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      NBA Playoffs off to a great start

      April 16, 2011 /
      Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah (L) and teammate Kyle Korver celebrate during the second half of Game 1 of their NBA Eastern Conference first round playoff basketball game in Chicago April 16, 2011. REUTERS/John Gress (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

      Chicago 104, Indiana 99
      The Bulls didn’t lead until Kyle Korver’s three-pointer with 0:48 to play that put Chicago up by three. It capped off a 14-1 run that erased the Pacers’ 10-point lead. Derrick Rose had 39 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win. Tyler Hansbrough (22 points) was excellent for the Pacers down the stretch.

      Heat 97, Sixers 89
      Philly went on a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to cut the Heat’s lead to one, but Miami responded with a 9-2 run of their own to put the game away. Chris Bosh posted 25 points and 12 rebounds.

      Atlanta 103, Orlando 93
      Dwight Howard (46 points, 19 rebounds) and Jameer Nelson (27 points, six rebounds) were big for Orlando, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Atlanta’s balanced attack. Five Hawks scored in double figures, while no other Orlando player scored more than six points.

      External Sports, NBA

      Drunken Cubs fan discusses life at Wrigley

      April 16, 2011 /

      Those who have attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field know it’s a magical place. Despite the product on the field, the stands are usually packed, the ivory is green in the summer and most of all, it represents a piece of baseball history.

      It’s also a fantastic place to people watch, as some fans attend the games as if they would a party on a Friday. Cub games offer people the chance to get drunk with friends in or right outside the park, scream bloody murder when they think a ball hit into the outfield has a chance to leave the stadium even though it falls about 20 feet short of the warning track, and root for the “Cubbies,” even though they might not know most of the players’ names.

      This woman typifies that fan at Wrigley.

      Opening Day: The Cubs biggest fan from WBEZ on Vimeo.

      “It’s like, I have to pay for HBO and birth control, so why should public radio be free?”

      OUTSTANDING.

      Humor, MLB, Video

      5 baseball questions with singer/songwriter Ari Hest

      April 16, 2011 /

      New York City based singer/songwriter Ari Hest has a very passionate fan base, one that helped choose the songs for his 2009 release, Twelve Mondays. Hest is back with a brand new album of new material, Sunset Over Hope Street, and as always, this prolific songwriter has delivered another set of stellar songs that can maybe best be described as alternative pop.

      And speaking of passionate, Hest is a huge fan of the New York Yankees, and we had the chance to catch up with him while he’s on tour in support of Sunset Over Hope Street, to ask him some questions about the 2010 baseball season complete with predictions:

      The Scores Report: So how do you feel about the Yankees’ chances this year as a whole–and where you do expect them to end up in the standings and why?

      Ari Hest: I think the Yanks will finish first in the division, but I have doubts about them beating Texas in the playoffs. The pitching isn’t quite what it used to be.

      TSR: What do you think about the starting rotation and do you think the Yankees can get by with Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia as the 4 and 5 starters, or will that offense just bludgeon opponents anyway?

      AH: Actually I think they will win around 90 games and still take the division, so neither their pitching nor offense will be anything special — only enough to win the division.

      TSR: How many years do you think Mariano Rivera can effectively pitch?

      AH: I think somewhere around 2046 he’ll retire. He’s only 43 now.

      TSR: What are your long-range predictions for who will meet in the World Series and why?

      AH: World Series this year: Phillies beat Rangers in 7 games, since both teams are stacked. Nobody can beat that Philly pitching in a short series.

      TSR: What are your predictions for AL and NL MVP?

      AH: AL – Josh Hamilton and NL – Ryan Howard

      Bonus question, TSR: Do you think the NFL labor situation will be settled before September?

      AH: I really hope so. It’s so lame. And the fans get hurt the most.

      For more information on Ari Hest music and tour dates, please visit www.arihest.com. And maybe we’ll check back with Ari at the end of the season to see how things shook out.

      MLB

      Roddy White rips Alex Smith via Twitter

      April 16, 2011 /
      REFILE – CORRECTING SPELLING OF CINCINNATI Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White (R) bobbles the ball but makes the catch for a touchdown in front of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall in the first half of their NFL football game in Atlanta, Georgia October 24, 2010. REUTERS/Tami Chappell (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL)

      Ah, Twitter. Making athletes say controversial things since 2006.

      Falcons’ receiver Roddy White has never played with 49ers’ QB Alex Smith but apparently he’s seen enough of him from the opposing sidelines to know that San Fran should dump the former No. 1 overall pick.

      “Why is the 49ers wasting their time with alex smith they need to move on better yet try to get luck next year would be good for them,” White said via Twitter on Friday. He followed that up by tweeting, “2 coaches have been fired for tht mans performance.”

      Grammatical issues aside, it’s hard to blame White for holding those opinions. Although some Niner fans have taken to Twitter to criticize White for his remarks, he isn’t alone in his sentiment. Smith deserves plenty of criticism for his poor play over the years and chances are he’ll be ousted in San Francisco once the new regime finds a suitable replacement.

      That said, White is off base here. Smith didn’t get Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary fired: Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary got Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary fired. Nolan is a solid defensive coordinator but he was overmatched as a head coach and while Singletary’s fiery passion got him his first head-coaching gig, his lack of experience got him fired – not Smith.

      Granted, Smith certainly contributed to the demise of Nolan and Singletary but to suggest that the quarterback got both head coaches fired for his performance is flat out incorrect. I don’t know what facilitated White’s comments but he probably should have become more educated on the situation before tweeting his opinion.

      A couple of hours after making his original comments, White did come back with: “Ok 49ers fans I’m sorry I take tht back alex smith is a great players and the 49ers should sign him to a 5 year deal btw I don’t have anything against alex smith wht so ever he is a great guy.”

      Obviously the apology was tongue-in-cheek, but it was interesting to see White refer to Smith as a “great guy” after crapping on him two hours earlier. I think what happened here is that White shared a causal opinion about another player as if he were sitting around the bar with buddies having a beer. But instead of a bar, it was Twitter, and instead of his buddies, it was the entire world.

      White is a good guy and he probably didn’t mean any harm by what he said, but he still shouldn’t have said it. Moving forward, he’s better off keeping those types of comments to himself or close friends that he trusts. (Studying up on his grammar would hurt either.)

      External Sports, NFL

      Giants’ Brandon Belt running out of time to prove himself in the majors?

      April 16, 2011 /
      San Francisco Giants’ Brandon Belt autographs baseballs before his MLB National League baseball game in San Francisco, California, April 8, 2011. REUTERS/Beck Diefenbach (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Brandon Belt has been a nice story thus far in San Francisco, but that “nice story” could turn into a cautionary one soon if the young man doesn’t start hitting.

      Despite many believing he would start the year at Triple-A Fresno, the 22-year-old Belt made the Giants’ roster after a great spring. San Francisco management believed that he made the club better and with outfielder Cody Ross set to start the year on the DL, it was easy to make room for Belt after designating 1B Travis Ishikawa for assignment.

      But since then, Aubrey Huff (who had to move to right field because Belt took his job at first) has been somewhat of a circus act in the outfield and Aaron Rowand (despite a bad night in Arizona on Friday) is hot after taking over for Andres Torres (15-day DL) in centerfield. Once Torres comes off the DL on April 26, the Giants will have a decision to make, which could mean sending Belt back down to Triple-A.

      Granted, that wouldn’t be the worst thing for Belt, who has started to find his stroke at the plate of late, but who still is only hitting .200 with one home run. Ironing out the kinks in the minors now may actually help him later and it’s not as if his career is over if he’s sent down in two weeks. Far from it, in fact: he is the Giants’ first baseman of the future.

      That said, no player wants to spend any amount of time in the minors and if he wants to stick around, Belt better start heating up. After showing some frustration at the plate earlier in the season, he’s starting to take better at bats and a hot-streak could be right around the corner. At 6’5” and 210 pounds, opposing pitchers have been hammering him on his hands inside. But after struggling with the pitch for about a week, Belt lined an inside pitch from Daniel Hudson into right field last night for a clean base hit. Thus, maybe he’s starting to come around.

      Currently, the Giants have a great blend of young (Belt, Buster Posey and Pablo Sandoval) and veteran (Huff, Torres, Ross, Rowand, Freddy Sanchez and Miguel Tejada) talent among their position players. But it would be much easier to send Belt down to the minors then designate someone like Nate Schierholtz for assignment, or flat out release a player like Rowand or Pat Burrell. So just as Belt did in spring training, he might have to force Giants’ management to keep him on the roster by finding his stroke.

      External Sports, MLB

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