It may be Monday, but I'm still beaming from what the Oakland Athletics were able to accomplish this weekend. More on that later. It was a rainy weekend he in Virginia, but hopefully all of that is past us and we can dry out and play some baseball. My team, the Falls Church News Hounds are facing elimination tonight, but I can be sure that we won't go down swinging. We're not ready to give up the crown that easily.
This week also marks the final week of work for my mom. She is retiring from the U.S. Government after 39 years of service. 20 at the Pentagon and 19 at the U.S.G.S.. It's almost guaranteed she finds new work quickly on a part time basis, because she is not one to sit around. Sure she can golf, go geocaching, do puzzles and (hopefully) babysit in the near future, but I think she find something to do. We have a party for her this weekend planned and I can't think of a harder working, more consistent employee than her that deserves a celebration of a career than she does.
As for what went on in the world or sports (and entertainment) this weekend, we look back.
10. The Dark Knight Rises
The release of the 3rd part of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was marred Friday night by a psychotic gunman in Colorado at a midnight showing. Yet another gun related tragedy in the United States and without getting too political it needs to stop. I am not a gun owner, nor have I ever fired one but that has a lot to do with my upbringing and where I live. I have never been into hunting or felt unsafe in my house that would necessitate owning a gun, but I understand why they should be allowed to be owned. I'm not against guns, I just think we have too many of them and they are glorified as accessories rather than what they truly are: killing devices. Moving on...
I didn't see the movie because I don't like going to crowded theaters to see PG-13 movies. I get weekdays off from work and I like to cruise into my local theater and hang out with retirees and a bunch of empty seats. I can wait a week, its no rush. Due to the tragedy in Colorado, the numbers of dollars that the movie made were not released, but it will be interesting to see how the events Friday night affect the sales. I doubt it did much because I can only assume that most tickets were already bought by Saturday morning for the weekend.
9. San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
This weekend might have been the last relevant weekend for the Phillies. They dropped two of three to the Giants even as they were getting healthier as a team. Tim Lincecum shut Philadelphia down as he continues to try and right the worst season of his career. The pitchers' duel on Saturday fizzled between Cain and Hamels mainly because they decided to homer off each other. Each pitcher gave up 5 earned runs and the Giants pulled it out in extras. The home run derby that I expected for Sunday's game actually was the best pitched match up of the series as Barry Zito and Joe Blanton gave up only 3 runs each (although they did give up 4 home runs) over 15 combined innings and luckily for the Phillies they eked out the game in the 12th to avoid the sweep.
8. Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirates
This weekend was dedicated to Andrew McCutchen and he did go 5 for 11 with a RBI. I left realizing that Pittsburgh might not be going away this year like they did last season. Their starting pitching is far away better and deeper this season and that will keep them in it. The three starters gave up only 4 runs over 19 2/3 innings against the Marlins. Even without Giancarlo Staton, Miami still has a decent offense and that is impressive to hold them down so well. It will be real interesting to see if Pittsburgh can add 1-2 big bats to put around McCutchen for the home stretch. Maybe they can poach somebody from Miami after sweeping them this weekend because its almost a certainty that the fish will be looking to unload some players to offset their ballooned payroll because of entering a new stadium.
7. New York Yankees at Oakland Athletics
Where do I start? How do I keep my 'journalistic integrity' without falling into pure unabashed rantings of a die hard fan? What is going on in Oakland is downright mesmerizing. As a fan I don't really understand it myself. The pitching being so good with such green pitchers is nothing new to the franchise. Being in a cavernous stadium is conducive to a low ERA, but doing it against the Yankees is another thing. The Athletics gave up only 10 runs to New York in 39 innings while striking out 37 batters and walking only 4. To the New York (expletive) Yankees. New York is the most patient team in baseball and the young Athletics staff (and Bartolo Colon) didn't flinch. They attacked the potent lineup and even despite a couple of potential backbreaking home runs late in the games, they refused to relent.
The offense did just to help out the pitching staff. Mainly through the use of the long ball with 6 home runs accounting for 7 of the 14 runs scored for Oakland, the Athletics squeaked out four 1 run victories. The flaws are still obvious. They can't get on base, they strike out too much and hit way too many fly balls. Coco Crisp was one of the heroes today, but the fact is he is hitting .248 with a .309 OBP as the primary lead off hitter and their number two hitter, Jemile Weeks is hitting .216 with a measly .301 OBP. That will not cut it. Along with almost zero production from the shortstop and catcher positions this season its quite miraculous the Athletics ever score. They need to address at least two of those holes without disrupting the make and feel of the team.
Kurt Suzuki is toughest decision to make. He is so revered on that team as a signal caller and team leader, but his offense as fallen off the cliff so suddenly that his defensive skill set is just not good enough to keep him as a regular starter. He hit his first home run of the season today and as the fourth highest paid player on a low budget team something needs to be done. He is the primary reason why any young pitcher seems to flourish right way in Oakland, but unlike the Designated Hitter, there isn't a Designated Fielder and his .211 average and .246 OBP is a joke.
I hate to poke holes at the magic carpet ride that is the 2012 Oakland Athletics season, but they are a poor mans New York Yankees (literally) relying so heavily on hitting home runs to survive. They have so many pitchers to flip for hitting including injured starters Brandon McCarthy, Dallas Braden and Brett Anderson that a pitching starved team like the Blue Jays or Orioles could be a good trading partner. J.P. Arencibia, Yunel Escobar, Wilson Betimet or J.J. Hardy would fit right in on the low average, moderate power Athletics. They would certainly be an offensive upgrade over anybody currently wearing green and gold. It also happens to be convenient that this week Oakland will be headed to both Toronto and Baltimore with a chance to put distance between them in the Wild Card standings. Whether it would help the team is to be seen as they just seem to enjoy each other so much right now.
6. USA Men's Basketball vs Argentina
I tried to warn you it would be close. It didn't start that way, but Argentina is good and without a blistering start the USA might have lost. Tempers got heated with multiple hard fouls and quick dust ups which hopefully kept the team focused. The game was relatively close throughout the second half thanks to Manu Ginobili who poured in 23 points, but the USA found a way to win. It was only a six point margin, not the 20-25 I thought it might be so maybe the US squad isn't as good as I thought it was. Their next game could be even more difficult as they take on Spain on Tuesday. Obviously they will still be favorites to win gold in London, but it may not be the cakewalk come the medal round that we all hoped it would be.
5. Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
Just as was the demise of the Phillies season this weekend, I think the good mojo that had been running through the Mets locker room this season may have run dry. Picked to finish way down in the standings by most prognosticators the Mets had been a pleasant surprise behind clutch hitting and R.A. Dickey. They caught the Dodgers at the wrong time as they are putting the pieces back together after a mid-season battle with injuries. Los Angeles swept the Mets in New York sending the Mets back under .500 and 8.5 games out of first place in the N.L. East and 5 games out of the Wild Card. The Dodgers are still on the outside of the playoffs looking in as I type, but their talent and momentum should get them back in rather quickly.
4. Chicago White Sox at Detroit Tigers
This went as planned for me. Detroit steamrolled through the White Sox this weekend and in doing so they swapped the 1.5 game lead in the A.L. Central. Justin Verlander was very effective again in a big spot whereas Chris Sale failed to produce in his biggest start of the season to date. Behind a solidified starting rotation and their lineup rounding into form (no not at joke about the waistlines of Cabrera and Fielder), the Tigers are finally playing the way they should. This will be the last time all season that Detroit is out of first place. You can take that to the bank. Chicago is still a very good team as they continue to tinker with their overall makeup. They added Brett Myers this week from Houston to help in the bullpen where they don't have much veteran leadership. It appears that their focus will be solely on the Wild Card as the calendar turns to August.
3. Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals
Up 9-0 on Friday, the Washington Nationals were in prime position to make a statement against the Braves that the race in the N.L. East was about over. Then something funny happened on the way to the White House. The Braves scored 10 unanswered runs, survived a game tying 9th inning home run to complete one of the biggest comebacks in baseball history. Saturday afternoon wasn't much better for the Nationals as they lost Bryce Harper to injury when he bunted the ball off his ankle. They were shut out in the first game of the day/night doubleheader and all of a sudden the lead for Washington had been trimmed to 1.5 games. Harper sat out the night game and the Nationals turned back the clock to John Lannan to try and stop the bleeding. After 1 inning it was 2-0 Braves and the confidence that the Nationals had shown all season was gone.
But these aren't your older brothers Nationals...no they are not. They surged back scoring the final five runs of the night game and then scored the first 8 runs on Sunday en route to a 9-2 win and a series split. Harper returned, but All-Star shortstop Ian Desmond was lost as he re-aggravated his oblique injury and will be disabled for at least a month.
It could have gone all kinds of wrong for Washington, but they survived. Now they have Zimmerman, Gonazalez and Strasburg lined up for their three game set in New York and if that doesn't make you feel confident, I don't know what will.
Atlanta showed a lot of fight and a very well balanced lineup, but their starting pitching is a huge question mark. When Ben Sheets is your best pitcher and he has only 2 starts this season, you know you're in trouble.
2. Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
I think the Texas Rangers are in trouble. Not only did they look a step slower, pitch a little worse and look lost at the plate at times, but I think the Angels are the team to beat in the A.L. West. The Athletics may have magic, but they don't have the talent to compete in the long run. The Rangers have pitched well above expectations and stayed healthier than they usually do, but the holes are there. Josh Hamilton is mired in a huge slump as he continues to swing at everything. They are 6-9 in July and about to embark on a suddenly very important 10 game home stand against the Red Sox, White Sox and the very same Angels that they just lost 2 of 3 to. I do realize that in the first 22 days of July the Angels have gained all of 0.5 game on the Rangers (the Athletics have made up 6.5 games), but the writing is on the wall.
Dan Haren has returned to bolster the starting rotation and he pitched very well last night. Ervin Santana still looks like a lost puppy on the mound and I don't see the Angels sticking with him much longer. They will add a pitcher if possible and that should be enough to chase down Texas.
1. The British Open
The first three days of The Open were played in ideal conditions which made for unusually low scoring. None of that will ever be remembered after what went down on Sunday. Adam Scott cruised into the final day with a seemingly insurmountable lead. The weather became the story of the first half of the day as all of the leaders started handing back shots keeping everyone within arms length of the lead. If you could string together only pars, you were more than likely headed in the right direction.
Adam Scott then righted the ship and still maintained a 4 stroke lead with 9 holes to go. After he birdied the 14th hole, the engraver already had 'Adam' done on the Claret Jug. 'The tournament was over' shouted Billy Packer from his retirement home. I was ready to turn off the television and start reading...I was even, dare I say, bored.
Tiger Woods had faded, as had Graeme McDowell, Ernie Els was playing solid, but couldn't make a putt to save his life and Brandt Snedeker remembered that he wasn't elite. The coronation was on and Adam Scott was finally ready to win his first Major and it was well deserved. He played the most consistent golf of anyone this weekend and even helped me reach #1 overall in ESPN's Best Ball Fantasy Golf Challenge for about 30 minutes (I finished T-102).
I guess Scott let himself think about hoisting the Claret Jug, because it all went wrong from then on. He bogeyed the 15th, 3 putted for a bogey on the relatively easy 16th. His lead was two over Els. Up ahead on the 18th green, Ernie Els finally made a birdie putt to cut the lead to 1. Adam Scott looked shaken. He knew what was going on, he saw it slipping away. He bogeyed the 17th and there was a two way tie at the top. Els and Scott, who could have seen this coming??
Adam Scott shanked his drive on the 18th right into one of the 205 sand traps scattered around the course. His only option was to hit the ball sideways for his 2nd shot. He stood 150 yards away needed to get up and down to force a playoff. 30 minutes earlier he the announcers stated 'he had 1 had on the trophy.' Adam Scott drilled an iron shot to within 7 feet and he looked to have stopped the free fall. One putt to start all over, 7 feet to stay in line for that 1st ever Major Championship. He missed and fell to his knees. It was tough to watch. If you have ever competed in a sport (individual or team) you've been there. Hopefully millions of people weren't watching at the time, though.
Congrats to Ernie Els who played the best on Sunday, but you have to feel for Adam Scott, it was a very painful 30 minutes to erase 3 1/2 days of great golf.
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If you didn't notice, I omitted the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony from this weekend's to do list. In all honesty I completely forgot. Sorry if Barry Larkin and the late Ron Santo just didn't do it for me. It's going to be a rough decade ahead for the Hall of Fame committee as they try to find worth entrants while ignoring a near generation full of stars who got caught up in the era of PED's. Some are downright guilty, some are whispered to have used them and some just played at the wrong time with the wrong people.
Do I think that the best of the best during this era should get in? Yes I do. With an asterisk. Mention that they played during this time and whether they ever admitted to using PED's. Don't say that they were hinted to doing so, that they were investigated or accused, but only if they came clean. We'll never know the true extent of usage or how well it helped extend careers and improve statistics, but it obviously affected the skill level of the elite athletes in the game.
Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were Hall of Fame worthy long before the mid-to-late 90's. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were not. It will be very dicey over the next 10 years to get any big name player into Cooperstown and that is going to hurt the overall popularity of the Hall of Fame. To not see any players that I grew up watching get in is going to be tough to swallow. I don't know how I'll explain to the next generation.
Sorry son, the 1990's didn't exist. Yeah that'll do.
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