And we are BACK, with your all-purpose* guide to the weekend in MLB action.
*Single-purpose, really. It's super limited in function. You can only read it.
10. no. 2 UNC vs. no. 3 Virginia (Friday, 8 p.m. and Saturday, 2 p.m., ESPN3)
Whoa! Super controversial start! Who is this guy? He must think way outside the box to be including a college baseball game in a post specifically dedicated to MLB. What a challenging artistic choice! I imagine people will have split reactions, but it'll definitely get them talking!
OK, this is here because college baseball gets zero attention, and this is a great series. UNC is 46-7 and UVA is 44-8. Both teams have gaudy statistics; the lowest batting average among UNC's top nine hitters is .278, while the Cavs aren't far behind. But the real attraction here is Carolina's pitching staff, which boasts a 2.50 ERA. Benton Moss and Hobbs Johnson are the starters for the weekend, and we could see both in the bigs someday soon. Anyway, if you're ever going to watch a college baseball game before the College World Series, this is a good start. And I swear, the fact that I'll be at one or both games has nothing to do with why I included it here. (Lies.)
By Spike Friedman at
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
In case you were out looking at buffalo and thanking the heavens that you never had to actually traverse the Oregon Trail by wagon, here's what you missed in sports on Tuesday:
Paul George and the Indiana Pacers remained red hot at home as they pushed the New York Knicks to the brink of elimination with a 93-82 win. This battle of the second- and third-best teams in the Eastern Conference has now tilted firmly in favor of Indiana, which has New York residents stunned. "This was our year," said Daniel Czaplinski of Woodside. "We at least had to make it to the Heat. The Pacers? Gimme a break. Who the heck are they?" When asked if he had seen the Pacers play at all this season, Czaplinski said, "Yeah, they had that Zeller kid, and Oladipo. Not sure what happened to them, but Melo shouldn't be letting this George Paul guy take over. This is an abomination and all these bums should be fired."
The Spurs grabbed a pivotal Game 5 win in the friendly confines of San Antonio, beating the Golden State Warriors, 109-91, behind 25 points and 10 assists from Tony Parker. Parker, a noted French person from Belgium, was quietly finishing off a pack of Gauloises after the game before he mused about the idea of a falcon he had in his mind. "You know, bird that does not exist, your ability to fly is less impressive to some because of your lack of corporeal form. But to me, nonexistent falcon I just named Tweet-Tweet, you are more impressive, as you at least know you do not exist, where as real falcons contend daily with the illusion of reality." After a brief pause when Tweet-Tweet likely asked Parker for his last Gauloise, as Parker dropped one onto the ground next to him, Parker added, "And that is how I defeat the Warriors. They expect me to move at speeds, or to distribute the basketball. But that's all the secondary creative act. The original creative act was forgetting my own creation. Here, let me imagine a treatise for you to read." Unfortunately, Tweet-Tweet does not read French, and used Parker's imaginary philosophical text as bedding for his imaginary nest.
The baseball season is a long and lonely road. To preserve his sanity, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter keeps a diary. These are excerpts from The Captain's private journal.
Monday, April 1: vs. Red Sox, Opening Day
Opening Day. At the Stadium. Versus the Red Sox.
CC on the mound. Pettitte in the dugout. Mo in the bullpen.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
Matt Kenseth managed to avoid a 25-car pileup on his way to earning a Sprint Cup victory at Talladega Superspeedway. Kyle Busch, car No. 25 in the pileup, later admitted that he drove in mostly because he "wanted to see what it was like." The only non-car in the pileup, Rex Ryan, said he heard there were free pastries.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Wednesday.
The NFL and the referee union released a joint statement last night announcing they had reached an agreement to end the lockout. Unfortunately, this probably means that troubled ex-Charger Ryan Leaf is now out of a job as a Division III line judge.
The baseball season is a long and lonely road. To preserve his sanity, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter keeps a diary. These are excerpts from The Captain's private journal.
Now that the All-Star Game is in the rearview mirror, I guess it's safe to tell the truth: Any player who's already been to more than one of those things would rather have a couple extra days of vacation than have to show up for it. Except me, naturally — it's always a huge honor to be selected and to play alongside the best in the league, especially now that we're out there battling for home-field advantage. I'm not going to be one of those ingrates who complains about how he could be in St. Barts, or Bora Bora, or recharging his batteries at his 30,000-square-foot compound in Florida. Playing baseball for a living is a blessing, and it would be crazy not to appreciate every single bonus moment of competition you're lucky enough to have the fans impose on you while most of your teammates were left home to nurse their sore hammies or strained obliques so that they can come out of the gate strong for the second half. You have to savor those extra innings you're asked to play in the sweltering mid-July heat, for a manager you're probably going to face for the pennant. It's a great gift every time. Especially when you're a veteran who doesn't know how many more chances you might get to re-experience something you've done 13 or so times before.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Tuesday.
It's official. The Knicks announced Tuesday night that they won't match Houston's offer for point guard Jeremy Lin. "I have a feeling if we play hard to get, ole Mr. Lon is gonna come crawling right back to Big Daddy Jim," said Knicks owner James Dolan, mispronouncing Lin's last name hours after the guard tweeted that he was excited to join the Rockets.
Here are the most compelling matchups, stories, and personalities in Major League Baseball for the coming weekend.
The extended All-Star break is officially the worst development in American sports. What am I supposed to do with my life? Actually go outside? No thanks. The only time I want to go outside is if there's an outdoor TV showing baseball. And even then, why not bring the TV inside where there are chips? Baseball players are selfish and should be forced to play tripleheaders for the rest of the season.
Here are the most alluring matchups, stories, and personalities for the coming weekend.
10. Warm-Weather Sabathia, Friday (NYY-DET)
Like a bear slowly shaking off the cobwebs of hibernation, CC Sabathia usually needs a couple months to find his groove. From 2009 to 2011, his ERA was 3.30 in April and 3.69 in May before dropping to 3.03 and 2.60 in June and July. This year has essentially followed form; despite a 6-2 record, his ERA sits at 3.66. But this is the time of year when things start to change, and with the calendar flipping to June, Yankees fans can start to expect vintage CC to wake up.
9.The Weird AL East — Rays vs. Orioles, Jays vs. Red Sox
I know we're risking the East Coast bias tag right now, but any time all five teams in a division are above .500, it's newsworthy. On paper, these two matchups look like pretenders vs. powerhouses. If the Rays and Red Sox sweep or win two of three, it might be the start of a process that finds the Jays and Orioles (losers of five straight) falling back to what we all secretly believe is their rightful place. These are the legitimacy challenges they have to pass in order to earn anyone's belief.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Thursday.
On a night when Kobe Bryant was hampered with a stomach issue, Ty Lawson scored 32 points and the Nuggets forced a Game 7 with a 113-96 win over the Lakers. "It sucks when you're sick for a big playoff game, doesn't it?" said Michael Jordan, in a really sarcastic phone call to Bryant. "So hard to play well. So hard to win. Hey, good luck man. Good luck with everything. Jordan out."
By Jonah Keri at
Rick Osentoski/US Presswire Peter G. Aiken/US Presswire
Recovered from a bout of stomach flu ebola and a cross-country move with tyrannical toddlers long enough to jot down a few thoughts on the Yankees' rotation makeover.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday.
With his team poised to kick a game-winning field goal, Chargers QB Philip Rivers fumbled a snap that allowed the Chiefs to recover and send the game into overtime, where they won 23-20. Both teams are now 4-3, but boast a perfect 7-0 record in terms of being vaguely depressing.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday.
Justin Verlander lasted eight innings and Jose Valverde backed up his victory guarantee with a difficult save as Detroit beat the Yankees 5-4 to go up 2-1 in the series. According to this normalized strike zone plot, home plate umpire Gerry Davis gave Detroit 11 bogus strikes to the Yankees' four, and deprived Detroit of four legitimate strikes to the Yankees' eight, for an incredible Tiger bias of +11. "Don't come running to me," said a perfectly capable robot, sipping a pina colada on an exotic beach. "Enjoy your human element."
They can pretend otherwise, but the Yankees are desperate. The continuation of their season depends on winning a single game, and, fate being what it is, they'll have to do it against the best pitcher in baseball.
On the final day of the regular season, this Yankee fan prayed for a Texas loss. If the Rangers fell to the Angels, it would put them in a tie with Detroit, and the Yankees would play Texas in the first round by virtue of the tiebreaker. Instead, the Rangers scored two runs in the top of the ninth and beat the Angels in a game that was largely ignored amid the chaotic collapses of the Red Sox and Braves. It meant the Yankees got Detroit and Justin Verlander. Disaster.
