Sunday Morning Quick Hitters

Jon Lester had one of his worst outing of the year for the Red Sox as the Toronto Blue Jays pummeled the BoSox 11 – 0. In other Sox news, Josh Beckett’s next start pushed back.

Carl Pavano gets his 1st win in oh, forever, for the New York Yankees, beating the Orioles 5 – 3.

A 4 run 8th inning spurs the Tampa Bay Rays over AL Central contender Chicago White Sox 5 – 3. The win, combined with the Red Sox loss puts Tampa 5 1/2 games up on the Sox.

AL West leading California Angels beat AL Central Leading Minnesota Twins 7 – 5.

The NY Mets allowed the Phillies to gain a game in the standings, by losing to the Houston Astros 8 – 3.

The Milwaukee Brewers kept pace with the Cubbies with a 6 – 3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The win puts the Brew Crew 20 games over .500 for the 1st time since 1992.

The Arizona Diamondbacks slammed the Florida Marlins 7 – 1.

The LA Dodgers lose for the 5th time in 7 games, this time to the Philadelphia Phillies 9 – 2.

Aramis Ramirez hits 2 3 run HRs to help the Chicago Cubs to a 9 – 2 blasting of the Washington Nationals.

San Diego Chargers LB Shawne Merriman reveals he has a 2nd ligament tear.

Washington Redskins newly acquired Jason Taylor left Saturdays game against Carolina with a knee injury.

Houston Texans WR Harry Williams to have neck surgery.

New York Giants DE Osi Umenyiora carted off field with “leg” injury.

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones Drew left last night’s game with an ankle injury.

The Mens and Women Basketball Teams both took home Gold. The Mens team played a surprisingly close game against Pau Gasol and Spain, finally winning, 118 – 107.

The USA Mens and Womens Track Teams both won 4×100 Gold Relays.

Usain Bolt is the track hit of the Olympics.

Manu Ginobli sits in last game.

The Boston Celtics sign draft pick Bill Walker.

The Philadelphia 76ers hire Jeff Rutland as assistant coach.

Friday Morning Quick Hitters

The Toronto Blue Jays continue to climb the wild card standings by demolishing the New York Yankees 14 – 3.

Carlos Delgado continues his offensive surge, leading the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves 5 – 4. The Mets now have a 2 1/2 game cushion over the Phillies.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost that ground on the Mets by allowing the Washington Nationals to stop their 12 game losing streak. The Phils lost to the Nats 4 – 3.

The Minnesota Twins move back to within 1/2 game of the Chicago White Sox as they beat the California Angels 2 -1.

The LA Dodgers kept pace with the Arizona D-Backs by beating the Colorado Rockies 3 – 1.

The US Woman’s Softball Team lead by Jenny Finch, take a second but turn down the sound, lost their first game since 2000, in a 3 -1 loss to Japan in the gold medal game.

the IOC is asking for an investigation of Chinese atheletes ages.

US Mens Indoor Volleyball Team, after early tragedy, are poised for a Gold Medal run.

Players Association President Gene Upshaw lost his short battle with pancreatic cancer.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed James Farrior to a 5 yr deal.

Philadelphia Eagles, in dire need of a wideout, have interest in Anquan Boldin.

St. Louis Rams RB Steven Jackson officially signs deal.

The New Orleans Hornets, which NEVER sounds right, unveiled their new logos.

The Miami Heat signed Dorell Wright and seem close on Jamaal Magloire.

NBA Teams have been cleared to attemp the signing of Iranian 7ft 2in Center Hamed Ehadadi.

Monday Morning Quick Hits

Josh Beckett looked terrible once again as the Toronto Blue Jays blew out the Sox 15 – 4. The Sox are now 4 1/2 games out of 1st place.

The Tampa Bay Rays returned to normal, slamming the Texas Rangers 7 – 4.

The Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins stayed in a tie for the AL Central race on Sunday. The White Sox beat the A’s 13 -1 and the Twins hold off the Seattle Mariners for an 11 – 8 win.

Stat of the week, the California Angels lost their 1st series to an American League team for the 1st time since May. The Angels lost the game to the Cleveland Indians 4 – 3.

Johan Santana finally throws the game the Mets expected when they traded for the superstar. Santana threw a complete game 3 hitter to beat the Pirates 4 -0.

Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies ended a skid by beating the Padres in those awful camo unis, 2 – 1. The Phillies are 2 games back on the Mets.

Ryan Dempster continues his stron pitching, leading the Cubs to a 9 – 2 win over the Florida Marlins.

Andre Ethier hit a walkoff 2 run HR to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7 – 5. The loss puts the Brew Crew 5 1/2 games back of the Cubbies. The win puts the Dodgers in a 1st place tie again with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs lost to the Astros 3 – 0.

The New England Pats decided to stay healthy rather than compete in a 27 – 10 loss to Tampa Bay. In other Pats news, former owner James Busch Orthwein passed away at age 84.

Shocker, no one emerges as a clear fav in the Baltimore Ravens QB job.

Chad Johnson injures his sholder in loss to the Lions.

The St Louis Rams lost 2 huge pieces of their offensive line over the weekend.

Maine has more Gold Medal winners in the Olympics. Anna Goodale and Elle Logan were part of the 8 woman crew who rowed to a victory in the 2000M event.

China suffers a huge loss in their track team.

This is a video of Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai. Please, if you have a queezy stomach, do not watch this video.

Sunday Morning Quick Hits

Michael Phelps finished these Beijing Olympics the way he started, with Gold in World Record time. Phelps is now the single most decorated American in 1 Olympic year, besting Mark Spitz’s 1972 Munich performance of 7. Phelps won his 8th, swimming the Butterfly 3rd leg to help the USA get the Gold with a time of 3.29.34.

Tyson Gay fails to qualify for final, his cousin Randall and Uncle Ben are crushed….

Dana Torres get her last medal of these Olympics, winning silver in the 4×100 Relay.

Roy Halladay pitched a complete game 4 -1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Halladay was spectacular at times, spoiling the Red Sox debut FOD…Friend Of Dentist…Paul Byrd. The Sox missed a golden opportunity to gain a game on the Tampa Bay Rays.

There is another blogger that lends credence to the V-tek conspiracy, and offers reasons why (thanks to WEEI’s internet stream for that)
The Tampa Rays were shut out by the Texas Rangers…WHAT?!? I say, I say, I say…….The Texas Rangers shut out AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays 3 – 0.

The ho-hum New York Yankees squeaked out a win against the Royals 3 – 2. Maybe they can consider it a moral victory…

The Seattle Mariners scored 6 runs in the 6th inning, but Joe Mauer comes to the rescue in the 9th, scoring the winning run as the Twins beat the Mariners 7 – 6.

John Danks helps the Chicago White Sox keep pace with the Twins, beating the Oakland A’s 2 – 1.

Pedro Martinez pitched 7 solid innings, helping the Mets to a 7 – 4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Mets have won 4 in a row and 7 of their last 9. They hold a 2 game lead over the Phillies for 1st place in the NL East.

Kevin Gregg saves game for the Marlins, beating the Chicago Cubs 2 – 1. The Marlins are 3 1/2 back of the Mets.

The Phillies offense continues to make any and all pitching staffs they face look like unhittable, and Kyle Kendrick’s struggles continued in last night’s 8-3 loss to the Padres.

Oh no is it time to push the PANIC BUTTON?!?

Tom Brady will not play in Tampa Sunday night.

Tarvares Jackson injured his knee in the 1st Quarter of Saturday’s game against the Ravens.(reports are that it is just a contusion)

A couple of QBs make their debuts with new teams. Chad Pennington looks good in is 1st game with the Dolphins and Brett Favre started for the New York Jets.

Saturday Morning Quick Hitters

Michael Phelps won his 7th Gold Medal Friday night, beating among others, still World Record holder, Maine’s own Ian Crocker. Phelps won the 100M Breaststroke with a time of 50.58 seconds. Overnight, controversy over the win abounds.

Maine’s Anna Willard goes to steeplechase finals. In other news, Big Brown was terrible in the 100M backstroke, and his trainer blamed the jockey.

The LA Angels officially lost Maicer Izturis for the season on Friday. The Angels also lost the game, losing to the Cleveland Indians and Cliff Lee, 3 – 2.

Mike Pelfrey had another strong performance as the Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2 -1.

Daryle Ward hits a 3 run, pinch hit HR in the 9th to push the Chicago Cubs over the Florida Marlins, 6 – 5.

The New York Yankees are finding new ways to lose. Mo Rivera’s wild pitch loses the game to the Royals 4 -3. In other Yankee news, the 2nd coming of The Mick, Melky Cabrera, was sent to AAA yesterday.

The Tampa Bay Rays blasted the terrible Texas Rangers 7 – 0 on Friday. Matt Garza pitched a complete game 2 hitter for the win.

The AARP was very happy with The Philadelphia Phillies 1 – 0 win over the San Diego Padres Friday.

The LA Dodgers rallied late to overtake the Milwaukee Brewers 5 – 3.

ESPN’s John Clayton is reporting the Baltimore Ravens LB Terell Suggs has signed a new deal and is expected in camp Saturday.

Some New York Giants player named David Tyree…whoever he is…will probably end up on the PUP list….really not even sure why I posted this, no one knows who he is anyway.(No really I’m not bitter about that catch he made in the Super Bowl, seriously, I’m not. Just stop talking about it. Really. I’m serious. F^%k you!)

Micheal Finley opts to stay in San Antonio.

Ben Gordon says he is done in Chicago.

Friday Real Quick Links

The Red Sox completed a 4 game thrashing of the Rangers 10-0. 7 scoreless from Dice-K, including his normal 5 walks, but whatever, they won.

The Rays survived another injury, this time to the DL-bound Troy Percival, and knocked off the hapless A’s in 12.

The White Sox knocked around the Royals, thanks to 4 home runs in the 6th. The winning pitcher was sent back to AAA after the game.

The Twins tried to make a deal, but couldn’t.

The Mets finished off the Nats and regained first place in the NL East.

The Phillies offense took the night off again (a paid night off) and were downed by Hiroki Kuroda and the Dodgers. Manny finally cut his hair, albeit just a bit ( he went 0-3). Brad Penny is going back on the DL.

Michael Phelps adds to his remarkable Olympic Gold totals.

Maine’s own Ian Crocker had the 3rd fastest 100M butterfly in prelims this morning, which sets the stage for what may be Michael Phelps only real challenge in these games. The 100m Butterfly final is 10:10 PM live Friday Night EST.

US Gymnast Nastia Liuikin won gold.

The US Baseball team lost a close one to Cuba in extras.

The New England Patriots bolstered their secondary with more veteran leadership Thursday, by signing veteran John Lynch.

Buffalo played in Toronto last night and looked sharp in victory.

In Celtics news rookie JR Giddens signed a 2 year deal.

In related news Jayme Parker from NESN loves the Central Maine Sports Blog.

Wednesday Morning Quick Hitters

Fenway Parked looked more like Gillette Stadium as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 19 – 17 Tuesday night. David Ortiz had 2 HRs in the 1st inning and Kevin Youkilis finished the scoring with his second HR of the night. In other Red Sox news, they acquired Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd for cash or a player to be named later.

Apparently 2 angry 2 run homers for Gary Sheffield were not enough for the Detroit Tigers as they lose to the Toronto Blue Jays 6 – 4. The Tigers put Sheffield on waivers Tuesday.

The Chicago White Sox moved 1/2 game ahead of the Twins by beating the KC Royals 9 – 0. Dye, Swisher and Pierzynski all had homers for the Pale Hose.

Injuries may be taking their toll on the Tampa Bay Rays, as they lost to the Oakland A’s 2 – 1 Tuesday. Scott Kazmir pitched well, but without their 2 spark plugs, the offense couldn’t get going. The Rays are still up by 3 games on the Red Sox.

The Philadelphia Phillies lost in the 9th inning to the surging Los Angeles Dodgers 4 – 3. Andre Ethier singled home Russell Martin for the win. Philly is now only 1 game up on the Mets, and the Dodgers are 1 game back of the D-Backs.

The New York Mets bullpen finally saved a game for Johan Santana, as the Mets beat the Nationals 4 – 3. The Nationals’ Saul Rivera hit the Mets Damion Easley with the bases loaded to bring in the winning run.

The Florida Marlins gained a game on the Phillies as well, by beating the Cardinals 4 – 3. The Cards were held scoreless over the last 8 innings. The Marlins are now 1 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

Randy Johnson continued to look like his old self, leading the Arizona Diamonbacks to a 4 -2 win over the Rockies. Newly acquired Adam Dunn doubled in his debut with Arizona.

Micheal Phelps won 2 more Gold Medals today, winning the 200m Butterfly (beating his own world record) and then, less then an hour later, started the 4×200 freestyle relay win.

US Girls Gymnastics can’t overcome injuries, but still take silver to China’s Gold.

The Miami Dolphins cut A.J. Feely.

The Minnesotta Vikings free agent acquisition CB Madieu Williams, who injured his neck, could be out for an extended period.

The Arizona Cardinals 1st Round pick was carted of the field Tuesday.

The Philadelphia 76ers re-signed Andre Iguodala.

Former Celtic Dan Dickau latest to bolt for Europe.

Monday Morning Quick Hitters

Clay Buchholz had another poor performance, losing to the Chicago White Sox 6 – 5.

The California Angels finished off a sweep of the New York Yankees with a 4 – 3 win.

The Minnesota Twins lost to the KC Royals 5 – 4 in 12 innings and also lost a game in the standings to the Chicago White Sox, now 1/2 game down.

A late inning rally got the Philadelphia Phillies over the Pittsburgh Pirates 6 – 3.

The NL East stayed tight Sunday, as the Florida Marlins stayed away from a sweep, and beat the New York Mets 8 – 2. The Mets are 2 games back of the Phils and the Marlins are 2 1/2 games back.

Former Portland Sea Dog Ryan Dempster dominated the St Louis Cardinals on the way to a 6 – 2 win. The Cubbies are now 4 games up on the Brewers and 7 up on the Cardinals.

Gabe Kapler, through 12 innings was 0 – 6 with 2 Ks and 6 LOB, but leading off the 13th, Kapler beat the Nationals wioth a walkoff HR. The Brewers beat the Nationals 5 – 4.

Arizona D-Backs pitcher Brandon Webb dominated on the mound and also added 2 RBIs on the way to beating the Atlanta Braves 6 – 1.

The LA Dodgers blow another save against the San Francisco Giants, losing to the Giants 5 – 4. The Dodgers are now 1 1/2 game back of the D-Backs.

Kyle Busch continued his absolute dominance in the NASCAR.

Michael Phelps won an improbable 2nd Gold in the 4×100 Men’s Freestyle. Trailing on the final turn, Jason Lezak, swimming anchor, swam the fastest leg in Olympic relay history, beating the world record holder to win the Gold.

Approximately 1 billion (insert Dr Evil joke here) people watched USA Basketball put away an early challenge from China, and finally beating them in prelim action, 101 – 70.

Nadal struggles to a 3 set win in Olympic tennis.

Seems the rain from home has followed Maine’s Olympic rowers.

Sunday Morning Quick Hitters

The Boston Red Sox continued their mastery over the AL Central, beating the White Sox 6 – 2. The win give the BoSox an 18 – 7 record against the AL Central. Chicago lost Jose Contreras for the rest of the season while he was trying to cover 1st on a Jacoby Ellsbury grounder.

The California Angels pounded the New York Yankees once again. Vlad Guerrero triggered a 8 run 8th inning with a HR starting the onslaught. The Angels won 11 – 4.

Tampa Bay came back again, beating the Seattle Mariners in 11 innings 8 – 7. The Rays tied their franchise record for total wins, 70. The Rays stayed 3 1/2 games up on Boston.

The Minnesota Twins took sole possession of 1st place with their 7 – 3 win over the KC Royals. Francisco Liriano looked very good again in his 2nd start back from the DL. The Twins are 1/2 game up on the Pale Hose in the AL Central.

Philadelphia Phillies starter Brett Myers did not like being told “boom…Outta Here” by manager Charlie Manual after 7 2/3 strong inning, arguing with his skipper on the mound and in the dugout during the Phillies 4 – 2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. All seemed calm after the game from all parties.

The New York Mets used huge rookie contributions to stay within 1 game of NL East leaders, the Philadelphia Phillies. Mets outfielder Daniel Murphy ( pinch hit 2 run HR) and starter Brian Stokes (5 2/3 innings, 6 Ks) helped the Mets to the 8 – 6 win over the Florida Marlins.

The St Louis Cardinals playoff hopes got a slight bit brighter with their 12 – 3 win over the NL Central leading Chicago Cubs. Troy Glauss, who was previously hitless against the Cubbies, hit 2 HRs and had 5 RBIs. St Louis’ win puts them 6 games behind the Cubs.

The Milwaukee Brewers gained a game in the standings by beating the Washington Nationals 6 -0. The win marks the 1st time since 1992 that the Brewers has back to back complete game shutouts by their pitching staff. The Brewers are now 4 games behind the Cubs.

The Arizona Diamondback’s playoff push may have taken a monstrous blow Saturday. 2nd Baseman Orlando Hudson broke his wrist attempting a tag. Hudson could be gone for the year. The Atlanta Braves used a 7 run 6th inning to top the D-Backs 11 – 4.

The Los Angeles Dodgers missed a golden opportunity to take sole possession of 1st place in the NL West Saturday, losing to the San Francisco Giants 3 – 2 in 10 innings. Jeff Kent gave the Dodgers the lead with a solo HR in the top of the 10th. Captain Fake Tan aka Jonathan Broxton quickly blew that lead when he had a wild throw home on a squibber, loaded the bases and allowed a line drive through the drawn in infield for a blown save. Manny “I Love LA” Ramirez had 3 more hits for the Dodgers. The win came on the Giants 50th Anniversary in San Francisco which Barry Bonds attended.

Michael Phelps won, what is likely the 1st of many Gold Medals setting a blazing world record of 4:03.84 in the 400M Individual Medley (IM consists of all 4 swimming strokes, freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly).

The Men’s Volleyball team overcomes shock and sadness to win their 1st match of the Olympics.

Dara Torres became the oldest competitor in Olympic swimming to win a medal, when at age 41, the US 4×100 freestyle team took home silver. Torres won her 10th Olympic Medal in her 5th Olympic competition.

US sprinter Tyson Gay feels good in 1st full workout in Beijing.

Denver Broncos linebacker Louis Green was carted off the field in a violent collision in the 1st quarter of Denver’s 19 – 16 loss to the Houston Texans.

Multi-year Multi-Million dollar RB Ryan Gran has a hamstring injury that is causing concern for the Packers.

Brett Favre was a huge hit in his 1st practice with the Jets.

Sports Vortex guest Paul Kuharsky has a nice story on David Garrard and his 1st full off season as starting QB.

The Los Angeles Lakers signed their 2nd round draft pick Sun Yue, who is currently playing for the Chinese Olympic Basketball Team.

Saturday Morning Quick Hitters

Mark Buehrle stymied the Boston Red Sox for 7 innings, and Carlos Quentin added an insurance HR in the 8th to beat the Red Sox 5 – 3.

The Tampa Bay Rays moved 3 1/2 games up on the Red Sox by beating the Seattle Mariners 5 -3. Carlos Pena went 2 -3 with 2 RBIs to lead the Rays to victory.

The California Angels used a 17 hit barrage to nail the New York Yankees 10 – 5. Ian Kennedy looked as dismal as ever giving up 5 earned runs in just 2 innings of work. Torii Hunter continued his blazing year at the plate, going 4 – 5 with 4 RBIs.

Chipper Jones returned to the Atlanta Braves lineup Friday, and immediately brought his team a victory. Chipper went 2 – 4 with a HR and 2 RBIs in Atlanta’s 11 -6 win over Arizona.

Brad Penny returned to the LA Dodgers rotation Friday and looked like the Opening Day starter the Dodgers expected. Penny went 5 inning only giving up 1 hit on the way to leading the Dodgers to a 6 -2 win over the San Francisco Giants. With the win, the Dodgers are only 1/2 game back of the Arizona Diamonbacks for the NL West lead.

Former St Louis Cardinal Jim Edmonds, was a 1 man wrecking crew on his former team Friday. Edmonds hit 2 HRs and Henry Blanco singled home the winning run in the 11th inning, helping the Chicago Cubs to a 3 – 2 win over the St Louis Cardinals.

CC Sabathia was on his game again, throwing a complete game, 5 hit shutout against the listless Washington Nationals. Sabathia struck out 9 in the 80’s Old School Pinstripes, to lead the Brew Crew to a 5 – 0 win over the Nats. The Brewers stayed 5 games back of the Cubs.

The Minnesota Twins kept pace with the White Sox, beating the Kansas City Royals 4 -1. Kevin Slowey 5 2/3 innings and the Twins bullpen held it the rest of the way for the win. In other Twins news, Michael Cuddyer is possibly lost for the season, as he was hit in the foot by a line drive while he was leading off first.

The Philadelphia Phillies wasted a gem from newly acquired Joe Blanton, losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 2 – 0. The Pirates used a bevy of pitchers and survived 2 walks by former Red Sox reliever Craig Hansen, in the 12 inning to secure the win. The Phillies have now gone 23 innings without scoring a run.

The New York Mets moved to within 1 game of the Phils, beating the Florida Marlins 3 – 0 Friday. Carlos Delgado and David Wright homered in the win.

The Atlanta Hawks didn’t waste much time deciding whether to keep Josh Smith. The Hawks kept Smith by matching the Grizzlies’ offer of 5 years, $58 million.

76ers center, Jason Smith, suffers ACL injury.

Tony Parker picked as EA Sports NBA Live 09 cover player.

Chad Pennington didn’t stay unemployed for long, signing a 2 year deal with the Miami Dolphins.

The Philadelphia Eagles locked up Brian Westbrook for another 3 years on Friday.

New York Jets tight end AJ Schable left the hospital after a helmet to helmet collision in Thursday’s game against the Browns.

Michael Phelps opened his quest for USA Swimming history by setting an Olympic record in the 400 meter individual medley. Larsen Jensen improved on his 400M freestyle American record

US Women’s Soccer got into the win to take his prelim heat.column, with a victory over Japan 1 – 0.

USA women’s saber fencing takes the 1st medals of the Olympics for The United States.