by Jordan Schelling
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Surprise, Surprise: Sosa used PEDs
At this point, it's worth asking: is there anyone left in Major League Baseball who you would really be shocked to find out they used steroids?For me, there's one: Ken Griffey Jr. And I wouldn't so much be shocked as I would be saddened.
Yet, here we are again with breaking news that another "Hall of Fame caliber" player from the steroids era in baseball tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. This time, it's none other than the Chicago Cubs' beloved Sammy Sosa.
And while this one isn't exactly a surprise (look at the guy, he's like Popeye now compared to his early years), this one is nearly as devastating as the Alex Rodriguez revelation.
Sure, one could say Sosa, McGwire & Co. hurt themselves already before Congress, but based on the "innocent until proven guilty" idea, they had not yet been proven to have done anything wrong. Now, the entire 1998 home run chase that revived baseball following the 1994 players' strike seems like nothing more than a MLB-endorsed publicity stunt.
Both Mark McGwire and Sosa were clearing juicing, but everyone in America acted like the citizens of Springfield in the classic Simpsons episode when McGwire asks, "Do you want to know the terrifying truth or do you want to see me hit some dingers?"
Nobody wanted to know if they were cheating, they'd rather enjoy an historic chase for the single season home run record of 62, which has since been obliterated by McGwire (70), Sosa (66) and Barry Bonds (73).
All I want to know is, when are these idiots going to stop letting the press throw them under the bus with evidence they know is out there? When will others like McGwire come clean on their own. We all know or think we know who did it, so just tell us and it will go away faster.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Good news: Manny fading from All-Star voting
Most of the news in the sporting world today will be revolving around Los Angeles, and this piece is no different. Major League Baseball released an update today of the All-Star voting and there's some big news from a certain someone on a certain L.A. club. Manny Ramirez, who continues to serve his ban until next month, has dropped to sixth in voting for NL outfielders.
I still think it's incredible that he is even that close, but hey, it's a start.
What's even more important is the leader in the outfield for the NL. Who might that be? Raul Ibanez, who is on his way to his first career appearance in the game after getting off to a torrid start for the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies.
Also dropping off from their initial high spots are Milwaukee outfielders Mike Cameron and Corey Hart, who now rank seventh and ninth, respectively.
Behind the dish, the Brewers' Jason Kendall has dropped to third while St. Louis' Yadier Molina leads the way with just over 1 million votes. Between the two is Braves' catcher Brian McCann.
Another Phillies star, Jimmy Rollins, has taken over at shortstop with 1.2 million votes. The Marlins' Hanley Ramirez has maintained his second place spot, but trails by less than 90,000 votes. Milwaukee's J.J. Hardy — who led the first update — has dropped to third place with just under 900,000 votes.
At third base, the Mets' David Wright has a commanding lead over Washington's Ryan Zimmerman, earning 1.25 million votes to Zimmerman's 920,000.
At second base, it's the defending champs again as Chase Utley continues to dominate his competition. Utley leads all NL vote getters with 2.27 million votes, while the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson is a distant second with just over 900,000.
Finally, the race for first isn't very close either as Albert Pujols is just behind Utley for the overall lead with 2.15 million votes. His closest competitor is another member of the Phillies as Ryan Howard has 1.14 million. In third is the Brewers' Prince Fielder, who is perhaps having the best season of any player not leading his position in voting for the NL right now.
So that makes for two Cardinals, three Phillies, two Mets and one Brewer in the starting lineup.
The only problem with that? Though those four teams comprise 80% of the top five teams in the NL, on the top of that list is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
My 100th Post
One hundred. I've finally reached the century mark on blog posts. And while many of them are simply links to other stories I've written for The Badger Herald, I think my 100th post is an exciting moment in this blog. It's only fitting that my special moment would coincide with another in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 99-86 last night to wrap up their 15th title in franchise history.
Kobe Bryant was named Finals MVP in earning his fourth career championship and first without Shaquille O'Neal. Finally, Kobe has earned that elusive fourth title which justifies his ability to win without Shaq.
Phil Jackson, well he's now being talked about as the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) in coaching. He now owns 10 championships, a new NBA record for coaches, passing Boston Celtic great Red Auerbach for the most in NBA history.
Sure, many fans probably didn't want to see the Lakers win the championship. And yes, it would have been more interesting if they had faced King James and the Cavaliers. But in the end, the result is one of the biggest moments in NBA history.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Mallards reliever Heim drafted by Cardinals
Kyle Heim didn't exactly have a good season pitching for Iowa in 2009. In fact, his ERA was an ugly 8.31 after allowing eight earned runs in just 8.2 innings pitched.
So, to say he didn't expect to be selected in 2009 MLB Draft is something of an understatement.
"It was definitely unexpected," Heim said. "I didn't have the greatest season in school this year, but I guess someone saw something they liked."
Heim was picked Thursday in the 44th round (1329th overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals on the third day of the draft.
One key to his selection may lie in his summer numbers. As a member of the Madison Mallards baseball club in 2008, Heim pitched 43.1 innings — more than his last two years combined at Iowa — while posting a 4.36 ERA.
The lefty tied fellow southpaw Matt Jansen — who was also drafted Thursday by the San Francisco Giants — for the team lead with 43 strikeouts last season, despite pitching 13 fewer innings.
Though Heim would like to continue his Mallards career this summer, he is expected to sign with the Cardinals and begin his journey through the professional ranks.
"As of now, they're saying they want me to fly out Tuesday down to Tennessee," Heim said. "So, I guess that's about it for me here in Madison."
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Mallards' Wikoff drafted in 5th round
As I get back into the swing of things with Mallards baseball tonight, I've been following the MLB Draft over the past two days for a couple of reasons.
First, I want to see who the Brewers will be taking in the draft. Second, I'm very interested to see how many Northwoods League players, especially those on the Madison Mallards, are drafted.
So far, here's how it stands:
The Northwoods League has seen 16 of its current or former players drafted in the first seven rounds. Three of those players went in the first round, including the fourth overall pick, Boston College's Tony Sanchez (Battle Creek, 2007).
More notably, the Mallards have had one current player and one alum drafted so far. Current Mallards' shortstop Brandon Wikoff was selected in the fifth round (161st overall) by Houston. The junior from the University of Illinois is best known for his ability to get on base, speed and defensive prowess.
Former Mallards third baseman Robert Lyerly (2008) was selected in the sixth round (195th overall) by the New York Yankees. Lyerly led his UNC-Charlotte ballclub with a .401 batting average in 2009 while slugging 12 home runs. He also was a teammate of current Mallards pitcher Joe Yermal.
We'll have to wait and see if anyone else is drafted today or tomorrow from the Mallards or the NWL. Either way, it's an exciting time in the baseball world this week.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Federer takes French Open title
After two weeks full of upsets, the last day of the French Open proved worth the wait, as Roger Federer defeated Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 to win his 14th major title of his career.
The win earns Federer a tie with Pete Sampras for the most major titles in a career. It also completes the career Grand Slam for Federer, who has now won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open at least once in his career, just the sixth player to do so.
With the win, this year's Wimbledon promises to be an even more exciting event than in the past as Federer's next major title will place him alone at the top as the only player to win 15 majors. Will he do it at Wimbledon? Or maybe the U.S. Open?
And who will it be against? Maybe Rafael Nadal? Or another lesser-known player like Soderling?
Regardless of the opponent, Federer has ensured himself a place among the elite in tennis.
The question now is, where does he rank among those elite? It's hard to argue that he isn't the best tennis player in the Open Era.
Especially once he wins his 15th major title (assuming he does), Federer will rank first in that category while being one of just six players to complete the career Grand Slam, a truly remarkable feat.
Between Federer and Nadal, we all are fortunate to be able to witness two of the best players in the history of the sport. It's unfortunate they were unable to square off at Roland Garros, but hopefully they will get the chance to do so again soon at Wimbledon.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Federer's time at French Open
Over the past week, I've been really disappointed by the poor performances of some of tennis' biggest stars at Roland Garros.
I mean, Rafael Nadal is supposed to be unbeatable on the clay. And Venus Williams? The No. 3 seed again couldn't get out of the third round, despite having her own apartment in Paris.
And now, the women's final features two Russian players no one in the United States cares about, let alone being able to pronounce their names. While the men's final has basically been conceded to Roger Federer.
Sure, his opponent in the final is the same Robin Soderling who eliminated Nadal just a few days ago, but there's no way Federer will let the Swede get the best of him. Not with history in his grasp.
You see, if Federer wins the French Open title, he will complete the career Grand Slam, becoming just the sixth man in history to win all four Grand Slam titles. He would also tie Pete Sampras' mark of 14 major titles with the win.
So, maybe we won't get to see Federer-Nadal like we had all hoped. Or even Federer-Andy Murray. But at least we should all get the opportunity to witness history Sunday.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Woods chips in to win Memorial Skins Game
The last two nights, I haven't been able to watch a lot of sporting events live while I've been at the Duck Pond covering the Madison Mallards for The Badger Herald. In fact, my only exposure to anything non-Northwoods League has been SportsCenter in the office while posting stories.
Today, however, I was fortunate enough to catch the Memorial Skins Game live on the Golf Channel this afternoon. And it didn't disappoint either.
Two foursomes teed it up on the back nine at Muirfield Village today, but the one everyone was buzzing about was the second group, which featured Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus going head-to-head for just the second time ever.
Nicklaus and Woods stole the show as they won the 11th and 13th holes, respectively, giving them two skins apiece. Cink took the 14th hole, putting him just one behind the two leaders. The next four holes, however, went off without anyone winning a skin.
So they had a closest to the pin chip-off, with the winner getting four skins and will be the winner of the group. Stewart Cink went first, hitting his chip within about five feet.
Next up was Woods. His shot is guaranteed to be shown about 100 times tonight on ESPN. With the Skins Game on the line, Woods stepped up and chipped in. Nicklaus couldn't match him, so it was up to Kenny Perry. He lined it up well and had enough speed, but it just burned the outside edge and rolled past the hole.
Woods, as usual, shines under pressure in the big moment.
But the best part about the Skins Game wasn't really the shot by Woods, it was the chance to listen in to the conversation between the players and see the way they interact with each other outside the confines of a typical PGA TOUR event.
"Can you even let us have one day in the sun?" remarked one of the other players in the group after the crowd erupted following Woods' chip-in.
He certainly has a knack for the big moment, and though the audience wasn't that of a major this afternoon, his peers were watching and he couldn't show any weakness regardless of the prize.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Mallards look for sweep of Honkers
After last night's thrilling walk-off win, the Madison Mallards are set tonight to face the Rochester Honkers for the second game of their two-game set at the Duck Pond.
I wasn't sure what it would be like covering the Mallards this summer for a couple of reasons.
First, I didn't know until yesterday afternoon if I would be able to get into the game or not due to some communication issues with the staff. Second, as much as I enjoy baseball, I've never covered it for the newspaper before.
Finally, the Mallards are in an interesting limbo between professional and collegiate ball — it's officially referred to as a minor league internship — and I wasn't sure how much access I would have to the players and coaches.
Well, after last night's game I realized I enjoy covering the team as much if not more than any team at the University of Wisconsin. Perhaps this is because I have no school- or fraternity- or work-related responsibilities interfering with my ability to cover games and write stories at midnight or later.
Or maybe it's because I love baseball so much and now I know I want to be a baseball writer someday.
The first pitch is still three hours away and I won't be leaving for Warner Park for at least 1 1/2 hours, but I'm excited for tonight. Witnessing the first walk-off home run in Mallards history is something I won't soon forget, regardless of whether or not I was able to cheer for Harold Riggins and the Mallards as the celebrated.
Tonight's matchup features a pair of Big Ten hurlers with Purdue's Matt Jansen taking the hill for the Mallards and Zach Robertson of Iowa getting the nod for the Honkers.
Each pitcher started their team's respective season opener. Jansen took the loss against Alexandria, allowing four runs in five innings, and Robertson delivered an impressive six-inning shut out performance in Rochester's 5-3 win over Mankato.
Check back here or at The Badger Herald later tonight or tomorrow morning for a recap of tonight's action.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Federer avoids making French Open irrelevant
First it was Novak Djokovic. Next was Venus Williams in the third round. Then it was defending men's champion Rafael Nadal. And the last major star to fall at the French Open was defending women's champion Ana Ivanovic.
For only the fourth time in the Open era at Roland Garros, neither defending champion reached the quarterfinals. So what's left to watch at the French Open?
Well, thanks to Roger Federer, at least one major star remains.
Less than 24 hours after the elimination of Nadal, Tommy Haas nearly stunned Federer, winning the first two sets 7-6 (4) and 7-5. Federer, however, dug deep and won three straight, 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 to stave off elimination at Roland Garros.
It's become more of a question of when than if the remaining stars will fall at the French Open with the dream matchup of Federer-Nadal out the window and Djokovic, Williams and Ivanovic all losing before the quarterfinals.
Luckily for Americans, we still have Andy Roddick to cheer for in the fourth round and potentially against the mighty Federer in the quarterfinals if he can advance against Gael Monfils of France.
But inevitably, one of those two stars must fall if they face off in the quarterfinals, leaving just two big names: the winner of that matchup and No. 3 Andy Murray.
Let's hope the winner of the potential Roddick-Federer matchup faces Murray in the finals, otherwise it will be quite an irrelevant French Open final.
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