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      Chapman struggling in minors

      May 15, 2010 /

      MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that Cincinnati Reds signee Aroldis Chapman was recently torched for eight runs in his seventh start for Triple-A Louisville.

      Chapman was roughed up for eight runs on nine hits and three walks over only 3 1/3 innings while striking out five. His undoing was six runs allowed during an eight-run Rochester top of the fourth inning.

      Following Trevor Plouffe’s three-run home run with one out in the fourth, Chapman left the game with the Bats trailing, 8-2. Of the 75 pitches he threw, 42 were strikes.

      The outing sent Chapman’s ERA from 2.84 to 4.63. Overall, he has allowed 18 earned runs, 36 hits and 21 walks while notching 41 strikeouts over 35 1/3 innings. In three May starts, the 22-year-old Cuban lefty has a 9.42 ERA.

      It’s unfortunate, considering he was impressive in April. Meanwhile, Nationals golden boy Stephen Strasburg has yet to have a disastrous outing in the minors.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      2010 Preakness Stakes Predictions

      May 15, 2010 /

      All right, so I was a tad off in my Kentucky Derby predictions two weeks ago. Sidney’s Candy (the colt I predicted to win) ran out of gas down the stretch and I’m pretty sure Line of David (my prediction to show) still hasn’t come out of the posts yet.

      That said, my choice of Paddy O’prado to place was partly correct as he finished in the money, but third instead of my prediction of second. Had he not tired down the stretch, he would have held off Ice Box for second place, but I was happy that at least one of my predictions finished in the money. I also noted that Conveyance would probably jump out to a big lead at the front – which he did – but tire down the stretch (which he also did). But that prediction doesn’t really count for anything; I’m just trying to make myself feel a little better considering the picks didn’t pan out.

      I’ll try to do better today with the Preakness, as the second leg of the Triple Crown takes place at 6:15PM ET.

      Win: Lookin at Lucky (3/1)
      Lookin at Lucky was the favorite heading into the Kentucky Derby, but he fought traffic out at the start and finished a disappointing sixth. That said, he spotted the field over 20 lengths, battled through traffic and still managed to finish sixth. The last horse to pull off a similar feat was Curlin in 2007, who lost to Street Sense at the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby and then won the Preakness two weeks later. Had Lucky not drawn the awful rail position for the Derby, we might have seen a different outcome. But now that he is coming out of the No. 7 post, he shouldn’t have to battle as much traffic at the start and he can run his race throughout. If he does that, he beats the field.

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      External Sports, horse racing

      Rays send down Burrell. Could Dye be their answer?

      May 15, 2010 /

      After hitting just .202 in 24 games and 84 at-bats this season, the Rays have designated the trifling Pat Burrell for assignment. Of course, “Pat the Bat’s” streak of ineptitude began much earlier, from his Rays debut in 2009 until now. At $18 million for two years, the Rays certainly didn’t get what they paid for in Burrell, but the signing didn’t show any promise in the first place. True, Burrell did hit 33 homers and help the Phillies win a championship in 2008, but he also posted a worrisome .250 average and continued to be an eyesore in the outfield. Is that worth $9 million a year, Tampa? Hell no. As it stands, the Burrell acquisition is the worst move of young GM Andrew Friedman’s career.

      Logically, the team is calling up Hank Blalock, who has been tearing it up in the minors, to fill the DH role. Blalock, 29, is younger than Burrell and also offers more upside given his ability to play both third and first base. This gives the Rays opportunity to spell both Evan Longoria and Carlos Pena when needed. The Rays are only on the hook for $925,000 (plus $325,000 in performance-based incentives) with Blalock, so the risk-reward ratio is less frightful than Burrell’s.

      Nevertheless, if Blalock doesn’t pan out (which is likely), why not give Jermaine Dye a shot? All signs point to the White Sox leaving him astray, as Andruw Jones decided he wants to play baseball again instead of spending his days as the Rasheed Wallace of his sport. If Dye can get real and realize he’s not worth more than $3 million a year, he might find a fit with the Rays.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      External Sports, MLB

      Cavs/Celtics draws near record viewers

      May 15, 2010 /

      Per Multichannel News…

      ESPN’s exclusive telecast of the Eastern Conference semifinal Game 6 on May 13 averaged a 6.6 household rating and 8.93 million viewers, according to Nielsen data, the second most ever for the network with a basketball game. Celts-Cavs trailed only the 6.9 rating and 9.88 million watchers ESPN averaged with its Game 4 coverage of the 2009 Western Conference finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

      The Cleveland/Boston telecast is now ESPN’s highest-rated and most-viewed conference semifinal to date, surpassing last year’s Game 6 between the Lakers and Houston Rockets, which posted a 5.4 rating and 7.35 million viewers.

      ESPN officials said the May 13 telecast is the worldwide leader’s third most-viewed program of 2010 and the fifth most-watched NBA playoff game in cable history among households and viewers.

      Now that LeBron has been eliminated from the postseason, it will be interesting to see if his pending free agency overshadows what is shaping up to be a pretty competitive NBA final four.

      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Television

      Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery Picks & Predictions

      May 15, 2010 /

      Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery takes place tonight at 10PM ET on Showtime with some interesting fights. The promotion is looking to erase the memory of the live brawl on CBS during its last show and to do so, they need some solid fights out of their heavyweights tonight. Here is my take on the bouts and who I think will win.

      Strikeforce Heavyweight Championship – Alistair Overeem (32-11) vs. Brett Rogers (10-1) – Overeem hasn’t fought for Strikeforce since 2007, yet somehow is still their heavyweight champion. Despite the long layoff from the promotion, he has fought overseas a number of times, with his last seven fights ending in the first round and all six wins ending in less than two minutes. Rogers is coming off his first MMA loss, to Fedor Emelianenko last November. The key for him in this fight will be what did he learn from that loss. Overeem likes to attack and end the fight early, as does Rogers, but Overeem has the experience to know not to put himself in a bad position. I think experience pays off in this fight as Overeem is able to defeat Rogers by TKO late in the first.

      Heavyweight Bout – Andrei Arlovski (15-7) vs. Antonio Silva (13-2) – Arlovski has fallen on hard times, getting quickly knocked out by Rogers and Fedor in his last two fights. This will be his first bout in nearly a year and he understands the importance of a win, as he has switched up camps and went to Jackson’s MMA and American Kickboxing Academy for training. Silva is a good fighter, but he hasn’t beaten anyone of note in his career. He could land a big punch on Arlovski’s weak chin, but look for the Bela-Russian to work combos and leg kicks to eventually earn a TKO in round three.

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      External Sports, Mixed Martial Arts, UFC

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