Making the right choice

Hasheem Thabeet will return for his junior year for the UCONN Huskies. Thabeet was named 2007-2008 NABC National Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Player of the Year. He finished last season ranked no. 3 in the nation in blocked shots, and 2nd on the all time UCONN list behind Emeka Okafor.

Thabeet said “I am excited about the opportunity to stay at UConn and continue the mission that we started this season,” said Thabeet. “I also want to thank my family and close friends for all of their help and support. As a team, we took a step in the right direction this year, but I look forward to us working together to win a BIG EAST Championship and making a run at a national championship. I really enjoy being here, getting a great education and spending time with my friends and teammates.”

THANK YOU THABEET FOR STAYING, BECAUSE I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU PLAY NEXT SEASON!

I do not agree

I do not agree with Hank on this one

Joba Chamberlain should remain in the pen, and not become a starter. He can throw upwards of 100 MPH on his fastball, and when they need one clutch out, that should be the pitcher to go to.

Hank Steinbrenner said "I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now." You may need him there now, but you also need a set-up man for your closer. If you take him out of the pen, and into the rotation, he is at risk of throwing out his arm and ruining his short lived career.

Steinbrenner compares his potential skills to that of Josh Beckett. YOU ARE DEFINITELY WRONG! Their is no way the two even compare. Chamberlain blows playoff games, while Beckett shines and makes a post-season game look like an exhibition. He mows down every hitter he basically faces. He deserved the ALCS MVP. Hank, leave the coaching to management, and leave Joba where he is. Like Paplebon, he has the potential to save 30 games when Rivera goes. Make the right choice, and leave him where his is.

The Sox Keep on Rollin...

I do not want to jinx the Sox, but they are 9-1 in their last 10 games, and are on a win streak of 6. This should not come as a surprise because the Sox have solid pitching and a lights out bullpen. The main surprise is where the offense is coming from. Last night against the Angels it was the top of the line-up that stole the show.

Ellsbury had first inning solo homerun, added another one later in the game, and played gutsy baseball by reaching on a bunt down the first baseline. This performance is what we are going to see for a long time from the leadoff man.

After Ellsbury's performance the second man in the order Dustin Pedrioa finished with four hits, and knocked in the game winning run.

This Sox team is going to be one to remember. I am calling it now, only 22 games into the season and you are looking at the World Series Champions.

Either Ellsbury or Pedrioa is going to win the MVP of both the League, and Championship. For what I can see so far, my guess is going to be Pedrioa will win.

I must admit, last night I did not expect the Sox to win, so I changed the channel and watched Deadliest Catch (which I admit is a great show).

One last thing, without Josh Beckett, the Sox are showing that they can win ballgames no matter who is going to get the start. GO SOX, and good luck to the Celtics, a team that I have not followed all season, and do not want to begin now.


After watching this video, I think we can all agree, Dustin should stick to baseball, and not acting

Ortiz still #1

Here and an article about David Ortiz.

The question around Red Sox Nation is whether or not David Ortiz is going to hit the way that he used to. People should realize that the season is 162 games long, and that Big Papi will get the clutch hits when he needs to.

The fans and journalists need to stop trying to find excuses as to why he is doing so poorly. Jerry Crasnick writes " One theory making the rounds is that Ortiz's surgically reparied right knee has robbed him of his foundation, and made him tentative at the plate." No Jerry it's not the knee. You see, in baseball, players go through something called a slump. Its when they don't get hits, and their performance is subpar. Eventually, they break out of it. Reporters need to write more about the game, and not why players are not doing good. This does not help the situation, it only makes it worse, especially in Boston.

Even with Ortiz doing horrible at the plate, the Sox have options. Its not like they can't rely on Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell. They constanly produce and take pressure off him. People just want him to come to the plate, and always hit a home run. This is not possible. The only way to look it at, is that it's only April and not October, when the new king of clutch comes to the plate.

We all know that Ortiz will finish with an average above .300, and at least 30 home runs. Its just a matter of time before these things happen. Gradually he will skip hitting singles due to the shift, go straight to doubles and then put them into the Monster in left field.

No matter the situation with two out in the bottom of the ninth, there is nothing I would want more than to see the man who single handedly took out the Yankees in the 2004 playoffs.

OLD SSC BASEBALL ROUND UP

Salem State Wins Against UMaine Presque

The Salem State Vikings (14-6) beat the UMaine Presque Owls (2-6) 11-1 Friday, April 4, 2008. Solid pitching, and plenty of offense helped the Vikings to the win.

Starter Josh Jennings got the victory after allowing four hits over five innings. Jennings struck out three batters with his final in the fifth, on a dropped ball by the catcher.

The Vikings scored four runs in the second, and never relinquished the lead. Ryan Kane provided the long ball in the fifth, and scored 2 RBIs. Anthony Palmieri had a pair of doubles, while Matt Mello had a two run single.

The only blunder from SSC came in the seventh inning when pitcher Tim Cooper gave up the Owl’s only run when catcher Jeffery Ramsdell scored. Cooper was also responsible for giving up the only hit from the relief squad.

Head Coach Ken Perrone used a total of 23 players in the game, with four of them coming in for relief of starter Jennings. The Vikings are now ranked No. 8 in New England.

The Vikings have now won five out of their last six games, and have also won 10 of their last 12 games.
Next up for the Vikings is a double-header conference game against Bridgewater State College with first pitch at 12:00 p.m. and 3 p.m. at The Alumni Park in Bridgewater.

My List

Kevin Love (Power Forward/Center): Averages 17.7 points per game, 1.4 bpg, and has a .354 3P%.

Donte Greene (Small Foward/Power Forward): 17.7 ppg, 1.6 bpg, and has a .345 3 P%

Derrick Rose (Point Guard): 14.9 ppg, 0.4 bpg, .337 3P%

Michael Beasley (Foward): Averages 26.2 ppg, 1.6 bpg, and has a .379 3P%

What is this a list of???

To me, it's a list of the dumbest players who are not ready, and need more time in the NCAA. These "guys" think that they are NBA material after thier freshman year. I wish them no luck, and hope they end up like J.J. Redick, who gets mininal time in the pros. No player should declare themselves after only one year at a university. I hope true veterans eat them alive, and make them look as silly as thier decision. ESPECIALLY KEVIN LOVE!

U-C-O-N-N!

U-C-O-N-N, UCONN, UCONN, UCONN!!

UConn star Doug Wiggins asked the college to release him from his scholarship...No, he does not want to enter the draft, he wants to transfer to another school according to ESPN.com Wiggins is a star player from the state, and gets plenty of playing time. It does not make sense to me to leave a university that could potentially win the NCAA tourney in '09. Good luck Doug, but i think its the wrong choice.

As long as the UCONN does not let Thabeet enter, then the team should be fine!

Weekend Sports Review

With the Yankees playing the Red Sox, and the Canadiens playing the Bruins, it is hard to decide where to begin. Since the Bruins are in the playoffs, I'll begin with them. Saturday the B's lost in overtime 3-2 when Alexi Kovalev scored a power-play goal 2:30 into overtime.

Sunday was sort of a deja vu with the Bruins winning in overtime on a Marc Savard goal 2-1

THE RED SOX did end up taking 2-3 from New York losing Friday night as I expected, winning Saturday 4-3 and Sunday on ESPN 8-5. Now the Sox have to travel to Cleveland where the Indians would like nothing more than a sweep. This is the first time that the Sox have played Cleveland in the regualr season since meeting in the ALCS. GO SOX!!!!

Red Sox vs. Yankees Preview...

This weekend marks the beginning of the Red Sox Yankees rivalry for the 2008 season. My guess is the Sox will win 2-3. Buchholz will lose game one, and be chased early due to the pressure. Just because you pitch a no-hitter doesn't mean you can pitch against the always troublesome Yankees line up.

After coming off a loss in Toronto, Beckett will pitch 7 strong while striking out 8 batters. Dice-K will have not trouble against Philip Hughes, and potentially, if Tito lets him, go all nine!

This will put the Sox in 1st place where they will stay for the remainder of the year...HOPEFULLY

Red Sox and More

The Sox are off to a slow start, and find themselves in third place, and one game under .500. This is not something that we all expected from the boys of summer out of the gate. If I was the Sox, or any baseball fan, I would not be worried. However, the season is early, and the standings are:
Having The Baltimore Orioles at 6-1, and on top of the AL East is something that they better savor, because come September they will finish where the Red are now. The Sox had to go to Japan to begin the season, and then to Toronto. This beginning few games to me is unfair for the 2007 World Series Champions.



In other sports news, the Memphis Tigers should not be let back to the college after their historical collapse in the NCAA Men's DI Championship Monday night. Blowing such a high lead with little time remaining is horrible. The coach should go hide, and retire from the game!

To finish off my first post ever, check out this dunk: