Tour Report: Congratulate Garcia on his victory (PGA Tour)
2012
Moustakas homers as Royals beat White Sox 9-4 (Yahoo! Sports)
2012
Dunn launches 400th career home run in loss – Adam Dunn | CWS
2012
White Sox slugger Dunn hits 400th career homer (Yahoo! Sports)
2012
The Juice: Prince Fielder’s two homers down the Orioles, Johan Santana’s struggles continue
2012
The Juice is back for its fifth season of fun! Stop by each weekday (and now on Saturdays) for an ample serving of news from the action, plus great photos, stats and video highlights.
Power of Prince: Two big swings from Prince Fielder produced his 25th career multi-homer game and also propelled the Detroit Tigers to a huge 5-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The first was a two-run shot that tied the game 3-3 in the sixth inning. Two innings later, Fielder would connect off left-hander reliever J.C. Romero for another two-run blast (estimated at 462 feet) and this one proved to be the difference in the game.
Miguel Cabrera, who homered himself in the first inning, also scored on both of Fielder's homers, meaning one-hundred percent of Detroit's offense was supplied by their all-star duo.
Boston punching bags: We know the New York Yankees love to play long ball, but they're doing so in historic fashion this season against the Boston Red Sox. In their 6-4 win on Friday night, the Bronx Bombers connected for five home runs, including the 250th of Derek Jeter's career. Curtis Granderson, Russell Martin and Nick Swisher with two bombs also contributed to the onslaught which, according to Elias, makes this the first time the Yankees have had two five-homer games against Boston in the same season. It's also the third time this season they've had at least four home runs against their archrivals.
[Video: Johan Santana's struggles continue]
No-hitter hangover: The struggles of Johan Santana continue and there appears to be no end in sight. In his latest dismal outing, the New York Mets southpaw was touched up for six runs in five innings in a 6-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. In the process, Santana became the first pitcher since Mike Hampton in 2001-02 to allow six or more runs in five straight outings — all five losing decisions — and has allowed a staggering 33 runs in 19 innings over that span.
Atlanta's other third baseman plays hero:Juan Francisco, 25, doesn't see a lot of playing time when Chipper Jones is healthy, but he proved his worth to the team in his biggest pinch-hit appearance of the season. With the winning run 90 feet away in the bottom of the 11th, Francisco would rip a game-winning single off reliever Jamey Wright to give Atlanta a hard fought 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's a big one to get for Atlanta, and an equally crushing defeat for the Dodgers, who now fall to 1/2 game behind the San Francisco Giants.
* * *
Quote of the Day: ''It's kind of like his hair. His streak gets a little bit longer and a little bit fluffier as time goes on. I don't know what to say."
Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost awkwardly describes Luis Mendoza's effective outing in their 4-2 win over the Chicago White Sox by comparing the performance to Mendoza's healthy head of shoulder length hair. I honestly don't know what to say either.
* * *
[Video: Giancarlo Stanton blasts another tape-measure home run]
Photo of the Day: Hanging around
While we applaud and the appreciate the effort of San Diego Padres outfielder Carlos Quentin, he's obviously no Mike Trout or Rajai Davis. Despite his best attempt, this home run off the bat of Marco Scutaro would not be brought on to the field. And even if it was, it would not have made much of a difference as the San Francisco Giants cruised to a 10-1 victory.
* * *
Three Facts for the Water Cooler:
• Los Angeles Angels starter Jered Weaver allowed nine runs in their 12-3 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In his ten previous home starts this season, Weaver had allowed a total of nine runs.
• Edwin Encarnacion was the first major leaguer to homer off Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish back on April 30. He's also the latest to do so, connecting for first inning two-run homer in the Blue Jays 3-2 win on Friday night.
• The Oakland A's rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat Cleveland Indians, 6-4. For all their dramatics, that's Oakland's biggest comeback win of the season.
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Mostly NFL Notes: Is Darren McFadden worth the risk?
2012
Over his last 19 games (not counting Week 7 of last year when he immediately left with what would turn out to be a season-ending foot injury), Darren McFadden has totaled 2,428 yards with 15 touchdowns. While looking like something of a bust after being taken 4th overall during the first two years of his career, he now looks like one of the very best backs in football, at least when on the field. McFadden still has never played more than 13 games in any of his four seasons in the league, and while he claims the injuries have been bad luck, at some point it has to be consdered more than that. That said, if he were to stay healthy over a full season, he'd almost certainly be a top-3 fantasy asset, especially in what looks like an Oakland offense with sneaky upside and with Michael Bush now gone — an underrated aspect of Run-DMC's game: he's 6-for-7 at the goal line over the past three years. There's some concern with the new coaching staff implementing a zone-blocking scheme, which has proven in the past to be unsuited to McFadden's strengths, but conversely new OC Greg Knapp typically uses a run-heavy system. It seems crazy to consider someone as injury-prone as McFadden as a top-8 pick, but with so many other question marks surrounding running backs, it suddenly becomes more reasonable, especially if you make sure to grab Mike Goodson later on.
Gator attacks trainer at county fair.
Highway sign bouncing along with music.
Broken iMac prank. "I accidentally dropped it, 27 times."
I've spoken plenty about being someone who waits to draft quarterbacks, but I really can't blame those taking Tom Brady early this season. I worry some the defense could improve greatly, especially after adding three players in the top-50 picks of this year's draft, but New England tends not to be concerned about running scores up. And while Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen will likely improve the backfield, BenJarvus Green-Ellis' strong ability at the goal line is gone. Speaking of which, do you realize which QB had the second-most rushing attempts inside the red zone, 10 yard line and 5 yard line last season? That's right, it was Brady. At age 35, he's past his physical peak, but Brady is a relentless worker both on the practice field and in the film room, and you can bet he will be extra motivated coming off his second straight Super Bowl loss. He got 8.6 YPA last season. To put that into perspective, he got 8.3 during his historical 50-TD year in 2007, and he actually attempted 33 more passes last season compared to his record-setting campaign, making it all that much more impressive. Deion Branch tied for the most targets inside the 5 in the NFL last season, and a premier red-zone target in Brandon Lloyd will be replacing him (and the horribly ineffective Chad Johnson), joining the likes of Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez with two athletic backs capable of catching passes in an embarrassment of riches. It's certainly not a stretch that Brady approaches 50 touchdowns again in 2012.
Animal Antics: This cat is a real prick…Dog terrified of low-fat lamb jerky…Cat drops into classroom, terrifies everyone inside it...This dog is extreme.
So what do we make of the running back situation in Buffalo? Fred Jackson was the NFL's leading rusher when he went down with a fractured right fibula in Week 11 last year, and the former undrafted back also had 442 receiving yards at the time, making him one of the bigger surprises in fantasy football. He was as impressive as it gets, leading all backs with 5.5 YPC (minimum 100 rushing attempts), thanks in no small part to an NFL-high 3.75 YPC after contact. He was also a terrific blocker and had zero drops. Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL's No. 1 RB, a fact made all that more impressive when you realize it's an aggregate score, and Jackson missed the final 6.5 games. Still, he's coming off a serious injury, will be 31.5 years old this season (a dangerous age for running backs) and will have to compete with C.J. Spiller for touches.
Spiller didn't receive double-digit carries in any of the first 24 games of his career, but when Jackson went down he responded surprisingly well. Over the final six games, Spiller totaled 633 yards with five touchdowns. He improved greatly as a blocker, proved to be a major threat as a receiver and got 5.2 YPC while holding up just fine with a bigger workload. He's capable of finishing as a top-10 fantasy back in 2012, were he given the opportunity. However, Jackson should return 100% and is clearly the favorite for touches, and Buffalo likely remains skeptical whether Spiller could hold up with a full workload over a full season. I can certainly understand the reasoning, but it's still pretty crazy that a 31+ year old undrafted back coming off a serious injury has such a higher ADP (26) compared to his teammate (44), who's 25 years old with a top-10 pick pedigree and totaled 405 yards with four touchdowns over the final three games last season. It's an interesting situation likely to result in a committee, resulting in disappointed fantasy owners.
This review of a new popular restaurant in New York that serves food in total darkness isn't exactly endorsing.
Back in the day, when Charles Woodson's BAC of .24 equaled his jersey number (when he was arrested at his own charity golf event), I thought that was extreme, but this gentleman not only called him but put all his chips onto the table, registering an unfathomable .627 BAC — enough to kill two men over.
Woman denies man padlocked her in room for years, says "I don't like to go out."
I totally agree Jordy Nelson's 15 TD catches with 68 receptions last year was an unsustainable rate. The same goes for his 13.2 YPT mark, which was by far the highest by any receiver with at least 90 targets since the stat has been recorded. A WR who gets 18.6 YPC while catching 73.1% of his targets is like a pitcher who posts a .200 BABIP — it's simply not something savvy fantasy owners want to bank on repeating. But it also feels like he's almost getting punished in drafts for doing so well last season. Even if we regress his production by 20%, you would still get top-5 type fantasy WR numbers (1,010/12). And while the efficiency will almost certainly regress, what if he gets more targets? After all, 35 receivers saw more looks than him last season, and this is a guy who's 6-3, 217 who had just two drops and forced more missed tackles than Brandon Marshall and Roddy White in 2011. Greg Jennings is two years older and may currently be dealing with a concussion issue that's moderately serious. Nelson is coming off a season in which he scored 15 touchdowns, has the best player in the NFL as his QB and has an ADP currently outside the top-50. Go get him.
So after going to the Lincecum vs. Strasburg matchup Wednesday that certainly didn't live up to the hype, my friends and I tried this pizza joint run by this crazy intense chef who makes every pie personally. If you're ever in San Francisco, I recommend it (although be warned there will be a wait). I actually thought it was better than Pizzeria Bianco.
Longread of the week: The long, lawless ride of Sheriff Joe Arpaio — America's meanest and most corrupt politician.
Especially with the Trent Richardson and Ryan Mathews injuries, I'm warming up to Matt Forte as a first round pick. He had 1,487 total yards while racking up 52 receptions in just 11.5 games last year before a sprained MCL forced him to miss the season's final four games. Despite running behind an offensive line that was among the worst in football, Forte's 4.9 YPC was easily a career high, and his 12 carries for 20-plus yards were the second most in the NFL. Fantasy owners seem to be worried about the addition of Michael Bush, who will take over goal-line duties, but Forte has scored just three times from the GL over the past three seasons (going 3-for-33 there), so albeit not ideal that he'll no longer have the opportunity, not much will change from the past as far as production from in close is concerned. Forte's knee injury was minor, as he even played in the Pro Bowl, so he'll enter 2012 fully healthy, and with the return of Jay Cutler and the trade for Brandon Marshall (not to mention the loss of pass-happy OC Mike Martz), Forte's environment in Chicago has been greatly improved. He's among the favorites to lead the league in yards from scrimmage, and while he won't get goal-line carries, as someone who catches a lot of passes and is capable of scoring from far out, 6-10 touchdowns are reachable.
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Dwyane Wade says LeBron James is playing at Michael Jordan’s level
2012
There are lots of good players in the NBA, and among that top tier LeBron James stands out as the best of the bunch. There's nothing he doesn't do well on the basketball court, apart from shooting from outside at an elite leve and re-invigorating hair follicles. The only way to discuss his place in the league, or to criticize him, is by comparing him to the cream of the historic crop.
As with most basketball arguments, that means he's going to be compared to Michael Jordan, to whom he cannot possibly measure up at this point in time. Yet, Dwyane Wade, LeBron's teammate in Miami and a Chicago native who grew up watching Jordan, says a comparison is warranted. From Ira Winderman for the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via PBT):
"Just watching LeBron play, I mean he's just playing at a different gear right now," Wade said. "That monkey is off his back and now he's just playing basketball. I think we'll continue to see a better LeBron James -- it's scary to say, a three-time MVP -- than we've seen.
"And it's because all he's got to do is play basketball now. He doesn't have to worry about what he hasn't done, even though it will always be something. But he got the biggest one off this back. He played exceptionally well."
Jordan well? That is a debate Wade called reasonable, but also still somewhat premature.
"He's on that level," Wade said, "but he has a lot more to do to get there. I think he understands he has an unbelievable opportunity to be one of the greatest to play this game. But that's when he gets done playing, he can say that.
"Right now, he has so much more to cover in his career. He's just getting started at the same time when Michael kind of just got started. We'll see how it all shakes out. I hope it shakes out the same way. I'll be a very happy man."
Wade is close to both men — in addition to playing with James, he also works as one of the primary endorsers of Jordan Brand (though that reportedly could change soon). And while Wade certainly has every incentive to make his teammate look as good as possible, what he's saying here really isn't so crazy. HIs qualifier that James has a long way to go to equal Jordan's career is the key point here, and the one that typically ends all comparisons of the two players. The larger point — that James is currently playing at a level we typically associate with Jordan — has some value.
[Related: Hakeem Olajuwon says JaVale McGee should dominate the NBA]
What that means, in simplified terms, is that LeBron is playing an excellent all-around game that helps him control the sport without just scoring. He defends, sets up his teammates, hits jumpers, drives, scores in crunch time, etc. Those were all things Jordan did at his best, as well, and when the Bulls won championships he led them in most of those categories. James has done the same with the Heat and Team USA, and arguing otherwise is primarily a case of being difficult or misunderstanding this moment-specific commentary.
Again, the point here isn't that James is already his equal, but that for a comparatively brief period of time he is dominating several phases of the game in a way we haven't seen since Jordan. Kobe Bryant and others have been great in their own right and won more championships than LeBron, but he's alone in the post-Jordan era for displaying this kind of well-rounded game. We don't have to claim he's already among the best players ever, because that's a career honor. But what he's done over the last few six months deserves our attention, because runs like that don't happen very often.
Related NBA video from Yahoo! Sports
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Eddie Murray charged with insider trading
2012
Eddie Murray created a Hall of Fame career by becoming one of the best switch-hitters in the game's history.
The Securities and Exchange Commission, however, doesn't look as favorably at people who can play both sides of something. The Baltimore Orioles legend learned that the hard way, being charged with insider trading on Friday as part of a probe that involved his old teammate Doug DeCinces.
Murray has already settled the case.
From the Wall Street Journal:
The SEC alleges Mr. Murray made about $235,314 in illegal profits when Abbott (Laboratories) publicly unveiled its plan to buy Advanced Medical Optics in January 2009. Mr. Murray agreed to pay $358,151 to settle the SEC's charges without admitting or denying the allegations.
The Orioles just unveiled a statue of Murray outside Camden Yards last weekend and it has him batting lefthanded as he hit more homers from that side of the plate. Given Friday's penalty, I'm guessing that statue will be a more fruitful source of stock tips in the future than the man himself.
Want more baseball fun all season long?
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Closing Time: Dan Haren bottoms out; another Frank Francisco fire drill
2012
The Rays couldn't do a thing against Felix Hernandez on Wednesday, as you know, but the schedule bailed them out one day later. A 2012 date against Dan Haren is cause for celebration, a piñata party. Take your best shot.
Tampa Bay rolled up seven hits, five runs and two homers against Haren, knocking him out in the fourth inning. The scuffling righty now holds a 4.90 ERA and 1.39 WHIP on the year, and he can't even point to that much bad luck: all of the ERA estimators call for something over 4.00. His strikeout percentage is at a seven-year low, and his walk rate has almost doubled from last year.
And then there's the flashing red light on the radar gun: Haren's averaging just 88.6 mph on his fastball, slowest of his career. No wonder the American League is teeing off on him.
We have to worry (and guess) about Haren's back, which has been bothering him most of the year. He spent about three weeks on the DL in July, and he was scratched from a turn at the end of the month. Herein lies the rub when it comes to struggling aces: as much as we'd love to always trust the established career path and wait for positive regression, sometimes you're dealing with an unreported or misunderstood injury. Haren went through several rough starts in the spring before he disclosed the back problem.
You never know when injured players will start to feel better and perform up to expectations; sometimes it's just a matter of rehab and time taking its course, sometimes it's a reaction to a shot (hiya, Ryan Zimmerman) or a new medicinal path. If you want to wait it out on Haren, cling to blind faith in something, I'm not going to stop you. But now that we're more than halfway through August, I say it's time to start lining up the arms you trust and the arms you don't. Haren isn't welcome to pitch for any of my contending clubs down the stretch. It's not about the names, my friends; this game is all about the numbers.
• Kris Medlen is owned in just 35 percent of Yahoo! leagues? Maybe football really is taking over. Club Med had his way with the Padres on Thursday, twirling a six-hit shutout and striking out six. His four starts have been fantastic: 25.5 IP, 19 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 22 K. What do you need, a meteor to drop in your front yard? Point, click, add.
Medlen also qualifies at both pitching positions, which comes in handy in some formats. He works at Washington next week (recommended), and even with Tommy Hanson back, I can't see how Medlen doesn't hold onto a rotation spot. Atlanta has turned into a pitcher's dream, with exceptional outfield defense and a relief staff that holds onto your leads. Good work if you can get it.
• Generally when I think of Jon Rauch, I get scared. We're talking about a 6-foot-11 dude, 250 pounds or so, neck tattoos, menacing glare. If I came across Rauch in an alley, I'd simply drop my wallet and make a run for it. Crisis Management 101.
When you're talking crisis management for the 2012 Mets, the subject quickly moves to the bullpen. The Mets have the worst relief ERA this year - at 5.10, they're well clear of Milwaukee's 4.80 - and they're lagging in just about any other bullpen measure you want to look at. It's been the Achilles' heel of this club.
Maybe Rauch can help the Metropolitans gain some respectability down the stretch. He's only allowed one run over his last 20 games, covering 14.1 innings, and he's picked up two saves over the last five days, cleaning up a couple of Frank Francisco messes. Rauch has received plenty of good luck during this hot streak (a .128 BABIP and a .106 average against), but he's also limiting line drives to a puny 10-percent clip and he's only walked two batters (against nine strikeouts). He's a reliever of interest so long as Francisco is struggling.
Bobby Parnell is the other Mets reliever who might get a look in the ninth if Francisco needs a time out (or another DL stint). Parnell faced one batter in Thursday's eighth inning, recording a strikeout, and he's picked up four saves this year, most of them coming while Francisco was unavailable. Parnell's strikeout rate is much higher than Rauch's, he's six years younger than his teammate, and he boasts a snappy 58-percent ground ball rate. You can make a case for Parnell.
I don't know what Francisco needs to do before the Mets move in a different direction; he's been awful most of the year (6.25 ERA, 1.83 WHIP). When you give up five homers and issue 18 walks over 31.2 innings, it's difficult to be successful in any role. Miraculously, Francisco has only blown three saves, but that's more fluke than anything else. Often he's yanked from a game before the tying run gets around the bases, one step ahead of the jailor.
Place your bets, save chasers. Are you holding with Francisco, scaring things up with Rauch, taking faith in Parnell's profile, or just running for your life, determined never to return to Citi Field? Discuss the game plan in the comments.
• The roto public is finally up to speed with Jason Vargas, especially at home. The Seattle lefty is 67-percent owned in advance of his Saturday start against Minnesota. It's recommend, of course, along with Mike Fiers against Philadelphia (don't flip out over the Coors turn), Ben Sheets versus the Dodgers, and Jon Niese at Washington. All of these guys are over the 50-percent mark, so you probably didn't need the help. Scott Diamond (51 percent) is also in line for a good afternoon, working at Safeco against Vargas.
Looking for deeper options, how about Bartolo Colon (29 percent) at home against Cleveland? He's been sharp for several weeks in a row. I'm a little leery on Carlos Villanueva (24 percent) against Texas, so you're on your own there. Alex Cobb (19 percent) in Southern California? Sign me up. And Patrick Corbin (12 percent) sure looks like a nice play at Houston.
Inside Sean Avery’s ridiculous Soho loft, and psychoanalyzing his bookshelf (PHOTOS)
2012
When we last heard from Sean Avery, he said his NHL career was over, having thrown his skates into the Hudson River (where they likely floated down and landed softly on the bodies of former mob informants). He also did some semi-nude modeling for photographer Terry Richardson, with memorable results.
So where does this bon vivant spend his downtime? Why, in his spiffy Soho loft apartment, with Warhol on the walls and slightly better clothes in the closet than your collection from the Gap.
Oh, and Hardy Boys books. Lots of Hardy Boys books. Come inside, won't you?
Refinery 29 recently entered the lair of Sean Avery for a photo spread on the man and his digs. As you can see, he's collected some art over the years; alas, nothing from the Dustin Byfuglien collection.
At last, the myth is dispelled: Sean Avery's apartment is not decorated with pictures of Sean Avery contemplating how to decorate his apartment.
Here's a look inside Sean Avery's closet:
He tells Refinery 29's Kristian Laliberte that "a black suit is the #1 must" for any man's closet. Which obviously makes us feel better about life, given our Snake-Eyes Cos-Play couture.
Finally, here's a deeper look at Sean Avery's bookshelf:
Oh, there could be term papers written about this collection.
Is he the integrity-filled boy detective, trying to wade through the perils of a Bret Easton Ellis life? Is he the 1970s rebel director/rap entrepreneur taking on the studio system? Is there a loft on Soho that doesn't have a Bob Dylan paperback?
And, perhaps most importantly: Does that copy of "I'm Just An Angry Monster" mean we'll never get a Sean Avery autobiography, as his story has already been captured in a children's book?
See the full photo gallery of Avery's loft here.
For an alternative (and NSFW language) take on Avery's spread, please read Jon Moy's "Sean Avery is a Dickhead" essay. Lest anyone forget, Avery has become quite the activist, telling Refinery 29: "We are taking the marriage equality fight to Maryland, and I've also become involved with a great organization called Athlete Ally."
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