .313 with twenty-three home runs and fifty-nine runs batted in throughout the year in a very strong rebound campaign. His home run total led the team despite his missing the first two months of the season. In 2003, he had two new things happen. First, he began the year and played the entire season with the Devil Rays, appearing in all 162 games. He also became the starting right fielder, his first professional experience in the outfield. This was a defining season for Huff, who batted .311 with thirty-four home runs and 107 runs batted in, falling just two hits short of two hundred. His total numbers for the year have been matched only by eleven players in the history of the major leagues. In 2004, Huff went back to third base, and his numbers experienced a negligible decline, hitting .297 with twenty-nine home runs and 104 runs batted in. His 398 game streak of starts ended on August 22nd, when he sat out with a back injury. The 2005 season saw Huff go back to right field, but his numbers took a second drop, with a .261 batting average, twenty-two home runs, and ninety-two runs batted in. He did achieve his 100th home run and first grand slam during the season, but overall it was a disappointing effort for the versatile Huff. For the 2006 season, Huff transitioned back to third base, and his numbers made a slight improvement. He made his first appearance on the disabled list on April 12th with a knee injury, and he made his rehabilitation appearances with Visalia Oaks in the Class A Advanced California League. He hit .283 with the Devils Rays during this time, but he was deemed expendable on July 12, 2006, as he was traded with cash to the Houston Astros in exchange for Mitch Talbot and eventual utility man Ben Zobrist. His numbers with the Astros were worse than those he had with Tampa Bay, and he struggled to find his form for the rest of the year. On January 3, 2007, he signed a free agent deal with the Baltimore Orioles. With the Orioles, he played some first base and served time as the designated hitter. He rebounded here, hitting .280 in his first season, and he also hit fifteen home runs with seventy-two runs batted in. On June 29th, he became the fourth Orioles player to hit for the cycle, and also recorded his 1,000th hit and 200th double in the same game. In 2008, he switched his number in honor of a former teammate, Joe Kennedy, which saw Huff wear number 17. Huff played inspired baseball that season, regaining his early career numbers in full fashion by hitting .304 with thirty-two home runs and 108 runs batted in. He was designated the team's Most Valuable Player, and was also the designated hitter of the year as recognized by the Edgar Martinez award. Alas, he failed to hold onto the strong numbers and suffered a very forgettable 2009 season. With the Orioles, he only managed a .253 average, and on August 17th, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for minor-leaguer Brett Jacobson. His limited time with the Tigers was even worse, and they did not bring him back for the 2010 season. The San Francisco Giants took the chance for 2010 with Huff, where he played first base, left field, and right field depending on the needs the lineup presented. The change of scenery served Huff well, as he helped the Giants reach the playoffs by posting a .290 average with twenty-six home runs and eighty-six runs batted in. He wasn't as effective in the playoffs, but his contribution of a .268 average with a home run and eight runs batted in were enough to help the Giants to the World Series Championship that year, and also earned him a contract extension. He also coined the phrase "Rally Thong" for the Giants postseason run, as he revealed he wore a red thong when the Giants needed a big win. In 2011, he continued to play for San Francisco, but the championship hangover appeared to wear on him a bit. Altogether, his numbers slumped drastically, and as regression (along with a key injury to Buster Posey) hit the Giants, they all failed to make the playoffs for a chance to defend their title. San Francisco made the rebound in 2012, but Huff was not on board, and his numbers dipped even lower, falling below the Mendoza line for the first time in a full season in his career. He spent three stints on the disabled list, struggling with anxiety issues and knee tendinitis. While his numbers were far from usual, he was still brought along for the ride on the postseason roster, making his appearances as a pinch hitter. His production in the postseason was also below average, but his presence on the roster earned him his second championship in three years. Considering all that he's been through, I wish him the best as he makes an attempt to rebound somewhere new next season.

As an aside, since we are now one week into this project, I would like to give credit where credit is due. I get my information and season statistics from Yahoo! Sports, personal information and accomplishments from Wikipedia.org, and minor league statistics, transaction information, and position information from Baseball-Reference.com. Without these well operated websites, this project would not be possible and I thank their dedication to accurate information for allowing me to dabble in the art of journalism. If you would like to cite my articles from the How They Got Here series, please also mention the above websites. Thank You.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL November 3rd 2012

One game highlights the action for today, and that is Slovan Bratislava of Slovakia hosting their Bobrov Division rivals, Lev Praha of the Czech Republic. Tomas Popperle is in net for Lev while Jaroslav Janus is between the pipes for Slovan. Slovan started the scoring in the first period on a goal by Roman Kukumberg, assisted by Milan Kytnar and Jan Tabacek. Slovan extended the lead in the second period with a Michal Vondrka goal, made possible by Ivan Svarny. Lev got on the board in the third period with a Jakub Voracek goal, set up by Zdeno Chara. They failed to get the equalizer, falling 2-1, with the three stars going to Vondrka, Janus (32 for 33 in saves), and Popperle (28 for 30 in saves) in the Slovan win.

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How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 6

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part six details the career of outfielder Xavier Nady. 

Xavier Nady VI was born on November 14, 1978 in Carmel, California. He was originally drafted out of high school after being named Northern California Player of the year, but the fourth-round selection elected not to sign with the St. Louis Cardinals. Nady was drafted again in 2000 by the San Diego Padres in the second round, and became the eighteenth player to begin their professional career in the major leagues instead of the minors. He made his debut on September 30, 2000, and got a hit in his only at-bat. Nady then went to the minors for the 2001 season, playing with the Lake Elsinore Storm in Lake Elsinore, California at the Class A Advanced level in the California League. He hit over .300 for the year, while also hitting twenty-six home runs and producing one hundred runs batted in. He was the Padres' minor league player of the year, MVP of the California League, and Rookie of the Year for that season. Nady suffered an arm injury in 2002 that cut his season short, requiring him to undergo Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. The time he was playing, he turned in respectable season with Lake Elsinore and also spent some time at Class AAA Portland, playing with the Beavers in the Pacific Coast League. He continued to post strong numbers in both leagues, although not as strong as those he had in 2001. Nady spent significant time in 2003 playing for the Padres in the majors, although for late July and all of August, he was back with Portland. He hit .267 with nine home runs and thirty-nine runs batted in during his time in the majors, and he had similar statistics with the Beavers as well. In 2004, Nady started the year in Portland before receiving an early June call-up to the Padres. He spent the next two months there before returning to Portland, and then he played out September with San Diego. While hitting .330 in Portland, Nady struggled to match that production at the major league level. He played the full season in San Diego for 2005, ending with a .261 batting average, thirteen home runs, and forty-three runs batted in. This wasn't enough to keep the Padres interested, and he was traded on November 18, 2005 to the New York Mets in exchange for fellow outfielder Mike Cameron. He played part of the 2006 season with the Mets, posting similar numbers as he had for the Padres as well as a small injury rehabilitation assignment with the Class AAA Norfolk Tides of Norfolk, in the International League, before being shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez, as the Mets were desperate for pitching depth. Nady closed out strong for the Pirates, and also pumped out a .278 average with twenty home runs and seventy-two runs batted in for the 2007 season. The 2008 season was kinder to Nady, where he posted a .330 average, thirteen home runs, and fifty-seven runs batted in for the Pirates, who decided to sell high with him and shipped him and Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees on July 26, 2008 for outfielder Jose Tabata, relievers Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen, and starter Jeff Karstens. He closed out the year with the Yankees on a decreased batting average, but similar home run and runs batted in totals that he had for the first half of the year with Pittsburgh. Nady's 2009 campaign with New York was cut short by a second elbow injury requiring Tommy John surgery, and he also had a brief rehabilitation period with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Yankees in the Class AAA International League. He did get lucky though, as he was credited with the Yankees for their 2009 World Series championship. Nady rebounded with the Chicago Cubs in 2010 on a one-year deal that saw him produce diminished numbers across the board. His next stop came in 2011 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and his statistics dipped farther, with only a .248 average, four home runs, and thirty-five runs batted in, along with a benching in early August that lasted throughout the year. Arizona didn't bring him back for 2012, but he got a shot with the Washington Nationals. He started the year with them but was relegated mostly to the bench after the Bryce Harper call-up, as well as when Michael Morse and Jayson Werth made their returns from injuries. He appeared with the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, Virginia in the Class A Advanced Carolina League, where his numbers turned abysmal. He was released on July 29, 2012, and the San Francisco Giants signed him on August 5th. He began his time in the Giants organization back in the Pacific Coast League, playing with the Fresno Grizzlies, but was among the September call-ups, and also made the postseason roster. He didn't get a hit while appearing in four games in the National League Division Series, but his presence on the roster earned him the title of World Series Champion for the second time. Currently a free agent, Nady aims to continue his resurgence in the years ahead.

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KHL November 2nd 2012

Nine games on as we approach the KHL break for November. First up...

Avangard Omsk hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Edgars Masalskis for Yugra and Eduard Reizvikh for Avangard are given the starting nods to play goal. The scoring started late in the third period as Dmitry Syomin scored with the help of Alexander Frolov and Sergei Kostitsyn. Avangard iced the game at 2-0 when Alexander Popov scored an empty net goal, and Kostitsyn and Frolov again recorded the assists. The three stars go to Reizvikh (23 save shutout), Kostitsyn, and Frolov.

West to Chekhov, as Vityaz Chekhov hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. The goalies are Georgy Gelashvili for Metallurg and Ivan Kasutin for Vityaz. Vityaz opened the scoring in the second period on a goal by Anton Korolyov, with a lone assist from Pavel Chernov. Metallurg quickly tied the game with a Dmitry Kazionov goal, helped along by Mats Zuccarello. Metallurg gained the lead in the third period with a power play goal by Viktor Antipin, powered by a pair of Sergeis, Mozyakin and Gonchar. Metallurg extended the lead as Evgeny Malkin scored a power play goal, assisted by with the only helper tallied by Mozyakin. Metallurg struck again when Mozyakin scored, with Gonchar recording the assist. This made it a 4-1 final, with the three stars belonging to Mozyakin, Gonchar, and Antipin.

A touch to the north, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vadim Tarasov Salavat Yulaev and Curtis Sanford for Lokomotiv are in between the pipes. Salavat Yulaev began with a first period goal by Alexei Kaigorodov, courtesy of Igor Milnov and Antti Pihlstrom. Lokomotiv tied it on a power play goal from Staffan Kronwall, and Alexander Chernikov had the only assist. Lokomotiv retook the lead in the second period when Emil Galimov put the puck away, with the help of Artyom Anisimov. Salavat Yulaev pulled even again in the third period as Tomas Rolinek netted the puck, thanks to Sergei Zinovyev. Lokomotiv regained the lead on an Anisimov goal, assisted by Galimov. Salavat Yulaev shot back as Rolinek scored another equalizer, passed from Denis Khlystov and Zinovyev. The game required a shootout to determine the winner, and it was Lokomotiv who came out on top with goals from Galimov and Viktor Kozlov. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Galimov, Anisimov, and Rolinek.

Across the lake, Severstal Cherepovets welcomes in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Andrei Mezin for Traktor and Vasily Koshechkin for Severstal are in the blue paint. Ignat Zemchenko got Severstal started early in the first period with a goal, passed from Nikolai Kazakovtsev and Alexei Medvedev. Traktor tied it in the second period with a goal off the tape of Dmitry Ryabykin, coming from Petri Kontiola and Andrei Kostitsyn. Traktor gained the lead with a goal by Stanislav Chistov, with helpers provided by Deron Quint and Evgeny Kuznetsov on the power play. Traktor added on in the third period with an unassisted Chistov power play goal, producing the 3-1 final score. The three stars belong to Chistov, Mezin (38 for 39 in saves), and Ryabykin.

To the southwest, we head to Belarus, as Dinamo Minsk bring in Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Avtomobilist plays Christopher Holt in goal, while Pekka Rinne does the same for Dinamo. Dinamo wasted no time in scoring first with a first period goal by Charles Linglet, with a lone assist from Andrei Stas. Avtomobilist tied the game when Denis Sokolov scored a power play goal, powered by Alexei Simakov and Stanislav Zhmakin. Simakov put Avtomobilist ahead when he potted the puck, with assists coming from Rastislav Spirko and Josef Straka. Nikolai Pronin extended the Avtomobilist lead later in the period, scoring with assistance provided by Alexei Zavarukhin. Dinamo got one back in the second period as Zbynek Irgl found the back of the twine, and Cory Murphy and Stas were credited with the assists. Dinamo pulled even again as Teemu Laine scored an unassisted goal. The third period went by silently, but overtime was a different story, as Irgl completed the Dinamo comeback with a goal, and the only helper belonged to Linglet. The final stood at 4-3, with Irgl, Simakov, and Linglet earning the three stars.

Way to the east, Amur Khabarovsk hosts CSKA Moscow. Ilya Bryzgalov and Alexei Murygin receive the starts. CSKA found themselves ahead early with an unassisted Pavel Datsyuk goal in the first period. Alexei Marchenko added on for CSKA with a goal, assisted by Datsyuk and Mikhail Grabovsky. Amur got on the board as Bryzgalov was called for throwing the stick, resulting in a penalty shot, which brought on Ilya Proskuryakov to man the net, but it was no good as Dmitry Tarasov converted the opportunity, and Bryzgalov came back into the game. CSKA answered in the second period with Igor Radulov scoring, with the help of Alexander Radulov and Evgeny Ryasensky. CSKA padded the lead with a power play goal by Patrick Davis, powered by Yakov Rylov and Ryasensky. Amur shot back on another Tarasov goal, this time a power play tally made possible by Mikhail Fisenko and Igor Ozhiganov. CSKA replied when Denis Denisov potted the puck, guided in by Grabovsky. CSKA got another with Rylov scoring, via Alexander Radulov and Igor Radulov. The third period saw no scoring, leaving the final at 6-2 for CSKA and giving the three stars to Datsyuk, Igor Radulov, and Tarasov, while honorable mentions belong to Alexander Radulov, Rylov, Grabovsky, and Ryasensky.

Back west quite a bit, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Konstantin Barulin of Ak Bars and Nikita Bespalov of Torpedo tend the twines. Ak Bars got going in the first period on a Danis Zaripov goal, fueled by Konstantin Korneyev and Niko Kapanen. Ak Bars struck again in the second period with Evgeny Skachkov's goal, with a lone assist provided by Kirill Petrov. Ak Bars padded the lead in the third period on a Dmitry Obukhov goal, made possible by Janne Lahti and Denis Golubev. Ak Bars extended the lead as Zaripov scored again, helped along by Kapanen. This ended the scoring at 4-0, with the three stars going to Zaripov, Barulin (28 save shutout), and Kapanen.

To the south, HC Donbass of Donetsk, Ukraine hosts SKA Saint Petersburg. Sergei Bobrovsky of SKA and Erik Ersberg of Donbass are the masked men. SKA was first to score in the first period as Igor Makarov potted the puck, with help from Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Kucheryavenko. SKA added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, passed from Kevin Dallman and Dmitry Kalinin. SKA kept going with a Dallman power play goal, set up by Tarasenko and Kovalchuk. SKA extended the lead in the second period as Kucheryavenko scored a power play goal, powered by Makarov. Donbass got one back as Sergei Varlamov scored, guided in by Denis Kochetkov and Evgeny Belukhin. Belukhin pulled Donbass closer later in the period with a goal fueled by Varlamov. SKA shot back in the third period as Gleb Klimenko found the back of the net, and Makarov had the lone assist. SKA kept going with an Anton Burdasov goal, passed from Tarasenko and Kalinin. SKA padded the lead as Kucheryavenko scored, with the assists doled out to Klimenko and Makarov, the latter getting what I call a sock trick (three assists). Makarov continued his strong night for SKA by scoring his second goal of the game, helped along by Kucheryavenko and Klimenko. SKA iced the scoring at 9-2 with a Tony Martensson goal, coming off of Patrick Thoresen and Dallman. The three stars go to Makarov, Kucheryakov, and Tarasenko, while the honorable mentions include Kovalchuk, Dallman, Kalinin, Belukhin, Varlamov, and Klimenko.

Finally, Spartak Moscow hosts their cross-city rivals, Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko for Dynamo and Sergei Borisov for Spartak are manning the creases. Dynamo began with a first period goal by Maxim Solovyov, fueled by Marek Kvapil on the power play. Moscow added on when Richard Gynge scored a power play goal, powered by Solovyov. Dynamo extended the lead with another power play goal, this time by Janne Jalasvaara, with helpers provided by Kvapil and Solovyov. Dynamo padded the lead in the second period on a Denis Barantsev goal, with a lone assist by Nicklas Backstrom. Spartak finally got on the board as Branko Ravidojevic netted the puck with assistance from Nikita Shchitov. Dynamo responded with Konstantin Kasyanchuk's goal, guided in by Sergei Soin and Yury Babenko. Spartak tried a third period rally with Eduard Lewandowski scoring, via Mikhail Yunkov and Radivojevic, but it wasn't enough to avoid the 5-2 defeat. The three stars went to Solovyov, Kvapil, and Radivojevic.

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How They Got Here: The Story of the 2012 San Francisco Giants Part 5

How They Got Here: The San Francisco Giants is a one-by-one look at how each member of the 2012 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants found their way to the squad. We'll look at all of the players on the roster, as well as notable players who did not make the postseason roster for whatever reason and the coaching staff and general manager. Part five talks about reliever Jose Mijares.

Jose Mijares was born October 29, 1984, in Caracas, Venezuela. His schooling records are not listed, and he was undrafted before being signed in 2002 by the Minnesota Twins are the age of 17. In 2004, he made his first appearance in North American baseball, playing with the Gulf Coast League Twins in Fort Myers, Florida at the rookie level. In 2005, he advanced to the Class A Beloit Snappers of Beloit, Wisconsin, in the Midwestern League. He pitched reasonable well here, and earned a little time later in the season with the Fort Myers Miracle back in Fort Myers, Florida. His strong but limited showing here kept him assigned to the Class A Advanced team for 2006 as well, where he posted similar numbers as the year before. In 2007, he split time between the Class AA New Britain Rock Cats of New Britain, Connecticut in the Eastern League, where he continued to be successful, before struggling in an audition with the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings of the International League. The next season, he bounced all around, spending time with the GCL Twins, the Fort Myers Miracle, and the Rock Cats, where he posted strong numbers throughout the year regardless of where he found himself pitching. He also earned a September call-up to the big league Twins, appearing in ten games between September 13th and the end of the season, with much success. Mijares played only a handful of games with Rochester in 2009, before spending most of the season with the Minnesota Twins. Mijares again was successful, pitching to a 2.34 earned run average over 61 and 2/3 innings, while notching 55 strikeouts. Mijares again found himself in Rochester to start the 2010 campaign, but quickly found his way back to Minnesota, although his workload was cut in half in comparison to the previous season, and he had a few more issues statistically. In both 2009 and 2010, Mijares was in the postseason, pitching in five games at an average level. Mijares spent all of 2011 with the Twins as well, earning his roster spot from spring training. His effectiveness slipped in his third full major league season, and his earned run average ran above 4.50 for the first time in the majors. The Twins also failed to make the postseason that year, and on December 12, 2011, he was granted free agency for the first time in his career. Nine days later, Mijares was signed by the Kansas City Royals for the 2012 season. He proved to only need a change of scenery to regain his form from two years previous, posting a 2.56 earned run average with the Royals. However, Kansas City placed him on waivers, and he was claimed by the San Francisco Giants on August 6th, where he made himself an integral part of their bullpen. His statistics with the Giants were nearly identical to those he had in Kansas City, and he easily found his way onto their postseason roster. This looked to be a mistake early on, as Mijares struggled to solve the Cincinnati Reds batters during the National League Division Series. He rebounded largely in the National League Championship against the St. Louis Cardinals, with his struggles now behind him, and he also handed the one out he needed to against the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, en route to the 4-0 sweep for the Giants. Mijares has established himself over the last five years as a very valuable arm out of the bullpen, and the Giants were keen to claim him to bolster the bullpen on their way to the championship.

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