PhilaDunkonya

The Phillies got their Cy Young Award winner. But it wasn’t the one everyone has been gushing over for the past 2 weeks.

Earlier today, the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for 4 minor league prospects. This gives the Phils a formidable 1-2 punch by pairing young Cole Hamels with the 2008 AL Cy Young winner Lee, who was dominant in winning the top pitching award by going 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA on a .500 team. Until last season’s sudden dominance, Lee had been a solid #3 pitcher, showing ace-like stuff in ‘05 by going 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA but then going a combined 19-19 over the next two seasons including being sent to triple-A. Continue Reading »

Tags: Cleveland, Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, Philadelphia, Phillies

“With the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select Blake Griffin, Oklahoma.”

This is the only thing we can bank on as the 2009 draft approaches. Everything after this first pick is up in the air. We’ve already seen some trades with the Spurs acquring Richard Jefferson and the Timberwolves trading Mike Miller and Randy Foye for expiring contracts and the 5th overall pick to the Washington Wizards. We’ve also seen a blockbuster trade fall through when the Detroit Pistons rejected the Boston Celtics offer of Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen in exchange for Rip Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey, and Tayshaun Prince.

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Tags: NBA, NBA Draft

(Sadly, Yankee fans have not seen much of this lately)

The Joba Chamberlain question has been talked about over and over again in New York and really throughout the entire country. Many people think the flame throwing 23 year old righty should stay in the starting rotation while others think the Yankees need him in the bullpen. The key to this whole question is how Chien-Ming Wang pitches. If Chien-Ming can return to his old self or even close to his 2006-2008 peformance, then Chamberlain could go to the bullpen and Phil Hughes would fill the 5th spot for the Yanks. Joba continued his so so performance Thursday night when he allowed 3 runs, 7 hits, and 4 walks in 6 innings in a loss to the lowly NATIONALS. Chamberlain has a solid ERA of 3.89 and is 3-2 on the year but the real problem is that he has pitched into the 7th inning just twice in 13 starts, forcing the bullpen to cover at least 3 innings everytime he pitches. His high pitch count has been driven by his high walk total. He has walked three or more batters in 7 of his 13 starts and on the season he has walked 37 in 69.1 innings good for fourth most in the American League. The Yankees have been stubborn on the subject of returning Joba to the bullpen because Wang has struggled so mightly while $83 million free agent pickup AJ Burnett and veteran Andy Petitte have been average.

The bullpen has an ERA around 4.62 which is 10th in the A.L. Mariano Rivera has been good but not great but Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson, and  Phil Coke have all been pleasant surprises but none are really 8th inning guys. Brian Bruney was just activated from the disabled list and he could give the bullpen some help. But New York’s bullpen, like many others in the Majors nowadays, is not scary; it’s not dominant. Continue Reading »

Tags: Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, New York, Yankees

The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2009 NBA Champions.  Not too surprising considering they had the world’s best player, a player who craved a 4th championship, a player who was motivated beyond any measure to finish the job this time. And his teammates followed his lead all the way to a championship. That player has put himself in the conversation as one of the top 5 greatest basketball players of all-time.

Kobe Bryant, the greatest wing player of this decade, vaulted his team’s play to a another level and the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans can now celebrate a 15th championship. This was a long time coming. Just 24 months ago, it looked as though the Kobe Bryant would never wear the purple and gold again. It started to get ugly, with Kobe asking to be traded before the ‘08 season. Teams lined up trying to secure Bryant’s services but GM Mitch Kupchak refused to trade the superstar. I’d say it turned out to be a good move.

In a dominating performance, the Lakers won their 4th title in the last 10 years by soundly beating the Orlando Magic 99-86 to win the series 4-1. Big ups to Phil Jackson for a record 10th title as a coach. He is one of the top 3 coaches of all-time. Yes he had Jordon and Pippen, then Kobe and Shaq but everyone needs talent to win a championship so that argument is just ridiculous. He is arguably the best coach ever. And this year there was no second star player. It was Kobe and some good players who filled in nicely and that is how you build a champion.

Game 5– Kobe Bryant led the way with 30 pts to go with 6 rebounds, 5 assists,  4 blocks, and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award. He averaged 32.4 pts and 7.4 assists in the Finals. Lamar Odom added 17 and 10, Ariza had 15 pts, Gasol racked up 14 pts and 15 boards, and Fisher had 13. Orlando was led by Rashard Lewis’s 18 pts on 6-19 shooting. The Lakers shot 8-16 from behind the arc compared to the Magic’s 8-27 and outrebounded the eastern champs 47-36. I was disappointed by the Magic’s response after LA went on a killer 16-0 run at the end of the 1st half. Frankly, it looked as though Orlando packed it in after that. Rashard Lewis for one was not hustling after rebounds. Ariza beat him to a ball early in the 4th and it just showed he was mentally gone. He wasn’t the only one. The entire Magic team played poorly and other for game 3, they shot terribly from 3 pt. range, which was their undoing. The 3-pt. shots went down against Cleveland but not in the Finals against a more determined, couragous team. If you actually take a closer look at LA, they were not suprememly talented. Kobe is the best player in the world, Gasol is one of the top big man but in no way is he dominant,  and Odom is a good player but excruicatingly inconsistent. All three played great in the series and that was the difference. Ariza was just awesome throughout the entire playoffs. He has turned himself into an invaluable player because of his desire, hustle, 3-pt. shooting ability, and excellent defense. The rest of the team are bench players. Fisher is a verteran who stepped up at the end of game 4 but other than that, he is an average player. Walton, Farmar, Vujacic, Brown, and Bynum are bench guys right now. So LA wasn’t like Boston from last year where they were obvioulsy talent laden with three stars in Garnett, Pierce, Allen, and a young stud in Rondo. But the Lakers came back tougher this year and they played very well. They were clearly the best team in the last two rounds of the playoffs. Continue Reading »

Tags: Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Lamar Odom, Magic, NBA, NBA Finals, Orlando, Pau Gasol, Phil Jackson, Rashard Lewis, Trevor Ariza

vs. 

In a repeat matchup of last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, the runners-up got the better of the champions.  Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the 2009 Stanley Cup. Down 2-0 in the series, many thought the Penguins were done for because the world champion Detroit Red Wings had been the best team throughout the season and into the playoffs. But Pittsburgh went back home and swept both games to set up the all important game 5 in Detroit. Led by goaltender Chris Osgood and their powerful offensive attack, Detroit slammed Pittsburgh 5-0 to take a 3-2 lead in the series, just one win away from their second straight Cup. But led by their two young stars Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin, the Penguins forced a game 7 by winning 2-1 in game 6. Goaltender Marc-Andre-Fleury stopped a breakaway chance with 1:43 to play and Pitt leading 2-1. Then with 15 seconds to go defensemen  Rob Scuderi preserved the win by sliding in front of the net after Fleury had fallen out of the goal. Scuderi slid in and made a save with his skate before Fleury covered up the puck inches from the goal line.

In Game 7 at Detroit as huge underdogs, Max Talbot scored two 2nd period goals to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead heading into the final period. But Detroit scored with just over 7 minutes to play to slice the lead in half. Then with 2:15 to play, Detroit hit the crossbar for the 2nd time in the series. Then, in a thrilling finish, Fleury robbed Detroit of the tying goal twice in the last 5 seconds and the Penguins dethroned the Red Wings as Stanley Cup champions. Fleury Cup Winning Save

Detroit did have some injuries to key players throughout this series but the biggest injury may have been to Sid the Kid, who badly injured his leg late in the 2nd period of game 7 after getting checked along the boards. He did play a few shifts in the 3rd. The 22 year-old Malkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP while Crosby became the youngest captain to win the Cup at just 21 years-old.

Tags: Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins

99-91 (OT)  

Down the stretch on the biggest stage, in the biggest game, it was the old veteran guard who made the two biggest plays of the series. Derek Fisher’s long 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left in regulation tied the score and the Lakers went on to beat the Orlando Magic 99-91 in dramatic fashion.

Fisher’s 27 foot 3-pointer over Jameer Nelson came after Dwight Howard missed two free throws with 11.1 ticks left. Then with under 35 secs. left in overtime, Kobe Bryant kicked the ball out to the top of the key where Fisher launched and swished home another clutch 3 ball, this time breaking the 91 all score. This shot was the game winner and gives Los Angeles a commanding 3-1 series lead while also putting LA one win from a championship. The Lakers were led by star guard Kobe Bryant who moved pass legendary Celtic Dennis Johnson into 16th place on the Finals scoring list by scoring 32 pts. It was difficult though as Bryant hit just 11-31 shots, although he did make all 8 of his free throws while adding 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu’s 25 pts and Howard’s 16 pts, 21 reb and 9 blocks were not enought to keep Orlando from the brink of elimination. Game 5 is Sunday in Orlando.

Play of the Game: Derek Fisher’s game tying bomb from a couple feet behind the arc saved LA from falling into a deadlock with the Magic and instead puts the Lakers one win from capturing their first NBA title since Shaquille O’Neal and the boys swept New Jersey to win their third straight championship back in 2002. But the truth is Fisher should never have been allowed to shoot the ball but for a bone-headed defensive play by Jameer Nelson. As Fisher received the ball from Trevor Ariza just behind halfcourt with 8.5 secs. left, Nelson retreated and allowed Fisher to get to the three point line without any defensive pressure. Fisher (who was about 30 feet from the hoop) then took a little hesitation step while Nelson stood beneath the three line. D-Fish rose and fired home the trey while Nelson barely got a hand up. But Nelson should have been 1) on the bench! Alston had a great game 3, what the hell was Van Gundy doing? Van Gundy said he stayed with Nelson because the group he had on the floor in the fourth regained the lead and because it reached a point when Alston had sat too long– http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-nba/20090612/Whitlock-Van-Gundy-Choke/– Are you kidding me ? 2) Nelson should have been right on top of Fisher, a 3 ties the game for god’s sakes and 3) even fouled the veteran guard before he got the shot off. This would have put Fisher on the line with about 7 secs. to go and would have prevented Fisher’s game tying attempt. Instead, Nelson did neither and Orlando is now on the doorstep of elimination.

Player of the Game: Trevor Ariza deserves player of the game honors for leading the Laker 3rd quarter comeback. Orlando led 49-37 at the half but Ariza and co. quickly turned the game around. After a jumper by Fisher, Ariza dunked the ball and Bryant hit a 3. Ariza then scored the next 9 points including two treys to bring LA to within one at 54-53 at the 6:41 mark. The rest of the Lakers took over from there and ended up outscoring the Magic 30-14 to take a 67-63 advantage into the final quarter. But it was Ariza’s furious play that sparked the comeback. Then in OT, Ariza grabbed a huge offensive rebound with about 48 secs. to go, which gave LA another chance to take the lead. Less than 20 secs. later, Fisher was hitting the game winner, only because of Ariza’s hustle and determination.

Key Stat: Orlando was atrocious from the foul line, hitting just 22 of 37 shots for 59.5%. Dwight Howard was 6-14 including 2 missed free throws that could have made it a two possession game. Instead, the Magic’s lead stood at 87-84 and Fisher preceded to hit his game tying shot seconds later.

Game 5 Outlook: The outlook is bleak for Orlando as no team has comback to win games 6 and 7 on the road. But to even get the series to a game 6, Orlando must salvage game 5 at home. They have the physical talent to do it, but where will their heads be after collapsing at the end of game 4? Orlando has bounced back after heartbreakers but this one is different because instead of holding home court advantage and having a chance to take a 3-2 series lead, the Magic are left to wonder what if. They must bounce back and keep themselves alive otherwise, Kobe and the Lakers will be celebrating in Orlando on Sunday Night.

Tags: Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Magic, NBA, NBA Finals, Orlando, Trevor Ariza

104-108  

Even tough the Orlando Magic had set a Finals record by shooting 75%, they held just a 5-point lead at halftime. And although their overall shooting percentage also set a Finals record by finishing in the low 60s, as the clock hit the 2:45 mark in the 4th quarter, the Magic’s lead had evaporated. How could that be possible? The Magic were playing their best game and yet it looked like the Lakers would pull out game 3 and take a formidable 3-0 series lead. However, as they have done everytime  their backs are against the wall, Orlando conjured some more Magic and stopped the Lakers cold down the stretch to get back into the series.

Rafer Alston’s resurgence combined with the bench scoring from Mickael Pietrus and solid play from their “big 3,” the Orlando Magic held off a Laker comeback attempt to win game 3 of the NBA Finals 108-104. After shooting a combined 3-17 in the first two games of the Finals, including 0-8 from 3pt. range, Alston had 20 pts on 8-12 from the field while Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard led the way with 21 pts each. Kobe Bryant led LA with 31 pts and 4-3pt.s but made just 5 of 10 free throws. Pau Gasol continued his great play, scoring 23 pts on 9-11 shooting but was held to 3 measly rebounds.

Play of the Game: With about 35 seconds to go and with a chance to complete the comeback, Kobe Bryant got a screen from Pau Gasol and went left, past his defender (Pietrus) where he met Dwight Howard who was helping until Pietrus could recover (a term called hedging.) Kobe tried to cut back to his right and sqeeze by Howard. But the defensive player of the year stuck his hand out and deflected Kobe’s crossover attempt towards Gasol and Pietrus. Gasol dove to the floor and snatched the ball from Pietrus (who tried to pick up the ball and dribble downcourt) but fortunately for Orlando, Pau did not call time while on the ground and instead played hot potato. He flipped the ball behind him towards Bryant but Pietrus stepped in front to intercept the basketball and was immediately fouled by Bryant. Pietrus knocked down both free throws with 28 secs. left, giving Orlando a 106-102 lead it would not relinquish.

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Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Magic, Michael Pietrus, NBA, NBA Finals, Orlando, Pau Gasol, Rafer Alston, Rashard Lewis

The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies head to Citi Field tonight with a stellar 5-2 record on their west coast trip and MLB’s best road record at 21-8. They come in having won 8 of their last 10 while the NY Mets have lost 5 of 8, including a 3 game bashing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I must say the Mets have done a decent job weathering the multiple injuries that have desecrated the team. But they have been terribly inconsistent all year and thus find themselves 3 games behind Philly with 2/3rds of the season remaining. A key for NY in this series will be its ability to hold a lead. Their bullpen must find a way to get the ball to K-rod because he has been perfect all year. Mets fans know all to well how the Phils have comeback from numerous deficits over the past few years and in order for this to stop, NY must continue to score runs even if they have a 3 or 4 run lead. As always, starting pitching will be the key to series. The Mets have their ace and arguably the best pitcher in the game in Johan Santana pitching in the series opener. Santana has been the best pitcher in the N.L. this season although he’s comeback to earth of late. He is 7-3 this year and leads the N.L. with a 2.00 ERA in 11 starts. The World Champs will send the rookie J.A. Happ to the mound. Happ is 4-0 this season and has made three starts since being inserted into the starting rotation.

(Johan Santana)

Should be another exciting series between these two NL East rivals. Also, Brad Lidge was just placed on the 15-day disabled list. Expect stud setup man Ryan Madson to close in Lidge’s absence. Madson has not allowed a run in 22 of his last 23 appearances, a crazy stat. He has been the best setup man in baseball over the last two years and has a meniscule 2.22 ERA this season. J.C. Romero will probably be the 8th inning guy. Romero has made four apperances since coming back from his 50 game suspension and hasn’t allowed an earned run. He has however allowed men to reach base but has been able to wiggle out of trouble. Expect him to get better as he continues to pitch and regain his form from the last couple seasons.

Tags: Brad Lidge, J.A. Happ, J.C. Romero, Johan Santana, K-rod, Mets, New York, Philadelphia, Phillies

96-101 (OT)  

As the clock wound to zero at the end of a pivotal game 2 for  both teams, it was the Lakers who were celebrating victory and a formidable 2-0 lead in the Finals. Only three teams have comeback to win the NBA Finals after losing the first two games on the road (the last of course was the Miami Heat in ‘06, who won the last 4 games vs. the Mavs). But after losing last night’s thriller in overtime, the Magic now have to overcome history and the Lakers.

Kobe Bryant led LA with 29 pts and 8 ast while Pau Gasol had 24 and 10 as the Lakers escaped with a 101-96 victory in overtime. Lamar Odom chipped in with 19 pts off the bench while Derek Fisher added 12. LA overcame a sluggish 3rd quarter and rallied at the end of regulation. Bryant and Gasol each made shots to tie the game after Orlando had taken a 2-point lead and after Courtney Lee’s alley-oop layup rolled off the rim at the buzzer, the Lakers were given new life. Orlando was led by Rashard Lewis’s game high 34 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast and 6-3pt

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Tags: Courtney Lee, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Magic, NBA, NBA Finals, Orlando, Rashard Lewis

75–100 

The Lakers came out strong in front of the home crowd as they took a big first step in revenging last season’s disappointment of losing in the NBA FINALS vs. Boston.  Kobe Bryant was a man on a mission in leading Los Angeles to a 100-75 rout of the Orlando Magic in game 1 of the best of 7 series.  Bryant showed he does not want to hand over the title as the NBA’s best player just yet as he scored a personal finals high 40 pts while chipping in with 8 boards and dishing out 8 dimes. Continue Reading »

Tags: Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Lakers, Magic, NBA, NBA Finals, Orlando, Pau Gasol