6/20/11 Blog

Hey guys!
I went to the Rays game, just like I said I was going to, and my seat was right next to the Rays dugout. I always go early for a couple autographs, and I got three in this game. 2 at the beginning, which was Sam Fuld and Elliot Johnson who are two rising players; then after the game I met and talked with Ben Zobrist. This game was more of a pitchers battle rather than hitters. James Shields pitched yet another complete game; which gives him a league-leading 5 complete games before the All-Star break. If that alone doesn't get him into the All-Star game I don't know what will. Another thing I want to point about about the Marlins is what a terrible year Hanley Ramirez is having. Expected to be great once again this year, and once again he is sub-par. Batting an ugly .201 average. This game he didn't even see the field, playing the DH spot. The Rays really hit well throughout this series, while the Marlins did not at all, obviously this leads to their 1-17 free fall to the bottom of the NL East. The Rays once again swept the Marlins although it was not a pretty game 3 in this series. Rays would get a couple of hits in some innings but no one could step up and knock a run in. In the 8th inning, the score was 1-1, when Casey Kotchman knocked in Matt Joyce (who started the inning off with a single) giving the Rays a 2-1 lead. It was a very good game to watch. The thing I really did not like was Longo, which you may refer to as Evan Longoria, had 2 errors, and it wasn't just 2 errors- it was stupid errors that professional baseball players shouldn't even be making. That is not a gold glove performance. I'm sure he will rebound from this performance but it was just so odd to see from a guy like Longo.

It was hard to believe my eyes yesterday when I saw McIlroy with a -16 final score at the US Open. Leading the rest of the pack by 8 strokes. Many said it would of been a good tournament without McIlroy in it. But thats not how most will remember it. It will be remembered as the major that McIlroy doubled everyone's score. And with that young rising talent, comes comparisons to Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time.I think it is possible, but very unlikely. Watching Tiger was incredible, and don't get me wrong, Rory's performance was awe inspiring too, but this is a one time things. I don't see this happening multiple times like Tiger. I don't think Rory will even come close to the amount of majors that Tiger will have won at the end of his career.

Shifting back to baseball now, where Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1st baseman, hs fractured his arm and will be out for 4-6 weeks. At this point he hasn't been put on the DL, but probably will once the Cardinals will find someone to call up and take his spot on the roster. This is a huge hit for the Cardinals, who are tied atop the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers. Both of these teams have a 40-33 record. They might be able to stay in playoff contention, and I think they still can. 4-6 weeks is not much of the season in Baseball, and if they can just stay even, or just under .500, then they can stay in playoff contention.Could this injury possibly lower Albert Pujols value when he is on the market next year? I guess only time can tell.

One last story for today, that I am adding on to this blog. The Dodger TV Deal that was going to save the franchise was rejected by the Major League Baseball, more specifically Bud Selig, today. The ruling invalidates a divorce settlement between Frank McCourt (the Owner of the franchise) and his ex-wife. If McCourt does not make payroll on June 30th, MLB could take over the Dodgers franchise and put the team up for sale. The MLB issued this statement today
"This decision was reached after a full and careful consideration of the terms of the proposed transaction and the club's current circumstances," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "It is my conclusion that this proposed transaction with FOX would not be in the best interests of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, the game of Baseball and the millions of loyal fans of this historic club."
I think the end result will keep the Dodgers in Los Angeles, but it is likely that the team could move.

That's about all for today, Thanks for reading.
Christian