Search Engine Sports

Like 2008's Nail in the Coffin series, 2009's Walk Toward The Light aims to memorialize the eliminated teams that are gone and will likely be forgotten. Cleveland Indians Current record: 61-89 Season highlight Hmm. Off-the-field alternatives involving bobbleheads and beer might be tempting for a team that disappointed so deeply, but the 10-run comeback against the Rays on May 25 — in the middle of LeBron James season — ranks up there with great Tribe moments of all time. Ryan Garko(notes) (moment of silence) started the comeback with a home run in the fourth inning and Victor Martinez(notes) (moment of silence) broke an 0-for-18 spell with the winning hit. Also worth mentioning: Screwing up the Yanks' first homestand with a win in the inaugural game at The House That Paul O'Neill Built and following it up with a 22-4 pasting on the first Saturday afternoon in the park. Season lowlight It's already happened, right? You have a couple of dozen hundred from which to choose (trading an ace left-hander for the second straight season?) but how about the the buzzkill generated by Yahoo! Sports' own Curtis Granderson(notes), who stole a game-winning home run from Grady Sizemore(notes)? Curse you, Curtis! We knew the Indians were done for when ... Pronk went down. Slugger Travis Hafner(notes), in the midst of a comeback season, went on the disabled list after the April 28 win against Boston. He was on the way to getting screwed out of an All-Star invitation again when the injury bug bit him. Again. Read the rest of this entry »

There's been no public mention of a coordinated effort — not that I can find, anyway — but the Sons of Steve Garvey point out that it appears the Dodgers are preparing their faces for an extended run during the postseason. Jon Garland(notes), Manny Ramirez(notes) and Matt Kemp(notes) certainly look ready for the effort and SoSG has a closer look at a number of other team members, including the always ready-for-October Casey Blake. Playoff beards have generally been the property of hockey players (and their dork fans) and the tactic does seem a little more suited toward the ice warriors. After all, even a first-round loss means hanging around for at least two weeks and a two-month run to the Finals means being able to eventually challenge Grizzly Adams. Compare that to baseball, where a three-game sweep in the LDS means barely getting past the peach fuzz stage. Still, I admire any team-building effort and the Dodgers' season-long dominance means they've had the luxury of a head start. I don't think I'm fully sold on the idea, but any excuse to link to a picture of Rick Sutcliffe is always a good one. Fashion Ump ruling: Infield single

Not all the recent news about the Cardinals is of the happy-go-lucky "we're headed to October!" sort. In fact, at least one current headline is really sad. On Tuesday, the team voided the contract of 16-year-old Wagner Mateo, a prospect from the Dominican Republic who signed for a team-record $3.1 million bonus back in July. (The deal was also a record for a Latin American amateur position player.) The team cited "pre-existing injuries and physical defects" as the reason for nixing the deal and pulling back the bonus cash. ESPN.com reported that Mateo has vision problems and while the team won't confirm or deny that (citing privacy laws), the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the team sent Mateo to a number of specialists to "ascertain the problem and any possible solutions." In the ESPN.com report, Mateo's agent said the vision problem could be blamed on "faulty contact lenses" that infected his corneas. Given that the Cardinals had 90 days to get out of the contract, they're not doing anything incredibly out of line here. Still, you have to feel for Mateo, who's back to being a free agent and you can also expect an even higher level of scrutiny when it comes to teams signing international prospects. Also, let's hope this isn't it for Mateo, too. That's some awfully tough news to take when you thought you were already well on your way to the top.

Get those resumes ready, jobless manager types! No, not you Cecil Cooper. At least not until another skip gets fired. In a move that officially creates the first managerial opening for 2010, the 70-79 Astros handed Cooper his walking papers on Monday and named Dave Clark the interim manager for the season's final 13 games. Cooper was 171-170 since taking over for Phil Garner in the middle of the 2007 season. He also had the 2008 Astros in contention until Hurricane Bud hit, but a disappointing season in '09 and the team's current seven-game losing streak were apparently too much to bear for a rudderless Houston front office. Said general manager Ed Wade in a statement:

"Cecil Cooper has given his all to the Houston Astros. Decisions like this are never easy, but we believe that a change in a direction on the field is in order. By making the move today, we will have the ability to evaluate other facets of our operation as we move into the offseason." Read the rest of this entry »

The week in the undercards. And the skies opened, and the points rained down like...rain? When I exhorted readers to tune into Boise State-Fresno State last Friday in order to cram a little more football into your lives, I had no idea just how much football we'd be subjected to -- 85 points, almost 1,000 yards of offense and six touchdowns of 60-plus yards in a three-and-a-half-hour barn-burner. This was classic WACtion, video-game stuff, one of those games where you leave your booth to grab another round of drinks, hit the restroom, feed the meter, make a phone call, and return to find that maybe a minute's run off the clock. Though initially slow to catch up to the Broncos' opening lead, all credit to Fresno State for making a 51-34 loss feel like a close game. Bulldog back Ryan Mathews had 19 carries for 234 yards, most of them coming on touchdown runs of 69, 60 and 68 yards; Boise answered by averaging 10.3 yards per carry with 70-yard scoring runs by D.J. Harper and Jeremy Avery, who also took a short pass to the house from 67 yards out. Even the return men got into the game: Given a boatload of opportunities, Boise's Doug Martin and Titus Young each had 77-yard runbacks to set up quick Bronco scores. Read the rest of this entry »

As one of the few remaining papers willing to bankroll a hotel stay for a troublemaking reporter in another city, the New York Times has helicoptered itself into the Marlins' soul-sucking stadium situation in south Florida. Though many in Miami have publicly questioned the sweetheart deal given to Marlins' owner Jeffrey Loria (right, with Bud Selig), I believe this marks the first time that I've seen the $645 million park that's set to open in 2012 questioned in such a national forum. Why, asks NYT writer Ken Belson, was Loria promised just about every penny spent in that stadium, even when the economy went in the tank and county commissioners could have saved taxpayers from the cost? The answer? "Sports, sports, sports, sports, sports, sports, sports, sports ..." From the NYT:

The deal was a fresh reminder that even during a recession, sports hold sway over communities regardless of the potential costs. "Outside of Fidel becoming part owner of the team, nothing would have stopped the deal," said Carlos A. Gimenez, one of the three Miami-Dade County commissioners who voted against the agreement earlier this year. "I'm not anti-baseball, but I'm anti-bad deal. Anyone with any sense can see this is cockeyed."

Belson's piece is a good read for those of us who don't stay up-to-date on political happenings in Miami, as is the accompanying piece where Loria claims that the Marlins are the team of the Americas and that the completed ballpark will be considered a work of art. How any of this reveals how the ballpark will help resurrect the neighborhood around the Orange Bowl or jolt the smallest fanbase in Major League Baseball, I have no idea, though it's certainly nice that the NY Times is still committed to shining a light on the political boondoggles being foisted upon other cities across the country.

Baseball's first postseason bid could be sealed today if the Yankees beat the Mariners in Seattle and the Rangers lose at home to the Angels. But despite ending a postseason drought that lasted all of one year — an eternity marked in Steinbrenner time — don't expect New York to start getting crazy with the champagne on getaway day at Safeco Field. That's because the Yankees have said they'll be holding off on uncorking the Cook's until they seal the AL East title in the next week or so. The team's magic number for the division is currently at nine and it's likely that the Yankees will be lucky enough to celebrate that crown during their next homestand at Yankee Stadium against either the Red Sox or Royals. Seeing as how the Yankees have been to the postseason 47 other times, it's not hard to understand why they're downplaying the achievement (though all bets should be off when it comes to A.J. Burnett(notes) and Nick Swisher(notes)). It's back to business as usual in the Bronx and there's little reason they should put the lamp shades on their heads for beating out an AL wild card field that was hardly up to the challenge.  Read the rest of this entry »

Second Quarter • Let's hope you didn't give up on Matt Schaub(notes) after one rough week. He led the Texans to a 34-31 win on Sunday, overcoming another no-show by his defense and a spectacular performance by Titans running back Chris Johnson. Here's the final fantasy line for Schaub: 357 passing yards, four TDs, no INTs. He's not just a match-up play; Schaub is a must-start. That Houston-Tennessee game really had everything…except Steve Slaton(notes). He gained only 59 yards on 20 touches. Chris Brown poached red zone snaps. But still, if you're selling Slaton, I'm buying. The schedule ahead is friendly: vs. JAC, vs. OAK, at ARI, at CIN, vs. SF, at BUF, at IND. • We'd show you Chad Ochocinco's(notes) Lambeau leap, but a Packers fan made an unfortunate (yet understandable) gesture, spoiling the photo. Ocho finished with four catches for 91 yards and the promised TD. Some dude in a Cedric Benson(notes) suit had a workhorse-type game for the Bengals, rushing for 141 yards on 29 carries. Ced had a bunch of red zone chances, but he doesn't quite have the necessary push and he can't turn the corner. Pity. • If you're a Shaun Suisham(notes) owner, you can't be too happy with Jim Zorn right now. Washington declined to kick a gimme field goal late in the game on fourth-and-1, despite the fact that the 'Skins led by two. Clinton Portis(notes) ran for a short loss, then St. Louis took over with 1:55 remaining and a chance to take the lead with a field goal. But Brian Orakpo(notes) basically took over the game, harassing Marc Bulger(notes), refusing to let Zorn become the goat he should've been. When does a win feel like a loss? Maybe when you're at home and you narrowly beat a bad team, 9-7. • Give a game ball to Jets head coach Rex Ryan. His defense brought all kinds of pressure against Tom Brady(notes) in the final two minutes after the Pats took over at their own 10, trailing 16-9. No Prevent D for New York. Instead they stormed Brady, rushed his throws and forced incompletions. Jets corner Darrelle Revis(notes) basically made the Pro Bowl today, limiting Randy Moss(notes) to four catches for 24 yards. You'll recall that Revis locked down Andre Johnson(notes) in Week 1 (4 REC, 35 yards). Read the rest of this entry »

Knowing the small markets is always an important part of fantasy baseball; no matter the record, every club has something to offer. Today we'll take a look at the Kansas City Royals, the AL Central team you love to ignore. The pesky Royals threw 11 runs and 13 hits at the White Sox Friday night and there's plenty of fantasy goodness to be had here if you just open your mind a little bit. David DeJesus(notes) set the table with a 5-2-2-0 line and is in the midst of a 17-game hitting streak. Miguel Olivo(notes) has the quietest 23 homer-season you ever did see; he's hit six of his dingers this month. Alberto Callaspo(notes) has a .313 average and 22 RBIs over the last month and qualifies at three infield positions; here's the perfect guy to consider for that first important slot off the bench. And Brad Evans wants you to know that Billy Butler(notes) has been a .316/.381//528 monster in the second half, with 44 RBIs in 56 games. You don't have to do a lot of digging here before you hit gold. Read the rest of this entry »

If we didn't know Brian Duensing's(notes) name heading into Friday's game with the Tigers — and let's be honest, most were probably puzzled after seeing his name in the probables —  we certainly did after it. The Twins' 26-year-old rookie southpaw led surging Minnesota to a 3-1 victory over Detroit at the Metrodome, cutting the Tigers' lead in the AL Central to only three games. Duensing pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and allowed only four hits — including two of the infield variety. The only time his inexperience showed was when he was pulled from the game by manager Ron Gardenhire and was saluted by the fans. From MLB.com's Kelly Thesier:

Duensing walked off the mound to a raucous standing ovation from a crowd of 32,693 at the Metrodome. Not knowing the protocol of such a situation, Duensing wondered whether he should tip his cap to acknowledge the ovation or keep walking. The 26-year-old decided to just walk normally to the dugout. "The ovation was nice, kind of gave me some chills," Duensing said. "I didn't know how to handle it." Read the rest of this entry »