All about the Braves and baseball events.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Special Report: Georgia Tech @ Georgia, 2006

This is my first live blogging. And it is going to be of the most aniticipated football game in Atlanta and Athens, Ga.

Here in Anderson, S. C., the sports editor at the newspaper, John Brasier, with whom I worked with during my internship, said in the preview that Georgia Tech was possibly looking past Georgia to the ACC Championship game. With all due respect to him, and I mean that, Mr. Braiser is wrong. First, Georgia Tech cannot possibly be looking to the ACC Championship Game because they don't even know who they're going to play. Second, the Georgia game is the most meaningful game of the season to Georgia Tech. No other game means as much. To players and fans of the rivalry, the reason the season exists is to play the game of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate! :)

Now is it possible that John is right? Sure, it's possible. But I believe that it is highly unlikely. Plus, there is the fact that Georgia Tech hasn't won against Georgia since 2000. I think they'd be eager to break that streak.

Even the CBS people say that this game is more than just a game. And Georgia Tech is going to look past it?! Yeah right.

The show's featured important players of the game are Matthew Stafford, quarterback for Georgia, and Tashard Choice, running back for Georgia Tech. No argument there. Choice is one of the best running backs in the ACC and Stafford is a promising freshman quarterback for Georgia.

Twice already the announcers have mentioned that this group of seniors has never lost to Georgia Tech. Well, la-dee-da.

Steve Buerlein says that the team that keesp their emotions in check enough will win.

The usual praise for Calvin Johnson. He does deserve it all. He is that good. He leads the ACC in receiving yards and touchdowns, just to name two things.

Georgia Tech has eleted to receive. I don't think that's a good idea. They would need the ball to start the second half. Especially here.

Jamaal Evans broke a nice run to the 41 yard lime. Ball tried to go for an early dagger and neither Johnson nor Battle got it, so he almost blew it. Three and out, as I thought.

Now for Durant Brooks, one of the best punters in the nation. Boom. At the nine. Brooks is the man.

Wow, even I fell for that play fake. Even the announcer was fooled by it. NOW they give it to Lumpkin. Figures.

Georgia: "Don't Give it Away."
Georiga Tech: "Get to Stafford."
So says CBS, makes perfect sense

Right now, Georgia is doing what Georgia Tech should be doing. Smart, efficient and good passing. Running the ball isn't that succesful right now. The best thing that Georgia needs to do is pass.

Third and 21 thanks to a 15-yard personal foul, Georgia gets it to Massoquoi, but just for 11 yards. Ely-Kelso punts it to the nine. It might be a battle of great punters.

Georgia Tech: "Make the Right 'Choice'"
Georgia: "Find Johnson's Kryptonite"

Tashard Choice gets it two timnes in a row. He'll get it a lot more since Ball can't pass. 2nd and 8 after a Choice first down.and as usual, Ball can't pass. 3rd and 8. Passing time. And it looked like Ball just threw it away. This is why he's not a good quarterback. Sure, CBS showed that Ball has 20 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions, which is an improvement, but what Ball is doing right now is what kind of quarterback he is: bad throws, tends to throw it away too much, scrambles. And when Ball can't do anything, they go to Choice. A lot. And that's easy to sniff out.

Lumpkin is getting stuffed running, so he's passed to and he gets a first down, then he's stuffed again. I sense a trend.

Timeout with 2:31 in the 1st by Georgia on third and 8 after a recovered fumble. Pass. First down. Like clockwork. Might be under review, but it'll be a first down. And it is. Georgia just has to keep doing what they're doing and they'll get a touchdown.

Lumpkin: kept from a first down twice, 3rd and 3. FINALLY a sack!! First one that Georgia has allowed in two games, and thank goodness they'll have to punt. End of the 1st quarter.

Punt, GT ball. Reggie Ball sacked. What a surprise. He'll need a long pass now. Punt coming up for certain. Calvin Johnson got some yards, but now it's 3rd and 9 after 2nd and 19. And James Johnson drops it and gets slammed by Battle. Punt by Brooks to the 15-yard line. Time for another Georgia march. Georgia Tech has to get their offensive act together. Eventually, they'll allow a touchdown.

Stafford fumble!! And Georgia Tech recovers!!! Phillip Wheeler!

Wow, another throw to Calvin and another miss too! How exciting! Right to Tashard Choice, he gets just a yard. Time for a big play.

Big play my ass. Reggie Ball was just running around, he wasn't doing anything. According to the replay, someone was WIDE open in the endzone, Choice was open early on. Ball's a fool.

Travis Bell's up and the kick... the guy might be inconsistent, but he got the 35-yard field goal in. 3-0 Yellow Jackets

Stafford incomplete. Survivor: Cook Islands advertisement. Whoo-hoo. Kenny Scott, GT's best cornerback, broke up another pass. And a freaking good catch, I thought Stafford was throwing it away.

Danny Ware gets to the 35-yard line. This is why Georgia Tech needs to pony up on offense. Their defense is not going to keep this up. 3rd and 5, Georgia calls a timeout because of the play clock. At least this will give the Jackets defense a brief rest.

... false start on the offense. 3rd and 10, and How I Met Your MOther, something I won't be watching! Kenny Scott covered Massoquoi and Georgia will have to punt, thankfully again! Downed at the 11. And I won't be watching the Amazing Race either. Choice gets two more, 3rd and 1. Naturally, they sniffed that out. Ball sneaks up for a first down.

Calvin stumbled and he missed it with a dive! Dangit.

Choice gets to the 40 though, then again to the 49, then to the 39! At last, they appear to be moving the ball nicely! Another home run ball and it appears to be defensive pass interference, but they're not challenging. Little option does absolutely nothing. 3rd and 10. Time for another pass. And they won't get it.

Incomplete to Calvin Johnson, who had Paul Oliver practically climbing Johnson's back as the ball got there. Brooks for a punt and he got a touchback.

Lumpkin stuffed again behind the line. Might as well just call him Kregg "Stuffed" Lumpkin. :D Pass for a catch and run for a first down, what a surprise. Lumpkin gets six yards. This is almost predictable. Incomplete pass, but it was off, Massoquoi could have gotten to it, but didn't. Short pass and catch, I bet here.

I was almost right. Short pass and drop. ;) Punt for Ely-Kelso. This game might as well be called Battle of the Feet. Ely-Kelso vs. Brooks.

Short pass to Calvin, he gets two. At least he caught another ball. Makes me feel better. :) However, Choice runs for a first down at the 31! :D And time for a time-out with 1:00 left.

Colorado, Ole Miss, Florida.

Nice pass to James Johnson, 2nd and 1. Johnson didn't get the next pass this time. 3rd and 1. Choice is stopped at the line of scrimmage. It's time for 4th and 1. Personally, I think it's too risky to go for it. The Yellow Jacket defense is going to give up a touchdown sooner or later.

Georgia Tech runs the clock down to 11 seconds and calls another time-out. Very smart. Playing for the last play of the half. As long as it's way down the field, if a pass is intercepted, it's unlikely to be brought back for a touchdown. Of course, this is Georgia Tech's last chance until Georgia's first series ends in the second half. This is why I think it's a better idea to kickoff in the first half.

But... someone decides to punt. Brooks punts it to the 12 and that's the end of the first half. That's fine, I guess. Playing it safe. However, the other side of the coin is you get a good play that scores a touchdown and you get a bigger cushion and some more momentum.

Analysis: It's fine that Georgia Tech has the lead, but they need to put some more points on the board. Ball needs to pass better, Calvin and James Johnson need to catch better. I'm convinced their defense can't keep this shutout up, though I commend the fact that they've kept the Dawgs out of the endzone and between the uprights on the road. Very good job by Tashard Choice running. Held Lumpkin to 27 yards on 11 carries, they need to

Second half up. Not excited. Very nervous. I get the impression that TV announcers expect Calvin Johnosn to dominate every say. It's almost insulting. The guy isn't Superman, as some like to call him.

Minter gets a first down, but Lumpkin is stuffed again and again. And another pass for a first down. Why can't they stop them on the short passes to spot third-down conversions? And Lumpkin not stuffed, 10 yards. Looks like what I said is coming true. Tech needs to score points. Their defense can't hold it up forever.

Offsides by Georgia Tech, first penalty of the day, what did I say?

However, Stafford is stuffed at the 49 to negate the free play. :) 2nd and 16. Stopped at the Georgia 49! 3rd and 19: Jahi-Word Daniels stops the pass, which ends up being short, just like before. Ely-Kelso punt time. Fair catch at the 20.

Now Choice is stuffed for a two-yard loss. He had to talk to Ball in order to hear the play, so it was kind of obvious. Choice to the 27 for a 3rd and 2.

And the ball is tipped and intercepted. What a surprise. What a sur-prise. And it's in the 25 yuard line too. Danny Ware is now stuffed, thankfully.

Short pass and run for a first down. They'll get a touchdown. This is the game right here. Because Ball can't do shit.

Incomplete pass, 2nd and goal. Tipped and Kenny Scott almost intercepted it. Third and goal. Stafford kept it but he just got to the 8th. Time for Ely-Kelso to ... MISS A 23-YARD FIELD GOAL!!!!! HE MISSED A CHIP SHOT!!!!! SHOCKER!! Well, maybe not a shocker, he isn't really a kicker, but DAMN!!

Who is the only player to have his number retired in Georgia and not in the College Football Hall of Fame? is the ALFAC!! trivia question. I don't know. Charley Trippi, I guess.

Six yards for Choice and then one yard for Choice. Another short drive? Well, Choice fumbled at the end of the third-down play (YIKES!) but he got it right back and that actually gets GT a first down! (WHEW!) Challenged by Mark Richt, of course. According to the announcer, Choice couldn't get that ball in the NFL because he had his foot out of bounds. In college, you can come back in bounds.

The Georgia fans are chanting something during the challenges and I can't tell what it is. Call confirmed, Georgia is charged a timeout because they blew it. Of course, Reggie Ball negates that whole thing by losing six yards. Predictably, Choice is stuffed. If Ball can't do anything, they run the ball, it's almost transparent. Long pass play time.

Fumble, flags are out, touchdown singal. What the hell?! Tony Taylor just dug it out of the pile and ran it in from 29 yards out for a touchdown. Damndest thing I've ever seen. 7-3 Bulldogs This is the game swinger. Georgia will win since Ball can't do squat.

Boy, I'm Mr. Pessimist. Jamaal Evans got to the 34 yard line. Nice jumping up and down there for me. Of course, Ball incomplete. Ball run to the 28. 3rd and 6. Choice to the four! Ball squirts for a yard. This is better. :D

False start, still 2nd down, feh. And Calvin gets his play and freaking misses the catch. At least it wasn't intercepted. And he MISSED it again thanks to a classic bad Ball!!! God, I'm pissed off as much as Calvin is. Bell getting a field goal try, he gets it. 7-6 Bulldogs Kickoff. End of the 3rd Quarter. Ball can't do squat.

By the way, the answer to the AFLAC!! trivia question is Theron Sapp. Was I ever wrong.

Lumpkin. Stuffed. Loss of two. Complete. Lumpkin first down, wasn't stuffed that time. Quick throw and attempt to run dropped. Lumpkin. Stuffed! I LOVE saying that! :D Incomplete!! They stopped them on third down!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!

Punt time for Ely-Kelso. Bad punt, good field position for Tech. Again. But they won't get anything except maybe a field goal. HOWEVER, that is all they need.

The announcers REALLY wanted offense. Pffft. Tashard Choice to the 50. 2nd and 4. Ball runs for a first down to the 43, his most successful run all day. Again to Choice. To the 39. 2nd and 6. He really is a very nice running back.

Deep ball, Calvin dives and misses again! But he wouldn't have gotten it anyway he landed out of bounds. However, Calvin gets an reverse run and he gets to the first down. Choice to the 21! At last, efficiency!! 2nd and 1. First down at the 14 for Tashard! Choice is the man today. :) Choice to the 10.

TOUCHDOWN BY TASHARD CHOICE!!!!!!!

Two points...

No two points. "Bad Reggie" Ball slipped and fell. Still, 12-7 Yellow Jackets.

Asher Allen returns it to the 36. Pass to the 50. Here we go. Pass to Massaquoi, another first down at the 40. Touchdown impending for Georgia. Danny Ware to the 25. Touchdown still impending for Georgia. Ware to the 20. Touchdown still impending. Ware 4 yards. 3rd and 2. Easy first down for Georgia, I'm guessing. Ware first down. 15 yard line for Georgia, they'll just keep running down the clock. Now Ware is stuffed one yard in. Lumpkin stuffed with just 3 yards advanced there. 3rd and 6. Massaquoi gets the first down at the 4. FUCK!

Georgia touchdown denied to Danny Ware. 2nd and Goal. Ware stuffed. At the three. 3rd and Goal.

Massoquoi pass touchdown. FUCK! The two is good with Massaquoi. Georgia Tech's defense didn't hold. I knew they wouldn't. Bulldogs 15-12.

I'm so pissed off I can't see straight.

Georgia Tech may just as well give up. Bad Reggie isn't going to do anything.

Last drive. Futile drive. I may as well just stop writing right now.

Again, the announcers are invoking Calvin's name. He's not going to do anything. He has been quite corraled in by that Paul Oliver guy. 85 yards to go. Sixth striaght loss here we come. James Johnson missed the pass. Holding on Andrew Gardner. Refused. Third and 2. This is it. Sacked at the 15, what a surprise. Reggie Ball sucks. Reggie Ball just sucks. This is the game. I predict: Long Ball to Calvin and it will be intercepted because it will be a classic Bad Reggie pass.

WOW, an automatic first down!!!!!!! WHAT A GIFT!! Georgia calls a timeout. I don't think GT will do anything, though.

REGGIE BALL FUCKING SUCKS, HE FUCKING CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!!!!

Sunday, November 19, 2006

There Will Only Be One Jones In Atlanta

About in the middle of the 2007 season or later. How do I know?

This.

I bet you all money that Scott Boras is going to try to get Andruw a contract with at least $19 million a year, maybe even $20 million. Thanks a lot, Alfonso, you've destroyed the Braves' offense in the future.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Will He Stay Or Will He Go? DANANA-NANA-NANANA

To Mark Bowman's Mailbag! What nice ditties hath he for us today?

With Tom Glavine filing for free agency, what are the odds of him becoming an Atlanta Brave?
-- Jordan U., Scranton, Pa.


As much as I'd like to see Glavine back in Atlanta to win his 300th game, I just don't see it happening. The Braves don't need him as much as the Mets and won't be able to financially match the offers made by New York.


The Braves don't need him as much as the Mets? Ummmmmm... I'd say Glavine is needed by both teams equally. I have zero confidence in Kyle Davies and Horacio Ramirez, and I would like to see Ramirez gone. Someone else in the Braves system can be developed to be better than him, I'm certain of that. Whoever it is, I don't know, but anyone can probably be more consistent than Ramirez was last year.

There's no doubt in my mind that Glavine would love to end his career with the Braves. Thus, he's holding out hope that Atlanta would overwhelm him with an unexpected offer.


Or not. They don't have the money to spare, that is the impression I get.

But by keeping the Braves in the mix, he's also putting pressure on the Mets to make their best possible offer. This combined with the fact that Pedro Martinez's future is unknown provides him great leverage in his negotiations with his current employer.


Ding ding ding! Give the man a prize, he knows something! :D

Until the Mets decline to exercise their option on Nov. 20, the Braves can't even give Glavine any indication of what they'd be willing to offer. But unless a high-salaried player like Tim Hudson or Andruw Jones was moved, it doesn't look like they would be able to offer anything more than a $7 million annual salary.


That would be stupid to move Andruw just to get Glavine for one or two years. No one will take Tim Hudson and his huge contract, as I said, after his career-worst year.

Of course, if Atlanta deals somebody like Hudson or Jones, Glavine may see this as a move that decreases the Braves' chances of getting into the postseason. Thus, that could lead him back to the Mets, who have the finances to fill their many needs.


HA! Moving Tim Hudson INCREASES the Braves' postseason chances just by getting rid of his horrible inconsistency! As I said, I'm certain that anyone can step in and perform better than him. ANYONE. Make Oscar Villarreal a starter, I don't care, just get Hudson as far away from the Braves as possible.

As for getting into the postseason altogether, the Braves need pitching, pitching and more pitching. Their offense was very good last season. Even without a true leadoff hitter and super, they still were third in runs per game in the National League.

If the Braves were in desperate need to strengthen their starting rotation,


If? IF?! They ARE!!


they may be more apt to do whatever necessary to bring Glavine back. But with John Smoltz, Mike Hampton and Hudson currently in place, there isn't a need for desperation.


Smoltz good. Hudson crap. Hampton BIG question mark. Davies and Ramirez super crap. Seems like a good time for a remedy to me.

Over the next few weeks, you'll continue to hear Glavine say he'd like to do whatever is best for his family, which still resides in Atlanta. This obviously leads one to believe he'd be willing to provide the Braves a great discount.

Although he's likely already financially set, I just don't see this happening. He's a sharp individual who understands his business both on and off the field. Thus, he'll keep a poker face over the next few weeks and force the Mets to provide him their best possible offer.


I agree with this, but that's all. The Braves need to have Glavine, or at the very least someone like him; a stablilizing force in the roation. Kyle Davies and Horacio Ramirez are NOT stabilizing forces by any stretch of the imagination. Someone else needs to be in there.

Friday, November 10, 2006

McCann earns Silver Slugger Award

Well-earned, Brian! :D The Braves have had three of the last four Silver Sluggers for catcher:

2003 - Javy Lopez
2004 - Johnny Estrada
2006 - Brian McCann

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Game 5: MLB All-Stars 5, NPB All-Stars 3

Jose Reyes hit a sayonara two-run homer and the MLB All-Stars completed the first sweep of a series against the NPB in history. It was a see-saw affair, with the NPB taking a 2-0 lead, then the MLB took a 3-2 lead and the NPB staved off another loss by singling in the tying run with two out in the ninth off of John Maine. In the 10th, Jose Reyes came up with Bill Hall on first and clubbed the series-ending homer to right.

Ryan Howard, who hit .556 with 8 runs, 3 doubles, 4 homers and 8 RBIs, was named MVP and received 3 million yen, which, at the current rate, is $25,462.50. Not bad for a week's work. ;)

W - Scot Shields (1-0)
L - Hisashi Ogura (0-1)
HR - MLB - Jose Reyes (1)
NPB - Takahiro Arai (1)
Shuichi Murata (1)

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Game 4: MLB All-Stars 7, NPB All-Stars 2

The NPB is still fighting, and that's good, but the MLB shows why it has the best A and B-team. The teams were tied 2-2 after six. In the eighth, the MLB broke through with five runs, helped by Ryan Howard's fourth homer, which pretty much gives the series MVP to him. ;) This makes the fourth win for the MLB. They could seep, and that is probably the first time in history that they would do that. :D

History of the Japan Series on MLB.com


W - Mike Myers (1-0)
L - Kazuo Fukumori (0-1)
HR - David Wright (2)
Ryan Howard (4)

Monday, November 06, 2006

More tidbits from Mark Bowman and the Braves Mailbag

If you were the general manager and could make only one trade, would it be to get a true leadoff hitter? Upgrade the pitching staff with a starter or reliever? Or would it be some other move?
-- Randall C., Dallas, Ga.


Being Braves GM John Schuerholz this winter would be a daunting task. Over the past few years, he's had to make tough decisions regarding whether to bring the likes of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and Gary Sheffield back to Atlanta. But with the many different decisions he has to make, I'd say this winter will be his most challenging of the past decade.


No question about that. There are three factions of the Braves that need to be improved desperately:

1. Bullpen
2. Starting pitching
3. Leadoff spot

There are certainly reasons to trade Andruw Jones and Tim Hudson. There are even more to cut ties with Marcus Giles and Horacio Ramirez. And at the same time, Glavine is going to continue to leverage the Braves to get the best possible contract from the Mets.


There are reasons to trade Andruw, but that doesn't mean that they're necessarily good reasons. Players like him don't grow on trees. It is quite possible that if he can't play center field anymore, we could just move Jeff Francoeur there instead.

And no one would take Tim Hudson in a million years. Not after he just had the worst season in his career; the Braves are stuck with him.

Cutting ties with Giles is a good idea. He could be easily replaced and not really be missed all that much. Horacio is expendable, and he could easily be traded because there is always a demand for left-handers.

Glavine is going to get as much money as he can from the Mets. And they're going to give it to him. Since Pedro Martinez's career is in danger of ending, the Mets need Tommy more than ever.

Fortunately, you've simplified things and asked me to make just one trade, and with little surprise, I'll tell you I'm keeping both Jones and Hudson. While doing so, I'm risking losing Jones for nothing more than draft picks and knowing that another mediocre season from Hudson will mean even less trade interest heading into the 2008 season, when his back-loaded contract starts becoming loaded.


The Braves would be foolish to let Andruw walk away. They need him. And as I've said before, the Braves are stuck with Hudson, so all of the Atlanta faithful should hope and pray that 2006 was a fluke; that Tim has something left.

Earlier this week, I was talking to a Braves representative about trading Ramirez. Last week, I indicated it was certainly something I'd explore, and I still feel that way. But at the same time, this individual reminded me that doing this would significantly cut in the staff's starting pitching depth.


Yeah, from mediocre to less than mediocre. I'd contend that the Braves really don't need Horacio and his incosistency. He hasn't even done that well in his four years in the majors. It's time to let him go.

But with Lance Cormier and Oscar Villarreal both around to provide some depth if a starter should get injured, I'm going to go ahead and trade both Ramirez and Giles. Throwing an economical defensive whiz like Ryan Langerhans in the deal may allow me to get a rather healthy return.


Not a bad idea. Someone would go for that, and it would get rid of the Braves' logjam in left field, giving the position all to Matt Diaz, despite his questionable defense (as I'm reminded of a crucial error he made on a ball that bounced off his glove and that caused the Braves to lose the game), and give the second base position to Willy Aybar, a situation that I would be comfortable with because the two have proven that they can play at the major league level.

My biggest desire is to get a leadoff hitter, but I don't know if a trade is necessary for anything more than to gain the payroll flexibility that would allow such an acquisition. Trading both Giles and Ramirez would free nearly $8 million and allow me to seek the services of a free agent like Gary Matthews Jr. or Julio Lugo, both of whom could capably fill the leadoff role.


Lines!

Matthews, Jr. - .313/.371/.495 (19 HR, 79 RBI) - a career year for him, but he is 31 years old. If he stops hitting, he needs to walk some more, and he'd be fine.
Lugo - .278/.341/.421 (12 HR, 37 RBI) - 30 years old, he's not that much better than Giles. Probably costs more.

Obviously, I'd like to get Tampa Bay's Carl Crawford. But there doesn't appear a good fit with the Rays, who wouldn't be wanting to add salaries like those possessed by both Giles and Ramirez. They'd be looking to acquire more economical commodities like Kyle Davies, Chuck James and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.


Pffft, I say get rid of Davies. And do we really need Salty? He'll end up being traded anyway, I would guess.

Knowing there's a chance for me to fill my need for a leadoff hitter without having to give up young stars and these three aforementioned top young players would keep me from making such a deal.


Davies is looking less and less like a top young player, and that's all I can say about that.

Acquiring Matthews may be difficult. First, the Rangers would obviously like to keep him, and there is the issue that the Braves cut him in Spring Training a few years back.


The Rangers will most certainly overpay for him, that's for sure. I don't think the cutting issue would matter. Honestly. Matthews DID stink up the joint in spring training. Besides, the Braves wouldn't cut him this time if they do sign him. :p

Also if Andruw Jones is still around, Matthews may not be interested in playing left field.


That would be strange.

So maybe Lugo is the best choice to acquire as a leadoff hitter who would play second base. But in order to afford his contractual demands, which would likely be around $5.5 million a year, trading guys like Giles and Ramirez is a must.


Ew. Lugo really doesn't fill the need for a leadoff hitter at all. First off, he doesn't hit much more better than Giles. Second, he can't steal bases anymore. The Braves need a base-stealer. Lugo isn't one.

In return, I'd be looking to get top-notch prospects who could team with Davies and James to provide great hope with the starting rotation for many years to come.


I wonder if there are any that the Dodgers would be willing to give up. ;)

That's all. :)

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Game 3: MLB All-Stars 11, NPB All-Stars 4

At first, starter Hiroyuki Kobayashi was excellent for the NPB, allowing no hits through four innings. Not to mention that Norichika Aoki led off the game with a home run, giving NPB a 1-0 lead. Then, reality set in. Joe Mauer hit a two-run shot and Jacque Jones had an RBI single to put the MLB up 3-1. The NPB tied the game with an Ogasawara sac fly and a single to Utley by Shuichi Murata, off of starter Erik Bedard and reliever Clay Hensley. Then in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Howard singled in a run and Andruw Jones tied the game with a shot to left. An Eishin Soyogi single got a run back for the NPB, but a Jermaine Dye RBI single and a three-run moon shot by Howard put it waaaaaaay out of reach, making it 10-4. David Wright's solo shot was just icing on the cake.

W - Clay Hensley (1-0)
L - Hiroyuki Kobayashi (0-1)
HR - MLB - Joe Mauer (1)
Andruw Jones (1)
Ryan Howard (3)
David Wright (1)
NPB - Norichika Aoki (1)

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Game 2: MLB All-Stars 8, NPB All-Stars 6

This time, Ryan Howard led the MLB attack with two homers and drove in three runs. Tadahito Iguchi drove in two runs with a double and Lyle Overbay hit a solo homer to put the MLB up 8-6 in the eighth. The lone homer for NPB came on catcher Tomoya Satozaki's two-run blast in the third off of Bronson Arroyo to make it 7-4.

The NPB is down 2 games to 0 in the series, but I gaurantee you folks they'll still be playing their hearts out.

W - Bronson Arroyo (1-0)
L - Kentaro Nishimura (0-1)
S - Brian Fuentes (1)
HR - MLB - Ryan Howard 2 (2)
Lyle Overbay (1)
NPB - Tomoya Satozaki (1)

Friday, November 03, 2006

Game 1: MLB All-Stars 3, NPB All-Stars 2

Jermaine Dye hit a two-run homer in the third off of Tetsuya Utsumi to make it 3-0 and that was all the MLB needed as John Lackey pitched five innings, allowing just one run on two hits. John Maine pitched two innings of relief and allowed one run on two hits. With the score 3-2 after the seventh, Scot Shields and Joe Nathan shut out the NPB All-Stars the rest of the way.

W - John Lackey (1-0)
L - Tetsuya Utsumi (0-1)
S - Joe Nathan (1)
HR - Jermaine Dye (1)

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Yomiuri Giants 7, MLB All-Stars 7

It was a tie, folks. For those of you who don't know Japanese baseball, games can end in ties because people need to catch the bullet trains. I kid you not.

I'm proud of Andruw Jones for hitting two homers, one off of starter Chiang Chien-ming. ;D

HR -
MLB - Andruw Jones 2 (2)
Ryan Howard (1)
David Wright (1)
YG - Shinnouske Abe (1)