Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 271 of 1503)

      Barry Bonds as the Giants’ hitting coach? Pass.

      October 28, 2010 /

      Barry Bonds clearly does not want to be outdone by Mark McGwire. Not on the field while hitting home runs and not off it by imparting his wisdom on younger hitters.

      While attending Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night, Bonds was asked if he wanted to be a coach someday. In classic Bonds fashion, he reminded everyone that he has a gift that needs to be shared.

      When asked if he’d like to do more than just cheer on his former team in the future, Bonds said he would be interested in becoming a hitting coach in the future.

      “I have a gift and sooner or later I have to give it away,” Bonds said. “I have to share it. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity here.”

      First and foremost, the Giants already have a hitting coach in Hensely “Bam-Bam” Meulens, who speaks five languages and oversaw a club that is now in the World Series. (I mention the language part because the Giants’ roster is chockfull of players from all over the country, including Juan Uribe (Dominican Republic), Edgar Renteria (Colombia), Pablo Sandoval (Venezuela) and Andres Torres (Puerto Rico), thus, it’s a nice skill to have if you have to communicate with foreign-born players.)

      That said, the thought of Bonds joining the Giants as a hitting coach is intriguing. Steroids or no steroids, Bonds was one of the best pure hitters the game of baseball has ever seen. His pitch recognition was outstanding and as the story goes, he used to be able to sit in the dugout and tell his teammates which pitch would be thrown next based on who was on the mound, the count and the situation. He was that good.

      The problem is that he’s also Barry Bonds. When the Giants finally moved on from him in 2008, there was a sense of relief in a clubhouse that was once dominated by their ego-driven left fielder. He commanded his own part of the clubhouse, which included multiple lockers, a personal reclining chair and a big screen TV, and he was consistently salty to the media, team personal and even teammates. With the Giants new team-first mentality, that kind of environment would never fly nowadays.

      Oh, and let’s not forget the guy will be going to trial next March for perjury charges after he allegedly lied to congress about his involvement with steroids. That alone should have the Giants saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

      Bonds doesn’t do low-key. Whether he’s the left fielder or an usher, he draws attention to himself and I don’t think the Giants would welcome that back. So as intriguing as it would sound to have him instruct their hitters, it wouldn’t behoove an organization that is succeeding without all that hoopla.

      The Giants are doing just fine without him.

      External Sports, MLB

      Rangers need to stay the course – there’s no time to panic

      October 28, 2010 /
      Members of the Texas Rangers stand in the dugout in the ninth inning in Game 1 of Major League Baseball's World Series against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, October 27, 2010. The Giants beat the Rangers 11-7. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Was it surprising that Cliff Lee got rocked in Game 1 of the World Series? Surprising doesn’t even begin to cover it. Shocking would be a start, but even then the word would be selling the situation short.

      But nothing changes here. The game plan remains the same.

      Teams that don’t have home field advantage know that they have to split the first two games on the road, then take two-of-three at home before splitting again on the road in order to come out victorious. That’s the same recipe the Giants used against the Phillies in the NLCS and it seemed to work out well for them.

      C.J. Wilson needs to best Matt Cain in Game 2 Thursday night. That’s no small feat considering that Cain hasn’t allowed a run in two postseason starts, but the Rangers’ offense has a way of making even the best pitchers look mortal (just ask Tim Lincecum, who lasted only 5.2 innings and gave up four runs in Game 1).

      Texas has already shown its mettle twice this postseason. After beating the Rays twice on the road in the ALDS, they dropped two games at home and then had to play at Tampa in Game 5. Thanks to Lee, they won and they moved on to face the Yankees, who came from behind to shock the Rangers in Game 1 in what could have been a backbreaker.

      But it wasn’t. The Rangers took Game 2 to even the series and then went on to beat the Bombers in six games. They’ve shown their resiliency before and if they can do it again, they’ll essentially have home field advantage in what would turn into a five game series. That’s why splitting on the road in the first two games is vital.

      And that’s what they’ll need to do tonight. For once, the Rangers need to let Lee off the hook.

      External Sports, MLB

      Giants prove that even a postseason god can bleed

      October 28, 2010 /

      With Cliff Lee on the hill, Game 1 of the World Series was almost a foregone conclusion: Rangers would win the opener and the Giants would have to try and even things up in Game 2.

      Too bad the Giants had other plans.

      In what had to be the most impressive feat of any team this postseason, the Giants crushed the Rangers 11-7 on Wednesday night to take a 1-0 lead in the Fall Classic. The previously unbeaten Lee went just 4.2 innings while yielding seven runs (six earned) on eight hits.

      Freddy Sanchez did the most damage, going 4-for-5 with three RBI and two runs scored. He set a postseason record by hitting three doubles in his first three at bats, which all came off Lee. After Texas took a 2-0 lead after two innings of play, Sanchez’s first double scored Edgar Renteria to put the Giants on the board in the third inning. His second double to deep left-center scored Andres Torres in the fifth to give the Giants a 3-2 lead and they never looked back from there.

      San Fran scored six runs in that fifth inning to break the game open. Aubrey Huff and Cody Ross had RBI singles, while Juan Uribe hit a towering three-run shot off reliever Darren O’Day to give the Giants an 8-2 lead. The expression on Lee’s face as he watched that inning from the dugout said it all: “How could this have happened?”

      Texas Rangers starting pitcher Cliff Lee sits in the dugout after being pulled from the game in the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants during Game 1 of Major League Baseball's World Series in San Francisco October 27, 2010. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      What’s interesting is that Lee wasn’t necessarily off his game. He struck out seven batters and showed some of the same mastery that he had in previous postseason starts, but the Giants just hit him – and hit him hard. The fact that Lee is a strike-thrower actually played right into the Giants’ free-swinging approach and they didn’t let up the entire night. It didn’t matter if it was Lee on the mound or Nolan Ryan in his prime – they were going to get hit.

      Try as they did, the Rangers did score two runs in the top of the sixth and three runs in the top of the ninth to make it somewhat interesting, but the damage had already been done. The Giants’ offense, which everyone has written off several times this postseason (and for good reason given their shoddy performance at times), had once again came through in the clutch.

      Lost in the offensive clinic the Giants put on was their ace Tim Lincecum, who picked up his second postseason win of his career. He certainly wasn’t dominant (5.2 innings, 8 hits, 4 runs, 3 strikeouts), but the Rangers’ offense has a way of humbling even the best pitchers. Simply put, he was good enough on a night where his offense did the talking for him. It was a rare role-switch for a pitcher that usually has to limit his opponent to only two or three runs because he knows his offense will struggle.

      The Giants have been a streaky offensive team all year. Given their pitching, if their offense can stay hot then they’re going to be tough to beat. The series is far from over, but this is a picture-perfect start for the G-Men.

      Top photo courtesy of AllPosters.com.

      External Sports, MLB

      Winning should be at the forefront for Vikings, not Favre’s streak

      October 27, 2010 /
      MINNEAPOLIS - OCTOBER 17: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings looks on during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Mall of America Field on October 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 24-21. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

      Brett Favre isn’t ruling himself out for this Sunday’s game against the Patriots, but then again it isn’t his call to make, is it?

      It has gotten to the point that it’s not “if” Lord Favre will play this Sunday and beyond, but “should” he play.

      Brad Childress and the Vikings are in a delicate spot right now. At 2-4, they haven’t started off the season on a positive note but it’s not like they’re out of playoff contention. Far from it, in fact.

      The Packers and Bears are currently atop the division at 4-3 but Green Bay is incredibly beat up and Chicago has too many issues to list. (Okay, I’ll list a few: Bad in-game management by their coaching staff, Jay Cutler’s love affair with the interception, red zone issues offensively and the O-line’s inability to pass protect.)

      But as things currently stand, Minnesota isn’t going anywhere with the way Favre has played to date. He’s completing just 58.1% of his passes and his current touchdown-to-interception ratio is 7:10. He’s been bad when he’s healthy, but he’s been even worse since elbow and now ankle injuries have taken their toll.

      He has two fractures in his left ankle. If it weren’t for his consecutive starts streak, nobody would be talking about whether or not he should play on Sunday. It would be obvious that Tarvaris Jackson would need to start and Brad Childress would be spending his time getting him prepared and not answering questions about Favre.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Nuns to auction off Honus Wagner baseball card

      October 27, 2010 /

      Two Roman Catholic nuns will auction off a Honus Wagner baseball card that could be worth up to $200,000. The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all of his possessions to the order, which included the Wagner baseball card.

      From SI.com:

      NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: A 1909-1911 Honus Wagner baseball card valued at $375,000- $500,000 is seen at a Sotheby's preview of a baseball memorabilia sale titled 'The Babe Comes Home' November 23, 2004 in New York City. The sale will feature important historical baseball relics with items including the bat which Babe Ruth used to hit the first home run in Yankee Stadium. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

      The card is part of the T206 series, produced between 1909 and 1911. About 60 Wagner cards are known to exist.

      A near-mint-condition T206 Wagner card sold in 2007 for $2.8 million, the highest price ever for a baseball card. Muller remains aghast that the 1 1/4-inch-by-2 1/2-inch piece of cardboard could sell for even a fraction of that.

      “It just boggles your mind,” Muller told The Associated Press. “I can’t remember a time when we have received anything like this.”

      The brother of a nun who died in 1999 left all his possessions to the order when he died earlier this year. The man’s lawyer told Muller he had a Honus Wagner card in a safe-deposit box.

      When they opened the box, they found the card, with a typewritten note: “Although damaged, the value of this baseball card should increase exponentially throughout the 21st century!”

      The card was unknown to the sports-memorabilia marketplace because the nuns’ benefactor had owned it since 1936.

      I grew up in a time when baseball cards still held value. My dad used to buy me a Topps baseball set every year for Christmas and now they’re all in storage because nobody buys/trades the damn things anymore.

      It’s good to hear that there are still collectors out there and good for these nuns. This is why you say your prayers at night. (I kid, I kid…)

      External Sports, MLB

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑