Phils face off against Dodgers on FOX
The Phillies and Dodgers have both enjoyed time atop their respective divisions this season. Philadelphia was in first place when it arrived in Los Angeles for a four-game series starting on Aug. 11. By the time they left L.A., they were swept out of Chavez Ravine, as the Phillies had dropped into second place in the National League East baseball conference.
With the 2008 season winding down, the stakes will be even higher when the two teams meet again at Citizens Bank Park at 3:55 p.m. ET in Saturday's FOX Game of the Week. If the last meeting between these two teams is any indication, the Phillies will have their work cut out for them, as they try to keep pace with the Mets in the race for the NL East crown. They struggled at the plate during the entire series against the Dodgers, compiling a .194 average during the four games. The Phillies' offense experienced a resurgence after that series, as they went on to win consecutive series against the Padres and Nationals.
"Philly, we just played, but they'll be a lot different in their park, it's real cozy," said Dodgers manager Joe Torre. "There will be more stress on the pitchers."
The Dodgers will send 20-year-old Clayton Kershaw to the hill for Saturday's game. The lefty held Philadelphia to three runs in six innings Aug. 12, earning a no-decision. Despite the Phils' recent ups and downs on offense, manager Charlie Manuel knows that his team will need to maintain more consistency at the plate if it hopes to catch the Mets.
"It's important to stay upbeat and relaxed," Manuel said. "We're definitely trying, maybe too hard. We take fastballs and swing at balls out of the strike zone. We used to talk last year. [General manager Pat] Gillick would say that we led the league in leaving guys on base. Our answer was that we lead the league in scoring runs. When you lead in runs scored, you're going to leave the most on base. Now, we don't say that because we're not leaving people on. We're not getting them on."
Phillies pitchers will also have to deal once again with L.A.'s new offensive weapon, Manny Ramirez, recently traded from the Red Sox. The left fielder bruised Phillies pitchers during their most recent meeting, knocking in five runs during the series in Los Angeles. On Saturday, he'll be matched up against Phillies ace Cole Hamels, who held the Dodgers to two runs in seven innings on Aug. 12. Manuel believes the Phillies hold the key to their own playoff hopes, and their games against the Dodgers -- who are battling with the D-backs for first place in the National League West -- are a chance to prove that.
"If we don't win, it's our fault, because we're definitely capable of winning our division," Manuel said. "We definitely can control our destiny. With 39 games to go, the team that gets hot is the team that can claim our division. We have to stay with them and play consistent."
2001-2008 MLB Advanced Media, L.P.
Foresters Advance National Baseball Conference World Series Semifinals
The Santa Barbara Foresters gave up five runs before recording the first out of the game, but they came roaring back to defeat the Senators of Vienna, Virginia, 11-6 on Sunday evening at the National Baseball Conference (NBC) World Series in Wichita, Kansas. The victory moved the Foresters, 3-0 in the tournament and 36-16 overall, into the winners' bracket semifinals. They will play the Generals of Ozark, Missouri, in a game scheduled to start today at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. (Radio broadcast on 1340 AM).
Mike Ford came out of the bullpen with the Foresters trailing 5-0 in the top of the first and proceeded to pitch eight strong innings for the win. "My mindset was: Stop them," Ford said. The UCSB junior allowed just four hits and one run after Vienna took advantage of starter Mike Ojala's control problems. The Senators cashed in three walks and a hit batter with a pair of doubles.
Santa Barbara came back with four runs in the bottom of the first on a two-run double by UCSB first baseman Eric Oliver and a two-run homer by Texas outfielder Kevin Keyes. It was the eighth homer of the year for Keyes, who also had a double and a triple in the game. Catcher Cameron Rupp, another Texan, hit a solo home run in the sixth to put the Foresters ahead, 7-6. Rupp added a two-run single in the eighth.
The Senators dropped into the losers' bracket with a 40-11 record. They are attempting to become the first East Coast team to win the NBC tournament, which has been dominated by semipro clubs from the Midwest and Alaska. The Foresters are trying to become the first California team to win two championships, having pulled it off in 2006. The Foresters are averaging more than 14 runs a game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, having earlier defeated the Wichita Wild Wings, 20-2, and the Plaza Tire Capahas of Missouri by a 12-5 score. The 74th NBC World Series has been beset by wet weather, and games were being played far into the night to get it back on schedule. The championship game is set for Friday, August 15
Copyright 2008 Santa Barbara Independent, Inc.
3 current Tigers idolized Griffey when they were kids
Early in his career, Ken Griffey Jr. was young and spectacular, fresh and modern.
A lot of kids became fans of his. Some followed him to the big leagues and have played against him. Curtis Granderson, Bobby Seay and Casey Fossum of the Tigers belong to that group. They might share the stage with him again at Chicago's U.S. Cellular Field, where the Tigers play the next three nights in Griffey's first home series since the White Sox acquired him from the Reds.
Granderson, Seay and Fossum smiled as they recalled how, when they were still a long way from the majors, they became fans of Griffey.
Granderson
"Out of all the players, he was my favorite," Granderson said. "I had more of his baseball cards than anybody else's. When he was holding his press conference (Friday) when he joined the White Sox, he was wearing his hat backwards. I think he's the one who wanted to make every kid wear his hat backwards."
Granderson was 8 when Griffey zoomed onto the Seattle Mariners as a 19-year-old rookie in 1989. Over the next several years, Griffey became perhaps the first player whose stardom was maximized by the ESPN-driven nationalization of the game. Thanks to the advent of sports-highlight shows and games rampantly telecast on cable, Seattle was no longer an obscure outpost in the Pacific time zone. Kids all over the country -- like Granderson in Chicago -- could see Griffey's big homers and catches almost as if he played on their local team.
"He seemed to consistently make the highlights," Granderson said. "I liked the way his swing looked and his defensive plays."
Griffey was 20 when he gained his first All-Star selection. That was the first of 11 straight. He was 20 when he won his first Gold Glove. That was the first of 10 straight.
He was 23 when he had his first 40-homer season. Not counting one year when he was hurt, that was the first of seven straight. "The only thing I wanted to do like him was swing and hit home runs," Granderson said. "I didn't necessarily want to play centerfield."
Granderson has played against Griffey in one series, in interleague ball between the Tigers and Reds in '06. On a memorable Saturday night at Comerica Park, Griffey hit an epic missile for a lead-changing grand slam off Joel Zumaya, but Granderson tied the game with a two-out homer in the ninth. The Tigers won in the 10th. Granderson did become a centerfielder. And now Griffey, after finishing with the Reds as their rightfielder, has returned to center with the White Sox (at least when he's not the DH). So in this series Griffey and Granderson -- as in '06 at Comerica -- could play the same position and patrol the same patch of turf.
"It's going to be exciting," Griffey said. "It's going to be a lot of fun."
When Granderson was climbing toward the majors, he had a photo of Griffey on his wall.
"It's a little one," he said. "I got it at a flea market. It's a baseball card with a little inscription, and it's matted nice. I think it cost USD 20."
Now that memento, and the man who is pictured in it, are both on display in Chicago.
"It's still up in my bedroom," Granderson said.
Fossum
Griffey swings left-handed, and Fossum and Seay -- the Tigers' lefty relievers -- could be called on to face him in big spots the next three nights.
"I've faced him a few times," Fossum said. "I don't think he's hit a homer off me. I'll go with my strengths."
Griffey hasn't hit any of his 608 homers off Fossum. He's 0-for-3 against him. Fossum was 11 when Griffey was a rookie in '89.
"His rookie baseball card was the one to have," Fossum said. "That was the one everyone was trying to trade for. It was a popular card because he was so good. He was hitting home runs. You just knew he was going to be good."
So how hard did Fossum have to work to get Griffey's rookie card? He laughed. "I never got it," he said.
Seay
He did get it. "I had his '89 Upper Deck card," Seay said. "He was a rookie, and Upper Deck had just come out. That might have been the first year for Upper Deck."
Seay was 10 when Griffey broke into the majors in '89. In their meetings as major leaguers, Griffey is 0-for-1 off Seay with two walks. Seay didn't stop at Griffey's rookie card. "I used to collect his cards," he said.
But that '89 Griffey rookie card remains the jewel. "I put it in a special case," Seay said. "I still have it."
freep.com
Sports Flashback
Just recently, the New York Times ran an obituary about major league baseball player Billy Hitchcock, who died at the age of 89. Hitchcock spent more than 40 years in professional baseball as a player, manager, scout, coach and minor league executive. He was an infielder with five clubs between 1942 and 1953. In 1951, he hit.306 for the Philadelphia Athletics and also managed the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and Atlanta Braves.Before making it to the Big Leagues, Hitchcock was the captain and shortstop for Auburn University's baseball team, leading them to their first Southeastern Conference baseball title in 1937. He also played football at Auburn and led the Tigers to their first ever bowl game. It was called the Bacardi Bowl, and it was the first bowl game ever played outside of the United States.
On January 1, 1937, the Auburn Tigers played Villanova University to a 7-7 tie in Havana, Cuba. Hitchcock, a single-wing running back, scored Auburn's only touchdown; and playing running back for the Wildcats was Art Raimo. Raimo would later coach football at Ridley Township High School and return to Villanova as an assistant and then head coach. In 1936, the people of Cuba were participating in their country's Centennial celebration. Fulgencio Batista was their new dictator, after he led a coup that disposed President Cespedes three years earlier. Batista, as we all know, would be overthrown by Fidel Castro 23 years later. However, at the time, Castro was only nine years old and living in the Oriente Province.
During the Centennial, Cuba was full of festivals, theatrical productions and cultural events. They also staged a sports carnival week, which included a 100 yard dash between Jesse Owens and a horse, with Owens being victorious. The week concluded with an American football game between Auburn and Villanova Universities. It was called the Bacardi Bowl.
Both teams had identical records of 7-2-1, and they also had new coaches. Former Notre Dame star Clipper Smith was in his first year at Villanova, and second year coach, Jack Meagher, led the Tigers. Meagher was hesitant about taking his team to Havana. He was given a USD 10,000 guarantee, but he wouldn't go until he had the check in his hand. The Auburn team took a train to Tampa and then caught a boat for Havana. Villanova went by train to Miami, unsure if the game with Auburn would be played. In Florida, the Wildcats practiced for a few days. It was there that Villanova's honorable mention All-American fullback, Art Raimo, broke his finger and had it put in a cast.
Villanova flew to Cuba in a pair of seaplanes. Raimo recalled, "The 28 players in the first plane were scared and getting sick. It was everybody's first flight." The second plane turned around ten minutes out, and came splashing back into the Biscayne Bay. It had engine trouble, but was soon fixed for the trip. When the team arrived in Cuba, it appeared the officials would not permit Art to play with a cast on his hand. When Batista was informed of the decision, he personally took the running back to a doctor who constructed a soft splint, which allowed him to play in the game.
The night before the Bacardi Bowl, the Villanova team attended a basketball game. They left the game early, and Batista's secret police stormed the team bus, and arrested assistant coach Vince McNally, and threw him in jail. Apparently, Villanova had committed the heinous offense of leaving the game before El Presidente Batista. McNally was eventually released the next morning in time to begin his coaching duties.
The director of the sports festival predicted a sellout crowd. Instead, an estimated 10,000 people saw the football game, which was played in a baseball stadium. "It was a good crowd," said trainer Jake Nevin, "but I don't know if the Cubans paid or not."
A few minutes into the game, Joel Eaves, one of the Auburn players and later athletic director at the University of Georgia, recalled, "The Cubans were all standing in the aisles waving white handkerchiefs. We couldn't hear the signals, and we had to stop play. Finally, we found out that Batista had made his grand entrance."
Hitchcock's 40 yard run in the first period gave Auburn a 7-0 lead. However, in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats recovered a blocked punt in the end zone to make the final score, 7-7. The Bacardi Bowl was the first bowl game ever played outside the United States, and as always, there was a Delaware County connection. My next book signing will be 7 p.m. September 20 at the Ridley Township Public Library. There will be a discussion of the book followed by a signing. The library is in the Municipal Building on MacDade Blvd. in Ridley Township.
The book, "Delaware County Sports Legends", can still be purchased at Delcosportslegends.com. Also, my two good friends, Rich Westcott and Mickey Vernon, will both be at Citizens Bank Park 8 p.m. Friday (August 25) during the Phillies game with the Nationals. Westcott, author of the book, "Mickey Vernon: The Gentleman First Baseman", will be signing with Vernon during the game. Mickey played for most of his long, distinguished career with the Washington Senators, and this year marks the 60th anniversary of his first batting title.
Westcott, a Springfield resident, presents the story of the life and career of a genuine baseball hero, Mickey Vernon, whose major league career touched on four decades.
2008 Journal Register Company.
Bulldogs baseball wins conference game, but drops second game of doubleheader
The Lake Mills baseball team picked up an important conference win against North Iowa in its first game of a doubleheader, but couldn't sustain the same attack in the second game. Chris Throne started the first game and bounced back nicely from two rocky outings in his previous appearances. Throne threw seven innings, allowed one earned run on six hits and struck out five for the 11-2 win.
"It was a good win for him," Bulldogs head coach Jason Blaser said. "It's good to see him to get the win back on the mound again."
The first game was counted as the conference game and it showed what Lake Mills can do in important games. "The first game was a classic case of when we throw strikes and make the plays we're a tough team to beat," Blaser said. Throne did it with the bat as well, collecting two hits and driving in four to help his cause. Steve Hengesteg hit his second home run of the season with a two-run blast. The momentum the Bulldogs had going in the first game didn't carry over to the second game as they lost a 7-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth when North Iowa scored five runs and went on to add three in the top of the seventh for a 11-7 victory.
"I think when we got the lead we relaxed a little bit,"Blaser said. "It seemed like they were content with winning the conference game, still we talked about each game getting us ready for the districts."
Lake Mills still had seven hits in the game and that's a positive sign for Blaser as his team nears the playoffs. "I think our hitting is starting to come around at the right time," Blaser said. The Bulldogs hit the road Friday to play a tough Garner-Hayfield in an important game leading into the district playoffs.
2008 Albert Lea Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved
UNC baseball team searches for a home
The College World Series in underway in Omaha, Neb. University of Northern Colorado baseball coach Kevin Smallcomb is confident that one day his program will make it back to college baseball's national championship tournament. Once a regular participant in the tournament, UNC's most recent appearance came in 1974 as a Division I independent. Times have changed, however, and Smallcomb knows to make it back someday, the program's best bet is to be a member of a conference. UNC became an official member of the Big Sky Conference two years ago, but because the conference doesn't sponsor baseball, Smallcomb's program has been in search of a conference of its own.
Although UNC has applied to the Western Athletic Conference and The Summit League (formerly the Mid-Continent Conference), Smallcomb and others associated with the program believe the Mountain West Conference would be the best fit for UNC. The Mountain West Conference has seven schools that play baseball, all located in the western half of the country with the farthest away being San Diego State. Besides its geographical advantages, Smallcomb said he believes UNC can help the Mountain West in different ways. For one, the Bears could be a travel partner for Air Force. Also as the eighth school in the conference, UNC could balance the Mountain West schedule and help the RPI rating of the other conference teams by playing a difficult nonconference schedule during the week. A stronger RPI helps the conference with at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.
"So we can have an immediate impact on helping their top echelon teams while we progress to try and be one of the top echelon teams," Smallcomb said.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher Mark Knudson expressed a similar sentiment to that of Smallcomb. Knudson, a baseball analyst for the conference's television network, "The Mountain," has been a longtime proponent of the Bears joining the Mountain West. Knudson said the Bears are "at the right stage in their development" to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the conference and help the conference's RPI. Even though the Bears may be interested in the Mountain West, the conference is not interested in them. Javan Hedlund, associate director of communications for the Mountain West said the conference considered UNC's proposal to join as an affiliate member. However, it didn't even make it past the first step, which was approval by the joint council of the athletic directors, senior women administrators and faculty athletic administrators.
Knudson said the conference is afraid to open a "Pandora's Box" by allowing affiliate members, instead preferring to add a school that can compete in all the conference's sanctioned sports. Knudson doesn't expect the attitude to change anytime soon. He said the Mountain West already has a hold of the Denver market in other sports with Colorado State and Air Force, so their is no advantage to bringing in UNC as an affiliate member.
"Which is unfortunate because it would be advantageous to the baseball conference in my mind in a lot of ways, but they just don't seem willing to go there, which is sad," Knudson said. Instead, Knudson suggested the Missouri Valley Conference as a better fit. However, UNC may be get a better look from the WAC. Two years ago, the coaches of the Western Athletic Conference voted 5-2 in favor of admitting UNC as an affiliate member. However, the proposal was shot down later by WAC's athletic directors and senior women administrators, the next step in the process. Dave Chaffin, assistant commissioner for communications and technology with the WAC, said it had nothing to do with any problems with the UNC program, but the WAC was not interested in adding any affiliate members in any sport at the time. The WAC has added affiliate members in the past, most recently as two years ago when Sacramento State of the Big Sky joined the WAC in baseball.
"As time goes by, individuals change and situations change, so it could be considered again," Chaffin said. Chaffin said the conference's general philosophy in the past has been to add an affiliate member when it has been beneficial to the conference in terms of automatic qualifications for the NCAA tournament or other issues such as scheduling and RPI. UNC would create a balanced schedule as the eighth team in the conference but would add travel costs. Although UNC athletic director Jay Hinrichs admitted that the Mountain West Conference would be the best fit for UNC, he is also a strong believer in the WAC.
"Physically it may look better on a map in the Mountain West, but you have to look at where the numbers fit in terms of how many teams you have and what the postseason tournament would look like," Hinrichs said. "And I am still a big WAC fan and won't give up on the Western Athletic Conference."
Copyright 2008 greeleytrib.com
Sports Soundoff
This is Sports Sound Off, where you can speak your mind on anything you wish. Because of the large number of calls received, not all can be published.
ACC rules in baseball. The SEC is the best baseball conference? The top three teams in the country are from the Atlantic Coast Conference!
Three is more than two, in response to the caller this morning that says the SEC has two teams in the College World Series and that being evidence it is the most dominant conference in America: What about the conference that has three teams? Unless my math is wrong, isn't three more than two?
Math doesn't compute. Regarding the SEC being the dominant baseball conference: Only with the Mobile County public school system can the number 2 be greater than the number 3. Old pitchers result in more injuries. The Braves are reaping what they've sown, a bunch of over-the-hill pitchers that they've signed are going to have them in for a long year.
Horses are competitors. To the person who said the horse didn't want to run, I've got news for you. That horse was afraid of the gate, he wasn't afraid of running. Horses are like fighting chickens, the problem is getting them not to run until you want them to. It's just the way they're built, they are competitors.
Numbers don't lie. The Belmont horse track made USD 5 million when Big Brown lost. Think about it.
Horse racing is fixed. I have lost all respect for horse racing after seeing Smarty Jones and Big Brown lose. The jockeys are being bribed.
Dialing Namath's number.Will somebody please contact Joe Namath? Maybe he could offer some advice to Kenny Stabler.
Time for Stabler to go. It hurts me to say this more than it hurts him maybe, but Alabama has to let Kenny Stabler go for those three DUIs.
Rivalry was once great. I just read Finebaum's column. I'm ashamed to say he's mostly true. The Alabama-Auburn rivalry used to be the finest in all of sports, but now it has just dissolved to name calling.
Lakers are spoiled brats. I'm amazed every year the Lakers are in the playoffs what spoiled little brats they are. They never foul and every call should go their way. It all started with Magic Johnson, just a bunch of spoiled brats.
Phil Jackson must cope with calls. I've got a question for Phil Jackson. You want a little cheese with that whine? Michael Jordan used to get all the calls, I never heard you saying one thing about that when it worked well for your team. Home teams get the calls, that's just part of the game.
McKay a great influence. I just want to say how sad the country is without Jim McKay. He introduced me to NASCAR some 40 years ago. I remember watching clips with him hosting. That truly is a great loss.
2008 Alabama Live LLC. All rights reserved.
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