The Buzzer Sounds, & It's Halftime

The Baseball Season is halfway over and it came on a high note, with a no-hitter from Giants lefty, Jonathon Sanchez. The NL MVP at this point is clearly Albert Pujols. He has gone to souvenir city 32 times this year, which is the most in the Majors. The AL MVP is alot more of an open race, but a few are beginning to pull away. I would go with either Jason Bay of the Red Sox or Torii Hunter of the Angels. Bay is on fire at the plate in Boston, while fielding his postion very well in front of the "Green Monster". The NL Cy Young right now is without a doubt Tim Lincecum. An ERA of 2.33 amd 149 stikeouts. Unless someone makes a major push in the 2nd half of the season, look for Timmy to repeat and keep his crown. The AL Cy Young is the best race in baseball right now. Zack Grienke going against Roy Halladay. Grienkes ERA is 2.12 and he leads the AL in wins. Though that is impressive stuff Roy Halladay leads the AL in strikeouts by a wide margin. If Halladay is traded to the Phillies, which is where many reports have him going, Grienke is a lock for the AL Cy Young. AL Rookie of The Year will go to Andrew Bailey who has not allowed a run since June 10 and has absolutely no competition. I am fairly confident NL Rookie of The Year will go to Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen. Since being brought up to fill the void for Nate McClouth, (Traded to the Braves) He has impressed us all with his speed. He has 5 triples in 34 games which is very, very impressive and there is not a ball in the vincinity of any park that he cannot catch up to. Lastly, lets finish with a world series prediction. The Boston Red Sox against the San Fransisco Giants, with the Giants winning in 6.

Start The Countdown

You know you are in hockey withdrawal when

1. You begin to analyze a preseason schedule
2. You replay highlights over and over all summer
3. You know the first preseason game is only 69 days away

Now i know, I am a huge fan of hockey, one of the biggest, but can you blame me? If you are a vivid fan of any sports team, and they win the Championship, the offseason is excruciating, and you want nothing more then to get back to the action. Lets get to the Pre-Season schedule. They begin in Pittsburgh against Toronto where there is no real story line, just the defending champs playing against a team that will for sure finish below expectations. They move on Montreal where they will face former teammate Hal Gil. Watch Montreal to be a major threat in the Eastern Conference this year and give Pittsburgh a run for thier money. They have picked up players with oddles of offensive talent such as Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, and Glen Metropolit. They then travel to Toronto, where they will once again feel like they are playing a minor league team. My suggestion? Cancel the two games against Toronto and have the Pens play the Baby Pens at Mellon Arena twice. Better competition and more interesting. The Pens play there second, and last pre-season game at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Plum native, R.J Umberger will be in town once again. For the last 5 years the NHL has set a Columbus/Pittsburgh matchup. Pondering it, it makes no sense. Columbus is no match for Pittsburgh's offensive skill and will be a walk in the park. Now we get to the the best game of the Pre-season. Yes, this is the first time in any major sport, (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) that a pre-season game will be interesting. Mark the calenders, Sunday September 27, 2009. Stanley Cup rematch, at Joe Louis Arena. Why will this be interesting you say? Well the last pre-season game is the one where all of the starters will see the most time so they are ready to start the season a week later. This means we get to see the matchup once again of Zetterburg vs Crosby, which quite frankly has turned into the best matchup in pro-sports today. There is some silver lining in this for Detroit. Max Talbot will miss the game because of shoulder surgery, so he doesnt have to break your hearts once again.

Thats it, and Thats All

Very sorry about the lack of posts tonight as I was out enjoying myslef, can ya blame me? I will be home all day tomorrow with plenty of posts all day and quality up to the second information. Check back early and often tomorrow. Good night and God bless.

A "No-No" By the Bay

Tonight, San Fransisco Giants left hander Jonathon Sanchez threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. This comes just one night after Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum took a no-hitter into the 7th inning. This was the Giant's 1st no hitter since John Montefusco did it on September 29, 1976, 33 years ago. Sanchez was on the cusp of having a perfect game, when Juan Uribe bobbled a routine ground ball in the 7th inning, which was scored as an error. Say what you want, but there is something special going on with the Giants this year. They have the best record in baseball through the last 35 games, and they just keep on rolling. There current starting rotation conists of 2008 Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Current San Fransisco hero Jonathon Sanchez, A quality pitcher in Matt Cain, and proven superstar righty Barry Zito. That is a rotation that will be dangerous come October and have proven to cause problem for opposing hitters. If the bats wake up on the Bay, look for the Giants to be this years cinderella story. They are my pick to win the world series. A couple more interesting notes on the no-hitter. Sanchez had the fifth lowest record coming into a game ever to throw a no-hitter, (2-8). He is currently in the rotation for injured lefty Randy Johnson who is on the 15 day DL. Sanchezs' name has been mentioned in many trades, one which would be a Sanchez for Sanchez swap which would send Jonathon Sanchez to the Pittsburgh Pirates and Freddy Sanchez to the Giants. After what I saw tonight, i dont see the Giants being willing to give up Sanchez, but they still need a bat. Freddy could wind up in San Fran, but Jonathon will not be moving. Look for the Pirates to get a few pitching prospects in the deal and look for Jonathon Sanchez to move into the rotation for the Giants. It will be interesting to see what San Fransisco does when Randy Johnson comes off the DL. There best bet is to go with a 5 man rotation. Randy Johnson is 43, and with a 5 man rotation, he will get more rest in between starts and have a stronger arm come October.