Happy Monday!
This week on the show we’re looking at the Stanley Cup Finals, the latest news on the Phoenix Coyotes ownership situation, another boxing controversy and some sad news in the world of horse racing.
In the GABBYs: Union Rags, Charlie Sheen, Chad Ochocinco, the AHL, the San Diego Padres and the NBA. The Punchline this week is Elvin Ramirez.
Johan Santana (Tom Thai, Wikimedia Commons)
For the first time in club history a pitcher for the New York Mets has thrown a no-hitter.
Friday night in the big Apple, Johan Santana accomplished the feat as the New York Mets defeated the Saint Louis Cardinals 8-0.
But should Santana have been credited with a no-no? According to the Associated Press, Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran had a base hit down the line, but it was called foul by umpire Adrian Johnson. The replay clearly showed that the ball hit the foul line, meaning it should have been fair, not foul.
Santana becomes the third pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season joining Jered Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox.
Carlos Quentin (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The San Diego Padres have acquired Carlos Quentin from the Chicago White Sox for two minor league pitchers.
Quentin, who will play left field, will try to improve a Padres’ offense that scored a National League low 593 runs in 2011. Just don’t expect the Padres to improve that much.
The reason is that Quentin’s offensive numbers have gone south since 2008 when he .288 with 36 home runs and 100 runs batted in. Since then his only best average was last year at .254. His power numbers have remained respectable in the 20-25 home run range, but expect those to drop in the pitching-friendly ball park in San Diego.
In other baseball news, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed pitchers Darren Oliver from the Texas Rangers and Aaron Laffey from the New York Yankees. Even though Oliver had an earned run average of 2.29, he is 41 years old. Laffey, meanwhile was signed to a minor-league contract and may not make the opening day roster unless he has an outstanding spring training.
In other moves the last couple of weeks, the Colorado Rockies have signed outfielder Michael Cuddyer to a three year deal worth $30 million. Cuddyer hit .284 with 20 home runs and 70 runs batted in during 2011 in Minnesota.
Also, the Oakland Athletics traded starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (16-12, 197 K, 3.12 ERA) to the Washington Nationals and closer Andrew Bailey (24 SV, 3.24 ERA) to the Boston Red Sox.
Heath Bell (Wikimedia Commons)
The Miami Marlins opened up their pocket book on Friday and signed Heath Bell to a three year deal worth $27 million.
It was a key signing by the Marlins as Bell is one of the premier closers in the game. Over the last three seasons for the San Diego Padres, Bell has recorded over 40 saves each season.
But I still cannot get my head around the specifics of the deal. Why? Well, the bottom line is that Bell will only be pressed into duty for an inning or two late in a baseball game– and only if the score is close.
Could the Marlins have spent their money more wisely on signing three or four free agents that have the overall financial worth as Bell at $9 million? I think they could have.
At 72-90 last season, the Fish have major holes to fill at catcher, center field, and starting pitcher.
The Marlins’ signing also reminds me of the time the Blue Jays opened their wallet to sign B.J. Ryan to a five year deal worth $47 million. After one productive season in 2006, Ryan was horrible in 2007 with an earned run average of 12.46. Is a long term multi-million contract to a closer too much of a risk? I think it is, but what do you think?
Matty Alou (Wikimedia Commons)
One of baseball’s all-time most consistent hitters has passed away today due to complications connected to diabetes.
Matty Alou passed away today at the age of 72 in Miami, Florida.
Alou was part of a great baseball family. His brothers Felipe and Jesus, and nephew Moises all played Major League Baseball. They were considered among the very best Dominicans to ever play professional baseball.
Matty played in the outfield with the San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and San Diego Padres from 1960-1974.
In 1966 with the Pirates, he led the National League in batting with a .342 average. He had 1,777 hits throughout his career. In 1969, while still with the Pirates he led the National League with 231 hits and 41 doubles.
In the 1972 playoffs, Alou had a great American League Championship Series for the Oakland Athletics. He batted .381 in five games against the Detroit Tigers as Oakland advanced to the World Series, where they defeated the Cincinnati Reds in seven games.
Canadian baseball fans would remember Matty’s brother Felipe every well, as he managed the Montreal Expos from 1992-2001.
The Chicago Cubs made their first significant move with new Director of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein at the helm.
On Wednesday, the franchise fired manager Mike Quade went 95-104 with the Cubs in just over one season as the franchise’s manager.
Epstein, who left the Boston Red Sox with a year left under his contract, has also hired Jed Hoyer as the team’s General Manager. Hoyer spent the last two years as the San Diego Padres’ GM.
The Cubs struggled in the National League Central last year, going 71-91, and 25 games back of the division winning Milwaukee Brewers.
The three names that are considered as the favourites to take over from Quade are Terry Francona, who worked with Epstein in Boston, Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who has managed in Chicago’s minor league system and former Montreal Expo Dave Martinez, who spent last year as the Tampa Bay Rays’ bench coach.
Epstein is credited for turning the Boston Red Sox around, and leading them to two World Series in 2004 ans 2007, and their first World Series Championship since 1918.
Mariano Rivera (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees is now officially the greatest closer of all-time.
The 41 year-old native of Panama set the Major League Baseball record for most saves in a career (602) as the New York Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins 6-4 on Monday night.
Rivera recorded his 43rd save of the year. The veteran has had an outstanding season going 1-2 in 60 games with an earned run average of 2.02 and a WHIP of 0.91. He also has had 56 strikeouts compared to only seven walks.
Trevor Hoffman, who played 15+ years with the San Diego Padres had the old record with 601 saves.
In other baseball news from the weekend, the Detroit Tigers have clinched the American League Central and the Philadelphia Phillies have clinched the National League East.
The most interesting race right now seems to be for the American League Wildcard as the struggling Boston Red Sox only lead the Tampa Bay Rays at the present time by a game and a half. Boston had a nine game lead on Tampa Bay on September 2 but have gone 4-14 throughout the month to date.
Heath Bell (Wikimedia Commons)
The San Francisco Giants now should have nothing to worry about their bullpen.
On Wednesday they claimed closer Heath Bell off waivers from the San Diego Padres.
Bell is 3-4 with 35 saves and a 2.55 earned run average in 54 appearances. Over the last three seasons Bell has been one of the most dynamic closers in the game. He had 42 saves in 2009 and 47 saves in 2010.
Bell is the second high profile reliever the Padres have left go since the trade deadline. On July 31 the Padres traded their setup man Mike Adams to the Texas Rangers.
Even though Bell has nasty stuff, there is a high possibility he will not step into the closer role, but rather be the setup man in San Francisco. That is because the Giants already have the fan favourite Brian Wilson in that role already. Wilson has 35 saves himself and has an earned run average of 3.19 in 55 games.
The Giants currently trail the Arizona Diamondbacks by two games in the National League West.
Mark Teixeira (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Records in baseball are few and far between because of the rich history of Major League Baseball dating back to 1869.
But on Tuesday night, New York Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira got into the record books and is now all alone in first place.
Teixeira hit a home run from both sides of the plate in the same game for a record twelfth time in Major League Baseball history as the New York Yankees shut out the Chicago White Sox 6-0.
He passes long time switch hitter Eddie Murray (who played eleven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles in his 20 year career) and Chilli Davis who played the majority of his career with the San Francisco Giants and California Angels.
In other baseball news, Canadian Matt Stairs of Saint John, New Brunswick has decided to retire after a 19 year career that started in 1992 with the Montreal Expos. Over time, Stairs was known as one of the best pinch hitters the game has ever seen. His 23 pinch hit home runs is a Major League Baseball record. Since starting with the Expos, Stairs has been a Major League Baseball journeyman, having also played with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. In 2008, he won a World Series with the Phillies, and hit a key home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series.
Erik Bedard (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Canadian left-hander Erik Bedard of Navan, Ontario, has been traded to the Boston Red Sox.
Just a day after the Red Sox acquired fellow Canadian Rich Harden of Victoria, British Columbia from the Oakland Athletics but changed their mind because they didn’t like Harden’s medical report, they acquired Bedard from the Seattle Mariners for outfield prospects Trayvon Robinson and Chih-Hsein Chiang.
Bedard, who has had a history of shoulder trouble, was 4-7 with 87 strikeouts and a 3.45 earned run average for the Mariners in 2011. His best years in the Majors came with Baltimore in 2006 and 2007, where he had a combined total of 28 wins over those two years. The 4-7 record this season is deceiving because the Mariners provide so little offense each time they take to the field.
In Boston, Bedard will replace the injured Clay Buchholz in the starting rotation for the time being, but don’t be surprised if there is room for him in the rotation when Buchholz gets back, because when healthy, Bedard has been better than Tim Wakefield and John Lackey this season.
In other significant moves over the last two days, the Seattle Mariners also traded starting pitcher Doug Fister and setup man David Pauley to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Casper Wells, pitcher Charlie Furbush, prospect Francisco Martinez and a player to be named later.
Ubaldo Jimenez (Bing Images)
The Cleveland Indians believe they have an ace to their pitching staff.
Now Indians’ General Manager Chris Antonetti and President Mark Shapiro will hope Ubaldo Jimenez will perform like he did in 2010 rather than 2011 to date.
On Saturday night, the Indians acquired Jimenez for pitching prospects Alex White, Joe Gardner and Drew Pomeranz as well as first baseman Matt McBride.
Jimenez was sensational in 2010, going 19-8 with a 2.88 earned run average with 214 strikeouts. But in 2011, he is only 6-9 with an earned run average of 4.46. I know Coors Field in Denver is a very difficult baseball stadium to hit and benefits batters, but Jimenez has simply not pitched up to his abilities this season.
The trade came as no surprise to baseball analysts when Jimenez was pulled from his poor start for the Colorado Rockies last night. He had given up four runs in the first inning to the San Diego Padres in 10-6 loss.
The Indians are currently 53-51, and a game and a half back of the American League Central Division leading Detroit Tigers.
Tony Kanaan (Wikimedia Commons)
Over the last two years, some of the most interesting IndyCar races have happened in Edmonton. Two years ago, Brazilian Tony Kanaan suffered first and second degree burns to his body when a splash of fuel got into his cockpit and ignited him and his car.
Then last year, Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who was the leader after 92 laps, was black flagged for blocking on the restart and finished tenth. The eventual winner was New Zealand’s Scott Dixon, the 2008 Indianapolis 500 winner.
Fast forward to 2011, where Dario Franchitti of Scotland has been the driver so far on the IndyCar circuit. He won two weeks ago in Toronto, and has also won in St. Petersburg, Florida and Milwaukee. He leads Australian Will Power by 55 points.
Organizers have changed the layout of the 2011 Edmonton Indy, giving competitors more opportunities to pass.
The race starts Sunday at 12:45pm on TSN.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching this weekend:
Saturday & Sunday–10am–Senior British Open–TSN–I wasn’t go to watch this, but now I will. Rod Spittle of St. Catharines, Ontario is the co-leader with Americans Mark Calcavecchia and Lee Rinker. Spittle shot a -5 on Friday to tie for the lead at -7. The emergence of Spittle, 56 years of age, is remarkable because he never played on the PGA Tour. He won the Canadian Amateur in 1977 and 1978, but decided to sell insurance instead of turning professional. Now he is one of the world’s top senior golfers.
Roberto Alomar (Bing Images)
For the first time in the history of the Toronto Blue Jays’ franchise they are retiring the number of one of their all-time greats.
On July 31 against the Texas Rangers, the Blue Jays will retire the number twelve of future hall of fame second baseman Roberto Alomar.
Alomar, former Blue Jays’ General Manager Pat Gillick, and former Minnesota Twins’ pitcher Bert Blyleven are being inducted into Cooperstown on July 24. Former Montreal Expos’ broadcaster Dave Van Horne will also be awarded with the Ford Frick Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to baseball broadcasting.
Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Alomar played with the San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox and Arizona Diamondbacks from 1988-2004.
Perdita Felicien (Bing Images)
World Champion Perdita Felicien of Oshawa, Ontario, is in a tough field this weekend at the Adidas Grand Prix in New York City (Saturday, 2:30pm, NBC). This is the sixth stop of the IAAF Samsung Diamond League Series, and Felicien looks to improve on her sixth place finish in Rome last month.
Felicien, who won the Gold medal in the women’s 100m hurdles for Canada at the 2003 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Paris, France, will participate in her last key event before coming to Edmonton for a key track meet at the end of the month. Her top competitors include Brigitte Foster-Hylton of Jamaica, the women’s gold medallist in the 100m hurdles at the 2009 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Berlin, Jessica Ennis of Great Britain, who won Gold at the same World Championships in heptathlon, Delloreen Ennis of Jamaica, who is a three-time World Championship medallist in women’s hurdles, 2010 World Indoor Champion Lolo Jones of the United States, and American Kellie Wells, who won the Diamond League event in Qatar last month.
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