The American League Divisional Series started yesterday afternoon with the Tampa Bay Rays hammering the Texas Rangers 9-0 in Arlington.
It is now time to focus our attention today on the senior circuit.
The most intriguing series for me among the four will take place in Milwaukee. The Brewers host the Arizona Diamondbacks at noon today. The Brewers have Canadian content– closer John Axford is from Simcoe, Ontario, and General Manager Doug Melvin is from Chatham, Ontario. They are joined by backup catcher George Kottaras of Scarborough, Ontario, who hit for the cycle in a game this year, and backup third baseman Taylor Green of Comox, British Columbia. Also, we can’t forget centerfielder Nyjer Morgan who played in the Western Hockey League with the Regina Pats.
As for the Diamondbacks, nobody expected them to win their division and get by the San Francisco Giants. Kirk Gibson should win the National League Manager of the Year, Ian Kennedy (21-4, 2.88 ERA) could win the Cy Young and Justin Upton should be in the conversation for N.L. MVP, however, that nod will probably go to Los Angeles Dodgers’ centerfielder Matt Kemp.
Some of the best race car drivers in the world come to Toronto this weekend for the Honda Indy.
American Danica Patrick headlines a solid field that also includes current IndyCar Series point leader Dario Franchitti of Scotland, Indianapolis 500 runner-up Ryan Hunter-Reay of the United States, defending champion Will Power of Australia, and Canadians James Hinchcliffe, Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy.
Remarkably however Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon of England won’t be in Toronto competing, but might be as a commentator. It completely leaves me shaking my head that the winner of IndyCar’s biggest annual race hasn’t been able to find a team to ride for since May 29.
The Toronto Honda Indy will go Sunday at 12pm on TSN.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
Due to some technical difficulties, this week’s episode of 15 Minutes of Fame is coming at you a day later than usual, but it’s better late than never right?
This week, we’re breaking down some of the biggest moves of the NHL Free Agent season, including the handful made by the Oilers and Panthers, and we look at the NBA lockout. In the GABBYs: The LA Dodgers, NY Mets Grand Slams, Cliff Lee shutouts, Major League steroids, and more!
It is in this division where the World Series champion came out of in 2010. The San Francisco Giants knocked off the Texas Rangers 4-1 to win their first championship since 1954.
Even though their pitching staff remains basically intact, the Giants did have to say goodbye to infielders Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria in the offseason. Uribe, who had 24 home runs and 85 runs batted in last season with the Giants is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Renteria, who was named the World Series Most Valuable Player, is now with the Cincinnati Reds.
The Philadelphia Phillies won the National League East last year, and unless disaster strikes, will win their fifth consecutive division crown in 2011.
They simply have the best pitching staff in all of baseball. Former Blue Jay Roy Halladay anchors a staff that includes Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee (signed a 5 year, $120 million deal from Texas). The foursome combined for 58 wins last year and 808 strikeouts. Hamels, who will open as the team’s fourth starter, could be a team’s ace on the majority of other Major League Baseball teams. Just how dominant are the Phillies’ foursome? In my pre-fantasy baseball draft rankings for pitchers, I had Halladay first, Lee fourth, Oswalt fifth, and Hamels eighth, in the whole Major Leagues.
The Texas Rangers were the talk of the American League last year as they surprised many by not only getting by the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners to win the American League West to win the division, but getting by the New York Yankees to win the American League Championship Series in six games as well.
In comes third baseman Adrian Beltre from Boston and catcher Mike Napoli from the Los Angeles Angels (via Toronto) and out goes ace Cliff Lee to Philadelphia, designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero to Baltimore and closer Frank Francisco to Toronto. Beltre became expendable in Boston when they acquired first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and moved Kevin Youkilis to third. On paper Lee would obviously be the most significant loss, but don’t forget, he only joined the Rangers at the trade deadline last year, when Texas had a huge lead in the division.
Fifty-one weeks ago the Toronto Blue Jays shattered the collective heart of its fan base when the club sent Roy “Doc” Halladay packing, leaving the team without a sure-fire ace in its starting rotation.
Despite the loss of their star player, it was still a pretty average year for the Jays, who toil in arguably the toughest division in all of baseball; but there’s no question that Halladay was missed on the mound.
Well, it’s now exactly fifty-one weeks later, and a replacement may finally be on the way!
Word out of the MLB Winter Meetings is that Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos is actively pursuing 2009 Cy Young winner Zack Greinke of the KC Royals, one of the two big name pitchers available this off-season. (more…)
I’m blogging a day later than normal this week because I wanted to include my World Series thoughts that ended last night.
First off a congratulations to the San Francisco Giants on winning the 2010 World Series. It is good to see a great pitching duel, and pitching being at the forefront.
When World Series MVP Edgar Renteria smacked his three run home run off of Rangers’ ace Cliff Lee to put the Giants up 3-0 last night, Texas manager Ron Washington was criticized for pitching to Renteria with first base open and Aaron Rowand coming up to bat.
I say you cannot blame Washington. Even though the count was 2 and 0, (a hitter’s count), Lee is one of the best pitchers in baseball–period. If the Ranger lefty gets Renteria out, San Francisco starts off the next inning with Rowand leading off instead of Fernando Torres.
Kevin Reynolds (David Carmichael, Wikimedia Commons)
Happy Halloween from Any Sport Any Time everyone.
Sunday night I will be keeping a close eye to the television set, so I haven’t decided if I am going to be passing out candy so far.
The best costume in the sports world I have seen to date came from Tony Kornheiser on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption. On Friday’s show he dressed up as Spanish golf star Miguel Angel Jimenez–the mustache, cigar, wig and ponytail. As they say in the Mastercard commercial–priceless.
Here are the events I’m be watching this weekend.
Saturday–12pm–Skate Canada Pairs’ Long Program from Kingston–CBC–This will be my first glance of two up and coming Canadian figure skaters– 20 year old Paige Lawrence of Kipling, Saskatchewan and Rudi Swiegers of Brandon. The duo finished fourth at the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria and are sitting in third place after the short program. The leaders are Russians Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze of Russia.
First off, I would like to congratulate our captain John Short.
He has made the bold prediction for weeks that the Edmonton Eskimos will make the playoffs.
Well, there is only three weeks left in the 2010 CFL’s Regular Season, and the Eskimos, at 5-10 are currently in a playoff spot.
Can they hold off Winnipeg and British Columbia? Time will tell, but if the season was over today, the Eskimos would be punching their ticket for Regina in a Western semi-final showdown with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Fifty-one weeks ago the Toronto Blue Jays shattered the collective heart of its fan base when the club sent Roy “Doc” Halladay packing, leaving the team without a sure-fire ace in its starting rotation.
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