It’s A Great Day For Hockey

The Pittsburgh Penguins finally unveiled their jerseys on Thursday for the 2011 Winter Classic that will be played at Heinz Field on January 1^st, 2011. The new jerseys were heavily anticipated when the NHL announced back in July that the 2011 Winter Classic would be played between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh. When the game was announced, the Penguins’ logo was unveiled which was the original logo they had used, but the jersey was not. The game’s hype has been centered on NHL superstars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and once the Capitals’ jerseys were released, it wasn’t long before Crosby and his team saw what they would be wearing for the game. The Penguins’ jersey is a mix between multiple generations of Penguins’ jerseys. This is different than the jersey they wore in the first Winter Classic in 2008 which was a throwback uniform from the 1970’s. I am looking forward to the Winter Classic on January 1^st, and I will be watching it live in person because I was fortunate to win an opportunity to purchase tickets to the game. 

291 and Done?

Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback Brett Favre has started in 291 straight games in the National Football League, but that streak is in jeopardy on Sunday when the Vikings play the New England Patriots. Favre started this amazing streak back in 1992 when he was named the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback prior to their games versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 27. Since that date, Favre has never missed a start. Favre has been the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings throughout this streak of consecutive games played. During this streak, Favre has thrown for 504 touchdowns and over 70,000 passing yards. Favre has been known has super man during this streak playing through injuries, his father’s death, and all the pain that has come from getting hit game after game. In last Sunday’s game against his former team the Green Bay Packers, Favre suffered two fractures in his left ankle that could cause him to miss his first start in his career. If any player is able to play through an injury it would be Favre, but with a 2-4 record the Vikings need a quarterback that can win not just play. I don’t believe that Favre will start on Sunday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

Giant Finish

When Brian Wilson took the mound in the ninth inning Saturday night, he didn’t just have the weight of the San Francisco Giants on his back, he had the entire weight of the city of San Francisco as well. Going into the National League Championship Series, the Philadelphia Phillies were looking to win their third straight National League title and have a shot at their second World Series title in three years, but that chance was crushed when Ryan Howard struck out to end the game. The Phillies once held a 2-0 lead in the game, but the Giants fought back tying the game in the third inning. Juan Uribe hit the most important homerun in his career when he drove a solo homerun over the left field wall to give the Giants a 3-2 lead. The Phillies didn’t give up when they had two players on base in the ninth inning, but Brian Wilson struck out Ryan Howard for a LCS record tying 12 times to give the Giants a trip to the World Series for the first time since 2002. Although I wanted the Phillies to win this series, I am also glad to see two different organizations in the World Series for the first time in awhile. The Giants will face a tough Texas Rangers team who I believe will win their first World Series title. 

Flash Back of 1996

            

Tuesday night, the new Yankee Stadium witnessed a similar event that the old Yankee Stadium observed fifteen years ago. In the bottom of the second inning of game 5 of the ALCS, Robinson Canoe hit a low drive ball that barely cleared the left field fence. As Texas Rangers’ right fielder Nelson Cruiz attempted to catch the ball and deprive Canoe of the home run, a fan interfered with the play and caught the ball as he leaned out of his seat and over the fence. The MLB, who in the past two years has implemented an instant replay for instances like this one, chose not to replay this call and gave Canoe a homerun. Although this event didn’t affect the outcome of the game, the Rangers beat the Yankees 10-3. In Game One of the 1996 ALCS, a very similar event occurred at the old Yankees' stadium, which cost the Baltimore Orioles a win. In this game, Derek Jeter hit a homerun that cleared the left field fence because Yankees' fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and caught the ball above the Orioles' left fielder.  When the MLB implemented the instant replay rule, they created it to fix instances like these so that the right call would be made and not affect the outcome of the game. Tuesday night’s call by the umpiring crew was wrong and luckily for them it didn’t affect the outcome of the final score. Fans shouldn’t be allowed to influence a game like this and get away with it. I believe that if a fan interferes with the game, they should be asked to leave or given another seat. MLB Playoffs are supposed to determine the best team in the major league and not allow the fans to determine the outcome of the game with instances like these.

Texas Size Celebration

When the Texas Rangers took the field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Tuesday night, they were looking to do something that no other Rangers team has done before, win a playoff series. The Texas Rangers came into the MLB in 1961, but prior to Tuesday night they were the only organization in the majors to never have won a playoff series before. That fate changed when Cliff Lee threw a complete game, only giving up one earned run and was backed by the five runs scored by the Rangers offense. The Tampa Bay Rays had their chances in the game, but when they needed a hit, Lee struck them out or got them to pop up or ground out.  When the game was over, the Rangers had achieved their first ever playoff series win. Following the game, the players partook in a MLB tradition series win celebration, but the Rangers knew that in order for the entire team to participate in the celebration they needed to get something special for center fielder Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is a recovering alcoholic and did not want to join his teammates in the celebration because the team would be popping open Champaign bottles and showering their teammates in alcohol. On this night, Hamilton’s teammates had something special for him. When Hamilton walked into the clubhouse, he saw his teammates waiting for him with bottles of Canada Dry ginger ale. Previously, when the Rangers clinched the American West division title, Hamilton did not join in the celebration, but on this night he was united with his teammates. I think that the Rangers made a classy move by involving their leader, Hamilton in their celebration by not pressuring him into being around alcohol, but spraying Ginger Ale on him which made him more comfortable in joining in the festivities. The Rangers will host the New York Yankees in the ALCS in pursuit of their first American League Championship.

Boise State BCS Bound

When the Bowl Championship Series first rankings of the season are released, the projected number one team in the nation is predicted to be the Boise State Broncos. Boise State has started the season with a 5-0 record getting wins against a tough Virginia Tech team on the road and an impressive win over ranked Oregon State at home. Boise State has played in two BCS bowl games since the 2006 season and hopes to appear in their third at the end of this season. In both of the BCS games, Boise State was victorious beating Oklahoma and TCU. In the minds of sports analysts and college football followers, Boise State does not deserve to be the top ranked team in the nation because they are not apart of one of the BCS conferences. Boise State plays out of the Western Athletic Conference where they usually end up winning the conference championship each year. Although they are not in a BCS conference, I believe that Boise State deserves to be the best team in the nation because when they play top teams like Texas Christian University, Virginia Tech, and Oregon State, they get the job done, and beat these teams along with the teams they are supposed to beat.  Although many sport analysts believe that if Boise State played in the SEC, Big Ten or Big Twelve conferences they would not win a game all year, they would be wrong.  The Boise State Broncos are a legitimate contender for the BCS national championship and deserve to be the top ranked team in the first BCS standings.

Red Doc-tober

When the Philadelphia Phillies take the field tonight in game one of the National League Divisional Series versus the Cincinnati Reds, they will be led by Roy Halladay who will be making his first post-season appearance. Halladay was the ace pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays for twelve seasons, but during his time with the Jays he never made a post-season appearance. As the off-season approached, the Philadelphia Phillies made room for Halladay by trading Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners and the rest is history. By bringing Halladay into their rotation, the Phillies made an already powerful pitching staff even better. As the 2010 season progressed, the Phillies also picked up starting pitcher Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros. The Phillies recent success started in 2007 when they clinched their first playoff berth since losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series in 1993. In 2008, the Phillies won their first World Series since 1980 and then lost to the New York Yankees in the 2009 World Series. With Halladay and Oswalt in their rotation I believe that the Phillies will be the team to beat in the National League for many years to come. The Phillies are becoming the Yankees of the NL with players wanting to be a part of their organization and also being paid well. If NL organizations aren’t able to bring in top players for their teams, the Phillies will continue to dominate the league. In order for a team to take over the NL they must defeat the Phillies, which will be tough to do with their overpowering pitching and powerful batting lineup. 

Tropicana Field Gets Welcoming Ground Rule Changes

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays received some news from Major League Baseball that there will be some significant changes that will be made to its ground rules. Prior to Monday, any ball that hit any of the uppermost catwalks at Tropicana Field were live balls which meant that a routine fly ball could result in a single, double, triple, or even an inside the park homerun because of the uncertainty of the catwalks. But on Monday, this ground rule that has haunted Tropicana Field finally changed. The new rule states that any ball that hits the upper most catwalks, the A or B rings, any light or suspended object in fair territory, will be a dead ball and the pitch will not count. This rule should have been in effect since 1998 when the Devil Rays took the field for the first time, but it was a rule thirteen seasons in the making. On August 5^th, with the Rays tied with the Minnesota Twins, Jason Kubel hit a towering pop fly that struck catwalk A and dropped for a base hit which scored the winning run for the Twins. The game dropped the Rays out of first place as the New York Yankees took over the tope spot in the American League East. Following the Loss, Joe Maddon, Ray’s Manager, said that this is a prime example of why the Rays need a new ballpark since their home field is supposed to help them win games not lose them. Along with this rule change, any ball that hits the C or D catwalk rings in fair territory will be an automatic homerun which is similar to the old ground rule at the Trop. This ground rule change will benefit the Rays as they pursue their second American League championship with home field advantage in the AL side of the playoffs.