NEW YORK (AP) -- Yankees-Orioles. Playoffs. Disputed home run to right field. Yankees win.
The right stuff: Yanks beat O’s, advance to ALCS (Yahoo! Sports)
12 Oct
2012
2012
ALDS Game 5: Yankees punch ticket to ALCS with 3-1 victory over Orioles
12 Oct
2012
2012
Score and situation: The New York Yankees finally fought off and eliminated the resilient Baltimore Orioles with a 3-1 win on Friday. The Orioles stayed right on the Yankees heels all throughout the regular season in the AL East race and pushed them to the limit in the postseason, but New York ultimately prevailed in the decisive Game 5.
Leading lads: Much like Justin Verlander on Thursday, CC Sabathia was at his best when the Yankees needed it most. Sabathia was untouchable for the first seven innings, allowing only one hit. He did allow one run in the eighth, but wiggled out of a bases loaded situation to preserve the lead, and then pitched a perfect ninth for the complete game victory.
Curtis Granderson entered the game 1 for 16 in the series, but stepped up with a monster home run into the second deck and a single. That's great news for the Yankees today, and could be an encouraging sign for the ALCS as Granderson is more than capable of carrying their offense through a series if he continues heating up.
Head hangers: For all of the talk about Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher struggling for the Yankees, Baltimore's Adam Jones was just as unproductive. Jones, who inked a six-year, $85.5 million contract during the season, finished the series 2 for 23 and had no walks, runs or RBIs.
J.J. Hardy (.136) and Mark Reynolds (.158) also contributed little for Baltimore in the LDS, and that was punctuated by failures to come through against Sabathia in the eighth inning.
Key play: Nate McLouth's rocket down the right field line may or may not have nicked the foul ball. The immediate ruling on the field was foul ball, and that call was upheld by an inconclusive replay.
Mark Teixeira delivered the Yankees first hit with a single leading off the fifth. He then immediately stole second base after the Orioles regrettably neglected to hold him on. That put him in scoring position for Raul Ibanez's RBI single that gave New York a 1-0 lead. Any of those three plays would be a great choice from the Yankees perspective.
What they'll be talking about: Did it really nick the foul? That's the question Orioles fans will be asking for a long time to come. I agree with 'Duk when he says there was not nearly enough indisputable evidence to overturn the call, but I wonder why the umpires didn't take a little longer look at the replay considering the circumstances and the numerous camera angles they were provided for a postseason game. It there was ever a call worth delaying the game a few minutes, that would be it.
The late-arriving crowd and extremely subdued atmosphere in the first few innings already has a lot of people talking.
Also, Baltimore's decision to not hold Teixeira on first base after his single was risky and ultimately proved to be costly. I realize Teixeira was slowed by a calf injury over the final month of the season, but they should have been more protective of those 90 feet.
What's next: There's no rest for the weary Yankees as they will turn right around and host the Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday night. Joe Girardi will likely turn to veteran Andy Pettitte as his starter, while Jim Leyland is expected to counter with Doug Fister.
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Sabathia outstanding as Yankes oust Orioles – CC Sabathia | NYY
12 Oct
2012
2012
CC Sabathia pitched an outstanding ballgame against the Orioles in a decisive Game 5 of the ALDS on Friday, allowing only one run on four hits over a complete game victory.
Granderson swats HR as Yankees eliminate O’s – Curtis Granderson | NYY
12 Oct
2012
2012
Curtis Granderson connected on a solo home run on Friday, helping to power the Yankees to a 3-1 victory over the Orioles in the decisive Game 5 of the ALDS.
Carlos Boozer is working with his kids’ trainer
12 Oct
2012
2012
Professional athletes typically do whatever necessary to keep themselves in great shape, and they're willing to pay top dollar to do it. In many cases, that means spending time in hyperbaric chambers, or eating very healthy diets, or taking multi-hour naps. At bare minimum, they hire excellent trainers to design intense workouts and keep them at an elite level of fitness. (OK, in truth, the bare minimum is taking naps.)
These players usually don't like to take a chance with their bodies, or to hire trainers who don't have sterling reputations working with their peers. Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer has taken that chance. And he's doing so with an unlikely partner: his kids' trainer. From Scott Powers for ESPNChicago.com (via Blog a Bull):
During the summer, Boozer sought out a new basketball trainer to help him develop him into a more all-around player and touch up on his fundamentals. While the Miami-based trainer, Devel King, was an unlikely choice for Boozer as King had no previous experience with NBA players, Boozer believes this season will turn out differently because of his work with King.
"I felt like the trainer I had before, things I was doing before wasn't getting me to be where I wanted to be at," Boozer said. "I wanted to switch it up a little bit. Ran into coach King. He was actually training my kids at the time. I loved what he was doing with them, a lot of fundamental work, which is great, a lot of footwork, jabbing, different things I thought that I need for my game.
"Sometimes when you play so long in the NBA, sometimes you forget some of the basic stuff, and he was able to re-teach me some of the basic stuff that helps my game a lot. It's simple, but it's super effective. ... I was in the gym a lot, in the lab a lot working on everything, man. Defense, offense, ball handing, shooting, rebounding, going to be a complete player."
King said he nearly crashed his truck when he received the call from Boozer to work him out. But as much as King was shocked, he never treated Boozer differently than any of his other clients, who range from kindergartners to college players. King was critical of Boozer when he needed to be.
You may remember Boozer's kids as the awesome little guys who rooted against their father during a Bulls/Heat game last January. Truth be told, if King could get them to listen, then he can probably do good work with Boozer, as well.
Plus, although it might seem weird for a highly paid professional athlete to train with someone who'd previously worked with children, it's not as if King spends all day having his athletes jump around on trampolines and play Around the World while he checks his Facebook account. King is a serious trainer, and I'm sure he understands the value of the opportunity that Boozer has given him. They'll do real work.
Still, for the sake of jokes, I'm probably going to pretend that King and Boozer spend all day practicing free-throws on eight-foot baskets. Maybe, if he's lucky, Boozer will get to buy a soda from the vending machine when they're all done.
Did Nate McLouth hit the foul pole for a homer? We may never know for sure
12 Oct
2012
2012
What would an Orioles-Yankees postseason series be without a dispute over whether or not a hit was a home run? We won't be able to tell you this season as Baltimore's Nate McLouth filled 2012's quota with a long fly ball off CC Sabathia in Friday's sixth inning of ALDS Game 5 that was ruled foul as it appeared to sail just to the right of the Yankee Stadium foul pole.
On first replay, it appeared that the umpires made the correct call as the ball disappeared behind the pole. But a different replay with a blown up look at the ball and pole show that it may have just grazed it. A call of a home run would have tied the score at one and gone for just the second Orioles hit off Sabathia at the time. The umpires reviewed the play after Orioles manager Buck Showalter protested, but the foul ball call was upheld. And that was probably the right call as the visual evidence was far from indisputable. (The physical evidence also seemed a bit wonky as you'd think the collision between a foul pole and a ball traveling at a decent velocity would produce a more noticeable change in direction.)
TBS later sent field reporter Craig Sager out to the right field stands where he fanned the flames by citing an usher who said the ball nicked the pole. But he also borrowed the ball from the fan who caught it to reveal that there was no paint on the cover.
Make sure all your bases are covered this postseason ...
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4 players file bounty appeals to NFL (Yahoo! Sports)
12 Oct
2012
2012
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- All four players punished in the NFL's bounty investigation have filed appeals with the league. People familiar with the situation say the players have asked Commissioner Roger Goodell to remove himself as arbitrator because they do not believe he can be impartial.
49ers coach rips comments by Giants assistant (Yahoo! Sports)
12 Oct
2012
2012
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is taking on another coach.
Second-round tee times for Frys.com Open (PGA Tour)
12 Oct
2012
2012
Second-round tee times for Frys.com Open
The Shutdown Corner Week 6 NFL Preview Podcast with Greg Cosell
12 Oct
2012
2012
Once again, it's time to gear up for this week's slate of NFL games with analysis from the best in the business -- Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN's "NFL Matchup." As he did so well last year, Greg will give you a sense of the week's upcoming games you won't get anywhere else, based on his conversations with players and coaches past and present, and his OCD-level evaluation of coach's tape. Since the podcast was recorded on Friday morning, we started by reviewing the Tennessee Titans' Thursday night win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Shutdown Corner Week 6 Preview Podcast with Greg Cosell
The remaining Week 6 games, in order of discussion:
Oakland Raiders at Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
St. Louis Rams at Miami Dolphins
Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets
Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles
Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals
New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks
New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers
Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins
Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans
Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
On the Pittsburgh Steelers' relative inability to restock their defense: "How is it constructed, and who are the critical players? You have to start with the nose tackle -- Casey Hampton was a great nose tackle, but he's up in years and he's not the player he was. The importance of Aaron Smith cannot be over-exaggerated. [Steelers defensive coordinator] Dick LeBeau has often publicly stated that Smith was the most critical piece of their base 3-4 puzzle. They don't have that player right now. Then, you move to the outside linebackers. The key attribute for an outside linebacker in a 3-4 is the ability to rush the quarterback, and beat running backs and tight ends to get there. When you get a guy clean, that's wonderful, but it doesn't happen that often in the NFL. James Harrison is closer to the end than the beginning, and they don't use him to rush the quarterback with the frequently they used to."
On Andrew Luck's ability to deal with pressure in a professional sense: "The Colts know that their offensive line is not very good individually. Many things have stood out to me about Luck, but what has stood out most of all is just what Sam Bradford is struggling with. Luck makes excellent throws from muddied pockets, plus, he has shown great pocket movement. Think about the area the size of a boxing ring, or even smaller. That's what pocket movement is -- the ability to move in an area that size while you're doing other things.
The Shutdown Corner Week 6 Preview Podcast with Greg Cosell
"1. You're containing your downfield focus -- you can never look to rush. 2. Keeping the position of the ball proper. 3. Keeping your feet under you, so you're on balance and ready to deliver the football. He has done those three things pretty much from Week 1. That has been incredibly impressive about Luck through his first four games."
On the New York Jets' circus of an offense, and Mark Sanchez's surprisingly good play against Houston: "If you didn't know who the quarterback was -- let's say you just dropped out of the sky and you just watched a football game on Monday night? You would have said that the New York Jets' quarterback threw the ball pretty well. I don't want people to think that I'm saying Mark Sanchez is a Top 5 quarterback -- that's not the point of this conversation. The point is, Sanchez happened to throw the ball very well against a very good defense.
"Look at what's happened with Alex Smith. He's on a team -- last year, they get a new coach. They're a ground-and-pound team with a dominant running game. They have arguably the best defense in the NFL. They have as good a special teams unit as there is in the league. They had a +28 turnover ratio last year. Alex Smith threw the fewest passes of any 16-game starter. Okay? I don't know what's going to happen in Mark Sanchez's career, and I'm not telling you that he's a great quarterback, but I'd be curious to see just how Sanchez would perform under those conditions. He had those conditions in his first and second years, and he played in two AFC championships. He's not that gifted a quarterback, but we need to relax a little bit here. He is ultimately a puzzle piece where all the other puzzle pieces are hidden, and nobody knows where they are."
As with everything involving Greg Cosell, this podcast is a must-listen for those fans of advanced tape analysis. Subscribe to the Shutdown Corner iTunes link (in iTunes, go to "Advanced/Subscribe to Podcast," and paste this link in: http://ysportspods.podbean.com/category/shutdown/feed/). You can also use the link below to either left-click and listen, or right-click to save to your computer.
The Shutdown Corner Week 6 Preview Podcast with Greg Cosell
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