Monday, June 13, 2011

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars, week 10

Catcher: Alex Avila, 6 runs, 10 hits, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, .385 average, .429 on base
First Base: Prince Fielder, 7 runs, 10 hits, 6 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB, .500 average, .643 on base
Second Base: Dustin Pedroia, 6 runs, 9 hits, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .474 average, .615 on base
Third Base: Mark Reynolds, 4 runs, 6 hits, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .333 average, .429 on base
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, 6 runs, 12 hits, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 0 SB, .400 average, .438 on base
Outfield: Jacoby Ellsbury, 10 runs, 14 hits, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, .467 average, .500 on base
Starting Pitcher: Tommy Hanson, 13 IP, 2 wins, 20 Ks, 0.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
Relief Pitcher: Drew Storen, 5 IP, 0 wins, 4 saves, 4 Ks, 0 holds, 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Sandwich Showdown double Edition (XXI and XXII)

First off, I would like to apologize for the delay once again. This should be finally resolved, as the former computer was deemed no longer able to use, and I now operate from an HP p6754y model desktop computer. Now for the sandwiches.

XXI: The battle over June 4th and 5th had a Subway Club on Herbs and Cheese against a Steak and Cheese on Italian. The Club had the disadvantage of being consumed while on a trip, taking some of the value out of the taste. However, it did hold on fairly well given the circumstance, and did get dressed up with the traditional KC Masterpiece before being eaten. The Steak and Cheese had a very easy week, and went in top notch style to the top. All around a good sandwich taken to its best levels. The winner that week was the Steak and Cheese.

XXII: More recently, we had a Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki on Garlic against a Turkey and Ham on Italian. The SOCT came in strong, and featured Peco's sauce over the KC, although in an excessive and counterproductive way. The sauce had very little effect on the taste, and the SOCT left the door open. The Turkey and Ham made it very clear that this was going to be a close week. The bread quality was virtually unmatchable. The meat content came in strong and tasted very good for a simple sandwich. After the tallies, it appears that the Turkey and Ham will take a narrow victory this week in the showdown. This feature will run at its scheduled time next week.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars week 9

This week's best players are as follows.

Catcher: Miguel Olivo, 4 runs, 7 hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .304 average, .333 on base
First Base: Albert Pujols, 11 runs, 12 hits, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB, .444 average, .545 on base
Second Base: Kelly Johnson, 7 runs, 8 hits, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, .320 average, .469 on base
Third Base: Alex Rodriguez, 6 runs, 7 hits, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB, .333 average, .417 on base
Shortstop: Elvis Andrus, 7 runs, 12 hits, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 SB, .444 average, .483 on base
Outfield: Matt Kemp, 6 runs, 9 hits, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, .409 average, .500 on base
Starter: C.J. Wilson, 14.1 IP 1 win, 17 Ks, 1.88 ERA, 0.84 WHIP
Reliever: Al Alburquerque, 4.1 IP, 2 wins, 0 saves, 9 Ks, 1 hold, 0.00 ERA, 0.69 WHIP

Song of the Week XXII

This week, our song comes from the band Hinder. The song is Running in the Rain, off their second studio album. While they usually embrace a hard rock sound, this song strays far away as a piano-oriented ballad. The subject matter is simply telling people to enjoy the simple things in life and let everything else fall into place. As such, the song comes off as relaxing and a good escape from the troubles of life. That's all for this week, and we'll feature another song next week.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

STANLEY CUP FINALS Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins 2011

Game 1: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Tim Thomas for Boston and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. The game went scoreless through the first two periods and most of the third until just nineteen seconds left in regulation, where Vancouver got a go-ahead goal from Raffi Torres, his third of the postseason. Assists came from Jannik Hansen and Ryan Kesler. The Canucks held on to this 1-0 lead for the rest of the game to win. Luongo (36 save shutout), Thomas (33 for 34 saves), and Torres were the three stars. Vancouver's win puts them on top 1-0 in the series.

Game 2: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Tim Thomas for Boston and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. Vancouver led off in the first period with a power play goal from Alexandre Burrows, his eighth of the postseason, coming from Chris Higgins and Sami Salo. Boston replied in the second with Milan Lucic's fourth of the playoffs, courtesy of Johnny Boychuk and David Krejci. The Bruins took the lead with a power play goal by Mark Recchi, his third of the postseason powered by Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron. The Canucks tied it in the third with a Daniel Sedin goal, his ninth of the playoffs made possible by Burrows and Alexander Edler. The game went into overtime, and it only took Burrows eleven seconds to sink his second of the game and ninth of the postseason, with Daniel and Edler's help, to win the game 3-2 for Vancouver. Burrows, Luongo (28 for 30 saves), and Thomas (30 for 33 saves) were the three stars. Vancouver heads east with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Tim Thomas for Boston. The scoring started in the second period with an Andrew Ference goal, his third of the postseason coming off of Rich Peverley and David Krejci. The Bruins extended the lead with a power play goal by Mark Recchi, his fourth of the playoffs powered by Michael Ryder and Ference. Boston kept it up with a shorthanded goal by Brad Marchand, his seventh of the postseason, an unassisted goal. The Bruins tacked on another with Krejci notching his eleventh of the playoffs, assisted by Ryder and Zdeno Chara. Boston did more damage in the third period with a shorthanded Daniel Paille goal, his third of the postseason, with help from Johnny Boychuk. Vancouver got on the board with Jannik Hansen netting his third of the playoffs, thanks to Raffi Torres and Maxim Lapierre. Recchi got the goal back for the Bruins with his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, fueled by Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Boston tacked on another with Chris Kelly recording his fifth of the playoffs, courtesy of Paille and Chara. The Bruins capped it off 8-1 with a Ryder power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Tomas Kaberle. Thomas (40 of 41 saves), Marchand, and Recchi were the three stars. Vancouver's series lead shrinks to 2-1. 


Game 4: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Tim Thomas for Boston. Boston opened the scoring with a Rich Peverley marker, his third of the postseason, assisted by David Krejci and Zdeno Chara. The Bruins extended the lead in the second period with a Michael Ryder goal, his seventh of the playoffs fueled by Tyler Seguin and Chris Kelly. Boston added on again with the eighth of the postseason by Brad Marchand, with help from Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins wrapped up the game 4-0 on a third period Peverley goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, made possible by Milan Lucic and Krejci, and chasing Luongo from the crease to be replaced by Cory Schneider. This would be a final, with Thomas (38 save shutout), Peverley, and Chara getting the three stars. The series now stands at 2-2.


Game 5: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Tim Thomas for Boston and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. The game went scoreless into the third period, where Vancouver took a 1-0 lead on a Maxim Lapierre goal, his second of the postseason. Getting the assists were Kevin Bieksa and Raffi Torres. This would be a final score, with Luongo (31 save shutout), Thomas (24 for 25 saves), and Lapierre getting the three stars. Vancouver retakes a series lead by a 3-2 margin.


Game 6: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts. In net: Roberto Luongo for Vancouver and Tim Thomas for Boston. Boston led off with a Brad Marchand goal, his ninth of the postseason, courtesy of Mark Recchi and Dennis Seidenberg. The Bruins added on just thirty-five seconds later on a Milan Lucic goal, his fifth of the playoffs made possible by Rich Peverley and Johnny Boychuk. Boston kept it up with an Andrew Ference power play goal, his fourth of the postseason powered by Michael Ryder and Recchi. This prompted Luongo to be pulled for Cory Schneider. Ryder added on another goal for the Bruins later in the period, his eighth of the playoffs coming off of Tomas Kaberle. The scoring was silenced until a Henrik Sedin power play goal, his third of the postseason, helped in by Daniel Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff. Boston answered on the power play with David Krejci netting his 12th of the playoffs, thanks to Recchi and Kaberle, the former completing a sock trick. The Canucks made it 5-2 with a Maxim Lapierre goal, his third of the postseason, fueled by Daniel and Jannik Hansen. Thomas (36 for 38 saves), Recchi, and Ryder were the three stars for the game. This tied the series at 3, sending it to game 7 back west. 


Game 7: Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia. In net: Tim Thomas for Boston and Roberto Luongo for Vancouver. Boston led off with a first period goal by Patrice Bergeron, his fifth of the postseason made possible by Brad Marchand. The Bruins tacked on another in the second, with Marchand sinking his tenth of the playoffs, courtesy of Dennis Seidenberg and Mark Recchi. Boston kept it up with a shorthanded Bergeron goal, his second of the game and sixth of the postseason, assisted by Seidenberg and Gregory Campbell. Marchand iced it off 4-0 with his unassisted second of the game and eleventh of the playoffs into the empty net. Thomas (37 save shutout), Bergeron, and Marchand were the three stars. The Bruins got to lift the Stanley Cup with the win, taking the final series 4-3.


I'd like to thank everyone who has jumped on to read for this season since November. I have covered every game since the Thanksgiving weekend in hockey, and I hope to be able to do that and more next season. Until then, check out the other features and the occasional baseball post. Thanks again!

Sandwich Showdown XX (delayed)

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had a trifecta in our sandwich showdown. Leading off was an Italian BMT on Italian. The bread was of fresh quality in this sandwich. The normally present flavors arrived in full force and complemented the whole meal very nicely. In the middle, there was a Roast Beef on Garlic. Again, the bread was freshly baked. The meat here, going solo, was very strong as well, and was neck and neck with the previous sandwich. Wrapping it up, there was a Turkey on Wheat. The bread was once again top-notch, thanks to the local bakers. The meat again came in strong and made it a very close battle for the title this weekend. This title will go to the Roast Beef by just the slightest margins over the other two, as it was almost too close to call. Also, while unintentional, the three sandwiches combined created a memorial for the now-defunct Feast, the 5-meat and cheese mega-sandwich of recent past. This will run again tomorrow hopefully.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day Baseball

Another full slate of baseball on tap for today, starting at 10:05 AM Pacific and wrapping up around 7:30 or 8:00 PM.

Nationals Park: The Washington Nationals open the day against the Philadelphia Phillies. Roy Halladay and Livan Hernandez get the nods. Washington opened the scoring in the second with a solo home run by Michael Morse, followed by Hernandez sacrificing to score Jerry Hairston, Jr. Philadelphia got in the game with back to back solo shots by Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, followed up later by Dominic Brown singling in Carlos Ruiz. The Nationals tied it in the fifth with a solo home run by Danny Espinosa. Washington took the lead back with a solo shot in the sixth from Laynce Nix. The Phillies got some back with Howard singling in Placido Polanco and Ibanez hitting a sacrifice fly to knock in Chase Utley. Philadelphia would hold on for a 5-4 win, with Halladay collecting the decision, Sean Burnett taking the loss, and Ryan Madson converting the save. Howard and Morse were the best batters.

Comerica Park: The Detroit Tigers host the Minnesota Twins. On the mound are Nick Blackburn and Brad Penny. Detroit led off with Brennan Boesch's groundout leading to Austin Jackson scoring, and a Miguel Cabrera solo home run. The Tigers added on in the third inning with Andy Dirks' double to score Brandon Inge. Minnesota got on the board with Michael Cuddyer's single to knock in Jason Kubel. The Twins added a barrage in the fifth with Rene Rivera singling in Danny Valencia, Kubel eventually doing the same for Rivera, Justin Morneau hitting a sacrifice fly to score Denard Span, and Cuddyer singling in Alexi Casilla. Detroit retied it with a two-run homer by Victor Martinez, also scoring Dirks. The Tigers took the lead in the eighth with Alex Avila's ground rule double to knock in Jhonny Peralta, the decisive run in a 6-5 Detroit win. Al Alburquerque got the win, Alex Burnett took the loss, and Jose Valverde converted the save. Cuddyer and Martinez were named best hitters.

Turner Field: The Atlanta Braves welcome the San Diego Padres. Aaron Harang and Tim Hudson are set to pitch. San Diego led off with Ryan Ludwick grounding out to score Eric Patterson. Atlanta replied with a Brian McCann double to knock in Martin Prado. The Padres retook the lead in the third with Ludwick singling in Harang. The Braves replied back with McCann singling in Prado. San Diego got the lead again in the tenth with Kyle Phillips hitting a solo home run, leading to the 3-2 final for the Padres. Chad Qualls got the win, George Sherrill lost, and Heath Bell converted the save. Ludwick and McCann were the top hitters.

Wrigley Field: The Chicago Cubs host the Houston Astros. Aneury Rodriguez and Rodrigo Lopez are given the starts. Houston led off with Hunter Pence doubling in Michael Bourn before being scored himself with a Jeff Keppinger double. Chicago answered on a Starlin Castro single to knock in Darwin Barney, and took the lead with Carlos Pena's two run homer to finish Castro's trip. Tony Campana scored for the Cubs in the second after stealing third and then dashing home after an error. The Astros got a run back with Carlos Lee's RBI single to score Bourn. Chicago replied again with a Blake DeWitt triple to bring around Aramis Ramirez. The Cubs tacked on another in the fourth as Pence committed an error that led to Kosuke Fukudome dashing home safely. Houston got back to business and gained runs back with a two-run homer by Clint Barmes, also scoring Bourn, and a later solo shot to even the score by Pence. The Astros grabbed the lead with J.R. Towles hitting a solo home run. Houston also recorded a run in the seventh with Brett Wallace singling to score Pence, and Chris Johnson's double to finish the trip for Wallace. The Astros added on a three-run Keppinger homer, also scoring Pence and Lee. Chicago cut the game to 12-7 with Pena grounding out to score Castro. Sergio Escolona got the win and the loss was given to Jeff Samardzija. Keppinger and DeWitt were the best hitters.

Overstock.com Coliseum: The Oakland Athletics kick off the second wave by hosting the New York Yankees. Bartolo Colon and Trevor Cahill will pitch. New York opened with Mark Teixeira hitting a two-run homer to score Derek Jeter, followed by Robinson Cano doubling in Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees added on another in the seventh as Jeter's sacrifice fly allowed Brett Gardner to dash home. New York piled a little more on in the ninth with Francisco Cervelli's sacrifice fly to score Chris Dickerson, making the final 5-0. Colon pitched a 4-hitter win, and Cahill suffered the loss. Cano and Josh Willingham were the top batters.

Safeco Field: The Seattle Mariners welcome the Baltimore Orioles. Jake Arrieta and Doug Fister get the starts. Seattle struck first with Brendan Ryan's groundout to score Ichiro, and Jack Cust ripping a triple to bring home Justin Smoak. Baltimore got on the board in the third with a solo home run by Mark Reynolds. In the bottom of the inning, bases-loaded walks by Adam Kennedy and Miguel Olivo scored two runs for the Mariners, Ichiro and Ryan. The Orioles got a run back with Nick Markakis' single to score Robert Andino, and Felix Pie dashing home on a Chone Figgins error that Vladimir Guerrero reached base on, but it wouldn't be enough, and Seattle won 4-3. Fister won, Arrieta lost, and Brandon League made the save. Reynolds and Cust were the top hitters for the game.

Kauffman Stadium: The Kansas City Royals host the Anaheim Angels. Ervin Santana and Luke Hochevar get to play on the mound. Anaheim started off by getting a Bobby Abreu single to bring around Maicer Izturis. Kansas City replied with an Alex Gordon solo home run, followed by a two-run blast from Eric Hosmer to bring in Melky Cabrera. The Royals extended their lead again with Hosmer doubling in both Chris Getz and Alcides Escobar, and Jeff Francouer's sacrifice fly to bring in Gordon all in the second inning. The Angels get some back in the third with Abreu doubling in Izturis and Alberto Collaspo singling to score Erick Aybar. Anaheim cut into the lead a bit more with Torii Hunter singling to score Abreu. The Angels added on with a seventh inning solo home run by Hunter. Kansas City replied with a Wilson Betemit triple to bring in Billy Butler and Chris Getz singling to finish the trip around by Betemit. Anaheim snagged another couple of runs with Mark Trumbo and Peter Bourjos hitting a solo shot each in the eighth. The Angels got the lead with Hunter's two run homer, also knocking in Abreu, and they extended it as Trumbo reached on an error that allowed Collaspo to dash home, making it 10-8, a score the Angels would hold. Kevin Jepsen got the win, Joakim Soria took the loss, and Fernando Rodney converted the save. Hunter and Hosmer were the best hitters.

Busch Stadium: The St. Louis Cardinals bring home the San Francisco Giants. Madison Bumgarner and Kyle McClellan will pitch. San Francisco got on the board first with a second inning solo home run by Cody Ross. The Giants continued in the third with Miguel Tejada singling in Bumgarner. St. Louis tied it in the bottom of the third with Allen Craig doubling Ryan Theriot, and Albert Pujols singling Craig the rest of the way home. San Francisco retook the lead with Brandon Crawford singling to score Ross before a grand slam home run by Andres Torres, scoring Aaron Rowand, Crawford, and Bumgarner. The Cardinals got one back with a solo home run by Pujols in the eighth. The final would keep San Francisco up 7-3, and Bumgarner got the win while McClellan took the loss. Torres and Pujols were the best of the hitters.

Tropicana Field: The Tampa Bay Rays lead off the evening games by hosting the Texas Rangers. Derek Holland and Wade Davis are on the mound. Texas opened with a Josh Hamilton double to score Elvis Andrus, and Adrian Beltre's single completing Hamilton's trip around the bases. The Rangers were back at it in the third with a three run homer from Mike Napoli, also scoring Beltre and Mitch Moreland, a solo home run by Endy Chavez, and Hamilton's sacrifice fly to get Andrus around. Texas added on again in the fourth with Moreland going yard for an extra run. Tampa Bay got on the board with Matt Joyce's single to drive home B.J. Upton. The Rangers took a run back with Napoli blasting a solo home run. The Rays got a run back with a solo home run by Ben Zobrist, and three more on the homer from Justin Ruggiano, also scoring Felipe Lopez and Kelly Shoppach. Texas got one more run back with Napoli doubling to score Nelson Cruz, and Chavez singling to bring Moreland home again. Holland took the win and Davis suffered the loss. Napoli and Ruggiano were named best hitters.

Rogers Centre: The Toronto Blue Jays welcome the Cleveland Indians. Fausto Carmona and Jo-Jo Reyes were called to start. Toronto opened the scoring in the third with a two-run homer by Jayson Nix, also scoring Rajai Davis. Shelley Duncan replied for Cleveland in the fourth with a solo shot. The Blue Jays replied back in the bottom of the inning, beginning with Davis doubling in both J.P. Arencibia and Aaron Hill, Corey Patterson reaching on an error to score both Eric Thames and Davis, Jose Bautista doubling in Yunel Escobar and Patterson, and Arencibia finishing the scoring barrage by doubling to finish Bautista's trip. Toronto was back at it again in the fifth with Escobar's single knocking home Thames and Patterson hitting a sacrifice fly to score Davis. The final would be 11-1, with Reyes finally getting a win, and Carmona suffering the loss. Duncan and Davis were the best hitters.

Citi Field: The New York Mets host the Pittsburgh Pirates. Charlie Morton and Dillon Gee get the starting nods. Chris Snyder started the scoring for Pittsburgh with a two-run home run, also bringing in Lyle Overbay. New York answered with Ruben Tejada singling in Angel Pagan, after Daniel Murphy had scored on a passed ball. The Mets took the lead with Pagan singled to score Justin Turner. The Pirates retied it with Ronny Cedeno grounding into a fielder's choice, leading to Overbay crossing the plate again. New York got the lead back again with Josh Thole doubling Carlos Beltran and Murphy around the horn to home. Turner doubled in another run for the Mets as well, an eighth inning crossing by Nick Evans, followed up by Murphy's fielder's choice allowing Turner safe passage to the plate. New York would cruise to a 7-3 victory, with Gee winning and Daniel McCutchen taking the loss. Snyder and Pagan were the top hitters.

Great American Ball Park: The Cincinnati Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers. Chris Narveson and Travis Wood have the ball. Cincinnati opened with Jonny Gomes hitting a sacrifice fly in the second to score Jay Bruce. Bruce got the Reds going again in the fourth with a three run tater, also bringing around Joey Votto and Scott Rolen, followed later by a Paul Janish single to bring in Gomes. Milwaukee got on the board with back-to-back solo home runs in the fifth, from Carlos Gomez and Josh Wilson, and pulled closer with Ryan Braun doubling home Nyjer Morgan. Cincinnati got some room to breathe as Fred Lewis singled in Ryan Hanigan, and Janish reached home after Jonathan Lucroy misfielded the ball. This made it 7-3, the eventual final, with Wood winning and Narveson losing. Prince Fielder and Bruce were the top batters.

Fenway Park: The Boston Red Sox welcome the Chicago White Sox. Jake Peavy and Jon Lester played from the mound. Chicago opened with A.J. Pierzynski singling in both Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin. Boston replied with a solo home run by Adrian Gonzalez. The White Sox took that run back with a third inning solo home run from Paul Konerko. The Red Sox would tie it on Dustin Pedroia's two-RBI single, scoring both Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Jacoby Ellsbury. Chicago retook the lead with Ramirez's two-RBI double, scoring in both Alex Rios and Gordon Beckham, followed by Quentin singling in Juan Pierre and Ramirez. The final had White over Red 7-3, with Peavy winning and Lester losing. Konerko and Gonzalez were the top hitters.

Chase Field: The Arizona Diamondbacks host the Florida Marlins. Chris Volstad and Joe Saunders are pitching. Florida opened the scoring in the third with a Gaby Sanchez single to score Emilio Bonifacio and a Mike Stanton fielder's choice that led to Omar Infante reaching home safely. Arizona got on the board with a third inning solo home run from Gerardo Parra, tied it with Kelly Johnson's solo shot, took the lead with Chris Young singling in Justin Upton, and added on with Miguel Montero's single to bring in Stephen Drew. The Diamondbacks tacked on with an Upton single leading to a Parra run. The Marlins pulled within one on a Sanchez two run tater, driving home Logan Morrison. Arizona got another run off a fielder's choice by Montero, driving in Drew. The Diamondbacks added on with the second solo shot by Johnson of the game, an Upton and Drew double steal leading to an error and Upton run, and Montero's three run bomb to score Drew and Young. In the seventh, Arizona added on with a Johnson triple knocking in Xavier Nady, Melvin Mora singling to bring home Johnson, and Upton's two run homer finishing Mora's trip around. The Diamondbacks easily handled a 15-4 win with Saunders winning and Volstad losing. Top batters were Sanchez and Johnson.

Dodger Stadium: The Los Angeles Dodgers wrap up the slate today by hosting the Colorado Rockies. Jason Hammel and Chad Billingsley are the pitchers. Los Angeles opened the scoring in the third with an Andre Ethier single, knocking in both Chad Billingsley and Rafael Furcal, a Matt Kemp fielder's choice allowing Jamey Carroll safe passage, and a James Loney single scoring Kemp. Colorado found the scoreboard in the fourth with a solo home run by Ty Wigginton. The Dodgers collected a run in the fifth, an Ethier single to score Carroll, followed by Loney's longball to finish Ethier's trip. The final would be 7-1 Dodgers, with Billingsley collecting the win and Hammel taking the loss. Todd Helton and Loney were the top batters.