Source: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/8/16/2366535/nbafrank-ranking-every-nba-frank
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Thrice as nice: O?s fan catches a homer on three straight nights
Let's get your counter-arguments out of the way first: �No, the left field bleachers at Camden Yards aren't as packed as they used to be. And Baltimore Orioles pitching has been awful, giving up a worst-in-baseball 144 homers this year.
Still, despite those facts that slightly elevated his odds, the week that young Tim Anderson just posted at Oriole Park is all-time awesome. The 17-year-old high school senior caught three home runs over three consecutive games between the O's and Chicago White Sox, an effort that landed him on Sports Center's top plays on Thursday night.
Anderson ? who can be found on Twitter ? started his spree by running down a Carlos Quentin blast that was rattling around an empty row on Tuesday night. He continued on Wednesday with a�nice, in-the-air nab of a homer from Baltimore's J.J. Hardy.
Anderson's most impressive play, however, came on Thursday as he jumped high and contended with a few others to grab�Alexei Ramirez's first-inning shot on Thursday.
The common denominator in all of the grabs was a pair of plaid shorts. But though ESPN's Steve Berthiaume poked fun at Anderson's habit to seemingly repeat his outfits ? something I cannot plead innocent to myself ? the young O's fan �shot back with a Twitpic showing that the three shorts were all different.
Anyhow, seeing as how we're used to seeing Zack Hample hog the ball-snagging headlines by catching the last homer hit at Shea or two of the final dingers at old Yankee Stadium, it's nice to see a fresh face on the souvenir scene. With the O's homestand continuing tonight against Detroit, Anderson says he plans to be in attendance in an attempt to extend his streak.
Can he grab one more to reach four?
Big BLS H/N: DC Sports Bog
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Jorge Posada says he could play for another team in 2012
Of course, there probably wouldn't be a big market for Posada's declining services, but that sound you heard was every Kansas City Royals fan looking for zip ties to physically prevent Dayton Moore from putting in a phone call to Posada's agent this winter.
So Posada could really seek out a uniform different from the only pinstripes he's ever known?
"It could [happen]," Posada told The Post yesterday. "I don't know what's going to happen after this year. But we'll see."
Posada had a headlining day against Tampa Bay on Saturday, going for 3-for-5 with a grand slam and six RBI, but his career is clearly running on fumes. His .237/.314/.387 line is the worst of his career, he's been reduced to a part-time player and he'll celebrate his 40th birthday on Wednesday. The writing seems to be on the wall.
Still, given the unique mix of pride and vanity that comes through in Posada's public persona, would it really be surprising to see him attempt to extend his career in another jersey next spring? And would anyone really hold it against him?
There be plenty of Willie Mays comparisons if Posada tries to take his services elsewhere, sure. But at the same time, I don't think he's in that Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan and Brett Favre category of players who looked (or would look) just plain weird in another uniform. If Posada really wishes to keep playing, it's not like his attempt is going to prevent him from playing in future Old Timer's Day games or make him persona non grata in the Bronx. No one ? including Posada himself ? is having problems seeing the writing on the wall.
Big BLS H/N: Subway Squawkers
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Juice: Indians support Ubaldo with runs, get closer to Tigers
Nine innings and nine items to get you going. Ladies and gentleman of the Stew, take a sip of morning Juice.
1. Look at all of these runs!: The Cleveland Indians know how to make a guy feel at home. The Tribe pounded out 18 hits on Wednesday night, including five by rookie Jason Kipnis (pictured), to back Ubaldo Jimenez in his first start at the former Jacobs Field. The outburst enabled Cleveland to rout the Tigers 10-3 and pull within a game in the loss column of first place in the AL Central. Jimenez allowed three runs over eight innings.
2. Would you please welcome...: Your first-place Arizona Diamondbacks, who took over the top spot in the NL West after beating the Astros 6-3 behind Josh Collmenter.� Houston is 41 games under .500 for the first time in club history. Earlier in the day, the Giants fell again to the Pirates 9-2.
3. Road Crew: The Brewers won for the 13th time in 14 games, beating the Cardinals 5-1 at St. Louis behind lefty Randy Wolf to open a five-game lead in the NL Central. If the Redbirds are to make up ground, they could use the help of Albert Pujols; he is 5 for 42 against Milwaukee pitching this season.
4. Lying in wait: Even down six runs early on, the Philadelphia Phillies seemed to have the Dodgers right where they wanted them. Sure enough, the team with the best record in majors pecked away thanks to key hits by Hunter Pence (a two-run homer), Chase Utley (a two-run single) and Ryan Howard (a go-ahead two-run homer), coming away with a 9-8 victory at Dodger Stadium. Philly went 9-1 on its road trip and has to go only 23-22 the rest of the way to finish with 100 victories.
5. Don't call it a comeback: But then what would you call it when Tampa Bay scores five in the ninth against Aaron Crow and Joakim Soria to overcome the K.C. Royals 8-7? Sam Fuld, affix your cape!
6. Here's what you need to know about Dan Uggla and the Braves: He extended his hitting streak to 31 straight ? tying Rico Carty for the longest in team history ? and the Braves beat the Marlins 6-2 to complete a sweep in beautiful Florida.
7. No. 255: Joe Nathan, who missed the 2010 season because of elbow surgery, set a Minnesota Twins record for career saves, finishing off the Boston Red Sox in a 5-2 victory at Target Field.
8. Nice while it lasted: The White Sox's five-game winning streak ended on Nolan Reimold's game-ending home run in the 10th inning, leading Baltimore past Chicago 6-4.
9. Consider Texas messed with: The Rangers couldn't muster much against Jason Vargas, and the Mariners avoided the sweep at Arlington with a 4-3 victory. Texas maintained a two-game lead on the Angels, who lost at the Bronx, New York.
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Saturday, July 9, 2011
Ian Kinsler?s third inning: Hit by pitch in groin, home run
Ian Kinsler redefined "taking one for the team" on Wednesday night.
While we usually think of that adage in Rudi Stein terms when it comes to being hit by a pitch, the Texas Rangers second baseman didn't receive the benefit of reaching first base after apparently being hit in his, uh, l'il Lone Stars by Houston Astros pitcher Brett Myers.
Instead, Kinsler had to resume his at-bat after unsuccessfully arguing that he was not in the process of trying to bunt. It wasn't a bad continuation: Four pitches later, Kinsler hammered a Myers pitch into the left-field stands for his second home run of the game and the decisive run in a 3-2 victory at Minute Maid Park.
Here's the hit by pitch (ouch!)... and here's the homer
"We won the game by one run, so I'll take it. He got the call right," Kinsler said of the play where he was hit before breaking into a huge smile.
In the end, Washington was also glad home plate umpire Bob Davidson called it a strike.
"He said the strike supersedes the hit by the pitch and it worked in our favor because he ended up getting us another run," Washington said.
It was the eighth multi-home run game of Kinsler's career and first since 2009. No truth to the rumor that he was also credited with a sacrifice bunt just before the second blast.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Ankle transplant surgery brings Robin Ventura back to baseball
Though college baseball's championship is no longer played at Rosenblatt Stadium ? it's been moved to the new, corporately tagged TD Ameritrade Park ? Ventura thrived on the sport's biggest stage. As a sophomore in 1987, he extended his NCAA Division I record-hitting streak to 58 games and helped Oklahoma State to the final, where it lost to Stanford.
Ventura might have an even greater appreciation for being back around the game (in July, he'll rejoin the Chicago White Sox organization as a special advisor and roving minor league instructor), if for no other reason than he'll be able to walk on his feet pain-free. As he shared with both the ESPN Baseball Today podcast and Los Angeles Times recently, Ventura underwent ankle transplant surgery a few years ago that finally alleviated the pain he dealt with ever since breaking and dislocating his right ankle in the spring of 1997.
That Ventura was able to play for eight more years ? including a 32-homer, 120-RBI season in 1999 with the New York Mets ? is a testament to his perseverance and the effectiveness of painkillers. But dealing with an arthritic condition months after his playing career ended in 2004 became unbearable.
As Ventura remembers it, "I told my wife, 'I am at the point where if I have to cut it off, I'll cut it off,' because it hurt that bad. 'Take it right below the knee. I don't care.'"
Fortunately for him, a surgeon offered a much less severe�? but perhaps no less drastic ? solution. The procedure, called an ankle allograft (warning: that link contains some graphic medical photos toward the end of the page), involves replacing the damaged joint with healthy bone and cartilage harvested from a cadaver.
Call it a bionic ankle, Franken-ankle or whatever, but being able to walk and drive himself around again has allowed�Ventura to embrace a new career in baseball. In addition to his ESPN broadcast duties and his pending job with the White Sox, Ventura also works as a volunteer coach at a California high school. That certainly beats having to use a cane at the age of 43.
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