Month: June 2008 (Page 16 of 40)

      Top 10 Active Saves Leaders

      June 21, 2008 /

      For as long as I’ve been following baseball, I’ve always appreciated pitchers who come in and blow hitters away. Going to see Dwight Gooden pitch as a 19-year old with the Mets in 1984 was something I’ll always remember—not because he was so dominant, but because it was awesome just watching him blow the ball past hitters. And there have been a lot of closers in history that have done the same—Randy Myers, Rob Dibble, Lee Smith, John Wetteland to name a few, in addition to the ones below. For my money, I’d rather have a closer come in and throw 100 mph than someone who will put the ball in play. Either way, it’s now an important position on major league teams. Here is a complete list of active (have to have pitched in 2008 to be considered active) career saves leaders:

      1. Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres (539)—Since becoming the Padres’ closer in 1994, Trevor Hoffman has become the all-time leader in saves in the game, with 539. What might be most impressive, aside from the fact that dude is still saving games at the age of 40, is that Hoffman has had 40 or more saves in a season nine times.

      2. Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees (463)—You have to think Rivera will also cross the 500-save threshold soon as well, maybe as soon as 2009. Like Hoffman, Rivera is an iron man of sorts, still closing for the Yankees, a position he has held since 1996. Of course, this guy has a few World Series rings, too.

      3. Billy Wagner, New York Mets (374)—It shouldn’t be a surprise that two of the game’s best closers reside in New York, because these are guys who command large salaries. Wagner still throws flames at the age of 36, but his penchant for blown saves has kept him from becoming Rivera-esque.

      4. Troy Percival, Tampa Bay Rays (341)—Here’s a prototypical closer—he is animated and throws the crap out of the ball. Percy looked like he might have retired for good after sitting out all of 2006, but then the Cardinals signed him last year for bullpen insurance. Now, Percival is part of an exciting story in Tampa, saving 17 games so far for a team that is fighting the Red Sox and Yankees for supremacy in the AL East.

      5. Todd Jones, Detroit Tigers (313)—Here’s one of those guys who throws junk and gets guys out, and he’s been doing it for 16 seasons.

      6. Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals (292)—Izzie began his major league career as a promising starting pitcher for the Mets in the mid-nineties. But once the Mets gave up on him, he wound up as a pupil of Oakland pitching coach Dave Duncan, the same guy who resurrected Dennis Eckersley’s career. The result? Well, you can see the numbers, and that’s in only eight-plus seasons as a closer.

      7. Armando Benitez, Toronto Blue Jays (289)—Okay, I need proof of two things. One, that this guy is really still pitching. And two, that he’s only 35 years old.

      8. Keith Foulke, Oakland Athletics (191)—A once-dominant closer is now a set-up man for a resurgent A’s team with a really strong bullpen.

      9. (tie w/Foulke) Francisco Cordero, Cincinnati Reds (191)—I can’t help but confuse this 33-year old with young Angels’ phenom Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez, but I guess it can’t be the same person.

      10. Eric Gagne, Milwaukee Brewers (187)—He’s been slowed in recent years by injury and the Mitchell Report, and before recently going on the DL, Gagne was back to throwing smoke and always looking like he needs a shower.

      Source: Baseball Reference

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

      Playboy’s take on the Wii Fit

      June 20, 2008 /

      Well, we brought you the original, so I figured I better cue up Playboy’s Cyber Girl of the Year (whatever the hell that is) Jo Garcia, as she does her own demonstration of the Wii Fit.

      So what do you think? Which one is better?

      I like the original… well, because it was original and not staged. But Ms. Garcia is definitely easy on the eyes. She also did a snowboarding and a boxing video, but both are pretty lame.

      Ah, the life of a super-hot girl.

      Video

      Bills’ Lynch to plead guilty in hit-and-run case

      June 20, 2008 /

      The Buffalo News is reporting that Bills’ running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to plead guilty to a hit-and-run accident case in which a woman was injured.

      Clark refused to disclose what criminal charge Lynch will face in court. He expects the investigation and prosecution of the traffic offense will be resolved “by midweek next week.”

      Clark said that after “a great deal of back and forth” negotiations, he and Lynch’s attorney, Michael P. Caffery, “have reached an agreement in principle.”

      “Once it’s undertaken, it will resolve this matter,” he added.

      But he refused to say the nature of the expected misdemeanor or traffic violation that Lynch will be charged with.

      Clark stressed that “the whole agreement is predicated on the fact that he (Lynch) was driving the vehicle” that struck an Ontario woman at about 3:30 a.m. May 31 at Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Street.

      I don’t know, call me old fashioned, but I still can’t fathom how you can hit a woman with your SUV and then leave her there to fend for herself. If it was an accident, you get out of your vehicle, help her get medical attention and face whatever punishment is coming. You don’t hit her and then park the damn car in your driveway and skip town. Moron.

      NFL

      Is Central Michigan’s LeFevour a Heisman candidate?

      June 20, 2008 /

      I saw something interesting that ESPN.com contributor Bruce Feldman linked to about Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour. Drew Ellis of The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun debates whether or not LeFevour is a true Heisman candidate.

      Which brings me to another point in this argument. If CMU truly wants to garner national respect and attention, they have to make LeFevour the poster boy.

      It may not seem right or fair to the team aspect, but LeFevour is a special player and his play has the ability to get CMU’s name out there.

      The wheel has already been in motion in the state of Michigan, as you can see LeFevour smiling face donning billboards around the state to promote CMU.

      But, that promotion needs to continue to spread out through the Midwest.

      Make Dan LeFevour a recognizable face outside of the CMU area and that alone will create interest in him, and thus draw attention to the university and football program.

      I know the budget isn’t strong, but the reward could be huge.

      Potential recruits can see LeFevour and recognize that they could become a national star by playing at CMU.

      Ellis has the right idea – why not try to promote a player like LeFevour if you’re Central Michigan? As long as the young man can handle it, then it could be a great vechile for recruiting, as well as putting the school on the map.

      I’m a proud CMU alum and even though it’s a long shot, I would love to see LeFevour garner some national attention for the Heisman. If nothing else, he’s exciting to watch and has certainly made the Chippewas a contender in the MAC again.

      College Football

      Aaron Rodgers is looking the part

      June 20, 2008 /

      It’s early, but now that Brett Favre is gone (we think), ESPN’s John Clayton says that Aaron Rodgers has had a chance to impress at practice.

      As it turns out, Rodgers has a very strong arm. He’s had the strong arm since he’s been in Green Bay. The football explodes off his hand on each throw in practice. Teammates have noticed it for years because they work with or against him in practice.

      He has a smooth, polished retreat from center. His feet are in good position for each throw out of three- and five-step drops.

      And then you take notice. His right arm sets up naturally, and the ball comes out unnaturally fast.

      “He has a cannon,” wide receiver Greg Jennings said. “We call him the ‘Human Jugs Machine.’ He throws it like a Jugs machine every time.

      Aaron Rodgers has set himself aside as the team leader this offseason.

      “He can make every throw on the football field, and his deep ball is one of the prettiest. Brett had a great deep ball, but Aaron has a beautiful one.”

      Rodgers, despite being debated as a pick for the top of the 2005 draft, fell all the way to the Packers at No. 24. Scouts were skeptical because [Jeff] Tedford quarterbacks make slow, if not disappointing, transitions into the NFL. This is where Rodgers might have caught a break. Being Favre’s backup is like being in the witness protection program. No one sees you. No one judges you.

      The time away from the limelight allowed Rodgers to make a few natural adjustments in his delivery.

      “It’s really where I carried the ball,” Rodgers said. “It’s not a conscious thing. We were drilled every day at Cal to hold the ball high and were drilled in the way our arm dropped. When I got to the NFL, we weren’t doing that every day. It came up with a more natural position.”

      “As that happened, my release point was able to center up a little better,” Rodgers said. “I became way more consistent with my release point. The more consistent you are with your release point, the more accurate you are.

      “Coming out in the draft, my release was kind of the knock on me. I had no problem with my release point coming back down. Once it did, I felt the accuracy was back. Once I got to a more natural point, I was throwing like it was in high school.”

      “Aaron has a very strong arm and really always has,” McCarthy said. “We dropped his ball carriage. He had a very high one when he came out. Now, it’s a little more fluid and that helps him transition more into the movement part of it. He’s very fundamentally strong. He’s clearly one of the better guys I’ve had the opportunity to work with.”

      Who knows, maybe sitting and learning behind Favre for three years is exactly what Rodgers needed. Most quarterbacks don’t get the luxury of easing their way into the starting role, and as a result, most don’t make a very smooth transition.

      Rodgers looked sharp last season when he filled in for an injured Favre in Dallas. Prior to that, he wasn’t very impressive in the snaps he got. But now that he’s “The Man,” all bets are off. It’s so difficult to follow a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and I’m sure just about everyone in Packerland is rooting for him.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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