The Nashville Predators' red-colored-hot energy-play unit got one chance from the Detroit Red-colored Wings making probably the most from it.
Shea Weber obtained two goals late within the third period, including one using the guy advantage, to provide the Potential predators a 4-3 win from the Red-colored Wings on Thursday.
Detroit native David Legwand and Jordin Tootoo also obtained for Nashville in the 4th consecutive victory.
Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Lidstrom obtained for that Red-colored Wings, whose three-game winning streak ended.
"In large moments, you'll need your top gamers to step-up, and Shea walked up inside a huge way today," Nashville coach Craig Trotz stated of his captain. "The Detroit Red-colored Wings, how they happen to be playing, they've been the very best team within the league the final month. They're tough to play against."
Nashville took its only energy play of the overall game with 4:46 residing in the 3rd when Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard was evaluated a connecting penalty on Tootoo. Only 22 seconds following the penalty was known as, Weber's blast previously mentioned the left faceoff circle beat a tested Howard around the glove side.
"Whenever we got that energy play, we understood i was going to need to score because we were not getting a different one,Inch Weber stated. "I was lucky enough to acquire one therefore we used the momentum in the crowd next.Inch
The Potential predators have obtained a energy-play goal in seven consecutive games and therefore are 14-for-43 over their last 13 games.
Weber's wrist shot in the right point just below three minutes later returned while watching internet and ended up by Howard for that eventual champion.
"They were given an excellent bounce there in the finish," Howard stated. "Weber just put a knuckle-puck on internet, it returned right before me and went over my shoulder."
Holmstrom obtained the game's first goal at 5:15 from the opening period.
Using the Red-colored Wings on the energy play, Ian White's shot in the right point deflected off two Potential predators before landing around the edge of Holmstrom's stick just left of Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne. Holmstrom had a simple tap-set for his sixth goal of year.
Legwand came the Potential predators even half way with the first when he collected their own rebound right from the Detroit goal and set it past a diving Howard.
"You want to have fun with charge a bit more,Inch Legwand stated. "We don't wish to need to return in each and every game we play."
Detroit obtained charge with 9:57 to use the 2nd on Zetterberg's energy-play goal. Within the low slot, Todd Bertuzzi found Jiri Hudler within the left circle. Hudler rapidly found Zetterberg around the right side, where he sent a wrist shot right into a virtually open internet.
Before Thursday, Nashville hadn't permitted a energy-play goal in the last five games.
Lidstrom gave Detroit a 3-1 lead with 8:30 left within the second when his slap shot in the left point beat Rinne high towards the glove side.
"It's disappointing, especially getting charge starting the 3rd and using the penalty with under 5 minutes left," Lidstrom stated. "It always stings when you're losing, particularly when you play a division rival that you want to beat."
Nashville clarified with 2:38 remaining at that time on the goal by Tootoo, who converted the rebound of Kevin Klein's shot in the left side.
Tootoo has ten points in the last ten games.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
New youth reporter 'blessed' by opportunity
Throughout her 14 years, ninth-grader Meggie Zahneis has never shied from a challenge and continues to conquer one obstacle after another.
That determination, and a charming personality, has not only given a life without limits, it's opened many doors. And the one she's about to walk through is a really big one.
Meggie, who penned the grand-prize-winning essay last summer in Major League Baseball's Breaking Barriers initiative, will become MLB.com's youth reporter and get to write stories about her hometown Cincinnati Reds and baseball at large.
"I am really blessed and really honored to be a part of something like this. It's a pretty cool feeling," Meggie said just before an assembly in her honor Thursday at the Lakota West Freshman School.
With several dignitaries representing the game, Major League Baseball held a presentation for Meggie to announce her new job featuring Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball icon Jackie Robinson and the founder of the Breaking Barriers program.
As about a dozen media members and MLB staffers entered the auditorium before her classmates, Meggie was poised and didn't shrink under the spotlight. She even embraced Phillips not long after he walked in and the two had an extended private conversation -- although at one point, Meggie couldn't help shouting to her father, "Dad, come meet Brandon Phillips!"
The two had interacted in the past at games or events, but Phillips didn't really meet her until Thursday.
"She said I was so nice to sign her autographs all the time," Phillips said. "There's something about her presence that just makes you want to smile. I feel like I can just sit around and talk with her all day. She's very well-spoken."Florida Marlins Jerseys
Breaking Barriers began in 1997, and each year it has held a contest for students in grades 4-8 to submit an essay about barriers or obstacles they faced, still face or overcame.
Meggie was born with a very rare disorder known as HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2), which causes her to be unable to feel pain, temperature and touch like most people.
"With her disorder, there are not a lot of people that have it," said Meggie's mother, Cindy Zahneis. "So there is no one to look to to see what's going to happen or what's possible. I think she has pretty much exceeded what people thought might be possible."
Meggie is also 100 percent deaf, if not for the aid of her cochlear implants.
"It may not be on a baseball field, but I face many of the same social and emotional barriers that Jackie Robinson did," Meggie's winning essay read. "Every day, I try to make a conscious commitment to focus on the things I CAN do, and not the ones I can't. I like to think I have the determination to forge forward with my strengths and use them to the advantage of not only myself, but of other kids with special needs. It's my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs."
Meggie's essay was one of 10,000 received by Breaking Barriers this year. That large pool was broken down to 100 finalists. Meggie's was the clear winner, according to Robinson.
"First of all, she is a very good writer," Robinson said. "The focus of her essay was on doing what I can do. What she can do is write. It was such a positive essay and a positive spirit that came out, and a great message for kids in general -- and adults. I know adults who have been inspired by her story, as well. It's a message for everybody. Be fearless. Don't let anyone stop you or tell you that you can't do something. Be fearless and move past it. Be the best you can be."
Phillips was also impressed with the essay, especially the part about Meggie focusing her life on what she can do.
"It really inspired me," Phillips said. "It touched my heart and showed me people should look at the world different. You really don't know what people go through."
The grand prize was initially supposed to be a trip to the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, but more opportunities soon came. Robinson and MLB asked Meggie to attend a game at the World Series in Arlington, and that was where she walked into the suite of Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig.
Meggie has a way of making fast friends with people from all walks of life, and this one opened another door for her.
"I've brought a number of kids to the Commissioner's office for the Breaking Barriers contest. He met her very briefly at the All-Star Game, and I knew it wasn't enough," Robinson said. "I said I needed a picture of Meggie and the Commissioner together at the World Series for our program.
"[Selig] just embraced her immediately. What he didn't know was just how strong her knowledge was about baseball. The two of them sat down and fell into this conversation where they were laughing and talking. And they were talking baseball. When he called me, he said, 'I couldn't get her off my mind. She reminds me of [my daughter] Wendy when she was a young girl.' She was that interested in baseball and that knowledgeable."
Meggie impressed Selig in a profound way. With full support of the leadership at MLB.com and in the league office, he knew Meggie should have a meaningful opportunity in baseball. By the end of the World Series, her breakthrough job was in place. Selig personally told Meggie about the offer on a recent conference call that included Robinson. Meggie also will become a special envoy for Breaking Barriers to continue to share her experience and to encourage kids to write their own stories.
"It was a dream come true," Meggie said of the All-Star Game and World Series. "Now to be able to go and do that on a regular basis, I can't even imagine."
"MLB just keeps calling us and it's one thing after another -- getting to do all the things she has, the World Series and now this wonderful opportunity," Cindy Zahneis said. "She loves to write and loves baseball. She's had to struggle in her life with different things, but there have been a lot of positive things to keep her going. And this, obviously, I don't know how it can be topped."
On Thursday, Robinson announced that the Breaking Barriers essay contest was expanding to allow ninth-grade applicants to share their experiences.
Not only did Meggie get her entire school out of class for nearly an hour, her schoolmates can thank her for another bonus. While speaking, Reds chief operating officer Phil Castellini invited the entire school of about 600 students to a game at Great American Ball Park in April.
"The fact that she's from Cincinnati and a Reds fan, this is her accomplishment," Castellini said. "We're just blessed to be along for the ride with her. We're blessed it's our town she is from and she supports our team. This is a day for her, but my thought coming here was, 'Let's make it a special day for the whole school and just make what's she has done all the more the special, because more people will get to enjoy it with her.'"
During the event, Meggie presented Phillips with a special Breaking Barriers jersey with Jackie Robinson's No. 42 on the back.
"Amazing, especially as a Reds fan. I've always been a fan of him," Meggie said of Phillips earlier. "To get to meet him, it's absolutely amazing."
Now she will get to meet and speak with Reds players all season long. The next time, it will be part of her job.
That determination, and a charming personality, has not only given a life without limits, it's opened many doors. And the one she's about to walk through is a really big one.
Meggie, who penned the grand-prize-winning essay last summer in Major League Baseball's Breaking Barriers initiative, will become MLB.com's youth reporter and get to write stories about her hometown Cincinnati Reds and baseball at large.
"I am really blessed and really honored to be a part of something like this. It's a pretty cool feeling," Meggie said just before an assembly in her honor Thursday at the Lakota West Freshman School.
With several dignitaries representing the game, Major League Baseball held a presentation for Meggie to announce her new job featuring Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and Sharon Robinson, the daughter of baseball icon Jackie Robinson and the founder of the Breaking Barriers program.
As about a dozen media members and MLB staffers entered the auditorium before her classmates, Meggie was poised and didn't shrink under the spotlight. She even embraced Phillips not long after he walked in and the two had an extended private conversation -- although at one point, Meggie couldn't help shouting to her father, "Dad, come meet Brandon Phillips!"
The two had interacted in the past at games or events, but Phillips didn't really meet her until Thursday.
"She said I was so nice to sign her autographs all the time," Phillips said. "There's something about her presence that just makes you want to smile. I feel like I can just sit around and talk with her all day. She's very well-spoken."Florida Marlins Jerseys
Breaking Barriers began in 1997, and each year it has held a contest for students in grades 4-8 to submit an essay about barriers or obstacles they faced, still face or overcame.
Meggie was born with a very rare disorder known as HSAN II (Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, type 2), which causes her to be unable to feel pain, temperature and touch like most people.
"With her disorder, there are not a lot of people that have it," said Meggie's mother, Cindy Zahneis. "So there is no one to look to to see what's going to happen or what's possible. I think she has pretty much exceeded what people thought might be possible."
Meggie is also 100 percent deaf, if not for the aid of her cochlear implants.
"It may not be on a baseball field, but I face many of the same social and emotional barriers that Jackie Robinson did," Meggie's winning essay read. "Every day, I try to make a conscious commitment to focus on the things I CAN do, and not the ones I can't. I like to think I have the determination to forge forward with my strengths and use them to the advantage of not only myself, but of other kids with special needs. It's my dream that someday, just like Mr. Robinson paved the way for African-Americans to play baseball, I can pave the way, through my writing, for other kids with special needs."
Meggie's essay was one of 10,000 received by Breaking Barriers this year. That large pool was broken down to 100 finalists. Meggie's was the clear winner, according to Robinson.
"First of all, she is a very good writer," Robinson said. "The focus of her essay was on doing what I can do. What she can do is write. It was such a positive essay and a positive spirit that came out, and a great message for kids in general -- and adults. I know adults who have been inspired by her story, as well. It's a message for everybody. Be fearless. Don't let anyone stop you or tell you that you can't do something. Be fearless and move past it. Be the best you can be."
Phillips was also impressed with the essay, especially the part about Meggie focusing her life on what she can do.
"It really inspired me," Phillips said. "It touched my heart and showed me people should look at the world different. You really don't know what people go through."
The grand prize was initially supposed to be a trip to the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix, but more opportunities soon came. Robinson and MLB asked Meggie to attend a game at the World Series in Arlington, and that was where she walked into the suite of Commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig.
Meggie has a way of making fast friends with people from all walks of life, and this one opened another door for her.
"I've brought a number of kids to the Commissioner's office for the Breaking Barriers contest. He met her very briefly at the All-Star Game, and I knew it wasn't enough," Robinson said. "I said I needed a picture of Meggie and the Commissioner together at the World Series for our program.
"[Selig] just embraced her immediately. What he didn't know was just how strong her knowledge was about baseball. The two of them sat down and fell into this conversation where they were laughing and talking. And they were talking baseball. When he called me, he said, 'I couldn't get her off my mind. She reminds me of [my daughter] Wendy when she was a young girl.' She was that interested in baseball and that knowledgeable."
Meggie impressed Selig in a profound way. With full support of the leadership at MLB.com and in the league office, he knew Meggie should have a meaningful opportunity in baseball. By the end of the World Series, her breakthrough job was in place. Selig personally told Meggie about the offer on a recent conference call that included Robinson. Meggie also will become a special envoy for Breaking Barriers to continue to share her experience and to encourage kids to write their own stories.
"It was a dream come true," Meggie said of the All-Star Game and World Series. "Now to be able to go and do that on a regular basis, I can't even imagine."
"MLB just keeps calling us and it's one thing after another -- getting to do all the things she has, the World Series and now this wonderful opportunity," Cindy Zahneis said. "She loves to write and loves baseball. She's had to struggle in her life with different things, but there have been a lot of positive things to keep her going. And this, obviously, I don't know how it can be topped."
On Thursday, Robinson announced that the Breaking Barriers essay contest was expanding to allow ninth-grade applicants to share their experiences.
Not only did Meggie get her entire school out of class for nearly an hour, her schoolmates can thank her for another bonus. While speaking, Reds chief operating officer Phil Castellini invited the entire school of about 600 students to a game at Great American Ball Park in April.
"The fact that she's from Cincinnati and a Reds fan, this is her accomplishment," Castellini said. "We're just blessed to be along for the ride with her. We're blessed it's our town she is from and she supports our team. This is a day for her, but my thought coming here was, 'Let's make it a special day for the whole school and just make what's she has done all the more the special, because more people will get to enjoy it with her.'"
During the event, Meggie presented Phillips with a special Breaking Barriers jersey with Jackie Robinson's No. 42 on the back.
"Amazing, especially as a Reds fan. I've always been a fan of him," Meggie said of Phillips earlier. "To get to meet him, it's absolutely amazing."
Now she will get to meet and speak with Reds players all season long. The next time, it will be part of her job.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
With a final round of 4-under 68, Ken Duke won the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island and punched his ticket back to the PGA Tour for 2012. Duke won the season finale by two shots over 54-hole leader Scott Brown. Duke went from 36th to seventh on the money list with the win. The top 25 players on the money table earn PGA Tour status for next season. The 42-year-old said his hard work brought him back to the big tour. “I’m older now, but I’ve hired a trainer and have worked very hard to keep up,” said Duke. “I’ve lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of strength in my core. I have a lot more flexibility and hopefully I can keep right on going.” Duke returns to the PGA Tour after playing in 2004 and from ’07-’09, earning three runner-up finishes. Brown finished eighth on the money list, one behind Duke, and earned a tour card as an outstanding consolation prize. “This is an absolute dream come true,” said Brown. “I’m still numb. I’m sure it will come to me later on tonight. The year has been kind of like a rollercoaster….up and down, but the finishes have been up there. I can’t wait to get to that next level and see how I measure up.” J.J. Killeen, twice a winner this season, topped the money list with $414,273 in earnings.
With a final round of 4-under 68, Ken Duke won the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island and punched his ticket back to the PGA Tour for 2012.
Duke won the season finale by two shots over 54-hole leader Scott Brown. Duke went from 36th to seventh on the money list with the win. The top 25 players on the money table earn PGA Tour status for next season.
The 42-year-old said his hard work brought him back to the big tour.
“I’m older now, but I’ve hired a trainer and have worked very hard to keep up,” said Duke. “I’ve lost a lot of weight and gained a lot of strength in my core. wholesale jerseys I have a lot more flexibility and hopefully I can keep right on going.”
Duke returns to the PGA Tour after playing in 2004 and from ’07-’09, earning three runner-up finishes.
Brown finished eighth on the money list, one behind Duke, and earned a tour card as an outstanding consolation prize.
“This is an absolute dream come true,” said Brown. “I’m still numb. I’m sure it will come to me later on tonight. The year has been kind of like a rollercoaster….up and down, but the finishes have been up there. I can’t wait to get to that next level and see how I measure up.”
J.J. Killeen, twice a winner this season, topped the money list with $414,273 in earnings.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Red Sox and Braves Complete Historic Collapses, Miss Playoffs
The Boston Red Sox completed their September collapse in horrific and historic fashion, falling out of the playoff chase by allowing two ninth-inning runs in a 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night.
The Red Sox held a nine-game lead in the AL wild-card race after Sept. 3, but a 7-19 swoon left them tied with Tampa Bay entering the final day of the regular season.
Only minutes after this game ended, the Rays completed their comeback from a 7-0 deficit with an 8-7 win over the New York Yankees in 12 innings.
Even if Tampa Bay lost, the Red Sox faced the prospect of a quick turnaround following a long night at Camden Yards that included a rain delay of 1 hour, 26 minutes in the middle of the seventh inning.
When the rain came, Tampa Bay trailed 7-0. By the time play resumed, the Rays and Yankees were tied at 7 heading into the 10th inning.
The Orioles won the game in the ninth against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon (4-1), who struck out the first two batters before giving up a double to Chris Davis.
Nolan Reimold followed with a double to score pinch-runner Kyle Hudson, and Robert Andino completed the comeback with a single to left that Carl Crawford couldn’t glove.
Boston became the first team to miss the postseason after leading by as many as nine games for a playoff spot entering September, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Jim Johnson (6-5) worked the ninth for Baltimore.
On the National League side in Houston, Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball’s greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.
The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.
St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 101/2 games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games.
The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff cheap jerseys shop matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee.
Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge.
“We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it,” Carpenter said. “People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it.”
The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez’s weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta.
“It was exciting, there’s no doubt about it,” Carpenter said. “The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up.”
The Red Sox held a nine-game lead in the AL wild-card race after Sept. 3, but a 7-19 swoon left them tied with Tampa Bay entering the final day of the regular season.
Only minutes after this game ended, the Rays completed their comeback from a 7-0 deficit with an 8-7 win over the New York Yankees in 12 innings.
Even if Tampa Bay lost, the Red Sox faced the prospect of a quick turnaround following a long night at Camden Yards that included a rain delay of 1 hour, 26 minutes in the middle of the seventh inning.
When the rain came, Tampa Bay trailed 7-0. By the time play resumed, the Rays and Yankees were tied at 7 heading into the 10th inning.
The Orioles won the game in the ninth against Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon (4-1), who struck out the first two batters before giving up a double to Chris Davis.
Nolan Reimold followed with a double to score pinch-runner Kyle Hudson, and Robert Andino completed the comeback with a single to left that Carl Crawford couldn’t glove.
Boston became the first team to miss the postseason after leading by as many as nine games for a playoff spot entering September, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Jim Johnson (6-5) worked the ninth for Baltimore.
On the National League side in Houston, Chris Carpenter and the St. Louis Cardinals completed one of baseball’s greatest comebacks, clinching the NL wild card Wednesday night with an 8-0 win over Houston and a later loss by Atlanta.
The Cardinals got their playoff spot when the Braves fell to Philadelphia 4-3 in 13 innings.
St. Louis trailed Atlanta by 101/2 games on Aug. 25. The Cardinals won 23 of their last 31 games.
The Cardinals will open the postseason on Saturday at NL East champion Philadelphia. In the other NL playoff cheap jerseys shop matchup, Arizona visits Milwaukee.
Carpenter (11-9) struck out 11 and allowed two hits in his 15th career complete-game shutout as St. Louis kept up its improbable September charge.
“We had nothing to lose. We were already out of it,” Carpenter said. “People were telling us we were done. We decided to go out and play and not embarrass ourselves and do what we can. We played ourselves back into it.”
The Cardinals poured onto the field after Carpenter fielded J.D. Martinez’s weak grounder for the final out. The celebration was brief and muted, as the team raced into the clubhouse to watch the end of the game in Atlanta.
“It was exciting, there’s no doubt about it,” Carpenter said. “The way these guys have played the past month and a half has been amazing, every single night grinding, playing their butts off, not giving up.”
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The New York Yankees can clinch their 16th playoff berth in the last 17 years by winning once in their day-night doubleheader Wednesday vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Yankees reduced their magic number for a postseason berth to 2 with Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Rays. Any combination of Yankees wins and Rays losses totaling two vaults New York into its customary place in the playoffs.The Yankees (93-60) also have a magic number of 3 for clinching the American League East Division. If they sweep the doubleheader and Boston mlb jerseys cheap (88-67) loses to Baltimore, they clinch the division.The Red Sox are two games ahead of the Rays (85-68) in the race for the AL wild card but just one game in the loss column.On the fringe of the wild card race are the Los Angeles Angels (84-70), who are 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and five games behind the first-place Texas Rangers (89-65) in the AL West. The Rangers have a magic number of 4.In the National League wild card race, the Atlanta Braves (88-67) maintained a 2 1/2-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals (85-69) as both teams won Tuesday. The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants (83-71) lost Tuesday and are 4 1/2 games behind the Braves.The Milwaukee Brewers (91-64) have a magic number of 3 to clinch the NL Central, as do the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-66) to wrap up the NL West.
The Yankees reduced their magic number for a postseason berth to 2 with Tuesday's 5-0 win over the Rays. Any combination of Yankees wins and Rays losses totaling two vaults New York into its customary place in the playoffs.The Yankees (93-60) also have a magic number of 3 for clinching the American League East Division. If they sweep the doubleheader and Boston mlb jerseys cheap (88-67) loses to Baltimore, they clinch the division.The Red Sox are two games ahead of the Rays (85-68) in the race for the AL wild card but just one game in the loss column.On the fringe of the wild card race are the Los Angeles Angels (84-70), who are 3 1/2 games behind the Red Sox and five games behind the first-place Texas Rangers (89-65) in the AL West. The Rangers have a magic number of 4.In the National League wild card race, the Atlanta Braves (88-67) maintained a 2 1/2-game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals (85-69) as both teams won Tuesday. The defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants (83-71) lost Tuesday and are 4 1/2 games behind the Braves.The Milwaukee Brewers (91-64) have a magic number of 3 to clinch the NL Central, as do the Arizona Diamondbacks (89-66) to wrap up the NL West.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Oswalt, Pence lose in return to Houston
In the end, it was more of a housecoming than a homecoming for Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence. Gone were the teammates they used to share. Gone were the fans they used to play in front of. Gone was just about any sign of life that once inhabited Minute Maid Park. The only familiar thing for the two former Astros was the end result: a loss, this time as members of the Phillies, who fell, 5-1, in the first of a three-game series.
Oswalt and Pence each received a healthy ovation from the fans who bothered to show up to watch a Houston team that entered the night with the worst record in the majors. The folks who did turn out covered less than half of the lower bowl of seating at the cozy ballpark (the announced paid attendance was 22,231).
Neither player saw much that he recognized in the place they used to call home. Pence, who was traded to the Phillies on July 29, never started a game with half of the regulars the Astros fielded. Humberto Quintero and Carlos Lee were the only participants who used to play with him or Oswalt on a regular basis, not including pitching coach and former Astros reliever Doug Brocail, who played with both of them in 2008 and '09.
"I probably played with him more than anybody," Oswalt said. "Everybody else is pretty new."
The irony, of course, is that the Astros actually managed to win a game, tallying their 50th victory while handing the Phillies their 50th loss. Oswalt allowed five earned runs in seven innings, although two of them came thanks to defensive miscues.
Both of those runs discount jerseys were scored in the fourth inning, when Raul Ibanez misjudged a routine fly to put runners on the corners with one out. During the next at-bat, Jimmy Rollins and Pete Orr converged on a grounder up the middle and ended up colliding.
Although the miscues were ruled singles by the official scorer, both are plays the Phillies usually make, which means that in normal circumstances, Oswalt would have been out of an inning that started with a leadoff double by J.D. Martinez. Instead, the Astros scored two runs, the second coming on a double by Quintero that gave them a 2-1 lead.
"They bother me a lot," manager Charlie Manuel said of the miscues. "That's kind of what led to us losing. I think they played a big role. I thought we played very sloppy."
Oswalt's biggest mistake came in the fifth, when he hung a curveball to Lee, who dispatched it into the seats in leftfield for a two-run homer that gave the Astros a 4-1 lead. Houston added another run in the seventh, which proved to be more than enough to hand the Phillies their second straight loss.
The Phillies were unable to generate much offense against former teammate Brett Myers (5-13), who allowed six hits and one walk with four strikeouts in eight innings. Their only run came in the second inning, when Ibanez led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Orr.
Pence, who finished 2-for-4, had the only other extra-base hit off of Myers, a double in the first. Oswalt, who had two walks, two strikeouts and hit a batter, fell to 7-9 with a 3.88 ERA.
The Phillies have lost 10 of the last 12 games they have played against the Astros after the All-Star break the last 3 years, including a four-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park last August and a four-game sweep at Minute Maid Park in August 2009. Myers, a former first-round draft pick and top-of-the-rotation starter who never reached his potential in Philadelphia, logged his third straight quality start against the Phillies since leaving the organization after the 2009 season.
"Actually, when you get right down to it, we got outplayed," Manuel said. "We definitely got outplayed."
The Phillies, who fell to 94-50, could have clinched a playoff berth with a victory due to the Cardinals' 6-5 loss to the Pirates. Now, they can clinch with either a victory or a Cardinals loss.
Oswalt and Pence each received a healthy ovation from the fans who bothered to show up to watch a Houston team that entered the night with the worst record in the majors. The folks who did turn out covered less than half of the lower bowl of seating at the cozy ballpark (the announced paid attendance was 22,231).
"I probably played with him more than anybody," Oswalt said. "Everybody else is pretty new."
The irony, of course, is that the Astros actually managed to win a game, tallying their 50th victory while handing the Phillies their 50th loss. Oswalt allowed five earned runs in seven innings, although two of them came thanks to defensive miscues.
Both of those runs discount jerseys were scored in the fourth inning, when Raul Ibanez misjudged a routine fly to put runners on the corners with one out. During the next at-bat, Jimmy Rollins and Pete Orr converged on a grounder up the middle and ended up colliding.
Although the miscues were ruled singles by the official scorer, both are plays the Phillies usually make, which means that in normal circumstances, Oswalt would have been out of an inning that started with a leadoff double by J.D. Martinez. Instead, the Astros scored two runs, the second coming on a double by Quintero that gave them a 2-1 lead.
"They bother me a lot," manager Charlie Manuel said of the miscues. "That's kind of what led to us losing. I think they played a big role. I thought we played very sloppy."
Oswalt's biggest mistake came in the fifth, when he hung a curveball to Lee, who dispatched it into the seats in leftfield for a two-run homer that gave the Astros a 4-1 lead. Houston added another run in the seventh, which proved to be more than enough to hand the Phillies their second straight loss.
The Phillies were unable to generate much offense against former teammate Brett Myers (5-13), who allowed six hits and one walk with four strikeouts in eight innings. Their only run came in the second inning, when Ibanez led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Orr.
Pence, who finished 2-for-4, had the only other extra-base hit off of Myers, a double in the first. Oswalt, who had two walks, two strikeouts and hit a batter, fell to 7-9 with a 3.88 ERA.
The Phillies have lost 10 of the last 12 games they have played against the Astros after the All-Star break the last 3 years, including a four-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park last August and a four-game sweep at Minute Maid Park in August 2009. Myers, a former first-round draft pick and top-of-the-rotation starter who never reached his potential in Philadelphia, logged his third straight quality start against the Phillies since leaving the organization after the 2009 season.
"Actually, when you get right down to it, we got outplayed," Manuel said. "We definitely got outplayed."
The Phillies, who fell to 94-50, could have clinched a playoff berth with a victory due to the Cardinals' 6-5 loss to the Pirates. Now, they can clinch with either a victory or a Cardinals loss.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Ruthless Federer races to Monaco victory
Roger Federer was left waiting until almost midnight to start his US Open fourth round match on Monday, but made up for the delay with a brutal 6-1 6-2 6-0 win over Argentine Juan Monaco to reach the quarter-finals.
The five-time champion took the first set in 18 minutes and barely slowed down after that as the third-seeded Swiss eliminated his unseeded opponent in just 82 minutes under the Arthur Ashe Stadium court floodlights.
The lightning-quick win, which came as rain clouds gathered and mist filled the air at the National Tennis Center, marked the Swiss master's 30th successive trip to the quarter-finals of a grand slam event, dating back to the 2004 French Open.
The 16-time major champion advanced to a mouth-watering clash against 11th seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who rallied to overcome eight-seeded American Mardy Fish in five sets earlier in the day.
The five-time champion took the first set in 18 minutes and barely slowed down after that as the third-seeded Swiss eliminated his unseeded opponent in just 82 minutes under the Arthur Ashe Stadium court floodlights.
The lightning-quick win, which came as rain clouds gathered and mist filled the air at the National Tennis Center, marked the Swiss master's 30th successive trip to the quarter-finals of a grand slam event, dating back to the 2004 French Open.
The 16-time major champion advanced to a mouth-watering clash against 11th seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who rallied to overcome eight-seeded American Mardy Fish in five sets earlier in the day.
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