Around the Horn, by Casey Mitchell

No-Hitter

Ervin Santana was lights out for all nine innings on Wednesday, with allowing no hits and one run via wild pitch. Santana's no-no was the first solo no-hitter by an Angels pitcher since 1984. He allowed only two people to reach base from a walk and an error. Santana became the third player this year to toss a no hitter. Los Angeles won the game 3-1, and they now hold the record for the most no-hitters in American League history with nine. The Angels have improved to 57-48 this season, and is now only 2 games back of the Rangers for the division lead. The AL West is now an exciting two team race that I am excited to follow.

Streak Snapped

Before Seattle's 17 game losing streak, they were 43-43 and only 2.5 back of the division lead. On Wednesday, the Mariners won their first game since July 5th over the Yankees by a 9-2 margin. Seattle is now sitting at 14.5 games back with a 44-60 record. I know that Mariner fans thought this might be the year, but it just wasn't meant to be. Hopefully they can make some off season moves and compete for a shot in 2012.

Beltran to the Bay

After a victory over the Cincinnati Reds, Carlos Beltran told his teamates in the locker room that he was heading to San Francisco. Beltran has expressed his happiness that he is going to play for a contender this year. this year Beltran is hitting .289 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs. The Giants need a big bat in the lineup along with Pablo Sandoval to compliment their great pitching staff. I'm sure Giants fans are ready to see a little more runs being scored this August.

OWNERS STINK AS GM'S & REPLAY PLEASE by ST

With the lockout settled, the Cowboys cut receiver Roy Williams. Been in the league 7 yrs, had one high caliber season. Dallas owner Jerry Jones who convinced himself he's a quality general manager, pulled the trigger on the deal getting Williams from Detroit in the middle of the 2008 season. They gave up 3 draft picks. I'm constantly amazed by people who have success in one field and think it carries over to another. Jones had success when a brilliant football mind, Jimmy Johnson, was running his franchise. It's been limited since. In case you wondered, they've won a single playoff game since the horses like Aikman and Emmit Smith retired. That's on Jones. As a lifelong New York fan and Dallas hater, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Lot of talk about last night's unsettling ending to Pirates/Braves. 19th inning. Play at the plate. The runner, Julio Lugo was out by a mile but umpire Jerry Meals called him safe. How a pro official could miss this call is obscene. It's why baseball needs replay. Save the purist crap. American society is, in essence based on replay. It's why we don't make an arrest and hang the alleged culprit on the spot. We REVIEW the facts and render a decision. At this point, I find anyone on the other side of this debate a fossil stuck in the moron's paradise! Just as key, Atlanta's stud catcher, Brian McCann went on the DL after a throw to 2nd caused a strained back.
FYI....check out the front page of this website to hear parts one and two of Chip Kelly's segment during yesterday's Pac 12 media day in LA. Enjoy!

Football News, by Casey Mitchell

NFL Lockout

After many days of ups and downs in the NFL Lockout, the owners and the Player Association finally agreed on a 10 year deal. The 4.5 month work stoppage was the longest in the leagues history. Now we can focus on the upcoming football season and free-agency. The Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and the Rams on August 7th was officially canceled, but the pre-season and the regular season schedule has not been altered due to the lockout. Beginning today starting at 10 a.m., teams can start making trades and talking with free agents, but no player can officially sign with a team until Friday at 6 p.m. So until 2021, the National Football League will be full of, well, FOOTBALL! Now that it is all worked out, fans can look forward to some games in about a month.

The Saga Continues?

With Kevin Colb no longer an Eagle, they are in search of a backup QB to Michael Vick. A few names have been tossed around including BRETT FAVRE? That's right, Philidelphia has stated that they would love to get Favre as a backup for one more year. Michael Vick tweeted, "I would be honored to have Favre as my backup." Brett Favre's agent says all this talk is just speculation, but he didn't say Favre has dismissed the possibility of coming back for his 21st season. If he were to come back to the game, a backup to Vick would be the perfect gig. Unless an injury takes place, Favre would probably only come in late game blowouts. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this story.

SO FAR SO GOOD by

So the Pac 12 Media picks Oregon to win the new conference in football. Pretty substantial too. 29 first place votes to 13 for Stanford for the division followed by Washington, Oregon State, Cal & Wazzou. In the South they like USC easily over Arizona State. Utah, Arizona, UCLA and Colorado come next in that order. The Ducks got the edge, 28 to 11 over the Cardinal to win the inagural Pac 12 title game. Now all we have to do is play those pesky games and get this done.
On SportsTalk today, lots of sound from media day.

Ticking Clocks, by Casey Mitchell

Trade Deadline

Trade DeadlineWith the MLB trade deadline approaching, I think it's time to talk about who's going to go where, and if that will be enough. Big names like Jose Reyes have been thrown out there, but the Mets have already stated that they are not going to deal Reyes anytime soon. Colorado's Ubaldo Jimenez has already been offered to the Yankees, but New York didn't like the deal the Rockies were offering. I think the AL East would be a good fit for Jimenez because he is 2-0 with a 3.39 ERA in three career starts against the East. One rumour that has been buzzing around the Bay Area is the possibility of Carlos Beltran joining the Giants. San Francisco is still waiting for last years breakout player, Andres Torres, to get right back into the swing of things. So far Torres is hitting .235 with only 3 big flies. However, Torres in hitting .306 in the month of July and .346 in the last seven days. Among other teams, the Boston Red Sox have also showed interest in Beltran, but the asking price is way to rich for their blood.

In Other News

With the NFL lockout getting closer and closer to being resolved, the Hall of Fame game is right around the corner being only 17 days away. On Wednesday Roger Goodell said "We'll see. It's getting tight." Its going to be a challenge. Both the owners and the Player Association have agreed that they both want to workout at least a 10 year deal.... After 13 majors in 12 years Tiger Woods dismissed his caddie, Steve Williams. Woods hasn't won a major since 2009. He hasn't said who will be his next caddie, or when he will get back to playing golf. Hopefully Woods can go back to his winning ways.

Sporting News, by Casey Mitchell

Duck Preview

With August right around the corner, it's time to get into some Ducks Football. With all of the turmoil surrounding Oregon's recruiting issues, hopefully the upcoming Pac-12 season will over shadow the allegations in Eugene. As most of you know the Ducks open against LSU at Cowboy Stadium on September 3rd. The big question is if the absence of Cliff Harris in the secondary will have the Tigers capitalize on our weak spot. Last season LSU scored only 29.3 points per game but in return gave up only 18.2. If Oregon can get by the Tigers they open up conference play in Tuscon vs. the Arizona Wildcats. The Ducks' goals somewhat change to just win the North division and play for a spot in the Rose Bowl.... That is if they can't get themselves back in the Natty.

14th Inning Stretch

On Sunday I watched the Red Sox and the Rays compete in a 16 inning affair in an AL East showdown. The game was scoreless through 15 innings which was the third longest scoreless game in history. The game was so long that they even had a 14th inning stretch. No joke.It was surprising to me that Tampa Bay was even in the game after they walked 11 people in 15 innings. Dustin Pedroia gave the Sox the go-ahead run in the 16th, and that was all they needed after a 3 up 3 down home half the mighty Rays offense produced.

Ireland Dominance

After Darren Clarke won the British Open, Rory McIlroy tweeted " Northern Ireland... Golf Capital of the World!! " The last three major event have all been won by Northern Ireland natives, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke. Clarke won the Open by 3 strokes over Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson at 5 under. Rory ended the tournament at +7. Once again, it shows that without Tiger in the sport there is no dominating player in golf... Only a dominating country. I guess McIlroy's dad will have to wait another year to cash in on his bet.

ACTUAL SPORTS by ST

It was one of the most confusing weekends I can recall. The focus from the world of sports was SPORTS! What was happening on the pitch, the diamond or the course ruled. No rants against the NFL commissioner, no worrying about who isn't playing in the All Star game or off field nonsense. I know issues outside the scoreboard surfaced(Cedric Benson), but it was about some terrific action and entertainment. I also loved the fact that the relatively secondary sports captured us. Let's face it, prior to 2 weeks ago, how many members of the US Women's soccer team could you have named? Golf fans know Darren Clarke, but the casual fan in this country probably weren't familiar with our new British Open champ. Throw in some outstanding performances in MLB by guys named Daniel Hudson and Josh Reddick and the 'newness' feeling was dynamite!
Just read that Nolan Ryan, current president of the Texas Rangers was rushed to the hospital with heart issues. Gotta send out our best wishes to Mr. Express. Terrific baseball man who is sick and tired of how organizations baby young pitchers. He, along with ESPN's outstanding analyst Orel Hersheiser are pushing to alter this approach from high school on up. Nollie underwent a major bypass procedure about 11 years ago and apparently has a family history of troubled tickers. Enjoy your Monday.

HERE'S TO KEVIN BACON by ST

Don't you just love playing that game about 6 degrees of seperation which for some reason involved actor Kevin Bacon? You mention a guy and try to make a connection within 6 steps. I was thinking of this after the news of the Clemens mistrial and the recent suspension of outstanding ESPN writer Bruce Feldman. Stick with me.
The Clemens proceedings ended because the judge would not allow certain testimony which could lead jurors to find Roger guilty via association with other juicers. In the Feldman case, he was suspended by ESPN for his role in the intriguing book by Mike Leach who was dismissed as Texas Tech football coach. He allegedly mistreated Adam James, the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. Turns out Adam is a typical rich kid, entitlement plan punk. Craig comes off as a helicopter dad, always hovering, trying to get in the coaches ear to get his mediocre(at best) son some playing time. I'm sure coaches at all levels are just dying to get mom & dad's input on how to do their jobs. I'm calling out James using my guilt by association theory. He was one of the top guns at SMU when the Mustang players were getting wads of cash & perks which eventually led to the NCAA doling out the death penalty. Turns out Feldman has been reinstated by ESPN, but shame on them regardless. This was a complete and total disgrace!

The Sizzling Central, by Casey Mitchell

What is shaping up to be the best divisional race in baseball is the race in the NL Central with St. Louis, Milwaukee, Cincinatti, and even the Pirates are in it! All four teams are separated by only four games. With a share of the division lead, the Brewers made a big move on Tuesday to get Francisco Rodriguez from the Mets. This season K-Rod, who is only 29, has 23 saves with a 3.16 ERA. Rodriguez will probably be used as a setup man for the Brew Crew because they already have a very good closer in John Axford. As for the Cardinals, Albert Pujols is batting .300 since coming off the DL and is now hitting .280 with 18 homers and 50 RBIs. They will be tested the next couple of weeks with 5 of their next 6 series' are against division opponents. If you would have told me five months ago that the Pirates would be one game back at the All-Star break, I would have told you that you were going loco! I mean, come on, the Bucs. Really? Their schedule gets pretty tough soon so we'll see if they fade or not. However, they do have the 5th best team ERA in the National League at 3.44. When it's all said and done, i do think that the Red Birds will win the division thanks to the power of Pujols, and the resurgent Lance Berkman. I'm looking forward to following another great second half of baseball.

After Seth Meyers was done cracking jokes about Brian Wilson's beard and how the Heat didn't show up, I found the ESPYS to be a very enjoyable award show. I think Dallas was obviously the best team this year. One result I didn't agree with was Jimmer Fredette winning the Male College Athlete when it was hands down Cam Newton who should have won the award. Other than that I think the voters got it all right.

TEAM USA AND A NUTTY STEELER by ST

Just watched the American women finish off France 3-1. The game saver from Saturday, Abby Wambach knocked in a header to make it 2-1 late, then the youngest player on the squad, Alex Morgan made a sweet run & goal to ice it. Team USA is vying to become the 1st team ever to lose a match and win the Women's World Cup. I'm guessing ESPN is having a new poll and this will replace Christian Laetner's catch and shoot to beat Kentucky as the 10th most dramatic moment in sports history.
I read the piece about the Steelers James Harrison rant in the magazine "Men's Journal". Tore into the commissioner, ripped his quarterback, top running back then of course, backed off and said the reporter twisted his words. Right! I could care less what this clown thinks but I love when these guys put their ignorance on display. Harrison called Roger Goodell a puppet and a dictator. Yo! Dude! Pick one. Can't have both. Guess he failed both sociology and history at Kent State. And of course to cement the fact he's a witless child, had to throw in the gay slur.
Back in the day(when exactly is that?), Joe Namath wrote a book titled "I Can't Wait Till Tomorrow Cause I Get Better Looking Every Day". Well, I'm looking forward to Thursday so we can get a full slate of major league baseball and the start of the British Open. Yay!

A Giant Story, by Casey Mitchell

At the end of last year a lot of people thought that the Giants pitching staff couldn't be any better and their hitting couldn't be any worse.... Well, those people are wrong. At the All-Star break last year San Francisco had a team batting average of .254 and a team ERA of 3.59, this year their batting average is .243 and their ERA is 3.19. In 2011 the Giants are sending Brain Wilson, Matt Cain, Pablo Sandoval, Tim Lincecum, and Ryan Vogelsong to Arizona for the All-Star Game. That's five people compared to sending only two people last year ( Tim Lincecum and Brian Wilson). After being drafted in 1998 and spending three years in Japan, an injury to Barry Zito landed Vogelsong a spot on the Giants starting rotation. In 2010 Vogelsong admitted he was ready to call it quits, and he thought he would be nothing more than just a Minor League pitcher. After sticking with it and not giving up, he is 6-1 with a 2.17 ERA in 91.1 innings of work. If Vogelsong had pitched 92 innings he would qualify for the 2nd best ERA in the Majors. In an interview on Wednesday about being an All-Star he said, " I feel like I belong here.... My teammates have always picked me up when I was down, and that's the reason I'm here." Hopefully Vogey can get a World Series Title to go along with his All-Star appearance!

With Deron Williams heading to Europe if the NBA lockout doesn't get settled, I feel like this could be a sign of what is to come for the NBA. Kobe Bryant has still not commented on whether or not he would be willing to travel overseas this fall to play basketball somewhere else, but Dwayne Wade has stated that he is open to playing in another country for this upcoming basketball season. Makes me wonder if the other 2 will join Wade and could win 4, 5 or maybe even 6 Championships in Turkey? It's possible. Players like Amare Stoudemire have already said, the only place they will be playing basketball this year is in America. So how about they just settle the lockout and none of this will matter come this November.

A MILESTONE, MORALS AND OVER THE TOP by ST

Lot of talk about what any of us would have done if Derek Jeter's 3000th hit via homer landed in your lap. It's easy to sit here as a lifelong Yankees fan and huge DJ fan and say I would have given it back. Hmmm. So you're telling me it's value would pay off my mortgage? From a small amount of equity to outright ownership pushing the net worth of my wife and I about 2 1/2 times what it is now? Hypothetically we all do the right thing, would the reality be different?
Regardless, how about Jeets going yard as part of a 5 hit day that not only included #3k but the game winning knock in the 8th. Sweet. I'll make a case that he's on the all time, all time list, all sports.
If I hear another broadcaster or media type lump the US Women's thrilling victory in the World Cup on Sunday in with things like The Miracle on Ice or even the Women's 99 World Cup championship, I'm going to lose it. People! It was a quarterfinal game. Terrific, entertaining, clutch, but it gets them to the semi's. Jeez!
So Pac Man Jones got arrested again. Claims he was innocent. Is he the all time "boy that cried wolf" athlete? It's never his fault. This chucklhead is one of those people who never gets that THEY are the common denominator in all the troublesome situations that consistently happen in their lives. My favorite story was when he was about to meet with the commissioner after being involved in a strip club melee that led to a shooting and a man getting paralyzed, he was told to stay out of those places. So he's in New York the night before the meeting and went to a strip club. Told reporters he wanted to get something to eat. Right. In Manhattan you usually head for the sleazy bars for a great meal. What a loser!

THE PROPER PATH? by ST

Word has hit that Ohio State is now vacating all it's wins from last year for using ineligible players. They've also offered up a 2 year probation period which means harsher penalties should any additional wrongdoing occur. This is their final way of offering up a sacrificial lamb into the volcano to appease the Gods or throwing themselves on the mercy of the NCAA court. Let's review the checklist. Fire the coach. Suspend the players. Erase the wins. Impose probation. Now we see if the powers that be buy it or hit them with the infamous "lack of institutional control".
In a stunning development, Will Lyles showed up again. Today it was an article by Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. Says his recruiting business is toast and he's been turned down for jobs outside of football for being unethical. Regardless of the Oregon role in all this, if HE broke the rules, cry me a river.
Derek Jeter is now just 2 hits shy of the magical 3000 hit mark. I was kicking around the most appropriate manner it should happen. The classic inside out swing for a knock to right field. A rope in the gap for a stand up double. Legging out an infield hit deep in the hole at short. Or will he go against the grain and take the pitcher yard in a big situation keeping alive his tradition of doing whatever is necessary to help the Yanks win??
Been a year since the idiotic made for TV Lebron James decision. I saw a poll ask if he made the right choice leaving Cleveland. Really? Got within 2 wins of a title and that's even a question. Please! Enjoy the weekend.

All Star Break,by Casey Mitchell

Heading into the All Star break, there have been many surprising teams, breakout players, and dissapointments. One of the surprising teams this year has been the Milwuakee Brewers. The Brewers have three All Stars in firstbaseman Prince Fielder, outfielder Ryan Braun and second baseman Rickie Weeks that are all heading to Arizona for the All Star Game. Their pitching staff is led by Sean Marcum, who is 7-3 with a 3.29 ERA and a WHIP of 1.11.
One of the breakout players this year is Cleveland's Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera is batting .292 with 14 homers, and is playing very well in the field with only 5 errors commited in 348 total chances giving him a .968 FPCT. Cabrera has at times put the Indian Offense on his back and carried them when nobody else was getting the big hits. He has led his team into first place in the AL Central.
A dissapointing team this year has been the Minnesota Twins. Even though Joe Maur was hurt for quite sometime, one person shouldn't be able to decide whether a team is in first place or in last place. Minnesota has a team batting average of .243 and their team ERA of 4.32 is the third worse in the American League. It's been a great first half of the baseball season and there is still more exciting baseball to come!

With College Football right around the corner, there are a lot of questions in the minds of Pac-12 fans out there. With Harbaugh out at Stanford, can Andrew Luck lead the team back to another BCS Bowl Game? If Luck is the most valuable player in the nation like everyone is saying, this should be a good year for the Cardinal. I know that I would like to know if Cliff Harris can come back right after the LSU game, or if there is going to be any sanctions on the Oregon Football Program. I guess only time can tell....

Local Stories,by Casey Mitchell

Now I know not too many people here are huge Minor League Baseball fans, but I spent the evening at PK Park last night and got a chance to check out the Eugene Ems play. To my surprise, the place was packed for both the game and the fireworks show afterwards. At 16-2 the Emeralds have the best short-season record in the nation. When I was checking out the batting averages for all of the players I realized that they only had a couple of guys who could really hit, and the rest were hitting around .220, but they get hits when they need them and they have good pitching. Riding a 13 game winning-streak, if the Ems win tonight they will have the longest winning-streak in Northwest League history. I know it must feel great to the players to see the park packed with people, and actually hear the place get loud once they record the final out. So if you can, get out to the ballpark and catch a couple of games. It's a blast!

Chip Kelly and the Ducks are going through a lot of controversy these days. With all of the allegations surrounding LaMichael James, Lache Seastrunk and Willie Lyles, some people believe that come September Chip Kelly will not be the head coach for the Oregon Ducks. I am not one of those people, however I do think that some sort of trouble is coming our way because this is a much worst violation than a petty tattoo scandal. At the end of the day, our focus should be on football, and winning the first Pac-12 title.

INCORRECT RANKINGS? by ST

With his semi-final victory at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic has climbed to the top of the world tennis rankings. This just in. The best player on earth, bar none is Raffy Nadal. The world golf and tennis rankings have now pulled alongside quarterback rating as the most annoying, meaningless numbers in sports. Money on the table, all things equal, who you betting on?
Here in the Big Apple obviously the huge story is Mets/Yanks for the weekend, another subway series if you will. They're treating Jose Reyes like he's the 2nd coming. Guy has put together a sweet season, but it's a contract year and if we've learned anything in this era of free agency, do NOT evaluate a player based on his top statistical performance. Reyes is really good, end of conversation. They throw big dollars at him and the franchise gets set back another few years. The New York Mets do not succeed when they play Yankee or Red Sox ball and try to improve the club via that method. From Shea Stadium to their current home at Citi Field, the Mets win when they come at you with home grown pitching, defense and a team designed around a spacious, hitter hating ball yard. They can supplement with the occasional trade or mid level free agent, but when they throw money to fill holes, it fails. From Bobby Bonilla to Johan Santana, it just doesn't work out.
Read that the newcomer to the temporary upper crust of the PGA, Robert Garrigus, copped to smoking weed during his early days as a pro on the Nationwide Tour. Naturally in this day of bus tossing, he added that lot's of guys sparked up. This was before drug testing. So we're supposed to be surprised that young guys getting their first taste of big dollars, on the road, playing a game partied a bit. Stunning!
It's my last posting until we return to the Pacific Northwest for Tuesday's show. Have a terrific Independence Day, my favorite holiday of the year. Be well.