Phillies Enjoy Final Champagne Celebration of 2009

Because the World Series doesn’t begin until Wednesday, there will be plenty of time to dissect the matchups, the benches, the bullpens, the cities, and November weather. We’ll get the discussion started with this: Yankees pitching just shut down the Twins and Angels, both of whom were in the top five in MLB in batting average and OBP. The Phillies were 22nd and 14th, respectively. Will the Phillies’ bats be able to handle the Yankees’ starters? Last night: Jayson Werth homered twiceSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

I Don’t Know Is on Third

How does Tim McClelland’s explanation square with what transpired last night?

When he tagged Cano, I thought Cano was on the base, and when Jorge touched the base and continued and tagged Posada out, I thought Posada was out….I did not see that for whatever reason.

Cano is 18 inches off the base, and McClelland is staring directly at the play. How could he think Cano was on the base?

Source: Sabernomics RSS Feed

Yardwork: Series Over

Yankees 4, Angels 3, 13 innings: Well, this series was fun while it lasted. Maicer Izturis tried to be the hero in the bottom of the 13th, but made a bad throw to second that skipped into the outfield, allowing Jerry Hairston Jr to score the game winning run. Now the Yankees have a 2-0 lead as the series shifts to California.

I can’t really tell if A-Rod is clutch or not because he popped up to end the 12th with the bases loaded. On the other hand, he did hit a solo home run toSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Angels @ Yankees: Game 2

The Yankees pwnd in game 1. The weather is just as cold tonight as last night, so prepare to see plenty of players dressed up like Snow Job. Joe Saunders and AJ Burnett will be facing off tonight in a make-or-break game for the Angels.

There’s also some college football wrapping up. (Fluck Forida) King Leonidis is hosting SNL tonight. Also, there’s hockey. And other even lesser-known sports that I’m ignoring, I’m sure. Drink safely, but not in moderation and if anything coolSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

ALCS Game One: Angels @ Yankees

Four days later, the Angels and Yankees are finally ready to start the Championship Series. There’s no way of knowing how sharp either team will be until they get out there on the field, but I suspect we won’t be reduced to watching players so rusty we’d confuse it for a little league game. Just think of it as an extra All Star break.

We know all about how the Angels have handled the Yankees in recent years, and Brian Cashman even went so far as to say “I think they’re happySource: River Avenue Blues RSS Feed

Red River Rivalry: Where Jordan Shipley Happens

Texas and Oklahoma have alternated wins in this heated series in the last three years, with the Longhorns leaving the Cotton Bowl victorious last year, 45-35. It was the game that put Colt McCoy back on the college football map - nobody loved him as a sophomore - and established crooner Jordan Shipley as a speedy star.

Strangely, the loss didn’t hurt Oklahoma at all - the Sooners went to the BCS title game, and Sam Bradford won the Heisman. That game was in September, though, andSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Who's the real GM, Omar or Jeff...

I thought by this time of the off-season Omar would have already assumed a new title, something fancy like President of baseball operations. Title aside it would basically mean that John Ricco or some former GM would be in front of the mics and making personnel decisions.
But according to Jon Heyman of SI.com Omar was saved by his new contract extension, an extension that is the equivalent of a bench players salary. The Wilpon's are going to have a hard time convincing people that they Source: Mets Fever RSS Feed

Angels Set Pitching Rotation Versus Yankees

The Los Angeles Angels now know their starting pitchers for the first four games of their series against the New York Yankees. On Wednesday, manager Mike Scioscia said that John Lackey will pitch Game 1, Joe Saunders will pitch Game 2, Jered Weaver will pitch Game 3 and Scott Kazmir will pitch Game 4.

Lackey will face a lot of pressure in Game 1. If the Angels want to advance to the 2009 World Series, they will need to quiet the confidence that the Yankees currently hold. To do so, LosSource: Knuckle Curve RSS Feed

Pakistan cricket’s strength and weakness

Here’s an interesting question for you. If everyone even remotely involved with Pakistani cricket just chilled out a bit, would the team be better or worse?

A member of parliament has utterly flipped out and accused the Pakistan national side of match fixing because they lost a match; Pakistan captain, Younus Khan, has handed in his resignation as a result; and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ijaz Butt, has rejected it, saying it was an emotional decision.

With all theSource: King Cricket RSS Feed

Jay Glazer’s Autobiography is Probably Going to Be Hilarious

Worlds Colliding: Fox Sports NFL reporter/MMA enthusiast Jay Glazer went out with his buddy, Chuck Liddell last night to party following Liddell’s elimination from Dancing with the Stars. Which one seems out of place: Barry Bonds, Mike Irvin, Brad Penny. One of them dated Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano. The other two were among the best talents in their respective sports while on the field, but vehemently disliked for the actions and behavior outside of sports. [Jay Glazer]

Source: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Wear This Or Else!

Where's your kit? What kit? This facking kit!
Nah, listen up you slags. You'd betta buy this ere West 'Am shirt or else.
Q: What's the best way to promote your shirt if you are a club from East London, the home of real gangsters?
A: Hire a fake one!
Movie land hard man (and West Ham fan) Ray Winstone is the new face of West Ham's new kit. What a way to reinforce the old East Laaandon stereotype. The cockney actor, famous for playing tough gangsters and hard manSource: Unprofessional Foul RSS Feed

Cattiness No Longer Allowed in Wives And Girlfriends Section

Bashing A-Rod’s Chick Banned at Yankee Stadium: “The Yankees’ wives and girlfriends have been banned from trashing Kate Hudson after Page Six revealed there was coldness between her and Derek Jeter’s squeeze, Minka Kelly. We told how low-key Kelly disapproved of Hudson’s antics including cheering wildly from the front row and smooching A-Rod all over town. A source said, ‘The Yankees told the girls to be careful who they spoke to about Kate. They are concerned about theSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Coleman Collins, Living in Germany

Perhaps you remember, not all that long ago, Coleman Collins -- professional basketball player and TrueHoop contributor -- wrote about visiting Germany where he played in 2007-2008. Well, guess what! He's living and playing there again. This time in Ulm. He writes:

When you move a lot you pack a lot. You don't save much. You pick up and you leave and you pack your life into little rectangular things, or if the back of your trunk is big enough you toss your memories into the back.Source: ESPN RSS Feed

Movie Review: The Damned United

I was sitting in a plush screening room at the Sony Pictures Lot in Culver City, CA – just a short walk down the hallway to anything and everything Spider-Man (hell, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst may have been on premises for all I know – the studio lot was so infested with Spider-Man promos) but when The Damned United kicked-off I was no longer in warm Los Angeles.

The movie begins in rainy, dark, windy Leeds. 1970s England. A far cry from a plush LA screening room in 2009. Don Source: EPL Talk RSS Feed

Did Prediction Markets Get Chicago Wrong?

Alex Tabarrok points to a critique of prediction markets, regarding the fact that betting markets had Chicago being the favorite to win the 2016 Summer Olympics over Madrid, Rio, and Tokyo.

Why were the odds so awry on the 2016 hosting city? I had assumed Rio would win in a walk, and yet, as shown in the following figure, Chicago was the favorite among oddsmakers.

I normally wouldn’t have much to say here, but I just happened to be following the prediction market on FridaySource: Sabernomics RSS Feed

Should Roy Halladay Be Part of the Cy Young Discussion?

The baseball intelligentsia will whip out some figurative Louisville Sluggers if you dare suggest Zach Grienke should not be the AL Cy Young winner.  He is first by a clear margin in adjusted ERA+ and WHIP.  He’s near the top in every significant statistical category.  The only knock on him is playing for a losing team, and only Skip Bayless would try to argue that.  Grienke undoubtedly deserves the Cy Young, but are we shortchanging Roy Halladay?

Shawn Hoffman at SquawkingSource: The Big Lead RSS Feed

Open Forum Friday: Who Do You Think Will End the 2009 Season as No. 1?

With just two Premier level tournaments left to go in 2009, as well as the season-ending championships in Doha, opportunities for the top players to add some big ranking points to their record are dwindling.

Premier Tournament Points Remaining in 2009

Beijing (China Open) – 1,000 ranking points (Premier Mandatory)
Moscow (Kremlin Cup) – 470 ranking points (Premier 700)
Doha (Season Ending Championships) – 1,500 ranking points (based on undefeated round robinSource: On the Baseline Tennis News RSS Feed