Jason Grilli posted by Angels Fan

Born November 11, 1976, Jason Grilli plays Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels as their pitcher. Grilli played college baseball, even though he was drafted by New York Yankees in MLB draft of 1994. He played for Seton Hall University, where he was credited with striking out 18 batters in a single game, which broke the Big East record held by Charles Nagy.

In 1997, Jason Grilli was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in their first round draft. He was already popular for his good deliveries, and since he was a pick in the high draft, he quickly became the top prospect. In 1998, Grilli started playing professional baseball with Shreveport Captains, a Double-A team, and with Fresno Grizzlies, which is a Triple-A team. Pitching in 123 1/3 innings for the Captains, Grilli managed 100 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.79. Pitching for the Grizzlies in eight games, Grilli had a 2-3 record and 5.14 ERA. In 1998, he was named All-Star in Texas League.

In 1999, Grilli was traded to the Florida Marlins, and made his MLB debut in May 2000. In 2002, he missed the entire minor league season due to elbow surgery, and returned the next year to pitch for Albuquerque Isotopes, a Triple-A team. In 2003, Chicago White Sox got Grilli through Rule 5 draft. Subsequently he was released in 2005, when he signed up with Detroit Tigers for pitching in minor league. After that, Grilli has pitched for Colorado Rockies, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

In 2013, Grilli made 54 appearances, pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he struck out 74 batters in 50 innings and had an ERA of 2.70. In June 2014, Grilli was traded by the Pirates to Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Ernesto Frieri, a relief pitcher.

Rios Hits HR in 10th to Beat LA posted by Richard Kagan

Read the Alex Rios hit a blast in the 10th to beat LA Angels 8 to 6 last night in Chicago.  The White Sox, or the Cubs, for that matter rarely win these kind of games.  A sudden shot for a Home Run to win the game.  But the White Sox won one and now move 11 over .500 and lead Detroit by 2 1/2 games.  This Division probably won't be settled until late September so get ready it may be nail-biting time.  The Sox are playing well, but in order to win a Divsion you have to play very well.  The Sox have to step it up a notch if they want to see post-season play.  Guys are having terrific seasons: Adam Dunn hitting 31 HR's, Peavy with an ERA close to 3.00, Humber's perfect game, Pierzynski having a great year at plate, Konerko solid at the plate, and Ramirez, always good in the clutch.  Oh, Chris Sale's 13 wins in early August.  With all of those top performances, the Sox have a slim lead.  They have to find a way to go on a tear, to do what needs to be done.  It can be done. Continue reading "Rios Hits HR in 10th to Beat LA"

"Tim Lincecum Captures Second Cy Young" posted by Michael McGauley

 Just sheer domination that didn't necessarily show up in the win column! Fifteen victories equals a Cy Young?  Let's look at ALL of the numbers to really appreciate how great Tim Lincecum has been through his first two-full seasons with the Giants (he did throw 146-plus innings in 24 starts in 2007). Back-to-back Cy Young Awards do not come around very often (see: N.L. stand-outs RJ and Maddux, each with four straight, and Sandy Koufax with three of four; Clemens, Palmer, McClain, and Pedro each went back-to-back in the A.L. ([Clemens did it twice; ten years apart]). The difference? Lincecum has done it twice in two full years by the age of 25! So how do you follow up a CY YOUNG AWARD WINNING SEASON??? You work even harder to improve (by perfecting a third pitch), and that's exactly what Lincecum did after winning his first CY in 2008 with an 18-and-5 record, and 265 strikeouts in 227 innings. Lincecum worked 225 and one-third innings this year, and went 15-and-7 with 261 strikeouts. No, that doesn't sound any better until we delve deeper. Check this out - in roughly the same number of innings pitched, Lincecum allowed fourteen fewer hits (182 down to 168); sixteen fewer walks (84 to 68); four fewer earned runs (66 to 62), and an opponent's batting average of .206, down from .221 in '08. He also doubled his complete games (up to four); doubled his shutouts (two); lowered his ERA (2.48 from 2.62), and his WHIP (1.05 from 1.17). That is thirty fewer base runners which is certainly reflected in his walks- and hits-to-innings-pitched. Among his many double-digit strikeout performances this season, I was fortunate enough to see Lincecum dust 15 Pirates in a complete game victory on a Monday night in late July. Just unbelievable, even if it Continue reading ""Tim Lincecum Captures Second Cy Young""

Angels' Scioscia, Rockies' Tracy win Manager of the Year awards posted by Joe Gunderson

Hey all,

Managers Mike Scioscia of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies were named the Managers of the Year in the American and National Leagues respectively today.  Ron Gardenhire of the Twins and Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals finished second in the voting in the respective leagues.

Of course I wish Gardy would have won the award in the AL but I don't have a huge problem with this.  Mike Scioscia is a great manager and his team plays much like the Twins are supposed to play, not a lot of stars, just a bunch of good players with low to no egos who do things the right way and win most of the time.  Also remember that his team went through a really tough situation earlier this year when rookie Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver after his firt major league win this year.  To guide a team, after an event such as that, to the ALCS can't be an easy thing.  

If you're wondering how close the voting was you can check that out here: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4667499

If you are wondering why Gardenhire did not win the award and what he needs to do to potentially do so soon, I would suggest reading a fellow blogger's blog which you can find here: http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/sinker/2009/11/18/i-like-gardy-bu

I must get going back to my real job here in a second but I did want to also put out there that there are reports that former Seattle, Anaheim and Detroit lefty Jarrod Washburn is drawing interest from the Twins as well as a few other clubs.  I feel that if this were to happen that it would be a solid signing for the Twins.  They are in need of some veteran leadership in their rotation and all the better that he's a lefty.  He's not a great pitcher but he's solid and would be able to win us a few ball games that other pitchers on the staff currently, I don't believe, can.  Here were Washburn's stats last season:

Andy Pettitte is a Hall of Fame Pitcher posted by Colin Linneweber

Lefthander Andy Pettitte and the New York Yankees defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-2 Sunday night in the Bronx to capture their 40th American League Pennant.

Pettitte, 37, a two-time All-Star selection who has accumulated the most victories of any MLB pitcher since 1995, allowed only seven hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings.

“He did what he has done his whole career,” said Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter of the 2001 ALCS MVP.

The native of Texas is set to make his eighth appearance in the World Series when the Yankees host the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday evening.

Many onlookers have long considered Pettitte to be a serviceable pitcher who is not among baseball’s elite hurlers.

Those skeptics are simply incorrect.

Andy Pettitte, who has a career record of 228-133 and owns a .629 winning percentage, is a spectacular talent and he should garner serious Hall of Fame consideration when he eventually retires.

With his victory Sunday, Pettitte passed John Smoltz for the most postseason wins in history and he also established the record for the most series-clinching victories with five.

Additionally, Pettitte, a four-time World Series champion, has twice been a 20-game winner and he has never endured a losing season in his entire professional career.

Last September, Pettitte started the last game for the Yankees at the old Yankee Stadium.

Don’t be surprised if Pettitte is the pitcher that leads New York to their first World Series championship at the New Yankee Stadium.

Boston Red Sox to MISS Playoffs in '09 posted by Joe Burgmeier

Sunday August 16, 2009 following their 4-3 loss at Texas, is the first time since April 21st that the Red Sox do not have a share of the wild-card or AL East lead.  Does this mean that Red Sox nation should give up hope for the playoffs or a world series birth this year?  Probably not.  However, they should.  Sorry Red Sox fans and band wagoners, your team simply is not going to make the playoffs this year with the emergence of the Rangers pitching staff and the dominance of the Yankees offense.

Now I assume most of the Boston fans are screaming and their faces are steaming with team colors and pride.  But we have to look at match ups in the remaining schedule.  The Red Sox have a tougher remaining schedule than the Wild Card leader Texas Rangers and the only other team with an outside chance in Tampa Bay, has a tougher remaining season schedule than either and it would be one of the more amazing stretch runs if they make it.  The Red Sox have 20 games left against teams that are trying to make the playoffs, this of course comes with 6 games against all of Boston's beloved Johnny Damon and the New York Yankees, 6 games against newly acquired division rival Tampa Bay, who play tough at home, and 3 games with the Angels.  Out of the 20 playoff type team games left, there are 8 interesting games between the White Sox and Red Sox.  I'm not going to predict any winners from these games {insert 2005 playoff flashback here} but will be some of the most intriguing match ups of the season as Chicago has bolstered their hitting and pitching with the addition of Alexei Rios and SP Jake Peavy.  Peavy has been rumored for a late August return or early September return and could be a factor.  The White Sox are doing everything they can to try to win the Central this season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers numbers are Misleading!!! posted by Robert Karpeles

Baseball is a game of numbers.

When it comes to the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, their impressive numbers seem to indicate why they have the best record in baseball thus far. But when looked upon closer inspection, my instincts tell me that the Dodgers impressive numbers fail to tell the whole truth.  

Additionally, some of the unorthodox numbers, the numbers that are usually swatted away like a fly, reveal that the Blue Crew may be in a bit of trouble come October.  

In terms of hitting, the Dodgers numbers are solid. They have some of the most talented young hitters in the league. With players like James Looney, Russell Martin, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, the young guns have a 279 batting average, good enough for second in the league. Add in Manny Ramirez to the mix and the Dodgers are also seventh in the majors in runs and sixth in RBI’s.

However, my instincts tell me their youth may be their biggest question mark.

Outside of Manny Ramirez, can guys like Loney, Kemp, Martin, Blake and Ethier really be relied upon to produce in the postseason? Outside of Ramirez none of those names hit well against the Phillies last October.

While their batting average may be top notch the number rarely nobody ever discusses is that fact that the Dodgers have only have two players, Kemp and Ramirez, in their everyday lineup batting over 300.

The Dodgers hitting also lacks power. There 25th in the league in homeruns and 15th in slugging percentage.  Note: The last five World Series teams were 2nd, 18th, 12th, 5th and 5th in home runs and 6th, 6th, 15th, 9th and 1st in slugging percentage during their championship seasons.

Your Worst Face-to-Face Experience With a Sports Celebrity? posted by Greg Archuleta

LeBron James' alleged confiscation of a tape in which Xavier sophomore basketball player Jordan Crawford executed a two-hand dunk on him took on a larger life of its own than it would have had the tape been made public.

The story of James getting dunked on during a pickup game at the LeBron James Skills Academy by now has made the rounds several times over -- not to mention piqued the interest of basketball fans of what that scene might've looked liked.

Hmm. ... My first thought that comes to mind is Michael Jordan reversing course baseline against Patrick Ewing and throwing down in a classic Bulls-Knicks confrontation. My second thought is of Nate Robinson using Dwight Howard as a prop and jumping over him in the NBA Slam Dunk competition in February.

In any case, I began to wonder what the cameramen recording the event must have thought of The Chosen Brat after he reportedly dispatched a Nike official to take possession of the tapes.

Which got me to thinking about my worst encounter with a famous athlete: Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. Do these cameramen now see James the way I remember the Orioles' great?

At this point, please allow me the privilege of doing some name-dropping -- it's pertinent to this blog. I promise. And it's not like I have an extensive list.

In my years as a writer as well as a sports fan, I've talked to such luminaries as legendary college basketball coaches John Wooden UCLA), Bobby Knight (at both Indiana and Texas Tech), Don Haskins of Texas-El Paso (or the more famous Texas Western that was the subject of a major motion picture); tennis star Andre Agassi, former NBA player Charles Barkley, former NFL great Tony Dorsett, current NFLers Steve Smith (Carolina Panthers) and Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams). I have a minor relationship with Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and am fairly confident he'd know my name if he saw me at any random event.

Yankee Link and others posted by Erick Pacheco

http://www.p2p4u.net/live/pl3.php

Belisario arrested on DUI suspicion posted by Erick Pacheco

Ronald Belisario was arrested early Saturday morning on suspicion of possible DUI. I guess this guy hasnt learned that drinking and driving do not mix everyone knows how a human is put on jeoperdy when someone who is drunk steps into a car. Just this April we lost an Angel player due to a drunk driver. This guy lost my respect, hopefully he understands and does not allow this to happen again. 

Astros call up top prospect Alex Bregman after rout of Angels (Big League Stew)

You could argue that the Houston Astros won twice on Sunday. The first win came during a 13-3 rout over the Los Angeles Angels. The second came hours later, when the team announced top prospect Alex Bregman would make his major-league debut Monday. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

CC Sabathia takes a tumble off the mound while throwing pitch (Big League Stew)

If you’ve ever seen Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons play, you know what we mean. Simmons’genius is that he can make difficult plays look routine, and impossible plays seem possible. In the sixth inning of Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, Sabathia took a tumble off the mound while attempting to throw a pitch. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Angels catcher Soto back on disabled list with knee trouble (The Associated Press)

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Los Angeles Angels put catcher Geovany Soto on the 15-day disabled list because of soreness in his left knee Monday, only eight days after he returned from knee surgery. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

Trout, Choi go deep as Angels top Rangers (The Associated Press)

Mike Trout's latest exploit enabled the Los Angeles Angels to frustrate the plans of one of the American League West's contenders. Trout's three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning capped a four-run rally that gave the Angels a 9-5 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night at Angel Stadium. Ji-Man Choi added his first major league home run as the Angels earned their eighth win in 10 games and their fourth in succession, matching their season high. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports

White Sox-Angels preview (The Associated Press)

It was exactly one year ago as the Los Angeles Angels were about to embark on the second half of the season after the All-Star break that Angels left-hander Hector Santiago was on top of the world. Santiago, though, goes into Friday's start against the Chicago White Sox in a completely different situation. Santiago shut out the Tampa Bay Rays on three hits over seven innings in his last start July 7 and he likely will be a target for teams looking to make deals before the non-waiver trading deadline on Aug. 1. [read full article]

From Yahoo Sports