Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 281 of 1503)

      Matt Cain, Babe Ross help Giants take lead in NLCS

      October 19, 2010 /
      Aug. 12, 2010 - San Francisco, California, United States of America - 12 August, 2010: San Francisco Giants MATT CAIN.

      I’m not a pitching coach and my hectic sports blogging schedule prevents me from ever becoming one, but if I may offer up some advice to the Phillies’ starting staff: Figure out a way – someway – to get Cody Ross out. Because dude is killing you.

      Once again, Ross donned a red cape and an “S” on his chest for the Giants, as he singled home Edgar Renteria in the fourth inning to give his club a 1-0 lead. Aubrey Huff followed through with another single off starter Cole Hamels later in the inning and the Giants went on to beat the Phillies 3-0 to take a 2-1 lead in the 2010 NLCS.

      Ross, who has to be the most unlikely postseason hero for the Giants (outside of Eugenio Velez – now that would be something), is now hitting .348 in the playoffs, with four home runs, seven RBI, eight hits, three runs scored and three walks. It’s amazing to think that he probably wouldn’t even be playing right now if it weren’t for Jose Guillen’s back injury.

      Of course, if not for Matt Cain’s dazzling pitching performance, Ross’ latest heroics may not have mattered.

      I’m running out of adjectives to describe the pitching that we’ve seen so far in the NCLS. Cain limited the Phillies to just two hits while pitching seven scoreless innings to pick up the first postseason win of his young career. He threw 119 pitches and while he walked three and hit two batters, he also struck out five and got in and out of jams all afternoon. It was also his first career win against the Phillies, who were shutout in the postseason for the first time since the 1983 World Series.

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      External Sports, MLB

      NFL trade deadline passes as teams stay pat

      October 19, 2010 /
      Dallas Cowboys' runningback Marion Barber runs for a first down against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on September 12, 2010. UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

      As expected, the NFL trade deadline passed with nary a peep from any of the 32 teams. Willis McGahee is still a Raven, Marion Barber is still a Cowboy and as far as I know, Jen is still with Brad. (Come again? What?! When? With who? Home wrecker…)

      As Rotowold.com pointed out, the top NFL Insiders (Adam Schefter, Chris Mortensen, Jason LaCanfora, Anthony Stalter) were rather quiet all afternoon, which was an indication that no major deals were forthcoming by the 4:00PM ET deadline.

      There was speculation by one of the beat writers at the Baltimore Sun that the Ravens might look to trade McGahee. But head coach John Harbaugh insisted that the team wasn’t actively trying to trade their running back and GM Ozzie Newsome backed up those words on Tuesday by keeping McGahee on the roster.

      In other running back trade news, the Cowboys didn’t send Barber packing either. Of course, that has more to do with Barber’s salary (he’s due $3.86 million this year and $4 million in March thanks to a roster bonus, then $4.25 million 2011, $5.75 million in 2012, $6.25 million in 2013 and $7 million in 2014) and production (3.4 yards per carry so far this year) than it does Dallas’ desire to hang onto the 27-year-old back. I can’t imagine that if the ‘Boys were offered a decent draft pick that they would say, “No, please, don’t take our ineffective running back with the bloated salary.”

      La Canfora said this morning that Albert Haynesworth may be moved before the trade deadline, but nothing transpired. No team was going to meet the Redskins’ asking price of either a first or second rounder for the disgruntled but talented DT.

      External Sports, NFL

      Hopefully technology eventually catches up, but helmet-to-helmet hits remain a huge problem in NFL

      October 19, 2010 /
      Philadelphia Eagles' DeSean Jackson (10) is helped from the field after sustaining an injury against the Atlanta Falcons during second quarter of NFL football action in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 17, 2010. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES)

      It was nasty. It was scary. It was rather unbelievable.

      I watched Dunta Robinson’s hit on DeSean Jackson on Sunday live and with the sound all the way up. It was as big a hit as I’ve ever seen and I thought Jackson may never get up. It served as a painful reminder of how violent the game of football can be.

      But what does the NFL want Robinson to do in that situation? As I wrote on Sunday following the game, do you want Robinson to lay Jackson down like a baby in a crib? Pull his flag? Two-hand touch him? Ask him politely to fall down in front of the first down marker?

      You can see from the video that Robinson was already running to the ball after Kevin Kolb threw it. He was playing zone and once the ball was released, he spotted Jackson and ran to break up the pass. He was two steps too late, however, so he lowered his shoulder to try and separate Jackson from the ball. While others may see it differently, he didn’t stop, position himself and then launch into Jackson like a rocket ship coming off a launch bad. It was all one fluid motion.

      Don’t misinterpret my defense of Robinson for not being concerned with Jackson’s (or any other player, for that matter) health. I love football and big hits just as much as anyone, but I too get a tingle up my spine when I see a player lie motionless on the turf.

      But again I ask: What does the NFL want Robinson to do? Believe it or not, he led with his shoulder – not with his head. Obviously Jackson’s head caught a lot of the blow because it knocked him out, but Robinson still lead with his shoulder, which is what he’s instructed to do.

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      External Sports, NFL

      Suspension coming for Favre? That’s doubtful.

      October 19, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - SEPTEMBER 09: Quarterback Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings sits on the bench dejected late in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Louisiana Superdome on September 9, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints won 14-9. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind seeing Lord Favre go down for this Jenn Sterger scandal. I don’t care how hot Sterger is or that other red-blooded men probably would have attempted the same thing (uh, picking her up…not sending her junk mail) – I still wouldn’t mind seeing the guy get taken down a few pegs.

      Favre is an egomaniac. He thinks that because he’s a NFL legend that he can retire or unretire whenever he wants and he probably thought that Sterger would be knocking at his bedroom door at the sound of his voice. I don’t buy the good ol’ boy act anymore and while I still love watching him play, I think he needs a lesson in humility.

      That said, he’s not going to be suspended. He’s scheduled to meet with NFL vice president of security Milt Ahreich on Tuesday, but I highly doubt anything will come out of the interview. Sterger isn’t talking about the situation and if the key witness/victim/catalyst won’t talk, then how can the league suspend Favre?

      Another thing to keep in mind is that the league has never disciplined Favre before, so he would be a first-time offender if the NFL felt as though he embarrassed the shield by his actions. Plus, he didn’t legally do anything wrong here. It’s not like Sterger filed a sexual harassment suit against him, so even if the league did want to suspend him, how long could they possibly keep him out if he was never charged with anything?

      Chances are the only thing Favre will have to deal with is the pain and embarrassment he caused for his wife. Other than that, it’s doubtful anything more will come from the situation.

      External Sports, NFL

      2010 NFL Power Rankings: Week 7

      October 19, 2010 /
      New York Jets coach Rex Ryan yells from the sidelines in Indianapolis, Indiana in this January 24, 2010 file photo. It could prove to be a perfect match should tough-talking Ryan deliver on his promise of a return to football glory for a New York Jets team whose history was founded on a Super Bowl guarantee made good. To match Feature NFL-JETS/RYAN REUTERS/Shaun Best/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Two teams in the top 5 fall from last week, while the Packers continue to slide and the Giants continue to climb.

      Let’s get nasty…

      Check out Week 6’s Power Rankings

      1. Pittsburgh Steelers
      Previous Week: 1
      After shaking off the rust in the first half, Big Ben threw three touchdowns in his return to action last Sunday. If he’s already playing at the top of his game, this is the team to beat for the foreseeable future.

      2. Indianapolis Colts
      Previous Week: 2
      That wasn’t a very convincing performance in Washington on Sunday night, but a win is a win in the NFL. That said, something tells me the Jets will be moving into this spot within the next couple of weeks.

      3. New York Jets
      Previous Week: 4
      The Jets certainly didn’t dominate the Broncos last weekend and they were bailed out by Renaldo Hill’s pass interference call inside the 5-yard line in the closing minutes. But it’s never easy for East Coast teams to travel cross-country and beat the Broncos in Denver. Yet, that’s exactly what Rex Ryan’s team did.

      4. New England Patriots
      Previous Week: 7
      Tom Brady wasn’t sharp until late in the Pats’ win over the Ravens, but he was efficient when it mattered most. Deion Branch isn’t Randy Moss, but he proved on Sunday that he doesn’t need to be in order to help New England win.

      5. Baltimore Ravens
      Previous Week: 3
      Tough loss for the Ravens in New England last Sunday. I wouldn’t say they dominated the Pats for most of the game, but they were definitely in control. In the end, they got Tom Brady’d.

      6. New Orleans Saints
      Previous Week: 8
      I guess the Saints answered the question of whether or not the Bucs were for real. That’s the performance everyone has been waiting for out of this team.

      7. New York Giants
      Previous Week: 11
      I held off bringing the G-Men back into the top-10 until they proved they could stop beating themselves with costly turnovers. They’ve done that over the last three weeks and they might be the most confident team in the NFC right now.

      8. Philadelphia Eagles
      Previous Week: 10
      The Eagles’ win on Sunday over the Falcons was one of the most dominating performances I’ve seen from a team against a playoff-caliber opponent. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect day was the injury sustained by DeSean Jackson. Get better soon, DeSean.

      9. Atlanta Falcons
      Previous Week: 5
      When a team starts 4-1 and has as much talent as the Falcons, not many people get fixated on how that team won those games. When a team travels Philly, allows Kevin Kolb to throw for over 300 yards and then gets dominated in every phase of the game, people start throwing the term “overrated” around when two of said team’s wins were courtesy of a missed field goal and a fluke fumble. The Falcons still have a lot to prove.

      10. Green Bay Packers
      Previous Week: 6
      Three weeks ago the Packers were sitting atop these rankings as the clear-cut best team in football (in my eyes, anyway). But an ugly Monday night loss to the Bears and 40,034 injuries later, this team is on the verge of dropping out of the top-10.

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      External Sports, NFL

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