Tempest Sports Chowdah in a Tea Cup, Come on Irene Edition- Aug 29, 2011

RED SOX: After dealing with 104° heat in Arlington, TX for their four-game series against the Rangers (which the Red Sox won the final three in convincing fashion), the Red Sox headed back to Boston just in time for the approach of Hurricane Irene.



Upon returning to Fenway, not only did they have to deal with forces of nature, but an Oakland A's team that was still smarting from allowing an unprecedented three grand slams in one game to the New York Yankees in last Thursday's 22-9 spanking of Oakland (although the A's took the first two to win the series).



Tim Wakefield continued his futile, almost Groundhog Day-esque quest for 200 wins on Friday night- it did not end well, with A's starter Gio Gonzalez getting plenty of run support in Oakland's 15-5 win.



As bad as that was, Hurricane Irene's approach was of more concern. Although the worst of the storm was expected to move out of the region by Monday and the Red Sox had the day off, Oakland was supposed to play Cleveland that day. With the storm expected to arrive on Sunday, it was decided to play Sunday's game as part of a doubleheader on Saturday.



Jon Lester had to wait out two rain delays in Game 1 to get the 9-3 win, including a 2 hour and 15 min dealy in the 7th. Apparently Game 1 couldn't have been made official after 7 innings because that would've effectively cancelled game 2 according to MLB rules.



For Game 2 of the doubleheader, Erik Bedard gave up his second single of the day before nature once again intervened in the top of the 5th. After another rain delay (the 3rd on the day) play resumed with Alfredo Aceves on the mound going three hitless innings to get credit for the win.



After riding out the remnants of Irene and an off day on Monday, the Red Sox will host the Yankees beginning Tuesday night. The Yankees took two out of three games played against Baltimore in a series that also required some shuffling and rescheduling thanks to Hurricane Irene. Game 1 will feature CC Sabathia (17-7; 2.99 ERA) going up against John Lackey (12-9; 5.98 ERA). First pitch will be at 7:10 ET and the game will be televised on NESN and the MLB Network.



OTHER RED SOX NEWS: The Red Sox sent Ryan Lavarnaway down to Pawtucket this week. The catcher filled in for Big Papi while he missed a week with bursitis, batting .303 and with 3 RBIs over 7 games with Boston. Boston then very briefly called up RHP Scott Atcheson before sending him down to Pawtucket for RHP Micheal Bowden over the weekend. Bowden is 3-3 with a 2.73 ERA for the Paw Sox this season.

Brownwood, TX firefighter Shannon Stone w/son Cooper at fire station- Heather Klein Photo

OTHER MLB NEWS- TEXAS: The Texas Rangers announced plans to erect a statue in honor of Brownwood, TX fireman Shannon Stone who was killed in a fall at Rangers ballpark in Arlington, TX earlier this season while trying to catch a ball tossed up from the field.

The statue will depict Mr. Stone and his six-year-old son Cooper attending a Rangers game. The full-size bronze statue is likely to be located outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.



“We feel that this statue will be a most fitting tribute,” commented Rangers CEO and President Nolan Ryan. “It will not only serve to honor Mr. Stone’s memory but also to recognize Rangers fans and baseball fans everywhere.



“I have discussed the project with Jenny Stone, and she and the Stone family will be involved in the design and creation of the statue.”



Jenny Stone issued the following statement:



“We continue to be appreciative of Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers as we deal with the loss of Shannon. Shannon and Cooper had a special relationship, and we are touched and grateful that it will be memorialized at one of their favorite places. Our hope is that this statue will not be a symbol of our family tragedy but rather a reminder of the importance of a family's love - love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game.”



The Rangers, who will fund the project, are in the early stages of considering sculptors to design and create the statue.

The statue is tentatively titled 'Rangers Fans' and is expected to be completed in time for the 2012 season.



CLEVELAND: Jim Thome arrived back in Cleveland after being placed on waivers by the Minnesota Twins last week. With Tribe DH Travis Hafner out for the season and possibly needing foot surgery, Thome was acquired by the Indians after the Twins went 20 games under .500 and were 16 games out of 1st place before Thome was dealt.



Thome was initially drafted in the 13th round of the 1989 MLB draft and made his debut as a third baseman towards the end of the 1991 season. Thome left for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003 and has since logged time with the White Sox and Dodgers before the Twins signed him to a 1-year deal in 2010.



Earlier this summer, Thome hit career home run #600 with the Twins- that number is now 602. The veteran DH has a .277 batting average in his 20 year MLB career.



BALTIMORE: UMass alum and Cy Young winner Mike Flannigan was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on his Maryland property last week. The Maryland state medical examiner ruled his death a suicide and friends and family said he had seemed despondent over financial issues.



Flannigan started out with Baltimore in the 1975 season winning a Cy Young in 1979 and the World Series in 1983. In 1987, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays where before returning to the O's for the 1991 and 1992 season. The left-hander had a career record of 167-143 and a 3.90 ERA. After retiring, Flannigan worked in the front office in Baltimore before becoming a color commentator on the team's TV network.



NFL: The Patriots might've missed Hurricane Irene with their preseason trip to the Motor City, but they came up empty against the Lions. In a game that was actually less exciting than any of the three rain delays at Fenway, Lions QB Matthew Stafford wetn 12-14 with 200 yards and 2 TDs in Detroit's 34-10 preseason win over New England.



A final preseason game is scheduled for Thursday night this week in which the Pats will take on the NY Giants at Foxboro.

Feisty Sports Chowdah Update For July 8th: Boston Pops- Sox Down Brawltimore in Fenway Slug-Fest; Sun Sets on Yao Ming Dynasty

RED SOX: After moving into sole possession of 1st place with a 10-4 win in the series opener Thursday night, the Red Sox took on the Baltimore Orioles for Game 2 of the 4-game weekend series.

Those of you who thought the fireworks were over and done with after the 4th of July were dead wrong. The Red Sox seemingly had this one put away early thanks to an 8-run offensive outburst in the bottom of the 1st.

But what had everybody talking about this blowout wasn't what happened in the bottom of the 1st as much as it was what happened in the bottom of the 8th. Baltimore starter Zach Britton was long gone and reliever Kevin Gregg was on the mound when he gave up a 1-out RBI triple to PawSox callup Josh Reddick to make it a 10-3 game.

Gregg then threw inside to David Ortiz with one away. Big Papi took exception and walked a few steps out towards the mound before the umpire warned both benches as they started to spill out onto the field. On the very next pitch, Papi flew out to center.

Gregg apparently shouted something to Ortiz and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Mike Estabrook. However, Big Papi either didn't know or didn't care as he charged in from the first base line and started swinging. Gregg stood his ground against the charging DH and swung back, although both big men largely missed their intended targets. First base coach DeMarlo Hale held Papi back while the benches emptied once again, with umpires and managers attempting to separate the players. Personally I hadn't seen anything that freaky since the Pedro Martinez-Don Zimmer battle royale in 2003....the fact that neither Gregg or Ortiz successfully landed a blow just made it even MORE bizzare.

So some 20 minutes later, everything was sorted out and Ortiz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia were tossed from the game along with Gregg and O's reliever Jim Johnson. The inning technically ended was Reddick was called out for abandoning 3rd base, but it took awhile to pull some of the players apart and sort through the ejections [didn't think the Bruins physical play would rub off on the Red Sox like that- NANESB!].

Boston wins by a final more reminiscent of a Ravens-Patriots score- 10-3. Beckett reportedly left Friday night's game with a hyperextended knee after pitching five complete innings and giving up 3 runs, walking two and striking out three.

Saturday's game will have the struggling John Lackey (5-8; 7.47 ERA) go up against the O's Alfredo Simon (1-1; 4.64 ERA) on Saturday night, 7:10 PM ET on NESN.

OTHER SOX NEWS: Another Red Sox player has been named to the 2011 All Star game in Phoenix. 3B Kevin Youkilis will replace the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez after A-Rod announced he would withdraw from the midsummer classic due to a right knee injury.

A-Rod won't be the only Yankee to pull out of the All Star game. Team captain and shortstop Derek Jeter- on the cusp of 3,000 career hits- announced Friday that he would not participate owing to a calf injury. Jeter will be replaced by Tiger's SS Jhony Peralta.

ELSEWHERE IN MLB: A firefighter from Brown County, TX died in a tragic and bizarre accident at Rangers ballpark in Arlington, TX Thursday night. 39 year old Shannon Stone was at the park watching the Texas/Oakland with his 6 year old son Cooper. Outfielder Josh Hamilton fielded a foul ball when he spotted the father and son. Thinking they would appreciate a souvenir, Hamilton tossed the ball their direction, but while trying to catch it, Shannon lost his balance and fell 20 feet, landing on his head. The firefighter would later die from his injuries.

“Red flags go up in your mind because you take things for granted for so long because it doesn’t happen,” Hamilton said. “Then all of a sudden it happens and then you start thinking more about things. “You couldn’t help but think about it, You hope nothing like that happens again.”

Hamilton was back on the field for Friday night's game. The all-star outfielder, who became a born again Christian after a downward spiral of drug addiction and alcohol abuse early on in his career, said he plans on reaching out and contacting the family when they felt it would be appropriate.

The Rangers observes a moment of silence and wore uniforms adorned with a black ribbon as flags at the ballpark flew at half-staff Friday night. In the meantime, the Texas Rangers Community Foundation has set up a memorial fund in Shannon Stone's name.

NBA: Houston Rockets Cener Yao Ming has told team officials that he plans on retiring after several injury-plagued seasons in the NBA. Most recently, the Chinese star was sidelined with tendon problems last year. An uncertain labor outlook also probably provided Ming with disincentive to continue playing in the NBA.

Sports Chowdah Update- Bruins Find Way Past Luongo, Fall in OT; Sox Complete Home Sweep of A's in Lackey's Return

Harry How- Getty Images

STANLEY CUP FINALS: Game two would turn out to be one of those 'good news/bad news' deals. The good news was that not only were the Bruins able to find their way past Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo, but were able to take a 2-1 lead for awhile on Saturday night.

The not-suspended Alexandre Burrows got the Canucks on the board at the 12:12 mark in the 1st, bur Luongo's 5+ period shutout streak came to an end when E. Vancouver-born Milan Lucic got the game tying goal 9 minutes into the second. The Venerable Mark Recchi would then put the B's on top with a power play goal to make it 2-1 Bruins.

However, Vancouver would get the equalizer in the 3rd from the Daniel half of the Sedin brothers to tie things up and eventually force OT. If you blinked, you probably missed the OT as Burrows was chomping at the opportunity to come up with the game-winning goal and exactly that just 11 seconds into the OT and giving the Canucks a formidable 2-0 series lead.

The series shifts to Boston with Game 3 set to get underway at 8PM ET, 5 Pacific from the TD Banknorth Garden. Game 3 will be broadcast on VS and the CBC.


RED SOX: The first two games of the weekend series against Oakland at Fenway were marked with late rallies and ejections, including Papelbon on Saturday after arguing balls and strikes in the top of th 9th after squandering a 4 run lead in Saturday's game (the Sox would go on to win on a JD Drew RBI single in the bottom of the 14th).

Sunday's finale would see John Lackey on the bump fresh from a rehab start in Pawtucket earlier this week while Boston's two main offseason pickups would provide the bulk of the run support for Lackey on Sunday. Carl Crawford belted a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 2nd inning to make it 3-0 Boston. Then, as the A's closed to within a run, 1B Adrian Gonzalez hit a 2-run homer into the Monster seats to make it a 5-2 game.

Lackey would end up going 5 and ⅔ innings and getting the W on Sunday, and Bard closed out the top of the 9th, completing the sweep of Oakland.

The Red Sox next travel to the Bronx to take on the Yankees on Tuesday night with Jon Lester (7-2; 3.94 ERA) going up against Freddy Garcia (4-4; 3.34 ERA). The game will get underway at 7:05 ET on NESN.

Pre Good Friday Sports Chowdah- Red Sox Bats Looking A-OK in 1st Road Win; Price is Wrong for Habs in Game 2; C's Survive Another Close Shave w/Knicks

RED SOX: After an impressive Patriot's Day rebound by Daisuke Matsuzaka in which he cut his ERA in half by going 7 innings & giving up one hit in Boston's 9-1 win against the Blue Jays, the Red Sox headed out west to Oakland.

The first game ended up with the Sox getting shut out 5-0 with Lackey allowing 1 run in six innings of work and the A's exploding for 4 more in the bottom of the 8th.

However, the Sox bounced back on the Wednesday day game. Although former Sox outfielder Coco Crisp put Oakland on the board first with a solo homer right out of the gate off of Clay Buchholz. Carl Crawford put the Sox on the board with a 2-out RBI single in the 2nd inning and Youkilis, JD Drew and Jed Lowrie homered to pad the Red Sox lead by a 5-1 margin. The A's would get a one back in the bottom of the 8th, but after giving up a 1-out Landon Powell RBI single in the bottom of the 9th Papelbon managed to get the next 2 batters to pop out for a 5-3 Boston win.

After the atrocious start, the Red Sox have won four out of their last five games- yesterday's win against the A's is their first road win of the season.

The Red Sox will head south to Orange County to take on the Angels tonight, with Josh Beckett (1.80 ERA; 2-1) going up against Tyler Chatwood (3.75 ERA; 1-1). First pitch is at 10:05 Eastern, 7:05 Pacific.

OTHER MLB NEWS: Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the league was stepping in to take control of the day to day operations of the LA Dodgers, citing uncertainty over owner Frank McCourt's uncertain financial situation and ongoing divorce proceedings.

McCourt released a statement saying that the Dodgers were in compliance with MLB financial guidelines.

MacCallum/Getty images

NHL: Unable to win at home, the Bruins instead got one on the road in Montreal Monday night. The Bruins got off to a 2-0 lead with goals from David Krejci and Nathan Horton in the first period, and after a Rich Peverly tally two minutes into the second, Montreal's Andrei Kostitsyn would get one past Tim Thomas to make it a 3-1 game heading into the 2nd intermission.

Montreal would make it a one goal game early in the 3rd with a Tomas Plekanec goal about 7 minutes in. However, after the Habs pulled netminder Carey Price with time running out in regulation, Boston's Chris Kelly would get an empty-netter to ice the game for the B's by a 4-2 final.

Kelly's empty-netter came after he was knocked down and hit his face on the goalpost earlier. He remained down for several minutes, but was kept in the game. While the team was staying in Lake Placid, NY prior to Game 4, Kelly was sent back to Boston to be examined for any facial fractures (although he is expected to be on the ice for Game 4 tonight).

Montreal still holds a 2-1 series lead, but the Bruins have the chance to even things up on Thursday night at 7PM ET, 4 PT.

Getty Images

NBA: A little closer than I would've liked, but the Celtics presently hold a 2-0 series lead over the NY Knicks after Tuesday night's game at the Garden. The win comes despite a 40 point effort for the Knick's Carmello Anthony- although Rajon Rondo was no slouch himself with 30 points and 4 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett sank the go-ahead basket with all of 14 seconds remaining in regulation, then managed to steal the ball back from the Knicks with 4 seconds on the clock in the Celtic's 96-93 win over the Knicks.

The series resumes Friday night at Madison Square Garden 7PM ET (4 Pacific) and will be broadcast on ESPN.

Chicken Scratch: Ian Krol Edition

How Obtained:
I pulled this lovely autograph from a Bowman Platinum blaster box at the Huntingdon Wal-Mart.

Cost:
19.95 plus PA tax for the blaster box

Comments:
This is the first autographed card that I've really enjoyed pulling based on the layout of the card design. I love the fact that is was touched by the player to sign it since it's an on card autograph. The other reason I like this card is how the layout design was done as the autograph next to the player really stands out even with the white in the background. Of course the refractor background helps it to stick out as well.

Autograph Laziness:
I can't really make out the first name portion of his autograph as it looks like some kind of Hybrid "S". I'm not really sure how you get "Ian" out of that one? As for the last name portion of his autograph you can easily make out the "K" and the "L". The other letters are "missing in action" (somebody call Chuck Norris).

Sharpie Results:

Cool "Oldie"

1979 Topps Dale Alston #54

Career Statistics:

G	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	R	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
189	332	79	7	4	3	48	35	28	44	.238	.297	.310	71