Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 282 of 1503)

      Cliff Lee, one of the postseason’s best ever, puts the Yankees in deep hole

      October 19, 2010 /
      Cliff Lee of the Texas Rangers pitches to the New York Yankee in the first inning during game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      I wonder what was going through Cliff Lee’s mind on Monday night when Josh Hamilton reached out and poked a two-run homer off Andy Pettitte out of Yankee Stadium to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the first inning of Game 3 of the ALCS.

      “Thanks offense – that’ll do.”

      Coming into Game 3, Lee owned a postseason record of 6-0 with a 1.52 ERA. Believe it or not, he actually lowered his ERA last night in yet another magnificent outing, throwing eight scoreless innings and striking out 13 in Texas’ 8-0 win over the Bombers. He overwhelmed Yankee hitters the entire night and even when the Rangers broke out for six runs in the top of the ninth, you already had the sense that the game was over because Lee was set to come out in the bottom half of the inning.

      Lefty Gomez is the only other pitcher to have a perfect win-loss percentage in the postseason and he pitched 14 less innings than Lee. Mariano Rivera has the best ERA in the postseason, is third for win-loss percentage at .889, is first in saves and third in WHIP. Because he’s done it over 92 games and 137.2 innings, you can make an argument that the Yankee closer is the greatest postseason pitcher of all-time. But if Lee continues to do what he’s doing, then Rivera will have some company soon enough.

      Speaking of Rivera’s club, they’ve got some work ahead of them now. Lee has put them in a 2-1 hole and while they’re still two losses away from elimination, they’ll start a shaky A.J. Burnett tonight in essentially a must-win situation (it’s not “must-win” in that they don’t have to win to stave off elimination, but no team wants to go down 3-1 and have to win out).

      If ever there was a time when Burnett wanted to silence his critics, it’s now. A win won’t only tie the series, but will also shift the momentum back in the Yankees’ favor.

      A loss and the Bombers may be watching Texas play in the World Series in two weeks.

      External Sports, MLB

      Vince Young, David Garrard both hurt in MNF game

      October 18, 2010 /
      INDIANAPOLIS - DECEMBER 06: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans is pictured during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

      Both starting quarterbacks in the Monday Night Football game were injured in the first half. Vince Young sprained his knee early in the first quarter, while David Garrard took a hit from a Tennessee pass rusher in the second quarter and went into the locker room just before half. (His injury is unknown at this point, but don’t rule out the possibility that he took himself out because he’s God awful.)

      The good thing for Tennessee is that Kerry Collins is Young’s backup. He hit Bo Scaife on a 2-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter and then orchestrated another scoring drive that netted the Titans a field goal. Tennessee currently lead 17-0 at half.

      Unfortunately for Jacksonville, their backup is not Kerry Collins but Trent Edwards, who was signed three weeks ago after Buffalo dumped him following two brutal starts at the beginning of the season. He came in and took the Jaguars right down the field, but then Mercedes Lewis crapped on the drive by fumbling inside the red zone. Tennessee recovered the loose ball and held Jacksonville scoreless in the first half.

      Edwards looked great on his lone drive, but soon enough he’ll remember he’s Trent Edwards and start checking down every chance he gets. Of course, he’s probably a better option than Garrard at this point, so even if Garrard is healthy to start the second half, Jack Del Rio might as well leave Edwards in.

      Update: ESPN will think twice about putting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football again after their performance tonight. Thanks to Collins and a dominating performance by their defense, the Titans rolled Jacksonville, 30-3. Maurice Jones-Drew never got going for the Jags and Edwards was picked off on the first possession of the second half.

      Reports say that Garrard suffered a concussion in the first half, which is why he never returned.

      External Sports, NFL

      Losing is a collective effort now for Cowboys

      October 18, 2010 /
      ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 19: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during a 27-20 loss against the Chicago Bears at Cowboys Stadium on September 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

      Jerry Jones said Monday that he wouldn’t fire Wade Phillips during the season. He didn’t say whether or not he’d fire him a millisecond after the season, just that he wouldn’t give him the boot during the season.

      This may displease Dallas fans, but why should Jones fire him? Phillips isn’t the only reason the Cowboys are 1-4, nor is he even the main reason.

      The Cowboys racked up double-digit penalties in their loss to the Vikings on Sunday. They did the same thing in their loss to Tennessee two weeks ago and are now tied with Detroit as the most penalized team in the NFL.

      Is that on coaching or the players? Before you answer “coaching,” remember that Phillips made it a point of emphasis to his players after Marc Colombo was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the loss to the Titans not to jeopardize the team by making stupid mistakes. And yet there was Miles Austin on Sunday, leapfrogging over Roy Williams in celebration over Williams’ touchdown in the first quarter. Austin was also penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and although the penalty didn’t lead to a score for the opposition like Columbo’s did, it still put the ‘Boys in bad position.

      The penalty is a reminder that not everything is Phillips’ fault in Dallas. He didn’t leapfrog over Williams – Austin did. Those kinds of penalties are on the individual – not the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

      That said, Phillips and his crew don’t escape criticism here. When Tony Romo threw that horrendous interception to E.J. Henderson with under three minutes to play on Sunday, Marion Barber was 5-for-5 picking up first downs at that point. Yet with his team facing a 3rd-and-2 from the Dallas 22-yard line, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett called a pass play and the result was disastrous. He did the same thing earlier in the game from practically the same spot on the field and Romo threw an interception then, too.

      Garrett also out-thought himself at the beginning of the game when he ran Barber three straight times to pick up an easy first down on the Cowboys’ first possession, then called three straight passing plays which netted a punt. I know Minnesota’s claim to fame defensively is stopping the run, but for the love of foghorns, Jason, keep the ball on the ground if it’s working.

      But this is what the Cowboys do every week now. The players shoot themselves in the foot with dumb penalties while the coaching staff either fails to make the proper adjustments or winds up out-guessing itself. It’s a sick cycle right now and one that is sure to continue unless Phillips, the players or Jones does something about it.

      Something has to give in Dallas.

      External Sports, NFL

      Tony La Russa officially set to return to the Cardinals in 2011

      October 18, 2010 /
      St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa speaks to reporters before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on August 13, 2010. La Russa who was given a two game suspension for his part in a bench clearing brawl during a game against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati last week, will not manage the next two games. UPI/Bill Greenblatt Photo via Newscom

      FOXSports.com is reporting that the Cardinals have officially announced the return of manager Tony La Russa for the 2011 season. It’ll be his 16th as St. Louis’ skipper.

      NBC Sports has the details:

      Despite his taking some time to make an official decision La Russa’s return has been assumed for a while now and with an excellent core of Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Matt Holliday, Jaime Garcia, and Colby Rasmus the Cardinals are sure to be contenders in 2011 after disappointingly going 86-76 this season.

      However, it remains to be seen if Rasmus will be around in 2011 after reportedly feuding with La Russa for much of the season. He’s one of the best young all-around players in baseball, hitting .276/.361/.498 with 23 homers in 144 games as a 23-year-old center fielder, but it’ll be interesting to see if the Cardinals think he can co-exist with the 66-year-old La Russa for another season (or maybe even two).

      Assuming there is a problem between La Russa and Rasmus, the Cardinals have an interesting dilemma on their hands. If La Russa will only be around for another year, it would behoove St. Louis to keep one of their key young players. If he’s going to be a part of their future for the next two or three years, then maybe the Cards should deal Rasmus and get a piece that will help them win next year. (Or deal Rasmus for a minor leaguer that can help them down the road.)

      That said, the best thing would be for La Russa and Rasmus to settle their differences so the front office isn’t forced into doing something it doesn’t want to (i.e. trading the young outfielder). The Cards are built to win now and it won’t be long before their window starts closing fast. Rasmus an help them next year.

      External Sports, MLB

      So much for Jimmy Clausen being “NFL ready”

      October 18, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER 03: Jimmy Clausen of the Carolina Panthers throws the ball against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on October 3, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints defeated the Panthers 16-14. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      Rookie quarterbacks struggle in the NFL – it’s part of the game. But it says something when a rookie is benched for another signal caller who compiled a 41.8 passer rating in his first two starts of the season and who has generally looked awful himself.

      The Panthers announced Monday that they’ll start Matt Moore over rookie Jimmy Clausen this Sunday against the 49ers. It’s a move that indicates that John Fox and his coaching staff don’t believe that Clausen is ready to lead a bad team with very little around him (the Panthers are awfully thin at receiver).

      The unfortunate part here is that Clausen was regarded as the most “NFL-ready” quarterback prospect in April because he played under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. Now, this doesn’t mean that he’s destined to fail in the NFL and keep in mind that the Panthers became the first NFL team since 1999 to start a rookie quarterback and two rookie receivers when Clausen, Brandon LaFell and David Gettis all started in Week 5 against the Bears.

      But it is concerning how unprepared Clausen was in his first taste of NFL action. He failed to move the offense, he never got into rhythm and he displayed little to no accuracy. It’s not fair to compare all rookie quarterbacks because no two situations are similar, but Sam Bradford appears to be light years ahead of Clausen and he didn’t play in a pro style offense at Oklahoma. (He’s also working with a limited receiver corps in St. Louis.) Granted, he was also the top pick in the draft, but Clausen hasn’t shown anything yet to make you believe he can be a starting quarterback.

      That said, it’s still early and it’s not like he has the best coaching staff around him in Carolina. This wouldn’t be the first time that Fox mismanaged his quarterback situation and it stands to reason that Clausen just needs a couple of more starts under his belt to figure things out. But seeing as how he won’t get them unless Moore is a disaster again (which could happen), he’ll have to hone his craft in practice.

      The Jimmy Clausen era isn’t over with in Carolina, but it isn’t off to a great start either.

      External Sports, NFL

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