Arrieta vs Lincecum

Posted: April 24, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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Hey there, Chicago

While your own Cubs continue to demonstrate why they are the number-one ranked team in Major League Baseball, the San Francisco Giants have struggled mightily, losing five straight before finally managing to break out against Barry Bonds and the Miami Marlins, 8-1 Friday night, on Orange Friday, at AT&T Park.

For those of us keeping the spotlight focused on on Jeff Samardzija, who made his first start Friday night in his own home park, it was a gratifying performance. He went seven-and-two-thirds innings against the fish, limiting them to a single run, and lowering his ERA to 3.00 and his WHIP to 1.26.
After three road games to begin his stint with San Francisco, Samardzija took advantage of the friendly confines of AT&T, not to mention the clutch defense backing him up. The Shark’s strong early season prowess is taking the pressure off of Madison Bumgarner, especially in light of the team’s sluggish start to the year.
Speaking of strong starts, big ups to Jake Arieta for hurling his second no-hitter over his last eleven starts, proving once again that he is the reigning king of all National League starting pitchers. It was not that long ago (June 26, 2014) that Tim Lincecum tossed his second no-hitter, both against the San Diego Padres, and there is no getting around the surge of electricity one of these gems sends through the organization.
Astonishingly, this was Arieta’s 24th straight regular season quality start, going back to last June 21st. Having surrendered a total of only seventeen runs over those 178 innings, has helped him forge a 20-1 mark during this stretch.
The presence of such a master within the clubhouse, is a key component to any serious playoff contender. The staff must have a guy whose stuff is good enough on any given day, to completely stifle an opponent and pick up a sagging rotation.
Jake Arieta is that guy for the Cubs, just as Madison Bumgarner is that go-to guy for the Giants. Prior to Arieta’s meteoric rise to the top, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, called the shots from the top. On paper every team has a top dog.
How much the team relies on that staff leader, becomes amplified when the stress of playoff ball creates a pressure cooker so volatile that the ace cannot hold up under all that hype. Should he stagger in that capacity, so would his team.
You can probably guess where I am going to with this line of reasoning. If you glance quickly at Bumgarner’s stats right now, (1-2, 3.91 ERA, 1.39 WHIP), you would see numbers that belie his elevated status on the team.
In fact you would see that MadBum’s career statistics do not come close to say, Kershaw’s numbers during the regular season, but then again, Kershaw’s regular season numbers shine compared to his postseason efforts.
Jake Arieta also experienced technical difficulties in this area last October.
For him to have had back-to-back starts in the playoffs, in which he gave up four runs, shows that even the best of them are challenged under the microscope of the playoffs. Nothing dictates he will ever have a similar problem again, but the uncertainty must linger in the back of the collective Cubs consciousness.
The Giants have no such impediments in their thinking process. They know what to expect from Bumgarner when October arrives, so they do not worry when things do not go as well during the grind of the regular season.
When it comes right down to it, San Francisco has suffered from inconsistency during the regular season in all three of their recent world series runs. They had four extended losing stretches in 2010, five in 2012 and seven in 2014.
Seven times during this most recent title run, the Giants lost four or more consecutive games, or experienced periods in which they won only once during prolonged stretches, baffling their fans and resurrecting the term “torture” for Giants followers.
But not surprisingly, these nosedives seem to better prepare the Giants for adversity, which makes sense when you think about it. If a team never struggles, it does not learn how to address hard times when they arrive.
Timing is everything.
For now the Cubs are on top of their division, and the Giants are near the bottom. Until that changes, my words are only so much hot air being blown about, like the mighty wind whipped up, when LA’s Yasiel Puig takes one of his mighty cuts, and whiffs.
That’s it for my at-bat today. See you next week.
@bellspringsmark

Great American Cubs Weekend

Posted: April 24, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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Game four versus the Reds, Jason Hammel looking for his third win of the season against Alfredo Simon who is 0-1.  His last start was against the Cubs on April 13th, where he’d give up five earned runs and not make it through the first ininning.  I’d love to tease or lead you to believe that this start would be any different, it kind of was, he’d at least make it passed the first inning but not before giving up three runs.  Tommy La Stella would lead off with a double to center and score the first run on a single by Jason Heyward.  Heyward would steal second base with Anthony Rizzo at the plate.  He would send his a fly ball to right center, that would go under review for fan interfernce but would be upheld as his seventh home run of the season.  Soler & Montero would close out the inning with strike outs.  Hammel would come up in the second and reach on a ground ball to second.  La Stella would double and both men would score on a Jason Heyward line drive to  right field but he would end the inning getting caught stealing second.

Kris Bryant would lead off the third inning with a walk.  He would score on Anthony Rizzo’s second home run of the day and eighth of the season.  Jorge Soler would single and be pushed to second on a fielding error by Alfredo Simon.  Addison Russell would send a ground ball to center scoring Soler.  Drew Hayes would replace Simon retiring La Stella but the Cubs would be up now 8-0.  We move to the top of the sixth Hayes would meet La Stella again but this time Tommy would get his first home run of the season putting the Cubs up 9-0.

Jason Hammel would make it through six full innings only walking two batters and giving up three hits and striking out seven batters.  Adam Warren, Travis Wood and Hector Rondon would pitch the last three innings without giving up a walk or a hit.  Combined they would strike out five batters to give Jason Hammel his third win of the season.  All four pitchers would combine for a three hit shutout!

Excellent road trip for the Cubs, they are off Monday and start a six game home stand against the Brewers and the Braves.  Until Tuesday, #GoCubsGo

@danzeeeman

The NFL Draft in 2011

Posted: April 24, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in Uncategorized, sports, football
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The draft is a way to build your franchise; so we like to look back 5 years and see who your favorite team selected in the 1st round and how that player turned out for your favorite team.

With the 1st pick in the draft the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Cam Newton (Auburn). The Panthers where looking for a franchise quarterback and they found one in Newton. Newton has started 78 out of a possible 80 games since 2011. He had his best season on 2015 throwing for 35 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions. Carolina went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl last season.

The Denver Broncos had the 2nd pick and took defensive lineman Von Miller (Texas A&M). Miller has turned into a premier pass rusher for the Broncos. He has 60 career sacks with his high being 18 1/2 in 2012. Miller was the 2015 Super Bowl M.V.P. as his Broncos defeated Newton’s Panthers.

The Buffalo Bills had the 3rd pick and selected Marcel Dareus (Alabama). Dareus has been an anchor for the Bills interior defensive line. As a defensive tackle Dareus has recorded 30 1/2 career sacks with 10 of those sacks coming in 2015. Dareus has made the Pro Bowl twice.

The Cincinnati Bengals had the #4 pick and they selected wide receiver A.J. Green (Georgia). Green stepped right in and has been a top receiver in the NFL since being drafted. He has totaled 1000+ receiving yards every season with a high of 1426 yards in 2013. Green also has 415 career receptions, 6171 career yards and has scored 45 touchdowns in his 5 seasons.

The Arizona Cardinals had the 5th pick and they took defensive back Patrick Peterson (LSU). Peterson is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL and has started every game (80) since being drafted. Peterson has 17 career interceptions wit a high 7 in 2012. Peterson is also a dangerous punt returner. As a rookie he returned 4 punt for touchdowns.

The Atlanta Falcons gave up 2 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick and 2 4th round picks to move up to the 6th spot in the draft and take wide receiver Julio Jones (Alabama). Was it worth it? Jones has 414 career receptions, but 136 of those came last season. He has scored 34 career touchdowns and has 6201 career yards. Last season Jones led the NFL with 1871 receiving yards and tied for the league lead in receptions.

With the 7th pick in the draft the San Francisco 49ers selected linebacker Aldon Smith (Missouri). Smith’s first two seasons with San Francisco where great. He notched 14 sacks as a rookie and followed that up with 19 1/2 his 2nd season and even though he only appeared in 11 games his 3rd season he still recorded 8 sacks. After some injuries and suspension issues Smith is now a member of the Oakland Raiders.

The Tennessee Titans had the 6th pick in the draft and they selected quarterback Jake Locker (Washington). Tennessee was looking for a franchise quarterback, but sadly Locker wasn’t it. He appeared in 30 career games starting 23 of them. His record as a starter was 9-14. He threw for 4967 yards with 27 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in his career. Locker retired after the 2014 season.

With the 9th pick in the draft the Dallas Cowboys selected offensive lineman Tyron Smith (USC). Since being drafted Smith has playing in and started 79 out of a possible 80 games for the Cowboys. Smith has made 3 Pro Bowls and the Cowboys have had one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL since he was drafted.

The Jacksonville Jaquars had the 10th pick and they took quarterback Blaine Gabbert (Missouri). Gabbert spent 3 seasons with the Jaquars; starting 27 games for them. As a starter he had a 5-22 record. He threw for 4357 yards with 22 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. Gabbert has been with the San Francisco 49ers the last 3 seasons.

The Houston Texans had the 11th pick in the draft and they selected defensive lineman J.J. Watt (Wisconsin). Watt has turned into the best defensive lineman in the NFL. Watt has started every game (80) since being drafted and has led the NFL in sacks twice; 2012 and 2015. He has 74 1/2 career sacks. Watt has 1 career interceptions, but returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. He has also found his way to the offensive side of the football where he has 4 career receptions with 3 of them going for touchdowns.

The Minnesota Vikings had the 12th pick and they selected quarterback Christian Ponder (Florida St.) I remember this being a bit of a surprise pick. Ponder had success in his 2nd year as he led the Vikings to a 10-6 record. In his career Ponder played in 38 games starting 36 of them and had a career record of 14-21-1 as a starter. He threw for 6658 career yards with 38 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Ponder did score 7 rushing touchdowns in his career.

Lucky pick number 13 belong to the Detroit Lions and they used it on defensive lineman Nick Fairley (Auburn). Fairley spent 4 seasons in Detroit playing in 46 games and starting 31 of them. He totaled 14 sacks with Detroit. His season high was 6 in 2013. Fairley spend the 2015 season with the St. Louis Rams. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints this off season.

With the 14th pick the St. Louis rams selected defensive lineman Robert Quinn (North Carolina) Quinn is a two-time Pro Bowler who has 50 career sacks. He had a career high 19 sacks in 2013. He’s played in 71 games for St. Louis starting 54 of them. Quinn was limited to just 8 games last season.He did have 5 sacks in those 8 games.

At #15 the Miami Dolphins selected offensive lineman Mike Pouncey (Florida). Pouncey has played in and started 72 out of a possible 80 games. He has started 60 at center and 12 at right guard for the Dolphins. Pouncey has been a Pro Bowl selection the last 3 seasons.

With the 16th pick the Washington Redskins selected defensive lineman Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue). Kerrigan has started every game (80) since being draft by the Redskins. He has 47 1/2 career sacks with his career high of 13 1/2 coming in 2014. Kerrigan has forced 17 fumbles in his career has 2 fumble recoveries as well as 2 career interceptions.

With the 17th pick the New England Patriots selected offensive lineman Nate Solder (Colorado). Solder has played in 67 games starting 64 of them since being drafted. He battled injuries last season as he played in just 4 games. New England acquired this pick by trading defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders.

The San Diego Chargers had the 18th pick and they used it to select defensive lineman Corey Liuget (Illinois). Liuget has played in 74 games since being drafted starting 71 of them. He had an injury last season that caused him to miss 5 games. Liuget has 21 career sacks with his career high of 7 coming in 2012.

With the 19th pick the New York Giants selected defensive back Prince Amukamara (Nebraska). Amukamara has only played in all 16 games 1 season (2013) because of injuries. He’s appeared in 55 out of a possible 80 games. Amukamara has 7 career interceptions with a career high of 3 coming in 2014.

At #20 the Tampa bay Buccaneers selected defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn (Iowa). Clayborn spent 4 seasons with Tampa Bay. He started all 16 games as a rookie and posted his single season high for sacks with 7 1/2. Clayborn had 13 sacks while with the Buccaneers. He played in just 36 games in his 4 seasons with Tampa Bay. He spent the 2015 season with the Atlanta Falcons.

With the 21st pick the Cleveland Browns selected defensive lineman Phil Taylor (Baylor). Taylor started off by playing and starting all 16 games for the Browns as a rookie. He record 4 sacks (his career high) to go along with 37 tackles and 22 assists. Since his rookie year Taylor has played in 28 games totaling 3 sacks, 32 tackles and 18 assists.

With the 22nd pick the Indianapolis Colts selected offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo (Boston College). Castonzo has played in and started 73 out of a possible 80 games since being drafted. He’s the Colts left tackle and has the job of protecting Andrew Luck’s blind side. Castonzo does have 1 career touchdown catch.

The Philadelphia Eagles had the 23rd and they used it to select offensive lineman Danny Watkins (Baylor). Watkins played just 2 seasons in Philadelphia and spent just 3 season total in the NFL. He played in 23 games for Philadelphia starting 18 of them. He played in 1 game for the Miami Dolphins in 2013.

At #24 the New Orleans Saints selected defensive lineman Cameron Jordan. Jordan has played in every game (80) since being drafted and has started all but 1 one them. He has 39 career sacks and his career high of 12 1/2 came in the 2013 season. Jordan is a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2013 & 2015) and has 1 career interception.

With the 25th pick in the draft the Seattle Seahawks selected offensive lineman James Carpenter (Alabama). Carpenter spent 4 season with the Seahawks. He played in 45 games and started 39 of them. Last season Carpenter stated all 16 games for the New York Giants.

With the 26th pick in the draft the Kansas City Chiefs selected wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh). Baldwin played just 2 season wit the Chiefs. He appeared in 26 games and started 10 of them. he had 41 catches for 579 and 2 touchdowns while in Kansas City. The Chiefs traded Baldwin to the San Francisco 49ers for wide receiver A.J. Jenkins before the 2013 season.

The Baltimore Ravens had the 27th pick and they used it to selected defensive back Jimmy Smith (Colorado). Smith has had some injury issues in his career. He has played in 63 games for the Ravens starting 45 of them. He has 8 career interceptions and has returned 1 for a touchdown. He did post his career high in interceptions (3) last season while playing in every game.

At #28 the New Orleans Saints selected running back Mark Ingram (Alabama). Ingram has 3195 yards and 26 touchdowns in 62 career games for New Orleans. His 964 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2014 are career highs. Ingram made his only Pro Bowl after the 2014 season. He also has 103 career receptions for 693 yards.

With the 29th pick the Chicago Bears selected offensive Lineman Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin). Carimi wasn’t the anchor to the offensive line that the Bears had hoped for. He lasted 2 season with Chicago. He played in 18 games; starting 16. He played in 14 games (starting 3) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2013 and in 2014 he appeared in 16 games (starting 7) for the Atlanta Falcons.

With the 30th pick the New York Jets selected defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson (Temple). Wilkerson was quite the find for the Jets at the end of the 1st round. He has played in 77 out of a possible 80 games and has started 75 of them. Wilkerson has 36 1/2 career sacks with his high of 12 coming just last season. After his 2015 season Wilkerson was elected to his 1st Pro Bowl.

At #31 the Pittsburgh Steelers selected defensive lineman Cameron Heyward (Ohio St.) Heyward has appeared in all 80 games for Pittsburgh since he was drafted. He started 45 of those games. He has 22 career sacks, 132 tackles and 68 assists. Heyward had a career high 7 sacks last season for the Steelers.

The Green Bay Packers had the 32nd and final pick of the 1st round and they used it to take offensive lineman Derek Sherrod (Mississippi St.). Sherrod spent 4 seasons with the Packers. He appeared in 20 games for Green bay, but only made 1 career start.

There’s the 2011 1st round. How did your team do? Did they get a franchise player? a solid role player? or did they end up with a draft bust?

@burketime

No Relief for Lackey

Posted: April 23, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, Minor League Baseball, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio
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John Lackey would come into today’s game searching for his fourth win of the season against Dan Strailey. Dexter Fowler would start the game with a strikeout but would reach thanks to a dropped third strike and would steal second base.  Bryant would walk but no runs would cross the plate.  Addison Russell would send a screamer to the second deck in left field for his second homer of the year.  

John Lackey would cruise through the first three innings unscathed.  But Zack Cozart would lead the fourth inning off with a double to right field.  Eugenio Suarez would send a line drive ground ball to short that Russell would dive for only to have his throw fly passed Rizzo into the stands scoring Cozart tying the game at one.  Brandon Phillips would double scoring Suarez.  Lackey would get out the inning and make it through the fifth inning no problem.  In his recent starts, the boys in blue would score to give him the lead and the win.  

Russell would walk to start the fifth and would score, tying the game at two on a double by Fowler passed first, Jay Bruce would throw home allowing Fowler to reach third.  Bryant would send a line drive to left scoring Fowler.  The Cubs would take the lead after five innings 3-2.

Lackey would come into the bottom of the sixth giving up singles to Tyler Holt & Cozart.  They would cross the plate after Suarez homered to center field, putting the Reds up 5-3.  Lackey would get Votto & Phillips out on a 1-3 line out double play but would walk Jay Bruce and that would be all she wrote for Lackey.  Trevor Cahill would come in for relief and give a single to Devin Mesoraco.  Adam Duvall would send a line drive to left-center field for his second home run of the year.  Scott Schebler would hit one just over Heywards glove for his first homer of the season.  Trevor would close out the sixth getting Holt to line out to Bryant in left.

Fowler would lead off the seventh with a double to left.  He would score on Heywards liner to left.  Heyward would advance to second on the throw home.  He would score on a single by Ben Zobrist.  But after seven and a half, it would be Cubs five, Reds 9.  Neil Ramirez would come into the bottom of the seventh, striking out Cozart but would walk Suarez.  With one man on, Joey Votto would send a fly ball to center for his second home run of the season, putting the Reds up, 11-5.  

The lately loud bats of the Cubbies would be patient in the top of the eighth with walks by Russell, Fowler and Heyward with two of them credited to Caleb Cotham and one to Chicago native Tony Cingrani, who would get out of the inning.  Clayton Richard would come into the second half of the inning walking Cingrani who would make it home on a fielding error by Jorge Soler.  Tyler Holt was credited with a hit, he would end up at third on Russell’s throwing error to Rizzo but they would trap and tag out Cozart trying to take second base.  Suarez would single receiving his fourth RBI of the night.  Clayton would get out of the inning but not before two earned runs cross the plate.  

Cingrani would come into the top of the ninth hoping to stop the Cubs from trying to come back and get the W.  Pinch hitter Matt Szczur would fly out, but Zobrist would reach on a fielding error.  Montero would come up to the plate and go down swinging, as would Javier Baez giving the Cubs their fourth loss of the season.  

Cubs pitching would strike out nine, but would give up 13 runs on 15 hits.  Lackey would go five and two-thirds innings, giving up six of the 13 runs putting his record at a respectable 3-1.  Quiet night for Cubs hitting but as we say on The Podcast #ItsOnlyApril.

@danzeeeman        @SportsTimeRadio

How was your week

Posted: April 23, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, football, hockey, sports, Uncategorized
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MLB

With the MLB coming up on the 20 game mark of the season it’s difficult to make decisions on how the season is going to go. One thing appears to be certain and that the National League isn’t going to be happy about it. Through 4 starts this season Jake Arrieta looks better on the mound than he did last season. Arrieta is 4-0 in his 4 starts for the Chicago Cubs. He’s thrown 31 innings giving up 15 hits, 3 earned runs and 2 home runs while walking 6 and striking out 26. That translates to an ERA of 0.87 and a WHIP of 0.68 for Arrueta.  On Thursday Arrieta threw his first shutout of the season which just so happened to be a complete game no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds. It looked as though Arrieta didn’t have his best stuff when he no-hit Cincinnati. Arrieta issued 4 walks in this start against the Reds while striking out 6 and throwing 119 pitches over 9 innings of no-hit baseball. This is Arrieta’s second no-hitter as a member of the Cubs.  On August 30th of last season Arrieta no-hit the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in Dodger Stadium. That no-hitter against the Dodgers was part of a Cy Young award winning season for Arrieta. In 2015 Arrieta went 22-6 with an ERA of 1.77. He made 33 starts covering 229 innings with 4 complete games; 3 of those being shutouts. Arrieta also struck out 236 batters last season while walking just 48 and his WHIP was 0.87. Arrieta picked up 17 of a possible 30 1st place votes as he edged out former Dodgers teammates Zack Greinke (2nd) and Clayton Kershaw (3rd) for the N.L. Cy Young award. While we can’t forget that it’s only April, but with the way his season has started off could Arrieta be a back to back Cy young award winner after this season.

On Thursday, Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers threw a 47 pitch bullpen session and things looked like they where on track for him to make his first rehab start on April 26th as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. After the bullpen session Darvish himself was dissatisfied with the fact that not all his pitches where he wanted them to be, especially his curveball and his change-up. After the bullpen session and the dissatisfaction that Darvish showed the Rangers have decided to push his first rehab start back to May 1st. The Rangers will still have Darvish pitch on Thursday, but it will be a longer bullpen session. The Rangers are hoping that Darvish can throw a 60 pitch bullpen session or close to 4 innings total. Even with his first rehab start being pushed back this hasn’t thrown off the timetable for his return to the Rangers if things go well. If Darvish looks ready to go he could return to the Rangers rotation as early as May 16th. If Darvish isn’t ready to go after those 3 rehab starts the Rangers could  expand his rehab assignment to a full 30 days and six starts. Texas is off to a 10-7 start and they are tied with the Oakland A’s for 1st place right now. Adding Darvish to a starting rotation that already features a 3-0 Cole Hamels could be the key to another post season appearance for Texas.

Now I was unable to do this in any of my fantasy leagues, but a lot of owners tried to grab Darvish late in their fantasy drafts. They would either have to hide him on their bench until he returns or put him on the disabled list if your league offers that feature. If Darvish returns in May this could turn into a move that might make or break your fantasy season. Depending on where you had to draft Darvish it might be hurting your team right now, but once he returns it’s tough to find an ace through trades or waiver pick ups. In this case you just have to wait for your ace to get healthy.

NFL

The NFL is gearing up for the draft which starts with the 1st round on Thursday. While the draft has taken center stage as far as NFL news goes there was a big move made by the Carolina Panthers.On Wednesday the Panthers removed the franchise tag from cornerback Josh Norman making him and unrestricted free agent. After becoming a free agent it only took Norman 2 days to become the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. On Friday the Washington Redskins announced that they had signed Norman to a 5 year $75 million dollar deal. It’s being reported that $51.1 million dollars in the deal is guaranteed. With an average salary of $15 million dollars a season Norman supplants Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals; who makes $14.01 million dollars a season; as the highest paid cornerback in the NFL.

Norman makes his regular season debut on ESPN’s Monday Night Football September 12th against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Norman and his new Redskins teammates will appear on Monday Night Football again on December 19th; this time against his former Panthers team. On course signing with the Redskins out Norman in the NFC East where he’ll get to match up with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. twice a year. The Giants host the Redskins on September 25th and then the two teams meet again on New Year’s Day with Washington being the home team.

Norman had a career-high four interceptions with 16 passes defensed and 56 tackles last season for the Panthers last season, but was looking for a long term deal with Carolina. The Panthers had placed the franchise tag on Norman last month, guaranteeing him $13.952 million in 2016. Norman never signed it and was planning to skip at least the first part of off-season workouts, which begin Monday. There are reports that the Panthers made Norman a contract offer of $11 million dollars, but Norman wanted to be paid in the range of $15 to $16 million dollars a season. Carolina never moved off their offer and on Thursday Panthers General Manager Dave Gettleman said the Panthers chose to rescind Norman’s franchise tag because of the flexibility the team would have without him counting toward its salary-cap number. With the draft starting Thursday does Carolina have an eye on someone to fill Norman’s role with there defense.

NHL

The San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lighting have advanced to the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. The Sharks knocked the Los Angeles Kings out of the playoffs winning that series 4 games to 1. The Lighting also won there series 4 games to 1 as they knocked out the Detroit Red Wings. We could see two more series end today. If the Pittsburgh Penguins or the St. Louis Blues pick up victories in their games today they will both win there series and advance to the 2nd round. Then on Sunday we could have three series come to an end. If the Washington Capitals, Dallas Stars and New York Islanders all win on Sunday their series will be over and they’ll all move into the 2nd round. Sadly the Kings where my pre-season pick to win the Stanley Cup. Is your pick or team still alive?

Listen to the Sports Time Radio podcast on BlogTalkRadio.com and you can find me on Twitter @Burketime

 

Two in a row, two to go

Posted: April 22, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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John Lester seeks to get his second win of the season on the road at Great American Park against 24 year-old Jon Moscot.  Moscot would get out of the first unscathed but would walk Heyward and Rizzo.  Javier Baez would lead off the second with a single, he would steal second and advance to third on a ground out by Addison Russel.  David Ross would send a sac fly to right scoring Baez. Moscot would get out of the inning and get through the third no problem.

Anthony Rizzo would lead off the fourth with his sixth home run of the year that would go about 10 rows up into right field.  Ben Zobrist would walk but would be forced out by Baez’s ground ball to short.  Russell sends a ground ball to right advanceing Baez to third.  David Ross would take one for the team and lay down a bunt scoring Javi.  Moscot would make a throwing error advancing Russell to third.  John Lester would copy Ross and also lay down a sac bunt, scoring Russell.  After four innings the Cubs would be up 4-0.

John Lester would cruise through the first five innings giving up one walk and three singles and with the help of Javier Baez’s stellar defense would get through those innings with out a run.  He would give up a lead off home run to Zachary Cozart, his first of the year in the sixth.  He would finish up the sixth and make it through seven innings.  Through seven, he would give up five hits, one walk and one earned run with four K’s on the night.

Pedro Strop would come into the eighth knocking them down in order.  J.J. Hoover would come into the top of the ninth, to ho,d the Cubs from scoring any more runs.  He would throw a curve ball to Baez, who would send a line drive to left, cracking his first home run of the season.  Russell and Ross would get two outs in the ninth.   Tommy La Stella would pinch hit for Strop singling to right.  Fowler would get his first hit of the night on a double to center, scoring Tommy.  Jason Heyward would send his third double of the season to right field.  Kris Bryant would also hit a double scoring Heyward.  The Reds would bring in Ross Olendorf to try and get the last out on Anthony Rizzo.  He would get him to pop up shortstop.

Justin Grimm would come into the ninth with an 8-1 lead, hoping for a quick ninth inning.  He would get Eugenio Suarez to ground out on four pitches but would hit Joey Votto.  0-3, Brandon Phillips would send a quick shot back to Grimm, advancing Votto, but not hard enough to get the hit.  Devin Mesoraco would come up with two outs and send a line drive to Russell ending the game giving the Cubs their twelfth win of the season and Lester his second win of the season.

With eight days left in the month and seven games left, I cannot remember the last I have seen the Cubs off to a start like this.  It was exciting to watch Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou, Derick Lee and Aramis Ramirez, Kerry Wood and Mark Prior but I cannot remember seeing a team like this.  This is a team that Theo builds, a mixture of youth and veterans.  It’s exciting but I hope it’s not just #ItsOnlyApril.

@DanZeeeMan           @SportsTimeRadio
The Podcast

WCUB in Cincinnati!

Posted: April 21, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, sports, Sports Time Radio
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Jake Arreita comes into this game trying to preserve his lossless record and the boys “Trying not to Suck” would help him tremendously against left hander Brandon Finnegan.  Dexter Fowler would lead off the game continuing his hot streak with a double. Heyward would would strikeout but Kris Bryant would send a line drive to left knocking in his third home run of the season.  Finnegan would get through the first but would give up a lead off home run to Ben Zobrist. David Ross and Jake Arrieta would single but Ross would score on a force out by Fowler. The second inning would end with the Cubs up 4-0.

In the fourth, David Ross would walk and reach third on an Arrieta single up the middle.  The throw to third would be backed up by Finnegan but his wild throw to first trying to catch Arrieta would score Ross putting the Cubs up 5-0.

David Ross would lead off the top of the sixth with a line drive to right field for his first homer of the season.  Fowler would reach on a walk and move over to second on a single by Kris Bryant.  Anthony Rizzo would step to the plate belting his fifth home run of the season!  Reds pitcher Tim Melville would end up making it through the sixth but not with out giving up four runs, putting the Cubs up 9-0.

Drew Hayes would come into the seventh getting Ross to ground out but he’d end walking Arrieta.  Fowler would single, then Heyward would walk ,setting up Kris Bryant with the bases loaded.  He would do exactly what every Cubs fan wanted… Grand Slam to right field or as the MLB would refer to it this season, “Papa Slam!” Tyler Holt would come into the eighth getting the only 1-2-3 inning for the Reds.  Blake Wood started off the ninth with two groundouts to Jake & Dexter but would give up singles to Heyward & Bryant.  Rizzo would reach first on a pass ball, dropped third strike.  Matt Szczur would come into the ninth and send a line drive to right scoring Jason Heyward.  Zobrist would smack his fourth double of the season, scoring both Bryant and Rizzo!  Russell would end the inning and be the only one to go hitless.

Saving the best for last, Jake Arrieta would walk Jay Bruce in the second, Eugenio Suarez in the fourth, Scott Schebler in the sixth and to lead off the ninth.  On his 119 pitch he would get Suarez to pop up to second base, throwing his second no hitter in 11 months!

According to Jake it was “Business as usual!”

@DanZeeeMan

 

 

 

 

Posted: April 20, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, post season, sports, Sports Time Radio, Uncategorized
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Game three pits 2-0 Carlos Martinez against 1-1 Kyle Hendricks.  Adiside from giving up a single to Jason Heyward, Martinez would have no trouble in the first but not so easy for Kyle.  He would get Matt Carpenter to go down swinging but would give up a ground ball double to short that was deflected by Tommy La Stella to short.  With one ball, Kyle would give up a two-run homer to Matt Holiday.  Kyle would get the next two batters out but would start the second with a double to Yadier Molina.  Kolten Wong would move him to third on a single, Yadi would score on a wild pitch. The nine whole, Martinez would help his own cause with a soft liner to Rizzo getting him on first with an RBI.  On a 1-0 count, Matt Carpenter would send s ground ball to Rizzo, throws to Baez back to Hendricks covering first, would be safe.  Madden calls for the review and its overturned scoring it as a 3-6-1 double play. 

The first pitch of the fourth inning to Rizzo was sent screaming to right field over the wall for the Cubs first run but Martinez was able to get through the next three guys 1-2-3 and was able to cruise through seven innings.  

Kyle Hendrix was able to keep it together through five but gave up a lead off double to Matt Adams. The Cubs would decide to intentionally walk Yadier Molina and they would bring Clayton Richard in for one out.  He would come out for Neil Ramirez to get the last out of the inning.  

The bottom of the seventh saw Trevor Cahill come into face Martinez which would see the start of a 3 hour and 20 minute rain delay!   Jeremy Hazelbaker   would pinch hit for Martinez but would ground out.  Cahill would get through the seventh.  

Seung Hwan Oh would come into the bottom of the eighth for the possible hold gives up a leadoff single to Dexter Fowler and walked Jason Heyward.  Ben Zobrist with two men on came up to bat but would line out to right.  Rizzo would single sending Heyward to third and scoring Fowler.  Bryant would send a ball back to Oh off his glove to Kolten Wong who would tag Rizzo but Heyward would score.  Tommy La Stella would fly out to end the eighth.  Cubs would score making it 4-3 Cardinals. 

Adam Warren would come into the bottom of the eighth and strikeout Matt Adams.  He’d walk Grichuk, who end up at second on a throwing error pick off attempt. Molina would single, scoring Grichuk.  Cahill would close out the next two batters but the Cards would add to their lead 5-3.  

Trevor Rosenthal would come in for the save, with Montero leading off but go down swinging.  Javier Baez, 0-3 would look to get his first hit of the day but would also go down swinging.  The last chance is up to Jorge Soler batting .200 on the young season.  On five  pitches, he would watch the last pitch go by for a called third strike.  

Dexter Fowler would continue his hot streak going 2-3 settling his batting average at an impressive .392.  Rizzo go 2-4 with a home run.  Hendricks would go 5 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits and 4 earned runs.  

The Cubs took the series, at the start of this seasons feud.  I wonder if it’ll heat up and what it’ll be like when the Cubs close out the home games with the Cardinals.  Until tommorow!

@danzeeeman

Let’s call it Wednesday

Posted: April 20, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in basketball, football, hockey, sports, Uncategorized
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NFL

Last week the Tennessee Titans sent the #1 overall pick in next weeks NFL draft to the Los Angeles Rams for multiple draft choices. It appears as tough Los Angeles will use that pick on a quarterback either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz. Now there are reports that multiple teams have contacted the Cleveland Browns in hopes that they would be interested in dealing the #2 pick in the draft. Is there a team out there that wants t move up and make sure they get the quarterback that Los Angeles doesn’t take? It appears as they may be more than one team. Now this is exactly what Cleveland needs. They signed Robert Griffin III (RG III) this off season to be their quarterback; so taking another quarterback with that #2 pick might not be the smartest move. Looking at Cleveland no matter who they would end up taking with that #2 pick is going to turn this team into a contender; they are a few years away from that. What Cleveland needs is players; so if they can deal the #2 pick in the draft for more draft picks it may be the best thing to happen to Cleveland. While multiple draft picks still won;t make Cleveland a contender this season it gives them a chance to rebuild a team that hasn’t made a playoff appearance since 2002 and haven’t won a playoff game since 1994. The difficult part in all of this is it’s Cleveland we’re talking about here and it seems as though they don’t do what’s best for the  organization; so will see how they handle that 2nd pick. It’s doubtful Cleveland would get as much for that #2 pick as Tennessee did for the #1 pick, but even if they moved down in the 1st round and where able to add the extra draft picks; it would seem like the right move for Cleveland. Tennessee received 6 draft picks for the #1 pick; so if Cleveland could get 4 or 5 draft picks to deal the #2 pick; should they take that?

Teams that are still in the market for a quarterback had a new name added to the market as the Houston Texans cut Brian Hoyer yesterday. Hoyer started 9 regular season games for Houston last season and appeared in 11 games total. Hoyer threw for 2606 yards last season with 19 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. I’m sure what most people remember about Hoyer’s 2015 season was the terrible playoff game he had against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City won that game 30-0. Hoyer was 15 for 34 for 136 yards and he threw 4 interceptions. The playoff game aside Hoyer has made 26 career starts and has a winning record at 15-11. With the late addition of Hoyer to the off season quarterback market you have to wonder how this will affect the contract demands of Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was the top quarterback left on the market and it appeared as though his contract demands reflected that. Hoyer and Fitzpatrick are very comparable quarterbacks; so will see if the teams that Fitzpatrick turned down or couldn’t come to a contract agreement with contact Hoyer. It didn’t take Fitzpatrick’s former team long to meet with Hoyer as the New York Jets had him in for a visit on Tuesday. It seemed as though Hoyer’s time in Houston was over when they signed quarterback Brock Osweiler to a 4-year $72 million dollar free agent deal this off season. Houston was Hoyer’s fourth career stop. He spent 3 seasons with the New England Patriots, a year with the Arizona Cardinals, 2 seasons with the Cleveland Browns and last season with the Texans. We’ll see where Hoyer’s next stop is and if he’s brought in there as a starter or if he ends up being a back up. On a side note the Texans also cut Hoyer’s back up on Tuesday as they released quarterback B.J. Daniels.

NHL

The St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks last night 4-3 to take a 3 games to 1 lead in the opening round playoff series. The Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup champions; so you have to think that if a team could comeback from a 3 games to 1 hole it would be the Blackhawks. If the Blackhawks are going to comeback in this series they might have to do it without Andrew Shaw. Shaw was sent off for interference at 17:56 of the third period. While sitting in the penalty box; Shaw pounded on the glass with his stick and then yelled what looked like a slur toward someone on the ice.  Shaw scored a goal in the second period and had two assists in the game, but when he was asked about the incident Shaw said he “didn’t remember”. The NHL said they are investigating the incident. The NHL has a working relationship with the You Can Play Project. The Project aims to ensure equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. The You Can Play Project immediately reached out to the NHL. Coincidently the Blackhawks highlighted its partnership with the You Can Play Project. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and goaltender Scott Darling participated in a video supporting the group’s mission. The nest game in this series is on the schedule for Thursday night in St. Louis; so you’d expect the NHL to rule quickly on the Shaw incident. If there’s a suspension involved with this and the Blackhawks just one loss away from elimination Shaw may have played his last game for the 2015-16 season.

NBA

Do the Golden State Warriors need Stephen Curry to win their 1st round series against the Houston Rockets? The Warriors did win Game 2 of the series as Curry sat out with an injured ankle. Curry had an MRI on Tuesday and the test didn’t show anything of concern. Curry is listed as questionable for Thursday nights Game 3, but should he play is the question. Golden State is up 2 games to none on the Rockets; so there is a bit of a cushion right now for Golden State to rest Curry. Even without Curry I don’t think Golden State would lose a 1st round series to the Rockets, but they’re going to need him down the road in the playoffs. It seems to make sense to rest him and not bring him back until he’s 100%, but that will be Golden State’s head coach Steve Kerr’s decision. Curry did try to warm up before Game 2; so you think he might try the same thing before Game 3 and then Kerr will make his decision on Curry’s game status.

Listen to Sports Time Radio on BlogTalkRadio.com and you can find me on Twitter @Burketime

Rivalry tied @1

Posted: April 19, 2016 by Sports Time Radio in baseball, fantasy, sports, Sports Time Radio
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Game two features 1-0 Jason Hammel vs Jamie Garcia who is also 1-0.   Jamie would open the game with a walk to Dexter Fowler who would be forced out on a ground ball to Ruben Tejada.  He would the. Give up a single to Kris Bryant but would get out of the inning.  Hammel would start with a 1-2-3 inning but would give up a lead off single to Matt Adams to start the second and one to Randal Grichuk.  Adams would be caught stealing third with Yadier Molina at bat.  He would end up launching what would appear to be a home run to Soler, who would run into the wall missing the catch, giving Molina a triple, scoring Grichuk.  Both men would have easy third innings.

Top of the fourth, Garcia would load the bases, walking Soler and giving singles to Ben Zobrist and Miguel Montero.  With two outs and bases loaded, Hammel would get to the plate, smacking a ground ball in between short and third, scoring two runs but he’d get Jason Heyward out on a called third strike.  Seung Hwan Oh would come into the sixth getting a 1-2-3 inning.  Hammel would have a perfect bottom half of the sixth.

Kevin Siegrist would come into the seventh hitting Javier Baez but would be overturned after managers review. He would then strike out. Dexter Fowler would double but both Heyward and Kris Bryant would fly out.  Adam Warren would come into the botaztom half of the seventh

Former Red, Jonathan Broxton would get into a littl trouble but would get out of the inning.  Travis Wood would give up a lead off single in the bottom of the eighth and that would be all she wrote and Pedro Strop would face Jeremy Hazelbaker and the next two batters to get out of the eighth.

#67 Matt Bowman would come into the top of the ninth and get the Cubbies out 1-2-3.  Hector Rondon would come into the bottom of the ninth for his possible to third save of the season. He would give up a lead off single to Yadier Molina and would get th next two batters to fly out and then get a huge strikeout to close out the series and make this a 1-1 series.

@danzeeeman

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