Thursday, April 23, 2009
Wrapping up Game 3
With the Celtics running the Bulls off the court as the 4th quarter approaches, I figured it was time to fire up the ol' MLB.TV package. Dodgers up 1-0 in the 7th; Tigers and Angels getting underway as the only West Coast game of the night.
Bulls are shooting 34% from the field with three minutes left in the 3rd.
And this is nauseating. It's tough, I admit it. It's tough to be a Yankee fan at this point in time. Not only have then been a poorly run franchise post-2001, but they have become truly unlikeable from a personality standpoint. I mean, who is Randy Levine? Or who does he think he is?
With the Celtics running the Bulls off the court as the 4th quarter approaches, I figured it was time to fire up the ol' MLB.TV package. Dodgers up 1-0 in the 7th; Tigers and Angels getting underway as the only West Coast game of the night.
Bulls are shooting 34% from the field with three minutes left in the 3rd.
And this is nauseating. It's tough, I admit it. It's tough to be a Yankee fan at this point in time. Not only have then been a poorly run franchise post-2001, but they have become truly unlikeable from a personality standpoint. I mean, who is Randy Levine? Or who does he think he is?
You have to admire the Yankees at some level for their staunch refusal to play the public relations game. Empty seats that make Yankee Stadium look like Pittsburgh? We don't care because we're making money all the same. Widespread negative response to a Stadium and the amount it costs to visit? We're raising prices.
On another level, though, that plan turns your stomach. The team's owner has admitted some of the tickets are overpriced, which is a pretty clear sign that they're overpriced, but Levine sees no reason to turn back. Either Levine knows something we don't about where the economy is headed in the next few months, or he's insane.
Here's a vote for insane.
Even Bill Simmons dropped an embarrassing Yankee Stadium reference in his Celtics-Bulls column.
2-0 Dodgers now, and the Celtics still up 25 in the 4th know. Make that 27 after a Marbury lay-up. Marbury . . . strange to be saying that in relation to a Celtics playoff game.
David Pinto is relentless in his posting. But this blog is proving to exhaustive, and exahusting to keep up with. And it's on NBC no less. A good job so far from an established group of baseball writers.
The Celtics are closing in on the century mark. The Bulls are still stuck in the 60s. For one night at least, the demise of the defending champions has been greatly exaggerated. The loudest talking head of them all declared Boston dead in the series, even after the great win in Game 2. Simmons thought they'd get blown out today but still win the series.
We'll see what turn the series takes from here, but I have to believe this was a huge blow to the Bulls' fate in the series. They're young and energetic; they'll bounce back from this and at the very minimum get this back to Boston for a Game 6. But I have to believe if they were going to pull off the upset, tonight is a game that would've had to get.
Tomorrow, I'll try and chime in about the upcoming Yankee-Red Sox series, which has a good buzz to it already.
Even Bill Simmons dropped an embarrassing Yankee Stadium reference in his Celtics-Bulls column.
2-0 Dodgers now, and the Celtics still up 25 in the 4th know. Make that 27 after a Marbury lay-up. Marbury . . . strange to be saying that in relation to a Celtics playoff game.
David Pinto is relentless in his posting. But this blog is proving to exhaustive, and exahusting to keep up with. And it's on NBC no less. A good job so far from an established group of baseball writers.
The Celtics are closing in on the century mark. The Bulls are still stuck in the 60s. For one night at least, the demise of the defending champions has been greatly exaggerated. The loudest talking head of them all declared Boston dead in the series, even after the great win in Game 2. Simmons thought they'd get blown out today but still win the series.
We'll see what turn the series takes from here, but I have to believe this was a huge blow to the Bulls' fate in the series. They're young and energetic; they'll bounce back from this and at the very minimum get this back to Boston for a Game 6. But I have to believe if they were going to pull off the upset, tonight is a game that would've had to get.
Tomorrow, I'll try and chime in about the upcoming Yankee-Red Sox series, which has a good buzz to it already.
3rd Quarter
What jumped out at me when looking quickly at the Reds's pitching/defensive numbers (T-6th in RA), is just how good the Pirates' numbers are. I knew the Pirates' staff has been pitching very well of late, and certainly noticed that they swept the heretofore scorching Marlins at PNC this week. What I didn't know is the Pirates have been the stingiest team in the league in terms of runs allowed. This the Pirates we're talking about here.
Their 50 RA are four better than the Dodgers. They lead the league in ERA at a nifty 3.07, buoyed by a league-best four shutouts. Sustainability? I don't know. They're whiffing batters at a less-than-pedestrian rate (their 77 Ks is the worst mark in the NL). They are, however, among the staunchiest of staffs in terms of allowing free passes, home runs and hits. In the latter category they're second in the league behind L.A. with only 115 hits allowed in these first 2+ weeks of the season. So with all these balls in play, either they have an excellent defense or they've been hit-lucky . . . or something somewhere in the middle. If that K-rate stays that low, it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh's other numbers start coming back to Earth.
Pittsburgh's starters to date:
Pat Maholm -- 3-0, 2.03
Zach Duke -- 2-1, 2.95
Ross Ohlendorf -- 1-2, 3.00
Ian Snell -- 1-2, 4.24
Jeff Karstens -- 1-0, 3.60
Not exactly the 1970 Orioles, but they're hanging in there so far. And the sweep of the Marlins was impressive regardless; Florida had been flying coming into that series.
Celtics still up 20 here in the 3rd quarter.
What jumped out at me when looking quickly at the Reds's pitching/defensive numbers (T-6th in RA), is just how good the Pirates' numbers are. I knew the Pirates' staff has been pitching very well of late, and certainly noticed that they swept the heretofore scorching Marlins at PNC this week. What I didn't know is the Pirates have been the stingiest team in the league in terms of runs allowed. This the Pirates we're talking about here.
Their 50 RA are four better than the Dodgers. They lead the league in ERA at a nifty 3.07, buoyed by a league-best four shutouts. Sustainability? I don't know. They're whiffing batters at a less-than-pedestrian rate (their 77 Ks is the worst mark in the NL). They are, however, among the staunchiest of staffs in terms of allowing free passes, home runs and hits. In the latter category they're second in the league behind L.A. with only 115 hits allowed in these first 2+ weeks of the season. So with all these balls in play, either they have an excellent defense or they've been hit-lucky . . . or something somewhere in the middle. If that K-rate stays that low, it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh's other numbers start coming back to Earth.
Pittsburgh's starters to date:
Pat Maholm -- 3-0, 2.03
Zach Duke -- 2-1, 2.95
Ross Ohlendorf -- 1-2, 3.00
Ian Snell -- 1-2, 4.24
Jeff Karstens -- 1-0, 3.60
Not exactly the 1970 Orioles, but they're hanging in there so far. And the sweep of the Marlins was impressive regardless; Florida had been flying coming into that series.
Celtics still up 20 here in the 3rd quarter.
Halftime
As halftime approaches, and the Celtics closing in on a 20-point lead, it's time for a couple of random baseball thoughts.
The Cincinnati Reds are on a nice little run right now. They caught my eye a smidgen in the preseason as a young team with some very interesting players: Volquez, Votto, Bruce. They were an outfielder's error away from the 2nd straight shutout of the Cubs in Wrigley Field this afternoon. The Reds' 7-1 victory today followed up a 3-0 blanking of the Cubbies on Wednesday and pushed their record to 9-6.
Aaron Harang picked up his second victory of the season and dropped his ERA to an even-2 with low-K gem: 7/7/1/0/1/2. He outdueled Carlos Zambrano in a game that allowed Cincy to take 2 of 3 at Wrigley and finish a 10-game road trip 7-3.
The N.L. Central looks pretty much like the other five divisions, in terms of the win distribution from top to bottom: 11 (Cards) - 9 (Cincy) - 9 (Pittsburgh) - 8 (Cubs) - 6 (Astros) - 6 (Milwaukee)
That's almost identical to the A.L. East and West and N.L. West.
Halftime: Celtics 59, Bulls 37
As halftime approaches, and the Celtics closing in on a 20-point lead, it's time for a couple of random baseball thoughts.
The Cincinnati Reds are on a nice little run right now. They caught my eye a smidgen in the preseason as a young team with some very interesting players: Volquez, Votto, Bruce. They were an outfielder's error away from the 2nd straight shutout of the Cubs in Wrigley Field this afternoon. The Reds' 7-1 victory today followed up a 3-0 blanking of the Cubbies on Wednesday and pushed their record to 9-6.
Aaron Harang picked up his second victory of the season and dropped his ERA to an even-2 with low-K gem: 7/7/1/0/1/2. He outdueled Carlos Zambrano in a game that allowed Cincy to take 2 of 3 at Wrigley and finish a 10-game road trip 7-3.
The N.L. Central looks pretty much like the other five divisions, in terms of the win distribution from top to bottom: 11 (Cards) - 9 (Cincy) - 9 (Pittsburgh) - 8 (Cubs) - 6 (Astros) - 6 (Milwaukee)
That's almost identical to the A.L. East and West and N.L. West.
Halftime: Celtics 59, Bulls 37
The Legend of Ray Clay.
It's an NBA night. I don't get the chance to say that very much anymore, but with the Yankees and Red Sox on the shelf for the night and the Mets already packed up for the day . . . TNT is the channel of choice for the evening.
More than just the lack of action from the three locals, there is a matter of a Game 3 in the Celtics-Bulls series, which would've drawn my attention regardless of what was taking place on the baseball diamond. The Celtics look competent (Paul Pierce especially is having a nice half); the Bulls look terrible, with a flurry of missed free throws and a bakers' dozen worth of turnovers. Three minutes in the half and Boston's up 12.
I fully expect to Chicago to be in this game down the stretch, but the anticipated frenzy of the Chicago crowd and energy of the young Bulls have been muted to this point.
There is no one who can get more revved up for an NBA game than Bill Simmons. In fact, he might be the only person who could get me revved up for an NBA game, no small feat at that.
It's an NBA night. I don't get the chance to say that very much anymore, but with the Yankees and Red Sox on the shelf for the night and the Mets already packed up for the day . . . TNT is the channel of choice for the evening.
More than just the lack of action from the three locals, there is a matter of a Game 3 in the Celtics-Bulls series, which would've drawn my attention regardless of what was taking place on the baseball diamond. The Celtics look competent (Paul Pierce especially is having a nice half); the Bulls look terrible, with a flurry of missed free throws and a bakers' dozen worth of turnovers. Three minutes in the half and Boston's up 12.
I fully expect to Chicago to be in this game down the stretch, but the anticipated frenzy of the Chicago crowd and energy of the young Bulls have been muted to this point.
There is no one who can get more revved up for an NBA game than Bill Simmons. In fact, he might be the only person who could get me revved up for an NBA game, no small feat at that.
