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6199. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 10/18/2008 12:09:01 AM What a nice surprise this morning to feel resurrected after going to bed condemned to relive the frustrations of the old days. 6200. wabbit - 10/18/2008 1:04:28 AM You betcha!
she says resignedly… 6201. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 10/20/2008 5:52:57 AM From worst to first--good for them! 6202. wabbit - 10/20/2008 2:37:57 PM  Carl Crawford and the Rays beat the defending World Series champion Red Sox in a tight, well-played Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, capping an incredible worst-to-first season with a 3-1 win that was, in many ways, a perfect and fitting finish to their season. With the win, the Rays go from a team that, before this season, averaged 97 losses a year for the first 10 years of its existence to hosts of Game 1 of the World Series here on Wednesday night. If they get past the National League champion Phillies to win the Series -- and, at this point in their incredible journey, no smart person would bet against them -- they'd be the first team ever to go from last place to a World Series title the next season.
Now, the Rays have a couple of days off to regroup and ready themselves for their unexpected trip to the World Series. A lot of people, even before this season, expected the Rays to compete this year. But few, pressed further, expected them to win 97 games and the AL East, to make the playoffs and to beat the defending World Series champs.
The Phillies, the losingest team in pro sports history with only one championship to their name, vs. the Rays, sad sacks since joining the majors with Arizona in 1998 with the worst record in baseball last year. I'm hoping the WS will be as good as the ACLS was.
MLB news
6203. OhioSTOPAS - 10/21/2008 1:29:20 AM (sob)
6204. jexster - 10/21/2008 1:31:23 AM Don't you have some precincts to canvass? 6205. jexster - 10/21/2008 1:31:48 AM GO PHILLIES
GO FLYERS
6206. OhioSTOPAS - 10/21/2008 1:42:23 AM We'll get our revenge when the Rays' young players have been in the league long enough to be eligible for free agency. 6207. jexster - 10/21/2008 4:56:40 AM Congrats Cutie
Lincecum wins big award
The Players Association announced this morning that Tim Lincecum was voted by his peers as the National League's Outstanding Pitcher, beating out fellow finalists CC Sabathia of the Brewers and Brandon Webb of the Diamondbacks.
You can see the official announcement and interview with Lincecum here.
This is a big honor for which Lincecum should be proud. However, it should not necessarily be viewed as a precursor to the Cy Young Award. As we all know, players and writers do not always think alike. For what it's worth, two Cy Young voters came up to me at the NLCS and said they voted for Tim. 6208. wonkers2 - 10/26/2008 2:00:51 AM Hydroptere 6209. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:16:26 PM 
The two-day Breeders' Cup festival, which encompassed a record 14 races for the first time. Nine were contested on Saturday and the day's results highlighted the international flavor of the event. In addition to the Classic and Juvenile Turf, Europeans won the Turf, Mile on turf, and the inaugural Marathon, which is run on the main track. The Classic lost the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner to injury, and it almost lost its other big draw - defending champion Curlin - to Santa Anita's new synthetic surface. The most radical change to the Breeders' Cup in the last 25 years was tested Friday in five races exclusively for females that opened the two-day, season-ending championships.
The $2 million Ladies' Classic was billed as one of the glamour matchups of this year's Breeders' Cup, pitting the undefeated Zenyatta against Ginger Punch, last year's champion, along with six other quality opponents. It turned into a one-horse show as Zenyatta roared to victory with a scintillating last-to-first sweep to extend her winning streak to nine. Ginger Punch, who won last year at New Jersey's Monmouth Park when it was called the Distaff, was never a factor, finishing sixth. Zenyatta has to be a serious contender for Horse of the Year.
Ventura won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint; Maram won the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf; Stardom Bound captured the $2 million Juvenile Fillies; and Forever Together took the $2 million Filly & Mare Turf.
6210. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:16:43 PM Curlin was upset in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Saturday, demoted to a fourth-place finish behind 13-1 long shot Raven's Pass from Britain. Neither reigning Horse of the Year Curlin nor Raven's Pass had ever raced on a synthetic surface. But Raven's Pass trains on something similar, and European horses used to running on turf often make an easier transition to synthetics. Raven's Pass capped a day of long-shot upsets at the season-ending championships, with European-based horses winning five of nine races. Seven of the winners at Santa Anita were long shots.
Goldikova was particularly dazzling in the Mile, and enabled her trainer, Freddy Head, to become the first person to both ride and train a Breeders' Cup winner. Head rode Miesque to victories in the Mile 1987 and 1988. Midnight Lute became the first two-time winner of the Sprint, and only the eighth horse to win two Breeders' Cup races, joining Bayakoa, Da Hoss, High Chaparral, Lure, Miesque, Ouija Board, and Tiznow. Ireland-bred Conduit won the $3 million Turf by 1 1/2 lengths in an upset. Desert Code, a 36-1 shot, won the $1 million Turf Sprint; Muhannak captured the $500,000 Marathon at 12-1 odds; and Britain-bred gelding Donativum won the $1 million Juvenile Turf under Dettori.
Garrett Gomez was the riding star of the day, doubling his career win total at horse racing's richest weekend, picking up a record four wins, including a record-breaking three Saturday. The 36-year-old Gomez piloted Midshipman (Juvenile), Albertus Maximus (Dirt Mile), Midnight Lute (Sprint) and Ventura (Filly & Mare Sprint) to victory over the sun-splashed track. Bob Baffert won two races, the Sprint with Midnight Lute, and with Midshipman in the Juvenile. Among owners, Darley Stable claimed three victories, with Princess Haya of Jordan sharing in two, including the Classic. 6211. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:17:07 PM  Sergio Garcia picked up his first European win in over three years on his home course Sunday and immediately dedicated the three-shot victory in the Castello Masters to the hospitalized Seve Ballesteros. Garcia closed with a 4-under 67 for a four-day total of 20-under 264 at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo golf course where he has played since childhood and his father is the club professional. Sweden's Peter Hedblom (66) pulled even early but settled for second after a late bogey.
Garcia immediately turned the attention to Ballesteros, who remains in a Madrid hospital following brain surgery Friday to remove a malignant tumor. Ballesteros remains in stable but serious condition in the intensive care unit of the La Paz hospital.
Alexander Noren of Sweden took third after a closing 65 left him at 15-under and five behind Garcia, whose last European win was the 2005 European Masters.
6212. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:17:52 PM  Short-handed but sure-handed, the New England Patriots grabbed another win. Kevin Faulk grasped a 15-yard touchdown pass just inbounds with 3:13 left - holding onto the ball despite being hit by St. Louis linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa - and the Patriots had their go-ahead touchdown with 3:13 left. Deltha O'Neal pulled in another ball on a juggling interception with 1:08 remaining and the Patriots rallied for a 23-16 win Sunday. Inconsistent most of the day without three sidelined running backs, the Patriots (5-2) held on when it mattered most, winning a tight game six days after routing Denver 41-7. The Rams (2-5) played without injured runner Steven Jackson and lost for the first time since Jim Haslett succeeded the fired Scott Linehan after an 0-4 start…
After last year's low-scoring mudfest, the NFL was hoping for some offensive fireworks this time at Wembley Stadium. New Orleans and San Diego delivered. Drew Brees went 30-for-41 for 339 yards and three touchdown passes against his former team to lead the Saints to a 37-32 win over the Chargers, putting New Orleans back at .500 and dropping San Diego to 3-5. The Saints (4-4) held off a late comeback by the Chargers, who came from 37-20 down early in the fourth quarter and were driving for the tying touchdown when linebacker Jonathan Vilma picked off a pass by Philip Rivers with just over a minute to go. Brees took a safety in the final seconds to complete the scoring. Last year, the New York Giants slogged to a 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins in London on a rain-soaked field. This time, 83,226 fans at England's showcase venue witnessed high-scoring, offensive football at its best - with a furious finish to boot…
Brett Favre trudged back to the New York Jets ' sideline after throwing his third interception, this one returned for a touchdown, and the fans let him have it. After struggling all game, Favre connected with Laveranues Coles for a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute left as the Jets escaped with a 28-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The heavily favored Jets (4-3) overcame three interceptions by Favre and an upset-minded Chiefs (1-6) team using its third-string quarterback. Leon Washington returned Steve Weatherford 's punt 37 yards - and even dragged the punter on his back for a few of those yards - to put the Jets in terrific field position at the Chiefs 46…
NFL scores
6213. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:19:02 PM  The Phillies' 10-2 romp over the Tampa Bay Rays gave Philadelphia a 3-1 World Series lead. Howard drove in five runs with two homers and Joe Blanton shut his eyes, swung and became the first pitcher in 34 years to homer in the Series. Come Monday night, the team of 10,000 losses could give title-starved Philadelphia its first champion in any of the four big sports since the NBA's 76ers in 1983. The Phillies' only Series victory came in 1980. Blanton and four relievers combined on a five-hitter, and Jason Werth also homered.
In this campaign season, the Rays resemble a team from a swing-and-miss state. No. 3 hitter Carlos Pena and cleanup man Evan Longoria have combined to go an A-Rod-like 0-for-29 with 15 strikeouts in the Series. Longoria has gone hitless in four straight games for the first time in his big league career.
Cole Hamels will try to close out the Series title on Monday night against Scott Kazmir in a rematch of Game 1 starters. Hamels (4-0) is trying to become the first pitcher to win five postseason starts in one year. Of the 42 teams to take 3-1 World Series leads, 36 have gone on to win the crown. After splitting the first two games in Florida, the Phillies improved to 6-0 at Citizens Bank Park this postseason. That includes a wacky, rain-delayed 5-4 win in Game 3 that ended at 1:47 a.m. Sunday.
MLB news
6214. jexster - 10/27/2008 4:25:11 PM Looks like the Phils take it tonight...they made it past Moyer...next start in the Old Timers Game 6215. wabbit - 10/27/2008 4:36:18 PM I hope Philadelphia survives winning. 6216. wabbit - 10/30/2008 6:04:23 PM  Congratulations to Philadelphia, the Phillies won the World Series and the city didn't burn to the ground!
Almost 50 hours after Game 5 started but was halted by rain, Brad Lidge and the Phillies finished off the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in a bizarre three-inning sprint. Left in limbo by a two-day storm, the losingest team in pro sports seesawed to its first championship since 1980. Once play resumed, Pedro Feliz singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh and Lidge closed out his perfect season to deliver the title Philly craved for so long. Finally, long after Julius Erving led the Sixers to the 1983 NBA title, something to celebrate at Friday's parade.
Cheesesteaks, on the house.
Cole Hamels won a World Series MVP award Wednesday night without throwing a pitch. Only fitting, because he owned October all the way. Hamels made five postseason starts for the Philadelphia Phillies and went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA, a dazzling display of pressure pitching that earned him two treasured trophies. Already the Most Valuable Player of the NL championship series, the lanky lefty duplicated that feat with two terrific starts against Tampa Bay and joined Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt (1980) as the only World Series MVPs in Philadelphia history…
MLB news
6217. jexster - 10/31/2008 3:12:41 AM YEAH PHILLIES!!!!
6218. jexster - 10/31/2008 3:17:07 AM 
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