So Nelson Cruz finally sends the Texas Rangers on their way to Detroit with an 11th-inning grand slam and what does he get? A bottle full of water to the grill from Mark Lowe before touching home plate.
Mock Session has the animated GIF and we have video of the spray from another angle below.
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MILWAUKEE ? Baseball seems like the wrong sport for Nyjer Morgan. He has the skills for it; he can run down balls in the outfield and he can swing a bat. But it also requires patience, stillness and an attention span ? qualities that, off the field, he doesn't seem to have at all.
But he manages to succeed on the field. On Friday night, Morgan delivered the a game-winning, series-clinching, season-sustaining RBI single for the Milwaukee Brewers, setting them up for a date with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS.
Morgan was even tougher to stop during the postgame celebration. If you wanted a word with Tony Plush, you had better be ready to get moving.
* * *
As confetti and glitter fell from the rafters at Miller Park just a few minutes after his big hit, Morgan mounted the Brewers dugout and gave the Beast Mode signal to the fans. Morgan was so excited, he even let out a few swear words on live TV.
He repeatedly apologized, saying "I'm sorry, I've been cursing a lot. I'm sorry," before adding, "Oh, man, I gotta go!"
* * *
He's huge! Morgan went 3 for 16 in the series ? a .188 batting average ? but he had two hits in Game 5, including the series winner. He said it is an important moment in his career:
"It's a lot, man," Morgan said. "Basically just everything that I've had to overcome, just the stuff that people go out there and perceive about me, everything. Just all my haters. I just wanted to show them that I can play this game, even though I have a fun, bubbly personality. I still come to win, and I'm a winner."
* * *
Trying to imagine Nyjer Morgan (or even Tony Plush) in a military setting. Nope, can't do it. At least the combat helmet will help prevent concussions if the party gets too out of hand.
* * *
Champagne stings, but in a good way. A year ago, Morgan wasn't anywhere near a playoff party. He had finished a disappointing and troubling season with the Washington Nationals, who liked him but thought he'd be better off ? oh ? with another team.
"One man's trash is another man's treasure!" Morgan said Friday night, as he has before.
* * *
This is the closest to still Morgan got, doing a radio interview for the Brewers' flagship station. Note the chinstrap keeping the combat helmet attached. I wonder if Mr. DeNiro will get a question in?
* * *
Brewers' GM Doug Melvin took a chance ? but it was a good chance ? that Morgan would help the Brewers. Who knows how much his "bubbly personality" contributed to them winning, but his teammates seem to like him. The alter-ego certainly breaks up the monotony of a long season. And if he can get a few big hits, hey, Tony Plush is even more welcome.
The Melvin-Morgan embrace included the GM saying, "I'm going to get a Tweeter like you!" ? which hopefully refers to the social media network.
* * *
A reflective moment with Pedro Gomez of ESPN. That's blood on Morgan's jersey. He might have bitten his tongue in the scrum with teammates. If not, who knows where it came from?
* * *
Thanks to Yahoo! Sports' own Jeff Passan for snapping a picture of a stuffed Sulley ? one of the guys from "Monsters, Inc." on which Milwaukee's "Beast Mode" is fashioned. Sulley is filthy, but the eye black is a nice touch.
* * *
Ah HA! He does run out of energy. That's a pretty satisfied grin on Morgan's face. That name-brand beer is going to taste good.
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The latest news and best bets in our daily horse racing blog
Racing's rumour mill does get it horribly wrong sometimes. Let's not forget the time that Darryll Holland was backed into 1-2 to be named as stable jockey at Ballydoyle in 2005, or that Pat Smullen was the hot favourite to get the same job this time last year with one newspaper going so far as to say the job's his.
Yes, a few people on Twitter are adamant that Ryan Moore will be moving to Ireland for the same gig next year, but I'll be holding fire before going around describing it as a done deal as some were at Newmarket on Saturday.
O'Brien laughed it off as pure speculation but he did an interesting double take when interviewed on Racing UK after the victory of Wading in the Rockfel Stakes when Nick Luck asked him whether Ryan Moore had said anything after the race that would be of use for next year?.
The trainer paused and slightly prickled before going on to give another answer that involved "the lads" and how they would make decisions about running plans. It was an interesting exchange. Afterwards, Luck apologised and said he hadn't meant to imply anything in the question and O'Brien smiled and said Ryan "never has much to say" at the best of times, but it was an interesting exchange.
Will Moore leave Newmarket next year for a new life in Ireland? Plenty of people certainly seem to think so but I'm not sure. Time will tell.
After a good day's work at Newmarket, O'Brien suffered disappointment at Keeneland on Saturday night when Together and Zoffany were both turned over.
Zoffany finished last in the Shadwell Mile, which was won by veteran Gio Ponti, while Jersey Stakes third Western Aristocrat won on his final start for Jeremy Noseda in the Jamaica Handicap and could go for the Breeders' Cup Mile once switched to the care of Steve Asmussen.
Compared to that sort of calibre of racing, Sunday's British action is a bit of a wet fish.
At Ffos Las, Havingotascoobydo (2.50) progressed over hurdles throughout last season and ought to make a mark as a chaser, while Minella For Party (5.30) cost a small fortune on the back of one impressive point-to-point victory and is clearly highly regarded.
Chapter And Verse (5.15) was unlucky off today's mark at Newmarket last time and usually competes at a higher level than today's 0-85 handicap at Goodwood.
In the Czech Republic, all eyes will be on Tiumen, who bids for a third victory in the Velka Pardubicka Chase, while his trainer-jockey Josef Vana, 58, will be looking for his ninth as a trainer and eighth as a jockey.
Racing UK plan to screen the 121st running of the grand steeplechase, race-clashes permittting. The race is due off at 3.25.
Post your racing-related comments below
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/oct/09/talking-horses-9-october
Obviously not a lot has gone right for Arizona in the first two games, but what has gone wrong is correctable in my estimation. What I've done is put together a short list of suggested adjustments ?�both mental and strategic ?�to help them avoid being the only three-and-out in this year's playoffs, with the ultimate goal of getting the series back to Milwaukee.
Sound good?
Right size, wrong shape: Had Kirk Gibson read my piece on Saturday morning identifying the players who held the keys to their success against Milwaukee, Arizona might not be in this position.
His Game 1 lineup was mind-boggling, primarily because he elected to start Lyle Overbay over Paul Goldschmidt at first base. That went as poorly as you'd expect.�Thankfully, Gibson righted that wrong in Game 2, and, not surprisingly, Goldschmidt rewarded him with a home run. But it was too late to steal Game 1, and Game 2 would also prove to be a lost cause for reasons we'll get into later.
Here's what I think Gibson needs to do now to find a little more offense. With Goldschmidt in the lineup, he has the right eight guys, just in the wrong order. Despite Aaron Hill's three singles on Sunday, I need him lower in the lineup. And I really want Willie Bloomquist out of the leadoff spot.
I would then take what I believe are Gibson's best two tablesetters ?�Ryan Roberts and Gerardo Parra ?�and move them from seventh and eighth, respectively, to first and second. Their impact is being minimized down there at the bottom, and I want them to see better pitches and make life easier for Justin Upton hitting third. I'd also bump a struggling Miguel Montero down one spot to fifth, placing him between Goldschmidt and Chris Young.
These changes will not happen, of course, but I'm just trying to help this lineup reach its full potential.
We're talking about your survival here. Trusting and supporting your pitchers is fine, but not showing a little fear of these "monsters" will be your downfall.
Keep it together: Bad things are going to happen. You're going to make an error, get picked off, an umpire will miss a call, and your pitcher might even get tangled up in his own windup and commit a balk. But the wheels can't come off as a result of that singular mistake.
We saw how quickly the inning and game spiraled out of control after Brad Ziegler's balk in Game 2. There's no reason for that. Ziegler was still in command of the situation, the game was still tied, but then he compounded his mental error with a mentally driven physical error trying to make a play on Jonathan Lucroy's safety squeeze bunt.
That turned a potentially manageable one-run inning into a game-deciding five-run inning. You simply don't overcome those in October.
Don't follow Ziegler's example.
Short leash for Josh Collmenter: Gibson admittedly showed too much faith in Ian Kennedy in Game 1, allowing him to pitch to Prince Fielder to disastrous results. He also allowed Daniel Hudson to work through early struggles in Game 2, which wasn't so bad. However, facing elimination, he can't afford rookie Josh Collmenter the same wiggle room.
With Micah Owings and Jarrod Parker available in long relief, Gibson has options. You could argue whether or not those are good enough or experienced enough options, but as we've learned in the movies, arguing while in survival mode often proves fatal.
All this said, I'm not anticipating Collmenter struggling. In fact, he tossed 14 shutout innings against Milwaukee over two starts this season. So he's seen them, and he's handled them. But if he starts slow or shows any sign of being off his game, make the move and live for another inning.
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But if Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira don't start hitting, they're going to find themselves in a very familiar place ? the bad end of postseason media attention.
[Video: Uptons have unique problem]
Or perhaps�they're already there?�Over two games of the ALDS against Detroit, the 4-5 combo of the New York Yankees lineup is a combined 1-for-15 with one walk, four strikeouts and one RBI. It's nothing that a nice showing against Justin Verlander in Game 3 won't fix, but don't think they won't face fire if they struggle, the Yankees lose on Monday and the hopes of the season hinge on A.J. Burnett taking the hill for Tuesday's Game 4. �Am I getting a little ahead of myself? Probably.
But it's not like we haven't been here before with both players.
A-Rod, of course, shed the label of postseason struggler with an unreal performance (.384, six homers, 18 RBI) during the run to the 2009 World Series title. But because he's A-Rod and because he occupies such a high-profile spot in the Yankees' lineup, he's bound to face a lot of scrutiny. Not only is he 0-for-8 this series, but he hasn't been himself since having knee surgery in July and suffering a thumb injury after his return. His numbers since returning in August? An average of .191 with three homers over 68 at-bats. He may be struggling with his health, so talk about dropping him to the No. 8 spot isn't the slight that it was during the 2006 postseason. There is reason to be concerned.
[Postseason tickets: Watch your favorite team in action]
Teixeira's struggles, meanwhile, are a little harder to explain. And they're nothing new. The Yankees' first baseman received a lot of criticism after the 2010 ALCS loss to the Rangers, posting an 0-for-14 mark for the series. Though he still managed to post 39 homers during the regular season, almost all of his other numbers have continued the decline since his MVP-type season with the Yankees in 2009. I mentioned him to a Yankee fan ? OK, it was Rob Iracane ? and he responded by calling him "Mr. Pop-Up." A few mentions of A-Rod's struggles on Twitter were met with reminders not to let Teixeira off the hook.
Like I said before, all the usual cautionary statements apply to this situation. And with the way Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson have produced this season, the pair have a little more leeway when it comes to handing off the load to someone else.
Still, the starts that both players have posted have started swinging the searchlights their way. It's up to them to make sure they're found.
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The manager hankers after a rejuvenation of England but has usually had to limit experiments because of the risk entailed
Fabio Capello must have been the most angry and disconsolate witness of England's mortifying campaign at the 2010 World Cup. As a proud individual, he will have been shuddering ever since at the thought that his managerial career could end in ignominy. Capello, after all, has been adamant that his plan is to retire after next summer's European Championship finals.
England are not sure yet of appearing at that tournament but even if they are unable to take the point they require against Montenegro in Podgorica on Friday they could still top the group or advance as the best runners-up or through the play-offs. The qualifiers should be more of an inconvenience than a challenge. While it would be foolish of Capello to speak about plans for the finals in Poland and Ukraine, his thoughts must turn to games there that will determine the reputation he carries as he walks away.
This manager, like virtually all others, has experienced rejection and was removed from the post at Milan and later Real Madrid but the general sense has been of a person in command of his own destiny. That sort of aura usually dims for people embroiled with England and there was, for instance, a comedy of powerlessness this season when the players enraged him at a training session by ignoring his instructions about throw-ins.
Everything has combined to make it seem as if the football matches themselves are trying to turn their back on him. Montenegro took a point at Wembley, with Capello having no apparent bearing on the goalless draw. Switzerland might well have won there in June, although England did wring some sort of credit from the occasion by recovering from 2-0 down to finish on level terms. The larger and troubled issue is the revitalisation of the team.
Despite all the attention paid to Phil Jones, particularly when he moved from Blackburn to Manchester United in June, the defender is yet to be capped at senior level. At 19, he can afford to be patient but his case typifies Capello's dilemma. It would certainly be good to accelerate his promotion, especially if there is a worry that Rio Ferdinand, who was left out of this week's squad, might have trouble confirming his durability in the severe fitness test of the Premier League programme.
On the other hand, it will be tempting in Podgorica to put a seasoned defender alongside John Terry when there is a need to be wary. Capello should be rueful since a home win over Montenegro or Switzerland would have left him with the sole task of tweaking and, if feasible, refreshing the side for the finals. Had there been a dead game at the end of the group, it would have been brimming with life for those invited to further their education as international players.
The best that can be said now is that it will be a useful examination of the side's temperament, particularly if Montenegro are as effective as ever at staying in contention. Capello is no idealist and the five forwards in his party spoke primarily of a determination not to let the opposition dictate the terms of the match. Three of them are 25 or under and Bobby Zamora alone has hit his 30th birthday.
Out of sheer practicality, this area of the squad is the one that speaks of adventurousness. England seem to have zest in mind and are counting a little less on the knowhow that is usually prized. There was a strong suggestion that the situation involving Steven Gerrard had been misinterpreted. By that account, Capello and his staff were not trying to winkle the 31?year?old midfielder out of Anfield at all costs since they were doubtful that he could be of service after failing to start a match for six months following surgery.
It is pragmatic to draw on youth, as Capello confirmed with the inspired selection of the 19-year-old Theo Walcott who then scored that hat-trick against Croatia in 2008. He has not had the licence to experiment as much as he would have wanted but there are regular hints of a pining to do so. The manager has wanted to give Kyle Walker a debut for some time but only now does it seem that the Tottenham right?back will at last be available.
Capello hankers after a rejuvenation of England but has usually had to limit the experiments because of the risk entailed. Danny Welbeck got his first and, so far, only cap with England in the game with Ghana eight months ago when he was still on loan to Sunderland from Manchester United.
However, the forward is now making his mark at Old Trafford. It is precisely the sort of impact Capello must yearn to see. The manager, with little time left in the post, may never see his side brimming with the kind of promise shown by Germany in the 4-1 defeat of England at the World Cup. With luck, though, he may leave a tinge of optimism as his legacy.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/oct/03/fabio-capello-england
But we're not going to let them get off that easy. No sir. No way. In an attempt to bring some closure between franchise and follower, we're giving a blogger from each team the opportunity to detain their squads for the equivalent of a Saturday morning detention stay.
Up next in our series is the incomparable Jim Margalus of South Side Sox. He'd also like to purchase a 62-foot boat in south Florida someday. Who the @#$! wouldn't?
I get it, Chicago White Sox. You don't want to be here. You've shown it all year. I don't want to be here either, but we may as well get something out of it.
The word for today is?
(turns around chalkboard)
ACCOUNTABILITY.
Do you know what it means? Anybody? OK, I'll use it in the sentence:
"I don't get the sense that accountability is a high priority for the 2011 White Sox."
I see a half-smile out of Paul Konerko. He knows what I mean. Sometimes it seems like he's the only adult around.
Bad luck isn't why you're here. Sure, sometimes things don't go as planned. That happens. The problem here is what when bad luck struck, NOBODY REACTED.
You guys spent almost the entire year on the wrong side of .500, and yet nobody's comfort was threatened. Adam Dunn nearly qualified for the batting title eligibility with one of the worst batting seasons ever. Alex Rios, you were right there with him until the Sox were mathematically eliminated. Then you thought it was OK to start hitting.
I'll go down the list. Juan Pierre lost two steps and it showed in his defense and baserunning �? but when Kenny suggested replacing him, perish the thought! Gordon Beckham was even worse than the year before. Brent Morel, I get that you're a rookie, but I bet even you might see that a demotion to Charlotte could have helped everybody involved. If not you, then Omar Vizquel could have packed his ornate bags. Nobody doubts he's the best 44-year-old around, but he's a mentor at this point, not a player, and you guys needed to increase production wherever an upgrade presented itself.
Perhaps if the Sox had some semblance of authority from the management or front office, this could have been avoided. Instead, you guys waited months too long to promote Alejandro De Aza and Dayan Viciedo, well after they could have made a true impact.
Even sadder, you guys could only make room for De Aza with a trade-deadline salary dump. For Viciedo, it took a season-ending injury to Carlos Quentin.
You guys went the entire season without making a tough decision ? not even a token hitting-coach dismissal ? because nobody wanted to deal with whatever mild consequences they might bring. Well, you're dealing with some harsh realities now. Attendance is down, a bigger salary slash is on the way, and who knows who the new manager is going to be?
As far as the pitching goes, you did your jobs for the most part. But John Danks can't start another season 0-8, as unlucky as it might've been, and maybe Jake Peavy will finally learn how to control himself. Or maybe the new manager won't be afraid to make him skip a start. Is Gavin Floyd even listening to me? I can't tell anymore.
The pitching seemed to have some order to it. The rest of the franchise? I have my doubts. So we're going to sit down and figure out once who's running the show once and for all. Based on the copious amount of deferring and buck-passing, this is what the chain-of-command currently looks like:
We're not leaving this room until we clean this up and have a hierarchy that is reflective of a $125 million enterprise.
Coop, shut the window. I don't want anybody else sneaking out.
Principal Margalus
@JimMargalus
South Side Sox
Read more of Big League Stew's Detention Lecture series here
