Phillies Orioles

Phillies Orioles

Phillies Orioles

The Rain Maker Sports: Sports Bytes - June 16, 2010

Interleague play was not kind to the National League yesterday. The American League won 10 of the 14 games played . . .

The NY Mets earned one of those four victories for the National League, though they nearly imploded. Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez entered the game in the ninth inning with a three-run cushion, but surrendered a two-run homer to Cleveland Indians pinch-hitter Shelley Duncan. Rodriguez rebounded from the blast to get the final out by enticing Trevor Crowe to fly out to left field . . . Note to Mets fans and NY media: You've ripped David Wright for not being the home run threat you want, but the classy 3B now leads the NL in RBIs with 50. Not too shabby . . .

The Yankees and Phillies began their three-game series last night at Yankee Stadium. C.C. Sabathia earned the win after pitching seven innings and only giving up three runs. Teixeira, Swisher, and Granderson all blasted homers off Halladay to lead NY to an 8-3 victory. Halladay gave up six runs in six innings . . . Mea culpa: Mark Teixeira is now in his second season with the Yankees; yet, it wasn't until yesterday that I realized I've been spelling his name wrong. Talk about a mental block . . .

Despite lasting only five innings, Tampa Bay southpaw David price won his AL-leading 10th game yesterday as the Rays swamped the Braves 10-4. Price should thank the Braves for contributing mightily to his victory. Bobby Cox's crew was limited to four runs despite tallying 13 hits. They also committed four errors . . .

The Red Sox are getting an opportunity to pad their stats over the next few days as they battle the major leagues worst pitching staff: the Arizona Diamondbacks (ERA: 5.45) Last night Clay Buchholz and David Ortiz led the Red Sox's offensive charge with homers. Pedroia, Ortiz, Youklis, and Drew all had multiple hits in the 6-3 win . . .

It may have started later than usual, but it has started nonetheless. The Blue Jays have begun their annual free fall. Yesterday they lost to the Padres, leaving them 3-7 in their last 10 games . . .

Maybe the Orioles will break the 20-win "plateau" before the All-Star break. Yesterday they downed the San Francisco Giants 4-1 for their 18th victory . . .

Speaking of the All-Star Game, let's see which MLB players are selected for this annual popularity contest . . .

The North Korean soccer team may want to consider defecting after losing to Brazil 2-1. Remember North Korean dictator Kim Jong II is not the most psychologically stable individual. Upon returning to their East Asian homeland, those players may discover that the location of their next soccer match is the 38th Parallel . . .

Rumor has it that the Jets inability to sell PSLs (Personal Seat Licenses) is what is preventing the organization from increasing their contract offer to All-Universe DB Darrelle Revis. Sorry, they'll get no sympathy from me. And neither will the other occupant of the Meadowlands, my favorite team --the NY Giants. Ultimately, PSLs are ownership's way of saying that access to tickets is a privilege that should be paid for. My recommendation is that both Giants and Jets fans tell their respective teams to "go scratch". Unless you're someone who uses those tickets to entertain clients, save your money and watch the games from the comfort of your living room . . .

Incidentally, Revis insists that he truly was feeling light-headed at practice the other day, which is why he had to skip the 11 on 11 drill. Perhaps he was dizzy from trying to count the difference in dollars between what he is demanding from the Jets and what they are willing to spend . . .

In a surprise to nobody, Washington Redskins DE Albert Haynesworth has announced that he wants to be traded and that he will not attend the Redskins mandatory mini-camp . . .

Does anyone else not care that Chad "the wide receiver formally known as Johnson" has arrived at Bengals training camp? . . .

About the Author

I am a PR Specialist and writer who has publicized world champions such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, and mega-events like Lewis-Tyson and De la Hoya-Vargas. Contact Donald Tremblay (The Rain Maker) at 718-664-3405 or at dtremblay@earthlink.net. For more info about me visit my LinkedIn Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldtremblay