By Razor Sharp Sports
So the final countdown has begun to the wildest free agency period in the NBA that I can ever recall. The names go on and on, Lebron, Chris Bosh, D-Wade, Dirk, Paul Pierce, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudamire, Carlos Boozer, Ray Allen, Shaq, David Lee and more! Starting at 12:01 am on Thursday July 1st, these guys are all on the open market and the dating will begin. These players will be wined and dined by teams like New York, Chicago, Miami, Cleveland, Dallas, New Jersey and who knows, maybe some surprise team will step up. The entire look and power structure will be changed and decided by what happens in the next couple weeks and months ahead. So who will end up where, lets take a guess, and I mean guess, from what I have heard so far.
By #1 Sports
Texas: The Rangers (46-29, 18-17 road) have positively steamrolled their way through the Month of June with a 20-5 mark, pounding the opposition 167-90 (6.68 runs scored per) and currently holding a 4 ½ game lead over the Angels in the West. RF Nelson Cruz (.323, 10 HR, 39 RBI in 38 games) is back to join LF’s Josh Hamilton’s (.346, 18 HR, 57 RBI) 21-game hit streak and RF Vladimir Guerrero (.327, 15 RBI, 60 RBI) who returns this week to Anaheim for the first time as Ranger after handling his former team’s pitching at a 4 of 8 clip in Arlington in May.
By Mike Wynn Sports
So are you into the World Cup yet? I must admit I’ve become a bit of a fan with the US success and last second heroics. I also admit I’m just a casual fan and if the US were not having the success they have I would not be paying any attention to it. As a casual fan I have yet to learn the subtleties of the game that the avid fans can appreciate, but I have found 5 things that do seem odd, annoying or even down right stupid to me the casual fan and I’m going to vent here.
By Razor Sharp Sports
Once again as the Mid-Summer Classic approaches, I keep wondering the same things as I have this past few seasons. When is Bud Selig going to figure out that the way he runs his sport has some major flaws that could easily be adjusted. A couple of those things has to do with the All-Star game. To me, the Major League Baseball All-Star Event is really the best of all of the pro sports. First you have the Home Run Derby, which is a tremendous fan favorite. Then you have a “Exhibition” game that you can still see some great moments of the sport, have little chance of injury, have most of the sports top players perform, and still also have a relatively competitive game. So what are these things and how can they be chanced? Lets take a look.
by Jim Feist
Starting pitchers in baseball get much of the attention (and money) thrown their way. The average starter is asked to go 6-7 innings, while aces are expected to give 7-8 quality innings. Many games are decided in the last three innings, however, making relief pitchers an extremely important, and often overlooked, element.
by Jim Feist
Baseball is a game of stats and streaks. The Red Sox started this season 4-9 and had all kinds of problems with pitching and injuries to two starting outfielders. However, they made some minor adjustments, got their starting staff straightened out and have been playing good baseball the last two months, back in the pennant race.
By High Stakes Syndicate
Seattle: The Mariners (23-34) send a pitcher with a chip on his shoulder to the hill tonight and we can’t wait to see how he responds. RHP Ian Snell (0-4, 4.64 ERA) has been criticized by Manager Don Wakamatsu for his pace and has been pulled prematurely in the pitcher’s opinion. Snell is a decent arm yet play for a strong offense and can hear the career clock ticking.
By Razor Sharp Sports
So here we are on June 8th, 2010. This could be a date that goes down in the history of Major League Baseball. Pitching Phenom, Steven Strasburg is making his Major League debut after being drafted #1 in the 2009 MLB draft. He has quickly moved up the minors and is exactly where every one of the experted predicted he would be, starting for the Nats in early June of 2010. Now we don’t know how long or how great Strasburg will end up, but he has lived up to the hype so far. The next phenom has now emerged and could be Strasburg’s teammate and even battery-mate very soon. 17-year-old Bryce Harper was selected yesterday as the first pick inthe 2010 MLB draft. This kid, skipped his final 2 years of high school, got his GED so he could go and play in college for a year at Southern Nevada where he absolutely dominated. Harper hit a school record 31 HRs, smashing the old record of 12. He also batted .443 with 98 rbis. More amazing is that Southern Nevada now plays in a wood bat league, compared the the records he smashed when the team used metal bats. So can Harper live up to the hype? Lets take a quick look at some others that have been taken #1 and how there careers have played out.
by Jim Feist
The NBA Finals shift this week from Los Angeles to the East Coast, as the Lakers head to Boston for Game 3, 4 and 5. Many fans find this odd, as all the previous series are in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, but then the Finals shifts to a 2-3-2 format. It is odd, but there is a reason for the change: M-O-N-E-Y.
By Huddle Up Sports
It’s a shame Ken Griffey retired. In the day of steroids, it was nice to see a class act like Griffey to be clear of guilt. HOPEFULLY! But then again we never expected A-Rod to be in question either. Griffey was past his prime years ago, and finally lost his love for the game. It was time to retire, but it’s still a shame.
It’s a shame Armado Galarraga lost his perfect game on a blown call. But, he handled it with class. I’d be willing to bet 95% of the remaining players would not have handled as well as Galarraga. It was also nice to see umpire Jim Joyce admit to his mistake and sincerely fell bad for it. It was also the right decision, to not reverse the call. This was a situation, which was handled by all in the best way possible.
It’s pleasant to see Tampa Bay and Toronto give the BIG boys and the BIG payroll of Boston and New York a run for their money in the American League East. Hopefully it will continue to be a four team race. That would be one of the greatest finishes of all time. But don’t bank on it.
It’s not a surprise St. Louis, Minnesota, and Atlanta are all in first place. St Louis has the most talent, Atlanta has the best pitching and Minnesota, they just get the job done. HOWEVER, the common denominator is… they all have great coaches. The three best in the league perhaps.
There is plenty of baseball and there is also plenty to get excited about. Stay tuned for a great finish to the 2010 baseball season!