Page 592 of 2957

      Someone actually voted for candidates outside of Posey and Heyward for ROY

      November 15, 2010 /
      San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey looks on during workouts in preparation for their Major League Baseball (MLB)'s World Series in San Francisco October 26, 2010. The Giants will face the Texas Rangers in the series opening game on Wednesday. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      Whether it was Giants’ 23-year-old backstop or the Braves’ 21-year-old right fielder, the only two candidates that deserved to be considered for the 2010 Rookie of the Year Award were Buster Posey and Jason Heyward.

      Yet three clowns actually voted for Jaime Garcia and Gaby Sanchez when it came down to handing out the award on Monday.

      When the voting was completed, Posey beat out Heyward to win this year’s ROY award. Heyward bested Posey in runs scored (83 to 58), hits (144 to 124) and walks (91 to 30), but he also played 34 more games as the Giants kept Posey in the minors because they wanted to slow his arbitration clock.

      Despite not playing a full year like Heyward, Posey hit just as many home runs (18) as the Atlanta outfielder and finished with a higher batting average (.305 to .277). He also caught a pitching staff that led the majors with a 3.36 ERA and helped San Francisco win its first ever World Series while batting cleanup for most of the postseason.

      Personally, I think Posey deserved the award based on the fact that he helped the Giants win playoff games while Hewyard struggled mightily in the NLDS. Posey also plays a more demanding position and may have doubled his output had he been given the opportunity to play a full year.

      But whether you thought it should have been Posey or Heyward, I think most of us would agree that the award didn’t belong to Garcia or Sanchez, who each received three first-place votes. (Posey finished with 20, Heyward had nine, Sanchez had two and Garcia had one.) That’s not to say that Garcia or Sanchez didn’t have good years because they did. But are you kidding me? Did the writers who voted for those two see Posey or Heyward play this season?

      Posey and Heyward played vital roles in the success that their teams had this year and put together some of the finest seasons of any rookies over the past couple decades. Garcia and Sanchez were nice players, but they didn’t hold a candle to what Posey and Heyward did for their teams. I would expect Cardinals and Marlins fans to argue that claim, but I would suggest they put on some tape to see what Posey and Heyward accomplished this year. Again, I’m not trying to take anything away from Garcia and Sanchez but come on. Two votes? Gabby Sanchez received two first-place votes? Over Buster Posey? Dear, Barbara.

      At the end of the day, who received first-place votes doesn’t matter. Posey won by a landslide and I think it was well deserved. All four of these players should go on to have solid careers, although I only see two potential superstars in the bunch and neither of them plays in St. Louis or Florida.

      External Sports, MLB

      Todd Haley refuses to shake Josh McDaniels’ hand following blowout

      November 15, 2010 /

      Following the Broncos’ 49-29 dismantling of the Chiefs on Sunday, Kansas City coach Todd Haley went to midfield and instead of shaking Josh McDaniels’ hand, he angrily pointed his figure at McDaniels and stormed off.

      Just so you know I didn’t concoct this story on my own, here’s the video:

      The Broncos led 35-10 at halftime and scored just once more in each of the final two quarters, but apparently Haley thought Denver should have taken a knee at the start of the third quarter.

      Some will say that it wasn’t very sportsmanlike of the Broncos to keep throwing in the fourth quarter, but it’s not like the Chiefs were completely inept offensively. Matt Cassel threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns, so clearly Kansas City wasn’t content to take a loss and get out of dodge as quickly as possible. Nor should they have been.

      Football games last 60 minutes. There was no give up in the Chiefs and Haley shouldn’t have expected his opponents to give up either. Just because Kansas City had the better record and was in first place at the start of the day doesn’t mean Denver should have laid down for them.

      There’s an unwritten rule in baseball that I absolutely loathe. Teams that are up “big” late in games aren’t supposed to steal as a courtesy to their opponent. But if a team doesn’t want to get run on when its getting its ass kicked, then it should try throwing runners out.

      I’ll offer the same advice to Haley. The last time I checked, the Chiefs were playing with 11 players on defense. They weren’t at a disadvantage so if they wanted McDaniels and company to stop scoring, then they should have stopped the Broncos. It’s that simple.

      External Sports, NFL, Video

      Deron Williams’ game-winning floater [video]

      November 15, 2010 /

      Watch Williams hit a beautiful little floater to beat the Bobcats on the road.

      The Jazz are riding a five-game winning streak that includes road wins against four Eastern Conference playoff teams from last season: Miami, Orlando, Charlotte and Atlanta. Williams is playing at an All-NBA level (21.3 points, 10.1 assists, 4.7 rebounds) and the Jazz are getting great play from Paul Millsap (21.9 points, 9.3 rebounds) and Al Jefferson (16.7 points, 9.0 rebounds). With Jerry Sloan leading the way, the Jazz are going to out-execute their opponent just about every night which will usually put them in position to win. Maybe this will be the year that Sloan finally wins Coach of the Year.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Brett Favre plays poorly, so of course there’s injury news to report

      November 15, 2010 /

      Whenever Brett Favre loses there always seems to be injury news that surfaces either directly following the game or a day after.

      ESPN.com is reporting that Favre will contact Dr. James Andrews about the pain he’s having in his right shoulder. The fear, apparently, is that the pain stems from a 2008 surgery that Favre had to repair his biceps tendon. As usual, his playing status for this week is up in the air.

      I’m not one to call for someone’s retirement. If Lord Favre wants to play until he’s 97 then he holds the right to do so. And if a team still thinks he can play at a starter’s level, then by all means – lace ‘em up, Brett.

      But every week there’s a new injury to go along with his poor play on the field. I’m sure there was a report in some dark corner of the internet, but I don’t recall him suffering from anything last week when he rallied the Vikings from two touchdowns down late in the fourth quarter to beat the Cardinals in overtime. But sure enough, a day after he throws three picks in a lousy effort against the Bears, he’s getting an MRI on some part of his anatomy.

      With all that has transpired this season (Jenn Sterger, injuries, losing), it might be a good time for Favre to start his retirement tour. I’ve enjoyed watching him play throughout the years, but he’s turned into one big punch line after another. Maybe it’s time to call it a day.

      Of course, now that I write that, you know he’s going to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers this Sunday in Minnesota. Then the Brett Favre media cycle from hell will start again.

      “He can still play this game! It’s amazing what he can do at his age! Look at him – he sure has fun out there, doesn’t he?”

      News, NFL

      Kevin Walter’s touchdown leads to more controversy over catch rule

      November 15, 2010 /
      JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 14: Kevin Walter of the Houston Texans catches a touchdown pass during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on November 14, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

      The same referee who overturned Calvin Johnson’s touchdown at the conclusion of the Lions-Bears game in Week 1 is once again at the center of controversy.

      Or at least the rule he keeps having to make decisions about is.

      During the fourth quarter of the Texans-Jaguars game on Sunday, Houston’s Kevin Walter caught a pass in the end zone, rolled over on his back, stuck the ball up and then it fell out of his hands.

      The ruling on the field was an incomplete pass, but referee Gene Steratore reviewed the play and overturned the call, which gave Walter and the Texans a touchdown.

      Following the game, Mike Pereira (the NFL’s former director officials) said the call was right.

      “No question this should be a touchdown. The action where Walter lost the ball was clearly after he completed the catch, and he actually seemed to be showing the officials he had maintained control.”

      “The referee, Gene Steratore, who was the referee in the Lions-Bears matchup in Week 1 for the controversial Calvin Johnson play at the end of the game, made the right call again. This time there was clearly a second act, which to me, is reminiscent of a second baseman losing the ball while taking the ball out of his glove in an attempt to turn a double play. So the Texans win this challenge, but ended up losing the game on a wild Hail Mary by the Jaguars on the last play of the game.”

      Here’s the thing that continues to befuddle me about this end zone possession rule. If a running back dives into the end zone and the ball goes over one of the pylons it’s considered a touchdown, even if the ball gets dislodged from his hands at the end of the run. In essence, the play is a touchdown as soon as the tip of the ball crosses the goal line.

      But when a receiver makes a catch, has two feet down (or his butt and an elbow in the case of Johnson’s touchdown in Chicago), he has to maintain the catch until next Wednesday. Why? I can see the differences between Walter and Johnson’s touchdowns, but it doesn’t change the fact that CJ had secured the catch, had two feet, his butt and his forearm on the ground. I get it – he didn’t maintain control throughout. But you can’t tell me that a running back can dive for the end zone, lose the ball and have it count for a touchdown when a catch like Johnson’s doesn’t count. The rule stinks.

      Now, by rule, I guess you can say that the running back already had possession of the ball when he was diving for the end zone and that’s the difference between that play and a receiver making a catch when he’s already in the end zone. But that hardly seems fair, especially considering guys like Johnson had already secured the catch (not by rule mind you, but by common sense).

      That said, I’m fine with the Walter ruling. It was a touchdown – just like Calvin Johnson’s was. (Again, not by rule, but by common sense.)

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑